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.
As soon as it was light, I awoke Sumichrast and Lucien. L'Encuerado was
sleeping so soundly, after his exploits of the night before, that we
hesitated to disturb him. I intended to hunt for insects all day, so as
to fill up the vacant spaces in the specimen-boxes that Torribio was to
take to Puebla; so we bent our steps towards the bottom of the valley.
As the inhabitants were still asleep in their huts, Gringalet passed
safely all his sleeping brother-dogs with his tail boldly cocked.
The winding path brought us out into an extensive hollow covered with
verdure. In a hundred paces more, we reached some pyramid-shaped rocks,
which were bound together by the gigantic roots of a tree with scanty
foliage. The water glided noiselessly through the stones, and
disappeared under a low arch shaded by gladiolas, covered with blossoms.
Lucien, who was leaning over the opening, wanted to know what became of
the water.
"Perhaps it is absorbed by sand underneath; perhaps it will reappear in
the valleys, where the surface sinks to its level," I answered.
"Do streams often go under the ground like this?"
"Yes; particularly in Mexico, where these subterranean passages are
numerous. Near Chiquihuita, about five leagues from the road which leads
to Vera Cruz and Cordova, a large river vanishes into a cave, which is
more than three miles in length."
"Oh, how I should like to see such a large grotto!"
"Your wish shall be gratified, provided we do not lose our way in the
_Terre-Chaude_."
Sumichrast had only a few minutes left us, when we heard a report, and
he reappeared carrying a magnificent bird, whose red plumage had a
purple metallic lustre.
"We have never met with this fine fellow before," said Lucien.
"It is the most brilliant of all the American passerines," I
replied--"the _Ampelis pompadora_; but its splendid attire lasts only
for a very short time. In a few days its bright-colored feathers fall
off, and are replaced by a sombre, dull-looking coat. This moulting,
which is common to many birds, has more than once led ornithologists
into error, who have described, as a new species, a bird which a new
dress has prevented them from recognizing."
[Illustration: "The water . . . disappeared under a low arch."]
The neighborhood of the _sumidero_ furnished us with a dozen birds of
different species; among others, several tanagers peculiar to America,
and a pair of pretty light-brown cuckoos, with fan-shaped tails, which
are merely birds of passage in this locality.
"When you are speaking of a bird, why do you often say it belongs to
Brazil, Guiana, or Peru, when you actually find it in Mexico?" asked
Lucien.
"Because, at certain seasons of the year, many kinds of birds migrate,"
answered my friend; "and they are often found at an immense distance
from the country where they breed. This beautiful blackbird, for
instance, is never seen in Mexico except in the spring, which has caused
it to be called here the _primavera_."
"Look, papa, at these beautiful yellow flowers; they cover the trunk of
this tree so completely that it appears as if they grew on it."
"They are the flowers of the _trop[oe]olum_, or wild nasturtium. This
plant has been cultivated in Europe, where its seed is eaten preserved
in vinegar, and its flowers are used to season salads."
"Then the Mexicans do not know its value, for I have never seen it on
their tables."
"You are right; but still I should have thought that the piquant taste
of the flowers of the _trop[oe]olum_ would have just suited them.
Perhaps they find it too insipid after having been accustomed to chewing
capsicums."
"You have the seasoning, and I have the salad!" suddenly cried my
friend.
And he showed us a handful of an herb called purslane.
This plant, which grows in abundance in damp ground, has red flowers,
which close every evening and open again in the morning. I gathered the
fleshy leaves, while Sumichrast, who had found a plant covered with
seeds, showed Lucien the circular hole on the seed which has given to
the plant its family name (_Portulacae_).
Some maize-cakes and a salad formed our frugal breakfast, which was
discussed on the edge of the stream. Lucien especially seemed to enjoy
it, for I was indeed obliged to check him, the appetizing flavor of the
salad had so sharpened his appetite.
When we had finished our meal, Sumichrast tried to climb the steep bank;
but the ground gave way under his feet, and two or three times he fell.
I left Lucien to manage for himself, for his falls were not likely to be
dangerous. As he was much less heavy than we were, he succeeded in
reaching the level of the plain first, and with very little trouble,
when he amused himself by laughing disrespectfully at our efforts.
"You had better take care of your ears," cried my friend, addressing
Lucien; "if I could reach you I would use them to hang on by."
