UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES GIFT OF Katheryn N. Kewfield Stephen M* Kewmark V 0 ADVENTURES OP A YOUNG NATURALIST. BY LUCIEN BIART. EDITED AND ADAPTED BY PARKER GILL MORE, AUTHOR OF "ALL BOUND THE WOULD," "GTTN, BOD, AND SADDLE," "ACCESSIBLE FIKLD 8POKT8," ETO. WITH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS. NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 1871. PREFACE. THERE 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 productions. 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 blood-thirsty 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. More- over, here the wolf awakes the reverberating echoes of the forest with its dismal howl ; the raccoon, opossum, and squir- rel pass their lives in sportive gambols; the wild and the ocellated turkeys strut about, pompous in manner, as if con- 473513 6 PREFACE. scious of their handsome plumage, while the timid deer and shaggy-coated, bison roam over prairies or through wood- land 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 throughout the numerous ordeals to which he was submitted, sufiice it for me to say that his conduct was worthy of the representative of any nationality, and such as was calculated to make all parents proud off their offspring ; for whether suffering from thirst or hunger, being persecu- ted 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 " Sun- beam," did by his journey through the Cordilleras of Mex- ico, and that they may enjoy the information herein im- parted upon the wonderful works of the Creator, is the sincere wish of THE EDITOR. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION Page 13 CHAPTER I. Who we are. — Gringalet. — Sunrise. — The Sugar-cane. — A Halt 20 CHAPTER II. Sugar. — Gringalet in the Molasses Tank. — L'Encuerado's obstinate Idea. —An Indian Supper 34 CHAPTER III. Waking up in the Morning. — The pigmy World of Lilliput. — L'Encue- rado and the Bottles. — Massacre of Thistles. — The Charcoal-burning Indians 46 CHAPTER IV. A difficult Ascent.— The Goat.— The Indian Girls.— The Tobacco-plant. —The Bull-fight.— Game.— Lucien's Gun.— Our Entry into the Wil- derness ; 61 CHAPTER V. The great Forest.— Crows.— The first Bivouac.— The Squirrel-hunt.— Our young Guide.— The Chant in the Desert 76 CHAPTER VI. Coffee.— Turpentine.— Couroucous.— Pine-needles.— Three Volcanoes in sight at once. — The Carabus Family. — Scorpions. — Salamanders.— A midnight Disturbance 89 CHAPTER VII. The Cats'-eyes Pomade.— Armadillo.— Lucien and the cruel Fern.— The fallen Mountain. — The Woodpecker. — The Basilisk. — L'Encuerado's fresh Idea 104 CHAPTER VIII. A Vulture's Feast.— Dragon's Blood.— A Coral Serpent.— The Owl.— Mexican Moles. — Toucans. — The Scolopacida3. — L'Encuerado turned Tailor.— Sunset... .. 119 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. The South Wind. — The Hurricane. — A fearful Night. — The uprooted Giant. — The Sarsaparilla-plaut. — Gringalet discovers a Spring.— Our Bivouac Page 1S> CHAPTER X. The Rabbit.— Wild Potatoes.— A difficult Path.— An extinct Crater.— Hoar-frost. — The Torrent. — The Fawn. — The Tettigones. — Dragon- flies 148 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 164 CHAPTER XII. A Relation of Gringalet. — Our four-footed Guide. — A Review of our Par- ty.— The Alligator-tortoise. — The Pheasants. — The Magnolia. — The Nutmeg-tree.— The Blue-plant.— The Caterpillar ... 182 CHAPTER XIII. The Sensitive-plant. — Gringalet and tile Porcupine. — The Mexican Cha- meleon.— The Kite and the Falcon. — An amphisbsena Snake. — A Council of Turkeys 196 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 Ants' Nest .211 CHAPTER XV. Our Substitutes for Lamps.— First Glance into the Cave.— The Elatcrides. —The Gothic Hall.— Stalagmites and Stalactites.— A Chichiquimec Cemetery.— The "Tree of St. Ignatius."— The Opossum and its little ones 235 CHAPTER XVI. The Earth-nuts. — A Wild-cat's Feast. — Another exploring Expedition to the Cave. — The Bats.— Excavations in a Tomb 255 CHAPTER XVII. A forced March. — Wild -ducks. — Vegetable Soap. — An unwelcome Guest 269 CHAPTER XVIII. Wild Dahlias.— A painful Misadventure.— The Euphorbia Plants.— The Washer Raccoon. — Surprised by a Torrent. — L'Encuerado turned Hat-maker.— New Method for driving out Evil Spirits.— The An- hinga 282 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. The Black Iguana. — Another Country. — Reminiscences of Childhood. — The Mirage.— A Fire in the Plain Page 299 CHAPTER XX. The Morning and Night Dew. — The Terre-Froide. — Water-spouts and Whirlwinds. — The Barbary Fig-trees. — The Cactus-plants. — The Viz- naga. — Our Hopes disappointed. — Don Benito Coyotepec 310 CHAPTER XXI. Black Skins and white Skins. — We have to turn Carpenters. — L'Encue- rado chanting and preaching. — The Palm-leaves. — Vegetable Butter Tree 326 CHAPTER XXII. Mexican Oak-apples.— A Stream lost in an Abyss.— The Wild Nasturtium. — Sportsmen deceived by Children. — The Grave-digging Beetles.— The Cochineal Insect. — Mexican Wine. — Good-bye to our Indian Hosts 339 CHAPTER XXIII. Again on the Road.— The Bird-catching Spider.— The Marten and the Skunk. — The Flying Squirrel. — The Otter - hunt. — L'Encuerado wounded 353 CHAPTER XXIV. A laborious Task. — Wild Lime-trees. — Pigeons. — The West India Cher- ry.— The Earwig.— Snakes and Serpents. — First Glance at the Terre- Chaude 367 CHAPTER XXV. A Ground-squirrel. — A Mouse's Nest. — Humming-birds and their young ones.— The Locust-tree.— Mexican Wolves and their Retreat. ... 375 CHAPTER XXVI. The Path through the Forest.— A forced March.— The Bromelaceae.— Mos- quitoes.— The Water-plant. — The Promised Land. — A Band of Mon- keys , , ... 387 CHAPTER XXVII. L'Encuerado 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 400 CHAPTER XXVIII. A Grove of Logwood-trees. — Ants at their Work. — Parasitic Insects. — The Great Ant-eater. — Spoonbills and Herons. — Lost in the For- est 415 10 T CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIX. A nocturnal Visitor.— The Fall of a Tree.— A fearful Night.— The Mon- keys.—Master Job.— All right at last Page 428 CHAPTER XXX. We build a Raft. — The Horned Serpent. — Good-bye to "Palm-tree Villa." — Mosquitoes'and Horse-flies. — The Rattlesnake. — An Ocelot 438 CHAPTER XXXI. The Hunters hunted.— Escape from Peccaries. — A Jaguar-hunt. — An Ibis. —The Caymans.— The Wild Bulls 446 CHAPTER 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 464 CHAPTER XXXIII. Thirst. — L'Encuerado' s Return. — The Description of his Journey. —Janet, Verdet, and Rougette. — Hunting wild Horses. — Our last Adventure. — The Return . . 