CHAPTER IV. 



A DIFFICULT ASCENT — THE GOAT— THE INDIAN GIRLS — THE TOBACCO 

 PLANT — THE BULL-FIGHT — GAME— LUCBEn'S GUN— OUE ENTRY 

 INTO THE WILDERNESS. 



JjJR way led through nothing but scrub oaks, for all the 

 **(-ii^fe larger trees had gradually disappeared from the moun- 

 tain-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. Notwithstand- 

 ing 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 



