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[Illustration: FRONTISPIECE.]
ADVENTURES
OF
A YOUNG NATURALIST.
BY
LUCIEN BIART.
EDITED AND ADAPTED BY
PARKER GILLMORE,
AUTHOR OF "ALL ROUND THE WORLD," "GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE," "ACCESSIBLE
FIELD SPORTS," ETC.
_WITH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS._
[Illustration]
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1871.
PREFACE.
There is no country on the face of the earth that possesses greater
interest in the eyes of the scientific or travelled than Mexico, the
scene where the adventures so graphically and clearly narrated in this
volume transpired: nor is this partiality to be wondered at when we
recall to memory what a lavish hand Nature has subtended to her.
Although several of our most celebrated naturalists have climbed its
lofty volcanic mountains, explored its lagoons and giant rivers, and
traversed its immense forests, still, from the vast extent of that
country and variety of climate--caused by difference of elevation--much
yet remains to be done ere the public become thoroughly conversant with
its arboreal and zoological productions.
The elephant, hippopotamus, lion, and tiger, the largest and most
formidable of the terrestrial mammals of the Old World, are not here to
be found; but their places are well supplied by the swamp-loving tapir,
the voracious alligator, the stealthy puma, and the blood-thirsty
jaguar, all well worthy of the sportsman's rifle, or of the
snake-visioned native warrior's weapons--for the power of destruction in
these animals during life is great, while after death they either
furnish valuable skins or wholesome food. Moreover, here the wolf awakes
the reverberating echoes of the forest with its dismal howl; the
raccoon, opossum, and squirrel pass their lives in sportive gambols; the
wild and the ocellated turkeys strut about, pompous in manner, as if
conscious of their handsome plumage, while the timid deer and
shaggy-coated bison roam over prairies or through woodland glades, as
yet unacquainted with the report of the white man's destructive
fire-arms.
Can it, therefore, be surprising that our little hero should have craved
to be permitted to have a sight of this new land, so rich in the
prospect of adventure? How he behaved himself throughout the numerous
ordeals to which he was submitted, suffice it for me to say that his
conduct was worthy of the representative of any nationality, and such as
was calculated to make all parents proud of their offspring; for whether
suffering from thirst or hunger, being persecuted by noxious insects,
straying in the woods, even when within reach of the fiercest carnivora
or in the presence of the deadliest reptiles, he never for a moment
hesitated in performing his seniors' instructions, lost his courage, or,
better still, an opportunity of improving his mind.
That the young English reader may benefit as much by the perusal of this
work as Master Lucien, otherwise "Sunbeam," did by his journey through
the Cordilleras of Mexico, and that they may enjoy the information
herein imparted upon the wonderful works of the Creator, is the sincere
wish of
THE EDITOR.
[Illustration: Decoration]
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION Page 13
CHAPTER I.
Who we are.--Gringalet.--Sunrise.--The
Sugar-cane.--A Halt. 20
CHAPTER II.
Sugar.--Gringalet in the Molasses
Tank.--L'Encuerado's obstinate Idea.--An Indian
Supper. 34
CHAPTER III.
Waking up in the Morning.--The pigmy World of
Lilliput.--L'Encuerado and the Bottles.--Massacre
of Thistles.--The Charcoal-burning Indians. 46
CHAPTER IV.
A difficult Ascent.--The Goat.--The Indian
Girls.--The Tobacco-plant.--The
Bull-fight.--Game.--Lucien's Gun.--Our Entry into
the Wilderness. 61
CHAPTER V.
The great Forest.--Crows.--The first Bivouac.--The
Squirrel-hunt.--Our young Guide.--The Chant in the
Desert. 76
CHAPTER VI.
Coffee.--Turpentine.--Couroucous.--Pine-needles.--Three
Volcanoes in sight at once.--The Carabus
Family.--Scorpions.--Salamanders.--A midnight
Disturbance. 89
CHAPTER VII.
The Cats'-eyes Pomade.--Armadillo.--Lucien and the
cruel Fern.--The fallen Mountain.--The
Woodpecker.--The Basilisk.--L'Encuerado's fresh
Idea. 104
CHAPTER VIII.
A Vulture's Feast.--Dragon's Blood.--A Coral
Serpent.--The Owl.--Mexican Moles.--Toucans.--The
Scolopacidae.--L'Encuerado turned Tailor.--Sunset. 119
CHAPTER IX.
The South Wind.--The Hurricane.--A fearful
Night.--The uprooted Giant.--The
Sarsaparilla-plant.--Gringalet discovers a
Spring.--Our Bivouac. 135
CHAPTER X.