483 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FRONTISPIECE. We were just then passing through a plantation PAGE 28 At last, lagging a little, our party reached the foo.t of the mountains 44 The basket and its bearer chased one another down the hill 50 Almost immediately the foliage was pushed aside 56 On hearing the uproar two Indian women came running towards us 65 Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with perpendicular sides ... 74 We now entered one of those glades 82 It was really a capital dinner 101 The dog began to howl desperately 114 A flock of vultures attracted our attention 121 Lucien loudly called out to me 126 Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones 146 A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony rampart more than a hundred feet in height 152 Sunset surprised us ere we had finished our labor 156 A shrub kept him from falling into the gulf 169 The cataract 174 Fall of Ingenio (from a drawing by the Marquis of Kadepoint) 177 A tiger-cat bounded forward and seized the pheasant , 191 The kite avoided the shock, and continued to rise in the air. 202 It looked like an immense pedestal, surmounted by two bronze statues 210 Above us, the trees crossed their branches ». 218 Then Sumichrast slid down the cord to the tree . 223 I then ordered the Indian to light the fire 227 The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger style of archi- tecture? 241 Five or six skulls seemed to glare at me through their empty orbits 245 Crater of Popocatepetl 249 Our two scouts climbed some enormous heaps of rocks 362 The animal contimied to retreat before him, and led him to the mouth of a cave 266 They were at once saluted by a platoon fire 273 I at once recognized the black sugar-cane snake 279 Following in Indian file, we ascended the course of the stream 287 The rocks came rolling down ; dashing together under the impulse of a liquid avalanche 291 L'Encuerado set to work to plait us hats 295 I used to go iguana hunting with my brothers 301 The moon rose, and rendered the illusion more striking 307 1 2 LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. The sand rose rapidly, whirling round and round , PAGE 314 Everywhere the cactus might be seen assuming twenty different shapes 318 The water disappeared under a low arch 341 Four children appeared ." 346 An animal came tumbling down about ten paces from us 858 The sun was just setting 362 L'Encuerado was pressing his arm and uttering cries of pain 365 The Terre-Chaude was stretched out at my feet 373 And the Indian went away, saluting 379 I threw a stone at the beast 383 There was a whole tribe of monkeys frolicking about 397 I looked in vain for the cougar. 403 L'Encuerado turned three somersets 407 It stood up on its hind legs 417 The bank to the right was covered with cranes, and that to the left with spoonbills 422 The head and bright eyes of a superb jaguar appeared about titty paces from us 426 We now came upon some creeping plants 430 The monkey slid down, and fell dead at our feet 435 In front of us opened a glade, bordered by tall palm-trees 443 A band of peccaries were pursuing us , 447 The banks of the river were covered with alligators 454 The Indian and his branch descended with a splash into the river 458 The entire drove dashed at full gallop into the stream 461 The reeds were pushed aside 468 The deer sank down under the weight of a puma 472 While the moon dimly lighted up the landscape 475 Lucien began to repeat to the parrots the names of Hortense and Emile 479 We had to cross some muddy marshes 486 Also numerous Woodcuts embodied in, and illustrative of, the text. INTRODUCTION. npPIE evening before leaving for one of my periodical ex- -*- cursions, I was putting in order ray 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 manner — using that irresistible diplomacy of childhood which imposes on fathers and mothers so many trouble- some treaties, and which children so well know how to as- sume when they desire to obtain a favor. " 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 Eu- rope, I want to complete my collection as rapidly as possi- 14 INTRODUCTION. ble. I know you will be a good boy during my absence, and obedient to your mother. You will think of me some- times, will you not?" " I should much prefer not to think of you," he respond- ed. " You would rather, then, that I staid 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, be- sides catching butterflies and insects, both for your collec- tion and mine." " That's all very well ; but the first time you were scratch- ed by a thorn you would cry." " Oh father ! I 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 objec- tion, I — " The child ran off without allowing me to finish my sen- tence. While I went on cleaning my guns, I found that I was pleading with myself in favor of the little would-be trav- eller. I also remembered 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 INTRODUCTION. 15 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 infan- cy had been spent. I moreover knew that 1'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 contrib- uted materially to my scientific collection, but very little to my fortune. Nevertheless, what a wholesome influence is exercised over the mind by an almost unceasing struggle with the difficulties that beset one's course through an un- known country. Both the mind and body of my son must surely benefit by such an excursion, which might be curtail- ed 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 serv- ants 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 requisite, and made him other aux- iliaries necessary on such excursions. From this moment 16 INTRODUCTION. forwai-d, 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 biv- ouac. In fact, I had to quiet him down by recommending more coolness 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. " If 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. Ceasing at length from want of further words, he would very willingly have reduced to silence, with his sword, those who disapproved of my project of taking into the forests and savannahs my child of nine years old, and ex- posing him to all the unknown dangers of savage life — to fatigue, rain, and all kinds of maladies ! 