198 



THE ADVENTURES OF 



helping me to construct our hut, " don't you recollect you 

 are the one to provide the fire ?" 



" All right," replied Lucien, who seemed to be lost in the 

 contemplation of a dead branch ; " I want to get hold of an 

 insect which appears to be making, like us, natural-history 

 collections, for I have just found in its nest a quantity of 

 spiders, flies, and small worms." 



"It is one of the Hymenoptera" said Sumichrast; "it 

 collects all round its eggs the food the young will eat 

 when they are hatched ; the insect is therefore full of fore- 

 thought — a good example for us to imitate." 



When the fire was ready, we started off in light march- 

 ing order to explore the vicinity of our bivouac. Our po- 

 sition was commanded by mountains on all sides, and the 

 glen was scarcely a quarter of a league in length. The 

 pleasant coolness, and the presence of numerous birds, led 

 us to hope that we should meet with a spring, which was 

 all that was needed to convert this remote corner of the 

 world into a perfect paradise. But our exploring only led 

 to the discovery of a greenish pool, sheltered by an enor- 

 mous rock, and which the dry season would soon evapo- 

 rate. 



Gringalet's barking attracted our attention towards the 

 forest, and I perceived a porcupine on a tree. The animal, 

 sitting up on its hind feet, was looking at us with astonish- 

 ment. Leaving it undisturbed, it appeared to forget us, 

 and tearing off with its claws a piece of bark, it licked the 

 inner side, which was doubtless covered with insects. Hav- 

 ing repeated this operation several times, the animal ad- 

 vanced to the end of a branch, and seizing it with its pre- 

 hensile tail, let itself down to the ground. Its large black 

 eyes, of unusual mildness, were widely opened, and its nose 

 slit like hares and rabbits. It was just about to stretch 

 itself, when, to our great regret, l'Encuerado shot it ; 4he 