The Rabbit.--Wild Potatoes.--A difficult Path.--An
extinct Crater.--Hoar-frost.--The Torrent.--The
Fawn.--The Tettigones.--Dragon-flies. 148
CHAPTER XI.
A blue Lizard.--The Guava-tree.--A Cataract.--Nest
of yellow Serpents.--A vegetable Helmet.--The
Kingfisher.--Hunting Water-fleas.--The Tadpole.--A
Collection of Water-bugs. 164
CHAPTER XII.
A Relation of Gringalet.--Our four-footed
Guide.--A Review of our Party.--The
Alligator-tortoise.--The Pheasants.--The
Magnolia.--The Nutmeg-tree.--The Blue-plant.--The
Caterpillar. 182
CHAPTER XIII.
The Sensitive-plant.--Gringalet and the
Porcupine.--The Mexican Chameleon.--The Kite and
the Falcon.--An amphisbaena Snake.--A Council of
Turkeys. 196
CHAPTER XIV.
The Meteor.--God Almighty's Lanterns.--The
Skunk.--The Jalap plant.--An aerial Journey.--The
Orchids.--Bivouac in the Mouth of a
Cave.--Gringalet and the Beetles.--A White Ants'
Nest. 211
CHAPTER XV.
Our Substitutes for Lamps.--First Glance into the
Cave.--The Elaterides.--The Gothic
Hall.--Stalagmites and Stalactites.--A
Chichiquimec Cemetery.--The "Tree of St.
Ignatius."--The Opossum and its little ones. 235
CHAPTER XVI.
The Earth-nuts.--A Wild-cat's Feast.--Another
exploring Expedition to the Cave.--The
Bats.--Excavations in a Tomb. 255
CHAPTER XVII.
A forced March.--Wild-ducks.--Vegetable Soap.--An
unwelcome Guest. 269
CHAPTER XVIII.
Wild Dahlias.--A painful Misadventure.--The
Euphorbia Plants.--The Washer Raccoon.--Surprised
by a Torrent.--L'Encuerado turned Hat-maker.--New
Method for driving out Evil Spirits.--The Anhinga. 282
CHAPTER XIX.
The Black Iguana.--Another Country.--Reminiscences
of Childhood.--The Mirage.--A Fire in the Plain. 299
CHAPTER XX.
The Morning and Night Dew.--The
Terre-Froide.--Water-spouts and Whirlwinds.--The
Barbary Fig-trees.--The Cactus-plants.--The
Viznaga.--Our Hopes disappointed.--Don Benito
Coyotepec. 310
CHAPTER XXI.
Black Skins and white Skins.--We have to turn
Carpenters.--L'Encuerado chanting and
preaching.--The Palm-leaves.--Vegetable Butter
Tree. 326
CHAPTER XXII.
Mexican Oak-apples.--A Stream lost in an
Abyss.--The Wild Nasturtium.--Sportsmen deceived
by Children.--The Grave-digging Beetles.--The
Cochineal Insect.--Mexican Wine.--Good-bye to our
Indian Hosts. 339
CHAPTER XXIII.
Again on the Road.--The Bird-catching Spider.--The
Marten and the Skunk.--The Flying Squirrel.--The
Otter-hunt.--L'Encuerado wounded. 353
CHAPTER XXIV.
A laborious Task.--Wild Lime-trees.--Pigeons.--The
West India Cherry.--The Earwig.--Snakes and
Serpents.--First Glance at the Terre-Chaude. 367
CHAPTER XXV.
A Ground-squirrel.--A Mouse's Nest.--Humming-birds
and their young ones.--The Locust-tree.--Mexican
Wolves and their Retreat. 375
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Path through the Forest.--A forced March.--The
Bromelaceae.--Mosquitoes.--The Water-plant.--The
Promised Land.--A Band of Monkeys. 387
CHAPTER XXVII.
L'Encuerado and the Parrots.--Gringalet meets a
Friend.--The Cougar, or American Lion.--A
Stream.--Our "Palm-tree Villa."--Turtles'
Eggs.--The Tantalus.--Herons and Flamingoes. 400
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A Grove of Logwood trees.--Ants at their
Work.--Parasitic Insects.--The Great
Ant-eater.--Spoonbills and Herons.--Lost in the
Forest. 415
CHAPTER XXIX.
A nocturnal Visitor.--The Fall of a Tree.--A
fearful Night.--The Monkeys.--Master Job.--All
right at last. 428
CHAPTER XXX.
