ALBERT R. MANN
LIBRARY

NEw YorK STATE COLLEGES
OF
AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS

 

AT

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

 

 

 

 

 

 
Cornell Univ

ersi
QH 107.B57
Adventures of a young naturalist,

DONTE UA

3 1924 001 498 546

ibrary

mann
 

Frontispiece.
ADVENTURES

OF

YOUNG NATURALIST.

BY

LUCIEN BIART.

EDITED AND ADAPTED BY

PARKER GILLMORE,

AUTHOR OF ‘‘ALL ROUND THE WORLD,” ‘‘GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE,”
* “ sCCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS,” ETC. ETC, ETC.

With One Hundred and Sebenteen Illustrations.

LONDON:

SAMPSON LOW, SON, & MARSTON,
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188 FLEET STREET.
1870.

5
& & fe
—_— aS

@ A\%Ba

PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
PREFACE.

EVHERE is no country on the face of the earth that pos.
sesses greater interest in the eyes of the scientific or
travelled than Mexico, the scene where the adventures

 

so graphically and clearly narrated in this volume transpired ,
nor is this partiality to be wondered at, when we recall to
memory what a lavish hand Nature has subtended to her.

Although several of our most celebrated naturalists have
climbed its lofty volcanic mountains, explored its lagoons and
giant rivers, and traversed its immense forests, still, from the vast
extent of that country, and variety of climate—caused by difference
of elevation,—much yet remains to be done ere the public become
thoroughly conversant with its arboreal and zoological produc-
tions.

The elephant, hippopotamus, lion, and tiger, the largest and
most formidable of the terrestrial mammals of the Old World, are
not here to be found ; but their places are well supplied by the
swamp-loving tapir, the voracious alligator, the stealthy puma,
and the bloodthirsty jaguar, all well worthy of the sportsman’s
rifle, or of the snake-visioned native warrior’s weapons—for the
power of destruction in these animals during life is great, while
after death they either furnish valuable skins or wholesome
food. Moreover, here the wolf awakes the reverberating echoes
iv PREFACE.

 

of the forest with its dismal howl; the racoon, opossum, and
squirrel pass their lives in sportive gambols; the wild and
the ocellated turkeys strut about, pompous in manner, as if
conscious of their handsome plumage, while the timid deer and
shaggy-coated bison roam over prairies or through woodland
glades, as yet unacquainted with the report of the white
man’s destructive fire-arms.

Can it, therefore, be surprising that our little hero should have
craved to be permitted to have a sight of this new land, so rich
in the prospect of adventure. How he behaved himself through-
out the numerous ordeals to which he was submitted, suffice
it for me to say, that his conduct was worthy of the represen-
tative of any nationality, and such as was calculated to make all
parents proud of their offspring; for whether suffering from
thirst or hunger, being persecuted by noxious insects, straying
in the woods, even when within reach of the fiercest carnivora
or in the presence of the deadliest reptiles, he never for a
moment hesitated in performing his seniors’ instructions, lost
his courage, or, better still, an opportunity of improving his
mind.

That the young English reader may benefit as much by the
perusal of this work, as Master Lucien, otherwise “Sunbeam,” did
by his journey through the Cordilleras of Mexico, and that they
may enjoy the information herein imparted upon the wonderful
works of the Creator, is the sincere wish of

THE Epiror.
CHAP.

III.

IV.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

XI.

XIII.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION,

. Who we ave— Gungele:-Sante—The reece ean halt,
. Sugar—Gringalet in the molasses tank—L’Encuerado’s ebotinite

idea— An Indian supper,

Waking up in the morning—The Manly world of Titivaaen.
cuerado and the bottles—Massacre of thistles—The charcoal-
burning Indians,

A difficult ascent—The gont—The Thien girls—The tobacco ante
—The bull-fight—Game—Lucien’s gun—Our entry into the
wilderness,

. The great foresi==Crows—The first bivouac—The suutnel hunt—

Our young guide—The chant in the desert,

Gifiee="Tarpentine—Couroucone—Pineaieedles= (Rhee seetenmen
in sight at once—The Carabus family—Scorpions—Salamanders
—A midnight disturbance, : é

The cat’s-eyes pommde—Agmeailie- Baden and the eee fern—
The fallen mountain—The woodpecker—The basilisk—L’En-
cuerado’s fresh idea, %

A vulture’s feast—Dragon’s hlcod=& eon sbepeth— lhe ul
Mexican moles—Toucans—The Scolopacide — L’Encuerado
turned tailor—Sunset, ‘

The south wind—The eae iat aight—The apmooied

giant—The sarsaparilla plant—Gringalet discovers a spring—
Our bivouac,

. The rabbit— Wild palatoed—te difficult vais An eocbiendt cntier

Hoar frost—The torrent—The fawn—The tettigones—Dragon-
flies,

. Ablue Heart he nines ee éeitaract— Was of yellow aaa

—A vegetable helmet—The kingfisher—Hunting water-fleas—
The tadpole—A collection of water-bugs,

A relation of Gringalet—Our four-footed mde ok review ee our
party—The alligator-tortoise—The phcasants-—-The magnolia—
The nutmeg tree—The blue plant—The caterpillar,

The sensitive plant—Gringalet and the porcupine—The Hexioan
chameleon—The kite and the falcon—An amphisbzna snake —
A council of turkeys,

PAGE

18

37

46

56

67

79

89

99

109

120

131
i CONTENTS.

 

CHAP,

XIV.

XV.

XVI.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.

XXVI.

XXVII.

XXVIII.

XXIX,

The meteor—God Almighty’s lanterns—The skunk—The jalap
plant—An rial journey—The orchids—Bivouac in the
mouth of a cave—Gringalet and the beetles—A white ant’s
nest,

Our substitutes fie lati Binet gieace into ohG cave —The
elaterides—The Gothic hall—Stalagmites and stalactites—A
Chichiquimec cemetery—The ‘‘ Tree of St Ignatius”—The
opossum and its little ones, ‘

The earth’s nuts—A wild cat's feast— Anothe ccniadine: ened
tion to the cave—The bats—Excavations in a tomb, .

A forced march—Wild ducks—Vegetable soap—An unwelcome
guest, .

Wild dahlias—A paint uleddiventunesthe enpihierbia planta
—The washer racoon—Surprised by a torrent—L’Encuerado
turned hatmaker—New method for driving out evil spirits—
The anhinga,

The black inten Anetee Jouning SB eniascenees of aiid
hood—The mirage—A fire in the plain,

The morning and night dew—The Terre- Riots TWwatenapouis
and whirlwinds—The Barbary fig-trees—The cactus plants—
The viznaga—Our hopes disappointed—Don Benito Coyo-
tepec, fi

Black skins and pitts we haze to fier eaepentere—
L’'Encuerado chanting and re palm-leaves—
Vegetable-butter tree,

Mexican oak apples—A stream “out in an abyss wild
nasturtium—Sportsmen deceived by children—The grave-
digging beetles—The cochineal insect—-Mexican wine—Good-
bye to our Indian hosts,

Again on the road—The binds catching spider The mach and
the skunk-— The flying squirrel—The otter hunt—L’Encue-
rado wounded,

A laborious task—Wild ‘hues dies Pico the West fidian
cherry—The earwig—Snakes and serpents—First glance at
the Terre-Chaude,

A ground squirrel—A mouse’s det “Prananine hints aii hate
young ones—The locust tree—Mexican wolves and their re-
treat, 2

The path through dite forest—it Sores andl the Bvchnialiiess
—Mosquitoes—The water-plant—The promised land—A band
of monkeys, ‘

L’Encuerado and the parte Canwest meets a fie Phe
cougar, or American lion—A stream—Our ‘‘Palm-tree Villa”
—Turtles’ eggs—The tantalus—Herons and flamingoes,

A grove of log-wood trees—Ants at their work—Parasitic insects
—The great Sees tae and herons—Lost in the
forest,

A nocturnal Hitter ihe fall of a ieee. A. Sonik night—The
monkeys—Master Job—All right at last,

PAGE

141

156
168

177

185

195

202

213

224

233

240

246

253

263

273

279
 

CONTENTS. vil
CHAP. PAGE
XXX. We build a raft—The horned serpent—Good-bye to ‘‘ Palm-
tree Villa ”—Mosquitoes and horse-flies—The rattlesnake—
An ocelot, z 284
XXXI. The hunters lninted- edie Boni peacued = jaguar nant
—An ibis—The caymans— The wild bulls, 289
XXXII. The king of the vultures—The ticks—L’Encuerado Frightened
by a demon—The tapirs —Good-bye to the stream—The puma’s
prey—A miserable night—Our departure—The savannah—
Lucien carried in a litter—Hunger and thirst—We abandon
our baggage and pets in despair, ‘ 298
XXXIII. Thirst—L’Encuerado’s return—The description ee his j jeuenee
Janet, Verdet, and Rougette—Hunting wild horses—Our
last adventure—The return, 7 é 307
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
——o——
PAGE
FRONTISPIECE.
‘““ We were just then passing through a plantation,” 138
** At last, lagging a little, our party reached the foot of she sieuntsing! 25
“The basket and its bearer chased one another down the hill,” 30
‘+ Almost immediately the foliage was pushed aside,” é 33
“On hearing the uproar two Indian women came running towards us,” 40
‘¢ Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with perpendicular sides,” 45
‘*We now entered one of those glades,” 50
“Tt was really a first-rate meal,” ‘ 65
“The dog began to howl desperately,” . 74
‘© A flock of vultures attracted oe attention,” 79
‘Lucien loudly called out to me,’ 82
“* Sumichrast halted near three gigantic aotieest 97
“ A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony simapent more
than a hundred feet in height,” 102
‘Sunset surprised us ere we had finished our labor? 103
‘* 4 shrub kept him from falling into the gulf,” 112
“The cataract,” . 115
‘A tiger-cat bounded forward and seigedl tie sheassig! M 126
“‘The kite avoided the shock, and continued to rise in the air, 135
** Tt looked like an immense pedestal, surmounted by two bronze ee 141
‘* Above us, the trees crossed their branches,” 146
‘““Then Sumichrast . . . . slid down the cord to fie ee,” 148
““T then ordered the Tedtian: to light the fire,” 150
‘The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger style of avenieeerane? 161
“* Five or six skulls seemed to glare at me through their empty orbits,” . 162
vill CONTENTS.

 

Crater of Popocatepelt,

‘Our two scouts climbed some enormous heaps of soul"

‘The animals nee to retreat before him, and led him to the ise
of a cave,’ :

“They were at once satuted oe a alniesa fire,”

‘“T at once recognised the black sugar-cane snake,” i

‘* Followed by my companions we ascended the course of the steam

‘‘The rocks came rolling down, dashing together under the impulse of a
liquid avalanche,” a . ‘ i:

“‘L’Encuerado . . . . set to work fi plait us hats,”

“T used to go iguana hunting with my brothers,”

““The moon rose, and rendered the illusion more Seriletiage

“‘The sand rose rapidly, whirling round and round,”

‘“Everywhere the cactus might be seen assuming fiwenity. different
shapes,”

‘¢ The water ciiapearad ee a low ech »

‘** Four children appeared,”

** An animal came tumbling down bat tee ae en us,’

“The sun was just setting,”

‘*T’Encuerado was pressing his arm nal abeene cries of ain?

“The Terre-Chaude was stretched out at my feet,”.

“And the Indian went away, saluting,” :

“I threw a stone at the beast,”

““ There was a whole tribe of monkeys BielielGes aici: e

‘*T looked in vain for the cougar,” ‘:

‘“‘ L’Encuerado turned three somersaults,”

““It stood up on its hind legs,”

‘“The bank to the right was colviitetl with ere and ‘thas: to iis left
with spoonbills,”

“*The head ant bright eyes és a Sony ines appeared about atty pases

from us,”
‘“ We now came upon some Sroreeiian pia
‘The monkey . . . . slid down, and fell dead at our efeets ee

‘*In front of us opened a glade, bordered by tall ne ¥

“* A band of peccaries were pursuing us,” . ‘

“* The banks of the river were covered with Alligators,” *

“The Indian and his branch descended with a splash into the eee

‘The entire drove . . . . dashed at full capes into the stream,” .

“*The reeds were pushed asta? *

““The deer sank down under the weight of a pana,” c F A .

“While the moon dimly lighted up the landscape,”

“Lucien began to repeat to the gis the names of Fioviense and
Emile,” ‘i

“We had to cross some muddy martes 2

Also numerous Woodcuts embodied in, and illustrative of, the text.

PAGH
164
173

175
179
183
188

190

205
 

INTRODUCTION.

ev HE evening before leaving for one of my periodical excur-
sions, J was putting in order my guns, my insect-cases,
and all my travelling necessaries, when my eldest son, a
lad nine years old, came running to me, in that wheedling man-
ner,—using that irresistible diplomacy of childhood which im-
poses on fathers and mothers so many troublesome treaties—
and which children so well know how to assume when they desire
to obtain a favour.

“Are you going to make as long a journey as you did last
month?” he asked.

“ Longer, I think ; for, as we are so soon leaving for Europe,
I want to complete my collection as rapidly as possible. I know
you will be a good boy during my absence, and obedient to your
mother. You will think of me sometimes, will you not?”

“T should much prefer not to think of you,” he responded.
A

 
2 INTRODUCTION.

“You would rather, then, that I stayed at Orizava ?”

“Oh, no! I should like you to go, and—to go with you.”

“What can you be thinking of? Before we were a mile on
the road you would be knocked up, complaining of heat, thirst,
fatigue ”

“That’s quite a mistake, dear father. I know I should be
very useful to you, if you would only take me. I could pick up
wood, light the fire, and look after the cooking, besides catching
butterflies and insects both for your collection and mine.”

“That’s all very well; but the first time you were scratched
by a thorn you would ery.”

“© father! 1 promise you I will never cry except when—
I can’t help it.”

I could not resist smiling at this answer.

“Then it is a settled thing, and I am to go with you,” ex-
claimed Lucien.

‘““We must consult your mother, and if she sees no objection,

 

I 2
The child ran off without allowing me to finish my sentence.
While I went on cleaning my guns, I found that I was pleading

with myself in favour of the little would-be traveller. I also re-

membered that when I was only seven years old I had travelled
long distances on foot in company with my father, and to this
early habit owed much of the power of accomplishing dangerous
and fatiguing journeys, which would have frightened stronger
men. I even persuaded myself that it would be useful, before
leaving Mexico, to impress the memory of my son with a
sight of some of the grand scenes of tropical nature, so that
he should retain correct ideas of the wonderful country in
which his infancy had been spent. I, moreover, knew that
l’'Encuerado, the gallant Indian, who had been my servant for
so many years, perfectly adored his young master, and would
watch over him just as I should, and thus ward off any possible
mishaps. On the other hand, I risked inspiring my son with
that love of travel and adventure, which had contributed mate-
rially to my scientific collection, but very little to my fortune.
Nevertheless, what a wholesome influence is exercised over the

 
INTRODUCTION. 3

 

mind by an almost unceasing struggle with the difficulties that
beset une’s course through an unknown country. Both the mind
and body of my son must surely benefit by such an excursion,
which might be curtailed if desirable. Soon after the boy
returned, accompanied by his mother.

“What is all this about a journey, for which my consent is the
only requisite?” asked my wife.

«Mine is needed too,” I answered.

“Why not take him, dear? L’Encuerado has promised me that
he will not lose sight of him for an instant.”

“What! do you take his part ?”

“He does long so much to go with you,” she said.

“Be it so,” I replied. “Get your clothes ready, for we must
be off the day after to-morrow at daybreak.”

Lucien was almost beside himself with joy. He rushed about
the house from one end to the other; gave the servants much
unnecessary trouble; leggings, boots, and a game-bag, he wanted ;
also a sword, a knife, insect-cases—in fact, a whole multitude of
requirements, L’Encuerado, who was almost as rejoiced as the
lad, cut him a travelling-staff, as strong and light as was requi-
site, and made him other auxiliaries necessary on such excursions.
From this moment forward, Lucien was constantly running and
climbing about all the rooms and the yards round the house, to
accustom himself, as he said, to the fatigue of a long journey.
At dinner-time he would take nothing but bread and water, in
order to prepare his system for the meagre fare of the bivouac.
In fact, I had to quiet him down by recommending more cool-
ness to his excited little brain.

The eve of our departure arrived, and several friends came to
bid me farewell. My son told them of all the great things he
had determined to achieve—how he would crush the heads of
scorpions, and with his sword cut down trees or kill serpents.

“Tf I tumble over the rocks,” said he, ‘I shall only laugh at
my bruises; and if we meet with any tigers ”*

An extremely warlike attitude terminated this sentence.

 

* The Jaguar (Leopardus onca Linn) is frequently called a tiger in America.
The Tiger (Tigris Regalis) is not found on that continent.—Ep.
+ INTRODUCTION.

 

Ceasing at length from want of further words, he would very
willingly have reduced to silence, with his sword, those who dis-
approved of my project of taking into the forests and savannahs
my child of nine years old, and exposing him to all the unknown
dangers of savage life,—to fatigue, rain, and all kinds of mala-
dies! Why, it appeared like tempting Providence, and risking,
for mere amusement, the life, or at least the health, of my child.
The unanimity of these reflections began to shake my resolution,
and I expressed myself to that effect.

“O father!” cried Lucien, “are you going to break your
word to me ?”

“No,” I replied; “neither now nor ever. I want you to be-
come aman, so you shall go. But be off to bed, for you must
be ready to start by four o'clock in the morning.”

I had given notice of my intended tour to my friend
Francois Sumichrast, a Swiss savant, well known for his dis-
coveries in natural history, in whose company I had undertaken
several journeys. About ten o'clock at night, I began to fancy
my letter of information had miscarried, when a knock at the
door startled me, and I soon recognised the happy voice of my
friend. He had come expressly from Cordova, in order to make
one in our little expedition. I told him all my doubts and
fears about my boy, but he quite took the part of the young
traveller ; almost what I might have expected from a companion
of Topffer.

‘“Come here,” he cried to Lucien, who, half-undressed, had
just peeped in at the door.

The boy ran to him, and my friend, whose stature much ex-
ceeded the average, lifted him up and embraced him as an
ally.

‘At your age,” said Sumichrast, “1 had made the tour of
Switzerland, my bag on my back, and lad tried my teeth on
bears’-steaks. I predict that you will behave like a man. Shall
I be wrong ?”

“Oh, no! M. Sumichrast.”

“Can you live without eating and drinking ?”

“T will do all you do.”
INTRODUCTION. .

 

‘“'That’s well; now go to bed. If you keep your word, when
we return in a month’s time, you'll be a prodigy.”

Next morning Lucien was up and ready long before daybreak,
and complained of our tardiness. He was dressed in a jacket
and breeches of blue cloth, with his Mexican cloak over them ;
he carried in his belt a sword ready sharpened, to cut his way
through the creeping plants ; while over his shoulder was passed
the strap of a game-pouch, containing a knife, a cup, and a change
of underclothing. The broad-brimmed hat, or sombrero, on his
head, gave him a most determined air. I had almost forgotten
the famous travelling-staff, which, for the last two days, had been
resounding against all the floors in the house. L’Encuerado, a
Mistec Indian, and an old tiger-hunter, who, through a thousand
dangers faced in common, had become much attached to my per-
son, at last made his appearance, clad in a leathern jacket and
breeches, which had given him his name of “ Evcuerado.” * The
brave and adventurous Indian was almost beside himself with
joy at the idea of conducting into the forest the child whom he
had known from his cradle. On his back he fastened a basket,
containing our main stock of provisions, such as coffee, salt,
pepper, dried maize, cakes, &c. Lucien’s younger brother and
sister had jumped out of bed, and were dancing all round us:
the latter seemed somewhat sad and uneasy, but the former was
dissatisfied, manfully asserting that he, too, was quite big enough
to go with us.

At the last moment my poor wife lost all her courage, and
recretted she had ever given her consent; but when Lucien saw
the tears which his departure had called forth, he became heroic
in his self-denial, throwing aside his hat and stick.

“Mother,” he cried, embracing her in his arms, “I will not go
away, if it makes you cry.”

‘All right, then; I will go instead,” said his brother Emile,
who ran and picked up the stick and hat, and then walked towards
the outer door, utterly disregarding his bedroom costume.

“No, no,” said my wife; “I will not be the means of deprivine
you of so much pleasure.”

* Encuerado, in Spanish, means both raked and clud in leather.
6 INTRODUCTION.

 

The kind mother again kissed her child, and commended him
anew to our joint care.

I led off my little companion ; but when we got into the court-
yard, I had to exercise all my authority to make his younger
brother give up the stick and hat he had taken possession of.
When restitution was effected, the two children kissed each other,
and parted friends.

At last the outer gate was passed, and our footsteps rang
through the quiet streets of Orizava. We were commencing the
first stage of our journey, in pursuit of scientific discoveries.

 
 

CHAPTER I.

WHO WE ARE—GRINGALET—SUNRISE—THE SUGAR-CANE—A HALT.

the convent of Saint Joseph de Grace chimed four A.M.
just as we turned into the main street that leads out
of the town.

Sumichrast took the lead. Tall in stature, noble in mien, and
broad-shouldered, he was, in spite of his blue eyes and fair hair,
the perfect representative of moral and bodily strength. I was
always in the habit of permitting him to lead the way, when, in
any of our excursions, it was necessary to favourably impress the
imagination of the Indians. He was distinguished as an orni-
thologist, and was never so much at home as in the midst of the
forests ; in fact, he often regretted that he had not been born
an Indian. His gravity entirely devoid of sadness, his skill in

 
§ THE ADVENTURES OF

 

shooting, and his silent laugh, often led me to compare him to
Cooper’s “ Leather-Stocking ;” but it was “ Leather-Stocking”
become a man of the world and of science.

Next let me describe my son. Like all children, he was
imitative, so had commenced very early to make a collection of
insects, and this was sufficient to give him a precocious taste

fan
\

: l

 

for natural history ; but in his character he was earnest, reflective,
and very eager for knowledge. Sumichrast took pleasure in the
boy’s intelligence, and often amused himself by arguing with
him ; from the flashes of childish humour which he would display
on such occasions, my friend sometimes gave him the nickname
of “Sunbeam.”

Next to the child came l’Encuerado, an Indian of the Mistec
race,—a strange mixture of delicacy, simplicity, kindness, can-
«a YOUNG NATURALIST. 9

 

dour, and obstinacy. In the interval that had elapsed since
I first met him, twelve years before, in the Terre-Chaude, he
had become my friend as much as my servant. He was
never happy in a town, and was always praising wild life,
even the inconveniences of the solitudes in which he had been
born,

 

“ What a pity that it is so dark,” said Lucien, whom Sumichrast
was leading by the hand.

“For what reason do you wish for daylight?” I asked.

“Why? Because every one is asleep now, and none of my
friends will see me pass with my sword, my gourd, and my

game-pouch.”
“So, you think that your travelling-costume would make your

companions envious !—that’s not a kind feeling!”
10 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“No, father; I should like them to see me, certainly ; but I
don’t want to give pain to any one.”

We passed along the foot of Borrego, the mountain which
has become so famous owing to the conflict which took place
there between sixty French soldiers and two thousand Mexicans,
and had just reached the gateway of Angostura, when a dog
ran past, but soon returned, barking and fawning upon us in
every way. It was Gringalet, an elegantly although strongly
made greyhound, which had been a companion of my boy’s
from infancy, l’Encuerado having brought it up “by hand” for
his young master. Gringalet was an orphan from the time of
his birth, and had found in the Indian a most attentive foster-
parent. Three times a day he gave his adopted child milk
through a piece of rag tied over the neck of a bottle. The
dog had grown up by the side of its young master; many a
time, doubtless, it had snatched from his hands the half-eaten
cake, but such casualties had only a temporary check upon
their mutual attachment. It manifested, therefore, a decided
preference for three objects—Lucien, its nurse, and bottles in
general. I was at first rather vexed that the poor beast should
have taken upon itself the liberty of joining our expedition, so
I tried to drive it back. Gringalet ran to take refuge by the
side of Lucien ; with ears laid back, and one paw raised, and
looked at me with such mild eyes, so full of supplication, that
I could not find it in my heart to carry out my intention.
Sumichrast and |Encuerado both interceded for the animal,
which, crouching and wagging its tail, came and lay down
humbly at my feet. Lucien, who was afraid I should behave
harshly to his favourite, hid his face in his hands. I was van-
quished.

“Come along, then, and let us take Gringalet !” I said.

So I caressed the dog, which, clearly seeing that it had gained
its cause, bounded along the road with the most extravagant leaps,
clearly indicative of its emotions of pleasure. In spite of all his
efforts to keep them back, tears escaped from Lucien’s eyes, and
Thad to turn my head away to avoid having to recall the promise
he made to refrain from crying. But, nevertheless, although I
A YOUNG NATURALIST. IT

wished him to learn how to bear stoically any physical suffering,
I had no desire to quench in him the evidences of a feeling heart
—that potent source of our sweetest pleasure and our bitterest
sorrow.

The gates of the town were still closed. On arriving in front
of the guard-house, I rapped at the window to awake the old man,
the guardian of the keys of the town.

“Won't he open the gate for us? Shall we be obliged to go
home again? Can't we start to-day, M. Sumichrast?” eagerly
asked Lucien.

“Keep quiet,” replied Sumichrast ; “the porter is an old man,
and we are disturbing him earlier than we ought, which always
puts him a little out of temper. However active we may be, it
is a good thing to know ‘ how to wait.’”

At last the doorkeeper made his appearance, the chains dropped
one by one, the heavy gate turned on its hinges, and Lucien was
the first to spring out into the open road. The sky was starless,
the morning dew chilled our blood, and we felt that uncomfort-
able feeling which, in the tropics, affects the traveller just at the
period when night gives place to day. I led Lucien by the
. hand, lest, in the dim light, he might fall. He shivered with
cold, but was unwilling to complain. I stepped on quickly in
order that he might get warm. Perhaps, just at this moment,
he regretted his little bed, and thought of the cup of warm
chocolate which his mother often used to bring him as soon as
he awoke ; but, unmurmuring, he retained his place by my side.

Beyond the village of Ingenio, a brisk south wind blew the
dust in our faces and retarded our speed. All round the trees
bent before the squall, and the large plantain leaves flew about,
torn into ribbons. We now turned to the right, and crossed a
prairie. L’Encuerado required breath, for his load weighed
at least eighty pounds, although, like Atsop’s burden, it would
surely get lighter at every meal. An enormous rock, which had
tumbled down from one of the surrounding mountains centuries
past, offered us a retreat, sheltered from the wind. At this
moment, a line of purple, edging the eastern horizon, announced
the dawn of day.
12 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Come here,” I called to Lucien.

And taking the lad between my knees, I said—

“You see that bright band of light which looks almost as if the
horizon was on fire? Well, from the middle of it the sun is
Just going to rise. At this very moment, in Europe, it is almost
noon-day ; but, as recompense, they will have dark night when
it is three o’clock in the afternoon here, and we shall be pushing
along, overwhelmed with the heat of an almost vertical sun.
The red line is now getting wider and paler; more like a golden
mist. But turn round and look at the mountain-tops.”

The child uttered a half-surprised cry ; although we were in
comparative obscurity, the ridges of the Cordilleras seemed all
on fire.

“Do you understand that phenomenon?” asked Sumichrast.

“Yes; for I know the earth is round, and these mountains,
which are higher than we are, of course first catch the rays of
the sun.”

The day broke, and a burning glow suffused the horizon; in a
few minutes the sun rose and inundated us with light. The birds
began to chant their morning song, and the eagles, careering
from every mountain-top, soared above our heads. The sun-
beams twinkled through the dewdrops, and the grass of the
prairie seemed decked with diamonds. Black vultures, which
soared even higher than the eagles and kites, traced out in the
blue sky the immense curves of their majestic flight. On every
bush insects spread their gauzy wings; perhaps they felt that
not a minute should be lost by beings whose birth, life. and
death are all comprised in one single day.

“Oh!” cried Lucien, “as soon as we get home I shall tell
mamma how beautiful is sunrise! Is it not a shame that so
many of us sleep through the hour when this lovely prospect can
only be enjoyed?”

I was obliged to cut short the little fellow’s admiration-—an
admiration I also shared. Each resumed his load; and now, in
spite of the wind, we all felt eager to advance. Gringalet, as
glad as we were at the return of day, frisked round Lucien, bark-
ing, Jumping over ditches, and rolling in the dust in his wild
(SSS ee SSS
SSSA Tod

="

ZL
4
ae, =

  

g through a plantation.” —Page 13.

““We were just then passin
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 13

 

gambols. Our young companion began imitating his frolics ;
but 1 soon called him to order, for our day’s journey was to be
as much as six to seven leagues, and it was necessary to prevent
Lucien fatiguing himself unnecessarily.

“You always go either too quickly or too slowly,” said Sumi-
chrast to the boy; “travellers, like soldiers, must walk at a
regular pace, so as to reach their halting-place without more
than necessary fatigue. Come—form in line! That’s well;
now, on we go!”

Lucien measured his steps by those of his instructor. It was
most amusing to see him trying to keep a pace quite at variance
with the jength of his short legs.

“ Halt!” cried Sumichrast ; “you can hardly imagine your legs
are as long as mine. Perhaps in about ten years’ time you may
enjoy that privilege; but, in the meantime, walk naturally—
without either effort or hurry. One, two, three !—now you are
perfect. Keep on without noticing me; you can’t walk at my
pace, so I must take to yours.”

As our journey was to extend to the distance of three hundred
leagues, it was quite requisite that the boy should accustom him-
self to a regular step. After several attempts this was accom-
plished, and all progressed together.

We now directed our course towards the heights. Our inten-
tion was to make our way into the Cordillera, and, passing round
the volcano of Orizava, to descend into the savannahs beyond,
slanting off to the left so as ultimately to reach the sea. Then
we thought of traversing the prairies and forests of the Terre-
Chaude, so as again to come to our starting-point through the
mountains of Songolica. This circuit would represent a journey
of a hundred and fifty leagues as the crow flies, or at least three
hundred leagues, reckoning all the circuits and bends we should
be obliged to make. During this long expedition, we had made
up our minds to seek, when opportunity offered, the hospitality
of any Indian villages that might come in our road, and only
when absolutely necessary to camp in the open air.

About eleven, the heat became overpowering, and Lucien began
to inquire about breakfast. We were just then passing through

’
14 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

a plantation, I might almost say a forest, of sugar-canes. The
stems of the plants were either of a yellowish hue or veined
with blue, and were more than six feet high. The latter kind
will ultimately supersede its rival; for the cultivators assert
that, although not so large, it affords a much more certain crop.
L’Encuerado, seizing his machete (a straight and short cutlass,
indispensable to the inhabitants of the Terre-Chaude), cut down
a magnificent stem, and peeling it, offered each of us a piece.
The sugar-cane is extremely hard, and it is necessary to cut it up
in order to break the cellules in which the sweet juice is con-
tained. My companions set to work to chew the pith of the
valuable plant; and even Gringalet seemed to be just as fond of
it as they were.

Not far from the cane-field, some Indians were working on a
new plantation. The ground was covered with ashes. The
foreman explained to us, that when the canes are cut down, the
first thing is to pull off the long leaves, which are left on the
ground. In eight days this rubbish is dried by the tropical sun ;
they then set them on fire, and the ashes which result serve as
manure. Five or six Aztecs were cultivating this apparently
sterile ground by means of a primitive kind of plough, made of
a mere stake attached to circular discs of wood forming spokeless
wheels ; it was drawn by two oxen yoked together.

Sumichrast took Lucien by the hand.

“In future,” said he, “when you crunch a lump of sugar,
you shall know something of the manufacture of what you are
eating. The sugar-cane is called in Latin Succharum officinale,
that is, ‘druggist’s sugar, because the product of this plant
was so rare, that it was sold only at the druggists’ shops. The
plant itself is said to be a native of India, and is, as you see,
a tuft of vegetation, from which spring six to twenty tall
stalks, with joints varying, both in number and in distance,
from each other. The most esteemed variety, the Tahiti cane,
is striped with violet. The specimen you are looking at is one
of the most remarkable as regards size, for it must be nearly
thirteen feet high.”

“Tt is like a stalk of maize,” said the boy.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 15

 

“That’s true, except that maize has only one stem. Look,
there’s an Indian about to cut down the very plant I was show-
ing you; he has severed it through obliquely at a single blow,
as near the ground as possible. Now he is stripping off the
leaves, and with another blow of his weapon lops away the green
top, which is used for fodder. Next, he cuts it in lengths, taking
care to sever it between the knots, as they are required for plant-
ing new ground.”

“ Planting,” repeated Lucien ; “ the knots are not seed?”

“No, Master ‘Sunbeam ;’ the seed of the sugar-cane comes to
maturity too slowly. It takes four years to produce a plant
from it -which is profitable. Now, as young fellows of your
kind are rather numerous, and consume a good many preserves
and sugar-plums, it is highly necessary to devise some rapid
method of supplying the sugar you devour. This method has
been found out. Each of these pieces of cane will be stuck into
the earth, and the knot, from which in the open air the leaves
spring, will send down roots into the soil. Small as it is, it will
grow vigorously ; and in a year, or eighteen months at most,
it will have produced a dozen stalks quite as fine as the one
you have been loolxing at.”

During this long explanation l’Encuerado, who, on account of
his load, disliked standing still, had kept moving, so we had to
increase our pace to catch him up. As we were passing on,
Lucien saw the Indians planting the very pieces of cane he had
just observed cut up. Ere long we came upon a fresh plantation,
in which the tender shoots, almost like grass, appeared over the
ground. Sumichrast dug a little hole round one of the plants,
and showed to his wondering pupil that the fragment of the stem
was already provided with small rootlets,

Suddenly, at the turn of a path, I was saluted by a man on
horseback. It was the steward of the estate that we were
crossing.

“ Holloaw! Don Luciano, where are you off to with all that
train?” cried the new-comer.

“To visit the forest of the Cordillera,” I replied.
16 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

‘““May you travel safely! but is the young gentleman going
with you?”

“Yes, to be sure. Good-bye, Antonio, till we meet again!”

“ Till we meet again?’ By my word, you shall not say that
Just yet. The goodwife has some eggs and fried beans ready for
breakfast ; and I ought to have some bottles of Spanish wine,
in which we’ll drink to your pleasant journey, unless you’re
too proud to accept the hospitality of a poor man.”

Being very hungry, with pleasure we accepted this cordial
invitation. The steward further insisted upon taking our little
traveller up in front of him. The child was only too pleased.

‘Oh, dear!” said Sumichrast ; ‘why, it’s spoiling the boy at
the outset.”

 

“It will be half a league the less for his poor legs,” said
Antonio. And spurring his horse, he galloped off with Lucien
to get our breakfast ready.

Gringalet was in consternation at his young master’s departure.
Raising his intelligent face, he seemed as if he wished to question
us, and pricked up his ears as if to listen to the sound of the
4 YOUNG NATURALIST. 17

 

horse’s feet dying away in the distance. At last he raised a
plaintive howl, and started off in pursuit.

Surprised at not seeing ]’Encuerado, I turned back, fancying
he had remained behind. I was expecting to see him appear,
when Sumichrast burst out laughing. At a turn of the road he
had caught a sight of the horseman, with the dog on one side
and the Indian on the other, who, in spite of his load, kept up
without difficulty.

This feat on the part of my servant did not much surprise me,
for I do not think that in the whole world there are any more
indefatigable runners than the Mistec Indians.

At twelve o'clock, just as the bell was calling home the
labourers, I entered the courtyard of the sugar-mill, where I
caught sight of my youngster sitting on the ground, with his
dog at his feet, looking with rapture at some ducks that were
enjoying themselves in a muddy pool.

 
 

CHAPTER II.

SUGAR—GRINGALET IN THE MOLASSES TANK:-—L’ ENCUERADO’S OBSTINATE
IDEA—AN INDIAN SUPPER.

©\"(9 wine spoken of by our host. The Indian labourers, with
their wives and children, assembled in inquisitive groups
round the windows of the dwelling. Lucien certainly carried
the day, for he it was that they chiefly sought to see. As for
Gringalet, he was much less cordially received by his brother-
dogs belonging to the place; consequently, he scarcely left his
young master’s side, and showed his teeth incessantly.
Sumichrast wishing, before we set out again, to explain to his
pupil how sugar was made, took him to the mill, situated in a wide
rotunda. Here two upright wooden cylinders, fitting close to
one another, revolved on a pivot set in action by means of two

& £ HE breakfast was a cheerful one, thanks to the Spanish
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 19

 

oxen yoked together, crushing the canes which an Aztec* was
introducing between them. The machine groaned, and seemed
almost ready to fall to pieces under the impetus of the power-
ful animals, which were urged on both by voice and gesture.
Lucien remarked that the canes were cut in lengths of about a
yard, and bevelled off at the ends, so as to be more readily caught
between the two cylinders. After having been subjected to this
heavy pressure, they came out squeezed almost dry, and the sweet
juice, or syrup, flowed down into a large trough hollowed out of
the trunk of a tree.

As soon as this receptacle was full of juice, an enormous valve
was opened, and the turbid, muddy-looking liquid flowed along a
trench, and emptied into a brick reservoir. On its way it passed
through the meshes of a coarse bag, and was thus roughly
filtered ; it was then conveyed into immense coppers placed over
a hot furnace. The fragments of crushed cane, having been
rapidly dried in the sun, were used to feed the fire which boiled
the juice so lately squeezed out of them.

Near the aloe-fibre filtering bag, in front of which the morsels
of cane and rubbish constantly accumulated, stood a little boy
about twelve years old, whose duty it was to keep the passage
clear. Lucien pulled my coat, to call my attention to the fact
that the lad had only one arm.

“How did you lose your left arm, pobricito?” I asked.

‘“‘ Between the crushers, senor.”

“ Was it your own fault ?”

“ Alas! yes. My father looked after the machine, and I helped
him to drive the oxen; and he had forbidden my going near
the cylinders. One day he went away for a few minutes, and I
tried to put a piece of cane between the rollers; but my finger
caught, and my arm was drawn in and crushed.”

* Two grotesque little phenomenons were once shown in London and Paris
as specimens of the Aztec race. When I speak of Aztecs, my young readers
may perhaps think I allude to these dwarfs. I will therefore state, once for
all, that this name is intended to apply only to the Indians, the descendants
of the fine race over whom Montezuma was emperor when Cortez conquered
them. By Mexicans or Creoles, we mean the descendants of the Spanish
race,
20 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

‘Tt was a terrible punishment for your disobedience,” I said.

“More terrible than you think, senor. My father died six
months ago, and I have several little brothers. If I had both
my arms, I could earn a quarter of a piastre a day, and also help
my mother.”

“How much do they give you for watching this filtering-bag
from morning till night?”

“Only a medio,” * he answered.

I looked hard at Lucien, who threw himself into my arms.

“Oh! I will always obey you,” he cried, with emotion; “ but
do allow me to give all the money in my purse to this little
Loy.”

“Give him a piastre, my boy; we shall meet with others in
want, and you must reserve something for them.”

“Oh! young gentlemen,” said the poor mutilated lad, looking
with wonder at the coin which represented sixteen days’ work,
“we will all pray for you!”

And he hurried to clear out the bag, which was already too
full.

The process adopted in the sugar-mill we speak of was of most
primitive simplicity. The European manufacturers employ iron
cylinders turned by steam or water power; also lift and force
pumps, which quickly convey the sap into the basins in which
it is to be clarified by fermentation.

But for comprehending easily all the operations required in the
extraction of sugar, Antonio’s hacienda, in which everything was
done before our eyes, was much preferable to any of the modern
mills provided with all kinds of improved apparatus.

When our young traveller saw the thick, muddy, and turbid
liquid, which was being stirred up by a gigantic “agitator,” he
could hardly believe that it could ever produce the beautiful white
crystal with which he was so well acquainted.

“But where’s the sugar?” he eagerly asked.

“There, in front of you,” replied Sumichrast. “The sugar-
cane, like all other vegetables, contains a certain quantity of
liquid, in which the sugar is held in a state of solution; if this

* About threepence.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 21

 

is removed, prismatic crystals immediately form. Look now!
the contents of the copper are just beginning to boil, and are
covered with a blackish scum, which is carefully skimmed off ;
for, in three or four days, when it has fermented, it will produce,
hy means of distillation, the ardent spirit which l’Encuerado is
so fond of. The cloud of steam which is rising above the copper
shows that the juice is evaporating ; in a few minutes more it
will be converted into syrup, and will ultimately form crystals.
Come and see the result of the last operation.”

We entered a large gallery, in which a number of moulds—
made of baked earth and shaped like reversed sugar-loaves—were
ranged in lines under the beams, like bottles in a bottle-rack.
Into these, which had been previously moistened, some labourers
were pouring the boiling syrup. A little further on we were
shown what had been boiled the day before, and was crystallis-
ing, assisted in the process by an Indian, who stirred it slowly.
From a trough, open at the lower end, a thick liquid was flowing,
called “molasses,” or treacle, which is used for making rum, gin-
gerbread, and for other purposes. The lowest part of the sugar-
loaf seemed, also, to be yellow and sticky.

Passing through a dark passage, Lucien noticed two half-naked
labourers, who were moistening clay and converting it into a kind
of dough.

“What a nasty mess!” he cried, with a self-satisfied tone.
“What would mamma say, if she was here? It was only the
other day she gave my brother and sister a good scolding.”

“ What was it for?” I asked.

“For mixing up mud to build a town and reservoir in the
long passage in our house.”

“What part did you take in it?”

“Oh, I was architect ; but I was scolded as much as the
others.”

“That I can readily believe,” replied Sumichrast, who could
hardly keep his gravity ; “but come, let us follow these labourers,
and you will soon see that they are not mixing up this mud for
mere pleasure.”

To his great surprise, our little traveller saw them filling up,
22 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

with a dark-coloured liquid, the empty part of the moulds, from
which the molasses had drained away.

“They are spoiling the sugar-loaves,” he cried.

“Quite the contrary ; they are going to whiten it. The water
that is contained in the clay will filter gradually through the
sugar, and will drive before it the molasses that is left round the
crystals ; and this operation several times repeated will produce
that spongy kind of sugar which is well known to retain a flavour
of the cane, rather disliked by Europeans accustomed to the finer
products of their refineries.”

The only department we now had to visit was the “drying-
room,” where the sugar-loaves are piled up to dry, and wait for a
purchaser.

In our way thither we nearly fell into an immense reservoir,
level with the surface of the ground, and full of molasses ; the
scum floating on the top so exactly resembled the rough and
sticky floor of the sugar-mill that it was easy to make a mistake.
Gringalet was unfortunate enough to be the cause of our avoiding
this accident. Restless, like all his kind, he ran smelling about
in every direction, just as if he was trying to find some lost
object : forcing his way between our legs, to get in front of us,
he suddenly disappeared in the thick liquid. I pulled him out
directly ; but as soon as he was on his feet, he rolled over and
over on the ground, so that when he stood up, his coat was brist-
ling with pieces of straw and wood ; in fact, he scarcely looked
like a dog at all. I called him towards the pond outside, but
the poor brute was quite blind and confused, and did not seem
to hear. Asa matter of course, all the labourers raised shouts
of laughter ; but poor Lucien, fancying that his dog was going
to die, followed him in despair. Gringalet, no doubt wishing to
comfort his young master, leapt upon him and covered him with
caresses, and of course with sacharine matter, in which he so
lately had a bath. As it was too late for any other course, I
made up my mind to laugh, like every one else. Whilst
lEncuerado was washing the dog, our hostess cleaned the boy’s
clothes, soon after which we resumed our journey.

Don Antonio, like a real Mexican, pitied us for having to travel
A YOUNG NATURALIST, 23

 

on foot like Indians ; he especially commiserated our young com-
panion, and thought, indeed, that we were very cruel.

“He must learn to use his legs; that’s the reason why God
gave them to him,” said Sumichrast, who delighted in an argu-
ment with the steward.

“What good are horses, then ?”

“To break your neck. Besides, there are plenty of infirmities
in life without making one out of the horse.”

“The horse an infirmity!” cried the Mexican.

“Yes, certainly,—among your caste at least ; for you could no
more do without a horse than a cripple without his crutch.”

Don Antonio whistled without making any reply, and, untying
his horse, took Lucien up in front, and accompanied us for more
than a league. At last, as his duties called him home, he
shook us by the hand, and turned back. Even after we had
lost sight of him, we could still hear him wishing us a pleasant
journey.

We had to cross a wide prairie; the heat was suffocating, and
we marched on side by side in dead silence. Lucien’s walking
was much hindered by his game-pouch and gourd, which, in
spite of all his efforts, would work round in front of him. I soon
noticed that he had got rid of the troublesome gear.

“ Holloa!” I cried, “what have you done with your pro-
visions ?”

“T/Encuerado wished to carry them for me.”

“T’Encuerado’s load is quite heavy enough now, and you
must get accustomed to your own. In a few days you won’t
feel it. Habit makes many things easy which at first seem im-
possible.”

“Senor,” said l’Encuerado, “Chanito (this was the name he
gave to Lucien) is tired, and this is his first journey; I'll give
him back all his things to-morrow.”

“Tt will be much better for him to get accustomed to them
now. Give him back his baggage, it is not too heavy for him ;
if you don’t, you will be the one to be scolded.”

The Indian grumbled before he obeyed ; then, taking the boy
by the hand, dropped behind, muttering to him—
24 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

““When you don’t want to walk any more, Chanito, you must
tell me, and you shall ride on the top of my pack.”

“No,” said I, turning round; “if you do anything of the kind,
I will send both of you home.”

“My shoulders are my own,” replied the Indian, earnestly ;
surely I have a right to employ them as I choose.”

Sumichrast burst out laughing at this logic, and I was obliged
to go on in front or I should have done the same. Nevertheless,
I feared lest Lucien should learn, on the very first day of his
journey, to depend too much on l’Encuerado’s kindness. I was,
therefore, pleased to hear him refuse several times the Indian’s
offer of putting him up on his pack, an idea which the faithful
fellow persisted in with an obstinacy which I had long known
him to possess. A little time after—thinking, doubtless, that his
dignity compelled him to prove that he was easily able to increase
the weight of his load—he seized Gringalet, who was walking
close behind lolling out his tongue, and throwing the dog up
on his back, and commencing an Indian trot, ran by us with a
triumphant look. Gringalet was at first taken by surprise, and,
raising a cry of distress, wanted to jump down; but he soon sat
quiet enough, without displaying any uneasiness, to the great joy
of my son, who was much amused at the incident.

The plain which we were crossing seemed absolutely inter-
minable.

“It’s no use our walking,” said Lucien ; “we don’t appear to
make any advance.”

“Fortunately, you are mistaken,” replied Sumichrast. ‘ Look
in front of you, and you will see that the trees on ahead, which a
short time ago looked like one uninterrupted mass of foliage, can
now be discerned separately.”

“You mean the forest which we can see from here?”

“What you take fora forest is nothing but a few trees scat-
tered about the plain.”

“Isn’t M. Sumichrast wrong in that, father?”

‘“No, my boy; but those who have more experience than you
might well be mistaken, for wher objects are seen at a distance
they always seem to blend together in a group. This morning,
 

a

“At last, lagging a little, our party reached the foot of the mountains.”—Page 2
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 25

 

for instance, when we were walking along the mainroad, you were
always exclaiming that it ended in a point; but you were con-
vinced that your eyes deceived you. It is just the same now:
these trees appear to be farther apart in proportion as we ap-
proach them ; and you will be quite surprised presently when you
see how distant they are from each other. The same illusion is
produced by the stars, which are millions of miles apart, and yet
appear so thick in the sky, that your brother Emile was regret-
ting, the other night, that he was not tall enough to grasp a
handful of them.”

“ And don’t forget,” added Sumichrast, ‘that light and imagin-
ation often combine to deceive us.”

“ Just as in the fable of the ‘Camels and the Floating Sticks.’”

‘Bravo! my young scholar; you’ve heard that fable?”

“Yes, One evening I was going into a dimly-lighted room,
and I fancied I saw a great gray man seated in a chair; I cried
out, and ran away, afraid. Then papa took me by the hand and
led me into the dark room again, and I found that the giant which
had frightened me so much was nothing but a pair of trousers,
thrown over the back of an arm-chair. The next day mamma
made me learn the fable of the ‘Camels.’”

On our road I called Lucien’s attention to a small thorny shrub,
a kind of mimosa, called huizachi by the Indians, who use its pods
for dyeing black cloth, and for making a tolerably useful ink.
The plain assumed by degrees a less monotonous aspect. Butter-
flies began to hover round us, and our young naturalist wanted
to commence insect-hunting. I restrained his ardour, as I wished
to keep our boxes and needles free for the rarer species which
we might expect to find as soon as we had reached more unin-
habited districts. At last, lagging a little, our party reached the
foot of the mountains.

It was now five o'clock; night was coming on, so it was
highly necessary to look out for shelter. We came in view of a
bamboo-hut in the nick of time. An old Indian was reclining
in front of it, warming his meagre limbs in the rays of the
setting sun, clad in nothing but a pair of drawers and a hat with
atorn brim. He rose as we came near, and proffered us hospitality.
26 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

His wife, whose costume consisted of a cotton shirt edged with
red thread, came running in answer to his call, and was quite in
raptures at the prettiness of the “little white traveller,’ who
completely ingratiated himself by saluting her in her own lan-
guage. We had accomplished a journey of seven leagues,
although Lucien, thanks to Don Antonio’s horse, had not walked
quite so far.

The aborigines set before us rice and beans. After this frugal
repast, washed down with cold water, I wanted Lucien to lie
down on a large mat; but the restless little being took advan-
tage of his elders being comfortably stretched out to sleep, and
ran off to see our hostess’s fowls roosting for the night on a dead
tree, and then to prowl up and down in company with l’Encuerado.
The latter had ferreted out a three-corded guitar which was in
the hut, and strummed away at the same tune for hours to-
gether,—no doubt to the great pleasure of the boy, although to
us it was quite the reverse.

At last our bedding was unrolled, and I enjoined repose on all.
Gringalet couched down in the hut, at the feet of his young
master. L’Encuerado, however, preferred sleeping in the open
air, only too happy, as he said, to see the sky above, and to feel
the wind blow straight into his face without having to be filtered
through walls and windows.

 
 

CHAPTER III.

WAKING UP IN THE MORNING—THE PIGMY WORLD OF LILLIPUT—L’EN-
CUERADO AND THE BOTTLES—MASSACRE OF THISTLES—THE CHAR-
COAL-BURNING INDIANS.

ROSE long before day and woke my companion. Lucien
rubbed his eyes two or three times, trying in vain to
make out where he was. After some moments, drawing

the coverlet over him, he turned round to go to sleep again.

“Now, then, young Lazybones!” I cried, “don’t you hear the
cock crowing, telling us we ought to be on our road? Jump up
and look round, and you will see the birds and the insects are
already busy.”

The child got up, appearing half stupefied, and stretched himself
with a long yawn.

““O papa!” he said, “I ache all over; I’m sure I shall never
be able to walk.”

 
28 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“You are quite mistaken,” I replied, half supporting him.
“ You only feel a little tired and stiff; your limbs will very soon
work as freely as ever. Go and warm yourself by the fire, where
our kind hostess is preparing coffee.”

The little fellow did as he was told; but he limped sadly.

“Do your legs feel like mine?” he asked of ]’Encuerado.

“No, Chanito; we did not walk far enough yesterday for
that.”

“ You can’t mean that we haven’t walked far? Papa says that
we are now seven leagues from Arizava.”

“Yes, that may seem a great deal to you, and perhaps too
much ; that is why I wanted to put you up on the top of my pack.
Now, come, let me see where you suffer.”

“ All over my limbs, but particularly inside my knees.”

“Wait a minute, and I'll soon cure you.”

L’Encuerado then laid Lucien down in front of the fire, and
began to rub him after the Indian method, vigorously shampooing
the whole of his body. Next he made him walk and run with
the longest strides he could take ; and, after repeating this pro-
cess, brought him a cup of boiling coffee. Having been revived
and strengthened in this way, the lad quite recovered his spright-
liness, and soon asked when we were going to start.

I gave a small present to the old couple who had so kindly
accommodated us, and our little party began its second day’s
work ; Gringalet sniffing the breeze, and evidently enjoying the
excursion as much as any of the party.

When the sun rose, the sky was covered with grayish clouds,
driven along quickly by a north wind ; but this weather was cool,
and well adapted to walking. A limestone mountain rose right
in front of us, the slope of which we had to climb; but ere we
reached the top, we halted at least twenty times to take breath.
Our little companion, with his head bent down towards the
ground, struggled to retain his place by our side. At last we
reached the summit, and felt at liberty to rest.

Casting a glance on the plain beneath us, the boy surveyed a
vast prairie, dotted over with clumps of bushes. He silently
contemplated the panorama which was spread out beneath,
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 29

 

although he failed to completely comprehend all that he
saw.

“Look at those black spots moving about over the plain,”
said he.

“ They are oxen,” I replied.

“Oxen! Why they are scarcely as big as Gringalet.”

“Don’t you know that you must not trust to appearances ?
Recollect the trees you saw yesterday, which you thought were a
forest.”

“But if, from this height, the oxen appear no larger than
sheep, the sheep ought not to look greater than flies.”

“You can easily judge; there is a flock of goats down below.”

“ A flock of goats? It is like a swarm of ants.”

“ Exactly ; but look at them through the telescope.”

Availing himself of the glass, which he used rather unskilfully,
Lucien raised a sudden cry.

“T see them! I see them!” he exclaimed. “ How pretty they
are! They are running about and crowding together, in front of
a little boy who is driving them.”

“Tt is most likely a man, who is diminished by the distance.”

“The idea of men of that size!”

“Well, look at the foot of that wooded hill; the thin line
which you might easily take for a mere pathway is the main-
road. Perhaps you may see an Indian family travelling along
it.”

Lucien kept shifting his telescope about for some minutes with-
out descrying anything; but at last he broke out in a fresh
exclamation.

“Have you discovered any men?” I asked.

“Oh yes!—men, horses, and mules; but they are regular
Lilliputians.”

“You are quite right,” said Sumichrast ; “how do we know
that Dr Swift did not first form his idea of ‘ Gulliver’s Travels’
from looking at the world from the top of a high mountain?”

After a.time, I was obliged to take the young observer away
from this point for contemplation to proceed on our journey.
The ridge of the mountain was soon crossed, and we began
30 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

to descend the other side. I took Lucien by the hand, for the
slope was so steep that it needed the utmost care to avoid roll-
ing down over the naked rocks. Several times I slipped, and
scratched my legs among the bushes. Sumichrast, who had
taken his turn in looking after the boy, was no better off than
myself. The descent was so steep that we were often forced
to run, and sometimes the only thing possible to retard our
impetus was to fall down, and run the risk of being hurt.
Therefore, in spite of Lucien’s promise to walk prudently, and
with measured step, I declined to allow him to go alone. We
at last, to our great satisfaction, got over about two-thirds
without any accident, when l’Encuerado, losing his equilibrium,
fell, turning head over heels several times; the basket and its
bearer chasing one another down the hill, finally disappearing
into a thicket.

“Look after Lucien,” I said to my companion, who was a
few paces in front. And I dashed forward anxiously to assist
VEncuerado.

I feared that I should find the unfortunate Indian with some
of his bones broken, even if not killed; so I called to him,
when he replied almost immediately; but his voice sounded
not from below, but from a spot a little to my left. I could
not stay my rapid course except by grasping a tuft of brush-
wood, to which I hung. Then, turning towards the left, I soon
encountered the Mistec, who had already begun to collect his
burden.

“‘ Nothing broken?” I asked.

“No, Tatita; all the bottles are safe.”

“Tt’s your limbs that I mean, my poor fellow!”

‘Oh! my nose and arms are a little scratched, and my body
is rather knocked about; but there’s not a single rent either in
my jacket or breeches,” added he, looking with complacency at
the leathern garments which had given him the name of ’En-
cuerado.

“ Well, you have had a narrow escape.”

“Oh! senor, God is good! In spite of the basket-work case, the
bottles might have been broken, and they are not the least hurt.”
y

if

2

Hi

i]

<

j;

VW)
.

i

5

:

<

:
7,
-

:

:

,

 

—Page 30.

‘The basket and its bearer chased one another down the hill.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 3r

 

For my part, I was more inclined to recognise God’s goodness
in Encuerado’s almost miraculous preservation. As to the basket,
the Indian had tied it up so strongly, that I was not at all sur-
prised to find that our provisions were uninjured.

“ Give a call-cry,” said I to the Indian; “Sumichrast cannot
see us, and may think that you are killed.”

“ Chanito, hiou, hiou, hiou, Chanito !”

“Ohe! ohe!” replied Lucien.

And the boy, looking pale and alarmed, almost immediately
made his appearance. He rushed up to his friend, threw his arms
round his neck, and embraced him. The brave Mistec, who had
been but little injured by his terrible descent, could not help
weeping at this proof of Lucien’s attachment.

“Tt was nothing but a joke,” he said. ‘“ You’ll see me perform
many a feat like that.”

“ Your face is all over with blood!”

“That’s a mere joke, too. Would you like me to do it
again?”

“No, no!” cried the child, catching the Indian by the jacket.

I dressed l’Encuerado’s hurts, and we were about to continue
our journey.

“JT say,” said Lucien, archly, just as the Indian was hoisting
his basket on to his back; ‘how would it have been if I had
been perched on it?”

“Then I should not have fallen,” replied !Encuerado, with the
utmost gravity.

In a minute or two more we were at the foot of the mountain,
when Lucien, overjoyed that the descent was accomplished, gave
a leap which showed me that the back of his trousers had
suffered in the late struggle.

“There ’s a pretty beginning,” I cried ; “ how did you manage
to get your trousers in that state?”

“Tt is my fault,” said Sumichrast, with consternation ; “ wish-
ing to descend more rapidly, and fearing another tumble, I
advised him to sit down and slide carefully. I did not foresee
the very natural results of such a plan.”

“Well, papa! it does not matter in the country.”
32 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Tf my advice had been taken,” broke in l’Encuerado, “he
would have had a pair of leathern pantaloons, which wouldn’t
suffer from such contingencies. Never mind, Chanito, we ’ll
mend them with the skin of the first squirrel which comes within
reach of my gun.” .

We were now passing through a dark gorge full of thick brush-
wood. In front of us rose a wooded mountain, which we had to
climb. The shrubs were succeeded by gigantic thistles, which
compelled us to advance with extreme care. These troublesome
plants grew so thickly that we were obliged to use our knives to
clear a passage. L’Encuerado, putting down his load, taught
Lucien how to handle his; showing him that a downward cut,
if the weapon slipped, or met with but little resistance, might
be dangerous. Enchanted with his lesson, and cutting down
several stalks at a blow, our young pioneer soon opened for us
an avenue rather than a path. The thistles gradually became
fewer. Sumichrast walked in front, destroying the last obstacles
that severed us from the underwood.

It was now breakfast-time, and as we continued our course we
looked out for a favourable spot to halt at, when the measured
strokes of an axe fell upon our ears. This noise told of the pre-
sence of wood-cutters, who were certain to be provided with
maize-cakes and beans; so we resolved to make our way up to
them, and thus economise our own resources. After an hour's
difficult ascent, just as we were despairing of reaching the Indian,
whose axe had ceased to sound, Lucien cried out—

“ Look, papa, there’s a fire!”

At the same moment Gringalet began barking furiously, and
a few paces more brought us toa burning charcoal oven. The
charcoal-burner, who was surprised at our visit, seized his long-
handled axe. But the presence of the child appeared to reassure
him.

‘Good morning, Don José,” said I, using the common name
which is applied in Mexico to all the Indians.

“God preserve you,” replied he, speaking in broken Spanish.

“ Are you all alone?”

“No. I have six companions.”
 

 

— Page 33

”

the foliage was pushed aside.

“‘ Almost immediately
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 33

 

“Well, will one of you sell us some maize-cakes, and give us
some water?”

“ We have neither water nor cakes.”

“T’m quite sure you will be able to find some,” I replied,
placing a half-piastre in his hand.

The Indian took off his straw hat, scratched his forehead, and
then, placing two fingers in his mouth, whistled a prolonged
note. Almost immediately the foliage was pushed aside, and a
boy about fifteen years old, wearing nothing but a pair of
drawers, made his appearance, and halted, as if terrified, at the
sight of us.

“Run to the hut, and ask for cakes, and some capsicums, and
bring them here,” said the woodcutter, in the Aztec language.

“It’s quite needless,” I replied, in the same idiom; “we can
breakfast much more comfortably in the hut.”

The woodcutter looked at mein artless admiration, then taking
my hand, placed it on his breast. I spoke his language, and I
was, therefore, his friend. This is a feeling common to all men,
whatever may be their nationality or social position.

Following the young Indian, in five minutes we reached a very
primitive dwelling; being but four stakes supporting a roof
made of branches with their leaves on. The woodmen in Mexico
construct such temporary places of shelter, for at the com-
mencement of the rainy season they cease to dwell in the
forests.

An Indian girl warmed for us a dozen of those maize-flour
fritters, which are called tortillas, and are eaten by the natives
instead of bread. She also brought us a calabash full of cooked
beans, which hunger rendered delicious.

“Why don’t they serve the meat first?” asked Lucien.

“ Because they have none,” replied Sumichrast.

“ Haven’t these Indians any meat? Poor fellows! How will
they dine, then?”

“ Don’t you know that the Indians never eat meat more than
three or four times a year; and that their usual food is com-
posed of nothing but black beans, rice, capsicums, and maize-

flour? Have you forgotten our dinner yesterday?”
Cc
34 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

‘“‘T fancied that we had arrived too late for the first course,
and that all the meat had been used. But shall we live on
beans the whole of our journey?”

“No; our meals will not be quite so regular as you seem to
think. Yet we shall have plenty of meat when we have been
lucky in shooting, a little rice when we have been unfortunate,
and fried beans whenever chance throws in our way any in-
habited hut.”

“And we shall have to go without dessert?” said the child,
making up his face into a comical pout.

“Oh, no! Chanito, there will be dessert to-day,” replied 1’En-
cuerado. ‘“ Perhaps as good as the cook would provide at home;
but, at any rate, it is sweet enough. Look at it!”

The Indian girl brought a calabash full of water, and a cone
of black sugar, weighing about half a pound.

“What is that?” cried Lucien.

“ Panela,” answered the Indian girl.

“Poor man’s sugar,” interposed Sumichrast. “The manufac-
ture of white sugar, which you saw yesterday, costs a good deal,
for the labourers employed to make it have to work night and
day, and thus it becomes expensive. Now, some sugar-makers
avoid all this outlay, and they merely boil the juice, so that it
will harden in cooling. This dark-coloured sugar costs about
one-half as much in making as the other.”

“T can well believe it,” said the child; “but it contains all
that nasty scum which we saw.”

“That makes it the nicer,” said l’Encuerado ; “it has a richer
flavour.”

And taking a morsel of the panela, he soaked it in the water
in the calabash, and sucked it.

When Lucien saw that we, too, imitated the Indian, he soon
made up his mind to do likewise; the sweet taste overcoming
his repugnance.

When we had finished, our young companion was anxious to
know how charcoal was made. Sumichrast led him close to a
recently-felled oak, the smail branches of which an Indian was
cutting into pieces two or three inches long, by means of an
=e

A YOUNG NATURALIST. 38

 

instrument something like an enormous pruning-knife. A little
farther, on the open ground, two men were collecting these
pieces of wood in circular rows. This pile was already seven
feet in circumference, and about the same in height, although it
was not half finished. Lucien could easily see this when he ap-
proached the Indian who was looking after the lighted furnace,
in which the wood, completely covered with earth, formed a kind
of dome, from the summit of which a blue flame was hovering,
proving that the mass inside was in a red-hot state. The
Indian kept walking round and round the furnace, plaster-
ing damp earth on any holes through which the flame started.
For, as Sumichrast properly observed, a charcoal of good quality
must be smothered whilst it is being burned.

“Suppose the fire went out?” said Lucien.

“Then all the work must be begun over again.”

“ But the fire might burn only one side.”

“They would then have badly-burned charcoal, nearly half
wood, which would cause a bad smell when it was used. The
wood in the oven we are looking at will be entirely charred
to-night ; for the fire, which was lighted at the centre, is trying
to break through all round the outside. Before long, the Indians
will cover up the opening at the top, over which the blue flame
is hovering. The fire will then be quite deprived of air, and
soon afterwards go out. In about eight days your mamma may
perhaps buy this very charcoal which you have seen burned.”

“ Suppose the charcoal went on burning?”

“Then the Indian, to his great vexation, would find nothing
left but ashes. But he will take good care not to lose the fruit
of his labour. He will use as many precautions to prevent the
fire burning up again as he does now to hinder it going out.”

A little farther on a man was filling up his rush bags with
charcoal which had cooled. As it would take him more than
one day to reach the town, he was lining his sacks with a kind
of balm, the penetrating odour of which always announces, in
Mexico, the approach of a charcoal-earrier. This plan is adopted
to preserve the charcoal from damp.

“ When I used to see the Indians carrying on their backs their
36 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

four little sacks of charcoal,” said Lucien, “I had no idea that
they were obliged to live in the woods, and cut down great trees
to procure it; and that they had to pass several nights in watch-
ing the oven.”

““No more idea, perhaps,” I replied, ‘than the little boys in
Europe have of the sugar-cane plantations ; and that without the
plant all those beautiful bon-bons, which delight the sight as
much as the taste, could not be made.”

“But, papa, haven’t I heard you tell the Mexicans that in
France they make sugar with beetroot?”

“Yes, certainly you have; and, in case of need, it might be
extracted from many other roots, plants, or fruit; but beetroot
alone yields enough sugar to repay the trouble of extraction.”

It was quite time for us to be off; sol put an end to the
ceaseless questions of the young traveller.

Our host told me that if we went on along the same path
which had led us to their place, we should come, in less than two
hours, to a hut situated on the plateau of the mountain. The
Indians certainly seemed to forget that Lucien’s short legs might
delay our progress.

 
 

CHAPTER IV.

A DIFFICULT ASCENT—THE GOAT—THE INDIAN GIRLS—THE TOBACCO
PLANT—THE BULL-FIGHT—GAME—LUCIENS GUN—OUR ENTRY
INTO THE WILDERNESS.

UR way led through nothing but scrub oaks, for all the

V larger trees had gradually disappeared from the moun-

tain-side, which had for some time been cultivated by

the Indians. The path was steep, rugged, and stony; and
seemed, at first, to defy any attempt to scale it. Notwithstand-
ing the measured pace at which we were walking, we were
obliged to stop every minute to recover our breath, Lucien
followed us so eagerly that I was obliged to check him several
times. He was surprised at not seeing any living creature, not
even those beautiful golden flies which, in Mexico, flutter round
every bush. But the north wind was blowing, and the sun was
hidden behind the clouds, so that both the insects and birds kept
38 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

in the deepest recesses of their hiding-places. As we advanced,
our road became much steeper, and we were obliged to cling to
the shrubs for support. L’Encuerado, who was impeded by the
weight. of his load, pulled himself up with his hands, so had
hard work to keep his balance. Soon it became impossible for
him to go farther; but, fortunately, we had foreseen ascents of
this kind. SoI gave the child into Sumichrast’s charge, for if
he had been left to climb by himself, he would most likely have
rolled over and hurt himself against the stumps or sharp rocks.

I made my way into a copse, and with my machete I cut
down a moderately-sized branch, the end of which I sharpened
to a point. Then, going forwards and unrolling a leathern
thong, thirty feet in length, and commonly called by us a dasso,
I fastened it to the stake, which I drove firmly into the ground.
By means of this support, which served as a sort of hand-rail,
YEncuerado could clamber up to me, thanks to the strength of
his wrists. Ten times this awkward job had to be repeated, and
the path, instead of getting better, became worse. We then
shifted our work, and I took charge of the load, whilst the tired
Indian fixed the lasso. I was just making my third ascent, when
Sumichrast, who had gone on before us to reconnoitre the ground,
made his appearance above. When he saw me stumbling and
twisting about, falling now on my side, and now on my knees,
toiling to advance a single step, my companion burst into a fit of
laughter. J had then neither time nor will to do as he did, and
his ill-timed mirth vexed me. At last I caught hold of the
stake, bruised and exhausted, and ready to wish there was no
such thing as travelling. Sumichrast told us that we had scarcely
three hundred feet more to ascend, and shouldered the basket
himself. Now that I was a mere spectator, I could readily for-
give him his fit of merriment. Nothing, in fact, could be more

grotesque than the contortions he went through trying to keep. . .

his balance. L’Encuerado was the only one who retained his
countenance. As for Lucien, he seemed to feel the efforts of
Sumichrast as much as if they were his own.

