This was an old story, and all that I could have said to the Indian
would not have convinced him that I could not make him see in the dark.

It was broad daylight when Sumichrast awoke us. The brook, which we
could cross at a leap, sometimes rippled over pebbles, and sometimes
glided silently over a sandy bottom. The plants which grew on its two
banks fraternally intertwined their green branches, and their flowers
seemed to exchange their perfumes. From the boughs of the large trees
hung gray mosses, which made them look like gigantic old men; the sun
gilded their black trunks with its rising beams, and from the tops of
the trees the sweet chant of birds rose up towards heaven. Our eyes,
which had become accustomed to the comparatively barren places we had
traversed the day before, dwelt with delight upon this lovely and
glorious scene; our hearts rejoiced in the midst of this calm and
luxuriant aspect of nature. It was with feelings of regret we got ready
to move on again.

"Suppose we weren't to go till the afternoon," said Sumichrast.

"Suppose we don't go till to-morrow," I answered.

These ideas seemed so thoroughly to respond to the wish of all, that, in
a moment, our travelling gear was scattered again on the ground. The
first thing we did was to take a bath; then the thought struck us that
we had better wash our clothes. Lucien, helped by l'Encuerado, who had
nothing to wash for himself, as he wore his leather garment next to his
skin, laughed heartily at seeing us turned into washerwomen; still he
did not do his part of the work at all badly. He then undertook to wash
Gringalet, whose white coat, spotted with black, was sadly in want of
cleansing. Unfortunately, the dog was hardly out of the water when he
began rolling himself in the dust, and, as dirty as ever, came frisking
around his disappointed little master.

We were roaming about in every direction, in the hope of collecting some
insects, when Gringalet pricked up his ears and showed his teeth. The
rustling of dry leaves attracted our attention to a slope opposite to
us, on which an armadillo was seen.

Generally speaking, these animals only go out for food in the night.
This one, which we saw in broad daylight, was about the size of a large
rabbit. Pricking up its ears, it raised its tapering muzzle so as to
snuff closer to the branches. Its head, which was very small, gave it a
very grotesque appearance. Suddenly it began scratching up the ear