We build a Raft.--The Horned Serpent.--Good-bye to
"Palm-tree Villa."--Mosquitoes and
Horse-flies.--The Rattlesnake.--An Ocelot. 438
CHAPTER XXXI.
The Hunters hunted.--Escape from Peccaries.--A
Jaguar-hunt.--An Ibis.--The Caymans.--The Wild
Bulls. 446
CHAPTER XXXII.
The King of the Vultures.--The Ticks.--L'Encuerado
frightened by a Demon.--The Tapirs.--Good-bye to
the Stream.--The Puma's Prey.--A miserable
Night.--Our Departure.--The Savannah.--Lucien
carried in a Litter.--Hunger and Thirst.--We
abandon our Baggage and Pets in Despair. 464
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Thirst.--L'Encuerado's Return.--The Description of
his Journey.--Janet, Verdet, and
Rougette.--Hunting wild Horses.--Our last
Adventure.--The Return. 483
[Illustration: Decoration]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FRONTISPIECE.
We were just then passing through a plantation PAGE 28
At last, lagging a little, our party reached the
foot of the mountains 44
The basket and its bearer chased one another down the hill 50
Almost immediately the foliage was pushed aside 56
On hearing the uproar two Indian women came running towards
us 65
Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with perpendicular
sides 74
We now entered one of those glades 82
It was really a capital dinner 101
The dog began to howl desperately 114
A flock of vultures attracted our attention 121
Lucien loudly called out to me 126
Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones 146
A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony
rampart more than a hundred feet in height 152
Sunset surprised us ere we had finished our labor 156
A shrub kept him from falling into the gulf 169
The cataract 174
Fall of Ingenio (from a drawing by the Marquis of
Radepoint) 177
A tiger-cat bounded forward and seized the pheasant 191
The kite avoided the shock, and continued to rise in the
air. 202
It looked like an immense pedestal, surmounted by two bronze
statues 210
Above us, the trees crossed their branches 218
Then Sumichrast slid down the cord to the tree 223
I then ordered the Indian to light the fire 227
The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger style of
architecture 241
Five or six skulls seemed to glare at me through their empty
orbits 245
Crater of Popocatepetl 249
Our two scouts climbed some enormous heaps of rocks 262
The animal continued to retreat before him, and led him to
the mouth of a cave 266
They were at once saluted by a platoon fire 273
I at once recognized the black sugar-cane snake 279
Following in Indian file, we ascended the course of the
stream 287
The rocks came rolling down; dashing together under the
impulse of a liquid avalanche 291
L'Encuerado set to work to plait us hats 295
I used to go iguana hunting with my brothers 301
The moon rose, and rendered the illusion more striking 307
The sand rose rapidly, whirling round and round 314
Everywhere the cactus might be seen assuming twenty
different shapes 318
The water disappeared under a low arch 341
Four children appeared 346
An animal came tumbling down about ten paces from us 358
The sun was just setting 362
L'Encuerado was pressing his arm and uttering cries of
pain 365
The _Terre-Chaude_ was stretched out at my feet 373
And the Indian went away, saluting 379
I threw a stone at the beast 383
There was a whole tribe of monkeys frolicking about 397
I looked in vain for the cougar 403
L'Encuerado turned three somersets 407
It stood up on its hind legs 417
The bank to the right was covered with cranes, and that to
the left with spoonbills 422
The head and bright eyes of a superb jaguar appeared about
fifty paces from us 426
We now came upon some creeping plants 430
The monkey slid down, and fell dead at our feet 435
In front of us opened a glade, bordered by tall palm-trees 442
A band of peccaries were pursuing us 447
The banks of the river were covered with alligators 454
The Indian and his branch descended with a splash into the
river 458
The entire drove dashed at full gallop into the stream 461
The reeds were pushed aside 468
The deer sank down under the weight of a puma 472
While the moon dimly lighted up the landscape. 475
Lucien began to repeat to the parrots the names of Hortense
and Emile 479
We had to cross some muddy marshes 486
Also numerous Woodcuts embodied in, and illustrative of, the text.
[Illustration: Decoration]
[Illustration]
INTRODUCTION.
The evening before leaving for one of my periodical excursions, I was
putting in order my guns, my insect-cases, and all my travelling
necessaries, when my eldest son, a lad nine years old, came running to
me in that wheedling manner--using that irresistible diplomacy of
childhood which imposes on fathers and mothers so many troublesome
treaties, and which children so well know how to assume when they desire
to obtain a favor.
"Are you going to make as long a journey as you did last month?" he
asked.