“You see,” I said to my son, “that in countries where there
are no beaten roads a walk is not always an easy matter.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 39

 

At last, we got out of this difficult locality. While all this
was going on, Gringalet, gravely squatting down upon his
haunches, seemed perfectly amazed at our efforts. Pricking up
his ears and winking his eyes, he quietly surveyed us; no doubt
secretly congratulating himself upon being able to run and
gamble easily in places where we, less suitably constructed
bipeds, found it difficult even to walk.

Here there were no trees to be seen. As on the evening before,
we traversed a granite surface soil which formed the ridge of the
mountain ; but a sudden turn in the path led us to a plateau, on
which stood a rudely-built hut.

Three children ran away as we came near, and two lean dogs
began to prowl round Gringalet with anything but friendly
intentions. A goat, which was quietly cropping the scanty
grass, suddenly raised its head, and, cutting several capers, ran
with its head bent down, as if to butt our little companion. I
could not reach the spot in time to prevent this unforeseen
attack, nevertheless I shouted, in hopes of intimidating the
animal; but Gringalet, who was far more nimble than I, boldly
faced the enemy, and soon forced him to retreat.

“ Weren’t you afraid of him?” asked Sumichrast.

“Rather,” answered Lucien, hanging down his head.

“ Well, it did not prevent you facing the foe.”

“If I had run away, the goat, who runs a great deal faster
than I can, would soon have overtaken me. I waited for him,
so as to frighten him with my stick, and, if possible, avoid his
horns.”

“You could not have acted more sensibly. At all events
you’ve plenty of coolness, and that is about the best quality a
traveller can show.”

«“ All right now, but in future I shall keep clear of goats. But
I thought they were afraid of men !”

“Not always, as you were very near finding out to your cost.
Perhaps, however,” continued Sumichrast, smiling, “ your enemy
did not look upon you quite as a man ; and, after all, I fancy he
thought more of playing with you than of hurting you, for he
must be thoroughly accustomed to the sight of children.”
40 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

At this moment, Gringalet came running up with his tail
between his legs, and with a most doleful look; he was closely
pursued by all the dogs of the plateau, who, instead of barking,
were making a kind of howling noise, common to those that are
but half domesticated.

On hearing all this uproar, two Indian women came running
towards us, but stopped, abashed, at our appearance.

The youngest of them, rather a pretty girl, wore nothing but
a short linen chemise, and a piece of blue woollen stuff, fastened
round her hips by a wide band, ornamented with red threads,
Her hair, which was plaited and brought over her forehead,
formed a sort of coronet. Her companion, who was dressed in a
similar way, wore in addition a long scarf, which was fixed to
her head, and fell round her like a nun’s cloak.

“God bless you! Maria,” I said to the eldest. “Can you take
us in for one night ?”

“T have nothing to offer you to eat, I am afraid.”

“Perhaps you can sell us a fowl and some eggs.”

‘Well, I must see if my husband objects to guests.”

“ Surely your husband will not refuse the shelter of his roof to
weary travellers?”

She reflected for a moment, and then answered—

‘No, he is a Christian! come in and rest yourselves.”

The Indian woman called to her children, who one after the
other showed their wild-looking heads peeping out from some
hiding-place, and ordered them to drive away the dogs.

It was not without some degree of pleasure that we got rid of
our travelling gear, as we felt no ordinary amount of weariness,
which was easily accounted for by the exertion of our recent
ascent. L’Encuerado, always brisk, began to assist the housewife;
he stirred up the fire, arranged the plates, and looked to their
being clean. The Indian woman then asked him to go and draw
some water from a spring about a hundred yards from the hut;
and off he went, led by the children of our hostess. His young
guides, completely naked, and their heads shaved, rode on
bamboo-canes as make-believe horses, and pranced along in front
of him.
 

“On hearing the uproar, two Indian women came towards us.”—Page 40.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 41

 

Except on the side we had just ascended, the plateau was
entirely surrounded by high mountains. The hut, which was
built of planks and covered with thatch, appeared very cleanly
kept. Behind it extended a small kitchen garden, in which
fennel, the indispensable condiment in Aztec cookery, grew in
great abundance ; in front, there was a large tobacco plantation,
and an enclosure where both goats and pigs lived on good terms
with each other. The situation appeared somewhat dull to us ;
but in the tropics the absence of sunshine is sufficient to give a
sombre look to the most beautiful landscape.

Lucien wanted to pay a visit to the tobacco-field. The stems
of this plant are more than three feet high, covered with wide
leaves of a dark-green colour. The flowers, some of which were
pink and others a yellowish hue, indicated two different species ;
their acrid smell was anything but pleasant. Lucien was not a
little surprised to learn that this beautiful vegetable belonged to
the same botanical family as the potato, the tomato, the egg-
plant, and the pimento.

“ Among the ancient Aztecs,” said Sumichrast, “tobacco was
called pycietl ; it was the emblem of the goddess Cihuacohuatl, or
woman-serpent.* In Mexican mythology, this divinity was sup
posed to be the first mother of children ; and, in the legend about
her, the European missionaries fancied that they recognised some
features resembling the sacred history of Eve. Up to the present
time, the Indians, who have renounced the errors of Paganism
and profess the Christian religion, continue to make use of the
plant consecrated to their ancient goddess, as a remedy for the
sting of venomous reptiles.”

“Then that is why they cultivate tobacco,” said Lucien, “ for
I know that they seldom smoke.”

“No, but they sell their crops of it to the Creoles, among whom
smoking is a universal habit. It is said that the word tobacco
comes from the name of the island of Tabago, where the Spaniards
first discovered it. About the year 1560, it was introduced into
France by Jean Nicot, who gave it his own name; for savants

* In the Aztec language, cihuatl signifies “ woman,” and cohuatl signifies
“ serpent.”
42 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

call this plant nicotian. It is a certain fact that the modern
Mexican Indians smoke hardly anything but cigars or cigarettes.
As for pipes, they have not long known of the existence of such
things; and the works of certain romancers, who so often describe
the Aztecs as having the pipe of peace, war, or council constantly
in their mouths, are simply ridiculous. You may recollect how
astonished the French were, on their arrival here, to find they
could not procure any cut tobacco; whilst, on the other hand,
the Indians crowded to see the foreigners inhale the smoke of the
plant from instruments made of clay, wood, or porcelain.” *

“T remember,” cried Lucien, “that one day l’Encuerado took a
pipe belonging to an officer who was staying with papa, and began
to smoke it. You should have seen what horrible faces he made!”

“Well, what happened to him?” asked Sumichrast.

“The pipe made him sick, and then papa, who knew nothing
about his smoking, gave him some medicine; but l’Encuerado
told me that the medicine was not nearly so nasty as the pipe.”

The culprit, who had just joined us, cast down his eyes at this
tale about him, and murmured in a sententious tone of voice,
“« Pipes are an invention of the devil.” +

Followed by my companions, I again drew near to the hut,
and the master came out to bid us welcome. Our hostess placed
upon a mat an earthen dish containing a fowl cooked with rice,
and the Indian, his wife, and his sister-in-law, offered to wait on
us. Lucien invited the children to partake of our repast ; but
they refused to sit down beside us. Towards the conclusion of
our dinner, one of them brought us half a dozen bananas, which
were most welcome ; while we were drinking our coffee, the little
troop made up a game of hide-and-seek. To my great satisfaction,
I saw that, in spite of the long day’s journey, Lucien joined in and
ran and jumped about with as much energy as his playmates.

At last the children got tired of this game, and, bringing a kid,

* The Indians that inhabit the vast plains to the north of Mexico all
smoke ; from this, doubtless, arises the usual supposition that all American
Indians smoke.—Ep,

+ In giving utterance to this anathema, l’Encuerado was unknowingly
agreeing with James I., king of England, who published a work against
smokers.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 43

 

had a mock bull-fight. The animal, wonderfully well trained to
the sport, ran after the youngsters, and more than once succeeded
in knocking them down. When Lucien met this fate, Gringalet
became furious and sprang upon the pretty little creature; but
the dog’s young master got up in a moment and soon quieted his
protector’s energy. We had noticed, ever since we set out, that
Gringalet always preferred to follow close to the boy, and seemed
to have taken upon himself the task of watching over his safety.

Our host told us that he was born and also married in the
village of Tenejapa; but being enlisted for a soldier by force, he
deserted and took up his abode on this plateau. We were the
first white men who had paid him a visit for six years. His
fields produced maize, beans, and tobacco, which his wife and
sister-in-law took twice a year to Orizava to exchange for neces-
saries for housekeeping. He was as happy as possible, and was
never tired of praising the charms of forest and plain. But his
raptures were not required to convert us to his opinions.

Night-fall was accompanied by cold, to which we were but
little accustomed. The Indians lent us some mats; then we all
wrapped ourselves up, and were soon asleep, notwithstanding the
primitiveness of our couch.

About two in the morning I woke up numbed from the low-
ness of the temperature; Lucien also was nearly frozen. I
hastened to cover him up with my sarapé, for on these heights
we were exposed to the north wind blowing from the volcano of
Citlatepetl, and the atmosphere would not get warm again until
sun-rise. Sumichrast soon joined me; he had also given up his
covering to the child. I then set to work to look for some small
branches to light the fire; but our movements ultimately roused
up our host, and, thanks to him, we were soon able to sit down
in front of a powerful blaze. Still ’Encuerado, from force of
habit, who was hardly sheltered at all, was sleeping like a top.
At last, aided by the heat, sleep resumed its influence, and I
dropped off again in slumber.

When I awoke, the sun was shining in a cloudless sky, and
everybody was up. Sumichrast was inspecting the arms and
ammunition, for, from this day forward, we should have to pro-
44 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

vide our own subsistence. I was quite surprised at the time I
had been asleep; but a slight touch of lumbago reminded me of
yesterday’s difficult ascent, which fully accounted for my drowsi-
ness. I must confess I] felt much more inclined to go to bed
again than to continue our journey ; but, as I was obliged to set
a good example, I began to help my companions in their pre-
parations for departure. I have already described the dress of
Lucien and l’Encuerado; Sumichrast’s costume and mine also
consisted of strong cloth trousers, and a blouse made of the same
stuff. The weapons of each were a revolver, a machete, a double-
barrelled gun, and a game-bag filled with necessaries. We duly
examined the contents of the basket, which l Encuerado carried
on his back by a strap fixed across his breast or forehead. Sumi-
chrast then took out a long parcel he had put into the basket
when we started, and unrolled the cloth which formed its first
covering. His smile and mysterious look quite puzzled us; at
last he drew from the paper a light fowling-piece, which he
placed in Lucien’s hands.

The boy blushed and trembled with joy, and became quite
pale with anxiety. He hardly dared to believe that his fondest
dream was thus realised. He could not speak for pleasure, but
threw himself into my friend’s arms. I was as much surprised as
he was. I had often thought of giving Lucien a gun; but I was
so afraid of an accident that I had decided not to do so.

“O Chanito! I pity the poor tigers; what a number of them
you will kill!” exclaimed the old hunter. “ What beautiful
skins you will be able to take home to mamma! Come, let me
handle your gun; it looks as if it was made on purpose for you.
Oh! how I pity the poor tigers!”

And he began to dance about with the energy of delight.

It was decided that the gun should always be loaded by us,
and that Lucien should only shoot under our directions. I also
added that, at the least infringement of these rules, the gun
would be taken away, and the little fellow well knew I would
keep my word. In vain I advised him to put back his gun into
the basket ; but this was almost too much to expect, so I allowed
him to carry it, which he did with great pride.
 

ei Tes

“Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with perpendicular sides.”—Page 4s.
e

A YOUNG NATURALIST. 45

 

After a good breakfast, we regulated our compasses. Lucien
said good-bye to his little companions, and I thanked the Indian
women for all their attention to us. Our host, however, accom-
panied us to the summit of the mountain.

There we found ourselves in a vast amphitheatre, commanded on
all sides by wooded ridges ; at our feet stretched the plateau we had
just crossed, and far beneath us we caught indistinct glimpses of
the plain below. Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with
perpendicular sides, almost like an immense wall. Above us was
the pale blue sky, dotted over with vultures.

On the verge of the forest our guide parted from us with
regret, and wished us a successful journey. Sumichrast loaded
Lucien’s gun, and told him to fire it off as a salute on our enter-
ing the wilderness. The shot was fired, the echoes reverberating
in succession, each louder than the last ; then all was once more
silent. After casting a last look over the valley, I was the first
to: make my way into the forest. From this moment we had
only God’s providence and our own exertions to trust to; for
every step we advanced only took us farther from the haunts of
men.

 
 

CHAPTER V.

THE GREAT FOREST—CROWS—THE FIRST BIVOUAC—THE SQUIRREL
HUNT—OUR YOUNG GUIDE—THE CHANT IN THE DESERT.

2 E were now more than 5000 feet above the level of the
sea, and the coldness of the breeze quite surprised my
son, who, being accustomed to the climate of the
Terre-Tempérée, had never before felt anything like the atmos-
phere we were now in. As if by instinct, he held his fingers in
his mouth, to prevent their getting numbed. But when the sun
had reached a certain height, there was no longer any need to
complain of the cold.

As we advanced, the trees grew closer and closer together.
Lucien, who now for the first time saw these enormous trees, to
whom centuries were no more than years are to us, seemed strongly
impressed at the sight of their gigantic proportions. He almost

 
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 47

 

doubted the reality of the scene which met his eyes ; having pre-
viously seen the pigmy world of Lilliput from the top of a moun-
tain, he was now ready to inquire if this was not another illusion,
exhibiting to him the empire of one of those giants whose marvel-
lous histories his mamma had related to him, An oak-tree, which
had fallen across our path, gave him a good opportunity of measur-
ing its size, the limbs of which seemed to touch the sky. The
ancient trunk was black wrinkled, and partly buried in the earth
by the weight of its fall; even as it lay prostrate, it was several
feet higher than ourselves, while the large branches, scattered and
broken, were equal in diameter to the biggest chestnut-trees. A
flapping of wings suddenly attracted our attention, and we saw
two couples of enormous crows take flight, saluting us as they
went with a prolonged croaking.

“ Be off with you, children of the evil one!” cried lEncuerado;
“you ‘ve no chance of frightening us, we are too good Christians
for that !”

“Whom are you calling to?” asked Lucien, who looked round
him with surprise.

“To the crows, of course.”

“Do you believe that they can understand you 2?”

“Not the least doubt about it, Chanito. These scoundrels
are harder in their flesh than they are in their hearing ; and just
because they are dressed up in a beautiful black coat, like that
your papa wears on festival days, they think to have everything
their own way. But if one of them dares to come to-night and
prow] round our fire, I’ll kill and roast him, as sure as my name
is ’Encuerado !”

The boy opened his eyes very wide at this, for he was always
astonished at the whims of the Indian, who never failed to interpret
the cries and gestures of animals according to his own fancy, and
to give a sharp rejoinder to the imaginary provocations which, as
he considered, were offered to him. Sometimes, even, he laid
the blame on inanimate things, and then his conversations with
them were most amusing. The old hunter had no doubt con-
tracted this habit at a time when, living alone in the woods and
feeling the need of talking, he conversed with himself, having no
48 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

one else to address. However this might be, he kept up conver-
sation with either a leaf or a bird in perfectly artless sincerity.

For four hours we proceeded through the forest, feeling almost
overcome with the heat. Pines and oaks appeared, one after
another, in almost monotonous regularity. Gradually the ground
began to slope, and the altered pace we had to adopt both rested
us and also increased. the speed of our march. At length we
emerged into a valley. The vegetation was now of an altered
character, and ceibas, lignum-vita trees, and creepers were here
and there to be seen.

“Walt!” I cried out.

I soon got rid of my travelling gear, an example my companions
were not slow in following. L’Encuerado and Lucien immediately
set to work to find some dry branches, whilst Sumichrast and I
began to cut down the grass over a space of several square yards.

“Have we finished our day’s journey then?” asked Lucien.

“Yes,” I replied ; “don’t you feel tired 2”

“Not very ; I could easily go farther. Have we walked very
far ?”

“ About four leagues.”

“And are we really going to rest after a trifle like that? 1
always thought travellers went on walking until night.”

“Nonsensé!” said I, taking hold of his ear. “What an un-
daunted young pedestrian! Four leagues a day are no such trifle
when you have to begin again next morning. ‘Slow and steady
wins the race,’ says an old proverb, which I intend to carry out
to the letter ; for forced marches would soon injure our health,
and then good-bye to the success of our expedition. As to walk-
ing until night, it is perfectly impossible, except when one is
certain to meet with an inn. Under these large trees, no one
will ever think of getting ready a meal for us; and, I suppose, you
haven't much wish to die of hunger. We may very likely have
to tramp one or two leagues more before we are able to kill the
game which will form the mainstay of our dinner.”

“I never thought of all that,” said Lucien, shaking his head,

and looking convinced ; “but what shall we have to eat this
evening ?”
4A YOUNG NATURALIST. 49

 

“At present, I haven’t the least idea ; perhaps a hare or a
bird, or even a rat.”

“A rat! I certainly will never touch one.”

“Ah! my boy, wait till you are really hungry,—you don’t
know as yet what it is to be so,—and then you'll see how greedily
you will make a dinner off whatever Providence provides.”

“Do you think we shall often have to go a whole day without
eating ?”

“T hope not,” I answered, smiling at Lucien’s anxious and
somewhat pensive tone.

During this conversation, lEncuerado, as active as a monkey,
had clambered up a pine, and his machete was strewing the
ground with slender boughs. We, also, set to work at shaping
the stakes, which I drove into the ground by means of a stone,
which served as a hammer. Some branches, interwoven and tied
together by creepers, formed a kind of hurdle, which, fixed on
the top of the posts, did for a roof. The Indian, assisted by his
little companion, who was much interested in all the preparations,
filled the hut with leaves, and covered the branches with a layer
of dry grass. Under this shelter, we could set the rain at defi-
ance, if not the cold.

It is impossible to describe Lucien’s enchantment. This house
(for this was the name he chose to give to the shapeless hut, in
which our party could scarcely stand upright) appeared to him
a perfect master-piece of architecture, and he was astonished
at the rapidity with which it had been built. He helped 1’En-
cuerado to make up the fire, so that all that was requisite on our
return was to set a light to it. Then, armed with our guns, we
set off to seek for our dinners.

Seeing that we left behind us all our baggage, Lucien ex-
claimed—

“Suppose any one came and stole our provisions ?”

“Upon my word,” cried Sumichrast, “ you ‘re the boy to think
of everything. But there’s no need to fear this misfortune ;
most likely, we are the only persons in the forest ; or if any one
else should be here, it would be an almost miraculous chance if

they discovered our bivouac.”
D
50 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Then we are not on any road ?”

“You may call it a road, if you like, but we are the only
people who have trod it; no one could discover our encampment
unless they had followed us step by step.”

The child shook his head with a rather doubtful air ; the idea
of the desert is not readily nor suddenly comprehended. I well
recollect that, during my first excursions in the wilderness, I was
constantly expecting to catch sight of some human face, either
just when I was emerging from a wood or in following the paths
made in the savannah by wild cattle. At night, especially when
I was troubled by sleeplessness, I was always fancying that I
recognised, in the distant sounds, either the crow of a cock, the
barking of a dog, or the burden of some familiar song.

“But if no one can discover our bivouac,” remarked Lucien,
casting a glance behind him, ‘how shall we manage to find it
again 2”

“In a way that is simple, but rather laborious; we shall walk
one after the other, and the last man’s duty will be to notch the
trees and shrubs.”

“Shall I walk first?” asked Lucien.

“No; that place belongs by right to the best shot; for if we
put up any game, we mustn’t let it escape. In the meantime,
until you know how to use your gun, you shall form the rear-
guard.”

This duty did not seem to displease Lucien, who immediately
seized his sword and followed us, at a little distance, inflicting on
the trunks of the trees the gashes which were to guide us on our
return. He performed his work with so much ardour that his
strength was soon exhausted. L’Encuerado afterwards taught him
how to handle his weapon in a more skilful manner, and to notch
the trees without stopping in his walk. A path marked in this
manner is called, in Canada and the United States, a blaze road.

We now entered one of those glades which are so often met
with in the midst of a virgin forest, although it is impossible to
explain the cause why the trees do not grow just in these spots.
As there was no living creature to be seen, I agreed with Sumi-
chrast to leave Lucien and 1|’Encuerado on the watch, and that
“We now entered one of those glades.” Page 50.

 
A YOUNG NATURALIST. or

 

we should walk round, each on our own side, so as to meet again
at the other extremity of the open space. Gringalet, seeing us
separate, could not at first make up his mind which party he
should go with ; but bounded from one to the other, and caressed
each of us, raising plaintive whines. At last he seemed deter-
mined to follow me, but scarcely had I progressed a hundred
yards before he stopped, as if to reflect. He probably thought
he had left something behind, for he quickly disappeared,

I walked for half an hour through the brake, with eye and ear
both on the watch, and my finger on the trigger, without dis-
covering the least evidence of game. My companion did not
appear more fortunate than I was, when suddenly a gun went
off. At the same time, I saw Sumichrast pointing to a number
of squirrels crossing the glade.

“Have you killed one?” I asked.

“Yes; but it is sticking fast between two branches, sixty feet
above the ground ; it is a shot thrown away.”

We watched anxiously the rapid bounds of the graceful little
animals which we had just disturbed, as they were fast making
their way into the wood.

“Ts lEncuerado asleep?” I cried, with vexation.

My question was answered by two shot-reports in succession,
and almost immediately Gringalet, /Encuerado, and Lucien
emerged from the forest. After searching about for a few
minutes, the boy raised up his arm and showed us two squirrels
he was holding. We now hastened our steps; the Indian had
taken possession of the game, and was moving on towards our
bivouac, whilst Lucien ran to meet us.

“ Papa, papa!” he cried, all out of breath, “my gun killed one
of the squirrels. Oh! M. Sumichrast, you shall see it ; it is gray,
with a tail like a plume.”

“But was it really you that shot?” I asked.

“Oh, yes! I shot, but ’Encuerado held my gun; we aimed
into the middle of them, for there were a great many. If you
could only have seen how they jumped! The one I hit climbed
up on the tree close by; but it soon fell as dead as a stone.
L’Encuerado says that he hadn’t time to suffer much pain.”
52 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

The poor child was making his début as a sportsman, and
his heart seemed rather full, although he was very proud of this
first proof of his skill. Sumichrast was the first to congratulate
him. As for me, although I was well aware of the Indian’s pru-
dence, I made up my mind, if only for the sake of economising
our powder, both to blame him and also to caution him against
his desire of letting the boy shoot.

“Come,” said I to Lucien, who was hugging his gun against
his chest, ‘“you must be our leader in finding our way back to
our encampment. You marked out the road, so mind you don't
mislead us.”

Our young guide led us back to our starting-point with far
more self-possession than I expected.

“A child’s attention is always being drawn away,” observed
Sumichrast to me. “How do you explain Lucien’s having fol-
lowed the trail so readily?”

“Perhaps because it was partly his own work,” I replied.

“It is, too, because I am so short,” replied the child, with an
arch smile; “I am much closer to the ground than you are,
almost as close as Gringalet, who is so very clever in finding a
trail. You see, papa, that it’s some benefit in being little, and
that I have some chance of being useful.”

I need hardly say how much we were diverted at this novel
argument against a lofty stature.

“At this rate,” I replied, ‘I ought to have brought your
brother Emile ; for he is so short that he would have followed a
trail even better than you.”

“Of course, you ought. Don’t you recollect that when we
were walking over the mountain of Borrego, he often spied out
insects that you had missed seeing?”

T was evidently regularly beaten.

We sat down in front of the fire, before which the two squir-
rels were roasting. L’Encuerado caught in a dish the fat which
trickled down from the animals, and every now and then basted
the meat with it.

The flesh of the squirrel, both in flavour and colour, much
resembles that of the hare; so our little messmate ate it with
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 53

 

evident enjoyment. Dried maize-cakes, called totopo, took the
place of bread, and each one had his allowance of it.

We couldn't help feeling uneasy about Gringalet; we had
given him about half a squirrel, but instead of eating it, he
thought fit to roll himself upon it frantically. The poor beast had
consequently only some scraps of totopo. It was, however, highly
necessary to accustom him to feed on game, as our maize-cakes
were far too valuable to be doled out thus. Each of us poured
a little water from his gourd into a calabash, which served for a
drinking vessel. The poor dog, thus allowanced, must have been
sorry that he ever joined us.

The sun was perceptibly sinking.

“Well, Lucien!” asked Sumichrast, “ what do you think now
of rat's flesh 1”

“Tl tell you when I have eaten some of it.”

“What! don’t you know that the squirrel and the rat are very
near relations, and that they both belong to the Rodent family?”

“They certainly are a little alike,” said the child, making a
comical face.

“Especially the species which we had for our dinner; which,
by the by, is not yet classed by naturalists. Look! its coat is
black on the back, gray on the flanks, and white under the belly.
The ears, too, are bare, instead of having those long points of
hair which give such a knowing look to the European squirrels.”

“Do squirrels feed on flesh ?”

“No; acorns, buds, nuts, grain, and sometimes grasses, con-
stitute their principal food.”

“Then,” replied Lucien, triumphantly, “ the flesh of the squir-
rel cannot resemble that of the rat, for I know that the rat will
eat flesh.”

The assured and self-satisfied tone of the little savant made us
smile ; but 1 almost immediately desired him to be silent, for a
noise of branches rustling, which had excited our attention, be-
came every moment more distinct. Gringalet was about to bark,
but ’Encuerado caught him by the muzzle, and covered him with
his sarapé. A whole troop of squirrels, no doubt those we had
hunted two hours before, made their appearance, uttering sharp
54 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

cries. They sprang from branch to branch with the most extra-
ordinary disregard to distance. We noticed them running after
one another, sometimes along the top, and sometimes along the
bottom of the most flexible boughs. They moved forward as if
in jerks, sometimes stopping suddenly and climbing a tree, only
to descend it again. When on the ground, they sat up on their
hind legs, using their front paws like hands, rubbed their noses
with such a comical air, that Lucien could not help speaking
loud to express his admiration of them.

Hearing so strange a sound as the human voice, the graceful
animals took flight, but not quick enough to prevent Sumichrast’s

 

gun from wounding one of them. The squirrel remained at first
clinging to the tree on which it was when the shot struck it;
but, after a pause, it relaxed its hold and rolled over and fell to
the ground. Nevertheless, it had strength enough left to turn
round and bite the sportsman, who carelessly laid hold of him.
L’Encuerado skinned it immediately, keeping the meat for our
breakfast next morning.

The sun went down; the cries of the birds resounded, and
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 55

 

night at last shut us in, bringing with it the solemn silence of
the wilderness. L’Encuerado struck up a prolonged chant, and
Lucien’s fresh young voice blended with that of the hunter.
The tune was simple and monotonous in its character ; but there
was something touching in hearing the Indian and the child,
both equally artless in mind, uniting together to sing the praises
of God. The chant was ended by a prayer, which Sumichrast
and I listened to, standing up, with our heads bared ; and it was
with earnestness that my friend repeated l’Encuerado’s solemn
«“ Amen,” expressed in the words, “ God is great.”

Having fed the fire with sufficient to keep it up all night, we
laid down, side by side, under the hut. The wind moaned softly
through the foliage, and, under the influence of the gentle breeze,
the pine-trees produced that melancholy sound which so exactly
calls to mind the noise of the surf breaking on the shore. By
means of thinking of it, I felt it even in my sleep, for I dreamt
that I was at sea, and that the vessel that bore me was sailing
over silvery waters.

 
 

CHAPTER VI.

COFFEE— TURPENTINE— COUROUCOUS—PINE-NEEDLES—THREE VOLCA-
NOES IN SIGHT AT ONCE—THE CARABUS FAMILY—SCORPIONS—
SALAMANDERS—A MIDNIGHT DISTURBANCE.

HE tirst thing I saw on opening my eyes was |’Encuerado,
who was getting ready our coffee, and Lucien crouching
close to the fire, piling up a quantity of dry branches

round the kettle, at some risk, however, of upsetting it.

“Why! Lucien,” I cried, “it is not light yet, and you are up
already! Didn’t you sleep well?”

“Oh yes, papa,” he answered, kissing me; “but l’Encuerado
disturbed Gringalet, so he thought proper to come and lie down
on mé, and that woke me, for Gringalet is very heavy. So, as I
couldn’t go to sleep again, I got up to look after the fire.”

“And you are doing your work capitally. The kettle is sing-
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 57

 

ing loudly, and l’Encuerado will find it difficult to take it off
without burning his fingers.”

But the Indian had provided himself with two green branches,
which he used to lift off the make-shift coffee-pot, into which he
emptied both the sugar and the coffee.

“Where is the filter?” asked Lucien.

“Do you think you are still in the town?” I replied. “ Why
don’t you ask for a cup and saucer as well?”

“But we can never drink this black muddy stuff!” cried
Lucien.

“Never mind, Chanito,” said the Indian ; “I’ll soon make it
all right.”

Then, taking his gourd, he poured from it some cold water
into the mixture, and it immediately became cleared.

I told Lucien to go and wake up Sumichrast.

The child approached our companion, who was scarcely visible
under the leaves, which served him both for coverlet and pillow.
“ Holloa! holloa! M. Sumichrast; the soup is on the table.”

“Soup!” repeated Sumichrast, rubbing his eyes. “Ah! you
little monkey, you have disturbed me in such a pleasant dream.
I fancied that I was no older than you, and that I was once more
wandering over the mountains of my native land.”

It is considered wholesome to take a cup of Mocha after a
hearty meal; but with all due deference to Grimod de la Rey-
niére and Brillat Savarin, coffee seems still sweeter to the taste
when taken at five o’clock in the morning, after passing the night
in the open air.

The day broke ; it was a magnificent sight to see the forest
gradually lighted up, and the trunks of the trees gilded by slant-
ing sunbeams. Before starting again, one of our party carefully
examined the ground on which we had camped, so as not to
forget any of our effects, which, if lost, would have been irrepar-
able. I also noticed that l’Encuerado’s basket was decked with
the three squirrels’ skins, which would thus gradually dry.

We had walked on for nearly an hour, the only incident being
our meeting with various kinds of birds, when the melancholy
ery of the cowroucou struck on our ears. The call of this bird is very
58 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

much like that uttered by the Mexican ox-drivers when they herd
together the animals under their care; hence its Spanish name of
vaquero. We gave chase to them, and, in less than half an hour,
we had obtained a male and female. Lucien was never tired of
admiring these beautiful creatures, with their yellow beaks,
hooked like those of birds of prey. The male bird, in particular,
was magnificent ; the feathers on the head and back seemed to be
“shot” with a golden green, whilst the edges of the wings and
the belly were tinted with the purest crimson, shaded off into two
black lines, which extended as far as the tail.

“Shall we find many of these birds in the forest, M. Sumi-
chrast?” asked Lucien.

“No, Master ‘Sunbeam ;’ they are rather rare; so we must
take great care of the skins of these we have shot.”

“Ts their flesh good to eat?” he asked.

“Excellent ; and many a gourmet would be glad to make a meal
of it. However, at dinner-time, you shall try for yourself; and
you will meet with very few people who, like you, have partaken
of the trogon massena.”

“ At all events, it isn’t another relation of the rat—is it?”
asked the boy, archly.

“No; it belongs to the family of climbers—that is to say, to
that order of birds which have two toes in front of their claws,
and two behind, like your great friends the parrots.”

After we had dressed the skins of the couroucous, and carefully
wrapped up the game, we again moved on. The ground became
stony and the descent steeper. At one time I had hoped to find
a spring at the bottom of the ravine ; but we very soon discovered,
to our great disappointment, that we should have to begin climbing
again, leaving behind us the oaks and the ceibas, and meeting with
nothing but gigantic pine-trees. The pine-needles,* which literally
carpeted the ground, made it so slippery, that for every step for-
wards we frequently took two backwards. We fell time after
time, but our falls were not in the least degree dangerous. Some-
times, as if at a signal, we all four rolled down together, and each
laughed at his neighbour’s misfortune, thus cheering one another.

* The small tapering leaves of the pine are thus called.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 59

 

Lucien had an idea of hanging on to Gringalet’s tail, who
was the only one that could avoid these mishaps. This plan
answered very well at first; but the dog soon after broke away
by a sudden jerk, and the boy rolled backwards like a ball,
losing all the ground he had gained, but he at once got up again,
quite in a pet with the dog, for whom he predicted a fall asa
punishment for his treacherous behaviour.

The troublesome pine-needles obliged us again to resort to the
stake and lasso plan; for l’Encuerado, with his load, strove in
vain to keep up with us.

“Can any one understand the use of these horrible trees?”
grumbled the Indian. ‘“ Why can’t they keep their leaves to them-
selves? Why don’t they grow in the plains instead of making
honest folks wear the flesh off their bones in a place which is
quite difficult enough to traverse as it is?”

‘“‘God makes them grow here,” said the child.

“Not at all, Chanito; God created them, but the devil has
sown them on these mountains. I have travelled on the large
plateau, where there are whole forests of pines, which proves that
it was only for spite that they grow on this ascent.”

Fortunately Lucien only half believed what the Indian said,
and very soon asked me all about it.

“The pines,” I replied, ‘are trees of the north, which never
grow well except in cold climates and dry soils. If l’Encuerado
had been acquainted with the history of his ancestors, he would
have been able to give you some better information about
them; he would have known that, in the Aztec mythology,
they were sacred to the mother of the gods, the goddess
Matlacueye, who, curiously enough, fills the part of Cybele
among the Greek goddesses, whose favourite tree was also the
pine.”

Just at this moment we were passing close to a giant of the
forest which had been broken by a squall of wind ; from three or
four cracks in its trunk a transparent resin ran trickling out.
Lucien, thinking these globules were solid, wished to take hold of
one of them ; but his fingers stuck to it.

“TI fancied,” said he, “ that turpentine was obtained by crush-
60 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

ing the branches of the pine-tree, just as they crush the stems of
the sugar-cane.”

“You were wrong, then,” I answered. ‘The Indians, in the
forests where they manufacture it, content themselves with
cutting down the tree within a foot of the ground; the resin at
once begins to ooze out, and gradually fills the leathern bottles
placed to receive it. As soon as the resin ceases to flow, they
cut the tree up into faggots for the use of the inhabitants of the
towns, or the Indians living on plains, whose poor dwellings often
possess no other light than the smoky glimmer from a branch
of fir.”

I was obliged to cut short my explanations, in order to help
Sumichrast and l’Encuerado, who, in spite of the lasso, seemed
as if they were trying who could slip fastest. The only way we
could get on at all was by describing zig-zags, and thus we were
two hours in climbing a quarter of aleague. At last we arrived on
the verge of the forest. The rocky ground seemed quite pleasant
to walk upon; we could now advance in a straight line, and were
able, with very little trouble, to reach another summit.

From the crest, a marvellous panoramic view was in sight, for
we overlooked all the surrounding country. On our left rose the
gigantic and majestic peak of Orizava or Citlatepetl,—that is, the
“mountain of the star,’—which rises to 17,372 feet above the
sea level. Lucien thought that this could not really be the same
mountain, the summit of which he was in the habit of seeing
every morning.

“Tt is quite a different shape,” he said.

“Tt is not the mountain, but the point from which you look at
it, that has changed its appearance,” replied Sumichrast.

“ But it looks much higher,” said Lucien.

“That is because we are nearer to it. From here, we can
discern the beautiful forest which surrounds its base as you
ascend ; the pines growing farther and farther apart, and gradually
disappearing altogether. Higher still, may be seen the glaciers
glittering in the sun; and, last of all, the perpetual snow sur-
rounding the crater, which was visited, for the first time, in 1847,
by M. Doignon, a Frenchman.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 61

 

“ Popocatepetl, Istaccihuatl,” said ’Encuerado gravely, point-
ing out the mountains.

The two mountains, mentioned by the Indian, were towering
up behind us,—a sight that alone repaid for our difficult ascent ;
we could admire in turn the three loftiest voleanoes in Mexico.

“Where is Popocatepetl?” asked Lucien.

“There; that enormous cone which rises to our right,” I
answered, pointing in that direction.

“Ts it the smallest of the three ?”

“No, on the contrary, it does not measure less than 18,000
feet in height. Dias Ordas, one of the captains of Fernando
Cortez, made its first ascent. Its name signifies ‘ smoking
mountain.”

“Yes ; and I know that Istaccihuatl means ‘white woman ;
but I do not know the height of it.”

“Tt is 15,700 feet above the level of the sea.”

“How can mountains like these be measured?” asked Lucien.

“In the first place, by geometrical calculations, and then, by
the aid of a barometer, when an ascent has been made; the
column of mercury in the instrument falls in proportion as the
barometer is carried up the mountain, because the air which
presses upon the mercury reservoir becomes less and less dense.”

I quite forgot the lapse of time while contemplating the glorious
panorama spread beneath. Just around us, the ground was rocky
and volcanic, and covered with mosses of various colours ; rather
lower down, the ground was hidden by the fallen leaves of giant
trees; beyond was a succession of smaller crests, frequently quite
barren, sometimes covered with sun-scorched verdure. On the
horizon, which was hidden by a transparent mist, the two vol-
canoes of the plateau stood out in bold relief against the blue
sky, facing the other colossus, which seemed to protect us with its
shadow. The peaks of these mountains, clad with their per-
petual snow, can be seen by sailors forty leagues at sea.

I was really sorry to give the signal for departure. We again
met with the pine-needles, and though our ascent was difficult and
slow, our descent was proportionably rapid. Thus we fell forwards
instead of falling backwards. Gringalet, who seemed amused at
62 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

our ridiculous postures, and was too confident in his own powers,
shared our mishaps, much to the amusement of his young master,
who had predicted that such would happen. L’Encuerado,
utterly tired out, bethought himself of dragging his basket along
the ground, which was so thickly covered with leaves, that he
managed it without damaging his load or breaking the bottles.

At last, we came upon oak vegetation ; and still farther down,
tropical plants. Various birds enlivened our journey by their
song ; while numbers of brilliant-coloured insects hummed cheer-
fully round us. In less than an hour, we had passed from autumn
to spring, after having had a glimpse of winter. The creepers
very soon obliged us to cut a passage with our machetes; but
what was our joy upon perceiving, at the bottom of the ravine, a
stream bordered with angelica and water-cress !

Thanks to the abundance of materials, our hut was quickly
constructed. While l’'Encuerado was getting dinner ready, I
went to examine the half-rotten trunk of a tree which was lying
on the ground. A multitude of insects, of an elegant shape and
of a metallic-blue colour, fled at my approach; they belonged to
the numerous Carabus family, the flesh-eating Coleoptere, which
are found both in Europe and also in America.

“Why don’t they fly away, instead of running or tumbling
over on the ground?” asked Lucien.

“Because they are but little used to flying, and are very quick
at walking,” I answered.

“O papa! the one I have caught has wetted my fingers, and
it feels as if it had burned me.”

“You are right; but you needn’t be afraid ; it will not hurt
you. Many of the Carabus family, when they are caught, try to
defend themselves by throwing out a corrosive liquid ; others
make a report, accompanied by smoke, which has given them
their name of bombardier.”

‘What do they find to eat under the bark, in which they
must lead a very gloomy life ?”

“ Larve and caterpillars ; they are, therefore, more useful than
injurious.”

“To what order of insects do they belong ?”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 63

 

“To the Coleoptera order, because they have four wings, the
largest of which, called elytra, are more or less hard, and justify
their name* by encasing the two other wings, which are mem-
branous and folded crosswise. The cockchafer, you know, is
one of this order.”

A fresh piece of bark revealed to us two scorpions with enor-
mous bellies, and heads so small as to be almost imperceptible ;
all they did was to stiffen out their tails, which are composed of
six divisions, the last terminating in an extremely slender barb.

“Oh, what horrid creatures!” cried Lucien, starting back ;
“if it wasn’t for their light colour, you might take them for
prawns with their heads cut off.”

“Yes, if you didn’t examine them too closely. I suppose you
will be very surprised when I tell you that they are allied to the
spider tribe.”

“J should never have suspected it. Are they dead, then, for
they do not move ?”

“Insects belonging to this order are very slow and lazy in
their movements, They are found under most kinds of bark ;
therefore, I advise you to take care when searching through it.”

“Should I die if I were stung ?”

“No, but it would cause a very painful swelling, which it
would be best to avoid.”

“J shall be afraid to meddle with the bark of trees, now.”

“Then, good-bye to your making a collection of insects. Pru-
dence is a very good quality, but you must not make it an
excuse for cowardice.”

Upon examining the insects more closely, I saw that one of the
scorpions, a female, was carrying three or four young ones on her
back. This sight much amused Lucien, especially when he saw
the animal begin to move slowly off with them.

“ Do you know, Chanito,” said l’Encuerado, who had now joined
us, which showed that the cooking did not require his undivided
attention, “that when the mother of the young scorpions does
not supply them with food, they set to and devour her.”

“Ts that true?” asked Lucien, with surprise.

* Elytra is derived from a Greek word, éhurpov, a sheath.
64 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Tf the little ones do not actually kill their mother, at all
events they feed on her dead body,” answered. “ You will have
plenty of opportunities to verify this fact, for these insects are
very plentiful in the Terre-Tempérée.”

“Ah!” cried Lucien, “I was quite right, then, when I called
them horrid creatures.”

L’Encuerado, stripping off another piece of bark, exposed to
view a salamander, which awkwardly tried to hide itself.

“You may catch it if you like; there is nothing to be afraid
of,” said I to Lucien, who had drawn back in fright.

“ But it is a scorpion!” he exclaimed.

“You are too frightened to see clearly; it is a salamander, an
amphibious reptile, of the frog family. The scorpion has eight
feet, whilst the salamander, which is much more like a lizard, has
only four.”

“ Are they venomous?” asked Lucien of the Indian.

“No, Chanito ; Indians (it was well worth while hearing the
contempt with which l’Encuerado pronounced this name) are
afraid of it; once, I was afraid of it myself, but your papa has
taught me to handle it without the least fear.”

And the hunter placed the salamander in the boy’s hand, who
cried out—

“Tt is as cold as ice, and all sticky.”

“It must be so, as a matter of course; the salamander, like a
fish, is a cold-blooded animal. The viscous humour, which is
secreted by the skin of the salamander, is able to protect them
for a short time from injury by fire, by means of the same pheno-
menon by which a hand, previously wetted, can be plunged into
melting iron without burning it.* Thus, an idea has arisen that
these batrachians can exist in the midst of flames. Although
these poor animals are deaf, nearly blind, and remarkable for
their timidity, poets, much to the amusement of naturalists, have
chosen the salamander as an emblem of valour.”

Assisted by Sumichrast, I continued the examination of the
immense tree, which, being half rotted by the dampness of the

* Thanks to the spheroidal condition of water, discovered by M. Boutigny
(of Evreux),
 

“Tt was really a capital dinner.”—Page 65,
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 65

 

soil, supplied us with some very beautiful specimens of various
insects.

Suddenly we heard Lucien speaking in supplicating tones ; I
ran towards him, and found him trying to prevent |’Encuerado,
who had got possession of the salamander, from making a trial of
its powers of resisting fire.

“ All right, Chanito ; I will not leave it long on the coals ; your
papa said that these animals do not mind it a bit.”

Lucien would not consent to this cruel experiment, but carried
the animal back to the tree on which we had found it.

The day was drawing to a close when we returned to the fire ;
from the stewpan an appetising odour was escaping, in which one
of the couroucous, with a handful of rice, was boiling, whilst the
other bird was roasting in front. It was really a capital dinner ;
first we had some excellent soup, of which Lucien had two plate-
fuls; then came what was left of our squirrel, and last of all
the roasted couroucou, which lEncuerado served up on a bed
of water-cresses. We had an unlimited supply of water; and
although my readers may smile at what I say, I really believe we
drank too much. A cup of coffee crowned our feast, and then
the remains were left to Gringalet, who licked everything clean,
even to the very saucepan. Lucien, having finished bis meal,
laid down by my side, and was not long before he was fast
asleep.

A dismal howling from our four-footed companion woke us up
with a start. We seized our arms. The dog, with his ears laid
back, his tail between his legs, turned his nose to the wind with
an anxious glance, and set up a fresh howl, which was answered
by the shrill prolonged cries of the coyotas, or jackal of Mexico.

“So these miserable brutes think they are going to frighten
us?” cried l’Encuerado.

And whilst we were making up the fire, the Indian rushed off
into the darkness.

“ Are they wolves, M. Sumichrast?” asked Lucien, anxiously.

“ Yes, my boy, but only prairie wolves,” he answered.

“Do you think that they will first devour I’Encuerado, and

then attack us?”
E
65 ADVENTURES OF A VOUNG NATURALIST.

 

“You needn't be frightened; courage is not one of their
virtues. Unless they were starving, they wouldn’t venture near
us,”

All at once we heard a shot. The whole forest seemed in
movement ; the cries of the birds resounded through the trees,
and the echoes repeated the noise of the report. Gringalet barked
loudly, and was again answered by the harsh cry of the coyotas. .
At length the silence, which for a short time had been disturbed,
was once more restored, and the forest resumed its solemn

stillness.

 
 

 

CHAPTER VIL

THE CAT'S-EYES POMADE—ARMADILLO—LUCIEN AND THE CRUEL FERN
—THE FALLEN MOUNTAIN—THE WOOD-PECKER—THE BASILISK—
L’ENCUERADO’S FRESH IDEA.

   

(oY.
gy

 

he RINGALET, who had been the first to give the alarm,
A) was also the first to go to sleep again. I could not help:
waiting with some degree of anxiety for l’Encuerado’s
return. In a quarter.of an hour, as the Indian did not arrive,
I began to think that, confused by the darkness, he had missed
finding our bivouac. After having called him two or three times,
without receiving any answer, I was just going to fire off my gun,
so that the noise of the report might serve as a guide to him,
when I heard the sound of his guttural cry.
“What on earth has possessed you to chase useless game at
this hour of the night?” I cried, as he came into sight.
“‘T felt bound to give these screeching animals a lesson, senor;

  
68 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

if I hadn’s done so, they would have come back to disturb us
every night,” answered the Indian, gravely.

“Have you killed any of them ?”

“T only managed to wound one. I followed it ”

“At the risk of falling into some pit. You can’t see at night,
at least, as far as I know.”

“Not very well; but that is all your fault,” replied l’Encuerado,
in a reproachful tone.

“What! my fault ?”

“The brujos (sorcerers) have many a time offered me an oint-
ment made of cat’s eyes and fat ; but they wanted too much for
it. You knew much more about it than the sorcerers; and if
you would only have told me the way to make the ointment,
and how to use it, I sbould have been able to see at night,
long enough ago, which would be quite as useful to you as
to me.”

This was an old story; and all that I could have said to the
Indian would not have convinced him that I could not make him
see in the dark.

It was broad daylight when Sumichrast awoke us. The brook,
which we could cross at a leap, sometimes rippled over pebbles,
and sometimes glided silently over a sandy bottom. The plants
which grew on its two banks fraternally intertwined their green
branches, and their flowers seemed to exchange their perfumes.
From the boughs of the large trees hung gray mosses, which
made them look like gigantic old men; the sun gilded their black
trunks with its rising beams, and from the tops of the trees the
sweet chant of birds rose up towards heaven. Our eyes, which
had become accustomed to the comparatively barren places we
had traversed the day before, dwelt with delight upon this lovely
and glorious scene; our hearts rejoiced in the midst of this calm
and luxuriant aspect of nature. It was with feelings of regret
we got ready to move on again.

‘Suppose we weren’t to go till the afternoon,” said Sumi-
chrast.

“Suppose we don’t go till to-morrow,” I answered.

These ideas seemed so thoroughly to respond to the wish of

 
aA YOUNG NATURALIST. 69

 

all, that, in a moment, our travelling gear was scattered again
on the ground. The first thing we did was to take a bath ; then
the thought struck us that we had better wash our clothes.
Lucien, helped by l’Encuerado, who had nothing to wash for
himself, as he wore his leather garment next to his skin, laughed
heartily at seeing us turned into washerwomen ; still he did not
do his part of the work at all badly. He then undertook to, wash
Gringalet, whose white coat, spotted with black, was sadly in
want of cleansing. Unfortunately, the dog was hardly out of the
water when he began rolling himself in the dust, and, as dirty as
ever, came frisking around his disappointed little master.

We were roaming about in every direction, in the hope of col-
lecting some insects, when Gringalet pricked up his ears and
showed his teeth. The rustling of dry leaves attracted our
attention to a slope opposite to us, on which an armadillo was
seen.

Generally speaking, these animals only go out for food in the
night. This one, which we saw in broad daylight, was about the
size of a large rabbit. Pricking up its ears, it raised its taper-
ing muzzle so as to snuff closer to the branches. Its head,
which was very small, gave it a very grotesque appearance.
Suddenly it began scratching up the earth with its front paws,
furnished with formidable claws, and now and then poked its
pointed nose into the hole it had dug. I had crossed the stream,
and was advancing cautiously towards the animal, when I saw
it leave off its work ; and, bending down its head uneasily, as
quick as lightning it rolled itself up into a ball and glided
down the slope. Just at my feet it stopped, and I only had
to stoop down in order to pick it up. Gringalet, who then
appeared at the top of the slope, was evidently the cause of
its sudden flight.

I rejoined my companions, carrying my prisoner, who tried
neither to defend itself nor to escape. Lucien examined with
curiosity the scales which crossed the back of the armadillo, and
its pink transparent skin. I told him that this inoffensive ani-
mal, which feeds on insects and roots, belonged to the order
Edentata—mammals in which the system of teeth is incomplete.
7° THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“ But,” said he, “I have seen pictures in which armadillos are
represented with armour formed of small squares.”

“That is another species, which also lives in Mexico,” replied
Sumichrast.

When we talked about killing the animal, Lucien opposed the
idea with great vehemence. He wanted either to carry it away
alive or to let it go—both being plans which could not be allowed.
Gringalet, however, cut short the discussion by strangling it,
l'Encuerado’s carelessness having left it in his way. The boy,
both angry and distressed, was astonished at the cruelty of his
dog, and was going to beat him.

“ He has only yielded to instinct,” said Sumichrast.

“A fine instinct, truly,” replied Lucien, in tears, “to kill a
poor beast that never did him any harm!”

“He has saved us the trouble of killing it. Men, and all car-
nivorous animals, cannot live except on the condition of sacrific-
ing other creatures. Didn’t you shoot a squirrel yesterday? And
you did not refuse your share of those beautiful birds, the plum-
age of which so delighted you.”

Yes, but I did not strangle the squirrel with my teeth. It’s
a very different thing.”

“For you, very probably ; but it was much the same to the
squirrel. However, if there’s another chance, you shall lend
your gun to Gringalet.” ;

Lucien smiled through his tears, and his indignation gradually
calmed down. Certainly the result is the same, whether you
wring a fowl’s neck or shoot it; yet I could never make up my
mind to the former operation. Lucien, who was endowed with
almost feminine sensibility, was often angry with l’Encuerado,
who could scarcely resist the temptation of firing at anything
alive, useful or not, which came within reach of his gun. We
had spoken often enough to the Indian on the subject, but he
always asserted that if God had allowed man to kill for the pur-
poses of food, He had also ordered him to destroy hurtful
animals, as they were the allies of the demon. Unfortunately,
horses and dogs excepted, all animals were hurtful in l’Encud-
rado’s eyes.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 71

 

Gun on shoulder, we made our way up the bed of the stream,
often being obliged to cut our path through a thicket of plants.
I noticed a fine tree-fern, the leaves of which, not yet devel-
oped, assumed the shape of a bishop’s crosier. Lucien remarked
this.

“You are right,” said I. ‘It is very curious; do you know
Jussieu divided all vegetables into three great orders—acotyledons,
monocotyledons, and dicotyledons. Ferns belong to the first ;* they
have no visible flowers, and are allied to the sea-weed and mush-
room tribe. It is only under the tropics that ferns attain the
dimensions of the one you are looking at; in colder regions their
height seldom exceeds a few feet. Ferns formed almost the sole
vegetation of the primitive world, and we frequently find evi-
dence of some gigantic species which are now extinct.”

Lucien, being desirous to examine the crosier-shaped stalks,
allowed us to get in front of him, then crept under the fern.

As the leaves of this shrub are furnished underneath with long
prickles, when he wanted to rejoin us he found himself caught.
The more he struggled the worse he became entangled. He
cried out to me in a most distressed voice, and not knowing what
had happened, I lost no time in going back to him. I found
him fighting hard against the thorns which were scratching his
face and hands. L’Encuerado and Sumichrast also came to his
assistance.

I disentangled the boy as quickly as I could; but already he
had several scratches over his face and hands.

“How came you not to think,” I said, “that, by struggling in
this way, you would only the more entangle yourself?”

“T saw you all leaving me; I scarcely knew what held me
back, and I got quite frightened ; but I’m not crying, papa, and
yet the fern-prickles scratch terribly.”

L’Encuerado turned up his sleeves, and, seizing his machete,
rushed at the fern.

« Are not you ashamed to attack a child?” he cried. “It’s
all very fine to display your bishop’s crosier and then behave in
this way! Try and tear my coat! I know you wouldn’t dare

” That is, a plant devoid of lobes.
72 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

to do it! Never mind, though! Ill punish you for your
malice,”

The poor plant, alas! was soon cut down ; thus the growth of
years was destroyed in a few minutes.

After an hour’s walking, the head of our little column suddenly
came in front of a whole mountain-side which had slid from its
original position. The sight was a magnificent one; the accu-
mulation of rocks, piled one on the other, had crushed down in
their fall the trees that impeded their course. We saw before us
an inextricable pile of trunks, monstrous roots, and masses of
rock, suspended and apparently ready to fall. The catastrophe
must have recently occurred ; for here and there a branch was
still covered with foliage, and the grass had not as yet carpeted
the immense gap. Lucien was so astonished at the wild grandeur
of the scene that it actually put an end to his chatter. Without
speaking, we joined Sumichrast, who was in advance. Thata
lagoon must have been filled up by the avalanche of rocks, we
saw certain indications. We could hear the rumbling noise of
water flowing beneath us. On our left, at the foot of the moun-
tain, extended a wide basin, which, from its regular outline,
might well have been made by the hand of man.

Everything seemed silent and deserted around us, although the
bushes that margined the edge of the lagoon must once have
sheltered many a guest; now the imposing grandeur of the scene
had awed them, or driven them off.

“How could such a great mass as this fall down?” asked
Lucien.

“We can only conjecture,” replied Sumichrast ; “ perhaps the
stream flowing beneath the base of the rocks had excavated
fissures, and thus undermined it.”

“The noise must have been terrific,” said Lucien.

“Doubtless it was,” replied Sumichrast; “and the shock
possibly felt for many leagues round.”

“Have you ever seen a mountain fall in two like that, M.
Sumichrast ?”

“Yes ; I did five years ago, when I was in company with your
father. A whole forest disappeared before our eyes in a land-
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 73

 

slip, which also overwhelmed four or five Indian huts. In a year
from the present time, the wilderness of bare rocks that we see
before us will be again covered with thick vegetation ; mosses
will grow over these gray-coloured rocks, and the stream will
have renewed its course. If chance should ever lead us again
to this spot, the rich foliage and flowers would almost prevent our
recognising the desolation which now impresses us so much.”

I crossed the stream, in order to reach our bivouac by the
opposite bank to that which we had hitherto followed. Suddenly
a noise, like a mallet striking the trunk of a tree, attracted our
attention.

“ You told me just now there was no one but ourselves in the
forest,” cried Lucien.

“Chut!” replied l’'Encuerado; “it is nothing but a large
woodpecker.”

And each of us glided under the bushes and tried to get near
the winged workman, who so loudly betrayed his presence. Ten
minutes elapsed, but all was silent, and the object of our search
appeared to have moved off. In fact, we were about to give
up the pursuit, when three blows, struck at regular intervals,
resounded near us.

The Carpintero (carpenter), for such it is called in Mexico, has
very brilliant yellow eyes, red feathers upon the head, while the
body is dark coloured streaked with white. It climbs easily up
the trunks of trees, resting upon its tail-feathers. At length
we observed it, and as we looked admiring its plumage, it again
struck three resounding blows, and ran round the tree as if to
inspect the other side.

“The fool!” muttered l’Encuerado ; “ he thinks he can pierce
a tree, as thick as my body, with three pecks of his beak! Hell
soon be eaten.”

And he fired at the bird and hit it.

“I say, papa, did the woodpecker really want to pierce this
big tree?”

“No, my boy; that is a popular, but unfounded idea. The
woodpecker strikes the trees in order to frighten the insects that
are concealed under the bark, and the action, which |’Encuerado
74 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

has interpreted in his own way, is performed with a view of
getting hold of the fugitives.”

Sumichrast showed Lucien that the woodpecker, aided by its
wedge-shaped beak, could, in case of need, rip up the bark under
which its prey was to be found; that his tongue, covered with
spines bending backwards, is well adapted to seize the larve;
and, lastly, that the stiff and elastic feathers of its tail afford it a
very useful support in the exercise of its laborious vocation.

“You often get the better of me in argument,” said l’En-
cuerado ; “but it’s no use your saying that woodpeckers do not
bore into trees, for I have seen them doing it.”

“You are right up to a certain point,” replied Sumichrast ;
“‘some species make their nests in dead trees, which their beaks
can with ease penetrate. As for piercing sound trees, that’s
quite another question.”

Whilst lEncuerado was preparing the armadillo and the
woodpecker, which we were to have for dinner, we walked down
the course of the stream, the agreeable freshness of which was
very pleasant to us. All at once, Lucien pointed: out to me a
basilisk sitting on a stone, the rays of the sun setting off its
bright shades,—yellow, green, and red. This member of the
Iquana family, which bears no resemblance to the fabulous
basilisk of the Greeks, got up at our approach, puffed out its
throat, and shook the membranous crest on the top of its head.
Its bright eye seemed to scan the horizon; no doubt it caught
sight of us, for its flaccid body stiffened out, and with a rapid
bound it sprang into the stream. The reptile raised its chest in
swimming, beating the water with its fore-paws as if with oars.
We soon lost sight of it, to Lucien’s great sorrow, for he wanted
to obtain a further inspection of it.

Gathering round the fire, we arranged our baggage, ready to
start the next morning. As there was still another hour’s day-
light, Lucien remained with !Encuerado, and I went with Sumi-
chrast to reconnoitre the route we intended to take.

The sun was setting, and we were slowly approaching our
bivouac, when Gringalet’s whine met our ears. I hastened for-
ward, for the dog began to how] desperately. I reached the hut
 

— Page 74.

»

‘‘The dog began to howl desperately.
a YOUNG NATURALIST. 75

 

quite out of breath. Everything seemed right, but Lucien and
’Encuerado had disappeared. I looked anxiously into my com-
panion’s face.

“No doubt,” said Sumichrast, “I’Encuerado has gone to take
a stroll, and left the dog asleep.”

I raised a call-cry. What was my surprise at hearing it
answered from up above us. My son and the Indian were sitting
thirty feet from the ground, hidden in the foliage of a gigantic
tree. My first impulse was to address lEncuerado rather angrily.

“Don’t flurry him,” said Sumichrast ; “he'll need all his pre-
sence of mind to get the boy down safely.”

With an anxiety which may be easily understood, I watched
all the movements of the lad, who was every now and then con-
cealed by the leaves.

“Gently,” cried !’Encuerado; “put your foot there. Well
done! Now lay hold of this branch and slide down. Don’t be
afraid; I’ll not let you go. How pleased and proud your papa
will be when he knows how high you have climbed!”

The Indian was wrong ; I was neither pleased nor proud. The
trunk of the tree was five or six feet in circumference ; the first
branches sprang at a point no less than seven to ten feet from
the ground, and I could not make out how the boy managed to
reach them. As for ]’Encuerado, or rather the ape that went by
that name, I knew that no obstacle could stop him.

I must, however, confess that I felt all my anger melting away
when I saw the skill and coolness of the young acrobat. Cer-
tainly, Sumichrast appealed to my own reminiscences, and offered
to lay me a wager that I had climbed many a poplar without the
advantage of such superintendence as l’Encuerado’s. At last, the
two gymnasts reached the lowest branches, and I breathed more
freely.

“Papa,” cried the child, “ we climbed right to the top, and
there found a nest and a squirrel’s hiding-place.”

“Have you suddenly gone mad?” said I, interrupting him and
addressing the Indian.

“Mad!” repeated he, with the most sublime simplicity,—
“Why?”
76 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“‘Couldn’t you have chosen a tree that was not so tali?”

“Don’t you wish Chanito to learn to climb? At all events,
the senora intrusted him to me.”

“And so you risk his breaking his bones ?”

“T’m not a child,” replied the Indian, proudly, standing up-
right on a branch.

“ Enough of these gymnastics! Come down at once ; although
God knows how you are going to manage it.”

The words were hardly out of my mouth when Lucien reached
the ground, suspended by a lasso which |’Encuerado had tied
under his arms. The Indian had pulled him up to the lowest
branches in the same way.

“You have not acted sensibly,” said I to the Indian ; ‘‘ we do
not begin to learn to ride by mounting a wild horse. Lucien
doesn’t know yet how to climb high trees.”

“Lucien can climb as well as I can,” retorted the culprit; “he
has never eaten an orange out of your garden without clambering
up to gather it himself.”

“That’s something new to me,” said I, looking hard at my son,
who blushed. “At any rate, orange trees are very different in
size from cotton woods, so you risked killing him.”

“No; I kept tight hold of him. You very well know that if
Chanito were likely to come to his death by my fault, I should
die first.”

“That wouldn’t bring the boy to life again. There will be
plenty of dangers in our excursion without seeking them out for
mere pleasure. I want to bring you all back safe and sound to
Orizava ; therefore, don’t let us have any more of these ascents.”

Having uttered this remonstrance, I turned on my heel, for it
was no use trying to have the last word with l’Encuerado. I
was, however, quite sure that he would not renew the exploit
which had displeased me, and that was all I wished.

At supper-time, Gringalet did not show any repugnance to the
flesh of the armadillo, the taste of which reminded Lucien of
sucking-pig.

“Are armadillos very scarce?” he asked ; “they are never sold
in the market.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 77

 

“ Just the contrary,” replied Sumichrast ; “they are very com-
mon, and the Indians never fail to feast on them when they can
procure them.”

“What does the name armadillo mean?”

“Tt is a Paraguayan word, the meaning of which is, ‘ encased
in armour.’ The Aztecs call the animal ayotochitl, that is, ‘ gourd-
rabbit’—‘ rabbit’ on account of its ears, and ‘ gourd’ because,
when it rolls itself up in a ball, it reminds one of that vege-
table.”

L’Encuerado had gone to sleep. Lucien soon went into the
hut, and I noticed that Sumichrast carefully arranged the leaves

 

which were to form our bed, although he himself laid down any-
where, I was much less inclined for sleep than my companions,
and contemplated them all reposing ; reflecting on the strange
chance which united, under the same shelter, in the midst of the
wilderness, persons born of such distinct races, and in such dif-
ferent climates. We could all surely depend on one another, for
in previous expeditions our mutual friendship had been put to
the proof. Seeing how well Lucien bore the fatigue, I rejoiced
78 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

that I had brought him under the protection of such good guar.
dians. When I entered the hut to seek repose, I disturbed Grin.
galet, who, before lying down again by his young master, licked
his hand: here was another devoted friend; “the dog, which
combines all man’s better qualities,” as Charlet observes.

 
oe
es
ie

 

—Page 79-

”,

‘A flock of vultures attracted our attention.
 

CHAPTER VIIL.

A VULTURES FEAST— DRAGON’S BLOOD—A CORAL SERPENT—-THE OWL—
MEXICAN MOLES—TOUCANS— THE SCOLOPACIDA — L’ENCUERADO

TURNED TAILOR—SUNSET.

x E left our bivouac at day-break, first ascending and then
\ descending, sometimes making our way through thickets
and other times through glades; suddenly, a flock of
vultures attracted our attention. A hideous spectacle was now
presented to our eyes. A cayote—doubtless that which l’Encue-
rado had wounded the day before—lay half devoured on the
ground, and more than fifty guests were coming in turn for their
share, and to tear, in turn, a strip of flesh from the carcase.
“What frightful creatures!” cried Lucien. “J can’t think
why the nasty smell does not drive them away.”
“Jt is just the reverse; it is the smell which attracts them,”
I replied, ‘Even when they are soaring high up in the sky,
80 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

and scan the horizon with their yellow eyes, their subtle sense of
smell enables them to catch the effluvia of the putrefied matter
on which they feed.”

In some of the towns of Mexico the black vultures are so
numerous—living there, as they do, almost tame in the streets—
that our young companion was well acquainted with these birds;
but he had never been present at one of their joint meals. The
sight of their bare, black, and wrinkled necks, plunged into the
body of the animal, made him almost ill.

“Poh !—what disgusting birds !”—he cried.

“You are wrong,” I said; “the birds are only obeying the
instinct implanted in them. Henceforward you will understand
better the name of the ‘rapacious order,’ or ‘birds of prey,’
which is given by naturalists to vultures, eagles, falcons, and
owls. You are aware that the science which describes the habits
of birds is called ornithology. Cuvier, the great classifier, divides
the feathered tribe into six orders—birds of prey, passerines,
climbers, gallinaceans, wading, and web-footed birds. In order
to prevent confusion, the orders have been subdivided into fami-
lies, the families into groups, the groups into genera, and the
genera into species.

“How are they all to be recognised ?”

“ By the study of certain special characteristics, which serve as
distinguishing marks. Birds of prey, for instance, have curved
beaks and claws, legs feathered either to the knee or down to the
foot, three toes in front, and one behind; also, the back and
inside toe are stronger than the others. The vultures which you
are looking at, the only birds of the order which live in flocks,
belong to the Cathurtus genus.” *

“Look! there are some which keep at a distance. They look
as if they were afraid.”

‘““No; they have gorged themselves, and are now digesting
their meal; unless danger compel them to take flight, they will
remain motionless until sunset.”

* From the Greek xafaprys, “that which purifies.” In fact, this bird

assists in cleansing the streets in towns where there is no organisation for the
purpose.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 81

 

“ Will they attack live creatures?”

“Very rarely; for they are dreadful cowards, and, besides,
do not care much for fresh meat.”

We had now left far behind us the miserable crew of carrion-
eaters, when Lucien suddenly cried out—

“© papa! look, there’s a bleeding tree!”

“Tt is a pterocarpus ; that is, a vegetable with membranes re-
sembling the wing of a bird. The red sap which is trickling
down from its. bark is called dragon’s blood, thus named by the
Greeks, who ascribed to it a fabulous origin. The Blood-iree, for
so the Indians designate it, is allied to the asparagus and lily
genera, and the gum which exudes from it is a good remedy for
dysentery.”

L’Encuerado picked off a few dry flakes of this invaluable pro-
duction ; and then, dipping his finger into some of the drops
which were still liquid, he rubbed it all over Gringalet’s legs and
paws, who was thus provided with red top-boots. As a matter
of fact, this operation must have had a good effect upon the
animal ; for this gum, being very rich in tannin, was certain to
brace the tissues and muscles; but the first sensation of it seemed
to distress the poor beast, who ran along lifting up his legs in a
very comical fashion.

“ Gringalet. walks very much in the same way that I’Encuerado
did the time he put on his beautiful blue slippers,” remarked
Lucien, in great. glee.

“You don’t mean to say,” said Sumichrast, “that l’Encuerado
ever wore blue slippers?”

“Yes; the other day there was a dinner party, and mamma
told him to dress himself as well as he could. He at once ran off
to buy a pair of pumps he had seen in a shop, and, just at the
moment they were all sitting down to dinner, he made his ap-
pearance in his new foot-coverings, and—a cravat!”

“A cravat!” repeated Sumichrast, more surprised than ever.

