The tapir is a very large animal,—­about five or six feet long and three or four feet high.  It is in appearance something between an elephant and a hog.  Its nose is very long, and extends into a short proboscis; but there is no finger at the end of it like that of the elephant.  Its colour is a deep brownish black, its tough hide is covered with a thin sprinkling of strong hairs, and its mane is thick and bristly.  So thick is its hide that a bullet can scarcely penetrate it; and it can crush its way through thickets and bushes, however dense, without receiving a scratch.  Although a very terrific animal to look at, it is fortunately of a very peaceable and timid disposition, so that it flees from danger and is very quick in discovering the presence of an enemy.  Sometimes it is attacked by the jaguar, which springs suddenly upon it and fastens its claws in its back; but the tapir’s tough hide is not easily torn, and he gets rid of his enemy by bouncing into the tangled bushes and bursting through them, so that the jaguar is very soon scraped off his back!  The tapir lives as much in the water as on the land, and delights to wallow like a pig in muddy pools.  It is, in fact, very similar in many of its habits to the great hippopotamus of Africa, but is not quite so large.  It feeds entirely on vegetables, buds, fruits, and the tender shoots of trees, and always at night.  During the day time it sleeps.  The Indians of Brazil are fond of its flesh, and they hunt it with spears and poisoned arrows.

But Martin knew nothing of all this, and fully expected that the dreadful creature before him would attack and kill him; for, when he observed its coarse, tough-looking hide, and thought of the slender arrows with which he was armed, he felt that he had no chance, and there did not happen to be a tree near him at the time up which he could climb.

With the energy of despair he let fly an arrow with all his force; but the weak shaft glanced from the tapir’s side without doing it the slightest damage.  Then Martin turned to fly, but at the same moment the tapir did the same, to his great delight and surprise.  It wheeled round with a snort, and went off crashing through the stout underwood as if it had been grass, leaving a broad track behind it.

On another occasion he met with a formidable-looking but comparatively harmless animal, called the great ant-eater.  This remarkable creature is about six feet in length, with very short legs and very long strong claws; a short curly tail, and a sharp snout, out of which it thrusts a long narrow tongue.  It can roll itself up like a hedgehog, and when in this position might be easily mistaken for a bundle of coarse hay.  It lives chiefly if not entirely upon ants.

When Martin discovered the great ant-eater, it was about to begin its supper; so he watched it.  The plain was covered with ant-hills, somewhat pillar-like in shape.  At the foot of one of these the animal made an attack, tearing up earth and sticks with its enormously strong claws, until it made a large hole in the hard materials of which the hill was composed.  Into this hole it thrust its long tongue, and immediately the ants swarmed upon it.  The creature let its tongue rest till it was completely covered over with thousands of ants, then it drew it into its mouth and engulfed them all!