A YOUNG NATURALIST. 385 



no ordinary coolness. I was glad of it, for my great wish 

 was to inure him to danger, and I feared the Indian's mis- 

 adventure with the otter might have had a bad influence. 



"Didn't those wolves frighten you?" asked my friend of* 

 the boy. 



" A little — especially their eyes,which seemed to dart fire." 

 " And what should you have done if they had sprung at 

 us?" 



" I should have aimed at them as straight as I could ; 

 but wolves are much braver than I thought." 



" They were anxious to protect their young ones, and 

 their den being so near made them all the bolder." 



When PEncuerado heard that we had coyotes neair us, he 

 made up a second fire for the night. The eastern sky was 

 beginning to grow pale, and as we were supping we saw 

 the paroquets in couples flying over our heads towards the 

 forest. Humming-birds were flitting in every direction, 

 and flocks of other passerines flew from one bush to anoth- 

 er. When they offered to perch near our bivouac, PEncue- 

 rado requested them in polite terms to settle a little farther 

 away, and, on their refusal, urged his request by throwing 

 a stone at them, which but rarely failed in its purpose. 

 The sun set, and the mountains stood out in black relief 

 against the pink sky. 



The moon now rose, and I can hardly describe the mar- 

 vellous effects of light produced by its rays on the sierras. 

 L'Encuerado had made a second fire, and had taken Grin- 

 galet aside to insist upon his not roaming beyond the 

 ground illuminated by its flame, telling him that the coyotes, 

 which would doubtless pass the night in prowling round 

 our bivouac, were very fond of dogs' flesh. As if to add 

 weight to this prudent advice, a prolonged howling was 

 now heard, which the dog felt obliged to respond to in his 

 most doleful notes. 



17 



