270 THE Alt VENTURES OF 



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 travers- 

 ing a ferruginous soil. Such wretched walking put the fin- 

 ishing-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 pro- 

 ceeded 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 busi- 

 ness 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 de- 

 parted. 



We were again entering among trees, when PEncuerado 

 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 PEncuerado expressed a wish to move round to the 

 other side of the plain ; but I opposed his idea, as the dis- 

 tance 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 hid- 

 ing-place, and the deer scampered off. Upon the whole, 



