d Lucien, triumphantly, "the flesh of the squirrel can
not resemble that of the rat, for I know that the rat will eat flesh."

The assured and self-satisfied tone of the little _savant_ made us
smile; but I almost immediately desired him to be silent, for a noise of
branches rustling, which had excited our attention, became every moment
more distinct. Gringalet was about to bark, but l'Encuerado caught him
by the muzzle, and covered him with his _sarape_. A whole troop of
squirrels, no doubt those we had hunted two hours before, made their
appearance, uttering sharp cries. They sprang from branch to branch with
the most extraordinary disregard to distance. We noticed them running
after one another, sometimes along the top, and sometimes along the
bottom of the most flexible boughs. They moved forward as if in jerks,
sometimes stopping suddenly and climbing a tree, only to descend it
again. When on the ground, they sat up on their hind legs, using their
front paws like hands, and rubbed their noses with such a comical air
that Lucien could not help speaking loud to express his admiration of
them.

Hearing so strange a sound as the human voice, the graceful animals took
flight, but not quick enough to prevent Sumichrast's gun from wounding
one of them. The squirrel remained at first clinging to the tree on
which it was when the shot struck it; but, after a pause, it relaxed its
hold and rolled over and fell to the ground. Nevertheless, it had
strength enough left to turn round and bite the sportsman, who
carelessly laid hold of him. L'Encuerado skinned it immediately, keeping
the meat for our breakfast next morning.

The sun went down; the cries of the birds resounded, and night at last
shut us in, bringing with it the solemn silence of the wilderness.
L'Encuerado struck up a prolonged chant, and Lucien's fresh young voice
blended with that of the hunter. The tune was simple and monotonous in
its character; but there was something touching in hearing the Indian
and the child, both equally artless in mind, uniting together to sing
the praises of God. The chant was ended by a prayer, which Sumichrast
and I listened to, standing up, with our heads bared; and it was with
earnestness that my friend repeated l'Encuerado's solemn "Amen,"
expressed in the words, "God is great."

[Illustration]

Having fed the fire with sufficient wood to keep it up all night, we lay
down, side by side, under the hut. The wind moaned softly t