208 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



bably never be satisfactorily discovered. In the meantime, 

 men of sense will continue to laugb at the absurd theory, that 

 they are the burying grounds of the Aztecs for their children. 

 They must have been accommodating children to die by the 

 thousand just about three feet high ! 



After examining the interior, without disturbing the limbs 

 and body, I proceeded to lift the skull tenderly in my hand. 

 I now stood erect, holding it off from me to study its propor- 

 tions — ^when a sudden yell so startled me that I came near 

 dropping it in the shock. I looked around quickly, Jabe 

 uttering a second yell of horror, was in the act of throwing 

 his long rifle from him — ^then bending his head forward and 

 fighting desperately about his ears, as if attacked by a whole 

 nest of hornets, he bounded with another wild screech into 

 the thicket, and, as far as I could hear him, he seemed to 

 give a screech for each bound. I turned an inquiring look 

 upon Charlie, who was rolling upon the leaves half dead with 

 smothered laughter. 



"Has he got into a yellow jacket's nest, Charlie!" I in- 

 quired, very soberly, of the ridiculous fellow, for I did not feel 

 much like laughing. 



"No," he gasped at last — "but if you don't look out you 

 will have got into one, by that phrenological whim of yours. 

 Jabe saw you with the skull in your hand, and it frightened 

 him to death almost. You may rest assured that he will not 

 stop now until every man in the circumference of twenty miles 

 knows of this. There are not many of them to be sure, but 

 they will be troublesome fellows to deal with." 



" Well, what would you advise, Charlie ?" 



"Why, that we both make a bee-line for home, right off? 

 I think I can find the way out, and its no use meeting these 

 fellows while they are exasperated. We'll return in a few 

 weeks, when the thing has passed over ; and as I have no hand 

 in it, I'll make your peace with the superstitious fools, and 