“ Yes, a real cravat; but as he had never before worn anything
on his feet but. sandals, he lifted them up when he walked just
as Gringalet does now. Mamma advised him to put on his

sandals again; but he would not obey her, so he was well pun-
F
82 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

ished, for he tripped up and broke a whole pile of plates. It was
not until after this misfortune that he could be persuaded to take
off his blue pumps ; and even then he could not bear to part with
them altogether, so he hung them round his neck, and kept on
waiting at table, as proud as possible with his grand decoration.”

This adventure was only too true, and Sumichrast listened to
it with shouts of laughter. :

“Why did you hang the shoes round your neck instead of
putting them away in a corner?” asked Sumichrast of the
Indian.

“T did it to let all the world know that I had bought them,
and that they belonged to me,” replied l’Encuerado.

Our encampment was established at the entrance of a fresh
glade. L’Encuerado had killed five or six small birds ; we were,
therefore, certain of something for dinner. We had scarcely
finished our building operations, when Lucien, who had been
prowling about, lifting up stones and looking under stubs in
order to find insects, loudly called out to me. When I got up to
him, I saw at the bottom of a hole a coral-serpent, measuring
about a yard in length. The reptile was coiled up, and remained
motionless whilst we admired its beautiful red skin, divided at
intervals with rings of shining black. L’Encuerado promptly
cut a forked stick and pinned the animal down to the ground.
The prisoner immediately tried to stand up on end; its jaws
distended, and its head assumed a menacing aspect. Gringalet
barked at it furiously, without, however, daring to go near.
The Indian unsheathed his cutlass—the prospect of an unlooked-
for addition to dinner quite delighted him.

The flesh of the serpent is a well-known Indian dish. Previous
to the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, the rattlesnake itself
found its place at their highest festivals. Dioscorides* prescribed
the flesh of the viper as a tonic, and it formed one of the com-
ponent parts of ¢heriaca, the great panacea of our ancestors, which
was one of the principal branches of Venetian commerce. In
spite of all these precedents, the dish proposed by 1’Encuerado
was unanimously rejected.

* A celebrated Greek physician in the first century of the Christian era.
 

“Lucien loudly called out to me "—Page 82.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 83

 

Having cut off the serpent’s head, we all went off to recon-
noitre. Going in pursuit of a troop of squirrels, we were led to
the edge of the glade without having been able to reach them.
A little way in the forest, Sumichrast espied a small russet-
coloured owl, which suddenly disappeared in a hollow at the foot
of an old tree. We all kept quiet for ten minutes, in order to
observe the bird’s way of hunting. At last, it suddenly reap-
peared, and standing motionless and upright upon its legs at the
entrance of its place of refuge, it looked very like a sentinel on
duty in his watch-box. Suddenly it started, and slightly bend-
ing its body, winked its great yellow eyes several times; then,
skimming over the ground with the swiftness of an arrow, it
darted into the high grass. It soon made its appearance
again, with its feathers erect and flapping its wings. It held
in his mouth a poor little mouse, which it carried off into its
subterraneous retreat. It was the species of owl called Athene
Hypogea, which is often met with in the savannahs and hunts,
in the daytime as well as in the night.

“What a comical-looking bird,” said Lucien; “and yet I’m
half afraid of its brilliant eyes and hooked nose.”

“ Every one is frightened at him, Chanito,” replied I"Encuerado ;
“and when he settles near a hut at night, and raises his dismal
cry, he predicts the early death of some one of those who hear
him.”

“That can’t be,” replied Lucien, “for there was an owl in
a hole in our garden wall, and papa would never have it dis-
turbed ; yet the owl made its cry every night.”

“Your father knows how to avert the spell. Besides, the
bird that lived in the wall was a common owl.”

“ Both in Europe and America,” interposed Sumichrast,
“screech owls, and their kinsmen, the common owls, barn owls,
buzzards, and all nocturnal birds of prey, are looked upon by the
ignorant as birds of ill omen. Their strange appearance, and
their mysterious habits, give rise to a repugnance which often
changes into fear. It is quite wrong to have any dread of them;
as a matter of fact, the bird you have just seen is, like all his
species, more useful than injurious to man, for it destroys a vast

me
84 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

number of small mammals—jerboas, shrew-mice,. dormice, and
field-mice, which ravage the farmer’s crops. You will recollect
that the owl, amongst the ancient Greeks, was the bird of
Minerva ; with the Aztecs, it represents the goddess of evil.

A little way from the spot where we lost sight of the mouse-
eater, there were some enormous holes dug out. by the tuzas,* the
Mexican moles, so dreaded by agriculturists. This animal is
about. the size of a kitten; it lives in companies, and works
underneath the surface of the soil in a way very dangerous to
travellers, who suddenly find the ground sink in under their feet.
L’Encuerado, who was very fond of the flesh of the tuza, which
used to be sold in the Indian markets, placed himself in ambush
in the hopes of killing one. Five minutes had scarcely elapsed,
when we heard a gunshot, and the hunter made his appearance
with a rather ugly little animal, having a dark-brown coat, short
feet, ears and eyes almost: imperceptible, a mouth furnished with
formidable incisors, and on each side of its jaws a vast pouch
filled with earth. Lucien declared that he would never consent
to eat of this creature, and promised his share to l’Encuerado:

Our attention was again attracted towards the forest by the
cries of five or six toucans, and again we set off in chase. These
birds are extremely suspicious, and their capricious flight almost
baffles pursuit. I succeeded, however, in killing one ; the others
flew off, raising cries of anger.

“How can they bear the weight of such an enormous beak ?”
asked Lucien, who had run to pick up the bird, and was struck
with admiration at its beautiful green and yellow plumage.

“Nature has made provision for that; the enormous beak,
which seems so heavy, is composed of a very light: porous
substance.”

“Then it cannot eat anything hard ?”

“No; its flexible beak could not crush any unyielding sub-
stance, and it feeds on nothing but soft fruits; and even these
it breaks up awkwardly. If we could have got near them, you
would have seen them plucking berries and tossing them in
the air, so as to catch them in their immense jaws.”

* Saccophorus Mexicanus.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 85

 

“What good is its great mouth?”

“T can’t say; for the naturalists, who have been as much
puzzled as you are by this peculiarity, have been unable to
explain it.”

“Then I am more learned than they are,” said l’Encuerado,
with a magisterial air.

“Do you know, then, why toucans have such exaggerated beaks?”

“ Because they have been made by a wise Creator,” replied the
Indian.

“No doubt about that,” remarked Sumichrast, smiling ; “but
the point is, why they were made so.”

“ Because their beak, calcined and reduced to powder, is the
only efficacious remedy for epilepsy. Toucans are very scarce birds,
and if their beaks were no larger than those of other birds of
their size, this medicine could never be obtained in sufficient
quantities.”

L’Encuerado’s explanation was perhaps as good as our uncer-
tainty. .I remembered that the Indians do, in fact, make a great
mystery of a powder against epilepsy, and that a .toucan’s head
may often be noticed hanging up to the wall of a hut, as a pre-
servative against St Vitus’ dance.

Instead of resting, Lucien prowled about in every direction,
breaking away bark, and lifting stones with all the ardour of a
neophyte in entomology. Since meeting with the coral-serpent,
he took precautions which gave me confidence ; for it is quite
uncertain how a reptile, or any other creature, may behave when
it is disturbed. The child suddenly called out to me; he had
just discovered a nest of. scolopendre, commonly called centipedes,
and he was afraid to touch them. The centipedes, surprised at
being disturbed, rolled themselves up; their pale blue colour
somewhat diminished the repugnance which their appearance
generally excites. It was not without some hesitation that
Lucien, encouraged by Sumichrast, ventured to place one on the
palm of his hand ; the insect gradually unrolled its articulations,
each of which was provided with two pairs of feet ending in
hooks ; but its walk was so slow, as rather to disappoint the
young observer.
86 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“ What is the use of having forty-four feet,” he cried, “if the cen-
tipede cannot get on faster than a carabus, which only has six?”

L’Encuerado could alone explain this mystery; but still he
kept silence.

“ Are these creatures poisonous, M. Sumichrast ?”

“Tt is said so; but some species—that, for instance, which you
are examining—may be handled without danger.”

“ Here is a little centipede with only twelve legs.”

“It has only just come out of the egg; their rings increase in
number as they grow older, and this is one of their peculiarities.”

“‘ How hard the rings are! they are almost like armour.”

“Tt is armour, in fact ; the scolopendree form a line of demar-
cation, so to speak, separating insects from crustaceans ; centi-
pedes are not very distant relations of lobsters.”

‘Look, papa! I have just found a chocolate-coloured worm,
which looks like a centipede.”

“That’s not a worm ; it is an duds, first cousin to the centi-
pede. Don’t take it up in your hand, for it will impregnate your
fingers with a sickening odour.”

We resumed our progress towards our encampment, Lucien
and l|’Encuerado preceding us. The weather was warm without
being suffocating ; the slanting rays of the sun were moderated
by the foliage, the birds were singing, and to-day, like yesterday,
seemed as if it would be one of the least fatiguing in our journey.
We were now in the midst of the Terre-Tempérée, and were
surrounded by white and black oaks. Ceibas, elms, cedars, and
lignum-vitee trees only grew here and there ; and the musquitoes,
so plentiful in the Terre-Chaude, did not trouble us here. The
timber, growing widely apart, allowed us to pass easily ; we were
in a virgin-forest, but were still too high up above the plains to
have to struggle against the inextricable net-work of tropical
creepers.

The ¢uza made its appearance at our dinner, dressed with rice.
Although the appearance of this animal is repulsive, its flesh has
an exquisite flavour. I offered a piece of the thigh to Lucien;
he found it so nice, that he soon held out his plate-—or rather his
calabash—for more. Sumichrast told him he was eating some of
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 87

the mole, though not aware of it; he appeared confused at first,
but soon boldly began on his second helping. After the meal,
l’Encuerado took from an aloe-fibre bag a needle and bodkin, and
set to work to mend Lucien’s breeches, torn a day or two before.
Two squirrels’ skins were scarcely sufficient for the would-be
tailor, who lined the knees also with this improvised cloth.
Lucien was delighted at this patching, and wanted to try on his
mended garment at once. He waddled about, ran, and stooped
in every posture, quite fascinated with the rustling noise produced
by the dry skins. Gringalet, who had been asleep, suddenly
came up to his young master with visible surprise. With his
neck stretched out, his eyes glittering, and his ears drooping,
ready to retreat in case of need, the dog ventured to take a sniff
at l’Encuerado’s work ; then shook his head energetically and
sneezed. After repeating this operation two or three times, he
seemed to be lost in thought. .

“He knows all about it, and can see at once that it is not
badly sewn,” said l’Encuerado, with evident satisfaction.

But all of a sudden, after a final and more conscientious exami-
nation, the animal began barking furiously, and seizing hold of
the patches that had been so industriously sewn in, he tried to
tear them away.

“ The simpleton fancies the squirrel is still alive!” cried the
Indian. ’

Although driven away at least twenty times, Gringalet kept on
returning to the attack, and he assailed the trousers with so much
ardour that a fresh rent was made. Then l’Encuerado became
angry, and the dog, having been punished, went and crouched
down by the fire; but he still continued to show his teeth at the
strange lining which seemed so offensive to him.

The sun was setting; its golden rays, quivering among the
branches, appeared one by one to get higher and higher, until
gloom began gradually to pervade the forest. We were assem_
bling around our bivouac, when a rosy tint suddenly illumined
the tops of the trees and penetrated through the foliage. As this
marvellous effect of light appeared to last a considerable time, we
again went into the open glade, so as to be better able to observe
88 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

it. The sky appeared as if it was all in a blaze; vast glittering
jets of light seemed as if darting from the setting sun; a few
clouds, tinted with bright red colour, flitted across the heavens,
The bright gleam became more and more vivid, but without at all
dazzling our eyes. A few birds might be heard uttering shrill
cries; and the falcons, who were making their way to their aeries,
stopped for a moment their rapid flight, and whirled round and
round in space with an undecided air.

“The wind will blow tremendously to-morrow,” said I’En-
cuerado ; “only once before did I ever see the sky lighted up as
it is to-night, and then two days after there was a frightful hurri-
cane, which demolished most of the huts in our village.”

“T think we shall get off with nothing but a south wind like
that which worried us the day we set off,” said Sumichrast.

Wrongly or rightly, I attributed this phenomenon of light to |
the position of the clouds. The intensity of the light decreased
till it was nothing but a glimmer. Night resumed its empire,
and there was nought to guide us back to our bivouac but the
flame of our fire.

 
 

CHAPTER IX.

THE SOUTH WIND—THE HURRICANE—A FEARFUL NIGHT—THE UPROOTED
GIANT— THE SARSAPARILLA PLANT—GRINGALET DISCOVERS A
SPRING—OUR BIVOUAC.

(AVENCUERADO’S prediction seemed as if it was likely to
i be realised. About three o’clock in the morning, we
were awakened by a hoarse roaring ; the trees seemed to

shiver ; sometimes the uproar appeared to grow less and almost
to cease, and then broke out again louder than ever. I hastened
to warm some coffee; but two or three times the intermittent
squalls scattered the burning faggots of our fire, and the hot
ashes nearly blinded us. This mishap was owing to the open
glade being so near to us, across which the wind rushed furious
and unrestrained. Almost before daylight appeared, I led my
companions farther under the trees, the state of the atmosphere
making me feel very uncomfortable. The lofty tree-tops, roughly
9° THE ADVENTURES OF

 

shaken by the wind, showered down upon us a perfect hail of
twigs and dead leaves. We were almost deafened by the noise
of the clashing boughs ; sad and silent we proceeded on our way,
perceiving no signs of any living creature, and in much trouble
how we should obtain our dinners.

Towards mid-day, the wind fell; puffs of heat, which seemed
to spring from the ground beneath, almost suffocated us. Lucien
did not say a word, but, in spite of my advice, he was constantly
lifting his gourd to his lips, a proceeding which could only excite
his thirst. Gringalet, instead of frolicking about, as was his
custom, followed us closely, drooping his ears and tail. We
were, I believe, the only living beings moving under the shade,
which now seemed converted into a hot furnace.

Meeting with some rocks, we made up our minds to hurry on,
thinking to come upon a stream; a vain hope !—the rocks soon
came to an end, and were succeeded by a perfect labyrinth of
trees. If there had only been a little grass, we should have set
to work to construct our hut; for the dry heat, blown up by the
south wind, rendered exertion almost unbearable.

A second time we found ourselves among rocks ; but they were
so enormous, and so close together, that it was evident we were
in the vicinity of a mountain.

‘“‘Hiou! hiou ! Chanito,” cried the Indian, joyously; ‘forward!
forward ! we are very nearly at the end of our troubles.”

The boy smiled and adopted the swift pace of his guide, while
Sumichrast lengthened his strides so as to get in front of me.
Following my companions, we soon came upon a dry barren spot,
in front of a steep ascent. After we had all taken breath, I gave
it as my opinion that we should overcome our fatigue and scale
the side of the mountain; but no one showed any inclination to
move.

My poor Lucien lay panting on the hard stones, with his
mouth dry, his lips bleeding, and his face purple with the heat ;
he had thought the day’s work was over. Nevertheless, as soon
as he saw us starting again, up he got and followed us without
a word of complaint. I wished to lighten his burden; but he
heroically refused, and proportioned his pace to that of ]’Encue-
A YOUNG NATURALIST. gt

 

rado. Gringalet was continually sitting down, and hanging out
his tongue to a most enormous length ; it was, doubtless, his way
of testifying that he moved an amendment against the length of
the journey.

“We were quite wrong in finding fault with the shade,” said
Sumichrast ; “for, in this unsheltered spot, the heat is more in-
supportable than under the trees. The sun seems to dart into
us as if its rays were needles’ points.”

“Don’t drink, Chanito, don’t drink!” cried l’Encuerado to
Lucien.

The poor little fellow replaced the gourd at his side, and bent
on me such a heart-rending look that I caught him up in my
arms.

“Let us make a halt,” said my friend, who was sheltering him-
self under a gigantic rock; “I confess that J am dead-beat.”

It was a great relief when we were seated down and deprived
of our burdens ; but, instead of setting to work, according to our
usual custom, to collect wood for our fire and to construct our
hut, we remained idle, looking at the horizon, without exchang-
ing a single word. At our feet extended, as far as we could see,
the tree-tops of an immense forest. We had turned our backs
upon the volcano of Orizava; on our right the black summits of
the Cordillera stood out against the red sky ; the wrubw vultures
were whirling round and round high up above us—the only
living creatures we had set eyes on since the evening before.

It was now four o'clock; a kind of hot blast beat into our
faces, producing the same sensation as that experienced in front
of a furnace, when the door is suddenly opened. The south wind
sprung up again, and squall succeeded squall; the forest undu-
lating like a liquid surface.

I in vain endeavoured to overcome the state of nervous pros-
tration which had come over me; the terrible wind which
parched and burned us took away all power of will. Our eyes
were inflamed, our lips cracked, and our heads heavy, and no one
cared about eating; all we longed for was water, and we were
obliged to watch Lucien, to prevent him emptying his gourd.
He was nibbling a morsel of totopo, which he, like us, could hardly
92 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

swallow. Sheltered behind the rock, we contemplated with
dread the colossal trees round us, which swayed and _ bent,
sprinkling the ground with their scattered boughs.

The sun set, pale and rayless, as if drowned in the ill-omened
yellow clouds. The wind kept puffing and blowing at intervals.
A few minutes’ lull enabled us to collect a little grass, and then,
seated side by side, we watched the approach of night, dark,
desolate, and starless; but the comparative coolness of the atmos-
phere gave some little relief to our exhausted lungs. Lucien
went off to sleep; Sumichrast and /Encuerado tried to follow
his example; Gringalet seemed afraid to go far away, and
crouched down at our feet. Ere long, I was the only one of the
party who was awake.

What an awful night! About nine o’clock the squalls ran
riot with unexampled violence ; if it had not been for our shelter
behind the rock, we should surely have been swept away. From
the forest beneath came a roar like that of waves beating against
a cliff; branches broke off with an uproar sounding like a series
of gunshots, and the leaves, driven by the wind, covered us with
their débris. Every now and then an inexplicable and increasing
hoarse rumbling filled my mind with anxiety. I listened, hold-
ing my breath with fear ; the rumbling seemed to approach, as if
bringing with it new and unknown perils. Then suddenly, pre-
vailing over the tumult, a formidable crash made itself heard,
followed by a shock prolonged by the echoes; it was the fall
of some forest giant, vanquished by the hurricane. Sometimes
one might have fancied that a multitude of men were fighting
together in the darkness that no eye could pierce ; there were
plainly to be recognised the wild cries of the conflict, and the
plaintive moans of the wounded ; and then, again, a fresh shock
shook the earth, and deadened the outburst of the mighty lament.

I must confess that, at this moment, I bitterly regretted hav-
ing brought Lucien ; I remembered that my friends had pre-
dicted to me all the perils which now threatened us. While
listening to the uproar of the tempest, I felt my resolution give
way, and I had serious thoughts of returning to Orizava the
next day.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 93

 

Towards midnight the storm abated a little, and, giving way
to fatigue, I fell asleep.

I had only just closed my eyes when I suddenly jumped up
again, deafened as if by a hundred claps of thunder joined in
one. The darkness was.as thick as ever, and the wind was still
more boisterous; the echo of the fallen tree had scarcely died
away before another colossus groaned and fell. My companions
were now all awake.

“ What’s the matter, M. Sumichrast?” asked Lucien, in a low
tone.

“Tt is a hurricane, my boy.”

“One might fancy that a giant was passing through the wood,
shouting and whistling, and breaking down all the trees as he
went along.”

. “I wish that was all,” replied Sumichrast ; “but it’s some-
thing much worse; it is the south wind, the sirocco of the
Mexican coast.”

“Will it sweep us away, M. Sumichrast?”

“T hope not ; thanks to the rock which shields us.”

A tree now fell close to us, and covered us with dust. Cling-
ing tightly to one another, every moment brought with it a fresh
anxiety. We dared not speak of our feelings, for fear of fright-
ening our young companion, who pressed close up to me. Amid
the universal destruction going on, it only needed a branch
driven by the squall to dislodge our shelter, for us to be swept
away like chaff before the wind. I had witnessed many a hurri-
eane, but this fearful night exceeded all.

At last daylight appeared; the sun rose gloomily, and ex-
posed the disasters of the terrible night. On every side trees,
broken and uprooted, lay prostrate on the ground, or, half sus-
pended by the creepers entangled in their branches, were balanced
like the formidable battering-rams of the ancients. Lucien was
speechless at the sight before his eyes. A sudden, cracking noise
was heard, and another forest giant slowly bent over, and, de-
scribing a rapid curve, crushed its branches against the ground ;
ten seconds destroyed the work of centuries.

L’Encuerado attempted to go two or three yards beyond our
94 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

rock; but, surprised by a sudden gust, he had but just time to
throw himself prostrate on the ground to prevent being swept
away. Something, however, had to be done; it was no use try-
ing to light a fire, and yet, after yesterday’s fast and a sleepless
night, we felt great need of some comforting beverage. The
squalls gradually abated, but were still every now and then
violent. Intervals of profound silence succeeded to the uproar of
the storm, when the leaves were motionless; then we might have
fancied the tempest was over. But suddenly the frightful roar
again commenced, and the gale covered the ground with fresh
fragments.

We were beginning to take courage a little, when a formidable
crash resounded above us; an enormous pine, growing on the
mountain a hundred feet over our heads, tottered and then fell,
tumbling down the slope with a horrible uproar. Quick as
lightning, l’Encuerado seized Lucien, and lay down with him
along the foot of the rock ; I and my friend immediately followed
his example. The fallen giant came crashing down in rapid
bounds, smashing everything in its path, and accompanied in its
descent by masses of broken rock. It struck against the block
that sheltered us, which gave forth a dull sound, but fortu-
nately resisted the shock ; and then the tree, clearing the obstacle
with a prodigious bound, continued its impetuous course down to
the foot of the mountain. We were nearly crushed by a perfect
avalanche of stones, which followed in its wake.

Iraised myself not without emotion. The danger had been
serious ; indeed, the enormous rock to which we owed our safety
had slightly swerved. If this accident had occurred in the
middle of the night, the fright would have driven us out of our
place of shelter, and we should certainly have been destroyed. I
first returned thanks to God, and then to l’Encuerado, who, being
close to Lucien, had shielded the boy with his own body. The
child, who fully comprehended the danger, hung round the
Indian’s neck.

“I shall tell mamma that you saved my life,” cried he, kissing
l'Encuerado.

The latter would have replied, but, affected by the caresses ‘of
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 95

 

his young favourite, he could only press him in his arms, whilst
two tears trickled down his dark cheeks.

“ His lordship, the wind, is very good to take so much trouble
to show us his power,” exclaimed the Indian, addressing the
wind, in order to hide his emotion ; “a grand miracle, indeed !
to uproot a pine that was going to die of old age, and to roll it
down a mountain-side! Why, I could do the same if I chose,
with the help of my machete. Oh, yes! blow away! and knock
down another tree on us, and then you'll thoroughly convince
us that the devil is your patron!”

In spite of the serious nature of the occurrence, Gringalet was
the only one amongst us who could hear this speech without a
smile ; and even the dog rubbed up against the orator’s legs, as
if to show his approval of all he had said.

The hurricane now subsided ; but it was likely enough to re-
double its intensity at night, and reason dictated that we should
take advantage of the calm for moving onwards. L’Encuerado
resumed his load, and, with a watchful eye, led the way up the
mountain. I took Lucien by the hand; for there was a danger
that some tree which had been shaken by the storm might sud-
denly fall across our path.

The heat, which continued to inconvenience us, rendered walk-
ing a very laborious effort. The lips of our young companion
were all cracked, and he spoke with difficulty. We suffered
dreadfully from thirst ; but it was necessary to bear it patiently,
and to be very saving with the small stock of water which still
remained in our gourds. Soon we came upon the spot where,
an hour before, the tree had stood, the fall of which had so nearly
crushed us. A widely gaping hole exposed to our view the
broken roots of the colossus, and the earth round them was
already dry. We pushed on with much difficulty, exhausted,
out of breath, and half famished ; for, since the night before, we
had eaten nothing but some morsels of maize-cake. Moreover,
our eyes were so red and swollen that we were perfectly disfigured.

“O father! I am so tired,” said Lucien to me.

“So we all are, my poor boy; but we must pluck up our
spirits again, and keep on walking, for our lives depend on it.”
96 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Father! I am so thirsty, and the water left in my gourd is
quite warm.”

“Tt will be better for you not to drink; for a few draughts of
water taken when walking increase perspiration, and make the
thirst worse, instead of quenching it.”

The poor little fellow heaved a sigh, and crept closer to my
friend, who advised him to place in his mouth a small pebble,
which alleviates thirst by exciting salivation.

In spite of all our exertions, we made little or no advance, and
a profuse perspiration added to our exhaustion. Fortunately,
everything seemed to indicate that the tempest was over. L’En-
cuerado led the way; his manner appeared as if searching for
something. At length I saw him throw down his load, and plunge
into the thicket. Soon he reappeared, with his hands full of a
kind of mulberry, the fruit of the sarsaparilla, the acid flavour of
which much revived Lucien. We now understood l’Encuerado’s
peculiar way of walking. He fancied he had noticed a young shoot
of this plant, and at first concealed the discovery from us, fearing
some deception. I can hardly describe the pleasure that was
afforded us by obtaining these berries in such a welcome time,
This shrub, with its vinelike and thorny stalk, abounded on the
steep slope.

We resumed our march in much better spirits, thanks to this
God-send. L’Encuerado filled his cap with them, and walked
on bravely, with his head bare. Another half-hour’s climbing
brought us to the verge of the forest. Suddenly I lost sight of
Gringalet. I called him several times, and at last he emerged
from a clump of shrubs, with his tail and muzzle wet. Sumi-
chrast rushed in search of the water, and soon cried out to us in
a joyous voice—

“ A spring! a spring!”

We all tried who could get to it first. Under the foliage of
the sarsaparilla our companion was kneeling down and catching
in his hands a little streamlet. of limpid water, which was trick-
ling from between two rocks. With keen enjoyment, he was
sprinkling it over his face and arms, an example each of us socn
imitated. At last I hurried our party away, for the horrible
 

“‘Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones." —Page 97.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 97

 

roaring of the hurricane still seemed to din in my ears, and as
yet we had no shelter within our reach. After having filled our
gourds, we recommenced our climbing, enlivened by )’Encuerado,
who kept on congratulating Gringalet upon his discovery, and
promising him, as his reward, a whole series of good dinners.
The hour was now approaching at which we feared that the
hurricane would recommence with redoubled violence; so it
became highly necessary to select a spot for our bivouac. Moss
and lichens here covered the rocks with a variegated carpet,
and, in proportion as we ascended the mountain, the cooler air

 

relieved our lungs. At length our ascent came to an end, and we
found ourselves on a plateau dotted over with stunted shrubs,
distorted and twisted with the winds and storms. Fresh sum-
mits rose in front of us, but they were too far off to cause us any
fear. Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones, placed so as
to leave a space between them, in which we could encamp, as if
in a fortress.

This spot we selected for our bivouac. The wind still blew in
squalls, but the increased clearing of the atmosphere gave us

reason to hope that we should have nothing more to fear from
G
98 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

the hurricane. We all went in search of firewood, and ere long
after were enlivened by the gleam of an immense fire.

At sunset, the glittering beams of the sun’s very last rays
reached our camp. The sky was blue, and the air was fresh, so
I abandoned the idea of returning home. Night came on, a fine
rain purified the air, and the damp earth breathed forth a whole-
some fragrance. Overcome by fatigue, we wrapped ourselves up
in our sarapés, and soon fell into a sound sleep.

 
 

CHAPTER X.

THE RABBIT—WILD POTATOES—A DIFFICULT PATH—AN EXTINCT CRA-
TER—HOAR FROST—THE TORRENT—THE FAWN—THE TETTIGONES
—DRAGON-FLIES.

HE next day, when I opened my eyes, the sun was shining
brightly in a blue sky. I made up the fire, and walked
off, with my gun on my shoulder, to try and obtain

some kind of game, so as to surprise my companions when they

got up. For about a quarter of an hour I traversed tracts of
heath, which reminded me of my native country, when a too

confiding rabbit came frisking along within gunshot, which I

knocked over and placed in my game-bag.

On my return all were up, standing round the fire, and they
hailed me as a conqueror. The terrible trials of the day before
seemed to be entirely forgotten ; even Lucien had recovered all

 

 
100 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

his liveliness. L’Encuerado took the rabbit, and in an incredible
short space of time had it skinned, and placed to broil on the
burning coals.

“Well! what do you think of hurricanes?” asked Sumichrast
of Lucien, who was watching him cleaning his gun.

“They are most awful! I should never have thought that the
wind, which is invisible, could have blown down and broken up
trees as big as that one which almost fell upon us.”

“Were you much frightened?”

“Rather ; and so were you, for you were quite pale.”

“The danger was much greater than you imagined. If the
uprooted tree had pitched on our rock, it would have upset it,
and crushed us beneath.”

“Then the wind must be much stronger in forests than in
towns?”

“No; for the hurricane of yesterday probably destroyed en-
tire villages. It was one of those tropical storms which happily
only break out at long intervals. Many an Indian is at this
moment re-building his destroyed hut.”

Lucien looked very thoughtful, and went and sat down at the
foot of a tree. When I passed near him, I saw he had tears in
his eyes.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“I was thinking of mamma and my brothers, M. Sumichrast
told me that the tempest must have demolished whole villages ;
so, perhaps, our home has met with some misfortune.”

“ Don’t be frightened, my dear boy! Thank God! stone walls
can generally stand against wind. Besides, this hurricane can
hardly have been felt at Orizava. At all events, your mamma
has more reason to be anxious about us, for she knows that we
are far from shelter—exposed to all its violence.”

I kissed poor Lucien, and comforted him as well as I could,
assisted by |’Encuerado, who soon afterwards took him off to look
after our roast rabbit.

The tochéli, or Mexican rabbit, is different from the European
species, although it has the same coloured coat and instincts.
In fact it is a hare.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 101

 

“Do you know the family of the animal we are going to have
for breakfast?” asked Sumichrast.

“ Yes; it is a Rodent.”

“Well done; but how did you recognise it to be so?”

“ By the absence of canine teeth in its jaws, its large incisors,
and its hind-legs being longer than its fore-legs.”

“Come, your memory is good. You should also know that,
in Europe, the rabbit, which is nearly allied to the hare, is
thought to be a native of Africa. Formerly, the Aztecs used to
sacrifice hundreds of these animals to the goddess Centeutl, who
is the Ceres of Mexican mythology ; and the nobles used to wear
cloaks made of the hair of the hare, mixed with cotton. With
regard to the larger hare, known farther north as the Jackass
rabbit, the Indians generally refuse to eat its flesh, under the
pretence that it feeds on dead bodies, a mistake which as yet they
have not been persuaded to abandon.”

We did justice to our game like guests who have to make up
for a forced fast. The meal finished, without further delay our
little coterie moved on again. Instead of the abundant and
bushy thickets of sarsaparilla, we met with nothing but stunted
shrubs. However, as we approached the mountain, the vegeta-
tion assumed a richer aspect, and the bare rocks no longer
protruded through the soil. Here and there, tanagers, with
black backs, yellow breasts, and violet-blue throats, fluttered
around us; also other variegated birds of the Passerine family.
We were just about to begin climbing the slope, when I’Encuerado,
whose piercing eyes seemed to see everything, exclaimed—

“There are some potatoes !”

Lucien ran towards the Indian, who, with his machete, had
already cleared away the earth round a small plant with oval-
shaped leaves, covered with soft greenish berries. Some wrinkled
tubercles were ere long discovered, which we could easily crush
between our fingers. This is the origin of the valuable plant for
which Europe is indebted to America.

After climbing some time, we came upon a mass of rocks all
heaped up in a perfect chaos. Some obstacle or other incessantly
obliged us either to jump over or make a circuit so as to get
102 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

forward. The temperature, however, was refreshing, and ren-
dered our exertions less fatiguing.

The chances of our journey brought us out once more upon
the plateau. All the mountain crests we could see were barren,
and a profound silence reigned on every side. We stopped to
take breath, and the sight that met our eyes impressed us with
its stern grandeur. It reminded Sumichrast of the Swiss
mountains which he had so often traversed; and some flowers
he gathered further recalled his home. While thus occupied,
two buterflies fluttered over our heads.

“Tt is an Alpine species!” eagerly cried my friend.

The locality prevented him from following these capricious
insects for any distance: for one moment he leaned over the
abyss, bristling up with rocks, and followed, with a longing eye,
the two winged flowers which had recalled to him a fleeting
image of his fatherland.

A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony ram-
part more than a hundred feet in height, and almost perpen-
dicular. This unexpected obstacle brought us to a halt. How
should we make our way over it? Upon examining the spot, we
decided to incline towards the left, which seemed to us the most
accessible road. In parts the wall diminished in height, but we
tried in vain to climb it. A more successful attempt, however,
brought us nearly to the top, but not without great fatigue ; for
sometimes the rock appeared to hang over us. At length, by
climbing on to Sumichrast’s shoulders, I managed to reach the
flat surface above ; I hoisted up Lucien here with the lasso ; next
I drew up Gringalet, who was only too pleased to submit to the
operation, and lastly Sumichrast and l’Encuerado. The terrible
obstacle was at last overcome ; beyond it the ground was, com-
paratively speaking, level, but covered with stones of a volcanic
nature.

We still kept on our way, although it was four o’clock, in the
hope of finding some tree at the foot of which we could make
our bivouac, L’Encuerado put down his load to climb up a
needle-shaped rock, the extraordinary position of which reminded
us of the celebrated leaning tower of Pisa. When he had reached
 

 

nt of a stony rampart, more than

a hundred feet in height.” —Page 102.

“ A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in fro
 

‘Sunset surprised us ere we had finished our labour.” —Page 103.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 103

 

its top, the Indian called out to us that he could see a clump
of trees. The cold began to inconvenience us, and we wanted
wood to make our fire, so plucking up fresh courage, we con-
tinued our journey. The distance now traversed was inconsider-
able; but the ups and downs and circuits had quite wearied us.
Gradually the rocks decreased in size, and were more widely
spread ; a plain slightly depressed in the centre, dotted here and
there with thinly growing thickets, was reached. In the back-
ground there was a clump of firs, and a glittering lake, quite a
liquid oasis hidden in a desert.

It now became highly necessary for us to seek shelter, for
our teeth were chattering with the cold. L’Encuerado, having
climbed a tree, cut down the wood that was necessary for the
construction of a hut; whilst Lucien broke all the dry branches
off, a task in which I helped him. Sunset surprised us ere we
had finished our labour. The waters of the lake assumed a dark
hue, and the mountain peaks towards the setting sun furrowed
the sky with their strangely irregular outlines, and the breeze
resounding through the pine trees, produced a solemn and grave
chant, a peculiarity which has doubtless given to this species of
tree the name of pinus religiosus. As the rays of the sun died
away, and the dark shadows covered the sky, the silence became
still more profound. Suddenly the last rays of the luminary
vanished; the gathering darkness imbued us with an emotion
which those only can understand, who, like us, had found them-
selyes face to face with some of the grandest emanations from
the Creator’s hands.

Lucien, too, was subject to the influence of the twofold majesty
of darkness and solitude ; he was speechless, and looked by turns
both at the earth and the sky. The stars appeared, glittering in
the blue heaven, and were reflected on the motionless surface of
the neighbouring water. Suddenly a luminous ray seemed to
dance over the lake, and then to divide into a shower of sparks.
It was the reflection of our fire, to which l’Encuerado had just set
a light.

The piercing cold was excessively trying,—our sarapés did
not seem sufficient to protect us from its influence. Fortunately
104 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

we had obtained fuel enough to keep up the bivouac fire all
night. Our meal, although without meat, was a cheerful one.
Each in turn retired to his pine-leaf couch; and soon I alone
remained up, not feeling an inclination for slumber. _

What a contrast it was! The night before, at this time, we
were deafened by the uproarious wind, and the forests echoed
with its fearful effects; while we, perfectly helpless, sheltered
behind a trembling stone, could scarcely breathe the burning air.
Twenty-four hours had hardly elapsed, and a few miles had
brought us on to a granite soil where we felt even unpleasantly
cold; it was no longer the uproar, but the silence, which awoke
in my mind the reveries of loneliness.

We rose before dawn perfectly benumbed, and hardly able to
move our lips. L’Encuerado stirred up the fire so as to get the
coffee ready. The first ray of light showed the ground covered
with a white shroud of bright hoar-frost. Lucien had never seen
this phenomenon before, and was never tired of admiring it.
Sumichrast explained to him that the drops of dew, which every
morning may be seen glittering on the grass in hot countries,
freeze in situations of great altitude, and produce those beautiful
transparent globules, which, owing to the refraction of light,
assume so beauteous an appearance.

The rays of the sun warmed us but little, so I hastened our
preparations for departure. After skirting the edge of the lake,
we once more found ourselves among rocks. The summit which
we had traversed was doubtless the crater of some extinct volcano.
I took a farewell look at the gigantic semicircle, edged with
mountain crests, ere commencing a journey quite as difficult as
that of the day before, through the immense stones which had
been vomited forth by the burning mountain. More than once
we got into a cul-de-sac, and we sat down utterly discouraged.

For the last time I examined the horizon ; we were now stand-
ing on the highest summit of the Cordillera; opposite us, as far
as we could see, rose verdure-clad peaks, which gradually dimin-
ished in height. We were again about to meet with tropical
vegetation, and should ere long reach the plains and forests of
the Terre-Chaude. The way seemed direct and easy; but how
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 105

 

many obstacles must be overcome, how many valleys must be
crossed, ere we could reach our destination !

We descended the slope by a giant staircase, each step of which
must have been at least seven or eight feet in height. More than
once, the lasso was called into use; but all obstacles were at last
safely overcome. I cannot describe the joy I felt upon once more
seeing pine-trees. We sought in vain for any traces of the hurri-
cane ; this side of the mountain had evidently not been visited
by it.

The slope was now more gradual ; our pace became faster, and a
few oaks were in sight. A rumbling noise made us stop and listen
attentively, but !’Encuerado, who was more expert than we were
in making out distant sounds, told us that it was a torrent.
Squirrels gamboled on the branches as we passed by, and toucans
seemed to tempt us to stop; but we were all anxious to reach
the waterfall. Ere long oaks and birches, and afterwards guava
trees, surrounded us on every side. The ground was now level,
and, in less than half an hour, l’Encuerado conducted us to the
edge of an immense ravine, at the bottom of which there was a
roaring torrent.

Tt was not long before the steep bank became less abrupt, and
we established our bivouac. Whilst we were cutting down some
branches, Sumichrast put his finger to his lips and seized his gun.
A slight noise was heard in the thickets, and our companion
disappeared. We were listening, holding our breath, when we
heard the screech as of an owl; we knew it was a call, so |’En-
cuerado also glided away through the bushes.

“Why did M. Sumichrast call ’Encuerado?” asked Lucien, in
a low voice.

“Probably because he has discovered the trail of some animal.”

I had scarcely finished speaking, when a movement in the
leaves attracted my attention. A fine fox, with an eager look
and its tail lowered, rushed past me. I fired, but without effect,
for it bolted off among the trees, followed by Gringalet. Almost
at the same moment, a report told me that I’Encuerado had also
seen game.

Lucien was very sorry that I had missed the fox; I only
106 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

regretted having lost a charge of powder, and also having awk-
wardly put to flight the quarry which was probably being pursued
by my companions. I then continued my work of cutting off
the branches, and told Lucien to strike the flint and light the
fire. Thanks to l’Encuerado’s lessons, he managed his work
much better than I had expected.

We heard Sumichrast give a call, to which Lucien answered,
and the disappointed hunter joined us.

“What did you fire at ?” he inquired of me.

“ At a fox, which I missed ; were you chasing it?”

“No; I caught sight of a doe and its fawn, but I could not
get near them.”

“ And where is l'Encuerado ?”

“He wanted to shoot some bird, so as not to come back quite
empty handed.”

“Chanito! Hiou! Hiou! Chanito!” we heard shouted in
the distance.

“ Holloa! holloa!” answered the boy.

And, soon after, 'Encuerado returned, carrying a fawn on his
shoulders.

“Oh! what a pretty little creature!” cried Lucien; “ why
didn’t you take it alive ?”

“ Bullets are the only things that can run as fast as these
animals, Chanito.”

“ What became of the mother?” asked Sumichrast.

“T was not able to get near her; but at all events, we have
more than enough meat now, both for to-day and to-morrow.”

Lucien took possession of the fawn; he had always longed to
possess one of these animals alive. He duly examined the
slender legs and tapering muzzle of the poor creature, whose
fawn-coloured back, dotted over with symmetrically arranged
spots, would change in colour as it.got older.

“Well, Master ‘Sunbeam,’ in what class will you place this
mammal?” asked Sumichrast, addressing Lucien.

“It is not like any of those I know.”

“Well, then, you never can have seen goats, cows, or sheep.
It is a Ruminant, or an animal which has three or four stomachs.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 107

 

Its lower jaw is provided with eight incisors, whilst the upper
jaw has nothing but a cushion or gum.”

“That’s right enough,” said Lucien, opening the fawn’s
mouth.

“Jn all ruminants, the food when swallowed passes into the
first stomach ; it is then brought up to be chewed again ; this is
called ‘chewing the cud.’ You must often have seen a cow, or
a sheep, sitting quiet in the sun, and constantly chewing.”

“Yes,” replied Lucien, “and l’Encuerado always told me that
they had eaten some bitter herb.”

“ His explanation is about as correct as that given by the
Mexicans, who say that an animal which chews the cud is read-
ing the newspaper. Another characteristic of these animals is,
that their feet are cloven.”

“‘ And they have horns!” cried Lucien.

“Not all of them; for instance, the camel, llama, and musk
deer, are exceptions.”

It remained for us to decide how our fawn should be cooked.
After a discussion on the subject, we left the point entirely to
YEncuerado, and I made my way down to the bottom of the
ravine. Upon lifting up some stones and pieces of bark, I dis-
covered several species of the Carabus family. Lucien caught on
a shrub some insects of a very peculiar shape ; at the first glance,
Sumichrast recognised them as teitigones.

“These insects belong to the Hemeptera family,” said he,
“therefore they are allied to the bug and the grasshopper ; these
insects have neither mandibles* nor jaws; their mouth is a sort
of beak, formed of a jointed tube extending along the breast,
which you can see very plainly. This order is a very numerous
one, and the two species you have just found are peculiar to
Mexico.”

“ Here is one like a fowl, and another like a canoe.”

“ You are quite right, and you will meet with others which are
still more singular looking.”

The appearance of these little creatures pleased Lucien very

* A very hard substance placed immediately under the upper lip, which
insects use for cutting and tearing their food.
108 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

much, and, as he was letting them run about on his hand, he
saw them jump off and disappear. He was just going to return to
the shrub on which he had caught them, when his attention was
attracted by an immense dragon-fly, commonly called in Mexico
the devil’s horse, and in France demoiselle. The beautiful insect,
after flying round and round, settled on a plant, and was imme-
diately caught in the young hunter’s net. The prisoner had
greenish eyes, a yellow body, and its wings were dotted over with
black and scarlet. It doubled back its tapering body, as if to try
and sting the hand which held it, and shook its gauzy wings with
a kind of metallic sound. A half-eaten musquito hung out of its
mouth, and, although the dragon-fly was sadly bruised, it continued
its meal much to the amusement of Lucien, who hardly expected to
find such tiger-like habits in an insect so elegant in form and so
harmless in appearance.

“It is of the order Neuroptera,” I said to him; “ thus called
because of the veins on its four wings. This insect first lives in
the water in the form of a larva, in which state it remains a
year—it is very much like the insect you are holding, only, all
that can be seen of its wings are small swellings, which grow
longer each time the animal changes its skin. This swelling is a
sort of sheath to the beautiful gauzy wings which distinguish all
the neuroptera, and the dragon-fly in particular.”

“What! does the dragon-fly begin its life by living in water
like a fish?”

“Yes, and they are quite as voracious in that state as when
they are perfect insects. The larva changes to a grub, and
greedily devours water-lizards and young fish; after a certain
time, which varies according to the species, it rises to the top of
the water by crawling up a reed, and remains perfectly motion-
less, exposed to the rays of the sun; suddenly, the skin covering
the head bursts open, and the dragon-fly, spotted with black,
blue, and green, takes flight, and loses no time in darting upon
the first insect which comes within its reach.”

My lecture was interrupted by the cry of “Holloa! holloa!”
from l’Encuerado. It was his substitute for a dinner-bell.
 

 

CHAPTER XI.

A BLUE LIZARD—THE GUAVA TREE—A CATARACT—NEST OF YELLOW
SERPENTS—A VEGETABLE HELMET—THE KINGFISHER—HUNTING
WATER-FLEAS—THE TADPOLE—A COLLECTION OF WATER-BUGS.

    
 

HE rice-soup, our every-day fare, was, on this occasion,
followed by fawn cutlets broiled on the embers, accom-
panied by potatoes. This precious tubercle, in its savage
state, only reminded us very slightly of its cultivated progeny.
The pulp, instead of being floury, is soft, transparent, and almost
tasteless. That, however, did not prevent us from eating them,
and doing justice to our venison.

Whilst we were smoking a cigar, which was called by Sumi-
chrast, according to circumstances, the calumet of repose, of
council, or of digestion, Lucien returned to the shrub on which
he had previously found the insects. He collected a great number
of these, and also discovered a third species, which was shaped

=>

Wa

PQ

     
 
IIo THE ADVENTURES OF

 

like a triangle, with two horns at its base. He ran to show us
these miniature bulls. Afterwards, armed with a long branch by
way of a lever, he tried to raise up a decayed root covered with
moss. He succeeded to do it, after some trouble, and saw,
cowering down among the roots, a beautiful lizard; it had a
greenish back, and its mouth and the sides of its body were
bright blue ; it was a variety which we had never before observed.
The little animal, doubtless dazzled by the light, allowed itself
to be caught, and then suddenly bending down its head, bit the
boy’s finger, who at once dropped it. L’Encuerado soon caught
the runaway.

« Didn’t you know that lizards were harmless?” asked Sumi-
chrast of Lucien.

“That is why they bite, I suppose,” replied the boy, shaking
his head.

“Yes,” said the naturalist, “but you needn’t be afraid ; its
bite is not venomous.

“This brute is surely not disposed to strife,
But you attack it, it ll defend its life.’ ”

Night came on. A multitude of insects whirled round and
round our fire, burning their wings as if they enjoyed it. Lucien
wanted to know what attracted so many of these poor creatures
to the flame. As he inquired, two or three great beetles suddenly
appeared with loud buzzing, and at once precipitated themselves
into the burning coals.

“See what comes of giddiness,” said Sumichrast. “If since
we set out we had walked blindly on without looking where we
went, long ere this we should have found ourselves at the bottom
of some ravine.”

“ But these butterflies and beetles throw themselves into the fire
on purpose,” said l’Encuerado, with the inflexible logic of facts.

“They are not aware that the flame will burn,” I replied.

“That ’s true,” murmured the Indian, in a tone of compassion.

Fatigue compelled us to give up our relaxation, and we soon
went to sleep in a warm atmosphere, which seemed all the more
pleasant when we remembered our sufferings of the night before.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. Itt

 

Our slumbers were interrupted towards morning by the fre-
quent cries of a flight of passerines, called “alarum-birds ” (desper-
tadores) by the Mexicans. It was hardly light, and, in spite of
lEncuerado’s predictions, it had not rained. The light of our
fire, when we stirred it, soon drove away our winged friends;
but, thanks to their waking us, the first rays of the sun found
us all ready to set out. Just as we were going to start, an
unforeseen difficulty arose—how to cross the ravine and ford
the river? L’Encuerado said that it would be necessary to go
up-stream ; I, also, agreed with him. Sumichrast, on the con-

. trary, was of opinion that there was much more chance of the
banks becoming less steep if we went in the opposite direction ;
he carried the day, and led the way, cutting a passage through
the shrubs with his machete.

As we were determined to skirt the edge of the water, we could
not get along without great difficulty. The noise of the torrent,
which seemed to grow louder, attracted us towards the forest,
where the absence of grass and underwood enabled us to get on
faster. The trees grew farther and farther apart, and we again

‘came upon brushwood, ere long coming out on to a plain, dotted
here and there with guava trees. These trees furnished us with
a quantity of green fruit, of which we were all very fond.
L’Encuerado availed himself of this unexpected harvest by filling
up all the gaps in his basket with them. The wild guava, a sort
of myrtle, which grows naturally in the Terre-Tempérée, reaches to
a height of several feet. Its fruit, which seldom gets ripe before
it is eaten by the birds, or larve, is luscious, highly scented, and
full of pips; they have the reputation of being antifebrile and
astringent. When the shrub is cultivated, its appearance changes
considerably ; its branches grow longer, and are covered with
leaves which are silvery on the back, and the fruit they yield are
as large as lemons, which they resemble in shape and colour.

We all put on our travelling gear again ; but when I’Encuerado
wanted to place the basket on his back, he found he could not
possibly lift it up. I helped him, trying all the time to persuade
him to throw away half his stock; but he resolutely refused to
follow my advice. When he began to walk, he staggered like a
It2 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

drunken man, and at last fell down beneath his burden, and all
the guavas rolled out on to the ground.

Our laughter rather hurt the brave Indian’s feelings.

“By Jose-Maria!” he cried, holding up his hands towards
heaven, “I am getting old. Oh! what a disgrace! not to be able
to carry a handful of guavas. In my youth, it would have taken
three such loads as those to have made me fall down on my knees
like a broken-down horse. Poor old fellow !”

L’Encuerado was certainly exaggerating his former strength ;
but, at any rate, it cut him to the heart to have to throw away
so much of the fruit he had gathered, and our insisting upon his
doing so quite crowned his vexation. With a view of consoling
him, I reminded him that the guavas would spoil in twenty-four
hours, and that his basket held more than we could possibly
consume.

Sumichrast was walking about twenty steps in front of us,
when suddenly he stopped and drew back. When I got abreast
of him, my eyes met an immense ravine, at the bottom of
which the torrent was rushing with a loud noise. The water
was first calm and sluggish, accumulating in a large basin,
then it suddenly burst forth against an immense rock, and disap-
peared, roaring and foaming in two columns, which, after uniting,
broke into a thousand little cascades. We all wished to visit the
bottom of this ravine, in order to enjoy this wondrous sight in all
its grandeur.

Before making our way into the brushwood we put down our
insect-cases and game-bags, for the enterprise required our un-
impeded agility. As long as we could cling on to the plants and
shrubs, the descent was mere child’s play ; but we soon found our-
selves treading on a reddish ferruginous soil, which some great
land-slip had exposed. Sumichrast was the first to venture on
this dangerous ground, which gave way under him at his third
stride. Our companion rolled over the declivity—instinctively
grasping the first branches he could reach ; but he let go directly,
uttering a piercing cry. Fortunately a shrub kept him from fall-
ing into the gulf. I planted my feet as deeply as I could in the
crumbling soil, so as to be able to help my friend, who, with his
  
  

 

yh
PIA)

 

“A shrub kept him from falling into the gulf.”—-Page 112.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 113

 

face contracted with pain, raised towards me his right hand,
which was already red, swollen, and covered with blisters. The
branch he had caught hold of in his fall belonged to a gigantic
nettle, called by the Indians mala-mujer, or “bad woman.” This
plant only grows on damp banks,—‘“‘a piece of malice,” said /’En-
cuerado, “ adopted in order to play shameful tricks on unsuspect-
ing travellers ; towards whom it treacherously stretches out its
green stalks and velvety leaves as if offering them assistance.”

We felt quite grieved at Sumichrast’s sufferings; for we well knew
by experience the intolerable pain which is produced by the sting
of this herb. L’Encuerado took Lucien in charge, whilst I gave my
assistance to the injured man. For some distance we moved along
without much difficulty, but very soon a whole forest of nettles
stood up in front of us. Lucien and Sumichrast sat down, whilst
the Indian and I, by means of our machetes, opened out a narrow
path ; at last we reached again the timber land, so we had now
almost got out of our difficuliies.

The stalks of the nettles, cut off a few inches above the ground,
served to give firmness to our footing. But l’Encuerado, always
too confident, tripped up, and his right cheek was brushed by some
of their leaves ; it only needed this to render him perfectly unre-
cognisable. Although I pitied him, I could not help smiling at
the grimaces produced on his sun-burnt visage by the painful
stings. Even Sumichrast, when looking at him, forgot his own
sufferings.

Under a cypress, we observed five or six snakes, each about a
yard and ahalflong. One, more courageous than the others,
remained under the trees and steadily surveyed our party. Grin-
galet, furious in the extreme, barked and jumped all round the
reptile, which, raising its head from the centre of the coil formed
by its body, shot out its tongue. Its skin was of a golden
yellow, dotted with green spots, and streaked by two almost im-
perceptible black lines. L’Encuerado called in the dog; the
snake then coiled itself up, slowly turning its head in every
direction, as if to select the best direction for retreat. Suddenly
it unrolled its whole length, exposing to our view an unfortunate

sparrow, which was still breathing. Leaving it unmolested,
H
TI4 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

after a few minutes’ delay it seized its victim by the head,
—by degrees the little feathered innocent disappeared, and the
snake remained motionless as though exhausted by the exertion,

“Ts it a rattlesnake?” asked Lucien, astonished.

“No; it is a common snake, that is, a reptile which is not
venomous. This one is called by the Indians the yellow-snake,
and, from ignorance, they are in very great dread of them. It. is
in the habit of climbing trees with great activity, and hunts
birds. The statues of the Aztec god of war, the terrible Huit-
zilipochtli, to whom thousands of men were offered as living
sacrifices, had their foreheads bound with a golden snake, and
we have every reason to believe that the reptile which we have
just seen is that which the Indians thus honoured.”

A little farther on, Lucien fancied that he saw, stretched out
upon the grass, a long white snake. Gringalet, much bolder than
usual, seized the reptile in his mouth and brought it to us. But
it was nothing but a serpent’s skin: I then told the child that
all reptiles of this kind change their skin twice a year, and that
they get out of it as if from a sheath.

We continued our descent, and l’Encuerado, who had taken
the lead, suddenly turned back to us with his head covered with
an immense vegetable helmet. I at once recognised it to be the
flower of a plant I had met with in the neighbouring mountains.
Nothing could be more splendid than this blossom, which, before
it is full blown, looks like a duck sitting on the water. Ina
single morning, the enormous corolla opens out and changes into
a form resembling a helmet surmounted by a crest, the interior
of it, lined with yellow velvet, almost dazzles the eyes. The seed
of this creeper, the Indian name of which I forget, is flat, and of
a heart-like shape, having depicted on one of its faces a Maltese
cross.

Even Sumichrast for a moment forgot his injuries while ex-
amining this wonderful flower, and Lucien, finding a second, very
soon covered his head with it; but the poisonous and penetrating
odour exhaled from the corolla made him feel sick, so he soon
relinquished this novel head-dress.

A few more steps brought us to the bottom of the ravine, and
 

The Cataract. —Page 115.
 

Fall of Ingénio (from a drawing by the Marquis of Radepoint).—Page 115.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 115

 

Sumichrast and l’Encuerado set to work to bathe their stings in
the cool water; while I and Lucien sat down together on a
rock, washed on one side by the stream, and leisurely contem-
plated the beautiful scene before us.

In front of us was situated an immense mountain, cleft open,
as if by the hand of some giant, the sides of which were clad
with a carpet of verdure of a thousand different shades. At the
bottom, as if for the purpose of stopping up the immense fissure,
there was an enormous accumulation of gray and dark-tinted
rocks, between which appeared, every here and there, the foliage
of some tree, enamelled with flowers. From the midst of the
mountain, as if from some invisible cavern, sprung out a large
sheet of transparent water, which, although calm and almost
motionless in appearance, descended in one fall to a rock which
projected in the cataract, like the prow of a ship. As if rendered
furious by the shock, and seeming to revel in the uproar, the
water, converted into foam, bounded over the obstacle, and fell
in two columns, separated by the black point of crag; then,
springing with impetuous speed, from step to step, down a
gigantic staircase, it entered a receptacle hollowed out like a
shell, which received the foaming water, from whence it flowed
gently into a basin edged with verdure. The torrent, quieted
for a time, resumed its course, and striking against impediments,
rolled on, from fall to fall and from valley to valley, until it reached
the plains, more than three thousand feet beneath.

This cascade recalled to my memory one I had seen about a
year before, when exploring the environs of Tuxtla, in the Terre
Chaude, viz., the Fall of Ingénio—one which would be reckoned
among the most celebrated in the world, if access to it was not
rendered almost impossible by the wilderness.

The sufferings of our two companions were so much alleviated
by the application of water that they soon came and sat beside
us. Icannot describe the proud enjoyment we all felt in this
wild spot. We were face to face with this unknown cascade,
which we were, perhaps, the first Europeans to contemplate.
Behind us the mountain sides seemed to unite and hem in the
bed of the torrent. The sun bathed with its rays that portion
116 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

which was bordered with large trees, among which king-fishers
were skimming about. One of these birds came and perched
close to us,—its breast was white, its wings black on the
upper side, and its head-feathers dark green; its stout, thick-
set shape, and its short tail, made Lucien remark that it
looked like a mal-formed creature.. Always restless, it almost
immediately resumed its abrupt flight over the surface of the
water, and disappeared among the windings of the ravine.

Lucien pointed out to me an immense willow, the branches of
which, drooping over the water, seemed to have at their
ends enormous gourd-shaped fruits. I recognised in them
the nests of those beautiful yellow birds, spotted with black,
which the Mexicans call calandres. To convince Lucien of his
mistake, l’Encuerado threw a large stone into the tree; the
missile fell from branch to branch, and more than a hundred
frightened birds flew out from their curious retreats. At first
they appeared much alarmed; but when this had subsided,
they skimmed over the water, or entered their impregnable
habitations.

We made our way down the ravine in hopes of finding a rest-
ing-place less rugged, and after a long, winding, tedious course,
came upon a sheet of calm water, flowing over a bed of sand.
The sun was shining full upon its transparent surface, and, close
to the edge, hundreds of flies were whirling about.

“Those are coleoptere,” said Sumichrast to Lucien.

“Why do they turn round and round like that?” inquired he.

“To find their food, for they are carnivorous, and require a
great deal of nourishment. In France they are commonly called
tourmiquets, or water-fleas.”

Lucien wanted to catch one, but could not succeed ; I’Encue-
rado and Sumichrast joined in the pursuit. At first, I amused
myself with watching the useless efforts of my companions ; but
at last, thinking myself cleverer than they, I squatted down also.
There we all four were, with our hands in the water, perfectly
motionless, and holding our breath, the better to remain motion-
less. The insects were all in a close mass, and whirling round
like a living mosaic ; moving in every direction without separat-

 
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 117

 

ing; but however quickly we raised our hands, we all failed in
our efforts.

An hour was spent in this way, and even then, we should not
have given up the chase if the sun had not ceased to shine on
the bank, and the insects had therefore moved beyond our
reach, so as to be within its influence. Lucien, vexed at their
going away, and I’Encuerado, furious at having been conquered
by the agile creatures, commenced throwing stones at them with
the hope of wounding one. Even in this they did not succeed,
so l’Encuerado satisfied himself by calling them fools, a name
which, in his opinion, constituted a gross insult.

About twenty tadpoles, swimming in a puddle of water, were
taken by Lucien for fish.

“ They are frogs,” I said to him.

“ Where are their feet, then?”

“Under the brown skin, which makes them look like fish:
when the time of their metamorphosis arrives, this skin will split
all down their back, and a little frog will come out of it. Look
at this tadpole I have just caught; you can see the feet through
its transparent skin. To-day it is a fish, that is to say, it
breathes through gills—those little tufts you see on each side of
its head—and perhaps to-morrow it will undergo that metamor-
phosis which will cause it to breathe through its mouth. The
Toltecs, the great nation which preceded the Aztecs in Mexico,
counted the frog among their gods.”

When putting the tadpole back into the pool, I noticed some
whitish insects, which were incessantly rising in jerks to the
surface of the water, and diving down again directly. Lucien,
astonished at their movements, cried out—

“ But, papa, they are walking on their backs!”

“You are quite right; they are hydrocorises, allied to the
tettigones, and consequently hemiptere.”

The young naturalist was more successful than in his gyrin-
hunting, and succeeded in catching two or three of these water-
bugs.

“What is the use of their wings?” he inquired.

“ Why, to fly with, and to move from place to place.”
118 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Then water-bugs are really able to fly, swim, and walk?”

“Yes; and I’m sure they can see in the dark, too,” said En.
cuerado, who, it may be remembered, envied animals this privi-
lege.

“We are certainly justified in thinking so,” I answered, smiling,
“for they nearly always choose the night for travelling. Take
care they don’t bite you, for the water-bug bites as hard as its
kinsmen of the woods and houses.”

A little farther on, Lucien stopped in front of an herbaceous
plant, covered from top to bottom with round, flat, black insects,
speckled with red, and almost resembling mosaic-work. He was
very proud of his beautiful discovery, and took hold of two or
three of the insects; but feeling their soft bodies give way in
his fingers, he threw them down with disgust.

“Oh! what are these horrid creatures ?”

“They are wood-bugs,” replied Sumichrast ; “only they are in
the state of larve, and have no wings.”

“What has caused this nasty smell on my fingers?”

‘When any one touches these insects, a very strong-smelling
yellowish liquid always exudes from them.”

Lucien ran off to wash his hands. He rubbed them over and
over again, but could not quite get rid of the smell, which seemed
to annoy him very much. I concluded from this, that in future
he would not have many wood-bugs in his collection.

After a long ramble at the bottom of the ravine, we had to
return to our starting-point, which was the only side by which
we could obtain an exit. We found the cataract perfectly bathed
in light. The large upper sheet of water looked like a block of
azure-stone, whilst the spray beneath glittered as if covered with
diamonds. Above our heads a rainbow spanned the stream from
bank to bank.

Tat last succeeded in tearing my companions away from this
wondrous scene. We had met with no game, but a great part of
our fawn was yet remaining in the basket. Sumichrast was still
in pain, and l’Encuerado’s face continued much inflamed. We
now had to ascend, and we each adopted the greatest precaution
while passing the spot where we had seen the serpents. I don’t
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 119

 

know how we should ever have got up, if l’Encuerado had not
thought of cutting some branches of dwarf elder for walking-
sticks. Above everything, I wished to keep Lucien from the
suffering caused by coming in contact with the mala mujer, as the
Mexicans call it, and it was with a sigh of relief that I saw him
safe and sound out of this cul-de-sac.

 
 

CHAPTER XII.

A RELATION OF GRINGALET—OUR FOUR-FOOTED GUIDE—A REVIEW OF
OUR PARTY—THE ALLIGATOR-TORTOISE—THE PHEASANTS—THE
MAGNOLIA—THE NUTMEG-TREE—THE BLUE PLANT—THE CATER-
PILLAR.

S the sun was setting, our wisest course was to go back to
our bivouac of the evening before, and to postpone until
the next day the discovery of the passage we had sought

in vain. Upon the whole, the sight of the cataract had amply

repaid us for our useless walk.

Our little party, therefore, once more plunged into the forest,
rather at random, though taking care not to go too far from the
stream. Two or three times we seemed to have reached the spot
where we left the bank ; but we soon got into the most inextric-
able thickets. As the time wore on, I began to think we had
passed the place; and, as is often the case in similar circum-

 
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 121

 

stances, opinions were divided. A fox, which appeared within
gunshot, interrupted our discussion. I fired, and the animal
fell. It was a magnificent specimen, and exactly like his
European confrere. By a singular chance, at the very moment
it was expiring, a crow just above our heads uttered a loud
croaking.

“There! the crow is thanking us for having rid him of his
enemy, the fox,” said Sumichrast to Lucien.

The boy laughed heartily at this joke. In spite of our advice,
VEncuerado would insist upon skinning the animal, whose pelt
he wished to preserve. Fortunately, he was very quick at such
an operation, and the beautiful fur was soon hanging over his
arm, ready to be stretched outside his basket to dry.

“T hope,” said Sumichrast to Lucien, “that you have already
recognised the fox’s relationship.”

“Oh, yes! in its colour and shape it is like the cayotte.”

“You are quite right, but the cayotte and the fox are both
Gringalet’s cousins.”

“T can scarcely believe that, for Gringalet has short hair, is
spotted with black and white, has gray eyes” ——

“Those are only secondary characteristics,” interrupted Sumi-
chrast. ‘“Gringalet belongs to the carnivorous type, called by
naturalists Digitigrades.”

“Ts Gringalet a digitigrade?” asked Lucien, smiling.

“Yes, certainly ; that is to say, he walks on his toes, and not
on the sole of his feet, exactly like the fox, whose teeth, also, are
perfectly similar to those of Gringalet. The principal difference
between them is, that the fox has eyes which are formed so as to
enable it to see in the dark, a quality which Gringalet does not
possess in the same degree.”

“ Are there such things as wild dogs ?”

“Yes, although the point has been much disputed. But the
dog, the faithful companion of man, has been so long domesti-
cated, that little similarity of appearance exists between them.
However, the cayotte, the fox, and the wolf may be called wild
dogs.”

We had once more got into the midst of a thicket without
122 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

discovering the least trace of our resting-place. It became im-
portant that we should soon find our starting-point. I noticed
that Gringalet, instead of gambling round us as he generally did,
remained behind, pricking up his ears, and appearing excessively
knowing.

“What do you think, shall we take Gringalet for our guide?”
said I.

As soon as the animal heard his name mentioned, he rushed
toward me, and I patted him.

“Come, tell your dog to lead us to the bivouac,” I said to
Lucien.

“To the bivouac ! to the bivouac !” cried the boy, patting the
animal.

Gringalet really seemed to understand, for he sniffed up the
air, and at once went to the front. I soon discovered that he
was taking us back by a very circuitous path.

“To the bivouac ! to the bivouac !”

Gradually the noise of the torrent became more distinct, and
our guide plunged into the brushwood. While we ‘were cutting
down the branches that stopped up our path, Gringalet waited
with his ears pricked up and one foot uplifted. At last we
caught sight of the hut, which was greeted with such pleasure
and relief as only known by fatigued travellers.

It was not without emotion that I again beheld this spot, to
which I had, as I thought, said good-bye for ever. The scarcely
extinguished embers, and the shelter which we had raised, had
quite a home-like appearance. Sumichrast said he felt the same
impression, and Lucien declared that his first idea had been that
we should find an Indian in the hut.

But what about Gringalet? Had he then really understood
us? Those who have made a trial of canine intelligence will not
doubt the fact fora moment. The word bivouac, having been so
often pronounced since we set out, must have struck both the
mind and the ears of the animal, so as to have become almost
synonymous in his ideas with dinner and rest.

The next day at sun-rise we set out, gently ascending the
course of the stream. Sumichrast’s hand was still in pain, and
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 123

 

quite prevented him using his gun. L’Encuerado, though dis-
figured, had, at least, the free use of his limbs. The inexperi-
enced traveller is incessantly exposed to misfortunes of this
kind. Turned out into the midst of various unknown natural
objects, he carelessly plucks a leaf, breaks down a branch, or
gathers a flower; and in many cases, his punishment is prompt
and terrible, and the innocent diversion of a second has to be
expiated by hours of anguish. In the wild life of the wilderness,
dangers become so multiplied, that more courage than is gener-
ally supposed is required to face them. Every explorer of
unknown scenes must make up his mind to endure hardships.
More than one whom I have seen start full of confidence,
at the end of three days has returned, wearied, bruised, ill,
discouraged, and, in fact, conquered. By degrees, of course,
experience comes to the help of those whose moral courage is
strong enough to induce them to persevere. They soon learn to ,
recognise at a glance the tree that it is best to avoid, the grass
that must not be trodden on, the creeper the touch of which is
to be shunned, and the fruit which should not be tasted. At
last the requirements of the body are to some extent mastered,
and it follows the dictation of the soul without complaint. The
long experienced traveller can scarcely fail to be astonished at
the delicate susceptibility of his casing of flesh, which is bruised
by blows, torn by thorns, devoured by insects, and yet, day after
day, the persevering man continues to face death under its most
horrible aspects—poison from venom of serpents, giddiness from
sun-stroke, blindness from the power of the moon, want of sleep,
hunger, and thirst.