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 ex- pressed myself to that effect. " Oh father !" cried Lucien, " are you going to break your word to me ?" " No," I replied ; " neither now nor ever. I want you to become a man, 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 * The jaguar (Leopardits onca, Linn.) is frequently called a tiger in America. The tiger (Tigris regaUs) is not found on that continent. — ED. ISTRODUCTIOX. \ 7 Fran9ois Sumichrast, a Swiss savant, well known for his dis- coveries in natural history, in whose company I had under- taken several journeys. About ten o'clock at night, I be- gan to fancy iny letter of information had miscarried, when a knock at the door startled me, and I soon recognized 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 exceeded the average, lifted him up and embraced him as an ally. " At your age," said Sumichrast, " I had made the tour of Switzerland, my bag on my back, and had 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 ?" " I will do all you do." "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." Xext morning Lucien -was up and ready long before day- break, 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 sharp- ened, 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 under-clothing. 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 re- 1 8 INTJROD UCTION. sounding 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 at- tached to my person, at last made his appearance, clad in a leathern jacket and breeches, which had given him his name of " JSncuerado"* 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 cra- dle. On his back he fastened a basket containing our main stock of provisions — such as coffee, salt, pepper, dried maize, cakes, etc. Lucien's younger brother and sister had jump- ed out of bed, and were dancing all round us : the latter seemed somewhat sad and uneasy, but the former was dis- satisfied, 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 regretted 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 bed- room costume. " No, no," said my wife ; " I will not be the means of de- priving you of so much pleasure." 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 * Encuerado, in Spanish, means both naked and clad in leather. INTRODUCTION. 19 younger brother give up the stick and hat he had taken possession of. When restitution was effected, the two chil- dren 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 commenc- ing the first stage of our journey in pursuit of scientific discoveries. CHAPTER I. WHO WE AEE. GRINGALET. SUNRISE. THE SUGAR-CANE. A HALT. TT was the 20th April, 1864. The clock of the church of -^- the convent of Saint Joseph de Grace chimed 4 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 neces- sary to favorably impi-ess the imagination of the Indians. He was distinguished as an ornithologist, and was never so much at home as in the midst of the forests ; in fact, he oft- THE ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. •21 en regretted that he had not been born an Indian. His gravity entirely devoid of sadness, his skill in shooting, and his silent laugh, often led me to compare him to Cooper's " Leather-Stocking ;" but it was " Leather-Stocking " be- come 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 for natural history ; but in his character he was ear- nest and reflective, and very eager for knowledge. Snmi- chrast took pleasure in the boy's intelligence, and often amused himself by arguing with him. From the flashes of 22 THE ADVENTURES OF childish humor which he would display on such occasions, my friend sometimes gave him the nickname of " Sun- beam." Next to the child came 1'Encuerado, an Indian of the Mistec race — a strange mixture of delicacy, simplicity, kindness, candor, 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. But he was never happy in a town, and was al- ways praising wild life, even the inconveniences of the soli- tudes in which he had been born. " What a pity that it is so dark," said Lucien, whom Sumichrast was leading by the hand. A TOUNG NATURALIST. 23 (i 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.*' " 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, PEncuerado having brought him 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 his young master ; many a time, doubtless, he had snatched from his hands the half -eaten cake, but such casualties were only a temporary check upon their mutual attachment. He manifested, therefore, a decided preference for three objects — Lucien, his nurse, and bottles in general. I was at first rather vexed that the poor beast should have taken upon himself the liberty of joining our expedition, so I tried to drive him 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 sup- plication, that I could not find it in my heart to carry out my intention. Sumichrast and 1'Encuerado both interceded for the animal, which, crouching and wagging his tail, came 24 THE ADVENTURES OF and lay down humbly at ray feet. Lucien, who was afraid I should behave harshly to his favorite, hid his face in his hands. I was vanquished. " Come along, then, and let us take Gringalet !" I said. So I caressed the dog, which, clearly seeing that he had gained his cause, bounded along the road in the most ex- travagant leaps, clearly indicative of his emotions of pleas- ure. In spite of all his efforts to keep them back, tears es- caped from Lucien's eyes, and I had to turn my head away to avoid having to recall the promise he made to refrain from crying. But, nevertheless, although I 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 bitter- est 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 door-keeper 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 uncomfortable 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 unwill- ing to complain ; I stepped on quickly in order that he A TO UNO NATURALIST. 25 might get warm. Perhaps, just at this moment, he regret- ted 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, al- though, like ^Esop'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, of- fered us a retreat sheltered from the wind. At this mo- ment a line of purple edging the eastern horizon announced the dawn of day. " 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 Eu- rope, it is almost noonday ; 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 ; it is 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 seem- ed all on fire. " Do you understand that phenomenon ?" asked Sumi- chrast. " Yes ; for I know the earth is round, and these mountains, 2 26 THE ADVENTURES OF 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 ea- gles, careering from every mountain top, soared above our heads. The sunbeams twinkled through the dew-drops, and the grass of the prairie seemed decked with diamonds. Black vultures, which soared even higher than the eagles and the 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 com- prised 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 love- ly 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, barking, jumping over ditches, and rolling in the dust in his wild gambols. Our young companion began imitating his frolics ; but I 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 Sumichrast to the boy ; " travellers, like soldiers, must walk at a regular pace, so as to reach their halting-place with- out 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 We were just then passing through a plantati A YOUNG NATURALIST. 