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Title: Aventures d'un jeune naturaliste. English - Adventures of a Young Naturalist
Author: Biart, Lucien, 1829-1897
Language: English
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[Illustration: FRONTISPIECE.]
ADVENTURES
OF
A YOUNG NATURALIST.
BY
LUCIEN BIART.
EDITED AND ADAPTED BY
PARKER GILLMORE,
AUTHOR OF "ALL ROUND THE WORLD," "GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE," "ACCESSIBLE
FIELD SPORTS," ETC.
_WITH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS._
[Illustration]
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1871.
PREFACE.
There is no country on the face of the earth that possesses 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. Moreover, here the wolf awakes
the reverberating echoes of the forest with its dismal howl; the
raccoon, opossum, and squirrel pass their lives in sportive gambols; the
wild and the ocellated turkeys strut about, pompous in manner, as if
conscious of their handsome plumage, while the timid deer and
shaggy-coated bison roam over prairies or through woodland glades, as
yet unacquainted with the report of the white man's destructive
fire-arms.
Can it, therefore, be surprising that our little hero should have craved
to be permitted to have a sight of this new land, so rich in the
prospect of adventure? How he behaved himself throughout the numerous
ordeals to which he was submitted, suffice 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 of their offspring; for whether
suffering from thirst or hunger, being persecuted by noxious insects,
straying in the woods, even when within reach of the fiercest carnivora
or in the presence of the deadliest reptiles, he never for a moment
hesitated in performing his seniors' instructions, lost his courage, or,
better still, an opportunity of improving his mind.
That the young English reader may benefit as much by the perusal of this
work as Master Lucien, otherwise "Sunbeam," did by his journey through
the Cordilleras of Mexico, and that they may enjoy the information
herein imparted upon the wonderful works of the Creator, is the sincere
wish of
THE EDITOR.
[Illustration: Decoration]
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'Encuerado 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 Wilderness. 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
Scolopacidæ.--L'Encuerado turned Tailor.--Sunset. 119
CHAPTER IX.
The South Wind.--The Hurricane.--A fearful
Night.--The uprooted Giant.--The
Sarsaparilla-plant.--Gringalet discovers a
Spring.--Our Bivouac. 135
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 Party.--The
Alligator-tortoise.--The Pheasants.--The
Magnolia.--The Nutmeg-tree.--The Blue-plant.--The
Caterpillar. 182
CHAPTER XIII.
The Sensitive-plant.--Gringalet and the
Porcupine.--The Mexican Chameleon.--The Kite and
the Falcon.--An amphisbæna 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 Elaterides.--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 Anhinga. 282
CHAPTER XIX.
The Black Iguana.--Another Country.--Reminiscences
of Childhood.--The Mirage.--A Fire in the Plain. 299
CHAPTER XX.
The Morning and Night Dew.--The
Terre-Froide.--Water-spouts and Whirlwinds.--The
Barbary Fig-trees.--The Cactus-plants.--The
Viznaga.--Our Hopes disappointed.--Don Benito
Coyotepec. 310
CHAPTER XXI.
Black Skins and white Skins.--We have to turn
Carpenters.--L'Encuerado 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 Cherry.--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
Bromelaceæ.--Mosquitoes.--The Water-plant.--The
Promised Land.--A Band of Monkeys. 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
Forest. 415
CHAPTER XXIX.
A nocturnal Visitor.--The Fall of a Tree.--A
fearful Night.--The Monkeys.--Master Job.--All
right at last. 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
[Illustration: Decoration]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FRONTISPIECE.
We were just then passing through a plantation PAGE 28
At last, lagging a little, our party reached the
foot 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 Ingénio (from a drawing by the Marquis of
Radepoint) 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
architecture 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 262
The animal continued 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
The sand rose rapidly, whirling round and round 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 358
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
fifty 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 442
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.
[Illustration: Decoration]
[Illustration]
INTRODUCTION.
The evening before leaving for one of my periodical excursions, I was
putting in order my guns, my insect-cases, and all my travelling
necessaries, when my eldest son, a lad nine years old, came running to
me in that wheedling manner--using that irresistible diplomacy of
childhood which imposes on fathers and mothers so many troublesome
treaties, and which children so well know how to assume 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 Europe, I want to
complete my collection as rapidly as possible. I know you will be a
good boy during my absence, and obedient to your mother. You will think
of me sometimes, will you not?"
"I should much prefer _not_ to think of you," he responded.
"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, besides catching butterflies and insects,
both for your collection and mine."
"That's all very well; but the first time you were scratched by a thorn
you would 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," exclaimed Lucien.
"We must consult your mother, and if she sees no objection, I--"
The child ran off without allowing me to finish my sentence.
While I went on cleaning my guns, I found that I was pleading with
myself in favor of the little would-be traveller. 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 impress the memory of my son with a
sight of some of the grand scenes of tropical nature, so that he should
retain correct ideas of the wonderful country in which his infancy had
been spent. I moreover knew that l'Encuerado, the gallant Indian who had
been my servant for so many years, perfectly adored his young master,
and would watch over him just as I should, and thus ward off any
possible mishaps. On the other hand, I risked inspiring my son with that
love of travel and adventure which had contributed 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
unknown country. Both the mind and body of my son must surely benefit by
such an excursion, which might be curtailed if desirable. Soon after the
boy returned, accompanied by his mother.
"What is all this about a journey, for which my consent is the only
requisite?" asked my wife.
"Mine is needed too," I answered.
"Why not take him, dear? L'Encuerado has promised me that he will not
lose sight of him for an instant."
"What! do _you_ take his part?"
"He does long so much to go with you," she said.
"Be it so," I replied. "Get your clothes ready, for we must be off the
day after to-morrow at daybreak."
Lucien was almost beside himself with joy. He rushed about the house
from one end to the other; gave the servants much unnecessary trouble;
leggings, boots, and a game-bag, he wanted; also a sword, a knife,
insect-cases--in fact, a whole multitude of requirements. L'Encuerado,
who was almost as rejoiced as the lad, cut him a travelling-staff, as
strong and light as was requisite, and made him other auxiliaries
necessary on such excursions. From this moment forward, Lucien was
constantly running and climbing about all the rooms and the yards round
the house, to accustom himself, as he said, to the fatigue of a long
journey. At dinner-time he would take nothing but bread and water, in
order to prepare his system for the meagre fare of the bivouac. In fact,
I had to quiet him down by recommending more 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--"[A]
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 exposing 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 expressed 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 François
Sumichrast, a Swiss _savant_, well known for his discoveries in natural
history, in whose company I had undertaken several journeys. About ten
o'clock at night, I began to fancy my letter of information had
miscarried, when a knock at the door startled me, and I soon 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 Töpffer.
"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."
Next 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 sharpened, to cut his way through the creeping plants; while
over his shoulder was passed the strap of a game-pouch, containing a
knife, a cup, and a change of 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 resounding against all the floors in the house. L'Encuerado, a
Mistec Indian, and an old tiger-hunter, who, through a thousand dangers
faced in common, had become much attached to my person, at last made his
appearance, clad in a leathern jacket and breeches, which had given him
his name of "_Encuerado_."[B] The brave and adventurous Indian was
almost beside himself with joy at the idea of conducting into the forest
the child whom he had known from his cradle. On his back he fastened a
basket containing our main stock of provisions--such as coffee, salt,
pepper, dried maize, cakes, etc. Lucien's younger brother and sister had
jumped out of bed, and were dancing all round us: the latter seemed
somewhat sad and uneasy, but the former was dissatisfied, manfully
asserting that he, too, was quite big enough to go with us.
At the last moment my poor wife lost all her courage, and 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 bedroom costume.
"No, no," said my wife; "I will not be the means of depriving 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 younger brother give up
the stick and hat he had taken possession of. When restitution was
effected, the two children kissed each other, and parted friends.
At last the outer gate was passed, and our footsteps rang through the
quiet streets of Orizava. We were commencing the first stage of our
journey in pursuit of scientific discoveries.
[Illustration: Decoration]
FOOTNOTES:
[A] The jaguar (_Leopardus onca_, Linn.) is frequently called a tiger in
America. The tiger (_Tigris regalis_) is not found on that
continent.--ED.
[B] _Encuerado_, in Spanish, means both _naked_ and _clad in leather_.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I.
WHO WE ARE.--GRINGALET.--SUNRISE.--THE SUGAR-CANE.--A HALT.
It 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 necessary to favorably impress 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 often 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" become a man
of the world and of science.
[Illustration]
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 earnest and reflective, and very eager for
knowledge. Sumichrast took pleasure in the boy's intelligence, and often
amused himself by arguing with him. From the flashes of childish humor
which he would display on such occasions, my friend sometimes gave him
the nickname of "Sun-beam."
Next to the child came l'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 always
praising wild life, even the inconveniences of the solitudes in which he
had been born.
[Illustration]
"What a pity that it is so dark," said Lucien, whom Sumichrast was
leading by the hand.
"For what reason do you wish for daylight?" I asked.
"Why? Because every one is asleep now, and none of my friends will see
me pass with my sword, my gourd, and my game-pouch."
"So you think that your travelling-costume would make your companions
envious?--that's not a kind feeling."
"No, father; I should like them to see me, certainly; but I don't want
to give pain to any one."
We passed along the foot of Borrego, the mountain which has become so
famous, owing to the conflict which took place there between sixty
French soldiers and two thousand Mexicans, and had just reached the
gateway of Angostura when a dog ran past, but soon returned, barking and
fawning upon us in every way. It was Gringalet, an elegantly although
strongly made greyhound, which had been a companion of my boy's from
infancy, l'Encuerado having brought 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
supplication, that I could not find it in my heart to carry out my
intention. Sumichrast and l'Encuerado both interceded for the animal,
which, crouching and wagging his tail, came and lay down humbly at my
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 extravagant leaps, clearly
indicative of his emotions of pleasure. In spite of all his efforts to
keep them back, tears escaped 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 bitterest sorrow.
The gates of the town were still closed. On arriving in front of the
guard-house, I rapped at the window to awake the old man, the guardian
of the keys of the town.
"Won't he open the gate for us? Shall we be obliged to go home again?
Can't we start to-day, M. Sumichrast?" eagerly asked Lucien.
"Keep quiet," replied Sumichrast; "the porter is an old man, and we are
disturbing him earlier than we ought, which always puts him a little out
of temper. However active we may be, it is a good thing to know 'how to
wait.'"
At last the 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 unwilling to complain; I stepped on
quickly in order that he might get warm. Perhaps, just at this moment,
he regretted his little bed, and thought of the cup of warm chocolate
which his mother often used to bring him as soon as he awoke; but,
unmurmuring, he retained his place by my side.
Beyond the village of Ingenio, a brisk south wind blew the dust in our
faces and retarded our speed. All round the trees bent before the
squall, and the large plantain leaves flew about, torn into ribbons. We
now turned to the right, and crossed a prairie. L'Encuerado required
breath, for his load weighed at least eighty pounds, although, like
Æsop's burden, it would surely get lighter at every meal. An enormous
rock, which had tumbled down from one of the surrounding mountains
centuries past, offered us a retreat sheltered from the wind. At this
moment a line of purple edging the eastern horizon announced the dawn of
day.
"Come here," I called to Lucien.
And taking the lad between my knees, I said,
"You see that bright band of light which looks almost as if the horizon
was on fire? Well, from the middle of it the sun is just going to rise.
At this very moment, in Europe, it is almost 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 seemed all on fire.
"Do you understand that phenomenon?" asked Sumichrast.
"Yes; for I know the earth is round, and these mountains, which are
higher than we are, of course first catch the rays of the sun."
The day broke, and a burning glow suffused the horizon; in a few minutes
the sun rose and inundated us with light. The birds began to chant their
morning song, and the eagles, careering from every mountain top, soared
above our heads. The 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 comprised in one
single day.
"Oh!" cried Lucien, "as soon as we get home I shall tell mamma how
beautiful is sunrise! Is it not a shame that so many of us sleep through
the hour when this lovely prospect can only be enjoyed?"
I was obliged to cut short the little fellow's admiration--an admiration
I also shared. Each resumed his load; and now, in spite of the wind, we
all felt eager to advance. Gringalet, as glad as we were at the return
of day, frisked round Lucien, 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 without more than necessary fatigue.
Come--form in line! That's well; now, on we go!"
[Illustration: "We were just then passing through a plantation."]
Lucien measured his steps by those of his instructor. It was most
amusing to see him trying to keep a pace quite at variance with the
length of his short legs.
"Halt!" cried Sumichrast; "you can hardly imagine your legs are as long
as mine. Perhaps in about ten years' time you may enjoy that privilege;
but, in the 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 of
Orizava, to descend into the savannahs beyond, slanting off to the left
so as ultimately to reach the sea. Then we thought of traversing the
prairies and forests of the Terre-Chaude, so as again to come to our
starting-point through the mountains of Songolica. This circuit would
represent a journey of a hundred and fifty leagues as the crow flies, or
at least three hundred leagues, reckoning all the circuits and bends we
should be obliged to make. During this long expedition, we had made up
our minds to seek, when opportunity offered, the hospitality of any
Indian villages that might come in our road, and only when absolutely
necessary to camp in the open air.
About eleven, the heat became overpowering, and Lucien began to inquire
about breakfast. We were just then passing through a plantation, I might
almost say a forest of sugar-canes. The stems of the plants were either
of a yellowish hue or veined with blue, and were more than six feet
high. The latter kind will ultimately supersede its rival; for the
cultivators assert that, although not so large, it affords a much more
certain crop. L'Encuerado, seizing his _machete_ (a straight and a short
cutlass, indispensable to the inhabitants of the Terre-Chaude), cut down
a magnificent stem, and, peeling it, offered each of us a piece. The
sugar-cane is extremely hard, and it is necessary to cut it up in order
to break the cellules in which the sweet juice is 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.
"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 fodder. 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 produce a plant from it which is
profitable. Now, as young fellows of your kind are rather numerous, and
consume a good many preserves and sugar-plums, it is highly necessary to
devise some rapid method of supplying the sugar you devour. This method
has been found out. Each of these pieces of cane will be stuck into the
earth, and the knot, from which in the open air the leaves spring, will
send down roots into the soil. Small as it is, it will grow vigorously;
and in a year, or eighteen months at most, it will have produced a dozen
stalks quite as fine as the one you have been looking at."
During this long explanation l'Encuerado, who, on account of his load,
disliked standing still, had kept moving, so we had to increase our pace
to catch him up. As we were passing on, Lucien saw the 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 pupil that the fragment of the stem
was already provided with small rootlets.
Suddenly, at the turn of a path, I was saluted by a man on horseback.
It was the steward of the estate that we were crossing.
"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 going with you?"
"Yes, to be sure. Good-bye, Antonio, till we meet again!"
"Till we meet again? By my word, you shall not say that just yet. The
goodwife has some eggs and fried beans ready for breakfast; and I ought
to have some bottles of Spanish wine, in which we'll drink to your
pleasant journey, unless you're too proud to accept the hospitality of a
poor man."
Being very hungry, with pleasure we accepted this cordial invitation.
The steward further insisted upon taking our little traveller up in
front of him. The child was only too pleased.
"Oh dear!" said Sumichrast; "why, it's spoiling the boy at the outset."
"It will be half a league the less for his poor legs," said Antonio;
and, spurring his horse, he galloped off with Lucien to get our
breakfast ready.
Gringalet was in consternation at his young master's departure. Raising
his intelligent face, he seemed as if he wished to question us, and
pricked up his ears as if to listen to the sound of the horse's feet
dying away in the distance. At last he raised a plaintive howl, and
started off in pursuit.
Surprised at not seeing l'Encuerado, I turned back, fancying he had
remained behind. I was expecting to see him appear, when Sumichrast
burst out laughing. At a turn of the road he had caught a sight of the
horseman, with the dog on one side and the Indian on the other, who, in
spite of his load, kept up without difficulty.
This feat on the part of my servant did not much surprise me, for I do
not think that in the whole world there are any more indefatigable
runners than the Mistec Indians.
At twelve o'clock, just as the bell was calling home the laborers, I
entered the courtyard of the sugar-mill, where I caught sight of my
youngster sitting on the ground, with his dog at his feet, looking with
rapture at some ducks that were enjoying themselves in a muddy pool.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER II.
SUGAR.--GRINGALET IN THE MOLASSES TANK.--L'ENCUERADO'S OBSTINATE
IDEA.--AN INDIAN SUPPER.
The 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 carried the day, for he it was that they chiefly sought
to see. As for Gringalet, he was much less cordially received by his
brother-dogs belonging to the place; consequently, he scarcely left his
young master's side, and showed his teeth incessantly.
Sumichrast wishing, before we set out again, to explain to his pupil how
sugar was made, took him to the mill, situated in a wide rotunda. Here
two upright wooden cylinders, fitting close to one another, revolved on
a pivot, set in action by means of two oxen yoked together, crushing the
canes which an Aztec[C] 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 remarked that the canes were cut in lengths of about a yard, and
bevelled off at the ends, so as to be more readily caught between the
two cylinders. After having been subjected to this heavy pressure, they
came out squeezed almost dry, and the sweet juice, or _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 fragments of crushed
cane, having been rapidly dried in the sun, were used to feed the fire
which boiled the juice so lately squeezed out of them.
Near the aloe-fibre filtering-bag, in front of which the morsels of cane
and rubbish constantly accumulated, stood a little boy about twelve
years old, whose duty it was to keep the passage clear. Lucien pulled my
coat, to call my attention to the fact that the lad had only one arm.
"How did you lose your left arm, pobricito?" I asked.
"Between the crushers, señor."
"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, señor. My father died six months ago, and
I have several little brothers. If I had both my arms, I could earn a
quarter of a piastre a day, and also help my mother."
"How much do they give you for watching this filtering-bag from morning
till night?"
"Only a medio,"[D] 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 employ iron cylinders turned by
steam or water power; also lift and force pumps, which quickly convey
the sap into the basins in which it is to be clarified by fermentation.
But for comprehending easily all the operations required in the
extraction of sugar, Antonio's _hacienda_, in which every thing was done
before our eyes, was much preferable to any of the modern mills provided
with all kinds of improved apparatus.
When our young traveller saw the thick, muddy, and turbid liquid, which
was being stirred up by a gigantic "agitator," he could hardly believe
that it could ever produce the beautiful white crystal with which he was
so well acquainted.
"But where's the sugar?" he eagerly asked.
"There, in front of you," replied Sumichrast. "The sugar-cane, like all
other vegetables, contains a certain quantity of liquid, in which the
sugar is held in a state of solution; if this is removed, prismatic
crystals immediately form. Look now! the contents of the copper are just
beginning to boil, and are covered with a blackish scum, which is
carefully skimmed off; for in three or four days, when it has fermented,
it will produce, by means of distillation, the ardent spirit which
l'Encuerado is so fond of. The cloud of steam which is rising above the
copper shows that the juice is evaporating; in a few minutes more it
will be converted into sirup, and will ultimately form crystals. Come
and see the result of the last operation."
We entered a large gallery, in which a number of moulds--made of baked
earth and shaped like reversed sugar-loaves--were ranged in lines under
the beams, like bottles in a bottle-rack. Into these, which had been
previously moistened, some laborers were pouring the boiling sirup. A
little 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 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 scolding."
"What was it for?" I asked.
"For mixing up mud to build a town and reservoir in the long passage in
our house."
"What part did you take in it?"
"Oh, I was architect; but I was scolded as much as the others."
"That I can readily believe," replied Sumichrast, who could hardly keep
his gravity; "but come, let us follow these laborers, and you will soon
see that they are not mixing up this mud for mere pleasure."
To his great surprise, our little traveller saw them filling up, 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 "drying-room," where
the sugar-loaves are piled up to dry, and wait for a purchaser.
In our way thither we nearly fell into an immense reservoir, level with
the surface of the ground, and full of molasses; the scum floating on
the top so exactly resembled the rough and sticky floor of the
sugar-mill that it was easy to make a mistake. Gringalet was unfortunate
enough to be the cause of our avoiding this accident. Restless, like all
his kind, he ran smelling about in every direction, just as if he was
trying to find some lost object: forcing his way between our legs, to
get in front of us, he suddenly disappeared in the thick liquid. I
pulled him out directly; but as soon as he was on his feet, he rolled
over and over on the ground, so that when he stood up his coat was
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.
Gringalet, 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 l'Encuerado was
washing the dog, our hostess cleaned the boy's clothes, soon after which
we resumed our journey.
Don Antonio, like a real Mexican, pitied us for having to travel 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.
"What good are horses, then?"
"To break your neck. Besides, there are plenty of infirmities in life
without making one out of the horse."
"The horse an infirmity!" cried the Mexican.
"Yes, certainly--among your caste at least; for you could no more do
without a horse than a cripple without his crutch."
Don Antonio whistled without making any reply, and, untying his horse,
took Lucien up in front, and accompanied us for more than a league. At
last, as his duties called him home, he shook us by the hand and turned
back. Even after we had lost sight of him, we could still hear him
wishing us a pleasant journey.
We had to cross a wide prairie; the heat was suffocating, and we marched
on side by side in dead silence. Lucien's walking was much hindered by
his game-pouch and gourd, which, in spite of all his efforts, would work
round in front of him. I soon noticed that he had got rid of the
troublesome gear.
"Hallo!" I cried, "what have you done with your provisions?"
"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."
"Señor," said l'Encuerado, "Chanito (this was the name he gave to
Lucien) is tired, and this is his first journey; I'll give him back all
his things to-morrow."
"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:
"When you don't want to walk any more, Chanito, you must tell me, and
you shall ride on the top of my pack."
"No," said I, turning round; "if you do any thing of the kind, I will
send both of you home."
"My shoulders are my own," replied the Indian, earnestly; "surely I have
a right to employ them as I choose."
Sumichrast burst out laughing at this logic, and I was obliged to go on
in front, or I should have done the same. Nevertheless, I feared lest
Lucien should learn, on the very first day of his journey, to depend too
much on l'Encuerado's kindness. I was, therefore, pleased to hear him
refuse several times the Indian's offer of putting him up on his pack,
an idea which the faithful fellow persisted in with an obstinacy which I
had long known him to possess. A little time after--thinking, doubtless,
that his dignity compelled him to prove that he was easily able to
increase the weight of his load--he seized Gringalet, who was walking
close behind lolling out his tongue, and throwing the dog up on his
back, and commencing an Indian trot, ran by us with a triumphant look.
Gringalet was at first taken by surprise, and, raising a cry of
distress, wanted to jump down; but he soon sat quiet enough, without
displaying any uneasiness, to the great joy of my son, who was much
amused at the incident.
The plain which we were crossing seemed absolutely interminable.
"It's no use our walking," said Lucien; "we don't appear to make any
advance."
"Fortunately, you are mistaken," replied Sumichrast. "Look in front of
you, and you will see that the trees on ahead, which a short time ago
looked like one uninterrupted mass of foliage, can now be discerned
separately."
"You mean the forest which we can see from here?"
"What you take for a forest is nothing but a few trees scattered about
the plain."
"Isn't M. Sumichrast wrong in that, father?"
"No, my boy; but those who have more experience than you might well be
mistaken, for 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 appear so thick in
the sky, that your brother Emile was regretting, 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
nothing 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.'"
[Illustration: "At last, lagging a little, our party reached the foot of
the mountains."]
On our road I called Lucien's attention to a small thorny shrub, a kind
of mimosa, called _huizachi_ by the Indians, who use its pods for dyeing
black cloth, and for making a tolerably useful ink. The plain assumed by
degrees a less monotonous aspect. Butterflies began to hover round us,
and our young naturalist wanted to commence insect-hunting. 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 had
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, so it was highly necessary
to look out for shelter. We came in view of a bamboo-hut in the nick of
time. An old Indian was reclining in front of it, warming his meagre
limbs in the rays of the setting sun, clad in nothing but a pair of
drawers and a hat with a torn brim. He rose as we came near, and
proffered us hospitality. His wife, whose costume consisted of a cotton
shirt edged with red thread, came running in answer to his call, and was
quite in raptures at the prettiness of the "little white traveller," who
completely ingratiated himself by saluting her in her own language. We
had accomplished a journey of seven leagues, although Lucien, thanks to
Don Antonio's horse, had not walked quite so far.
The aborigines set before us rice and beans. After this frugal repast,
washed down with cold water, I wanted Lucien to lie down on a large mat;
but the restless little being took advantage of his elders being
comfortably stretched out to sleep, and ran off to see our hostess's
fowls roosting for the night on a dead tree, and then to prowl up and
down in company with l'Encuerado. The latter had ferreted out a
three-corded guitar which was in the hut, and strummed away at the same
tune for hours together--no doubt to the great pleasure of the boy,
although to us it was quite the reverse.
At last our bedding was unrolled, and I enjoined repose on all.
Gringalet couched down in the hut, at the feet of his young master.
L'Encuerado, however, preferred sleeping in the open air, only too
happy, as he said, to see the sky above, and to feel the wind blow
straight into his face without having to be filtered through walls and
windows.
FOOTNOTES:
[C] 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 will therefore state, once
for all, that this name is intended to apply only to the Indians, the
descendants of the fine race over whom Montezuma was emperor when Cortez
conquered them. By Mexicans, or Creoles, we mean the descendants of the
Spanish race.
[D] About threepence.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER III.
WAKING UP IN THE MORNING.--THE PIGMY WORLD OF LILLIPUT.--L'ENCUERADO AND
THE BOTTLES.--MASSACRE OF THISTLES.--THE CHARCOAL-BURNING INDIANS.
I rose long before day and woke my companion. Lucien rubbed his eyes two
or three times, trying in vain to make out where he was. After some
moments, drawing the coverlet over him, he turned round to go to sleep
again.
"Now, then, young Lazybones!" I cried, "don't you hear the cock crowing,
telling us we ought to be on our road? Jump up and look round, and you
will see the birds and the insects are already busy."
The child got up, appearing half stupefied, and stretched himself with a
long yawn.
"Oh, papa!" he said, "I ache all over; I'm sure I shall never be able to
walk."
"You are quite mistaken," I replied, half supporting him. "You only feel
a little tired and stiff; your limbs will very soon work as freely as
ever. Go and warm yourself by the fire, where our kind hostess is
preparing coffee."
The little fellow did as he was told; but he limped sadly.
"Do your legs feel like mine?" he asked of l'Encuerado.
"No, Chanito; we did not walk far enough yesterday for that."
"You can't mean that we haven't walked far? Papa says that we are now
seven leagues from Orizava."
"Yes; that may seem a great deal to you, and perhaps too much; that is
why I wanted to put you up on the top of my pack. Now, come, let me see
where you suffer."
"All over my limbs, but particularly inside my knees."
"Wait a minute, and I'll soon cure you."
L'Encuerado then laid Lucien down in front of the fire, and began to rub
him after the Indian method, vigorously shampooing the whole of his
body. Next he made him walk and run with the longest strides he could
take; and, after repeating this process, brought him a cup of boiling
coffee. Having been revived and strengthened in this way, the lad quite
recovered his sprightliness, and soon asked when we were going to start.
I gave a small present to the old couple who had so kindly accommodated
us, and our little party began its second day's work; Gringalet sniffing
the breeze, and evidently enjoying the excursion as much as any of the
party.
When the sun rose, the sky was covered with grayish clouds, driven along
quickly by a north wind; but the weather was cool, and well adapted to
walking. A limestone mountain rose right in front of us, the slope of
which we had to climb; but ere we reached the top, we halted at least
twenty times to take breath. Our little companion, with his head bent
down towards the ground, struggled to retain his place by our side. At
last we reached the summit, and felt at liberty to rest.
Casting a glance on the plain beneath us, the boy surveyed a vast
prairie, dotted over with clumps of bushes. He silently contemplated the
panorama which was spread out beneath, although he failed to completely
comprehend all that he saw.
"Look at those black spots moving about over the plain," said he.
"They are oxen," I replied.
"Oxen! Why they are scarcely as big as Gringalet."
"Don't you know that you must not trust to appearances? Recollect the
trees you saw yesterday, which you thought were a forest."
"But if, from this height, the oxen appear no larger than sheep, the
sheep ought not to look greater than flies."
"You can easily judge; there is a flock of goats down below."
"A flock of goats! It is like a swarm of ants."
"Exactly; but look at them through the telescope."
Availing himself of the glass, which he used rather unskillfully, Lucien
raised a sudden cry.
"I see them! I see them!" he exclaimed. "How pretty they are! They are
running about and crowding together, in front of a little boy who is
driving them."
"It is most likely a man, who is diminished by the distance."
"The idea of men of that size!"
"Well, look at the foot of that wooded hill; the thin line which you
might easily take for a mere pathway is the main road. Perhaps you may
see an Indian family travelling along it."
[Illustration: "The basket and its bearer chased one another down the
hill."]
Lucien kept shifting his telescope about for some minutes without
descrying any thing; but at last he broke out in a fresh exclamation.
"Have you discovered any men?" I asked.
"Oh yes!--men, horses, and mules; but they are regular Lilliputians."
"You are quite right," said Sumichrast; "how do we know that Dr. Swift
did not first form his idea of 'Gulliver's Travels' from looking at the
world from the top of a high mountain?"
After a time, I was obliged to take the young observer away from this
point for contemplation to proceed on our journey. The ridge of the
mountain was soon crossed, and we began to descend the other side. I
took Lucien by the hand, for the slope was so steep that it needed the
utmost care to avoid rolling down over the naked rocks. Several times I
slipped, and scratched my legs among the bushes. Sumichrast, who had
taken his turn in looking after the boy, was no better off than myself.
The descent was so steep that we were often forced to run, and sometimes
the only thing possible to retard our impetus was to fall down, and run
the risk of being hurt. Therefore, in spite of Lucien's promise to walk
prudently and with measured step, I declined to allow him to go alone.
We at last, to our great satisfaction, got over about two-thirds without
any accident, when l'Encuerado, losing his equilibrium, fell, turning
head over heels several times; the basket and its bearer chasing one
another down the hill, finally disappearing into a thicket.
"Look after Lucien," I said to my companion, who was a few paces in
front. And I dashed forward anxiously to assist l'Encuerado.
I feared that I should find the unfortunate Indian with some of his
bones broken, even if not killed; so I called to him, when he replied
almost immediately; but his voice sounded not from below, but from a
spot a little to my left. I could not stay my rapid course except by
grasping a tuft of brush-wood, to which I hung. Then, turning towards
the left, I soon encountered the Mistec, who had already begun to
collect his burden.
"Nothing broken?" I asked.
"No, Tatita; all the bottles are safe."
"It's your limbs that I mean, my poor fellow!"
"Oh! my nose and arms are a little scratched, and my body is rather
knocked about; but there's not a single rent either in my jacket or
breeches," added he, looking with complacency at the leathern garments
which had given him the name of l'Encuerado.
"Well, you have had a narrow escape."
"Oh! señor, God is good! In spite of the basket-work case, the bottles
might have been broken, and they are not the least hurt."
For my part, I was more inclined to recognize God's goodness in
l'Encuerado's almost miraculous preservation. As to the basket, the
Indian had tied it up so strongly, that I was not at all surprised to
find that our provisions were uninjured.
"Give a call-cry," said I to the Indian, "Sumichrast can not see us, and
may think that you are killed."
"Chanito, hiou, hiou, hiou, Chanito!"
"Ohé! ohé!" replied Lucien.
And the boy, looking pale and alarmed, almost immediately made his
appearance. He rushed up to his friend, threw his arms round his neck,
and embraced him. The brave Mistec, who had been but little injured by
his terrible descent, could not help weeping at this proof of Lucien's
attachment.
"It was nothing but a joke," he said. "You'll see me perform many a feat
like that."
"Your face is all over with blood!"
"That's a mere joke, too. Would you like me to do it again?"
"No, no!" cried the child, catching the Indian by the jacket.
I dressed l'Encuerado's hurts, and we were about to continue our
journey.
"I say," said Lucien, archly, just as the Indian was hoisting his basket
on to his back; "how would it have been if I had been perched on it?"
"Then I should not have fallen," replied l'Encuerado, with the utmost
gravity.
In a minute or two more we were at the foot of the mountain, when
Lucien, overjoyed that the descent was accomplished, gave a leap which
showed me that the back of his trowsers had suffered in the late
struggle.
"There's a pretty beginning!" I cried; "how did you manage to get your
trowsers in that state?"
"It is my fault," said Sumichrast, with consternation; "wishing to
descend more rapidly, and fearing another tumble, I advised him to sit
down and slide carefully. I did not foresee the very natural results of
such a plan."
"Well, papa! it does not matter in the country."
"If my advice had been taken," broke in l'Encuerado, "he would have had
a pair of leathern pantaloons, which wouldn't suffer from such
contingencies. Never mind, Chanito, we'll mend them with the skin of the
first squirrel which comes within reach of my gun."
We were now passing through a dark gorge full of thick brush-wood. In
front of us rose a wooded mountain, which we had to climb. The shrubs
were succeeded by gigantic thistles, which compelled us to advance with
extreme care. These troublesome plants grew so thickly that we were
obliged to use our knives to clear a passage. L'Encuerado, putting down
his load, taught Lucien how to handle his; showing him that a downward
cut, if the weapon slipped or met with but little resistance, might be
dangerous. Enchanted with his lesson, and cutting down several stalks at
a blow, our young pioneer soon opened for us an avenue rather than a
path. The thistles gradually became fewer. Sumichrast walked in front,
destroying the last obstacles that severed us from the under-wood.
It was now breakfast-time, and as we continued our course we looked out
for a favorable spot to halt at, when the measured strokes of an axe
fell upon our ears. This noise told of the presence of wood-cutters, who
were certain to be provided with maize-cakes and beans; so we resolved
to make our way up to them, and thus economize our own resources. After
an hour's difficult ascent, just as we were despairing of reaching the
Indian, whose axe had ceased to sound, Lucien cried out:
"Look, papa, there's a fire!"
At the same moment Gringalet began barking furiously, and a few paces
more brought us to a burning charcoal-oven. The charcoal-burner, who was
surprised at our visit, seized his long-handled axe. But the presence of
the child appeared to reassure him.
"Good-morning, Don José," said I, using the common name which is applied
in Mexico to all the Indians.
"God preserve you," replied he, speaking in broken Spanish.
"Are you all alone?"
"No. I have six companions."
"Well, will one of you sell us some maize-cakes, and give us some
water?"
"We have neither water nor cakes."
"I'm quite sure you will be able to find some," I replied, placing a
half-piastre in his hand.
[Illustration: "Almost immediately the foliage was pushed aside."]
The Indian took off his straw hat, scratched his forehead, and then,
placing two fingers in his mouth, whistled a prolonged note. Almost
immediately the foliage was pushed aside, and a boy about fifteen years
old, wearing nothing but a pair of drawers, made his appearance, and
halted, as if terrified at the sight of us.
"Run to the hut, and ask for cakes and some capsicums, and bring them
here," said the wood-cutter, in the Aztec language.
"It's quite needless," I replied, in the same idiom; "we can breakfast
much more comfortably in the hut."
The wood-cutter looked at me in artless admiration, then taking my hand,
placed it on his breast. I spoke his language, and I was therefore his
friend. This is a feeling common to all men, whatever may be their
nationality or social position.
Following the young Indian, in five minutes we reached a very primitive
dwelling; being but four stakes supporting a roof made of branches with
their leaves on. The wood-men in Mexico construct such temporary places
of shelter, for at the commencement of the rainy season they cease to
dwell in the forests.
An Indian girl warmed us a dozen of those maize-flour fritters, which
are called _tortillas_, and are eaten by the natives instead of bread.
She also brought us a calabash full of cooked beans, which hunger
rendered delicious.
"Why don't they serve the meat first?" asked Lucien.
"Because they have none," replied Sumichrast.
"Haven't these Indians any meat? Poor fellows! How will they dine,
then?"
"Don't you know that the Indians never eat meat more than three or four
times a year; and that their usual food is composed of nothing but black
beans, rice, capsicums, and maize flour? Have you forgotten our dinner
yesterday?"
"I fancied that we had arrived too late for the first course, and that
all the meat had been used. But shall we live on beans the whole of our
journey?"
"No; our meals will not be quite so regular as you seem to think. Yet we
shall have plenty of meat when we have been lucky in shooting, a little
rice when we have been unfortunate, and fried beans whenever chance
throws in our way any inhabited hut."
"And we shall have to go without dessert?" said the child, making up his
face into a comical pout.
"Oh no, Chanito, there will be dessert to-day," replied l'Encuerado.
"Perhaps as good as the cook would provide at home; but, at any rate, it
is sweet enough. Look at it!"
The Indian girl brought a calabash full of water, and a cone of black
sugar, weighing about half a pound.
"What is that?" cried Lucien.
"_Panela_," answered the Indian girl.
"Poor man's sugar," interposed Sumichrast. "The manufacture of white
sugar, which you saw yesterday, costs a good deal, for the laborers
employed to make it have to work night and day, and thus it becomes
expensive. Now, some sugar-makers avoid all this outlay, and they merely
boil the juice, so that it will harden in cooling. This dark-colored
sugar costs about one-half as much in making as the other."
"I can well believe it," said the child; "but it contains all that nasty
scum which we saw."
"That makes it the nicer," said l'Encuerado; "it has a richer flavor."
And taking a morsel of the _panela_, he soaked it in the water in the
calabash and sucked it.
When Lucien saw that we, too, imitated the Indian, he soon made up his
mind to do likewise, the sweet taste overcoming his repugnance.
When we had finished, our young companion was anxious to know how
charcoal was made. Sumichrast led him close to a recently-felled oak,
the small branches of which an Indian was cutting into pieces two or
three inches long, by means of an instrument something like an enormous
pruning-knife. A little farther, on the open ground, two men were
collecting these pieces of wood in circular rows. This pile was already
seven feet in circumference, and about the same in height, although it
was not half finished. Lucien could easily see this when he approached
the Indian who was looking after the lighted furnace, in which the wood,
completely covered with earth, formed a kind of dome, from the summit of
which a blue flame was hovering, proving that the mass inside was in a
red-hot state. The Indian kept walking round and round the furnace,
plastering damp earth on any holes through which the flame started. For,
as Sumichrast properly observed, a charcoal of good quality must be
smothered while it is being burned.
"Suppose the fire went out?" said Lucien.
"Then all the work must be begun over again."
"But the fire might burn only one side."
"They would then have badly-burned charcoal, nearly half wood, which
would cause a bad smell when it was used. The wood in the oven we are
looking at will be entirely charred to-night; for the fire, which was
lighted at the centre, is trying to break through all round the outside.
Before long the Indians will cover up the opening at the top, over which
the blue flame is hovering. The fire will then be quite deprived of air,
and soon afterwards go out. In about eight days your mamma may perhaps
buy this very charcoal which you have seen burned."
"Suppose the charcoal went on burning?"
"Then the Indian, to his great vexation, would find nothing left but
ashes. But he will take good care not to lose the fruit of his labor. He
will use as many precautions to prevent the fire burning up again as he
does now to hinder it going out."
A little farther on a man was filling up his rush bags with charcoal
which had cooled. As it would take him more than one day to reach the
town, he was lining his sacks with a kind of balm, the penetrating odor
of which always announces, in Mexico, the approach of a
charcoal-carrier. This plan is adopted to preserve the charcoal from
damp.
"When I used to see the Indians carrying on their backs their four
little sacks of charcoal," said Lucien, "I had no idea that they were
obliged to live in the woods, and cut down great trees to procure it;
and that they had to pass several nights in watching the oven."
"No more idea, perhaps," I replied, "than the little boys in Europe have
of the sugar-cane plantations; and that without the plant all those
beautiful _bon-bons_, which delight the sight as much as the taste,
could not be made."
"But, papa, haven't I heard you tell the Mexicans that in France they
make sugar with beet-root?"
"Yes, certainly you have; and, in case of need, it might be extracted
from many other roots, plants, or fruit; but beet-root alone yields
enough sugar to repay the trouble of extraction."
It was quite time for us to be off; so I put an end to the ceaseless
questions of the young traveller.
Our host told me that if we went on along the same path which had led us
to their place, we should come, in less than two hours, to a hut
situated on the plateau of the mountain. The Indians certainly seemed to
forget that Lucien's short legs might delay our progress.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER IV.
A DIFFICULT ASCENT.--THE GOAT.--THE INDIAN GIRLS.--THE
TOBACCO-PLANT.--THE BULL-FIGHT.--GAME.--LUCIEN'S GUN.--OUR ENTRY INTO
THE WILDERNESS.
Our way led through nothing but scrub oaks, for all the larger trees had
gradually disappeared from the mountain-side, which had for some time
been cultivated by the Indians. The path was steep, rugged, and stony;
and seemed, at first, to defy any attempt to scale it. Notwithstanding
the measured pace at which we were walking, we were obliged to stop
every minute to recover our breath. Lucien followed us so eagerly that I
was obliged to check him several times. He was surprised at not seeing
any living creature, not even those beautiful golden flies which, in
Mexico, flutter round every bush. But the north wind was blowing, and
the sun was hidden behind the clouds, so that both the insects and birds
kept in the deepest recesses of their hiding-places. As we advanced, our
road became much steeper, and we were obliged to cling to the shrubs for
support. L'Encuerado, who was impeded by the weight of his load, pulled
himself up with his hands, so had hard work to keep his balance. Soon it
became impossible for him to go farther; but, fortunately, we had
foreseen ascents of this kind. So I gave the child into Sumichrast's
charge, for if he had been left to climb by himself, he would most
likely have rolled over and hurt himself against the stumps or sharp
rocks.
I made my way into a copse, and with my _machete_ I cut down a
moderately-sized branch, the end of which I sharpened to a point. Then,
going forward and unrolling a leathern thong, thirty feet in length, and
commonly called by us a _lasso_, I fastened it to the stake, which I
drove firmly into the ground. By means of this support, which served as
a sort of hand-rail, l'Encuerado could clamber up to me, thanks to the
strength of his wrists. Ten times this awkward job had to be repeated,
and the path, instead of getting better, became worse. We then shifted
our work, and I took charge of the load, while the tired Indian fixed
the _lasso_. I was just making my third ascent, when Sumichrast, who had
gone on before us to reconnoitre the ground, made his appearance above.
When he saw me stumbling and twisting about, falling now on my side, and
now on my knees, toiling to advance a single step, my companion burst
into a fit of laughter. I had then neither time nor will to do as he
did, and his ill-timed mirth vexed me. At last I caught hold of the
stake, bruised and exhausted, and ready to wish there was no such thing
as travelling. Sumichrast told us that we had scarcely three hundred
feet more to ascend, and shouldered the basket himself. Now that I was
a mere spectator, I could readily forgive him his fit of merriment.
Nothing, in fact, could be more grotesque than the contortions he went
through trying to keep his balance. L'Encuerado was the only one who
retained his countenance. As for Lucien, he seemed to feel the efforts
of Sumichrast as much as if they were his own.
"You see," I said to my son, "that in countries where there are no
beaten roads a walk is not always an easy matter."
At last, we got out of this difficult locality. While all this was going
on, Gringalet, gravely squatting down upon his haunches, seemed
perfectly amazed at our efforts. Pricking up his ears and winking his
eyes, he quietly surveyed us; no doubt secretly congratulating himself
upon being able to run and gambol easily in places where we,
less-suitably-constructed bipeds, found it difficult even to walk.
Here there were no trees to be seen. As on the evening before, we
traversed a granite surface soil which formed the ridge of the mountain;
but a sudden turn in the path led us to a plateau, on which stood a
rudely-built hut.
Three children ran away as we came near, and two lean dogs began to
prowl round Gringalet with any thing but friendly intentions. A goat,
which was quietly cropping the scanty grass, suddenly raised its head,
and, cutting several capers, ran with its head bent down, as if to butt
our little companion. I could not reach the spot in time to prevent this
unforeseen attack, nevertheless I shouted, in hopes of intimidating the
animal; but Gringalet, who was far more nimble than I, boldly faced the
enemy, and soon forced him to retreat.
"Weren't you afraid of him?" asked Sumichrast.
"Rather," answered Lucien, hanging down his head.
"Well, it did not prevent you facing the foe."
"If I had run away, the goat, who runs a great deal faster than I can,
would soon have overtaken me. I waited for him, so as to frighten him
with my stick, and, if possible, avoid his horns."
"You could not have acted more sensibly. At all events you've plenty of
coolness, and that is about the best quality a traveller can show."
"All right now, but in future I shall keep clear of goats. But I thought
they were afraid of men."
"Not always, as you were very near finding out to your cost. Perhaps,
however," continued Sumichrast, smiling, "your enemy did not look upon
you quite as a man; and, after all, I fancy he thought more of playing
with you than of hurting you, for he must be thoroughly accustomed to
the sight of children."
At this moment Gringalet came running up with his tail between his legs,
and with a most doleful look; he was closely pursued by all the dogs of
the plateau, who, instead of barking, were making a kind of howling
noise, common to those that are but half domesticated.
On hearing all this uproar, two Indian women came running towards us,
but stopped, abashed at our appearance.
The youngest of them, rather a pretty girl, wore nothing but a short
linen chemise, and a piece of blue woollen stuff fastened round her hips
by a wide band, ornamented with red threads. Her hair, which was plaited
and brought over her forehead, formed a sort of coronet. Her companion,
who was dressed in a similar way, wore, in addition, a long scarf, which
was fixed to her head, and fell round her like a nun's cloak.
"God bless you, Maria!" I said to the eldest. "Can you take us in for
one night?"
[Illustration: "On hearing the uproar, two Indian women came running
towards us."]
"I have nothing to offer you to eat, I am afraid."
"Perhaps you can sell us a fowl and some eggs."
"Well, I must see if my husband objects to guests."
"Surely your husband will not refuse the shelter of his roof to weary
travellers?"
She reflected for a moment, and then answered,
"No, he is a Christian! Come in and rest yourselves."
The Indian woman called to her children, who one after the other showed
their wild-looking heads peeping out from some hiding-place, and ordered
them to drive away the dogs.
It was not without some degree of pleasure we got rid of our travelling
gear, as we felt no ordinary amount of weariness, which was easily
accounted for by the exertion of our recent ascent. L'Encuerado, always
brisk, began to assist the housewife; he stirred up the fire, arranged
the plates, and looked to their being clean. The Indian woman then asked
him to go and draw some water from a spring about a hundred yards from
the hut; and off he went, led by the children of our hostess. His young
guides, completely naked, and their heads shaved, rode on bamboo-canes
as make-believe horses, and pranced along in front of him.
Except on the side we had just ascended, the plateau was entirely
surrounded by high mountains. The hut, which was built of planks and
covered with thatch, appeared very cleanly kept. Behind it extended a
small kitchen garden, in which fennel, the indispensable condiment in
Aztec cookery, grew in great abundance; in front, there was a large
tobacco plantation, and an inclosure where both goats and pigs lived on
good terms with each other. The situation appeared somewhat dull to us;
but in the tropics the absence of sunshine is sufficient to give a
sombre look to the most beautiful landscape.
Lucien wanted to pay a visit to the tobacco-field. The stems of this
plant are more than three feet high, covered with wide leaves of a
dark-green color. The flowers, some of which were pink and others a
yellowish hue, indicated two different species; their acrid smell was
any thing but pleasant. Lucien was not a little surprised to learn that
this beautiful _vegetable_ belonged to the same botanical family as the
potato, the tomato, the egg-plant, and the pimento.
"Among the ancient Aztecs," said Sumichrast, "tobacco was called
_pycietl_; it was the emblem of the goddess Cihua-cohuatl, or
woman-serpent.[E] In Mexican mythology, this divinity was supposed to be
the first mother of children; and, in the legend about her, the European
missionaries fancied that they recognized some features resembling the
sacred history of Eve. Up to the present time, the Indians, who have
renounced the errors of paganism and profess the Christian religion,
continue to make use of the plant consecrated to their ancient goddess,
as a remedy for the sting of venomous reptiles."
"Then that is why they cultivate tobacco," said Lucien, "for I know that
they seldom smoke."
"No, but they sell their crops of it to the Creoles, among whom smoking
is a universal habit. It is said that the word _tobacco_ comes from the
name of the island of Tabago, where the Spaniards first discovered it.
About the year 1560, it was introduced into France by Jean Nicot, who
gave it his own name; for _savants_ call this plant _nicotian_. It is a
certain fact that the modern Mexican Indians smoke hardly any thing but
cigars or cigarettes. As for pipes, they have not long known of the
existence of such things; and the works of certain romancers, who so
often describe the Aztecs as having the pipe of peace, war, or council
constantly in their mouths, are simply ridiculous. You may recollect
how astonished the French were, on their arrival here, to find they
could not procure any cut tobacco; while on the other hand the Indians
crowded to see the foreigners inhale the smoke of the plant from
instruments made of clay, wood, or porcelain."[F]
"I remember," cried Lucien, "that one day l'Encuerado took a pipe
belonging to an officer who was staying with papa and began to smoke it.
You should have seen what horrible faces he made."
"Well, what happened to him?" asked Sumichrast.
"The pipe made him sick, and then papa, who knew nothing about his
smoking, gave him some medicine; but l'Encuerado told me that the
medicine was not nearly so nasty as the pipe."
The culprit, who had just joined us, cast down his eyes at this tale
about him, and murmured in a sententious tone of voice, "Pipes are an
invention of the devil."[G]
Followed by my companions, I again drew near to the hut, and the master
came out to bid us welcome. Our hostess placed upon a mat an earthen
dish containing a fowl cooked with rice, and the Indian, his wife, and
his sister-in-law, offered to wait on us. Lucien invited the children to
partake of our repast; but they refused to sit down beside us. Towards
the conclusion of our dinner, one of them brought us half a dozen
bananas, which were most welcome; while we were drinking our coffee, the
little troop made up a game of hide-and-seek. To my great satisfaction,
I saw that, in spite of the long day's journey, Lucien joined in, and
ran and jumped about with as much energy as his play-mates.
At last the children got tired of this game, and, bringing a kid, had a
mock bull-fight. The animal, wonderfully well trained to the sport, ran
after the youngsters, and more than once succeeded in knocking them
down. When Lucien met this fate, Gringalet became furious and sprang
upon the pretty little creature; but the dog's young master got up in a
moment and soon quieted his protector's energy. We had noticed, ever
since we set out, that Gringalet always preferred to follow close to the
boy, and seemed to have taken upon himself the task of watching over his
safety.
Our host told us that he was born and also married in the village of
Tenejapa; but being enlisted for a soldier by force, he deserted and
took up his abode on this plateau. We were the first white men who had
paid him a visit for six years. His fields produced maize, beans, and
tobacco, which his wife and sister-in-law took twice a year to Orizava
to exchange for necessaries for housekeeping. He was as happy as
possible, and was never tired of praising the charms of forest and
plain. But his raptures were not required to convert us to his opinions.
Nightfall was accompanied by cold, to which we were but little
accustomed. The Indians lent us some mats; then we all wrapped ourselves
up, and were soon asleep, notwithstanding the primitiveness of our
couch.
About two in the morning I woke up numbed from the lowness of the
temperature; Lucien also was nearly frozen. I hastened to cover him up
with my _sarapé_, for on these heights we were exposed to the north wind
blowing from the volcano of Citlatepetl, and the atmosphere would not
get warm again until sunrise. Sumichrast soon joined me; he had also
given up his covering to the child. I then set to work to look for some
small branches to light the fire; but our movements ultimately roused
up our host, and, thanks to him, we were soon able to sit down in front
of a powerful blaze. Still l'Encuerado, from force of habit, who was
hardly sheltered at all, was sleeping like a top. At last, aided by the
heat, sleep resumed its influence, and I dropped off again in slumber.
When I awoke, the sun was shining in a cloudless sky, and every body was
up. Sumichrast was inspecting the arms and ammunition, for from this day
forward we should have to provide our own subsistence. I was quite
surprised at the time I had been asleep; but a slight touch of lumbago
reminded me of yesterday's difficult ascent, which fully accounted for
my drowsiness. I must confess I felt much more inclined to go to bed
again than to continue our journey; but, as I was obliged to set a good
example, I began to help my companions in their preparations for
departure. I have already described the dress of Lucien and l'Encuerado;
Sumichrast's costume and mine also consisted of strong cloth trowsers,
and a blouse made of the same stuff. The weapons of each were a
revolver, a _machete_, a double-barrelled gun, and a game-bag filled
with necessaries. We duly examined the contents of the basket, which
l'Encuerado carried on his back by a strap fixed across his breast or
forehead. Sumichrast then took out a long parcel he had put into the
basket when we started, and unrolled the cloth which formed its first
covering. His smile and mysterious look quite puzzled us; at last he
drew from the paper a light fowling-piece, which he placed in Lucien's
hands.
The boy blushed and trembled with joy, and became quite pale with
anxiety. He hardly dared to believe that his fondest dream was thus
realized. He could not speak for pleasure, but threw himself into my
friend's arms. I was as much surprised as he was. I had often thought
of giving Lucien a gun; but I was so afraid of an accident that I had
decided not to do so.
"Oh, Chanito! I pity the poor tigers; what a number of them you will
kill!" exclaimed the old hunter. "What beautiful skins you will be able
to take home to mamma! Come, let me handle your gun; it looks as if it
was made on purpose for you. Oh! how I pity the poor tigers!"
And he began to dance about with the energy of delight.
[Illustration]
It was decided that the gun should always be loaded by us, and that
Lucien should only shoot under our directions. I also added that, at the
least infringement of these rules, the gun would be taken away, and the
little fellow well knew I would keep my word. In vain I advised him to
put back his gun into the basket; but this was almost too much to
expect, so I allowed him to carry it, which he did with great pride.
[Illustration: "Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with
perpendicular sides."]
After a good breakfast, we regulated our compasses. Lucien said
good-bye to his little companions, and I thanked the Indian women for
all their attention to us. Our host, however, accompanied us to the
summit of the mountain.
There we found ourselves in a vast amphitheatre, commanded on all sides
by wooded ridges; at our feet stretched the plateau we had just crossed,
and far beneath us we caught indistinct glimpses of the plain below.
Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with perpendicular sides, almost
like an immense wall. Above us was the pale blue sky, dotted over with
vultures.
On the verge of the forest our guide parted from us with regret, and
wished us a successful journey. Sumichrast loaded Lucien's gun, and told
him to fire it off as a salute on our entering the wilderness. The shot
was fired, the echoes reverberating in succession, each louder than the
last; then all was once more silent. After casting a last look over the
valley, I was the first to make my way into the forest. From this moment
we had only God's providence and our own exertions to trust to; for
every step we advanced only took us farther from the haunts of men.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTES:
[E] In the Aztec language, _cihuatl_ signifies "woman," and _cohuatl_
signifies "serpent."
[F] The Indians that inhabit the vast plains to the north of Mexico all
smoke; from this, doubtless, arises the usual supposition that all
American Indians smoke.--ED.
[G] In giving utterance to this anathema, l'Encuerado was unknowingly
agreeing with James I., king of England, who published a work against
smokers.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER V.
THE GREAT FOREST.--CROWS.--THE FIRST BIVOUAC.--THE SQUIRREL-HUNT.--OUR
YOUNG GUIDE.--THE CHANT IN THE DESERT.
We were now more than 5000 feet above the level of the sea, and the
coldness of the breeze quite surprised my son, who, being accustomed to
the climate of the _Terre-Tempérée_, had never before felt any thing
like the atmosphere we were now in. As if by instinct, he held his
fingers in his mouth, to prevent their getting numbed. But when the sun
had reached a certain height, there was no longer any need to complain
of the cold.