In vain we tried to find a more accessible path. At last, getting rid of
my gun and game-bag, I accomplished the ascent.
"That's all very well!" exclaimed Sumichrast, fatigued and cramped with
his exertions; "but how am I to reach you, now that I have two guns and
two bags to carry?"
"Wait a bit!" cried Lucien; and, running down the slope, he soon
disappeared.
I heard him cutting at something with his _machete_; soon after he came
up again, carrying a long stem of cane.
"Now we'll try and fish up M. Sumichrast," said he.
Sitting down on the bank, I held out the rod to my companion, who at
once seized it, and, thus supported, gradually managed to bring up all
our hunting-gear, and ultimately himself, when, instead of pulling
"Master Sunbeam's" ears, he gave him a kiss as a reward for his
ingenious idea.
[Illustration: "Four children appeared."]
About two hundred paces farther on the verdant ravine came to an end,
and we were surrounded by cactus-plants. Lucien employed himself hunting
lizards, and Gringalet seemed to think he was proving his intelligence
by running in front of the boy, so as to frighten away all the game. The
young hunter succeeded, however, in catching a green saurian--an
_anolis_--which, being more courageous than lizards generally are, tried
to bite the hand that held it prisoner, and angrily puffed up its crest,
which is variegated like a butterfly's wing.
Suddenly Gringalet barked uneasily; then we heard a shrill whistle, and
immediately afterwards the cry of a cayote. I called in the dog, and,
with my finger on the trigger of my gun, cautiously advanced, telling
Lucien to keep at my side. We walked so noiselessly that we surprised
two or three adders which were coiled up in the sun. The screech of an
owl now struck on our ears. I exchanged a look of surprise with my
companion; this was neither the time nor place for a bird of this kind.
A fresh yelping and barking then resounded; but this time it was so near
to us that we halted. Gringalet dashed on before us, and four children
appeared, repulsing the dog with cactus-leaves in their hands, which
they used as shields.
"Well!" cried Sumichrast, "here we have the cayote, the owl, and the
dog, which have so puzzled us."
My companion was not wrong: the young Indians were carrying provisions
to their elder brother, who was taking care of a flock of goats. In
order to enliven their journey, they amused themselves by imitating the
cries of different animals, and they did it with so much accuracy that
we had been completely duped.
About three o'clock, my friend, who was anxious to prepare the birds he
had shot, left us to return to Coyotepec's dwelling. I continued
walking, accompanied by Lucien, but soon stopped to look at the dead
body of a mouse which grave-digging beetles were burying.
These insects, five in number, were excavating the ground under the
small rodent, in order to bury it. These industrious insects had
undertaken a work which would employ them more than twenty-four hours;
two of the beetles were lifting up one side of the carcass, while the
others scratched away the sand underneath.
"Why are they trying to bury that mouse?" asked Lucien.
"They are providing for their young. They will deposit their eggs
beneath the dead animal, and the larvae, after they are hatched, will
feed on it."
I disturbed the active creatures, which, unfortunately for them,
belonged to a rare species. Their antennae, which are club-shaped,
terminated abruptly in a kind of button, and their elytra, which are a
brilliant black, are crossed by a belt of yellow color. In vain I turned
over the ground and the prey, but I could only find four of them.
On a path leading to a glen, we noticed some cicindelas. Lucien began
chasing them, but the agility of his enemies soon baffled him.
"How malicious these flies are!" he cried; "I can't succeed in catching
one of them."
"They are not flies, but coleoptera, allied to the Carabus family. Give
me your net."
Lucien was anxious to obtain one of them, and at length was successful.
He was delighted with the beautiful metallic color of their brown
elytra, dotted over with yellow spots; but the insect, after having
bitten him, escaped.
"What jaws they have!" he said, shaking his fingers; "it's a good thing
those creatures are very small. Do cicindelas live in woods?"
"They prefer dry, sandy places, and can run and fly very swiftly. This
insect has an uncommonly voracious appetite; look at this one, which has
just seized an immense fly, and is trying to tear it in pieces."
The capricious flight of a stag-beetle led us to the edge of the ravine;
and, continuing to follow a zigzag path shaded with shrubs, we came out
in front of a hut. On the threshold there was a young woman spinning a
piece of cotton cloth, whom I recognized as one of the dancers of the
night before. The loom which held the weft was fastened at one end to
the trunk of a tree, the other being wound round the waist of the
weaver. Lucien examined it with great curiosity; and when he saw the
weaver change the color of her threads, he understood how the Indian
women covered the bottoms of their petticoats with those extraordinary
patterns which their fancy produces.
