A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



51 



Lucien kept shifting his telescope about for some minutes 

 without descrying any thing ; but at last he broke out in a 

 fresh exclamation. 



" Have you discovered any men ?" I asked. 



" Oh yes ! — men, horses, and mules ; but they are regular 

 Lilliputians." 



" You are quite right," said Sumichrast ; " how do we 

 know that Dr. Swift did not first form his idea of ' Gulli- 

 ver's Travels ' from looking at the world from the top of a 

 high mountain ?" 



After a time, I was obliged to take the young observer 

 away from this point for contemplation to proceed on our 

 journey. The ridge of the mountain was soon crossed, and 

 we began to descend the other side. I took Lucien by the 

 hand, for the slope f&s so steep that it needed the utmost 

 care to avoid rolling down over the naked rocks. Several 

 times I slipped, and scratched my legs among the bushes. 

 Sumichrast, who had taken his turn in looking after the 

 boy, was no better off than myself. The descent was so 

 steep that we were often forced to run, and sometimes the 

 only thing possible to retard our impetus was to fall down, 

 and run the risk of being hurt. Therefore, in spite of Lu- 

 cien' s promise to walk prudently and with measured step, 

 I declined to allow him to go alone. We at last, to our 

 great satisfaction, got over about two-thirds without any 

 accident, when l'Encuerado, losing his equilibrium, fell, 

 turning head over heels several times ; the basket and its 

 bearer chasing one another down the hill, finally disappear- 

 ing into a thicket. 



" Look after Lucien," I said to my companion, who was 

 a few paces in front. And I dashed forward anxiously to 

 assist l'Encuerado. 



I feared that I should find the unfortunate Indian with 

 some of his bones broken, even if not killed ; so I called to 