29 was most amusing to see him trying to keep a pace quite at variance with the length of his short legs. " Halt !" cried Sumichrast ; " you can hardly imagine your legs are as long as mine. Perhaps in about ten years' tilne you may enjoy that privilege; but, in the mean time, 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 himself to a regular step. After several attempts this was accomplished, and all progressed together. We now directed our course towards the heights. Our intention was to make our way into the Cordillera, and, passing round the volcano*bf 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 prai- ries 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 pass- ing through a plantation, I might almost say a forest of sugar-canes. The stems of the plants were either of a yel- lowish 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, 30 THE ADVENTURES OF it affords a much more certain crop. L'Encuerado, seizing his machete (a straight and a short cutlass, indispensable to the inhabitants of the Terre-Chaude), cut down a magnifi- cent 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 contained. 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, Saccharum 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." " It is like a stalk of maize," said the boy. A TOUNO NATURALIST. 31 " That's true, except that maize has only one stem. Look, there's an Indian about to cut down the very plant I was showing 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 fod- der. Next, he cuts it in lengths, taking care to sever it between the knots, as they are required for planting 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 pro- duce 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 vigor- ously ; 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 looking at." During this long explanation 1'Encuerado, who, on ac- count 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 Indian 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 pnpil that the fragment of the stem was already provided with small rootlets. Suddenly, at 4he turn of a path, I was saluted by a man 32 THE ADVENTURES OF on horseback. It was the steward of the estate that we were crossing. " Hallo ! Don Luciano, where are you off. to with all that train ?" cried the new-comer. "To visit the forest of the Cordillera,"' I replied. " May you travel safely ! but is the young gentleman go- ing 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 good wife 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 jour- ney, 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 Lu- cien to get our breakfast ready. Gringalet was in consternation at his young master's de- parture. Raising his intelligent face, he seemed as if he wished to question us, and pricked up his ears as if to list- en to the sound of the horse's feet dying away in the dis- tance. At last he raised a plaintive howl, and started off in pursuit. Surprised at not seeing 1'Encuerado, I turned back, fancy- ing 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 A YOUNG XATUEALIST. 39 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 surpi-ise 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 laborers, I entered the coui*t-yard 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. SUGAB. GRINGALET IN THE MOLASSES TANK. 1,'ENCUERA- DO'S OBSTINATE IDEA. AN INDIAN SUPPEK. npHE breakfast was a cheerful one, thanks to the Spanish -*- wine spoken of by our host. The Indian laborers, with their wives and children, assembled in inquisitive groups round the windows of the dwelling. Lucien certainly car- ried 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. Sumiohrast wishing, before we set out again, to explain to his pupil how sugar was made, took him to the mill, sit- THE ADVENTURES OF A TOUSQ NATURALIST. 35 uated in a wide rotunda. Here two upright wooden cylin- ders, fitting close to one another, revolved on a pivot, set in action by means of two 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 powerful animals, which were urged on both by voice and gesture. Lucien remark- ed 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 sirup, 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 frag- ments of crjished cane, having been rapidly dried in the sun, were used to feed the fire which boiled the jpice 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. * Two grotesque little phenomena 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 wffl there- fore state, once for aD, that this name is intended to apply only to the In- dians, the descendants of the fine race over whom Montezuma was empe- ror when Cortez conquered them. By Mexicans, or Creoles, we mean the descendants of the Spanish race. 3G THE ADVENTURES OF " 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." " It 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 botli 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 boy." " Give him a piastre, my boy ; we shall meet with others in want, and you must reserve something for them." "Oh!* young gentleman," 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 * About threepence. A YOVNG NATURALIST. 