124 THE ADVENTURES OF 



belt, came Lucien, slightly stooping, although his step was firm 

 and determined ; his face was seamed with scratches, his hands 

 bruised and brown from exposure. As he passed in front of me, he 

 smiled, gave a joyous hurrah, and lifted his cap, beneath which 

 his hair flowed down in golden curls. Gringalet, now recon- 

 ciled to the squirrels' skins, walked close by his master ; truly he 

 looked like standing more work. Lastly, I'Encuerado, his arms 

 and legs bare, and laden with guavas, brought up the rear. The 

 brave Indian tried to raise his straw-hat as he passed by me, his 

 bony visage expanded, and his smile showed a row of white 

 teeth, which were worthy of competing with Gringalet's. Well 

 satisfied with my inspection, I shouldered my gun, and resumed 

 the head of the column. 



The cliffs of the ravine became gradually more wooded, and 

 the descent was effected without accident. I kept along the bank 

 looking out for a ford. At last, a bend of the stream, where the 

 water flowed calmly and silently, enabled us to do so without 

 difl&culty. I then proposed a halt. Close by us rose some 

 enormous rocks covered with moss, which, in flood time, must 

 have been reached by the water; in front of us was a gentle 

 slope covered with turf. 



We were descending the slope when an object, indistinct at 

 first, emerged from the edge of the wood, and, appearing to roll 

 more than run over the grass, advanced towards us. It was an 

 enormous tortoise ; but a tortoise which might successfully have 

 raced with the hare. L'Encuerado tried to stop it, but fell in 

 his effort. Sumichrast, quite forgetting his bad hand, dealt 

 the animal a blow with the butt-end of his gun, the effect of 

 which was slightly to slacken the pace of the enemy. The In- 

 dian, furious at his failure, threw down his load, and came 

 running up ; our united efforts succeeded, about twenty feet from 

 the stream, in throwing the animal on its back. 



Lucien, rather startled at this scene and at the size of the 

 tortoise, then came nearer to examine it. I kept him at some 

 distance from the reptile, who was viciously agitating his enor- 

 mous feet, armed with formidable claws; whilst his mouth, 

 which was like a horny beak, opened and shut menacingly. 