"Longer, I think; for, as we are so soon leaving for Europe, I want to
complete my collection as rapidly as possible. I know you will be a
good boy during my absence, and obedient to your mother. You will think
of me sometimes, will you not?"
"I should much prefer _not_ to think of you," he responded.
"You would rather, then, that I staid at Orizava?"
"Oh no; I should like you to go, and--to go with you."
"What can you be thinking of? Before we were a mile on the road you
would be knocked up, complaining of heat, thirst, fatigue--"
"That's quite a mistake, dear father. I know I should be very useful to
you, if you would only take me. I could pick up wood, light the fire,
and look after the cooking, besides catching butterflies and insects,
both for your collection and mine."
"That's all very well; but the first time you were scratched by a thorn
you would cry."
"Oh father! I promise you I will never cry, except when--I can't help
it."
I could not resist smiling at this answer.
"Then it is a settled thing, and I am to go with you," exclaimed Lucien.
"We must consult your mother, and if she sees no objection, I--"
The child ran off without allowing me to finish my sentence.
While I went on cleaning my guns, I found that I was pleading with
myself in favor of the little would-be traveller. I also remembered that
when I was only seven years old I had travelled long distances on foot
in company with my father, and to this early habit owed much of the
power of accomplishing dangerous and fatiguing journeys, which would
have frightened stronger men. I even persuaded myself that it would be
useful, before leaving Mexico, to impress the memory of my son with a
sight of some of the grand scenes of tropical nature, so that he should
retain correct ideas of the wonderful country in which his infancy had
been spent. I moreover knew that l'Encuerado, the gallant Indian who had
been my servant for so many years, perfectly adored his young master,
and would watch over him just as I should, and thus ward off any
possible mishaps. On the other hand, I risked inspiring my son with that
love of travel and adventure which had contributed materially to my
scientific collection, but very little to my fortune. Nevertheless, what
a wholesome influence is exercised over the mind by an almost unceasing
struggle with the difficulties that beset one's course through an
unknown country. Both the mind and body of my son must surely benefit by
such an excursion, which might be curtailed if desirable. Soon after the
boy returned, accompanied by his mother.
"What is all this about a journey, for which my consent is the only
requisite?" asked my wife.
"Mine is needed too," I answered.
"Why not take him, dear? L'Encuerado has promised me that he will not
lose sight of him for an instant."
"What! do _you_ take his part?"
"He does long so much to go with you," she said.
"Be it so," I replied. "Get your clothes ready, for we must be off the
day after to-morrow at daybreak."
Lucien was almost beside himself with joy. He rushed about the house
from one end to the other; gave the servants much unnecessary trouble;
leggings, boots, and a game-bag, he wanted; also a sword, a knife,
insect-cases--in fact, a whole multitude of requirements. L'Encuerado,
who was almost as rejoiced as the lad, cut him a travelling-staff, as
strong and light as was requisite, and made him other auxiliaries
necessary on such excursions. From this moment forward, Lucien was
constantly running and climbing about all the rooms and the yards round
the house, to accustom himself, as he said, to the fatigue of a long
journey. At dinner-time he would take nothing but bread and water, in
order to prepare his system for the meagre fare of the bivouac. In fact,
I had to quiet him down by recommending more coolness to his excited
little brain.
The eve of our departure arrived, and several friends came to bid me
farewell. My son told them of all the great things he had determined to
achieve--how he would crush the heads of scorpions, and with his sword
cut down trees or kill serpents.
"If I tumble over the rocks," said he, "I shall only laugh at my
bruises; and if we meet with any tigers--"[A]
An extremely warlike attitude terminated this sentence.
Ceasing at length from want of further words, he would very willingly
have reduced to silence, with his sword, those who disapproved of my
project of taking into the forests and savannahs my child of nine years
old, and exposing him to all the unknown dangers of savage life--to
fatigue, rain, and all kinds of maladies! Why, it appeared like tempting
Providence, and risking, for mere amusement, the life, or at least the
health, of my child. The unanimity of these reflections began to shake
my resolution, and I expressed myself to that effect.
"Oh father!" cried Lucien, "are you going to break your word to me?"
"No," I replied; "neither now nor ever. I want you to become a man, so
you shall go. But be off to bed, for you must be ready to start by four
o'clock in the morning."
I had given notice of my intended tour to my friend Francois
Sumichrast, a Swiss _savant_, well known for his discoveries in natural
history, in whose company I had undertaken several journeys. About ten
o'clock at night, I began to fancy my letter of information had
miscarried, when a knock at the door startled me, and I soon recognized
the happy voice of my friend. He had come expressly from Cordova, in
order to make one in our little expedition. I told him all my doubts and
fears about my boy, but he quite took the part of the young traveller;
almost what I might have expected from a companion of Toepffer.
