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.
Lucien had run on in front with the two partridges; when I arrived at
the bivouac, I found an enormous mole roasting on the fire, and
Sumichrast catching with the utmost care the fat which ran from it.
"How did you kill this animal?" I asked, addressing my companions; "I
did not hear you fire."
"L'Encuerado knocked it down with the butt-end of his gun, and just at
the same moment your two shots brought us back to the cave."
"Why are you collecting this fat? Is it a prophet of some new dish in
preparation?"
"No; but I intend inspecting the cave, and with this grease we shall be
able to make a lamp, which will be more than useful."
I approved of Sumichrast's idea, and, as he had discovered a colony of
moles, proposed to go after dinner and catch some of them, so as to
increase our supply of light. Besides, I hoped that in this walk we
should meet with some kind of resinous tree, the branches of which might
serve as torches. Lucien could hardly restrain his joy, and wished to
penetrate into the cave without further delay. He scarcely gave himself
time enough to eat, and scolded l'Encuerado for being so slow, which was
an indirect mode of asking us to hurry.
Having again reached the forest, we searched for a pine or a fir, the
branches of which, being full of resin, would have enabled us to show
more mercy to the moles. Hearing us mention these two trees, Lucien
wanted to know the difference between them.
"They both belong to the Coniferous family," replied Sumichrast; "but
firs generally grow upon lofty mountains far inland, while pines abound
on sea-coasts, the shifting, sandy soil of which is, after a time,
consolidated and fertilized by them."
Sumichrast's explanation still left much wanting; I saw this from
Lucien's numerous questions; but without seeing a specimen of each tree
it would have been difficult to better describe their peculiar
characteristics.
After a long and unsuccessful walk, we halted in front of a guaiac-tree
with dark-green foliage, a higher tree than any we had before met with.
This fine member of the Rutacean family was covered with pale-blue
flowers. It produces a gum used especially by the English in the
preparation of tooth-powder; but the hardness of its wood, which would
have blunted our weapons, induced me to pass it by. A little farther on,
l'Encuerado spied out a _liquid-amber_ tree, valuable on account of the
balsam that oozes from its branches when cut, which is burned by the
Indians as incense. He climbed the knotty trunk of this colossus, and
cut off some branches, which Sumichrast split into small pieces, after I
had cleared off their leaves. Our work was interrupted by the approach
of night, and we made our way to our bivouac, each loaded with a heavy
fagot.
As soon as we arrived, Lucien had the satisfaction of trying one of our
flambeaux. The branch crackled when lighted, and, as we entered the
cavern, five or six bats flew out. I led Lucien by the hand, and very
soon he was the only one who could stand upright. Afterwards we entered
a vast chamber with a dome-shaped roof, which became lower the farther
we penetrated; this was rather a disappointment, as we had fancied there
was something more to be seen than a mere cave. A heap of reddish earth
in one corner attracted Sumichrast's attention, who examined it to see
if he could discover some fossil bones. Standing all together, we must
have formed, by the smoky light of our odoriferous torches, rather a
fantastic-looking group. More than half an hour elapsed without
discovering any results from our digging. L'Encuerado, who had tried to
crawl in between the roof and the ground, suddenly raised an
exclamation; he had, in fact, all but fallen into a deep pit. In an
instant I was laid down flat on my stomach and crawling towards the
Indian; Lucien, owing to his size, was able to creep on his hands and
feet, and consequently soon got in front of me. We could soon see down
into the bottom of the hole; the burning fragments of our torches fell
upon a heap of stones at a depth of twelve or fifteen feet. L'Encuerado
threw one of the torches into the chasm, and the vague glimmer showed us
a yawning opening on the left. Delighted with this discovery, we now
beat a retreat, deferring a more thorough exploration until the next
day.
The night was dark, and during our absence the fire had almost gone out.
