236 THE ADVENTURES OF 



substantial for our dinner. The first thing we met with was a 

 kind of marten, which looked viciously at us and greeted us 

 with a shrill cry. Gringalet darted off in pursuit of the animal, 

 and followed it until it reached its hole. This animal, like the 

 European marten, from which it differs only in size, often estab- 

 lishes itself in barns and granaries, where at night it amuses 

 itself with the noisest gambols. In the environs of the Mexican 

 towns, many a house, invaded by these martens, is abandoned by 

 its owner, because it is thought to be haunted by ghosts. 



" Look out for yourselves ! " cried I'Encuerado, suddenly. 



A mephitic weasel or skunk, an animal which somewhat re- 

 sembles a polecat, came running by. Gringalet, tired of waiting 

 for the marten, crossed the trail of the beast, and set off after it, 

 in spite of our calls. The skunk suddenly stopped, and scratched 

 up the earth with its sharp claws; then it voided a liquid of such 

 a fetid odour that the dog was compelled to beat a retreat. 



L'Encuerado, with his finger on the trigger of his gun, started 

 again, and led us along noiselessly. He suddenly stooped down 

 to listen. 



" It is a quimiclipatlan," said he to me, in a low voice. 



" A flying squirrel," I repeated to Sumichrast. 



Lucien was about to speak ; but I pointed to the Indian, 

 who, half-hidden behind a dead trunk, was carefully examin- 

 ing the top of an ebony-tree. At this moment, I'Encuerado 

 placed his gun to his shoulder and fired. He had taken 

 good aim — an animal came tumbling down about ten paces 

 from us, spreading out, in its convulsive movements, the mem- 

 brane which joined its legs together and covered it almost like 

 a cloak. 



Lucien took possession of the " flying squirrel," and as they 

 always go in pairs, my two companions went in pursuit of the 

 other, which they soon succeeded in killing. 



" Are we going to eat these animals ? " asked Lucien. 



" Why shouldn't we?" I rejoined. " They are squirrels; and 

 even supposing that they were rats, as the Indians assert, their 

 flesh would be none the less savoury.'' 



" Can these animals fly for any length of time ? " asked Lucien. 