I had just taken a review of our situation when these reflec-
tions were suggested to me. Halting, I permitted my comrades
to pass me; their appearance, after so many days’ travel, I give.
First, there was Sumichrast, tall and broad-shouldered, his features
displaying both mildness and energy; one arm in a sling, his
clothes torn to shreds, and his face furrowed by five or six deep
scratches ; leaning on a stick, carried in his left hand, he seemed
a little bent ; but his vigorous form still told of abundant endur-
ance and determination. Behind him, his gun slung to his cross-
124 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

belt, came Lucien, slightly stooping, although his step was firm
and determined ; his face was seamed with scratches, his hands
bruised and brown from exposure. As he passed in front of me, he
smiled, gave a joyous hurrah, and lifted his cap, beneath which
his hair flowed down in golden curls. Gringalet, now recon-
ciled to the squirrels’ skins, walked close by his master ; truly he
looked like standing more work. Lastly, ]’Encuerado, his arms
and legs bare, and laden with guavas, brought up the rear. The
brave Indian tried to raise his straw-hat as he passed by me, his
bony visage expanded, and his smile showed a row of white
teeth, which were worthy of competing with Gringalet’s. Well
satisfied with my inspection, I shouldered my gun, and resumed
the head of the column.

The cliffs of the ravine became gradually more wooded, and
the descent was effected without accident. I kept along the bank
_ looking out for a ford. At last, a bend of the stream, where the
water flowed calmly and silently, enabled us to do so without
difficulty. I then proposed a halt. Close by us rose some
enormous rocks covered with moss, which, in flood time, must
have been reached by the water; in front of us was a gentle
slope covered with turf.

We were descending the slope when an object, indistinct at
first, emerged from the edge of the wood, and, appearing to roll
more than run over the grass, advanced towards us. It was an
enormous tortoise ; but a tortoise which might successfully have
raced with the hare. L’Encuerado tried to stop it, but fell in
his effort. Sumichrast, quite forgetting his bad hand, dealt
the animal a blow with the butt-end of his gun, the effect of
which was slightly to slacken the pace of the enemy. The In-
dian, furious at his failure, threw down his load, and came
running up ; our united efforts succeeded, about twenty feet from
the stream, in throwing the animal on its back.

Lucien, rather startled at this scene and at the size of the
tortoise, then came nearer to examine it. I kept him at some
distance from the reptile, who was viciously agitating his enor-
mous feet, armed with formidable claws; whilst his mouth,
which was like a horny beak, opened and shut menacingly.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 125

 

“Tt is a galapago,” said ’Encuerado; “it is of no use for food.”

This creature, which is called by the savants the alligator-tortoise,
measured more than a yard from his head to his tail. The latter
appendage was almost as long as the body, and was covered with
a triple row of scaly crests fitting into each other. The gray,
wrinkled, and almost scaly skin of the reptile formed rolls round
its neck of a disgusting appearance—one might almost fancy
them unhealthy excrescences. The horrible beast turned towards
us its gaping mouth with a vicious manner. The turtle-fishers
much dread the galapagos, which, being more agile than the
ordinary tortoise, give them, sometimes, frightful wounds, either
with their sharp claws or their horny jaws. Their flesh is
declared to be unwholesome.

Just as we were leaving, l’Encuerado wanted to cut off the
reptile’s head. Sumichrast opposed this useless slaughter, and
was inclined to replace the tortoise on its feet. But the Indian
refused to assist in this good work, for he asserted that it was
equivalent to leaving a rattle-snake alive. Two or three times,
the animal was very nearly repaying our kindness by a bite ;
for, as soon as we came near, it managed to twist round on
its upper shell. We were about to abandon it to its fate, when
suddenly, the slope of the ground helping us, we managed to
set it on its feet; as soon as it was turned over, it rushed at
Lucien. The enormous rolls round its neck, being all distended,
made it carry its head very forward, so, with a single blow of
his cutlass, l’Encuerado decapitated the assailant. We were then
witnesses to a strange sight, for whilst Gringalet was furiously
attacking the motionless head, the feet, continuing to move,
bore along the body, which in a moment disappeared in the lake.
Although we had often before seen tortoises survive for a con-
siderable time wounds which were certainly mortal, the strength
of the nervous system, which was exhibited in this reptile,
almost staggered us.

“Now, my brave friend, try and swim without your head, and
take care not to break your skull against the rocks!” cried the
exasperated Indian ; “the father saves your life, and then you
want to hurt his child! You hardly saw me, or you’d have
126 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

known that I am pretty well able to bite. Good-bye! and take
good care of yourself!”

We may readily see that the Indian was anything but a
generous enemy ; but the fact was, the galapagos were old ene-
mies, for one had nearly bitten off his hand, whilst he was
bathing. The turf-carpeted bank soon led us into the thick
forest again. We had been walking for more than an hour
through a perfect labyrinth of gigantic trees, and over a bare
and yet rich soil,—for it is only in the glades that the ground
is covered with grass,—when l’Encuerado heard the call of a
species of pheasant peculiar to this country.

“Bend towards the left to get near the game,” said Sumi-
chrast, in a low voice; “‘and whatever you do, don’t shake the
foliage.”

“We’re all right now,” muttered l’Encuerado; “listen! I'll
predict that we shall have a good dinner to-day.”

The Indian laid down his load, which Sumichrast and Lucien
took charge of, whilst I followed the former behind the trees.
My companion soon went a little in front, and imitated the cry
of the bird we were pursuing, so as to make them answer,
and thus show us where they were hidden. The imitation
was really so perfect that I moved towards it, thinking to find
the bird, and of course came upon the Indian lying in ambush.
This same mistake had happened to me before with Sumichrast,
who imitated the voice of birds almost as well as the Indian. At
last his cry produced an answer, and at about a hundred yards
from us, on the top of a not very tall oak, were perched three
enormous pheasants.

Bent down and crawling behind the trees, I joined l’Encuerado,
keeping my eye fixed on the game, which stretched out their
necks with an anxious look, and seemed to be listening. Two
gun-shots went off at once; one of the birds fell dead at our feet,
the two others flew away. One of these fugitives flew high
above the tree-tops, but the other being wounded was unable to
follow its companion; I darted off in pursuit, making sure of
bagging it. The poor bird reached the ground and tried hard to
run; I was not more than fifty paces from it, when a tiger-cat,
 

“ A tiger-cat bounded forward and seized the pheasant.” —Page 126.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 127

 

with a black coat, bounded forward, and, seizing it, dis-
appeared before I had time to recover from my surprise. The
marauder was abused as a thief and a rogue by l’Encuerado,
who had been a witness of this misfortune. Lucien examined the
pheasant, which was almost as big as a turkey ; but its sombre
plumage did not at all answer to the magnificent idea which the
boy had formed of this bird. He thought that the head was much
too small for the body, and its naked and warty cheeks led him
to observe that the pheasant had the appearance of having put
on two plasters of tortoise skin, a remark which was certainly
well founded. With regard to the beautiful and many-coloured
pheasant-species peculiar to Asia and Africa, Mexico possesses
none of them, so far, at least, as I know.

About two o’clock in the afternoon, Lucien remarked that the
trees grew farther apart, which was a sign that we were approach-
ing an open glade or the foot of a mountain. Sumichrast made
the boy walk in front as leader, a reward for the sharpness of his
eyes. Proud of this duty, our little guide led us to an opening
edged with a rampart of wood at a short distance off.

“ Halt!” cried I.

The butts of the guns were dropped upon the ground at this
order; our hut was soon constructed, and l’Encuerado imme-
diately afterwards busied himself preparing our meal.

Sumichrast, who, from the state of his hand, was condemned
to idleness, remained with the Indian, whilst I proceeded, in
company with Gringalet and Lucien, to reconnoitre the vicinity
of our bivouac. Almost immediately, a yoloxochitll, a species of
magnolia, met our eyes. I called l’Encuerado, who climbed the
tree in order to throw us down some of its beautiful sweet-smelling
flowers; they are externally of a pinkish-white colour, yellow
on the inside, and the petals, before they are full-blown, assume
the form of a cross, and afterwards that of a splendid star. The
Indian did not fail to remind us that an infusion of the glitter-
ing leaves of the yolozochitl is a remedy against diarrheea, and
that its flowers, as their shape indicates, cure palpitations of the
heart. A little farther on, we recognised a nutmeg-tree, a shrub
about ten feet in height, and covered with haif-formed fruit.
128 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

The nutmeg is not cultivated in Mexico, and the tree that pro-
duces it is rather rare. The Indians, however, use an enormous
quantity of the Molucca nutmegs, either as a remedy or as a con-
diment,—nutmegs, camphor, and asafcetida being the principal
Indian remedies. I next pointed out to my young companion a
plant named the dlue herd, the leaves of which stain the water in
which they are soaked with a lovely azure tinge. In Mexico a
variety of this vegetable is cultivated, in order to extract from
it the colouring matter commonly known under the name of
indigo.

“But how do they manage,” asked Lucien, “to obtain from a
plant those dark-blue stones that I have seen sold in the
market?”

“ About the month of March,” I answered, “are gathered the
fresh leaves of the indigo-plant, which is one of the leguminous
family, and pound them in mortars made out of the trunks of
trees. The sap which results from these leaves, when subjected
to a heavy pressure, is of a greenish tinge, and sometimes even
colourless; it does not become blue until after fermentation in
the open air. The Indians then boil it in an immense copper,
and, the water evaporating, the indigo is left in the form of a
soft and gelatinous paste, which is subsequently dried in the
sun.

On approaching the foot of the mountain, I found that it
would be impossible for us to climb it the next day, the slope
being too steep. I sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree, when
I detected a very decided smell of roses. Under the bark of a log
esquina Lucien had discovered five or six beautiful insects, of an
azure-blue colour, with red feet; these insects are very common
in the sandy soils of Tehuacan, and are used by the ladies of
that district to perfume their linen, Delighted at his discovery,
Lucien continued his search, hoping to find some more specimens
which he intended to take to his mother. He was kneeling
down and working energetically, when he pointed out to me an
enormous caterpillar.

It was of an emerald-green colour, and had on its back a row
of little projections like small trees, symmetrically arranged.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 129

 

These were of a brilliant red, terminating in shoots the same
colour as the animal’s body.

“What a curious creature!” cried Lucien; “it looks as if it
carried a garden on its back ;—what use are all these bushes?”

“Tt is not known, and it is a curious fact that the butterfly,
which springs from this caterpillar, shows no trace of all this
strangely-arranged hair.”

“Will a butterfly come from this caterpillar?”

“Yes, certainly; all butterflies lay eggs, from which proceed
caterpillars, which generally destroy the plants on which they
are hatched. When arrived at maturity, the caterpillar spins a

 

cocoon of silk, more or less fine, in the centre of which it encloses
itself. It is then called a chrysalis. In this cocoon the but-
terfly is formed, either white or black, yellow or green, and there
it remains inactive and imprisoned, like a baby in swaddling
clothes. In spring, it perforates its silken prison, and soon
makes its escape a splendid butterfly, subsisting upon the juices
of the flowers obtained through its proboscis. Surely you were
not ignorant of all these transformations ?”
“J thought that they only took place in silkworms.”

«“ Well, now you are undeceived ; all caterpillars and all but-
I
130 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

terflies are subject to them; but there are few caterpillars which
spin so valuable a cocoon as the silkworm. Moreover, some
bury themselves in the earth ; while others hide in the middle of
a leaf, the edges of which they curl round so as to form a kind
of bag, in which they are protected from the beaks of birds;
again, some hollow out a shelter in the trunk of a tree, and
line their abode with silk more or less fine. Thus, in every case,
the chrysalis waits patiently for the time when it will change
from a worm into a butterfly, painted with the richest colours.”

The subject was really an inexhaustible one, so I deferred the
rest of my explanations to another day. Besides, I’Encuerado
was loudly calling for us.

 
 

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SENSITIVE PLANT—GRINGALET AND THE PORCUPINE—THE MEXI-
CAN CHAMELEON—THE KITE AND THE FALCON—AN AMPHISBANA
SNAKE—A COUNCIL OF TURKEYS.

UCIEN, seated on the grass, amused himself with touch-
- ing all the plants within reach of his travelling staff ;
suddenly he noticed that the branches and leaves of a
small shrub shut up when he brushed them with his stick, just
like the ribs of a parasol, moved by some invisible spring—it was
a sensitive plant.

He called to us to ask for an explanation of this phenomenon,
so we assembled round the shrub, which was about three feet
high ; its leaves, finely cut and of a delicate green colour, with
pink flowers in tufts half hidden among them. The leaves,
touched by the stick, shrank up close to the parent stem, and the
oval, slender, and delicate ones, rising on their stalks, pressed

  
132 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

against one another. In about five minutes the leaves which had
been rubbed again spread out, as if they had recovered from
their fright.

It was, however, only for a short time; for Lucien amused
himself by rubbing his fingers over the leaves, which imme-
diately doubled up, as if offended by the slight touch. The
Indians call it the “ Bashful Plant.” A blow struck on the prin-
cipal stem is sufficient to make all the branches close, as if
animated by a kind of modest feeling. When the sun sets, the
sensitive plant spontaneously shuts up its delicate foliage, which
does not open again freely until the return of day.

Lucien’s first idea, at waking, was to run towards the shrubs
which interested him the day before. They were covered with
dew, and looked as if they were asleep, until the first rays of the
sun fell upon them. Before we started, the young naturalist
again tested the delicate sensibility of the plant, which Sumi-
chrast told him was allied to the tree which produces gum
arabic,

L’Encuerado’s cheek was less swollen, and Sumichrast could
use his hand, although it still pained him. The mountain in front
of us, which was too steep to climb, caused us some perplexity.

“Let us slant off to the. left, over this moist ground, carpeted
with turf,” said Sumichrast, plunging into the thicket.

About mid-day, just as l’Encuerado was declaring, in a grum-
bling tone, that we ought to have inclined towards the right, our
little troop entered the wood. An undulating slope led us toa
summit not more than twenty yards across, and, in less than
half an hour, the opposite descent brought us into a delicious
glen.

“ Holloa! Master ‘Sunbeam,’” cried Sumichrast, whilst help-
ing me to construct our hut, “don’t you recollect you are the
one to provide the fire 1”

“All right,” replied Lucien, who seemed to be lost in the con-
templation of a dead branch ; “TI want to get hold of an insect
which appears to be making, like us, natural history collections,
for I have just found in its nest a quantity of spiders, flies, and
small worms.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 133

 

“Tt is one of the Hymenoptera,” said Sumichrast ; “it collects
all round its eggs the food the young will eat when they are
hatched; the insect is therefore full of forethought,—a good
example for us to imitate.”

When the fire was ready, we started off in light marching
order to explore the vicinity of our bivouac. Our position was
commanded by mountains on all sides, and the glen was scarcely
a quarter of a league in length. The pleasant coolness, and the
presence of numerous birds, led us to hope that we should meet
with a spring, which was all that was needed to convert this
remote corner of the world into a perfect paradise. But our
exploring only led to the discovery of a greenish pool, sheltered
by an enormous rock, and which the dry season would soon
evaporate.

Gringalet’s barking attracted our attention towards the forest,
and I perceived a porcupine on a tree. The animal, sitting up
on its hind feet, was looking at us with astonishment. Leaving
it undisturbed, it appeared to forget us, and tearing off with its
claws a piece of bark, it licked the inner side, which was doubt-
less covered with insects. Having repeated this operation several
times, the animal advanced to the end of a branch, and seizing it
with its prehensile tail, let itself down to the ground. Its large
black eyes, of unusual mildness, were widely opened, and its
nose slit like hares and rabbits. It was just about to stretch
itself, when, to our great regret, ’Encuerado shot it; the poor
beast fell over on the ground, and placing its hand-shaped
paws on the wound, rolled itself up into a ball at the foot of a
tree. Gringalet darted forwards to seize it, and then immedi-
ately retreated, howling with pain; he came back to us with his
muzzle bristling with the porcupine’s quils, which were about two
inches long and finely pointed. The unfortunate dog rubbed his
nose against the ground in order to get relief, but, of course, this
only increased his pain. Lucien ran to help him, and at last suc-
ceeded in extracting them.

“ Have you lost your senses?” asked !’Encuerado of the dog,
whilst washing the poor beast’s nose and mouth. “ The idea of
trying to bite a huitzttacuatzin! Upon my word, I thought you
134 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

knew better than that. No doubt it’s a good thing to be brave,
but you must manage to be less stupid when you are in the forests
of the Terre-Chaude, unless you want to be devoured by a tiger,
or scratched to pieces by an ant-eater.”

After listening to ’Encuerado’s speech, Lucien scolded him for
firing at the poor animal, and then joined us, close to the porcu-
pine which was dying. It was about the size of a fox, and its
fore paws were furnished with four toes armed with claws. This
animal, which is slow of pace and entirely inoffensive, spreads
round it a sickening musky odour. It lives on fruit, roots, and
insects, and, aided by its prehensile tail, climbs trees with great
skill; it but rarely tries to make its escape at the approach of the
hunter, who, moreover, utterly despises such worthless game.

L’Encuerado reminded us that we had now been travelling
twelve days, and that it was the first Sunday in May. We
should have devoted it to rest if our morning’s hunting had been
successful; but, unless we contented ourselves with a dinner
composed only of rice, we were obliged to shoot some eatable
bird or animal to fill our stew-pot. We heard some doves
cooing, and )’Encuerado went off alone in the direction of the
sound, for these birds are difficult of approach. Gringalet, not-
withstanding our calls, ran after the Indian.

Lucien climbed the rock which hung over the pool, and made
signs for me to come to him, saying in a low voice—

“ Papa, come and look at this strange animal.”

I also climbed up, and found lying on the top a Mexican
chameleon, a kind of round-shaped lizard, with a brown skin dotted
over with yellow spots, which seemed to change colour in the
light. Lucien tried to catch the graceful reptile, which, however,
glided between his fingers and disappeared behind the rock.

The Mexican chameleon lives only in the woods and among the
rocks. It chiefly delights in the oak forests, where the dark
colour of its body blends with the hue of the dry leaves, and
enables it to lie successfully in ambush for the insects on which
it feeds. Sumichrast, who had succeeded in taming a chameleon,
told us that the reptile’s throat, which was white during the day-
time, assumed during the night a dark hue ; also, that it liked to
 

“The kite avoided the shock, and continued to rise in the air.” —Page 135.
4 YOUNG NATURALIST. 135

 

be caressed, and became familiar enough to take from his hand
the flies which were offered it. The Indians, who hold the
animal in great dread when alive, are in the habit of wearing its
dried body as an amulet against the “evil eye.”

From our lofty observatory we were looking at the beautiful
birds which occasionally flew across the plain, when Sumichrast
suddenly fired. He had caught sight of a fine magpie, of an ashy-
blue colour, with its head crowned by a tuft ; its throat appeared
as if it were bound round with black velvet, a peculiarity which has
obtained for it from the Indians the name of the “ commander
bird.” Lucien came down from the rock to go and pick up the
game, when an enormous kite darted on the magpie, seized it in
its sharp claws, and immediately took flight. Sumichrast seized
his gun to punish the impudent poacher, but a falcon, about the
size of a man’s fist, made its appearance, and describing two or
three rapid circles, swooped down on the kite. The latter
avoided the shock and continued to rise in the air, whilst his
antagonist came almost to the ground, uttering a shriek of rage.
Again ascending, with extreme rapidity, by an oblique flight,
it a second time overtopped its antagonist, and darted upon
it like a flash of lightning. Their wings beat together, and a few
feathers came fluttering to the ground. The prey fell from the
bird’s grasp, followed in its fall by the falcon. The kite, conquered
by an enemy about one-fifth of its own size, flew round and
round in the air and then disappeared. The conqueror, stand-
ing about thirty yards from us, eyes glittering, and foot firmly
planted on its prey, magnificent in anger and daring, Sumichrast
abandoned the game to it as a recompense for its courage.
The bird, not at all satisfied at being so close to us, buried in the
body of its victim its claws, so enormous in comparison to its
own size, shook its wings and rose, at first with difficulty, when,
its flight becoming more easy as it ascended higher, it carried
off its quarry behind the trees.

‘Lucien, who from the ground beneath had followed all the
changes and chances of this combat, soon joined us.

“ How was it that that great bird allowed itself to be con-
quered by such a small adversary?” he asked of Sumichrast.
136 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Because it was a coward.”

“But both have the same plumage, and almost the same shape;
I took the small bird to be the young of the other.”

“ The last is a falcon, and the other is a kite. They belong,
in fact, to the same family ; but the falcon is noble and
courageous, whilst the kite is perhaps the most cowardly of all
birds of prey. Falcons were once used for hunting ; for, as
you have just seen, they have no fear of attacking adversaries
much larger than themselves. Added to this, they are easily
tamed.”

“But eagles are much stronger than falcons?”

‘Eagles are birds of prey which do not at all merit the repu-
tation which poets have endeavoured to make for them ; although
they may be stronger, they exhibit much less bravery than falcons,
and only attack animals of small size.”

“ Yet, surely the eagle is the king of birds; is it not able to
look straight at the sun?”

“Yes; thanks to a membrane that shuts down over the pupil
of its eye. Among all nations, the eagle is the symbol of
strength and courage; but still the falcon possesses the latter of
these qualities in a much higher degree; it is the falcon which
is the real king of birds among ornithologists. The Mexicans,
as you know, depict upon their banners an eagle sitting upon a
cactus and tearing a serpent.”

“Js this intended as an emblem of strength and courage ?”

“No, it has another origin. When the Aztecs, who were
thought to be natives of Northern America, arrived in Mexico
(which then bore the name of Anahuac), they wandered about a
long time before they settled. One day, near a lake, they found
a cactus growing on a stone, and on the cactus an eagle was
sitting. Guided by an oracle, a city was built, which was called
Tenochtitlan, and subsequently Mexico.”

My historical lecture was interrupted by a distant shot. We
had heard nothing of the doves for a long time, and we were
expecting to see our companion reappear ; but he must have made
an enormous curve in pursuing them, to judge from the direction
from which the report of his gun proceeded. Fortunately, from
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 137

 

the position of the spot, there was not much likelihood of his
missing his way; although we had full confidence in his instinct,
we feared to what extent his ardour might carry him.

We now kept on the look-out, hoping that chance would throw
us in contact with some game. All at once there was a movement
to our right in the high grass, and its waving about pointed out the
presence of some reptile. Ina minute or two we saw a serpent
making its way towards the pool; it was the species which is
called by the Indians, as formerly by the Greeks, the double-
headed serpent. The amphisbena was about a foot and a half
long, and its tail was swollen at the end, which gave it a very
curious appearance. Its skin, covered with large scales, had a
bluish metallic glitter. It crawled slowly, and stopped every
instant as if to bore into the ground, but in reality to pick up
insects or ants. This singular snake quite enchanted Lucien, and
Sumichrast told him to fire his gun at it, so as to be able to study
it more closely. He had no need to repeat his instructions ; the
young sportsman, who had begun to handle his weapon very
skilfully, at once placed it to his shoulder; the shot was fired,
and the amphisbeena tumbling over, disappeared in the grass.
The reptile had been hit, and we all of us clambered down the
rock as fast as we could, in the hopes of finding it dead. We
sought for it in vain ; the snake had made its escape into some
hole, from which it would be in vain to try to dislodge it.

Gringalet now showed himself, soon followed by l’Encuerado.
When he caught sight of us, the Indian raised a loud “ Hiou!
hiou!” Waving his hat in the air, he threw upon the ground
some dark object, which fell heavily on the turf, and then he
began dancing. We roared with laughter at his grotesque steps,
and Lucien ran towards the Mistec, who, after his dance, was
acting the acrobat on the turf.

“A turkey!” he cried; and an enormous bird, with bronzed
plumage, was passed from hand to hand.

“ Ah! Chanito,” cried the Indian, “if you had gone with
me, you would have seen a whole flock of them! I had chased
those miserable doves till I was tired, without even catching a
glimpse of them, and was resting at the foot of a tree, when
138 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

Gringalet pricked up his ears, and running up the opposite slope
of the mountain, barked as loudly as if he saw another porcupine.
I also made my way there, and heard ‘ gobbles’ resounding in
every direction ; Master Gringalet had fallen in with a council of
turkeys.”

“ A council of turkeys?” repeated Lucien.

“Yes, Chanito, turkeys hold councils. They generally travel
in flocks and on foot, although they know perfectly well how to
fly when they want to cross a stream, or to make their escape ;
and when one of them wants to communicate his opinion to
another, he raises a cry, and his companions form a circle round
him.”

« And what takes place then ?”

“The preacher,” continued I'Encuerado, without the least idea
of irreverence, “lowers his neck, and then lifts it up again,
raises up the hair like feathers on his crop, and spreads out his
tail like a fan. He then addresses the assembled birds, who
strut about with their wings half opened, and answer him with
approving gobbles.”

The Indian, carried away by his narrative, added gestures to
words, strutted about, rounded his arms and lowered his chin
upon his breast, in order to imitate the ways of the birds which
he was describing.

‘‘But what do they say?” asked Lucien, archly.

“That depends on circumstances,” he replied, scratching his
forehead. ‘The flock just now surprised must have cried out—
‘What is this animal?’—‘ A dog,’ would be the answer of the
most knowing among them. ‘Fly, my friends, fly!’ he would
cry; ‘dogs are always accompanied by men, and men have guns.’
‘A gun! what’s that?’—‘A machine that goes bowm and kills
turkeys.” Then I make my appearance; they bustle about,
fly away, and spread in every direction; but my gun had time
to go boum and to kill this beautiful bird.”

I need scarcely say what mirth was excited by this account.
Whilst returning to our bivouac, Sumichrast told Lucien that the
turkey is a native of America, and that it was introduced by the
Jesuits into Europe, where it flourished well. In a domestic
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 139

 

state, the colour of its plumage altered to a reddish, a white, and
a gray and black colour. But it never lost the habit of walking
about in flocks, and of laying its eggs in thickets, in a shapeless
nest, which the young chicks leave the second day after they
are hatched. Lastly, the Aztec name of the turkey—totole—is
applied by the Indians to simpletons and cowards.

Lucien then told ’Encuerado about the magpie and the am-
phisbeena.

“You killed a maguiz coatl, a two-headed serpent!” cried the
Indian.

 

“T only wounded it, for it got away; but it had only one
head.”

“Then you didn’t examine it thoroughly; for it would not
turn round when it crawled away.”

“T did not notice. I saw it leap up in the air, and that was
all.”

“Have you searched well under the stones? Let us go back ;
the skin of the maquiz coatl enables the blind to see. Why did
you let it escape?”
140 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

“Oh! we shall be sure to find another.”

“ You can’t find them whenever you like ; they are very rare,”
replied the Indian, shaking his head.

Whilst the turkey was roasting under our superintendence,
YEncuerado and Lucien went off to try and find the amphisbena’s
hole.

 
 

“Tt looked like an immense pedestal, surmounted by two bronze statues.” —Page 141.
 

CHAPTER XIV.

THE METEOR—GOD ALMIGHTY’S LANTERNS—THE SKUNK—-THE JALAP
PLANT—AN AERIAL JOURNEY—THE ORCHIDS—BIVOUAC IN THE
MOUTH OF A CAVE—GRINGALET AND THE BEETLES—A WHITE

ANT’S NEST.

JHE sun left us soon afterwards, and we sat talking by the
fire. At last, l’Encuerado took away Lucien towards the
rocks, and set up one of those interminable chants with
which his memory was stored. Our fire lighted up with its red
gleam the stone on which they were sitting, making it look like
an immense pedestal, surmounted by two bronze statues. Any
traveller suddenly entering the valley would have recoiled in
terror before this fantastic apparition ; and if any wild beast had
been prowling near us, our gigantic shadows would certainly have

made it keep its distance.
We were just thinking of calling Lucien to come and lie down

 
142 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

under the hut, when 1’Encuerado shouted out to us. Towards
the east, a large luminous disc was shining brilliantly above the
mountain peaks. This luminous globe, lengthening out into the
shape of an ellipse, appeared to move along.

In fact, it was descending slowly over the wooded crests.
Lucien and ’Encuerado kept plying us with questions in refer-
ence to it, which we were unable to answer.

“What is it?” cried Sumichrast.

“A meteor,” I exclaimed, struck with a sudden idea.

“Tf I had my gun ready, I would fire at it, at all events.”

“You had better not,” said 1; ‘“‘the globe may contain electric
fluid, and we might draw it down upon us.”

Soon afterwards the meteor passed by us. We threw ourselves
down flat on the earth, dreading this unknown visitor. When I
ventured to rise, it was some distance away, and yet appeared to
be motionless. Rays incessantly quivering sprang from the centre
of it; in the middle the light was white, but at the edges it
assumed first a yellowish, then a red, and lastly a bluish hue.
We were suddenly almost blinded by a flash of intense brilliancy ;
a formidable explosion, repeated by the echoes, burst upon our
ears, and all became silence and obscurity.

Whilst we were returning to our bivouac, Lucien and l’Encue-
rado pressed us with questions.

“What are meteors?” asked Lucien, eagerly.

“Some scientific men,” replied Sumichrast, “look upon them
as fragments of planets wandering in space ; getting entangled in
our planetary system, they yield to the attraction of our globe,
and fall on to its surface in obedience to the law of gravitation.”

“ But what are they composed of?”

“Generally speaking, of sulphur, chromium, and earth. The
phenomenon of ‘shooting stars’ is connected with that of
meteors, and any substance falling on the surface of the earth
receives the name of aérolite.”

“Do you wish to persuade me that stones rain down from:
the sky ?” cried ’Encuerado.

“Yes, certainly ; and if I am not mistaken, it was in your
country that the largest known aérolite was found, for it weighed
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 143

 

no less than fifty hundredweights. To-morrow morning we will
search for the one we have seen, which must have dropped at the
end of the valley.”

“ Are these stones luminous?” rejoined the Indian.

“No; but they take fire owing to their rapid flight.”

“And whence did the meteor come which passed so close to
us?”

“‘ Kither from the moon or the stars, or perhaps from the sun.”

L’Encuerado half closed his eyes, and burst out laughing, at
what he considered a joke. He laughed, indeed, so heartily, that
we could not help joining him.

' “Now, what do you imagine the sun and moon really are?”
asked Lucien.

‘“‘God’s lanterns,” replied the Indian, gravely.

Our young companion was well accustomed to the artless
ignorance of his friend, but still he always endeavoured to con-
tend against it; so he set to work to teach him something
about our planetary system. The dimensions which he attri-
buted to the heavenly bodies seemed to afford great amuse-
ment to the Indian. At last, just when the young orator
fancied he had convinced his disciple, the latter embraced him,
exclaiming—

“What an amusing tale! Oh! how pleased I should be to be
able to read such pretty stories as that in a book.”

“ Tales, indeed !” cried Lucien, quite indignant.

“Well, the very idea of saying that the earth is a ball,
which moves round and round, and that there are stars
which are bigger! Many a night have I spent looking at the
stars, and I know they are nothing but lanterns, and that’s
enough !”

“But if you have observed them so carefully,” interposed
Sumichrast, “you must have observed that they are constantly
shifting their places.”

“Yes, but that is because the angels don’t always light up the
same stars, and God has plenty of them in every direction”

1 now interrupted the conversation.

“Come, let us all go to rest!” I cried, cutting short a discus-

 
144 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

sion which I knew, by experience, must end in Lucien and
Sumichrast getting the worst of it.

The next morning there was nothing better to do than to go
with my companions to look after the aérolite. The ball of fire
appeared to have passed just over us, and I fancied that we
should be certain to recover some part of it. After an hour of
useless wandering, we were compelled to admit that our eyes
must have been much mistaken as to distances, L’Encuerado
could not help smiling incredulously on hearing the conjectures
which I and Sumichrast made; but he was generous enough
not to take advantage of the superior astronomical knowledge
which he assumed he possessed.

On setting out I again crossed the valley, and then, climbing
the mountain, I led my companions up to a plateau.

As far as was possible I followed the route I thought the
meteor had taken. L’Encuerado was just making his way into
the forest when Sumichrast noticed a broken tree, a little to the
right. I leapt up on the slope, and soon remarked that the
ground, for a space of at least twenty yards, was strewn with
black or green stones, which had been in a fused state, and
evidently bore the appearance of iron scorie. There could be no
doubt about it; the tree which had been struck had caused the
explosion of the meteor, and had broken under the shock.

“These, therefore, are the remains of some of your sky-lan-
terns,” said Lucien to l’Encuerado, who had just picked up some
large stones, shining like metal.

The Indian shook his head without answering. The fallen
tree, the burned and blackened trunk, the withered and even
scorched grass, these strange looking stones—everything visibly
combined to upset his theory. Each of us added to his load
one of the aérolites, then, again returning to the plateau, we
plunged into the forest.

One shot that Sumichrast made rendered him happy for the
whole day. He had knocked down a green-coloured crossbill, of
a species still unknown in Europe.

«What a queer bird!” cried Lucien. “ How did it manage to
eat with its mouth all awry?”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 145

 

“Its mouth,” replied Sumichrast, smiling, “is well adapted to
its food. This bird—which we have here met with quite by
chance, as it usually frequents mountain tops—feeds on roots,
buds, and pine cones. Owing to its two mandibles being so
strongly made, and so curiously arranged, it can cut through, as
if with a pair of scissors, branches which a bird with a pointed
beak could never penetrate.

“God is mindful of all His creatures,” muttered 1'Encuerado,
who was helping to skin the bird. “I had always fancied that
these poor creatures were deformed.”

Towards mid-day, the chances of our path brought us to the
bottom of a narrow valley, in the midst of a clump of shrubs;
this seemed a fit spot for our bivouac. In the twinkling of an
eye, the ground was cleared of brushwood, and our hut con-
structed. We had scarcely sat down to take breath when a
slight rustling in the foliage attracted our attention, and an
animal with a bushy tail sprang down from a tree. Gringalet
darted at it, but an abominable smell, which almost suffocated us,
at once made him retreat. A skunk, which in shape and colour
somewhat resembles a squirrel, had thus perfectly poisoned our
bivouac.

Nothing was left for us but to decamp as quickly as possible,
for the stench rendered the place uninhabitable for several
days. L’Encuerado could not find enough bad names for abusing
the animal, which, however, had only availed itself of the means
of defence with which nature has endowed it. Each of us now
resumed his burden, sadly enough, I must confess, and not with-
out throwing a disappointed glance at our hut. Sumichrast led
the way, and did not stop till we found ourselves perfectly ex-
hausted at the entrance to a deep and narrow gorge. We still
felt sickened by the horrible stench produced by the skunk, and,
as we did not wish to expose ourselves again to a similar misfor-
tune, we took care before constructing a fresh hut to search
round the shrubs and bushes. A few birds shot on the road
rendered it unnecessary for us to hunt any more, as we had an
abundance of food, so we all set to work to repair our wardrobes.

Our shoes first required our attention, and Sumichrast constituted
K
146 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

himself head-cobbler. L’Encuerado’s sandals gave him a great
advantage over us; for all he required was a sole and a leathern
strap, and then he was well shod. But, unfortunately, the deli-
cacy of our skin several times afforded Sumichrast cause for
regret that he had not been born an Indian.

L’Encuerado, full of ingenuity, managed to fix some pieces of
fox skin on some old soles, and made for Lucien a pair of buskins
as strong as they were inelegant. He promised to make us some
like them, and Sumichrast, who succeeded only tolerably well in
his cobbling, nominated the Indian “ sandal-maker in ordinary
and extraordinary to our majesties.”

The next morning, at daybreak, we entered a narrow gorge, in
which it was impossible for us to walk abreast. The whole morn-
ing was spent in travelling along between two stone ramparts,
hung with mosses, ferns, and orchids. The moist soil rendered
the temperature round us sufficiently cool and agreeable ; but the
pass was so filled up with the trunks of fallen trees as to render
our progress very laborious.

The gorge extended to such a length that I began to be
anxious about it, and to fear lest we had entered into a cul-de-sac.
The perpendicular walls rendered any deviation in our path im-
possible ; above us, the trees crossed their branches and almost
hid the sky. No bird enlivened the solitude with its song, and
ferns were so abundant that it seemed as if we had lighted upon
some corner of the primitive world; as if to render the resem-
blance more complete, the reptiles scarcely fled at our approach,
and obliged us to use the greatest care.

Cutlass in hand, Lucien climbed nimbly over the fallen trees
which barred our progress. Ere long our feet sank into a quan-
tity of liquid mud, and I discovered a slender streamlet of limpid
water oozing out between two rocks. The pass between the
rocks became narrower and narrower, and if a wild beast had
then met us, we should have had to dispute the path with
it. As a rencounter of this kind was by no means impos-
sible, Lucien, to his displeasure, was ordered to follow in
rear,

The way now widened a little, and became more clear of im-
 

“* Above us, the trees crossed their branches.”—Page 146.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 147

 

pediments, and our little column advanced with rather more
rapidity. We walked along silently between these stern and
imposing granite walls, with the constant hope of seeing them
separate and open out into a valley. Every few yards some fresh
turn frustrated our expectations; and if ever any pass deserved
the name of the “ devil’s gorge,” it was the interminable fissure
through which we had been compelled to walk for so long a dis-
tance. At various heights there were half-suspended rocks which
threatened to fall upon us; for several previously had fallen and
now blocked up the path. At last a sudden turn revealed a wide
opening; but our joy was of short duration ; nothing but a per-
pendicular precipice lay in front of us.

We looked at one another in consternation ; we were prisoners!
On our right and left were perpendicular walls more than a
hundred feet high, and impossible to climb; before us, there was
a gulf with a vertical precipice. What was to be done? Sumi-
chrast lighted the pipe of council, whilst ’Encuerado clung on to
the rocks and tried to measure the abyss with his eye.

We were seated near a plant with slender branches and heart-
shaped leaves tinged with red, concealing here and there a flower
of a violet blue. I recognised in it the shrub which produces
jalap, and is called by the Indians folonpatl. I called Lucien’s
attention to it, who soon dug up four or five tap-roots of a pear-
like shape. Jalap, which has taken its name from the town of
Jalapa, whence it was once forwarded to Vera Cruz, grows natu-
rally on all the mountains of the Terre-Tempérée. Unfortunately,
the Indians destroy the plant by taking away all its tubercles,
and the time is not far distant when this drug, so much used in
Europe, will, like quinine, become very scarce.

I drew close to the precipice, and perceived l’Encuerado more
than twenty feet below me crawling, with all the skill of a
monkey, over an almost smooth surface. I ordered him to come
up to us again; but he did not seem able to get back, and
remained motionless in his dangerous position. Sumichrast
hastened to bring me a lasso, which I let. down to our daring
companion. But instead of ascending, he slid down four or five
feet, and placing himself astride on the projecting trunk of a
148 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

tree, called out to us to let go the lasso; this he tied round a
stout branch, and disappeared down the abyss.

It was not long before we saw him again install himself on
the tree, round which he had rolled the leather strap, when
he called out to us that we might descend without any great
danger.

“ How shall we fasten it?” asked Lucien; “there are no thick
branches just at the edge.”

“The strap is a long one, and there is a bush not far off
with pretty strong branches.”

“But then we shall lose the lasso; for none will be left to
unloosen it.”

“Upon my word!” cried Sumichrast, “‘ Master Sunbeam is
right.”

Then each of us tried to solve the problem, proposing expe-
dients more or less impracticable.

“T’ve found it out,” cried I at last, with quite as much satis-
faction as Archimedes when he leapt out of his bath.

Seizing my machete, I cut two stakes of a good thickness,
which I drove into the ground close to one another, about three
yards from the precipice. Whilst Sumichrast with a club was
consolidating my work, I cut a stick about a foot long, to the
middle of which I firmly tied the lasso. I then placed it cross-
wise behind the stakes. I considered that when we had let
ourselves down to the spot occupied by l’Encuerado, a sharp un-
dulatory shake given to the lasso would be sufficient to disen-
gage the stick. When our preparations were finished, we let
down the basket to the man who carried it. Then Sumichrast,
who was the heaviest amongst us, slid down the cord to the tree
which grew in so convenient a position. The stakes scarcely
yielded at all to his weight. Continuing his descent, my friend
soon joined the Indian.

Lucien’s impatience was extreme ; he was enchanted with this
aérial route.

“ Now, it’s your turn,” said I, as soon as I had drawn up the
lasso.

“ Are you going to tie me?” he asked, in a disappointed tone.
 

‘* Then Sumichrast .. . slid down the cord to the tree.” —Page 148.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 149

 

‘How did you suppose you would descend?”

“ By holding on to the lasso, like ?Encuerado and M. Sumi-
chrast,” answered the boy.

“The grasp of your hands is not firm enough; you must not
think of it ; I have no wish to risk your neck.”

“Oh! dear father! do let me try.”

“Certainly not ; for if your trial failed, you would not be in
a position to try again.”

Not without some slight vexation Lucien was tied to the lasso,
whilst Gringalet, astonished, barked round us.

‘Patience! patience!” I exclaimed to the dog; “it will
be your turn next, and then, perhaps, you will not seem so
pleased.”

I let the lasso slowly down, and the boy was soon safely lodged
among the branches of the tree. With care equal to mine, and
with still firmer knots, ’Encuerado tied the cord afresh. Then,
leaning over the precipice, I heard Sumichrast’s voice ordering
the Indian to let the improvised cable slowly down. Seeing that
the port was safely reached, and relieved of a great care, I began
tying Gringalet, who hadn’t left off howling since his young
master disappeared. In spite of his terror, I launched the dog
into the air ; he struggled, howled, and nearly evaded l’Encuerado’s
friendly grasp; the latter, as he again let him down, tried to
explain the inutility of his struggles, and the danger of breaking
loose. At length, having for the last time examined the stakes
and the crosspiece, I also descended. I then shook the lasso,
and at once succeeded in disengaging it.

Isaw below me Sumichrast and Lucien, seated on a narrow
projection, which led by a rocky declivity down to the foot of
the mountain. Soon I joined them, followed by the Indian. We
had fixed the cross-bar between two stout branches, and for a
long time, without loosening the stick, I shook the cord. At
last, tired out, and about to leave it, the piece of wood sud-
denly gave way, and nearly fell on me.

Walking now became very laborious, and it was occasionally
difficult to preserve our balance in passing over rocks, sometimes
smooth, at others very uneven. Our path lay between perfect
150 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

hedges of orchids, of which beautiful race Mexico possesses
hundreds of species ; we stopped at nearly every step to admire
some of these curiously shaped, brilliantly coloured, but often
scentless flowers. L’Encuerado pointed out many plants of the
lynx flower, called by the Indians the serpent flower, the fine
petals of which are dotted with yellow spots and marbled with
pink, violet, and white. Farther on, another flower, the
tiger-lily, reminded us by its colour of the animal from
which it takes its name. Plucking, as he went along, Lucien
became possessor of such a bouquet as the richest gardens could
not furnish. Of course he wanted to know the names of all, but
he was obliged to be content with learning that, with the
exception of the vanilla plant, the brilliant legion of orchids
furnishes nothing utilised in the arts or industrial skill.

We had just reached the foot of the mountain, when an im-
mense mass of stones obliged us to turn aside. I took the lead,
and an involuntary slip brought me unexpectedly to a cave. My
companions came running up in answer to my call; I took
three or four steps into the entrance, and immediately made up
my mind, from its thorough adaptability, to shelter there for the
night. Whilst I, helped by Lucien, was collecting some wood,
VEncuerado cleared the ground, and Sumichrast cut down two
or three shrubs which impeded the view. I then ordered the
Indian to light the fire, which would assist us to reconnoitre the
entrance to the cavern; which, being done, it was necessary for
us to go in search of game for our dinner.

Looking from the plain, I could well judge of the feat we had ac-
complished in our descent. Up to the level of the cave there were
shrubs and brush-wood. Higher up, orchids with their bright
flowers and opal-green leaves ; higher still, rose a perpendicular
and almost smooth rampart, utterly impassable except through
the fissure which had afforded us egress. Sumichrast guided us
through the thicket where the frangipanni-plants, covered with
their sweet-scented flowers, predominated, announcing our approach
into the Terre-Chaude, and of a completely altered nature of vegeta-
tion. Soon an immense mahogany tree, Swietenia mahogoni, with
its thick boughs and dark-green foliage, rose before us; a little
Z are
Ee

 

— Page 150.

»”

“T then ordered the Indian to light the fire.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. I5r

 

farther on, a fallen ceiba had crushed four or five shrubs. The
ceiba, Ertodendron anfractuosum, called Pochotl by the Indians, is
one of the largest trees known; its fruit, of a pod-like shape,
contains a silky down, which possesses a singular property of
swelling in the sun. I was pointing out this peculiarity to
Lucien, when a formidable buzzing noise met our ears; a whole
flock of Hercules beetles had flown out of a bush and struck
heavily against the branches of a tree. Lucien caught one and
wanted to hold it down on the ground, but the insect got away
from him and continued its flight.

“Oh!” cried the boy, “ this beetle is stronger than I am.”

“Tt is not for nothing that it bears the name of Hercules,”
replied Sumichrast, smiling; “as you have just found out, it is
as remarkable for its strength as for its size. It is a native of
Brazil, and is only occasionally found in Mexico.”

“Do they always travel in flocks like this?”

‘No; the occurrence is so rare that I shall make a note of
it.”

“T smell something like snuff,” said Lucien, sneezing.

“Tt proceeds from the beetles,” said Sumichrast.

And so powerful was this odour, that it caused Lucien several
times to sneeze. This was another fact to note down.

“ Papa, do look at them hanging one on to another, and form-
ing something like an immense bunch of grapes. Do they bite
with those powerful jaws?”

“They are horns which you mistake for jaws; but their arrange-
ment quite excuses your error. Look, the upper part of their body
is black and polished, and their wing-sheaths are a greenish gray,
irregularly dotted with dark spots.”

“ Here is one which has no horns.”

“Tt is a female.”

We were examining with some curiosity all the ways of the
insect colony, which was scarcely disturbed by our presence,
when Gringalet, who had also taken to sneezing, suddenly set up
the most plaintive howl. L’Encuerado had placed on the dog’s
back three or four beetles, which had buried their claws in his
skin. The Indian, surprised at the result of his experiment,
152 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

hurried to relieve the poor animal, which was rolling on the
ground; at last he succeeded in getting hold of him, but
he had much difficulty in freeing him from his vindictive
assailants. One beetle, indeed, seized hold of the hand of the
mischievous wag, whose grimaces much amused us ; as fast
as he disengaged one of the insect’s claws, the creature—which
possessed six—soon found a chance to cling on with others,
Annoyed at having to strive with such a paltry enemy, l’Encue-
rado at last tore the beetle roughly away, but the blood flowed
from his bronze-coloured skin. Always too ready for revenge,
he threatened to exterminate the whole colony of beetles; but,
smiling at his ill-humour, I forbade his perpetrating such a use-
less massacre.

“They are nice gentlemen!” he cried; “because they have
just heard themselves called Hercules, they think they are strong
enough to bite the hands of every person they meet! Stupid
fools, with noses longer than their bodies, who fly away when
Gringalet barks at them! Bite them! Bite them!” cried he,
setting the dog at them.

But the latter, with his ears drooped and his tail between his
legs, refused to obey, and, from this day forward, I remarked
that the least buzzing from any insect was sufficient to render
him uneasy.

Sumichrast, who had caught one of these large beetles, placed
a stone upon it which any one would have thought sufficient to
have crushed it; but, to Lucien’s great admiration, the six-
legged Hercules walked off with its burden, almost without an
effort. Ere long the beetles one by one resumed their flight, and
came buzzing around us, so it became really necessary to beat a
retreat, lest we should have our eyes put out by their immense
horns ; Gringalet followed our example. Lucien sat down so
as to laugh at his ease, for l’Encuerado, instead of running
away, drew his bill-hook, assuming a threatening attitude to his
enemies, and, like one of Homer's heroes, defied them to come
near him. At last, the whole band of beetles united and sus-
pended themselves to the branch of a ceiba, a tree for which the
Hercules beetle shows a marked preference.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 153

 

But we had in the meantime quite forgotten our dinners, so
we set off hunting in various directions. I skirted the edge of
the forests, accompanied by Sumichrast and Lucien. We had
walked for an hour without finding anything, when four par-
tridges, with ash-coloured breasts, tawny wings, and tufted heads,
rose about fifty paces from us, and settled down a little farther
on. Having arrived within easy gunshot, I told my son to fire
when I did, and two of them (which savants call the Sonini
partridge) fell dead on the ground. These pretty birds are rarely
met with in Mexico, at least in the part where we were.

I now returned towards the bivouac, taking a path through
the forest.

‘“O papa! here’s a great sponge,” cried Lucien, suddenly.

On our right, there was a shapeless, porous, yellowish mass,
rising three or four feet above the ground. I saw at once that
it was the nest of a termite, or ant, which the Mexicans call
comejen.

“It is a nest of white ants,” I said to my son; “they are
insects of the neuropteral order, and allied to the libellula.”

“ But where are they?”

“You will soon see,” I answered.

So, kicking the spongy mass, immediately out came a multi-
tude of insects, which swarmed about in every direction, as if
to ascertain the cause of the disturbance. Lucien wanted to ex-
amine them closer.

“Take care,” I called out to him; “the termites you see are
nothing but the inoffensive workers ; the soldier ants will soon
make their appearance, and if they bite you they will certainly
draw blood.”

Lucien looked at me, thinking I was joking.

“T am speaking quite seriously,” I hastened to add; “termites,
like bees and ants, the latter of which they much resemble at
first sight, live in communities, and build nests which are often
larger than the one you are looking at. This nest, skilfully
divided into cells, contains a king, a queen, workmen, and sol-
diers. The workmen are the clever architects, whose duty it is
to build, maintain, and, in case of need, increase the curious
154 ‘THE ADVENTURES OF

 

edifice which you took for a sponge. The only duty of the
soldiers is fighting against enemies that attempt to disturb the
peace of the colony.”

“But I see thousands of holes ; does each termite have a sepa-
rate chamber?”

“‘Not exactly ; there is first a chamber for the queen, which is
the largest ; then comes the nursery, afterwards a large compart-
ment, in which the working ants place the eggs which the queen
lays night and day.”

“How I should like to see all this!”

Being convinced that practical illustration is better than the
clearest explanation, J again struck the nest. The workmen,
who were beginning to disappear, soon came out again to examine
the spot threatened, and, in a moment after, the surface of the
nest appeared to be swarming. I then kept making a noise
at one point of the nest only, when the soldier ants soon rushed
out, easily recognisable by their enormous heads; finally, I
removed a small portion of the outside of the construction, and
brought to light a multitude of white specks. These were the
eggs, which the workmen hurried to carry farther into the nest.
After having caused all this disturbance, I led Lucien away, for
the ground was covered with soldier ants, and I was too well
aware of the violence of their stings to willingly expose him to
them.

“ But I haven’t seen the queen,” cried my young companion.

“She keeps quite in the centre of the building, immured in
a cell which she seldom or never leaves, for her bulk is equal to
that of twenty or thirty working ants. Sumichrast, who has
been a great observer of these insects, asserts that the queen lays
about eighty thousand eggs a day. As soon as they are hatched,
the young termites are carried off into large compartments where
they are fed until they are old enough to take a part in the
labour. During the rainy season, a certain number of white
ants are born with four wings, which enables them to proceed to
a distance and found other colonies; but these wings are only
temporary, and I have often been puzzled by finding immense
quantities of them.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 155

 

“How do the termites manage to build their dwellings?”

“The one we have just examined appeared to be formed of
earth, kneaded up with a kind of gum which the insect secretes.
In the subterranean passages of a termite’s nest there are arches
which seem to be composed of morsels of wood stuck together
by some sticky matter. These insects are omnivorous, and, like
ants, take care to lay up abundant stores of provisions.”

We were now commencing to climb the mountain, and raising
my eyes aloft, I was glad to see our two companions already
seated by the fire.

 
 

CHAPTER XV.

OUR SUBSTITUTES FOR LAMPS—FIRST GLANCE INTO THE CAVE—THE
ELATERIDES—THE GOTHIC HALL—STALAGMITES AND STALACTITES
—A CHICHIQUIMEC CEMETERY—THE “ TREE OF ST IGNATIUS”—THE
OPOSSUM AND ITS LITTLE ONES.

when I arrived at the bivouac, I found an enormous
mole roasting on the fire, and Sumichrast catching, with
the utmost care, the fat which ran from it.

“How did you kill this animal?” I asked, addressing my
companions ; “I did not hear you fire.”

“L’Encuerado knocked it down with the butt-end of his gun,
and just at the same moment your two shots brought us back to
the cave.”

“Why are you collecting this fat? Is ita prophet of some new
dish in preparation ?”

“No; but I intend inspecting the cave, and with this grease
we shall be able to make a lamp, which will be more than
useful.”

I approved of Sumichrast’s idea, and as he had discovered a
colony of moles, proposed to go after dinner and catch some of
them, so as to increase our supply of light. Besides, I hoped that
in this walk we should meet with some kind of resinous tree, the
branches of which might serve as torches. Lucien could hardly
restrain his joy, and wished to penetrate into the cave without

‘f PA UCIEN had run on in front with the two partridges ;
(Cr
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 157

 

further delay. He scarcely gave himself time enough to eat, and
scolded !Encuerado for being so slow, which was an indirect
mode of asking us to hurry.

Having again reached the forest, we searched for a pine or a
fir, the branches of which, being full of resin, would have enabled
us to show more mercy to the moles. Hearing us mention
these two trees, Lucien wanted to know the difference between
them.

“They both belong to the coniferous family,” replied Sumi-
chrast ; “ but firs generally grow upon lofty mountains far inland,
whilst pines abound on sea-coasts, the shifting, sandy soil of
which is, after a time, consolidated and fertilised by them.”

Sumichrast’s explanation still left much wanting ; I saw this
from Lucien’s numerous questions, but without seeing a specimen
of each tree, it would have been difficult to better describe their
peculiar characteristics.

After a long and unsuccessful walk, we halted in front of a
guaiac tree with dark-green foliage, a higher tree than any we
had before met with. This fine member of the Rutacean
family was covered with pale-blue flowers. It produces a
gum used especially by the English in the preparation of tooth-
powder ; but the hardness of its wood, which would have blunted
our weapons, induced me to pass it by. A little farther on,
lEncuerado spied out a liquid-amber tree, valuable on account of
the balsam that oozes from its branches when cut, which is burned
by the Indians as incense. He climbed the knotty trunk of this
colossus, and cut off some branches, which Sumichrast split into
small pieces, after I had cleared off their leaves. Our work was
interrupted by the approach of night, and we made our way to
our bivouac, each loaded with a heavy faggot.

As soon as we arrived, Lucien had the satisfaction of trying
one of our flambeaux. The branch crackled when lighted, and,
as we entered the cavern, five or six bats flew out. I led Lucien
by the hand, and very soon he was the only one who could
stand upright. Afterwards we entered a vast chamber, with a
dome-shaped roof, which became lower the farther we penetrated ;
this was rather a disappointment, as we had fancied there was
158 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

something more to be seen than a mere cave. A heap of reddish
earth in one corner attracted Sumichrast’s attention, who ex-
amined it to see if he could discover some fossil bones. Stand-
ing all together, we must have formed, by the smoky light
of our odoriferous torches, rather a fantastic-looking group.
More than half an hour elapsed without discovering any results
from our digging. L’Encuerado, who had tried to crawl in
between the roof and the ground, suddenly raised an exclama-
tion; he had, in fact, all but fallen into a deep pit. In an
instant, I was laid down flat on my stomach and crawling towards
the Indian ; Lucien, owing to his size, was able to creep on his
hands and feet, and consequently soon got in front of me. We
could soon see down into the bottom of the hole ; the burning
fragments of our torches fell upon a heap of stones at a depth of
twelve to fifteen feet. L’Encuerado threw one of the torches into
the chasm, and the vague glimmer showed us a yawning opening
on the left. Delighted with this discovery, we now beat a
retreat, deferring a more thorough exploration until the next
day.

The night was dark, and during our absence the fire had
almost gone out. Just below us, a tree, the outline of which
we could scarcely distinguish, seemed covered with animated
sparks. Lucien opened his eyes very widely indeed, not being
in the least able to understand this phenomenon, which was
produced by thousands of elaterides, insects which have on each
side of the thorax a yellowish spot which becomes luminous in
the dark.

Nothing could be more curious than to see innumerable
glittering spots rising, failing, and crossing one another with
extraordinary rapidity ; one might have fancied it a tree bearing
flowers of fire waving about in the breeze. L’Encuerado came up
with a specimen which lighted up his hand with a greenish
glimmer. Lucien took possession of it, and the two luminous
spots looked to him like two enormous eyes. Suddenly the
insect gave a kind of shock to the boy’s fingers, who looked
at us full of surprise.

“The name of the insect,” said Sumichrast, “is derived from
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 159

 

a Greek word which signifies elastic; and it has just shown
you that it well deserves the family name which has been
given to it. Examine for an instant how it is shaped; the
angles of its corslet form sharp points ; added to this, its ster-
num also terminates in a point which the insect can insert at
will into the cavity which exists under its second pair of legs.
The women in the Terre-Chaude, by passing a pin through this
natural ring, can fix this brilliant insect as an ornament in their
hair, without injuring it in the least. Now, then, place it on its
back.”

“It’s pretending to be dead!” cried Lucien.

“Yes ; it does that, like many other kinds of insects, in order
to deceive an enemy about to seize it.”

“Oh, how it jumps!” exclaimed Lucien.

“ That is its only means of getting on its feet again, when it
has had the misfortune of falling on its back. Look, it pushes
the point which terminates its chest against the edge of the hole
situated lower down; then it raises its head, piff! paff! you
might fancy it was a spring going off. It didn’t succeed the
first time, but now it is up on its legs, and now you’ve lost
it, for it has flown off!”

Lucien’s first impulse was to dart off in pursuit of it, as the
route it had taken was shown by its luminous appendages. But
it was long past our usual hour for repose, so we all sheltered
ourselves as well as we could, and dreamt of our next day’s
adventures. ;

Daybreak found us all up, and already comforted with a cup
of coffee. We had been troubled during the night by musqui-
toes ; but they were only the harbingers of the legions which
are before us. Lucien, full of impatience, could not take
his eyes off the entrance of the cave, and followed all our
movements with anxiety. A hollow stone which |’Encuerado
had found was filled with fat, a morsel of linen served as a
wick, and our make-shift lamp soon burned and gave forth
light.

As the branches which were to serve as torches were being
distributed, I noticed that a yellow and transparent drop had
160 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

formed at the end of each. This gum, by its odour and colour,
has given to the tree which produces it the name of liquid amber.
At last, followed by my companions, I entered the cave ; l’En-
cuerado placed the lamp on the edge of the pit, and the bats
which had been disturbed the evening before again commenced
their whirling flight.

Preceded by Sumichrast, I ventured down to the bottom of
the pit. A narrow passage led from it into a vast chamber, the
more distant parts of which we could not discern on account of
the darkness. Whilst my friend was exploring, I returned for
Lucien. The lamp, thanks to the Indian’s skill, was safely let
down without extinguishing the light ; lastly l’Encuerado himself
made his appearance. Passing along the narrow passage, I soon
perceived Sumichrast, who looked like some fantastic apparition
as he shook his torch over his head, endeavouring to see through
the darkness which enveloped us.

The lamp being set down at the entrance of the passage, each
of us took a lighted torch, and advanced at a slow pace. Sumi-
chrast and the Indian skirted the wall to the left, whilst I walked
along the wall to the right. Our smoky torches gave but an
imperfect light, and we could scarcely see beyond three yards
in front of us. A little farther on, the ground was strewn with
fallen stones ; before venturing on this dangerous ground, I cast
a glance towards my companions; they were not in sight. I
gave them a call—a formidable clamour resounded through the
chamber, and Lucien crept close to me.

“It is the echo returning to our ears Sumichrast’s answer,” I
hastened to tell him. ‘They are in another chamber ; you call
them now!”

The boy, agitated, raised his voice. Immediately the dark
vaults seemed to repeat his words, and the sound increased
as it moved away as if a thousand persons, placed at intervals,
were repeating some watchword. A sonorous “ Hiou! hiou!”
prevailed over the uproar, and the face of ]’Encuerado appeared
on our right before the echo of the call had died away.

“ Come and see a beautiful church!” cried the Indian. “A
church made of diamonds, Chanito!”
 

“The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger . .. style of architecture.” —Page 161.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 161

 

We moved towards the entrance by an inclined passage, down
the slope of which we followed ’Encuerado. The distance between
the walls gradually increased, and soon we found ourselves in a
vast hall studded with stalactites ; in it Sumichrast arranged the
lighted torches.

The Indian was not far wrong; we might easily have fancied
ourselves in a Gothic cathedral. The wildest dreams could not
picture a stranger, more original, or more fantastic style of
architecture. Never did any painter of fairy scenes imagine
any effects more splendid. Hundreds of columns hung down
from the roof and reached the ground below. It was a really
wonderful assemblage of pointed arches, lace-work, branchery, and
gigantic flowers. Here and there were statues drawn by nature’s
hand. Lucien particularly remarked a woman, covered with
a long veil, and stretching out over our heads an arm which a
sculptor’s chisel could scarcely have rendered more life-like.
There were also shapeless mouths, monstrous heads, and animals,
appearing as if they had been petrified, in menacing attitudes.
The illusion was rendered more or less complete according to the
play of the light; and many a strange shape was but caught sight
of for a moment, to as rapidly vanish.

Whilst we were moving about the cave, some long needles,
hanging from the roof, touched our heads.

“They are stalactites,” said I to the astonished Lucien.
“The rain-water, filtering through the mountain above, dis-
solves the calcareous matter it meets with, and produces, when
it evaporates, the beautiful concretions you are now looking
at.”

“ Here is a needle coming up from the ground.”

“That is a stalagmite; it increases upward, and not down-
ward like the stalactites, through which, besides, a tube passes.
Look up at that beautiful needle, with a drop of water glittering
at the end of it. That liquid pearl, which has already deposited
on the stalactite a thin layer of lime, will fall down on the stal-
agmite, the top of which is rounded. After a time, the two needles
will joi, adding another column to the grotto, which, in the

course of time, will become filled up with them.”
i
162 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

«Then, do stones proceed from water?” asked Lucien, with a
thoughtful air.

“To a certain extent,” I replied; ‘water holds in solution
calcareous matter, and, as soon as the liquid evaporates, stone
is formed.”

“ According to this,” interposed l’Encuerado, “the pebbles
ought to melt in the rivers.”

‘So they do; but they do not melt so easily as some things—
sugar, for instance. Don’t you recollect that in the Rio Blanco
the water is almost like milk, and that it leaves a whitish coating
on the branches, and even on the leaves with which it comes in
contact.”

“That’s true enough,” replied the Indian, who had often
wondered at the petrifactions with which the banks of the White
River abound.

“But the water that falls down here is quite clear,” urged
Lucien, holding his torch close to a natural basin.

“ But, nevertheless, it contains salts of lime in solution, the
same, in fact, as all water, particularly that from wells. And it
is for this reason that housekeepers will not use it; for it will
not dissolve soap, and hardens the vegetables that are cooked
in it.”

“Now, do you understand this?” asked l’Encuerado, addressing
Lucien ; “I don’t.” .

“Yes, I do, a little!”

“Well, you are very fortunate! The other day stones were
said to come from the sun or moon, and fly about all covered
with fire; now, they are formed by water. Perhaps M. Sumi-
chrast will tell us to-morrow that they come from the wind.”

The Indian then walked away, quite indignant; we followed
him, smiling at his anger, becoming more and more enchanted by
the spectacle which met our eyes. Unfortunately, our torches
gave a very insufficient light, and the thick smoke rapidly black-
ened the arches above us. A great polished stone now impeded
our passage, and compelled us to crawl. I took the lead, and,
passing through a kind of narrow corridor, made my way into a
small chamber. I raised a sudden exclamation ; for five or six
 

“ Five or six skulls... seemed to glare at me through their empty orbits.” —Page 162.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 163

 

skulls, symmetrically arranged, seemed to glare at me through
their empty orbits.

‘“‘Q father!” cried Lucien, “are we in a cemetery?”

“Yes, my boy; I think this must be a Chichimec burial-
place. This nation, which preceded the Toltecs and Aztecs in
Mexico, was in the habit of depositing their dead in caverns.”

Sumichrast examined a skull which he had picked up; its
white and perfect teeth showed that it must have belonged to a
man who died young. A few paces farther on, five or six more
skulls lay on the surface of the ground ; they were enclosed in
by fine stalactites, and appeared as if they were grinning at us
through the bars of a dungeon.

For more than a thousand years, perhaps, these skulls had
reposed in the niches which had evidently been hollowed out on
purpose for them. The soil of the grotto had apparently risen
at_a subsequent period. What revelations as to the ancient
history of Mexico might be contained in this cave! Without
much difficulty, 'Encuerado broke through the upper calcareous
layer, and brought to light some loamy earth, out of which he
procured a small cup of baked clay. I then began digging ;
my fingers soon touched some hard object ; it was a small stone
statuette. I had scarcely loosened my discovery from the earth,
before Lucien also plunged his arm into the hole and brought
out a little fancifully-shaped tortoise, the tail of which had been
used as a whistle. Enticed on by these successes, we knelt
down so as to break through a wider extent of the calcareous
stratum ; but our torches began to burn palely, and the close
chamber, now filled with a thick smoke, was no longer bearable.
Sumichrast complained of humming in his ears, and I also felt
uncomfortable ; so, much against our inclination, I gave the signal
of departure. The lamp was dying out, and was filling the
outer chamber with a nasty smell, which gave the finishing
stroke to our unpleasant feelings. L’Encuerado and Lucien were
the first to leave the cave; from it I afterwards emerged with
Sumichrast, both being quite blinded, when we reached the
open air, by the overpowering rays of the sun.

Shouts of laughter resounded on all sides; we had the appear-
164 THE ADVENTURES OF
ance of negroes, or rather of chimney-sweeps. It was no use
thinking about washing ourselves ; the contents of our gourds
were too precious; and, besides, there would not have been water
sufficient. As there was water in the cave, l’Encuerado offered
to go in and fetch some; but the smoke which escaped from the
hole made me feel anxious, so, for the time, I opposed the
Indian’s re-descending into it.

We were surprised at the time our exploration had lasted ;
it had taken no less than four hours. Although we had made
up our minds to continue our journey on coming out of the
cavern, the fatigue we felt, added to a desire to have another
look at the subterranean wonders, decided us to put off our
departure until the next day.

After resting an hour, we all set off to seek our dinner. I
examined with much curiosity the neighbourhood of our encamp-
ment. The presence of skulls in the cave proved that some
Indian tribe had once inhabited this locality ; but as the Chichi-
mec (or Chichiquimec, in the chapter heading) Indians con-
structed nothing but huts, time had, doubtless, obliterated all
trace of their former presence.

I can hardly describe the pleasure I felt in again viewing the
woods, the verdure, the insects, the flowers, and enjoying the
light of the sun. The interior of a cave, certainly, has the effect
of producing melancholy, attributable, no doubt, to the silence
and darkness ; for the beautiful hall, radiant with stalactites, was
but little likely to cause sadness. The effect on Lucien’s mind
was of a serious character; and he seemed never to be weary of
asking questions.

“These natural hollows,” said Sumichrast, “ often occur in
gypsum mountains, but still more frequently in voleanic or cal-
careous masses. Some, which are as old as the world itself, date
from the earliest upheavals of the surface of the globe, when the
fused matter which composes the centre of the earth broke
through the scarcely solidified crust, and rushing upwards, formed
the mountain chains we now see.”

“Then, the centre of the earth has been once in a liquid state?”

“Tt is so still, as is shown by volcanoes ; but the period of
 

“ Crater of Popocatepelt.”—Page 164.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 105

 

great catastrophes is past. The molten matter solidified on the
surface, as it became cool, and then water made its appearance,
and transformed and rendered habitable the thin crust on which
we live, the thickness of which is so inconsiderable when com-
pared with the bulk of the globe.”

“ What is this molten matter composed of which is burning
under our feet ?”

“ The same substances which we see around us—granite, por-
phyry, and basalts, which are called igneous or Vulcanian rocks,
as contrasted with the Neptunean rocks, such as gypsum or lime,
clay and sandstone, the agglomeration of which is attributed to
water. The science which deals with these subjects is called
geology, a study with which, some day, you will be delighted.”

