A YOUNG NATURALIST. 79 



undaunted young pedestrian ! Four leagues a day are no 

 such trifle when you have to begin again next morning. 

 ' Slow and steady wins the race,' says an old proverb, 

 which I intend to carry out to the letter ; for forced 

 marches would soon injure our health, and then good-bye 

 to the success of our expedition. As to walking until 

 night, it is perfectly impossible, except when one is certain 

 to meet w r ith an inn. Under these large trees, no one will 

 ever think of getting ready a meal for us ; and, I suppose, 

 you haven't much wish to die of hunger. We may very 

 likely have to tramp one or two leagues more before we 

 are able to kill the game which will form the mainstay of 

 our dinner." 



" I never thought of all that," said Lucien, shaking his 

 head, and looking convinced ; " but what shall we have to 

 eat this evening ?" 



" At present, I haven't the least idea ; perhaps a hare or 

 a bird, or even a rat." 



" A rat ! I certainly w r ill never touch one." 



"Ah! my boy, wait till you are really hungry — you 

 don't know as yet what it is to be so — and then you'll see 

 how greedily you will make a dinner off whatever Provi- 

 dence provides." 



" Do you think we shall often have to go a whole day 

 without eating ?" 



"I hope not," I answered, smiling at Lucien's anxious 

 and somewhat pensive tone. 



During this conversation, l'Encuerado, as active as a 

 monkey, had clambered up a pine, and his machete was 

 strewing the ground with slender boughs. We also set 

 to work at shaping the stakes, w 7 hich I drove into the 

 ground by means of a stone, which served as a. hammer. 

 Some branches, interwoven and tied together by creepers, 

 formed a kind of hurdle, which, fixed on the top of the 