Just below us, a tree, the outline of which we could scarcely
distinguish, seemed covered with animated sparks. Lucien opened his eyes
very widely indeed, not being in the least able to understand this
phenomenon, which was produced by thousands of _elaterides_, insects
which have on each side of the thorax a yellowish spot which becomes
luminous in the dark.
Nothing could be more curious than to see innumerable glittering spots
rising, falling, and crossing one another with extraordinary rapidity;
one might have fancied it a tree bearing flowers of fire waving about in
the breeze. L'Encuerado came up with a specimen, which lighted up his
hand with a greenish glimmer. Lucien took possession of it, and the two
luminous spots looked to him like two enormous eyes. Suddenly the insect
gave a kind of shock to the boy's fingers, who looked at us full of
surprise.
"The name of the insect," said Sumichrast, "is derived from a Greek word
which signifies elastic; and it has just shown you that it well deserves
the family name which has been given to it. Examine for an instant how
it is shaped; the angles of its corslet form sharp points; added to
this, its sternum also terminates in a point which the insect can insert
at will into the cavity which exists under its second pair of legs. The
women in the _Terre-Chaude_, by passing a pin through this natural ring,
can fix this brilliant insect as an ornament in their hair, without
injuring it in the least. Now, then, place it on its back."
"It's pretending to be dead!" cried Lucien.
"Yes; it does that, like many other kinds of insects, in order to
deceive an enemy about to seize it."
"Oh, how it jumps!" exclaimed Lucien.
"That is its only means of getting on its feet again, when it has had
the misfortune of falling on its back. Look; it pushes the point which
terminates its chest against the edge of the hole situated lower down;
then it raises its head, piff! paff! you might fancy it was a spring
going off. It didn't succeed the first time, but now it is up on its
legs, and now you've lost it, for it has flown off!"
Lucien's first impulse was to dart off in pursuit of it, as the route it
had taken was shown by its luminous appendages. But it was long past our
usual hour for repose, so we all sheltered ourselves as well as we
could, and dreamt of our next day's adventures.
Day-break found us all up, and already comforted with a cup of coffee.
We had been troubled during the night by mosquitoes; but they were only
the harbingers of the legions which are before us. Lucien, full of
impatience, could not take his eyes off the entrance of the cave, and
followed all our movements with anxiety. A hollow stone which
l'Encuerado had found was filled with fat, a morsel of linen served as a
wick, and our make-shift lamp soon burned and gave forth light.
As the branches which were to serve as torches were being distributed, I
noticed that a yellow and transparent drop had formed at the end of
each. This gum, by its odor and color, has given to the tree which
produces it the name of _liquid amber_. At last, followed by my
companions, I entered the cave; l'Encuerado placed the lamp on the edge
of the pit, and the bats which had been disturbed the evening before
again commenced their whirling flight.
Preceded by Sumichrast, I ventured down to the bottom of the pit. A
narrow passage led from it into a vast chamber, the more distant parts
of which we could not discern on account of the darkness. While my
friend was exploring, I returned for Lucien. The lamp, thanks to the
Indian's skill, was safely let down without extinguishing the light;
lastly l'Encuerado himself made his appearance. Passing along the narrow
passage, I soon perceived Sumichrast, who looked like some fantastic
apparition as he shook his torch over his head, endeavoring to see
through the darkness which enveloped us.
The lamp being set down at the entrance of the passage, each of us took
a lighted torch, and advanced at a slow pace. Sumichrast and the Indian
skirted the wall to the left, while I walked along the wall to the
right. Our smoky torches gave but an imperfect light, and we could
scarcely see beyond three yards in front of us. A little farther on, the
ground was strewn with fallen stones; before venturing on this dangerous
ground, I cast a glance towards my companions; they were not in sight. I
gave them a call--a formidable clamor resounded through the chamber, and
Lucien crept close to me.
"It is the echo returning to our ears Sumichrast's answer," I hastened
to tell him. "They are in another chamber; you call them now!"