“Then all Vulcanian rocks can be melted ?”

“Yes, if they were subject to as great a heat as that existing
in the centre of the earth, which reaches an intensity at which
the imagination recoils. But to return to the subject of caves.
Some have been produced by the dissolving action of water.
Thus, at some future date, the spring which we saw gushing out
from the fallen mountain might dry up or,alter its direction, and
leave for the curiosity of future travellers the sight of chambers
full of stalactites such as we have inspected.”

Our geological chat was interrupted by an exclamation from
PEncuerado, who had just discovered a tree which the Mexicans
call the tree of St Ignatius.” Its fruit is of a brown colour,
with a woody husk, something like small melons, which, as they
hang on the tree, strike against one another with a sharp sound.
L’Encuerado informed Lucien that this fruit is in the habit of
bursting suddenly with a loud explosion, and that the flat beans
which they contain are much used as medicine.

Sumichrast led the way through the forest, where we were
sheltered under the tall trees. After a somewhat long ramble,
during which we met with nothing but magpies, I requested
YEncuerado to guide us back to our bivouac. All of a sudden,
my friend enjoined silence ; an opossum, followed by five young
ones, was coming near us on our left. The animal indolently
approached a tree of middling size, which it climbed, aided
106 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

by its prehensile tail. Its progeny crowded busily round the
foot of the tree, uttering plaintive cries. The opossum then
came down again, and scarcely had it put foot to the ground
before its disconsolate family rushed pell-mell into the maternal
pouch. Thus loaded, the animal climbed the tree more slowly,
and sat herself quietly on one of the lowest Iranches. We
could see nothing but the pointed muzzles and black eyes of the
little ones, which seemed as if they were looking down from the
top of a balcony. One of them at last ventured to emerge and
crawled along the branches; soon the whole litter followed
this example. Sumichrast advised Lucien to clap his hands,
and I ordered YEncuerado not to fire at the poor animal.
Frightened at the noise, the little ones hastened to their mother,
who set up her thin ears and showed us a double row of white
teeth. One of the stupid little things, in its haste to reach its
asylum, fell down from the tree. Ina moment the opossum had
jumped down close to it, and turned towards us her threatening
jaws ; then, finding all her treasure complete, she disappeared
among the brushwood.

“Why didn’t you let me shoot at the Macuache?” asked
lEncuerado.

“What is the good of killing a poor creature which would be
of no use to us?”

‘You know well enough,” replied the Indian, “that this
‘poor beast’ finds its way into granaries; that it devours the
corn and also fowls, without reckoning the damage made by them
in other ways.”

“Yes; that’s true enough; but this animal, at least, is
innocent of all these misdeeds, for it lives too far from any
town.”

This scene had quite delighted Lucien, I acquainted him
with the fact, that opossums, kangaroos, and several other
animals of the kind, the females of which are provided with a
pouch to shelter the young ones, are, for this reason, called
marsupials.

The opossum is very common in Mexico. Its long, pointed,
and deeply-divided muzzle is armed with fifty-two formidable
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 167

 

teeth, although the animal feeds principally on eggs, insects,
and birds. The young of those species which are unprovided
with the pouch, as soon as they are able to walk, climb up on
their mother’s back and intertwine their tails with hers, which
she carries over her back for this purpose. This instinct is per-
haps more curious than that which leads them to dart into their
mother’s protecting pouch.

Time was getting on ; it now became important for us to reach
the spot where the moles were ; and l’Encuerado predicted good
sport there without firing off his gun.

 
 

CHAPTER XVI.

THE EARTH-NUTS—A WILD CAT’S FEAST—ANOTHER EXPLORING EX-
PEDITION TO THE CAVE—THE BATS—EXCAVATIONS IN A TOMB.

2 HILST making our way through the brushwood, in the
hopes of putting up some game of a more appetising
nature than the opossum, our feet became entangled in
the fibrous and creeping branches of the earth-nut, called
by the Indians élalcacahuatl. Although the stems were still
covered with white flowers, I’Encuerado dug up the soil in which
the fruit had buried itself in order to complete its ripening,
and there found a quantity. The ¢lalcacahuatl, which is classed
by botanists in the leguminous order, produces yellowish,
wrinkled pods, each containing three or four kernels, which
are eaten after being roasted in their shells; their taste is some-
thing like that of a chestnut. It is now cultivated to some
extent in Europe, and the nut produces an oil, which does not
readily turn rancid, and is used in Spain in the manufacture of
soap.

Lucien and |’Encuerado were the most pleased at the discovery,
for they were very fond of these earth-nuts, which, on the days
of religious festivals, are sold by heaps in front of the Mexican
churches.

“Tt is the day but one after Ascension Day,” cried the Indian;
“ we certainly cannot hear Mass, but, at all events, we can try to
please God by eating pea-nuts in His honour.”

 
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 169

 

The sun was beginning to sink, and hunger dictated to us that
we should hasten our steps. I therefore led my companions
towards the bivouac. We had but just started again, when five
or six hares came giddily running almost between our legs.
Lucien was skilful enough to shoot one, and Sumichrast knocked
down another. L’Encuerado loaded with the game, we proceeded
to our hut.

Being now reassured as to our bill-of-fare for dinner by this
unexpected windfall, I kept on walking towards the entrance of
a glade, the soil of which, being quite burrowed, betrayed the
presence of the moles. Each of us lay down under the shade of
a tree. Chance led me under a robinia or iron-wood tree, the
trunk of which will defy the best-tempered axe. In front of me
stood a tepehuage, a kind of mahogany tree, with dark-coloured
foliage, which will become, some day, the object of considerable
trade between Europe and Mexico ; the beauty of this red wood,
veined with black, renders it highly fitted for the manufacture of
furniture.

Gringalet had followed the Indian. I advised Lucien to keep
silence, so as to observe the operations of the moles, who would
be certain to come out of their burrows as soon as the sun set.
In fact, first one, then two, and at last twenty made their appear-
ance, and in less than a quarter of an hour, I counted more than
a hundred engaged in throwing up the ground, playing about,
and fighting, all the time uttering shrill cries. Lucien was much
amused, as he watched them squatting down on their hinder parts,
making grimaces, and gnawing the roots and bark.

A single gunshot would have enabled us to double our store of
grease, but it would have been a waste of our powder and shot.
In fear of yielding to the temptation, I was thinking of giving
the signal for departure, when it became evident that the animals
whose games were enlivening us were actuated by a sudden
panic. All the moles, which were solemnly seated, nodded
to and fro their enormous heads, showing their long yellow
incisors, and seemed to sniff the air. Suddenly, they all rushed
towards their burrows. A jaquarete had scattered them by
springing in among them. The new-comer, a species of wild cat,
170 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

with a coat of the darkest black, left two or three victims dead
upon the ground, and then set up a plaintive mewing.

This call soon attracted two young ones, which darted at once
on the first mole they came to. Each of them seized hold of one
side of their prey, spitting just like cats, and trying to tear it with
their formidable claws. The mother was obliged to put a stop to
the quarrel by an energetic display of authority ; allotting a sepa-
rate victim to each of her ferocious offspring ; then she lay down
and yawned several times, whilst the young ones were tearing to
pieces the bodies of their prey. When they had eaten all they
required, the mother gluttonously devoured all that was left, with-
out ceasing to watch a third mole, round which the two young
carnivora were prowling. Whenever they came near her prey,
she gave a growl; and they seemed to know the meaning of this
maternal injunction, for they crouched down to the ground, and
drew back, lowering their heads, as if from fear. As soon as her
repast was finished, the jaquarete caught up in its mouth the un-
touched mole, and made off without noticing us.

‘What do you think of these little ogres?” asked Sumichrast,
addressing Lucien.

“‘ How very pretty they are with their black shiny coats! They
are just like big cats.”

“ That’s very likely, for cats are their first cousins.”

“ Do jaquaretes ever attack men?”

“No; but, still, if we had tried to touch her young ones, the
mother would perhaps have flown at us.”

“To eat us?” asked Lucien, opening his eyes very widely.

“She would bite and tear us with her claws, or otherwise
injure us. But, seriously, as a general rule, wild beasts, or
carnivora, as the savanis call them, are always formidable, and,
whatever may be their size, it is unsafe to provoke them. If one
of us unarmed had to fight hand to hand with a wild cat, it is
probable that he would receive more injury from the contest
than the animal.”

Night was now. falling fast ; but, fortunately, our fire guided
us to our resting-place. When we were yet some distance off,
we were amused at seeing the Indian prowling round, or gravely
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 171
sitting down face to face with the dog, with whom, no doubt,
he was chatting. Suddenly it jumped up, pricking up its ears,
and ran out to meet us, whilst ’Encuerado raised over his head
a burning branch to throw a light upon our path.

At daybreak we were awakened by the voice of the Indian.
The gloomy appearance of the weather threatened us with one
of those fine rains which appear to last for ever. Sumichrast
went off to cut some long switches, covered with leaves, one of
which light boughs he handed to each of us before he would
allow us to enter the cave.

“What are these switches for?” asked Lucien, in surprise.

“™M. Sumichrast wants to catch some bats, Chanito.”

“ Does he intend to eat them?”

“Oh no; though I have no doubt they would be very good.”

“ Their flesh is delicious,” interposed Sumichrast ; “the wing
especially is a tit-bit which I can highly recommend.”

But my friend could not keep a serious face when he saw
Lucien’s frightened look ; so his joke partly failed in its effect.

L’Encuerado entered the cave on tip-toe. The rest of us,
taking up a position at the entrance, made every preparation to
enrich our collections. Two bats soon fell, beaten down by our
switches. Lucien examined them without much repugnance,
but the shape of their muzzles surprised him even more than
their wings. One of those which he examined had lips cloven in
the middle and doubled back ; the other had a flat nose and still
more hideous visage, and possessed, instead of ears, two enormous
holes, at the bottom of which were situate its black and brilliant
eyes. Added to this, the membrane of its wings was so thin and
transparent that it seemed as if it must tear with the slightest
exertion. The poor little animal gradually recovered itself, and
showed its delicate and sharp teeth. Sumichrast took it up, and
hung it by the claw at the end of its fore-arm, in order to show
Lucien the way in which these creatures cling to the rough places
which form their usual resting-place; but it suddenly let go its
hold, and disappeared in the dark cave open in front of us.

The bat, apparently an imperfectly-formed creature, was for a
long time a puzzle to naturalists. Fontaine makes it say—
172 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

‘Tama bird; look at my wings !
I am a mouse ; the mice for ever |”

Savants, also, used to describe it as a bird provided with hair
instead of feathers, and with teeth instead of a bill. Geoffroy
Saint-Hilaire was the first to teach that the wings of the bat are
nothing but the fingers of the animal joined together by a thin
membrane. I had thus another opportunity of proving to Lucien
the wisdom of our Creator, and the simplicity of the means He
employs in producing the infinite variety of beings which people
the universe.

“This is the first time,” cried l’Encuerado, indignantly, “ that
I have heard the devil made use of as a means of bestowing
praise upon Almighty God.”

“Bats have no connexion with your devil,” said Sumichrast ;
‘they are nothing but animals, rather more curiously constructed
than others.”

“Oh! M. Sumichrast, then you can never have examined
their wings? The Satan that St Michael is treading under his
feet in the beautiful picture in the convent at Orizava has wings
just like the bats. And as to these caverns, every one knows
that they are the residences of bad spirits,”

“Let us make our way at once into it then,” said Lucien,
who in no way shared his friend’s superstition.

As on the day before, we descended to its bottom, and skirting
the left-hand wall, entered a wide chamber, in which water fell
in a continual shower. We were inconvenienced by the icy
drops which ran down our clothes, and I therefore advised Sumi-
chrast to turn back ; but instead of doing so, he pushed on into
a winding passage. Before long, the roof became so low that
Lucien alone could stand upright. I brought up the rear,
watching my guides, who kept on ascending or descending, ac-
cording to the inequalities of the ground. Sometimes it was
necessary to halt, to climb over a rock, or cross a pool of water.
At last, I saw my companions again resume their upright posi-
tion ; we were now in a hall, so vast that our torches were quite
powerless to throw a light up to the roof.

Surrounded by hundreds of bats, flitting round the torches like
 
 

3

—Page 17

”

s climbed some enormous heaps of rocks

“Our two scout:
«
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 173

 

immense moths, and yet always avoiding them, we had ample
opportunity for observing the precision of their flight. At length,
stunned by the shrill cries, I again proposed to beat a retreat,
but Sumichrast insisted upon continuing our search. He urged
that the bats, who went out every night into the open air to seek
their food, would not be likely to follow the narrow winding path
we had followed; there must therefore be some other outlet.
My friend and l’Encuerado set off in search of it ; but I did not
dare to venture farther with my boy over the damp and sticky
ground. Our two scouts, however, climbed ‘some enormous
heaps of rock many feet above us ; and we suddenly lost sight of
them.

The bats still swarmed round us, pushing their familiarity
so far as to brush us with their wings. My prudence rather
vexed Lucien, who had become very intrepid. After about five
minutes, Sumichrast’s voice summoned us, and we bent our steps
towards the heap of rocks which had been scaled by our com-
panions.

The ascent was difficult, and in spite of remonstrances, I would
not let go Lucien’s hand. Fortunately I did not do so, for sud-
denly he slipped, and while trying to save him, I dropped my
torch ; and there we were, perched up on this pile of débris, in
utter darkness.

“Don’t move!” I cried ; “ you know that we are surrounded
by precipices.”

«How dark it is! One might fancy that the darkness was
solid, and weighed down upon our eyes.”

“The fact is, that we are in a darkness in which the light
does not penetrate, even by reflection, and, like you, I could
readily fancy that I was blindfolded. Call |’Encuerado.”

The vaulted roof above us re-echoed the name of the Indian,
who immediately replied.

The bats now ceased their flight; but when the light re-
appeared, the uproar began afresh. Lucien related our accident
to his friend, who, in his hurry to come to our rescue, fell several
times over the rocks. At last he reached us, and lighting our
torches, he guided us over the dangerous ground. When we cleared
174 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

the fallen rocks, we entered a chamber studded with stalactites, on
which Sumichrast’s torches threw a light, and the walls of the
cave glittered as if they had been covered with crystal stars.
From the ground, from the roof, and from the walls, clusters of
variegated rays were reflected in every direction, as if emanating
from ten thousand diamonds. The beauty of this scene was quite
sufficient to dazzle far less enthusiastic spectators than we were.
But it was not long before a repulsive, oppressive, thick smoke
compelled us to move on, and a few paces through a passage
brought us into the centre of an immense hall, lighted by an
aperture into the open air.

I joyfully hailed the blue sky, and then closely examining the
ground we were treading on, noticed that it was covered with
fragments of baked clay. Removing this, it was not long before
we came to a layer of damp charcoal. L’Encuerado went outside
and cut some branches, which, when pointed at the end, helped
us in our digging. After two hours of hard work, we succeeded
in laying bare more than a square yard of black and greasy
mould.

Thoroughly exhausted, in spite of my curiosity being excited,
I was compelled to follow Sumichrast out of the cave in order to
breathe the fresh air. A fine rain was falling, and I was so
devoted to the idea of my excavation in the cave, that I was very
glad to use the state of the weather as a pretext for putting off
our departure to the next day.

My companions had hardly recovered their breath before I
summoned them back to work. L’Encuerado, as the hole
became larger, was quite excited, and soon fancied that he
could perceive gold. The fact is, that every Indian believes that
all caves and grottoes contain unheard-of treasures, either the
work of nature or buried by man, and that these treasures are
guarded by some malicious genius, who allows the searchers just
to catch a glimpse of the hidden riches, but never permits their
being carried away.

‘Don’t laugh, Tatita,” said the Indian to me, with a mysterious
air; ‘ especially just at this moment.”

He then went on to tell us that a friend of his, who was
 

‘‘ The animal continued to retreat before him, and led him to the mouth of a cave.”—
Page 175.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 175

 

tending his flocks on the mountain, ran into the thickets in
pursuit of one of his goats. The animal continued to retreat
before him, and led him to the mouth of a cave. The Indian.
hesitating at first, at length took off all his clothes, so as to be
sure that he carried no iron about him, and entered the cavern.
But he soon drew back, startled by the sight of fifty broken boxes
overflowing with coined money. Instead of profiting by this
windfall, and taking possession of the fortune by appropriating
some of it which had fallen out on the ground, the stupid fellow
returned to his village as quick as he. could, and communicated
his discovery to his friends. That very evening five of them set
out, provided with sacks, intending .to convey the treasure to a
safe place. They camped in the vicinity of the cave, and the
night wore away in drinking to the health of the good genius.
As soon as day appeared, they followed their guide. First they
ascended, and then they descended ; but they never succeeded in
finding the spot where all this enormous wealth lay.

“He was not able to find his way back to the spot?” said
Lucien, much interested by the story.

“No, Chanito ; the cave had become invisible.”

“Invisible! but why ?”

“ Because they had some iron about them !”

“ But you have just told us that he stripped off all his clothes?”
interposed Sumichrast.

“Ah! but, unfortunately, he kept his flint and steel in his
hand.”

The afflicted tone in which ]’Encuerado pronounced this last
phrase drew a smile even from Lucien.

Again we entered the cavern, and picking over with care the
layer of charcoal which had already been laid bare, I discovered
a small vase of burnt clay, full of ashes. On one of the faces of
the urn was depicted a grinning visage, and in the interior was
found one of the so-called pilgrim’s scallop-shells with the skull
of a bird. Accustomed as I was, by long apprenticeship, to such
discoveries, I had no doubt whatever but that a skeleton would
soon present itself, and a skull was soon discovered ; then the
vertebre and tibize of a human being. Next we found some
176 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

obsidian arrow-heads ; and, last of all, some small broken clay
figures. Unfortunately it was no use thinking about carrying
away all these relics ; so I made up my mind to give up further
labour. Directly after dinner we busied ourselves in putting our
baggage in order, so as to be ready to start the next morning at

daybreak.

 
 

CHAPTER XVII.

A FORCED MARCH —WILD-DUCKS—VEGETABLE SOAP—AN UNWELCOME
GUEST.

Srp rained all night, and I awoke about seven o’clock in the
9), morning, shivering with cold. It was Ascension-day,
MOOS and l'Encuerado, before making up the fire, chanted a
canticle, and, after the manner of Roman Catholics, piously
crossed himself. We were soon comforted with some coffee, and
then, each of us resuming his burden, started off to reach the
foot of the mountain. Before plunging into the forest, I could
not help looking back with regret at the cave we had scarcely
explored, and in which so many archeological curiosities re-
mained buried. The sun only showed itself at intervals through
grayish-looking clouds driven violently along by the east wind.

The state of the earth, moistened by a rain which had lasted
M
178 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

twenty-four hours, rendered our progression very difficult, for we
were traversing a ferruginous soil. Such wretched walking put
the finishing-stroke to our ill-humour by smearing and soiling
our clothes; for my part, I inwardly anathematised travelling in
general, more especially in rainy weather.

Just as we were emerging from this miserable ravine, Grin-
galet, who had no doubt scented something, suddenly rolled
himself upon the ground, frantically. We had proceeded some
distance before he rejoined us, covered with a coating of red clay,
which gave him as singular an aspect as can well be imagined.
The dog ran up and down, bounded about and barked, as if he
was making it a business to amuse us. Nor were his efforts
without success. We now reached a small plain, in which the sun
flooded us with its warm rays. This had the effect of putting us
into better humour ; for our clothes dried, and with the warmth
the feelings of discomfort to which we had been a prey departed.

We were again entering among trees, when |’Encuerado sud-
denly stopped.

“What is that moving down below there?” he said.

“Some deer,” I replied, after looking at them through my
glass,

Each of us hurried to hide behind a bush, in hopes that the
beautiful animals would come within gunshot. Several times
lEncuerado expressed a wish to move round to the other side of
the plain ; but I opposed his idea, as the distance was too great.
We spent more than an hour in watching the flock browsing,
playing about, and licking themselves ; but not one of them ven-
tured in our direction. Tired with this inaction, Sumichrast
emerged from his hiding-place, and the deer scampered off.
Upon the whole, however, this delay had not been altogether
useless ; for, thanks to the heat of the sun, the ground had
become more traversable, and my friend actually hummed a tune
as he took the lead.

The time when we ought to have settled our bivouac had long
passed, yet we were still on the road. The path we were tread-
ing was flat and unpromising, and the water from the cave, with
which we had filled our gourds, was so unpleasant in taste that
 

“They were at once saluted by a platoon fire.”"—Page 179.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 179

 

we longed to find a spring. Being unable to get a clear view of
the horizon, I directed lEncuerado to climb to the summit of a lofty
tree. The Indian ascended to its topmost branch, and having
surveyed the prospect in every direction, came down far from
pleased at having failed to discern what he desired. Fatigue,
however, now compelled us to halt.

Our hut was soon constructed, the fire lighted, and the stew-
pot filled with water and rice. Not one of us felt inspired with
sufficient courage to induce him to go reconnoitring. An hour
after sunset we were all sleeping side by side; l’Encuerado had
quite forgotten his earth-nuts, and even dropped off to sleep with-
out having been able to finish the chant which he commenced.

I was wakened up by the cries of the tanagers—a beautiful
species of bird which lives in flocks. Lucien, like all the rest of us,
complained of feeling rather stiff in the joints, resulting, no doubt,
from our long journey the day before. On the morrow our little
party started with rather a hobbling gait; the presence of the
birds seemed to tell us that we were near some stream. Our
limbs began gradually to lose their numbness ; we were now
descending an almost imperceptible slope, and the vegetation
assumed a more tropical aspect. As we passed along, I noticed
several pepper-plants ; and next we came to bushes, round which
myriads of cardinal birds were flying. Guided by these beautiful
red-plumaged creatures, we suddenly found ourselves on the
banks of a stream, running noiselessly over a bed of white
sand.

With as little delay as possible, a fire gave forth its ex-
hilarating flame. Butterflies, dragon-flies, and birds fluttered
round the flowering shrubs. There was a perfect concert of
buzzing and twittering, and a gentle breeze agitated the foliage
and cooled the air. Nothing seemed wanting for our comfort but
game for our dinner. Fortunately, Providence rarely does things
by halves. We had scarcely sat down to take breath, when a
flock of wild-ducks settled near us. They were at once saluted
by a platoon fire, and four victims strewed the ground and water
with their white, brown, and blue feathers.

“These are the first aquatic birds we have met with,” said
180 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

Sumichrast ; ‘it will not be long now before we are among the
marshes.”

‘What birds are wild-ducks related to?” asked Lucien.

“To swans and geese, Master Sunbeam,” replied my friend. .
‘All the individuals of this order, as their name—palmipedes, or
web-footed birds—indicates, have their toes united by a wide
membrane. Ducks, many species of which are found in Mexico,
have a flat bill; and their short legs, placed so far behind, compel
them to waddle in walking, although they can swim with great
facility.”

‘How do they manage to perch on a tree with feet of that
kind?”

‘With the exception of the wood-duck, this family never perch;
they pass the day in dabbling in the water, and sleep upon its
surface, or among the reeds.”

‘Then they must always be wet.”

“Not so; nature has covered the feathers of web-footed birds
with an oily substance, which renders their plumage quite water-
proof. Ducks are gregarious, and migrate from one locality
to another according to the seasons. They are so common on
the lagoons which surround the city of Mexico, that sportsmen
scarcely will be troubled shooting them.”

Whilst l’Encuerado was preparing dinner, I and my companions
walked along the edge of the stream. Before long I discovered
some watercress—a lucky discovery for travellers who are con-
fined constantly to animal food. Lucien examined the small,
white flowers, which has obtained for all its family the name of
Crucifere ; these vegetables contain an acrid and volatile oil, which
gives them strong anti-scorbutic qualities. The cabbage (brassica
oleracea), turnip (b. napus), radish (raphanus sativus), and mustard
(sinapis alba), are of the Crucifera order. To this list we must
also add the horse-radish, the colza, the seed of which produces
an oil well adapted for lighting purposes ; the crysimum, or hedge-
mustard, a popular remedy in France for coughs ; the shepherd’s
purse, which the Mexicans use as a decoction for washing wounds ;
and the lepidium piscidium, employed by the natives of Oceania
for intoxicating fish, so as to catch them more easily.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 181

 

“You quite forget the cochlearia, or scurvy-grass, so useful to
sailors as a remedy for scurvy?” said Sumichrast.

“You are right; but I think I’ve said enough about the
Crucifercee for Master Sunbeam to remember.”

A few paces farther on, whilst we were looking for insects
under the leaves of a shrub, Lucien drew back in surprise at
seeing it covered with the pretty little creatures called tree-frogs
(hyla viridis). Instead of flying towards the water, these reptiles
made for the woods. Sumichrast explained to the young natural-
ist that tree-frogs have sticky discs on their feet, and by the aid
of this mechanism they could move about on leaves and even on
smooth surfaces.

“Tn Europe,” he added, “ the peasants shut them up in bottles
half full of water, and assert that the animal predicts good or
bad weather by either coming up to the top or keeping under
the water. The tree-frog, like all its fellows, buries itself in the
mud during winter, and remains torpid. This lethargy, which
in glacial climates has the effect of preserving it from hunger,
must in Mexico have some other cause, for in the latter country
it can find food all the year round. The skin of the tree-frog
secretes a poisonous matter.”

“Come here, and look at an apple-tree!” cried Lucien, sud-
denly.

I hastened to the spot, and found a shrub about thirteen or
fourteen feet high, covered with berries of a yellowish colour,
spotted with red. I recognised what is called in the Antilles
the soap-tree. This discovery came just in the nick of time,
and Sumichrast helped us in gathering some of the useful fruit
which would assist us to give our clothes a thorough wash.
Lucien tasted the little apples, which were as transparent as
artificial fruit made of pure wax; but he did not like their
astringent flavour, and threw them away with every expression
of disgust.

A quarter of an hour later, we were all kneeling on the banks
of the stream and trying who could perform the greatest amount
of washing, the fruit of the soap-tree affording us a plentiful supply
of lather. In the Zerre-Tempérée, a root called amoli is a substitute
182 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

for soap; in the Terre-Chaude a bulb named amolito is used for
the same purpose ; lastly, in the Mistec province of Oajaca, the
poor find a natural soap in the bark of the guwillaja saponaria, a
tree belonging to the rose tribe. Even in Europe, a vegetable
soap is also found—the soap-wort—a little plant allied to the
pinks, and which adorns with its unpretending flowers the edges
of ditches, and is employed by housewives for cleaning silk stuffs
and reviving their faded colours.

Quite refreshed with our wash, we stretched ourselves close to
the camp fire, looking forward to our meal of roast ducks dressed
with eresses, rice, and seasoned with all-spice. On taking the
first mouthful, I made a grimace which was imitated by Sumi-
chrast. The rice had an unbearable aromatic taste. L’Encuerado
regarded us with a triumphant look.

“What on earth have you put in the saucepan?” I cried,
angrily.

“ Don’t you think it is nice, Tatita?”

“Tt’s perfectly filthy; you’ve poisoned us!” But I soon
recognised the smell of a kind of coriander with which the
Indians occasionally saturate their food. Sumichrast, like me,
had not got beyond the first mouthful ; but Lucien, who shared to
some extent l’Encuerado’s weakness for the culantro, was having
quite a feast. Our bill of fare was thus reduced to a single dish,
and I left the broiled duck to my two companions, and confined
myself to the roast. With an artlessness that approached the sub-
lime, the Indian, thinking that we should prefer the fresh plant to
be cooked, the odour of which had been somewhat softened down
by the operation, presented us with several stalks. On the whole,
however, he was not altogether to blame, for we often eat with
pleasure his national style of cookery, and he had full right to be
surprised at our repugnance to their favourite bon bouche.

Gringalet just tasted the rice, then retired to roll on the twigs
of coriander which were lying on the ground, a proceeding which
did not much improve his toilette.

The sun was setting, and hundreds of birds were assembling
around us. Yellow, blue, green, or red wings, were cleaving the
air in all directions.
 

“Tat once recognised the black sugar-cane snake.”— Page 183.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 183

 

There were finches of a violet-black, with orange-coloured
breasts and heads, some blue or golden-throated grossbeaks, and
birds adorned with a variety of colouring, which the Mexicans
call “ primroses,” while a number of mocking-birds were warb-
ling airs worthy of the nightingale. The sun, lost amid the
golden clouds, bathed the trees and bushes with a soft light.
Gradually all became silent, and nothing was heard but the
murmur of the stream, whilst birds of prey soared over our
heads on their way to the mountains. The eastern sky was
now wrapped in shade, and the stars twinkled in the dark
heavens, whilst on every bush animated sparks appeared to flit
about.

I had been asleep more than two hours when I was suddenly
awakened by Gringalet barking. I jumped up simultaneously
with my companions, who were also alarmed by a rustling
among the dry leaves. Silence was soon restored, and I
fancied, although the dog continued to grow], that it was a
false alarm, so I was about to lie down again, when Sumichrast’s
hand touched me on the shoulder; an enormous serpent was
gliding over the ground beside us.

I at once recognised the black sugar-cane snake, which is
only formidable on account of its size; the planters are in the
habit of attracting it to their fields, to keep them clear of mis-
chievous rodents. L’Encuerado noiselessly left the hut. The
snake raised its head, and slowly contracting its rings, and
throwing round a bright glance, turned towards us. Sumichrast
was just taking aim, when we heard the report of a gun, and
our hut was almost in a moment afterwards crushed in by the
repeated and furious struggles of the wounded reptile.

There was one moment of utter confusion ; I disengaged myself
as soon as I could, at the same time protecting the stupefied
Lucien, and drawing him away. When I turned round, Sumi-
chrast was approaching lEncuerado, who, cutlass in hand, was
hacking at the serpent, to render it further incapable of mischief.

At last the fragments of the black snake, blindly tumbling
about, became lost in the thicket, and all was again quiet.

“Well,” said Sumichrast, “if, instead of being frightened, we
184 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

had only kept quiet, the snake would not have troubled us, and
we should still have had our house to shelter us.”

“ All’s well that ends well,” I replied, smiling. L’Encuerado
again made up the fire, Lucien complimented the dog on his
watchfulness, who thereupon licked his face. This undue famili-
arity drew upon him a lecture on politeness, the end of which
I was too sleepy to hear.

 
 

 

CHAPTER XVIII.

WILD DAHLIAS—A PAINFUL MISADVENTURE—THE EUPHORBIA PLANTS
—THE WASHER RACOON—SURPRISED BY A TORRENT—L’ ENCUERADO
TURNED HATMAKER—NEW METHOD FOR DRIVING OUT EVIL SPIRITS
—THE ANHINGA.

2 HE next day, which was the nineteenth since our de-
) parture from Orizava, we examined and compared our
compasses, and the course of our journey was changed.
Hitherto we had proceeded in a north-easterly direction, skirting
the provinces of Puebla and Vera Cruz, but still without leay-
ing the Cordilleras, the numerous valleys and forests of which are
still unexplored. According to my calculations, and also those
of Sumichrast, we were then abreast with the province of Mexico,
and we agreed to move westward, as if going towards its capital.

 
186 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Why are we not to continue to keep straight on?” asked
Lucien.

“ Because our journey must have some limit,” I replied. “Up
to the present time we have only traversed what is called the
Terre-Tempérée ; we shall now soon reach the Terre-Froide, and
in three or four days we shall again encounter habitations.”

“Shall we see any people there ?”

“‘T hope so; don’t you like the idea of it?”

“T don’t object to it ; but it will seem so very strange to look
again at houses and men,”

“Oh dear!” cried Sumichrast ; “you have become a perfect
little savage.”

“Travelling about on foot is so amusing, that I should be glad
if the journey lasted a very long time, that is, if I had a chance
now and then of kissing mamma.”

“Poor Sunbeam!” said Sumichrast ; “I can’t help thinking
of next year when you are at school. You will then often think
of your present life.”

““O papa, if you go out for another excursion during the holi-
days, I hope you will take me with you, for you see I know how
to walk.”

‘‘ Before we think about another journey, let us first finish the
present. You seem to forget that the roughest part of our work
is yet before us.”

“Do you mean crossing the Terre-Froide 2?”

“No; we shall only take a glimpse at that; but in the Terre-
Chaude we may meet with many trials.”

“Bah !” said Lucien, kissing me ; “ the Terre-Chaude is almost
like home ; I shall behave so well, that you will be able to tell
mamma that I am quite a man.”

The sun was up when I gave the order for starting. Sumi-
chrast went so far as to suggest that after such a disturbed
night, it would be better to spend another day in our charming
retreat.

“That’s the way,” I answered, “in which effeminacy gets the
better of energy, and cowardice of courage! Let us behave with
more boldness, and not be seduced into delaying our journey.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 187

 

My companion accepted the reproof, and without further
delay our party were en route.

The stream pointed out to us the road we were to follow ;
along the edge of it, sheltered by the bushes and enlivened by
the birds which were fluttering about the banks, we shaped our
course. Sumichrast showed us some dahlias—the flower which
would be so perfect if it only possessed a perfume. It is a per-
ennial in Mexico, whence it has been imported into Europe, and
there grows to a height of about three feet, producing only
single flowers of a pale yellow colour. By means of cultivation,
varieties have been obtained with double flowers of a hundred
different tints, which are such ornaments in our gardens, Many
a Mexican, who imports dahlias at a great expense, has not the
least idea that the plant is indigenous to his own soil.

The roots of the dahlia, salted and boiled, are eaten by the
Indians ; it is a farinaceous food of a somewhat insipid taste.
Certainly, the wild potato is not much better ; and who can tell
whether cultivation, after having enriched our gardens with its
beautiful flowers, may not also furnish our tables with the bulbs
of this plant rendered more succulent by horticulture.

The course of the stream described numerous windings, and
the desire of keeping on its margin frequently diverted us from our
direct path ; at last it doubled round short to the left, and I bade
farewell to it as if to a friend, but, nevertheless, preserved a hope
that its capricious course would again bring it back in our path.

Our road now commenced to ascend, sometimes crossing
glades or groves. Suddenly a wide prairie opened out before
us, and Sumichrast led the way through its tall reeds. After a
quarter of an hour’s walking, our guide began to sneeze ; Lucien
followed his example, then came VEncuerado’s turn, and at last
mine, and ultimately Gringalet’s. These repeated salvos were
received with shouts of laughter and “God bless you,” often
repeated ; but a sharp tingling in the throat and eyes was soon
added to the sneezing.

“I say,” cried my friend, “ what does this joke mean ?”

I looked round me more carefully, and discovered that we were
surrounded with euphorbia plants.
188 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

But this mishap soon became a most serious affair, as the
sneezing seemed as if it never would end, and our skin, eyes, and
mouth commenced to burn as if in a fever. On this occasion we
did not care even to construct a hut or light a fire, but were only
too glad to lie down on the bare cold ground, and seek in sleep
some respite from our sufferings.

Lucien, although very exhausted, endured his sufferings with
such courage as made me proud of him. Uncomplaining, he
soon went off to sleep; but to myself and companion such a
luxury was refused.

At length, almost desperate, I woke up the Indian. Our faces
had continued to swell, but the Mistec, regarding me with a
stupefied look, simply grunted, and turned round to sleep again.
However, it became important that we should have a fire lit, to
enable us to prepare our coffee : as for eating, I looked upon it as
an impossible matter. With a slowness and awkwardness which I
could not overcome, I succeeded in lighting some dry branches,
and at length in making the water boil. I then called my com-
panions ; they drank the refreshing beverage, without showing
any sign that they were conscious of the service I was rendering
them, for immediately afterwards they again went to sleep.

It was at least ten o’clock by the sun when Lucien set us the
example of rising. Suffering as we were, it was no use to think
of resuming our journey ; so we made a virtue of necessity, and
remained stationary until we felt more fit to endure fatigue.

In the afternoon, Sumichrast and Lucien complained that they
were famished, which was an excellent symptom ; so we took
our guns, and following in Indian file, ascended the course of
the stream.

We met with several pools of water, and then rocks strangely
piled on one another, which had slipped down from the moun-
tains above. I climbed the bank, feeling disposed to be content
with the first game which presented itself. However, I could see
nothing but some toucans, far too wary to get within gunshot of.
At last a squirrel presented itself—a poor pittance for five hungry
stomachs.

Sumichrast, who had gone on in front, suddenly stopped, and
 

“ Following in Indian file, we ascended the course of the stream.”—Page 188.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 189

 

signed to us to be quiet. I glanced down the stream, and
near a hole full of water, I discovered an Agouara, or washer
racoon, squatted down, dinping its paws into the water, and
rubbing them together energetically. L’Encuerado fired ; it gave
a bound and fell over. A lizard it was which the animal was
washing before devouring—a peculiar and inexplicable habit to
which it owes its name. It had a gray coat, and a tapering
muzzle like that of an opossum.

The Agouara (Procyon cancrivorus) is frequently met with in
Mexico. It is closely allied to the Bear family, but is much
smaller and more active: and is both carnivorous and insectivor-
ous. It climbs trees with ease, and whenever it takes up its
abode near any habitation, makes incessant raids upon poultry.
It is tamed without difficulty, and will run to meet its master,
and seems to value his caresses; yet, like the squirrel, which it
resembles in its vivacity, it will suddenly bite the hand of any
one who feeds it. The flesh of this animal is white, tender, and
savoury.

L’Encuerado had dug up some dahlia roots, which he baked
under the ashes ; but either this food was not exactly to our
taste, or our still irritated palates could not appreciate its
delicacy.

Night came on, and the sky was full of gray clouds violently
driven by the wind, although just round us the trees remained
quite motionless. It was now too late to construct a hut, and
we all stretched ourselves, without other covering than the canopy
of heaven, on beds of dry moss.

I woke up perished with cold; not a star appeared in the sky.
Of the uneasiness produced by the euphorbia plants, nothing
now remained but a sense of weight in the head, and a slight in-
flammation in the throat. I tried to go to sleep again, and fell at
length into a kind of painful torpor. I fancied I heard birds of
prey crying, and a roaring noise in the recesses of the forest. I
got up with a view of driving away this night-mare ; but it
was not a dream; the day was just breaking, and the birds were
welcoming its advent with many a clamorous note. A dull roar,
like that of a gale of wind rattling through a forest, resounded
190 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

louder and louder. I called Sumichrast and l’Encuerado ; the
latter at once shouted out in horror—

“The torrent!”

Seizing Lucien, I carried him in my arms, whilst the Indian
hastily gathered together all our travelling gear that lay scattered
around. With powerful efforts I soon reached the top of the steep
bank, followed by my companions and Gringalet. Lucien, sud-
denly disturbed in his sleep, scarcely had time to know what had
happened. A furious uproar perfectly deafened us, and a flood
of yellowish water came rushing by; I saw one of our coverings
float off on its surface, and almost immediately, as if impelled
by some superhuman force, the rocks came rolling down, dashing
together under the force of the liquid avalanche.

One minute more and it would have been all over with us,
or, at the very least, we should have lost allour baggage and
weapons, without which our position must have been truly critical.
As it was, our hats only had sailed off in company with our cover-
ing; this loss much vexed us, for none of us except l’Encuerado
could walk with a bare head under the rays of a tropical sun.
We should have been somewhat consoled by meeting with a palm-
tree ; but in the meantime, the Mistec, like all his countrymen,
knew well how to meet such an emergency. So we covered our
heads with the leaves of the water-lily, often used by the Indian
women for a parasol.

We knew by experience the rapidity with which these moun-
tain torrents will overflow. If it had been a month later during
the rainy period, of course we should not have exposed our-
selves to the peril of camping in the bed of a stream. For
we had remarked the evening before, that the sky was ob-
secured by gray clouds, and this ought to have put us on our
guard.

The furious waves continued to bear down with them, without
any effort, immense masses of rock; but the body of the water,
which did not increase, showed us that it would ebb as rapidly
as it had swollen. L’Encuerado was obliged to content himself
with some muddy water for making our coffee ; but if we had pre-
tended to preserve all the prejudices of civilised life, adieu to
“ The rocks came rolling down, dashing together under the force of the liquid
avalanche."—Page 190.

 
I

wih PAG ap
Ee:
Bor WER AA a PY
AUP

 

 

“ L’Encuerado . . . set to work to plait us hats.”—Page 191.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. I9gl

 

all our idea of traversing Mexico. Besides this, we had a fresh
disaster to grieve over ; the remainder of the racoon which we
had kept for our breakfast had been lost in company with our bag
of rice.

We started again, not much enlivened by this series of misfor-
tunes, satisfied with nibbling for breakfast some morsels of fotopo.
All our indisposition had now fortunately vanished, but we could
not help feeling some degree of ill-will against both the euphorbias
and the torrent. A long march, during which we several times left
and rejoined the course of the stream, brought us close to a hill at
the foot of which was avast swamp. I gave the signal for halting.
L’Encuerado in our march had gathered some reeds, and set to
work to plait us hats. Leaving him with Lucien, Sumichrast and
I went off in quest of game. On our return from an unproduc-
tive ramble, I saw that my son was already wearing a funnel-
shaped head covering. L’Encuerado offered me a similar one,
which, as my friend remarked, gave me the look of a Chinese.
After having rested a short time, I thought about again look-
ing for game; but the uproar of the torrent seemed to have
frightened away all animal life.

This second ramble quite exhausted us, without producing any
prey but a tanager, far too small to afford food for so many.
L’Encuerado and Lucien, both out in the midst of the swamp,
perceived us approaching. The young gentleman came running
towards us, holding his*newly-made hat in his hand ; but in his
haste, he forgot that the bed of a marsh is almost always slippery,
and he fell flat on his face among some aquatic plants. In one
leap, the Indian was close to him, and soon picked him up ; but
instead of complaining of his fall, Lucien looked up at the Indian
with a troubled face. The fact was, his hat held some fish he had
caught with his insect-net, and, at least, a third of them had
disappeared from his disaster.

“Oh dear! oh dear!” cried Sumichrast, who could not help
smiling at the piteous face of the young fisherman; ‘“ most
decidedly, we are all unfortunate.” —

This joke was taken in a serious light by l’Encuerado, who
smote his forehead as if suddenly struck by some idea.
192 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Tt is the genius of tle cave,” he cried. ‘“ Ah! the scoundrel,
after all he owes me, and the precautions I took.”

“‘ What precautions?” asked Lucien, surprised.

“T picked up seven white pebbles, and drew out a beautiful
cross.”

“What did the cross matter to him?”

“Matter to him! why, Chanito, he knows well that we are
Christians, and yet he bewitches us. Wait a bit, I’Il match
him.”

And rearing himself up against the trunk of a tree, standing
on his head, with his legs in the air, l’Encuerado kicked about
with all the frenzy of one possessed. He fell sometimes to the
right, and sometimes to the left, but raised himself after every
fall, and resumed his clown-like attitude. Not one of us could
keep a serious countenance while looking at his contortions.
Lucien laughed till he cried, especially because the Indian, as if
on purpose to render the scene more comical, accompanied his
gestures with invectives against the genius of the cave and
invocations to St Joseph.

At last I told him to resume his natural position, and to keep
quiet. ;

“ Do you really think that I have done it enough?” he asked,
addressing me with imperturbable gravity.

“Yes,” I replied ; ‘from the way in which you have shaken
him, I should say he must have come out either through your
mouth or your ears.”

“Then it ’s your turn now, Chanito !”

Lucien, delighted at having to execute this feat of skill, tried
several times to keep his balance while standing on his head ; but
overcome by laughter, he was not able, so he fell, to rear himself
up again. The more |’Encuerado cried out to him, urging him
to persevere, the louder the boy laughed. The brave Indian, who
was under the full belief that an evil spirit must necessarily
abandon a body placed upside down, seized the legs of his young
master and shook him violently as if he was emptying a sack.
Sumichrast at last put an end to this scene by declaring that
he was sure the spirit must have taken flight. L'Encuerado
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 193

 

then came up to my friend and proposed to assist him into the
same position as he had helped Lucien.

“ That ’s enough of it,” I cried, as soon as laughing allowed me
to speak ; “ M. Sumichrast and I have other means of expelline
evil spirits.”

L’Encuerado looked at me with wonder, more convinced than
ever that my power far exceeded that of the sorcerers of his own
country.

We were now close to our fire. Lucien was gravely repeating
the words which l’Encuerado had addressed to the demon, when
Gringalet commenced howling. L’Encuerado had seized the poor
animal by his hind legs, and was violently shaking him, head
downwards.

“It’s all for your good,” said the Indian to the dog. “Can't
you understand that the evil spirit which you have in your body
will be certain to make you commit some folly ?”

Lucien rushed to the assistance of his faithful friend, and at
last induced the Mistec to let him go. Not the least convinced
of ’Encuerado’s kind intentions towards him, Gringalet seemed
to bear malice towards the Indian, and for three days was very
shy of coming near him.

After this scene the preparations for dinner occupied our atten-
tion. If our guns had been more successful, we should have
had fat to fry our fish in. Whilst we were deploring our
ill-luck, I noticed a flock of birds like ducks flying high up in
the air ; they made a wide circle and settled down on the top
of a tree. L’Encuerado fired at them, and one fell. It was an
anhinga, one of the most singular specimens of web-footed birds
that can be found anywhere. Represent to yourself an enormous
duck with a neck like a swan, a bill straight, tapering, and longer
than the head, webbed feet, and widely spreading and well-
feathered wings, and then know the anhinga. It dives and flies
with equal facility, can swim under the water and perch upon
trees, the highest of which it chooses for building its nest upon.

The flesh of the anhinga is not valuable, as it is hard and
tough. Perhaps a good appetite rendered me indulgent, but I

found the flavour very much like that of duck. The fat of
N
194 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

this bird, carefully saved, was used for frying our fish. The latter,
I must confess, did not seem to us so nice as the dark-coloured
meat of the anhinga. If it tasted rather fishy, the fish them-
selves tasted muddy ; on the whole, however, our bill-of-fare was
a tolerable one.

When night-fall came on, the trees stood out in bold relief
against the transparent sky, and l’Encuerado, delighted at think-
ing that he was now unbewitched, gratified us with one of his
unpublished canticles, which materially helped to send us to
sleep.

 
 

CHAPTER XIX.

THE BLACK IGUANA—ANOTHER COUNTRY—REMINISCENCES OF CHILD-
HOOD—THE MIRAGE—A FIRE IN THE PLAIN.

Y ten o'clock in the morning we had crossed some rising
ground, and were passing through a narrow gorge car-
peted with ferns. Lucien headed the party, closely

followed by ’Encuerado ; and led us on to a kind of rocky stair-

case, down which, in the rainy season, water doubtlessly flowed.

This steep path compelled us to halt several times to recover our

breath. The branches of the bushes formed an archway over

our heads, and their blossoms surrounded us with their rich
perfume.

At length a rise in the ground impeded our path, and the heat
commenced to inconvenience us. The refraction of light, espe-
cially, affected .our eyes, and our feet raised perfect clouds of
dust. Lucien, who had become quite an enduring walker,
throughout kept in front, and often gained ground whilst we
were stopping to take breath. Just as we had reached the ridge
of the hill, I saw the boy, who was a few yards in advance,
suddenly cock his gun and fire. I ran to him, but he dis-
appeared down the slope, crying out to me-that he had shot a
dragon !

I soon came up, and found the young sportsman standing in
front of a magnificent black iguana,—cyclura acanthura,—which
does, in fact, somewhat resemble the supposed appearance of the

 
196 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

fabulous animal described by the ancients. Its skin shone with
a silvery-gray metallic glitter, more particularly on the dorsal
ridge. L’Encuerado joined us when it was dying, when, rubbing
his hands, he cried—

“It is a guachi-chevé; what a splendid supper we shall have!”

“You have seen them before, then?”

“Tt is an animal which belongs to my country, Chanito ; it
abounds in the plains which slope down to the Pacific Ocean.
They are beasts which can live without eating; they are some-
times kept for two months with their feet tied and their mouth
sewn up.”

“The mouth sewn up ?”

“Yes, Chanito, so as to prevent them getting lean. When I
was your age, during the time of Lent, I used to go iguana
hunting with my brothers. We sought them in the shallow
marshes which are inundated by water during flood-time. There,
in hollow trunks of trees, or in holes made in the mud, we found
the black iguanas, and pulled them out by their tails.”

“ Then they don’t bite?”

“Oh, yes! they do, and scratch also; so we took care to
catch hold of them by the neck and tie both their feet and their
jaws. Sometimes we used to pursue them up the trees; but
then, for they don’t mind falling twenty or thirty feet, they
frequently escaped.”

Sumichrast completed this information by telling the young
naturalist that the iguana, which is allied to the lizards, is gener-
ally a yard in length ; and that the female lays thirty to forty eggs,
which are much esteemed by the native epicures ; also that the
green species—iguana rhinolopha—has a flat, thin tail, and swims
much better than the black variety, the tail of which, being
covered with spines, is not well adapted for progression through
water. Thus, meeting with a green iguana, almost always
indicates the vicinity of a stream; but the black species is
frequently found away from rivers.

Lucien wanted at first to carry his game, but he was over-
taxed by its weight, and gave it up to l’Encuerado. Another
hill was now before us, and the ground became, at every step,
 

—Page 196.

“T used to go iguana hunting with my brothers.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 197

 

more and more barren ; and on which there was little or nothing
growing but a few shrubs with a bluish flower. When we had
reached the summit of this second ridge, a boundless plain lay
spread out before our gaze ;—we were now on the central
plateau of Mexico, in the Terre-Froide, eight thousand seven
hundred feet above the level of the sea.

What a change there was! The white soil was so light and
dry, that it was carried away by the breeze, and produced
nothing but a few leafless trees. There were also some thorny
bushes smothered in sand, and, a little farther on, some gigantic
cacti astonished us with their strange shapes. The sun, reflected
by the red glaring surface, much interfered with our sight, so
we directed our steps to the right, where there appeared to be
a greater amount of shade.

“Oh! what a wretched country!” cried Lucien. “Can we
be still in Mexico?”

“Yes,” replied I; “but we are now on the great plateau,
almost on a level with the city of Mexico and Puebla.”

“ Are we going to cross that great plain? I can see neither
birds nor beasts on it; in fact, one might almost fancy the very
trees were thirsty.”

“You are right, for it does not often rain here, Nevertheless,
this ground, which at first sight appears so barren, is very
fruitful when cultivated. It produces wheat, barley, potatoes,
apples, pears, cherries, grapes, peaches, and, in short, all the
European fruits which can only grow in a temperate zone. On
this plateau, too, grows the maguey agave, mexicana, a wonderful
plant, which is as useful to the Mexicans as the cocoa-nut tree is
to the inhabitants of the lands to which it is indigenous.

L'Encuerado had stooped down under a pepper-tree, and his
glance wandered over the scene. The fact was, that we were
now about the same height as that at which his own country
is situated, and he might easily fancy himself near his native
village.

“What are you thinking of?” said I, tapping him on the
shoulder.

“© Tatita! why did you disturb me? Here I feel myself
198 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

almost as learned as you, and I could tell you all the names of
those flowers which turn their bright faces towards me as if they
knew me! It seems as if I had often walked on that plain,
and as if I had often seen these trees, bushes, and plants——
You are laughing at me, Chanito; it’s all very well, but you’ll
see! Tatita will set me right if I tell you anything that is not
true. Look here! for instance,” continued the Indian, rising up
and plucking a plant with slender and whitish stems, “this is
the alfilerillo, which mothers give their children to cure them of
sore throats. Such shrubs are lost here ; for their fruit would
be useful in my country. Here too, Chanito, is a mizquitl, a
thorny tree on which we shall be certain to find some gum.
Indeed, here are three morsels of it. You may safely suck
it ; it will not seem very nice at first, but you will soon like
it. O Tatita! you have really brought me back into my own
country.”

“We are certainly on the same line, and it is not to be
wondered at that you find here the same kind of vegetation as
in that in which you spent your childhood.”

The Indian was silent and seemed musing. Sumichrast and I
observed him with some curiosity, and Lucien, surprised at his
emotion, looked at him anxiously.

“Here is the ‘angel-plant,’” resumed 1l’Encuerado, suddenly.
“ How pleased my mother used to be when I found one of
them.”

““ What are its good properties?” I asked.

“Oh ! it produces beautiful dreams, which seem to lift you to
heaven.”

The Indian again became pensive, sometimes casting a glance
over the vast prospect, and sometimes pulling up pieces of the
turf which grew at his feet.

“Tt only needs a palm-tree to make the landscape quite com-
plete,” said he, thoughtfully.

In a minute or so, he advanced towards the bushes, and
kneeling down, plucked a tuft of yellow marigold, which are
called in his country “the dead man’s flower.” Afterwards I
heard him sobbing.
 

“‘ The moon rose, and rendered the illusion more striking.”— Page 199
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 199

 

“O Chema! what is the matter?” cried Lucien, running up
to his friend.

The Indian raised himself and took-the boy in his arms.

“Once I had a mother, brothers, and. a country,” he said,
sadly, ‘and this flower reminds me that all those are now sleep-
ing in the grave.”

“Then you don’t love me?” replied Lucien, embracing him.

The only answer |’Encuerado made was pressing the boy so
tightly against his breast as to draw from him a slight cry.

This scene quite affected us, and I and my friend, side by side,
walked back to the hut deeply sunk in thought.

Hunger soon brought with it more common-placed ideas. The
white and juicy flesh of the iguana was quite a feast for us all.
Our meal we sat over a longer time than usual; for in conversa-
tion we entered upon the subject of our native countries, and the
theme appeared inexhaustible. I reminded my friend that, only
a few days before, he had shown as much emotion as the Indian
on seeing two butterflies which he fancied belonged to a Swiss
species ; and I brought forward these feelings to oppose the inten-
tion he so often expressed of taking up his abode in the midst
of the wilderness, so as to live and die in solitude.

On the great plateau the sun shines rather later than in the
lower regions. As the luminary approached the earth, the sky
was lighted up with a purple colour, and I saw standing out on
our left in bold relief the jagged outline of the Cordilleras of
YEncuerado’s country. The whitish ground gradually assumed a
transparent appearance ; our eyes deceived us to such an extent
that we fancied we saw an immense tract of water, above which
the trees, appearing as if they were submerged, raised their
green heads.

The moon rose, and, far from destroying the mirage, it
rendered the illusion still more striking. I resolved to descend
from the hill in order to convince Lucien how much our vision
was deceived.

“There is no mistake about the plain being dry,” said he, as
we returned to the bivouac, “and yet one might fancy that, as
we were mounting the hill, the water was rising behind us.”
200 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“The layers of the air,” I replied, “are unequally warmed,
and their refraction, which causes the rays of light to deviate in
their course, reverses the objects which cover the plain, and, on
the other hand, causes them to appear more elevated than they
really are.”

‘“‘So we see water in a place where in reality there is none,”

‘You don’t take the sky into account, which is reflected on
the ground beneath us as ina mirror. But the air is becoming

 

cooler, and you will soon see the phenomenon slowly disappear,
as if some invisible hand was pushing the mist back towards
the horizon.”

Whilst we were looking down over the plateau, and watching
the mirage gradually fade away, a distant light suddenly shone
out. Loud exclamations hailed the sight of this unknown
bivouac ; and, fixing our eyes on it, we all formed endless con-
jectures. We had not expected to meet with any habitations
before the next day ; and the cry of “land!” on board ship after
a long voyage could not have made a stronger impression than
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 201

the sight of this fire. The air was cool; still l’Encuerado was
not allowed to kindle a light, which would perhaps have betrayed
us to foes. It was now twenty days since we had met with a
human being, and our first feeling, after the instinctive joy at the
idea of seeing our fellow-creatures, was, alas! one of distrust.

 
 

CHAPTER XX.

THE MORNING AND NIGHT DEW—THE TERRE-FROIDE—WATER-SPOUTS
AND WHIRLWINDS — THE BARBARY FIG-TREES— THE CACTUS
PLANTS—THE VIZNAGA—OUR HOPES DISAPPOINTED— DON BENITO
COYOTEPEC.

EVHE sun had not risen when we were up and ready to start.
- We shivered with cold, for on the great plateau which
we had now reached, to which the inhabitants of the
lower regions give the name of Terre-Froide, the mornings are
frosty. The profound darkness was succeeded by a dim twilight,
afterwards by a fog, which penetrated our clothing as much as
rain.

“There has been no shower,” cried Lucien, ‘“‘and yet we are
all wet.”

  
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 203

 

“Tt is the dew, Chanito; it is almost as abundant as the
night dews in the Terre-Chaude.”

“ Are not morning and night dews the same thing ?”

“Not exactly,” I replied ; ‘‘the morning dew is generally of a
beneficial nature ; but the Mexicans dread the other, which falls
after sunset, and is said to be productive of fever.”

“ But from whence does all this moisture come?”

“From the air, which always contains a certain quantity,
some of which it deposits on the ground, on stones and plants,
as they become cool by radiation.”

Just at this moment our attention was attracted by the first
ray of the sun, which, piercing through a light cloud, shot across
the plain like a bright arrow. The horizon, which had been
visible, was now obscured by a mist, which gradually rolled
towards us. By degrees, however, it drew off, and the trees a
short distance away showed their rounded tops; while wide
breaks opened here and there in the semi-transparent veil, and
vanished as quickly as they had arisen.

The telescope was passed from hand to hand, and each tried
to discover if there was a hut where the glimmering fire had
been descried the night before. The search was in vain, the
reflection of the sun’s rays quite dazzled us, and restricted the
prospect ; but, once in the right course, we might advance
without fear of missing our point, and, according to our cal-
culations, we would meet with habitations the next day or the
following.

Gringalet’s tongue hung out of his mouth; he found the journey
over the nitrous soil very irksome, and the scanty leaves of the
mimosa failed to screen him from the sun. What a contrast it
was to the pleasant regions we had hitherto travelled through !

“Your country, after all, is not so nice a one as mine,” said
Lucien, addressing l’Encuerado.

“My real native country is much more beautiful than that we
are now in, Chanito; in the first place, it has mountains and
woods, and there it sometimes rains.”

“Shall we see any snow fall, now that we are in the Terre-

Froide 2”
204 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“No,” replied Sumichrast, smiling ; “you will not see any
snow before next year, when you will be in France. The winters
of the Mexican Terre-Froide are like our European springs. It
is, however, never warm enough to allow tropical fruit to ripen ;
but the Terre-Froide only deserves its name when it is compared
with the Terre-Chaude and the Terre-Tempérée.”

“Tt seems to me to have been very badly named, for it is as
hot now as the day when the south wind blew so strongly.
Gringalet looks as if he was of my opinion, for he lolls his tongue
out much more than usual.”

“Upon my word!” cried Sumichrast, ‘“‘ Master Sunbeam’s
remark shows that he is a first-class observer. You are as right
as you can be,” continued he, placing his hand on the boy’s
shoulder. ‘In the plains of the Terre-Froide the heat is much
more uncomfortable than in the Terre-Chaude itself, where an
insensible perspiration always mitigates the oppressive rays
of the sun. A few days’ walking in this atmosphere will
do more in bronzing our skins than all the rest of the
journey.”

My companion suddenly stopped short, and pointed to the
horizon with his finger.

“ That’s smoke,” cried Lucien.

“No, Chanito,” replied l’Encuerado, “it is a tornado.”

Seeing a slender column of dust rising up to the clouds, I had,
at first sight, formed the same idea as my son. It was, in fact,
nothing but a whirlwind of dust, which disappeared soon after-
wards.

“There is no wind,” observed Lucien ; “how is it that the
dust rises so high ?”

“There is every cause for wonder,” I replied, “for no savant
has yet explained the real cause of this phenomenon.”

“If we happened to be caught in one of these whirlwinds,
would it carry us away ?”

“No, Chanito,” replied the Indian, “it would be content with
throwing us down.”

“Then you’ve had some experience of them ?”

“Yes; when I used to play with the children in our village,
 

‘‘The sand rose rapidly, whirling round and round.”—FPage 205.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 205

 

and a tornado came within reach, we were always delighted to
run through it.”

About a hundred paces from us, although there was not the
slightest breeze in the air, the sand rose rapidly, whirling round
and round. The rotation did not extend over a space of more
than a few feet. ‘There was no apparent cause for it, and the
phenomenon ceased as unaccountably as it commenced.

Lucien was of course dying with anxiety to run through
one of these tornadoes ; but all that we saw were quite beyond
reach,

“I think,” said Sumichrast, addressing me, “when it is
thoroughly studied on the great plains of Mexico, we shall be
able to explain the cause of this phenomenon. In a general
point of view, these whirlwinds are nothing but water-spouts in
miniature.”

“A waterspout !” asked Lucien ; “ what is that ?”

“Tt is a natural phenomenon very like what you have just
witnessed ; but it is of a far more formidable character, for it
destroys everything it comes in contact with.”

“Did you ever see one, papa ?”

“Only once, at sea. The English steamer, on which I had
embarked, had just left the port of St Thomas in the West Indies,
and we were still coasting the island ; there was but a slight breeze
blowing, the sky was clear and the water rippled with miniature
waves, when, all of a sudden, a large tract of the sea ahead of us
was violently agitated. An enormous column of water rapidly
rose, and formed something like a dark and terrible-looking column.
After about a quarter of an hour, the fearful phenomenon, which
fortunately had kept on moving before us, remained stationary.
The volume, incessantly swelling, assumed a dark-blue shade,
whilst the column of water which appeared to feed a cloud was
of a gray colour. A dull roaring noise like that of distant
thunder suddenly occurred. The column broke in the middle,
and the greater portion of the liquid fell into the sea with a tre-
mendous shock; but the upper portion sprinkled us with a
heavy shower. Half an hour afterwards we were sailing under
a cloudless sky and over an unruffled ocean.
206 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“And what would have happened if the water-spout had
reached the ship ?”

“We should most likely have been swamped.”

“ How dreadfully frightened you must have been, Tatita! ”

“Yes, of course ; and I was not the only one who was in terror ;
for the officers and sailors watched the course of the water-spout
with evident anxiety.”

Chatting in this way, we were now penetrating among Indian
fig-trees—Cactus opuntia—commonly called prickly pear trees.
These plants, covered with yellow flowers, would, a month later,
have been hailed with shouts of joy, for each of their upper stems
would then bear one of those juicy fruits, of which the Creoles
are so fond. Lucien stopped in front of two or three of these
plants, the dimensions of which were well calculated to surprise
him. Sumichrast availed himself of this inspection, to tell him
that the cactus, a word derived from the Greek, and meaning
thorny, is a native of America, and that it grows spontaneously
in dry and sandy soil.

“You have forgotten to tell him,” added l’Encuerado, “ that
the tender shoots of the twnero, baked under the ashes, will fur-
nish us, this evening, with a most delicious dish.”

A little farther on, the prickly pears were succeeded by another
species called the Cierge (the cactus cereus of savants). Several of
these plants were growing with a single stem, and measured from
ten to twelve feet in height, looking like telegraph poles ; others
had two or three shoots springing from them, which made them
look still more singular. A third species, creeping over the
ground, added much to the difficulty of our walking, and obliged
us very often to take long strides to avoid them. In spite of all
the care we could take, we scratched our limbs several times
against their sharp spines.

I again took the lead,—for there was not room between the
cierges to walk abreast,—and climbing up a small hillock, surveyed
a wide prospect. Such acomplete change could not possibly have
taken place in so short a time in any other country. More trees,
more shrubs, more bushes! Everywhere the cactus might be
seen assuming twenty different shapes,—round, straight, conical,
 

‘Everywhere the cactus might be seen assuming twenty different
shapes.” —Page 206.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 207
or flattened, and really seeming as if it delighted in assuming
appearances so fantastic as almost to defy description. Here and
there the cierges, standing side by side, seemed to vie with each
other in height, sometimes attaining to as much as twenty to
thirty feet, whilst the young shoots resembled a palisade, or one
of those impenetrable hedges with which the Indians, who live
on the plateau, surround their dwellings. Farther on, there were
vast vegetable masses of a spherical shape, covered with rose-
coloured, horny, and transparent thorns, which displayed across
our path all their huge rotundity, really exhibiting nothing vege-
table to the eye but their colour. Here and there, too, some
creeping species, with their branches full of thorns, formed a
perfect thicket ; one might almost have fancied that they were a
hundred-headed hydra.

“We might almost imagine we were in a hot-house full of
rich-growing plants and golden-coloured flowers,” said Sumi-
chrast to me.

“Yes,” I replied ; “but we must also imagine that we are
looking at them through the lens of a microscope. What would
a Parisian say if he saw this viznaga 2?”

The plant I was pointing to was at least six feet in height and
three times that in circumference.

“When I was a shepherd,” said ?Encuerado, “I led my goats
into one of the plains where the viznagas grow. With my machete
I made a cut into one side of the plant, and my goats immediately
began to eat the pith with which it was filled. Gradually they
hollowed out a hole large enough for two or three of them to
enter at once, and this make-shift hut afforded me a first-rate
shelter against the rays of the sun and the night breezes.”

“Oh!” cried Lucien, with enthusiasm, ‘‘if we have to camp
in these fields, we must have such a house.”

I again examined the landscape round us. There was nothing
whatever which betrayed the vicinity of man. Everywhere the
cacti spread out their variously-shaped flowers, which were nearly
all yellowish or pink. Above us was a fiery sky, in which nothing
seemed to move but a few vultures; on the ground there were
hundreds of lizards in constant motion.
208 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

The Indian led the way, followed by Lucien.

“ A foot-path !” the boy suddenly cried out.

«A mimosa!” exclaimed Sumichrast, whose great height
towered over us all.

“A hut!” murmured 1’Encuerado, stopping and holding his
finger to his lips.

We looked at each other; then, bending our steps towards
the spot pointed out by our companion, we each inspected the
thatched roof of which only the top was visible.

With a rapid glance at my weapons I advanced carefully,
followed by Sumichrast. Lucien, lEncuerado, and Gringalet
brought up the rear.

We really felt sorne degree of emotion; the idea of seeing any
human beings but ourselves quite made our hearts beat ; for were
we going to meet enemies or friends? This was the important
question to be decided.

The path soon became wider ; we were now scarcely two hun-
dred paces from the hut, and we were astonished not to hear the
barking of dogs, which generally prowl round an Indian’s dwell-
ing. Sumichrast, who was now in front, came back.

“This silence seems to me a bad omen,” he said; “take care
we don’t fall into some ambuscade; I don’t at all wish to be
robbed, or, worse still, murdered.”

Leaving the path to our left, we made our way among the
cacti.

“ Are we in a savage country ?” asked Lucien.

“Possibly, and that is why we have to be so careful,” I
answered.

“Do you think any one will hurt us?”

“The mere sight of our weapons might inspire the Indians
with a desire of obtaining them ; in a spot where every one can
do as he likes, there is nothing to prevent them stripping us and
sending us away naked.”

“ They are not Christians, then?”

“ Ah, Chanito, they ought to be,” muttered the Indian.

And, taking off his load, we soon lost sight of him among the
underbush.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 209

 

Under any other circumstances, Lucien’s frightened look, when
he saw us take so many precautions in approaching a human
dwelling, would have amused, but so far from doing so now, we
listened anxiously for the least sound.

At last we heard l’Encuerado’s loud and welcome “ Hiou!
hiou!” The hut was perfectly empty !

After an hour’s rest, passed by the boy in rambling round it,
I gave the word for starting again. The Indian took the lead,
following the still visible traces of a footpath. The hut, hardly
large enough to hold three people, seemed more like a temporary
shelter than a settled dwelling ; ’Encuerado, who was a great
authority in such matters, was of opinion that it was only au
offshoot to a larger settlement. After a tolerably long walk,
another footpath crossed the one we were following; on its
surface we noticed prints of naked feet—even those of women
and children. But although we carefully examined the horizon,
nothing but the immense white uninterrupted plain bathed in
sunshine greeted our vision.