As we advanced, the trees grew closer and closer together. Lucien, who
now for the first time saw these enormous trees, to whom centuries were
no more than years are to us, seemed strongly impressed at the sight of
their gigantic proportions. He almost doubted the reality of the scene
which met his eyes. Having previously seen the pigmy world of Lilliput
from the top of a mountain, he was now ready to inquire if this was not
another illusion, exhibiting to him the empire of one of those giants
whose marvellous histories his mamma had related to him. An oak-tree
which had fallen across our path gave him a good opportunity of
measuring its size, the limbs of which seemed to touch the sky. The
ancient trunk was black, wrinkled, and partly buried in the earth by the
weight of its fall; even as it lay prostrate, it was several feet higher
than ourselves, while the large branches, scattered and broken, were
equal in diameter to the biggest chestnut-trees. A flapping of wings
suddenly attracted our attention, and we saw two couples of enormous
crows take flight, saluting us as they went with a prolonged croaking.
"Be off with you, children of the evil one!" cried l'Encuerado; "you've
no chance of frightening us, we are too good Christians for that!"
"Whom are you calling to?" asked Lucien, who looked round him with
surprise.
"To the crows, of course."
"Do you believe that they can understand you?"
"Not the least doubt about it, Chanito. These scoundrels are harder in
their flesh than they are in their hearing; and just because they are
dressed up in a beautiful black coat, like that your papa wears on
festival days, they think to have every thing their own way. But if one
of them dares to come to-night and prowl round our fire, I'll kill and
roast him, as sure as my name is l'Encuerado!"
The boy opened his eyes very wide at this, for he was always astonished
at the whims of the Indian, who never failed to interpret the cries and
gestures of animals according to his own fancy, and to give a sharp
rejoinder to the imaginary provocations which, as he considered, were
offered to him. Sometimes, even, he laid the blame on inanimate things,
and then his conversations with them were most amusing. The old hunter
had no doubt contracted this habit at a time when, living alone in the
woods and feeling the need of talking, he conversed with himself, having
no one else to address. However this might be, he kept up conversation
with either a leaf or a bird in perfectly artless sincerity.
For four hours we proceeded through the forest, feeling almost overcome
with the heat. Pines and oaks appeared, one after another, in almost
monotonous regularity. Gradually the ground began to slope, and the
altered pace we had to adopt both rested us and also increased the speed
of our march. At length we emerged into a valley. The vegetation was now
of an altered character, the ceibas, lignum-vitæ trees, and creepers
were here and there to be seen.
"Halt!" I cried out.
I soon got rid of my travelling gear, an example my companions were not
slow in following. L'Encuerado and Lucien immediately set to work to
find some dry branches, while Sumichrast and I began to cut down the
grass over a space of several square yards.
"Have we finished our day's journey, then?" asked Lucien.
"Yes," I replied; "don't you feel tired?"
"Not very; I could easily go farther. Have we walked very far?"
"About four leagues."
"And are we really going to rest after a trifle like that? I always
thought travellers went on walking until night."
"Nonsense!" said I, taking hold of his ear. "What an undaunted young
pedestrian! Four leagues a day are no such trifle when you have to begin
again next morning. 'Slow and steady wins the race,' says an old
proverb, which I intend to carry out to the letter; for forced marches
would soon injure our health, and then good-bye to the success of our
expedition. As to walking until night, it is perfectly impossible,
except when one is certain to meet with an inn. Under these large trees,
no one will ever think of getting ready a meal for us; and, I suppose,
you haven't much wish to die of hunger. We may very likely have to tramp
one or two leagues more before we are able to kill the game which will
form the mainstay of our dinner."
"I never thought of all that," said Lucien, shaking his head, and
looking convinced; "but what shall we have to eat this evening?"
"At present, I haven't the least idea; perhaps a hare or a bird, or even
a rat."
"A rat! I certainly will never touch one."
"Ah! my boy, wait till you are really hungry--you don't know as yet what
it is to be so--and then you'll see how greedily you will make a dinner
off whatever Providence provides."
"Do you think we shall often have to go a whole day without eating?"
"I hope not," I answered, smiling at Lucien's anxious and somewhat
pensive tone.
During this conversation, l'Encuerado, as active as a monkey, had
clambered up a pine, and his _machete_ was strewing the ground with
slender boughs. We also set to work at shaping the stakes, which I drove
into the ground by means of a stone, which served as a hammer. Some
branches, interwoven and tied together by creepers, formed a kind of
hurdle, which, fixed on the top of the posts, did for a roof. The
Indian, assisted by his little companion, who was much interested in all
the preparations, filled the hut with leaves, and covered the branches
with a layer of dry grass. Under this shelter, we could set the rain at
defiance, if not the cold.
It is impossible to describe Lucien's enchantment. This _house_ (for
this was the name he chose to give to the shapeless hut, in which our
party could scarcely stand upright) appeared to him a perfect
masterpiece of architecture, and he was astonished at the rapidity with
which it had been built. He helped l'Encuerado to make up the fire, so
that all that was requisite on our return was to set a light to it.
Then, armed with our guns, we set off to seek for our dinners.
Seeing that we left behind us all our baggage, Lucien exclaimed,
"Suppose any one came and stole our provisions?"
"Upon my word," cried Sumichrast, "you're the boy to think of every
thing. But there's no need to fear this misfortune; most likely, we are
the only persons in the forest; or if any one else should be here, it
would be an almost miraculous chance if they discovered our bivouac."
"Then we are not on any road?"
"You may call it a road if you like, but we are the only people who have
trod it; no one could discover our encampment unless they had followed
us step by step."
The child shook his head with a rather doubtful air; the idea of the
desert is not readily nor suddenly comprehended. I well recollect that,
during my first excursions in the wilderness, I was constantly expecting
to catch sight of some human face, either just when I was emerging from
a wood or in following the paths made in the savannah by wild cattle. At
night, especially when I was troubled by sleeplessness, I was always
fancying that I recognized, in the distant sounds, either the crow of
a cock, the barking of a dog, or the burden of some familiar song.
[Illustration: "We now entered one of those glades."]
"But if no one can discover our bivouac," remarked Lucien, casting a
glance behind him, "how shall we manage to find it again?"
"In a way that is simple, but rather laborious; we shall walk one after
the other, and the last man's duty will be to notch the trees and
shrubs."
"Shall I walk first?" asked Lucien.
"No; that place belongs by right to the best shot; for if we put up any
game, we mustn't let it escape. In the mean time, until you know how to
use your gun, you shall form the rear-guard."
This duty did not seem to displease Lucien, who immediately seized his
sword and followed us, at a little distance, inflicting on the trunks of
the trees the gashes which were to guide us on our return. He performed
his work with so much ardor that his strength was soon exhausted.
L'Encuerado afterwards taught him how to handle his weapon in a more
skillful manner, and to notch the trees without stopping in his walk. A
path marked in this manner is called, in Canada and the United States, a
blaze road.
We now entered one of those glades which are so often met with in the
midst of a virgin forest, although it is impossible to explain the cause
why the trees do not grow just in these spots. As there was no living
creature to be seen, I agreed with Sumichrast to leave Lucien and
l'Encuerado on the watch, and that we should walk round, each on our own
side, so as to meet again at the other extremity of the open space.
Gringalet, seeing us separate, could not at first make up his mind which
party he should go with; but bounded from one to the other, and caressed
each of us, raising plaintive whines. At last he seemed determined to
follow me, but scarcely had I progressed a hundred yards before he
stopped, as if to reflect. He probably thought he had left something
behind, for he quickly disappeared.
I walked for half an hour through the brake, with eye and ear both on
the watch, and my finger on the trigger, without 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 l'Encuerado asleep?" I cried, with vexation.
My question was answered by two shot-reports in succession, and almost
immediately Gringalet, l'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 l'Encuerado held my gun; we aimed into the middle
of them, for there were a great many. If you could only have seen how
they jumped! The one I hit climbed up on the tree close by; but it soon
fell as dead as a stone. L'Encuerado says that it hadn't time to suffer
much pain."
The poor child was making his _début_ as a sportsman, and his heart
seemed rather full, although he was very proud of this first proof of
his skill. Sumichrast was the first to congratulate him. As for me,
although I was well aware of the Indian's 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," observed 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 being little, and that I have some chance of being
useful."
I need hardly say how much we were diverted at this novel argument
against a lofty stature.
"At this rate," I replied, "I ought to have brought your brother Emile;
for he is so short that he would have followed a trail even better than
you."
"Of course you ought. Don't you recollect that when we were walking over
the mountain of Borrego, he often spied out insects that you had missed
seeing?"
I was evidently regularly beaten.
We sat down in front of the fire, before which the two squirrels were
roasting. L'Encuerado caught in a dish the fat which trickled down from
the animals, and every now and then basted the meat with it.
The flesh of the squirrel, both in flavor and color, much resembles that
of the hare; so our little mess-mate ate it with evident enjoyment.
Dried maize-cakes, called _totopo_, took the place of bread, and each
one had his allowance of it.
We couldn't help feeling uneasy about Gringalet: we had given him about
half a squirrel, but instead of eating it, he thought fit to roll
himself upon it frantically. The poor beast had consequently only some
scraps of _totopo_. It was, however, highly necessary to accustom him to
feed on game, as our maize-cakes were far too valuable to be doled out
thus. Each of us poured a little water from his gourd into a calabash,
which served for a drinking-vessel. The poor dog, thus allowanced, must
have been sorry that he ever joined us.
The sun was perceptibly sinking.
"Well, Lucien," asked Sumichrast, "what do you think now of rat's
flesh?"
"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 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 excited our attention, became every moment
more distinct. Gringalet was about to bark, but l'Encuerado caught him
by the muzzle, and covered him with his _sarapé_. A whole troop of
squirrels, no doubt those we had hunted two hours before, made their
appearance, uttering sharp 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 prevent Sumichrast's gun from wounding
one of them. The squirrel remained at first clinging to the tree on
which it was when the shot struck it; but, after a pause, it relaxed its
hold and rolled over and fell to the ground. Nevertheless, it had
strength enough left to turn round and bite the sportsman, who
carelessly laid hold of him. L'Encuerado skinned it immediately, keeping
the meat for our breakfast next morning.
The sun went down; the cries of the birds resounded, and night at last
shut us in, bringing with it the solemn silence of the wilderness.
L'Encuerado struck up a prolonged chant, and Lucien's fresh young voice
blended with that of the hunter. The tune was simple and monotonous in
its character; but there was something touching in hearing the Indian
and the child, both equally artless in mind, uniting together to sing
the praises of God. The chant was ended by a prayer, which Sumichrast
and I listened to, standing up, with our heads bared; and it was with
earnestness that my friend repeated l'Encuerado's solemn "Amen,"
expressed in the words, "God is great."
[Illustration]
Having fed the fire with sufficient wood 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 melancholy sound which so exactly calls to mind the noise
of the surf breaking on the shore. By means of thinking of it, I felt it
even in my sleep, for I dreamt that I was at sea, and that the vessel
that bore me was sailing over silvery waters.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VI.
COFFEE.--TURPENTINE.--COUROUCOUS.--PINE-NEEDLES.--THREE VOLCANOES IN
SIGHT AT ONCE.--THE CARABUS FAMILY.--SCORPIONS.--SALAMANDERS.--A
MIDNIGHT DISTURBANCE.
The first thing I saw on opening my eyes was l'Encuerado, who was
getting ready our coffee, and Lucien crouching close to the fire, piling
up a quantity of dry branches round the kettle, at some risk, however,
of upsetting it.
"Why, Lucien," I cried, "it is not light yet, and you are up already!
Didn't you sleep well?"
"Oh yes, papa," he answered, kissing me; "but l'Encuerado disturbed
Gringalet, so he thought proper to come and lie down on _me_, and that
woke me, for Gringalet is very heavy. So, as I couldn't go to sleep
again, I got up to look after the fire."
"And you are doing your work capitally. The kettle is singing loudly,
and l'Encuerado will find it difficult to take it off without burning
his fingers."
But the Indian had provided himself with two green branches, which he
used to lift off the make-shift coffee-pot, into which he emptied both
the sugar and the coffee.
"Where is the filter?" asked Lucien.
"Do you think you are still in the town?" I replied. "Why don't you ask
for a cup and saucer as well?"
"But we can never drink this black muddy stuff!" cried Lucien.
"Never mind, Chanito," said the Indian; "I'll soon make it all right."
Then, taking his gourd, he poured from it some cold water into the
mixture, and it immediately became cleared.
I told Lucien to go and wake up Sumichrast.
The child approached our companion, who was scarcely visible under the
leaves, which served him both for coverlet and pillow.
"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 Reynière and Brillat
Savarin, coffee seems still sweeter to the taste when taken at five
o'clock in the morning, after passing the night in the open air.
The day broke; it was a magnificent sight to see the forest gradually
lighted up, and the trunks of the trees gilded by slanting sunbeams.
Before starting again, one of our party carefully examined the ground on
which we had camped, so as not to forget any of our effects, which, if
lost, would have been irreparable. I also noticed that l'Encuerado's
basket was decked with the three squirrels' skins, which would thus
gradually dry.
We had walked on for nearly an hour, the only incident being our meeting
with various kinds of birds, when the melancholy cry of the _couroucou_
struck on our ears. The call of this bird is very much like that uttered
by the Mexican ox-drivers when they herd together the animals under
their care; hence its Spanish name of _vaquero_. We gave chase to them,
and in less than half an hour we had obtained a male and female. Lucien
was never tired of admiring these beautiful creatures, with their yellow
beaks, hooked like those of birds of prey. The male bird, in particular,
was magnificent; the feathers on the head and back seemed to be "shot"
with a golden green, 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 gourmand would be glad to make a meal of it.
However, at dinner-time, you shall try for yourself; and you will meet
with very few people who, like you, have partaken of the _trogon
massena_."
"At all events, it isn't another relation of the rat--is it?" asked the
boy, archly.
"No; it belongs to the family of climbers--that is to say, to that
order of birds which have two toes in front of their claws and two
behind, like your great friends the parrots."
After we had dressed the skins of the couroucous, and carefully wrapped
up the game, we again moved on. The ground became stony, and the descent
steeper. At one time I had hoped to find a spring at the bottom of the
ravine; but we very soon discovered, to our great disappointment, that
we should have to begin climbing again, leaving behind us the oaks and
the _ceibas_, and meeting with nothing but gigantic pine-trees. The
_pine-needles_,[H] which literally 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 misfortune, 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 the ground he had
gained, but he at once got up again, quite in a pet with the dog, for
whom he predicted a fall as a punishment for his treacherous behavior.
The troublesome pine-needles obliged us again to resort to the stake and
lasso plan; l'Encuerado, with his load, strove in vain to keep up with
us.
"Can any one understand the use of these horrible trees?" grumbled the
Indian. "Why can't they keep their leaves to 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?"
"God makes them grow here," said the child.
"Not at all, Chanito; God created them, but the devil has sown them on
these mountains. I have travelled on the large plateau, where there are
whole forests of pines, which proves that it was only for spite that
they grow on this ascent."
Fortunately Lucien only half believed what the Indian said, and very
soon asked me all about it.
"The pines," I replied, "are trees of the North, which never grow well
except in cold climates and dry soils. If l'Encuerado had been
acquainted with the history of his ancestors, he would have been able to
give you some better information about them; he would have known that,
in the Aztec mythology, they were sacred to the mother of the gods, the
goddess Matlacueye, who, curiously enough, fills the part of Cybele
among the Greek goddesses, whose favorite 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 themselves with cutting down the tree
within a foot of the ground; the resin at once begins to ooze out, and
gradually fills the leathern bottles placed to receive it. As soon as
the resin ceases to flow, they cut the tree up into fagots for the use
of the inhabitants of the towns, or the Indians living on plains, whose
poor dwellings often possess no other light than the smoky glimmer from
a branch of fir."
I was obliged to cut short my explanations, in order to help Sumichrast
and l'Encuerado, who, in spite of the lasso, seemed as if they were
trying who could slip fastest. The only way we could get on at all was
by describing 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 Citlatepetl--that is, the "mountain of
the star"--which rises to 17,372 feet above the sea-level. Lucien
thought that this could not really be the same mountain the summit of
which he was in the habit of seeing every morning.
"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 Sumichrast.
"But it looks much higher," said Lucien.
"That is because we are nearer to it. From here we can discern the
beautiful forest which surrounds its base as you ascend, the pines
growing farther and farther apart, and gradually disappearing
altogether. Higher still may be seen the glaciers glittering in the sun;
and, last of all, the perpetual snow surrounding the crater, which was
visited for the first time in 1847, by M. Doignon, a Frenchman."
"Popocatepetl, Istaccihuatl," said l'Encuerado gravely, pointing out the
mountains.
The two mountains mentioned by the Indian were towering up behind us--a
sight that alone repaid for our difficult ascent; we could admire in
turn the three loftiest volcanoes in Mexico.
"Where is Popocatepetl?" asked Lucien.
"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. Dias Ordas, one of the captains of Fernando Cortez, made its
first ascent. Its name signifies 'smoking mountain.'"
"Yes; and I know that Istaccihuatl means 'white woman;' but I do not
know the height of it."
"It is 15,700 feet above the level of the sea."
"How can mountains like these be measured?" asked Lucien.
"In the first place, by geometrical calculations, and then, by the aid
of a barometer, when an ascent has been made. The column of mercury in
the instrument falls in proportion as the barometer is carried up the
mountain, because the air which presses upon the mercury reservoir
becomes less and less dense."
I quite forgot the lapse of time while contemplating the glorious
panorama spread beneath. Just around us the ground was rocky and
volcanic, and covered with mosses of various colors; rather lower down
the ground was hidden by the fallen leaves of giant trees; beyond was a
succession of smaller crests, frequently quite barren, sometimes covered
with sun-scorched verdure. On the horizon, which was hidden by a
transparent mist, the two 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 again met with
the pine-needles, and though our ascent was difficult and slow, our
descent was proportionably rapid. Thus we fell forward instead of
falling backward. Gringalet, 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 passage with our
_machetes_; but what was our joy upon perceiving, at the bottom of the
ravine, a stream bordered with angelica and water-cress!
Thanks to the abundance of materials, our hut was quickly constructed.
While l'Encuerado was getting dinner ready, I went to examine the
half-rotten trunk of a tree which was lying on the ground. A multitude
of insects, of an elegant shape and of a metallic-blue color, fled at my
approach; they belonged to the numerous _Carabus_ family, the
flesh-eating _Coleopteræ_, which are found both in Europe and in
America.
"Why don't they fly away, instead of running or tumbling over on the
ground?" asked Lucien.
"Because they are but little used to flying, and are very quick at
walking," I answered.
"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 hurt you. Many
of the _Carabus_ family, when they are caught, try to defend themselves
by throwing out a corrosive liquid; others make a report, accompanied by
smoke, which has given them their name of _bombardier_."
"What do they find to eat under the bark, in which they must lead a very
gloomy life?"
"Larvæ 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[I]
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 imperceptible; all they did
was to stiffen out their tails, which are composed of six divisions, the
last terminating in an extremely slender barb.
"Oh, what horrid creatures!" cried Lucien, starting back; "if it wasn't
for their light 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 allied 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 were stung?"
"No; but it would cause a very 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, especially when he saw the animal begin
to move slowly off with them.
"Do you know, Chanito," said l'Encuerado, who had now joined us, which
showed that the cooking did not require his undivided attention, "that
when the mother of the young scorpions does not supply them with food,
they set to and devour her."
"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 _Terre-Tempérée_."
"Ah!" cried Lucien, "I was quite right, then, when I called them horrid
creatures."
L'Encuerado, stripping off another piece of bark, exposed to view a
salamander, which awkwardly tried to hide itself.
"You may catch it if you like; there is nothing to be afraid of," said I
to Lucien, who had drawn back in fright.
"But it is a scorpion!" he exclaimed.
"You are too frightened to see clearly; it is a salamander, an
amphibious reptile of the frog family. The scorpion has eight feet,
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 hearing the contempt
with which l'Encuerado pronounced this name) "are afraid of it; once I
was afraid of it myself, but your papa has taught me to handle it
without the least fear."
And the hunter placed the salamander in the boy's hand, who cried out--
"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
wetted, can be plunged into melting iron without burning it.[J] Thus an
idea has arisen that these batrachians can exist in the midst of flames.
Although these poor animals are deaf, nearly blind, and remarkable for
their timidity, poets, much to the amusement of naturalists, have chosen
the salamander as an emblem of valor."
Assisted by Sumichrast, 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 Lucien speaking in supplicating tones; I ran towards
him, and found him trying to prevent l'Encuerado, who had got possession
of the salamander, from making a trial of its powers of resisting fire.
"All right, Chanito; I will not leave it long on the coals; your papa
said that these animals do not mind it a bit."
Lucien would not consent to this cruel experiment, but carried the
animal back to the tree on which we had found it.
The day was drawing to a close when we returned to the fire; from the
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
l'Encuerado 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.
[Illustration]
A dismal howling from our four-footed companion woke us up with a start.
We seized our arms. The dog, with his ears laid back, his tail between
his legs, turned his nose to the wind with an anxious glance, and set up
a fresh howl, which was answered by the shrill prolonged cries of the
coyotas, or jackal of Mexico.
[Illustration: "It was really a capital dinner."]
"So these miserable brutes think they are going to frighten us?" cried
l'Encuerado.
And while we were making up the fire, the Indian rushed off into the
darkness.
"Are they wolves, M. Sumichrast?" asked Lucien, anxiously.
"Yes, my boy, but only prairie wolves," he answered.
"Do you think that they will first devour l'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.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTES:
[H] The small tapering leaves of the pine are thus called.
[I] Elytra is derived from a Greek word, [Greek: elytrou], a sheath.
[J] Thanks to the spheroidal condition of water, discovered by M.
Boutigny (of Evreux).
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VII.
THE CATS'-EYES POMADE.--ARMADILLO.--LUCIEN AND THE
CRUEL FERN.-THE FALLEN MOUNTAIN.--THE
WOODPECKER.--THE BASILISK.--L'ENCUERADO'S FRESH
IDEA.
Gringalet, 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 l'Encuerado's return. In a quarter of an hour, as the Indian
did not arrive, I began to think that, confused by the darkness, he had
missed finding our bivouac. After having called him two or three times,
without receiving any answer, I was just going to fire off my gun, so
that the noise of the report might serve as a guide to him, when I heard
the sound of his guttural cry.
"What on earth has possessed you to chase useless game at this hour of
the night?" I cried, as he came into sight.
"I felt bound to give these screeching animals a lesson, señor; 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--"
"At the risk of falling into some pit. You can't see at night--at least,
as far as I know."
"Not very well; but that is all your fault," replied l'Encuerado, in a
reproachful tone.
"What! my fault?"
"The _brujos_ (sorcerers) have many a time offered me an ointment made
of cats' eyes and fat; but they wanted too much for it. You knew much
more about it than the sorcerers; and if you would only have told me the
way to make the ointment, and how to use it, I 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 Sumichrast awoke us. The brook, which we
could cross at a leap, sometimes rippled over pebbles, and sometimes
glided silently over a sandy bottom. The plants which grew on its two
banks fraternally intertwined their green branches, and their flowers
seemed to exchange their perfumes. From the boughs of the large trees
hung gray mosses, which made them look like gigantic old men; the sun
gilded their black trunks with its rising beams, and from the tops of
the trees the sweet chant of birds rose up towards heaven. Our eyes,
which had become accustomed to the comparatively barren places we had
traversed the day before, dwelt with delight upon this lovely and
glorious scene; our hearts rejoiced in the midst of this calm and
luxuriant aspect of nature. It was with feelings of regret we got ready
to move on again.
"Suppose we weren't to go till the afternoon," said Sumichrast.
"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. Lucien, helped by l'Encuerado, who had
nothing to wash for himself, as he wore his leather garment next to his
skin, laughed heartily at seeing us turned into washerwomen; still he
did not do his part of the work at all badly. He then undertook to wash
Gringalet, whose white coat, spotted with black, was sadly in want of
cleansing. Unfortunately, the dog was hardly out of the water when he
began rolling himself in the dust, and, as dirty as ever, came frisking
around his disappointed little master.
We were roaming about in every direction, in the hope of collecting some
insects, when Gringalet pricked up his ears and showed his teeth. The
rustling of dry leaves attracted our attention to a slope opposite to
us, on which an armadillo was seen.
Generally speaking, these animals only go out for food in the night.
This one, which we saw in broad daylight, was about the size of a large
rabbit. Pricking up its ears, it raised its tapering muzzle so as to
snuff closer to the branches. Its head, which was very small, gave it a
very grotesque appearance. Suddenly it began scratching up the earth
with its front paws, furnished with formidable claws, and now and then
poked its pointed nose into the hole it had dug. I had crossed the
stream, and was advancing cautiously towards the animal, when I saw it
leave off its work, and, bending down its head uneasily, as quick as
lightning it rolled itself up into a ball and glided down the slope.
Just at my feet it stopped, and I only had to stoop down in order to
pick it up. Gringalet, who then appeared at the top of the slope, was
evidently the cause of its sudden flight.
I rejoined my companions, carrying my prisoner, who tried neither to
defend itself nor to escape. Lucien examined with curiosity the scales
which crossed the back of the armadillo, and its pink transparent skin.
I told him that this inoffensive animal, which feeds on insects and
roots, belonged 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," replied
Sumichrast.
When we talked about killing the animal, Lucien opposed the idea with
great vehemence. He wanted either to carry it away alive or to let it
go--both being plans which could not be allowed. Gringalet, however, cut
short the discussion by strangling it, l'Encuerado's carelessness having
left it in his way. The boy, both angry and distressed, was astonished
at the cruelty of his dog, and was going to beat him.
"He has only yielded to instinct," said Sumichrast.
"A fine instinct, truly," replied Lucien, in tears, "to kill a poor
beast that never did him any harm!"
"He has saved us the trouble of killing it. Men, and all carnivorous
animals, can not live except on the condition of sacrificing other
creatures. Didn't you 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."
"For you, very probably; but it was much the same to the squirrel.
However, if there's another chance, you shall lend your gun to
Gringalet."
Lucien smiled through his tears, and his indignation gradually calmed
down. Certainly the result is the same, whether you wring a fowl's neck
or shoot it; yet I could never make up my mind to the former operation.
Lucien, who was endowed with almost feminine sensibility, was often
angry with l'Encuerado, who could scarcely resist the temptation of
firing at 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 asserted 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 l'Encuerado's eyes.
Gun on shoulder, we made our way up the bed of the stream, often being
obliged to cut our path through a thicket of plants. I noticed a fine
tree-fern, the leaves of which, not yet developed, assumed the shape of
a bishop's crosier. Lucien remarked this.
"You are right," said I, "it is very curious. Do you know Jussieu
divided all vegetables into three great orders--_Acotyledons_,
_Monocotyledons_, and _Dicotyledons_. Ferns belong to the first;[K] they
have no visible flowers, and are allied to the sea-weed and mushroom
tribe. It is only under the tropics that ferns attain the dimensions of
the one you are looking at; in colder regions their height seldom
exceeds a few feet. Ferns formed almost the sole vegetation of the
primitive world, and we frequently find evidence of some gigantic
species which are now extinct."
Lucien, being desirous to examine the crosier-shaped stalks, allowed us
to get in front of him, then crept under the fern.
As the leaves of this shrub are furnished underneath with long prickles,
when he wanted to rejoin us he found himself caught. The more he
struggled the worse he became entangled. He cried out to me in a most
distressed voice, and not knowing what had happened, I lost no time in
going back to him. I found him fighting hard against the thorns which
were scratching his face and hands. L'Encuerado and Sumichrast also came
to his assistance.
I disentangled the boy as quickly as I could; but already he had several
scratches over his face and hands.
"How came you not to think," I said, "that by struggling in this way you
would only the more entangle yourself?"
"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 _machete_, rushed at
the fern.
"Are not you ashamed to attack a child?" he cried. "It's all very fine
to display your bishop's crosier and then behave in this way! Try and
tear my coat! I know you wouldn't dare 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 magnificent one; the accumulation of rocks,
piled one on the other, had crushed down in their fall the trees that
impeded their course. We saw before us an inextricable pile of trunks,
monstrous roots, and masses of rock, suspended and apparently ready to
fall. The catastrophe must have recently occurred; for here and there a
branch was still covered with foliage, and the grass had not as yet
carpeted the immense gap. Lucien was so astonished at the wild grandeur
of the scene that it actually put an end to his chatter. Without
speaking, we joined Sumichrast, who was in advance. That a lagoon must
have been filled up by the avalanche of rocks, we saw certain
indications. We could hear the rumbling noise of water flowing beneath
us. On our left, at the foot of the mountain, extended a wide basin,
which, from its regular outline, might well have been made by the hand
of man.
Every thing seemed silent and deserted around us, although the bushes
that margined the edge of the lagoon must once have sheltered many a
guest; now the imposing grandeur of the scene had awed them, or driven
them off.
"How could such a great mass as this fall down?" asked Lucien.
"We can only conjecture," replied Sumichrast; "perhaps the stream
flowing beneath the base of the rocks had excavated fissures, and thus
undermined it."
"The noise must have been terrific," said Lucien.
"Doubtless it was," replied Sumichrast; "and the shock possibly felt for
many leagues round."
"Have you ever seen a mountain fall in two like that, M. Sumichrast?"
"Yes; I did five years ago, when I was in company with your father. A
whole forest disappeared before our eyes in a land-slip, which also
overwhelmed four or five Indian huts. In a year from the present time,
the wilderness of bare rocks that we see before us will be again covered
with thick vegetation; mosses will grow over these gray-colored rocks,
and the stream will have renewed its course. If chance should ever lead
us again to this spot, the rich foliage and flowers would almost prevent
our recognizing the desolation which now impresses us so much."
I crossed the stream, in order to reach our bivouac by the opposite bank
to that which we had hitherto followed. Suddenly a noise, like a mallet
striking the trunk of a tree, attracted our attention.
"You told me just now there was no one but ourselves in the forest,"
cried Lucien.
"Chut!" replied l'Encuerado; "it is nothing but a large woodpecker."
And each of us glided under the bushes and tried to get near the winged
workman, who so loudly betrayed his presence. Ten minutes elapsed, but
all was silent, and the object of our search appeared to have moved off.
In fact, we were about to give up the pursuit, when three blows, struck
at regular intervals, resounded near us.
The _Carpintero_ (carpenter), for such it is called in Mexico, has very
brilliant yellow eyes, red feathers upon the head, while the body is
dark-colored streaked with white. It climbs easily up the trunks of
trees, resting upon its tail-feathers. At length we observed it, and as
we looked, admiring its plumage, it again struck three resounding blows,
and ran round the tree as if to inspect the other side.
"The fool!" muttered l'Encuerado; "he thinks he can pierce a tree as
thick as my body with three pecks of his beak! He'll soon be eaten."
And he fired at the bird and hit it.
"I say, papa, did the woodpecker really want to pierce this big tree?"
"No, my boy; that is a popular but unfounded idea. The woodpecker
strikes the trees in order to frighten the insects that are concealed
under the bark; and the action which l'Encuerado has interpreted in his
own way is performed with a view of getting hold of the fugitives."
Sumichrast showed Lucien that the woodpecker, aided by its wedge-shaped
beak, could, in case of need, rip up the bark under which its prey was
to be found; that his tongue, covered with spines bending backward, is
well adapted to seize the larvæ; and, lastly, that the stiff and elastic
feathers of its tail afford it a very useful support in the exercise of
its laborious vocation.
"You often get the better of me in argument," said l'Encuerado; "but
it's no use your saying that woodpeckers do not bore into trees, for I
have seen them doing it."
"You are right, up to a certain point," replied Sumichrast; "some
species make their nests in dead trees, which their beaks can with ease
penetrate. As for piercing sound trees, that's quite another question."
While l'Encuerado was preparing the armadillo and the woodpecker, which
we were to have for dinner, we walked down the course of the stream, the
agreeable freshness of which was very pleasant to us. All at once Lucien
pointed out to me a basilisk sitting on a stone, the rays of the sun
setting off its bright shades--yellow, green, and red. This member of
the Iguana family, which bears no resemblance to the fabulous basilisk
of the Greeks, got up at our approach, puffed out its throat, and shook
the membranous crest on the top of its head. Its bright eye seemed to
scan the horizon; no doubt it caught sight of us, for its flaccid body
stiffened out, and with a rapid bound it sprang into the stream. The
reptile raised its chest in swimming, beating the water with its fore
paws as if with oars. We soon lost sight of it, to Lucien's great
sorrow, for he wanted to obtain a further inspection of it.
[Illustration: "The dog began to howl desperately."]
Gathering round the fire, we arranged our baggage, ready to start the
next morning. As there was still another hour's daylight, Lucien
remained with l'Encuerado, and I went with Sumichrast to reconnoitre the
route we intended to take.
The sun was setting, and we were slowly approaching our bivouac, when
Gringalet's whine met our ears. I hastened forward, for the dog began to
howl desperately. I reached the hut quite out of breath. Every thing
seemed right, but Lucien and l'Encuerado had disappeared. I looked
anxiously into my companion's face.
"No doubt," said Sumichrast, "l'Encuerado has gone to take a stroll, and
left the dog asleep."
I raised a call-cry. What was my surprise at hearing it answered from up
above us. My son and the Indian were sitting thirty feet from the
ground, hidden in the foliage of a gigantic tree. My first impulse was
to address l'Encuerado rather angrily.
"Don't flurry him," said Sumichrast; "he'll need all his presence of
mind to get the boy down safely."
With an anxiety which may be easily understood, I watched all the
movements of the lad, who was every now and then concealed by the
leaves.
"Gently," cried l'Encuerado; "put your foot there. Well done! Now lay
hold of this branch and slide down. Don't be afraid; I'll not let you
go. How pleased and proud your papa will be when he knows how high you
have climbed!"
The Indian was wrong; I was neither pleased nor proud. The trunk of the
tree was five or six feet in circumference; the first branches sprang at
a point no less than seven to ten feet from the ground, and I could not
make out how the boy managed to reach them. As for l'Encuerado, or
rather the _ape_ that went by that name, I knew that no obstacle could
stop _him_.
I must, however, confess that I felt all my anger melting away when I
saw the skill and coolness of the young acrobat. Certainly, Sumichrast
appealed to my own reminiscences, and offered to lay me a wager that I
had climbed many a poplar without the advantage of such superintendence
as l'Encuerado's. At last the two gymnasts reached the lowest branches,
and I breathed more freely.
"Papa," cried the child, "we climbed right to the top, and there found a
nest and a squirrel's hiding-place."
"Have you suddenly gone mad?" said I, interrupting him and addressing
the Indian.
"Mad!" repeated he, with the most sublime simplicity. "Why?"
"Couldn't you have chosen a tree that was not so tall?"
"Don't you wish Chanito to learn to climb? At all events, the señora
intrusted him to me."
"And so you risk his breaking his bones?"
"I'm not a child," replied the Indian, proudly, standing upright on a
branch.
"Enough of these gymnastics! Come down at once; although God knows how
you are going to manage it."
The words were hardly out of my mouth when Lucien reached the ground,
suspended by a _lasso_ which l'Encuerado had tied under his arms. The
Indian had pulled him up to the lowest branches in the same way.
"You have not acted sensibly," said I to the Indian; "we do not begin to
learn to ride by mounting a wild horse. Lucien doesn't know yet how to
climb high trees."
"Lucien can climb as well as I can," retorted the culprit; "he has never
eaten an orange out of your garden without clambering up to gather it
himself."
"That's something new to me," said I, looking hard at my son, who
blushed. "At any rate, orange-trees are very different in size from
cotton-woods, so you risked killing him."
"No; I kept tight hold of him. You very well know that if Chanito were
likely to come to his death by my fault, I should die first."
"That wouldn't bring the boy to life again. There will be plenty of
dangers in our excursion without seeking them out for mere pleasure. I
want to bring you all back safe and sound to Orizava; therefore, don't
let us have any more of these ascents."
Having uttered this remonstrance, I turned on my heel, for it was no use
trying to have the last word with l'Encuerado. I was, however, quite
sure that he would not renew the exploit which had displeased me, and
that was all I wished.
At supper-time, Gringalet did not show any repugnance to the flesh of
the armadillo, the taste of which reminded Lucien of sucking-pig.
"Are armadillos very scarce?" he asked; "they are never sold in the
market."
"Just the contrary," replied Sumichrast; "they are very common, and the
Indians never fail to feast on them when they can procure them."
"What does the name armadillo mean?"
"It is a Paraguayan word, the meaning of which is, 'encased in armor.'
The Aztecs call the animal _ayotochitl_, that is, 'gourd-rabbit'--'rabbit'
on account of its ears, and 'gourd' because, when it rolls itself up in
a ball, it reminds one of that vegetable."
L'Encuerado had gone to sleep. Lucien soon went into the hut, and I
noticed that Sumichrast carefully arranged the leaves which were to form
our bed, although he himself lay down anywhere. I was much less inclined
for sleep than my companions, and contemplated them all reposing;
reflecting on the strange chance which united, under the same shelter,
in the midst of the wilderness, persons born of such distinct races and
in such different climates. We could all surely depend on one another,
for in previous expeditions our mutual friendship had been put to the
proof. Seeing how well Lucien bore the fatigue, I rejoiced that I had
brought him under the protection of such good guardians. When I entered
the hut to seek repose, I disturbed Gringalet, who, before lying down
again by his young master, licked his hand: here was another devoted
friend--"the dog, which combines all man's better qualities," as Charlet
observes.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTE:
[K] That is, a plant devoid of _lobes_.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VIII.
A VULTURE'S FEAST.--DRAGON'S BLOOD.--A CORAL SERPENT.--THE OWL.--MEXICAN
MOLES.--TOUCANS.--THE SCOLOPACIDÆ.--L'ENCUERADO TURNED TAILOR.--SUNSET.
We left our bivouac at daybreak, first ascending and then descending,
sometimes making our way through thickets and other times through
glades; suddenly a flock of vultures attracted our attention. A hideous
spectacle was now presented to our eyes. A _coyote_--doubtless that
which l'Encuerado had wounded the day before--lay half devoured on the
ground, and more than fifty guests were coming in turn for their share,
and to tear, in turn, a strip of flesh from the carcass.
"What frightful creatures!" cried Lucien. "I can't think why the nasty
smell does not drive them away."
"It is just the reverse; it is the smell which attracts them," I
replied. "Even when they are soaring high up in the sky, and scan the
horizon with their yellow eyes, their subtle sense of smell enables them
to catch the effluvia of the putrefied matter on which they feed."
In some of the towns of Mexico the black vultures are so
numerous--living there, as they do, almost tame in the streets--that our
young companion was well acquainted with these birds; but he had never
been present at one of their joint meals. The sight of one of their
bare, black, and wrinkled necks, plunged into the body of the animal,
made him almost ill.
"Poh!--what disgusting birds!" he cried.
"You are wrong," I said; "the birds are only obeying the instinct
implanted in them. Henceforward you will understand better the name of
the 'rapacious order' or 'birds of prey,' which is given by naturalists
to vultures, eagles, falcons, and owls. You are aware that the science
which describes the habits of birds is called _ornithology_. Cuvier, the
great classifier, divides the feathered tribe into six orders--birds of
prey, passerines, climbers, gallinaceans, wading, and web-footed birds.
In order to prevent confusion, the orders have been subdivided into
families, the families into groups, the groups into genera, and the
genera into species."
"How are they all to be recognized?"
"By the study of certain special characteristics, which serve as
distinguishing marks. Birds of prey, for instance, have curved beaks and
claws, legs feathered either to the knee or down to the foot, three toes
in front, and one behind; also, the back and inside toe are stronger
than the others. The vultures which you are looking at, the only
birds of the order which live in flocks, belong to the _Cathartus_
genus."[L]
[Illustration: "A flock of vultures attracted our attention."]
"Look! there are some which keep at a distance. They look as if they
were afraid."
"No; they have gorged themselves, and are now digesting their meal;
unless danger compel them to take flight, they will remain motionless
until sunset."
"Will they attack live creatures?"
"Very rarely; for they are dreadful cowards, and, besides, do not care
much for fresh meat."
We had now left far behind us the miserable crew of carrion-eaters, when
Lucien suddenly cried out--
"Oh, papa! look, there's a bleeding tree!"
"It is a _pterocarpus_; that is, a vegetable with membranes resembling
the wing of a bird. The red sap which is trickling down from its bark is
called _dragon's blood_, thus named by the Greeks, who ascribed to it a
fabulous origin. The _blood-tree_, for so the Indians designate it, is
allied to the asparagus and lily genera, and the gum which exudes from
it is a good remedy for dysentery."
L'Encuerado picked off a few dry flakes of this invaluable production;
and then, dipping his finger into some of the drops which were still
liquid, he rubbed it all over Gringalet's legs and paws, who was thus
provided with red top-boots. As a matter of fact, this operation must
have had a good effect upon the animal; for this gum, being very rich in
tannin, was certain to brace the tissues and muscles; but the first
sensation of it seemed to distress the poor beast, who ran along lifting
up his legs in a very comical fashion.
"Gringalet walks very much in the same way that l'Encuerado did the
time he put on his beautiful blue slippers," remarked Lucien, in great
glee.
"You don't mean to say," said Sumichrast, "that l'Encuerado ever wore
blue slippers?"
"Yes; the other day there was a dinner-party, and mamma told him to
dress himself as well as he could. He at once ran off to buy a pair of
pumps he had seen in a shop, and, just at the moment they were all
sitting down to dinner, he made his appearance in his new
foot-coverings, and--a cravat!"
"A cravat!" repeated Sumichrast, more surprised than ever.
"Yes, a real cravat; but as he had never before worn any thing on his
feet but sandals, he lifted them up when he walked just as Gringalet
does now. Mamma advised him to put on his sandals again; but he would
not obey her, so he was well punished, for he tripped up and broke a
whole pile of plates. It was not until after this misfortune that he
could be persuaded to take off his blue pumps; and even then he could
not bear to part with them altogether, so he hung them round his neck,
and kept on waiting at table, as proud as possible with his grand
decoration."
This adventure was only too true, and Sumichrast listened to it with
shouts of laughter.
"Why did you hang the shoes round your neck instead of putting them away
in a corner?" asked Sumichrast of the Indian.
"I did it to let all the world know that I had bought them, and that
they belonged to me," replied l'Encuerado.
[Illustration: "Lucien loudly called out to me."]
Our encampment was established at the entrance of a fresh glade.
L'Encuerado had killed five or six small birds; we were, therefore,
certain of something for dinner. We had scarcely finished our building
operations, when Lucien, who had been prowling about, lifting up
stones and looking under stubs in order to find insects, loudly called
out to me. When I got up to him, I saw at the bottom of a hole a
coral-serpent, measuring about a yard in length. The reptile was coiled
up, and remained motionless while we admired its beautiful red skin,
divided at intervals with rings of shining black. L'Encuerado promptly
cut a forked stick and pinned the animal down to the ground. The
prisoner immediately tried to stand up on end; its jaws distended, and
its head assumed a menacing aspect. Gringalet barked at it furiously,
without, however, daring to go near. The Indian unsheathed his
cutlass--the prospect of an unlooked-for addition to dinner quite
delighted him.
The flesh of the serpent is a well-known Indian dish. Previous to the
conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, the rattlesnake itself found its
place at their highest festivals. Dioscorides[M] prescribed the flesh of
the viper as a tonic, and it formed one of the component parts of
_theriaca_, the great panacea of our ancestors, which was one of the
principal branches of Venetian commerce. In spite of all these
precedents, the dish proposed by l'Encuerado was unanimously rejected.
Having cut off the serpent's head, we all went off to reconnoitre. Going
in pursuit of a troop of squirrels, we were led to the edge of the glade
without having been able to reach them. A little way in the forest,
Sumichrast espied a small russet-colored owl, which suddenly disappeared
in a hollow at the foot of an old tree. We all kept quiet for ten
minutes, in order to observe the bird's way of hunting. At last it
suddenly reappeared, and, standing motionless and upright upon its legs
at the entrance of its place of refuge, it looked very like a sentinel
on duty in his watch-box. Suddenly it started, and slightly bending its
body, winked its great yellow eyes several times; then, skimming over
the ground with the swiftness of an arrow, it darted into the high
grass. It soon made its appearance again, with its feathers erect and
flapping its wings. It held in its mouth a poor little mouse, which it
carried off into its subterraneous retreat. It was the species of owl
called _Athene hypogæa_, which is often met with in the savannahs, and
hunts in the day-time as well as in the night.
"What a comical-looking bird!" said Lucien; "and yet I'm half afraid of
its brilliant eyes and hooked nose."
"Every one is frightened at him, Chanito," replied l'Encuerado; "and
when he settles near a hut at night, and raises his dismal cry, he
predicts the early death of some one of those who hear him."
"That can't be," replied Lucien, "for there was an owl in a hole in our
garden wall, and papa would never have it disturbed; yet the owl made
its cry every night."
"Your father knows how to avert the spell. Besides, the bird that lived
in the wall was a common owl."
"Both in Europe and America," interposed Sumichrast, "screech owls, and
their kinsmen, the common owls, barn owls, buzzards, and all nocturnal
birds of prey, are looked upon by the ignorant as birds of ill omen.
Their strange appearance and their mysterious habits give rise to a
repugnance which often changes into fear. It is quite wrong to have any
dread of them; as a matter of fact, the bird you have just seen is, like
all its species, more useful than injurious to man, for it destroys a
vast number of small mammals--jerboas, shrew-mice, dormice, and
field-mice, which ravage the farmer's crops. You will recollect that the
owl, among the ancient Greeks, was the bird of Minerva; with the Aztecs
it represents the goddess of evil."
A little way from the spot where we lost sight of the mouse-eater,
there were some enormous holes dug out by the _tuzas_,[N] the Mexican
moles, so dreaded by agriculturists. This animal is about the size of a
kitten; it lives in companies, and works underneath the surface of the
soil in a way very dangerous to travellers, who suddenly find the ground
sink under their feet. L'Encuerado, who was very fond of the flesh of
the tuza, which used to be sold in the Indian markets, placed himself in
ambush in the hopes of killing one. Five minutes had scarcely elapsed
when we heard a gunshot, and the hunter made his appearance with a
rather ugly little animal, having a dark-brown coat, short feet, ears
and eyes almost imperceptible, a mouth furnished with formidable
incisors, and on each side of its jaws a vast pouch filled with earth.
Lucien declared that he would never consent to eat of this creature, and
promised his share to l'Encuerado.
Our attention was again attracted towards the forest by the cries of
five or six _toucans_, and again we set off in chase. These birds are
extremely suspicious, and their capricious flight almost baffles
pursuit. I succeeded, however, in killing one; the others flew off,
raising cries of anger.
"How can they bear the weight of such an enormous beak?" asked Lucien,
who had run to pick up the bird, and was struck with admiration at its
beautiful green and yellow plumage.
"Nature has made provision for that: the enormous beak, which seems so
heavy, is composed of a very light porous substance."
"Then it can not eat any thing hard?"
"No; its flexible beak could not crush any unyielding substance, and it
feeds on nothing but soft fruits; and even these it breaks up
awkwardly. If we could have got near them, you would have seen them
plucking berries and tossing them in the air, so as to catch them in
their immense jaws."
"What good is its great mouth?"
"I can't say; for the naturalists, who have been as much puzzled as you
are by this peculiarity, have been unable to explain it."
"Then I am more learned than they are," said l'Encuerado, with a
magisterial air.
"Do you know, then, why toucans have such exaggerated beaks?"
"Because they have been made by a wise Creator," replied the Indian.
"No doubt about that," remarked Sumichrast, smiling; "but the point is,
why they were made so."
"Because their beak, calcined and reduced to powder, is the only
efficacious remedy for epilepsy. Toucans are very scarce birds, and if
their beaks were no larger than those of other birds of their size, this
medicine could never be obtained in sufficient quantities."
L'Encuerado's explanation was perhaps as good as our uncertainty. I
remember that the Indians do, in fact, make a great mystery of a powder
against epilepsy, and that a toucan's head may often be noticed hanging
up to the wall of a hut, as a preservative against St. Vitus' dance.
Instead of resting, Lucien prowled about in every direction, breaking
away bark, and lifting stones with all the ardor of a neophyte in
entomology. Since meeting with the coral-serpent, he took precautions
which gave me confidence; for it is quite uncertain how a reptile or any
other creature may behave when it is disturbed. The child suddenly
called out to me; he had just discovered a nest of _scolopendræ_,
commonly called centipedes, and he was afraid to touch them. The
centipedes, surprised at being disturbed, rolled themselves up; their
pale blue color somewhat diminishing the repugnance which their
appearance generally excites. It was not without some hesitation that
Lucien, encouraged by Sumichrast, ventured to place one on the palm of
his hand; the insect gradually unrolled its articulations, each of which
was provided with two pairs of feet ending in hooks, but its walk was so
slow as rather to disappoint the young observer.
"What is the use of having forty-four feet," he cried, "if the centipede
can not get on faster than a _carabus_, which only has six?"
L'Encuerado could alone explain this mystery; but still he kept silence.
"Are these creatures poisonous, M. Sumichrast?"
"It is said so; but some species--that, for instance, which you are
examining--may be handled without danger."
"Here is a little centipede with only twelve legs."
"It has only just come out of the egg; their rings increase in number as
they grow older, and this is one of their peculiarities."
"How hard the rings, are! they are almost like armor."
"It is armor, in fact; the _scolopendræ_ form a line of demarkation, so
to speak, separating insects from crustaceans; centipedes are not very
distant relations of lobsters."
"Look, papa! I have just found a chocolate-colored worm, which looks
like a centipede."
"That's not a worm; it is an _iulus_, first cousin to the centipede.
Don't take it up in your hand, for it will impregnate your fingers with
a sickening odor."
We resumed our progress towards our encampment, Lucien and l'Encuerado
preceding us. The weather was warm without being suffocating; the
slanting rays of the sun were moderated by the foliage, the birds were
singing, and to-day, like yesterday, seemed as if it would be one of
the least fatiguing in our journey. We were now in the midst of the
_Terre-Tempérée_, and were surrounded by white and black oaks. Ceibas,
elm, cedars, and _lignum-vitæ_ trees only grew here and there; and the
mosquitoes, so plentiful in the _Terre-Chaude_, did not trouble us here.
The timber, growing widely apart, allowed us to pass easily; we were in
a virgin-forest, but were still too high up above the plains to have to
struggle against the inextricable net-work of tropical creepers.
The _tuza_ made its appearance at our dinner, dressed with rice.
Although the appearance of this animal is repulsive, its flesh has an
exquisite flavor. I offered a piece of the thigh to Lucien; he found it
so nice, that he soon held out his plate--or rather his calabash--for
more. Sumichrast told him he was eating some of the mole, though not
aware of it: he appeared confused at first, but soon boldly began on his
second helping. After the meal, l'Encuerado took from an aloe-fibre bag
a needle and bodkin, and set to work to mend Lucien's breeches, torn a
day or two before. Two squirrels' skins were scarcely sufficient for the
would-be tailor, who lined the knees also with this improvised cloth.
Lucien was delighted at this patching, and wanted to try on his mended
garment at once. He waddled about, ran, and stooped in every posture,
quite fascinated with the rustling noise produced by the dry skins.
Gringalet, who had been asleep, suddenly came up to his young master
with visible surprise. With his neck stretched out, his eyes glittering,
and his ears drooping, ready to retreat in case of need, the dog
ventured to take a sniff at l'Encuerado's work, then shook his head
energetically and sneezed. After repeating this operation two or three
times he seemed to be lost in thought.
"He knows all about it, and can see at once that it is not badly sewn,"
said l'Encuerado, with evident satisfaction.
But all of a sudden, after a final and more conscientious examination,
the animal began barking furiously, and seizing hold of the patches that
had been so industriously sewn in, he tried to tear them away.
"The simpleton fancies the squirrel is still alive!" cried the Indian.
Although driven away at least twenty times, Gringalet kept on returning
to the attack, and he assailed the trowsers with so much ardor that a
fresh rent was made. Then l'Encuerado became angry, and the dog having
been punished, went and crouched down by the fire; but he still
continued to show his teeth at the strange lining which seemed so
offensive to him.
The sun was setting; its golden rays, quivering among the branches,
appeared one by one to get higher and higher until gloom began gradually
to pervade the forest. We were assembled around our bivouac, when a rosy
tint suddenly illumined the tops of the trees and penetrated through the
foliage. As this marvellous effect of light appeared to last a
considerable time, we again went into the open glade, so as to be better
able to observe it. The sky appeared as if it was all in a blaze; vast
glittering jets of light seemed as if darting from the setting sun; a
few clouds, tinted with bright red color, flitted across the heavens.
The bright gleam became more and more vivid, but without at all dazzling
our eyes. A few birds might be heard uttering shrill cries; and the
falcons, who were making their way to their aeries, stopped for a moment
their rapid flight, and whirled round and round in space with an
undecided air.
"The wind will blow tremendously to-morrow," said l'Encuerado; "only
once before did I ever see the sky lighted up as it is to-night, and
then two days after there was a frightful hurricane, which demolished
most of the huts in our village."
"I think we shall get off with nothing but a south wind like that which
worried us the day we set off," said Sumichrast.
Wrongly or rightly, I attributed this phenomenon of light to the
position of the clouds. The intensity of the light decreased till it was
nothing but a glimmer. Night resumed its empire, and there was naught to
guide us back to our bivouac but the flame of our fire.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTES:
[L] From the Greek [Greek: kathartês], "that which purifies." In fact,
this bird assists in cleansing the streets in towns where there is no
organization for the purpose.
[M] A celebrated Greek physician in the first century of the Christian
era.
[N] _Saccophorus Mexicanus._
[Illustration]
CHAPTER IX.
THE SOUTH WIND.--THE HURRICANE.--A FEARFUL NIGHT.--THE UPROOTED
GIANT.--THE SARSAPARILLA-PLANT.--GRINGALET DISCOVERS A SPRING.--OUR
BIVOUAC.
L'Encuerado's prediction seemed as if it was likely to be realized.
About three o'clock in the morning we were awakened by a hoarse roaring;
the trees seemed to shiver; sometimes the uproar appeared to grow less
and almost to cease, and then broke out again louder than ever. I
hastened to warm some coffee; but two or three times the intermittent
squalls scattered the burning fagots of our fire, and the hot ashes
nearly blinded us. This mishap was owing to the open glade being so near
to us, across which the wind rushed furious and unrestrained. Almost
before daylight appeared, I led my companions farther under the trees,
the state of the atmosphere making me feel very uncomfortable. The lofty
tree-tops, roughly shaken by the wind, showered down upon us a perfect
hail of twigs and dead leaves. We were almost deafened by the noise of
the clashing boughs; sad and silent we proceeded on our way, perceiving
no signs of any living creature, and in much trouble how we should
obtain our dinners.
Towards mid-day, the wind fell; puffs of heat, which seemed to spring
from the ground beneath, almost suffocated us. Lucien did not say a
word, but, in spite of my advice, he was constantly lifting his gourd to
his lips, a proceeding which could only excite his thirst. Gringalet,
instead of frolicking about, as was his custom, followed us closely,
drooping his ears and tail. We were, I believe, the only living beings
moving under the shade, which now seemed converted into a hot furnace.
Meeting with some rocks, we made up our minds to hurry on, thinking to
come upon a stream; a vain hope!--the rocks soon came to an end, and
were succeeded by a perfect labyrinth of trees. If there had only been a
little grass, we should have set to work to construct our hut; for the
dry heat, blown up by the south wind, rendered exertion almost
unbearable.
A second time we found ourselves among rocks; but they were so enormous,
and so close together, that it was evident we were in the vicinity of a
mountain.
"Hiou! hiou! Chanito," cried the Indian, joyously; "forward! forward! we
are very nearly at the end of our troubles."
