little courage to stand and watch such a proceeding, for you feel as
if the hideous fellows might turn and jump for you; but they were
doubtless absorbed in their own battle, and we wanted to see the
affair to the end, so we took the risk, if there was any. At last
they showed signs of weariness, but we prodded them up with our
riding-whips, preferring that they should kill each other, rather
than do the thing ourselves. Finally, four of them lay in the dust,
doubled up and harmless, slain, I suppose, by their own poison. One,
the conquering hero, remained, and we dexterously scooped him into a
tomato-can that Jack had tied to his saddle for a drinking-cup,
covered him up with a handkerchief, and drew lots as to who should
carry him home to Dr. Paul.

Knowing that the little beasts were gregarious, we hunted about for a
nest, which we might send to you after ousting its disagreeable
occupant. After much searching, we found a group of them--quite a
tarantula village, in fact. Their wonderful little houses are closed
on the outside by a circular, many-webbed mesh, two or three inches
across, and this web betrays the spider's den to the person who knows
the tricks of the trade. Directly underneath it you come upon the
tiny circular trap-door, which you will notice in the nest we send
with these letters. You will see how wonderfully it is made, with
its silken weaving inside, and its bits of bark and leaves outside;
and I know you will admire the hinge, which the tarantula must have
invented, and which is as pretty a bit of workmanship as the most
accomplished mechanic could turn out. We tore away the web and the
door from one of the nests, and then poured water down the hole. The
spider was at home, came out as fact as his clumsy legs would carry
him, and clutched the end of the stick Jack held out to him. Then we
tumbled him into the tomato-can just as he appeared to be making for