This prospect somewhat damped our ardour. Ever since the
morning, we had been walking on in the hopes of meeting
with a human dwelling. We had scarcely eaten anything, and
hunger and thirst were added to the disappointment we had met
with.: Lucien proposed to hollow out a viznaga to sleep n—a
project in which he was encouraged by l’Encuerado’s telling him
that we might have the luxury of a window, and could keep off
wild beasts, by filling up the entrance with thorny cerges. It
may readily be understood how much the idea of bivouacing
inside a plant pleased the fancy of our young companion ; and
perhaps we should have assisted in realising his wish, if the
barking of a dog had not attracted our attention ; so we recom-
menced our march in better spirits. A rapid descent brought us
near a number of tree-ferns, a change of vegetation which we
looked upon as a good omen. L’Encuerado continued to follow
the footpath, until he suddenly stopped on a gentle eminence,
which overlooked a small green valley with a brook running
through it. To my great joy I counted as many as six palm-leaf

huts.
0
210 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

This sight refreshed us so marvellously, that we all de-
scended with rapid long strides. Every now and then either
a cock crowing, a turkey gobbling, or a dog barking, came as
music to our ears, and I can hardly describe what pleasant
feelings these familiar noises produced. As we went on, the
pushes on each side of the path screened our view of the
huts. The neigh of a horse attracted our attention, and a man,
mounted bare-backed, made his appearance about a hundred
paces from us.

“ Halt!” I cried to my companions.

With my gun hung to my cross-belt and my hat in hand, I
advanced alone towards the rider, who had suddenly reined in
his steed.

“ Ave Maria!” said I, going up to him.

‘Her holy name be blessed,” answered the horseman, raising
his cap, from which several locks of white hair escaped.

“Do you speak Spanish, venerable father?”

“ Yes, a little.”

“ Are you the chief of the village?”

“What do you want?”

“ We require water and a roof to shelter us.”

“You are not alone, I see ; from whom do you come?”

“We are nothing but travellers wandering through the forests
to seek for plants and animals with healing properties.

“ But you are armed?”

“Well, we have a child to protect, and the brutes of the
forest are fierce.”

“ Are you speaking the truth?”

I then called Lucien, who doffed his hat to the old man and
saluted him.

‘Child, may God bless you!”

“ Are we to consider ourselves your guests ?”

“Yes, you are the guests of Coyotepec; come along with me.”

Sumichrast and l’Encuerado also approached the horseman,
who dismounted and then led the way. The latter conversed
with the Indian in the Mistec tongue, an idiom which Lucien
alone could understand, he having been taught it by /Encuerado.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 211

 

From the way in which the old man scanned us, I imagined that
VEncuerado had represented us to him as white sorcerers of no
ordinary skill.

Coyotepec—or “stone wolf ”—might have been about seventy
years of age. He was born in this ravine, to which he had given
the name of the “ Mountain's Mouth,” though I am ignorant of the
reason for the designation. He had been taken when very
young by one of his uncles to Puebla, but he had soon left the
eity with the intention of rebuilding the paternal hut, and of
knowing nothing of the world beyond his own domain. His six
children were all married and lived near him, and the little
colony numbered as many as thirty individuals. He was an
Indian of the Tlascalan race, as robust and nimble as a man
of forty, of middle height, with a brown skin. He wore a hat
made of palm-tree straw, and was dressed in a white woollen
jacket, fastened in round the waist like a blouse ; cotton drawers,
scarcely covering his knees, completed his costume.

‘What is the nearest town to this?” asked Sumichrast.

“ Puebla,” was the answer.

“How far off is it?”

“ About eight days’ journey.”

As the usual day’s journey of the Indian is ten leagues a day,
the distance must have been about eighty leagues.

The old man could not furnish us with any other geographical
information ; he had heard the names of Orizava and Tehuacan,
but never having visited these towns, he knew nothing of the
distance we were from them. For forty years, with the excep-
tion of the relations of his sons and daughters-in-law, who paid
him a visit annually, we were the first persons who had dis-
turbed his solitude. We availed ourselves of the trunk of a tree
to cross the brook, when our guide soon stopped in front of a
hut. Four naked children, the eldest of whom might have been
ten years old, inspected us with comical curiosity. They had
never before seen a white man, and although we were dread-
fully bronzed, their surprise was very great. A young woman,
whose clothing consisted of a piece of cloth folded round her
hips, saluted us in broken Spanish and bid us welcome. The

!
212 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST:

 

old man introduced us to his eldest son, named Torribio, a man
about forty years of age. His clothing was not quite so primitive
as that of his father, but consisted of slashed trousers orna-
mented with silver buttons, a cotton shirt, and a felt hat covered
with varnished leather. The little colony employed themselves
in collecting cochineal, which Torribio carried to Puebla for
sale, and this fact accounted for his more civilised costume.
At length the old man asked us to come into his hut, round
which a large part of his family were assembling. He called his
wile, who was a little old woman, dressed in a long cotton gown ;
then he addressed us, pointing to his children and grandchildren,
and said—

“You are my guests; my house is at your disposal, and all.
my relatives are your servants.”

*

 
 

CHAPTER XXI1.

BLACK SKINS AND WHITE SKINS—WE HAVE TO TURN CARPENTERS—
L'ENCUERADO CHANTING AND PREACHING—THE PALM-LEAVES—
VEGETABLE-BUTTER TREE.

}@SHE dwelling, so generously put at our disposal, was a
large shed, divided into three rooms by bamboo par-
titions ; mats, spread out on the ground, formed our
beds, and the remainder of the furniture consisted of nothing
but two benches. L’Encuerado swept out one of the rooms,
and, collecting some dry palm-leaves, made us a softer resting-
place than we had slept on for the last twenty days. A troop
of children, of both sexes and perfectly naked, formed a circle
round us, and watched our movements with surprise. I omitted
to mention about half a dozen dogs, who were at first perfectly
furious at Gringalet’s appearance, but afterwards contented them-
selves with growling whenever the intruder came near.

When our baggage had been deposited in the shed, I went
and sat down a few paces from the hut on a mound overlooking
the brook. Sumichrast soon joined me. , Gradually the sun went
down, while the children, previously playing about, went to dip
themselves in the beautifully transparent water. I told Lucien,
who was dying to imitate them, to follow their example. He
had hardly taken off his shirt, when the young Indians, who

 
214 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

had watched him undress with evident curiosity, burst out laugh-
ing, and chattered together like so many young paroquets.

“Why do they laugh so when they look at me?” asked Lucien
of ’Encuerado.

“Of course! because of your white skin ; what else should it
be? They have never seen a human being of that colour before.”
“ They think it so very ridiculous?” interposed Sumichrast.

“ Yes, rather,” replied the Indian; “but you must not mind it,
Chanito ; for, after all, it is not your fault.”

We and the young Indians now laughed in concert; and
this incident led on to a long conversation between Sumichrast
and me. L’Encuerado, who, we had imagined, envied us our
white skins, pitied us, in fact; as no doubt he would himself
have been pitied by Nubians, because he was only copper-
coloured.

“Why,” said Lucien, who came up to us just as the dis-
cussion began, “are not all men the same colour? What is
the reason of it, M. Sumichrast ?”

“Tt is owing to the influence of the sun, which more or less
colours the pigment of the skin.”

“The pigment ?”

“Yes; a brown matter which exists under the skin, and gives
to it a shade more or less dark.”

“ Then Europeans have no pigment ?”

“Yes, they have, just like all other races of men; only this
matter does not affect the whole of their bodies. The brown
spots which cover the face and hands of some people are pro-
duced by the pigment making its way through the epidermis.”

“Then,” replied Lucien, “negroes would become white if they
lived in Europe.”

“No,” I answered; smiling ; “the sun shines in Europe as well
as in America, and however weak its action may be, it is suffi-
cient to blacken the pigment.”

“But if they always lived in the shade?” cried ]’Encuerado.

“Tt would have to be perfect darkness, a thing which it is
quite impossible to procure.”

At this moment our host called us. On a rickety table,
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 215

 

covered with a small cotton cloth, a bowl of thin soup, with
tortilla and tomatoes, was smoking, and we all did full justice
to our fare. This dish was followed by a fowl seasoned with
pimento sauce and black beans fried in fat; then some camotes
(Convolvulus batatas) displayed the bright colours of their mealy
interior, in the midst of a syrup with which l’Encuerado and Lucien
regaled themselves. A large bow] of coffee put the finishing-
stroke to our satisfaction. Instead of bread, we ate some freshly-
made maize-cakes. Never had any dinner appeared so delicious
to us as this, for we had begun to get rather tired of game, which
had formed our principal food since we left home.

When the meal was over, Lucien ran back to join the children,
who, seated on the bank of the stream, were plaiting palm-leaves
together. One of them was very successful in making a grass-
hopper, and the boys, delighted with the praises of their guest,
vied with one another in their inventions. They presented him
with a bull, a fowl, a basket, and other articles, which were very
curious, considering the material used and the skill of workman-
ship exhibited.

Lucien, perfectly enchanted with these presents, and finding
that our admiration hardly equalled his own, turned to |’En-
cuerado, who criticised the articles submitted to him with an
artistic eye—

“Then you, too, know how to weave palm-leaves ?”

“Yes, Chanito, I can make grasshoppers, horses, and even
birds.”

“ Only fancy ! and yet you have never made any for me!”

“ You are mistaken in that ; when you were quite a little child
I filled your cradle with them. But as they seem to amuse you,
I will teach you to weave them for yourself.”

At dark the children disappeared, and our host came to wish
us good-night. I told him of the light we had caught a glimpse
of the evening before.

“Tt was Juan,” he said.

“ And who is Juan?”

“The eldest of my grandchildren. He is watching a flock of
goats in the plain which belong to us.”
216 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

The voice of the old man woke me next morning, and I got up
at the same time as Sumichrast, who was still in a semi-torpid
state from having slept so well. Lucien and l’Encuerado, who
had risen earlier, had already explored the ravine, led by the
youngest of the children; for the elder ones worked, according
to their several abilities, at collecting wood or cultivating the
fields. _

Our first care was to unpack the insects and bird-skins we had
collected, and the whole colony now surrounded us and asked us
innumerable questions. To our great disappointment, we found
we could only retain the most remarkable of our ‘ treasures.”
Hitherto, the bird-skins had taken the place in the basket: of the
provisions we had eaten ; but, after making an inventory, I came
to the conclusion that, when our provisions were renewed, it
would be perfectly impossible for l’Encuerado to travel with such
an increased load. So we were compelled to reject many of the
specimens, though not without regret. Suddenly the idea struck
me of questioning Coyotepec about his son’s annual journey to
Puebla.

“He will start in fifteen days,” answered the old man.

“ Will he go alone ?”

“No; he takes with him three of our biggest lads and six
donkeys.”

“ And are the donkeys laden ?”

“Yes; but the boys start without any burden.”

In an hour's time (an Indian never decides anything without
much consideration) I arranged with my host that he should
transport to Puebla two cases, in which I could pack my
valuables.

Such a piece of good luck made us feel quite jolly; for by this
means we were enabled to preserve the whole of our collections.
instead of throwing many of them away, as had often before hap-
pened.

We were now in want of cases, and Coyotepec had neither
saw, hammer, nor nails; but he gave me some rough boards, on
which we all set to work.

L’Encuerado and Sumichrast smoothed the planks with the
ad YOUNG NATURALIST. 217

 

help of two woodman’s hatchets, whilst I cut pegs, all labouring
without intermission until the next evening. A little before
sunset, we had succeeded in making two large and tolerably light
boxes, a task which, without proper tools, was more difficult than
any one could suppose who had not undertaken it.

Sunday, which was Whitsunday, found us quite amazed at our
performance. L’Encuerado had succeeded in weaving some mats
to cover the cases and preserve their contents from the damp.
About eleven o’clock, our host’s family assembled in front of the
hut ; the women and young girls were dressed in red or blue
petticoats, with their shoulders covered with embroidered cotton
chemisettes ; and the younger boys were clothed in a sort of
blouse without sleeves. The grandmother was the last to make
her appearance, and she had a necklace of very valuable pearls
round her neck. The women wore ornaments made of bits of
rough coral, and their fingers were loaded with silver rings.

“We always assemble together on Sunday at the hour for
mass to say our prayers together,” said Coyotepec to me, ‘and
to thank God who covers the trees with fruit, and preserves us
in good health.”

“ We are Christians the same as you,” I answered, gravely.

Then every one knelt down, and the old man recited the
Litanies and a succession of Ave Marias, After this one of the
young girls chanted a canticle, assisted by the others, who joined in.
The singer had scarcely finished her hymn, when I’Encuerado,
perfectly electrified, entreated the audience not to move, and at
once struck up one of his favourite chants. He kept us at least
half an hour in the burning sun, till, being tired of kneeling, I
made signs to him to leave off. But it was lost labour, for my
servant pretended not to perceive me, and only multiplied his
gestures and cries, repeating the same verse three times running.

“Amen !” at last I cried in a loud voice, getting up.

Every one followed my example ; so being at last set at liberty
I went away, whilst the Indians surrounded I’Encuerado to con.
gratulate him.

I had not yet paid a visit to the ravine which, situated as it
was in the midst of the Terre-Froide, yielded the same kind of

 
218 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

productions as the Terre-Chaude. I called Sumichrast and Lucien,
and, under the guidance of Torribio, the Indian who every year
drove the donkeys to Puebla, we ascended the course of the
stream.

Our guide first led us to his hut, surrounded by Bourbon palms.
This beautiful tree, belonging to the Palm family, has a strange
and yet an agreeable appearance. From its very summit long
stalks shoot out, at the end of which hangs a wide leaf, which is
first folded, and afterwards spreads out like a fan ornamented
with points. The Indians cut up these leaves to weave the mats
called pétates, which form an article of such extensive commerce
in Mexico. They are also used for making baskets, brooms,
bellows, and many other household utensils.

Torribio’s cabin consisted of but one room, and the fire-hearth
was placed outside under a small shed. This plimitive abode
contained neither chairs, tables, nor benches. Sumichrast was
full of admiration at this simplicity, which I considered rather
overdone; but my friend compared the life of civilisation, in
which luxury has created so many wants, with the lot of these
men who can dispense with almost everything, and decidedly
came to the conclusion that the latter are much the happier.

On leaving the hut, I noticed to our left a magnificent avocado
pear-tree—Persea gratissima—the fruit of which yields a pulp
called “ vegetable butter.” The avocado pear, calléd by the
Indians ahuacate, is the same shape as a large pear, with interior
of a light-green colour and of a buttery nature; its sweet flavour
is delicious to every palate. It is either eaten plain, or seasoned
with salt, oil, and vinegar.

“The avocado pear-tree, I should think, has no relations among
trees ?” said Lucien, smiling.

“Yes, certainly it has. It belongs to the Laurel family, and is
the only member of it which produces eatable fruit. Its con-
nexions, though, occupy an important position in domestic
economy. First, there is the bay-tree—Laurus nobilis—the leaves
of which are indispensable in French cookery ; while the berries
furnish an oil used in medicine. Next comes the Laurus camphora,
from the leaves of which camphor is extracted, the crystallised
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 219

 

essence which evaporates so easily ; then the Lawrus cinnamomum,
the bark of which is called cinnamon ; and lastly, sassafras, the
aromatic wood which is said to be a powerful sudorific.”

Our guide conducted us across a field of Indian corn or maize.
Europe is indebted to America for this valuable gramineous plant.
The common bread or tortilla of this country, which is a kind of
pancake, is made from it. Before the maize is quite ripe, it is
eaten boiled or parched ; in fact, generally throughout America,
it is used instead of barley or oats for feeding horses and cattle.

As soon as Torribio entered his own plantation, he bent
down a few twigs of the masorcas without dividing them from
the stem.

“Why do you bend those poor plants like that? Won't they
die ?” cried Lucien.

“Yes; in the first place, because they are annuals, and our
guide only hastened their death a few days ; besides, the ears
he cut are ripe, and will dry hanging to the stems which have
nourished them. This method is as simple as it is expeditious,
but could only be put into practice in countries where winter is
nothing but a spring.”

Behind the maize field there was a hedge covered with long
filaments of a golden-yellow colour. These filaments, which were
entirely devoid of leaves, grew all over the shrubs almost like a
thick cloak.

“What is the name of this wonderful plant?” asked Lucien.

“Tt is the sacatlascale,” answered Torribio.

“Tt is a sort of dodder,” added Sumichrast, ‘a plant of the
Convolvulus family. The European species is destroyed, because
it twines round certain vegetables and chokes them. Here, how-
ever, the sacatlascale is allowed to grow, because some use has
been found for it.”

“What could be made of these stalks, which are so delicate
that they break if I merely touch them?”

“They are first bruised, and then dried in the sun,” replied
Torribio. “When they want to dye a black or yellow hue, all
they have to do is to boil the paste in iron, or mix it with alum.”

Whilst we were climbing the banks of the ravine, Lucien
220 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

availed himself of such a good opportunity by smearing his hands
all over with this bright yellow substance. When we reached
a certain height, we lay down on the grass. With one glance
we could take in the whole of this small oasis. The stream
meandered along, shaded with green trees; here and there,
among clumps of Bourbon palms, we could discern huts irregu-
larly dotted about. I turned my eyes towards our host’s
threshold, and, through my glass, perceived l’Encuerado, who
was still preaching. He had evidently left off chanting, for his
hearers were seated round him on the ground.

Lucien took possession of the telescope, and I noticed that
Torribio also seemed very anxious to try the instrument. I
told the boy to lend it to him. Our guide, seeing trees brought
so close to him, could not at first account for this optical effect.
I then directed the glass so that he could see the group of Indians,
and I never saw any human face manifest such complete surprise.
The Indian, who appeared perfectly charmed, could not long main-
tain his gravity. Every time he succeeded in discovering a hut,
he hardly gave himself time to look at it, but rolled on the
ground, bursting with laughter. Two or three times I put out
my hand to take back the telescope, but Torribio hugged it to
his breast, just like a child when any one attempts to take a play-
thing away. At last he consented to give it to me, and I felt
really sorry that I had not another glass to offer him.

Sumichrast led the way round the end of the ravine. Sud-
denly the birds, which were warbling on the banks of the stream,
all flew away ; a goshawk was hovering above us in the sky. As
it was flying swiftly through the air, it passed us within gun-
shot; a shot struck it, and, tumbling over and over, it fell to
the ground about twenty paces from us. Lucien immediately
ran to pick it up.

“Tt is a falcon!” he cried.

“You are right,” replied Sumichrast; “it is the Cayenne
goshawk, which is characterised by having a head covered with.
ash-coloured feathers, by a brown body, and black feathers in its
tail.”

‘¢Will you skin it?”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 221

 

“Yes, certainly, Master Sunbeam ; firstly, because this is any-
thing but a common bird; and, secondly, during the. few days
we shall stay here, we must endeavour to fill the boxes which
we have had so much difficulty in making.”

At this moment a finch, with red, brown, and white feathers,
settled near us.

“Tt is the Pyrrhula telasco,” said my friend, “a species dis
covered by Lesson, the celebrated ornithologist, in his journey
to Lima. Ah! if I wasn’t so economical with the powder ”

“T have some powder,” muttered Torribio.

“You have some powder?” I cried; “will you sell us
some?”

“No,” answered the Indian, dryly.

“Why not?” was my rejoinder. ‘ Are you also a sportsman ?
Besides, if you are, you will soon be going to Puebla, where you
could get a fresh supply.”

“T never sell my powder,” was the terse response.

“Very well, then, let us say no more about it.”

We crossed over the stream by means of a tree which stretched
from one bank to the other. Ere the sun ceased to gild the
ravine with its rays we found ourselves opposite to the dwelling
of the Indian patriarch, which overlooked a hut similar to that
of our guide. The sky was a pale blue, and we had a glimpse
of the monotonous plain dotted over with the sombre cactus
plant; whilst just below us figured the fresh oasis, rendered all
the more charming by the contrast. The birds warbled in the
shrubs, and one by one flew away in order to return to the trees,
among the branches of which they had perhaps first crept out of
the paternal nest. A warm breeze was blowing when we got up
to return to the village.

“T have some powder!” exclaimed the Indian, abruptly.

“Yes, very likely, but I also know that you don’t wish to sell
any.”
‘No, I don’t.”

The powder is surely mine, I thought to myself; and, after
walking about twenty paces, I again took up the subject.

“ Even if your powder was very good, I wouldn't buy it of you ;

 
222 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

I know men like you mean what they say ; nevertheless, if you
like I will make an exchange.”

“What could you give me?” replied Torribio, with affected
indifference ; “I don’t want any of your birds, and my gun is
quite as good as yours, if not better.”

“ That’s true enough, therefore say no more about it.”

And I continued to follow my guide, who walked slowly on.
He soon turned round again.

“The magic glass,” said he, with a great effort.

“Come! now we’ve got to the point,” murmured Sumichrast.

“Tt is a bargain, if your powder is good,” said I.

“ Will you really give the glass to me?” cried the Indian, his
eyes lighting up with joy.

“T am always a man of my word,” I replied.

Torribio hurried on so fast that Lucien was obliged to run in
order to keep up with us. After crossing the stream, our guide
conducted us to his hut, and showed us four cases of American
powder which was quite sound, and more than five or six pounds
of assorted shot.

I was overjoyed at this discovery ; but I maintained an in-
difference quite equal to that of our guide, who was squatting
down on the ground with his chin resting between his knees.

“‘ Here is the telescope,” I said.

His features remained perfectly motionless, but his eyes
sparkled and his hand trembled slightly as he seized the object
of his longing. I showed him how to use and clean the instru-
ment; then, loaded with the boxes, which were so precious to
me, and followed by my companions, I returned to Coyotepec’s
dwelling.

“Why didn’t Torribio say at once that he was willing to
exchange his powder for the telescope?” asked Lucien.

‘The reason is, because an Indian always tries to conceal his
wishes and passions.”

“But why didn’t you offer him the instrument directly ?”

“Tf I had shown too much eagerness, very probably he would
have refused to make an exchange, and an Indian seldom retracts
what he has once said.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 223

 

Of course, I’Encuerado, always the most extravagant in its use,
was perfectly delighted to see our stock of ammunition trebled.

We had scarcely finished our dinner, when we heard the sound
of a guitar: the Mistec, after having preached, had succeeded in
convincing his congregation that a dance was the proper method
of winding-up the day. The space in front of the patriarch’s
dwelling having been swept, and two crackling fires lighted, ere-
long the women made their appearance, in what they considered
full dress, and their hair loaded with flowers. The national air
of the Jarabe was played, and the dancers trod the measure with
energy. Lucien, who had joined the crowd, wanted to teach
the polka and waltz to the Indian children. Sumichrast stood
by, laughing most heartily; but his merriment increased on
seeing ]’Encuerado’s gambols, for never before had such won-
derful capers been cut. He sang, strummed on his guitar, and
danced—often doing all three at the same time. About ten o'clock,
Lucien retired to rest. The fatigues ‘of the day, in spite of the
noise of the guitar and the songs, soon sent him to sleep.

At a proper hour, I desired every one to go home. They
kissed my hands, some even embraced me, and obeyed, so silence
once more reigned in the little valley. Before my going to sleep,
VEncuerado was already snoring with his head on Gringalet’s
back.

 
 

CHAPTER XXII.

MEXICAN OAK-APPLES—A STREAM LOST IN AN ABYSS—THE WILD NAS-
TURTIUM — SPORTSMEN DFCEIVED BY CHILDREN—THE GRAVE-
DIGGING BEETLES—THE COCHINEAL INSECT—MEXICAN WINE—
GOOD-BYE TO OUR INDIAN HOSTS.

8 L’Encuerado was sleeping so soundly after his exploits

of the night before, that we hesitated to disturb him.

I intended to hunt for insects ail day, so as to fill up the vacant.

spaces in the specimen-boxes that Torribio was to take to Puebla ;

so we bent our steps towards the bottom of the valley. As the

inhabitants were still asleep in their huts, Gringalet passed safely
all his sleeping brother-dogs with his tail boldly cocked.

The winding path brought us out into an extensive hollow

Ci ae S soon as it was light, 1 awoke Sumichrast and Lucien.
UC
PAGS
 

““The water disappeared under a low arch.”—Page 225.
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 225

 

covered with verdure. In a hundred paces more, we reached
some pyramid-shaped rocks, which were bound together by the
gigantic roots of a tree with scanty foliage. The water glided
noiselessly through the stones, and disappeared under a low arch
shaded by gladiolas, covered with blossoms.

Lucien, who was leaning over the opening, wanted to know
what became of the water.

“Perhaps it is absorbed by sand underneath, perhaps it will
reappear in the valleys, where the surface sinks to its level,” I
answered.

“Do streams often go under the ground like this?”

“Yes; particularly in Mexico, where these subterranean pass-
ages are numerous. Near Chiquihuita, about five leagues from
the road which leads to Vera Cruz and Cordova, a large river
vanishes into a cave, which is more than three miles in length.”

“Oh! how I should like to see such a large grotto.”

“ Your wish shall be gratified, provided we do not lose our
way in the Terre-Chaude.”

Sumichrast had only a few minutes left us, when we heard a
report, and he reappeared carrying a magnificent bird, whose red
plumage had a purple metallic lustre.

«“ We have never met with this fine fellow before,” said Lucien.

“Tt is the most brilliant of all the American passerines,” I
replied—* the Ampelis pompadora ; but its splendid attire lasts
only for a very short time. In a few days, its bright-coloured
feathers fall off, and are replaced by a sombre, dull-looking coat.
This moulting, which is common to many birds, has more than
once led ornithologists into error, who have described, as a new
species, a bird which a new dress has prevented them from recog-
nising.

The neighbourhood of the swmidero furnished us with a dozen
birds of different species ; among others, several tanagers peculiar
to America, and a pair of pretty light-brown cuckoos, with fan-
shaped tails, which are merely birds of passage in this locality.

“ When you are speaking of a bird, why do you often say it
belongs to Brazil, Guiana, or Peru, when you actually find it in

Mexico?” asked Lucien.
P
226 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

‘Because, at certain seasons of the year, many kinds of birds’
migrate,” answered my friend; ‘and they are often found at an
immense distance from the country where they breed. This
beautiful blackbird, for instance, is never seen in Mexico except
in the spring, which has caused it to be called’ here the prima-
vera.”

“Look, papa, at these beautiful yellow flowers ; they cover the
trunk of this tree so completely, that it appears as if they grew
on it.”

“They are the flowers of the ¢ropeolum, or wild nasturtium.
This plant has been cultivated in Europe, where its seed
is eaten preserved in vinegar, and its flowers are used to season
salads.”

“Then the Mexicans do not know its value, for I have never
seen it on their tables.”

“You are right; but still I should have thought that the
piquant taste of the flowers of the tropwolum would have just
suited them. Perhaps they find it too insipid after having been
accustomed to chewing capsicums.”

“You have the seasoning, and I have the salad!” suddenly
cried my friend.

And he showed us a handful of an herb called purslain.

This plant, which grows in abundance in damp ground, has red
flowers, which close every evening and open again in the morning.
I gathered the fleshy leaves, whilst Sumichrast, who had found a
plant covered with seeds, showed Lucien the circular hole on the
seed which has given to the plant its family name (Portulace).

Some maize-cakes and a. salad formed our frugal break-
fast, which was discussed on the edge of the stream. Lucien
specially seemed to enjoy it, for I was indeed obliged to check
him, the appetising flavour of the salad had so sharpened his
appetite.

When we had finished our meal, Sumichrast tried to climb the
steep bank ; but the ground gave way under his feet, and two or
three times he fell. I left Lucien to manage for himself, for his
falls were not likely to be dangerous. As he was much less
heavy than we were, he succeeded in reaching the level of the
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 227

 

plain first, and with very little trouble, when he amused himself
by laughing disrespectfully at our efforts.

“You had better take care of your ears,” cried my friend,
addressing Lucien ; “if I could reach you, I would use them to
hang on by.”

In vain we tried to find a more accessible path. At last,
getting rid of my gun and game-bag, I accomplished the ascent.

“That’s all very well!” exclaimed Sumichrast, fatigued and
cramped with his exertions; “but how am I to reach you, now
that I have two guns and two bags to carry ?”

“Wait a bit!” cried Lucien ; and, running down the slope,
he soon disappeared.

I heard him cutting at something with his machete, soon after
he came up again, carrying a long stem of cane.

“Now, we’ll try and fish up M. Sumichrast,” said he.

Sitting down on the bank, I held out the rod to my companion,
who at once seized it, and, thus supported, gradually managed
to bring up all our hunting-gear, and ultimately himself, when,
instead of pulling “ Master Sunbeam’s” ears, he gave him a kiss
as a reward for his ingenious idea.

About two hundred paces farther on, the verdant ravine came
to an end, and we were surrounded by cactus plants. Lucien
employed himself hunting lizards, and Gringalet seemed to
think he was proving his intelligence by running in front of the
boy, so as to frighten away all the game. The young hunter
succeeded, however, in catching a green saurian—an anolis—
which, being more courageous than lizards generally are, tried
to bite the hand that held it prisoner, and angrily puffed up its
crest, which is variegated like a butterfly’s wing.

Suddenly Gringalet barked uneasily ; then we heard a shrill
whistle, and immediately afterwards the cry of a cayote. I
called in the dog, and, with my finger on the trigger of my gun,
cautiously advanced, telling Lucien to keep at my side. We
walked so noiselessly that we surprised two or three adders
which were coiled up in the sun. The screech of an owl now
struck on our ears. I exchanged a look of surprise with my
companion ; this was neither the time nor place for a bird of this
228 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

kind, A fresh yelping and barking then resounded ; but this
time it was so near us that we halted. Gringalet dashed on
before us, and four children appeared, repulsing the dog with
cactus leaves in their hands, which they used as shields,

“Well!” cried Sumichrast, “here we have the cayote, the
owl, and the dog, which have so puzzled us.”

My companion was not wrong: the young Indians were carry-
ing provisions to their elder brother, who was taking care of a
flock of goats. In order to enliven their journey, they amused
themselves by imitating the cries of different animals, and they
did it with so much accuracy that we had been completely duped.

About three o’clock, my friend, who was anxious to prepare
the birds he had shot, left us to return to Coyotepec’s dwelling.
I continued walking, accompanied by Lucien, but soon stopped
to look at the dead body of a mouse which grave-digging beetles
were burying.

These insects, five in number, were excavating the ground
under the small rodent, in order to bury it. These industrious
insects had undertaken a work which would employ them more
than twenty-four hours ; two of the beetles were lifting up one
side of the carcass, whilst the others scratched away the sand
underneath.

“Why are they trying to bury that mouse?” asked Lucien.

“They are providing for their young. They will deposit their
eggs beneath the dead animal, and the larve, after they are
hatched, will feed on it.”

I disturbed the active creatures, which, unfortunately for them,
belonged to a rare species. Their antenne, which are club-
shaped, terminate abruptly in a kind of button, and their elytra,
which are a brilliant black, are crossed by a belt of a yellow
colour. In vain I turned over the ground and the prey, but I
could only find four of them.

On a path, leading to a glen, we noticed some cicindelas.
Lucien began chasing them, but the agility of his enemies soon
baffled him.

“How malicious these flies are ;” he cried, ‘I can’t succeed in
catching one of them.”
ia i Hy
iy

fins

a 3

 

“Four children appeared.” —Page 228.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 229

 

«They are not flies, but coleoptera, allied to the Carabus family.
Give me your net.”

Lucien was anxious to obtain one of them, and at length was
successful. He was delighted with the beautiful metallic colour
of their brown elytra, dotted over with yellow spots; but the
insects, after having bitten him, escaped.

“What jaws they have,” he said, shaking his fingers ; “it’s a
good thing those creatures are very small. Do cicindelas live in
woods?”

“They prefer dry, sandy places, and can run and fly very
swiftly. This insect has an uncommonly voracious appetite ;
look at this one which has just seized an immense fly, and is
trying to tear it in pieces.”

The capricious flight of a stag-beetle led us to the edge of the
ravine; and, continuing to follow a zig-zag path, shaded with
shrubs, we came out in front of a hut. On the threshold there
was a young woman, spinning a piece of cotton cloth, whom I
recognised as one of the dancers of the night before. The loom,
which held the weft, was fastened at one end to the trunk of a
tree, the other being wound round the waste of the weaver.
Lucien examined it with great curiosity, and when he saw the
weaver change the colour of her threads, he understood how the
Indian women covered the bottom of their petticoats with those
extraordinary patterns which their fancy produces.

Within a short distance of the hut there were some nopal
cactus plants.

“ Look at these plants,” said I, addressing Lucien ; “‘ the sight
of them would probably affect /Encuerado to tears, for they are
principally cultivated in his native land. The numerous brown
spots which you can see on their stalks are hemipterous insects,
commonly called cochineal. They have no wings, and feed en-
tirely on this cactus, sucking out its sap with their proboscis.
The male only is capable of movement ; the female is doomed to
die where she is born. At a certain time, these little insects
lay thousands of eggs, and their bodies become covered with a
cottony moss, which is intended as a shelter for their young.
The cochineal is gathered when, to use the Indian expression,
230 THE ADVENTURFS OF

 

it is ripe, by scraping the plant with a long flexible knife, and
all the creatures, still alive, are plunged into boiling water. They
are taken out as soon as they are dead, and dried in the sun.
Afterwards, packed up in goat-skin bags, they are sent to Europe,
where they are used for dyeing and for making the carmine which
gives to some kinds of sweetmeats their bright pink colour.”

A little farther on, I found myself facing a maguey—agave
mexicana—a sort of aloe, from which pulque is extracted. The
maguey only blooms once every twenty-five or thirty years, and
the stalk, which is to support the clusters of flowers, grows, in
the space of two months, to a height of about sixteen to twenty
feet. This stalk bears at its summit no less than four or five
thousand blossoms, and the plant expends all its strength in
producing them, for it dies soon after.

In the plantations on the plains of Apam, where the maguey is
largely cultivated, they prevent its flowering. As soon as the
conical bud appears from which the stalk is about to spring, it
is cut off, and a cylindrical cavity is hollowed out with a large
spoon to a depth of from five to eight inches. The sap collects
in this hole, and it is taken out two or three times a day with a
long bent gourd, which the Indians use as a siphon. It has been
calculated that, in twenty-four hours, a strong plant should supply
about three quarts of a sweet liquor called agua miel, which is
without odour, and has an acidulated sweet taste.

The agua miel is collected in ox-skins, placed like troughs
on four stakes, where the liquor ferments; in about seventy-two
hours it is ready for delivery to those that use it, among whom
must be placed many Europeans. A maguey plant is serviceable
in producing sap for two or three months.

Pulque is an intoxicating beverage, the flavour of which varies
according to the degree of fermentation ; it might be compared
to good cider or perry, and is said to fatten those who habitually
drink it.

I reached Coyotepec’s dwelling just as the sun had set. Sumi-
chrast was finishing his work, and l’Encuerado, coming from a heap
of dry palm-leaves, presented to me a splendid broad-brimmed hat,
which he had just made.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 231

 

The next day and the day after were spent in hunting after
specimens, and our boxes were soon filled up and packed. I ex-
plained to Torribio, who was to start at daybreak, how to handle
the cases, and then intrusted to him letters which were to an-
nounce our early return. Lucien had written to his dear mother
and his sister Hortense, and he had to open his letter at least
twenty times to add postscripts, often dictated by Encuerado.

In the evening we bade adieu to our kind hosts, for we were
to start early. Thanks to them, we had renewed our stock of

 

salt, rice, coffee, sugar, and maize-cake. In default of black
pepper, we took with us some red capsicums ; but the most pre-
cious of our acquisitions was the powder and shot I had received
in exchange for the telescope.

On the next morning I learned that Torribio was already on
his way towards Puebla. He had started about midnight, so as
to avoid crossing the plain during the heat of the day. I now
hastened our own departure. We were in possession of good
hats, but our garments, which had been mended with some soft
leather, gave us the appearance of mendicants; this, however,
232 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

did not trouble us much. My shoes and also Sumichrast’s had
been strongly, if not elegantly, repaired, and were quite as good
as new; Lucien, too, now possessed a pair of spare sandals.

The inhabitants of the little colony ranged along our path,
and overwhelming us with good wishes, bid us another adieu.
I pressed all the hands that were held out to me, and then,
guided by the band of children, who still surrounded the
young traveller, we commenced to ascend the path which had
led us down into this hospitable little oasis. When I reached
the summit of the hill, I waved my hat as a last salutation to
Coyotepec ; lEncuerado fired off his gun as a farewell, and we
plunged into the labyrinth of cactuses, taking a straight course
towards the east.

 
 

CHAPTER XXIII.

AGAIN ON THE ROAD—THE BIRD-CATCHING SPIDER—THE MARTEN
AND THE SKUNK—THE FLYING SQUIRREL—THE OTTER HUNT—
L'ENCUERADO WOUNDED.

HREE days of difficult travelling brought us into the midst
<a) of the Terre-Tempérée. Thus we had traversed the whole
breadth of the Cordillera, at one time shivering on their
summits, at another perspiring, as we penetrated narrow and deep-
sunk valleys, just as the chances of our journey led us. Every now
and then we caught a sight of the pointed cone of the volcano of
Orizava, which assisted us in taking our bearings. At last, four
days after taking leave of Coyotepec, we established our bivouac
at the foot of a mountain, close to a clear and icy stream.
Whilst ’Encuerado was making the fire, Lucien discovered
234 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

under a stone an enormous black and hairy spider, with fect
armed with double-hooked claws.

“‘Tsn’t this a tarantula, M. Sumichrast ?”

“No, my boy, it is a bird-catching spider—so called because it
is said to attack the humming-birds’ nests and destroy the young
ones.”

“ May I catch it?”

“Not with your fingers ; its bite is dangerous.”

“One might easily fancy it was watching us from the expres-
sion of those two big eyes near its mouth.”

“There is no doubt that it is looking at us; just menace it
with this little stick, and you’ll soon see it assume the defensive.”

The enormous spider raised its front feet, and two black and
polished horns issued from its mouth. After a moment's hesita-
tion, it suddenly darted at the end of the stick, which Lucien let
go in fright.

Ten or twelve paces farther on, the young naturalist discovered
another spider, and plied me with numerous questions about it.
I could only give him a few general facts as to this curious class
of animals.

“But, I say, papa, there must be a great many different

species of spiders, for I see some at every step—green, black, and
yellow.”

“There are so many species that all of them are not yet
known; indeed, I believe that the Mexican spiders have not
hitherto been described. It is necessary to study them on the
spot, for their soft bodies change their shape in drying, and the
proper means of preserving them are not within the reach of ‘an
ordinary traveller.”

In passing along, I broke through some threads of a light web
stretching between two bushes. The proprietor of the web—a
gray spider—immediately made his appearance, and set hurriedly
to work to repair the involuntary damage I had committed.

“Where does the thread come from?” asked Lucien ; “it is
.so thin that I can scarcely see it.”

“ From four reservoirs situated at the lower part of the spider's
abdomen, and filled with a gummy matter which becomes solid
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 235

 

as soon as it is exposed to the air. These reservoirs are pierced
with about a thousand holes, from each of which proceeds a
thread invisible to the naked eye, for it takes a thousand of them
to form the thread the spider is now spinning.”

“ How sorry I am now that I hadn’t collected more of these
curious insects! Some we have met with were very curious.”

“In the first place,” I replied, “spiders are not insects ; they
have both heart and lungs, but insects breathe through air-pipes.*
Added to this, insects have antenne and undergo metamorphoses,
which is not the case with the spider. You must recollect, too,
that the spider is akin to the scorpion.”

“Yes ; but scorpions don’t know how to spin.”

‘« Well, all spiders do not possess this art. One of the species
you were looking at just now lives on plants, and would be much
embarrassed if it happened to fall into the web of its spinning
sister ; added to which, it would run no small risk of being
devoured.”

“Will spiders eat one another ?”

“ Without the least scruple, and scorpions do the same. It is,
in fact, a family vice.”

“T am not at all astonished, then, that the whole family are so
ugly.”

“Tf they were ever so beautiful, it would make no difference
in their evil disposition. They have, however, some good
qualities, such, for instance, as patience and resolution. The
poor spider, now, that we are looking at, is working desperately
to catch a prey which is constantly escaping. Sometimes it is
the wind which destroys the web so industriously woven ; some-
times a great beetle plunges heavily through the net. Neverthe-
less, the spider is not the least discouraged ; he again sets his
snare, and, whilst he is quietly watching for the game necessary
for his subsistence, it too often happens that he is himself carried
off in the beak of some bird.”

Lucien and I now went among the trees in quest of something

* The air-pipes are two vessels, one on each side, extending the whole length
of the body, provided with branches and ramifications. They serve for the
reception and distribution of the air.
236 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

substantial for our dinner. The first thing we met with was a
kind of marten, which looked viciously at us and greeted us
with a shrill cry. Gringalet darted off in pursuit of the animal,
and followed it until it reached its hole. This animal, like the
European marten, from which it differs only in size, often estab-
lishes itself in barns and granaries, where at night it amuses
itself with the noisest gambols. In the environs of the Mexican
towns, many a house, invaded by these martens, is abandoned by
its owner, because it is thought to be haunted by ghosts.

“ Look out for yourselves !” cried l’Encuerado, suddenly.

A mephitic weasel or skunk, an animal which somewhat re-
sembles a polecat, came running by. Gringalet, tired of waiting
for the marten, crossed the trail of the beast, and set off after it,
in spite of our calls. The skunk suddenly stopped, and scratched
up the earth with its sharp claws; then it voided a liquid of such
a fetid odour that the dog was compelled to beat a retreat.

L’Encuerado, with his finger on the trigger of his gun, started
again, and led us along noiselessly. He suddenly stooped down
to listen.

“It is a quimichpatlan,” said he to me, in a low voice.

“A flying squirrel,” I repeated to Sumichrast.

Lucien was about to speak; but I pointed to the Indian,
who, half-hidden behind a dead trunk, was carefully examin-
ing the top of an ebony-tree. At this moment, l'Encuerado
placed his gun to his shoulder and fired. He had taken
good aim—an animal came tumbling down about ten paces
from us, spreading out, in its convulsive movements, the mem-
brane which joined its legs together and covered it almost like
a cloak.

Lucien took possession of the “flying squirrel,” and as they
always go in pairs, my two companions went in pursuit of the
other, which they soon succeeded in killing.

“ Are we going to eat these animals?” asked Lucien.

“Why shouldn't we?” I rejoined. “They are squirrels; and
even supposing that they were rats, as the Indians assert, their
flesh would be none the less savoury.”

“Can these animals fly for any length of time?” asked Lucien.
 

“ An animal came tumbling down about ten paces from us.”—Page 236.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 237

 

“As a matter of fact, they do not fly at all; but the membrane
which unites their limbs acts like a parachute in keeping them
up in the air, and materially assists them in some of their pro-
digious leaps.”

“Can they run as fast as squirrels?”

“Nothing like it; they do not, indeed, often come down to
the ground; but their activity on trees renders them not un-
worthy of their family.”

“T thought,” observed Lucien, “that bats were the only
mammals that could fly.”

“ There is also the flying phalanger,” observed my friend ; “an
animal of the marsupial order, which is a native of Australia,
and somewhat resembles the opossum. It is said that when it
catches sight of a man, it hangs itself up by the tail and does not
dare to move ; but I think this story will do to go along with
VEncuerado’s about the glass-spider.”

The Indian started off straight to the bivouac, and I led my
companions by the side of the stream, admiring as we passed
some magnificent trees. One of these was covered with brown
fruit, with whitish insides, which had a rather nice acidulated
taste. I hastened to pick half a dozen of them, knowing what a
treat they would be to my servant.

As we went on, the banks of the stream gradually became
lower, and ere long a lake, deliciously shaded by cypresses,
poplars, oaks, and ebony trees, opened to our view.

I sat down upon a rock, with Sumichrast and Lucien by my
side, and from whence my eye could wander all over the blue and
transparent water. We kept silent, being charmed with the
smiling grandeur of this retired corner of the world. Birds
came flying by, and, settling down close to us, warbled for an
instant,—then again took flight, after having given us time to
admire the rich colours of their plumage. The motionless water
was covered by long-legged insects with transparent wings,
which seemed to skim over the polished surface as if impelled by
some invisible agency. Sometimes an azure and purple attired
dragonfly flitted by, and all the insects fled at its approach, like
sparrows before a hawk. A brilliantly-coloured butterfly dashed
238 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

against the voracious insect, and a furious combat took place
between them ; but the dragonfly, which was eventually the con-
queror, was in turn vanquished by a bird.

We were just moving off, when the deep water seemed to be
agitated, and, although on the surface the flies and gnats con-
tinued their evolutions, the fish in hasty flight disappeared, and
communicated their terror even to the water-snakes. A tortoise,
however, seemed to deem it unnecessary to retreat, only drawing
its head and feet under its shell. Almost immediately an animal
swam vigorously up to the reptile, and having stopped to smell at
it, continued its course.

“Are there such things as opossum-fishes?” asked Lucien,
surprised.

“Tt is an otter,” said I, in a low voice.

And quickly descending the rock, I followed Sumichrast to the
water’s edge, at a spot where the animal appeared inclined to
land. We waited for an hour without any result.

My friend proposed to go and take a hurried dinner, and then
to return to our post near the rock. In a few minutes we had
joined l’Encuerado, for, unknown to us, our bivouac was estab-
lished about four gunshots from the lake. The Indian jumped
with joy on hearing of the appearance of what he called a “ water-
dog.”

“You may set me down as a fool,” said he to Gringalet, caress-
ing him, “if by to-morrow morning I don’t give you one of your
brother's legs for breakfast.”

* Are otters really relations of Gringalet ?” asked Lucien of me.

“Yes; according to Cuvier, they are digitigrades. Added to
this, the otter may be tamed and trained to bring fish out of the
water, which it is very skilful in catching, for it eats scarcely
anything else.”

The sun was just setting, and behind us the dark outlines of
the trees stood out against the orange-coloured sky, whilst hun-
dreds of birds were warbling and twittering around. A dark
shade spread over the horizon, and all was solemn silence. Ere
long the sky was glittering with stars, and the moon rose slowly
above the trees. Its pale light penetrated the foliage, giving to
—Page 238.

”,

on
S
So
s
o
a
a
a
3
=
a
a
3
s
3
a
v
a
u

 
 

‘\ L’Encuerado was pressing his arm and uttering cries of pain.”— Page 239.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 239

 

the masses of leaves those fantastic shapes which make one dream
of a supernatural world. As the moon advanced higher, it dif-
fused more and more light over the scenery, and few spectacles
could be more splendid than such a tropical night as this.

The report of a gun suddenly cut short my reverie, and l’En-
cuerado’s shout of ‘‘ Hiou! hiou!” summoned us to him. Whilst I
hurried Lucien along as fast as I could, I heard some loud shout-
ing which almost smothered the furious barking of the dog, and
then saw my friend Sumichrast grasping the throat of an animal
which Gringalet was worrying. Alongside L’Encuerado was
lying on the ground, pressing his right arm and uttering cries of
pain. He had been bitten by the wounded otter which he had
attempted to catch hold of.

This was not the time to blame him, so I led l'Encuerado to
the bivouac, where I was reassured by an examination of the bite,
which I had at first feared was serious. After dressing the
injured part, the Indian seemed much relieved.

My friend—after Lucien had examined its broad muzzle and
wide nostrils, its smooth, black coat, and its feet, webbed like
ducks—skinned the game, and put it at once upon the spit.
When the meat was cooked to a nicety, I covered it over to
protect it from insects, and then proposed retiring, for I foresaw
that the Indian would be unable to carry his load the next day,
and that either Sumichrast’s patience or mine would be taxed
in taking his place ; for we did not intend to prolong our stay
by the stream. Sleep surprised us ere this weighty question was
solved,

 
 

CHAPTER XXIV.

A LABORIOUS TASK—WILD LIME-TREES—PIGEONS—THE WEST INDIAN
CHERRY—THE EARWIG—SNAKES AND SERPENTS—FIRST GLANCE
AT THE TERRE-CHAUDE,

OW is your arm now, I’Encuerado?” I asked, finding
the Indian up when I awoke.

“Pretty well, Tatita; but I find I mustn’t move it
much. IfI do, it feels as if the blackguard water-dog was still
holding me.”

I again dressed the wound, the Indian continuing to hurl fresh
abuse at the otter. I made him keep quiet, and prepared the
coffee. Sumichrast and Lucien then rose, and we decided to
start—the rainy season, which was approaching, rendering haste
necessary.

L’Encuerado, in spite of our remonstrances, insisted on shoulder-

 
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 241

 

ing the load ; but, on raising the burden, he found he was unable,
so I shouldered the load.

At last, after no end of exertion on my part and Sumichrast’s
—for we alternately bore it—three leagues were traversed. We
then halted at the foot of a hill, among ebony, mahogany, and
oak trees.

L’Encuerado took charge of the camp, while I, with my friend
and Lucien, climbed a neighbouring hill. The trees which
crowned its summit were limes—Tilia sylvestris—here the type of
what bear the same name, and which are so plentiful in Europe,
where they have been so changed by cultivation that they
scarcely appear to belong to the same species as their brethren
in the virgin forests. The wood of the lime is valued by the
Indians for making various odds and ends, which are sold by
thousands in Mexico. In Europe, the bark of this tree is used
for well-ropes, and the charcoal made from its wood is preferred
to any other for the manufacture of gunpowder. Few trees are
more useful, and its beautiful green foliage makes it highly orna-
mental in a garden.

Our attention was attracted to a familiar noise—the cooing of
doves. I moved gently under the trees, and soon put to flight
several fine specimens, of a dark, ashy-blue colour, with a black
band across the tail-feathers, which were of a pearl-gray. I
killed a couple of them; and Sumichrast, who was better placed,
knocked down three others. They were quite sufficient for our
dinners. They were the first of this family that we had killed, and
Lucien in vain tried to make out what he called their relationship.

“They are neither passerines,” said he, “nor palmipedes.
Climbers, too, have differently-made feet.”

“ Your doubts are very natural,” interposed my friend ; “even
ornithologists are very undecided on this point. Nevertheless
they class pigeons among the gallinacez, looking upon them as
a link between this order and the passerines.”

“Why don’t they make an order for them by themselves ?”

“Bravo, Master Sunbeam ! your idea is an excellent one, but
it has been already proposed; several naturalists reckon an order

of columbide. But you ought to know that pigeons inhabit the
Q
242 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

whole surface of the globe, and that they are white, blue, red,
green, and brown; and sometimes all these shades blend to-
gether, and add their brilliancy to the pleasing shape of the bird.
The pigeon or dove, which is adopted as the emblem of mildness
and innocence, is readily tamed ; its flight is rather heavy, but
lasting ; and, in Belgium chiefly, it is used as a bearer of letters,
by conveying the bird to a long distance from its home, to which
its instinct always leads it to return.”

Lucien seemed very thoughtful.

“I wish I had known that before,” he said; ‘we might have
brought a pigeon or two with us, and then poor mamma would
have had news of us before now.”

Sumichrast, who had taken upon himself the office of head-
cook, vacant owing to l’Encuerado’s wound, returned to the
bivouac, laden with our game. I skirted the wood in company
with Lucien, who was the first to discover a West Indian cherry-
tree—Malpighia glabra. The red, fleshy, and acid fruit was much
to our taste ; so the boy climbed the tree in order to get plenty,
rejoicing in the idea of giving his friends an agreeable surprise.
When he had finished, we went to examine a dead tree. A piece
of bark, quickly pulled off, discovered a quantity of those insects
commonly called earwigs.

‘Do you notice, papa, those white specks one of the earwigs is
covering with its body?”

“Tt is a female, sitting on her eggs; but look at this!”

“ Kight, ten, twelve little ones! How pretty they are! One
might well fancy that they were being led by the big earwig,
which keeps turning round to them. There! now she has
stopped, and the little ones are crawling all round her.”

I could hardly get Lucien away from his interesting study ;
but the hissing of a snake which I turned out from under a stone,
soon brought the boy to me. I caught hold of the reptile, which
rolled itself with some force round my arm. The boy, quite
speechless with surprise, looked anxiously at me.

‘QO father !” exclaimed he in terror, running towards me.

“Don’t be alarmed; this reptile has no fangs, and it is so
small I can handle it quite safely.”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 243

 

“But it will hurt you with its sting.”

“Tt has no sting, there is no danger to be feared from its
tongue. Here, you take hold of it.”

The boy hesitated at first, but gradually growing bolder,
allowed the snake to wind round his arm. When close by the
fire, he held it out to l’Encuerado, who shrank back ; for he fully
believed all reptiles to be venomous. Lucien in vain urged him
to handle it.

“T shan’t mind touching it,” he said, ‘‘ when you have told me
the words you say to make yourself invulnerable.”

“T am no more invulnerable than you are,” replied Lucien,
smiling. “This snake is quite harmless, and I should never
touch one without taking papa’s advice, even if it exactly re-
sembled this.”

“ And you didn’t repeat any words ?”

“No; papa had it in his hands, and it coiled round his arm.”

“TJ understand, then,” murmured the Indian ; “it is the ser-
pent that is charmed.”

Gringalet, quite as mistrustful as l’Encuerado, ran off directly
he saw the reptile move. I told Lucien to let the snake go, and
the Indian unsheathed his cutlass; but I would not allow him
to injure the poor creature.

Our new cook was perfect master of his art. He supplied us
with some excellent maize-broth, roasted pigeons, and then a rice-
cake—certainly rather shapeless, but of a delicious flavour. The
cherries completed this regal bill of fare, and the “ calumet of
peace” was associated with a cup of coffee. At night-fall, Sumi-
chrast, avoiding Lucien’s questions, went slyly to rest, an example
I was not slow in following—the weight of the basket having
fatigued me more than my pride allowed me to confess.

The next day, the rising sun found us already on the road.
L’Encuerado’s wound was less painful, and did not prevent his
using his gun. Had it not been for my express prohibition, he
would have resumed his burden. When we reached the summit
of the hill, he led us among the trees, and, commencing a descent,
our little party did not stop till we had reached the bottom of a
dark and damp glen, close to a greenish pool. After utilising
244 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

our halt by filling our gourds and killing an armadillo, we hurried
to get away from a spot where the air seemed poisoned with pes-
tilential miasma. Having again ascended the slope, I advanced
through a grove of firs, encouraging my friend with the load, who
was archly challenged to a race by Lucien.

“That’s not at all generous,” said I to him ; “if Sumichrast
did not carry the basket sometimes, what would become of us 2”

“T’m only sorry that I am not strong enough to help you,”
replied the boy. ‘I only tease M. Sumichrast because I know it
amuses him, and makes him forget his burden, when he walks
more easily.”

“You never were more correct!” responded my friend. “I

 

certainly fancied you were indulging your own humour, without
thinking about me.”

A fresh ascent quite exhausted us, and Sumichrast vowed that
he must relinquish the basket until the next day. I then took
it; but in a very little time, I was compelled to take the same
resolution as my friend, so we settled down to bivouac.

Whilst my companions were engaged in the cooking, I walked
 

“The Terre Chaude was stretched out at my feet.”—Page 245.
4A YOUNG NATURALIST. 245
a little way on the plateau. I had not gone above two or three
hundred yards before I called to the others to join me—for
the Terre Chaude was stretched out at my feet.

Departing day at last cast its mysterious veil over the tracts we
were about to traverse. Just before it became quite dark, a snow-
clad corner of the volcano of Orizava was seen in the distance. I
lifted up Lucien, and, kissing him, pointed it out, thinking on
the dear ones who were behind the mountain, counting the days
till we returned. Gringalet barked, as if claiming a caress for

himself, and, guided by the dog, we reached our bivouac to enjoy
a well-deserved repose.

 
 

CHAPTER XXV.

A GROUND-SQUIRREL—A MOUSE’S NEST—HUMMING-BIRDS AND THEIR
YOUNG ONES — THE LOCUST TREE — MEXICAN WOLVES AND THEIR

RETREAT.

WAS suddenly awakened by the report of a gun just as the
day was breaking. L’Encuerado showed mean enormous
squirrel, with a gray back and white belly—a species

which never climbs, and is, for this reason, called by Indians

Amotli (ground-squirrel). This animal, which lives in a burrow,

has all the grace and vivacity of its kind, but it can never be domes-

ticated. It generally goes about in numerous bands, and, when
near cultivation, will commit in a single night great destruction ;
the farmers, consequently, wage against it a war of extermination.

Just as we were setting out, ’Encuerado, whose arm was visibly
healing up, again took charge of the basket. I allowed him to

 
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 247

 

carry it, on the condition he should tell me as soon as he felt
tired. I went in front, leading Lucien by the hand, and the
rocky slope was descended without accident. The oaks were
small and scattered, and left us an easy passage over ground
covered with dry leaves, which rustled under our feet.

“We might almost fancy we were in Europe,” said Sumichrast,
suddenly halting.

“Yes,” I replied; “it seems as if the yellow leaves had already
felt the autumnal winds.”

“ There’s a dead tree,” said my friend; “I feel sure, if we
examine its bark, we shall find some insects of our own country.”

My friend’s hopes were not realised, and the only result of his
search was to disturb the rest of two mice with slender muzzles.
One of them escaped, while the other tried its best to protect a litter
of five little ones, buried in some fine vegetable debris. Lucien
examined the young ones with interest, and after replacing the
bark, as far as possible, in its original position, rejoined us outside
the wood. A descent, so rapid that we could scarcely keep our
balance, brought us among a quantity of bushes, covered with
double thorns, which Lucien very justly compared to bulls’ horns
in miniature, At last, the ground became more level, and, direct-
ing our course to the right, we turned into a plain, surrounded by
woods.

“Both trees and plants seem larger here than on the moun-
tains,” said Lucien.

“You are quite right,” answered Sumichrast ; “the vegetation
in the Terre Chaude is more vigorous than that of the Terre Tem-
perée. As you advance further into it, you will be able to judge.”

“Did you see that great insect that flew buzzing past us?”

“Yes, Master Sunbeam; but it was a humming-bird, not an
insect.”

“A humming-bird !” cried the boy, at once unfolding his but-
terfly-net.

And off he went in pursuit of the fugitive. The agile bird
made a thousand turns, and always kept out of reach of the
young sportsman, who at last stopped suddenly in front of a
shrub. When I joined him, he was contemplating three little
248 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

nests, fixed in forked branches and covered outside with green
and yellow lichens.

“There’s the bird!” said Lucien, in a low voice.

I lifted up the little naturalist ; two hen-birds flew off, and at
the bottom of each nest he could see a couple of eggs of a greenish
colour, and about the size of a pea.

“If you hold me a little closer, papa, I can take the eggs.”

‘What would be the good, my boy? Look at them as long as
you like, but don’t deprive the little birds of what is most dear
to them.”

“‘ There ’s one bird which has not moved,” observed Lucien.

“Then, no doubt, its little ones are hatched.”

“The whole of its body seems to glitter; it looks as if it was
blue, green, and gold colour. It sees me and is moving. Now
it is perched upon the tree! Only look, papa! there are two
young ones in the bottom of the nest.”

I put Lucien down on the ground, so that he might go to
lEncuerado, who was calling him. The Indian had found a
humming-bird’s nest, fixed on a branch which he had cut off,
and was bringing us. The elegant little structure was a perfect
marvel of architectural skill, lined inside with the silky down of
some plant. Two young birds, still unfledged and scarcely as
big as nuts, opened their beaks as if to ask for food. I directed
VEncuerado to replace the branch on the tree from whence
he had cut it, and to fasten it so that it could not fall down. I
tollowed him, to make sure he did it rightly. As soon as we came
near the shrub, the mother fluttered all round the Indian, and at
last settled down panting on her young brood.

“You’re a brave bird!” cried the Indian, “and I ask your
pardon for having carried away your house. Don’t be afraid, my
name is l’Encuerado, and you may safely trust in me. Don't
tremble! I would sooner be hurt myself than cause you the least
harm.’ There, now you are all firmly fixed again, and you may
live in peace. Your little ones can tell you that I have not teased
them; I only wanted to show them to Chanito. Good-bye, Senor
Huitzitzilin } you are a brave bird, and it’s I, ’Encuerado, who
tells you so!”
 

”"__ Page 249.

saluting.

“And the Indian went away,
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 249

 

And the Indian went away, saluting the valiant mother with
so many waves of his hat that the poor bird must have thought
her last hour had come. ‘

“What do these beautiful little birds feed upon, M. Sumi-
chrast ?”

“On the juices of flowers and small insects. Look! there is
one hovering, and its wings are moving too fast for us to see
them. Don’t stir! Isee a branch so covered with blue flowers
that it can hardly fail to attract the bird. Now it is settled above
one of the corollas, and plunges its head into it without ceasing to
beat with its wings. Its cloven tongue soon sucks out the honey
concealed in the flower, and its little ones will greet it when it
gets back with open beaks to receive their share of the spoil.”

“They are funny birds, those,” said l’Encuerado to Lucien.
“Tn three months—that is, in October—they will go to sleep, and
will not wake up till April.”

“Ts that true, father?”

“T rather fancy that they migrate.”

“Now, don’t teach Chanito wrongly,” said l’Encuerado, repeat-
ing a common phrase of mine ; “the huitzdtzilins do not migrate ;
they go to sleep.”

“This fact has been so often related to me by Indians living
in the woods,” said my friend, “that I feel almost disposed to
believe it.”

“Don’t they say the same of the bats and swallows? and yet
we know they change their habitat.”

“Yes; but with regard to humming-birds, they assert that
they have seen them asleep. At all events, it is certain that they
disappear in the winter.”

The clucking of a bird of the gallinaceous order, called the
Hocco—Crax alector—interrupted our discussion, and my two
companions carefully proceeded towards a dark-foliaged tree, a
little outside the edge of the forest. The clucking suddenly
ceased ; we heard the report of a gun, and I saw three of them
fly away into the forest. L’Encuerado was climbing a tree when
I came up, for the bird he had shot had lodged among the
branches.
250 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Do you see the long pods which hang on that tree?” cried
Lucien.

“Tt is a locust-tree covered with fruit,” said my friend ; “it is
a relation of the bean and the pea.”

“ Are the pods eatable?” asked the child, as one fell at his feet,

“You may taste the dark pulp which surrounds the seeds—it
is slightly sweet; but don’t eat too much, for it is used in Europe
as a medicine.”

L’Encuerado dropped at our feet the great bird which Sumi-
chrast had killed. It was larger in size than a fowl, with a crest
upon its head. Its cry—a sort of clucking of which its Spanish
name gives an idea—tells the traveller its whereabouts, although
it is ready enough in making its escape.

L’Encuerado returned to the bivouac, and Sumichrast led us
along the edge of a ravine, obstructed by bushes and shaded by
large trees.

We had been quietly on the watch for a minute or two, when
three young wolves, of the species called by the Indians coyotes,
came running by, one after the other. They were soon followed
by a fourth, and then the mother herself appeared. She glared
at us with her fiery eyes, and then raised a dull, yelping noise,
which brought her young ones to her.

“Upon my word!” exclaimed Sumichrast, “does this wretch
intend to give us a present to her children?”

I stuck my machete into the ground, so as to have it at hand ;
and the brute lay down on the ground, as if ready to spring.

“ Now then, my fine lady! come and meddle with us if you
dare!” muttered my friend, imitating l’Encuerado’s tone.

The coyote uttered a shrill cry, and almost immediately a sixth
came and stood by her.

“Don’t fire till I tell you,” said I to Lucien, who seemed as
bold as possible.

“You take the dog-wolf,” cried Sumichrast to me; “ but we
won't provoke the contest.”

Seeing us evince no fear, the brutes suddenly made off.
Sumichrast descended to the bottom of the ravine, and then
called me. I noticed among the high grass the entrance of a
 

 

“T threw a stone at the beast.".—Page 251.
a YOUNG NATURALIST. 251

 

burrow strewed with whitened bones. Two yards farther on I
saw the head of one of the animals, with eyes glittering like a
cat’s, glaring out of the entrance of another burrow. I threw a
stone at the beast, which, far from showing any fear, curled
up its lips and showed us a very perfect set of teeth.

As it was by no means our intention to make war upon wolves,
I returned to the plain with Lucien, who had showed no ordinary
coolness. I was glad of it, for my great wish was to inure him
to danger, and I feared that the Indian’s misadventure with the
otter might have had a bad influence.

“Didn't those wolves frighten you?” asked my friend of the boy.

“A little—especially their eyes, which seemed to dart fire.

‘And what should you have done if they had sprung at us?”

“T should have aimed at them as straight as I could ; but
wolves are much braver than I thought.”

“They were anxious to protect their young ones, and their den
being so near made them all the bolder.”

When l’Encuerado heard that we had coyotes near us, he made
up a second fire for the night. The eastern sky was beginning
to grow pale, and as we were supping we saw the parrokeets in
couples flying over our heads towards the forest. Humming-
birds were flitting in every direction, and flocks of other passerines
flew from one bush to another. When they offered to perch near
our bivouac, |’Encuerado requested them in polite terms to settle
a little farther away, and on their refusal urged his request by
throwing a stone at them, which but rarely failed in its purpose.
The sun set, and the mountains stood out in black relief against
the pink sky.

The moon now rose, and I can hardly describe the marvellous
effects of light produced by its rays on the sierras. L’Encue-
rado had made a second fire, and had taken Gringalet aside to
insist upon his not roaming beyond the ground illuminated by its
flame, telling him that the coyotes, which would doubtless pass the
night in prowling round our bivouac, were very fond of dogs’
flesh. As if to add weight to this prudent advice, a prolonged
howling was now heard, which the dog felt obliged to respond to
in his most doleful notes.
252 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

“Oh!” cried Sumichrast, “are those beasts going to join in
the concert made by the grasshoppers and mosquitoes ?”

Lucien, who had gone to sleep, started up.

“ Where’s my parrot?” he cried.

“Sleep quietly, Chanito!” replied the Indian. “ It is roasted,
and we shall eat it to-morrow morning at breakfast.”

This reply and Lucien’s disappointed face much amused us.
L’Encuerado’s fault was too much zeal: not knowing that Sumi-
chrast was going to skin the bird, he had sacrificed it. In order
to repair his error, he promised Lucien hundreds of parrots of

every colour, so he went to sleep and dreamed of forests full of
birds of the most brilliant plumage.

       
   
 

    
  

i
4

i
#

if

Le

       
 

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE PATH THROUGH THE FOREST—A FORCED MARCH— THE BROMELIEZE—
MOSQUITOES—THE WATER-PLANT—THE PROMISED LAND—A BAND
OF MONKEYS.

RINGALET’S barking, the yelping of the coyotes, the
5) heat, the song of the grasshoppers, and the stings of the
mosquitoes, all combined to disturb our rest. About
five o’clock the sun rose radiant, and was greeted by the cardinals,
trogons, and parrots. Lucien was aroused by all these fresh
sounds, and his eyes rested for some time on the wall of verdure
which seemed to bar the entrance of the forest. A cloud of
variegated butterflies drew his attention for an instant ; but he
was soon absorbed in contemplating the humming-birds with
their emerald, purple, and azure plumage.
L’Encuerado, whose arm was now completely healed, had again
254 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

taken possession of the load, and Sumichrast commenced cutting
the creepers in order to open a path. I relieved him every now
and then in this hard work, and Lucien availed himself of the
moments when we stopped for breath to have a cut at the great
vegetable screen which nature places at the entrance of virgin
forests, as if to show that there is within it an unknown world to
conquer. Unfortunately, the small height of the boy rendered
his work useless ; but he at least evinced a desire to take his part
of the labour. At last, the thick wall of vegetable growth was
passed, and we found ourselves in a semi-obscurity, caused by
the shade of gigantic trees.

“‘ Are we now in a virgin forest?” asked Lucien.

“No; for we are only just entering it,” I replied.

“ But the ground is so bare ; there are no more creepers, and
the trees look as if they were arranged in lines.”

“What did you expect to meet with?”

“Plants all entangled together, birds, monkeys, and tigers.”

“Your ideal menagerie will, perhaps, make its appearance
subsequently. As for the entangled plants, if the whole forest
was full of them, it would be absolutely impenetrable. The soil
is bare because the trees are so bushy that no rays of the sun can
penetrate, and many plants wither and die in the shade; but
whenever we come upon a glade, you will find the earth covered
with grass and shrubs.”

“Then the forests of the Terre Temperde are more beautiful
than those of the Terre Chaude ?”

“ You judge too hastily,” replied Sumichrast ; “wait till our
path leads along the edge of some stream.”

“All right,” muttered the boy, shaking his head and turning
towards his friend ; “the woods we have gone through are much
more pleasant. It is so silent and the boughs are so high that
we might fancy we were in a church.”

