260 THE ADVENTURES OF 



"Bats have no connection with your devil," said Sumi- 

 chrast ; " they are nothing but animals, rather more curi- 

 ously constructed than others." 



" Oh ! M. Sumichrastj-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, ev- 

 ery 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 there- 

 fore 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 as- 

 cending 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 compan- 

 ions 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 fol- 

 lowed ; there must therefore be some other outlet. My 

 friend and PEncuerado set off in search of it ; but I did not 



