A D VENTURES OF A YO UNG NA TURALIS T. 157 



further delay. He scarcely gave himself time enough to eat, and 

 scolded I'Encuerado for being so slow, which was an indirect 

 mode of asking us to hurry. 



Having again reached the forest, we searched for a pine or a 

 fir, the branches of which, being full of resin, would have enabled 

 us to show more mercy to the moles. Hearing us mention 

 these two trees, Lucien wanted to know the difference between 

 them. 



" They both belong to the coniferous family," rephed Sumi- 

 chrast ; " but firs generally grow upon lofty mountains far inland, 

 whilst pines abound on sea-coasts, the shifting, sandy soil of 

 which is, after a time, consolidated and fertilised by them." 



Sumichrast's explanation still left much wanting ; I saw this 

 from Lucien's numerous questions, but without seeing a specimen 

 of each tree, it would have been difficult to better describe their 

 peculiar characteristics. 



After a long and unsuccessful walk, we halted in front of a 

 guaiac tree with dark-green foliage, a higher tree than any we 

 had before met with. This fine member of the Eutacean 

 family was covered with pale-blue flowers. It produces a 

 gum used especially by the English in the preparation of tooth- 

 powder j but the hardness of its wood, which would have blunted 

 our weapons, induced me to pass it by. A little farther on, 

 I'Encuerado spied out a liquid-amher tree, valuable on account of 

 the balsam that oozes from its branches when cut, which is burned 

 by the Indians as incense. He climbed the knotty trunk of this 

 colossus, and cut off some branches, which Sumichrast split into 

 small pieces, after I had cleared off their leaves. Our work was 

 interrupted by the approach of night, and we made our way to 

 our bivouac, each loaded with a heavy faggot. 



As soon as we arrived, Lucien had the satisfaction of trying 

 one of our flambeaux. The branch crackled when lighted, and, 

 as we entered the cavern, five or six bats flew out. I led Lucien 

 by the hand, and very soon he was the only one who could 

 stand upright. Afterwards we entered a vast chamber, with a 

 dome-shaped roof, which became lower the farther we penetrated ; 

 this was rather a disappointment, as we had fancied there was 