37 employ iron cylinders turned by steam or water power ; also lift and force pumps, which quickly convey the sap into the basitis in which it is to be clarified by fermentation. But for comprehending easily all the operations required in the extraction of sugar, Antonio's hadenda,\n which every thing was done before our eyes, was much preferable to any of the modern mills provided with all kinds of improved ap- paratus. When our young traveller saw the thick, muddy, and tur- bid liquid, which was being stirred up by a gigantic " agita- tor," 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 su- gar-cane, like all other vegetables, contains a certain quanti- ty of liquid, in which the sugar is held in a state of solution ; if this 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 careful- ly skimmed off ; for in three or four days, when it has fer- mented, it will produce, by means of distillation, the ardent spirit which PEncuerado is so fond of. The cloud of steam which is I'ising above the copper shows that the juice is evap- orating ; in a few minutes more it will be converted into sir- up, and will ultimately form crystals. Come and see the re- sult 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 moist- ened, some laborers were pouring the boiling sirup. A lit- tle farther on we were shown what had been boiled the day before, and was crystallizing, assisted in the process by an Indian, who stirred it slowly. From a trough, open at the 38 THE ADVENTURES OF lower end, a thick liquid was flowing, called " molasses," or treacle, which is used for making rum, gingerbread, 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 laborers, 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 scold- ing." " 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/1 replied Sumichrast, who could hardly keep -his gravity; "but come, let us follow these laborers, and you will soon see that they are not mix- ing up this mud for mere pleasure." To his great surprise, our little traveller saw them filling up, with a dark-colored 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 flavor 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 " dry. A YOUNG NATURALIST. 39 ing-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 reser- voir, level with the surface of the ground, and full of molas- ses ; 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 be- tween our legs, to get in front of us, he suddenly disappear- ed 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 bristling 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. As a matter of course, all the laborers raised shouts of laughter; but poor Lucien, fancying that his dog was going to die, followed him in despair. Grin- galet, no doubt wishing to comfort his young master, leaped upon him and covered him with caresses, and of course with saccharine 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. While 1'Encuerado was wash- ing the dog, our hostess cleaned the boy's clothes, soon af- ter which we resumed our journey. Don Antonio, like a real Mexican, pitied us for having to travel on foot like Indians ; he especially commiserated our young companion, 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 argument with the steward. 40 THE AD VENTURES OF " What good are horses, then ?" " To break your neck. Besides, there are plenty of in- firmities 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 accompa- nied us for more than a league. At last, as his duties call- ed 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 trouble- some gear. " Hallo !" I cried, " what have you done with your pro- visions ?" " L'Encuerado wished to carry them for me." " L'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 impossible." " Senor," said 1'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." " It 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 : A YOUNG NATURALIST. 41 " When you don't want to walk any more, Ghanito, yon must tell me, and yon shall ride on the top of my pack." «No," said L tnrning round; "if you do any thing of the kind, I will send both of you home." 44 My shoulders are my own," replied the Indian, earnest- ly; "surely I have a right to employ them as I choose." Sumichrast burst out frnghing at this logic, and I was obliged to go on in front, or I\hould have done the same. ^Nevertheless, I feared lest Lucien should learn, on the very first day of his journey, to depend too much on FEncuera- do'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 com- pelled him to prove that he was easily able to increase the weight of his load — he seized Gringalet, who was walking close behind lolhng 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 in- terminable. "It's no use our walking," said Lucien; "we don't ap- pear to make any advance." "Fortunately, you are mistaken," replied Snmichrast, "Look in front of you, and yon will see that the trees on ahead, which a short time ago looked like one uninterrupt- ed mass of foliage, can now be discerned separately." "You mean the forest which we can see from here?" " What you take for a forest is nothing but a few trees scattered about the plain." 42 THE ADVENTURES OF " Isn't M. Sumichrast wrong in that, father ?" " No, my boy ; but those who have more experience than you might well be mistaken, for when objects are seen at a distance they always seem to blend together in a group. This morning, for instance, when we were walking along the main road, you were always exclaiming that it ended in a point; but you were convinced that your eyes deceived you. It is just the same now : these trees appear to be farther apart in proportion as^we approach 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 ap- pear so thick in the sky, that your brother Emile was re- gretting, the other night, that he was not tall enough to grasp a handful of them." " And don't forget," added Sumichrast, " that light and imagination 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 noth- ing but a pair of trowsers, 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 toler- ably useful ink. The plain assumed by degrees a less mo- notonous aspect. Butterflies began to hover round us, and our young naturalist wanted to commence insect-hunting. At last, lagging a little, our party reached the foot of the mouiitair A YOUXG NATURALIST. 45 I restrained his ardor, as I wished to keep our boxes and needles free for the rarer species which we might expect to find as soon as we hafl reached more uninhabited districts. At last, lagging a little, our party reached the foot of the mountains. It was now five o'clock ; night was coming on, , 34 THE AD VENTURES OF 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 discovering 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. " Is 1'Encuerado asleep ?" I cined, with vexation. My question was answered by two shot-reports in suc- cession, and almost immediately Gringalet, 1'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, while 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 1'Encuerado held my gun ; we aim- ed into the middle of them, for there were a great many. If you could only have seen how they jumped ! The one I lut climbed up on the tree close by ; but it soon fell as dead as a stone. L'Encuerado says that it hadn't time to suffer much pain." The poor child was making his debut as a sportsman, and A YOUNG NATURALIST. 