The boy smiled and adopted the swift pace of his guide, while Sumichrast
lengthened his strides so as to get in front of me. Following my
companions, we soon came upon a dry, barren spot in front of a steep
ascent. After we had all taken breath, I gave it as my opinion that we
should overcome our fatigue and scale the side of the mountain; but no
one showed any inclination to move.
My poor Lucien lay panting on the hard stones, with his mouth dry, his
lips bleeding, and his face purple with the heat; he had thought the
day's work was over. Nevertheless, as soon as he saw us starting again,
up he got and followed us without a word of complaint. I wished to
lighten his burden; but he heroically refused, and proportioned his pace
to that of l'Encuerado. Gringalet was continually sitting down, and
hanging out his tongue to a most enormous length; it was, doubtless, his
way of testifying that he moved an amendment against the length of the
journey.
"We were quite wrong in finding fault with the shade," said Sumichrast;
"for in this unsheltered spot the heat is more insupportable than under
the trees. The sun seems to dart into us as if its rays were needles'
points."
"Don't drink, Chanito! don't drink!" cried l'Encuerado to Lucien.
The poor little fellow replaced the gourd at his side, and bent on me
such a heart-rending look that I caught him up in my arms.
"Let us make a halt," said my friend, who was sheltering himself under a
gigantic rock; "I confess that I am dead-beat."
It was a great relief when we were seated down and deprived of our
burdens; but, instead of setting to work, according to our usual custom,
to collect wood for our fire and to construct our hut, we remained idle,
looking at the horizon, without exchanging a single word. At our feet
extended, as far as we could see, the tree-tops of an immense forest. We
had turned our backs upon the volcano of Orizava; on our right the black
summits of the Cordillera stood out against the red sky; the _urubu_
vultures were whirling round and round high up above us--the only
living creatures we had set eyes on since the evening before.
It was now four o'clock; a kind of hot blast beat into our faces,
producing the same sensation as that experienced in front of a furnace
when the door is suddenly opened. The south wind sprung up again, and
squall succeeded squall--the forest undulating like a liquid surface.
I in vain endeavored to overcome the state of nervous prostration which
had come over me; the terrible wind which parched and burned us took
away all power of will. Our eyes were inflamed, our lips cracked, and
our heads heavy, and no one cared about eating; all we longed for was
water, and we were obliged to watch Lucien, to prevent him emptying his
gourd. He was nibbling a morsel of _totopo_, which he, like us, could
hardly swallow. Sheltered behind the rock, we contemplated with dread
the colossal trees round us, which swayed and bent, sprinkling the
ground with their scattered boughs.
The sun set, pale and rayless, as if drowned in the ill-omened yellow
clouds. The wind kept puffing and blowing at intervals. A few minutes'
lull enabled us to collect a little grass, and then, seated side by
side, we watched the approach of night, dark, desolate, and starless;
but the comparative coolness of the atmosphere gave some little relief
to our exhausted lungs. Lucien went off to sleep; Sumichrast and
l'Encuerado tried to follow his example; Gringalet seemed afraid to go
far away, and crouched down at our feet. Ere long, I was the only one of
the party who was awake.
What an awful night! About nine o'clock the squalls ran riot with
unexampled violence; if it had not been for our shelter behind the rock,
we should surely have been swept away. From the forest beneath came a
roar like that of waves beating against a cliff; branches broke off
with an uproar sounding like a series of gun-shots, and the leaves,
driven by the wind, covered us with their _débris_. Every now and then
an inexplicable and increasing hoarse rumbling filled my mind with
anxiety. I listened, holding my breath with fear; the rumbling seemed to
approach, as if bringing with it new and unknown perils. Then suddenly,
prevailing over the tumult, a formidable crash made itself heard,
followed by a shock prolonged by the echoes; it was the fall of some
forest giant, vanquished by the hurricane. Sometimes one might have
fancied that a multitude of men were fighting together in the darkness
that no eye could pierce; there were plainly to be recognized the wild
cries of the conflict and the plaintive moans of the wounded; and then,
again, a fresh shock shook the earth, and deadened the outburst of the
mighty lament.
I must confess that at this moment I bitterly regretted having brought
Lucien; I remembered that my friends had predicted to me all the perils
which now threatened us. While listening to the uproar of the tempest, I
felt my resolution give way, and I had serious thoughts of returning to
Orizava the next day.
Towards midnight the storm abated a little, and, giving way to fatigue,
I fell asleep.
I had only just closed my eyes when I suddenly jumped up again, deafened
as if by a hundred claps of thunder joined in one. The darkness was as
thick as ever, and the wind was still more boisterous; the echo of the
fallen tree had scarcely died away before another colossus groaned and
fell. My companions were now all awake.
"What's the matter, M. Sumichrast?" asked Lucien, in a low tone.
"It is a hurricane, my boy."
"One might fancy that a giant was passing through the wood, shouting
and whistling, and breaking down all the trees as he went along."
"I wish that was all," replied Sumichrast; "but it's something much
worse; it is the south wind, the sirocco of the Mexican coast."
"Will it sweep us away, M. Sumichrast?"
"I hope not; thanks to the rock which shields us."
A tree now fell close to us, and covered us with dust. Clinging tightly
to one another, every moment brought with it a fresh anxiety. We dared
not speak of our feelings, for fear of frightening our young companion,
who pressed close up to me. Amidst the universal destruction going on,
it only needed a branch driven by the squall to dislodge our shelter,
for us to be swept away like chaff before the wind. I had witnessed many
a hurricane, but this fearful night exceeded all.
At last daylight appeared; the sun rose gloomily, and exposed the
disasters of the terrible night. On every side trees, broken and
uprooted, lay prostrate on the ground, or, half suspended by the
creepers entangled in their branches, were balanced like the formidable
_battering-rams_ of the ancients. Lucien was speechless at the sight
before his eyes. A sudden cracking noise was heard, and another forest
giant slowly bent over, and, describing a rapid curve, crushed its
branches against the ground; ten seconds destroyed the work of
centuries.
L'Encuerado attempted to go two or three yards beyond our rock; but,
surprised by a sudden gust, he had but just time to throw himself
prostrate on the ground to prevent being swept away. Something, however,
had to be done; it was no use trying to light a fire, and yet, after
yesterday's fast and a sleepless night, we felt great need of some
comforting beverage. The squalls gradually abated, but were still every
now and then violent. Intervals of profound silence succeeded to the
uproar of the storm, when the leaves were motionless; then we might have
fancied the tempest was over. But suddenly the frightful roar again
commenced, and the gale covered the ground with fresh fragments.
We were beginning to take courage a little, when a formidable crash
resounded above us; an enormous pine, growing on the mountain a hundred
feet over our heads, tottered and then fell, tumbling down the slope
with a horrible uproar. Quick as lightning, l'Encuerado seized Lucien,
and lay down with him along the foot of the rock; I and my friend
immediately followed his example. The fallen giant came crashing down in
rapid bounds, smashing every thing in its path, and accompanied in its
descent by masses of broken rock. It struck against the block that
sheltered us, which gave forth a dull sound, but fortunately resisted
the shock; and then the tree, clearing the obstacle with a prodigious
bound, continued its impetuous course down to the foot of the mountain.
We were nearly crushed by a perfect avalanche of stones which followed
in its wake.
I raised myself, not without emotion. The danger had been serious;
indeed, the enormous rock to which we owed our safety had slightly
swerved. If this accident had occurred in the middle of the night, the
fright would have driven us out of our place of shelter, and we should
certainly have been destroyed. I first returned thanks to God, and then
to l'Encuerado, who, being close to Lucien, had shielded the boy with
his own body. The child, who fully comprehended the danger, hung round
the Indian's neck.
"I shall tell mamma that you saved my life!" cried he, kissing
l'Encuerado.
The latter would have replied, but, affected by the caresses of his
young favorite, he could only press him in his arms, while two tears
trickled down his dark cheeks.
"His lordship, the wind, is very good to take so much trouble to show us
his power," exclaimed the Indian, addressing the wind, in order to hide
his emotion; "a grand miracle, indeed! to uproot a pine that was going
to die of old age, and to roll it down a mountain-side! Why, I could do
the same if I chose, with the help of my _machete_. Oh yes! blow away!
and knock down another tree on us, and then you'll thoroughly convince
us that the devil is your patron!"
In spite of the serious nature of the occurrence, Gringalet was the only
one among us who could hear this speech without a smile; and even the
dog rubbed up against the orator's legs, as if to show his approval of
all he had said.
The hurricane now subsided; but it was likely enough to redouble its
intensity at night, and reason dictated that we should take advantage of
the calm for moving onward. L'Encuerado resumed his load, and with a
watchful eye led the way up the mountain. I took Lucien by the hand; for
there was a danger that some tree which had been shaken by the storm
might suddenly fall across our path.
The heat, which continued to inconvenience us, rendered walking a very
laborious effort. The lips of our young companion were all cracked, and
he spoke with difficulty. We suffered dreadfully from thirst; but it was
necessary to bear it patiently, and to be very saving with the small
stock of water which still remained in our gourds. Soon we came upon the
spot where, an hour before, the tree had stood, the fall of which had so
nearly crushed us. A widely gaping hole exposed to our view the broken
roots of the colossus, and the earth round them was already dry. We
pushed on with much difficulty, exhausted, out of breath, and half
famished; for, since the night before, we had eaten nothing but some
morsels of maize-cake. Moreover, our eyes were so red and swollen that
we were perfectly disfigured.
"Oh, father, I am so tired!" said Lucien to me.
"So we all are, my poor boy; but we must pluck up our spirits again, and
keep on walking, for our lives depend on it."
"Father, I am so thirsty! and the water left in my gourd is quite warm."
"It will be better for you not to drink; for a few draughts of water
taken when walking increase perspiration, and make the thirst worse,
instead of quenching it."
The poor little fellow heaved a sigh, and crept closer to my friend, who
advised him to place in his mouth a small pebble, which alleviates
thirst by exciting salivation.
In spite of all our exertions, we made little or no advance, and a
profuse perspiration added to our exhaustion. Fortunately, every thing
seemed to indicate that the tempest was over. L'Encuerado led the way;
his manner appeared as if searching for something. At length I saw him
throw down his load and plunge into the thicket. Soon he reappeared,
with his hands full of a kind of mulberry, the fruit of the
sarsaparilla, the acid flavor of which much revived Lucien. We now
understood l'Encuerado's peculiar way of walking. He fancied he had
noticed a young shoot of this plant, and at first concealed the
discovery from us, fearing some deception. I can hardly describe the
pleasure that was afforded us by obtaining these berries in such a
welcome time. This shrub, with its vine-like and thorny stalk, abounded
on the steep slope.
We resumed our march in much better spirits, thanks to this God-send.
L'Encuerado filled his cap with them, and walked on bravely, with his
head bare. Another half-hour's climbing brought us to the verge of the
forest. Suddenly I lost sight of Gringalet. I called him several times,
and at last he emerged from a clump of shrubs, with his tail and muzzle
wet. Sumichrast rushed in search of the water, and soon cried out to us
in a joyous voice--
"A spring! a spring!"
We all tried who could get to it first. Under the foliage of
sarsaparilla our companion was kneeling down and catching in his hands a
little streamlet of limpid water, which was trickling from between two
rocks. With keen enjoyment, he was sprinkling it over his face and arms,
an example each of us soon imitated. At last I hurried our party away,
for the horrible roaring of the hurricane still seemed to din in my
ears, and as yet we had no shelter within our reach. After having filled
our gourds, we recommenced our climbing, enlivened by l'Encuerado, who
kept on congratulating Gringalet upon his discovery, and promising him,
as his reward, a whole series of good dinners.
[Illustration]
The hour was now approaching at which we feared that the hurricane
would recommence with redoubled violence; so it became highly necessary
to select a spot for our bivouac. Moss and lichens here covered the
rocks with a variegated carpet, and, in proportion as we ascended the
mountain, the cooler air relieved our lungs. At length our ascent came
to an end, and we found ourselves on a plateau dotted over with stunted
shrubs, distorted and twisted with the winds and storms. Fresh summits
rose in front of us, but they were too far off to cause us any fear.
Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones, placed so as to leave a
space between them, in which we could encamp, as if in a fortress.
[Illustration: "Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones."]
This spot we selected for our bivouac. The wind still blew in squalls,
but the increased clearing of the atmosphere gave us reason to hope that
we should have nothing more to fear from the hurricane. We all went in
search of firewood, and ere long after were enlivened by the gleam of an
immense fire.
At sunset, the glittering beams of the sun's very last rays reached our
camp. The sky was blue, and the air was fresh, so I abandoned the idea
of returning home. Night came on, a fine rain purified the air, and the
damp earth breathed forth a wholesome fragrance. Overcome by fatigue, we
wrapped ourselves up in our _sarapés_, and soon fell into a sound sleep.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER X.
THE RABBIT.--WILD POTATOES.--A DIFFICULT PATH.--AN EXTINCT
CRATER.--HOAR-FROST.--THE TORRENT.--THE FAWN.--THE TETTIGONES.--THE
DRAGON-FLIES.
The next day, when I opened my eyes, the sun was shining brightly in a
blue sky. I made up the fire, and walked off, with my gun on my
shoulder, to try and obtain some kind of game, so as to surprise my
companions when they got up. For about a quarter of an hour I traversed
tracts of heath which reminded me of my native country, when a too
confiding rabbit came frisking along within gunshot, which I knocked
over and placed in my game-bag.
On my return all were up, standing round the fire, and they hailed me
as a conqueror. The terrible trials of the day before seemed to be
entirely forgotten; even Lucien had recovered all his liveliness.
L'Encuerado took the rabbit, and in an incredible short space of time
had it skinned, and placed to broil on the burning coals.
"Well! what do you think of hurricanes?" asked Sumichrast of Lucien, who
was watching him cleaning his gun.
"They are most awful! I should never have thought that the wind, which
is invisible, could have blown down and broken up trees as big as that
one which almost fell upon us."
"Were you much frightened?"
"Rather; and so were you, for you were quite pale."
"The danger was much greater than you imagined. If the uprooted tree had
pitched on our rock, it would have upset it, and crushed us beneath."
"Then the wind must be much stronger in forests than in towns?"
"No; for the hurricane of yesterday probably destroyed entire villages.
It was one of those tropical storms which happily only break out at long
intervals. Many an Indian is at this moment rebuilding his destroyed
hut."
Lucien looked very thoughtful, and went and sat down at the foot of a
tree. When I passed near him, I saw he had tears in his eyes.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"I was thinking of mamma and my brothers. M. Sumichrast told me that the
tempest must have demolished whole villages; so perhaps our home has met
with some misfortune."
"Don't be frightened, my dear boy! Thank God! stone walls can generally
stand against wind. Besides, this hurricane can hardly have been felt at
Orizava. At all events, your mamma has more reason to be anxious about
_us_, for she knows that we are far from shelter--exposed to all its
violence."
I kissed poor Lucien, and comforted him as well as I could, assisted by
l'Encuerado, who soon afterwards took him off to look after our roast
rabbit.
The _tochtli_, or Mexican rabbit, is different from the European
species, although it has the same colored coat and instincts. In fact it
is a hare.
"Do you know the family of the animal we are going to have for
breakfast?" asked Sumichrast.
"Yes; it is a Rodent."
"Well done; but how did you recognize it to be so?"
"By the absence of canine teeth in its jaws, its large incisors, and its
hind legs being longer than its fore legs."
"Come, your memory is good. You should also know that, in Europe, the
rabbit, which is nearly allied to the hare, is thought to be a native of
Africa. Formerly, the Aztecs used to sacrifice hundreds of these animals
to the goddess Centeutl, who is the Ceres of Mexican mythology; and the
nobles used to wear cloaks made of the hair of the hare, mixed with
cotton. With regard to the larger hare, known farther north as the
Jackass rabbit, the Indians generally refuse to eat its flesh, under the
pretense that it feeds on dead bodies, a mistake which as yet they have
not been persuaded to abandon."
We did justice to our game like guests who have to make up for a forced
fast. The meal finished, without further delay our little coterie moved
on again. Instead of the abundant and bushy thickets of sarsaparilla, we
met with nothing but stunted shrubs. However, as we approached the
mountain the vegetation assumed a richer aspect, and the bare rocks no
longer protruded through the soil. Here and there, tanagers, with black
backs, yellow breasts, and violet-blue throats, fluttered around us;
also other variegated birds of the Passerine family. We were just
about to begin climbing the slope, when l'Encuerado, whose piercing eyes
seemed to see every thing, exclaimed:
[Illustration: "A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony
rampart, more than a hundred feet in height."]
"There are some potatoes!"
Lucien ran towards the Indian, who, with his _machete_, had already
cleared away the earth round a small plant with oval-shaped leaves,
covered with soft greenish berries. Some wrinkled tubercles were ere
long discovered, which we could easily crush between our fingers. This
is the origin of the valuable plant for which Europe is indebted to
America.
After climbing some time, we came upon a mass of rocks all heaped up in
a perfect chaos. Some obstacle or other incessantly obliged us either to
jump over or make a circuit so as to get forward. The temperature,
however, was refreshing, and rendered our exertions less fatiguing.
The chances of our journey brought us out once more upon the plateau.
All the mountain crests we could see were barren, and a profound silence
reigned on every side. We stopped to take breath, and the sight that met
our eyes impressed us with its stern grandeur. It reminded Sumichrast of
the Swiss mountains which he had so often traversed; and some flowers he
gathered further recalled his home. While thus occupied, two butterflies
fluttered over our heads.
"It is an Alpine species!" eagerly cried my friend.
The locality prevented him from following these capricious insects for
any distance: for one moment he leaned over the abyss, bristling up with
rocks, and followed, with a longing eye, the two winged flowers which
had recalled to him a fleeting image of his fatherland.
A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony rampart more
than a hundred feet in height, and almost perpendicular. This unexpected
obstacle brought us to a halt. How should we make our way over it? Upon
examining the spot, we decided to incline towards the left, which seemed
to us the most accessible road. In parts the wall diminished in height,
but we tried in vain to climb it. A more successful attempt, however,
brought us nearly to the top, but not without great fatigue, for
sometimes the rock appeared to hang over us. At length, by climbing on
to Sumichrast's shoulders, I managed to reach the flat surface above. I
hoisted up Lucien here with the lasso; next I drew up Gringalet, who was
only too pleased to submit to the operation, and lastly Sumichrast and
l'Encuerado. The terrible obstacle was at last overcome; beyond it the
ground was, comparatively speaking, level, but covered with stones of a
volcanic nature.
We still kept on our way, although it was four o'clock, in the hope of
finding some tree at the foot of which we could make our bivouac.
L'Encuerado put down his load to climb up a needle-shaped rock, the
extraordinary position of which reminded us of the celebrated leaning
tower of Pisa. When he had reached its top, the Indian called out to us
that he could see a clump of trees. The cold began to inconvenience us
and we wanted wood to make our fire, so, plucking up fresh courage, we
continued our journey. The distance now traversed was inconsiderable;
but the ups and downs and circuits had quite wearied us. Gradually the
rocks decreased in size, and were more widely spread; a plain slightly
depressed in the centre, dotted here and there with thinly growing
thickets, was reached. In the background there was a clump of firs and a
glittering lake, quite a liquid oasis hidden in a desert.
[Illustration: "Sunset surprised us ere we had finished our labor."]
It now became highly necessary for us to seek shelter, for our teeth
were chattering with the cold. L'Encuerado, having climbed a tree, cut
down the wood that was necessary for the construction of a hut; while
Lucien broke all the dry branches off, a task in which I helped him.
Sunset surprised us ere we had finished our labor. The waters of the
lake assumed a dark hue, and the mountain peaks towards the setting sun
furrowed the sky with their strangely irregular outlines, and the breeze
resounding through the pine-trees produced a solemn and grave chant, a
peculiarity which has doubtless given to this species of tree the name
of _Pinus religiosus_. As the rays of the sun died away and the dark
shadows covered the sky, the silence became still more profound.
Suddenly the last rays of the luminary vanished; the gathering darkness
imbued us with an emotion which those only can understand who, like us,
had found themselves face to face with some of the grandest emanations
from the Creator's hands.
Lucien, too, was subject to the influence of the twofold majesty of
darkness and solitude; he was speechless, and looked by turns both at
the earth and the sky. The stars appeared glittering in the blue heaven,
and were reflected on the motionless surface of the neighboring water.
Suddenly a luminous ray seemed to dance over the lake, and then to
divide into a shower of sparks. It was the reflection of our fire, to
which l'Encuerado had just set a light.
The piercing cold was excessively trying: our _sarapés_ did not seem
sufficient to protect us from its influence. Fortunately we had obtained
fuel enough to keep up the bivouac fire all night. Our meal, although
without meat, was a cheerful one. Each in turn retired to his pine-leaf
couch; and soon I alone remained up, not feeling an inclination for
slumber.
What a contrast it was! The night before, at this time, we were deafened
by the uproarious wind, and the forests echoed with its fearful effects;
while we, perfectly helpless, sheltered behind a trembling stone, could
scarcely breathe the burning air. Twenty-four hours had hardly elapsed,
and a few miles had brought us on to a granite soil where we felt even
unpleasantly cold; it was no longer the uproar, but the silence, which
awoke in my mind the reveries of loneliness.
We rose before dawn, perfectly benumbed and hardly able to move our
lips. L'Encuerado stirred up the fire so as to get the coffee ready. The
first ray of light showed the ground covered with a white shroud of
bright hoar-frost. Lucien had never seen this phenomenon before, and was
never tired of admiring it. Sumichrast explained to him that the drops
of dew, which every morning may be seen glittering on the grass in hot
countries, freeze in situations of great altitude, and produce those
beautiful transparent globules which, owing to the refraction of light,
assume so beauteous an appearance.
The rays of the sun warmed us but little, so I hastened our preparations
for departure. After skirting the edge of the lake, we once more found
ourselves among rocks. The summit which we had traversed was doubtless
the crater of some extinct volcano. I took a farewell look at the
gigantic semicircle, edged with mountain crests, ere commencing a
journey quite as difficult as that of the day before, through the
immense stones which had been vomited forth by the burning mountain.
More than once we got into a _cul-de-sac_, and we sat down utterly
discouraged.
For the last time I examined the horizon. We were now standing on the
highest summit of the Cordillera; opposite us, as far as we could see,
rose verdure-clad peaks, which gradually diminished in height. We were
again about to meet with tropical vegetation, and should ere long reach
the plains and forests of the _Terre-Chaude_. The way seemed direct and
easy; but how many obstacles must be overcome, how many valleys must be
crossed, ere we could reach our destination!
We descended the slope by a giant staircase, each step of which must
have been at least seven or eight feet in height. More than once the
lasso was called into use; but all obstacles were at last safely
overcome. I can not describe the joy I felt upon once more seeing
pine-trees. We sought in vain for any traces of the hurricane; this side
of the mountain had evidently not been visited by it.
The slope was now more gradual; our pace became faster, and a few oaks
were in sight. A rumbling noise made us stop and listen attentively, but
l'Encuerado, who was more expert than we were in making out distant
sounds, told us that it was a torrent. Squirrels gambolled on the
branches as we passed by, and toucans seemed to tempt us to stop; but we
were all anxious to reach the waterfall. Ere long, oaks and birches, and
afterwards guava-trees, surrounded us on every side. The ground was now
level, and in less than half an hour l'Encuerado conducted us to the
edge of an immense ravine, at the bottom of which there was a roaring
torrent.
It was not long before the steep bank became less abrupt, and we
established our bivouac. While we were cutting down some branches,
Sumichrast put his finger to his lips and seized his gun. A slight noise
was heard in the thickets, and our companion disappeared. We were
listening, holding our breath, when we heard the screech as of an owl;
we knew it was a call, so l'Encuerado also glided away through the
bushes.
"Why did M. Sumichrast call l'Encuerado?" asked Lucien, in a low voice.
"Probably because he has discovered the trail of some animal."
I had scarcely finished speaking, when a movement in the leaves
attracted my attention. A fine fox, with an eager look, and its tail
lowered, rushed past me. I fired, but without effect, for it bolted off
among the trees, followed by Gringalet. Almost at the same moment, a
report told me that l'Encuerado had also seen game.
Lucien was very sorry that I had missed the fox; I only regretted having
lost a charge of powder, and also having awkwardly put to flight the
quarry which was probably being pursued by my companions. I then
continued my work of cutting off the branches, and told Lucien to strike
the flint and light the fire. Thanks to l'Encuerado's lessons, he
managed his work much better than I had expected.
We heard Sumichrast give a call, to which Lucien answered, and the
disappointed hunter joined us.
"What did you fire at?" he inquired of me.
"At a fox, which I missed; were you chasing it?"
"No; I caught sight of a doe and its fawn, but I could not get near
them."
"And where is l'Encuerado?"
"He wanted to shoot some bird, so as not to come back quite
empty-handed."
"Chanito! Hiou! Hiou! Chanito!" we heard shouted in the distance.
"Hallo! hallo!" answered the boy.
And, soon after, l'Encuerado returned, carrying a fawn on his shoulders.
"Oh! what a pretty little creature!" cried Lucien; "why didn't you take
it alive?"
"Bullets are the only things that can run as fast as these animals,
Chanito."
"What became of the mother?" asked Sumichrast.
"I was not able to get near her; but at all events, we have more than
enough meat now, both for to-day and to-morrow."
Lucien took possession of the fawn. He had always longed to possess one
of these animals alive. He duly examined the slender legs and tapering
muzzle of the poor creature, whose fawn-colored back, dotted over with
symmetrically arranged spots, would change in color as it got older.
"Well, Master 'Sunbeam,' in what class will you place this mammal?"
asked Sumichrast, addressing Lucien.
"It is not like any of those I know."
"Well, then, you never can have seen goats, cows, or sheep. It is a
ruminant, or an animal which has three or four stomachs. Its lower jaw
is provided with eight incisors, while the upper jaw has nothing but a
cushion or gum."
"That's right enough," said Lucien, opening the fawn's mouth.
"In all ruminants, the food, when swallowed, passes into the first
stomach; it is then brought up to be chewed again; this is called
'chewing the cud.' You must often have seen a cow or a sheep sitting
quiet in the sun and constantly chewing."
"Yes," replied Lucien, "and l'Encuerado always told me that they had
eaten some bitter herb."
"His explanation is about as correct as that given by the Mexicans, who
say that an animal which chews the cud is reading the newspaper. Another
characteristic of these animals is, that their feet are cloven."
"And they have horns!" cried Lucien.
"Not all of them; for instance, the camel, llama, and musk-deer, are
exceptions."
It remained for us to decide how our fawn should be cooked. After a
discussion on the subject, we left the point entirely to l'Encuerado,
and I made my way down to the bottom of the ravine. Upon lifting up some
stones and pieces of bark, I discovered several species of the
_Carabus_ family. Lucien caught on a shrub some insects of a very
peculiar shape; at the first glance, Sumichrast recognized them as
_tettigones_.
"These insects belong to the _Hemeptera_ family," said he, "therefore
they are allied to the bug and the grasshopper; these insects have
neither mandibles[O] nor jaws; their mouth is a sort of beak, formed of
a jointed tube extending along the breast, which you can see very
plainly. This order is a very numerous one, and the two species you have
just found are peculiar to Mexico."
"Here is one like a fowl, and another like a canoe."
"You are quite right, and you will meet with others which are still more
singular looking."
The appearance of these little creatures pleased Lucien very much, and,
as he was letting them run about on his hand, he saw them jump off and
disappear. He was just going to return to the shrub on which he had
caught them, when his attention was attracted by an immense dragon-fly,
commonly called in Mexico _the devil's horse_, and in France
_demoiselle_. The beautiful insect, after flying round and round,
settled on a plant, and was immediately caught in the young hunter's
net. The prisoner had greenish eyes, a yellow body, and its wings were
dotted over with black and scarlet. It doubled back its tapering body,
as if to try and sting the hand which held it, and shook its gauzy wings
with a kind of metallic sound. A half-eaten mosquito hung out of its
mouth, and, although the dragon-fly was sadly bruised, it continued its
meal, much to the amusement of Lucien, who hardly expected to find such
tiger-like habits in an insect so elegant in form and so harmless in
appearance.
"It is of the order _Neuroptera_," I said to him; "thus called because
of the veins on its four wings. This insect first lives in the water in
the form of a larva, in which state it remains a year--it is very much
like the insect you are holding, only, all that can be seen of its wings
are small swellings, which grow longer each time the animal changes its
skin. This swelling is a sort of sheath to the beautiful gauzy wings
which distinguish all the Neuroptera, and the dragon-fly in particular."
"What! does the dragon-fly begin its life by living in water like a
fish?"
"Yes, and they are quite as voracious in that state as when they are
perfect insects. The larva changes to a grub, and greedily devours
water-lizards and young fish; after a certain time, which varies
according to the species, it rises to the top of the water by crawling
up a reed, and remains perfectly motionless, exposed to the rays of the
sun; suddenly, the skin covering the head bursts open, and the
dragon-fly, spotted with black, blue, and green, takes flight, and loses
no time in darting upon the first insect which comes within its reach."
My lecture was interrupted by the cry of "Hallo! hallo!" from
l'Encuerado. It was his substitute for a dinner-bell.
[Illustration]
FOOTNOTE:
[O] A very hard substance placed immediately under the upper lip, which
insects use for cutting and tearing their food.
[Illustration]
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.
The rice-soup, our every-day fare, was, on this occasion, followed by
fawn cutlets broiled on the embers, accompanied by potatoes. This
precious tubercle, in its savage state, only reminded us very slightly
of its cultivated progeny. The pulp, instead of being floury, is soft,
transparent, and almost tasteless. That, however, did not prevent us
from eating them, and doing justice to our venison.
While we were smoking a cigar, which was called by Sumichrast,
according to circumstances, the calumet of repose, of council, or of
digestion, Lucien returned to the shrub on which he had previously found
the insects. He collected a great number of these, and also discovered a
third species, which was shaped like a triangle, with two horns at its
base. He ran to show us these miniature bulls. Afterwards, armed with a
long branch by way of a lever, he tried to raise up a decayed root
covered with moss. He succeeded to do it, after some trouble, and saw,
cowering down among the roots, a beautiful lizard; it had a greenish
back, and its mouth and the sides of its body were bright blue; it was a
variety which we had never before observed. The little animal, doubtless
dazzled by the light, allowed itself to be caught, and then suddenly
bending down its head, bit the boy's finger, who at once dropped it.
L'Encuerado soon caught the runaway.
"Didn't you know that lizards were harmless?" asked Sumichrast of
Lucien.
"That is why they bite, I suppose," replied the boy, shaking his head.
"Yes," said the naturalist, "but you needn't be afraid; its bite is not
venomous.
"'This brute is surely not disposed to strife,
But you attack it, it'll defend its life.'"
Night came on. A multitude of insects whirled round and round our fire,
burning their wings as if they enjoyed it. Lucien wanted to know what
attracted so many of these poor creatures to the flame. As he inquired,
two or three great beetles suddenly appeared with loud buzzing, and at
once precipitated themselves into the burning coals.
"See what comes of giddiness," said Sumichrast. "If since we set out we
had walked blindly on without looking where we went, long ere this we
should have found ourselves at the bottom of some ravine."
"But these butterflies and beetles throw themselves into the fire on
purpose," said l'Encuerado, with the inflexible logic of facts.
"They are not aware that the flame will burn," I replied.
"That's true," murmured the Indian, in a tone of compassion.
Fatigue compelled us to give up our relaxation, and we soon went to
sleep in a warm atmosphere, which seemed all the more pleasant when we
remembered our sufferings of the night before.
Our slumbers were interrupted toward morning by the frequent cries of a
flight of passerines, called "alarum-birds" (_despertadores_) by the
Mexicans. It was hardly light, and, in spite of l'Encuerado's
predictions, it had not rained. The light of our fire, when we stirred
it, soon drove away our winged friends; but, thanks to their waking us,
the first rays of the sun found us all ready to set out. Just as we were
going to start, an unforeseen difficulty arose--how to cross the ravine
and ford the river? L'Encuerado said that it would be necessary to go
up-stream; I, also, agreed with him. Sumichrast, on the contrary, was of
opinion that there was much more chance of the banks becoming less steep
if we went in the opposite direction; he carried the day, and led the
way, cutting a passage through the shrubs with his _machete_.
As we were determined to skirt the edge of the water, we could not get
along without great difficulty. The noise of the torrent, which seemed
to grow louder, attracted us towards the forest, where the absence of
grass and under-wood enabled us to get on faster. The trees grew farther
and farther apart, and we again came upon brush-wood, ere long coming
out on to a plain, dotted here and there with guava-trees. These trees
furnished us with a quantity of green fruit, of which we were all very
fond. L'Encuerado availed himself of this unexpected harvest by filling
up all the gaps in his basket with them. The wild guava, a sort of
myrtle, which grows naturally in the _Terre-Tempérée_, reaches to a
height of several feet. Its fruit, which seldom gets ripe before it is
eaten by the birds or larvæ, is luscious, highly scented, and full of
pips; they have the reputation of being antifebrile and astringent. When
the shrub is cultivated, its appearance changes considerably; its
branches grow longer, and are covered with leaves which are silvery on
the back, and the fruit they yield are as large as lemons, which they
resemble in shape and color.
We all put on our travelling gear again; but when l'Encuerado wanted to
place the basket on his back, he found he could not possibly lift it up.
I helped him, trying all the time to persuade him to throw away half his
stock; but he resolutely refused to follow my advice. When he began to
walk, he staggered like a drunken man, and at last fell down beneath his
burden, and all the guavas rolled out on to the ground.
Our laughter rather hurt the brave Indian's feelings.
"By Jose-Maria!" he cried, holding up his hands towards heaven, "I am
getting old. Oh, what a disgrace, not to be able to carry a handful of
guavas! In my youth it would have taken three such loads as those to
have made me fall down on my knees like a broken-down horse. Poor old
fellow!"
L'Encuerado was certainly exaggerating his former strength; but, at any
rate, it cut him to the heart to have to throw away so much of the fruit
he had gathered, and our insisting upon his doing so quite crowned his
vexation. With a view of consoling him, I reminded him that the guavas
would spoil in twenty-four hours, and that his basket held more than we
could possibly consume.
Sumichrast was walking about twenty steps in front of us, when suddenly
he stopped and drew back. When I got abreast of him, my eyes met an
immense ravine, at the bottom of which the torrent was rushing with a
loud noise. The water was first calm and sluggish, accumulating in a
large basin, then it suddenly burst forth against an immense rock and
disappeared, roaring and foaming in two columns, which, after uniting,
broke into a thousand little cascades. We all wished to visit the bottom
of this ravine, in order to enjoy this wondrous sight in all its
grandeur.
Before making our way into the brush-wood we put down our insect-cases
and game-bags, for the enterprise required our unimpeded agility. As
long as we could cling on to the plants and shrubs, the descent was mere
child's play; but we soon found ourselves treading on a reddish
ferruginous soil, which some great land-slip had exposed. Sumichrast was
the first to venture on this dangerous ground, which gave way under him
at his third stride. Our companion rolled over the declivity,
instinctively grasping the first branches he could reach; but he let go
directly, uttering a piercing cry. Fortunately a shrub kept him from
falling into the gulf. I planted my feet as deeply as I could in the
crumbling soil, so as to be able to help my friend, who, with his face
contracted with pain, raised towards me his right hand, which was
already red, swollen, and covered with blisters. The branch he had
caught hold of in his fall belonged to a gigantic nettle, called by the
Indians _Mala-mujer_, or "bad-woman." This plant only grows on damp
banks--"a piece of malice," said l'Encuerado, "adopted in order to play
shameful tricks on unsuspecting travellers; towards whom it
treacherously stretches out its green stalks and velvety leaves as if
offering them assistance."
[Illustration: "A shrub kept him from falling into the gulf."]
We felt quite grieved at Sumichrast's suffering; for we well knew by
experience the intolerable pain which is produced by the sting of this
herb. L'Encuerado took Lucien in charge, while I gave my assistance to
the injured man. For some distance we moved along without much
difficulty, but very soon a whole forest of nettles stood up in front of
us. Lucien and Sumichrast sat down, while the Indian and I, by means of
our _machetes_, opened out a narrow path; at last we reached again the
timber land, so we had now almost got out of our difficulties.
The stalks of the nettles, cut off a few inches above the ground, served
to give firmness to our footing. But l'Encuerado, always too confident,
tripped up, and his right cheek was brushed by some of their leaves; it
only needed this to render him perfectly unrecognizable. Although I
pitied him, I could not help smiling at the grimaces produced on his
sun-burnt visage by the painful stings. Even Sumichrast, when looking at
him, forgot his own sufferings.
Under a cypress, we observed five or six snakes, each about a yard and a
half long. One, more courageous than the others, remained under the
trees and steadily surveyed our party. Gringalet, furious in the
extreme, barked and jumped all round the reptile, which, raising its
head from the centre of the coil formed by its body, shot out its
tongue. Its skin was of a golden yellow, dotted with green spots, and
streaked by two almost imperceptible black lines. L'Encuerado called in
the dog; the snake then coiled itself up, slowly turning its head in
every direction, as if to select the best direction for retreat.
Suddenly it unrolled its whole length, exposing to our view an
unfortunate sparrow, which was still breathing. Leaving it unmolested,
after a few minutes' delay it seized its victim by the head, by degrees
the little feathered innocent disappeared, and the snake remained
motionless as though exhausted by the exertion.
"Is it a rattle-snake?" asked Lucien astonished.
"No; it is a common snake--that is, a reptile which is not venomous.
This one is called by the Indians the _Yellow-snake_, and, from
ignorance, they are in very great dread of them. It is in the habit of
climbing trees with great activity, and hunts birds. The statues of the
Aztec god of war, the terrible Huitzilipochtli, to whom thousands of men
were offered as living sacrifices, had their foreheads bound with a
golden snake, and we have every reason to believe that the reptile which
we have just seen is that which the Indians thus honored."
A little farther on, Lucien fancied that he saw, stretched out upon the
grass, a long white snake. Gringalet, much bolder than usual, seized the
reptile in his mouth and brought it to us. But it was nothing but a
serpent's skin: I then told the child that all reptiles of this kind
change their skin twice a year, and they get out of it as if from a
sheath.
We continued our descent, and l'Encuerado, who had taken the lead,
suddenly turned back to us with his head covered with an immense
vegetable helmet. I at once recognized it to be the flower of a plant I
had met with in the neighboring mountains. Nothing could be more
splendid than this blossom, which, before it is full-blown, looks like a
duck sitting on the water. In a single morning the enormous corolla
opens out and changes into a form resembling a helmet surmounted by a
crest; the interior of it, lined with yellow velvet, almost dazzles the
eyes. The seed of this creeper, the Indian name of which I forget, is
flat, and of a heart-like shape, having depicted on one of its faces a
Maltese cross.
[Illustration: The Cataract.]
Even Sumichrast for a moment forgot his injuries while examining this
wonderful flower, and Lucien, finding a second, very soon covered his
head with it; but the poisonous and penetrating odor exhaled from the
corolla made him feel sick, so he soon relinquished this novel
head-dress.
A few more steps brought us to the bottom of the ravine, and Sumichrast
and l'Encuerado set to work to bathe their stings in the cool water;
while I and Lucien sat down together on a rock, washed on one side by
the stream, and leisurely contemplated the beautiful scene before us.
In front of us was situated an immense mountain, cleft open as if by the
hand of some giant, the sides of which were clad with a carpet of
verdure of a thousand different shades. At the bottom, as if for the
purpose of stopping up the immense fissure, there was an enormous
accumulation of gray and dark-tinted rocks, between which appeared,
every here and there, the foliage of some tree, enamelled with flowers.
From the midst of the mountain, as if from some invisible cavern, sprung
out a large sheet of transparent water, which, although calm and almost
motionless in appearance, descended in one fall to a rock which
projected in the cataract, like the prow of a ship. As if rendered
furious by the shock, and seeming to revel in the uproar, the water,
converted into foam, bounded over the obstacle, and fell in two columns,
separated by the black point of crag; then, springing with impetuous
speed, from step to step, down a gigantic staircase, it entered a
receptacle hollowed out like a shell, which received the foaming water,
from whence it flowed gently into a basin edged with verdure. The
torrent, quieted for a time, resumed its course, and striking against
impediments, rolled on from fall to fall, and from valley to valley,
until it reached the plains, more than three thousand feet beneath.
This cascade recalled to my memory one I had seen about a year before,
when exploring the environs of Tuxtla, in the _Terre-Chaude_--viz., the
Fall of Ingénio--one which would be reckoned among the most celebrated
in the world, if access to it was not rendered almost impossible by the
wilderness.
The sufferings of our two companions were so much alleviated by the
application of water that they soon came and sat beside us. I can not
describe the proud enjoyment we all felt in this wild spot. We were face
to face with this unknown cascade, which we were, perhaps, the first
Europeans to contemplate. Behind us the mountain sides seemed to unite
and hem in the bed of the torrent. The sun bathed with its rays that
portion which was bordered with large trees, among which kingfishers
were skimming about. One of these birds came and perched close to
us--its breast was white, its wings black on the upper side, and its
head-feathers dark green; its stout, thick-set shape, and its short
tail, made Lucien remark that it looked like a malformed creature.
Always restless, it almost immediately resumed its abrupt flight over
the surface of the water, and disappeared among the windings of the
ravine.
Lucien pointed out to me an immense willow, the branches of which,
drooping over the water, seemed to have at their ends enormous
gourd-shaped fruits. I recognized in them the nests of those beautiful
yellow birds, spotted with black, which the Mexicans call _calandres_.
To convince Lucien of his mistake, l'Encuerado threw a large stone into
the tree; the missile fell from branch to branch, and more than a
hundred frightened birds flew out from their curious retreats. At first
they appeared much alarmed; but when this had subsided, they skimmed
over the water, or entered their impregnable habitations.
[Illustration: Fall of Ingénio (from a drawing by the Marquis of
Radepoint).]
We made our way down the ravine in hopes of finding a resting-place less
rugged, and after a long, winding, tedious course, came upon a sheet of
calm water, flowing over a bed of sand. The sun was shining full open
upon its transparent surface, and, close to the edge, hundreds of flies
were whirling about.
"Those are coleopteræ," said Sumichrast to Lucien.
"Why do they turn round and round like that?" inquired he.
"To find their food, for they are carnivorous, and require a great deal
of nourishment. In France they are commonly called _tourniquets_, or
_water-fleas_."
Lucien wanted to catch one, but could not succeed; l'Encuerado and
Sumichrast joined in the pursuit. At first I amused myself with watching
the useless efforts of my companions; but at last, thinking myself
cleverer than they, I squatted down also. There we all four were, with
our hands in the water, perfectly motionless, and holding our breath,
the better to remain motionless. The insects were all in a close mass,
and whirling round like a living mosaic, moving in every direction
without separating; but however quickly we raised our hands, we all
failed in our efforts.
An hour was spent in this way, and even then we should not have given up
the chase if the sun had not ceased to shine on the bank, and the
insects had therefore moved beyond our reach, so as to be within its
influence. Lucien, vexed at their going away, and l'Encuerado, furious
at having been conquered by the agile creatures, commenced throwing
stones at them with the hope of wounding one. Even in this they did not
succeed, so l'Encuerado satisfied himself by calling them fools, a name
which, in his opinion, constituted a gross insult.
About twenty tadpoles, swimming in a puddle of water, were taken by
Lucien for fish.
"They are frogs," I said to him.
"Where are their feet, then?"
"Under the brown skin, which makes them look like fish; when the time
of their metamorphosis arrives, this skin will split all down their
back, and a little frog will come out of it. Look at this tadpole I have
just caught; you can see the feet through its transparent skin. To-day
it is a fish, that is to say, it breathes through gills--those little
tufts you see on each side of its head--and perhaps to-morrow it will
undergo that metamorphosis which will cause it to breathe through its
mouth. The Toltecs, the great nation which preceded the Aztecs in
Mexico, counted the frog among their gods."
When putting the tadpole back into the pool, I noticed some whitish
insects, which were incessantly rising in jerks to the surface of the
water, and diving down again directly. Lucien, astonished at their
movements, cried out--
"But, papa, they are walking on their backs!"
"You are quite right; they are hydrocorises, allied to the tettigones,
and consequently _hemipteræ_."
The young naturalist was more successful than in his gyrin-hunting, and
succeeded in catching two or three of these water-bugs.
"What is the use of their wings?" he inquired.
"Why, to fly with, and to move from place to place."
"Then water-bugs are really able to fly, swim, and walk?"
"Yes; and I'm sure they can see in the dark, too," said l'Encuerado,
who, it may be remembered, envied animals this privilege.
"We are certainly justified in thinking so," I answered, smiling, "for
they nearly always choose the night for travelling. Take care they don't
bite you, for the water-bug bites as hard as its kinsmen of the woods
and houses."
A little farther on, Lucien stopped in front of an herbaceous plant,
covered from top to bottom with round, flat black insects, speckled with
red, and almost resembling mosaic-work. He was very proud of his
beautiful discovery, and took hold of two or three of the insects; but
feeling their soft bodies give way in his fingers, he threw them down
with disgust.
"Oh! what are these horrid creatures?"
"They are wood-bugs," replied Sumichrast; "only they are in the state of
_larvæ_, and have no wings."
"What has caused this nasty smell on my fingers?"
"When any one touches these insects, a very strong-smelling yellowish
liquid always exudes from them."
Lucien ran off to wash his hands. He rubbed them over and over again,
but could not quite get rid of the smell, which seemed to annoy him very
much. I concluded from this that in future he would not have many
wood-bugs in his collection.
After a long ramble at the bottom of the ravine, we had to return to our
starting-point, which was the only side by which we could obtain an
exit. We found the cataract perfectly bathed in light. The large upper
sheet of water looked like a block of azure-stone, while the spray
beneath glittered as if covered with diamonds. Above our heads a rainbow
spanned the stream from bank to bank.
I at last succeeded in tearing my companions away from this wondrous
scene. We had met with no game, but a great part of our fawn was yet
remaining in the basket. Sumichrast was still in pain, and l'Encuerado's
face continued much inflamed. We now had to ascend, and we each adopted
the greatest precaution while passing the spot where we had seen the
serpents. I don't know how we should ever have got up if l'Encuerado had
not thought of cutting some branches of dwarf elder for walking-sticks.
Above every thing, I wished to keep Lucien from the suffering caused by
coming in contact with the _Mala-mujer_, as the Mexicans call it, and it
was with a sigh of relief that I saw him safe and sound out of this
_cul-de-sac_.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XII.
A RELATION OF GRINGALET.--OUR FOUR-FOOTED GUIDE.--A REVIEW OF OUR
PARTY.--THE ALLIGATOR-TORTOISE.--THE PHEASANTS.--THE MAGNOLIA.--THE
NUTMEG-TREE.--THE BLUE-PLANT.--THE CATERPILLAR.
As the sun was setting, our wisest course was to go back to our bivouac
of the evening before, and to postpone until the next day the discovery
of the passage we had sought in vain. Upon the whole, the sight of the
cataract had amply repaid us for our useless walk.
Our little party, therefore, once more plunged into the forest, rather
at random, though taking care not to go too far from the stream. Two or
three times we seemed to have reached the spot where we left the bank;
but we soon got into the most inextricable thickets. As the time wore
on, I began to think we had passed the place; and, as is often the case
in similar circumstances, opinions were divided. A fox, which appeared
within gunshot, interrupted our discussion. I fired, and the animal
fell. It was a magnificent specimen, and exactly like its European
confrere. By a singular chance, at the very moment it was expiring, a
crow just above our heads uttered a loud croaking.
"There! the crow is thanking us for having rid him of his enemy, the
fox," said Sumichrast to Lucien.
The boy laughed heartily at this joke. In spite of our advice,
l'Encuerado would insist upon skinning the animal, whose pelt he wished
to preserve. Fortunately, he was very quick at such an operation, and
the beautiful fur was soon hanging over his arm, ready to be stretched
outside his basket to dry.
"I hope," said Sumichrast to Lucien, "that you have already recognized
the fox's relationship."
"Oh yes! in its color and shape it is like the _cayotte_."
"You are quite right, but the _cayotte_ and the fox are both Gringalet's
cousins."
"I can scarcely believe that, for Gringalet has short hair, is spotted
with black and white, has gray eyes--"
"Those are only secondary characteristics," interrupted Sumichrast.
"Gringalet belongs to the carnivorous type, called by naturalists
_Digitigrades_."
"Is Gringalet a digitigrade?" asked Lucien, smiling.
"Yes, certainly; that is to say, he walks on his toes, and not on the
sole of his feet, exactly like the fox, whose teeth, also, are perfectly
similar to those of Gringalet. The principal difference between them is,
that the fox has eyes which are formed so as to enable it to see in the
dark, a quality which Gringalet does not possess in the same degree."
"Are there such things as wild dogs?"
"Yes, although the point has been much disputed. But the dog, the
faithful companion of man, has been so long domesticated, that little
similarity of appearance exists between them. However, the _cayotte_,
the fox, and the wolf may be called wild dogs."
We had once more got into the midst of a thicket without discovering the
least trace of our resting-place. It became important that we should
soon find our starting-point. I noticed that Gringalet, instead of
gambolling round us as he generally did, remained behind, pricking up
his ears, and appearing excessively knowing.
"What do you think, shall we take Gringalet for our guide?" said I.
As soon as the animal heard his name mentioned, he rushed towards me,
and I patted him.
"Come, tell your dog to lead us to the bivouac," I said to Lucien.
"To the bivouac! to the bivouac!" cried the boy, patting the animal.
Gringalet really seemed to understand, for he sniffed up the air, and at
once went to the front. I soon discovered that he was taking us back by
a very circuitous path.
"To the bivouac! to the bivouac!"
Gradually the noise of the torrent became more distinct, and our guide
plunged into the brush-wood. While we were cutting down the branches
that stopped up our path, Gringalet waited with his ears pricked up and
one foot uplifted. At last we caught sight of the hut, which was greeted
with such pleasure and relief as only known by fatigued travellers.
It was not without emotion that I again beheld this spot, to which I
had, as I thought, said good-bye forever. The scarcely extinguished
embers, and the shelter which we had raised, had quite a home-like
appearance. Sumichrast said he felt the same impression, and Lucien
declared that his first idea had been that we should find an Indian in
the hut.
But what about Gringalet? Had he then really understood us? Those who
have made a trial of canine intelligence will not doubt the fact for a
moment. The word _bivouac_, having been so often pronounced since we set
out, must have struck both the mind and the ears of the animal, so as to
have become almost synonymous in his ideas with dinner and rest.
The next day at sunrise we set out, gently ascending the course of the
stream. Sumichrast's hand was still in pain, and quite prevented him
using his gun. L'Encuerado, though disfigured, had, at least, the free
use of his limbs. The inexperienced traveller is incessantly exposed to
misfortunes of this kind. Turned out into the midst of various unknown
natural objects, he carelessly plucks a leaf, breaks down a branch, or
gathers a flower; and in many cases his punishment is prompt and
terrible, and the innocent diversion of a second has to be expiated by
hours of anguish. In the wild life of the wilderness, dangers become so
multiplied, that more courage than is generally supposed is required to
face them. Every explorer of unknown scenes must make up his mind to
endure hardships. More than one whom I have seen start full of
confidence, at the end of three days have returned, wearied, bruised,
ill, discouraged, and, in fact, conquered. By degrees, of course,
experience comes to the help of those whose moral courage is strong
enough to induce them to persevere. They soon learn to recognize at a
glance the tree that it is best to avoid, the grass that must not be
trodden on, the creeper the touch of which is to be shunned, and the
fruit which should not be tasted. At last the requirements of the body
are to some extent mastered, and it follows the dictation of the soul
without complaint. The long-experienced traveller can scarcely fail to
be astonished at the delicate susceptibility of his casing of flesh,
which is bruised by blows, torn by thorns, devoured by insects, and yet,
day after day, the persevering man continues to face death under its
most horrible aspects--poison from venom of serpents, giddiness from
sun-stroke, blindness from the power of the moon, want of sleep, hunger,
and thirst.
I had just taken a review of our situation when these reflections were
suggested to me. Halting, I permitted my comrades to pass me; their
appearance, after so many days' travel, I give. First, there was
Sumichrast, tall and broad-shouldered, his features displaying both
mildness and energy; one arm in a sling, his clothes torn to shreds, and
his face furrowed by five or six deep scratches; leaning on a stick
carried in his left hand, he seemed a little bent; but his vigorous form
still told of abundant endurance and determination. Behind him, his gun
slung to his cross-belt, came Lucien, slightly stooping, although his
step was firm and determined; his face was seamed with scratches, his
hands bruised and brown from exposure. As he passed in front of me, he
smiled and gave a joyous hurrah, and lifted his cap, beneath which his
hair flowed down in golden curls. Gringalet, now reconciled to the
squirrels' skins, walked close by his master; truly he looked like
standing more work. Lastly, l'Encuerado, his arms and legs bare, and
laden with guavas, brought up the rear. The brave Indian tried to raise
his straw-hat as he passed by me, his bony visage expanded, and his
smile showed a row of white teeth which were worthy of competing with
Gringalet's. Well satisfied with my inspection, I shouldered my gun, and
resumed the head of the column.
The cliffs of the ravine became gradually more wooded, and the descent
was effected without accident. I kept along the bank looking out for a
ford. At last a bend of the stream, where the water flowed calmly and
silently, enabled us to do so without difficulty. I then proposed a
halt. Close by us rose some enormous rocks covered with moss, which, in
flood-time, must have been reached by the water; in front of us was a
gentle slope covered with turf.
We were descending the slope when an object, indistinct at first,
emerged from the edge of the wood, and, appearing to roll more than run
over the grass, advanced toward us. It was an enormous tortoise; but a
tortoise which might successfully have raced with the hare. L'Encuerado
tried to stop it, but fell in his effort. Sumichrast, quite forgetting
his bad hand, dealt the animal a blow with the butt-end of his gun, the
effect of which was slightly to slacken the pace of the enemy. The
Indian, furious at his failure, threw down his load, and came running
up. Our united efforts succeeded, about twenty feet from the stream, in
throwing the animal on its back.
Lucien, rather startled at this scene, and at the size of the tortoise,
then came nearer to examine it. I kept him at some distance from the
reptile, who was viciously agitating its enormous feet, armed with
formidable claws; while its mouth, which was like a horny beak, opened
and shut menacingly.
"It is a _galapago_," said l'Encuerado; "it is of no use for food."
This creature, which is called by the _savants_ the
_alligator-tortoise_, measured more than a yard from its head to its
tail. The latter appendage was almost as long as the body, and was
covered with a triple row of scaly crests fitting into each other. The
gray, wrinkled, and almost scaly skin of the reptile formed rolls round
its neck of a disgusting appearance--one might almost fancy them
unhealthy excrescences. The horrible beast turned towards us its gaping
mouth with a vicious manner. The turtle-fishers much dread the
_galapagos_, which, being more agile than the ordinary tortoise, give
them sometimes frightful wounds, either with their sharp claws or their
horny jaws. Their flesh is declared to be unwholesome.
Just as we were leaving, l'Encuerado wanted to cut off the reptile's
head. Sumichrast opposed this useless slaughter, and was inclined to
replace the tortoise on its feet. But the Indian refused to assist in
this good work, for he asserted that it was equivalent to leaving a
rattlesnake alive. Two or three times the animal was very nearly
repaying our kindness by a bite; for, as soon as we came near, it
managed to twist round on its upper shell. We were about to abandon it
to its fate, when suddenly, the slope of the ground helping us, we
managed to set it on its feet; as soon as it was turned over, it rushed
at Lucien. The enormous rolls round its neck, being all distended, made
it carry its head very forward, so, with a single blow of his cutlass,
l'Encuerado decapitated the assailant. We were then witnesses to a
strange sight, for while Gringalet was furiously attacking the
motionless head, the feet, continuing to move, bore along the body,
which in a moment disappeared in the lake. Although we had often before
seen tortoises survive for a considerable time wounds which were
certainly mortal, the strength of the nervous system which was exhibited
in this reptile almost staggered us.
