312 



THE ADVENTURES OF 



" My real native country is much more beautiful than 

 that we are now in, Chanito ; in the first place, it has 

 mountains and woods, and there it sometimes rains." 



" Shall we see any snow fall, now that we are in the 

 Terre-Froide ?" 



" No," replied Sumichrast, smiling ; " you will not see 

 any snow before next year, when you will be in France. 

 The winters of the Mexican Terre-Froide are like our 

 European springs. It is, however, never warm enough to 

 * allow tropical fruit to ripen; but the Terre-Froide only 

 deserves its name when it is* compared with the Terre- 

 Chaude and the Terr e- Temper ee." 



" It seems to me to have been very badly named, for it is 

 as hot now as the day when the south wind blew so strong- 

 ly. Gringalet looks as if he was of my opinion, for he lolls 

 his tongue out much more than usual." 



" Upon my word !" cried Sumichrast, " Master Sunbeam's 

 remark shows that he is a first-cla^ observer. You are 

 as right as you can be," continued he, placing his hand on 

 the boy's shoulder. " In the plains of the Terre-Froide the 

 heat is much more uncomfortable than in the Terre-Chaude 

 itself, where an insensible perspiration always mitigates the 

 oppressive rays of the sun. A few days' walking in this 

 atmosphere will do more in bronzing our skins than all the 

 rest of the journey." 



My companion suddenly stopped short, and pointed to 

 the horizon with his finger. 



" That's smoke," cried Lucien. 



" No, Chanito," replied l'Encuerado, " it is a tornado" 

 Seeing a slender column of dust rising up to the clouds, 

 I had, at first sight, formed the same idea as my son. It 

 was, in fact, nothing but a whirlwind of dust, which disap- 

 peared soon afterwards. 



" There is no wind," observed Lucien ; " how is it that 

 the dust rises so high?" 



