112 



THE ADVENTURES OF 



which PEncuerado has interpreted in his own way is per- 

 formed with a view of getting hold of the fugitives." 



Sumichrast showed Lucien that the woodpecker, aided 

 by its wedge-shaped beak, could, in case of need, rip up the 

 bark under which its prey was to be found ; that his tongue, 

 covered with spines bending backward, is well adapted to 

 seize the larvae ; and, lastly, that the stiff and elastic feath- 

 ers of its tail afford it a very useful support in the exercise 

 of its laborious vocation. 



" You often get the better of me in argument," said FEn- 

 cuerado ; " but it's no use your saying that woodpeckers do 

 not bore into trees, for I have seen them doing it." 



" You are right, up to a certain point," replied Sumi- 

 chrast ; " some species make their nests in ,dead trees, which 

 their beaks can with ease penetrate. As for piercing sound 

 trees, that's quite another question." 



While PEncuerado was preparing the armadillo and the 

 woodpecker, which we were to have for dinner, we walked 

 down the course of the stream, the agreeable freshness of 

 which was very pleasant to us. All at once Lucien pointed 

 out to me a basilisk sitting on a stone, the rays of the sun 

 setting off its bright shades — yellow, green, and red. This 

 member of the Iguana family, which bears no resemblance 

 to the fabulous basilisk of the Greeks, got up at our ap- 

 joroach, puffed out its throat, and shook the membranous 

 crest on the top of its head. Its bright eye seemed to scan 

 the horizon ; no doubt it caught sight of us, for its flaccid 

 body stiffened out, and with a rapid bound it sprang into 

 the stream. The reptile raised its chest in swimming, beat- 

 ing the water with its fore paws as if with oars. We soon 

 lost sight of it, to Lucien's great sorrow, for he wanted to 

 obtain a further inspection of it. 



Gathering round the fire, we arranged our baggage, ready 

 to start the next morning. As there was still another hour's 