"Now, my brave friend, try and swim without your head, and take care not
to break your skull against the rocks!" cried the exasperated Indian.
"The father saves your life, and then you want to hurt his child! You
hardly saw me, or you'd have known that I am pretty well able to bite.
Good-bye! and take good care of yourself!"
We may readily see that the Indian was any thing but a generous enemy;
but the fact was, the _galapagos_ were old enemies, for one had nearly
bitten off his hand while he was bathing. The turf-carpeted bank soon
led us into the thick forest again. We had been walking for more than an
hour through a perfect labyrinth of gigantic trees, and over a bare and
yet rich soil--for it is only in the glades that the ground is covered
with grass--when l'Encuerado heard the call of a small species of
pheasant peculiar to this country.
"Bend towards the left to get near the game," said Sumichrast, in a low
voice; "and, whatever you do, don't shake the foliage."
"We're all right now," muttered l'Encuerado; "listen! I'll predict that
we shall have a good dinner to-day."
The Indian laid down his load, which Sumichrast and Lucien took charge
of, while I followed the former behind the trees. My companion soon went
a little in front, and imitated the cry of the bird we were pursuing, so
as to make them answer, and thus show us where they were hidden. The
imitation was really so perfect that I moved towards it, thinking to
find the bird, and of course came upon the Indian lying in ambush. This
same mistake had happened to me before with Sumichrast, who imitated the
voice of birds almost as well as the Indian. At last his cry produced an
answer, and at about a hundred yards from us, on the top of a not very
tall oak, were perched three enormous pheasants.
Bent down and crawling behind the trees, I joined l'Encuerado, keeping
my eye fixed on the game, which stretched out their necks with an
anxious look, and seemed to be listening. Two gun-shots went off at
once; one of the birds fell dead at our feet, and the two others flew
away. One of these fugitives flew high above the tree-tops, but the
other, being wounded, was unable to follow its companion; I darted off
in pursuit, making sure of bagging it. The poor bird reached the ground
and tried hard to run; I was not more than fifty paces from it, when a
tiger-cat, with a black coat, bounded forward, and, seizing it,
disappeared before I had time to recover from my surprise. The marauder
was abused as a thief and a rogue by l'Encuerado, who had been a witness
of this misfortune. Lucien examined the pheasant, which was almost as
big as a turkey; but its sombre plumage did not at all answer to the
magnificent idea which the boy had formed of this bird. He thought that
the head was much too small for the body, and its naked and warty cheeks
led him to observe that the pheasant had the appearance of having put on
two plasters of tortoise-skin, a remark which was certainly well
founded. With regard to the beautiful and many-colored pheasant-species
peculiar to Asia and Africa, Mexico possesses none of them, so far, at
least, as I know.
About two o'clock in the afternoon, Lucien remarked that the trees grew
farther apart, which was a sign that we were approaching an open glade
or the foot of a mountain. Sumichrast made the boy walk in front as
leader--a reward for the sharpness of his eyes. Proud of this duty, our
little guide led us to an opening edged with a rampart of wood at a
short distance off.
"Halt!" cried I.
The butts of the guns were dropped upon the ground at this order; our
hut was soon constructed, and l'Encuerado immediately afterwards busied
himself preparing our meal.
[Illustration: "A tiger-cat bounded forward and seized the pheasant."]
Sumichrast, who, from the state of his hand, was condemned to idleness,
remained with the Indian, while I proceeded, in company with Gringalet
and Lucien, to reconnoitre the vicinity of our bivouac. Almost
immediately, a _yoloxochitl_, a species of magnolia, met our eyes. I
called l'Encuerado, who climbed the tree in order to throw us down some
of its beautiful sweet-smelling flowers; they are externally of a
pinkish-white color, yellow on the inside, and the petals, before
they are full-blown, assume the form of a cross, and afterwards that of
a splendid star. The Indian did not fail to remind us that an infusion
of the glittering leaves of the _yoloxochitl_ is a remedy against
diarrh[oe]a, and that its flowers, as their shape indicates, cure
palpitation of the heart. A little farther on we recognized a
nutmeg-tree, a shrub about ten feet in height, and covered with
half-formed fruit. The nutmeg is not cultivated in Mexico, and the tree
that produces it is rather rare. The Indians, however, use an enormous
quantity of the Molucca nutmegs, either as a remedy or as a
condiment--nutmegs, camphor, and asaf[oe]tida being the principal Indian
remedies. I next pointed out to my young companion a plant named the
_blue herb_, the leaves of which stain the water in which they are
soaked with a lovely azure tinge. In Mexico a variety of this vegetable
is cultivated, in order to extract from it the coloring matter commonly
known under the name of _indigo_.
"But how do they manage," asked Lucien, "to obtain from a plant those
dark-blue stones that I have seen sold in the market?"
"About the month of March," I answered, "are gathered the fresh leaves
of the indigo-plant, which is one of the leguminous family, and pound
them in mortars made out of the trunks of trees. The sap which results
from these leaves, when subjected to a heavy pressure, is of a greenish
tinge, and sometimes even colorless; it does not become blue until after
fermentation in the open air. The Indians then boil it in an immense
copper, and, the water evaporating, the indigo is left in the form of a
soft and gelatinous paste, which is subsequently dried in the sun."
On approaching the foot of the mountain, I found that it would be
impossible for us to climb it the next day, the slope being too steep. I
sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree, when I detected a very decided
smell of roses. Under the bark of a log _esquina_ Lucien had discovered
five or six beautiful insects of an azure-blue color, with red feet;
these insects are very common in the sandy soils of Tehuacan, and are
used by the ladies of that district to perfume their linen. Delighted at
this discovery, Lucien continued his search, hoping to find some more
specimens which he intended to take to his mother. He was kneeling down
and working energetically, when he pointed out to me an enormous
caterpillar.
It was of an emerald-green color, and had on its back a row of little
projections like small trees, symmetrically arranged. These were of a
brilliant red, terminating in shoots the same color as the animal's
body.
"What a curious creature!" cried Lucien; "it looks as if it carried a
garden on its back; what use are all these bushes?"
"It is not known, and it is a curious fact that the butterfly which
springs from the caterpillar shows no trace of all this
strangely-arranged hair."
"Will a butterfly come from this caterpillar?"
"Yes, certainly; all butterflies lay eggs, from which proceed
caterpillars, which generally destroy the plants on which they are
hatched. When arrived at maturity, the caterpillar spins a cocoon of
silk, more or less fine, in the centre of which it incloses itself. It
is then called a _chrysalis_. In this cocoon the butterfly is formed,
either white or black, yellow or green, and there it remains inactive
and imprisoned, like a baby in swadding-clothes. In spring it perforates
its silken prison, and soon makes its escape a splendid butterfly,
subsisting upon the juices of the flowers obtained through its
proboscis. Surely you were not ignorant of all these transformations?"
"I thought that they only took place in silk-worms."
"Well, now you are undeceived; all caterpillars and all butterflies are
subject to them; but there are few caterpillars which spin so valuable a
cocoon as the silk-worm. Moreover, some bury themselves in the earth;
while others hide in the middle of a leaf, the edges of which they curl
round so as to form a kind of bag, in which they are protected from the
beaks of birds; again, some hollow out a shelter in the trunk of a tree,
and line their abode with silk more or less fine. Thus, in every case,
the chrysalis waits patiently for the time when it will change from a
worm into a butterfly, painted with the richest colors."
The subject was really an inexhaustible one, so I deferred the rest of
my explanations to another day. Besides, l'Encuerado was loudly calling
for us.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XIII.
THE SENSITIVE-PLANT.--GRINGALET AND THE PORCUPINE.--THE MEXICAN
CHAMELEON.--THE KITE AND THE FALCON.--AN AMPHISBÆNA SNAKE.--A COUNCIL OF
TURKEYS.
Lucien, seated on the grass, amused himself with touching all the plants
within reach of his travelling staff; suddenly he noticed that the
branches and leaves of a small shrub shut up when he brushed them with
his stick, just like the ribs of a parasol, moved by some invisible
spring--it was a _sensitive-plant_.
He called to us to ask for an explanation of this phenomenon, so we
assembled round the shrub, which was about three feet high; its leaves
finely cut and of a delicate green color, with pink flowers in tufts
half hidden among them. The leaves, touched by the stick, shrank up
close to the parent stem, and the oval, slender, and delicate ones,
rising on their stalks, pressed against one another. In about five
minutes the leaves which had been rubbed again spread out, as if they
had recovered from their fright.
It was, however, only for a short time; for Lucien amused himself by
rubbing his fingers over the leaves, which immediately doubled up, as if
offended by the slight touch. The Indians call it the "Bashful Plant." A
blow struck on the principal stem is sufficient to make all the branches
close, as if animated by a kind of modest feeling. When the sun sets,
the sensitive plant spontaneously shuts up its delicate foliage, which
does not open again freely until the return of day.
Lucien's first idea, at waking, was to run towards the shrubs which
interested him the day before. They were covered with dew, and looked as
if they were asleep, until the first rays of the sun fell upon them.
Before we started, the young naturalist again tested the delicate
sensibility of the plant, which Sumichrast told him was allied to the
tree which produces gum-arabic.
L'Encuerado's cheek was less swollen, and Sumichrast could use his hand,
although it still pained him. The mountain in front of us, which was too
steep to climb, caused us some perplexity.
"Let us slant off to the left, over this moist ground, carpeted with
turf," said Sumichrast, plunging into the thicket.
About midday, just as l'Encuerado was declaring, in a grumbling tone,
that we ought to have inclined towards the right, our little troop
entered the wood. An undulating slope led us to a summit not more than
twenty yards across, and in less than half an hour the opposite descent
brought us into a delicious glen.
"Hallo! Master 'Sunbeam,'" cried Sumichrast, while helping me to
construct our hut, "don't you recollect you are the one to provide the
fire?"
"All right," replied Lucien, who seemed to be lost in the contemplation
of a dead branch; "I want to get hold of an insect which appears to be
making, like us, natural-history collections, for I have just found in
its nest a quantity of spiders, flies, and small worms."
"It is one of the _Hymenoptera_," said Sumichrast; "it collects all
round its eggs the food the young will eat when they are hatched; the
insect is therefore full of forethought--a good example for us to
imitate."
When the fire was ready, we started off in light marching order to
explore the vicinity of our bivouac. Our position was commanded by
mountains on all sides, and the glen was scarcely a quarter of a league
in length. The pleasant coolness, and the presence of numerous birds,
led us to hope that we should meet with a spring, which was all that was
needed to convert this remote corner of the world into a perfect
paradise. But our exploring only led to the discovery of a greenish
pool, sheltered by an enormous rock, and which the dry season would soon
evaporate.
Gringalet's barking attracted our attention towards the forest, and I
perceived a porcupine on a tree. The animal, sitting up on its hind
feet, was looking at us with astonishment. Leaving it undisturbed, it
appeared to forget us, and tearing off with its claws a piece of bark,
it licked the inner side, which was doubtless covered with insects.
Having repeated this operation several times, the animal advanced to the
end of a branch, and seizing it with its prehensile tail, let itself
down to the ground. Its large black eyes, of unusual mildness, were
widely opened, and its nose slit like hares and rabbits. It was just
about to stretch itself, when, to our great regret, l'Encuerado shot it;
the poor beast fell over on the ground, and placing its hand-shaped
paws on the wound, rolled itself up into a ball at the foot of a tree.
Gringalet darted forward to seize it, and then immediately retreated,
howling with pain; he came back to us with his muzzle bristling with the
porcupine's quills, which were about two inches long and finely pointed.
The unfortunate dog rubbed his nose against the ground in order to get
relief, but, of course, this only increased his pain. Lucien ran to help
him, and at last succeeded in extracting them.
"Have you lost your senses?" asked l'Encuerado of the dog, while washing
the poor beast's nose and mouth. "The idea of trying to bite a
_huitzttacuatzin_! Upon my word, I thought you knew better than that. No
doubt it's a good thing to be brave, but you must manage to be less
stupid when you are in the forests of the _Terre-Chaude_, unless you
want to be devoured by a tiger, or scratched to pieces by an ant-eater."
After listening to l'Encuerado's speech, Lucien scolded him for firing
at the poor animal, and then joined us, close to the porcupine, which
was dying. It was about the size of a fox, and its fore paws were
furnished with four toes armed with claws. This animal, which is slow of
pace and entirely inoffensive, spreads round it a sickening musky odor.
It lives on fruit, roots, and insects, and, aided by its prehensile
tail, climbs trees with great skill. It but rarely tries to make its
escape at the approach of the hunter, who, moreover, utterly despises
such worthless game.
L'Encuerado reminded us that we had now been travelling twelve days, and
that it was the first Sunday in May. We should have devoted it to rest
if our morning's hunting had been successful; but, unless we contented
ourselves with a dinner composed only of rice, we were obliged to shoot
some eatable bird or animal to fill our stew-pot. We heard some doves
cooing, and l'Encuerado went off alone in the direction of the sound,
for these birds are difficult of approach. Gringalet, notwithstanding
our calls, ran after the Indian.
Lucien climbed the rock which hung over the pool, and made signs for me
to come to him, saying, in a low voice,
"Papa, come and look at this strange animal."
I also climbed up, and found lying on the top a Mexican chameleon, a
kind of round-shaped lizard, with a brown skin dotted over with yellow
spots, which seemed to change color in the light. Lucien tried to catch
the graceful reptile, which, however, glided between his fingers and
disappeared behind the rock.
The Mexican chameleon lives only in the woods and among the rocks. It
chiefly delights in the oak forests, where the dark color of its body
blends with the hue of the dry leaves, and enables it to lie
successfully in ambush for the insects on which it feeds. Sumichrast,
who had succeeded in taming a chameleon, told us that the reptile's
throat, which was white during the daytime, assumed during the night a
dark hue; also, that it liked to be caressed, and became familiar enough
to take from his hand the flies which were offered it. The Indians, who
hold the animal in great dread when alive, are in the habit of wearing
its dried body as an amulet against the "evil eye."
[Illustration: "The kite avoided the shock, and continued to rise in the
air."]
From our lofty observatory we were looking at the beautiful birds which
occasionally flew across the plain, when Sumichrast suddenly fired. He
had caught sight of a fine magpie, of an ashy-blue color, with its head
crowned by a tuft; its throat appeared as if it were bound round with
black velvet, a peculiarity which has obtained for it from the Indians
the name of the "commander bird." Lucien came down from the rock to go
and pick up the game, when an enormous kite darted on the magpie, seized
it in its sharp claws, and immediately took flight. Sumichrast seized
his gun to punish the impudent poacher, but a falcon, about the size of
a man's fist, made its appearance, and describing two or three rapid
circles, swooped down on the kite. The latter avoided the shock and
continued to rise in the air, while its antagonist came almost to the
ground, uttering a shriek of rage. Again ascending, with extreme
rapidity, by an oblique flight, it a second time overtopped its
antagonist, and darted upon it like a flash of lightning. Their wings
beat together, and a few feathers came fluttering to the ground. The
prey fell from the bird's grasp, followed in its fall by the falcon. The
kite, conquered by an enemy about one-fifth of its own size, flew round
and round in the air and then disappeared. The conqueror standing about
thirty yards from us, eyes glittering and foot firmly planted on its
prey, magnificent in anger and daring, Sumichrast abandoned the game to
it as a recompense for its courage. The bird, not at all satisfied at
being so close to us, buried in the body of its victim its claws--so
enormous in comparison to its own size--shook its wings and rose, at
first with difficulty, when, its flight becoming more easy as it
ascended higher, it carried off its quarry behind the trees.
Lucien, who from the ground beneath had followed all the changes and
chances of this combat, soon joined us.
"How was it that that great bird allowed itself to be conquered by such
a small adversary?" he asked of Sumichrast.
"Because it was a coward."
"But both have the same plumage, and almost the same shape; I took the
small bird to be the young of the other."
"The last is a falcon, and the other is a kite. They belong, in fact, to
the same family; but the falcon is noble and courageous, while the kite
is perhaps the most cowardly of all birds of prey. Falcons were once
used for hunting; for, as you have just seen, they have no fear of
attacking adversaries much larger than themselves. Added to this, they
are easily tamed."
"But eagles are much stronger than falcons?"
"Eagles are birds of prey which do not at all merit the reputation which
poets have endeavored to make for them; although they may be stronger,
they exhibit much less bravery than falcons, and only attack animals of
small size."
"Yet, surely the eagle is the king of birds; is it not able to look
straight at the sun?"
"Yes, thanks to a membrane that shuts down over the pupil of its eye.
Among all nations the eagle is the symbol of strength and courage: but
still the falcon possesses the latter of these qualities in a much
higher degree; it is the falcon which is the real king of birds among
ornithologists. The Mexicans, as you know, depict upon their banners an
eagle sitting upon a cactus and tearing a serpent."
"Is this intended as an emblem of strength and courage?"
"No, it has another origin. When the Aztecs, who were thought to be
natives of Northern America, arrived in Mexico (which then bore the name
of Anahuac), they wandered about a long time before they settled. One
day, near a lake, they found a cactus growing on a stone, and on the
cactus an eagle was sitting. Guided by an oracle, a city was built,
which was called Tenochtitlan, and subsequently Mexico."
My historical lecture was interrupted by a distant shot. We had heard
nothing of the doves for a long time, and we were expecting to see our
companion reappear; but he must have made an enormous curve in pursuing
them, to judge from the direction from which the report of his gun
proceeded. Fortunately, from the position of the spot, there was not
much likelihood of his missing his way: although we had full confidence
in his instinct, we feared to what extent his ardor might carry him.
We now kept on the look-out, hoping that chance would throw us in
contact with some game. All at once there was a movement to our right in
the high grass, and its waving about pointed out the presence of some
reptile. In a minute or two we saw a serpent making its way towards the
pool; it was the species which is called by the Indians, as formerly by
the Greeks, the double-headed serpent. The amphisbæna was about a foot
and a half long, and its tail was swollen at the end, which gave it a
very curious appearance. Its skin, covered with large scales, had a
bluish metallic glitter. It crawled slowly, and stopped every instant as
if to bore into the ground, but in reality to pick up insects or ants.
This singular snake quite enchanted Lucien, and Sumichrast told him to
fire his gun at it, so as to be able to study it more closely. He had no
need to repeat his instructions; the young sportsman, who had begun to
handle his weapon very skillfully, at once placed it to his shoulder;
the shot was fired, and the amphisbæna, tumbling over, disappeared in
the grass. The reptile had been hit, and we all of us clambered down the
rock as fast as we could, in the hopes of finding it dead. We sought for
it in vain; the snake had made its escape into some hole, from which it
would be in vain to try to dislodge it.
Gringalet now showed himself, soon followed by l'Encuerado. When he
caught sight of us, the Indian raised a loud "Hiou! hiou!" Waving his
hat in the air, he threw upon the ground some dark object, which fell
heavily on the turf, and then he began dancing. We roared with laughter
at his grotesque steps, and Lucien ran towards the Mistec, who, after
his dance, was acting the acrobat on the turf.
"A turkey!" he cried; and an enormous bird, with bronzed plumage, was
passed from hand to hand.
"Ah! Chanito," cried the Indian, "if you had gone with me, you would
have seen a whole flock of them! I had chased those miserable doves till
I was tired, without even catching a glimpse of them, and was resting at
the foot of a tree, when Gringalet pricked up his ears, and running up
the opposite slope of the mountain, barked as loudly as if he saw
another porcupine. I also made my way there, and heard 'gobbles'
resounding in every direction; Master Gringalet had fallen in with a
council of turkeys."
"A council of turkeys?" repeated Lucien.
"Yes, Chanito, turkeys hold councils. They generally travel in flocks
and on foot, although they know perfectly well how to fly when they want
to cross a stream or to make their escape; and when one of them wants to
communicate his opinion to another, he raises a cry, and his companions
form a circle round him."
"And what takes place then?"
"The preacher," continued l'Encuerado, without the least idea of
irreverence, "lowers his neck and then lifts it up again, raises up the
hair-like feathers on his crop, and spreads out his tail like a fan. He
then addresses the assembled birds, who strut about with their wings
half opened, and answer him with approving gobbles."
The Indian, carried away by his narrative, added gestures to words,
strutted about, rounded his arms and lowered his chin upon his breast,
in order to imitate the ways of the birds which he was describing.
"But what do they say?" asked Lucien, archly.
"That depends on circumstances," he replied, scratching his forehead.
"The flock just now surprised must have cried out: 'What is this
animal?'--'A dog,' would be the answer of the most knowing among them.
'Fly, my friends, fly!' he would cry; 'dogs are always accompanied by
men, and men have guns.' 'A gun! what's that?'--'A machine that goes
_boum_ and kills turkeys.' Then I make my appearance; they bustle about,
fly away, and spread in every direction; but my gun had time to go
_boum_ and to kill this beautiful bird."
I need scarcely say what mirth was excited by this account. While
returning to our bivouac, Sumichrast told Lucien that the turkey is a
native of America, and that it was introduced by the Jesuits into
Europe, where it flourished well. In a domestic state, the color of its
plumage altered to a reddish, a white, and a gray and black color. But
it never lost the habit of walking about in flocks, and of laying its
eggs in thickets, in a shapeless nest, which the young chicks leave the
second day after they are hatched. Lastly, the Aztec name of the
turkey--_totole_--is applied by the Indians to simpletons and cowards.
Lucien then told l'Encuerado about the magpie and the amphisbæna.
"You killed a _maquiz coatl_--a two-headed serpent!" cried the Indian.
"I only wounded it, for it got away; but it had only one head."
"Then you didn't examine it thoroughly; for it would not turn round when
it crawled away."
"I did not notice. I saw it leap up in the air, and that was all."
"Have you searched well under the stones? Let us go back; the skin of
the _maquiz coatl_ enables the blind to see. Why did you let it escape?"
"Oh! we shall be sure to find another."
"You can't find them whenever you like; they are very rare," replied the
Indian, shaking his head.
While the turkey was roasting under our superintendence, l'Encuerado and
Lucien went off to try and find the amphisbæna's hole.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: "It looked like an immense pedestal, surmounted by two
bronze statues."]
[Illustration]
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.
The sun left us soon afterwards, and we sat talking by the fire. At last
l'Encuerado took away Lucien towards the rocks, and set up one of those
interminable chants with which his memory was stored. Our fire lighted
up with its red gleam the stone on which they were sitting, making it
look like an immense pedestal, surmounted by two bronze statues. Any
traveller suddenly entering the valley would have recoiled in terror
before this fantastic apparition; and if any wild beast had been
prowling near us, our gigantic shadows would certainly have made it keep
its distance.
We were just thinking of calling Lucien to come and lie down under the
hut, when l'Encuerado shouted out to us. Towards the east, a large
luminous disk was shining brilliantly above the mountain peaks. This
luminous globe, lengthening out into the shape of an ellipse, appeared
to move along.
In fact, it was descending slowly over the wooded crests. Lucien and
l'Encuerado kept plying us with questions in reference to it, which we
were unable to answer.
[Illustration]
"What is it?" cried Sumichrast.
"A meteor!" I exclaimed, struck with a sudden idea.
"If I had my gun ready, I would fire at it, at all events."
"You had better not," said I; "the globe may contain electric fluid, and
we might draw it down upon us."
Soon afterwards the meteor passed by us. We threw ourselves down flat on
the earth, dreading this unknown visitor. When I ventured to rise, it
was some distance away, and yet appeared to be motionless. Rays
incessantly quivering sprang from the centre of it; in the middle the
light was white, but at the edges it assumed first a yellowish, then a
red, and lastly a bluish hue. We were suddenly almost blinded by a flash
of intense brilliancy; a formidable explosion, repeated by the echoes,
burst upon our ears, and all became silence and obscurity.
While we were returning to our bivouac, Lucien and l'Encuerado pressed
us with questions.
"What are meteors?" asked Lucien, eagerly.
"Some scientific men," replied Sumichrast, "look upon them as fragments
of planets wandering in space. Getting entangled in our planetary
system, they yield to the attraction of our globe, and fall on to its
surface in obedience to the law of gravitation."
"But what are they composed of?"
"Generally speaking, of sulphur, chromium, and earth. The phenomenon of
'shooting stars' is connected with that of meteors, and any substance
falling on the surface of the earth receives the name of _aerolite_."
"Do you wish to persuade me that stones rain down from the sky?" cried
l'Encuerado.
"Yes, certainly; and if I am not mistaken, it was in your country that
the largest known aerolite was found, for it weighed no less than fifty
hundred-weights. To-morrow morning we will search for the one we have
seen, which must have dropped at the end of the valley."
"Are these stones luminous?" rejoined the Indian.
"No; but they take fire, owing to their rapid flight."
"And whence did the meteor come which passed so close to us?"
"Either from the moon or the stars, or perhaps from the sun."
L'Encuerado half-closed his eyes, and burst out laughing at what he
considered a joke. He laughed, indeed, so heartily, that we could not
help joining him.
"Now what do you imagine the sun and moon really are?" asked Lucien.
"God's lanterns," replied the Indian, gravely.
Our young companion was well accustomed to the artless ignorance of his
friend, but still he always endeavored to contend against it; so he set
to work to teach him something about our planetary system. The
dimensions which he attributed to the heavenly bodies seemed to afford
great amusement to the Indian. At last, just when the young orator
fancied he had convinced his disciple, the latter embraced him,
exclaiming:
"What an amusing tale! Oh! how pleased I should be to be able to read
such pretty stories as that in a book!"
"Tales, indeed!" cried Lucien, quite indignant.
"Well, the very idea of saying that the earth is a ball, which moves
round and round, and that there are stars which are bigger! Many a night
have I spent looking at the stars, and I know they are nothing but
lanterns, and that's enough!"
"But if you have observed them so carefully," interposed Sumichrast,
"you must have observed that they are constantly shifting their places."
"Yes, but that is because the angels don't always light up the same
stars, and God has plenty of them in every direction--"
I now interrupted the conversation.
"Come, let us all go to rest!" I cried, cutting short a discussion which
I knew, by experience, must end in Lucien and Sumichrast getting the
worst of it.
The next morning there was nothing better to do than to go with my
companions to look after the aerolite. The ball of fire appeared to have
passed just over us, and I fancied that we should be certain to recover
some part of it. After an hour of useless wandering, we were compelled
to admit that our eyes must have been much mistaken as to distances.
L'Encuerado could not help smiling incredulously on hearing the
conjectures which I and Sumichrast made; but he was generous enough not
to take advantage of the superior astronomical knowledge which he
assumed he possessed.
On setting out I again crossed the valley, and then climbing the
mountain, I led my companions up to a plateau.
As far as was possible I followed the route I thought the meteor had
taken. L'Encuerado was just making his way into the forest when
Sumichrast noticed a broken tree, a little to the right. I leaped up on
the slope, and soon remarked that the ground, for a space of at least
twenty yards, was strewn with black or green stones, which had been in a
fused state, and evidently bore the appearance of iron _scoriæ_. There
could be no doubt about it; the tree which had been struck had caused
the explosion of the meteor, and had broken under the shock.
"These, therefore, are the remains of some of your sky-lanterns," said
Lucien to l'Encuerado, who had just picked up some large stones, shining
like metal.
The Indian shook his head without answering. The fallen tree, the burned
and blackened trunk, the withered and even scorched grass, these
strange-looking stones--every thing visibly combined to upset his
theory. Each of us added to his load one of the aerolites; then, again
returning to the plateau, we plunged into the forest.
One shot that Sumichrast made rendered him happy for the whole day. He
had knocked down a green-colored crossbill, of a species still unknown
in Europe.
"What a queer bird!" cried Lucien. "How did it manage to eat with its
mouth all awry?"
"Its mouth," replied Sumichrast, smiling, "is well adapted to its food.
This bird--which we have here met with quite by chance, as it usually
frequents mountain-tops--feeds on roots, buds, and pine-cones. Owing to
its two mandibles being so strongly made and so curiously arranged it
can cut through, as if with a pair of scissors, branches which a bird
with a pointed beak could never penetrate."
"God is mindful of all His creatures," muttered l'Encuerado, who was
helping to skin the bird. "I had always fancied that these poor
creatures were deformed."
Towards midday the chances of our path brought us to the bottom of a
narrow valley in the midst of a clump of shrubs; this seemed a fit spot
for our bivouac. In the twinkling of an eye, the ground was cleared of
brush-wood and our hut constructed. We had scarcely sat down to take
breath when a slight rustling in the foliage attracted our attention,
and an animal with a bushy tail sprang down from a tree. Gringalet
darted at it, but an abominable smell, which almost suffocated us, at
once made him retreat. A skunk, which in shape and color somewhat
resembles a squirrel, had thus perfectly poisoned our bivouac.
[Illustration: "Above us, the trees crossed their branches."]
Nothing was left for us but to decamp as quickly as possible, for the
stench rendered the place uninhabitable for several days. L'Encuerado
could not find enough bad names for abusing the animal, which, however,
had only availed itself of the means of defense with which nature has
endowed it. Each of us now resumed his burden, sadly enough, I must
confess, and not without throwing a disappointed glance at our hut.
Sumichrast led the way, and did not stop till we found ourselves
perfectly exhausted at the entrance to a deep and narrow gorge. We still
felt sickened by the horrible stench produced by the skunk, and, as we
did not wish to expose ourselves again to a similar misfortune, we
took care, before constructing a fresh hut, to search round the shrubs
and bushes. A few birds shot on the road rendered it unnecessary for us
to hunt any more, as we had an abundance of food, so we all set to work
to repair our wardrobes. Our shoes first required our attention, and
Sumichrast constituted himself head-cobbler. L'Encuerado's sandals gave
him a great advantage over us; for all he required was a sole and a
leathern strap, and then he was well shod. But, unfortunately, the
delicacy of our skin several times afforded Sumichrast cause for regret
that he had not been born an Indian.
L'Encuerado, full of ingenuity, managed to fix some pieces of fox-skin
on some old soles, and made for Lucien a pair of buskins as strong as
they were inelegant. He promised to make us some like them, and
Sumichrast, who succeeded only tolerably well in his cobbling, nominated
the Indian "sandal-maker in ordinary and extraordinary to our
majesties."
The next morning at daybreak we entered a narrow gorge in which it was
impossible for us to walk abreast. The whole morning was spent in
travelling along between two stone ramparts, hung with mosses, ferns,
and orchids. The moist soil rendered the temperature round us
sufficiently cool and agreeable; but the pass was so filled up with the
trunks of fallen trees as to render our progress very laborious.
The gorge extended to such a length that I began to be anxious about it,
and to fear lest we had entered into a _cul-de-sac_. The perpendicular
walls rendered any deviation in our path impossible; above us, the trees
crossed their branches and almost hid the sky. No bird enlivened the
solitude with its song, and ferns were so abundant that it seemed as if
we had lighted upon some corner of the primitive world; as if to render
the resemblance more complete, the reptiles scarcely fled at our
approach, and obliged us to use the greatest care.
Cutlass in hand, Lucien climbed nimbly over the fallen trees which
barred our progress. Ere long our feet sank into a quantity of liquid
mud, and I discovered a slender streamlet of limpid water oozing out
between two rocks. The pass between the rocks became narrower and
narrower, and if a wild beast had then met us we should have had to
dispute the path with it. As a rencontre of this kind was by no means
impossible, Lucien, to his displeasure, was ordered to follow in rear.
The way now widened a little, and became more clear of impediments, and
our little column advanced with rather more rapidity. We walked along
silently between these stern and imposing granite walls, with the
constant hope of seeing them separate and open out into a valley. Every
few yards some fresh turn frustrated our expectations; and if ever any
pass deserved the name of the "Devil's Gorge," it was the interminable
fissure through which we had been compelled to walk for so long a
distance. At various heights there were half-suspended rocks which
threatened to fall upon us; for several previously had fallen and now
blocked up the path. At last a sudden turn revealed a wide opening; but
our joy was of short duration; nothing but a perpendicular precipice lay
in front of us.
We looked at one another in consternation; we were prisoners! On our
right and left were perpendicular walls more than a hundred feet high,
and impossible to climb; before us there was a gulf with a vertical
precipice. What was to be done? Sumichrast lighted the pipe of council,
while l'Encuerado clung on to the rocks and tried to measure the abyss
with his eye.
We were seated near a plant with slender branches and heart-shaped
leaves tinged with red, concealing here and there a flower of a violet
blue. I recognized in it the shrub which produces jalap, and is called
by the Indians _tolonpatl_. I called Lucien's attention to it, who soon
dug up four or five tap-roots of a pear-like shape. Jalap, which has
taken its name from the town of Jalapa, whence it was once forwarded to
Vera Cruz, grows naturally on all the mountains of the _Terre-Tempérée_.
Unfortunately, the Indians destroy the plant by taking away all its
turbercles, and the time is not far distant when this drug, so much used
in Europe, will, like quinine, become very scarce.
I drew close to the precipice, and perceived l'Encuerado more than
twenty feet below me crawling, with all the skill of a monkey, over an
almost smooth surface. I ordered him to come up to us again; but he did
not seem able to get back, and remained motionless in his dangerous
position. Sumichrast hastened to bring me a lasso, which I let down to
our daring companion. But instead of ascending, he slid down four or
five feet, and placing himself astride on the projecting trunk of a
tree, called out to us to let go the lasso; this he tied round a stout
branch, and disappeared down the abyss.
It was not long before we saw him again install himself on the tree
round which he had rolled the leather strap, when he called out to us
that we might descend without any great danger.
"How shall we fasten it?" asked Lucien; "there are no thick branches
just at the edge."
"The strap is a long one, and there is a bush not far off with pretty
strong branches."
"But then we shall lose the lasso, for none will be left to loosen it."
"Upon my word!" cried Sumichrast, "Master Sunbeam is right."
Then each of us tried to solve the problem, proposing expedients more or
less impracticable.
"I've found it out," cried I at last, with quite as much satisfaction as
Archimedes when he leaped out of his bath.
Seizing my _machete_, I cut two stakes of a good thickness, which I
drove into the ground close to one another, about three yards from the
precipice. While Sumichrast with a club was consolidating my work, I cut
a stick about a foot long, to the middle of which I firmly tied the
lasso. I then placed it crosswise behind the stakes. I considered that
when we had let ourselves down to the spot occupied by l'Encuerado, a
sharp undulatory shake given to the lasso would be sufficient to
disengage the stick. When our preparations were finished, we let down
the basket to the man who carried it. Then Sumichrast, who was the
heaviest among us, slid down the cord to the tree which grew in so
convenient a position. The stakes scarcely yielded at all to his weight.
Continuing his descent, my friend soon joined the Indian.
Lucien's impatience was extreme; he was enchanted with this aerial
route.
"Now it's your turn," said I, as soon as I had drawn up the lasso.
"Are you going to tie me?" he asked in a disappointed tone.
"How did you suppose you would descend?"
"By holding on to the lasso, like l'Encuerado and M. Sumichrast,"
answered the boy.
"The grasp of your hands is not firm enough; you must not think of it; I
have no wish to risk your neck."
"Oh! dear father! do let me try."
"Certainly not; for if your trial failed, you would not be in a position
to try again."
[Illustration: "Then Sumichrast . . . slid down the cord to the tree."]
Not without some slight vexation Lucien was tied to the lasso, while
Gringalet, astonished, barked round us.
"Patience! patience!" I exclaimed to the dog; "it will be your turn
next, and then, perhaps, you will not seem so pleased."
I let the lasso slowly down, and the boy was soon safely lodged among
the branches of the tree. With care equal to mine, and with still firmer
knots, l'Encuerado tied the cord afresh. Then, leaning over the
precipice, I heard Sumichrast's voice ordering the Indian to let the
improvised cable slowly down. Seeing that the port was safely reached,
and relieved of a great care, I began tying Gringalet, who hadn't left
off howling since his young master disappeared. In spite of his terror,
I launched the dog into the air; he struggled, howled, and nearly evaded
l'Encuerado's friendly grasp; the latter, as he again let him down,
tried to explain the inutility of his struggles, and the danger of
breaking loose. At length, having for the last time examined the stakes
and the cross-piece, I also descended. I then shook the lasso, and at
once succeeded in disengaging it.
I saw below me Sumichrast and Lucien, seated on a narrow projection,
which led by a rocky declivity down to the foot of the mountain. Soon I
joined them, followed by the Indian. We had fixed the cross-bar between
two stout branches, and for a long time, without loosening the stick, I
shook the cord. At last, tired out, and about to leave it, the piece of
wood suddenly gave way, and nearly fell on me.
Walking now became very laborious, and it was occasionally difficult to
preserve our balance in passing over rocks, sometimes smooth, at others
very uneven. Our path lay between perfect hedges of orchids, of which
beautiful race Mexico possesses hundreds of species; we stopped at
nearly every step to admire some of these curiously shaped, brilliantly
colored, but often scentless flowers. L'Encuerado pointed out many
plants of the lynx flower, called by the Indians the _serpent-flower_,
the fine petals of which are dotted with yellow spots, and marbled with
pink, violet, and white. Farther on, another flower, the tiger-lily,
reminded us, by its color, of the animal from which it takes its name.
Plucking as he went along, Lucien became possessor of such a bouquet as
the richest gardens could not furnish. Of course he wanted to know the
names of all, but he was obliged to be content with learning that, with
the exception of the vanilla-plant, the brilliant legion of orchids
furnishes nothing utilized in the arts or industrial skill.
We had just reached the foot of the mountain, when an immense mass of
stones obliged us to turn aside. I took the lead, and an involuntary
slip brought me unexpectedly to a cave. My companions came running up in
answer to my call; I took three or four steps into the entrance, and
immediately made up my mind, from its thorough adaptability, to shelter
there for the night. While I, helped by Lucien, was collecting some
wood, l'Encuerado cleared the ground, and Sumichrast cut down two or
three shrubs which impeded the view. I then ordered the Indian to light
the fire, which would assist us to reconnoitre the entrance to the
cavern; which being done, it was necessary for us to go in search of
game for our dinner.
Looking from the plain, I could well judge of the feat we had
accomplished in our descent. Up to the level of the cave there were
shrubs and brush-wood. Higher up, orchids, with their bright flowers and
opal-green leaves; higher still rose a perpendicular and almost smooth
rampart, utterly impassable except through the fissure which had
afforded us egress. Sumichrast guided us through the thicket, where the
frangipanni-plants, covered with their sweet-scented flowers,
predominated, announcing our approach into the _Terre-Chaude_, and of a
completely altered nature of vegetation. Soon an immense mahogany-tree
(_Swietenia mahogoni_), with its thick boughs and dark-green foliage,
rose before us; a little farther on a fallen ceiba had crushed four or
five shrubs. The ceiba (_Eriodendron anfractuosum_) called _Pochotl_ by
the Indians, is one of the largest trees known; its fruit, of a pod-like
shape, contains a silky down, which possesses a singular property of
swelling in the sun. I was pointing out this peculiarity to Lucien, when
a formidable buzzing noise met our ears; a whole flock of Hercules
beetles had flown out of a bush and struck heavily against the branches
of a tree. Lucien caught one and wanted to hold it down on the ground,
but the insect got away from him and continued its flight.
[Illustration: "I then ordered the Indian to light the fire."]
"Oh!" cried the boy, "this beetle is stronger than I am!"
"It is not for nothing that it bears the name of _Hercules_," replied
Sumichrast, smiling; "as you have just found out, it is as remarkable
for its strength as for its size. It is a native of Brazil, and is only
occasionally found in Mexico."
"Do they always travel in flocks like this?"
"No; the occurrence is so rare that I shall make a note of it."
"I smell something like snuff," said Lucien, sneezing.
"It proceeds from the beetles," said Sumichrast.
And so powerful was this odor, that it caused Lucien several times to
sneeze. This was another fact to note down.
"Papa, do look at them hanging one on to another, and forming something
like an immense bunch of grapes. Do they bite with those powerful jaws?"
"They are horns which you mistake for jaws; but their arrangement quite
excuses your error. Look; the upper part of their body is black and
polished, and their wing-sheaths are a greenish gray, irregularly dotted
with dark spots."
"Here is one which has no horns."
"It is a female."
We were examining with some curiosity all the ways of the insect colony,
which was scarcely disturbed by our presence, when Gringalet, who had
also taken to sneezing, suddenly set up the most plaintive howl.
L'Encuerado had placed on the dog's back three or four beetles, which
had buried their claws in his skin. The Indian, surprised at the result
of his experiment, hurried to relieve the poor animal, which was rolling
on the ground; at last he succeeded in getting hold of him, but he had
much difficulty in freeing him from his vindictive assailants. One
beetle, indeed, seized hold of the hand of the mischievous wag, whose
grimaces much amused us; as fast as he disengaged one of the insect's
claws, the creature--which possessed six--soon found a chance to cling
on with others. Annoyed at having to strive with such a paltry enemy,
l'Encuerado at last tore the beetle roughly away, but the blood flowed
from his bronze-colored skin. Always too ready for revenge, he
threatened to exterminate the whole colony of beetles; but, smiling at
his ill-humor, I forbade his perpetrating such a useless massacre.
"They are nice gentlemen!" he cried; "because they had just heard
themselves called _Hercules_, they think they are strong enough to bite
the hands of every person they meet! Stupid fools, with noses longer
than their bodies, who fly away when Gringalet barks at them! Bite them!
Bite them!" cried he, setting the dog at them.
But the latter, with his ears drooped and his tail between his legs,
refused to obey, and, from this day forward I remarked that the least
buzzing from any insect was sufficient to render him uneasy.
Sumichrast, who had caught one of these large beetles, placed a stone
upon it which any one would have thought sufficient to have crushed it;
but, to Lucien's great admiration, the six-legged Hercules walked off
with its burden, almost without an effort. Ere long the beetles one by
one resumed their flight, and came buzzing around us, so it became
really necessary to beat a retreat, lest we should have our eyes put out
by their immense horns; Gringalet followed our example. Lucien sat down
so as to laugh at his ease, for l'Encuerado, instead of running away,
drew his bill-hook, assuming a threatening attitude to his enemies, and,
like one of Homer's heroes, defied them to come near him. At last the
whole band of beetles united and suspended themselves to the branch of a
ceiba, a tree for which the Hercules beetle shows a marked preference.
But we had in the mean time quite forgotten our dinners, so we set off
hunting in various directions. I skirted the edge of the forests,
accompanied by Sumichrast and Lucien. We had walked for an hour without
finding any thing, when four partridges, with ash-colored breasts, tawny
wings, and tufted heads, rose about fifty paces from us, and settled
down a little farther on. Having arrived within easy gunshot, I told my
son to fire when I did, and two of them (which _savants_ call the Sonini
partridge) fell dead on the ground. These pretty birds are rarely met
with in Mexico, at least in the part where we were.
I now returned towards the bivouac, taking a path through the forest.
"Oh papa, here's a great sponge!" cried Lucien, suddenly.
On our right there was a shapeless, porous, yellowish mass, rising three
or four feet above the ground. I saw at once that it was the nest of a
termite, or ant, which the Mexicans call _comejen_.
"It is a nest of white ants," I said to my son; "they are insects of the
neuropteral order, and allied to the _libellula_."
"But where are they?"
"You will soon see," I answered.
So, kicking the spongy mass, immediately out came a multitude of
insects, which swarmed about in every direction, as if to ascertain the
cause of the disturbance. Lucien wanted to examine them closer.
"Take care," I called out to him; "the termites you see are nothing but
the inoffensive workers; the soldier ants will soon make their
appearance, and if they bite you they will certainly draw blood."
Lucien looked at me, thinking I was joking.
"I am speaking quite seriously," I hastened to add; "termites, like bees
and ants, the latter of which they much resemble at first sight, live in
communities, and build nests which are often larger than the one you are
looking at. This nest, skillfully divided into cells, contains a king, a
queen, workmen, and soldiers. The workmen are the clever architects,
whose duty it is to build, maintain, and, in case of need, increase the
curious edifice which you took for a sponge. The only duty of the
soldiers is fighting against enemies that attempt to disturb the peace
of the colony."
"But I see thousands of holes; does each termite have a separate
chamber?"
"Not exactly; there is first a chamber for the queen, which is the
largest; then comes the nursery, afterwards a large compartment, in
which the working ants place the eggs which the queen lays night and
day."
"How I should like to see all this!"
Being convinced that practical illustration is better than the clearest
explanation, I again struck the nest. The workmen, who were beginning
to disappear, soon came out again to examine the spot threatened, and in
a moment after the surface of the nest appeared to be swarming. I then
kept making a noise at one point of the nest only, when the soldier ants
soon rushed out, easily recognizable by their enormous heads; finally, I
removed a small portion of the outside of the construction, and brought
to light a multitude of white specks. These were the eggs, which the
workmen hurried to carry farther into the nest. After having caused all
this disturbance, I led Lucien away, for the ground was covered with
soldier ants, and I was too well aware of the violence of their stings
to willingly expose him to them.
"But I haven't seen the queen," cried my young companion.
"She keeps quite in the centre of the building, immured in a cell which
she seldom or never leaves, for her bulk is equal to that of twenty or
thirty working ants. Sumichrast, who has been a great observer of these
insects, asserts that the queen lays about eighty thousand eggs a day.
As soon as they are hatched, the young termites are carried off into
large compartments, where they are fed until they are old enough to take
a part in the labor. During the rainy season, a certain number of white
ants are born with four wings, which enables them to proceed to a
distance and found other colonies; but these wings are only temporary,
and I have often been puzzled by finding immense quantities of them."
"How do the termites manage to build their dwellings?"
"The one we have just examined appears to be formed of earth, kneaded up
with a kind of gum which the insect secretes. In the subterranean
passages of a termite's nest there are arches which seem to be composed
of morsels of wood stuck together by some sticky matter. These insects
are omnivorous, and, like ants, take care to lay up abundant stores of
provisions."
We were now commencing to climb the mountain, and, raising my eyes
aloft, I was glad to see our two companions already seated by the fire.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XV.
OUR SUBSTITUTES FOR LAMPS.--FIRST GLANCE INTO THE CAVE.--THE
ELATERIDES.--THE GOTHIC HALL.--STALAGMITES AND STALACTITES.--A
CHICHIQUIMEC CEMETERY.--THE "TREE OF ST. IGNATIUS."--THE OPOSSUM AND ITS
LITTLE ONES.
Lucien had run on in front with the two partridges; when I arrived at
the bivouac, I found an enormous mole roasting on the fire, and
Sumichrast catching with the utmost care the fat which ran from it.
"How did you kill this animal?" I asked, addressing my companions; "I
did not hear you fire."
"L'Encuerado knocked it down with the butt-end of his gun, and just at
the same moment your two shots brought us back to the cave."
"Why are you collecting this fat? Is it a prophet of some new dish in
preparation?"
"No; but I intend inspecting the cave, and with this grease we shall be
able to make a lamp, which will be more than useful."
I approved of Sumichrast's idea, and, as he had discovered a colony of
moles, proposed to go after dinner and catch some of them, so as to
increase our supply of light. Besides, I hoped that in this walk we
should meet with some kind of resinous tree, the branches of which might
serve as torches. Lucien could hardly restrain his joy, and wished to
penetrate into the cave without further delay. He scarcely gave himself
time enough to eat, and scolded l'Encuerado for being so slow, which was
an indirect mode of asking us to hurry.
Having again reached the forest, we searched for a pine or a fir, the
branches of which, being full of resin, would have enabled us to show
more mercy to the moles. Hearing us mention these two trees, Lucien
wanted to know the difference between them.
"They both belong to the Coniferous family," replied Sumichrast; "but
firs generally grow upon lofty mountains far inland, while pines abound
on sea-coasts, the shifting, sandy soil of which is, after a time,
consolidated and fertilized by them."
Sumichrast's explanation still left much wanting; I saw this from
Lucien's numerous questions; but without seeing a specimen of each tree
it would have been difficult to better describe their peculiar
characteristics.
After a long and unsuccessful walk, we halted in front of a guaiac-tree
with dark-green foliage, a higher tree than any we had before met with.
This fine member of the Rutacean family was covered with pale-blue
flowers. It produces a gum used especially by the English in the
preparation of tooth-powder; but the hardness of its wood, which would
have blunted our weapons, induced me to pass it by. A little farther on,
l'Encuerado spied out a _liquid-amber_ tree, valuable on account of the
balsam that oozes from its branches when cut, which is burned by the
Indians as incense. He climbed the knotty trunk of this colossus, and
cut off some branches, which Sumichrast split into small pieces, after I
had cleared off their leaves. Our work was interrupted by the approach
of night, and we made our way to our bivouac, each loaded with a heavy
fagot.
As soon as we arrived, Lucien had the satisfaction of trying one of our
flambeaux. The branch crackled when lighted, and, as we entered the
cavern, five or six bats flew out. I led Lucien by the hand, and very
soon he was the only one who could stand upright. Afterwards we entered
a vast chamber with a dome-shaped roof, which became lower the farther
we penetrated; this was rather a disappointment, as we had fancied there
was something more to be seen than a mere cave. A heap of reddish earth
in one corner attracted Sumichrast's attention, who examined it to see
if he could discover some fossil bones. Standing all together, we must
have formed, by the smoky light of our odoriferous torches, rather a
fantastic-looking group. More than half an hour elapsed without
discovering any results from our digging. L'Encuerado, who had tried to
crawl in between the roof and the ground, suddenly raised an
exclamation; he had, in fact, all but fallen into a deep pit. In an
instant I was laid down flat on my stomach and crawling towards the
Indian; Lucien, owing to his size, was able to creep on his hands and
feet, and consequently soon got in front of me. We could soon see down
into the bottom of the hole; the burning fragments of our torches fell
upon a heap of stones at a depth of twelve or fifteen feet. L'Encuerado
threw one of the torches into the chasm, and the vague glimmer showed us
a yawning opening on the left. Delighted with this discovery, we now
beat a retreat, deferring a more thorough exploration until the next
day.
The night was dark, and during our absence the fire had almost gone out.
Just below us, a tree, the outline of which we could scarcely
distinguish, seemed covered with animated sparks. Lucien opened his eyes
very widely indeed, not being in the least able to understand this
phenomenon, which was produced by thousands of _elaterides_, insects
which have on each side of the thorax a yellowish spot which becomes
luminous in the dark.
Nothing could be more curious than to see innumerable glittering spots
rising, falling, and crossing one another with extraordinary rapidity;
one might have fancied it a tree bearing flowers of fire waving about in
the breeze. L'Encuerado came up with a specimen, which lighted up his
hand with a greenish glimmer. Lucien took possession of it, and the two
luminous spots looked to him like two enormous eyes. Suddenly the insect
gave a kind of shock to the boy's fingers, who looked at us full of
surprise.
"The name of the insect," said Sumichrast, "is derived from a Greek word
which signifies elastic; and it has just shown you that it well deserves
the family name which has been given to it. Examine for an instant how
it is shaped; the angles of its corslet form sharp points; added to
this, its sternum also terminates in a point which the insect can insert
at will into the cavity which exists under its second pair of legs. The
women in the _Terre-Chaude_, by passing a pin through this natural ring,
can fix this brilliant insect as an ornament in their hair, without
injuring it in the least. Now, then, place it on its back."
"It's pretending to be dead!" cried Lucien.
"Yes; it does that, like many other kinds of insects, in order to
deceive an enemy about to seize it."
"Oh, how it jumps!" exclaimed Lucien.
"That is its only means of getting on its feet again, when it has had
the misfortune of falling on its back. Look; it pushes the point which
terminates its chest against the edge of the hole situated lower down;
then it raises its head, piff! paff! you might fancy it was a spring
going off. It didn't succeed the first time, but now it is up on its
legs, and now you've lost it, for it has flown off!"
Lucien's first impulse was to dart off in pursuit of it, as the route it
had taken was shown by its luminous appendages. But it was long past our
usual hour for repose, so we all sheltered ourselves as well as we
could, and dreamt of our next day's adventures.
Day-break found us all up, and already comforted with a cup of coffee.
We had been troubled during the night by mosquitoes; but they were only
the harbingers of the legions which are before us. Lucien, full of
impatience, could not take his eyes off the entrance of the cave, and
followed all our movements with anxiety. A hollow stone which
l'Encuerado had found was filled with fat, a morsel of linen served as a
wick, and our make-shift lamp soon burned and gave forth light.
As the branches which were to serve as torches were being distributed, I
noticed that a yellow and transparent drop had formed at the end of
each. This gum, by its odor and color, has given to the tree which
produces it the name of _liquid amber_. At last, followed by my
companions, I entered the cave; l'Encuerado placed the lamp on the edge
of the pit, and the bats which had been disturbed the evening before
again commenced their whirling flight.
Preceded by Sumichrast, I ventured down to the bottom of the pit. A
narrow passage led from it into a vast chamber, the more distant parts
of which we could not discern on account of the darkness. While my
friend was exploring, I returned for Lucien. The lamp, thanks to the
Indian's skill, was safely let down without extinguishing the light;
lastly l'Encuerado himself made his appearance. Passing along the narrow
passage, I soon perceived Sumichrast, who looked like some fantastic
apparition as he shook his torch over his head, endeavoring to see
through the darkness which enveloped us.
The lamp being set down at the entrance of the passage, each of us took
a lighted torch, and advanced at a slow pace. Sumichrast and the Indian
skirted the wall to the left, while I walked along the wall to the
right. Our smoky torches gave but an imperfect light, and we could
scarcely see beyond three yards in front of us. A little farther on, the
ground was strewn with fallen stones; before venturing on this dangerous
ground, I cast a glance towards my companions; they were not in sight. I
gave them a call--a formidable clamor resounded through the chamber, and
Lucien crept close to me.
"It is the echo returning to our ears Sumichrast's answer," I hastened
to tell him. "They are in another chamber; you call them now!"
The boy, agitated, raised his voice. Immediately the dark vaults seemed
to repeat his words; and the sound increased, as it moved away, as if a
thousand persons, placed at intervals, were repeating some watch-word. A
sonorous "Hiou! hiou!" prevailed over the uproar, and the face of
l'Encuerado appeared on our right before the echo of the call had died
away.
"Come and see a beautiful church!" cried the Indian. "A church made of
diamonds, Chanito!"
We moved towards the entrance by an inclined passage, down the slope of
which we followed l'Encuerado. The distance between the walls gradually
increased, and soon we found ourselves in a vast hall studded with
stalactites; in it Sumichrast arranged the lighted torches.
[Illustration: "The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger . . .
style of architecture."]
The Indian was not far wrong; we might easily have fancied ourselves in
a Gothic cathedral. The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger,
more original, or more fantastic style of architecture. Never did any
painter of fairy scenes imagine any effects more splendid. Hundreds of
columns hung down from the roof and reached the ground below. It was a
really wonderful assemblage of pointed arches, lace-work, branchery, and
gigantic flowers. Here and there were statues drawn by nature's hand.
Lucien particularly remarked a woman covered with a long veil, and
stretching out over our heads an arm which a sculptor's chisel could
scarcely have rendered more life-like. There were also shapeless mouths,
monstrous heads, and animals, appearing as if they had been petrified,
in menacing attitudes. The illusion was rendered more or less complete
according to the play of the light; and many a strange shape was but
caught sight of for a moment, to as rapidly vanish.
While we were moving about the cave, some long needles, hanging from the
roof, touched our heads.
"They are stalactites," said I to the astonished Lucien. "The
rain-water, filtering through the mountain above, dissolves the
calcareous matter it meets with, and produces, when it evaporates, the
beautiful concretions you are now looking at."
"Here is a needle coming up from the ground."
