142 THE ADVENTURES OF 



under the hut, when I'Encuerado shouted out to us. Towards 

 the east, a large luminous disc was shining brilliantly above the 

 mountain peaks. This luminous globe, lengthening out into the 

 shape of an ellipse, appeared to move along. 



In fact, it was descending slowly over the wooded crests. 

 Lucien and I'Encuerado kept plying us with questions in refer- 

 ence to it, which we were unable to answer. 



" What is it % " cried Sumichrast. 



" A meteor," I exclaimed, struck with a sudden idea. 



" If I had my gun ready, I would fire at it, at all events." 



"You had better not," said I ; "the globe may contain electric 

 fluid, and we might draw it down upon us." 



Soon afterwards the meteor passed by us. We threw ourselves 

 down flat on the earth, dreading this unknown visitor. When I 

 ventured to rise, it was some distance away, and yet appeared to 

 be motionless. Eays incessantly quivering sprang from the centre 

 of it; in the middle the light was white, but at the edges it 

 assumed first a yellowish, then a red, and lastly a bluish hue. 

 We were suddenly almost blinded by a flash of intense brilliancy ; 

 a formidable explosion, repeated by the echoes, burst upon our 

 ears, and all became silence and obscurity. 



Whilst we were returning to our bivouac, Lucien and I'Encue- 

 rado pressed us with questions. 



" What are meteors ? " asked Lucien, eagerly. 



" Some scientific men," replied Sumichrast, " look upon them 

 as fragments of planets wandering in space ; getting entangled in 

 our planetary system, they yield to the attraction of our globe, 

 and fall on to its surface in obedience to the law of gravitation." 



" But what are they composed of? " 



" Generally speaking, of sulphur, chromium, and earth. The 

 phenomenon of ' shooting stars ' is connected with that of 

 meteors, and any substance falling on the surface of the earth 

 receives the name of aerolite." 



" Do you wish to persuade me that stones rain down from 

 the sky 1 " cried I'Encuerado. 



" Yes, certainly ; and if I am not mistaken, it was in your 

 country that the largest known aerolite was found, for it weighed 