"Come here," he cried to Lucien, who, half-undressed, had just peeped in
at the door.
The boy ran to him, and my friend, whose stature much exceeded the
average, lifted him up and embraced him as an ally.
"At your age," said Sumichrast, "I had made the tour of Switzerland, my
bag on my back, and had tried my teeth on bears'-steaks. I predict that
you will behave like a man. Shall I be wrong?"
"Oh no, M. Sumichrast."
"Can you live without eating and drinking?"
"I will do all you do."
"That's well; now go to bed. If you keep your word, when we return in a
month's time you'll be a prodigy."
Next morning Lucien was up and ready long before day-break, and
complained of our tardiness. He was dressed in a jacket and breeches of
blue cloth, with his Mexican cloak over them; he carried in his belt a
sword ready sharpened, to cut his way through the creeping plants; while
over his shoulder was passed the strap of a game-pouch, containing a
knife, a cup, and a change of under-clothing. The broad-brimmed hat, or
_sombrero_, on his head, gave him a most determined air. I had almost
forgotten the famous travelling-staff which for the last two days had
been resounding against all the floors in the house. L'Encuerado, a
Mistec Indian, and an old tiger-hunter, who, through a thousand dangers
faced in common, had become much attached to my person, at last made his
appearance, clad in a leathern jacket and breeches, which had given him
his name of "_Encuerado_."[B] The brave and adventurous Indian was
almost beside himself with joy at the idea of conducting into the forest
the child whom he had known from his cradle. On his back he fastened a
basket containing our main stock of provisions--such as coffee, salt,
pepper, dried maize, cakes, etc. Lucien's younger brother and sister had
jumped out of bed, and were dancing all round us: the latter seemed
somewhat sad and uneasy, but the former was dissatisfied, manfully
asserting that he, too, was quite big enough to go with us.
At the last moment my poor wife lost all her courage, and regretted she
had ever given her consent; but when Lucien saw the tears which his
departure had called forth, he became heroic in his self-denial,
throwing aside his hat and stick.
"Mother," he cried, embracing her in his arms, "I will not go away if it
makes you cry."
"All right, then; I will go instead," said his brother Emile, who ran
and picked up the stick and hat, and then walked towards the outer door,
utterly disregarding his bedroom costume.
"No, no," said my wife; "I will not be the means of depriving you of so
much pleasure."
The kind mother again kissed her child, and commended him anew to our
joint care.
I led off my little companion; but when we got into the court-yard, I
had to exercise all my authority to make his younger brother give up
the stick and hat he had taken possession of. When restitution was
effected, the two children kissed each other, and parted friends.
At last the outer gate was passed, and our footsteps rang through the
quiet streets of Orizava. We were commencing the first stage of our
journey in pursuit of scientific discoveries.
[Illustration: Decoration]
FOOTNOTES:
[A] The jaguar (_Leopardus onca_, Linn.) is frequently called a tiger in
America. The tiger (_Tigris regalis_) is not found on that
continent.--ED.
[B] _Encuerado_, in Spanish, means both _naked_ and _clad in leather_.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I.
WHO WE ARE.--GRINGALET.--SUNRISE.--THE SUGAR-CANE.--A HALT.
It was the 20th April, 1864. The clock of the church of the convent of
Saint Joseph de Grace chimed 4 A.M. just as we turned into the main
street that leads out of the town.
Sumichrast took the lead. Tall in stature, noble in mien, and
broad-shouldered, he was, in spite of his blue eyes and fair hair, the
perfect representative of moral and bodily strength. I was always in the
habit of permitting him to lead the way, when, in any of our excursions,
it was necessary to favorably impress the imagination of the Indians. He
was distinguished as an ornithologist, and was never so much at home as
in the midst of the forests; in fact, he often regretted that he had
not been born an Indian. His gravity entirely devoid of sadness, his
skill in shooting, and his silent laugh, often led me to compare him to
Cooper's "Leather-Stocking;" but it was "Leather-Stocking" become a man
of the world and of science.
[Illustration]
Next let me describe my son. Like all children, he was imitative, so had
commenced very early to make a collection of insects, and this was
sufficient to give him a precocious taste for natural history; but in
his character he was earnest and reflective, and very eager for
knowledge. Sumichrast took pleasure in the boy's intelligence, and often
amused himself by arguing with him. From the flashes of childish humor
which he would display on such occasions, my friend sometimes gave him
the nickname of "Sun-beam."
