PREFACE. 



of the forest with its dismal howl ; the racoon, opossum, and 

 squirrel pass their lives in sportive gambols; the wild and 

 the ocellated turkeys strut about, pompous in manner, as if 

 conscious of their handsome plumage, while the timid deer and 

 shaggy-coated bison roam over prairies or through woodland 

 glades, as yet unacquainted with the report of the white 

 man's destructive fire-arms. 



Can it, therefore, be surprising that our little hero should have 

 cra^'ed to be permitted to have a sight of this new land, so rich 

 in the prospect of adventure. How he behaved himself through- 

 out the numerous ordeals to which he was submitted, suffice 

 it for me to say, that his conduct was worthy of the represen- 

 tative of any nationality, and such as was calculated to make all 

 parents proud of their offspring ; for whether suffering from 

 thirst or hunger, being persecuted by noxious insects, straying 

 in the woods, even when within reach of the fiercest carnivora 

 or in the presence of the deadliest reptiles, he never for a 

 moment hesitated in performing his seniors' instructions, lost 

 his courage, or, better still, an opportunity of improving his 

 mind. 



That the young English reader may benefit as much by the 

 perusal of this work, as Master Lucien, otherwise "Sunbeam," did 

 by his journey through the Cordilleras of Mexico, and that they 

 may enjoy the information herein imparted upon the wonderful 

 works of the Creator, is the sincere wish of 



The Editor. 