Within a short distance of the hut there were some nopal cactus-plants.
"Look at these plants," said I, addressing Lucien; "the sight of them
would probably affect l'Encuerado to tears, for they are principally
cultivated in his native land. The numerous brown spots which you can
see on their stalks are hemipterous insects, commonly called cochineal.
They have no wings, and feed entirely on this cactus, sucking out its
sap with their proboscis. The male only is capable of movement; the
female is doomed to die where she is born. At a certain time these
little insects lay thousands of eggs, and their bodies become covered
with a cottony moss, which is intended as a shelter for their young. The
cochineal is gathered when, to use the Indian expression, it is ripe, by
scraping the plant with a long flexible knife, and all the creatures,
still alive, are plunged into boiling water. They are taken out as soon
as they are dead, and dried in the sun. Afterwards, packed up in
goat-skin bags, they are sent to Europe, where they are used for dyeing
and for making the carmine which gives to some kinds of sweetmeats
their bright pink color."
A little farther on, I found myself facing a _maguey_--_Agave
Mexicana_--a sort of aloe, from which _pulque_ is extracted. The maguey
only blooms once every twenty-five or thirty years, and the stalk, which
is to support the clusters of flowers, grows, in the space of two
months, to a height of about sixteen to twenty feet. The stalk bears at
its summit no less than four or five thousand blossoms, and the plant
expends all its strength in producing them, for it dies soon after.
In the plantations on the plains of Apam, where the maguey is largely
cultivated, they prevent its flowering. As soon as the conical bud
appears from which the stalk is about to spring, it is cut off, and a
cylindrical cavity is hollowed out with a large spoon to the depth of
from five to eight inches. The sap collects in this hole, and it is
taken out two or three times a day with a long bent gourd, which the
Indians use as a siphon. It has been calculated that in twenty-four
hours a strong plant should supply about three quarts of a sweet liquor
called _Agua miel_, which is without odor, and has an acidulated sweet
taste.
The _Agua miel_ is collected in ox-skins, placed like troughs on four
stakes, where the liquor ferments; in about seventy-two hours it is
ready for delivery to those that use it, among whom must be placed many
Europeans. A maguey plant is serviceable in producing sap for two or
three months.
_Pulque_ is an intoxicating beverage, the flavor of which varies
according to the degree of fermentation; it might be compared to good
cider or perry, and is said to fatten those who habitually drink it.
I reached Coyotepec's dwelling just as the sun had set. Sumichrast was
finishing his work, and l'Encuerado, coming from a heap of dry
palm-leaves, presented to me a splendid broad-brimmed hat, which he had
just made.
The next day and the day after were spent in hunting after specimens,
and our boxes were soon filled up and packed. I explained to Torribio,
who was to start at day-break, how to handle the cases, and then
intrusted to him letters which were to announce our early return. Lucien
had written to his dear mother and his sister Hortense, and he had to
open his letter at least twenty times to add postscripts, often dictated
by l'Encuerado.
[Illustration]
In the evening we bade adieu to our kind hosts, for we were to start
early. Thanks to them, we had renewed our stock of salt, rice, coffee,
sugar, and maize-cake. In default of black pepper, we took with us some
red capsicums; but the most precious of our acquisitions was the powder
and shot I had received in exchange for the telescope.
On the next morning I learned that Torribio was already on his way
towards Puebla. He had started about midnight, so as to avoid crossing
the plain during the heat of the day. I now hastened our own departure.
We were in possession of good hats, but our garments, which had been
mended with some soft leather, gave us the appearance of mendicants;
this, however, did not trouble us much. My shoes, and also Sumichrast's,
had been strongly, if not elegantly, repaired, and were quite as good as
new; Lucien, too, now possessed a pair of spare sandals.
The inhabitants of the little colony ranged along our path, and,
overwhelming us with good wishes, bid us another adieu. I pressed all
the hands that were held out to me, and then, guided by the band of
children, who still surrounded the young traveller, we commenced to
ascend the path which had led us down into this hospitable little oasis.
When I reached the summit of the hill, I waved my hat as a last
salutation to Coyotepec; l'Encuerado fired off his gun as a farewell,
and we plunged into the labyrinth of cactuses, taking a straight course
towards the east.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]