Next to the child came l'Encuerado, an Indian of the Mistec race--a
strange mixture of delicacy, simplicity, kindness, candor, and
obstinacy. In the interval that had elapsed since I first met him,
twelve years before, in the Terre-Chaude, he had become my friend as
much as my servant. But he was never happy in a town, and was always
praising wild life, even the inconveniences of the solitudes in which he
had been born.
[Illustration]
"What a pity that it is so dark," said Lucien, whom Sumichrast was
leading by the hand.
"For what reason do you wish for daylight?" I asked.
"Why? Because every one is asleep now, and none of my friends will see
me pass with my sword, my gourd, and my game-pouch."
"So you think that your travelling-costume would make your companions
envious?--that's not a kind feeling."
"No, father; I should like them to see me, certainly; but I don't want
to give pain to any one."
We passed along the foot of Borrego, the mountain which has become so
famous, owing to the conflict which took place there between sixty
French soldiers and two thousand Mexicans, and had just reached the
gateway of Angostura when a dog ran past, but soon returned, barking and
fawning upon us in every way. It was Gringalet, an elegantly although
strongly made greyhound, which had been a companion of my boy's from
infancy, l'Encuerado having brought him up "by hand" for his young
master. Gringalet was an orphan from the time of his birth, and had
found in the Indian a most attentive foster-parent. Three times a day he
gave his adopted child milk through a piece of rag tied over the neck of
a bottle. The dog had grown up by the side of his young master; many a
time, doubtless, he had snatched from his hands the half-eaten cake, but
such casualties were only a temporary check upon their mutual
attachment. He manifested, therefore, a decided preference for three
objects--Lucien, his nurse, and bottles in general. I was at first
rather vexed that the poor beast should have taken upon himself the
liberty of joining our expedition, so I tried to drive him back.
Gringalet ran to take refuge by the side of Lucien, with ears laid back,
and one paw raised; and looked at me with such mild eyes, so full of
supplication, that I could not find it in my heart to carry out my
intention. Sumichrast and l'Encuerado both interceded for the animal,
which, crouching and wagging his tail, came and lay down humbly at my
feet. Lucien, who was afraid I should behave harshly to his favorite,
hid his face in his hands. I was vanquished.
"Come along, then, and let us take Gringalet!" I said.
So I caressed the dog, which, clearly seeing that he had gained his
cause, bounded along the road in the most extravagant leaps, clearly
indicative of his emotions of pleasure. In spite of all his efforts to
keep them back, tears escaped from Lucien's eyes, and I had to turn my
head away to avoid having to recall the promise he made to refrain from
crying. But, nevertheless, although I wished him to learn how to bear
stoically any physical suffering, I had no desire to quench in him the
evidences of a feeling heart--that potent source of our sweetest
pleasure and our bitterest sorrow.
The gates of the town were still closed. On arriving in front of the
guard-house, I rapped at the window to awake the old man, the guardian
of the keys of the town.
"Won't he open the gate for us? Shall we be obliged to go home again?
Can't we start to-day, M. Sumichrast?" eagerly asked Lucien.
"Keep quiet," replied Sumichrast; "the porter is an old man, and we are
disturbing him earlier than we ought, which always puts him a little out
of temper. However active we may be, it is a good thing to know 'how to
wait.'"
At last the door-keeper made his appearance, the chains dropped one by
one, the heavy gate turned on its hinges, and Lucien was the first to
spring out into the open road. The sky was starless, the morning dew
chilled our blood, and we felt that uncomfortable feeling which, in the
tropics, affects the traveller just at the period when night gives place
to day. I led Lucien by the hand, lest, in the dim light, he might fall.
He shivered with cold, but was unwilling to complain; I stepped on
quickly in order that he might get warm. Perhaps, just at this moment,
he regretted his little bed, and thought of the cup of warm chocolate
which his mother often used to bring him as soon as he awoke; but,
unmurmuring, he retained his place by my side.
Beyond the village of Ingenio, a brisk south wind blew the dust in our
faces and retarded our speed. All round the trees bent before the
squall, and the large plantain leaves flew about, torn into ribbons. We
now turned to the right, and crossed a prairie. L'Encuerado required
breath, for his load weighed at least eighty pounds, although, like
AEsop's burden, it would surely get lighter at every meal. An enormous
rock, which had tumbled down from one of the surrounding mountains
centuries past, offered us a retreat sheltered from the wind. At this
moment a line of purple edging the eastern horizon announced the dawn of
day.