"That is a stalagmite; it increases upward, and not downward like the
stalactites, through which, besides, a tube passes. Look up at that
beautiful needle, with a drop of water glittering at the end of it. That
liquid pearl, which has already deposited on the stalactite a thin layer
of lime, will fall down on the stalagmite, the top of which is rounded.
After a time the two needles will join, adding another column to the
grotto, which, in the course of time, will become filled up with them."
"Then do stones proceed from water?" asked Lucien, with a thoughtful
air.
"To a certain extent," I replied; "water holds in solution calcareous
matter, and, as soon as the liquid evaporates, stone is formed."
"According to this," interposed l'Encuerado, "the pebbles ought to melt
in the rivers."
"So they do; but they do not melt so easily as some things--sugar, for
instance. Don't you recollect that in the Rio Blanco the water is
almost like milk, and that it leaves a whitish coating on the branches,
and even on the leaves with which it comes in contact."
"That's true enough," replied the Indian, who had often wondered at the
petrifactions with which the banks of the White River abound.
"But the water that falls down here is quite clear," urged Lucien,
holding his torch close to a natural basin.
"But, nevertheless, it contains salts of lime in solution, the same, in
fact, as all water, particularly that from wells. And it is for this
reason that housekeepers will not use it; for it will not dissolve soap,
and hardens the vegetables that are cooked in it."
"Now do _you_ understand this?" asked l'Encuerado, addressing Lucien; "I
don't."
"Yes, I do, a little."
"Well, you are very fortunate! The other day stones were said to come
from the sun or moon, and fly about all covered with fire; now, they are
formed by water. Perhaps M. Sumichrast will tell us to-morrow that they
come from the wind."
The Indian then walked away, quite indignant; we followed him, smiling
at his anger, becoming more and more enchanted by the spectacle which
met our eyes. Unfortunately, our torches gave a very insufficient light,
and the thick smoke rapidly blackened the arches above us. A great
polished stone now impeded our passage, and compelled us to crawl. I
took the lead, and, passing through a kind of narrow corridor, made my
way into a small chamber. I raised a sudden exclamation; for five or six
skulls, symmetrically arranged, seemed to glare at me through their
empty orbits.
"Oh father!" cried Lucien, "are we in a cemetery?"
[Illustration: "Five or six skulls . . . seemed to glare at me through
their empty orbits."]
"Yes, my boy; I think this must be a Chichimec burial-place. This
nation, which preceded the Toltecs and Aztecs in Mexico, were in the
habit of depositing their dead in caverns."
Sumichrast examined a skull which he had picked up; its white and
perfect teeth showed that it must have belonged to a man who died young.
A few paces farther on five or six more skulls lay on the surface of the
ground; they were inclosed in by fine stalactites, and appeared as if
they were grinning at us through the bars of a dungeon.
For more than a thousand years, perhaps, these skulls had reposed in the
niches which had evidently been hollowed out on purpose for them. The
soil of the grotto had apparently risen at a subsequent period. What
revelations as to the ancient history of Mexico might be contained in
this cave! Without much difficulty, l'Encuerado broke through the upper
calcareous layer, and brought to light some loamy earth, out of which he
procured a small cup of baked clay. I then began digging; my fingers
soon touched some hard object; it was a small stone statuette. I had
scarcely loosened my discovery from the earth, before Lucien also
plunged his arm into the hole and brought out a little fancifully-shaped
tortoise, the tail of which had been used as a whistle. Enticed on by
these successes, we knelt down so as to break through a wider extent of
the calcareous stratum; but our torches began to burn palely, and the
close chamber, now filled with a thick smoke, was no longer bearable.
Sumichrast complained of humming in his ears, and I also felt
uncomfortable; so, much against our inclination, I gave the signal of
departure. The lamp was dying out, and was filling the outer chamber
with a nasty smell, which gave the finishing-stroke to our unpleasant
feelings. L'Encuerado and Lucien were the first to leave the cave; from
it I afterwards emerged with Sumichrast, both being quite blinded, when
we reached the open air, by the overpowering rays of the sun.
Shouts of laughter resounded on all sides; we had the appearance of
negroes, or rather of chimney-sweeps. It was no use thinking about
washing ourselves; the contents of our gourds were too precious; and
besides, there would not have been water sufficient. As there was water
in the cave, l'Encuerado offered to go in and fetch some; but the smoke
which escaped from the hole made me feel anxious, so, for the time, I
opposed the Indian's re-descending into it.
We were surprised at the time our exploration had lasted; it had taken
no less than four hours. Although we had made up our minds to continue
our journey on coming out of the cavern, the fatigue we felt, added to a
desire to have another look at the subterranean wonders, decided us to
put off our departure until the next day.
After resting an hour, we all set off to seek our dinner. I examined
with much curiosity the neighborhood of our encampment. The presence of
skulls in the cave proved that some Indian tribe had once inhabited this
locality; but as the Chichimec (or Chichiquimec, in the chapter-heading)
Indians constructed nothing but huts, time had, doubtless, obliterated
all trace of their former presence.
I can hardly describe the pleasure I felt in again viewing the woods,
the verdure, the insects, the flowers, and enjoying the light of the
sun. The interior of a cave, certainly, has the effect of producing
melancholy, attributable, no doubt, to the silence and darkness; for the
beautiful hall, radiant with stalactites, was but little likely to cause
sadness. The effect on Lucien's mind was of a serious character, and he
seemed never to be weary of asking questions.
"These natural hollows," said Sumichrast, "often occur in gypsum
mountains, but still more frequently in volcanic or calcareous masses.
Some, which are as old as the world itself, date from the earliest
upheavals of the surface of the globe, when the fused matter which
composes the centre of the earth broke through the scarcely
solidified crust, and, rushing upward, formed the mountain chains we now
see."
[Illustration: Crater of Popocatepetl.]
"Then the centre of the earth has been once in a liquid state?"
"It is so still, as is shown by volcanoes; but the period of great
catastrophes is past. The molten matter solidified on the surface, as it
became cool, and then water made its appearance, and transformed and
rendered habitable the thin crust on which we live, the thickness of
which is so inconsiderable when compared with the bulk of the globe."
"What is this molten matter composed of which is burning under our
feet?"
"The same substances which we see around us--granite, porphyry, and
basalts, which are called _igneous_ or _Vulcanian rocks_, as contrasted
with the _Neptunean rocks_, such as gypsum or lime, clay and sandstone,
the agglomeration of which is attributed to water. The science which
deals with these subjects is called _geology_, a study with which, some
day, you will be delighted."
"Then all Vulcanian rocks can be melted?"
"Yes, if they were subject to as great a heat as that existing in the
centre of the earth, which reaches an intensity at which the imagination
recoils. But to return to the subject of caves. Some have been produced
by the dissolving action of water. Thus, at some future date, the spring
which we saw gushing out from the fallen mountain might dry up or alter
its direction, and leave for the curiosity of future travellers the
sight of chambers full of stalactites such as we have inspected."
Our geological chat was interrupted by an exclamation from l'Encuerado,
who had just discovered a tree which the Mexicans call "the Tree of St.
Ignatius." Its fruit is of a brown color, with a woody husk, something
like small melons, which, as they hang on the tree, strike against one
another with a sharp sound. L'Encuerado informed Lucien that this fruit
is in the habit of bursting suddenly with a loud explosion, and that the
flat beans which they contain are much used as medicine.
[Illustration]
Sumichrast led the way through the forest, where we were sheltered under
the tall trees. After a somewhat long ramble, during which we met with
nothing but magpies, I requested l'Encuerado to guide us back to our
bivouac. All of a sudden my friend enjoined silence; an opossum,
followed by five young ones, was coming near us on our left. The animal
indolently approached a tree of middling size, which it climbed, aided
by its prehensile tail. Its progeny crowded busily round the foot of the
tree, uttering plaintive cries. The opossum then came down again, and
scarcely had it put foot to the ground before its disconsolate family
rushed pell-mell into the maternal pouch. Thus loaded, the animal
climbed the tree more slowly, and sat herself quietly on one of the
lowest branches. We could see nothing but the pointed muzzles and black
eyes of the little ones, which seemed as if they were looking down from
the top of a balcony. One of them at last ventured to emerge, and
crawled along the branches; soon the whole litter followed this example.
Sumichrast advised Lucien to clap his hands, and I ordered l'Encuerado
not to fire at the poor animal. Frightened at the noise, the little ones
hastened to their mother, who set up her thin ears and showed us a
double row of white teeth. One of the stupid little things, in its haste
to reach its asylum, fell down from the tree. In a moment the opossum
had jumped down close to it, and turned towards us her threatening jaws;
then, finding all her treasure complete, she disappeared among the
brush-wood.
"Why didn't you let me shoot at the _tlacuache_?" asked l'Encuerado.
"What is the good of killing a poor creature which would be of no use to
us?"
"You know well enough," replied the Indian, "that this 'poor beast'
finds its way into granaries; that it devours the corn and also fowls,
without reckoning the damage made by them in other ways."
"Yes, that's true enough; but this animal, at least, is innocent of all
these misdeeds, for it lives too far from any town."
This scene had quite delighted Lucien. I acquainted him with the fact
that opossums, kangaroos, and several other animals of the kind, the
females of which are provided with a pouch to shelter the young ones,
are, for this reason, called _marsupials_.
The opossum is very common in Mexico. Its long, pointed, and
deeply-divided muzzle is armed with fifty-two formidable teeth, although
the animal feeds principally on eggs, insects, and birds. The young of
those species which are unprovided with the pouch, as soon as they are
able to walk, climb up on their mother's back and intertwine their tails
with hers, which she carries over her back for this purpose. This
instinct is perhaps more curious than that which leads them to dart into
their mother's protecting pouch.
Time was getting on; it now became important for us to reach the spot
where the moles were; and l'Encuerado predicted good sport there without
firing off his gun.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XVI.
THE EARTH-NUTS.--A WILD-CAT'S FEAST.--ANOTHER EXPLORING EXPEDITION TO
THE CAVE.--THE BATS.--EXCAVATIONS IN A TOMB.
While making our way through the brush-wood, in the hopes of putting up
some game of a more appetizing nature than the _opossum_, our feet
became entangled in the fibrous and creeping branches of the earth-nut,
called by the Indians _tlalcacahuatl_. Although the stems were still
covered with white flowers, l'Encuerado dug up the soil in which the
fruit had buried itself in order to complete its ripening, and there
found a quantity. The _tlalcacahuatl_, which is classed by botanists in
the leguminous order, produces yellowish, wrinkled pods, each containing
three or four kernels, which are eaten after being roasted in their
shells; their taste is something like that of a chestnut. It is now
cultivated to some extent in Europe, and the nut produces an oil which
does not readily turn rancid, and is used in Spain in the manufacture of
soap.
Lucien and l'Encuerado were the most pleased at the discovery, for they
were very fond of these earth-nuts, which, on the days of religions
festivals, are sold by heaps in front of the Mexican churches.
"It is the day but one after Ascension-day," cried the Indian; "we
certainly can not hear Mass, but, at all events, we can try to please
God by eating pea-nuts in His honor."
The sun was beginning to sink, and hunger dictated to us that we should
hasten our steps. I therefore led my companions towards the bivouac. We
had but just started again, when five or six hares came giddily running
almost between our legs. Lucien was skillful enough to shoot one, and
Sumichrast knocked down another. L'Encuerado loaded with the game, we
proceeded to our hut.
Being now reassured as to our bill-of-fare for dinner by this unexpected
windfall, I kept on walking towards the entrance of a glade, the soil of
which, being quite burrowed, betrayed the presence of the moles. Each of
us lay down under the shade of a tree. Chance led me under a robinia or
iron-wood tree, the trunk of which will defy the best-tempered axe. In
front of me stood a _tepehuage_, a kind of mahogany-tree, with
dark-colored foliage, which will become, some day, the object of
considerable trade between Europe and Mexico; the beauty of this red
wood, veined with black, renders it highly fitted for the manufacture of
furniture.
Gringalet had followed the Indian. I advised Lucien to keep silence, so
as to observe the operations of the moles, who would be certain to come
out of their burrows as soon as the sun set. In fact, first one, then
two, and at last twenty made their appearance; and in less than a
quarter of an hour I counted more than a hundred engaged in throwing up
the ground, playing about, and fighting, all the time uttering shrill
cries. Lucien was much amused as he watched them squatting down on their
hinder parts, making grimaces, and gnawing the roots and bark.
A single gunshot would have enabled us to double our store of grease,
but it would have been a waste of our powder and shot. In fear of
yielding to the temptation, I was thinking of giving the signal for
departure, when it became evident that the animals whose games were
enlivening us were actuated by a sudden panic. All the moles, which
were solemnly seated, nodded to and fro their enormous heads, showing
their long yellow incisors, and seemed to sniff the air. Suddenly they
all rushed towards their burrows. A _jaquarete_ had scattered them by
springing in among them. The new-comer, a species of wild-cat, with a
coat of the darkest black, left two or three victims dead upon the
ground, and then set up a plaintive mewing.
This call soon attracted two young ones, which darted at once on the
first mole they came to. Each of them seized hold of one side of their
prey, spitting just like cats, and trying to tear it with their
formidable claws. The mother was obliged to put a stop to the quarrel by
an energetic display of authority, allotting a separate victim to each
of her ferocious offspring; then she lay down and yawned several times,
while the young ones were tearing to pieces the bodies of their prey.
When they had eaten all they required, the mother gluttonously devoured
all that was left, without ceasing to watch a third mole, round which
the two young carnivora were prowling. Whenever they came near her prey,
she gave a growl; and they seemed to know the meaning of this maternal
injunction, for they crouched down to the ground, and drew back,
lowering their heads, as if from fear. As soon as her repast was
finished, the _jaquarete_ caught up in her mouth the untouched mole, and
made off without noticing us.
"What do you think of these little ogres?" asked Sumichrast, addressing
Lucien.
"How very pretty they are, with their black shiny coats! They are just
like big cats."
"That's very likely, for cats are their first cousins."
"Do _jaquaretes_ ever attack men?"
"No; but, still, if we had tried to touch her young ones, the mother
would perhaps have flown at us."
"To eat us?" asked Lucien, opening his eyes very widely.
"She would bite and tear us with her claws, or otherwise injure us. But
seriously, as a general rule, wild beasts, or _carnivora_, as the
_savants_ call them, are always formidable, and, whatever may be their
size, it is unsafe to provoke them. If one of us, unarmed, had to fight
hand to hand with a wild-cat, it is probable that he would receive more
injury from the contest than the animal."
Night was now falling fast; but, fortunately, our fire guided us to our
resting-place. When we were yet some distance off, we were amused at
seeing the Indian prowling round, or gravely sitting down face to face
with the dog, with whom, no doubt, he was chatting. Suddenly the dog
jumped up, pricking up his ears, and ran out to meet us, while
l'Encuerado raised over his head a burning branch to throw a light upon
our path.
At day-break we were awakened by the voice of the Indian. The gloomy
appearance of the weather threatened us with one of those fine rains
which appear to last forever. Sumichrast went off to cut some long
switches covered with leaves, one of which light boughs he handed to
each of us before he would allow us to enter the cave.
"What are these switches for?" asked Lucien, in surprise.
"M. Sumichrast wants to catch some bats, Chanito."
"Does he intend to eat them?"
"Oh no; though I have no doubt they would be very good."
"Their flesh is delicious," interposed Sumichrast; "the wing especially
is a tidbit which I can highly recommend."
But my friend could not keep a serious face when he saw Lucien's
frightened look; so his joke partly failed in its effect.
L'Encuerado entered the cave on tiptoe. The rest of us, taking up a
position at the entrance, made every preparation to enrich our
collections. Two bats soon fell, beaten down by our switches. Lucien
examined them without much repugnance, but the shape of their muzzles
surprised him even more than their wings. One of those which he examined
had lips cloven in the middle and doubled back; the other had a flat
nose and still more hideous visage, and possessed, instead of ears, two
enormous holes, at the bottom of which were situate its black and
brilliant eyes. Added to this, the membrane of its wings was so thin and
transparent that it seemed as if it must tear with the slightest
exertion. The poor little animal gradually recovered itself, and showed
its delicate and sharp teeth. Sumichrast took it up, and hung it by the
claw at the end of its forearm, in order to show Lucien the way in which
these creatures cling to the rough places which form their usual
resting-place; but it suddenly let go its hold, and disappeared in the
dark cave open in front of us.
The bat, apparently an imperfectly-formed creature, was for a long time
a puzzle to naturalists. Fontaine makes it say:
"I am a bird; look at my wings!
I am a mouse; the mice forever!"
_Savants_, also, used to describe it as a bird provided with hair
instead of feathers, and with teeth instead of a bill. Geoffroy
Saint-Hilaire was the first to teach that the wings of the bat are
nothing but the fingers of the animal joined together by a thin
membrane. I had thus another opportunity of proving to Lucien the wisdom
of our Creator, and the simplicity of the means He employs in producing
the infinite variety of beings which people the universe.
"This is the first time," cried l'Encuerado, indignantly, "that I have
heard the devil made use of as a means of bestowing praise upon Almighty
God."
"Bats have no connection with your devil," said Sumichrast; "they are
nothing but animals, rather more curiously constructed than others."
"Oh! M. Sumichrast, then you can never have examined their wings? The
Satan that St. Michael is treading under his feet in the beautiful
picture in the convent at Orizava has wings just like the bats. And as
to these caverns, every one knows that they are the residences of bad
spirits."
"Let us make our way at once into it, then," said Lucien, who in no way
shared his friend's superstition.
As on the day before, we descended to its bottom, and, skirting the
left-hand wall, entered a wide chamber, in which water fell in a
continual shower. We were inconvenienced by the icy drops which ran down
our clothes, and I therefore advised Sumichrast to turn back; but
instead of doing so, he pushed on into a winding passage. Before long
the roof became so low that Lucien alone could stand upright. I brought
up the rear, watching my guides, who kept on ascending or descending,
according to the inequalities of the ground. Sometimes it was necessary
to halt, to climb over a rock, or cross a pool of water. At last I saw
my companions again resume their upright position; we were now in a
hall, so vast that our torches were quite powerless to throw a light up
to the roof.
Surrounded by hundreds of bats, flitting round the torches like immense
moths, and yet always avoiding them, we had ample opportunity for
observing the precision of their flight. At length, stunned by their
shrill cries, I again proposed to beat a retreat, but Sumichrast
insisted upon continuing our search. He urged that the bats, who went
out every night into the open air to seek their food, would not be
likely to follow the narrow winding path we had followed; there must
therefore be some other outlet. My friend and l'Encuerado set off in
search of it; but I did not dare to venture farther with my boy over
the damp and sticky ground. Our two scouts, however, climbed some
enormous heaps of rock many feet above us; and we suddenly lost sight
them.
[Illustration: "Our two scouts climbed some enormous heaps of rocks."]
The bats still swarmed round us, pushing their familiarity so far as to
brush us with their wings. My prudence rather vexed Lucien, who had
become very intrepid. After about five minutes, Sumichrast's voice
summoned us, and we bent our steps towards the heap of rocks which had
been scaled by our companions.
The ascent was difficult, and, in spite of remonstrances, I would not
let go Lucien's hand. Fortunately I did not do so, for suddenly he
slipped, and, while trying to save him, I dropped my torch; and there we
were, perched up on this pile of _débris_, in utter darkness.
"Don't move!" I cried; "you know that we are surrounded by precipices."
"How dark it is! One might fancy that the darkness was solid, and
weighed down upon our eyes."
"The fact is, that we are in a darkness in which the light does not
penetrate, even by reflection, and, like you, I could readily fancy that
I was blindfolded. Call l'Encuerado."
The vaulted roof above us re-echoed the name of the Indian, who
immediately replied.
The bats now ceased their flight; but when the light reappeared the
uproar began afresh. Lucien related our accident to his friend, who, in
his hurry to come to our rescue, fell several times over the rocks. At
last he reached us, and, lighting our torches, he guided us over the
dangerous ground. When we cleared the fallen rocks, we entered a chamber
studded with stalactites, on which Sumichrast's torches threw a light,
and the walls of the cave glittered as if they had been covered with
crystal stars. From the ground, from the roof, and from the walls,
clusters of variegated rays were reflected in every direction, as if
emanating from ten thousand diamonds. The beauty of this scene was quite
sufficient to dazzle far less enthusiastic spectators than we were. But
it was not long before a repulsive, oppressive, thick smoke compelled us
to move on, and a few paces through a passage brought us into the centre
of an immense hall, lighted by an aperture into the open air.
I joyfully hailed the blue sky, and then closely examining the ground we
were treading on, noticed that it was covered with fragments of baked
clay. Removing this, it was not long before we came to a layer of damp
charcoal. L'Encuerado went outside and cut some branches, which, when
pointed at the end, helped us in our digging. After two hours of hard
work, we succeeded in laying bare more than a square yard of black and
greasy mould.
Thoroughly exhausted, in spite of my curiosity being excited, I was
compelled to follow Sumichrast out of the cave in order to breathe the
fresh air. A fine rain was falling, and I was so devoted to the idea of
my excavation in the cave, that I was very glad to use the state of the
weather as a pretext for putting off our departure to the next day.
My companions had hardly recovered their breath before I summoned them
back to work. L'Encuerado, as the hole became larger, was quite excited,
and soon fancied that he could perceive gold. The fact is, that every
Indian believes that all caves and grottoes contain unheard-of
treasures, either the work of nature or buried by man, and that these
treasures are guarded by some malicious genius, who allows the searchers
just to catch a glimpse of the hidden riches, but never permits their
being carried away.
"Don't laugh, Tatita," said the Indian to me, with a mysterious air;
"especially just at this moment."
[Illustration: "The animal continued to retreat before him, and led him
to the mouth of a cave."]
He then went on to tell us that a friend of his, who was tending his
flocks on the mountain, ran into the thickets in pursuit of one of
his goats. The animal continued to retreat before him, and led him to
the mouth of a cave. The Indian, hesitating at first, at length took off
all his clothes, so as to be sure that he carried no iron about him, and
entered the cavern. But he soon drew back, startled by the sight of
fifty broken boxes overflowing with coined money. Instead of profiting
by this windfall, and taking possession of the fortune by appropriating
some of it which had fallen out on the ground, the stupid fellow
returned to his village as quick as he could, and communicated his
discovery to his friends. That very evening five of them set out,
provided with sacks, intending to convey the treasure to a safe place.
They camped in the vicinity of the cave, and the night wore away in
drinking to the health of the good genius. As soon as day appeared, they
followed their guide. First they ascended, and then they descended; but
they never succeeded in finding the spot where all this enormous wealth
lay.
"He was not able to find his way back to the spot?" said Lucien, much
interested by the story.
"No, Chanito; the cave had become invisible."
"Invisible! but why?"
"Because they had some iron about them!"
"But you have just told us that he stripped off all his clothes?"
interposed Sumichrast.
"Ah! but, unfortunately, he kept his flint and steel in his hand."
The afflicted tone in which l'Encuerado pronounced this last phrase drew
a smile even from Lucien.
Again we entered the cavern, and picking over with care the layer of
charcoal which had already been laid bare, I discovered a small vase of
burnt clay, full of ashes. On one of the faces of the urn was depicted a
grinning visage, and in the interior was found one of the so-called
pilgrim's scallop-shells with the skull of a bird. Accustomed as I was,
by long apprenticeship, to such discoveries, I had no doubt whatever but
that a skeleton would soon present itself, and a skull was soon
discovered; then the vertebræ and tibiæ of a human being. Next we found
some obsidian arrow-heads; and, last of all, some small broken clay
figures. Unfortunately, it was no use thinking about carrying away all
these relics; so I made up my mind to give up further labor. Directly
after dinner we busied ourselves in putting our baggage in order, so as
to be ready to start the next morning at day-break.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XVII.
A FORCED MARCH.--WILD-DUCKS.--VEGETABLE SOAP.--AN UNWELCOME GUEST.
It rained all night, and I awoke about seven o'clock in the morning
shivering with cold. It was Ascension-day, and l'Encuerado, before
making up the fire, chanted a canticle, and, after the manner of Roman
Catholics, piously crossed himself. We were soon comforted with some
coffee, and then, each of us resuming his burden, started off to reach
the foot of the mountain. Before plunging into the forest, I could not
help looking back with regret at the cave we had scarcely explored, and
in which so many archæological curiosities remained buried. The sun only
showed itself at intervals through grayish-looking clouds driven
violently along by the east wind. The state of the earth, moistened by
rain which had lasted twenty-four hours, rendered our progression very
difficult, for we were traversing a ferruginous soil. Such wretched
walking put the finishing-stroke to our ill-humor by smearing and
soiling our clothes; for my part, I inwardly anathematized travelling in
general, more especially in rainy weather.
Just as we were emerging from this miserable ravine, Gringalet, who had
no doubt scented something, suddenly rolled himself upon the ground,
frantically. We had proceeded some distance before he rejoined us,
covered with a coating of red clay, which gave him as singular an aspect
as can well be imagined. The dog ran up and down, bounded about and
barked, as if he was making it a business to amuse us. Nor were his
efforts without success. We now reached a small plain, in which the sun
flooded us with its warm rays. This had the effect of putting us into
better humor; for our clothes dried, and with the warmth the feelings of
discomfort to which we had been a prey departed.
We were again entering among trees, when l'Encuerado suddenly stopped.
"What is that moving down below there?" he said.
"Some deer," I replied, after looking at them through my glass.
Each of us hurried to hide behind a bush, in hopes that the beautiful
animals would come within gunshot. Several times l'Encuerado expressed a
wish to move round to the other side of the plain; but I opposed his
idea, as the distance was too great. We spent more than an hour in
watching the flock browsing, playing about, and licking themselves; but
not one of them ventured in our direction. Tired with this inaction,
Sumichrast emerged from his hiding-place, and the deer scampered off.
Upon the whole, however, this delay had not been altogether useless;
for, thanks to the heat of the sun, the ground had become more
traversable, and my friend actually hummed a tune as he took the lead.
The time when we ought to have settled our bivouac had long passed, yet
we were still on the road. The path we were treading was flat and
unpromising, and the water from the cave, with which we had filled our
gourds, was so unpleasant in taste that we longed to find a spring.
Being unable to get a clear view of the horizon, I directed l'Encuerado
to climb to the summit of a lofty tree. The Indian ascended to its
topmost branch, and, having surveyed the prospect in every direction,
came down far from pleased at having failed to discern what he desired.
Fatigue, however, now compelled us to halt.
Our hut was soon constructed, the fire lighted, and the stew-pot filled
with water and rice. Not one of us felt inspired with sufficient courage
to induce him to go reconnoitring. An hour after sunset we were all
sleeping side by side; l'Encuerado had quite forgotten his earth-nuts,
and even dropped off to sleep without having been able to finish the
chant which he commenced.
I was wakened up by the cries of the tanagers--a beautiful species of
bird which lives in flocks. Lucien, like all the rest of us, complained
of feeling rather stiff in the joints, resulting, no doubt, from our
long journey the day before. On the morrow our little party started with
rather a hobbling gait; the presence of the birds seemed to tell us that
we were near some stream. Our limbs began gradually to lose their
numbness; we were now descending an almost imperceptible slope, and the
vegetation assumed a more tropical aspect. As we passed along, I noticed
several pepper-plants; and next we came to bushes, round which myriads
of _cardinal_ birds were flying. Guided by these beautiful red-plumaged
creatures, we suddenly found ourselves on the banks of a stream, running
noiselessly over a bed of white sand.
With as little delay as possible, a fire gave forth its exhilarating
flame. Butterflies, dragon-flies, and birds fluttered round the
flowering shrubs. There was a perfect concert of buzzing and twittering,
and a gentle breeze agitated the foliage and cooled the air. Nothing
seemed wanting for our comfort but game for our dinner. Fortunately,
Providence rarely does things by halves. We had scarcely sat down to
take breath, when a flock of wild-ducks settled near us. They were at
once saluted by a platoon fire, and four victims strewed the ground and
water with their white, brown, and blue feathers.
"These are the first aquatic birds we have met with," said Sumichrast;
"it will not be long now before we are among the marshes."
"What birds are wild-ducks related to?" asked Lucien.
"To swans and geese, Master Sunbeam," replied my friend. "All the
individuals of this order, as their name--_palmipedes_, or web-footed
birds--indicates, have their toes united by a wide membrane. Ducks, many
species of which are found in Mexico, have a flat bill; and their short
legs, placed so far behind, compel them to waddle in walking, although
they can swim with great facility."
"How do they manage to perch on a tree with feet of that kind?"
"With the exception of the wood-duck, this family never perch; they pass
the day in dabbling in the water, and sleep upon its surface, or among
the reeds."
"Then they must always be wet."
[Illustration: "They were at once saluted by a platoon fire."]
"Not so; nature has covered the feathers of web-footed birds with an
oily substance, which renders their plumage quite water-proof. Ducks are
gregarious, and migrate from one locality to another, according to
the seasons. They are so common on the lagoons which surround the city
of Mexico, that sportsmen scarcely will be troubled shooting them."
While l'Encuerado was preparing dinner, I and my companions walked along
the edge of the stream. Before long I discovered some water-cress--a
lucky discovery for travellers who are confined constantly to animal
food. Lucien examined the small white flowers, which have obtained for
all its family the name of _Cruciferæ_; these vegetables contain an
acrid and volatile oil, which gives them strong anti-scorbutic
qualities. The cabbage (_Brassica oleracea_), turnip (_B. napus_),
radish (_Raphanus sativus_), and mustard (_Sinapis alba_), are of the
crucifera order. To this list we must also add the horse-radish, the
colza, the seed of which produces an oil well adapted for lighting
purposes; the _crysimum_, or hedge-mustard, a popular remedy in France
for coughs; the shepherd's purse, which the Mexicans use as a decoction
for washing wounds; and the _Lepidium piscidium_, employed by the
natives of Oceanica for intoxicating fish, so as to catch them more
easily.
"You quite forget the _cochlearia_, or scurvy-grass, so useful to
sailors as a remedy for scurvy?" said Sumichrast.
"You are right; but I think I've said enough about the _Cruciferæ_ for
Master Sunbeam to remember."
A few paces farther on, while we were looking for insects under the
leaves of a shrub, Lucien drew back in surprise at seeing it covered
with the pretty little creatures called tree-frogs (_Hyla viridis_).
Instead of flying towards the water, these reptiles made for the woods.
Sumichrast explained to the young naturalist that tree-frogs have sticky
disks on their feet, and by the aid of this mechanism they could move
about on leaves and even on smooth surfaces.
"In Europe," he added, "the peasants shut them up in bottles half full
of water, and assert that the animal predicts good or bad weather by
either coming up to the top or keeping under the water. The tree-frog,
like all its fellows, buries itself in the mud during winter, and
remains torpid. This lethargy, which in glacial climates has the effect
of preserving it from hunger, must in Mexico have some other cause, for
in the latter country it can find food all the year round. The skin of
the tree-frog secretes a poisonous matter."
"Come here and look at an apple-tree!" cried Lucien, suddenly.
I hastened to the spot, and found a shrub about thirteen or fourteen
feet high, covered with berries of a yellowish color, spotted with red.
I recognized what is called in the Antilles the soap-tree. This
discovery came just in the nick of time, and Sumichrast helped us in
gathering some of the useful fruit which would assist us to give our
clothes a thorough wash. Lucien tasted the little apples, which were as
transparent as artificial fruit made of pure wax; but he did not like
their astringent flavor, and threw them away with every expression of
disgust.
A quarter of an hour later, we were all kneeling on the banks of the
stream and trying who could perform the greatest amount of washing, the
fruit of the soap-tree affording us a plentiful supply of lather. In the
_Terre-Tempérée_, a root called _amoli_ is a substitute for soap; in the
_Terre-Chaude_ a bulb named _amolito_ is used for the same purpose;
lastly, in the Mistec province of Oajaca, the poor find a natural soap
in the bark of the _Quillaja saponaria_, a tree belonging to the rose
tribe. Even in Europe, a vegetable soap is also found--the soap-wort--a
little plant allied to the pinks, and which adorns with its unpretending
flowers the edges of ditches, and is employed by housewives for cleaning
silk stuffs and reviving their faded colors.
Quite refreshed with our wash, we stretched ourselves close to the camp
fire, looking forward to our meal of roast ducks dressed with cresses,
rice, and seasoned with allspice. On taking the first mouthful, I made a
grimace which was imitated by Sumichrast. The rice had an unbearable
aromatic taste. L'Encuerado regarded us with a triumphant look.
"What on earth have you put in the saucepan?" I cried, angrily.
"Don't you think it is nice, Tatita?"
"It's perfectly filthy; you've poisoned us!" But I soon recognized the
smell of a kind of coriander with which the Indians occasionally
saturate their food. Sumichrast, like me, had not got beyond the first
mouthful; but Lucien, who shared to some extent l'Encuerado's weakness
for the _culantro_, was having quite a feast. Our bill of fare was thus
reduced to a single dish, and I left the broiled duck to my two
companions and confined myself to the roast. With an artlessness that
approached the sublime, the Indian, thinking that we should prefer the
fresh plant to the cooked, the odor of which had been somewhat softened
down by the operation, presented us with several stalks. On the whole,
however, he was not altogether to blame, for we often ate with pleasure
his national style of cookery, and he had full right to be surprised at
our repugnance to their favorite _bon bouche_.
Gringalet just tasted the rice, then retired to roll on the twigs of
coriander which were lying on the ground, a proceeding which did not
much improve his toilet.
The sun was setting, and hundreds of birds were assembling around us.
Yellow, blue, green, or red wings were cleaving the air in all
directions.
There were finches of a violet-black, with orange-colored breasts and
heads, some blue or golden-throated grossbeaks, and birds adorned with
a variety of coloring, which the Mexicans call "primroses," while a
number of mockingbirds were warbling airs worthy of the nightingale. The
sun, lost amidst the golden clouds, bathed the trees and bushes with a
soft light. Gradually all became silent and nothing was heard but the
murmur of the stream, while birds of prey soared over our heads on their
way to the mountains. The eastern sky was now wrapped in shade and the
stars twinkled in the dark heavens, while on every bush animated sparks
appeared to flit about.
I had been asleep more than two hours, when I was suddenly awakened by
Gringalet barking. I jumped up simultaneously with my companions, who
were also alarmed by a rustling among the dry leaves. Silence was soon
restored, and I fancied, although the dog continued to growl, that it
was a false alarm; so I was about to lie down again, when Sumichrast's
hand touched me on the shoulder. An enormous serpent was gliding over
the ground beside us.
I at once recognized the black sugar-cane snake, which is only
formidable on account of its size; the planters are in the habit of
attracting it to their fields, to keep them clear of mischievous
rodents. L'Encuerado noiselessly left the hut. The snake raised its
head, and slowly contracting its rings, and throwing round a bright
glance, turned towards us. Sumichrast was just taking aim, when we heard
the report of a gun, and our hut was almost in a moment afterwards
crushed in by the repeated and furious struggles of the wounded reptile.
There was one moment of utter confusion; I disengaged myself as soon as
I could, at the same time protecting the stupefied Lucien, and drawing
him away. When I turned round, Sumichrast was approaching l'Encuerado,
who, cutlass in hand, was hacking at the serpent, to render it further
incapable of mischief.
[Illustration: "I at once recognized the black sugar-cane snake."]
At last the fragments of the black snake, blindly tumbling about, became
lost in the thicket, and all was again quiet.
"Well," said Sumichrast, "if, instead of being frightened, we had only
kept quiet, the snake would not have troubled us, and we should still
have had our house to shelter us."
"All's well that ends well," I replied, smiling. L'Encuerado again made
up the fire; Lucien complimented the dog on his watchfulness, who
thereupon licked his face. This undue familiarity drew upon him a
lecture on politeness, the end of which I was too sleepy to hear.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
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 ANHINGA.
The next day, which was the nineteenth since our departure from Orizava,
we examined and compared our compasses, and the course of our journey
was changed. Hitherto we had proceeded in a north-easterly direction,
skirting the provinces of Puebla and Vera Cruz, but still without
leaving the Cordilleras, the numerous valleys and forests of which are
still unexplored. According to my calculations, and also those of
Sumichrast, we were then abreast with the province of Mexico, and we
agreed to move westward, as if going towards its capital.
"Why are we not to continue to keep straight on?" asked Lucien.
"Because our journey must have some limit," I replied. "Up to the
present time we have only traversed what is called the _Terre-Tempérée_;
we shall now soon reach the _Terre-Froide_, and in three or four days we
shall again encounter habitations."
"Shall we see any people there?"
"I hope so; don't you like the idea of it?"
"I don't object to it; but it will seem so very strange to look again at
houses and men."
"Oh dear!" cried Sumichrast; "you have become a perfect little savage."
"Travelling about on foot is so amusing, that I should be glad if the
journey lasted a very long time--that is, if I had a chance now and then
of kissing mamma."
"Poor Sunbeam!" said Sumichrast; "I can't help thinking of next year
when you are at school. You will then often think of your present life."
"Oh papa, if you go out for another excursion during the holidays, I
hope you will take me with you, for you see I know how to walk."
"Before we think about another journey, let us first finish the present.
You seem to forget that the roughest part of our work is yet before us."
"Do you mean crossing the _Terre-Froide_?"
"No; we shall only take a glimpse at that; but in the _Terre-Chaude_, we
may meet with many trials."
"Bah!" said Lucien, kissing me; "the _Terre-Chaude_ is almost like home;
I shall behave so well, that you will be able to tell mamma that I am
quite a man."
The sun was up when I gave the order for starting. Sumichrast went so
far as to suggest that, after such a disturbed night, it would be better
to spend another day in our charming retreat.
"That's the way," I answered, "in which effeminacy gets the better of
energy, and cowardice of courage! Let us behave with more boldness, and
not be seduced into delaying our journey."
My companion accepted the reproof, and without further delay our party
were _en route_.
The stream pointed out to us the road we were to follow; along the edge
of it, sheltered by the bushes and enlivened by the birds which were
fluttering about the banks, we shaped our course. Sumichrast showed us
some dahlias--the flower which would be so perfect if it only possessed
a perfume. It is a perennial in Mexico, whence it has been imported into
Europe, and there grows to a height of about three feet, producing only
single flowers of a pale yellow color. By means of cultivation,
varieties have been obtained with double flowers of a hundred different
tints, which are such ornaments in our gardens. Many a Mexican, who
imports dahlias at a great expense, has not the least idea that the
plant is indigenous to his own soil.
The roots of the dahlia, salted and boiled, are eaten by the Indians; it
is a farinaceous food of a somewhat insipid taste. Certainly, the wild
potato is not much better; and who can tell whether cultivation, after
having enriched our gardens with its beautiful flowers, may not also
furnish our tables with the bulbs of this plant rendered more succulent
by horticulture.
The course of the stream described numerous windings, and the desire of
keeping on its margin frequently diverted us from our direct path; at
last it doubled round short to the left, and I bade farewell to it as if
to a friend, but, nevertheless, preserved a hope that its capricious
course would again bring it back in our path.
Our road now commenced to ascend, sometimes crossing glades or groves.
Suddenly a wide prairie opened out before us, and Sumichrast led the
way through its tall reeds. After a quarter of an hour's walking, our
guide began to sneeze; Lucien followed his example, then came
l'Encuerado's turn, and at last mine, and ultimately Gringalet's. These
repeated salvos were received with shouts of laughter and "God bless
you," often repeated; but a sharp tingling in the throat and eyes was
soon added to the sneezing.
"I say," cried my friend, "what does this joke mean?"
I looked round me more carefully, and discovered that we were surrounded
with euphorbia plants.
But this mishap soon became a most serious affair, as the sneezing
seemed as if it never would end, and our skin, eyes, and mouth commenced
to burn as if in a fever. On this occasion we did not care even to
construct a hut or light a fire, but were only too glad to lie down on
the bare cold ground, and seek in sleep some respite from our
sufferings.
Lucien, although very exhausted, endured his sufferings with such
courage as made me proud of him. Uncomplaining, he soon went off to
sleep; but to myself and companions such a luxury was refused.
At length, almost desperate, I woke up the Indian. Our faces had
continued to swell, but the Mistec, regarding me with a stupefied look,
simply grunted, and turned round to sleep again. However, it became
important that we should have a fire lit to enable us to prepare our
coffee: as for eating, I looked upon it as an impossible matter. With a
slowness and awkwardness which I could not overcome, I succeeded in
lighting some dry branches, and at length in making the water boil. I
then called my companions; they drank the refreshing beverage, without
showing any sign that they were conscious of the service I was rendering
them, for immediately afterwards they again went to sleep.
It was at least ten o'clock by the sun when Lucien set us the example of
rising. Suffering as we were, it was no use to think of resuming our
journey; so we made a virtue of necessity, and remained stationary until
we felt more fit to endure fatigue.
In the afternoon, Sumichrast and Lucien complained that they were
famished, which was an excellent symptom; so we took our guns, and,
following in Indian file, ascended the course of the stream.
We met with several pools of water, and then rocks strangely piled on
one another, which had slipped down from the mountains above. I climbed
the bank, feeling disposed to be content with the first game which
presented itself. However, I could see nothing but some toucans, far too
wary to get within gunshot of. At last a squirrel presented itself--a
poor pittance for five hungry stomachs.
Sumichrast, who had gone on in front, suddenly stopped, and signed to us
to be quiet. I glanced down the stream, and, near a hole full of water,
I discovered an agouara, or washer raccoon, squatted down, dipping its
paws into the water, and rubbing them together energetically.
L'Encuerado fired; it gave a bound and fell over. A lizard it was which
the animal was washing before devouring--a peculiar and inexplicable
habit to which it owes its name. It had a gray coat, and a tapering
muzzle like that of an opossum.
The agouara (_Procyon cancrivorus_) is frequently met with in Mexico. It
is closely allied to the Bear family, but is much smaller and more
active, and is both carnivorous and insectivorous. It climbs trees with
ease, and, whenever it takes up its abode near any habitation, makes
incessant raids upon poultry. It is tamed without difficulty, and will
run to meet its master, and seems to value his caresses; yet, like the
squirrel, which it resembles in its vivacity, it will suddenly bite
the hand of any one who feeds it. The flesh of this animal is white,
tender, and savory.
[Illustration: "Following in Indian file, we ascended the course of the
stream."]
L'Encuerado had dug up some dahlia roots, which he baked under the
ashes; but either this food was not exactly to our taste, or our still
irritated palates could not appreciate its delicacy.
Night came on, and the sky was full of gray clouds violently driven by
the wind, although just round us the trees remained quite motionless. It
was now too late to construct a hut, and we all stretched ourselves,
without other covering than the canopy of heaven, on beds of dry moss.
I woke up perished with cold; not a star appeared in the sky. Of the
uneasiness produced by the euphorbia plants, nothing now remained but a
sense of weight in the head and a slight inflammation in the throat. I
tried to go to sleep again, and fell at length into a kind of painful
torpor. I fancied I heard birds of prey crying, and a roaring noise in
the recesses of the forest. I got up with a view of driving away this
nightmare; but it was not a dream; the day was just breaking, and the
birds were welcoming its advent with many a clamorous note. A dull roar,
like that of a gale of wind rattling through a forest, resounded louder
and louder. I called Sumichrast and l'Encuerado; the latter at once
shouted out in horror--
"The torrent!"
Seizing Lucien, I carried him in my arms, while the Indian hastily
gathered together all our travelling gear that lay scattered around.
With powerful efforts I soon reached the top of the steep bank, followed
by my companions and Gringalet. Lucien, suddenly disturbed in his sleep,
scarcely had time to know what had happened. A furious uproar perfectly
deafened us, and a flood of yellowish water came rushing by; I saw one
of our coverings float off on its surface, and almost immediately, as if
impelled by some superhuman force, the rocks came rolling down, dashing
together under the force of the liquid avalanche.
One minute more and it would have been all over with us, or, at the very
least, we should have lost all our baggage and weapons, without which
our position must have been truly critical. As it was, our hats only had
sailed off in company with our covering; this loss much vexed us, for
none of us except l'Encuerado could walk with a bare head under the rays
of a tropical sun. We should have been somewhat consoled by meeting with
a palm-tree; but in the mean time, the Mistec, like all his countrymen,
knew well how to meet such an emergency. So we covered our heads with
the leaves of the water-lily, often used by the Indian women for a
parasol.
We knew by experience the rapidity with which these mountain torrents
will overflow. If it had been a month later during the rainy period, of
course we should not have exposed ourselves to the peril of camping in
the bed of a stream; for we had remarked the evening before that the sky
was obscured by gray clouds, and this ought to have put us on our guard.
The furious waves continued to bear down with them, without any effort,
immense masses of rock; but the body of the water, which did not
increase, showed us that it would ebb as rapidly as it had swollen.
L'Encuerado was obliged to content himself with some muddy water for
making our coffee; but if we had pretended to preserve all the
prejudices of civilized life, adieu to all our idea of traversing
Mexico. Besides this, we had a fresh disaster to grieve over; the
remainder of the raccoon, which we had kept for our breakfast, had been
lost in company with our bag of rice.
[Illustration: "The rocks came rolling down, dashing together under the
force of the liquid avalanche."]
We started again, not much enlivened by this series of misfortunes,
satisfied with nibbling for breakfast some morsels of _totopo_. All
our indisposition had now fortunately vanished, but we could not help
feeling some degree of ill-will against both the euphorbias and the
torrent. A long march, during which we several times left and rejoined
the course of the stream, brought us close to a hill at the foot of
which was a vast swamp. I gave the signal for halting. L'Encuerado in
our march had gathered some reeds, and set to work to plait us hats.
Leaving him with Lucien, Sumichrast and I went off in quest of game. On
our return from an unproductive ramble, I saw that my son was already
wearing a funnel-shaped head covering. L'Encuerado offered me a similar
one, which, as my friend remarked, gave me the look of a Chinese. After
having rested a short time, I thought about again looking for game; but
the uproar of the torrent seemed to have frightened away all animal
life.
This second ramble quite exhausted us, without producing any prey but a
tanager, far too small to afford food for so many. L'Encuerado and
Lucien, both out in the midst of the swamp, perceived us approaching.
The young gentleman came running towards us, holding his newly-made hat
in his hand; but, in his haste, he forgot that the bed of a marsh is
almost always slippery, and he fell flat on his face among some aquatic
plants. In one leap the Indian was close to him, and soon picked him up;
but, instead of complaining of his fall, Lucien looked up at the Indian
with a troubled face. The fact was, his hat held some fish he had caught
with his insect-net, and at least a third of them had disappeared from
his disaster.
"Oh dear! oh dear!" cried Sumichrast, who could not help smiling at the
piteous face of the young fisherman; "most decidedly, we are all
unfortunate."
This joke was taken in a serious light by l'Encuerado, who smote his
forehead as if suddenly struck by some idea.
"It is the genius of the cave!" he cried. "Ah! the scoundrel, after all
he owes me, and the precautions I took!"
"What precautions?" asked Lucien, surprised.
"I picked up seven white pebbles, and drew out a beautiful cross."
"What did the cross matter to him?"
"Matter to him! why, Chanito, he knows well that we are Christians, and
yet he bewitches us. Wait a bit, I'll match him."
And rearing himself up against the trunk of a tree, standing on his
head, with his legs in the air, l'Encuerado kicked about with all the
frenzy of one possessed. He fell sometimes to the right, and sometimes
to the left, but raised himself after every fall, and resumed his
clown-like attitude. Not one of us could keep a serious countenance
while looking at his contortions. Lucien laughed till he cried,
especially because the Indian, as if on purpose to render the scene more
comical, accompanied his gestures with invectives against the genius of
the cave and invocations to St. Joseph.
At last I told him to resume his natural position, and to keep quiet.
"Do you really think that I have done it enough?" he asked, addressing
me with imperturbable gravity.
"Yes," I replied; "from the way in which you have shaken him, I should
say he must have come out either through your mouth or ears."
"Then it's your turn now, Chanito!"
Lucien, delighted at having to execute this feat of skill, tried several
times to keep his balance while standing on his head; but overcome by
laughter, he was not able, so he fell, to rear himself up again. The
more l'Encuerado cried out to him, urging him to persevere, the louder
the boy laughed. The brave Indian, who was under the full belief that
an evil spirit must necessarily abandon a body placed upside down,
seized the legs of his young master and shook him violently as if he was
emptying a sack. Sumichrast at last put an end to this scene by
declaring that he was sure the spirit must have taken flight.
L'Encuerado then came up to my friend and proposed to assist him into
the same position as he had helped Lucien.
[Illustration: "L'Encuerado . . . set to work to plait us hats."]
"That's enough of it," I cried as soon as laughing allowed me to speak;
"M. Sumichrast and I have other means of expelling evil spirits."
L'Encuerado looked at me with wonder, more convinced than ever that my
power far exceeded that of the sorcerers of his own country.
We were now close to our fire. Lucien was gravely repeating the words
which l'Encuerado had addressed to the demon, when Gringalet commenced
howling. L'Encuerado had seized the poor animal by his hind legs, and
was violently shaking him, head downward.
"It's all for your good," said the Indian to the dog. "Can't you
understand that the evil spirit which you have in your body will be
certain to make you commit some folly?"
Lucien rushed to the assistance of his faithful friend, and at last
induced the Mistec to let him go. Not the least convinced of
l'Encuerado's kind intentions towards him, Gringalet seemed to bear
malice towards the Indian, and for three days was very shy of coming
near him.
After this scene the preparations for dinner occupied our attention. If
our guns had been more successful, we should have had fat to fry our
fish in. While we were deploring our ill-luck, I noticed a flock of
birds like ducks flying high up in the air; they made a wide circle and
settled down on the top of a tree. L'Encuerado fired at them, and one
fell. It was an _anhinga_, one of the most singular specimens of
web-footed birds that can be found anywhere. Represent to yourself an
enormous duck with a neck like a swan, a bill straight, tapering, and
longer than the head, webbed feet, and widely spreading and
well-feathered wings, and then know the _anhinga_. It dives and flies
with equal facility, can swim under the water and perch upon trees, the
highest of which it chooses for building its nest upon.
The flesh of the anhinga is not valuable, as it is hard and tough.
Perhaps a good appetite rendered me indulgent, but I found the flavor
very much like that of duck. The fat of this bird, carefully saved, was
used for frying our fish. The latter, I must confess, did not seem to us
so nice as the dark-colored meat of the anhinga. If it tasted rather
fishy, the fish themselves tasted muddy; on the whole, however, our
bill-of-fare was a tolerable one.
When night-fall came on, the trees stood out in bold relief against the
transparent sky, and l'Encuerado, delighted at thinking that he was now
unbewitched, gratified us with one of his unpublished canticles, which
materially helped to send us to sleep.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XIX.
THE BLACK IGUANA.--ANOTHER COUNTRY.--REMINISCENCES OF CHILDHOOD.--THE
MIRAGE.--A FIRE IN THE PLAIN.
By ten o'clock in the morning we had crossed some rising ground, and
were passing through a narrow gorge carpeted with ferns. Lucien headed
the party, closely followed by l'Encuerado; and led us on to a kind of
rocky staircase, down which, in the rainy season, water doubtlessly
flowed. This steep path compelled us to halt several times to recover
our breath. The branches of the bushes formed an archway over our heads,
and their blossoms surrounded us with their rich perfume.
At length a rise in the ground impeded our path, and the heat commenced
to inconvenience us. The refraction of light, especially, affected our
eyes, and our feet raised perfect clouds of dust. Lucien, who had become
quite an enduring walker, throughout kept in front, and often gained
ground while we were stopping to take breath. Just as we reached the
ridge of the hill, I saw the boy, who was a few yards in advance,
suddenly cock his gun and fire. I ran to him, but he disappeared down
the slope, crying out to me that he had shot a dragon!
I soon came up, and found the young sportsman standing in front of a
magnificent black iguana--_Cyclura acanthura_--which does, in fact,
somewhat resemble the supposed appearance of the fabulous animal
described by the ancients. Its skin shone with a silvery-gray metallic
glitter, more particularly on the dorsal ridge. L'Encuerado joined us
when it was dying, when, rubbing his hands, he cried:
"It is a _guachi-chevé_; what a splendid supper we shall have!"
"You have seen them before, then?"
"It is an animal which belongs to my country, Chanito; it abounds in the
plains which slope down to the Pacific Ocean. They are beasts which can
live without eating; they are sometimes kept for two months with their
feet tied and their mouth sewn up."
"The mouth sewn up?"
"Yes, Chanito, so as to prevent them getting lean. When I was your age,
during the time of Lent, I used to go iguana hunting with my brothers.
We sought them in the shallow marshes which are inundated by water
during flood-time. There, in hollow trunks of trees, or in holes made in
the mud, we found the black iguanas, and pulled them out by their
tails."
"Then they don't bite?"
"Oh yes, they do, and scratch also; so we took care to catch hold of
them by the neck, and tie both their feet and their jaws. Sometimes we
used to pursue them up the trees; but then, for they don't mind falling
twenty or thirty feet, they frequently escaped."
[Illustration: "I used to go iguana hunting with my brothers."]
Sumichrast completed this information by telling the young naturalist
that the iguana, which is allied to the lizards, is generally a yard in
length; and that the female lays thirty to forty eggs, which are much
esteemed by the native epicures; also that the green species--_Iguana
rhinolopha_--has a flat, thin tail, and swims much better than the black
variety, the tail of which, being covered with spines, is not well
adapted for progression through water. Thus, meeting with a green iguana
almost always indicates the vicinity of a stream; but the black
species is frequently found away from rivers.
Lucien wanted at first to carry his game, but he was overtaxed by its
weight and gave it up to l'Encuerado. Another hill was now before us,
and the ground became at every step more and more barren, and on which
there was little or nothing growing but a few shrubs with a bluish
flower. When we had reached the summit of this second ridge, a boundless
plain lay spread out before our gaze; we were now on the central plateau
of Mexico, in the _Terre-Froide_, eight thousand seven hundred feet
above the level of the sea.
What a change there was! The white soil was so light and dry that it was
carried away by the breeze, and produced nothing but a few leafless
trees. There were also some thorny bushes smothered in sand, and, a
little farther on, some gigantic _cacti_ astonished us with their
strange shapes. The sun, reflected by the red glaring surface, much
interfered with our sight, so we directed our steps to the right, where
there appeared to be a greater amount of shade.
"Oh, what a wretched country!" cried Lucien. "Can we be still in
Mexico?"
"Yes," replied I; "but we are now on the great plateau, almost on a
level with the city of Mexico and Puebla."
"Are we going to cross that great plain? I can see neither birds nor
beasts on it; in fact, one might almost fancy the very trees were
thirsty."
"You are right, for it does not often rain here. Nevertheless, this
ground, which at first sight appears so barren, is very fruitful when
cultivated. It produces wheat, barley, potatoes, apples, pears,
cherries, grapes, peaches, and, in short, all the European fruits, which
can only grow in a temperate zone. On this plateau, too, grows the
_Maguey agave_, _Mexicana_, a wonderful plant, which is as useful to
the Mexicans as the cocoa-nut tree is to the inhabitants of the lands to
which it is indigenous."
L'Encuerado had stooped down under a pepper-tree, and his glance
wandered over the scene. The fact was, that we were now about the same
height as that at which his own country is situated, and he might easily
fancy himself near his native village.
"What are you thinking of?" said I, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Oh Tatita! why did you disturb me? Here I feel myself almost as learned
as you, and I could tell you all the names of those flowers which turn
their bright faces towards me as if they knew me! It seems as if I had
often walked on that plain, and as if I had often seen these trees,
bushes, and plants-- You are laughing at me, Chanito; it's all very
well, but you'll see! Tatita will set me right if I tell you any thing
that is not true. Look here, for instance," continued the Indian, rising
up and plucking a plant with slender and whitish stems; "this is the
_alfilerillo_, which mothers give their children to cure them of sore
throats. Such shrubs are lost here; for their fruit would be useful in
my country. Here too, Chanito, is a _mizquitl_, a thorny tree on which
we shall be certain to find some gum. Indeed, here are three morsels of
it. You may safely suck it; it will not seem very nice at first, but you
will soon like it. Oh Tatita! you have really brought me back into my
own country."