The boy, agitated, raised his voice. Immediately the dark vaults seemed
to repeat his words; and the sound increased, as it moved away, as if a
thousand persons, placed at intervals, were repeating some watch-word. A
sonorous "Hiou! hiou!" prevailed over the uproar, and the face of
l'Encuerado appeared on our right before the echo of the call had died
away.
"Come and see a beautiful church!" cried the Indian. "A church made of
diamonds, Chanito!"
We moved towards the entrance by an inclined passage, down the slope of
which we followed l'Encuerado. The distance between the walls gradually
increased, and soon we found ourselves in a vast hall studded with
stalactites; in it Sumichrast arranged the lighted torches.
[Illustration: "The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger . . .
style of architecture."]
The Indian was not far wrong; we might easily have fancied ourselves in
a Gothic cathedral. The wildest dreams could not picture a stranger,
more original, or more fantastic style of architecture. Never did any
painter of fairy scenes imagine any effects more splendid. Hundreds of
columns hung down from the roof and reached the ground below. It was a
really wonderful assemblage of pointed arches, lace-work, branchery, and
gigantic flowers. Here and there were statues drawn by nature's hand.
Lucien particularly remarked a woman covered with a long veil, and
stretching out over our heads an arm which a sculptor's chisel could
scarcely have rendered more life-like. There were also shapeless mouths,
monstrous heads, and animals, appearing as if they had been petrified,
in menacing attitudes. The illusion was rendered more or less complete
according to the play of the light; and many a strange shape was but
caught sight of for a moment, to as rapidly vanish.
While we were moving about the cave, some long needles, hanging from the
roof, touched our heads.
"They are stalactites," said I to the astonished Lucien. "The
rain-water, filtering through the mountain above, dissolves the
calcareous matter it meets with, and produces, when it evaporates, the
beautiful concretions you are now looking at."
"Here is a needle coming up from the ground."
"That is a stalagmite; it increases upward, and not downward like the
stalactites, through which, besides, a tube passes. Look up at that
beautiful needle, with a drop of water glittering at the end of it. That
liquid pearl, which has already deposited on the stalactite a thin layer
of lime, will fall down on the stalagmite, the top of which is rounded.
After a time the two needles will join, adding another column to the
grotto, which, in the course of time, will become filled up with them."
"Then do stones proceed from water?" asked Lucien, with a thoughtful
air.
"To a certain extent," I replied; "water holds in solution calcareous
matter, and, as soon as the liquid evaporates, stone is formed."
"According to this," interposed l'Encuerado, "the pebbles ought to melt
in the rivers."
"So they do; but they do not melt so easily as some things--sugar, for
instance. Don't you recollect that in the Rio Blanco the water is
almost like milk, and that it leaves a whitish coating on the branches,
and even on the leaves with which it comes in contact."
"That's true enough," replied the Indian, who had often wondered at the
petrifactions with which the banks of the White River abound.
"But the water that falls down here is quite clear," urged Lucien,
holding his torch close to a natural basin.
"But, nevertheless, it contains salts of lime in solution, the same, in
fact, as all water, particularly that from wells. And it is for this
reason that housekeepers will not use it; for it will not dissolve soap,
and hardens the vegetables that are cooked in it."
"Now do _you_ understand this?" asked l'Encuerado, addressing Lucien; "I
don't."
"Yes, I do, a little."
"Well, you are very fortunate! The other day stones were said to come
from the sun or moon, and fly about all covered with fire; now, they are
formed by water. Perhaps M. Sumichrast will tell us to-morrow that they
come from the wind."
The Indian then walked away, quite indignant; we followed him, smiling
at his anger, becoming more and more enchanted by the spectacle which
met our eyes. Unfortunately, our torches gave a very insufficient light,
and the thick smoke rapidly blackened the arches above us. A great
polished stone now impeded our passage, and compelled us to crawl. I
took the lead, and, passing through a kind of narrow corridor, made my
way into a small chamber. I raised a sudden exclamation; for five or six
skulls, symmetrically arranged, seemed to glare at me through their
empty orbits.