"Come here," I called to Lucien.
And taking the lad between my knees, I said,
"You see that bright band of light which looks almost as if the horizon
was on fire? Well, from the middle of it the sun is just going to rise.
At this very moment, in Europe, it is almost noonday; but, as
recompense, they will have dark night when it is three o'clock in the
afternoon here, and we shall be pushing along, overwhelmed with the heat
of an almost vertical sun. The red line is now getting wider and paler;
it is more like a golden mist. But turn round and look at the mountain
tops."
The child uttered a half-surprised cry; although we were in comparative
obscurity, the ridges of the Cordilleras seemed all on fire.
"Do you understand that phenomenon?" asked Sumichrast.
"Yes; for I know the earth is round, and these mountains, which are
higher than we are, of course first catch the rays of the sun."
The day broke, and a burning glow suffused the horizon; in a few minutes
the sun rose and inundated us with light. The birds began to chant their
morning song, and the eagles, careering from every mountain top, soared
above our heads. The sunbeams twinkled through the dew-drops, and the
grass of the prairie seemed decked with diamonds. Black vultures, which
soared even higher than the eagles and the kites, traced out in the blue
sky the immense curves of their majestic flight. On every bush insects
spread their gauzy wings; perhaps they felt that not a minute should be
lost by beings whose birth, life, and death are all comprised in one
single day.
"Oh!" cried Lucien, "as soon as we get home I shall tell mamma how
beautiful is sunrise! Is it not a shame that so many of us sleep through
the hour when this lovely prospect can only be enjoyed?"
I was obliged to cut short the little fellow's admiration--an admiration
I also shared. Each resumed his load; and now, in spite of the wind, we
all felt eager to advance. Gringalet, as glad as we were at the return
of day, frisked round Lucien, barking, jumping over ditches, and rolling
in the dust in his wild gambols. Our young companion began imitating his
frolics; but I soon called him to order, for our day's journey was to be
as much as six to seven leagues, and it was necessary to prevent Lucien
fatiguing himself unnecessarily.
"You always go either too quickly or too slowly," said Sumichrast to the
boy; "travellers, like soldiers, must walk at a regular pace, so as to
reach their halting-place without more than necessary fatigue.
Come--form in line! That's well; now, on we go!"
[Illustration: "We were just then passing through a plantation."]
Lucien measured his steps by those of his instructor. It was most
amusing to see him trying to keep a pace quite at variance with the
length of his short legs.
"Halt!" cried Sumichrast; "you can hardly imagine your legs are as long
as mine. Perhaps in about ten years' time you may enjoy that privilege;
but, in the mean time, walk naturally--without either effort or hurry.
One, two, three!--now you are perfect. Keep on without noticing me; you
can't walk at my pace, so I must take to yours."
As our journey was to extend to the distance of three hundred leagues,
it was quite requisite that the boy should accustom himself to a regular
step. After several attempts this was accomplished, and all progressed
together.
We now directed our course towards the heights. Our intention was to
make our way into the Cordillera, and, passing round the volcano of
Orizava, to descend into the savannahs beyond, slanting off to the left
so as ultimately to reach the sea. Then we thought of traversing the
prairies and forests of the Terre-Chaude, so as again to come to our
starting-point through the mountains of Songolica. This circuit would
represent a journey of a hundred and fifty leagues as the crow flies, or
at least three hundred leagues, reckoning all the circuits and bends we
should be obliged to make. During this long expedition, we had made up
our minds to seek, when opportunity offered, the hospitality of any
Indian villages that might come in our road, and only when absolutely
necessary to camp in the open air.
About eleven, the heat became overpowering, and Lucien began to inquire
about breakfast. We were just then passing through a plantation, I might
almost say a forest of sugar-canes. The stems of the plants were either
of a yellowish hue or veined with blue, and were more than six feet
high. The latter kind will ultimately supersede its rival; for the
cultivators assert that, although not so large, it affords a much more
certain crop. L'Encuerado, seizing his _machete_ (a straight and a short
cutlass, indispensable to the inhabitants of the Terre-Chaude), cut down
a magnificent stem, and, peeling it, offered each of us a piece. The
sugar-cane is extremely hard, and it is necessary to cut it up in order
to break the cellules in which the sweet juice is contained. My
companions set to work to chew the pith of the valuable plant; and even
Gringalet seemed to be just as fond of it as they were.
