146 THE ADVENTURES OF 



himself head-cobbler. L'Encuerado's sandals gave him a great 

 advantage over us ; for all he required was a sole and a leathern 

 strap, and then he was well shod. But, unfortunately, the deli- 

 cacy of our skin several times afforded Sumichrast cause for 

 regret that he had not been born an Indian. 



L'Encuerado, full of ingenuity, managed to fix some pieces of 

 fox skin on some old soles, and made for Lucien a pair of buskins 

 as strong as they were inelegant. He promised to make us some 

 like them, and Sumichrast, who succeeded only tolerably well in 

 his cobbling, nominated the Indian " sandal-maker in ordinary 

 and extraordinary to our majesties." 



The next morning, at daybreak, we entered a narrow gorge, in 

 which it was impossible for us to walk abreast. The whole morn- 

 ing was spent in travelling along between two stone ramparts,' 

 hung with mosses, ferns, and orchids. The moist soil rendered 

 the temperature round us sufficiently cool and agreeable ; but the 

 pass was so filled up with the trunks of fallen trees as to render 

 our progress very laborious. 



The gorge extended to such a length that I began to be 

 anxious about it, and to fear lest we had entered into a cul-de-sacj. 

 The perpendicular walls rendered any deviation in our path im- 

 possible ; above us, the trees crossed their branches and almost 

 hid the sky. No bird enlivened the solitude with its song, and 

 ferns were so abundant that it seemed as if we had lighted upon 

 some corner of the primitive world ; as if to render the resem- 

 blance more complete, the reptiles scarcely fled at our approach, 

 and obliged us to use the greatest care. 



Cutlass in hand, Lucien climbed nimbly over the fallen trees 

 which barred our progress. Ere long our feet sank into a quan- 

 tity of liquid mud, and I discovered a slender streamlet of limpid 

 water oozing out between two rocks. The pass between the 

 rocks became narrower and narrower, and if a wild beast had 

 then niet us, we should have had to dispute the path with 

 it. As a rencounter of this kind was by no means impos- 

 sible, Lucien, to his displeasure, was ordered to follow in 

 rear. 



The way now widened a little, and became more clear of im- 



