A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



137 



all taken breath, I gave it as my opinion that we should 

 overcome our fatigue and scale the side of the mountain; 

 but no one showed any inclination to move. 



My poor Lucien lay panting on the hard stones, with his 

 mouth dry, his lips bleeding, and his face purple with the 

 heat; he had thought the day's work was over. Neverthe- 

 less, as soon as he saw us starting again, up he got and fol- 

 lowed us without a word of complaint. I wished to lighten 

 his burden ; but he heroically refused, and proportioned his 

 pace to that of l'Encuerado. Gringalet was continually sit- 

 ting down, and hanging out his tongue to a most enormous 

 length ; it was, doubtless, his way of testifying that he 

 moved an amendment against the length of the journey. 



" We were quite wrong in finding fault with the shade," 

 said Sumichrast ; " for in this unsheltered spot the heat is 

 more insupportable than under the trees. The sun seems 

 to dart into us as if its rays were needles' points." 



" Don't drink, Chanito ! don't drink !" cried l'Encuerado 

 to Lucien. 



The poor little fellow replaced the gourd at his side, and 

 bent on me such a heart-rending look that I caught him up 

 in my arms. 



" Let us make a halt," said my friend, who was sheltering 

 himself under a gigantic rock ; " I confess that I am dead- 

 beat." 



It was a great relief when we were seated dow T n and de- 

 prived of our burdens ; but, instead of setting to work, ac- 

 cording to our usual custom, to collect wood for our fire 

 and to construct our hut, we remained idle, looking at the 

 horizon, without exchanging a single word. At our feet 

 extended, as far as we could see, the tree-tops of an immense 

 forest. We had turned our backs upon the volcano of 

 Orizava ; on our right the black summits of the Cordillera 

 stood out against the red sky ; the urubu vultures were 



