A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



85 



his heart seemed rather full, although he was very proud 

 of this first proof of his skill. Sumichrast was the first to 

 congratulate him. As for me, although I was well aware 

 of the Indian's prudence, I made up my mind, if only for the 

 sake of economizing our powder, both to blame him and also 

 to caution him against his desire of letting the boy shoot. 



" Come," said I to Lucien, who was hugging his gun 

 against his chest, " you must be our leader in finding our 

 way back to our encampment. You marked out the road, 

 so mind you don't mislead us." 



Our young guide led us back to our starting-point with 

 far more self-possession than I expected. 



"A child's attention is always being drawn away," ob- 

 served Sumichrast to me. " How do you explain Lucien's 

 having followed the trail so readily ?" 



" Perhaps because it was partly his own work," I replied. 



" It is, too, because I am so short," replied the child, with 

 an arch smile ; " I am much closer to the ground than you 

 are, almost as close as Gringalet, who is so very clever in 

 finding a trail. You see, papa, that it's some benefit in be- 

 ing little, and that I have some chance of being useful." 



I need hardly say how much we were diverted at this 

 novel argument against a lofty stature. 



" At this rate," I replied, " I ought to have brought your 

 brother Emile ; for he is so short that he would have fol- 

 lowed a trail even better than you." 



" Of course you ought. Don't you recollect that when 

 we were walking over the mountain of Borrego, he often 

 spied out insects that you had missed seeing." 



I was evidently regularly beaten. 



We sat down in front of the fire, before which the two 

 squirrels were roasting. L'Encuerado caught in a dish the 

 fat which trickled down from the animals, and every now 

 and then basted the meat with it. 