"Oh father!" cried Lucien, "are we in a cemetery?"
[Illustration: "Five or six skulls . . . seemed to glare at me through
their empty orbits."]
"Yes, my boy; I think this must be a Chichimec burial-place. This
nation, which preceded the Toltecs and Aztecs in Mexico, were in the
habit of depositing their dead in caverns."
Sumichrast examined a skull which he had picked up; its white and
perfect teeth showed that it must have belonged to a man who died young.
A few paces farther on five or six more skulls lay on the surface of the
ground; they were inclosed in by fine stalactites, and appeared as if
they were grinning at us through the bars of a dungeon.
For more than a thousand years, perhaps, these skulls had reposed in the
niches which had evidently been hollowed out on purpose for them. The
soil of the grotto had apparently risen at a subsequent period. What
revelations as to the ancient history of Mexico might be contained in
this cave! Without much difficulty, l'Encuerado broke through the upper
calcareous layer, and brought to light some loamy earth, out of which he
procured a small cup of baked clay. I then began digging; my fingers
soon touched some hard object; it was a small stone statuette. I had
scarcely loosened my discovery from the earth, before Lucien also
plunged his arm into the hole and brought out a little fancifully-shaped
tortoise, the tail of which had been used as a whistle. Enticed on by
these successes, we knelt down so as to break through a wider extent of
the calcareous stratum; but our torches began to burn palely, and the
close chamber, now filled with a thick smoke, was no longer bearable.
Sumichrast complained of humming in his ears, and I also felt
uncomfortable; so, much against our inclination, I gave the signal of
departure. The lamp was dying out, and was filling the outer chamber
with a nasty smell, which gave the finishing-stroke to our unpleasant
feelings. L'Encuerado and Lucien were the first to leave the cave; from
it I afterwards emerged with Sumichrast, both being quite blinded, when
we reached the open air, by the overpowering rays of the sun.
Shouts of laughter resounded on all sides; we had the appearance of
negroes, or rather of chimney-sweeps. It was no use thinking about
washing ourselves; the contents of our gourds were too precious; and
besides, there would not have been water sufficient. As there was water
in the cave, l'Encuerado offered to go in and fetch some; but the smoke
which escaped from the hole made me feel anxious, so, for the time, I
opposed the Indian's re-descending into it.
We were surprised at the time our exploration had lasted; it had taken
no less than four hours. Although we had made up our minds to continue
our journey on coming out of the cavern, the fatigue we felt, added to a
desire to have another look at the subterranean wonders, decided us to
put off our departure until the next day.
After resting an hour, we all set off to seek our dinner. I examined
with much curiosity the neighborhood of our encampment. The presence of
skulls in the cave proved that some Indian tribe had once inhabited this
locality; but as the Chichimec (or Chichiquimec, in the chapter-heading)
Indians constructed nothing but huts, time had, doubtless, obliterated
all trace of their former presence.
I can hardly describe the pleasure I felt in again viewing the woods,
the verdure, the insects, the flowers, and enjoying the light of the
sun. The interior of a cave, certainly, has the effect of producing
melancholy, attributable, no doubt, to the silence and darkness; for the
beautiful hall, radiant with stalactites, was but little likely to cause
sadness. The effect on Lucien's mind was of a serious character, and he
seemed never to be weary of asking questions.
"These natural hollows," said Sumichrast, "often occur in gypsum
mountains, but still more frequently in volcanic or calcareous masses.
Some, which are as old as the world itself, date from the earliest
upheavals of the surface of the globe, when the fused matter which
composes the centre of the earth broke through the scarcely
solidified crust, and, rushing upward, formed the mountain chains we now
see."
[Illustration: Crater of Popocatepetl.]
"Then the centre of the earth has been once in a liquid state?"
"It is so still, as is shown by volcanoes; but the period of great
catastrophes is past. The molten matter solidified on the surface, as it
became cool, and then water made its appearance, and transformed and
rendered habitable the thin crust on which we live, the thickness of
which is so inconsiderable when compared with the bulk of the globe."