"We are certainly on the same line, and it is not to be wondered at that
you find here the same kind of vegetation as in that in which you spent
your childhood."
The Indian was silent, and seemed musing. Sumichrast and I observed him
with some curiosity, and Lucien, surprised at his emotion, looked at him
anxiously.
"Here is the 'angel-plant,'" resumed l'Encuerado, suddenly. "How pleased
my mother used to be when I found one of them."
"What are its good properties?" I asked.
"Oh! it produces beautiful dreams, which seem to lift you to heaven."
The Indian again became pensive, sometimes casting a glance over the
vast prospect, and sometimes pulling up pieces of the turf which grew at
his feet.
"It only needs a palm-tree to make the landscape quite complete," said
he, thoughtfully.
In a minute or so he advanced towards the bushes, and, kneeling down,
plucked a tuft of yellow marigold, which are called in this country "the
dead man's flower." Afterwards I heard him sobbing.
"Oh Chéma! what is the matter?" cried Lucien, running up to his friend.
The Indian raised himself and took the boy in his arms.
"Once I had a mother, brothers, and a country," he said, sadly; "and
this flower reminds me that all those are now sleeping in the grave."
"Then you don't love me?" replied Lucien, embracing him.
The only answer l'Encuerado made was pressing the boy so tightly against
his breast as to draw from him a slight cry.
This scene quite affected us, and I and my friend, side by side, walked
back to the hut deeply sunk in thought.
Hunger soon brought with it more commonplace ideas. The white and juicy
flesh of the iguana was quite a feast for us all. Our meal we sat over a
longer time than usual; for in conversation we entered upon the subject
of our native countries, and the theme appeared inexhaustible. I
reminded my friend that, only a few days before, he had shown as much
emotion as the Indian on seeing two butterflies which he fancied
belonged to a Swiss species; and I brought forward these feelings to
oppose the intention he so often expressed of taking up his abode in the
midst of the wilderness, so as to live and die in solitude.
On the great plateau the sun shines rather later than in the lower
regions. As the luminary approached the earth, the sky was lighted up
with a purple color, and I saw standing out on our left in bold relief
the jagged outline of the Cordilleras of l'Encuerado's country. The
whitish ground gradually assumed a transparent appearance; our eyes
deceived us to such an extent that we fancied we saw an immense tract of
water, above which the trees, appearing as if they were submerged,
raised their green heads.
The moon rose, and, far from destroying the mirage, it rendered the
illusion still more striking. I resolved to descend from the hill in
order to convince Lucien how much our vision was deceived.
"There is no mistake about the plain being dry," said he, as we returned
to the bivouac, "and yet one might fancy that, as we were mounting the
hill, the water was rising behind us."
"The layers of the air," I replied, "are unequally warmed, and their
refraction, which causes the rays of light to deviate in their course,
reverses the objects which cover the plain, and, on the other hand,
causes them to appear more elevated than they really are."
"So we see water in a place where in reality there is none."
"You don't take the sky into account, which is reflected on the ground
beneath us as in a mirror. But the air is becoming cooler, and you will
soon see the phenomenon slowly disappear, as if some invisible hand was
pushing the mist back towards the horizon."
[Illustration: "The moon rose, . . . and rendered the illusion more
striking."]
While we were looking down over the plateau, and watching the mirage
gradually fade away, a distant light suddenly shone out. Loud
exclamations hailed the sight of this unknown bivouac; and, fixing our
eyes on it, we all formed endless conjectures. We had not expected to
meet with any habitation before the next day; and the cry of "land!" on
board ship after a long voyage could not have made a stronger impression
than the sight of this fire. The air was cool; still l'Encuerado was not
allowed to kindle a light, which would perhaps have betrayed us to foes.
It was now twenty days since we had met with a human being, and our
first feeling, after the instinctive joy at the idea of seeing our
fellow-creatures, was, alas! one of distrust.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XX.
THE MORNING AND NIGHT DEW.--THE TERRE-FROIDE.--WATER-SPOUTS AND
WHIRLWINDS.--THE BARBARY FIG-TREES.--THE CACTUS-PLANTS.--THE
VIZNAGA.--OUR HOPES DISAPPOINTED.--DON BENITO COYOTEPEC.
The sun had not risen when we were up and ready to start. We shivered
with cold, for on the great plateau which we had now reached, to which
the inhabitants of the lower regions give the name of _Terre-Froide_,
the mornings are frosty. The profound darkness was succeeded by a dim
twilight, afterwards by a fog, which penetrated our clothing as much as
rain.
"There has been no shower," cried Lucien, "and yet we are all wet."
"It is the dew, Chanito; it is almost as abundant as the night dews in
the _Terre-Chaude_."
"Are not morning and night dews the same thing?"
"Not exactly," I replied; "the morning dew is generally of a beneficial
nature; but the Mexicans dread the other, which falls after sunset, and
is said to be productive of fever."
"But from whence does all this moisture come?"
"From the air, which always contains a certain quantity, some of which
it deposits on the ground, on stones and plants, as they become cool by
radiation."
Just at this moment our attention was attracted by the first ray of the
sun, which, piercing through a light cloud, shot across the plain like a
bright arrow. The horizon, which had been visible, was now obscured by a
mist, which gradually rolled towards us. By degrees, however, it drew
off, and the trees a short distance away showed their rounded tops;
while wide breaks opened here and there in the semi-transparent veil,
and vanished as quickly as they had arisen.
The telescope was passed from hand to hand, and each tried to discover
if there was a hut where the glimmering fire had been descried the night
before. The search was in vain; the reflection of the sun's rays quite
dazzled us, and restricted the prospect; but, once in the right course,
we might advance without fear of missing our point, and, according to
our calculations, we would meet with habitations the next day or the
following.
Gringalet's tongue hung out of his mouth; he found the journey over the
nitrous soil very irksome, and the scanty leaves of the mimosa failed to
screen him from the sun. What a contrast it was to the pleasant regions
we had hitherto travelled through!
"Your country, after all, is not so nice a one as mine," said Lucien,
addressing l'Encuerado.
"My real native country is much more beautiful than that we are now in,
Chanito; in the first place, it has mountains and woods, and there it
sometimes rains."
"Shall we see any snow fall, now that we are in the _Terre-Froide_?"
"No," replied Sumichrast, smiling; "you will not see any snow before
next year, when you will be in France. The winters of the Mexican
_Terre-Froide_ are like our European springs. It is, however, never warm
enough to allow tropical fruit to ripen; but the _Terre-Froide_ only
deserves its name when it is compared with the _Terre-Chaude_ and the
_Terre-Tempérée_."
"It seems to me to have been very badly named, for it is as hot now as
the day when the south wind blew so strongly. Gringalet looks as if he
was of my opinion, for he lolls his tongue out much more than usual."
"Upon my word!" cried Sumichrast, "Master Sunbeam's remark shows that he
is a first-class observer. You are as right as you can be," continued
he, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "In the plains of the
_Terre-Froide_ the heat is much more uncomfortable than in the
_Terre-Chaude_ itself, where an insensible perspiration always mitigates
the oppressive rays of the sun. A few days' walking in this atmosphere
will do more in bronzing our skins than all the rest of the journey."
My companion suddenly stopped short, and pointed to the horizon with his
finger.
"That's smoke," cried Lucien.
"No, Chanito," replied l'Encuerado, "it is a _tornado_."
Seeing a slender column of dust rising up to the clouds, I had, at first
sight, formed the same idea as my son. It was, in fact, nothing but a
whirlwind of dust, which disappeared soon afterwards.
"There is no wind," observed Lucien; "how is it that the dust rises so
high?"
[Illustration: "The sand rose rapidly, whirling round and round."]
"There is every cause for wonder," I replied, "for no _savant_ has yet
explained the real cause of this phenomenon."
"If we happened to be caught in one of these whirlwinds would it carry
us away?"
"No, Chanito," replied the Indian, "it would be content with throwing us
down."
"Then you've had some experience of them?"
"Yes; when I used to play with the children in our village, and a
_tornado_ came within reach, we were always delighted to run through
it."
About a hundred paces from us, although there was not the slightest
breeze in the air, the sand rose rapidly, whirling round and round. The
rotation did not extend over a space of more than a few feet. There was
no apparent cause for it, and the phenomenon ceased as unaccountably as
it commenced.
Lucien was of course dying with anxiety to run through one of these
_tornadoes_; but all that we saw were quite beyond reach.
"I think," said Sumichrast, addressing me, "when it is thoroughly
studied on the great plains of Mexico, we shall be able to explain the
cause of this phenomenon. In a general point of view, these whirlwinds
are nothing but water-spouts in miniature."
"A water-spout!" asked Lucien; "what is that?"
"It is a natural phenomenon very like what you have just witnessed; but
it is of a far more formidable character, for it destroys every thing it
comes in contact with!"
"Did you ever see one, papa?"
"Only once, at sea. The English steamer on which I had embarked had just
left the port of St. Thomas, in the West Indies, and we were still
coasting the island; there was but a slight breeze blowing, the sky was
clear, and the water rippled with miniature waves, when, all of a
sudden, a large tract of the sea ahead of us was violently agitated. An
enormous column of water rapidly rose, and formed something like a dark
and terrible-looking column. After about a quarter of an hour, the
fearful phenomenon, which fortunately had kept on moving before us,
remained stationary. The volume, incessantly swelling, assumed a
dark-blue shade, while the column of water, which appeared to feed a
cloud, was of a gray color. A dull roaring noise like that of distant
thunder suddenly occurred. The column broke in the middle, and the
greater portion of the liquid fell into the sea with a tremendous shock;
but the upper portion sprinkled us with a heavy shower. Half an hour
afterwards we were sailing under a cloudless sky and over an unruffled
ocean."
"And what would have happened if the water-spout had reached the ship?"
"We should most likely have been swamped."
"How dreadfully frightened you must have been, Tatita!"
"Yes, of course; and I was not the only one who was in terror; for the
officers and sailors watched the course of the water-spout with evident
anxiety."
Chatting in this way, we were now penetrating among Indian
fig-trees--_Cactus opuntia_--commonly called prickly-pear trees. These
plants, covered with yellow flowers, would, a month later, have been
hailed with shouts of joy, for each of their upper stems would then bear
one of those juicy fruits of which the Creoles are so fond. Lucien
stopped in front of two or three of these plants, the dimensions of
which were well calculated to surprise him. Sumichrast availed himself
of this inspection to tell him that the cactus, a word derived from the
Greek, and meaning _thorny_, is a native of America, and that it grows
spontaneously in dry and sandy soil.
[Illustration: "Everywhere the cactus might be seen assuming twenty
different shapes."]
"You have forgotten to tell him," added l'Encuerado, "that the tender
shoots of the _tunero_, baked under the ashes, will furnish us this
evening with a most delicious dish."
A little farther on, the prickly pears were succeeded by another species
called the _Cierge_ (the _Cactus cereus_ of _savants_). Several of these
plants were growing with a single stem, and measured from ten to twelve
feet in height, looking like telegraph poles; others had two or three
shoots springing from them, which made them look still more singular. A
third species, creeping over the ground, added much to the difficulty of
our walking, and obliged us very often to take long strides to avoid
them. In spite of all the care we could take, we scratched our limbs
several times against their sharp spines.
I again took the lead--for there was not room between the _cierges_ to
walk abreast--and, climbing up a small hillock, surveyed a wide
prospect. Such a complete change could not possibly have taken place in
so short a time in any other country. More trees, more shrubs, more
bushes! Everywhere the cactus might be seen assuming twenty different
shapes--round, straight, conical, or flattened, and really seeming as if
it delighted in assuming appearances so fantastic as almost to defy
description. Here and there the _cierges_, standing side by side, seemed
to vie with each other in height, sometimes attaining to as much as
twenty to thirty feet, while the young shoots resembled a palisade, or
one of those impenetrable hedges with which the Indians who live on the
plateau surround their dwellings. Farther on, there were vast vegetable
masses of a spherical shape, covered with rose-colored, horny, and
transparent thorns, which displayed across our path all their huge
rotundity, really exhibiting nothing vegetable to the eye but their
color. Here and there, too, some creeping species, with their branches
full of thorns, formed a perfect thicket; one might almost have fancied
that they were a hundred-headed hydra.
"We might almost imagine we were in a hot-house full of rich-growing
plants and golden-colored flowers," said Sumichrast to me.
"Yes," I replied; "but we must also imagine that we are looking at them
through the lens of a microscope. What would a Parisian say if he saw
this _viznaga_?"
The plant I was pointing to was at least six feet in height and three
times that in circumference.
"When I was a shepherd," said l'Encuerado, "I led my goats into one of
the plains where the _viznagas_ grow. With my _machete_ I made a cut
into one side of the plant, and my goats immediately began to eat the
pith with which it was filled. Gradually they hollowed out a hole large
enough for two or three of them to enter at once, and this make-shift
hut afforded me a first-rate shelter against the rays of the sun and the
night breezes."
"Oh!" cried Lucien, with enthusiasm, "if we have to camp in these
fields, we must have such a house."
I again examined the landscape round us. There was nothing whatever
which betrayed the vicinity of man. Everywhere the _cacti_ spread out
their variously-shaped flowers, which were nearly all yellowish or pink.
Above us was a fiery sky, in which nothing seemed to move but a few
vultures; on the ground there were hundreds of lizards in constant
motion.
The Indian led the way, followed by Lucien.
"A footpath!" the boy suddenly cried out.
"A mimosa!" exclaimed Sumichrast, whose great height towered over us
all.
"A hut!" murmured l'Encuerado, stopping and holding his finger to his
lips.
We looked at each other; then, bending our steps towards the spot
pointed out by our companion, we each inspected the thatched roof, of
which only the top was visible.
With a rapid glance at my weapons I advanced carefully, followed by
Sumichrast. Lucien, l'Encuerado, and Gringalet brought up the rear.
We really felt some degree of emotion; the idea of seeing any human
beings but ourselves quite made our hearts beat; for were we going to
meet enemies or friends? This was the important question to be decided.
The path soon became wider; we were now scarcely two hundred paces from
the hut, and we were astonished not to hear the barking of dogs, which
generally prowl round an Indian's dwelling. Sumichrast, who was now in
front, came back.
"This silence seems to me a bad omen," he said; "take care we don't fall
into some ambuscade; I don't at all wish to be robbed, or, worse still,
murdered."
Leaving the path to our left, we made our way among the _cacti_.
"Are we in a savage country?" asked Lucien.
"Possibly, and that is why we have to be so careful," I answered.
"Do you think any one will hurt us?"
"The mere sight of our weapons might inspire the Indians with a desire
of obtaining them; in a spot where every one can do as he likes, there
is nothing to prevent them stripping us and sending us away naked."
"They are not Christians, then?"
"Ah, Chanito, they ought to be," muttered the Indian.
And, taking off his load, we soon lost sight of him among the
under-brush.
Under any other circumstances, Lucien's frightened look, when he saw us
take so many precautions in approaching a human dwelling, would have
amused; but, so far from doing so now, we listened anxiously for the
least sound.
At last we heard l'Encuerado's loud and welcome "Hiou! hiou!" The hut
was perfectly empty.
After an hour's rest, passed by the boy in rambling round it, I gave the
word for starting again. The Indian took the lead, following the still
visible traces of a footpath. The hut, hardly large enough to hold three
persons, seemed more like a temporary shelter than a settled dwelling;
l'Encuerado, who was a great authority in such matters, was of opinion
that it was only an offshoot to a larger settlement. After a tolerably
long walk, another footpath crossed the one we were following; on its
surface we noticed prints of naked feet--even those of women and
children. But although we carefully examined the horizon, nothing but
the immense white uninterrupted plain bathed in sunshine greeted our
vision.
This prospect somewhat damped our ardor. Ever since the morning, we had
been walking on in the hopes of meeting with a human dwelling. We had
scarcely eaten any thing, and hunger and thirst were added to the
disappointment we had met with. Lucien proposed to hollow out a
_viznaga_ to sleep in--a project in which he was encouraged by
l'Encuerado's telling him that we might have the luxury of a window, and
could keep off wild beasts by filling up the entrance with thorny
_cierges_. It may readily be understood how much the idea of bivouacking
inside a plant pleased the fancy of our young companion; and perhaps we
should have assisted in realizing his wish, if the barking of a dog had
not attracted our attention; so we recommenced our march in better
spirits. A rapid descent brought us near a number of tree-ferns, a
change of vegetation which we looked upon as a good omen. L'Encuerado
continued to follow the footpath, until he suddenly stopped on a gentle
eminence, which overlooked a small green valley with a brook running
through it. To my great joy I counted as many as six palm-leaf huts.
The sight refreshed us so marvellously, that we all descended with
rapid, long strides. Every now and then either a cock crowing, a turkey
gobbling, or a dog barking, came as music to our ears, and I can hardly
describe what pleasant feelings these familiar noises produced. As we
went on, the bushes on each side of the path screened our view of the
huts. The neigh of a horse attracted our attention, and a man, mounted
bare-backed, made his appearance about a hundred paces from us.
"Halt!" I cried to my companions.
With my gun hung to my cross-belt, and my hat in hand, I advanced alone
towards the rider, who had suddenly reined in his steed.
"Ave Maria!" said I, going up to him.
"Her holy name be blessed!" answered the horseman, raising his cap, from
which several locks of white hair escaped.
"Do you speak Spanish, venerable father?"
"Yes, a little."
"Are you the chief of the village?"
"What do you want?"
"We require water and a roof to shelter us."
"You are not alone, I see; from whom do you come?"
"We are nothing but travellers wandering through the forests to seek for
plants and animals with healing properties."
"But you are armed?"
"Well, we have a child to protect, and the brutes of the forest are
fierce."
"Are you speaking the truth?"
I then called Lucien, who doffed his hat to the old man and saluted
him.
"Child, may God bless you!"
"Are we to consider ourselves your guests?"
"Yes, you are the guests of Coyotepec; come along with me."
Sumichrast and l'Encuerado also approached the horseman, who dismounted
and then led the way. The latter conversed with the Indian in the Mistec
tongue, an idiom which Lucien alone could understand, he having been
taught it by l'Encuerado. From the way in which the old man scanned us,
I imagined that l'Encuerado had represented us to him as white sorcerers
of no ordinary skill.
Coyotepec--or "Stone Wolf"--might have been about seventy years of age.
He was born in this ravine, to which he had given the name of the
"_Mountain's Mouth_," though I am ignorant of the reason for the
designation. He had been taken, when very young, by one of his uncles to
Puebla, but he had soon left the city with the intention of rebuilding
the paternal hut, and of knowing nothing of the world beyond his own
domain. His six children were all married and lived near him, and the
little colony numbered as many as thirty individuals. He was an Indian
of the Tlascalan race, as robust and nimble as a man of forty, of middle
height, with a brown skin. He wore a hat made of palm-tree straw, and
was dressed in a white woollen jacket, fastened in round the waist like
a blouse; cotton drawers, scarcely covering his knees, completed his
costume.
"What is the nearest town to this?" asked Sumichrast.
"Puebla," was the answer.
"How far off is it?"
"About eight days' journey."
As the usual day's journey of the Indian is ten leagues a day, the
distance must have been about eighty leagues.
The old man could not furnish us with any other geographical
information; he had heard the names of Orizava and Tehuacan, but never
having visited these towns, he knew nothing of the distance we were from
them. For forty years, with the exception of the relations of his sons
and daughters-in-law, who paid him a visit annually, we were the first
persons who had disturbed his solitude. We availed ourselves of the
trunk of a tree to cross the brook, when our guide soon stopped in front
of a hut. Four naked children, the eldest of whom might have been ten
years old, inspected us with comical curiosity. They had never before
seen a white man, and although we were dreadfully bronzed, their
surprise was very great. A young woman, whose clothing consisted of a
piece of cloth folded round her hips, saluted us in broken Spanish, and
bid us welcome. The old man introduced us to his eldest son, named
Torribio, a man about forty years of age. His clothing was not quite so
primitive as that of his father, but consisted of slashed trowsers
ornamented with silver buttons, a cotton shirt, and a felt hat covered
with varnished leather. The little colony employed themselves in
collecting cochineal, which Torribio carried to Puebla for sale, and
this fact accounted for his more civilized costume. At length the old
man asked us to come into his hut, round which a large part of his
family were assembling. He called his wife, who was a little old woman,
dressed in a long cotton gown; then he addressed us, pointing to his
children and grandchildren, and said:
"You are my guests; my house is at your disposal, and all my relatives
are your servants."
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXI.
BLACK SKINS AND WHITE SKINS.--WE HAVE TO TURN CARPENTERS.--L'ENCUERADO
CHANTING AND PREACHING.--THE PALM-LEAVES.--VEGETABLE BUTTER TREE.
The dwelling so generously put at our disposal was a large shed, divided
into three rooms by bamboo partitions; mats, spread out on the ground,
formed our beds, and the remainder of the furniture consisted of nothing
but two benches. L'Encuerado swept out one of the rooms, and, collecting
some dry palm-leaves, made us a softer resting-place than we had slept
on for the last twenty days. A troop of children--of both sexes, and
perfectly naked--formed a circle round us, and watched our movements
with surprise. I omitted to mention about half a dozen dogs, who were at
first perfectly furious at Gringalet's appearance, but afterwards
contented themselves with growling whenever the intruder came near.
When our baggage had been deposited in the shed, I went and sat down a
few paces from the hut, on a mound overlooking the brook. Sumichrast
soon joined me. Gradually the sun went down, while the children,
previously playing about, went to dip themselves in the beautifully
transparent water. I told Lucien, who was dying to imitate them, to
follow their example. He had hardly taken off his shirt, when the young
Indians, who had watched him undress with evident curiosity, burst out
laughing, and chattered together like so many young paroquets.
"Why do they laugh so when they look at me?" asked Lucien of
l'Encuerado.
"Of course, because of your white skin; what else should it be? They
have never seen a human being of that color before."
"They think it so very ridiculous?" interposed Sumichrast.
"Yes, rather," replied the Indian; "but you must not mind it, Chanito;
for, after all, it is not your fault."
We and the young Indians now laughed in concert; and this incident led
on to a long conversation between Sumichrast and me. L'Encuerado, who,
we had imagined, envied us our white skins, pitied us, in fact; as no
doubt he would himself have been pitied by Nubians, because he was only
copper-colored.
"Why," said Lucien, who came up to us just as the discussion began, "are
not all men the same color? What is the reason of it, M. Sumichrast?"
"It is owing to the influence of the sun, which more or less colors the
pigment of the skin."
"The pigment?"
"Yes; a brown matter which exists under the skin, and gives to it a
shade more or less dark."
"Then Europeans have no pigment?"
"Yes, they have, just like all other races of men; only this matter does
not affect the whole of their bodies. The brown spots which cover the
face and hands of some people are produced by the pigment making its way
through the epidermis."
"Then," replied Lucien, "negroes would become white if they lived in
Europe."
"No," I answered, smiling; "the sun shines in Europe as well as in
America, and however weak its action may be, it is sufficient to blacken
the pigment."
"But if they always lived in the shade?" cried l'Encuerado.
"It would have to be perfect darkness, a thing which it is quite
impossible to procure."
At this moment our host called us. On a rickety table, covered with a
small cotton cloth, a bowl of thin soup, with _tortilla_ and tomatoes,
was smoking, and we all did full justice to our fare. This dish was
followed by a fowl seasoned with pimento sauce and black beans fried in
fat; then some _camotes_ (_Convolvulus batatas_) displayed the bright
colors of their mealy interior, in the midst of a sirup with which
l'Encuerado and Lucien regaled themselves. A large bowl of coffee put
the finishing stroke to our satisfaction. Instead of bread, we ate some
freshly made maize-cakes. Never had any dinner appeared so delicious to
us as this, for we had begun to get rather tired of game, which had
formed our principal food since we left home.
When the meal was over, Lucien ran back to join the children, who,
seated on the bank of the stream, were plaiting palm-leaves together.
One of them was very successful in making a grasshopper, and the boys,
delighted with the praises of their guest, vied with one another in
their inventions. They presented him with a bull, a fowl, a basket, and
other articles, which were very curious, considering the material used
and the skill of workmanship exhibited.
Lucien, perfectly enchanted with these presents, and finding that our
admiration hardly equalled his own, turned to l'Encuerado, who
criticised the articles submitted to him with an artistic eye:
"Then you, too, know how to weave palm-leaves?"
"Yes, Chanito, I can make grasshoppers, horses, and even birds."
"Only fancy! and yet you have never made any for me!"
"You are mistaken in that; when you were quite a little child I filled
your cradle with them. But as they seem to amuse you, I will teach you
to weave them for yourself."
At dark the children disappeared, and our host came to wish us
good-night. I told him of the light we had caught a glimpse of the
evening before.
"It was Juan," he said.
"And who is Juan?"
"The eldest of my grandchildren. He is watching a flock of goats in the
plain which belong to us."
The voice of the old man woke me next morning, and I got up at the same
time as Sumichrast, who was still in a semi-torpid state from having
slept so well. Lucien and l'Encuerado, who had risen earlier, had
already explored the ravine, led by the youngest of the children; for
the elder ones worked, according to their several abilities, at
collecting wood or cultivating the fields.
Our first care was to unpack the insects and bird-skins we had
collected, and the whole colony now surrounded us and asked us
innumerable questions. To our great disappointment, we found we could
only retain the most remarkable of our "treasures." Hitherto, the
bird-skins had taken the place in the basket of the provisions we had
eaten; but, after making an inventory, I came to the conclusion that,
when our provisions were renewed, it would be perfectly impossible for
l'Encuerado to travel with such an increased load. So we were compelled
to reject many of the specimens, though not without regret. Suddenly the
idea struck me of questioning Coyotepec about his son's annual journey
to Puebla.
"He will start in fifteen days," answered the old man.
"Will he go alone?"
"No; he takes with him three of our biggest lads and six donkeys."
"And are the donkeys laden?"
"Yes; but the boys start without any burden."
In an hour's time (an Indian never decides any thing without much
consideration) I arranged with my host that he should transport to
Puebla two cases in which I could pack my valuables.
Such a piece of good luck made us feel quite jolly; for by this means we
were enabled to preserve the whole of our collections, instead of
throwing many of them away, as had often before happened.
We were now in want of cases, and Coyotepec had neither saw, hammer, nor
nails; but he gave me some rough boards, on which we all set to work.
L'Encuerado and Sumichrast smoothed the planks with the help of two
woodman's hatchets, while I cut pegs, all laboring without intermission
until the next evening. A little before sunset we had succeeded in
making two large and tolerably light boxes, a task which, without proper
tools, was more difficult than any one could suppose who had not
undertaken it.
Sunday, which was Whitsunday, found us quite amazed at our performance.
L'Encuerado had succeeded in weaving some mats to cover the cases, and
preserve their contents from the damp. About eleven o'clock our host's
family assembled in front of the hut; the women and young girls were
dressed in red or blue petticoats, with their shoulders covered with
embroidered cotton chemisettes: and the younger boys were clothed in a
sort of blouse without sleeves. The grandmother was the last to make her
appearance, and she had a necklace of very valuable pearls round her
neck. The women wore ornaments made of bits of rough coral, and their
fingers were loaded with silver rings.
"We always assemble together on Sunday at the hour for mass, to say our
prayers together," said Coyotepec to me, "and to thank God who covers
the trees with fruit, and preserves us in good health."
"We are Christians the same as you," I answered gravely.
Then every one knelt down, and the old man recited the Litanies and a
succession of Ave Marias. After this one of the young girls chanted a
canticle, assisted by the others, who joined in. The singer had scarcely
finished her hymn, when l'Encuerado, perfectly electrified, entreated
the audience not to move, and at once struck up one of his favorite
chants. He kept us at least half an hour in the burning sun, till, being
tired of kneeling, I made signs to him to leave off. But it was lost
labor, for my servant pretended not to perceive me, and only multiplied
his gestures and cries, repeating the same verse three times running.
"Amen!" at last I cried, in a loud voice, getting up.
Every one followed my example; so, being at last set at liberty, I went
away, while the Indians surrounded l'Encuerado to congratulate him.
I had not yet paid a visit to the ravine, which, situated as it was in
the midst of the _Terre-Froide_, yielded the same kind of productions as
the _Terre-Chaude_. I called Sumichrast and Lucien, and, under the
guidance of Torribio, the Indian who every year drove the donkeys to
Puebla, we ascended the course of the stream.
Our guide first led us to his hut, surrounded by Bourbon palms. This
beautiful tree, belonging to the palm family, has a strange and yet an
agreeable appearance. From its very summit long stalks shoot out, at the
end of which hangs a wide leaf, which is first folded, and afterwards
spreads out like a fan ornamented with points. The Indians cut up these
leaves to weave the mats, called _pétates_, which form an article of
such extensive commerce in Mexico. They are also used for making
baskets, brooms, bellows, and many other household utensils.
Torribio's cabin consisted of but one room, and the fire-hearth was
placed outside under a small shed. This primitive abode contained
neither chairs, tables, nor benches. Sumichrast was full of admiration
at this simplicity, which I considered rather overdone; but my friend
compared the life of civilization, in which luxury has created so many
wants, with the lot of these men who can dispense with almost every
thing, and decidedly came to the conclusion that the latter are much the
happier.
On leaving the hut, I noticed to our left a magnificent avocado
pear-tree--_Persea gratissima_--the fruit of which yields a pulp called
"vegetable butter." The avocado pear, called by the Indians _ahuacate_,
is the same shape as a large pear, with interior of a light-green color
and of a buttery nature; its sweet flavor is delicious to every palate.
It is either eaten plain, or seasoned with salt, oil, and vinegar.
"The avocado pear-tree, I should think, has no relations among trees!"
said Lucien, smiling.
"Yes, certainly it has. It belongs to the Laurel family, and is the only
member of it which produces eatable fruit. Its connections, though,
occupy an important position in domestic economy. First, there is the
bay-tree--_Laurus nobilis_--the leaves of which are indispensable in
French cookery; while the berries furnish an oil used in medicine. Next
comes the _Laurus camphora_, from the leaves of which camphor is
extracted, the crystallized essence which evaporates so easily; then the
_Laurus cinnamomum_, the bark of which is called cinnamon; and, lastly,
sassafras, the aromatic wood which is said to be a powerful sudorific."
Our guide conducted us across a field of Indian corn or maize. Europe is
indebted to America for this valuable gramineous plant. The common bread
or _tortilla_ of this country, which is a kind of pancake, is made from
it. Before the maize is quite ripe, it is eaten boiled or parched; in
fact, generally throughout America, it is used instead of barley or oats
for feeding horses and cattle.
As soon as Torribio entered his own plantation, he bent down a few twigs
of the _masorcas_ without dividing them from the stem.
"Why do you bend those poor plants like that? Won't they die?" cried
Lucien.
"Yes; in the first place, because they are annuals, and our guide only
hastened their death a few days; besides, the ears he cut are ripe, and
will dry hanging to the stems which have nourished them. This method is
as simple as it is expeditious, but could only be put into practice in
countries where winter is nothing but a spring."
Behind the maize-field there was a hedge covered with long filaments of
a golden-yellow color. These filaments, which were entirely devoid of
leaves, grew all over the shrubs almost like a thick cloak.
"What is the name of this wonderful plant?" asked Lucien.
"It is the _sacatlascale_," answered Torribio.
"It is a sort of dodder," added Sumichrast, "a plant of the Convolvulus
family. The European species is destroyed, because it twines round
certain vegetables and chokes them. Here, however, the _sacatlascale_ is
allowed to grow, because some use has been found for it."
"What could be made of these stalks, which are so delicate that they
break if I merely touch them?"
"They are first bruised, and then dried in the sun," replied Torribio.
"When they want to dye a black or yellow hue, all they have to do is to
boil the paste in iron, or mix it with alum."
While we were climbing the banks of the ravine, Lucien availed himself
of such a good opportunity by smearing his hands all over with this
bright yellow substance. When we reached a certain height, we lay down
on the grass. With one glance we could take in the whole of this small
oasis. The stream meandered along, shaded with green trees; here and
there, among clumps of Bourbon palms, we could discern huts irregularly
dotted about. I turned my eyes towards our host's threshold, and,
through my glass, perceived l'Encuerado, who was still preaching. He had
evidently left off chanting, for his hearers were seated round him on
the ground.
Lucien took possession of the telescope, and I noticed that Torribio
also seemed very anxious to try the instrument. I told the boy to lend
it to him. Our guide, seeing trees brought so close to him, could not at
first account for this optical effect. I then directed the glass so that
he could see the group of Indians, and I never saw any human face
manifest such complete surprise. The Indian, who appeared perfectly
charmed, could not long maintain his gravity. Every time he succeeded in
discovering a hut, he hardly gave himself time to look at it, but rolled
on the ground bursting with laughter. Two or three times I put out my
hand to take back the telescope, but Torribio hugged it to his breast,
just like a child when any one attempts to take a plaything away. At
last he consented to give it to me, and I felt really sorry that I had
not another glass to offer him.
Sumichrast led the way round the end of the ravine. Suddenly the birds,
which were warbling on the banks of the stream, all flew away; a goshawk
was hovering above us in the sky. As it was flying swiftly through the
air, it passed us within gunshot; a shot struck it, and, tumbling over
and over, it fell to the ground about twenty paces from us. Lucien
immediately ran to pick it up.
"It is a falcon!" he cried.
"You are right," replied Sumichrast; "it is the Cayenne goshawk, which
is characterized by having a head covered with ash-colored feathers, by
a brown body, and black feathers in its tail."
"Will you skin it?"
"Yes, certainly, Master Sunbeam; firstly, because this is any thing but
a common bird; and, secondly, during the few days we shall stay here, we
must endeavor to fill the boxes which we have had so much difficulty in
making."
At this moment a finch, with red, brown, and white feathers, settled
near us.
"It is the _Pyrrhula telasco_," said my friend, "a species discovered by
Lesson, the celebrated ornithologist, in his journey to Lima. Ah! if I
wasn't so economical with the powder--"
"I have some powder," muttered Torribio.
"You have some powder!" I cried; "will you sell us some?"
"No," answered the Indian, dryly.
"Why not?" was my rejoinder. "Are you also a sportsman? Besides, if you
are, you will soon be going to Puebla, where you could get a fresh
supply."
"I never sell my powder," was the terse response.
"Very well, then, let us say no more about it."
We crossed over the stream by means of a tree which stretched from one
bank to the other. Ere the sun ceased to gild the ravine with its rays
we found ourselves opposite to the dwelling of the Indian patriarch,
which overlooked a hut similar to that of our guide. The sky was a pale
blue, and we had a glimpse of the monotonous plain dotted over with the
sombre cactus-plant; while just below us figured the fresh oasis,
rendered all the more charming by the contrast. The birds warbled in the
shrubs, and one by one flew away in order to return to the trees, among
the branches of which they had perhaps first crept out of the paternal
nest. A warm breeze was blowing when we got up to return to the village.
"I have some powder!" exclaimed the Indian, abruptly.
"Yes, very likely, but I also know that you don't wish to sell any."
"No, I don't."
The powder is surely mine, I thought to myself; and, after walking about
twenty paces, I again took up the subject.
"Even if your powder was very good, I wouldn't buy it of you; I know men
like you mean what they say; nevertheless, if you like, I will make an
exchange."
"What could you give me?" replied Torribio, with affected indifference;
"I don't want any of your birds, and my gun is quite as good as yours,
if not better."
"That's true enough, therefore say no more about it."
And I continued to follow my guide, who walked slowly on. He soon turned
round again.
"The magic glass," said he, with a great effort.
"Come! now we've got to the point," murmured Sumichrast.
"It is a bargain, if your powder is good," said I.
"Will you really give the glass to me?" cried the Indian, his eyes
lighting up with joy.
"I am always a man of my word," I replied.
Torribio hurried on so fast that Lucien was obliged to run in order to
keep up with us. After crossing the stream, our guide conducted us to
his hut, and showed us four cases of American powder which was quite
sound, and more than five or six pounds of assorted shot.
I was overjoyed at this discovery; but I maintained an indifference
quite equal to that of our guide, who was squatting down on the ground
with his chin resting between his knees.
"Here is the telescope," I said.
His features remained perfectly motionless, but his eyes sparkled and
his hand trembled slightly as he seized the object of his longing. I
showed him how to use and clean the instrument; then, loaded with the
boxes, which were so precious to me, and followed by my companions, I
returned to Coyotepec's dwelling.
"Why didn't Torribio say at once that he was willing to exchange his
powder for the telescope?" asked Lucien.
"The reason is, because an Indian always tries to conceal his wishes and
passions."
"But why didn't you offer him the instrument directly?"
"If I had shown too much eagerness, very probably he would have refused
to make an exchange, and the Indian seldom retracts what he has once
said."
Of course, l'Encuerado, always the most extravagant in its use, was
perfectly delighted to see our stock of ammunition trebled.
We had scarcely finished our dinner, when we heard the sound of a
guitar: the Mistec, after having preached, had succeeded in convincing
his congregation that a dance was the proper method of winding up the
day. The space in front of the patriarch's dwelling having been swept,
and two crackling fires lighted, ere long the women made their
appearance, in what they considered full dress, and their hair loaded
with flowers. The national air of the _Jarabe_ was played, and the
dancers trod the measure with energy. Lucien, who had joined the crowd,
wanted to teach the polka and waltz to the Indian children. Sumichrast
stood by, laughing most heartily; but his merriment increased on seeing
l'Encuerado's gambols, for never before had such wonderful capers been
cut. He sang, strummed on his guitar, and danced--often doing all three
at the same time. About ten o'clock, Lucien retired to rest. The
fatigues of the day, in spite of the noise of the guitar and the songs,
soon sent him to sleep.
At a proper hour I desired every one to go home. They kissed my hands,
some even embraced me, and obeyed; so silence once more reigned in the
little valley. Before my going to sleep, l'Encuerado was already
snoring, with his head on Gringalet's back.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
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.
As soon as it was light, I awoke Sumichrast and Lucien. L'Encuerado was
sleeping so soundly, after his exploits of the night before, that we
hesitated to disturb him. I intended to hunt for insects all day, so as
to fill up the vacant spaces in the specimen-boxes that Torribio was to
take to Puebla; so we bent our steps towards the bottom of the valley.
As the inhabitants were still asleep in their huts, Gringalet passed
safely all his sleeping brother-dogs with his tail boldly cocked.
The winding path brought us out into an extensive hollow covered with
verdure. In a hundred paces more, we reached some pyramid-shaped rocks,
which were bound together by the gigantic roots of a tree with scanty
foliage. The water glided noiselessly through the stones, and
disappeared under a low arch shaded by gladiolas, covered with blossoms.
Lucien, who was leaning over the opening, wanted to know what became of
the water.
"Perhaps it is absorbed by sand underneath; perhaps it will reappear in
the valleys, where the surface sinks to its level," I answered.
"Do streams often go under the ground like this?"
"Yes; particularly in Mexico, where these subterranean passages are
numerous. Near Chiquihuita, about five leagues from the road which leads
to Vera Cruz and Cordova, a large river vanishes into a cave, which is
more than three miles in length."
"Oh, how I should like to see such a large grotto!"
"Your wish shall be gratified, provided we do not lose our way in the
_Terre-Chaude_."
Sumichrast had only a few minutes left us, when we heard a report, and
he reappeared carrying a magnificent bird, whose red plumage had a
purple metallic lustre.
"We have never met with this fine fellow before," said Lucien.
"It is the most brilliant of all the American passerines," I
replied--"the _Ampelis pompadora_; but its splendid attire lasts only
for a very short time. In a few days its bright-colored feathers fall
off, and are replaced by a sombre, dull-looking coat. This moulting,
which is common to many birds, has more than once led ornithologists
into error, who have described, as a new species, a bird which a new
dress has prevented them from recognizing."
[Illustration: "The water . . . disappeared under a low arch."]
The neighborhood of the _sumidero_ furnished us with a dozen birds of
different species; among others, several tanagers peculiar to America,
and a pair of pretty light-brown cuckoos, with fan-shaped tails, which
are merely birds of passage in this locality.
"When you are speaking of a bird, why do you often say it belongs to
Brazil, Guiana, or Peru, when you actually find it in Mexico?" asked
Lucien.
"Because, at certain seasons of the year, many kinds of birds migrate,"
answered my friend; "and they are often found at an immense distance
from the country where they breed. This beautiful blackbird, for
instance, is never seen in Mexico except in the spring, which has caused
it to be called here the _primavera_."
"Look, papa, at these beautiful yellow flowers; they cover the trunk of
this tree so completely that it appears as if they grew on it."
"They are the flowers of the _trop[oe]olum_, or wild nasturtium. This
plant has been cultivated in Europe, where its seed is eaten preserved
in vinegar, and its flowers are used to season salads."
"Then the Mexicans do not know its value, for I have never seen it on
their tables."
"You are right; but still I should have thought that the piquant taste
of the flowers of the _trop[oe]olum_ would have just suited them.
Perhaps they find it too insipid after having been accustomed to chewing
capsicums."
"You have the seasoning, and I have the salad!" suddenly cried my
friend.
And he showed us a handful of an herb called purslane.
This plant, which grows in abundance in damp ground, has red flowers,
which close every evening and open again in the morning. I gathered the
fleshy leaves, while Sumichrast, who had found a plant covered with
seeds, showed Lucien the circular hole on the seed which has given to
the plant its family name (_Portulacæ_).
Some maize-cakes and a salad formed our frugal breakfast, which was
discussed on the edge of the stream. Lucien especially seemed to enjoy
it, for I was indeed obliged to check him, the appetizing flavor of the
salad had so sharpened his appetite.
When we had finished our meal, Sumichrast tried to climb the steep bank;
but the ground gave way under his feet, and two or three times he fell.
I left Lucien to manage for himself, for his falls were not likely to be
dangerous. As he was much less heavy than we were, he succeeded in
reaching the level of the plain first, and with very little trouble,
when he amused himself by laughing disrespectfully at our efforts.
"You had better take care of your ears," cried my friend, addressing
Lucien; "if I could reach you I would use them to hang on by."
In vain we tried to find a more accessible path. At last, getting rid of
my gun and game-bag, I accomplished the ascent.
"That's all very well!" exclaimed Sumichrast, fatigued and cramped with
his exertions; "but how am I to reach you, now that I have two guns and
two bags to carry?"
"Wait a bit!" cried Lucien; and, running down the slope, he soon
disappeared.
I heard him cutting at something with his _machete_; soon after he came
up again, carrying a long stem of cane.
"Now we'll try and fish up M. Sumichrast," said he.
Sitting down on the bank, I held out the rod to my companion, who at
once seized it, and, thus supported, gradually managed to bring up all
our hunting-gear, and ultimately himself, when, instead of pulling
"Master Sunbeam's" ears, he gave him a kiss as a reward for his
ingenious idea.
[Illustration: "Four children appeared."]
About two hundred paces farther on the verdant ravine came to an end,
and we were surrounded by cactus-plants. Lucien employed himself hunting
lizards, and Gringalet seemed to think he was proving his intelligence
by running in front of the boy, so as to frighten away all the game. The
young hunter succeeded, however, in catching a green saurian--an
_anolis_--which, being more courageous than lizards generally are, tried
to bite the hand that held it prisoner, and angrily puffed up its crest,
which is variegated like a butterfly's wing.
Suddenly Gringalet barked uneasily; then we heard a shrill whistle, and
immediately afterwards the cry of a cayote. I called in the dog, and,
with my finger on the trigger of my gun, cautiously advanced, telling
Lucien to keep at my side. We walked so noiselessly that we surprised
two or three adders which were coiled up in the sun. The screech of an
owl now struck on our ears. I exchanged a look of surprise with my
companion; this was neither the time nor place for a bird of this kind.
A fresh yelping and barking then resounded; but this time it was so near
to us that we halted. Gringalet dashed on before us, and four children
appeared, repulsing the dog with cactus-leaves in their hands, which
they used as shields.
"Well!" cried Sumichrast, "here we have the cayote, the owl, and the
dog, which have so puzzled us."
My companion was not wrong: the young Indians were carrying provisions
to their elder brother, who was taking care of a flock of goats. In
order to enliven their journey, they amused themselves by imitating the
cries of different animals, and they did it with so much accuracy that
we had been completely duped.
About three o'clock, my friend, who was anxious to prepare the birds he
had shot, left us to return to Coyotepec's dwelling. I continued
walking, accompanied by Lucien, but soon stopped to look at the dead
body of a mouse which grave-digging beetles were burying.
These insects, five in number, were excavating the ground under the
small rodent, in order to bury it. These industrious insects had
undertaken a work which would employ them more than twenty-four hours;
two of the beetles were lifting up one side of the carcass, while the
others scratched away the sand underneath.
"Why are they trying to bury that mouse?" asked Lucien.
"They are providing for their young. They will deposit their eggs
beneath the dead animal, and the larvæ, after they are hatched, will
feed on it."
I disturbed the active creatures, which, unfortunately for them,
belonged to a rare species. Their antennæ, which are club-shaped,
terminated abruptly in a kind of button, and their elytra, which are a
brilliant black, are crossed by a belt of yellow color. In vain I turned
over the ground and the prey, but I could only find four of them.
On a path leading to a glen, we noticed some cicindelas. Lucien began
chasing them, but the agility of his enemies soon baffled him.
"How malicious these flies are!" he cried; "I can't succeed in catching
one of them."
"They are not flies, but coleoptera, allied to the Carabus family. Give
me your net."
Lucien was anxious to obtain one of them, and at length was successful.
He was delighted with the beautiful metallic color of their brown
elytra, dotted over with yellow spots; but the insect, after having
bitten him, escaped.
"What jaws they have!" he said, shaking his fingers; "it's a good thing
those creatures are very small. Do cicindelas live in woods?"
"They prefer dry, sandy places, and can run and fly very swiftly. This
insect has an uncommonly voracious appetite; look at this one, which has
just seized an immense fly, and is trying to tear it in pieces."
The capricious flight of a stag-beetle led us to the edge of the ravine;
and, continuing to follow a zigzag path shaded with shrubs, we came out
in front of a hut. On the threshold there was a young woman spinning a
piece of cotton cloth, whom I recognized as one of the dancers of the
night before. The loom which held the weft was fastened at one end to
the trunk of a tree, the other being wound round the waist of the
weaver. Lucien examined it with great curiosity; and when he saw the
weaver change the color of her threads, he understood how the Indian
women covered the bottoms of their petticoats with those extraordinary
patterns which their fancy produces.
Within a short distance of the hut there were some nopal cactus-plants.
"Look at these plants," said I, addressing Lucien; "the sight of them
would probably affect l'Encuerado to tears, for they are principally
cultivated in his native land. The numerous brown spots which you can
see on their stalks are hemipterous insects, commonly called cochineal.
They have no wings, and feed entirely on this cactus, sucking out its
sap with their proboscis. The male only is capable of movement; the
female is doomed to die where she is born. At a certain time these
little insects lay thousands of eggs, and their bodies become covered
with a cottony moss, which is intended as a shelter for their young. The
cochineal is gathered when, to use the Indian expression, it is ripe, by
scraping the plant with a long flexible knife, and all the creatures,
still alive, are plunged into boiling water. They are taken out as soon
as they are dead, and dried in the sun. Afterwards, packed up in
goat-skin bags, they are sent to Europe, where they are used for dyeing
and for making the carmine which gives to some kinds of sweetmeats
their bright pink color."
A little farther on, I found myself facing a _maguey_--_Agave
Mexicana_--a sort of aloe, from which _pulque_ is extracted. The maguey
only blooms once every twenty-five or thirty years, and the stalk, which
is to support the clusters of flowers, grows, in the space of two
months, to a height of about sixteen to twenty feet. The stalk bears at
its summit no less than four or five thousand blossoms, and the plant
expends all its strength in producing them, for it dies soon after.
In the plantations on the plains of Apam, where the maguey is largely
cultivated, they prevent its flowering. As soon as the conical bud
appears from which the stalk is about to spring, it is cut off, and a
cylindrical cavity is hollowed out with a large spoon to the depth of
from five to eight inches. The sap collects in this hole, and it is
taken out two or three times a day with a long bent gourd, which the
Indians use as a siphon. It has been calculated that in twenty-four
hours a strong plant should supply about three quarts of a sweet liquor
called _Agua miel_, which is without odor, and has an acidulated sweet
taste.
The _Agua miel_ is collected in ox-skins, placed like troughs on four
stakes, where the liquor ferments; in about seventy-two hours it is
ready for delivery to those that use it, among whom must be placed many
Europeans. A maguey plant is serviceable in producing sap for two or
three months.
_Pulque_ is an intoxicating beverage, the flavor of which varies
according to the degree of fermentation; it might be compared to good
cider or perry, and is said to fatten those who habitually drink it.
I reached Coyotepec's dwelling just as the sun had set. Sumichrast was
finishing his work, and l'Encuerado, coming from a heap of dry
palm-leaves, presented to me a splendid broad-brimmed hat, which he had
just made.
The next day and the day after were spent in hunting after specimens,
and our boxes were soon filled up and packed. I explained to Torribio,
who was to start at day-break, how to handle the cases, and then
intrusted to him letters which were to announce our early return. Lucien
had written to his dear mother and his sister Hortense, and he had to
open his letter at least twenty times to add postscripts, often dictated
by l'Encuerado.
[Illustration]
In the evening we bade adieu to our kind hosts, for we were to start
early. Thanks to them, we had renewed our stock of salt, rice, coffee,
sugar, and maize-cake. In default of black pepper, we took with us some
red capsicums; but the most precious of our acquisitions was the powder
and shot I had received in exchange for the telescope.
On the next morning I learned that Torribio was already on his way
towards Puebla. He had started about midnight, so as to avoid crossing
the plain during the heat of the day. I now hastened our own departure.
We were in possession of good hats, but our garments, which had been
mended with some soft leather, gave us the appearance of mendicants;
this, however, did not trouble us much. My shoes, and also Sumichrast's,
had been strongly, if not elegantly, repaired, and were quite as good as
new; Lucien, too, now possessed a pair of spare sandals.
The inhabitants of the little colony ranged along our path, and,
overwhelming us with good wishes, bid us another adieu. I pressed all
the hands that were held out to me, and then, guided by the band of
children, who still surrounded the young traveller, we commenced to
ascend the path which had led us down into this hospitable little oasis.
When I reached the summit of the hill, I waved my hat as a last
salutation to Coyotepec; l'Encuerado fired off his gun as a farewell,
and we plunged into the labyrinth of cactuses, taking a straight course
towards the east.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXIII.
AGAIN ON THE ROAD.--THE BIRD-CATCHING SPIDER.--THE MARTEN AND THE
SKUNK.--THE FLYING SQUIRREL.--THE OTTER-HUNT.--L'ENCUERADO WOUNDED.
Three days of difficult travelling brought us into the midst of the
_Terre-Tempérée_. Thus we had traversed the whole breadth of the
Cordillera, at one time shivering on their summits, at another
perspiring, as we penetrated narrow and deep-sunk valleys, just as the
chances of our journey led us. Every now and then we caught a sight of
the pointed cone of the volcano of Orizava, which assisted us in taking
our bearings. At last, four days after taking leave of Coyotepec, we
established our bivouac at the foot of a mountain, close to a clear and
icy stream.
While l'Encuerado was making the fire, Lucien discovered under a stone
an enormous black and hairy spider, with feet armed with double-hooked
claws.
"Isn't this a tarantula, M. Sumichrast?"
"No, my boy, it is a bird-catching spider--so called because it is said
to attack the humming-birds' nests and destroy the young ones."
"May I catch it?"
"Not with your fingers; its bite is dangerous."
"One might easily fancy it was watching us, from the expression of those
two big eyes near its mouth."
"There is no doubt that it is looking at us; just menace it with this
little stick, and you'll soon see it assume the defensive."
The enormous spider raised its front feet, and two black and polished
horns issued from its mouth. After a moment's hesitation, it suddenly
darted at the end of the stick, which Lucien let go in fright.
Ten or twelve paces farther on, the young naturalist discovered another
spider, and plied me with numerous questions about it. I could only give
him a few general facts as to this curious class of animals.
"But, I say, papa, there must be a great many different species of
spiders, for I see some at every step--green, black, and yellow."
"There are so many species that all of them are not yet known; indeed, I
believe that the Mexican spiders have not hitherto been described. It is
necessary to study them on the spot, for their soft bodies change their
shape in drying, and the proper means of preserving them are not within
the reach of an ordinary traveller."
In passing along, I broke through some threads of a light web stretching
between two bushes. The proprietor of the web--a gray spider--immediately
made its appearance, and set hurriedly to work to repair the involuntary
damage I had committed.
"Where does the thread come from?" asked Lucien; "it is so thin that I
can scarcely see it."
"From four reservoirs situated at the lower part of the spider's
abdomen, and filled with a gummy matter which becomes solid as soon as
it is exposed to the air. These reservoirs are pierced with about a
thousand holes, from each of which proceeds a thread invisible to the
naked eye, for it takes a thousand of them to form the thread the spider
is now spinning."
"How sorry I am now that I hadn't collected more of these curious
insects! Some we have met with were very curious."
"In the first place," I replied, "spiders are not insects; they have
both heart and lungs, but insects breathe through air-pipes.[P] Added to
this, insects have antennæ, and undergo metamorphoses, which is not the
case with the spider. You must recollect, too, that the spider is akin
to the scorpion."
"Yes; but scorpions don't know how to spin."
"Well, all spiders do not possess this art. One of the species you were
looking at just now lives on plants, and would be much embarrassed if it
happened to fall into the web of its spinning sister; added to which, it
would run no small risk of being devoured."
"Will spiders eat one another?"
"Without the least scruple, and scorpions do the same. It is, in fact, a
family vice."
"I am not at all astonished, then, that the whole family are so ugly."
"If they were ever so beautiful, it would make no difference in their
evil disposition. They have, however, some good qualities; such, for
instance, as patience and resolution. The poor spider, now, that we are
looking at, is working desperately to catch a prey which is constantly
escaping. Sometimes it is the wind which destroys the web so
industriously woven; sometimes a great beetle plunges heavily through
the net. Nevertheless, the spider is not the least discouraged; he again
sets his snare, and, while he is quietly watching for the game necessary
for his subsistence, it too often happens that he is himself carried off
in the beak of some bird."
Lucien and I now went among the trees in quest of something substantial
for our dinner. The first thing we met with was a kind of marten, which
looked viciously at us, and greeted us with a shrill cry. Gringalet
darted off in pursuit of the animal, and followed it until it reached
its hole. This animal, like the European marten, from which it differs
only in size, often establishes itself in barns and granaries, where at
night it amuses itself with the noisiest gambols. In the environs of the
Mexican towns, many a house, invaded by these martens, is abandoned by
its owner, because it is thought to be haunted by ghosts.
"Look out for yourselves!" cried l'Encuerado, suddenly.
A mephitic weasel or skunk, an animal which somewhat resembles a
polecat, came running by. Gringalet, tired of waiting for the marten,
crossed the trail of the beast, and set off after it, in spite of our
calls. The skunk suddenly stopped and scratched up the earth with its
sharp claws; then it voided a liquid of such a fetid odor that the dog
was compelled to beat a retreat.
L'Encuerado, with his finger on the trigger of his gun, started again,
and led us along noiselessly. He suddenly stooped down to listen.
[Illustration: "An animal came tumbling down about ten paces from us."]
"It is a _quimichpatlan_," said he to me, in a low voice.
