A YOUNG NATURALIST. 39 



ing-room," where the sugar-loaves are piled up to dry, and 

 wait for a purchaser. 



In our way thither we nearly fell into an immense reser- 

 voir, level with the surface of the ground, and full of molas- 

 ses ; the scum floating on the top so exactly resembled the 

 rough and sticky floor of the sugar-mill that it was easy to 

 make a mistake. Gringalet was unfortunate enough to be 

 the cause of our avoiding this accident. Restless, like all 

 his kind, he ran smelling about in every direction, just as if 

 he was trying to find some lost object : forcing his way be- 

 tween our legs, to get in front of us, he suddenly disappear- 

 ed in the thick liquid. I pulled him out directly; but as 

 soon as he was on his feet, he rolled over and over on the 

 ground, so that when he stood up his coat was bristling 

 with pieces of straw and wood ; in fact, he scarcely looked 

 like a dog at alL I called him towards the pond outside, 

 but the poor brute was quite blind and confused, and did 

 not seem to hear. As a matter of course, all the laborers 

 raised shouts of laughter; but poor Lucien, fancying that 

 his dog was going to die, followed him in despair. Grin- 

 galet, no doubt wishing to comfort his young master, leaped 

 upon him and covered him with caresses, and of course with 

 saccharine matter, in which he so lately had a bath. As it 

 was too late for any other course, I made up my mind to 

 laugh, like every one else. While 1'Encuerado was wash- 

 ing the dog, our hostess cleaned the boy's clothes, soon af- 

 ter which we resumed our journey. 



Don Antonio, like a real Mexican, pitied us for having to 

 travel on foot like Indians ; he especially commiserated our 

 young companion, and thought, indeed, that we were very 

 crueL 



" He must learn to use his legs ; that's the reason why 

 God gave them to him," said Sumichrast, who delighted in 

 an argument with the steward. 