Not far from the cane-field, some Indians were working on a new
plantation. The ground was covered with ashes. The foreman explained to
us that when the canes are cut down, the first thing is to pull off the
long leaves, which are left on the ground. In eight days this rubbish is
dried by the tropical sun; they then set them on fire, and the ashes
which result serve as manure. Five or six Aztecs were cultivating this
apparently sterile ground by means of a primitive kind of plough, made
of a mere stake attached to circular discs of wood forming spokeless
wheels; it was drawn by two oxen yoked together.
Sumichrast took Lucien by the hand.
"In future," said he, "when you crunch a lump of sugar, you shall know
something of the manufacture of what you are eating. The sugar-cane is
called, in Latin, _Saccharum officinale_, that is, 'druggist's sugar,'
because the product of this plant was so rare that it was sold only at
the druggists' shops. The plant itself is said to be a native of India,
and is, as you see, a tuft of vegetation, from which spring six to
twenty tall stalks, with joints varying, both in number and in distance,
from each other. The most esteemed variety, the Tahiti cane, is striped
with violet. The specimen you are looking at is one of the most
remarkable as regards size, for it must be nearly thirteen feet high."
"It is like a stalk of maize," said the boy.
"That's true, except that maize has only one stem. Look, there's an
Indian about to cut down the very plant I was showing you; he has
severed it through obliquely at a single blow, as near the ground as
possible. Now he is stripping off the leaves, and with another blow of
his weapon lops away the green top, which is used for fodder. Next, he
cuts it in lengths, taking care to sever it between the knots, as they
are required for planting new ground."
"Planting!" repeated Lucien; "the knots are not seed?"
"No, Master 'Sunbeam;' the seed of the sugar-cane comes to maturity too
slowly. It takes four years to produce a plant from it which is
profitable. Now, as young fellows of your kind are rather numerous, and
consume a good many preserves and sugar-plums, it is highly necessary to
devise some rapid method of supplying the sugar you devour. This method
has been found out. Each of these pieces of cane will be stuck into the
earth, and the knot, from which in the open air the leaves spring, will
send down roots into the soil. Small as it is, it will grow vigorously;
and in a year, or eighteen months at most, it will have produced a dozen
stalks quite as fine as the one you have been looking at."
During this long explanation l'Encuerado, who, on account of his load,
disliked standing still, had kept moving, so we had to increase our pace
to catch him up. As we were passing on, Lucien saw the Indian planting
the very pieces of cane he had just observed cut up. Ere long we came
upon a fresh plantation, in which the tender shoots, almost like grass,
appeared over the ground. Sumichrast dug a little hole round one of the
plants, and showed to his wondering pupil that the fragment of the stem
was already provided with small rootlets.
Suddenly, at the turn of a path, I was saluted by a man on horseback.
It was the steward of the estate that we were crossing.
"Hallo! Don Luciano, where are you off to with all that train?" cried
the new-comer.
"To visit the forest of the Cordillera," I replied.
"May you travel safely! but is the young gentleman going with you?"
"Yes, to be sure. Good-bye, Antonio, till we meet again!"
"Till we meet again? By my word, you shall not say that just yet. The
goodwife has some eggs and fried beans ready for breakfast; and I ought
to have some bottles of Spanish wine, in which we'll drink to your
pleasant journey, unless you're too proud to accept the hospitality of a
poor man."
Being very hungry, with pleasure we accepted this cordial invitation.
The steward further insisted upon taking our little traveller up in
front of him. The child was only too pleased.
"Oh dear!" said Sumichrast; "why, it's spoiling the boy at the outset."
"It will be half a league the less for his poor legs," said Antonio;
and, spurring his horse, he galloped off with Lucien to get our
breakfast ready.
Gringalet was in consternation at his young master's departure. Raising
his intelligent face, he seemed as if he wished to question us, and
pricked up his ears as if to listen to the sound of the horse's feet
dying away in the distance. At last he raised a plaintive howl, and
started off in pursuit.
Surprised at not seeing l'Encuerado, I turned back, fancying he had
remained behind. I was expecting to see him appear, when Sumichrast
burst out laughing. At a turn of the road he had caught a sight of the
horseman, with the dog on one side and the Indian on the other, who, in
spite of his load, kept up without difficulty.
This feat on the part of my servant did not much surprise me, for I do
not think that in the whole world there are any more indefatigable
runners than the Mistec Indians.
At twelve o'clock, just as the bell was calling home the laborers, I
entered the courtyard of the sugar-mill, where I caught sight of my
youngster sitting on the ground, with his dog at his feet, looking with
rapture at some ducks that were enjoying themselves in a muddy pool.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]