214 



THE ADVENTURES OF 



at what he considered a joke. He laughed, indeed, so 

 heartily, that we could not help joining him. 



"Now what do you imagine the sun and moon really 

 are ?" asked Lucien. 



" God's lanterns," replied the Indian, gravely. 



Our young companion was well accustomed to the artless 

 ignorance of his friend, but still he always endeavored to 

 contend against it ; so he set to work to teach him some- 

 thing about* our planetary system. The dimensions which 

 he attributed to the heavenly bodies seemed to afford great 

 amusement to the Indian. At last, just when the young 

 orator fancied he had convinced his disciple, the latter em- 

 braced him, exclaiming : 



" What an amusing tale ! Oh ! how pleased I should be 

 to be able to read such pretty stories as that in a book !" 



" Tales, indeed !" cried Lucien, quite indignant. 



" Well, the very idea of saying that the earth is a ball, 

 which moves round and round, and that there are stars 

 which are bigger ! Many a night have I spent looking at 

 the stars, and I know they are nothing but lanterns, and 

 that's enough !" 



"But if you have observed them so carefully," interposed 

 Sumichrast, " you must have observed that they are con- 

 stantly shifting their places." 



"Yes, but that is because the angels don't always light 

 up the same stars, and God has plenty of them in every di- 

 rection — " 



I now interrupted the conversation. 



" Come, let us all go to rest !" I cried, cutting short a dis- 

 cussion which I knew, by experience, must end in Lucien 

 and Sumichrast getting the worst of it. 



The next morning there was nothing better to do than to 

 go with my companions to look after the aerolite. The ball 

 of fire appeared to have passed just over us, and I fancied 



