A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



263 



dare to venture farther with my boy over the damp and 

 sticky ground. Our two scouts, however, climbed some 

 enormous heaps of rock many feet above us ; and we sud- 

 denly lost sight them. 



The bats still swarmed round us, pushing their familiar- 

 ity so far as to brush, us with their wings. My prudence 

 rather vexed Lucien, who had become very intrepid. After 

 about five minutes, Suniichrast's voice summoned us, and 

 we bent our steps towards the heap of rocks which had 

 been scaled by o r, r companions. 



The ascent was difficult, and, in spite of remonstrances, I 

 would not let go Lucien' s hand. Fortunately I did not do 

 so, for suddenly he slipped, and, while trying to save him, I 

 dropped my torch ; and there w T e were, perched up on this 

 pile of debris, in utter darkness. 



"Don't move!" I cried; "you know that we are sur- 

 rounded by precipices." 



" How dark it is ! One might fancy that the darkness 

 was solid, and weighed down upon our eyes." 



" The fact is, that we are in a darkness in which the light 

 does not penetrate, even by reflection, and, like you, I could 

 readily fancy that I was blindfolded. Call l'Encuerado." 



The vaulted roof above us re-echoed the name of the In- 

 dian, who immediately replied. 



The bats now ceased their flight ; but when the light re- 

 appeared the uproar began afresh. Lucien related our ac- 

 cident to his friend, who, in his hurry to come to our rescue, 

 fell several times over the rocks. At last he reached us, 

 and, lighting our torches, he guided us over the dangerous 

 ground. When we cleared the fallen rocks, we entered a 

 chamber studded with stalactites, on which Sumichrast's 

 torches threw a light, and the walls of the cave glittered as 

 if they had been covered with crystal stars. From the 

 ground, from the roof, and from the w T alls, clusters of varie- 



