A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



489 



Cruz to Mexico. Our horses were now set at liberty, af- 

 ter having been overwhelmed with compliments and polite 

 speeches by PEncuerado. The brave animals at first ap- 

 peared undecided which way to go, and remained without 

 moving, keeping their noses to the wind. At last one of 

 them neighed and darted off, when the rest followed at the 

 top of their speed. 



We were now scarcely twelve leagues from Orizava, and 

 almost painfully impatient to reach it. Woods, mountains, 

 valleys were crossed with a kind of feverish haste, and the 

 approach of night alone forced us to bivouac. 



At about three o'clock in the morning, Lucien began to 

 reproach us for our laziness. 



Wood-cutters now passed, who saluted me by name, and 

 one guided us for more than a league, astonished at PEn- 

 cuerado's tales. He left us at the foot of a mountain, the 

 last we had to cross, the steep acclivity of which somewhat 

 damped our ardor. 



Lucien was the first to arrive on the plateau. A few 

 steps farther, and the town of Orizava lay stretched in 

 peaceful repose at our feet. 



As the young traveller contemplated the town in which 

 was his home, involuntary tears moistened his cheeks ; he 

 stretched out his arms towards it and sobbed. 



All of us, however, shared his emotion to some extent. 

 Now that we were safe, we rejoiced that I had undertaken 

 this expedition. I thanked God for His manifest protec- 

 tion, and, for the last time, gave the word to start. 



As we descended the mountain, the town became more 

 distinctly visible. L'Encuerado could name the churches 

 and streets ; at last Lucien discovered his home, which was 

 easily recognizable by the magnificent orange -tree. In 

 order to satisfy the boy's impatience, we made our way 



