2o6 THE ADVENTURES OF 



"And what would have happened if the water-spout had 

 reached the ship ? " 



"We should most likely have been swamped." 



" How dreadfully frightened you must have been, Tatita ! " 



" Yes, of course ; and I was not the only one who was in terror ; 

 for the officers and sailors watched the course oi the water-spout 

 with evident anxiety." 



Chatting in this way, we were now penetrating among Indian 

 fig-trees — Gadus opuntia — commonly called prickly pear trees. 

 These plants, covered with yellow flowers, would, a month later, 

 have been hailed with shouts of joy, for each of their upper stems 

 would then bear one of those juicy fruits, of which the Creoles 

 are so fond. Lucien stopped in front of two or three of these 

 plants, the dimensions of which were well calcalated to surprise 

 him. Sumichrast availed himself of this inspection, to tell him 

 that the cactus, a word derived from the Greek, and meaning 

 Uiorny, is a native of America, and that it grows spontaneously 

 in dry and sandy soil. 



" You have forgotten to tell him," added I'Encuerado, " that 

 the tender shoots of the tunero, baked under the ashes, will fur- 

 nish us, this evening, with a most delicious dish." 



A little farther on, the prickly pears were succeeded by another 

 species called the Cierge (the cactus cercus of savants). Several of 

 these plants were growing with a single stem, and measured from 

 ten to twelve feet in height, looking like telegraph poles ; others 

 had two or three shoots springing from them, which made them 

 look still more singular. A third species, creeping over the 

 ground, added much to the difficulty of our walking, and obliged 

 us very often to take long strides to avoid them. In spite of all 

 the care we could take, we scratched our limbs several times 

 against their sharp spines. 



I again took the lead, — for there was not room between the 

 cierges to walk abreast, — and climbing up a small hillock, surveyed 

 a wide prospect. Such a complete change could not possibly have 

 taken place in so short a time in any other country. More trees, 

 more shrubs, more bushes ! Everywhere the cactus might be 

 seen assuming twenty different shapes, — round, straight, conical. 



