Adventures of a Young Naturalist
for the horrible roaring of the hurricane still seemed to din in my
ears, and as yet we had no shelter within our reach. After having filled
our gourds, we recommenced our climbing, enlivened by l'Encuerado, who
kept on congratulating Gringalet upon his discovery, and promising him,
as his reward, a whole series of good dinners.
The hour was now approaching at which we feared that the hurricane
would recommence with redoubled violence; so it became highly necessary
to select a spot for our bivouac. Moss and lichens here covered the
rocks with a variegated carpet, and, in proportion as we ascended the
mountain, the cooler air relieved our lungs. At length our ascent came
to an end, and we found ourselves on a plateau dotted over with stunted
shrubs, distorted and twisted with the winds and storms. Fresh summits
rose in front of us, but they were too far off to cause us any fear.
Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones, placed so as to leave a
space between them, in which we could encamp, as if in a fortress.
This spot we selected for our bivouac. The wind still blew in squalls,
but the increased clearing of the atmosphere gave us reason to hope that
we should have nothing more to fear from the hurricane. We all went in
search of firewood, and ere long after were enlivened by the gleam of an
immense fire.
At sunset, the glittering beams of the sun's very last rays reached our
camp. The sky was blue, and the air was fresh, so I abandoned the idea
of returning home. Night came on, a fine rain purified the air, and the
damp earth breathed forth a wholesome fragrance. Overcome by fatigue, we
wrapped ourselves up in our _sarapes_, and soon fell into a sound sleep.
CHAPTER X.
THE RABBIT.--WILD POTATOES.--A DIFFICULT PATH.--AN EXTINCT
CRATER.--HOAR-FROST.--THE TORRENT.--THE FAWN.--THE TETTIGONES.--THE
DRAGON-FLIES.
The next day, when I opened my eyes, the sun was shining brightly in a
blue sky. I made up the fire, and walked off, with my gun on my
shoulder, to try and obtain some kind of game, so as to surprise my
companions when they got up. For about a quarter of an hour I traversed
tracts of heath which reminded me of my native country, when a too
confiding rabbit came frisking along within gunshot, which I knocked
over and placed in my game-bag.
On my return all were up, standing round the fire, and they hailed me
as a conqueror. The terrible trials of the day before seemed to be
entirely forgotten; even Lucien had recovered all his liveliness.
L'Encuerado took the rabbit, and in an incredible short space of time
had it skinned, and placed to broil on the burning coals.
"Well! what do you think of hurricanes?" asked Sumichrast of Lucien, who
was watching him cleaning his gun.
"They are most awful! I should never have thought that the wind, which
is invisible, could have blown down and broken up trees as big as that
one which almost fell upon us."
"Were you much frightened?"
"Rather; and so were you, for you were quite pale."
"The danger was much greater than you imagined. If the uprooted tree had
pitched on our rock, it would have upset it, and crushed us beneath."
"Then the wind must be much stronger in forests than in towns?"
"No; for the hurricane of yesterday probably destroyed entire villages.
It was one of those tropical storms which happily only break out at long
intervals. Many an Indian is at this moment rebuilding his destroyed
hut."
Lucien looked very thoughtful, and went and sat down at the foot of a
tree. When I passed near him, I saw he had tears in his eyes.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"I was thinking of mamma and my brothers. M. Sumichrast told me that the
tempest must have demolished whole villages; so perhaps our home has met
with some misfortune."
"Don't be frightened, my dear boy! Thank God! stone walls can generally
stand against wind. Besides, this hurricane can hardly have been felt at
Orizava. At all events, your mamma has more reason to be anxious about
_us_, for she knows that we are far from shelter--exposed to all its
violence."
I kissed poor Lucien, and comforted him as well as I could, assisted by
l'Encuerado, who soon afterwards took him off to look after our roast
rabbit.
The _tochtli_, or Mexican rabbit, is different from the European
species, although it has the same colored coat and instincts. In fact it
is a hare.
"Do you know the family of the animal we are going to have for
breakfast?" asked Sumichrast.
"Yes; it is a Rodent."
"Well done; but how did you recognize it to be so?"
"By the absence of canine teeth in its jaws, its large incisors, and its
hind legs being longer than its fore legs."
"Come, your memory is good. You should also know that, in Europe, the
rabbit, which is nearly allied to the hare, is thought to be a native of
Africa. Formerly, the Aztecs used to sacrifice hundreds of these animals
to the goddess Centeutl, who is the Ceres of Mexican mythology; and the
nobles used to wear cloaks made of the hair of the hare, mixed with
cotton. With regard to the larger hare, known farther north as the
Jackass rabbit, the Indians generally refuse to eat its flesh, under the
pretense that it feeds on dead bodies, a mistake which as yet they have
not been persuaded to abandon."