85 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 prudence, I made up my mind, if only for the sake of economizing 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," ob- served Sumichrast to me. " How do you explain Lucien's having followed 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 be- ing 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 fol- lowed 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." I was evidently regularly beaten. We sat down in front of the fire, before which the two sqiiirrels 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. 80 THE AD VENTURES OF The flesh of the squirrel, both in flavor and color, much resembles that of the hare ; so our little mess-mate ate it with evident enjoyment. Dried maize-cakes, called toto- po, 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 ?" " I'll 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, constitute their principal food." " Then," replied Lucien, triumphantly, " the flesh of the A YOUNG NATURALIST. 87 squirrel can not 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 I almost immediately desired him to be silent, for a noise of branches rustling, which had ex- cited our attention, became every moment more distinct. Gringalet was about to bark, but FEncuerado caught him by the muzzle, and covered him with his sarape. A whole troop of squirrels, no doubt those we had hunted two hours before, made their appearance, uttering sharp cries. They sprang from branch to branch with the most extraordinary 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, and 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 pre- vent 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. Neverthe- less, 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 night at hist shut us in, bringing with it the solemn silence of the wilderness. L'Encuerado struck up a pro- longed chant, and Lncien's fresh young voice blended with 88 THE ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. that of the hunter. The tune was simple and monotonous in its character; but there was something touching in hear- ing the Indian and the child, both equally artless in mind, uniting together to sing the praises of God. The chant was dnded by a prayer, which Sumichrast and I listened to, standing up, with our heads bared ; and it was with earnestness that my friend repeated 1'Encuerado's solemn "Amen," expressed in the words, " God is great." Having fed the fire with sufficient to keep it up all night, we lay 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 melan- choly 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 VOLCANOES IN SIGHT AT ONCE. THE CAEABUS FAMILY. SCORPIONS. SALAMANDERS. A MIDNIGHT DIS- TURBANCE.. fT^HE first thing I saw on opening my eyes was 1'Encue- -*• rado, 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 upset- ting 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 1'Encuera- do disturbed Gringalet, so he thought proper to come and lie down on me, and that woke me, for Gringalet is very. 90 2!H".&7 ADVENTURES OP 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 singing loudly, and PEncuerado 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, Chauito," said the Indian ; " I'll soon make it all right." Then, taking his gourd, he poured from it some cold wa- ter 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. " Hallo ! hallo ! 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 Reyniere 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 A TO UNO NATURALIST. 91 forest gradually lighted up, and the trunks of the trees gilded by slanting sunbeams. Before starting again, one of our party carefully examined the ground on which we had camped, so as not to foi-get any of our effects, which, if lost, would have been irreparable. I also noticed that 1'Encue- rado'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 cry of the couroucou struck on our ears. The call of this bird is very much like that uttered by the Mex- ican 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 obtain- ed a male and female. Lucien was never tired of admiring these beautiful creatui'es, 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, while 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. Sumichrast ?" asked Lucien. " No, Master ' Sunbeam ;' they are rather rare ; so we must take great care of the skins of these we have shot." " Is their flesh good to eat?" he asked. " Excellent ; and many a goxirmand 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. " Xo ; it belongs to the family of climbers — that is to 92 THE ADVENTURES OF say, to that order of birds which have two toes iu front of their claws and two behind, like your great friends the pan-ots." 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 ra- vine ; but we very soon discovered, to our great disappoint- ment, that we should have to begin climbing again, leaving behind us the oaks and the ceibas, and meeting with noth- ing but gigantic pine-trees. The pine-needles* which liter- ally carpeted the ground, made it so slippery, that for every step forward we frequently took two backward. We fell time after time, but our falls were not in the least degree dangerous. Sometimes, as if at a signal, we all four rolled down together, and each laughed at his neighbor's misfor- tune, thus cheering one another. 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 backward like a ball, losing all tho ground he had gained, but he at once got up again, quite in a pet with the dog, for whom he predicted a fall as a punish« ment for his treacherous behavior. The troublesome pine-needles obliged us again to resort to the stake and lasso plan ; 1'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 themselves ? 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 ?n * The small tapering leaves of the pine are thus called. A YOUNG NATURALIST. 