PAN DE AZUCAR 97 



of the earth, the most helpless and vulnerable of 

 them all. His sensitive skin cannot resist the sun 

 nor stand a change of more than a few degrees of 

 temperature. His tender feet cannot bear the 

 touch of the earth. He is helpless before the com- 

 mon parasites and would fall before the attack of 

 any animal of half his size and weight. 



It was well towards evening before Dr. Torre 

 and Alvarez arrived from their long ride to the 

 mogote and to the Costanera beyond. They had 

 remained at each just long enough to make a hasty 

 collection of the land-shells in sight. The return 

 journey to the inn was made in the dark over trails 

 the more slippery by reason of rain actually falling, 

 and the river ford had taken on an ominous look 

 and sound. 



Simpson awaited us at the inn not wholly satis- 

 fied with his portion of the day's work. The west- 

 em end of Azucar had not proven as rich in 

 moUusks as he had hoped, but he took a quantity 

 of cuttings from shrubs and trees for propagation 

 in his botanic garden in Miami, and many speci- 

 mens for the herbarium. An experience during 

 the earlier part of the day, of a kind which occasion- 

 ally overtakes the moimtain prowler and usually 