The boy’s remark was far from incorrect. The dark arches of
the intersecting branches, the black soil formed by the accumu-
lated vegetable debris of perhaps five or six thousand years, the
dim obscurity scarcely penetrated by the sunlight making its way
through the dark foliage—all combined to imbue the mind with
4 YOUNG NATURALIST. 255

 

a kind of vague melancholy. The limited prospect and the pro-
found silence (for birds rarely venture into this forest-ocean),
also tend to fill the soul with gloomy thoughts, and prove that
health of mind as well as of body depends upon light.

A furnace-like heat compelled us to keep silence, and tree
succeeded tree with sad monotony. The moist soil gave way
under our feet, and retained the traces of our footsteps. At
a giddy height above our heads the dark foliage of the spread-
ing branches entirely obscured the sky. Every now and then
I gave a few words of encouragement to Lucien who was walk-
ing behind me, quite overcome with the heat ; especially, I recom-
mended him not to drink, in the first place, because the water
must be economised, and next because it would only stimulate
his thirst.

“Then we shall never drink any more,” said the boy.

“Oh! yes, Chanito,” rejoined the Indian, “when we form our
bivouac, I shall make plenty of coffee, and if you sip it, in a
quarter of an hour your thirst will be quenched.”

“Then.I hope we shall soon reach our bivouac,” said Lucien,
mournfully.

If I had consulted my own feelings, I should now have given
the word to halt ; but reason and experience enabled me to resist
the desire. It would really be better for Lucien to suffer for a
short time, than for us to lose several hours, especially if we
failed to find the stream we were seeking. It was necessary
to cross without delay the inhospitable forest which we had
entered, instead of waiting until hunger and thirst imperiously
cried—Onwards! when perhaps we might be too exhausted to
move.

The ground became undulating, and I hastened forward,
thinking to meet with what we wished for, when a glade,
which enabled us to catch a glimpse of the sun, enlivened us a
little. Here there was some grass, and a few shrubs and creepers.
I called Lucien to show him what to us wasa new plant, the
bromelia pinguin of botanists.

Its ripe pink fruit was symmetrically placed in a circle of green
leaves. Lucien, knzeling down, tried to pluck them.
256 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“Pull one from the middle, Chanito,” cried lEncuerado ;
“that’s the only way to get them.”

The boy seized the centre berry, which came out, and, like the
stones of an arch when the key-stone is taken out, all the cones
fell. Under their thick husk, there was a white, acid, melting
pulp, well adapted to quench the thirst; but I recommended
Lucien not to eat more than two or three of them. A second
clump, a little farther on, enabled us to gather a good stock of
them. Providence could not have placed in our path a more
valuable plant, for the hundreds of cones which we had gathered
would enable us to brave the necessities of thirst for two or three
days. We now walked on at a quicker pace, and Lucien, a little
refreshed, kept his place courageously by my side.

“Well!” said I, “you must confess now that virgin forests
may have something good in them. How do you like the
timbirichis 2”

“They are excellent ; what family do they belong to?”

“They are akin to the pine-apples, and, therefore, belong to
the bromelacee.”

“ But the pine-apple is a large fruit, which grows simply on its
stalk.”

“Yes; so it appears; but in reality it is formed by an assem-
blage of berries all joined together. The strawberry, which
belongs to the rose family, is similarly formed, and few people
would believe when they swallow a single strawberry that they
have eaten thirty or forty fruits.”

For an hour we scarcely exchanged a word, but walked silently
on, soaked with perspiration, and scarcely able to breathe the
heated air.

“T think there is a glade,” murmured Lucien, pointing to the
left.

“So there is; forward! forward!”

Five minutes after we reached an open spot bathed in sunshine,
amid a thicket of tree-ferns and high grass, The trees, placed
more widely apart, were covered with gigantic creepers drooping
to the ground. Here we again heard the note of the Hocco.

Whilst I was clearing the ground, Sumichrast and l’Encuerado
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 257

 

took up a position amid the bushes. I gave some water to
Gringalet, whose tongue hung out, for he had possibly suffered
most, as he would not eat the fruit which afforded us relief.

Two shots were fired shortly afterwards ; but the sportsmen
soon returned with such a disappointed air that I felt sure they
had been unsuccessful.

I made a joke of the matter, and pretended that the dry maize
cakes were better than the fattest turkey. I spoke with such
apparent seriousness that my companions began to get animated,
and a sharp controversy gave a zest to our frugal meal. I asserted,
too, that the tepid water in our gourds surpassed in flavour the
product of the coolest spring, and that the acid timbirichi was
the best of fruits. Gradually, however, I gave way, and at bed-
time pretended to be quite converted. I had amused our party,
and that was all I wanted.

The night passed without any incident save the continued
attacks of mosquitoes, and the unfortunate Gringalet pressing
close to us to avoid the cruel stings of the blood-thirsty insects,
which much annoyed him.

At sunrise I gave the word to start, and all day long we
met with no glade to give variety to our path. I could not help
admiring Lucien, who, although suffering from heat, fatigue, and
thirst, uttered not one complaint, but only looked at me with a
sad face. Two or three times I tried to enliven him; the poor
little fellow then shook his troublesome burden and smiled
back so painfully that I was quite affected. L’Encuerado, over-
whelmed by his basket, puffed noisily, and declared every now
and then that he could sniff the river and the smell of the
crocodiles. This nonsense enlivened our march a little; but
soon, dull and silent, we resumed our sluggish pace. At last,
fatigue compelled us to halt, when Lucien and l’Encuerado went
off to sleep, quite forgetting their suppers. I proposed to Sumi-
chrast to regain as soon as we could the mountain path.

“Let us keep on one day more,” said my friend; “ we have
still four bottles of water left, and even if we give Lucien and
Gringalet the largest share, it will serve us for another twenty-

four hours.”
R
258 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

The next day, just as we were starting, l’Encuerado killed a
hocco. The fire was soon lighted, and the game washed down
with a mouthful of brandy, which somewhat restored our energy.
About mid-day, when the heat was most intense, the aspect of
the ground altered, the trees became wider apart, and our
strength seemed to redouble.

“Now, Master Sunbeam!” cried Sumichrast, “lengthen your
stride a little, if you please; don’t you hear the murmur of a
stream?”

“Three days you've been telling me this story, so that now
both Gringalet and I are sceptical.”

“ How will you behave when you cross the Savannahs?”

“Just as at present. I would walk without drinking so as
not to excite my thirst,” replied the child archly, who had failed
to be convinced by our reasoning.

“Oh, come! I thought you were too ill for irony. Never
mind, I can bear witness that you have behaved like a man.
What do your legs say?”

“That they would be very willing to rest.”

“ You would like to find yourself at Orizava?”

“J should rather see a stream, an alligator, and a puma.” ;

“You are most unreasonable. I should be contented with the
stream.”

“Don’t you find that the mosquitoes in the Terre-Chaude bite
much sharper than those in the Zerre-Tempérée 2?” asked the boy,
addressing ’Encuerado.

“No, Chanito ; they are all alike, for they belong to the same
family, as your papa says.”

“Then they must be more numerous here, for every instant one
receives a fresh pinch.”

“You must not complain yet, Chanito; you'll see what it
will be when we reach the stream.”

“ How will it be then ?”

“We shall not be able to open our mouths without swallowing
some of these blood-suckers. But, Chanito! do you know what
these mosquitoes are?”

“ Yes, papa told me yesterday that they were diptera, and re-
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 259

 

lations of the gadfly. Their proboscis is a kind of sheath enclos-
ing six lancets, by the help of which they pierce our skin and
suck our blood.”

“But where do these hungry wretches come from?”

“From the water, where the insect lays its eggs. You know
those little worms which are constantly moving up and down in
pools ; they are the larve of the mosquito.”

“The mosquito, that terrible scourage of the Terre-Tempérée
and the Terre-Chaude, renders these regions inaccessible to the
inhabitants of the Terre-Froide. They cannot get accustomed to
their bites, which cover their bodies with large red pustules,
causing fever and want of sleep, and giving the victims the ap-
pearance of having just recovered from small-pox.”

Again we walked on without talking, for the heat dried up
our throats. Suddenly some singular cries reached our ears.

“The clucking of an oscillated turkey,” cried Sumichrast.

L’Encuerado laid down his burden, and my two companions
started off in search of the birds. They joined us again in about
a quarter of an hour, each carrying a fowl with metallic-coloured
plumage dotted over with spots, almost as large as a common
turkey. It belongs to the gallinaceous order, and is only found
amid the forests of the New World, particularly in Honduras.

“Well!” cried Sumichrast, “we have plenty to eat now ; but
this is a bird which is found at a long distance from streams, and
warns us to economise the contents of our gourds.”

Five hundred paces farther on we saw some stones covered
with moss and an enormous upright rock like a tower. We
saluted the colossus without stopping to examine it, and
lengthened our strides, although the ups and downs in our path
gradually became more numerous. Gringalet every instant
raised his nose to sniff the air, and the hope of at last emerging
from the forest drew us forward with increased ardour, impelled,
as we were, by the desire of at last finding the longed-for stream.
Lucien actually mustered up a run, whilst his cheeks flushed and
his eyes glistened with anticipation.

“Here are grass and flowers! Forward! forward!” cried
Sumichrast.
260 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“ Forward !” Lucien re-echoed.

The great trees which were now farther apart, allowed the
rays of the sun to penetrate the foliage, and the creepers drooped
down in flowery festoons. The convolvuluses, the ferns, and
the parasites, all entangled together, compelled us to use our
knives. A somewhat steep ascent, anxiously scaled, led us up
to a plateau. In front of us stretched a prairie dotted over with
thickets and bordered with forests of palm-trees, laurels, mag-
nolias, and mahogany-trees, from which sounded the songs of
various birds, mingled with the harsh cry of parrots.

Panting, weary, and perfectly soaked with perspiration, I pro-
posed to bivouac on the plateau. Indeed, the sun was setting,
and we had only just time to collect the wood we required for
the fire. This task finished, I went and sat down with Lucien
on the highest point we could find. The mountains of the Terre-
Tempérée showed against the horizon, although we were already
at least fifteen leagues from them. We long looked down on
the tree-tops of the forest we had just crossed, and the unifor-
mity of the dark-green foliage had a most gloomy aspect; and,
whilst close round us there were a number of birds fluttering
about the trees, none of the feathered tribe ventured into the
solitudes we had so lately traversed.

“T cannot catch a sight of either rivulet or stream,” said
Lucien.

“ Courage!” replied Sumichrast, who had seated himself by
us. ‘The birds which are flying round us cannot live without
drinking, and their large number shows that there is plenty of
water near.”

“‘ Hiou! hiou! Chanito.”

“Ohé! ohé!” replied Lucien, darting to the place whence he
heard the familiar cry.

The two friends went down the hill together, ’Encuerado
carrying his enormous gourd.

“Can he have discovered water?” said I to my companion,
and I approached the fire where the game was roasting, under
the inspection of Gringalet. Sumichrast remained to look after
the cooking of the birds, and I overtook Lucien and the
 

“There was a whole tribe of monkeys frolicking about.”—Page 261.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 261

 

Indian just at the moment when they were bending over a plant
with scarlet-red leaves, which grew encircling the stem of a mag-
nolia. About a glassful of limpid fluid flowed from it into the
calabash.

“Can we get water from this shrub by merely pressing it ?”
asked Lucien, with surprise.

“ All that is needed is to bend it,” I replied. “It treasures
up the precious dew between its leaves, and |’Encuerado and I
should have died of thirst in one of our expeditions, if it had not
been for this plant.”

““ Why doesn’t it grow in every forest?” asked Lucien.

“ Certainly, if it grew everywhere, one of the greatest obstacles
to travelling in the wilderness would be removed.”

“ And what’s the name of this plant?”

“The Creoles call it the ‘ Easter flower;’ it is one of the
bromeliace.”

“Does it produce any fruit good to eat?”

“No, but in case of extreme necessity, its large red leaves
would appease hunger.”

We reascended the hill, when an uproar proceeding from the
edge of the forest reached our ears. L’Encuerado smiled, show-
ing us the double range of his white teeth.

“See down there,” he said to Lucien, pointing to a corner of
the wood, away from which all the birds seemed to be flying.

There was a whole tribe of monkeys frolicking about among
the creepers.

“Let us go and look at them more closely,” said Lucien.

“Tt is too late now, Chanito; they have just been drinking,
and will soon go to sleep; but we shall eat some of them to-
morrow—and now, our supper is waiting for us.”

We finished our meal, and when the sun was setting, we saw
the paroquets fly by in couples, and humming-birds flitting about
among the bushes; suddenly a formidable roaring made us all
tremble.

“Oh! what is that dreadful noise?” cried Lucien.

“A tiger!” said l’Encuerado, whose eyes glittered with excite-
ment.
262 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

‘Nota tiger buta jaguar (Leopardus onca),” said 1; “the former
animal alone is found in the old world.”

The king of the American forests again saluted the setting
sun. Gringalet with his tail between his legs came crouching
down close to us; a second fire was lighted, and we lay down to
sleep with the indifference which familiarity gives even in regard
to the very greatest dangers.

 
 

CHAPTER XXVIL

LVENCUERADO AND THE PARROTS—GRINGALET MEETS A FRIEND—THE
COUGAR, OR AMERICAN LION—A STREAM—OUR “ PALM-TREE VILLA”
—TURTLES’ EGGS—THE TANTALUS—HERONS AND FLAMINGOES.

     
 

EVHE parrots that we heard chattering were quite sufficient
2 to wake us up in the morning. The sun rose red and
angry ; a perfect concert soon greeted its appearance.
The hoccos set up their sonorous clucking, and birds of every
kind came fluttering round us. Lucien, now reconciled to the
virgin forests, was never tired of admiring the varieties of trees,
shrubs, or bushes, and the infinite number of the winged in-
habitants which enlivened them. We slowly descended into the
plain; even now, the heat was too much for us, and long marches
would soon be impossible. A flock of cardinals, with crested
heads, flew around us and settled on a magnolia, which then

‘
264 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

looked as if it was covered with purple flowers. Farther on,
some paroquets, no bigger than sparrows, greeted us with their
varied cries. L’Encuerado, after tossing his head several times,
and shrugging his shoulders, at last stopped and could not refrain
from answering them.

“Come and carry it yourselves!” he cried ; “come and carry
it yourselves, and prove that you are stronger than a man!”

“What are you asking the birds to do?” demanded Lucien,

“They are making fun of my load, Chanito; a set of lazy
fellows, who all of them together would not be able to move it!”

Sumichrast made his way into the forest, cutting away the
creepers with his machete in order to clear a passage. In less
than an hour we had crossed five or six glades. Suddenly I
noticed that Gringalet had disappeared. I called him, and a
distant barking answered me.

“ Can he have met with a stream?” said Sumichrast.

I advanced in the direction in which I had heard the voice of
our four-footed companion, and suddenly came upon him baying
furiously at a young cougar, which Sumichrast ran towards, but
the animal fled into the wood.

“Where did you turn out this fellow, Gringalet?” asked
lEncuerado, quite seriously. ‘Don’t trust too much to his
friendship, for it might be the worse for you ; lions seldom fondle
anything without hurting it.”

“Was it a lion?” asked Lucien.

“Yes,” I answered, “but an American lion, or cougar, known
by savants as the Felis puma.”

“ How I should like to have seen it! Had it a mane?”

“No, the puma is without one.”

We were crossing another glade, when Gringalet suddenly
rushed between our legs. On looking back I saw the puma slyly
following us.

“Well, upon my word,” said Sumichrast; “does this fellow
want to prove that a cougar will attack a man?”

L’Encuerado, who had put down his load, was already aiming
at the animal.

‘Don’t shoot !” I cried authoritatively.
 

‘*T looked in vain for the cougar.”"—Page 265.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 265

 

The puma did not advance any farther, but glared at us with
its yellow eyes, its tail lashing its sides with a measured move-
ment, while it displayed a formidable row of tusks. Suddenly it
stretched itself along the ground, as if about to play. Lucien
was now able to examine leisurely the beautiful tawny colour of
its coat. It surveyed us with such a quiet, gentle aspect, that it
seemed as if it belonged to our party, even pushing its confidence
so far as to begin its toilet, by first licking its paws, and then rub-
bing them over its muzzle.

I gave the word for continuing our journey. L’Encuerado
obeyed very reluctantly. After this rencontre I placed Lucien,
who congratulated himself upon having had such a near view of
the beautiful animal, in the middle of the party.

“Tf we don’t eat the lion, it will eat us,” said the Indian. “If
we had only wounded it, it would have gone and told all its
companions that it was anything but prudent to go too close to
our fire.”

“ Well, if it comes near us again, I give you leave to shoot it.”

“You do; it’s a bargain!” cried l’Encuerado. “Stop a
minute, Tata Sumichrast ; cock your gun, Chanito, you shall
have the first shot.”

We stood together in a group, and I looked in vain for the
cougar.

“The rascal has got in front of us,” added the Indian. “We'll
astonish him in a moment. Come this way, Chanito, but don’t
run or turn round. Do you see that tree that stands in front of
us? Not so far that way—that one we were just going to pass
under. Look at the wonderful fruit it has on it!”

“Tt is the puma!” exclaimed the boy.

“That ’s pleasant,” muttered Sumichrast. ‘Then there are
two pumas.”

“No, no, Tata Sumichrast, it is the same one. Aim between
its eyes, Chanito ; fire!”

There were two reports almost at the same moment, and
the animal tumbled down upon the ground without uttering
a cry.

“Don't be too quick, Chanito,” continued the Indian ; “ this is
266 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

not a water-dog; always reload your gun whether the enemy be
dead or not before you trust yourself within its reach.”

Gringalet ventured to bark round the beast, and I kept in
readiness to shoot, whilst my companions cautiously advanced.
The cougar had been struck in the forehead, and no longer
breathed. It was about three feet in length, and its hair, which
was slightly waved on some parts of its body, showed it was a
young one. The Indian raised the animal’s enormous head.

“Come,” he said, ‘you deserve to die like a warrior. You
are the first of your race which ever ventured so close to my gun.
Was it Chanito you wanted to devour?”

“T think it much more probable that it wanted Gringalet ;
what a pity it is that we can’t tame these beautiful cats!”

“Cats!” repeated Lucien.

“Yes, to be sure; the great African lion itself is nothing but
the largest and strongest of all the cat tribe. Didn’t you know
that?”

“JT thought the lion was a beast by itself; but, at all events,
it is the king of mammals?”

“It is rightly thought to be the strongest of all the carnivora:
its head, which it carries upright, and its beautiful mane, give it
a majestic appearance. With regard to its reputation for gene-
rosity, I scarcely know what it is founded on; I fancy that the
famous lion of Androcles had just enjoyed a plentiful meal when
he spared the life of his benefactor.”

It was no use to think of skinning our victim, for the flies
were already swarming on the dead body, although it was still
warm. L’Encuerado wished to attribute to Lucien the honour
of killing the puma ; but the boy, although he had always longed
to achieve such a feat, said at once that he had missed his aim.

I stopped in front of a tree (hymenea), belonging to the legu-
minous family; the pods of which contain a sweet pulp, and
from its trunk oozes out a resin, which is much sought after by
the Indians, who use it as a cure for stomach-ache. A little
farther on, a mango tree tempted I’Encuerado, who, like all his
countrymen, was fond of its fruit. I disliked the nauseous
smell and taste of them, which reminds me of turpentine,
 

‘“L’Encuerado turned three somersaults.” —Page 267.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 267

 

although in some countries, where care is taken in their cultiva-
tion, they are said to be delicious.

Sumichrast, who was our guide, had to open a passage for us
through a perfect net-work of purple-flowered creepers. I helped
him in his work, and when we had overcome this obstacle, we
found ourselves in a small plain, in the middle of which rose a
clump of palm trees. Gringalet ran off to the right, and soon
returned with his muzzle all wet. Lucien, who was in front of
us, first reached what was a wide, deep, and slowly-flowing
stream. At this sight, ’Encuerado turned three somersaults in
succession, and struck up a chant ; our manifestations of delight,
if less noisy than his, were, at all events, no less sincere.

A gentle breeze was blowing, while the air was cool and soft ;
so that, forgetful of the past and sanguine for the future, we
built our bivouac. While at work, our eyes were attracted on
every side by the insects and birds, whose splendid colours
literally enamelled the trees in which every shade of green
blended harmoniously. It would be difficult to describe the wild
grandeur of the scene around us. We might have fancied we
were in one of those marvellous gardens which Arabian story-
tellers delight in depicting. The roaring of some wild beast
reminded us that our fire was nearly out. At last, I set the
example of going to rest. We intended to pass three or four
days in this spot, as it was so favourable to our pursuits.

“Nobody can accuse us of being too fond of rest,” said my
friend; “this is the 20th of April; therefore we have now been
travelling uninterrupedly forty days.”

The next day at dawn, I set off with Sumichrast on an explor-
ing expedition, leaving Lucien still fast asleep. We returned
about eleven o’clock, with a dozen birds, among which we had a
greenish-yellow woodpecker, with a bright red tuft on its head,
also a Cuculus vetula, a species of cuckoo, which feeds on lizards and
young serpents.

During our absence, ’Encuerado had cut down three palm
trees and hollowed out the lower part of the trunks, in order
to collect their sweet sap. He also wove a sort of palissade of
creepers round several thick stakes, in which we could sleep with-
268 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

out fear of surprise. In a hole near the top of one of the palm
trees, Lucien spied out a parrot’s nest, and had taken possession of
two young birds, red, green, and yellow in colour, which seemed
to adapt themselves wonderfully to the attentions lavished upon
them by the boy.

“What are you going to do with these poor orphans?” I
asked.

“T am going to take them home to my brother and sister.
L’Encuerado says that they would perch on the edge of his
load.”

“How shall you feed them?”

“With fruit, and sometimes with meat. M. Sumichrast said
yesterday that they would eat anything that was given to them.
I have already named them ‘ Verdet’ and ‘ Janet.’”

“They will be sure to get within reach of Gringalet; are you
sure that he will leave them alone?”

‘«‘L?Encuerado has already given him a lecture about it.”

“Still I am very much afraid that ‘ Verdet’ and ‘Janet’ will
come to an untimely end.”

Whilst we were resting, Lucien and his friend went off to
examine a caoutchouc tree. The boy came back much disap-
pointed.

“Your India-rubber tree isn’t worth much,” said he to Sumi-
chrast, showing him a thick white liquid, which he had just
collected.

“ And pray why not?”

“ Because India-rubber ought to be black and dry.”

“Tt will acquire these qualities as it grows older. The India-
rubber oozes from the tree in the form of a milky liquid, like that
with which you are now smearing your fingers.”

About three o’clock, when the sun was shining perpendicularly
down upon us, I conducted my companions through the thickets,
in order to explore the course of the river. Very soon we were
obliged to cut our way with our machetes, and several reptiles
made off before our approach. Gradually as we advanced the
bank became covered with swamp ivy, bignonias, and cedar
trees, till we at last came out on a sandy shore, where five or
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 269

 

six turtles were apparently asleep. In spite of all our exertions,
the creatures reached the stream. L’Encuerado discovered two
little heaps of sand, one of which was still unfinished, and con-
tained twenty eggs about as big as chestnuts, and covered with
a whitish skin. A little farther on, Lucien caught a small red
turtle, the size of a crown-piece. On hearing from l’Encuerado
that it would live several days without eating, he made up
his mind to take it home with him, and. gave it the name of
“ Rougette.”

Gringalet began growling ; a deer had just shown its graceful
form among the branches. We all concealed ourselves as well as
we could, and when the beautiful animal came down to the water,
Sumichrast shot it dead. I left ’Encuerado to help the sports-
man in skinning our prize, and went on with Lucien. The
stream gradually became wider, and we suddenly found ourselves
fronting an immense flooded plain, above which flocks of wild
ducks were circling.

I sat down on the ground in order to admire the lake and its
banks edged with royal palm trees, the foliage of which, though
dark at the base, is a beautiful green at the summit. The
appearance of a water-eagle, with its grayish-white head, dis-
turbed the aquatic fowls; as if by enchantment some of them
hid among the rushes, but the bird of prey passed over without
taking any notice of such game, which he doubtless considered
unworthy of him. A tantalus settled down at about twenty
paces from us, and plunged into the stream and remained
motionless.

“OQ papa! what a curious bird! it looks as if it had a bald
head.”

“You are quite right, it is the bird that the Indians call
galambao.”

“Tt’s almost as tall as I am!”

“Don’t you see that it is mounted upon long legs like stilts ?”
replied I, laughing. “It is a relation of the stork.”

“This is the first bird of that kind we have met with.”

“These long-legged birds, or waders as they are called, are
scarcely ever found except in marshes, or on the banks of large
270 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

rivers. They can always be recognised by their legs, which
are of an enormous length, and devoid of feathers below the
knee—a conformation which enables them to capture their prey
in shallow water.”

“Ts this tantalus going to fish?”

“T should imagine so, for birds of its order have no other
means of obtaining food.”

“One might almost fancy that it was asleep, with his great
bill drooping down over his chest.”

“Woe be to the fish that is of your opinion. There! did you
remark his sudden movement? He plunges his head down into
the water like a flash of lightning, and now you can see he holds
his prey in his beak. Now he is spreading his short black-edged
wings in order to take flight, and divide among his young brood
the products of his labours. Do you see that beautiful large bird
with a tuft on its forehead? That is the Ardea agami, a wader
of the heron genus. But look, there is a flock of egretts (Egretta
alba), clothed in their plumage as white as the ermine. They fly
about in flocks, but separate for their fishing. These birds have
rather a grave and sad air, and utter now and then a wild and
plaintive cry.”

We stopped to watch these waders gloomily standing in the
water, until we heard l’Encuerado’s “ Hiou! hiou!” informing us
that our companions were approaching the bivouac. I took Lucien
through the forest, replying to his numerous questions about the
Grallatores, when we heard the chattering and clatter produced
by a band of monkeys. About twenty wild turkeys, doubtless
frightened by the noise, rushed between our legs. I let the poor
fugitives go, for we had already more victuals than we could
consume. Lucien wondered at the number of animated beings
which surrounded us, all the more surprising when compared
with the gloomy solitude we had just passed through.

“In the Terre-Chaude,” said I, “the water-side is always
fertile, for the inhabitants both of the prairies and the forests
meet there.”

“Why don’t the Mexicans live in such a varied and beautiful
country as the Zerre-Chaude ?”
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 271

 

“ Because a dragon guards the entrance to these countries where
nature lavishes its choicest gifts,”

“A dragon?” *

“Yes, the yellow fever. A terrible malady which corrupts the
blood, and selects the most robust frames for its victims. The
negro only can labour under this burning sun; where even an
Indian is overcome by the marsh fever.” :

“ Are we liable to catch these fevers?”

“We should be in danger if we stayed here till the rainy
season.”

“How that tree is loaded with fruit!” said Lucien, interrupt-
ing me.

“They are the Mexican medlars. To-morrow we will come

 

and gather some of them. Five or six different species of their
genus grow in these virgin forests. These beautiful trees
produce various fruit which is more or less in request. That
which has attracted your attention—the Sapota achras—is espe-
cially well known. It is considered the most wholesome of all
the tropical fruits, and from the trunk of the tree oozes out the
27:2 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

white gum called chicle, which the inhabitants of the Terre-
Chaude and the Terre-Tempérée are so fond of chewing.”

The night overtook us just as we were discussing a haunch of
venison, roasted by ’Encuerado. A distant roaring told us that
we were surrounded by wild beasts; but we had every confi-
dence in our two fires and the screen which l’Encuerado had con-
structed, so we went quietly to sleep, although we were awakened
several times by a renewal of their frightful uproar.

 
 

CHAPTER XXVIII

A GROVE OF LOG-WOOD TREES—ANTS AT THEIR WORK—PARASITIC IN-
SECTS—THE GREAT ANT-EATER—SPOONBILLS AND HERONS—LOST
IN THE FOREST.

(i E were all stirring by sunrise. After throwing away the
N '? remains of yesterday’s meat, one night in this climate
being enough to putrefy it, ’Encuerado arranged some
fishing lines along the strearn, and our little party set off, strug-
gling against the heat, the mosquitoes, and the horse-flies.

The Indian, following the flight of a purple-feathered bird, led
us close to an immense ant-hill. The little colony seemed very
busy, but I hurried Lucien away, fearing he might be bitten by

them.
“The ants are relations of the termites, are they not, M. Sumi-

chrast 1”

   
274 ' THE ADVENTURES OF

 

“No, Master Sunbeam ; the ants are relations of the bees,
and, consequently, belong to the order of Hymenoptera. There
are male, female, and neuter or working ants. The males and
females are born with wings; but after the females have laid
their eggs, they drop off these appendages, and assist the
workers engaged in constructing the habitation, taking care of
the young ones, and collecting the provisions required for the
colony.”

“Look there! one might fancy that the very grass was walking
along.”

“Tt is the ants which have stripped a tree of its leaves, in order
to hoard them up in their storehouses—a useless precaution, for
these insects become torpid during the winter months.”

Lucien approached the moving column, which was divided into
two lines going contrary ways; one of them advancing loaded
with vegetable remains, and the other going back with empty
mandibles. Nothing could be more interesting than to see
thousands of these little creatures walking along in perfect order,
eagerly carrying or dragging a load five or six times greater than
themselves. Lucien followed them. The column entered the
forest, and crawled up a tree, the lower limbs of which were
already stripped of their leaves, causing it to look as if it were
dead. The ants climbed nearer and nearer to the top, and the
summit was visibly losing its foliage.

“ How long will they take to carry away all the leaves off that
great tree?” asked Lucien.

“They will have finished their work by this evening,” I
answered.

Gringalet, who with generous confidence was lying down a
few steps behind us, and had not seen his enemies creeping slyly
over him, got up and began howling.

“ Will you never be prudent?” cried l’Encuerado. “ Any one
must be as simple as a new-born infant to squat on an ant-hill.
This is the second time you have done it.”

Here the advice-giver was suddenly interrupted; he made a
face, lifted up one of his legs and walked away with long strides;
then he sat down on the ground in order to catch the ants which
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 275

 

had secreted themselves under his leathern shirt. I could not
help laughing at him.

“Look here, Gringalet’s skin is all over lumps!” said Lucien,
stroking the animal.

“They are caused by parasitic insects,” said Sumichrast,
“called ticks. In future we must clear Gringalet every evening
of these inconvenient visitors.”

“But they won’t come off.”

“ Pull them suddenly; their mouth is a kind of disc armed
with two hooks, which, if once buried in an animal’s skin, are
difficult to extract.”

“ How hideous they look with their little legs placed close to
their heads ; here is one which is quite round like a pea.”

«Tt is because it has begun its meal.”

“ Does the tick only attack dogs?”

“The dog has his own peculiar species; other kinds lodge
under birds’ feathers, and some birds have two or three sorts of
parasites. There is one belonging to the turkey, to the peacock,
to the sparrow, to the vulture, to the magpie, &e. I don’t think
there is a bird or animal which does not, like Gringalet, possess
its own peculiar parasite.”

We had started off again, and another glade led us towards a
field extensively ploughed up by moles.

Sumichrast led the way, and conducted us towards the lake I
had mentioned to him the day before. L’Encuerado caught hold
of my arm to call my attention to an enormous animal moving
about in the midst of the foliage.

The animal came down slowly, and we could only see it
indistinctly. At last it reached the lower branches. It was
an ant-eater (Myrmecophaga jubata). It remained motionless
for an instant, moving its enormous muzzle, and darting out its
flat tongue, which, being covered with a slimy coating, enabled it
to catch up the ants with facility. At length the “ bear,” as it
is called by the Indians, slid down the trunk, hanging on to it
with its enormous claws, its prehensile tail strongly clinging to
the sides of the tree.

At the sight of this shapeless beast, only fifty paces from us,
276 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

Lucien rushed to me in terror. Sumichrast had just cocked his
gun, and the noise made the ant-eater turn tail and prepare to
run off, when it found itself face to face with l’Encuerado, It
stood up on its hind legs, with its snout in the air, and then
stretched out its arms ready to strike any one who was imprudent
enough to come within reach of them. Nothing could be more
strange than the appearance of the animal in this defensive
position. Suddenly a shot was fired, and the ant-eater crossed
its fore-legs and fell down dead. L’Encuerado had once been
nearly throttled by an ant-eater, and hence it would have been
of no use for me to have attempted to prevent his shooting it.

““Do not come near, Tata Sumichrast,” cried the Indian ;
“these beasts die very hard, and I still bear the marks of their
claws on my skin. Let me just tickle him up with the point of
my machete.”

“You need not have been afraid,” said Sumichrast, ; “ its ugli-
ness is no proof that it is vicious. It will not attack human
beings, and only makes use of its strength to defend itself. It
is of the order Edentala, and akin to the Armadilloes.”

“ Does it eat anything but ants?” asked Lucien.

“Ants and other insects. It climbs trees, and its bushy
tail distinguishes it from its brothers, the little ant-eater (JZ.
dydactyla), which seldom visits the ground, and eats more insects
than ants, and the tamandua (Tumandua tetradactyla),”

“But how many ants does it take to satisfy it?”

“Thousands ; and it would die of hunger if it had to take
them one by one; but, thanks to the length of its tongue, it is
enabled to pick up hundreds ai a time.”

“ What a very peculiar meal.”

“Didn't you know that some Indians are ant-eaters? In the
Terre-Froide, for instance, dishes are made of red ant’s eggs, and
there is one species which secrets a sweet liquid, of which chil-
dren are very fond.”

On the shore of the lake a fresh surprise awaited us. The bank
to the right was covered with cranes, and that to the left with
spoonbills with delicate pink plumage, one of which Lucien shot.

“Oh, what beautiful birds!” said he.
 

“Tt stuod up on its hind legs.”—Page 276.
 

“The bank to the right was covered with cranes, and that to the left
with spoon-bills.”—Page 276.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 277

 

“What a curious beak!” he further exclaimed, examining his
victim, which Gringalet had just brought him.

“Yes, that is why this bird is called a spoon-bill.”

“Ts it good to eat?”

“Tt is rather tough ; but when any one is hungry”

Sumichrast put his finger to his lips to enjoin silence; two
smaller waders made their appearance and settled close to us.

“ Now, Master Sunbeam,” said Sumichrast, “fire at the bird
to the left, whilst I aim at the one to the right. Those are
egrets, and your sister will like some of their beautiful feathers
to put in her hat. Now, then—one, two—fire !”

The two shots sounded almost at the same moment, and the
birds fell over on to the ground. This double report put to
flight all the spoonbills and cranes, and the lake was soon per-
fectly deserted.

We now took the road leading to the “ Palm-tree Villa,” and
VEncuerado went on before us to take up his fishing-lines.

The heat became perfectly overpowering, and Sumichrast fell
asleep. About half-past three, I went off with Lucien towards
that portion of the forest close by the stream, with the intention
of collecting insects. First one object and then another tempted
us into the interior, till the oblique rays of the sun admonished
us to turn back. But imagine my dismay when, by neglect not
to notch the tree trunks as I passed them, I discovered I did not
know in what direction our camp lay.

“ Are we lost?” asked the boy, in an anxious tone.

“We have gone too far,” said I to the lad, “and perhaps we
shall not be able to get back to the ‘ Palm-tree Villa’ this even-
ing. I am going to fire off my gun to attract I’Encuerado’s
attention.”

The report resounded. I listened with an anxiety which
increased when I perceived that I had only three cartridges left,
and Lucien only retained two charges.

“You had better shoot now,” said I to the lad, “so that
?Encuerado may understand that we are signalling to him.”

I again listened almost breathlessly, but in vain.

“We must rest here without our supper,” said I, with a gaiety

 
278 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

Iwas far from feeling; “if we go on walking we might lose
ourselves.”

After cutting some faggots and making a fire in a semicircle
round a tree, I lay down with my dear companion beside me,
and though I tried hard to conceal it, I could not but feel the
gloomiest forebodings.

About midnight the breeze calmed down, and I closed my
eyes that I might the better hear the slightest noise. Several
times I thought I caught the faintest vibrations of a dull sound ;
but I ultimately attributed these noises to my over-excited
imagination. Suddenly a terrible roar re-echoed through the
forest and woke up Lucien. :

“What is the matter? Is it Chéma?”

“No, my boy; it is a jaguar.”

“ Will it come near us?”

“T hope not, but go on with its nocturnal hunting; anyhow,
behind the fire, we have nothing to fear.”

I put Lucien back against the tree and cocked my gun, when
the head and bright eyes of a superb jaguar appeared about fifty
paces from us.

 
“The head and bright eyes of a superb jaguar appeared about fifty paces
from us.”—Page 278.

 
 

CHAPTER XXIX.

A NOCTURNAL VISITOR—THE FALL OF A TREE—A FEARFUL NIGHT—THE
MONKEYS—MASTER JOB—ALL RIGHT AT LAST.

FTER looking at us for a moment, the animal crept
cunningly round us, alternately appearing and disap-
pearing behind the trees. I hastened to make up the

fire, and then sat down near Lucien, who, gun in hand, was

bravely watching the enemy.

“ Whatever you do, don’t fire,” I said.

“Tf I did, would the animal spring upon us?”

“He would far more likely retreat; but we shall want our
ammunition to-morrow.”

For an hour the animal kept prowling round, every now and
then bounding off. At last it came and sat down about twenty
paces from the fire, then stretched itself on the ground and
rolled about as if in play; but if we made the slightest move-
ment, it immediately got up, and laying back its ears, showed
its formidable teeth. Suddenly a noise as if of breaking branches
was heard, followed by reports like those of guns, then came a
horrible roar. Lucien, frightened, rushed into my arms.

“What!” said I to him, “don’t you remember the noise
made by the fall of a tree?”

“O papa! I have heard nothing like it since the day of the
hurricane.”

“That is quite true; but it is an incident to which you will

 
280 * THE ADVENTURES OF

 

soon be accustomed, for the first storm will probably overthrow
many of these formidable giants.”

“The tiger is frightened too, for he has made off, you see.
Try and go to sleep, my dear boy, for to-morrow we may per-
haps have to walk a long way.”

I leant my head against that of the child, who soon dropped
asleep. The forest had resumed its majestic silence, which was
only disturbed by the distant fall of another and another colossus.

My anxiety was extreme, and though I knew our friends
would range every way in quest of us, we might so readily
wander in opposite directions, as we had no ammunition to
signal with should they come near.

Towards morning, exhausted with fatigue, I fell asleep, and
dreamt in my feverishness that we were nearly at the end of our.
journey, and close to Orizava in sight of home. A slender thread
of light announcing the dawn of day awoke us, and we arose.

The clearness of day now broke upon us. For a quarter of an
hour I kept my ear to the earth, listening in the hopes of hearing
some signal.

Again and again I cocked my gun with the intention of firing,
and as regularly I laid it down, when I reflected I might only
be throwing away my ammunition.

At length I took observations of the bearings of the ground,
and followed as far as possible our trail of the day before.

In this operation we fortunately came upon a pool of water,
at which we quenched our thirst ; but though our hunger was
excessive, and game plentiful, we dared not discharge at it a
single shot.

We hastened forward, and came upon some creeping plants,
indications that we were approaching a glade. Some birds were
singing in the branches, as we hurried on, but I had made up my
mind to shoot the first one large enough to make a meal for my
brave little companion and self.

In spite of my efforts, I could not succeed in hiding my grave
presentiments ; but my son’s prattle, which was even gayer
than usual, quite justified the name of “ Sunbeam” given him by
Sumichrast.
 

“We now came upon some creeping plants.” —Page 280.
 

“The monkey . . slid down, and fell dead at our feet.”— Page 281.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 281

i « Dow't be so serious,” said hes to me, suddenly ; “ you need not
be distressed about me. I have already guessed that we are lost ;
but Tam with you, and Iam not a bit afraid but that we shall
soon find our way again”

The poor child had not the least suspicion of the danger.
Every moment, too, tears came into my eyes, and I felt my courage
getting weaker ; I made a strong effort to dispel my thoughts,
and vowed that I would strive on with faith and energy to the
last hour.

“T’Encuerado will be sure to find us,” said Lucien, with such
an air of conviction, that I could not help sharing his con-
fidence.

“ Yes,” I answered ; ‘“ Sumichrast and ’Encuerado will find us
or die in the attempt. It cannot be possible” Thad not
courage to finish my sentence.

We commenced our march again with increased energy.

“Look out!” cried Lucien, suddenly ; “it seems to me as if
some one were moving the branches close by.”

“Tt is a monkey,” said I; and off I went in pursuit of the
animal, which, leaping from branch to branch, seemed to set us at
defiance. Suddenly, it uttered a gutteral cry, and was answered
by twenty more. I hid behind a tree, and told Lucien to keep
silent. Two or three times, the active creatures moved farther
away, but at last they came so close that I could fire safely. I
never, I think, took more pains with my aim ; the gun went off,
and the band scattered in every direction in a most precipitous
flight. The monkey I had aimed at seemed only wounded, when,
as I was going to fire a second time, it slid down and fell dead at
our feet, its young one, which we had not at first perceived, was
sitting upon a limb about ten feet from the ground uttering low
and almost inaudible plaintive cries.

In a quarter of an hour the animal was skinned and hung in
front of a large fire. Whilst I was superintending the cookery,
the young one moaned incessantly, and my companion tried
every persuasion to coax it down. Urged by Lucien, I ascended
the tree, and tried to catch hold of the motherless little creature.
No doubt it was paralysed by fear, for it only showed its teeth

 
282 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

and allowed me to place it on my shoulder. It clung to my hair
and wound its tail round my neck, as I descended, and I was in
fear every moment of feeling one of my ears bitten. Nothing of
the sort happened, for the poor brute’s teeth chattered with fear;
I placed it close to the fire, where it immediately resumed its
lamentations. Then, by means of a flexible creeper, I secured it
round the middle of the body and tied it to a bush.

When we had satisfied our appetite on the dark and tough
monkey’s flesh, I proposed to Lucien a fresh start.

“Shall we take our little captive with us?” he asked.

“ Yes, certainly. It will be a resource for our supper, in case
we do not fall in with our friends.”

“Oh no,” cried the boy ; “let us at least put off killing it till
to-morrow.”

I hastened my pace, carrying on my shoulder our new com-
panion, whom we at once dubbed “ Master Job.”

I examined more carefully than ever the ground and the bark
of the trees, seeking for anything which might direct our course.
With a sickly feeling at my heart, I saw the sun approach the
horizon. The boy, quite broken down with fatigue, looked at
me, with his eyes full of tears. At last I halted, and the dear
little fellow stretched himself beside me and fell asleep.

While listening with ear and eye alike on the watch, I fancied
I heard the distant report of a gun. I jumped up,—was it the
fall of a tree? or was it a signal from one of our companions?!
I seized my gun, but I hesitated before expending my last cart-
ridge but one. At length I pressed the trigger, and I listened
anxiously as the sound of my shot died away, alas! without
echo, Lucien did not move.

“ Jump up! jump up!” I cried ; for a dull barking moved the
air. Suddenly I fired my last barrel; then, with eyes shut, mouth
open, and nostrils dilated, I listened intently, almost forgetting ©
to breathe. Minutes—they seemed ages—elapsed without any-
thing more interrupting the silence. Lucien looked at me with
a scared face; I pressed my weapon to me in despair, at having
expended my last charge, when a gunshot was heard ringing
out clear and close,
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 283

 

“Tt is ’Encuerado,” cried Lucien.

“ Yes, my boy,” I said, almost frantic.

“ Reply to your friend!” I exclaimed ; “ one of the barrels of
your gun is still loaded.”

Lucien fired, and was answered almost immediately.

“Call out so as to guide them,” said I to the boy; “for we
have no more powder left.”

“ Ohé, ohé, ohé!” called Lucien.

“Hiou, hiou, hiou !” replied a still distant voice.

At the same moment, Gringalet rushed to us as swiftly as
an arrow, and jumped upon his young master. After having
overwhelmed us with caresses, the dog made off again, and ten
minutes later the Indian made his appearance, and running to
the boy, clasped him in his arms, and rolled with him on the
ground in the excess of his wild emotion. I, too, heartily greeted
Sumichrast, but was almost too affected to speak.

All my companion’s efforts to discover our trail had heen in-
effectual, and Gringalet himself, when put to the task, had hunted
in vain round the thickets. The fact was, they looked for us on
the right, while we had gone to the left; for Sumichrast could
not bring his mind to the idea that we had turned our backs to
the stream.

L’Encuerado, after cooking, spread out on the spot his stock
of provisions, to which every one did justice. Master Job was
lodged safely under the shelter of a large branch, and deep sleep
took possession of the whole party.

 
 

CHAPTER XXX.

WE BUILD A RAFT—THE HORNED SERPENT—GOOD-BYE TO “PALM-TREE
VILLA ”—MOSQUITOES AND HORSE-FLIES—THE RATTLESNAKE: —AN
OCELOT.

       

TOYO)

HE next day found us at work building our raft, and
l'Encuerado went off with Lucien in quest of some
flexible creepers, to be used for binding together the

various portions of it. When our companions joined us, Sumi-

chrast was squaring out the last trunks. Lucien, laden with
creepers wound all round his body, carried besides, at the end.
of his stick, the carcase of a horned snake—Atropos mexicanus—
which has scales standing erect behind its eyebrows, like little
horns, which have obtained for it its Indian name of mazacoatl.

The reptile was nearly two feet long, and of a grayish colour,

and gaped with formidable jaws, more than usually dilated by

the blows, I suppose, which l’Encuerado had given it.
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 285

 

Sumichrast, with infinite precaution, showed to his pupil the
tubular fangs, by means of which serpents inoculate the terrible
venom with which some of them have been endowed by nature.

«« When the reptile bites,” said my friend, “its two fangs press
on a small bladder at their base, and the poison is thus injected
into the wound.”

Our naturalist rendered his explanation still clearer by press-
ing on one of the fangs, from the end of which oozed out an
almost imperceptible drop of liquid.

“ How is it that the serpent does not poison itself?” asked
Lucien.

“Jn the first place, it does not chew its prey ; and, secondly,
its venom is only dangerous when it penetrates direct into the
blood ; and a man, if there is no scratch in his mouth or in the
digestive tube, can swallow the poison with impunity, although
a very small quantity introduced into his veins would cause im-
mediate death.”

After our meal, which consisted of turtle and some palm
cabbage, which in flavour resembles an artichoke, I set the
example of commencing work. In less than two hours, the
materials for the raft had been carried to the edge of the stream,
and the frail bark, which was to carry us down to the plains, was
constructed and afloat. A little before sunset, ]’Encuerado, provided
with a long pole for a boat-hook, pushed it out on the water to
ascertain its powers of buoyancy ; and the trial having been judged
satisfactory, the raft was moored, and we all laid down in front
of our “ Villa” to enjoy a siesta.

At last, when everything was arranged for the voyage,
YEncuerado, naked down to his waist, went behind as pilot.
We gave a farewell salute to the ‘ Villa,” by a loud hurrah,
which seemed to frighten our menagerie, and with a last look
at the forest in which I had spent so many miserable hours, the
mooring was cut, and the raft floated slowly and silently down
the current. :

The raft soon drifted into a lagoon, covered with waders and
web-footed birds, which scarcely moved as we passed them, and
some time was lost before we could regain the course of the
286 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

stream. At length, guided by the palm trees, our skiff glided
between two banks bordered by trees, the high tops of which
sheltered us with their shade.

Everything was calm around us, and we remained silent, awed
by the majesty of nature. The stream flowed on in one single
sheet, creepers hanging from the tree-tops drooped down into
the water, whilst kingfishers skimmed from one shore to the
other, and humming-birds, with their varied and shining plum-
age, fluttered about the flowers. Every now and then a low-
hanging tree impeded our passage, and we had to bend down
on the raft to avoid being struck by such obstacles. A mass of
underwood often hid the interior of the woods from our view ;
but here and there a break in the foliage allowed us a glimpse
into its depths. Ebony trees, cotton wood, pepper trees, and
palms, were intermixed with tree ferns, magnolias, white oaks,
and willows. Here and there, too, a sunbeam marked out a
vast circle of light upon the dark water, and myriads of aquatic
insects, gnats, dragonflies, and butterflies, sported in the air or
swam over the glittering surface.

After a time, the state of inaction to which we were doomed,
aggravated by the stings of mosquitoes and large green-eyed
flies, became a perfect torture.

“Those are horse-flies,” said Sumichrast to Lucien ; “they
are very fond of blood, and are a misery to all kinds of mammals
from one end of America to the other.”

“Their bite is more painful than that of the mosquitoes,”
answered the boy, from whose hand a drop of blood was
trickling.

“ That is because their proboscis is armed with lancets, which
are sharp enough to pierce the hides of bulls and horses.”

During this voyage, Lucien amused himself by teaching the
two parrots to repeat the names of his brother and sister ; but
the birds, who, with one foot held up and their heads bent down,
although they paid great attention to the words repeated by the
boy, as yet did not profit much by the lesson.

In the course of our voyage, we were constantly losing trace
of the current in some vast lagoon, and had often a long search
Ok
Naa

 

“In front of us opened a glade, bordered by tall palm-trees.”—Page 287.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 287

till we found it. In one of these searches, I caught sight of such
a picturesque bay, that I proposed a halt. In front of us opened
a tolerably deep glade, bordered by tall palm trees. L’Encuerado
pushed the raft to land over the aquatic plants, and 1 jumped
ashore to moor our craft.

A fallen tree tempted us into the forest, and, on the damp
ground, Lucien caught sight of a magnificent rattlesnake,
seemingly torpid. Sumichrast discharged his gun at the reptile,
which reared itself up, and then fell down dead. A noise im-
mediately resounded in several directions, and two or three
snakes of the same family appeared, one of them followed by
three young ones. The snake killed by my friend measured
more than a yard in length. Its skin was speckled with black,
brown, and gray spots, and its flat, triangular head had a very
repulsive look. Lucien, with a blow from his machete, cut off
the rattles, which give to the reptile its name. These horny
appendages, of which there were seven, were given to Encuerado,
who, like all his fellow-countrymen, believed them to be endued
with miraculous virtues,—among others, that of tuning guitars
and preventing the strings from breaking.

A shot fired by the Indian led us back to the bivouac; our
companion had just killed an ocelot, called by the Indians
ocotchotla.

“You see this animal, Chanito?” cried l’Encuerado, who was
stroking its black and brown spotted fur ; “well, its tongue is
poisonous. When it kills a stag or peccary, it buries its prey
under some leaves, then climbs the nearest tree, and howls
until it attracts all the carnivorous animals near. When they
have feasted, it comes down and devours what is left.”

“But why does it call the animals?” I asked.

“Didn't I tell you its tongue is poisonous? If it ate first, the
venom would be communicated to the food, and the animals that
feasted on the remains would die.”

This fable, narrated by Hernandez, and still told by the
Indians, must have originated in some as yet unobserved habit
of the ocotchotl,

After dinner, when Lucien was going towards his pets to give
288 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

them some fruit, he saw an unfortunate tortoise between
Master Job's paws. The monkey was turning it over, smelling
at it, and then depositing it on the ground, persistently poking
his fingers into its shell, a proceeding which by no means tended
to enliven the melancholy animal. According to l’Encuerado’s
advice, Lucien stuck up some branches near the water, and put
the tortoise into this miniature enclosure.

Night came on, and Lucien was still teaching the birds to
say ‘‘Hortense” and “Emile” To our great astonishment,
Gringalet went and stretched himself close to Master Job, who,
without hesitation, commenced freeing him from the vermin
which were lodged among his hair; then the two friends went
to sleep side by side. About nine o’clock, when I was making
up the fire before going to rest myself, Janet opened one of her
eyes, and chattered a short sentence ; but l’Encuerado was much
too fast asleep to answer her.

 
 
 

“A band of peccaries was pursuing us.” —Page 289.
 

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE HUNTERS HUNTED—ESCAPE FROM PECCARIES—A JAGUAR HUNT—
AN IBIS—THE CAYMANS—THE WILD BULLS.

i embarked our baggage and menagerie, and prepared to
depart. I was just going on board the raft when a
noise attracted our attention to the forest, and two peccaries
rushed past us, pursuing one another. L’Encuerado, taken by
surprise, shot at one of the animals without killing it, and we
all gave chase. Hardly had we gone a hundred paces, when the
Indian, who was in front of us, turned right about, shouting out,
“To the raft! to the raft!”
A noise like the gallop of a troop of horses seemed to shake
the ground. A band of peccaries was pursuing us; and as my

two companions halted to fire, I succeeded in gaining the raft,
T

SERITER we had finished our breakfast next morning, we
290 THE ADVENTURES OF

‘
on which I placed Lucien. The peccaries, about a hundred in
number, rushed on in a furious crowd. Sumichrast, who was
closely pressed by them, leapt up on the frail bark, almost cap-
sizing it, while l’Encuerado ran along the shore.

“Cut the mooring, and push off,” he cried out to me as he
disappeared in the jungle.

Some of the peccaries rushed after the Indian; the others,
chasing and hustling one another, deafened us with their grunt-
ings. I cut the mooring line; and seizing hold of the boat-hook,
directed the raft towards the right bank, whence the uproar
seemed to proceed. |

“ Hiou! hiou! Chanito!”

“Ohé! ohé!” I answered.

I was just going to spring off, when the Indian came in sight,
followed by Gringalet, and plunged into the water, holding his
gun above his head.

L’Encuerado, instead of coming to us on the raft, turned to-
wards a peccary, which in its eagerness had fallen into the water,
and was endeavouring to reach the bank. He seized it by an
ear, and dragged it towards the raft, assisted by Gringalet, who
swam barking behind and biting it when opportunity offered.

‘Fire your gun at this poor wretch’s head,” called ’Encuerado
to Sumichrast.

This was no sooner said than done, and l’Encuerado leaped on
board, dragging his victim after him.

The peccaries collected on the shore continued to utter loud
grunts of rage; but we were beyond their reach, for the raft was
soon carried past them by the current.

“« Are peccaries carnivorous?” asked Lucien.

“Yes, indeed, Chanito. If one of us had been knocked down
by the band, there wouldn’t be much left now but bones.”

“Isn’t the peccary a wild boar, M. Sumichrast ?”

“Tt is a pachyderm,—consequently, a relation of the pig,”
answered my friend. “The wild boar is solitary, whilst the
peccary always goes in flocks; this makes them formidable
enemies in spite of their small size.”

“What, small! this one is larger than Gringalet !”

 
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 291

 

“The wild boar is twice as big. A characteristic of -the
peccary is, that its tail is rudimentary, and the bristles spotted
with black and white ; moreover, only its legs are eatable.”

L’Encuerado went round the edge of the lake in order to trace
the course of the stream. We lost more than an hour in false
channels, and the raft ran aground in a shallow.

When the sun had set, and all the birds were flying over us
to their retreats, we landed to bivouac for the night.

A deep-toned roaring sound awoke me up with a start; the
first thing I saw was Lucien with his gun in his hand, crouching
down close to Sumichrast. On the shore, about sixty yards
from us, I saw a long tawny form and two shining eyes. A
second roar told me the name of our nocturnal visitor, whose
voice I fancied I had heard in a dream.

«* And where is l’Encuerado?” I asked my companion.

“ He is crawling away to the other side.”

A shot cut these words short; the animal gave another roar
and rushed into the jungle. We heard a noise like a scuffle, and
then the jaguar again came in sight; it ran round and round
roaring with rage. A final bound brought it to within twenty
paces of our camp fire, when it fell never to rise again.

“ Hiou! hiou! Chanito.”

This sound took a weight off my mind, for I could not but feel
alarmed for the safety of l’Encuerado.

“ Ohé! ohé!” was responded.

Gringalet, who was let loose, ran towards the enormous crea-
ture, and barked at it from a safe distance. The Indian came up
with his gun upon his shoulder.

“The beast is justly mine, isn’t it, Tatita, and I am still the
tiger-hunter ?”

“Yes,” I replied ; “ but let the tigers alone, if they will allow
you, and let us go to rest.”

We were all going to lie down when the roar of a tiger again
shook the air.

“ Holloa!” cried my friend ; “is your beast come to life again ?”

“No, Tatita Sumichrast ; but my tiger is a tigress, and her
mate is come to see after her.”
292 THE ADVENTURES OF

I told the Indian not to move.

“Let him do as he likes,” said my companion, “he will only
disobey you.”

Half an hour elapsed ; all was profound silence, and we could
hear the slightest rustling of the leaves. Suddenly there was
the report of a gun, and, five minutes afterwards, we greeted
with “bravos” the triumphant “ Hiou! hiou!” of the Indian,
who, streaming with water, came to dry himself at the fire.

“I was obliged to ford the stream,” he said ; “ but his lord-
ship has got the ball between his two eyes this time.”

“You are a brave fellow,” responded Sumichrast, shaking
hands with him.

“ Now I shall sleep quietly,” the Indian whispered to Lucien.

Master Job, Gringalet, Janet, and Verdet, all had their eyes
wide open when I awoke at daybreak. Lucien rose just as I
was starting for the water’s edge and accompanied me.

An elegant bird with a long curved bill came and settled down
on the bank; the boy remarked the beautiful bronze-coloured
plumage of the wader. I informed him it was an ibis.

“The Egyptian bird which devours serpents ?”

“One of its kinsfolk,” I replied ; “the ibis feeds, generally
speaking, on worms, molluscs, and even on sea-weed or aquatic
plants. It may, perhaps, sometimes eat water-snakes ; but as tu
feeding exclusively on reptiles, or destroying them systematically,
that’s quite another story.”

We now reached the bivouac, and found my companions up,
and l’Encuerado in a state of high excitement over his exploit.

Having drunk our coffee, we all turned up our sleeves, and set
to work to skin our magnificent prizes. This difficult operation
employed us all the morning, and was scarcely finished when I
carried our baggage on board the raft, which was soon pushed
off from the bank.

Our way lay through walls of the densest foliage, which often
met overhead, while such was the awful stillness of the solitude,
that we felt oppressed, and only spoke in a low voice.

The hour for rest had long passed, and yet no one proposed
to land. The fact was, we wished some more animated resting-
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 293

 

place ; and though l'Encuerado, with his pole, shoved us onward
with energy, the numerous bends hindered our progress, and it
seemed as if night would surprise us still afloat. At last, the
palm trees became more crowded, and the stream emerged
from the forest, to cross a prairie; here the raft was moored
under a canopy of creepers.

Our first care was to stretch the tigers’ skins on the heated
eround, and, whilst I was helping l’Encuerado, Sumichrast and
Lucien went off in quest of our dinners. The fire had been for
some time burning, when we heard a distant gunshot.

Sumichrast returned laden with a green iguana, and Lucien
was dragging by a string a little alligator, about thirty inches
long.

“ Look, M. ’Encuerado,” cried the boy ; “ here is an alligator
or cayman, a relation of the lizards and an enemy of man. This
ugly young beast has only baby-teeth, so cannot bite much.
It feeds on fish, otters, calves, and many other animals. It is an
amphibious being, M. I’Encuerado, a creature that lays eggs like
fowls, but buries them in the sand, where the sun has to hatch
them ; it is a brute, too, which is so fond of man, that it eats
him whenever it has a chance.

“Take care it does not bite you,” said I to the boy ; “‘ how did
you manage to catch it?”

“T pursued it, thinking it was a big fica M. Sumichrast
called out to me not to handle it, and then ted this creeper
round its neck.”

“You don’t intend to take it away with you, I hope.”

“No; it is an ill-tempered creature, and is always anxious to use
its teeth. I shall just show it to Master Job, and then let it go.”

Neither Job nor his corapanions seemed flattered by this in-
troduction, and the boy was disappointed when he deposited it
at the water's edge ; for instead of plunging in, as he expected,
it made a semicircle, and ran off towards the forest.

“ Don’t young alligators know how to swim?” he asked.

“Yes, Chanito ; but they do not go into the water till they are
old enough to defend themselves against the big males which
would devour them.”
204 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

The sun had scarcely risen, when I saw on the shore, at about
ten paces from us, three monsters luxuriously stretched out.
One of them, from sixteen to twenty feet long, with a brown
and rough body, opened its enormous jaws and showed us its
frightful teeth. I took Lucien by the hand to lead him nearer
to the reptiles, the better to inspect them.

“T like tigers better than these creatures,” said he ; “ certainly
their roaring is frightful to listen to, but they are by no means
so hideous.” ,

“Look along there, M. Sumichrast!” cried Lucien, when we
had again taken to our raft; “there are eyes floating on the
water.”

“You are not mistaken, they are crocodile’s eyes.”

The child nestled up to me, and I encouraged him; but these
dark eyes appearing in every direction, and following every
movement of the raft, troubled him beyond expression.

The banks of the river were covered with alligators, with their
mouths wide agape. Some of them glided down into the water
and came near us, but the majority remained motionless, not
caring to exert themselves. Lucien’s fear began to calm down.
He had so wished to see plenty of alligators, now he complained
that there were too many.

“Look at that one!” said Sumichrast, “climbing up that
spit of land! He turns round with difficulty, and looks as if he
scarcely had the use of his limbs. The fact is, that his body
has no proper joints, and only moves in one piece. The best
way, therefore, to escape from an alligator is to run up and down,
making the turns short and rapid.”

The stream had hitherto flowed almost on a level with its
banks, now the latter became gradually higher, and we floated
along under an arch of foliage. L’Encuerado happened to raise
himself to point out to Lucien a tree covered with parrots,
between whom and the Indian there immediately commenced a
lively chatter. Diverted by this amusing conversation, none of
us perceived an enormous branch, which just grazed our heads,
but upset our entertainer. When he emerged from the water,
instead of swimming towards us, l’Encuerado made his way to

e
‘The banks of the river were covered with alligators.”—Page 2

 
 

“The Indian and his branch descended with a splash into the river.”’—Page 295.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 295

 

the bank, and began, with cutlass in hand, to hew and hack at
the tree which had been the cause of his accident.

“Tf you’re going to cut down that colossus,” cried my friend,
‘we had better encamp here, for it’s eight days’ work at least.”

#8 Only wait ten minutes more, at most, Tatita Sumichrast 3 it
shall never be said that this great booby broke my head and
then laughed at’ me, to the heart’s delight of the parrots, who
no doubt were the instigators of such conduct.”

L’Encuerado, by the notches he had cut in the tree, could
easily climb up to the lowest branch ; but in his haste he slipped
and fell a second time into the water.

In a twinkling the Indian was up astride again on his branch
jJabbering like an ape, and slashing his knife into it, when of a
sudden it gave a loud crack, and he and it descended with a
splash into the river. At this noise the parrots sent up a
wild scream and flew off, while the branch floated past us to
the ocean. Our companion climbed up again on the raft, and
laughed so heartily at his defeat of the tree and the fright he
had caused to the parrots, that Lucien soon joined in his gaiety.
He was, however, thoroughly exhausted, so lay down, when he
slept the peaceful sleep of a child which has tired itself out with
a fit of passion.

For two hours I managed the raft, and then l’Encueradu
awaking, resumed his post in silence. Suddenly there was a
heavy tramping on the ground, the boughs moved, and the head
of a wild bull appeared among the creepers. The animal sur
veyed us for a moment with its fierce eyes, and then made off,
bellowing hoarsely.

The sight of this new denizen of the forest confirmed the
omens as we had already read them, and soon, accordingly, there
burst upon our view an immense savannah. We were just about
to pass the last shrub on the bank of the river, when l’Encuerado
suddenly brought the boat to a stand-still. I stood up and saw
a herd of wild cattle moving rapidly down to that portion of
the stream which we were about to pass.

“Look out!” cried Sumichrast ; “this is better worth seeing

than the crocodiles.”
296 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

L’Encuerado landed, and crossing the prairie, called us. I
found him close to an enormous willow tree; without loss of
time, Lucien, Sumichrast, and I climbed up among the branches,
taking Gringalet with us ; but the Indian preferred posting him-
self in a more isolated position.

“We shall have roast fillet of beef to-night,” cried he, execut-
ing among the branches such a series of gambols that I feared he
would finish by falling.

The cattle approached. The ground trembled under their feet,
and we were deafened by their bellowing, One of them, a mag-
nificent bull, with a black coat sprinkled with white spots, took

 

the lead. The drove, which first trotted on, and then stopped to
browse, followed its imperious-looking chief; the caymans, as if
awakened by the uproar, assembled at the opening of the
savannah, and numerous watchful eyes were to be seen on the
surface of the water.

The wild drove halted at about fifty paces from the stream ; the
black and white bull advanced alone, and first leisurely taking a
drink, plunged into the water; it reached the opposite bank,
where it halted and turned right about. Then the entire drove,
above which was hovering a cloud of horse flies, dashed at full
 

dashed at full gallop into the stream.”—Page 296.

“(The entire drove...
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 207

 

gallop into the stream to join their guide. Although the drove
must have consisted of hundreds, in less than a quarter of an hour,
there were not left more than five or six on our side, and these
seemed afraid to cross. Suddenly a gun was fired, and one of the
animals came rushing past our tree with a jet of blood flowing
from his chest. Suddenly it stopped, groaned, and sank down
upou the ground. I casta glance at l’Encuerado, who descended
to the lowest branch continuing his gymnastic exercises. The
young bulls on our side, frightened by the report of the gun,
at last made up their minds to cross; one of them, however,
stopping to drink, was seized by a crocodile, and gradually
drawn under the water. A second disappeared in the middle
of the stream, and a third, after a fearful struggle, reached
the bank. The whole drove, goaded on by the horse flies,
then resumed their furious course, and were soon lost in the
distance.

These cattle range the prairies in droves of sometimes forty
thousand, and were originally imported by the Spaniards.

 
 

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE KING OF THB VULTURES—THE TICKS—L’ENCUERADO FRIGHTENED
BY A DEMON—THE TAPIRS—GOOD-BYE TO THE STREAM—THE PUMA’S
PREY—A MISERABLE NIGHT— OUR DEPARTURE—THE SAVANNAH—
LUCIEN CARRIED IN A LITTER—HUNGER AND THIRST—WE ABANDON
OUR BAGGAGE AND PETS IN DESPAIR.

JHE next morning, l’Encuerado started alone on the raft;
for we had resolved to cross the savannah on foot, and
thus escape, for an hour or two, the insects which took
advantage of our forced immobility in order to bleed us at their
leisure.

Flocks of black vultures hovered high up in the sky, bending
their course towards a spot not very far from the river bed. Our
curiosity led us in that direction, and ina large hole, with perpen-

 
ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. 299

 

dicular sides, about twelve yards wide, we saw several hundreds of
these barenecked gentry fighting over the carcass of a buffalo. We
were retiring in disgust, when the vultures, who had not seemed
the least alarmed at our presence, suddenly manifested fear, and,
abandoning their prey, stood around in evident concern. A new
guest had made its appearance in the sky, and soared round and
round above us. It settled down heavily, and folded its black
and white wings ; the new comer was the sarcoramphus papa of
the savants—a bird akin to the condor.

This king of the vultures, as the Indians call it, had a black
tail and white plumage on his back. His neck was adorned with
a ruff of pearl-gray feathers, and the top of his head was streaked
in symmetrical lines with a dark down; on his yellowish beak
there was a fleshy protuberance, the utility of which ornitholo-
gists seek in vainto explain. The magnificent bird darted round
him a domineering look, and, advancing towards the prey, began
to feed. New guests were incessantly arriving, but they all kept
their distance.

At last the sarcoramphus flew away, and immediately the vul-
tures rushed en masse on the carcass, which soon disappeared
under the crowd of beaks.

We now made for the raft, but the distance was greater than
we had calculated ; and, before going on board, it was highly
necessary to free ourselves of the hundreds of ticks which we had
collected in the savannah. These insects are black, and as small
as fleas, and gather in masses at the extremities of plants, ready
to attach themselves to any animal that brushes against them.
They then bury their claws in the flesh, and greedily suck the
blood. It is a tedious job to pick off one by one these trouble-
some parasites, which cause an almost unbearable itching.

About five o’clock in the evening, the raft came to shore in a
bay shaded by palm trees. L’Encuerado hastened to stretch out
his tigers’ skins, and, as night was at hand, we contented ourselves
with the remains of a tortoise. The Indian, who had walked
but little, cocked his gun and strolled along the edge of the
river. In about a quarter of an hour he returned, looking pale
and excited.
300 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

_ “Have you been bitten by a serpent?” I cried.

‘No, Tatita,” he replied, quite out of breath ; “something
worse than that! I have seen it /”

“ What?” I exclaimed.

“A ghost,” said the Indian in a low tone, crossing himself.

“Pluck up your spirits!” said I to the Indian; “if you
have, we ’ll kill it to-morrow.”