93 " 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 PEncuerado 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 fa- vorite 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. " I fancied," said he, " that turpentine was obtained by crushing 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 them- selves with cutting down the tree within a foot of the ground ; the resin at once begins to ooze out, and gradual- ly fills the leathern bottles placed to receive it. As soon as the resin ceases to flow, they cut the tree up into fagots for the use of the inhabitants of the towns, or the Indians living on plains, whose poor dwellings often possess no 94 THE ADVENTURES OF other light than the smoky glimmer from a branch oi fir." I was obliged to cut short my explanations, in order to help Sumichrast and 1'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 zigzags, and thus we were two hours in climbing a quarter of a league. 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 Citla- tepetl — 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. " It is quite a different shape," he said. " It is not the mountain, but the point from which you look at it, that has changed its appearance," replied Sumi- chrast. " 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 fai'ther apart, and gradually disappearing altogether. Higher still may be seen the glaciers glittering in -the sun; and, last of all, the perpetual snow surrounding the crater, which was visited for the first time in 1847, by M. Doignon, a Frenchman." " Popocatepetl, Istaccihuatl," said PEncuerado gravely, pointing out the mountains. The two mountains mentioned by the Indian were tower- ing up behind us — a sight that alone repaid for our difficult A TO UNO NATURALIST. 95 ascent; we could admire in turn the three loftiest volca- noes in Mexico. " Where is Popocatepetl ?" asked Luciefl. " There ; that enormous cone which rises to our right," I answered, pointing in that direction. " Is it the smallest of the three ?" " No ; on the contrary, it does not measure less than 18,000 feet in height. Bias 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 wom- an ;' but I do not know the height of it." " It is 15,700 feet above the level of the sea." " How can mountains like these be measured ?" asked Lucien. *y- - ^" " 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 pro- portion as the barometer is carried up the mountain, be- cause the air which presses upon the mercury reservoir be- comes 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 colors ; rather lower down the ground was hid- den by the fallen leaves of giant trees ; beyond was a suc- cession of smaller crests, frequently quite barren, sometimes covered with sun-scorched verdure. On the horizon, which was hidden by a transparent mist, the two volcanoes 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 perpetual snow, can be seen by sailors forty leagues at sea. I was really sorry to give the signal for departure. We go THE ADVENTURES OF again met with the pine-needles, and though our ascent was difficult and slow, our descent was proportionally rapid. Thus we fell forward instead of falling backward. Gringa- let, who seemed amused at 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-colored insects hummed cheerfully 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 pas- sage with our machetes; but what was our joy upon per- ceiving, at the bottom of the ravine, a stream bordered with angelica and water-cress ! Thanks to the abundance of materials, our hut was quick- ly constructed. While 1'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 color, fled at my approach ; they belonged to the numerous Carabus family, the flesh-eating Coleopteroe, which are found both in Europe and in America. " Why don't they fly away, instead of running or tum- bling over on the ground ?" asked Lucien. " Because they are but little used to flying, and are very quick at walking," I answered. " Oh 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 A TOUyG NATURALIST. 97 hurt you. Many of the Carabus family, when they are caught, try to defend themselves by throwing out a corro- sive 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?" " Larvae and caterpillars ; they are, therefore, more useful than injurious." "To what order of insects do they belong?" "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 membranous and folded crosswise. The cock- chafer, you know, is one of this order." A fresh piece of bark revealed to us two scorpions with enormous bellies, and heads so small as to be almost imper- ceptible ; all they did was to stiffen out their tails, which are composed of six divisions, the last terminating in an ex- tremely slender barb. " Oh, what horrid creatures !" cried Lucien, starting back ; " if it wasn't for their light color, 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 al- lied to the spider tribe." " I 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 w,ere stung?" * Elytra is derired from a Greek word, i/.i-rpov, a sheath. 5 98 THE ADVENTURES OF " No ; but it would cause a veiy painful swelling, which it would be best to avoid." " I shall be afraid to meddle with the bark of trees, now." " Then good-bye to your making a collection of insects. Prudence 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, espe- cially when he saw the animal begin to move slowly off with them. " Do you know, Chanito," said 1'Encuerado, who had now joined us, which showed that the cooking did not requii-e his undivided attention," that when the mother of the young scorpions does not supply them with food, they set to and devour hei\" "Is that'true?" asked Lucien, with surprise. " If the little ones do not actually kill their mother, at all events they feed on her dead body," I answered. " You will have plenty of opportunities to verify this fact, for these insects are very plentiful in the Terr e- Temper ee" " Ah !" cried Lucien, " I was quite right, then, when I call- ed 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 salaman- der, an amphibious reptile of the frog family. The scor- pion has eight feet, while 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 hear- A TOCYG SATC&AHST. 99 ing the contempt with which FEncuerado pronounced this name) " are afraid of it; once I was afraid of it myself, bat 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 — B It 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 humor 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 phenomenon by which a hand, previously wet- ted, 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, hare chosen the salamander as an emblem of valor." Assisted by Snmichrast, I continued the examination of the immense tree, which, being half rotted by the dampness of the soil, supplied us with some very beautiful specimens of various insects. Suddenly we heard Lncien speaking in supplicating tones ; I ran towards him, and found him trying to prevent PEncnerado, who had got possession of the salamander, from making a trial of its powers of resisting fire. " All rightj 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. * Thanks to the spheroidal condition of water, discovered by M. Bon- tigny (of ETieux). 