"A flying squirrel," I repeated to Sumichrast.
Lucien was about to speak; but I pointed to the Indian, who, half-hidden
behind a dead trunk, was carefully examining the top of an ebony-tree.
At this moment l'Encuerado placed his gun to his shoulder and fired. He
had taken good aim--an animal came tumbling down about ten paces from
us, spreading out, in its convulsive movements, the membrane which
joined its legs together and covered it almost like a cloak.
Lucien took possession of the "flying squirrel," and, as they always go
in pairs, my two companions went in pursuit of the other, which they
soon succeeded in killing.
"Are we going to eat these animals?" asked Lucien.
"Why shouldn't we?" I rejoined. "They are squirrels; and, even supposing
that they were rats, as the Indians assert, their flesh should be none
the less savory."
"Can these animals fly for any length of time?" asked Lucien.
"As a matter of fact, they do not fly at all; but the membrane which
unites their limbs acts like a parachute in keeping them up in the air,
and materially assists them in some of their prodigious leaps."
"Can they run as fast as squirrels?"
"Nothing like it; they do not, indeed, often come down to the ground;
but their activity on trees renders them not unworthy of their family."
"I thought," observed Lucien, "that bats were the only mammals that
could fly."
"There is also the flying _phalanger_," observed my friend; "an animal
of the marsupial order, which is a native of Australia, and somewhat
resembles the opossum. It is said that, when it catches sight of a man,
it hangs itself up by the tail, and does not dare to move; but I think
this story will do to go along with l'Encuerado's about the
glass-spider."
The Indian started off straight to the bivouac, and I led my companions
by the side of the stream, admiring as we passed some magnificent trees.
One of these was covered with brown fruit, with whitish insides, which
had a rather nice acidulated taste. I hastened to pick half a dozen of
them, knowing what a treat they would be to my servant.
As we went on, the banks of the stream gradually became lower, and ere
long a lake, deliciously shaded by cypresses, poplars, oaks, and
ebony-trees, opened to our view.
I sat down upon a rock, with Sumichrast and Lucien by my side, and from
whence my eye could wander all over the blue and transparent water. We
kept silent, being charmed with the smiling grandeur of this retired
corner of the world. Birds came flying by, and, settling down close to
us, warbled for an instant--then again took flight, after having given
us time to admire the rich colors of their plumage. The motionless water
was covered by long-legged insects with transparent wings, which seemed
to skim over the polished surface as if impelled by some invisible
agency. Sometimes an azure and purple attired dragon-fly flitted by, and
all the insects fled at its approach, like sparrows before a hawk. A
brilliantly-colored butterfly dashed against the voracious insect, and a
furious combat took place between them; but the dragon-fly, which was
eventually the conqueror, was in turn vanquished by a bird.
We were just moving off, when the deep water seemed to be agitated, and,
although on the surface the flies and gnats continued their evolutions,
the fish in hasty flight disappeared, and communicated their terror even
to the water-snakes. A tortoise, however, seemed to deem it unnecessary
to retreat, only drawing its head and feet under its shell. Almost
immediately an animal swam vigorously up to the reptile, and, having
stopped to smell at it, continued its course.
[Illustration: "The sun was just setting."]
"Are there such things as opossum-fishes?" asked Lucien, surprised.
"It is an otter," said I, in a low voice.
And quickly descending the rock, I followed Sumichrast to the water's
edge, at a spot where the animal appeared inclined to land. We waited
for an hour without any result.
My friend proposed to go and take a hurried dinner, and then return to
our post near the rock. In a few minutes we had joined l'Encuerado, for,
unknown to us, our bivouac was established about four gunshots from the
lake. The Indian jumped with joy on hearing of the appearance of what he
called a "water-dog."
"You may set me down as a fool," said he to Gringalet, caressing him,
"if by to-morrow morning I don't give you one of your brother's legs for
breakfast."
"Are otters really relations of Gringalet?" asked Lucien of me.
"Yes; according to Cuvier, they are digitigrades. Added to this, the
otter may be tamed and trained to bring fish out of the water, which it
is very skillful in catching, for it eats scarcely any thing else."
The sun was just setting, and behind us the dark outlines of the trees
stood out against the orange-colored sky, while hundreds of birds were
warbling and twittering around. A dark shade spread over the horizon,
and all was solemn silence. Ere long the sky was glittering with stars,
and the moon rose slowly above the trees. Its pale light penetrated the
foliage, giving to the masses of leaves those fantastic shapes which
make one dream of a supernatural world. As the moon advanced higher, it
diffused more and more light over the scenery, and few spectacles could
be more splendid than such a tropical night as this.
The report of a gun suddenly cut short my reverie, and l'Encuerado's
shout of "Hiou! hiou!" summoned us to him. While I hurried Lucien along
as fast as I could, I heard some loud shouting, which almost smothered
the furious barking of the dog, and then saw my friend Sumichrast
grasping the throat of an animal which Gringalet was worrying.
Alongside, l'Encuerado was lying on the ground, pressing his right arm,
and uttering cries of pain. He had been bitten by the wounded otter
which he had attempted to catch hold of.
This was not the time to blame him, so I led l'Encuerado to the bivouac,
where I was reassured by an examination of the bite, which I had at
first feared was serious. After dressing the injured part, the Indian
seemed much relieved.
My friend--after Lucien had examined its broad muzzle and wide nostrils,
its smooth, black coat, and its feet, webbed like ducks--skinned the
game, and put it at once upon the spit. When the meat was cooked to a
nicety, I covered it over to protect it from insects, and then proposed
retiring, for I foresaw that the Indian would be unable to carry his
load the next day, and that either Sumichrast's patience or mine would
be taxed in taking his place; for we did not intend to prolong our stay
by the stream. Sleep surprised us ere this weighty question was solved.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: "L'Encuerado was pressing his arm, and uttering cries of
pain."]
FOOTNOTE:
[P] The air-pipes are two vessels, one on each side, extending the whole
length of the body, provided with branches and ramifications. They serve
for the reception and distribution of the air.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXIV.
A LABORIOUS TASK.--WILD LIME-TREES.--PIGEONS.--THE WEST INDIAN
CHERRY.--THE EARWIG.--SNAKES AND SERPENTS.--FIRST GLANCE AT THE
TERRE-CHAUDE.
"How is your arm now, l'Encuerado?" I asked, finding the Indian up when
I awoke.
"Pretty well, Tatita; but I find I mustn't move it much. If I do, it
feels as if the blackguard water-dog was still holding me."
I again dressed the wound, the Indian continuing to hurl fresh abuse at
the otter. I made him keep quiet, and prepared the coffee. Sumichrast
and Lucien then rose, and we decided to start--the rainy season, which
was approaching, rendering haste necessary.
L'Encuerado, in spite of our remonstrances, insisted on shouldering the
load; but, on raising the burden, he found he was unable, so I
shouldered the load.
At last, after no end of exertion on my part and Sumichrast's--for we
alternately bore it--three leagues were traversed. We then halted at the
foot of a hill, among ebony, mahogany, and oak trees.
L'Encuerado took charge of the camp, while I, with my friend and Lucien,
climbed a neighboring hill. The trees which crowned its summit were
limes--_Tilia sylvestris_--here the type of what bear the same name, and
which are so plentiful in Europe, where they have been so changed by
cultivation that they scarcely appear to belong to the same species as
their brethren in the virgin forests. The wood of the lime is valued by
the Indians for making various odds and ends, which are sold by
thousands in Mexico. In Europe, the bark of this tree is used for
well-ropes, and the charcoal made from its wood is preferred to any
other for the manufacture of gunpowder. Few trees are more useful, and
its beautiful green foliage makes it highly ornamental in a garden.
Our attention was attracted to a familiar noise--the cooing of doves. I
moved gently under the trees, and soon put to flight several fine
specimens, of a dark, ashy-blue color, with a black band across the
tail-feathers, which were of a pearl-gray. I killed a couple of them;
and Sumichrast, who was better placed, knocked down three others. They
were quite sufficient for our dinners. They were the first of this
family that we had killed, and Lucien in vain tried to make out what he
called their relationship.
"They are neither passerines," said he, "nor palmipedes. Climbers, too,
have differently-made feet."
"Your doubts are very natural," interposed my friend; "even
ornithologists are very undecided on this point. Nevertheless they
class pigeons among the gallinaceæ, looking upon them as a link between
this order and the passerines."
"Why don't they make an order for them by themselves?"
"Bravo, Master Sunbeam! your idea is an excellent one, but it has been
already proposed; several naturalists reckon an order of _columbidæ_.
But you ought to know that pigeons inhabit the whole surface of the
globe, and that they are white, blue, red, green, and brown; and
sometimes all these shades blend together, and add their brilliancy to
the pleasing shape of the bird. The pigeon or dove, which is adopted as
the emblem of mildness and innocence, is readily tamed; its flight is
rather heavy, but lasting; and, in Belgium chiefly, it is used as a
bearer of letters, by conveying the bird to a long distance from its
home, to which its instinct always leads it to return."
Lucien seemed very thoughtful.
"I wish I had known that before," he said; "we might have brought a
pigeon or two with us, and then poor mamma would have had news of us
before now."
Sumichrast, who had taken upon himself the office of head-cook, vacant
owing to l'Encuerado's wound, returned to the bivouac laden with our
game. I skirted the wood in company with Lucien, who was the first to
discover a West Indian cherry-tree--_Malpighia glabra_. The red fleshy
and acid fruit was much to our taste; so the boy climbed the tree in
order to get plenty, rejoicing in the idea of giving his friends an
agreeable surprise. When he had finished, we went to examine a dead
tree. A piece of bark, quickly pulled off, discovered a quantity of
those insects commonly called earwigs.
"Do you notice, papa, those white specks one of the earwigs is covering
with its body?"
"It is a female sitting on her eggs; but look at this!"
"Eight, ten, twelve little ones! How pretty they are! One might well
fancy that they were being led by the big earwig, which keeps turning
round to them. There! now she has stopped, and the little ones are
crawling all round her."
I could hardly get Lucien away from his interesting study; but the
hissing of a snake which I turned out from under a stone soon brought
the boy to me. I caught hold of the reptile, which rolled itself with
some force round my arm. The boy, quite speechless with surprise, looked
anxiously at me.
"Oh father!" exclaimed he in terror, running towards me.
"Don't be alarmed; this reptile has no fangs, and it is so small I can
handle it quite safely."
"But it will hurt you with its sting."
"It has no sting; there is no danger to be feared from its tongue. Here,
you take hold of it."
The boy hesitated at first, but gradually growing bolder, allowed the
snake to wind round his arm. When close by the fire, he held it out to
l'Encuerado, who shrank back; for he fully believed all reptiles to be
venomous. Lucien in vain urged him to handle it.
"I shan't mind touching it," he said, "when you have told me the words
you say to make yourself invulnerable."
"I am no more invulnerable than you are," replied Lucien, smiling. "This
snake is quite harmless, and I should never touch one without taking
papa's advice, even if it exactly resembled this."
"And you didn't repeat any words?"
"No; papa had it in his hands, and it coiled round his arm."
"I understand, then," murmured the Indian; "it is the serpent that is
charmed."
Gringalet, quite as mistrustful as l'Encuerado, ran off directly he saw
the reptile move. I told Lucien to let the snake go, and the Indian
unsheathed his cutlass; but I would not allow him to injure the poor
creature.
Our new cook was perfect master of his art. He supplied us with some
excellent maize broth, roasted pigeons, and then a rice-cake--certainly
rather shapeless, but of a delicious flavor. The cherries completed this
regal bill of fare, and the "calumet of peace" was associated with a cup
of coffee. At nightfall, Sumichrast, avoiding Lucien's questions, went
slyly to rest, an example I was not slow in following--the weight of the
basket having fatigued me more than my pride allowed me to confess.
The next day the rising sun found us already on the road. L'Encuerado's
wound was less painful, and did not prevent his using his gun. Had it
not been for my express prohibition, he would have resumed his burden.
When we reached the summit of the hill, he led us among the trees, and,
commencing a descent, our little party did not stop till we had reached
the bottom of a dark and damp glen, close to a greenish pool. After
utilizing our halt by filling our gourds and killing an armadillo, we
hurried to get away from a spot where the air seemed poisoned with
pestilential miasma. Having again ascended the slope, I advanced through
a grove of firs, encouraging my friend with the load, who was archly
challenged to a race by Lucien.
"That's not at all generous," said I to him; "if Sumichrast did not
carry the basket sometimes, what would become of us?"
"I'm only sorry that I am not strong enough to help you," replied the
boy. "I only tease M. Sumichrast because I know it amuses him, and makes
him forget his burden, then he walks more easily."
"You never were more correct!" responded my friend, "I certainly
fancied you were indulging your own humor without thinking about me."
A fresh ascent quite exhausted us, and Sumichrast vowed that he must
relinquish the basket until the next day. I then took it; but in a very
little time I was compelled to take the same resolution as my friend, so
we settled down to bivouac.
While my companions were engaged in the cooking, I walked a little way
on the plateau. I had not gone above two or three hundred yards before I
called to the others to join me; for the _Terre-Chaude_ was stretched
out at my foot.
Departing day at last cast its mysterious veil over the tracts we were
about to traverse. Just before it became quite dark, a snow-clad corner
of the volcano of Orizava was seen in the distance. I lifted up Lucien,
and, kissing him, pointed it out, thinking on the dear ones who were
behind the mountain, counting the days till we returned. Gringalet
barked, as if claiming a caress for himself, and, guided by the dog, we
reached our bivouac to enjoy a well-deserved repose.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: "The _Terre-Chaude_ was stretched out at my feet."]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXV.
A GROUND-SQUIRREL.--A MOUSE'S NEST.--HUMMING-BIRDS AND THEIR YOUNG
ONES.--THE LOCUST-TREE.--MEXICAN WOLVES AND THEIR RETREAT.
I was suddenly awakened by the report of a gun just as the day was
breaking. L'Encuerado showed me an enormous squirrel, with a gray back
and white belly--a species which never climbs, and is, for this reason,
called by Indians _amotli_ (ground-squirrel). This animal, which lives
in a burrow, has all the grace and vivacity of its kind, but it can
never be domesticated. It generally goes about in numerous bands, and,
when near cultivation, will commit in a single night great destruction;
the farmers, consequently, wage against it a war of extermination.
Just as we were setting out, l'Encuerado, whose arm was visibly healing
up, again took charge of the basket. I allowed him to carry it, on the
condition he should tell me as soon as he felt tired. I went in front,
leading Lucien by the hand, and the rocky slope was descended without
accident. The oaks were small and scattered, and left us an easy passage
over ground covered with dry leaves, which rustled under our feet.
"We might almost fancy we were in Europe," said Sumichrast, suddenly
halting.
"Yes," I replied; "it seems as if the yellow leaves had already felt the
autumnal winds."
"There's a dead tree," said my friend; "I feel sure, if we examine its
bark, we shall find some insects of our own country."
My friend's hopes were not realized, and the only result of his search
was to disturb the rest of two mice with slender muzzles. One of them
escaped, while the other tried its best to protect a litter of five
little ones, buried in some fine vegetable débris. Lucien examined the
young ones with interest, and after replacing the bark, as far as
possible, in its original position, rejoined us outside the wood. A
descent so rapid that we could scarcely keep our balance brought us
among a quantity of bushes covered with double thorns, which Lucien very
justly compared to bulls' horns in miniature. At last the ground became
more level, and, directing our course to the right, we turned into a
plain, surrounded by woods.
"Both trees and plants seem larger here than on the mountains," said
Lucien.
"You are quite right," answered Sumichrast; "the vegetation in the
_Terre-Chaude_ is more vigorous than that of the _Terre-Tempérée_. As
you advance farther into it, you will be able to judge."
"Did you see that great insect that flew buzzing past us?"
"Yes, Master Sunbeam; but it was a humming-bird, not an insect."
"A humming-bird!" cried the boy, at once unfolding his butterfly-net.
And off he went in pursuit of the fugitive. The agile bird made a
thousand turns, and always kept out of reach of the young sportsman, who
at last stopped suddenly in front of a shrub. When I joined him, he was
contemplating three little nests, fixed in forked branches, and covered
outside with green and yellow lichens.
"There's the bird!" said Lucien, in a low voice.
I lifted up the little naturalist; two hen-birds flew off, and at the
bottom of each nest he could see a couple of eggs of a greenish color,
and about the size of a pea.
"If you hold me a little closer, papa, I can take the eggs."
"What would be the good, my boy? Look at them as long as you like, but
don't deprive the little birds of what is most dear to them."
"There's one bird which has not moved," observed Lucien.
"Then, no doubt, its little ones are hatched."
"The whole of its body seems to glitter; it looks as if it was blue,
green, and gold color. It sees me, and is moving. Now it is perched upon
the tree! Only look, papa! there are two young ones in the bottom of the
nest."
I put Lucien down on the ground, so that he might go to l'Encuerado, who
was calling him. The Indian had found a humming-bird's nest fixed on a
branch, which he had cut off and was bringing us. The elegant little
structure was a perfect marvel of architectural skill, lined inside with
the silky down of some plant. Two young birds, still unfledged, and
scarcely as big as nuts, opened their beaks as if to ask for food. I
directed l'Encuerado to replace the branch on the tree from whence he
had cut it, and to fasten it so that it could not fall down. I followed
him, to make sure he did it rightly. As soon as we came near the shrub,
the mother fluttered all round the Indian, and at last settled down,
panting, on her young brood.
"You're a brave bird!" cried the Indian, "and I ask your pardon for
having carried away your house. Don't be afraid, my name is l'Encuerado,
and you may safely trust in me. Don't tremble! I would sooner be hurt
myself than cause you the least harm. There, now you are all firmly
fixed again, and you may live in peace. Your little ones can tell you
that I have not teased them; I only wanted to show them to Chanito.
Good-bye, Señor _Huitzitzilin_! you are a brave bird, and it's I,
l'Encuerado, who tells you so!"
And the Indian went away, saluting the valiant mother with so many waves
of his hat that the poor bird must have thought her last hour had come.
"What do these beautiful little birds feed upon, M. Sumichrast?"
"On the juices of flowers and small insects. Look! there is one
hovering, and its wings are moving too fast for us to see them. Don't
stir! I see a branch so covered with blue flowers that it can hardly
fail to attract the bird. Now it is settled above one of the corollas,
and plunges its head into it without ceasing to beat with its wings. Its
cloven tongue soon sucks out the honey concealed in the flower, and its
little ones will greet it when it gets back with open beaks to receive
their share of the spoil."
"They are funny birds, those," said l'Encuerado to Lucien. "In three
months--that is, in October--they will go to sleep, and will not wake up
till April."
"Is that true, father?"
"I rather fancy that they migrate."
[Illustration: "And the Indian went away, saluting."]
"Now don't teach Chanito wrongly," said l'Encuerado, repeating a
common phrase of mine; "the _huitzitzilins_ do not migrate; they go to
sleep."
"This fact has been so often related to me by Indians living in the
woods," said my friend, "that I feel almost disposed to believe it."
"Don't they say the same of the bats and swallows? and yet we know they
change their habitat."
"Yes; but with regard to humming-birds, they assert that they have seen
them asleep. At all events, it is certain that they disappear in the
winter."
The clucking of a bird of the gallinaceous order, called the
hocco--_Crax alector_--interrupted our discussion, and my two companions
carefully proceeded towards a dark-foliaged tree, a little outside the
edge of the forest. The clucking suddenly ceased; we heard the report of
a gun, and I saw three of them fly away into the forest. L'Encuerado was
climbing a tree when I came up, for the bird he had shot had lodged
among the branches.
"Do you see the long pods which hang on that tree?" cried Lucien.
"It is a locust-tree covered with fruit," said my friend; "it is a
relation of the bean and the pea."
"Are the pods eatable?" asked the child, as one fell at his feet.
"You may taste the dark pulp which surrounds the seeds--it is slightly
sweet; but don't eat too much, for it is used in Europe as a medicine."
L'Encuerado dropped at our feet the great bird which Sumichrast had
killed. It was larger in size than a fowl, with a crest upon its head.
Its cry--a sort of clucking of which its Spanish name gives an
idea--tells the traveller its whereabout, although it is ready enough in
making its escape.
L'Encuerado returned to the bivouac, and Sumichrast led us along the
edge of a ravine, obstructed by bushes and shaded by large trees.
We had been quietly on the watch for a minute or two, when three young
wolves, of the species called by the Indians _coyotes_, came running by,
one after the other. They were soon followed by a fourth, and then the
mother herself appeared. She glared at us with her fiery eyes, and then
raised a dull, yelping noise, which brought her young ones to her.
"Upon my word!" exclaimed Sumichrast, "does this wretch intend to give
us a present to her children?"
I stuck my _machete_ into the ground, so as to have it at hand; and the
brute lay down on the ground, as if ready to spring.
"Now then, my fine lady, come and meddle with us if you dare!" muttered
my friend, imitating l'Encuerado's tone.
The _coyote_ uttered a shrill cry, and almost immediately a sixth came
and stood by her.
"Don't fire till I tell you," said I to Lucien, who seemed as bold as
possible.
"You take the dog-wolf," cried Sumichrast to me; "but we won't provoke
the contest."
Seeing us evince no fear, the brutes suddenly made off. Sumichrast
descended to the bottom of the ravine, and then called me. I noticed
among the high grass the entrance of a burrow strewed with whitened
bones. Two yards farther on I saw the head of one of the animals, with
eyes glittering like a cat's, glaring out of the entrance of another
burrow. I threw a stone at the beast, which, far from showing any fear,
curled up its lips and showed us a very perfect set of teeth.
[Illustration: "I threw a stone at the beast."]
As it was by no means our intention to make war upon wolves, I returned
to the plain with Lucien, who had shown no ordinary coolness. I was
glad of it, for my great wish was to inure him to danger, and I feared
the Indian's misadventure with the otter might have had a bad influence.
"Didn't those wolves frighten you?" asked my friend of the boy.
"A little--especially their eyes, which seemed to dart fire."
"And what should you have done if they had sprung at us?"
"I should have aimed at them as straight as I could; but wolves are much
braver than I thought."
"They were anxious to protect their young ones, and their den being so
near made them all the bolder."
When l'Encuerado heard that we had _coyotes_ near us, he made up a
second fire for the night. The eastern sky was beginning to grow pale,
and as we were supping we saw the paroquets in couples flying over our
heads towards the forest. Humming-birds were flitting in every
direction, and flocks of other passerines flew from one bush to another.
When they offered to perch near our bivouac, l'Encuerado requested them
in polite terms to settle a little farther away, and, on their refusal,
urged his request by throwing a stone at them, which but rarely failed
in its purpose. The sun set, and the mountains stood out in black relief
against the pink sky.
The moon now rose, and I can hardly describe the marvellous effects of
light produced by its rays on the sierras. L'Encuerado had made a second
fire, and had taken Gringalet aside to insist upon his not roaming
beyond the ground illuminated by its flame, telling him that the
_coyotes_, which would doubtless pass the night in prowling round our
bivouac, were very fond of dogs' flesh. As if to add weight to this
prudent advice, a prolonged howling was now heard, which the dog felt
obliged to respond to in his most doleful notes.
"Oh!" cried Sumichrast, "are those beasts going to join in the concert
made by the grasshoppers and mosquitoes?"
Lucien, who had gone to sleep, started up.
"Where's my parrot?" he cried.
"Sleep quietly, Chanito!" replied the Indian. "It is roasted, and we
shall eat it to-morrow morning at breakfast."
This reply and Lucien's disappointed face much amused us. L'Encuerado's
fault was too much zeal: not knowing that Sumichrast was going to skin
the bird, he had sacrificed it. In order to repair his error, he
promised Lucien hundreds of parrots of every color; so he went to sleep
and dreamed of forests full of birds of the most brilliant plumage.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE PATH THROUGH THE FOREST.--A FORCED MARCH.--THE
BROMELACEÆ.--MOSQUITOES.--THE WATER-PLANT.--THE PROMISED LAND.--A BAND
OF MONKEYS.
Gringalet's barking, the yelping of the coyotes, the heat, the song of
the grasshoppers, and the sting of the mosquitoes, all combined to
disturb our rest. About five o'clock the sun rose radiant, and was
greeted by the cardinals, trogons, and parrots. Lucien was aroused by
all these fresh sounds, and his eyes rested for some time on the wall of
verdure which seemed to bar the entrance of the forest. A cloud of
variegated butterflies drew his attention for an instant; but he was
soon absorbed in contemplating the humming-birds with their emerald,
purple, and azure plumage.
L'Encuerado, whose arm was now completely healed, had again taken
possession of the load, and Sumichrast commenced cutting the creepers in
order to open a path. I relieved him every now and then in this hard
work, and Lucien availed himself of the moments when we stopped for
breath to have a cut at the great vegetable screen which nature places
at the entrance of virgin forests, as if to show that there is within it
an unknown world to conquer. Unfortunately, the small height of the boy
rendered his work useless; but he at least evinced a desire to take his
part of the labor. At last the thick wall of vegetable growth was
passed, and we found ourselves in a semi-obscurity, caused by the shade
of gigantic trees.
"Are we now in a virgin forest?" asked Lucien.
"No, for we are only just entering it," I replied.
"But the ground is so bare; there are no more creepers, and the trees
look as if they were arranged in lines."
"What did you expect to meet with?"
"Plants all entangled together, birds, monkeys, and tigers."
"Your ideal menagerie will, perhaps, make its appearance subsequently.
As for the entangled plants, if the whole forest was full of them, it
would be absolutely impenetrable. The soil is bare because the trees are
so bushy that no rays of the sun can penetrate, and many plants wither
and die in the shade; but whenever we come upon a glade, you will find
the earth covered with grass and shrubs."
"Then the forests of the _Terre-Tempérée_ are more beautiful than those
of the _Terre-Chaude_?"
"You judge too hastily," replied Sumichrast; "wait till our path leads
along the edge of some stream."
"All right," muttered the boy, shaking his head and turning towards his
friend; "the woods we have gone through are much more pleasant. It is so
silent, and the boughs are so high that we might fancy we were in a
church."
The boy's remark was far from incorrect. The dark arches of the
intersecting branches, the black soil formed by the accumulated
vegetable _débris_ of perhaps five or six thousand years, the dim
obscurity scarcely penetrated by the sunlight making its way through the
dark foliage--all combined to imbue the mind with a kind of vague
melancholy. The limited prospect and the profound silence (for birds
rarely venture into this forest-ocean) also tend to fill the soul with
gloomy thoughts, and prove that health of mind as well as of body
depends upon light.
A furnace-like heat compelled us to keep silence, and tree succeeded
tree with sad monotony. The moist soil gave way under our feet, and
retained the traces of our footsteps. At a giddy height above our heads
the dark foliage of the spreading branches entirely obscured the sky.
Every now and then I gave a few words of encouragement to Lucien, who
was walking behind me quite overcome with the heat; especially, I
recommended him not to drink, in the first place, because the water must
be economized, and next because it would only stimulate his thirst.
"Then we shall never drink any more," said the boy.
"Oh yes! Chanito," rejoined the Indian, "when we form our bivouac, I
shall make plenty of coffee, and if you sip it, in a quarter of an hour
your thirst will be quenched."
"Then I hope we shall soon reach our bivouac," said Lucien, mournfully.
If I had consulted my own feelings, I should now have given the word to
halt; but reason and experience enabled me to resist the desire. It
would really be better for Lucien to suffer for a short time than for us
to lose several hours, especially if we failed to find the stream we
were seeking. It was necessary to cross without delay the inhospitable
forest which we had entered, instead of waiting until hunger and thirst
imperiously cried--Onward! when perhaps we might be too exhausted to
move.
The ground became undulating, and I hastened forward, thinking to meet
with what we wished for, when a glade, which enabled us to catch a
glimpse of the sun, enlivened us a little. Here there was some grass,
and a few shrubs and creepers. I called Lucien to show him what to us
was a new plant, the _Bromelia pinguin_ of botanists.
Its ripe pink fruit was symmetrically placed in a circle of green
leaves. Lucien, kneeling down, tried to pluck them.
"Pull one from the middle, Chanito," cried l'Encuerado; "that's the only
way to get them."
The boy seized the centre berry, which came out, and, like the stones of
an arch when the key-stone is taken out, all the cones fell. Under their
thick husk there was a white, acid, melting pulp, well adapted to quench
the thirst; but I recommended Lucien not to eat more than two or three
of them. A second clump, a little farther on, enabled us to gather a
good stock of them. Providence could not have placed in our path a more
valuable plant, for the hundreds of cones which we had gathered would
enable us to brave the necessities of thirst for two or three days. We
now walked on at a quicker pace, and Lucien, a little refreshed, kept
his place courageously by my side.
"Well!" said I, "you must confess now that virgin forests may have
something good in them. How do you like the _timbirichis_?"
"They are excellent; what family do they belong to?"
"They are akin to the pine-apples, and therefore belong to the
_bromelaceæ_."
"But the pine-apple is a large fruit, which grows simply on its stalk."
"Yes, so it appears; but in reality it is formed by an assemblage of
berries all joined together. The strawberry, which belongs to the rose
family, is similarly formed, and few people would believe, when they
swallow a single strawberry, that they have eaten thirty or forty
fruits."
For an hour we scarcely exchanged a word, but walked silently on, soaked
with perspiration, and scarcely able to breathe the heated air.
"I think there is a glade," murmured Lucien, pointing to the left.
"So there is; forward! forward!"
Five minutes after we reached an open spot bathed in sunshine amidst a
thicket of tree-ferns and high grass. The trees, placed more widely
apart, were covered with gigantic creepers drooping to the ground. Here
we again heard the note of the hocco.
While I was clearing the ground, Sumichrast and l'Encuerado took up a
position amidst the bushes. I gave some water to Gringalet, whose tongue
hung out, for he had possibly suffered most, as he would not eat the
fruit which afforded us relief.
Two shots were fired shortly afterwards; but the sportsmen soon returned
with such a disappointed air that I felt sure they had been
unsuccessful.
I made a joke of the matter, and pretended that the dry maize-cakes were
better than the fattest turkey. I spoke with such apparent seriousness
that my companions began to get animated, and a sharp controversy gave a
zest to our frugal meal. I asserted, too, that the tepid water in our
gourds surpassed in flavor the product of the coolest spring, and that
the acid _timbirichi_ was the best of fruits. Gradually, however, I gave
way, and at bed-time pretended to be quite converted. I had amused our
party, and that was all I wanted.
The night passed without any incident save the continued attacks of
mosquitoes, and the unfortunate Gringalet pressing close to us to avoid
the cruel stings of the blood-thirsty insects which much annoyed him.
At sunrise I gave the word to start, and all day long we met with no
glade to give variety to our path. I could not help admiring Lucien,
who, although suffering from heat, fatigue, and thirst, uttered not one
complaint, but only looked at me with a sad face. Two or three times I
tried to enliven him; the poor little fellow then shook his troublesome
burden and smiled back so painfully that I was quite affected.
L'Encuerado, overwhelmed by his basket, puffed noisily, and declared
every now and then that he could sniff the river and the smell of the
crocodiles. This nonsense enlivened our march a little; but soon, dull
and silent, we resumed our sluggish pace. At last fatigue compelled us
to halt, when Lucien and l'Encuerado went off to sleep, quite forgetting
their suppers. I proposed to Sumichrast to regain as soon as we could
the mountain path.
"Let us keep on one day more," said my friend; "we have still four
bottles of water left, and even if we give Lucien and Gringalet the
largest share, it will serve us for another twenty-four hours."
The next day, just as we were starting, l'Encuerado killed a hocco. The
fire was soon lighted, and the game washed down with a mouthful of
brandy, which somewhat restored our energy. About midday, when the heat
was most intense, the aspect of the ground altered, the trees became
wider apart, and our strength seemed to redouble.
"Now, Master Sunbeam!" cried Sumichrast, "lengthen your strides a
little, if you please; don't you hear the murmur of a stream?"
"Three days you've been telling me this story, so that now both
Gringalet and I are skeptical."
"How will you behave when you cross the savannahs?"
"Just as at present. I would walk without drinking, so as not to excite
my thirst," replied the child archly, who had failed to be convinced by
our reasoning.
"Oh, come! I thought you were too ill for irony. Never mind, I can bear
witness that you have behaved like a man. What do your legs say?"
"That they would be very willing to rest."
"You would like to find yourself at Orizava?"
"I should rather see a stream, an alligator, and a puma."
"You are most unreasonable. I should be contented with the stream."
"Don't you find that the mosquitoes in the _Terre-Chaude_ bite much
sharper than those in the _Terre-Tempérée_?" asked the boy, addressing
l'Encuerado.
"No, Chanito; they are all alike, for they belong to the same family, as
your papa says."
"Then they must be more numerous here, for every instant one receives a
fresh pinch."
"You must not complain yet, Chanito; you'll see what it will be when we
reach the stream."
"How will it be then?"
"We shall not be able to open our mouths without swallowing some of
these blood-suckers. But, Chanito, do you know what these mosquitoes
are?"
"Yes, papa told me yesterday that they were _diptera_, and relations of
the gadflys. Their proboscis is a kind of sheath inclosing six lancets,
by the help of which they pierce our skin and suck our blood."
"But where do these hungry wretches come from?"
"From the water, where the insect lays its eggs. You know those little
worms which are constantly moving up and down in pools; they are the
larvæ of the mosquito."
"The mosquito, that terrible scourge of the _Terre-Tempérée_ and the
_Terre-Chaude_, renders these regions inaccessible to the inhabitants of
the _Terre-Froide_. They can not get accustomed to their bites, which
cover their bodies with large red pustules, causing fever and want of
sleep, and giving the victims the appearance of having just recovered
from small-pox."
Again we walked on without talking, for the heat dried up our throats.
Suddenly some singular cries reached our ears.
"The clucking of an oscillated turkey!" cried Sumichrast.
L'Encuerado laid down his burden, and my two companions started off in
search of the birds. They joined us again in about a quarter of an hour,
each carrying a fowl with metallic-colored plumage dotted over with
spots, almost as large as a common turkey. It belongs to the
gallinaceous order, and is only found amidst the forests of the New
World, particularly in Honduras.
"Well!" cried Sumichrast, "we have plenty to eat now; but this is a bird
which is found at a long distance from streams, and warns us to
economize the contents of our gourds."
Five hundred paces farther on we saw some stones covered with moss, and
an enormous upright rock like a tower. We saluted the colossus without
stopping to examine it, and lengthened our strides, although the ups and
downs in our path gradually became more numerous. Gringalet every
instant raised his nose to sniff the air, and the hope of at last
emerging from the forest drew us forward with increased ardor, impelled,
as we were, by the desire of at last finding the longed-for stream.
Lucien actually mustered up a run, while his cheeks flushed and his eyes
glistened with anticipation.
"Here are grass and flowers! Forward! forward!" cried Sumichrast.
"Forward!" Lucien re-echoed.
The great trees, which were now farther apart, allowed the rays of the
sun to penetrate the foliage, and the creepers drooped down in flowery
festoons. The convolvuluses, the ferns, and the parasites, all entangled
together, compelled us to use our knives. A somewhat steep ascent,
anxiously scaled, led us up to a plateau. In front of us stretched a
prairie dotted over with thickets, and bordered with forests of
palm-trees, laurels, magnolias, and mahogany-trees, from which sounded
the songs of various birds, mingled with the harsh cry of parrots.
Panting, weary, and perfectly soaked with perspiration, I proposed to
bivouac on the plateau. Indeed, the sun was setting, and we had only
just time to collect the wood we required for the fire. This task
finished, I went and sat down with Lucien on the highest point we could
find. The mountains of the _Terre-Tempérée_ showed against the horizon,
although we were already at least fifteen leagues from them. We long
looked down on the tree-tops of the forest we had just crossed, and the
uniformity of the dark-green foliage had a most gloomy aspect; and,
while close round us there were a number of birds fluttering about the
trees, none of the feathered tribe ventured into the solitudes we had so
lately traversed.
"I can not catch a sight of either rivulet or stream," said Lucien.
"Courage!" replied Sumichrast, who had seated himself by us. "The birds
which are flying round us can not live without drinking, and their large
number shows that there is plenty of water near."
"Hiou! hiou! Chanito."
"Ohé! ohé!" replied Lucien, darting to the place whence he heard the
familiar cry.
The two friends went down the hill together, l'Encuerado carrying his
enormous gourd.
"Can he have discovered water?" said I to my companion, and I approached
the fire where the game was roasting under the inspection of Gringalet.
Sumichrast remained to look after the cooking of the birds, and I
overtook Lucien and the Indian just at the moment when they were bending
over a plant with scarlet-red leaves, which grew encircling the stem of
a magnolia. About a glassful of limpid fluid flowed from it into the
calabash.
"Can we get water from this shrub by merely pressing it?" asked Lucien,
with surprise.
"All that is needed is to bend it," I replied. "It treasures up the
precious dew between its leaves, and l'Encuerado and I should have died
of thirst in one of our expeditions if it had not been for this plant."
"Why doesn't it grow in every forest?" asked Lucien.
"Certainly, if it grew everywhere, one of the greatest obstacles to
travelling in the wilderness would be removed."
"And what's the name of this plant?"
"The Creoles call it the 'Easter flower;' it is one of the
_bromelaceæ_."
"Does it produce any fruit good to eat?"
"No, but in case of extreme necessity its large red leaves would appease
hunger."
We reascended the hill, when an uproar proceeding from the edge of the
forest reached our ears. L'Encuerado smiled, showing us the double range
of his white teeth.
"See down there," he said to Lucien, pointing to a corner of the wood,
away from which all the birds seemed to be flying.
There was a whole tribe of monkeys frolicking about among the creepers.
"Let us go and look at them more closely," said Lucien.
[Illustration: "There was a whole tribe of monkeys frolicking about."]
"It is too late now, Chanito; they have just been drinking, and will
soon go to sleep; but we shall eat some of them to-morrow--and now our
supper is waiting for us."
We finished our meal, and when the sun was setting we saw the paroquets
fly by in couples, and humming-birds flitting about among the bushes;
suddenly a formidable roaring made us all tremble.
"Oh! what is that dreadful noise?" cried Lucien.
"A tiger!" said l'Encuerado, whose eyes glittered with excitement.
"Not a tiger, but a jaguar (_Leopardus onca_)," said I; "the former
animal is found only in the Old World."
The king of the American forests again saluted the setting sun.
Gringalet, with his tail between his legs, came crouching down close to
us; a second fire was lighted, and we lay down to sleep with the
indifference which familiarity gives even in regard to the very greatest
dangers.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
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.
The parrots that we heard chattering were quite sufficient to wake us up
in the morning. The sun rose red and angry; a perfect concert soon
greeted its appearance. The hoccos set up their sonorous clucking, and
birds of every kind came fluttering round us. Lucien, now reconciled to
the virgin forests, was never tired of admiring the varieties of trees,
shrubs, or bushes, and the infinite number of the winged inhabitants
which enliven them. We slowly descended into the plain; even now the
heat was too much for us, and long marches would soon be impossible. A
flock of cardinals, with crested heads, flew around us and settled on a
magnolia, which then looked as if it was covered with purple flowers.
Farther on, some paroquets, no bigger than sparrows, greeted us with
their varied cries. L'Encuerado, after tossing his head several times,
and shrugging his shoulders, at last stopped, and could not refrain from
answering them.
"Come and carry it yourselves!" he cried; "come and carry it yourselves,
and prove that you are stronger than a man!"
"What are you asking the birds to do?" demanded Lucien.
"They are making fun of my load, Chanito; a set of lazy fellows, who all
of them together would not be able to move it!"
Sumichrast made his way into the forest, cutting away the creepers with
his _machete_ in order to clear a passage. In less than an hour we had
crossed five or six glades. Suddenly I noticed that Gringalet had
disappeared. I called him, and a distant barking answered me.
"Can he have met with a stream?" said Sumichrast.
I advanced in the direction in which I had heard the voice of our
four-footed companion, and suddenly came upon him baying furiously at a
young cougar, which Sumichrast ran towards, but the animal fled into the
wood.
"Where did you turn out this fellow, Gringalet?" asked l'Encuerado,
quite seriously. "Don't trust too much to his friendship, for it might
be the worse for you; lions seldom fondle any thing without hurting it."
"Was it a lion?" asked Lucien.
"Yes," I answered; "but an American lion, or cougar, known by _savants_
as the _Felis puma_."
"How I should like to have seen it! Had it a mane?"
"No; the puma is without one."
We were crossing another glade, when Gringalet suddenly rushed between
our legs. On looking back, I saw the puma slyly following us.
"Well, upon my word!" said Sumichrast; "does this fellow want to prove
that a cougar will attack a man?"
L'Encuerado, who had put down his load, was already aiming at the
animal.
"Don't shoot!" I cried, authoritatively.
The puma did not advance any farther, but glared at us with its yellow
eyes, its tail lashing its sides with a measured movement, while it
displayed a formidable row of tusks. Suddenly it stretched itself along
the ground, as if about to play. Lucien was now able to examine
leisurely the beautiful tawny color of its coat. It surveyed us with
such a quiet, gentle aspect, that it seemed as if it belonged to our
party, even pushing its confidence so far as to begin its toilet by
first licking its paws, and then rubbing them over its muzzle.
I gave the word for continuing our journey. L'Encuerado obeyed very
reluctantly. After this rencontre I placed Lucien, who congratulated
himself upon having had such a near view of the beautiful animal, in the
middle of the party.
"If we don't eat the lion, it will eat us," said the Indian. "If we had
only wounded it, it would have gone and told all its companions that it
was any thing but prudent to go too close to our fire."
"Well, if it comes near us again, I give you leave to shoot it."
"You do? it's a bargain!" cried L'Encuerado. "Stop a minute, Tata
Sumichrast; cock your gun, Chanito; you shall have the first shot."
We stood together in a group, and I looked in vain for the cougar.
[Illustration: "I looked in vain for the cougar."]
"The rascal has got in front of us," added the Indian. "We'll astonish
him in a moment. Come this way, Chanito, but don't run or turn round. Do
you see that tree that stands in front of us? Not so far that way--that
one we were just going to pass under. Look at the wonderful fruit it has
on it!"
"It is the puma!" exclaimed the boy.
"That's pleasant!" muttered Sumichrast. "Then there are two pumas."
"No, no, Tata Sumichrast, it is the same one. Aim between its eyes,
Chanito; fire!"
There were two reports almost at the same moment, and the animal tumbled
down upon the ground without uttering a cry.
"Don't be too quick, Chanito," continued the Indian; "this is not a
water-dog; always reload your gun, whether the enemy be dead or not,
before you trust yourself within its reach."
Gringalet ventured to bark round the beast, and I kept in readiness to
shoot, while my companions cautiously advanced. The cougar had been
struck in the forehead, and no longer breathed. It was about three feet
in length, and its hair, which was slightly waved on some parts of its
body, showed it was a young one. The Indian raised the animal's enormous
head.
"Come," he said, "you deserve to die like a warrior. You are the first
of your race which ever ventured so close to my gun. Was it Chanito you
wanted to devour?"
"I think it much more probable that it wanted Gringalet; what a pity it
is that we can't tame these beautiful cats!"
"Cats!" repeated Lucien.
"Yes, to be sure; the great African lion itself is nothing but the
largest and strongest of all the cat tribe. Didn't you know that?"
"I thought the lion was a beast by itself; but, at all events, it is the
king of mammals?"
"It is rightly thought to be the strongest of all the carnivora: its
head, which it carries upright, and its beautiful mane, give it a
majestic appearance. With regard to its reputation for generosity, I
scarcely know what it is founded on; I fancy that the famous lion of
Androcles had just enjoyed a plentiful meal when it spared the life of
its benefactor."
It was no use to think of skinning our victim, for the flies were
already swarming on the dead body, although it was still warm.
L'Encuerado wished to attribute to Lucien the honor of killing the puma;
but the boy, although he had always longed to achieve such a feat, said
at once that he had missed his aim.
I stopped in front of a tree (_hymenæa_) belonging to the leguminous
family, the pods of which contain a sweet pulp, and from its trunk oozes
out a resin, which is much sought after by the Indians, who use it as a
cure for stomach-ache. A little farther on, a mango-tree tempted
l'Encuerado, who, like all his countrymen, was fond of its fruit. I
disliked the nauseous smell and taste of them, which reminds me of
turpentine, although in some countries, where care is taken in their
cultivation, they are said to be delicious.
Sumichrast, who was our guide, had to open a passage for us through a
perfect net-work of purple-flowered creepers. I helped him in his work,
and when we had overcome this obstacle, we found ourselves in a small
plain, in the middle of which rose a clump of palm-trees. Gringalet ran
off to the right, and soon returned with his muzzle all wet. Lucien, who
was in front of us, first reached what was a wide, deep, and
slowly-flowing stream. At this sight, l'Encuerado turned three somersets
in succession, and struck up a chant; our manifestations of delight, if
less noisy than his, were, at all events, no less sincere.
[Illustration: "L'Encuerado turned three somersets."]
A gentle breeze was blowing, while the air was cool and soft; so that,
forgetful of the past, and sanguine for the future, we built our
bivouac. While at work, our eyes were attracted on every side by the
insects and birds, whose splendid colors literally enamelled the trees
in which every shade of green blended harmoniously. It would be
difficult to describe the wild grandeur of the scene around us. We might
have fancied we were in one of those marvellous gardens which Arabian
story-tellers delight in depicting. The roaring of some wild beast
reminded us that our fire was nearly out. At last I set the example of
going to rest. We intended to pass three or four days in this spot, as
it was so favorable to our pursuits.
"Nobody can accuse us of being too fond of rest," said my friend; "this
is the 20th of April; therefore we have now been travelling
uninterruptedly forty days."
The next day at dawn I set off with Sumichrast on an exploring
expedition, leaving Lucien still fast asleep. We returned, about eleven
o'clock, with a dozen birds, among which we had a greenish-yellow
woodpecker, with a bright red tuft on its head; also a _Cuculus vetula_,
a species of cuckoo, which feeds on lizards and young serpents.
During our absence, l'Encuerado had cut down three palm-trees and
hollowed out the lower part of the trunks, in order to collect their
sweet sap. He also wove a sort of palisade of creepers round several
thick stakes, in which we could sleep without fear of surprise. In a
hole near the top of one of the palm-trees, Lucien spied out a parrot's
nest, and had taken possession of two young birds, red, green, and
yellow in color, which seemed to adapt themselves wonderfully to the
attentions lavished upon them by the boy.
"What are you going to do with these poor orphans?" I asked.
"I am going to take them home to my brother and sister. L'Encuerado says
that they would perch on the edge of his load."
"How shall you feed them?"
"With fruit, and sometimes with meat. M. Sumichrast said yesterday that
they would eat any thing that was given to them. I have already named
them 'Verdet' and 'Janet.'"
"They will be sure to get within reach of Gringalet; are you sure that
he will leave them alone?"
"L'Encuerado has already given him a lecture about it."
"Still I am very much afraid that 'Verdet' and 'Janet' will come to an
untimely end."
While we were resting, Lucien and his friend went off to examine a
caoutchouc-tree. The boy came back much disappointed.
"Your India-rubber-tree isn't worth much," said he to Sumichrast,
showing him a thick white liquid, which he had just collected.
"And pray why not?"
"Because India-rubber ought to be black and dry."
"It will acquire these qualities as it grows older. The India-rubber
oozes from the tree in the form of a milky liquid, like that with which
you are now smearing your fingers."
About three o'clock, when the sun was shining perpendicularly down upon
us, I conducted my companions through the thickets, in order to explore
the course of the river. Very soon we were obliged to cut our way with
our _machetes_, and several reptiles made off before our approach.
Gradually, as we advanced, the bank became covered with swamp ivy,
bignonias, and cedar-trees, till we at last came out on a sandy shore,
where five or six turtles were apparently asleep. In spite of all our
exertions, the creatures reached the stream. L'Encuerado discovered two
little heaps of sand, one of which was still unfinished, and contained
twenty eggs about as big as chestnuts, and covered with a whitish skin.
A little farther on, Lucien caught a small red turtle, the size of a
crown-piece. On hearing from l'Encuerado that it would live several days
without eating, he made up his mind to take it home with him, and gave
it the name of "Rougette."
Gringalet began growling; a deer had just shown its graceful form among
the branches. We all concealed ourselves as well as we could, and when
the beautiful animal came down to the water Sumichrast shot it dead. I
left l'Encuerado to help the sportsman in skinning our prize, and went
on with Lucien. The stream gradually became wider, and we suddenly found
ourselves fronting an immense flooded plain, above which flocks of wild
ducks were circling.
I sat down on the ground in order to admire the lake and its banks,
edged with royal palm-trees, the foliage of which, though dark at the
base, is a beautiful green at the summit. The appearance of a
water-eagle, with its grayish-white head, disturbed the aquatic fowls;
as if by enchantment, some of them hid among the rushes, but the bird of
prey passed over without taking any notice of such game, which it
doubtless considered unworthy of itself. A tantalus settled down at
about twenty paces from us, and plunged into the stream and remained
motionless.
"Oh papa! what a curious bird! it looks as if it had a bald head."
"You are quite right; it is the bird that the Indians call _galambao_."
"It's almost as tall as I am!"
"Don't you see that it is mounted upon long legs like stilts?" replied
I, laughing. "It is a relation of the stork."
"This is the first bird of that kind we have met with."
"These long-legged birds, or waders as they are called, are scarcely
ever found except in marshes, or on the banks of large rivers. They can
always be recognized by their legs, which are of an enormous length, and
devoid of feathers below the knee--a conformation which enables them to
capture their prey in shallow water."
"Is this tantalus going to fish?"
"I should imagine so, for birds of its order have no other means of
obtaining food."
"One might almost fancy that it was asleep, with its great bill drooping
down over its chest."
"Woe be to the fish that is of your opinion. There! did you remark its
sudden movement? It plunges its head down into the water like a flash of
lightning; and now you can see it holds its prey in its beak. Now it is
spreading its short black-edged wings in order to take flight, and
divide among its young brood the products of its labors. Do you see that
beautiful large bird with a tuft on its forehead? That is the _Ardea
agami_, a wader of the heron genus. But look, there is a flock of
egretts (_Egretta alba_), clothed in their plumage as white as the
ermine. They fly about in flocks, but separate for their fishing. These
birds have rather a grave and sad air, and utter now and then a wild and
plaintive cry."
We stopped to watch these waders gloomily standing in the water, until
we heard l'Encuerado's "Hiou! hiou!" informing us that our companions
were approaching the bivouac. I took Lucien through the forest, replying
to his numerous questions about the Grallatores, when we heard the
chattering and clatter produced by a band of monkeys. About twenty wild
turkeys, doubtless frightened by the noise, rushed between our legs. I
let the poor fugitives go, for we had already more victuals than we
could consume. Lucien wondered at the number of animated beings which
surrounded us, all the more surprising when compared with the gloomy
solitude we had just passed through.
"In the _Terre-Chaude_," said I, "the water-side is always fertile, for
the inhabitants both of the prairies and the forests meet there."
"Why don't the Mexicans live in such a varied and beautiful country as
the _Terre-Chaude_?"
[Illustration]
"Because a dragon guards the entrance to these countries where nature
lavishes its choicest gifts."
"A dragon?"
"Yes; the yellow fever. A terrible malady which corrupts the blood, and
selects the most robust frames for its victims. The negro only can labor
under this burning sun; where even an Indian is overcome by the marsh
fever."
"Are we liable to catch these fevers?"
"We should be in danger if we staid here till the rainy season."
"How that tree is loaded with fruit!" said Lucien, interrupting me.
"They are the Mexican medlars. To-morrow we will come and gather some of
them. Five or six different species of their genus grow in these virgin
forests. These beautiful trees produce various fruit, which is more or
less in request. That which has attracted your attention--the _Sapota
achras_--is especially well known. It is considered the most wholesome
of all the tropical fruits; and from the trunk of the tree oozes out the
white gum called _chicle_, which the inhabitants of the _Terre-Chaude_
and the _Terre-Tempérée_ are so fond of chewing."
The night overtook us just as we were discussing a haunch of venison
roasted by l'Encuerado. A distant roaring told us that we were
surrounded by wild beasts; but we had every confidence in our two fires
and the screen which l'Encuerado had constructed; so we went quietly to
sleep, although we were awakened several times by a renewal of their
frightful uproar.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A GROVE OF LOGWOOD TREES.--ANTS AT THEIR WORK.--PARASITIC INSECTS.--THE
GREAT ANT-EATER.--SPOONBILLS AND HERONS.--LOST IN THE FOREST.
We were all stirring by sunrise. After throwing away the remains of
yesterday's meat, one night in this climate being enough to putrefy it,
l'Encuerado arranged some fishing-lines along the stream, and our little
party set off, struggling against the heat, the mosquitoes, and the
horse-flies.
The Indian, following the flight of a purple-feathered bird, led us
close to an immense ant-hill. The little colony seemed very busy; but I
hurried Lucien away, fearing he might be bitten by them.
"The ants are relations of the termites, are they not, M. Sumichrast?"
"No, Master Sunbeam; the ants are relations of the bees, and,
consequently, belong to the order of _Hymenoptera_. There are male,
female, and neuter or working ants. The males and females are born with
wings; but after the females have laid their eggs, they drop off these
appendages, and assist the workers engaged in constructing the
habitation, taking care of the young ones, and collecting the provisions
required for the colony."
"Look here! one might fancy that the very grass was walking along."
"It is the ants which have stripped a tree of its leaves, in order to
hoard them up in their store-houses--a useless precaution, for these
insects become torpid during the winter months."
Lucien approached the moving column, which was divided into two lines
going contrary ways; one of them advancing loaded with vegetable
remains, and the other going back with empty mandibles. Nothing could be
more interesting than to see thousands of these little creatures walking
along in perfect order, eagerly carrying or dragging a load five or six
times greater than themselves. Lucien followed them. The column entered
the forest, and crawled up a tree, the lower limbs of which were already
stripped of their leaves, causing it to look as if it were dead. The
ants climbed nearer and nearer to the top, and the summit was visibly
losing its foliage.
"How long will they take to carry away all the leaves off that great
tree?" asked Lucien.
"They will have finished their work by this evening," I answered.
Gringalet, who with generous confidence was lying down a few steps
behind us, and had not seen his enemies creeping slyly over him, got up
and began howling.
"Will you never be prudent?" cried l'Encuerado.
[Illustration: "It stood up on its hind legs."]
"Any one must be as simple as a new-born infant to squat on an anthill.
This is the second time you have done it."
Here the advice-giver was suddenly interrupted; he made a face, lifted
up one of his legs, and walked away with long strides; then he sat down
on the ground in order to catch the ants which had secreted themselves
under his leathern shirt. I could not help laughing at him.
"Look here, Gringalet's skin is all over lumps!" said Lucien, stroking
the animal.
"They are caused by parasitic insects," said Sumichrast, "called ticks.
In future we must clear Gringalet every evening of these inconvenient
visitors."
"But they won't come off."
"Pull them suddenly; their mouth is a kind of disk armed with two hooks,
which, if once buried in an animal's skin, are difficult to extract."
"How hideous they look with their little legs placed close to their
heads; here is one which is quite round, like a pea."
"It is because it has begun its meal."
"Does the tick only attack dogs?"
"The dog has his own peculiar species; other kinds lodge under birds'
feathers, and some birds have two or three sorts of parasites. There is
one belonging to the turkey, to the peacock, to the sparrow, to the
vulture, to the magpie, etc. I don't think there is a bird or animal
which does not, like Gringalet, possess its own peculiar parasite."
We had started off again, and another glade led us towards a field
extensively ploughed up by moles.
Sumichrast led the way, and conducted us towards the lake I had
mentioned to him the day before. L'Encuerado caught hold of my arm to
call my attention to an enormous animal moving about in the midst of the
foliage.