“You can’t kill it, Tatita.”

“With ordinary bullets, no; but those which Sumichrast
knows how to prepare will soon settle him.”

My curiosity was raised ; for this ghost was an animal, called
a tapir, which the Indians believe possessed of supernatural
powers, and as I had never met with one, I was anxious that we
should come across it.

“ And didn’t you aim at it?” cried my friend.

“No; I ran away,” replied the fearless tiger-hunter.

Thus, |Encuerado, whom the evening before we had seen
braving tigers, crocodiles, and wild cattle, now trembled at the
mere idea of facing an inoffensive animal, which was only a rela-
tion of the peccaries, with a snout terminated by a non-prehensile
proboscis, yet to which his imagination attributed certain
demoniac qualities. He that night utterly refused to go to
rest ; at the least rustling of the leaves he expected to see the
ghost appear. Instead of directly opposing his error—which I
knew would be of no use—I endeavoured to convince him that
my power far surpassed that of the object of his dread.

“Tf it wasn’t for that,” I urged on him, “do you think I would
permit Lucien to sleep in so dangerous a neighbourhood?”

Sumichrast gave the Indian two bullets, and solemnly told him
that with these projectiles he would surely kill the object of his
dread if he aimed straight. L’Encuerado gradually recovered his
self-possession ; the idea of slaying in one of its most formidable
shapes the cause of his superstition excited his self-esteem, and he
went to sleep, and no doubt dreamt of his next day’s exploit.

At daybreak we walked down to the confluence of the two
rivers ; in front of us stretched a broad prairie covered with thick
grass. If the tapir had not quenched its thirst in the night, it
 

 

“The reeds were pushed aside "— Page 301.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 30L
would be sure to reappear; therefore Lucien and Sumichrast turned
to the left close by the stream, whilst Iand my servant crouched
down behind the trunk of a tree at the entrance of the forest.

We remained in this position for more than an hour, when sud-
denly the reeds were pushed aside, and two of the looked-for
pachyderms came out together on the green sward.

L’Encuerado kept on crossing himself without intermission.

“Fire!” said I, in a low voice, “and aim straight at the
forehead.”

The gun went off, and the tapirs decamped ; but one of them
fell on the ground before it could enter the water ; it was dead
ere we reached it.

‘You have killed the object of your dread,” said Lucien, who
ran up to examine the curious animal.

“Yes, Chanito, thanks to the enchanted bullets.”

L’Encuerado having positively refused to touch the tapir, Sumi-
chrast undertook to cut it up, as we much wished to taste its
flesh. All our efforts to induce the Indian to do lhkewise were
fruitless, and his ingenious mind found a retort to all our argu-
ments. The flesh of the animal reminded us a little of that of
the peccary, although it was less highly flavoured.

About mid-day the tigers’ skins were taken up, and the raft
was soon floating over the combined streams. We had at first
thought of proceeding in this way as far as the Gulf of Mexico ;
but the season was now too far advanced to admit of such an
excursion. We at length made up our minds that the next day
we should abandon our raft, and return by the shortest route
to our starting-point.

At dawn of day our bivouac was enlivened by hundreds of
birds. L’Encuerado cut the mooring line of the raft, and let it
float down the stream, thanking it at the same time for the
services it had rendered us, and wishing it prosperity in its lonely
voyage to the ocean.

‘As I stood watching the frail bark gliding away, two herons
perched upon it, and it soon glided out of sight laden with its
winged passengers:

We were all ready to start ; the “Tapir River,” as Lucien had
302 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

named it, we bid adieu to with three hurrahs, and our little
party set off, following Sumichrast, who carried Master Job
perched on his shoulder.

Our way lay in part through a prairie, where the heat was
overpowering, and in part through palm-tree woods, infested
with mosquitoes. At last, overcome by fatigue, we felt compelled
to halt and bivouac for the night.

As we were arranging our bivouac next night, ’Encuerado saw
a crayfish, and set off with Lucien to try and catch some of them.
I and Sumichrast started on the trail of some deer we had

 

seen bounding past. We had scarcely gone more than five hun-
dred yards before we climbed a hill; beyond which a savannah
was spread out before us as far as the eye could reach, the
high grass of which looked almost like ripe wheat.

Sumichrast, who had halted, summoned me by an imitation of
the cry of an owl. I hastily and noiselessly joined him, when he
pointed out to me, among the trees; a deer quietly browsing,
which would no doubt pass within gunshot. I stood watching
by my friend, following with anxiety all the movements of the
 

“While the moon dimly lighted up the landscape."—Page 303.
 

 

“The deer sank down under the weight of a puma."—Page 303.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 303

 

graceful animal ; for twice it threw up its head and showed some
vague uneasiness. Sumichrast, fearing that it was about to make
off, was getting ready to fire, when the deer gave a bound and
sank down under the weight of a puma, which had sprung upon
it. I fired at the carnivora, which the ferocious brute responded
to by a loud roar, then dragging its prey a distance of about
fifty yards, it suddenly made off. The venison of the deer,
and more than thirty small crayfish caught by Lucien and his
friend, were a godsend to our larder, and amply made up for the
short commons of previdus occasions.

We watched the sun go down from the top of the hill; and
descried on the horizon the bluish line of the Cordillera, with
the voleano of Orizava, towering up towards the west. Hence-
forth this mountain was to be our guide while crossing the
immense savannah, an undertaking which filled me with dread,

‘Shall we cross that great plain?” asked Lucien.

“Yes, Master Sunbeam, it is the shortest way to Orizava.”

“How many hours shall we be in doing it ?”

“Hours? We shall be three or four days at least.”

At this moment a storm, which we saw impending, burst over
us, and we hurried pell-mell to our hut. For four hours the
heavens continued to pour down, amid thunder and lightning, a
perfect deluge, and we were all, in spite of our shelter, soaked to
the skin. The clouds broke up, and a few stars shone out ; about
midnight the clear sky regained its azure tint, while the moon
dimly lighted up the landscape. L’Encuerado, who slept through
it, now woke up to help us to rekindle the fire, and get ready a
cup of coffee ; after enjoying which, and changing our clothes, we
all retired to rest.

In the morning we held a council to deliberate about the
route, and, after some debate, we agreed to l’Encuerado’s pro-
posal, and decisively resolved to cross the savannah direct.

It would have been madness to travel, so heavily laden as we
were, under the rays of a vertical sun ; so I proposed not to start
till the evening, and that henceforth we should travel by night,
a plan which quite rejoiced Lucien.

After the baggage had been equally divided, and everything
304 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

that was useless thrown away, I counted the maize-cakes, our
only food, and found we had enough victuals for several days,
besides crayfish, and the flesh of an armadillo. We filled our
gourds up to the necks with water and corked them tightly ;
then lay down in the shade to gain strength for our next stage.

About four o’clock l’Encuerado called us to dinner, and by sun-
set we started, home bound, each with his allotted burden over
his shoulder. Sumichrast, with Lucien following, led the way.

“Well, Master Sunbeam, you are nearly as much lost in the
stalks here as you were in the forest. Are your boots well
greased? We shall have many days of hard walking.”

“Where are all the wild cattle and horses?”

“Not far off, I hope! first, because they would guide us to the
ponds and the streams where they drink ; and secondly, we may
need them to furnish us with food.”

“Then shall we find nothing to shoot here?”

“Nothing at all where the grass is so high as this; animals
seldom venture into the midst of these solitudes.”

“ And the birds?”

“They are never to be seen unless the grass grows close to the
ground, excepting birds of prey ; and they, perhaps, are hovering
over us now, hoping we may become food for them.”

For more than five hours we kept on without stopping. I

then proposed a halt. By lying down on the grass we at once
found a soft bed, and Lucien and the rest of us soon went to
sleep. Before daylight l’Encuerado awoke us, when, after tak-
-ing our bearings, he undertook to be our guide. As the first
sunbeam appeared, we halted to form our camp and erect our
tent. We cleared a large space, and a hole in the ground served
as a fire-place. Our crayfish remained perfectly fresh, and whilst
YEncuerado was broiling them, I and Sumichrast watched the
direction of the flames, as it was highly important for our
safety that the savannah should not be set on fire. The meal
despatched, and the fire extinguished, we squatted down under
the shadow of the grass, and resigned ourselves to sleep.

I woke about mid-day, nearly roasted by the sun, which had
now replaced the shade. Calling my companions, so that they
 

‘“‘Lucien began to repeat to the parrots, the names of Hortense and Emile.” —Page 305.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 305

 

might change their position, a new arrangement of our covering
gave us more shelter, and soon once more all were asleep ; but in
the short intervening time Lucien began to repeat to the pay
the names of Hortense and Emile.

At midnight, ’Encuerado shouldered his load and took the
lead. The second night passed like the first, and we travelled
at least eight leagues.

Our third night was interrupted by five or six halts, but we
plodded on till dawn. At the first gleam of light, I examined the
horizon ;—there was nothing but bluish-looking mountains to the
right, and in every other direction only the gloomy and deserted
plain. On this day we had to be satisfied with maize-cakes ; but
the hope of at length reaching the woods cheered every one.

“One night more,” said l’Encuerado and Sumichrast, “and
then we shall have rest and abundance.”

The fourth day’s march was much more wearisome, especially
to poor Lucien, who, still uncomplaining, yet commenced to limp
dreadfully.

The day broke, and I again examined the horizon, but could
see nothing except the sky and grass.

“T am afraid we are not going the right way,” I said to
VEncuerado. “God grant we have not been walking at random
for these three days.”

The Indian stood up on his basket, and carefully examined the
outline of the mountains.

“We are in the right path,” said he, positively; ‘the savannah
is very wide, that is all”

L’Encuerado’s assurances only half convinced me, Lucien’s feet
were so covered with blisters, that he could scarcely put them
to the ground. Unexpectedly I discovered that he was weeping
silently ; so I took him up in my arms, when he soon fell asleep.

In this emergency, l’Encuerado, with the straps and poles of
our tent, managed to make a kind of litter, upon which we placed
the boy. Sumichrast helped me to carry him, and though we
had to stop hundreds of times to rest our arms, still we accom-
plished several leagues. The day had scarcely begun to dawn,

when I again examined the horizon ;—alas ! nothing was changed,
U
306 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

and the only things I saw were flocks of black vultures, which
are not generally regarded as a happy omen.

Owing to an accident by which our reserve gourd was burst,
and the contents spilt, we were tormented by thirst, and the only
food we had to eat only half restored our rapidly-failing strength.
In another day all our maize-cakes would be exhausted, and the
rice was of no use without water. Fatigue gradually dispelled
these gloomy thoughts, and we fell asleep.

I awoke about four o’clock in the afternoon, and was dis-
mayed to find that ’Encuerado had deserted us, accompanied
by Gringalet.

Having passed a whole night in useless waiting, hoping for his
reappearing, we resolved to pursue our journey. So we put all
the baggage into one heap, and set Janet and Verdet at liberty,
leaving them the sack of rice which we could not carry. Then,
loaded with our guns and gourds—alas! almost empty—we pre-
pared to start on our journey without having the courage to un-
deceive Lucien, who thought we were going to meet his friend.

At last, having examined the horizon carefully, I placed Master
Job on my shoulder, and led by Sumichrast, Lucien being borne
between us, we pursued our course.

 
 

CHAPTER XXXIIL.

THIRST—L ENCUERADO’S RETURN—THE DESCRIPTION OF HIS JOURNEY
—JANET, VERDET, AND ROUGETTE—HUNTING WILD HORSES—
OUR LAST ADVENTURE—THE RETURN.

HE undertaking was beyond our strength. Panting and
9 suffocated with heat, and tormented by thirst, we were
compelled to desist.

Lucien’s feet pained him dreadfully, but the brave little fellow
kept constantly saying, “I should be all right if I could only have
a good drink.”

My friend several times gave him his gourd to wet his tongue
from, but it was only temporary relief. Night came on, and we
began to prepare for our almost hopeless march. A mouthful
of brandy gave us a little artificial strength. So even before
308 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

sunset, I mounted Lucien on my shoulder and recommenced our
journey.

Twenty times I was forced to take breath, and twenty times I
struggled on again ; but happily the grass became shorter, which
was a good omen, and hope revived.

Sumichrast now lifted up Lucien, and walked on with a deter-
mined step. I took up Master Job, and followed closely in his
rear. We heard a dull noise, and stopped to listen. It was the
report of a gun, and by and by we heard a horse galloping, and
then a well-known bark.

“ That ’s Gringalet,” said Lucien.

“Hiou! hiou! hiou! Chanito!!”

Our emotion scarcely allowed us to answer; the Indian sprang
from his horse, and, running towards the child, pressed him to
his heart, and then, stretching out his arms, fell senseless to the
ground. I rushed towards him and opened his gourd ;—it was
full! With the help of Sumichrast I poured a few drops of brandy
between his teeth. He gradually regained his senses and looked
at us in surprise. He was exhausted from hunger and fatigue.

“Tf I had eaten or drunk,” he said, simply, “‘I should have
wanted to go to sleep, and then what would have become of
you? But my hunger and thirst spurred me on, so that I have
not lost a moment.”

“My good fellow!” I answered, “you ought to have taken
something to restore your strength, for if it had failed, what
would have become of us?”

L’Encuerado did not hear me, he had just fallen into a deep
sleep, and we soon followed his example. When we awoke,
lEncuerado mounted the steed he had brought, and, taking
Lucien up in front, led us back to the baggage.

“Why did you start without letting us know?” asked Sumi-
chrast.

‘Because you would have prevented me from following out
my plan. I was convinced there were woods and flocks not far
ahead of us, and as I feared not the sun for myself, I started as
soon as you were all fast asleep, having fortified myself for the
journey with a drop of the cognac. I often longed, as I pro-
 

“We had to cross some muddy marshes.”—Page 309.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 3°99

 

ceeded, to lie down and rest, but then I thought of Chanito, and
ran on faster than ever. Without knowing why, I stumbled,
and I think I must have fallen asleep. When I opened my eyes
the sun had set, and Gringalet was licking me with his tongue.
I got up, stupefied as I was, and ran forward without halting to
the verge of a wood. I dashed in among the trees ; and in less
than a quarter of an hour I came upon a great lake, and horses
and buffaloes running wild. My strength, however, began to fail,
and it took me more than four hours to catch this mustang,”
continued the Indian, looking down on his steed, “ but I soon
made him know his master was on his back.”

Having returned to our bivouac to recover our treasures, we
resolved to start immediately, as the sky was obscured by clouds.

Next day I’Encuerado set to work to provide us all with
horses. Having prepared a lasso, the agile Indian darted off at
full gallop towards a drove which were grazing some distance
off; and by night had captured five of their number. Two
days, however, were spent in breaking our mounts, and render-
ing them docile; but as our stores were visibly diminishing, and
we were considerably freshened up, it became highly necessary
for us to start.

Next morning our little cavalcade crossed the plains and woods
almost at a gallop. The blue mountains in front looked higher
and higher, and the outlines of the volcano grew more defined.

The second day of our march we had to cross some muddy
marshes, in which our horses mired up to their bellies. On reach-
ing firm ground again, we hoped to perceive a human dwelling,
but the trees restricted our view.

At last, in the afternoon of the third day, just as we were
endeavouring to go round two wild bulls engaged in a combat, a
horseman came out in front of us, halted for a moment as if in
indecision, and then turned short round and rode off, after having
fired his gun at us.

We hurried on our horses, making sure of soon coming upon
a hacienda, when we heard another gunshot, and a bullet whistled
by our ears. The Indian rode swiftly towards the would-be
murderer, but he went off at full gallop. In spite of my cries,
310 THE ADVENTURES OF

 

the Indian fired at him, and horse and man rolled upon the
ground.

The fool had mistaken us for horse-stealers ; and the Indian,
after soundly thrashing him, at my entreaty let him off.

When night came, we were at the foot of the mountains; so
all we had to do was to join the main road from Vera Cruz to
Mexico. Our horses were now set at liberty, after having been
overwhelmed with compliments and polite speeches by l’Encue-
rado. The brave animals at first appearéd undecided which way
to go, and remained without moving, keeping their noses to the

 

wind. At last one of them neighed, and darted off, when the
rest followed at the top of their speed.

We were now scarcely twelve leagues from Orizava, and almost
painfully impatient to reach it. Woods, mountains, valleys were
crossed with a kind of feverish haste, and the approach of night
alone forced us to bivouac.

At about three o’clock in the morning, Lucien began to reproach
us for our laziness.

Woodcutters now passed, who saluted me by name, and one
guided us for more than a league, astonished at l’Encuerado’s tales.
A YOUNG NATURALIST. 311

 

He left us at the foot of a mountain, the last we had to cross,
the steep acclivity of which somewhat damped our ardour.

Lucien was the first to arrive on the plateau. A few steps
farther, and the town of Orizava lay stretched in peaceful repose
at our feet.

As the young traveller contemplated the town in which was
his home, involuntary tears moistened his cheeks; he stretched
out his arms towards it and sobbed.

All of us, however, shared his emotion to some extent. Now
that we were safe, we rejoiced that I had undertaken this
expedition. I thanked God for His manifest protection, and,
for the last time, gave the word to start.

As we descended the mountain, the town became more dis-
tinctly visible. L’Encuerado could name the churches and
streets ; at last, Lucien discovered his home, which was easily
recognisable by the magnificent orange tree. In order to satisfy
the boy’s impatience, we made our way through a steep ravine.
Our little party reached the valley just as the bells were ringing
for vesper prayers.

The sun was setting, and we were wrapped in obscurity; Indians
kept crossing our path at every step, and the lamps were here and
there shining out through the dark. The Rio Bianco barred our
passage, but large stones, placed at intervals in the river, enabled
us to cross it almost dry-shod. Then Gringalet suddenly barked,
and darted off like an arrow.

Twenty minutes after, we entered Orizava by some of the side
streets, to prevent a crowd following at our heels. When we
were about fifty paces from our house, Lucien and |’Encuerado
darted off at a racing pace; they found all the inmates of our home
assembled on the threshold. Gringalet had announced our arrival.

When I entered the courtyard, Lucien and his mother were
sobbing in one another’s arms; Emile, Hortense, and Amelie
were grouped round the basket, on which Janet and Verdet
were sitting. I noticed, standing in a corner, the cases which
had been intrusted to Torribio.

L’Encuerado came and leaned against the door of the room,
twisting the broad brims of his hat quite out of shape.
312 ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST.

 

“Jf it had not been for him,” I said to my wife, “we should
have died!”

The brave Indian stooped and kissed the hands of his
mistress.

My children, who had gone out for a few minutes, now burst
into the room ; they had ransacked the basket, and were disputing
for poor Rougette, who was placed in the fountain in the garden.
Janet and Verdet, perched on the back of a chair, stammered
the names of Hortense and Emile, as well as could be hoped.
The two children became pale with pleasure and surprise.

Just at this moment, Master Job, introduced by Gringalet,
came and sat down on the carpet, and allowed the children to
caress him.

It was delightful to sit down to table, surrounded by all the
beings dearest to my heart. L’Encuerado kept praising Lucien,
who continued exciting his mother’s emotion by relating to her
the principal incidents of our journey.

“Tam sure, mamma, that you will let me go with papa another
time?” said Lucien. ‘Our collection is not finished yet, and it
must be completed sooner or later.”

The young naturalist might be recognised in this question, for
the collector is ever insatiable.

His poor mother shook her head, and embraced her boy with-
out replying. But her silence seemed to show that she would
not willingly expose her son to the perils of a fresh journey.

THE END.

PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
@ List of Books

PUBLISHING BY

SAMPSON LOW, SON, anD MARSTON,

Crown Buildings, 188, Fleet Street.

Fea

[ September, 1870.
NEW ILLUSTRATED WORKS.

8 AVOURITE ENGLISH POEMS AND POETS. An
% entirely New and Extended Edition. With 320 Engravings
on Wood, produced in the very best style of woodcut printing.
Handsomely bound in cloth extra, silk head-band, &c., 21s.

“Tt contains upwards of 200 examples of our sweetest singers, illus-
trated by above 300 engravings. ae and sentiment are satisfied with this
noble gathering of the poets of our land.”’”—Atheneum. “ What we most
like in the Editor is that, with scarcely an exception, he selects whole
poems. Extracts and beauties are often as unfarr to the writer as they
are misleading to the reader.’—Saturday Review. ‘‘ When we say that
the list of artists includes the names of Messrs. Harrison Weir, Birket
Foster, J.C. Horsley, Charles Keene, Percival Skelton, John Gilbert,
Gustave Doré, and E. Duncan, and that each of these appears to have
done his very best, and to have worked in harmony, we have said enough
to recommend the re-issue of this volume far and wide. The poems are
taken mostly from writers of the last three centuries, and the illustrations
amount to upwards of 300.”—Times.

THE GENTLE LIFE. Essays in Aid of the Formation of
Character. By Hain Friswell. The Queen Edition, revised and selected
from the Two Series. Dedicated by express permission and desire, to
Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen. In one volume, small 4to.,
choicely printed on paper specially made, with Title Vignette by Sir
Noel Paton, R.S.A., engraved on steel by C. H. Jeens, bound, cloth
extra. [Just ready.

CHRIST IN SONG. Hymns of Immanuel, selected from all
Ages, with Notes. By Philip Schaff, D.D. Crown 8vo, toned paper,
beautifully printed at the Chiswick Press. With Initial Letters and
Ornaments, and handsomely bound. 8s. 6d.

“Tf works of a religious character are ever seasonable as gift-books,
that time certainly is Christmas. Foremost among them we have “ Christ
in Song” by Dr. Philip Schaff (Sampson Low), a complete and carefully
selected oe Christologica,” embracing the choicest hymns on the person
and work of our Lord from all ages, denominations, and tongues. When
we add that the sources whence its contents are taken are early Greck,
Latin, and German hymns, that most of the modern ones are from English
and American writers, and that the selection appears to be made with care
and discretion, we have said enough to recommend it to most of our
readers.” —Times,

 
 
2 Sampson Low and Co.’s

 

THE HISTORY OF FRANCE, from the Earliest Times to the
year 1789. Related for the Rising Generation, by M. Guizot, Author
of “ The History of the Civilization of Europe,” &c., Translated from
the French by Robert Black, M.A. With 100 full-page Engravings,
and numerous smaller ones. Now publishing in 24 Two Shilling Parts,

(Part 1, Oct 1.

HISTORIC DEVICES, BADGES, AND WAR CRIES. By
Mrs. Bury Palliser. With 140 Illustrations, beautifully printed on
the finest paper, square 8vo. cloth extra. [ Shortly, -

THE BOOK OF PRESERVES; or, Receipts for Preparing
and Preserving Meat, Fish salt and smoked, Terrines, Gelatines, Vege-
tables, Fruits, Confitures, Syrups, Liqueurs de Famille, Petits Fours,
Bonbons, &c., &c., by JuLEs GourFrse, Head Ccok of the Paris Jockey
Club, and translated and adapted by his brother, ALPHONSE GouFFE,
Head Pastrycook to Her Majesty the Queen, translator and editor of
‘‘The Royal Cookery Book.” 1 vol. royal 8vo , containing upwards of
500 Receipts and 34 I]lustrations. [ Shortly.

THE ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. By
Lucien Biart, with 117 beautiful [lustrations on Wood. Edited and
adapted by Parker Gillmore, author of “ All Round the World,” « Gun,
Rod, and Saddle,” &c, Post 8vo., cloth extra, gilt edges. (Shortly.

THE RED CROSS KNIGHT.  Mlustrated by 12 original

Drawings, produced in facsimile.

MARVELS OF GLASS-MAKING : its Description and His-
tory. By A. Sauzay With 48 Illustrations on Wood, and 8 Autotype
Copies of the best Examples of Roman, Venetian, and German Gliss.
Square demy 8vo. handsomely bound, cloth extra, gilt edges, 12s. 6d.

THE WONDERS OF FNGRAVING. By George Duplexsis.
With 34 fine Woodcuts by P. Bellier, and 10 Autotypes illustrative of the
various stages of the Art of Engraving from the earliest times. 1 vol.
sq. 8vo. cloth elegant, gilt edges. (Just Ready.

THE WONDERS OF PAINTING, ence: the Spanish,
French, German, English, and Flemish Schools. By Louis Viardot,
author of ‘Italian Art.” With numerous Photographie and Woodcut
Illustrations, cloth elegant, gilt edges. (Just Ready,

WONDERS OF ITALIAN ART, By Louis Viardot. Square
demy 8vo., illustrated with Ten Autotype Reproductions of Celebrated
Engravings, and Fifty Woodeuts. Handsomely bound, cloth extra, gilt
edges, 12s. 6d.

A DREAM BOOK. By FE. V. B. Twelve Drawings in Pen and
Pencil, or Sepia, by E. V. B. illustrator of “ Story Without an End,” &e.
reproduced in perfect Fac simile by the Autotype process, with Letter-
press descriptions. Medium 4to. handsomely bound, gilt edges, 81s. 6d.

THE STORY WITHOUT AN END. From the German of
Carové. By Sarah Austin. Illustrated with Sixteen Origina] Water-
Colour Drawings by E. V. B., printed in Fac-simile and numerous II]us-
trations on wood. Small dto. cloth extra, 12s.; or in morocco, 21s.

*,* Also a Large Paper Edition, with the Plates mounted (only 250
copies printed), morocco, ivory inlaid, 31s. 6d.

“ Nowhere will he find the Book of Nature mone and beautifully
opened for him than in‘ The Story without an End,’ of its kind one of the
best that was ever written,’—Quarterly Review.
Last of Publications. 3

Also, illustrated by the same Artist.

Child’s Play. Printed in fac-simile from Water-Colour Drawings, 7s 6c.
Tennyson’s May Queen. Illustrated on Wood. Large Paper Edit. 7s. 6d.

ART IN THE MOUNTAINS, the Story of the Passion Play
in Bavaria, printed on very fine toned paper. By Henry Blackburn,
with upwards of 30 Illustrations. Sq. 8vo. LShortly.

Normandy Picturesque; a New Artistic Book of Travel. By
Henry Blackburn, Author of “ Artists and Arabs,” &c, Small demy 8vo.
cloth extra, with numerous I[]lustrations, 16s.

The Pyrenees; 100 Illustrations by Gustave Doré, and a De-
scription of Summer Life at French Watering Places By Henry Black-
burn. Royal 8vo. cloth, 18s.; morocco, 25s.

Peaks and Valleys of the Alps. From Water Colour Drawings
by Elijah Walton. Chromo-Lithographed by J. H. Lowes, with Des-
eriptive Text by the Rev. T. G. Bonney, M.A., F.G.S. Folio, half mo-
rocco, with 21 large Plates. Original subscription 8 guineas. A very
limited edition only now issued. Price 6 guineas,

The Seven Churches of Asia. The result of Two Years’ Explo-
ration of their Locality and Remains. By Mr. A. Svoboda. With 20 full-
page Photographs taken on the spot. Edited with a preface by the Rey.
H. B. Tristram, F.L.S. 4to. cloth extra, price 2 guineas,

Illustrations of the Natural Order of Plants; with Groups and
Descriptions. By Elizabeth Twining. Spleudidly illustrated in colours
from nature. Reduced from the folio edition. 2 vols. Royal 8vo. cloth
extra, price 5 guineas.

Choice Editions of Choice Books. New Editions. Illustrated by
C. W. Cope, R.A., T. Creswick, R.A., Edward Duncan, Birket Foster,
J.C. Horsley, A. R.A., George Hicks, R. Redgrave, R.A., C. Stonehouse,
F. Tayler, George Thomas, H. J. Townshend, E. H. Wehnert, Har-
rison Weir, &c. Crown 8vo. cloth, 5s. each; mor. 10s. 6d.

Bloomfield’s Farmer’s Boy. Keat’s Eve of St. Agnes.
Campbell’s Pleasures of Hope. Milton’s l’Allegro.

Cundall’s Elizabethan Poetry. Rogers’ Pleasures of Memory.
Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner. Shakespeare’s Songs and Sonnets
Goldsmith’s Deserted Village. Tennyson’s May Queen.
Goldsmith’s Vicar of Wakefield. Weir’s Poetry of Nature.

Gray’s Elegy in a Churchyard. Wordsworth’s Pastoral Poems.

Bishop Heber’s Hymns. Au Illustrated Edition, with upwards
of one hundred Designs. Engraved in the first style of Art. New Edi-
tion. Small 4to. price 7s. 6d.; morocco, 15s.

The Divine and Moral Songs of Dr. Watts: a New and very
choice Edition. Illustrated with One Hundred Woodcuts in the first
style of Art, from Original Designs by Eminent Artists. Small 4to.
cloth extra, 7s. 6d.; morocco, 15s.

The Wood-Nymph: a Fairy Tale. By Hans Christian Ander-
sen. ‘Translated by Miss Plesner. With Illustrations by Simpson.
Square cloth extra. 2s. 6d.
4 Sampson Low and Co.’s

 

Christian Lyrics. Chiefly selected from Modern Authors. 138
Poems, illustrated with upwards of 150 Engravings, under the superin-
tendence of J.D. Cooper. Small 4to, cloth extra, 10s. 6d.; morocco, 21s.

Artists and Arabs; or Sketching in Sunshine. Numerous
Illustrations. Demy 8vo. cloth. 10s. 6d.

Also by the same Author.
TRAVELLING IN SPAIN, illustrated, 16s. or Cheaper Edition, 6s.

Milton’s Paradise Lost. With the original Steel Engravings of
John Martin. Printed on large paper, royal 4to. handsomely bound,
81. 18s. 6d.; morocco extra, 5/. 15s. 6d.

Schiller’s Lay of the Bell. Sir E. Bulwer Lytton’s translation ;
beautifully illustrated by forty-two wood Engravings, drawn by Thomas
Scott, and engraved by J. D. Cooper, after the Etchings by Retszch.
Oblong 4to. cloth extra, 14s. ; morocco, 25s.

Edgar A. Poe’s Poems. Illustrated by Eminent Artists. Small
4to. cloth extra, price 10s. 6d.

The Book of Lace: comprising a History of the Fabric from the
Earliest Period, with upwards of 100 Illustrations and coloured Designs,
including some interesting Examples from the Leeds Exhibiton. By
Mrs. Bury Palliser. 1 vol. 8vo. cloth extra, One Guinea.

“ One of the most readable books of the season; permanently valuable,
always interesting, often amusing, and not inferior in all the essentials of
a gift book.” —Times.

“ We take our leave of Mrs. Palliser with hearty thanks for her valu-
able book ; it contains a mass of curious knowledge, which she has accumu-
lated and arranged with infinite grace and judgment.» Not only has she
written an excellent history of the fabric stself, but she throws a curious
incidental light upon the social life and manners of each period. The
ulustrations are beautiful and appropriate.’—Atheneum.

The Royal Cookery Book. By Jules Gouffé, Chef de Cuisine
of the Paris Jockey Club. Translated and adapted for English Use by
Alphonse Gouffé, Head Pastrycook to Her Majesty the Queen. The
Edition de Luxe, super-royal 8vo. Illustrated with Large Plates, beauti-
fully printed in Colours, and 161 Woodcuts, cloth extra 21. 2s. House-
hold Edition, without the Coloured Plates, 10s. 6d.

“ By far the ablest and most complete work on cookery that has ever
been submitted to the gastronomucal world.” —Pall Mall Gazette.

“ Equal taste pervades all his work ; and the casual reader will err if
he fancies that there is any real amount of waste and extravagance in the
prepartion of his sumptuous dishes. Probably no English manual ever
respected economy so much.’—Saturday Review.

Victor Hugo’s Toilers of the Sea. New Edition, with 60 graphic
Illustrations by Chifflart, beautifully printed on toned paper Square
demy 8vo. cloth extra, 10s. 6d.; and Cheap Edition, cloth limp, with 6
Illustrations, 2s. 6d.

The Bottom of the Sea. By M. Sonrel. Translated by Elihu

Rich. Small Post 8yo. cloth extra, with numerous Illustrations. 5s.
List of Publications. 5

The Bayard Series.

COMPRISING

PLEASURE BOOKS OF LITERATURE PRODUCED IN THE
CHOICEST STYLE, AS COMPANIONABLE VOLUMES
AT HOME AND ABROAD,

Price 2s. 6d. each Volume, complete in itself, printed at the Chiswick Press,
bound by Burn, flexible cloth extra, gilt leaves, with silk Headbands and
Registers.

THE STORY OF THE CHEVALIER BAYARD. By M. De Berville.

DE JOINVILLE’S ST. LOUIS, KING OF FRANCE.

THE ESSAYS OF ABRAHAM COWLEY, including all his Prose Works.

ABDALLAH; OR, THE FOUR LEAVES. By Edouard Laboullaye.

TABLE-TALK AND OPINIONS OF NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE.

VATHEK: AN ORIENTAL ROMANCE. By William Beckford.

THE KING AND THE COMMONS: a Selection of Cavalier and Puritan
Song. Edited by Prof. Morley.

WORDS OF WELLINGTON: Maxims and Opinions of the Great Duke.

DR. JOHNSON’S RASSELAS, PRINCE OF ABYSSINIA. With Notes.

HAZLITT’S ROUND TABLE With Biographical Introduction.

THE RELIGIO MEDICI, HYDRIOTAPHIA, AND THE LETTER
TO A FRIEND. By Sir Thomas Browne, Knt.

BALLAD POETRY OF THE AFFECTIONS. By Robert Buchanan.

COLERIDGE’S CHRISTABEL, and other Imaginative Poems. With
Preface by Algernon C. Swinburne.

LORD CHESTERFIELD’S LETTERS, SENTENCES AND MAXIMS.
With Introduction by the Editor, and Essay on Chesterfield by M. De
St. Beuve, of the French Academy.

ESSAYS IN MOSAIC. By Thos. Ballantyne.

OTHER VOLUMES IN ACTIVE PROGRESS.

A suitable Case containing 12 volumes, price 31s. 6d.; or the Case separate,
price 3s. 6d.

 

EXTRACTS FROM LITERARY NOTICES.

“ The present series—taking its name from the opening volume, which con-
tained a translation of the Knight without Fear and without Reproach—will
really, we think, fill a void in the shelves of all except the most complete
English libraries. These little square-shaped volumes contain, in a very
manageable and pretty form, a great many things not very easy of access
elsewhere, and some things for the first time brought together.”—Pall Mall
Gazette. “ We have here two more volumes of the series appropriately
called the ‘ Bayard,’ as they certainly are ‘ sans reproche.’ Of convenient
size, with clear typography and tasteful binding, we know no other little
volumes which make such good gift-books for persons of mature age.’’—Fix-
aminer. ‘“ St. Louis andl his companions, as described by Joinville, not only
in their glistening armour, but in their every-day attire, are brought nearer
to us, become intelligible to us, and teach us lessons of humanity which we
can learn from men only, and not from saints and heroes. Here lies the
real value of real history. It widens our minds and our hearts, and gives
us that true knowledge of the world and of human nature in all its phases
which but few can gain in the short span of their own fe, and in the nar-
row sphere of their friends and enemies. We can hardly imagine a better
book for boys to read or for men to ponder over.”—Times. “ Every one of
the works included in this series is well worth possessing, and the whole will
make an admirable foundation for the library of a studious youth of
polished and refined tastes.” —Ilustrated Times.
6 Sampson Low and Co.’s

The Gentle Life Series.

Printed in Elzevir, on Toned Paper, handsomely bound, forming
suitable Volumes for Presents.

 

Price 6s. each; or in calf extra, price 10s, 6d.
I.
THE GENTLE LIFE. Essays in aid of the Formation of

Character of Gentlemen and Gentlewomen. Ninth Edition.

“Elis notion of a gentleman is of the noblest and truest order. The
volume is a capital specimen of what may be done by honest reason, high
Seeling, and cultivated intellect. A little compendium of cheerful philo-
sophy.” —Daily News. ‘“ Deserves to be printed in letters of gold, and
circulated in every house.”—Chambers’ Journal.

Ir

ABOUT IN THE WORLD. Essays by the Author of “ The
Gentle Life.” :

* It is not easy to openit at any page without finding some happy idea.”
—Morning Post. cit

LIKE UNTO CHRIST. A new translation of the “ De Imita;
tione Christi,” usually ascribed to Thomas 4 Kempis. With a Vignette
from an Original Drawing by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Second Edition.

‘* Evinces independent scholarship, a profound feeling for the original,
and a minute attention to delicate shades of expression, which may well
make it acceptable even to those who can enjoy the work without a trans-
lator’s aid.—Nonconformist. ‘ Could not be presented in a more exquisite
Rue for a more sightly volume was never seen.’—Illustrated London

ews
IV.

FAMILIAR WORDS. An Index Verborum, or Quotation
Handbook. Affording an immediate Reference to Phrases and Sentences
that have become embedded in the English language. Second and en-
larged Edition.

* Should be on every library table, by the side of ‘ Roget’s Thesaurus.’”
—Daily News. “ The most extensive dictionary of quotation we have
met with.’—Notes and Queries. ‘“ Will add to the author’s credit with
all honest workers.” Examiner.

Vv.

ESSAYS BY MONTAIGNE. Edited, Compared, Revised, and
Annotated by the Author of “ The Gentle Life.” With Vignette Portrait.
Second Edition.

“ We should be glad if any words of ours could help to bespeak a large
circulation for this handsome attractive book ; and who can ne is
homage to the good-humoured industry of the editor.”—Illustrated Times.

VI.

THE COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE’S ARCADIA. Written
by Sir Philip Sidney. Edited, with Notes, by the Author of ‘The Gentle
Life.” Dedicated, by permission, to the Earl of Derby. 1s. 6d.

“ All the best things in the Arcadia are retained intact in Mr. Friswell’s
edition, and even brought into greater prominence than in the original, by
the curtailment of some of its inferior portions, and the omission of most of
ats eclogues and other metrical digressions.”’—Examiner.
List of Publications. i

 

VII.
THE GENTLE LIFE. Second Series. Third Edition.

There is not a single thought in the volume that does not contribute in
some measure to the furmativn of a true gentleman.’—Daily News.
“ These churming collection of essays.’—London Review.

VIII.
VARIA: Readings from Rare Books. Reprinted, by permis:

sion, from the Saturday Review, Spectator, &e.

“* The books discussed in this volume are no less valuable thun they are
rare, but life is not long enough to allow a reader to wade through such
thick folios, and therefore the conupiler is entitled to the gratitude of the
public oo having sifted their contents, and thereby renderec their treasures
available to the general reader.” —Observer.

IX.

A CONCORDANCE OR VERBAL INDEX to the whole of
Milton’s Poetical Works. Comprising upwards of 20,000 References
By Charles D. Cleveland, LL.D. With Vignette Portrait of Milton.

*,* Affords an immediate reference to any passage in any edition of
Milton’s Poems.

“ By the admarers of Ailton the book will be highly appreciated, but its
chief value will, if we mistake not, be fuund in the fact that it ws a compact
word-book of the Enylish tanguage’?—Record. “An wraluable Index,
which the publishers have done a public service in reprinting.” —Notes and
Queries.

xX.
THE SILENT HOUR: Essays, Original and Selected. By
the Author of “ The Gentle Life.” Second Edition.

“ Out of twenty Essays five are from the Editor’s pen, and he has se-
lected the rest from the writings of Barrow, Baxter, Sherlock, Massillon,
Latimer, Sandys, Jeremy Taylor, Ruskin, and Izaak Walton. . ai,
The volume is avowedly meant ‘for Sunday reading, and those who have
not access to the originals of great authors may do worse on Sunday or
any other afternoon, than fall back upon the ‘ Silent Hour’ and the golden
words of Jeremy Taylor and Massillon. Allwho possess the ‘ Gentle Life’
should own this volume.”’—Staadard.

aT;
ESSAYS ON ENGLISH WRITERS, for the Self-improve

ment of Students in English Literature.

“ The author has a distinct purpose and a proper and noble ambition to
win the young to the pure and noble study of our glorious English literature.
The book is too good intrinsically not to command a wide and increasing
circulation, and its style is so pleasant and lively that it will find many
readers among the educated classes, as well as among self-helpers. Toall
(both men and women) who have neglected to read and study their native
literature we would certainly suggest the volume before us as a fitting in-
troduction.” —Examiner.

XII.

OTHER PEOPLE’S WINDOWS. By J. Bain Friswell.
Second Edition.

“ The chapters are so lively in themselves, so mingled with shrewd view
of human nature, so full of illustrative anecdotes, that the reader cannot
Fail to be amused. Written with remarkable power and effect. ‘ Other
People’s Windows’ is distinguished by original and keen observation of
life, as well as by lively and versatile power of narration.’ —Morning Post.
8 Sampson Low and Co’s.

 

LITERATURE, WORKS OF REFERENCE, ETC.

COMPARATIVE Grammar of the Anglo-Saxon
Language. By Francis A. March, 8vo. cloth, 8s. 6d.

The Origin and History of the English Language, and
<a e of the early literature it embodies. By the Hon. George P.
Marsh, U. 8. Minister at Turin, Author of “ Lectures on the English
Language.” 8vo. cloth extra, 16s.
Lectures on the English Language; forming the Introductory
Series to the foregoing Work. By the same Author. 8vo. Cloth, 16s.

The English Catalogue of Books: giving the date of publication
of every book published from 1835 to 1863, in addition to ihe title, size,
price, and publisher, in one alphabet. An entirely new work, combining
the Copyrights of the “ London Catalogue” and the “ British Catalogue.”
One thick volume of 900 pages, half morocco, 45s.

*,* The Annual Catalogue of Books published during 1869 with Index
of Subjects. 8vo. 5s.

Index to the Subjects of Books published in the United Kingdom
during the last Twenty Years—1837-1857. Containing as many as 74,000
references, under subjects, so as to ensure immediate reference to the
books on the subject required, each giving title, price, publisher, and
date. Two valuable Appendices are also given—A, containing full lists
of all Libraries, Collections, Series, and Miscellanies—and B, a List of
Literary Societies, Printing Societies, and their Issues. One vol. royal
8vo. Morocco, 1. 6s.

*,* Volume II. from 1857 in Preparation.

Outhnes of Moral Philosophy. By Dugald Stewart, Professor
of Moral Philosophy in the University of Kdinburgh, with Memoir, &e.
By James MecCosh, LL.D. New Edition, 12mo. 3s. 6d.

Art in England. Essays by Dutton Cook. Small post 8vo.
cloth, 6s.

A Dictionary of Photography, on the Basis of Sutton’s Dictionary.
Rewritten by Professor Dawson, of King’s College, Editor of the “ Journal
of Photography;” and Thomas Sutton, B.A., Editor of “ Photograph
Notes.” 8vo. with numerous Illustrations. 8s. 6d.

Dr. Worcester’s New and Greatly Enlarged Dictionary of the
English Language. Adapted for Library or College Reference, compris-
ing 40,000 Words more than Johnson’s Dictionary. 4to. cloth, 1,834 pp.
price 31s. 6d. well bound. .

“ The volumes before us show a vast amount of diligence; but with
Webster it is diligence in combination with fancifulness,—with Wor-
cester in combination with good sense and judgment. Worcester’s is the
soberer and safer book,and may be pronounced the best existing English
Lexicon.”—Atheneum.

Tauchnitz’s Pocket Dictionary of the English and German and
German and English Languages. By J. E. Wesseley. 2s.

Also, uniform,
Tauchnitz’s Pocket Dictionary of the English and French and French
and English Languages. By J. E, Wesseley. 2s.
Tauchnitz’s Pocket Dictionary of the English and Italian and Italian
and English Languages. By J. E. Wesseley. 2s.

Latin-English Lexicon. New edition, with additions and cor-
rections. By E. A. Andrews, LL.D. 18s.

Elements of International Law. By Henry Wheaton, LL.D.
Eighth Edition, 30s.

   
Lust of Publications. 9

 

The Publishers’ Circular, and General Record of British and
Foreign Literature; giving a transcript of the title-page of every work
published in Great Britain, and every work of interest published abroad,
with lists of all the publishing houses.

Published regularly on the 1st and 15th of every Month, and forwarded
post free to all parts of the world on payment of 8s. per annum.

A Catalogue of a Selection of Works in the French, German,
Italian, Spanish, and other Languages that Messrs. Low and Co. keep
in Stock, to which is added a List of Grammars and Dictionaries for the
use of English Students in Anglo-Saxon, Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch,
French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Italian, Latin, Portuguese,
Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Swedish, Syriac, &c. which they will have
pleasure in forwarding, post free, on receipt of Address with stamp,

Low’s Monthly Bulletin of American and Foreign Publications,
forwarded regularly. Subscription 2s. 6d. per annum.

The Charities of London. By Sampson Low, Jun. Com-
prising an Account of upwards of 900 Institutions chiefly in London
and its Vicinity. A Guide to the Benevolent and to the Unfortunate,
to which is appended an Alphabetical Summary of the whole, corrected
to August, 1870, by Charles Mackeson. One vol. feap., 5s., or the
Appendix published separate as Low’s Handbook to the Charities, cloth
limp, ls. 6d.

Sir J. D. Coleridge on Convents, the Speeches of H.M. Solicitor-
General, containing all that may be considered of importance in the
lengthened Examination of Witnesses in the case of Saurin v. Starr.
8vo. 5s.

Prince Albert’s Golden Precepts. Second Edition, with Photo-
aph. A Memorial of the Prince Consort; comprising Maxims and
xtracts from Addresses of His late Royal Highness. any now for

the first time collected and carefully arranged. ith an Index. Royal
16mo. beautifully printed on toned paper, cloth, gilt edges, 2s. 6d.

Our Little Ones in Heaven: Thoughts in Prose and Verse, se-
lected from the Writings of favourite Authors; with Frontispiece after
Sir Joshua Reynolds. Feap. 8vo. cloth extra. Second Edition. 3s. 6d.

The Authorized English Version of the New Testament; with
the various Readings from the most celebrated Manuscripts, ee
the Sinaitic, the Vatican, and the Alexandrian MSS.,in English. Wit.
Notes by the Editor, Dr. Tischendorf. The whole revised and carefully
collected for the Thousandth Volume of Baron Tauchnitz’s Collection.
Cloth flexible, gilt edges, 2s. 6d.; cheaper style, 2s. ; or sewed, Is. 6d.

The Origin and History of the New Testament. By Professor
C. E. Stowe. 8vo. Illustrated Edition, with numerous Facsimiles from
Original MSS., Early Editions, &e. Price 10s. 6d.; or without the
plates, 8s. 6d.

The Hymnal Companion to the Book of Common Prayer.
Edited by E. H. Bickersteth, M.A. The following Editions have
already been prepared :—

s. d.
1. Small type Edition, medium 32mo. .... . 0 6
(To Clergymen direct, stitched, in paper covers,
at 3d. each, nett, per 100 copies.
2. Second size type, super-royal 32mo.  . ates lly 30.
3. Large type Edition, crown 8vo.. . . . . . + 2 6
4, Large type Edition, with Introduction and Notes, 3 6

5, An Edition of Hymns, with accompanying Tunes.
(In preparation.)
10 Sampson Low and Co.’s

 

 

Latin Proverbs and Quotations, with Translations and Parallel
Passages, and a copious English Index. By Alfred Henderson. Feap,
4to., 530 pp., price 16s.

“« The book is, we should imagine, the best of the kind that has yet been
issued from the press.”—Eixaminer. ‘We trust that many will be induced
by the taste of good things that we have given them to go to the book itself,
which is well worth possessing.’—Spectator. ‘4 very handsome volume
in its typographical externas, and a very useful companion to those who,
when a quotation is aptly made, like to trace it to its source, to dwell on
the minutia of its application, and to find it illustrated with choice parallel
passages from English and Latin authors.”—Times. ‘A book well worth
adding to one’s library.” —Saturday Review.

Christendom, Sketched from History in the Light of Holy
Scripture. By Charles Girdlestone, M.A., 3s.

Sermons by Henry Ward Beecher, selected from Published and
Unpublished Discourses. 8vo , 8s. 6d.

BIOGRAPHY, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE.

HE Last of the Tasmanians: a History of the Black
War in Van Dieman’s Land. By James Bonwick, F.R.G.S.,
Fellow of the Ethnological Society, &c. &e. With numerous
Illustrations, 16s.

one
The Daily Life of the Tasmanians. By James Bonwick. Tllus-
trated, 12s. 6d.

Curious Facts of Old Colonial Days. By James Bonwick.
small post 8vo, Cloth extra. 5s.

The Autobiography and Reminiscences of John B. Gough.
8vo, Cloth, 12s.

Notes in England and Italy. By Mrs. Nathaniel Hawthorne
(Widow of the Novelist). Crown 8vo. vloth, 10s. 6d.

The Bye-Ways of Europe. Visits by Unfrequented Routes tu
Remarkable Places. By Bayard Taylor, Author of ‘‘ Views Afoot.”
2 vols. post 8vo 16s.

The Life of Madame Guyon. By Professor Upham. With
Portrait. 4th edition, post 8vo., cloth, 6s.

The Life of John James Audubon, the Naturalist, including his
Romantic Adventures in the back woods of America, Correspondence
with celebrated Europeans, &¢. Edited, from materials supplied by his
widow, by Robert Buchanan. 8vo. With portraits, price 15s.

“A readable book, with many interesting and some thrilling pages in
it.’—Atheneum, “ rom first to last, the biography teems with interesti
adventures, with amusing or perilous wncidents, with curious gossip, with
picturesque description.” —Daily News.

Leopold the First, King of the Belgians; from unpublished
documents, by Theodore Juste. Translated by Robert Black, M.A.
Bound complete in one volume. With portraits. 16s.

“A readable biography of the wise and good King Leopold is certain to
be read in England.”—Daily News. “ A more important contribution to
historical literature has not for a long while been furnished.”—Bell's
Messenger. “ Of great value to the future historian, and will interest
politicians even now.”—Spectutor. ‘ The subject is of interest, and the
story is narrated without excess of enthusiasm or depreciation. The trans-

  
List of Publications. 11

 

lation by Mr. Black is executed with correctness, yet not without a grace-
ful ease. This end is not often attained in translations so nearly verbal as
this ; the book itself deserves to become popular in England.” —Atheneum.

Remarkable Life and Discoveries of Sebastian Cabot, of Bristol,
the Founder of Great Britain’s Maritime Power, Discoverer of America
and its First Colonizer, By J. F. Nicholls, City Librarian, Bristol.
Square crown S8vo. printed at the Chiswick Press, with Marginal Notes,
&e. Price 7s. 6d.

Our New Way Round the World. Two Years of Travel by
Charles Carleton Coffin. 8vo., with 100 Illustrations and Maps, 12s.

The Heart of the Continent. By Fitz-Hugh Ludlow. With
Illustrations. 8vo. cloth, 14s.

Seven Eventful Years in Paraguay, a Narrative of Personal

Experience among the Paraguayans. By G. F, Masterman. 2nd
Edition, with Map, 5s.

The Life of Daniel Webster. By George Ticknor Curtis.
2 vols. 8vo. cloth, 36s.

Reminiscences of America in 1869. By Two Englishmen,
Crown 8yo. cloth extra, 7s. 6d.

Two Years Before the Mast and Twenty-four Years After. An
entirely New Edition of Mr. Dana’s Narrative extended. With Notes
and Revisions. Copyright Edition. Feap, 8vo. 6s.

“It would be impertinence to praise so well known a book as Mr. Dana’s,
but we may say that his added chapter to this edition is of very rare
interest.” —Spectator. ‘ Remember, it was an undergraduate of Harvard
University who served as a common seaman two years before the mast, and
who wrote about the best sea book in the English language.”—Mr. Charles
Dickens, at the Dinner to the Oxford and Harvard Crews, Aug. 31.

Plutarch’s Lives. An entirely new Library Edition, carefully
revised and corrected, with some Original Translations by the Editor.
Edited by A. H. Clough, Esq. sometime Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford,
and late Professor of English Language and Literature at University
College. 5 vols. 8vo. cloth. 32 8s.

Social Life of the Chinese: a Daguerreotype of Daily Life in
China. Condensed from the Work of the Rev. J. Doolittle, by the Rev.
Paxton Hood. With above 100 Illustrations. Post 8vo. price 8s. 6d.

The Open Polar Sea: a Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery
towards the North Pole. By Dr. Isaac I. Hayes. An entirely new and
cheaper edition. With Illustrations. Small post 8vo. 6s.

The Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology ; or, the
Economy of the Sea and its Adaptations, its Salts, its Waters, its Climates,
its Inhabitants, and whatever there may be of general interest in its Com-
mercial Uses or Industrial Pursuits. By Commander M. F. Maury, LL.D.
New Edition. With Charts. Post 8vo. cloth extra, price 6s.

Captain Hall’s Life with the Esquimaux. New and cheaper
Edition, with Coloured Engravings and upwards of 100 Woodcuts. With
a Map. Price 7s. 6d. cloth extra. Forming the cheapest and most popu-
lar Edition of a work on Arctic Life and Exploration ever published.

Lost Amid the Fogs: Sketches of Life in Newfoundland,

England’s Ancient Colony. By Lieut.-Col. R. B. M‘Crea, Royal
Artillery, &vo. 10s. 6d.
12 Sampson Low and Co.’s

 

Christian Heroes in the Army and Navy. By Charles Rogers,
LL.D. Author of ‘Lyra Britannica.’”? Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d.

The Black Country and its Green Border Land; or, Expedi-
tions and Explorations round Birmingham, Wolverhampton, &c. By
Elihu Burritt, Second and cheaper edition, post 8vo. 6s.

A Walk from London to John O’Groats, and from London to
the Land’s End and Back. With Notes bythe Way. By Elihu Burritt.
Two vols. price 6s. each, with Illustrations.

The Lectures and Speeches of Elihu Burritt. Feap. 8vo. cloth, 6s.

Notes on Yachts. By Edwin Brett. With Frontispiece drawn
by John Brett, and engraved by J. D. Cooper. Fcap. cloth, 6s.

A Day by the Fire, and other Papers. By the late Leigh Hunt.
Feap. cloth extra, gilt top, 6s. 6d.

A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe, on Rivers and Lakes
of Europe. Sixth edition, 2s. 6d.

The Rob Roy on the Baltic. A Canoe Voyage in Norway,
Sweden, &c. 5s.

The Voyage Alone; a Sail in the “ Yawl, Rob Roy.” By John
M'‘Gregor. With Llustrations. Price 5s.

NEW BOOKS POR YOUNG PEOPLE.

ILD Life under the Equator. By Paul Du Chaillu,
Author of ‘ Discoveries in Equatorial Africa.’”’ With 40
Original Illustrations, price 6s.

  

“

. du Chaill’s name will be a sufficient guarantee for the interest of
Wild Life under the Equator, which he has narrated for young people in
a very readable volume.’—Times. ‘“ AZ. Du Chaillu proves a good writer
Sor the young, and he has skilfully utilized his experience for their benefit.”
—Economist.
Also by the same Author, uniform.

Stories of the Gorilla Country, 36 Illustrations. Price 6s.
Lost in the Jungle. Numerous Illustrations. 6s.

Cast Away in the Cold. An Old Man’s Story of a Young Man’s
Adventures. By the Author of “ The Open Polar Sea.’’ With Illus-
trations. Small 8vo. cloth extra, price 6s.

“ The result is delightful. A story of adventure of the most telling
local colour and detail, the most exciting danger, and ending with the most
natural and effective escape. There is an air of veracity and reality
about the tale which Capt. Hayes could scarcely help giving to an Arctic
adventure of any kind. There is great vivacity and picturesqueness in
the style, the illustrations are admirable, and there ts a novelty in the
‘dénouement’ which greatly enhances the pleasure with which we lay the
book down. This story of the two Arctic Crusoes will long remain one of
the most powerful of children’s stories, as it assuredly deserves to be one
of the most popular.’’—Spectator.

The Autobiography of a Small Boy. By the Author of “ School
Days at Saxonhurst.” Feap. 8vo. cloth, 5s.
Also now ready.
Alwyn Morton, his School and his Schoolfellows. 5s.
Stanton Grange; or, Life at a Tutor’s. By the Rev. C. J. Atkinson. 5s.
Last of Publications. 13

 

The Story of a Bad Boy—not a very Bad Boy. By Thomas
Bailey Aldrich. With 30 Illustrations, ‘Small post 8vo. cloth, price 5s.

Lost; or, What Came of a Slip from Honour Bright. By Rey.

J.C. Atkinson. Small post 8vo, with Illustrations, cloth extra, price 5s.

The Silver Skates; a Story of Holland Life. By Mrs. M. A.
Dodge. Edited by W. H. G. Kingston. Illustrated, cloth extra, 3s. 6d.

Life amongst the North and South American Indians. By
George Catlin. And Last Rambles amongst the Indians beyond the
Rocky Mountains and the Andes. With numerous Illustrations by the
Author. 2 vols, small post 8vo. 5s. each, cloth extra,

“An admirable book, full of useful information, wrapt up in stories
peal adapted to rouse the imagination and stimulate the curiosity of

joys and girls. To compare a book with * Robinson Crusoe,’ and to say
that it sustains such comparison, is to give it high praise indeed.”—
Atheneum,

The Voyage of the Constance; a tale of the Polar Seas. By
Mary Gillies. With 8 Illustrations by Charles Keene. Feap. 3s. 6d.

Our Salt and Fresh Water Tutors; a Story of that Good Old
Time—Our School Days at the Cape. Edited by W. H. GQ, Kingston.
With Illustrations, price 3s. 6d.

“ One of the best books of the kind that the season has given us. This
little book is to be commended warmly.” —Illustrated Times.

The Boy’s Own Book of Boats. A Description of every Craft
that sails upon the waters; and how to Make, Rig, and Sail Model
Boats, by W. H. G. Kingston, with numerous Illustrations by E. Weedon.
Second edition, enlarged. Feap. 8vo. 3s. 6d.

“ This well-written, well-wrought book.” —Atheneum.

Also by the same Author,
Ernest Bracebridge; or, Boy’s Own Book of Sports. 3s. 6d.
The Fire Ships. A Story of the Days of Lord Cochrane. 5s.
The Cruise of the Frolic. 5s.
Jack Buntline: the Life of a Sailor Boy. 2s.

What are the Stars? a Treatise on Astronomy for the Young.
By M. E. Storey Lyle. Feap. 8vo. with numerous Illustrations, Cloth,
extra, gilt edges, 3s. 6d.

Phenomena and Laws of Heat: a Volume of Marvels of Science.
By Achille Cazin. Translated and Edited by Elihu Rich. With
numerous Illustrations. Feap. 8vo. price 5s.

Also, uniform, same price.
Marvels of Optics. By F. Marion. Edited and Translated by C. W.
Quin. With 70 Illustrations. 5s.
Marvels of Thunder and Lightning. By De Fonvielle. Edited by Dr.
Phipson. Full of Illustrations. 5s.

Stories of the Great Prairie. From the Novels of J. F. Cooper.
Illustrated. Price 5s.
Also, uniform, same price.
Stories of the Woods, from the Adventures of Leather-Stocking.
Stories of the Sea, from Cooper’s Naval Novels.
The Voyage of the Constance. By Mary Gillies. 3s. 6d.
The Swiss Family Robinson, and Sequel. In 1 vol. 3s. 6d.
The Story Without an End. Translated by Sarah Austin. 2s. 6d.
14 Sampson Low and Co.’s

 

 

Adventures on the Great Hunting-Grounds of the World. From
the Frence of Victor Meunier. With additional matter, including the
Duke of Edinburgh’s Elephant Hunt, &c. With 22 Engravings,
price 5s.

“The book for all boys in whom the love of travel and adventure is
strong. They will find here plenty to amuse them and much to instruct
them besides.” —Times.

Also, lately published,
Golden Hair; a Tale of the Pilgrim Fathers. By Sir Lascelles Wraxall.
6d

s. 6d.
Black Panther; a Boy’s Adventures amongst the Red Skins. By the
same Author. 3s. 6d.

Jacob and Joseph, and the Lesson of their Lives for the Young.
By Elihu Burritt, Author of “Old Burchell’s Pockets, &c.” Numerous
Tilustrations, price 3s. 6d.

Also beautifully Illustrated :—
Little Bird Red and Little Bird Blue. Coloured, 5s.
Snow-Flakes, and what they told the Children. Coloured, 5s.
Child’s Book of the Sagacity of Animals. 5s.; or coloured, 7s. 6d.
Child's Picture Fable Book. 5s.; or coloured, 7s. 6d.
Child’s Treasury of Story Books. 5s.; or coloured, 7s. 6d.
The Nursery Playmate. 200 Pictures. 5s.; or coloured, 9s.

Anecdotes of the Queen and Royal Family of England Collected,
arranged, and edited, for the more especial use of Colonial Readers, by
J. George Hodgins, LL.B, F.R.G.8., Deputy-Superintendent of Educa-
tion for the Province of Ontario. With Illustrations. Price 5s.

Geography for my Children. By Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Author of “ Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” &c. Arranged and Edited by an Eng-
lish Lady, under the Direction of the Authoress. With upwards of Fifty
Illustrations. Cloth extra, 4s. 6d.

Child’s Play. Illustrated with Sixteen Culoured Drawings by
EK. V. B., printed in fac-simile by W. Dickes’ process, and ornamented
with Initial Letters. New edition, with India paper tints, royal 8vo.
cloth extra, bevelled cloth, 7s, 6d. The Original Edition of this work
was published at One Guinea.

Great Fun and More Fun for our Little Friends. By Harriet
Myrtle. With Edward Wehnert’s Pictures. 2 vols. each 5s,

BELLES LETTRES, FICTION, &c.
‘LD Town Folks. By the Author of “ Uncle Tom's

Cabin.” New and Cheaper Edition. With Frontispiece by
Sidney P. Hall. Small post 8vo. cloth. 6s.

 

‘« This story must make its way, as rt is easy to predict it will, by its in-
trinsic merits."—Times. “dA novel of great power and beauty, and some-
thing more than a mere novel—we mean that it is worth thoughtful
people's reading. . . It is a finished literary work, and will well repay the
reading.” —Literary Churchman.

Daisy Nichol. By Lady Hardy. 3 vols. (Shortly.

Hitherto: a Stury of Yesterday. By the Author of ‘The Gay-
worthys,” &e. Second edition, 1 vol feap. [ Shortly.
Inst of Publications. 15

 

Lorna Doone. A Romance of Exmoor. By R. D. Blackmore.
New edition, one volume, with frontispiece, price 6s. [Just ready.
“ Continually reminds us of the best of Scott’s novels.—Spectator.

David Gray ; and other Essays, chiefly on Poetry. By Robert

Buchanan. In one vol. feap. 8vo. price 6s.

The Book of the Sonnet; being Selections, with an Essay on
Sonnets and Sonneteers. By the late Leigh Hunt. Edited, from the
original MS. with Additions, by S. Adams Lee. 2 vols. price 18s.

Lyra Sacra Americana: Gems of American Poetry, selected
with Notes and Biographical Sketches by C. D. Cleveland, D.0., Author
of the “ Milton Concordance.” 18mo., cloth, gilt edges. Price 4s. 6d.

Poems of the Inner Life. Selected chiefly from modern Authors,
by permission. Small post 8vo. 6s.; gilt edges, 6s. 6d.

The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. By Oliver Wendell
Holmes, LL.D. Popular Edition, 1s. Illustrated Edition, choicely
printed, cloth extra, 6s.

The Professor at the Breakfast Table. By Oliver Wendell Holmes,

Author of ‘‘The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table.” Cheap Edition,
feap. 3s. 6d.

Bee-keeping. By “The Times” Bee-master. Small post 8vo.

numerous illustrations, cloth, 5s.

The Blackbird of Baden, and Other Stories. By Robert
Black, M.A. Price 6s.

Camp and Fireside Stories, and Hospital Sketches. By L. M.
Alcott. Feap. 8vo. cloth, price 3s. 6d.
Struggles and Triumphs, or Forty Years Recollection of P. T.

Barnum, written by himself, with numerous Characteristic Illustra-
tions. Price 2s. 6d.

Queer Little People. By the Author of “ Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
Feap. 1s. Also by the same Author.
The Little Foxes that Spoil the Grapes, 1s.
House and Home Papers, ls.
The Pearl of Orr’s Island, Illustrated by Gilbert, 5s.
The Minister’s Wooing. Illustrated by Phiz, 5s.

New and Cheaper Edition of “A Mere Story.” By the Author
of Lady Grace,” “ Twice Lost,” &c. Third Mdition, feap 8vo. with
Frontispiece by Sidney Hall. 6s.

“(A story that we strongly recommend our readers to procure. . . . Alto-
gether it isa very pleasant little book, sparkling and original, which no one
will read without a good deal of enjoyment.”—Guardian.

Silken Cords and Iron Fetters. By Maud Jeanne Franc. Small
post 8vo., 5s. Also, by the same Author.
Marian ; or, the Light of Some One’s Home.
Emily’s Choice: an Australian Tale. 5s.
Vermont Vale: or, Home Pictures in Australia, 5s.
Minnie’s Mission, a Temperance Story. 4s.

Low’s Minion Series of Popular Books. 1s. each: —
The Gates Ajar. (The original English Edition.)
Who is He?
The Little Preacher.
The Boy Missionary.
16 Sampson Low and Co.’s List of Publications.

 

The Story of Four Little Women: Meg, Joe, Beth, and Amy.
By Louisa M. Alcott. Both Series complete in 1 volume. 16mo, cloth,
gilt edges. 3s. 6d. ; 4

“A bright, cheerful, healthy story—with a tinge of thoughtful gravit
about te neh pila one ahJonn Bunyan, Meg going to ina Fair
is a chapter written with great cleverness and a pleasant humour.’—
Guardian.

Also, Entertaining Stories for Young Ladies, 3s. 6d. each, cloth, gilt edges.
An Old-fashioned Girl. By L. M, Alcott.
Helen Felton’s Question: a Book for Girls. By Agnes Wylde.
Faith Gartney’s Girlhood. By Mrs. D.T. Whitney. Seventh thousand.
The Gayworthys. By the samse Author. Third Edition.
A Summer in Leslie Goldthwaite’s Life. By the same Author,
The Masque at Ludlow. By the Author of “ Mary Powell.”
Miss Biddy Frobisher: a Salt Water Story. By the same Author.
Selvaggio; a Story of Italy. By the same Author. New Edition.
The Journal of a Waiting Gentlewoman. By a new Author. New Edition,
The Shady Side and the Sunny Side. Two Tales of New England.

Tauchnitz’s English Editions of German Authors. Each volume
cloth flexible, 2s.; or sewed, ls. 6d. The following are now ready :—

On the Heights. By B. Auerbach. 3 vols.

In the Year 713. By Fritz Reuter. 1 vol.

Faust. By Goethe. 1 vol.

Undine, and other Tales. by Fouqué. 1 vol.

L’Arrabiata. By Paul Heyse. 1 vol.

The Princess, and other Tales. By Heinrich Zschokke. 1 vol.
Lessing’s Nathan the Wise.

Hacklander’s Behind the Counter, translated by Mary Howitt.
Three Tales. By W. Hauff.

Joachim v. Kamern; Diary of a Poor Young Lady. By M. Nathusius.
. Poems by Ferdinand Freiligrath. Edited by his daughter.

. Gabriel. From the Germanof Paul Heyse. By Arthur Milman.
. The Dead Lake, and other Tales. By P. Heyse.

14. Through Night to Light, by Gutzkow.

Low’s Copyright Cheap Editions of American Authors, com-

prising Popular Works, reprinted by arrangement with their Authors :—
. Haunted Hearts. By the Author of ‘‘ The Lamplighter.”
The Guardian Angel. By‘ The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.”
The Minister’s Wooing. By the Author of ‘ Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
Views Afoot. By Bayard Taylor.
Kathrina, Her Life and Mine. By J. G. Holland.
Hans Brinker ; or, Life in Holland. By Mrs. Dodge.
Men, Women, and Ghosts, _By Miss Phelps.
. Society and Solitude. By Ralph Walde Emerson.
. HedgedIn. By Elizabeth Phelps.

10. An Old-fashioned Girl. By Louisa M. Alcott.

een, velure complete in itself, price 1s. 6d. enamelled flexible cover, or

2s. cloth.

Seer gupopwr

eee
wrt

SOrarp wey

LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, SON, AND MARSTON,
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET.
English, and Foreign, American, and Colonial Booksellers.

 

 

Chiswick Press :— Whittingham and Wilkins, Tooks Court, Chancery Lane.
hat
ere

a