A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



297 



evil spirit must necessarily abandon a body placed upside 

 down, seized the legs of his young master and shook him 

 violently as if he was emptying a sack. Sumichrast at last 

 put an end to this scene by declaring that he was sure the 

 spirit must have taken flight. L'Encuerado then came up 

 to my friend and proposed to assist him into the same po- 

 sition as he had helped Lucien. 



" That's enough of it," I cried as soon as laughing allow- 

 ed me to speak; "M. Sumichrast and I have other means 

 of expelling evil spirits." 



L'Encuerado looked at me with wonder, more convinced 

 than ever that my power far exceeded that of the sorcerers 

 of his own country. 



We were now close to our fire. Lucien was gravely re- 

 peating the w T ords which l'Encuerado had addressed to the 

 demon, when Gringalet commenced howling. L'Encuerado 

 had seized the poor animal by his hind legs, and was vio- 

 lently shaking him, head downward. 



" It's all for your good," said the Indian to the dog. 

 " Can't you understand that the evil spirit which you have 

 in your body will be certain to make you commit some 

 f ollv ?" 



Lucien rushed to the assistance of his faithful friend, and 

 at last induced the Mistec to let him go. Not the least 

 convinced of l'Encuerado's kind intentions towards him, 

 Gringalet seemed to bear malice towards the Indian, and 

 for three days was very shy of coming near him. 



After this scene the preparations for dinner occupied our 

 attention. If our guns had been more successful, we should 

 have had fat to fry our fish in. While we were deploring 

 our ill-luck, I noticed a flock of birds like ducks flying high 

 up in the air ; they made a wide circle and settled down on 

 the top of a tree. L'Encuerado fired at them, and one fell. 

 It was an anhinga^ one of the most singular specimens of 



