206 



THE AD VENTURES OF 



Mistec, who, after his dance, was acting the acrobat on the 

 turf. 



" A turkey !" he cried • and an enormous bird, with 

 bronzed plumage, was passed from hand to hand. 



" Ah ! Ohanito," cried the Indian, " if you had gone 

 with me, you would have seen a whole flock of them ! 

 I had chased those miserable doves till I was tired, with- 

 out even catching a glimpse of them, and was resting at 

 the foot of a tree, when Gringalet pricked up his ears, and 

 running up the opposite slope of the mountain, barked as 

 loudly as if he saw another porcupine. I also made my 

 way there, and heard 6 gobbles' resounding in every direc- 

 tion ; Master Gringalet had fallen in with a council of tur- 

 keys." 



" A council of turkeys ?" repeated Lucien. 



" Yes, Chanito, turkeys hold councils. They generally 

 travel in flocks and on foot, although they know perfectly 

 well how to fly when they want to cross a stream or to 

 make their escape; and when one of them wants to com- 

 municate his opinion to another, he raises a cry, and his 

 companions form a circle round him." 



" And what takes place then ?" 



" The preacher," continued l'Encuerado, without the least 

 idea of irreverence, " lowers his neck and tfien lifts it up 

 again, raises up the hair-like feathers on his crop, and 

 spreads out his tail like a fan. He then addresses the as- 

 sembled birds, who strut about with their wings half open- 

 ed, and answer him with approving gobbles." 



The Indian, carried away by his narrative, added gestures 

 to words, strutted about, rounded his arms and lowered his 

 chin upon his breast, in order to imitate the ways of the 

 birds which he was describing. 



" But what do they say?" asked Lucien, archly. 



" That depends on circumstances," he replied, scratching 