The animal came down slowly, and we could only see it indistinctly. At
last it reached the lower branches. It was an ant-eater (_Myrmecophaga
jub[=a]t[=a]_). It remained motionless for an instant, moving its
enormous muzzle, and darting out its flat tongue, which, being covered
with a slimy coating, enabled it to catch up the ants with facility. At
length the "bear," as it is called by the Indians, slid down the trunk,
hanging on to it with its enormous claws, its prehensile tail strongly
clinging to the sides of the tree.
At the sight of this shapeless beast, only fifty paces from us, Lucien
rushed to me in terror. Sumichrast had just cocked his gun, and the
noise made the ant-eater turn tail and prepare to run off, when it found
itself face to face with l'Encuerado. It stood up on its hind legs, with
its snout in the air, and then stretched out its arms ready to strike
any one who was imprudent enough to come within reach of them. Nothing
could be more strange than the appearance of the animal in this
defensive position. Suddenly a shot was fired, and the ant-eater crossed
its fore legs and fell down dead. L'Encuerado had once been nearly
throttled by an ant-eater, and hence it would have been of no use for me
to have attempted to prevent his shooting it.
"Do not come near, Tata Sumichrast," cried the Indian; "these beasts die
very hard, and I still bear the marks of their claws on my skin. Let me
just tickle him up with the point of my _machete_."
"You need not have been afraid," said Sumichrast; "its ugliness is no
proof that it is vicious. It will not attack human beings, and only
makes use of its strength to defend itself. It is of the order Edentala,
and akin to the armadilloes."
"Does it eat any thing but ants?" asked Lucien.
[Illustration: "The bank to the right was covered with cranes, and that
to the left with spoonbills."]
"Ants and other insects. It climbs trees, and its bushy tail
distinguishes it from its brothers, the little ant-eater (_M.
dydactyla_), which seldom visits the ground, and eats more insects than
ants, and the tamandua (_Tamandua tetradactyla_)."
"But how many ants does it take to satisfy it?"
"Thousands; and it would die of hunger if it had to take them one by
one; but, thanks to the length of its tongue, it is enabled to pick up
hundreds at a time."
"What a very peculiar meal!"
"Didn't you know that some Indians are ant-eaters? In the
_Terre-Froide_, for instance, dishes are made of red ants' eggs, and
there is one species which secretes a sweet liquid, of which children
are very fond."
On the shore of the lake a fresh surprise awaited us. The bank to the
right was covered with cranes, and that to the left with spoonbills,
with delicate pink plumage, one of which Lucien shot.
"Oh, what beautiful birds!" said he.
"What a curious beak!" he further exclaimed, examining his victim, which
Gringalet had just brought him.
"Yes, that is why this bird is called a spoonbill."
"Is it good to eat?"
"It is rather tough; but when any one is hungry--"
Sumichrast put his finger to his lips to enjoin silence; two smaller
waders made their appearance and settled close to us.
"Now, Master Sunbeam," said Sumichrast, "fire at the bird to the left,
while I aim at the one to the right. Those are egrets, and your sister
will like some of their beautiful feathers to put in her hat. Now,
then--one, two--fire!"
The two shots sounded almost at the same moment, and the birds fell over
on to the ground. This double report put to flight all the spoonbills
and cranes, and the lake was soon perfectly deserted.
We now took the road leading to the "Palm-tree Villa," and l'Encuerado
went on before us to take up his fishing-lines.
The heat became perfectly overpowering, and Sumichrast fell asleep.
About half-past three, I went off with Lucien towards that portion of
the forest close by the stream, with the intention of collecting
insects. First one object, and then another tempted us into the
interior, till the oblique rays of the sun admonished us to turn back.
But imagine my dismay when, by neglect not to notch the tree-trunks as I
passed them, I discovered I did not know in what direction our camp lay.
"Are we lost?" asked the boy, in an anxious tone.
"We have gone too far," said I to the lad; "and perhaps we shall not be
able to get back to the 'Palm-tree Villa' this evening. I am going to
fire off my gun to attract l'Encuerado's attention."
The report resounded. I listened with an anxiety which increased when I
perceived that I had only three cartridges left, and Lucien only
retained two charges.
"You had better shoot now," said I to the lad, "so that l'Encuerado may
understand that we are signalling to him."
I again listened almost breathlessly, but in vain.
"We must rest here without our supper," said I, with a gayety I was far
from feeling; "if we go on walking, we might lose ourselves."
After cutting some fagots and making a fire in a semicircle round a tree
I lay down, with my dear companion beside me; and, though I tried hard
to conceal it, I could not but feel the gloomiest forebodings.
[Illustration: "The head and bright eyes of a superb jaguar appeared
about fifty paces from us."]
About midnight the breeze calmed down, and I closed my eyes that I might
the better hear the slightest noise. Several times I thought I caught
the faintest vibrations of a dull sound; but I ultimately attributed
these noises to my over-excited imagination. Suddenly a terrible roar
re-echoed through the forest and woke up Lucien.
"What is the matter? Is it Chéma?"
"No, my boy; it is a jaguar."
"Will it come near us?"
"I hope not, but go on with its nocturnal hunting; anyhow, behind the
fire we have nothing to fear."
I put Lucien back against the tree and cocked my gun, when the head and
bright eyes of a superb jaguar appeared about fifty paces from us.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXIX.
A NOCTURNAL VISITOR.--THE FALL OF A TREE.--A
FEARFUL NIGHT.--THE MONKEYS.--MASTER JOB.--ALL
RIGHT AT LAST.
After looking at us for a moment, the animal crept cunningly round us,
alternately appearing and disappearing behind the trees. I hastened to
make up the fire, and then sat down near Lucien, who, gun in hand, was
bravely watching the enemy.
"Whatever you do, don't fire," I said.
"If I did, would the animal spring upon us?"
"He would far more likely retreat; but we shall want our ammunition
to-morrow."
For an hour the animal kept prowling round, every now and then bounding
off. At last it came and sat down about twenty paces from the fire, then
stretched itself on the ground and rolled about as if in play; but if we
made the slightest movement it immediately got up, and, laying back its
ears, showed its formidable teeth. Suddenly a noise as if of breaking
branches was heard, followed by reports like those of guns; then came a
horrible roar. Lucien, frightened, rushed into my arms.
"What!" said I to him; "don't you remember the noise made by the fall of
a tree?"
"Oh papa! I have heard nothing like it since the day of the
hurricane."
[Illustration: "We now came upon some creeping plants."]
"That is quite true; but it is an incident to which you will soon be
accustomed, for the first storm will probably overthrow many of these
formidable giants. The tiger is frightened too, for he has made off, you
see. Try and go to sleep, my dear boy, for to-morrow we may perhaps have
to walk a long way."
I leaned my head against that of the child, who soon dropped asleep. The
forest had resumed its majestic silence, which was only disturbed by the
distant fall of another and another colossus.
My anxiety was extreme, and though I knew our friends would range every
way in quest of us, we might so readily wander in opposite directions,
as we had no ammunition to signal with should they come near.
Towards morning, exhausted with fatigue, I fell asleep, and dreamt, in
my feverishness, that we were nearly at the end of our journey, and
close to Orizava, in sight of home. A slender thread of light announcing
the dawn of day awoke us, and we arose.
The clearness of day now broke upon us. For a quarter of an hour I kept
my ear to the earth, listening in the hopes of hearing some signal.
Again and again I cocked my gun with the intention of firing, and as
regularly I laid it down, when I reflected I might only be throwing away
my ammunition.
At length I took observations of the bearings of the ground, and
followed, as far as possible, our trail of the day before.
In this operation we fortunately came upon a pool of water, at which we
quenched our thirst; but though our hunger was excessive, and game
plentiful we dared not discharge at it a single shot.
We hastened forward, and came upon some creeping plants, indications
that we were approaching a glade. Some birds were singing in the
branches as we hurried on, but I had made up my mind to shoot the first
one large enough to make a meal for my brave little companion and self.
In spite of my efforts, I could not succeed in hiding my grave
presentiments; but my son's prattle, which was even gayer than usual,
quite justified the name of "Sunbeam" given him by Sumichrast.
"Don't be so serious," said he to me, suddenly; "you need not be
distressed about me. I have already guessed that we are lost; but I am
with you, and I am not a bit afraid but that we shall soon find our way
again."
The poor child had not the least suspicion of the danger. Every moment,
too, tears came into my eyes, and I felt my courage getting weaker; I
made a strong effort to dispel my thoughts, and vowed that I would
strive on with faith and energy to the last hour.
"L'Encuerado will be sure to find us," said Lucien, with such an air of
conviction that I could not help sharing his confidence.
"Yes," I answered; "Sumichrast and l'Encuerado will find us or die in
the attempt. It can not be possible--" I had not courage to finish my
sentence.
We commenced our march again with increased energy.
"Look out!" cried Lucien, suddenly; "it seems to me as if some one were
moving the branches close by."
[Illustration: "The monkey . . . slid down, and fell dead at our feet."]
"It is a monkey," said I; and off I went in pursuit of the animal,
which, leaping from branch to branch, seemed to set us at defiance.
Suddenly it uttered a guttural cry, and was answered by twenty more. I
hid behind a tree, and told Lucien to keep silent. Two or three times
the active creatures moved farther away, but at last they came so close
that I could fire safely. I never, I think, took more pains with my aim;
the gun went off, and the band scattered in every direction in a most
precipitous flight. The monkey I had aimed at seemed only wounded, when,
as I was going to fire a second time, it slid down and fell dead at our
feet; its young one, which we had not at first perceived, was sitting
upon a limb about ten feet from the ground, uttering low, and almost
inaudible, plaintive cries.
In a quarter of an hour the animal was skinned and hung in front of a
large fire. While I was superintending the cookery, the young one moaned
incessantly, and my companion tried every persuasion to coax it down.
Urged by Lucien, I ascended the tree, and tried to catch hold of the
motherless little creature. No doubt it was paralyzed by fear, for it
only showed its teeth, and allowed me to place it on my shoulder. It
clung to my hair and wound its tail round my neck, as I descended, and I
was in fear every moment of feeling one of my ears bitten. Nothing of
the sort happened, for the poor brute's teeth chattered with fear; I
placed it close to the fire, where it immediately resumed its
lamentations. Then, by means of a flexible creeper, I secured it round
the middle of the body and tied it to a bush.
When we had satisfied our appetite on the dark and tough monkey's flesh,
I proposed to Lucien a fresh start.
"Shall we take our little captive with us?" he asked.
"Yes, certainly. It will be a resource for our supper, in case we do not
fall in with our friends."
"Oh no," cried the boy; "let us at least put off killing it till
to-morrow."
I hastened my pace, carrying on my shoulder our new companion, whom we
at once dubbed "Master Job."
I examined more carefully than ever the ground and the bark of the
trees, seeking for any thing which might direct our course. With a
sickly feeling at my heart, I saw the sun approach the horizon. The
boy, quite broken down with fatigue, looked at me, with his eyes full of
tears. At last I halted, and the dear little fellow stretched himself
beside me and fell asleep.
While listening with ear and eye alike on the watch, I fancied I heard
the distant report of a gun. I jumped up--was it the fall of a tree? or
was it a signal from one of our companions? I seized my gun, but I
hesitated before expending my last cartridge but one. At length I
pressed the trigger, and I listened anxiously as the sound of my shot
died away, alas! without echo. Lucien did not move.
"Jump up! jump up!" I cried; for a dull barking moved the air. Suddenly
I fired my last barrel; then, with eyes shut, mouth open, and nostrils
dilated, I listened intently, almost forgetting to breathe.
Minutes--they seemed ages--elapsed without any thing more interrupting
the silence. Lucien looked at me with a scared face; I pressed my weapon
to me in despair at having expended my last charge, when a gunshot was
heard ringing out clear and close.
"It is l'Encuerado!" cried Lucien.
"Yes, my boy," I said, almost frantic.
"Reply to your friend!" I exclaimed; "one of the barrels of your gun is
still loaded."
Lucien fired, and was answered almost immediately.
"Call out, so as to guide them," said I to the boy; "for we have no more
powder left."
"Ohé, ohé, ohé!" called Lucien.
"Hiou, hiou, hiou!" replied a still distant voice.
At the same moment Gringalet rushed to us as swiftly as an arrow, and
jumped upon his young master. After having overwhelmed us with caresses,
the dog made off again, and ten minutes later the Indian made his
appearance, and, running to the boy, clasped him in his arms, and
rolled with him on the ground in the excess of his wild emotion. I, too,
heartily greeted Sumichrast, but was almost too affected to speak.
All my companion's efforts to discover our trail had been ineffectual;
and Gringalet himself, when put to the task, had hunted in vain round
the thickets. The fact was, they looked for us on the right, while we
had gone to the left; for Sumichrast could not bring his mind to the
idea that we had turned our backs to the stream.
L'Encuerado, after cooking, spread out on the spot his stock of
provisions, to which every one did justice. Master Job was lodged safely
under the shelter of a large branch, and deep sleep took possession of
the whole party.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXX.
WE BUILD A RAFT.--THE HORNED SERPENT.--GOOD-BYE TO
"PALM-TREE VILLA."--MOSQUITOES AND
HORSE-FLIES.--THE RATTLESNAKE.--AN OCELOT.
The next day found us at work building our raft, and l'Encuerado went
off with Lucien in quest of some flexible creepers, to be used for
binding together the various portions of it. When our companions joined
us, Sumichrast was squaring out the last trunks. Lucien, laden with
creepers wound all round his body, carried besides, at the end of his
stick, the carcass of a horned snake--_Atropos Mexicanus_--which has
scales standing erect behind its eyebrows, like little horns, which have
obtained for it its Indian name of _mazacoatl_. The reptile was nearly
two feet long, and of a grayish color, and gaped with formidable jaws,
more than usually dilated by the blows, I suppose, which l'Encuerado had
given it.
Sumichrast, with infinite precaution, showed to his pupil the tubular
fangs, by means of which serpents inoculate the terrible venom with
which some of them have been endowed by nature.
"When the reptile bites," said my friend, "its two fangs press on a
small bladder at their base, and the poison is thus injected into the
wound."
Our naturalist rendered his explanation still clearer by pressing on one
of the fangs, from the end of which oozed out an almost imperceptible
drop of liquid.
"How is it that the serpent does not poison itself?" asked Lucien.
"In the first place, it does not chew its prey; and, secondly, its venom
is only dangerous when it penetrates direct into the blood; and a man,
if there is no scratch in his mouth or in the digestive tube, can
swallow the poison with impunity, although a very small quantity
introduced into his veins would cause immediate death."
After our meal, which consisted of turtle and some palm cabbage, which
in flavor resembles an artichoke, I set the example of commencing work.
In less than two hours the materials for the raft had been carried to
the edge of the stream, and the frail bark which was to carry us down to
the plains was constructed and afloat. A little before sunset,
l'Encuerado, provided with a long pole for a boat-hook, pushed it out on
the water to ascertain its powers of buoyancy; and the trial having been
judged satisfactory, the raft was moored, and we all lay down in front
of our "Villa" to enjoy a siesta.
At last, when every thing was arranged for the voyage, l'Encuerado,
naked down to his waist, went behind as pilot. We gave a farewell salute
to the "Villa," by a loud hurrah, which seemed to frighten our
menagerie, and with a last look at the forest in which I had spent so
many miserable hours the mooring was cut, and the raft floated slowly
and silently down the current.
The raft soon drifted into a lagoon, covered with waders and web-footed
birds, which scarcely moved as we passed them, and some time was lost
before we could regain the course of the stream. At length, guided by
the palm-trees, our skiff glided between two banks bordered by trees,
the high tops of which sheltered us with their shade.
Every thing was calm around us, and we remained silent, awed by the
majesty of nature. The stream flowed on in one single sheet; creepers
hanging from the tree-tops drooped down into the water; while
kingfishers skimmed from one shore to the other, and humming-birds, with
their varied and shining plumage, fluttered about the flowers. Every now
and then a low-hanging tree impeded our passage, and we had to bend down
on the raft to avoid being struck by such obstacles. A mass of
under-wood often hid the interior of the woods from our view; but here
and there a break in the foliage allowed us a glimpse into its depths.
Ebony-trees, cotton-wood, pepper-trees, and palms, were intermixed with
tree-ferns, magnolias, white oaks, and willows. Here and there, too, a
sunbeam marked out a vast circle of light upon the dark water, and
myriads of aquatic insects, gnats, dragon-flies, and butterflies sported
in the air or swam over the glittering surface.
After a time, the state of inaction to which we were doomed, aggravated
by the stings of mosquitoes and large green-eyed flies, became a perfect
torture.
"Those are horse-flies," said Sumichrast to Lucien; "they are very fond
of blood, and are a misery to all kinds of mammals from one end of
America to the other."
[Illustration: "In front of us opened a glade, bordered by tall
palm-trees."]
"Their bite is more painful than that of the mosquitoes," answered
the boy, from whose hand a drop of blood was trickling.
"That is because their proboscis is armed with lancets which are sharp
enough to pierce the hides of bulls and horses."
During this voyage, Lucien amused himself by teaching the two parrots to
repeat the names of his brother and sister; but the birds, with one foot
held up and their heads bent down, although they paid great attention to
the words repeated by the boy, as yet did not profit much by the lesson.
In the course of our voyage we were constantly losing trace of the
current in some vast lagoon, and had often a long search till we found
it. In one of these searches, I caught sight of such a picturesque bay
that I proposed a halt. In front of us opened a tolerably deep glade,
bordered by tall palm-trees. L'Encuerado pushed the raft to land over
the aquatic plants, and I jumped ashore to moor our craft.
A fallen tree tempted us into the forest, and on the damp ground Lucien
caught sight of a magnificent rattlesnake, seemingly torpid. Sumichrast
discharged his gun at the reptile, which reared itself up, and then fell
down dead. A noise immediately resounded in several directions, and two
or three snakes of the same family appeared, one of them followed by
three young ones. The snake killed by my friend measured more than a
yard in length. Its skin was speckled with black, brown, and gray spots,
and its flat, triangular head had a very repulsive look. Lucien, with a
blow from his _machete_, cut off the rattles which give to the reptile
its name. These horny appendages, of which there were seven, were given
to l'Encuerado, who, like all his fellow-countrymen, believed them to be
endued with miraculous virtues--among others, that of tuning guitars
and preventing the strings from breaking.
A shot fired by the Indian led us back to the bivouac; our companion had
just killed an ocelot, called by the Indians _ocotchotli_.
"You see this animal, Chanito?" cried l'Encuerado, who was stroking its
black and brown spotted fur; "well, its tongue is poisonous. When it
kills a stag or peccary, it buries its prey under some leaves, then
climbs the nearest tree, and howls until it attracts all the carnivorous
animals near. When they have feasted, it comes down and devours what is
left."
[Illustration]
"But why does it call the animals?" I asked.
"Didn't I tell you its tongue is poisonous? If it ate first, the venom
would be communicated to the food, and the animals that feasted on the
remains would die."
This fable narrated by Hernandez, and still told by the Indians, must
have originated in some as yet unobserved habit of the _ocotchotli_.
After dinner, when Lucien was going towards his pets to give them some
fruit, he saw an unfortunate tortoise between Master Job's paws. The
monkey was turning it over, smelling at it, and then depositing it on
the ground, persistently poking his fingers into its shell, a proceeding
which by no means tended to enliven the melancholy animal. According to
l'Encuerado's advice, Lucien stuck up some branches near the water, and
put the tortoise into this miniature inclosure.
Night came on, and Lucien was still teaching the birds to say "Hortense"
and "Emile." To our great astonishment, Gringalet went and stretched
himself close to Master Job, who, without hesitation, commenced freeing
him from the vermin which were lodged among his hair; then the two
friends went to sleep side by side. About nine o'clock, when I was
making up the fire before going to rest myself, Janet opened one of her
eyes and chattered a short sentence; but l'Encuerado was much too fast
asleep to answer her.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE HUNTERS HUNTED.--ESCAPE FROM PECCARIES.--A
JAGUAR-HUNT.--AN IBIS.--THE CAYMANS.--THE WILD
BULLS.
After we had finished our breakfast next morning, we embarked our
baggage and menagerie, and prepared to depart. I was just going on board
the raft when a noise attracted our attention to the forest, and two
peccaries rushed past us, pursuing one another. L'Encuerado, taken by
surprise, shot at one of the animals without killing it, and we all gave
chase. Hardly had we gone a hundred paces, when the Indian, who was in
front of us, turned right about, shouting out, "To the raft! to the
raft!"
[Illustration: "A band of peccaries was pursuing us."]
A noise like the gallop of a troop of horses seemed to shake the
ground. A band of peccaries was pursuing us; and as my two companions
halted to fire, I succeeded in gaining the raft, on which I placed
Lucien. The peccaries, about a hundred in number, rushed on in a furious
crowd. Sumichrast, who was closely pressed by them, leaped upon the
frail bark, almost capsizing it, while l'Encuerado ran along the shore.
"Cut the mooring and push off!" he cried out to me as he disappeared in
the jungle.
Some of the peccaries rushed after the Indian; the others, chasing and
hustling one another, deafened us with their gruntings. I cut the
mooring-line; and, seizing hold of the boat-hook, directed the raft
towards the right bank, whence the uproar seemed to proceed.
"Hiou! hiou! Chanito!"
"Ohé! ohé!" I answered.
I was just going to spring off, when the Indian came in sight, followed
by Gringalet, and plunged into the water, holding his gun above his
head.
L'Encuerado, instead of coming to us on the raft, turned towards a
peccary which in its eagerness had fallen into the water and was
endeavoring to reach the bank. He seized it by an ear and dragged it
towards the raft, assisted by Gringalet, who swam, barking, behind, and
biting it when opportunity offered.
"Fire your gun at this poor wretch's head," called l'Encuerado to
Sumichrast.
This was no sooner said than done, and l'Encuerado leaped on board,
dragging his victim after him.
The peccaries collected on the shore continued to utter loud grunts of
rage; but we were beyond their reach, for the raft was soon carried past
them by the current.
"Are peccaries carnivorous?" asked Lucien.
"Yes, indeed, Chanito. If one of us had been knocked down by the band,
there wouldn't be much left now but bones."
"Isn't the peccary a wild boar, M. Sumichrast?"
"It is a pachyderm--consequently, a relation of the pig," answered my
friend. "The wild boar is solitary, while the peccaries always go in
flocks; this makes them formidable enemies in spite of their small
size."
"What, small! this one is larger than Gringalet!"
"The wild boar is twice as big. A characteristic of the peccary is, that
its tail is rudimentary, and the bristles spotted with black and white;
moreover, only its legs are eatable."
L'Encuerado went round the edge of the lake in order to trace the course
of the stream. We lost more than an hour in false channels, and the raft
ran aground in a shallow.
When the sun had set, and all the birds were flying over us to their
retreats, we landed to bivouac for the night.
A deep-toned roaring sound awoke me up with a start; the first thing I
saw was Lucien, with his gun in his hand, crouching down close to
Sumichrast. On the shore, about sixty yards from us, I saw a long tawny
form, and two shining eyes. A second roar told me the name of our
nocturnal visitor, whose voice I fancied I had heard in a dream.
"And where is l'Encuerado?" I asked my companion.
"He is crawling away to the other side."
A shot cut these words short; the animal gave another roar, and rushed
into the jungle. We heard a noise like a scuffle, and then the jaguar
again came in sight; it ran round and round, roaring with rage. A final
bound brought it to within twenty paces of our camp fire, when it fell
never to rise again.
"Hiou! hiou! Chanito."
This sound took a weight off my mind, for I could not but feel alarmed
for the safety of l'Encuerado.
"Ohé! ohé!" was responded.
Gringalet, who was let loose, ran towards the enormous creature, and
barked at it from a safe distance. The Indian came up, with his gun upon
his shoulder.
"The beast is justly mine, isn't it, Tatita, and I am still the
tiger-hunter?"
"Yes," I replied; "but let the tigers alone, if they will allow you, and
let us go to rest."
We were all going to lie down, when the roar of a tiger again shook the
air.
"Hallo!" cried my friend; "is your beast come to life again?"
"No, Tatita Sumichrast; but my tiger is a tigress, and her mate is come
to see after her."
I told the Indian not to move.
"Let him do as he likes," said my companion; "he will only disobey you."
Half an hour elapsed; all was profound silence, and we could hear the
slightest-rustling of the leaves. Suddenly there was the report of a
gun, and, five minutes afterwards, we greeted with "bravos" the
triumphant "Hiou! hiou!" of the Indian, who, streaming with water, came
to dry himself at the fire.
"I was obliged to ford the stream," he said; "but his lordship has got
the ball between his two eyes this time."
"You are a brave fellow," responded Sumichrast, shaking hands with him.
"Now I shall sleep quietly," the Indian whispered to Lucien.
Master Job, Gringalet, Janet, and Verdet, all had their eyes wide open
when I awoke at day-break. Lucien rose just as I was starting for the
water's edge and accompanied me.
An elegant bird with a long curved bill came and settled down on the
bank; the boy remarked the beautiful bronze-colored plumage of the
wader. I informed him it was an ibis.
"The Egyptian bird which devours serpents?"
"One of its kinsfolk," I replied; "the ibis feeds, generally speaking,
on worms, mollusks, and even on sea-weed or aquatic plants. It may,
perhaps, sometimes eat water-snakes; but as to feeding exclusively on
reptiles, or destroying them systematically, that's quite another
story."
We now reached the bivouac, and found my companions up, and l'Encuerado
in a state of high excitement over his exploit.
Having drunk our coffee, we all turned up our sleeves, and set to work
to skin our magnificent prizes. This difficult operation employed us all
the morning, and was scarcely finished when I carried our baggage on
board the raft, which was soon pushed off from the bank.
Our way lay through walls of the densest foliage, which often met
overhead, while such was the awful stillness of the solitude, that we
felt oppressed, and only spoke in a low voice.
The hour for rest had long passed, and yet no one proposed to land. The
fact was, we wished some more animated resting-place; and though
l'Encuerado, with his pole, shoved us onward with energy, the numerous
bends hindered our progress, and it seemed as if night would surprise us
still afloat. At last the palm-trees became more crowded, and the stream
emerged from the forest, to cross a prairie; here the raft was moored
under a canopy of creepers.
Our first care was to stretch the tigers' skins on the heated ground,
and, while I was helping l'Encuerado, Sumichrast and Lucien went off in
quest of our dinners. The fire had been for some time burning, when
we heard a distant gunshot.
[Illustration: "The banks of the river were covered with alligators."]
Sumichrast returned laden with a green iguana, and Lucien was dragging
by a string a little alligator about thirty inches long.
"Look, M. L'Encuerado!" cried the boy; "here is an alligator or cayman,
a relation of the lizards, and an enemy of man. This ugly young beast
has only baby-teeth, so can not bite much. It feeds on fish, otters,
calves, and many other animals. It is an amphibious being, M.
L'Encuerado, a creature that lays eggs like fowls, but buries them in
the sand, where the sun has to hatch them; it is a brute, too, which is
so fond of man that it eats him whenever it has a chance."
"Take care it does not bite you," said I to the boy; "how did you manage
to catch it?"
"I pursued it, thinking it was a big lizard; M. Sumichrast called out to
me not to handle it, and then tied this creeper round its neck."
"You don't intend to take it away with you, I hope?"
"No; it is an ill-tempered creature, and is always anxious to use its
teeth. I shall just show it to Master Job, and then let it go."
Neither Job nor his companions seemed flattered by this introduction,
and the boy was disappointed when he deposited it at the water's edge;
for, instead of plunging in, as he expected, it made a semicircle, and
ran off towards the forest.
"Don't young alligators know how to swim?" he asked.
"Yes, Chanito; but they do not go into the water till they are old
enough to defend themselves against the big males, which would devour
them."
The sun had scarcely risen, when I saw on the shore, at about ten paces
from us, three monsters luxuriously stretched out. One of them, from
sixteen to twenty feet long, with a brown and rough body, opened its
enormous jaws and showed us its frightful teeth. I took Lucien by the
hand to lead him nearer to the reptiles, the better to inspect them.
"I like tigers better than these creatures," said he; "certainly their
roaring is frightful to listen to, but they are by no means so hideous."
"Look along there, M. Sumichrast!" cried Lucien, when we had again taken
to our raft; "there are eyes floating on the water!"
"You are not mistaken; they are crocodile's eyes."
The child nestled up to me, and I encouraged him; but these dark eyes
appearing in every direction, and following every movement of the raft,
troubled him beyond expression.
The banks of the river were covered with alligators, with their mouths
wide agape. Some of them glided down into the water and came near us,
but the majority remained motionless, not caring to exert themselves.
Lucien's fear began to calm down. He had so wished to see plenty of
alligators; now he complained that there were too many.
"Look at that one," said Sumichrast, "climbing up that spit of land. He
turns round with difficulty, and looks as if he scarcely had the use of
his limbs. The fact is, that his body has no proper joints, and only
moves in one piece. The best way, therefore, to escape from an alligator
is to run up and down, making the turns short and rapid."
[Illustration: "The Indian and his branch descended with a splash into
the river."]
The stream had hitherto flowed almost on a level with its banks, now the
latter became gradually higher, and we floated along under an arch of
foliage. L'Encuerado happened to raise himself to point out to Lucien a
tree covered with parrots, between whom and the Indian there immediately
commenced a lively chatter. Diverted by this amusing conversation,
none of us perceived an enormous branch, which just grazed our heads but
upset our entertainer. When he emerged from the water, instead of
swimming towards us, l'Encuerado made his way to the bank, and began,
with cutlass in hand, to hew and hack at the tree which had been the
cause of his accident.
"If you're going to cut down that colossus," cried my friend, "we had
better encamp here, for it's eight days work at least."
"Only wait ten minutes more, at most, Tatita Sumichrast. It shall never
be said that this great booby broke my head and then laughed at me, to
the heart's delight of the parrots, who no doubt were the instigators of
such conduct."
L'Encuerado, by the notches he had cut in the tree, could easily climb
up to the lowest branch; but in his haste he slipped and fell a second
time into the water.
In a twinkling the Indian was up astride again on his branch, jabbering
like an ape, and slashing his knife into it, when of a sudden it gave a
loud crack, and he and it descended with a splash into the river. At
this noise the parrots sent up a wild scream and flew off, while the
branch floated past us to the ocean. Our companion climbed up again on
the raft, and laughed so heartily at his defeat of the tree and the
fright he had caused to the parrots, that Lucien soon joined in his
gayety. He was, however, thoroughly exhausted, so lay down, when he
slept the peaceful sleep of a child which has tired itself out with a
fit of passion.
For two hours I managed the raft, and then l'Encuerado, awaking, resumed
his post in silence. Suddenly there was a heavy tramping on the ground,
the boughs moved, and the head of a wild bull appeared among the
creepers. The animal surveyed us for a moment with its fierce eyes, and
then made off, bellowing hoarsely.
The sight of this new denizen of the forest confirmed the omens as we
had already read them, and soon, accordingly, there burst upon our view
an immense savannah. We were just about to pass the last shrub on the
bank of the river, when l'Encuerado suddenly brought the boat to a
stand-still. I stood up and saw a herd of wild cattle moving rapidly
down to that portion of the stream which we were about to pass.
"Look out!" cried Sumichrast; "this is better worth seeing than the
crocodiles."
L'Encuerado landed, and, crossing the prairie, called us. I found him
close to an enormous willow-tree. Without loss of time, Lucien,
Sumichrast, and I climbed up among the branches, taking Gringalet with
us; but the Indian preferred posting himself in a more isolated
position.
"We shall have roast fillet of beef to-night," cried he, executing among
the branches such a series of gambols that I feared he would finish by
falling.
The cattle approached. The ground trembled under their feet, and we were
deafened by their bellowing. One of them, a magnificent bull, with a
black coat sprinkled with white spots, took the lead. The drove, which
first trotted on, and then stopped to browse, followed its
imperious-looking chief; the caymans, as if awakened by the uproar,
assembled at the opening of the savannah, and numerous watchful eyes
were to be seen on the surface of the water.
[Illustration: "The entire drove . . . dashed at full gallop into the
stream."]
The wild drove halted at about fifty paces from the stream; the black
and white bull advanced alone and, first leisurely taking a drink,
plunged into the water; he reached the opposite bank, where he halted
and turned right about. Then the entire drove, above which was hovering
a cloud of horse-flies, dashed at full gallop into the stream to join
their guide. Although the drove must have consisted of hundreds, in
less than a quarter of an hour there were not left more than five or six
on our side, and these seemed afraid to cross. Suddenly a gun was fired,
and one of the animals came rushing past our tree with a jet of blood
flowing from his chest. Suddenly he stopped, groaned, and sank down upon
the ground. I cast a glance at l'Encuerado, who descended to the lowest
branch, continuing his gymnastic exercises. The young bulls on our side,
frightened by the report of the gun, at last made up their minds to
cross; one of them, however, stopping to drink, was seized by a
crocodile, and gradually drawn under the water. A second disappeared in
the middle of the stream; and a third, after a fearful struggle, reached
the bank. The whole drove, goaded on by the horse-flies, then resumed
their furious course, and were soon lost in the distance.
These cattle range the prairies in droves of sometimes forty thousand,
and were originally imported by the Spaniards.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
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.
The next morning l'Encuerado started alone on the raft; for we had
resolved to cross the savannah on foot, and thus escape, for an hour or
two, the insects which took advantage of our forced immobility in order
to bleed us at their leisure.
Flocks of black vultures hovered high up in the sky, bending their
course towards a spot not very far from the river bed. Our curiosity led
us in that direction, and in a large hole, with perpendicular sides,
about twelve yards wide, we saw several hundreds of these bare-necked
gentry fighting over the carcass of a buffalo. We were retiring in
disgust, when the vultures, who had not seemed the least alarmed at our
presence, suddenly manifested fear, and, abandoning their prey, stood
around in evident concern. A new guest had made its appearance in the
sky, and soared round and round above us. It settled down heavily, and
folded its black and white wings; the new-comer was the _Sarcoramphus
papa_ of the _savants_--a bird akin to the condor.
This king of the vultures, as the Indians call it, had a black tail, and
white plumage on its back. Its neck was adorned with a ruff of
pearl-gray feathers, and the top of its head was streaked in symmetrical
lines with a dark down; on its yellow beak there was a fleshy
protuberance, the utility of which ornithologists seek in vain to
explain. The magnificent bird darted round it a domineering look, and,
advancing towards the prey, began to feed. New guests were incessantly
arriving, but they all kept their distance.
At last the _sarcoramphus_ flew away, and immediately the vultures
rushed _en masse_ on the carcass, which soon disappeared under the crowd
of beaks.
We now made for the raft, but the distance was greater than we had
calculated; and, before going on board, it was highly necessary to free
ourselves of the hundreds of _ticks_ which we had collected in the
savannah. These insects are black, and as small as fleas, and gather in
masses at the extremities of plants, ready to attach themselves to any
animal that brushes against them. They then bury their claws in the
flesh, and greedily suck the blood. It is a tedious job to pick off one
by one these troublesome parasites, which cause an almost unbearable
itching.
About five o'clock in the evening, the raft came to shore in a bay
shaded by palm-trees. L'Encuerado hastened to stretch out his tigers'
skins, and, as night was at hand, we contented ourselves with the
remains of a tortoise. The Indian, who had walked but little, cocked his
gun and strolled along the edge of the river. In about a quarter of an
hour he returned, looking pale and excited.
"Have you been bitten by a serpent?" I cried.
"No, Tatita," he replied, quite out of breath; "something worse than
that! I have seen _it_!"
"What?" I exclaimed.
"A ghost!" said the Indian in a low tone, crossing himself.
"Pluck up your spirits," said I to the Indian; "if you have, we'll kill
it to-morrow."
"You can't kill it, Tatita."
"With ordinary bullets, no; but those which Sumichrast knows how to
prepare will soon settle him."
My curiosity was raised; for this ghost was an animal called a tapir,
which the Indians believe possessed of supernatural powers; and, as I
had never met with one, I was anxious that we should come across it.
"And didn't you aim at it?" cried my friend.
"No; I ran away," replied the fearless tiger-hunter.
Thus l'Encuerado, whom the evening before we had seen braving tigers,
crocodiles, and wild cattle, now trembled at the mere idea of facing an
inoffensive animal, which was only a relation of the peccaries, with a
snout terminated by a non-prehensile proboscis, yet to which his
imagination attributed certain demoniac qualities. He that night utterly
refused to go to rest; at the least rustling of the leaves he expected
to see the ghost appear. Instead of directly opposing his error--which I
knew would be of no use--I endeavored to convince him that my power far
surpassed that of the object of his dread.
[Illustration: "The reeds were pushed aside."]
"If it wasn't for that," I urged on him, "do you think I would permit
Lucien to sleep in so dangerous a neighborhood?"
Sumichrast gave the Indian two bullets, and solemnly told him that with
these projectiles he would surely kill the object of his dread if he
aimed straight. L'Encuerado gradually recovered his self-possession; the
idea of slaying in one of its most formidable shapes the cause of his
superstition excited his self-esteem, and he went to sleep, and no doubt
dreamt of his next day's exploit.
At day-break we walked down to the confluence of the two rivers; in
front of us stretched a broad prairie covered with thick grass. If the
tapir had not quenched its thirst in the night, it would be sure to
reappear; therefore Lucien and Sumichrast turned to the left close by
the stream, while I and my servant crouched down behind the trunk of a
tree at the entrance of the forest.
We remained in this position for more than an hour, when suddenly the
reeds were pushed, aside, and two of the looked-for pachyderms came out
together on the green-sward.
L'Encuerado kept on crossing himself without intermission.
"Fire," said I, in a low voice, "and aim straight at the forehead."
The gun went off, and the tapirs decamped; but one of them fell on the
ground before it could enter the water; it was dead ere we reached it.
"You have killed the object of your dread," said Lucien, who ran up to
examine the curious animal.
"Yes, Chanito, thanks to the enchanted bullets."
L'Encuerado having positively refused to touch the tapir, Sumichrast
undertook to cut it up, as we much wished to taste its flesh. All our
efforts to induce the Indian to do likewise were fruitless, and his
ingenious mind found a retort to all our arguments. The flesh of the
animal reminded us a little of that of the peccary, although it was less
highly flavored.
About midday the tigers' skins were taken up, and the raft was soon
floating over the combined streams. We had at first thought of
proceeding in this way as far as the Gulf of Mexico; but the season was
now too far advanced to admit of such an excursion. We at length made up
our minds that the next day we should abandon our raft, and return by
the shortest route to our starting-point.
[Illustration]
At dawn of day our bivouac was enlivened by hundreds of birds.
L'Encuerado cut the mooring line of the raft, and let it float down the
stream, thanking it at the same time for the services it had rendered
us, and wishing it prosperity in its lonely voyage to the ocean.
[Illustration: "The deer sank down under the weight of a puma."]
As I stood watching the frail bark gliding away, two herons perched
upon it, and it soon glided out of sight laden with its winged
passengers.
We were all ready to start; the "Tapir River," as Lucien had named it,
we bid adieu to with three hurrahs, and our little party set off,
following Sumichrast, who carried Master Job perched on his shoulder.
Our way lay in part through a prairie, where the heat was overpowering,
and in part through palm-tree woods, infested with mosquitoes. At last,
overcome by fatigue, we felt compelled to halt and bivouac for the
night.
As we were arranging our bivouac next night, l'Encuerado saw a crayfish,
and set off with Lucien to try and catch some of them. I and Sumichrast
started on the trail of some deer we had seen bounding past. We had
scarcely gone more than five hundred yards before we climbed a hill
beyond which a savannah was spread out before us as far as the eye could
reach, the high grass of which looked almost like ripe wheat.
Sumichrast, who had halted, summoned me by an imitation of the cry of an
owl. I hastily and noiselessly joined him, when he pointed out to me,
among the trees, a deer quietly browsing, which would no doubt pass
within gunshot. I stood watching by my friend, following with anxiety
all the movements of the graceful animal, for twice it threw up its head
and showed some vague uneasiness. Sumichrast, fearing that it was about
to make off, was getting ready to fire, when the deer gave a bound and
sank down under the weight of a puma, which had sprung upon it. I fired
at the carnivore, which the ferocious brute responded to by a loud roar,
then, dragging its prey a distance of about fifty yards, it suddenly
made off. The venison of the deer, and more than thirty small crayfish
caught by Lucien and his friend, were a godsend to our larder, and amply
made up for the short commons of previous occasions.
We watched the sun go down from the top of the hill, and descried on the
horizon the bluish line of the Cordillera, with the volcano of Orizava
towering up towards the west. Henceforth this mountain was to be our
guide while crossing the immense savannah, an undertaking which filled
me with dread.
"Shall we cross that great plain?" asked Lucien.
"Yes, Master Sunbeam, it is the shortest way to Orizava."
"How many hours shall we be in doing it?"
"Hours? We shall be three or four days at least."
At this moment a storm, which we saw impending, burst over us, and we
hurried pell-mell to our hut. For four hours the heavens continued to
pour down, amidst thunder and lightning, a perfect deluge, and we were
all, in spite of our shelter, soaked to the skin. The clouds broke up,
and a few stars shone out; about midnight the clear sky regained its
azure tint, while the moon dimly lighted up the landscape. L'Encuerado,
who slept through it, now woke up to help us to rekindle the fire and
get ready a cup of coffee; after enjoying which, and changing our
clothes, we all retired to rest.
In the morning we held a council to deliberate about the route, and,
after some debate, we agreed to l'Encuerado's proposal, and decisively
resolved to cross the savannah direct.
It would have been madness to travel, so heavily laden as we were, under
the rays of a vertical sun; so I proposed not to start till the evening,
and that henceforth we should travel by night, a plan which quite
rejoiced Lucien.
After the baggage had been equally divided, and every thing that was
useless thrown away, I counted the maize-cakes, our only food, and found
we had enough victuals for several days, besides crayfish, and the flesh
of an armadillo. We filled our gourds up to the necks with water and
corked them tightly, then lay down in the shade to gain strength for our
next stage.
[Illustration: "While the moon dimly lighted up the landscape."]
About four o'clock l'Encuerado called us to dinner, and by sunset we
started, home-bound, each with his allotted burden over his shoulder.
Sumichrast, with Lucien following, led the way.
"Well, Master Sunbeam, you are nearly as much lost in the stalks here as
you were in the forest. Are your boots well greased? We shall have many
days of hard walking."
"Where are all the wild cattle and horses?"
"Not far off, I hope! first, because they would guide us to the ponds
and the streams where they drink; and, secondly, we may need them to
furnish us with food."
"Then shall we find nothing to shoot here?"
"Nothing at all where the grass is so high as this; animals seldom
venture into the midst of these solitudes."
"And the birds?"
"They are never to be seen unless the grass grows close to the ground,
excepting birds of prey; and they, perhaps, are hovering over us now,
hoping we may become food for them."
For more than five hours we kept on without stopping. I then proposed a
halt. By lying down on the grass we at once found a soft bed, and Lucien
and the rest of us soon went to sleep. Before daylight l'Encuerado awoke
us, when, after taking our bearings, he undertook to be our guide. As
the first sunbeam appeared, we halted to form our camp and erect our
tent. We cleared a large space, and a hole in the ground served as a
fire-place. Our crayfish remained perfectly fresh, and while l'Encuerado
was broiling them, I and Sumichrast watched the direction of the flames,
as it was highly important for our safety that the savannah should not
be set on fire. The meal dispatched, and the fire extinguished, we
squatted down under the shadow of the grass, and resigned ourselves to
sleep.
I woke about midday, nearly roasted by the sun, which had now replaced
the shade. Calling my companions, so that they might change their
position, a new arrangement of our covering gave us more shelter, and
soon once more all were asleep; but in the short intervening time Lucien
began to repeat to the parrots the names of Hortense and Emile.
At midnight, l'Encuerado shouldered his load and took the lead. The
second night passed like the first, and we travelled at least eight
leagues.
Our third night was interrupted by five or six halts, but we plodded on
till dawn. At the first gleam of light, I examined the horizon; there
was nothing but bluish-looking mountains to the right, and in every
other direction only the gloomy and deserted plain. On this day we had
to be satisfied with maize-cakes; but the hope of at length reaching the
woods cheered every one.
"One night more," said l'Encuerado and Sumichrast, "and then we shall
have rest and abundance."
The fourth day's march was much more wearisome, especially to poor
Lucien, who, still uncomplaining, yet commenced to limp dreadfully.
The day broke, and I again examined the horizon, but could see nothing
except the sky and grass.
"I am afraid we are not going the right way," I said to l'Encuerado.
"God grant we have not been walking at random for these three days."
The Indian stood up on his basket, and carefully examined the outline of
the mountains.
"We are in the right path," said he, positively; "the savannah is very
wide, that is all."
[Illustration: "Lucien began to repeat to the parrots the names of
Hortense and Emile."]
L'Encuerado's assurances only half convinced me. Lucien's feet were so
covered with blisters that he could scarcely put them to the ground.
Unexpectedly I discovered that he was weeping silently; so I took him up
in my arms, when he soon fell asleep.
In this emergency, l'Encuerado, with the straps and poles of our tent,
managed to make a kind of litter, upon which we placed the boy.
Sumichrast helped me to carry him, and though we had to stop hundreds of
times to rest our arms, still we accomplished several leagues. The day
had scarcely begun to dawn, when I again examined the horizon; alas!
nothing was changed, and the only things I saw were flocks of black
vultures, which are not generally regarded as a happy omen.
[Illustration]
Owing to an accident by which our reserve gourd was burst and the
contents spilt, we were tormented by thirst, and the only food we had to
eat only half restored our rapidly-failing strength. In another day all
our maize-cakes would be exhausted, and the rice was of no use without
water. Fatigue gradually dispelled these gloomy thoughts, and we fell
asleep.
I awoke about four o'clock in the afternoon, and was dismayed to find
that l'Encuerado had deserted us, accompanied by Gringalet.
Having passed a whole night in useless waiting, hoping for his
reappearing, we resolved to pursue our journey. So we put all the
baggage into one heap, and set Janet and Verdet at liberty, leaving them
the sack of rice, which we could not carry. Then, loaded with our guns
and gourds--alas! almost empty--we prepared to start on our journey
without having the courage to undeceive Lucien, who thought we were
going to meet his friend.
At last, having examined the horizon carefully, I placed Master Job on
my shoulder, and, led by Sumichrast, Lucien being borne between us, we
pursued our course.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER XXXIII.
THIRST.--L'ENCUERADO'S RETURN.--THE DESCRIPTION OF
HIS JOURNEY.--JANET, VERDET, AND
ROUGETTE.--HUNTING WILD HORSES.--OUR LAST
ADVENTURE.--THE RETURN.
The undertaking was beyond our strength. Panting and suffocated with
heat, and tormented by thirst, we were compelled to desist.
Lucien's feet pained him dreadfully, but the brave little fellow kept
constantly saying, "I should be all right if I could only have a good
drink."
My friend several times gave him his gourd to wet his tongue from, but
it was only temporary relief. Night came on, and we began to prepare for
our almost hopeless march. A mouthful of brandy gave us a little
artificial strength. So even before sunset, I mounted Lucien on my
shoulder, and we recommenced our journey.
Twenty times I was forced to take breath, and twenty times I struggled
on again; but happily the grass became shorter, which was a good omen,
and hope revived.
Sumichrast now lifted up Lucien, and walked on with a determined step. I
took up Master Job, and followed closely in his rear. We heard a dull
noise, and stopped to listen. It was the report of a gun, and by-and-by
we heard a horse galloping, and then a well-known bark.
"That's Gringalet," said Lucien.
"Hiou! hiou! hiou! Chanito!"
Our emotion scarcely allowed us to answer; the Indian sprang from his
horse, and, running towards the child, pressed him to his heart, and
then, stretching out his arms, fell senseless to the ground. I rushed
towards him and opened his gourd--it was full! With the help of
Sumichrast I poured a few drops of brandy between his teeth. He
gradually regained his senses, and looked at us in surprise. He was
exhausted from hunger and fatigue.
"If I had eaten or drunk," he said, simply, "I should have wanted to go
to sleep, and then what would have become of you? But my hunger and
thirst spurred me on, so that I have not lost a moment."
"My good fellow!" I answered, "you ought to have taken something to
restore your strength; for if it had failed, what would have become of
us?"
L'Encuerado did not hear me; he had just fallen into a deep sleep, and
we soon followed his example. When we awoke, l'Encuerado mounted the
steed he had brought, and, taking Lucien up in front, led us back to the
baggage.
"Why did you start without letting us know?" asked Sumichrast.
[Illustration: "We had to cross some muddy marshes."]
"Because you would have prevented me from following out my plan. I
was convinced there were woods and flocks not far ahead of us, and as I
feared not the sun for myself, I started as soon as you were all fast
asleep, having fortified myself for the journey with a drop of the
cognac. I often longed, as I proceeded, to lie down and rest, but then I
thought of Chanito, and ran on faster than ever. Without knowing why, I
stumbled, and I think I must have fallen asleep. When I opened my eyes
the sun was set, and Gringalet was licking me with his tongue. I got up,
stupefied as I was, and ran forward, without halting, to the verge of a
wood. I dashed in among the trees, and in less than a quarter of an hour
I came upon a great lake, and horses and buffaloes running wild. My
strength, however, began to fail, and it took me more than four hours to
catch this mustang," continued the Indian, looking down on his steed,
"but I soon made him know his master was on his back."
Having returned to our bivouac to recover our treasures, we resolved to
start immediately, as the sky was obscured by clouds.
Next day l'Encuerado set to work to provide us all with horses. Having
prepared a lasso, the agile Indian darted off at full gallop towards a
drove which were grazing some distance off; and by night had captured
five of their number. Two days, however, were spent in breaking our
mounts and rendering them docile; but as our stores were visibly
diminishing, and we were considerably freshened up, it became highly
necessary for us to start.
Next morning our little cavalcade crossed the plains and woods almost at
a gallop. The blue mountains in front looked higher and higher, and the
outlines of the volcano grew more defined.
The second day of our march we had to cross some muddy marshes, in which
our horses mired up to their bellies. On reaching firm ground again, we
hoped to perceive a human dwelling, but the trees restricted our view.
At last, in the afternoon of the third day, just as we were endeavoring
to go round two wild bulls engaged in a combat, a horseman came out in
front of us, halted for a moment as if in indecision, and then turned
short round and rode off, after having fired his gun at us.
We hurried on our horses, making sure of soon coming upon a _hacienda_,
when we heard another gunshot, and a bullet whistled by our ears. The
Indian rode swiftly towards the would-be murderer, but he went off at
full gallop. In spite of my cries, the Indian fired at him, and horse
and man rolled upon the ground.
[Illustration]
The fool had mistaken us for horse-stealers; and the Indian, after
soundly thrashing him, at my entreaty let him off.
When night came, we were at the foot of the mountains; so all we had to
do was to join the main road from Vera Cruz to Mexico. Our horses were
now set at liberty, after having been overwhelmed with compliments and
polite speeches by l'Encuerado. The brave animals at first appeared
undecided which way to go, and remained without moving, keeping their
noses to the wind. At last one of them neighed and darted off, when the
rest followed at the top of their speed.
We were now scarcely twelve leagues from Orizava, and almost painfully
impatient to reach it. Woods, mountains, valleys were crossed with a
kind of feverish haste, and the approach of night alone forced us to
bivouac.
At about three o'clock in the morning, Lucien began to reproach us for
our laziness.
Wood-cutters now passed, who saluted me by name, and one guided us for
more than a league, astonished at l'Encuerado's tales. He left us at the
foot of a mountain, the last we had to cross, the steep acclivity of
which somewhat damped our ardor.
Lucien was the first to arrive on the plateau. A few steps farther, and
the town of Orizava lay stretched in peaceful repose at our feet.
As the young traveller contemplated the town in which was his home,
involuntary tears moistened his cheeks; he stretched out his arms
towards it and sobbed.
All of us, however, shared his emotion to some extent. Now that we were
safe, we rejoiced that I had undertaken this expedition. I thanked God
for His manifest protection, and, for the last time, gave the word to
start.
As we descended the mountain, the town became more distinctly visible.
L'Encuerado could name the churches and streets; at last Lucien
discovered his home, which was easily recognizable by the magnificent
orange-tree. In order to satisfy the boy's impatience, we made our way
through a steep ravine. Our little party reached the valley just as the
bells were ringing for vesper prayers.
The sun was setting, and we were wrapped in obscurity; Indians kept
crossing our path at every step, and the lamps were here and there
shining out through the dark. The Rio Bianco barred our passage; but
large stones, placed at intervals in the river, enabled us to cross it
almost dry-shod. Then Gringalet suddenly barked, and darted off like an
arrow.
Twenty minutes after, we entered Orizava by some of the side streets, to
prevent a crowd following at our heels. When we were about fifty paces
from our house, Lucien and l'Encuerado darted off at a racing pace; they
found all the inmates of our home assembled on the threshold. Gringalet
had announced our arrival.
When I entered the court-yard, Lucien and his mother were sobbing in one
another's arms; Emile, Hortense, and Amelie were grouped round the
basket, on which Janet and Verdet were sitting. I noticed, standing in a
corner, the cases which had been intrusted to Torribio.
L'Encuerado came and leaned against the door of the room, twisting the
broad brim of his hat quite out of shape.
"If it had not been for him," I said to my wife, "we should have died!"
The brave Indian stooped and kissed the hands of his mistress.
My children, who had gone out for a few minutes, now burst into the
room; they had ransacked the basket, and were disputing for poor
Rougette, who was placed in the fountain in the garden. Janet and
Verdet, perched on the back of a chair, stammered the names of Hortense
and Emile, as well as could be hoped. The two children became pale with
pleasure and surprise.
Just at this moment, Master Job, introduced by Gringalet, came and sat
down on the carpet, and allowed the children to caress him.
It was delightful to sit down to table surrounded by all the beings
dearest to my heart. L'Encuerado kept praising Lucien, who continued
exciting his mother's emotion by relating to her the principal incidents
of our journey.
"I am sure, mamma, that you will let me go with papa another time," said
Lucien. "Our collection is not finished yet, and it must be completed
sooner or later."
The young naturalist might be recognized in this question, for the
collector is ever insatiable.
His poor mother shook her head, and embraced her boy without replying.
But her silence seemed to show that she would not willingly expose her
son to the perils of a fresh journey.
[Illustration: Finis]
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
In this text macrons are represented by brackets and the equal sign before
the letter [=a]. The oe-ligature is represented by brackets [oe].
Page 6, "off" changed to "of" (proud of their)
Page 52, "Ohe! ohe!" changed to "Ohé! ohé!" ("Ohé! ohé!" replied
Lucien.)
Page 89, word "wood" added to text (sufficient wood to)
Page 140, "Clingling" changed to "Clinging" (Clinging tightly to)
Page 206, "Ohanito" changed to "Chanito" (Ah! Chanito," cried)
Page 282, "ANHINGÁ" changed to "ANHINGA" (THE ANHINGA.)
Page 285, "companion" changed to "companions" (and companions such)
Page 305, "Chema" changed to "Chéma" (Oh Chéma!)
Page 306, "belief" changed to "relief" (in bold relief)
Page 311, "an" changed to "a" (nice a one)
Page 319, "savants" italicized to match rest of text (cereus_ of
_savants_)
Page 334, "Terribio" changed to "Torribio" (Torribio also seemed)
Page 371, "when" changed to "then" (burden, then he)
Page 431, ink blots obscured word. "a[ink]came" changed to "and came"
(and came upon)
Both "daybreak" and "day-break" were used in this text. It also uses
"coyote" and "cayote".
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Aventures d'un jeune naturaliste. English - Adventures of a Young Naturalist" ***
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