"What is this molten matter composed of which is burning under our
feet?"
"The same substances which we see around us--granite, porphyry, and
basalts, which are called _igneous_ or _Vulcanian rocks_, as contrasted
with the _Neptunean rocks_, such as gypsum or lime, clay and sandstone,
the agglomeration of which is attributed to water. The science which
deals with these subjects is called _geology_, a study with which, some
day, you will be delighted."
"Then all Vulcanian rocks can be melted?"
"Yes, if they were subject to as great a heat as that existing in the
centre of the earth, which reaches an intensity at which the imagination
recoils. But to return to the subject of caves. Some have been produced
by the dissolving action of water. Thus, at some future date, the spring
which we saw gushing out from the fallen mountain might dry up or alter
its direction, and leave for the curiosity of future travellers the
sight of chambers full of stalactites such as we have inspected."
Our geological chat was interrupted by an exclamation from l'Encuerado,
who had just discovered a tree which the Mexicans call "the Tree of St.
Ignatius." Its fruit is of a brown color, with a woody husk, something
like small melons, which, as they hang on the tree, strike against one
another with a sharp sound. L'Encuerado informed Lucien that this fruit
is in the habit of bursting suddenly with a loud explosion, and that the
flat beans which they contain are much used as medicine.
[Illustration]
Sumichrast led the way through the forest, where we were sheltered under
the tall trees. After a somewhat long ramble, during which we met with
nothing but magpies, I requested l'Encuerado to guide us back to our
bivouac. All of a sudden my friend enjoined silence; an opossum,
followed by five young ones, was coming near us on our left. The animal
indolently approached a tree of middling size, which it climbed, aided
by its prehensile tail. Its progeny crowded busily round the foot of the
tree, uttering plaintive cries. The opossum then came down again, and
scarcely had it put foot to the ground before its disconsolate family
rushed pell-mell into the maternal pouch. Thus loaded, the animal
climbed the tree more slowly, and sat herself quietly on one of the
lowest branches. We could see nothing but the pointed muzzles and black
eyes of the little ones, which seemed as if they were looking down from
the top of a balcony. One of them at last ventured to emerge, and
crawled along the branches; soon the whole litter followed this example.
Sumichrast advised Lucien to clap his hands, and I ordered l'Encuerado
not to fire at the poor animal. Frightened at the noise, the little ones
hastened to their mother, who set up her thin ears and showed us a
double row of white teeth. One of the stupid little things, in its haste
to reach its asylum, fell down from the tree. In a moment the opossum
had jumped down close to it, and turned towards us her threatening jaws;
then, finding all her treasure complete, she disappeared among the
brush-wood.
"Why didn't you let me shoot at the _tlacuache_?" asked l'Encuerado.
"What is the good of killing a poor creature which would be of no use to
us?"
"You know well enough," replied the Indian, "that this 'poor beast'
finds its way into granaries; that it devours the corn and also fowls,
without reckoning the damage made by them in other ways."
"Yes, that's true enough; but this animal, at least, is innocent of all
these misdeeds, for it lives too far from any town."
This scene had quite delighted Lucien. I acquainted him with the fact
that opossums, kangaroos, and several other animals of the kind, the
females of which are provided with a pouch to shelter the young ones,
are, for this reason, called _marsupials_.
The opossum is very common in Mexico. Its long, pointed, and
deeply-divided muzzle is armed with fifty-two formidable teeth, although
the animal feeds principally on eggs, insects, and birds. The young of
those species which are unprovided with the pouch, as soon as they are
able to walk, climb up on their mother's back and intertwine their tails
with hers, which she carries over her back for this purpose. This
instinct is perhaps more curious than that which leads them to dart into
their mother's protecting pouch.
Time was getting on; it now became important for us to reach the spot
where the moles were; and l'Encuerado predicted good sport there without
firing off his gun.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]