100 THE ADVENTURES OF The day was drawing to a close when we returned to the fire ; from the stew-pan an appetizing odor was escaping, in which one of the couroucous, with a handful of rice, was boiling, while the other bird was roasting in front. It was really a capital dinner ; first we had some excellent soup, of which Lucien had two platefuls ; then came what was left of our squirrel, and last of all the roasted couroucou, which rEncuerado 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 every thing clean, even to the very saucepan. Lucien, having finished his meal, lay 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 'It was really a capital dinner.*' A YOUNG NATUMAL1ST. 103 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 1'Encuerado. And while we were making up the fire, the Indian rush- ed off into the darkness. " Are they wolves, M. Sumichrast ?" asked Lucien, anx- iously. " Yes, my boy, but only prairie wolves," he answered. " Do you think that they will first devour 1'Encuerado, and then attack us ?" " 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 VII. THE CATS'-EYES POMADE. - AEMADILLO. - LUCIEN AND THE CRUEL FERN. - THE FALLEN MOUNTAIN. - THE AVOOD- PECKEK. - THE BASILISK. - L'ENCUEEADO's FKESH IDEA. RIXGALET, who had been the first to give the alarm, was also the first to go to sleep again. I could not help waiting with some degree of anxiety for 1'Encuerado's return. In a quarter of an hour, as the Indian did not ar- rive, 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 re- port might serve as a guide to him, when I heard the sound of his guttural cry. THE AD VESTURES OF A TOUXG NATURALIST. JQ5 u What on earth has possessed you to chase useless game at this hour of the night ?" I cried, as he caine into sight. "I felt bound to give these screeching animals a lesson, senor ; if I hadn't done so, they would have come back to disturb us every night," answered the Indian, gravely. " Have you killed any of them ?" " I only managed to wound one. I followed it — n " 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 faiu%" replied 1'En- cuerado, in a reproachful tone. "What! my fault?" "The brujos (sorcerers) have many a time offered me an ointment made of cats' eyes and fat ; but they wanted too much for it. You knew much more about it than the sor- cerers ; and if you would only have told me the way to make the ointment, and how to use it, I should 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 Sunftchrast 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 frater- nally 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 snn 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 fhe comparatively barren places we had traversed the day before, dwelt with delight 5* 106 THE ADVENTURES OF 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 Su- michrast. " Suppose we don't go till to-morrow," I answered. These ideas seemed so thoroughly to respond to the wish of 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. Lucieu, helped by 1'Encuerado, who had noth- ing 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 cleans- ing. 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 collecting some insects, when Gringalet pricked up his ears and showed his teeth. The rustling of dry leaves at- tracted 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 tapering muzzle so as to snuff closer to the branch- es. 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 to- wards the animal, when I saw it leave off its work, and, bend- A YOUNG XATURALDST. 107 ing 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 ar- madillo, and its pink transparent skin. I told him that this inoffensive animal, which feeds on insects and roots, belong- ed to the order Edentata — mammals in which the system of teeth is incomplete. " But," said he, " I have seen pictures in which armadillos are represented with armor formed of small squares." "That is another species, which also lives in Mexico," re- plied 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 discus- sion by strangling it, 1'Encuerado's carelessness having left it in his way. The boy, both angry and distressed, was as- tonished 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 kffl a poor beast that never did him any harm !" « He has saved us the trouble of killing it. Men, and all carnivorous animals, can not live except on the condition of sacrificing other creatures. Didn't yon shoot a squirrel yesterday? And you did not refuse your share of those beautiful birds, the plumage of which so delighted you." "Yes, but I did not strangle the squirrel with my teeth. It's a very different thing." 108 THE ADVENTURES OF " 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 oft- en angry with 1'Encuerado, who could scarcely resist the temptation of firing at any thing 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 assert- ed that if God had allowed man to kill for the purpose 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 FEn- cuerado's eyes. Gun on shoulder, \ve 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 developed, assumed the shape of a bishop's crosier. Lucien remarked this. " You are right," said I, " it is very cui-ious. 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 mushroom tribe. It is only un- der 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 vegeta- tion of the primitive world, and we frequently find evidence of some gigantic species which are now extinct." * That is, a plant devoid of lobes. • A YOUNG NATURALIST. 109 Lncien, 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 be- came 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 ajrainst 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 strug- gling in this way you would only the more entangle your- self?" " I 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 ma- chete, 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 wav ! Try and tear my coat ! I know you wouldn't dare to do it ! Never mind, though ! I'll 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 mag- nificent one ; the accumulation of rocks, piled one on the other, had crushed down in their fall the trees that im- peded their course. We saw before us an inextricable pile HO THE ADVENTURES