We did justice to our game like guests who have to make up for a forced
fast. The meal finished, without further delay our little coterie moved
on again. Instead of the abundant and bushy thickets of sarsaparilla, we
met with nothing but stunted shrubs. However, as we approached the
mountain the vegetation assumed a richer aspect, and the bare rocks no
longer protruded through the soil. Here and there, tanagers, with black
backs, yellow breasts, and violet-blue throats, fluttered around us;
also other variegated birds of the Passerine family. We were just
about to begin climbing the slope, when l'Encuerado, whose piercing eyes
seemed to see every thing, exclaimed:
"There are some potatoes!"
Lucien ran towards the Indian, who, with his _machete_, had already
cleared away the earth round a small plant with oval-shaped leaves,
covered with soft greenish berries. Some wrinkled tubercles were ere
long discovered, which we could easily crush between our fingers. This
is the origin of the valuable plant for which Europe is indebted to
America.
After climbing some time, we came upon a mass of rocks all heaped up in
a perfect chaos. Some obstacle or other incessantly obliged us either to
jump over or make a circuit so as to get forward. The temperature,
however, was refreshing, and rendered our exertions less fatiguing.
The chances of our journey brought us out once more upon the plateau.
All the mountain crests we could see were barren, and a profound silence
reigned on every side. We stopped to take breath, and the sight that met
our eyes impressed us with its stern grandeur. It reminded Sumichrast of
the Swiss mountains which he had so often traversed; and some flowers he
gathered further recalled his home. While thus occupied, two butterflies
fluttered over our heads.
"It is an Alpine species!" eagerly cried my friend.
The locality prevented him from following these capricious insects for
any distance: for one moment he leaned over the abyss, bristling up with
rocks, and followed, with a longing eye, the two winged flowers which
had recalled to him a fleeting image of his fatherland.
A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony rampart more
than a hundred feet in height, and almost perpendicular. This unexpected
obstacle brought us to a halt. How should we make our way over it? Upon
examining the spot, we decided to incline towards the left, which seemed
to us the most accessible road. In parts the wall diminished in height,
but we tried in vain to climb it. A more successful attempt, however,
brought us nearly to the top, but not without great fatigue, for
sometimes the rock appeared to hang over us. At length, by climbing on
to Sumichrast's shoulders, I managed to reach the flat surface above. I
hoisted up Lucien here with the lasso; next I drew up Gringalet, who was
only too pleased to submit to the operation, and lastly Sumichrast and
l'Encuerado. The terrible obstacle was at last overcome; beyond it the
ground was, comparatively speaking, level, but covered with stones of a
volcanic nature.
We still kept on our way, although it was four o'clock, in the hope of
finding some tree at the foot of which we could make our bivouac.
L'Encuerado put down his load to climb up a needle-shaped rock, the
extraordinary position of which reminded us of the celebrated leaning
tower of Pisa. When he had reached its top, the Indian called out to us
that he could see a clump of trees. The cold began to inconvenience us
and we wanted wood to make our fire, so, plucking up fresh courage, we
continued our journey. The distance now traversed was inconsiderable;
but the ups and downs and circuits had quite wearied us. Gradually the
rocks decreased in size, and were more widely spread; a plain slightly
depressed in the centre, dotted here and there with thinly growing
thickets, was reached. In the background there was a clump of firs and a
glittering lake, quite a liquid oasis hidden in a desert.
It now became highly necessary for us to seek shelter, for our teeth
were chattering with the cold. L'Encuerado, having climbed a tree, cut
down the wood that was necessary for the construction of a hut; while
Lucien broke all the dry branches off, a task in which I helped him.
Sunset surprised us ere we had finished our labor. The waters of the
lake assumed a dark hue, and the mountain peaks towards the setting sun
furrowed the sky with their strangely irregular outlines, and the breeze
resounding through the pine-trees produced a solemn and grave chant, a
peculiarity which has doubtless given to this species of tree the name
of _Pinus religiosus_. As the rays of the sun died away and the dark
shadows covered the sky, the silence became still more profound.
Suddenly the last rays of the luminary vanished; the gathering darkness
imbued us with an emotion which those only can understand who, like us,
had found themselves face to face with some of the grandest emanations
from the Creator's hands.
Lucien, too, was subject to the influence of the twofold majesty of
darkness and solitude; he was speechless, and looked by turns both at
the earth and the sky. The stars appeared glittering in the blue heaven,
and were reflected on the motionless surface of the neighboring water.
Suddenly a luminous ray seemed to dance over the lake, and then to
divide into a shower of sparks. It was the reflection of our fire, to
which l'Encuerado had just set a light.
The piercing cold was excessively trying: our _sarapes_ did not seem
sufficient to protect us from its influence. Fortunately we had obtained
fuel enough to keep up the bivouac fire all night. Our meal, although
without meat, was a cheerful one. Each in turn retired to his pine-leaf
couch; and soon I alone remained up, not feeling an inclination for
slumber.
What a contrast it was! The night before, at this time, we were deafened
by the uproarious wind, and the forests echoed with its fearful effects;
while we, perfectly helpless, sheltered behind a trembling stone, could
scarcely breathe the burning air. Twenty-four hours had hardly elapsed,
and a few miles had brought us on to a granite soil where we felt even