.4 YOUNG NATURALIST. 45 



After a good breakfast, we regulated our compasses. Lucien 

 said good-bye to his little companions, and I tbanked the Indian 

 women for all their attention to us. Our host, however, accom- 

 panied us to the summit of the mountain. 



There we found ourselves in a vast amphitheatre, commanded on 

 all sides by wooded ridges ; at our feet stretched the plateau we had 

 just crossed, and far beneath us we caught indistinct glimpses of 

 the plain below. Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with 

 perpendicular sides, almost like an immense wall. Above us was 

 the pale blue sky, dotted over with vultures. 



On the verge of the forest our guide parted from us with 

 regret, and wished us a successful journey. Sumichrast loaded 

 Lucien's gun, and told him to fire it off as a salute on our enter- 

 ing the wilderness. The shot was fired, the echoes reverberating 

 in succession, each louder than the last ; then all was once more 

 silent. After casting a last look over the valley, I was the first 

 to make my way into the forest. From this moment we had 

 only God's providence and our own exertions to trust to ; for 

 every step we advanced only took us farther from the haunts of 

 men. 



