en him
his name of "_Encuerado_."[B] The brave and adventurous Indian was
almost beside himself with joy at the idea of conducting into the forest
the child whom he had known from his cradle. On his back he fastened a
basket containing our main stock of provisions--such as coffee, salt,
pepper, dried maize, cakes, etc. Lucien's younger brother and sister had
jumped out of bed, and were dancing all round us: the latter seemed
somewhat sad and uneasy, but the former was dissatisfied, manfully
asserting that he, too, was quite big enough to go with us.

At the last moment my poor wife lost all her courage, and regretted she
had ever given her consent; but when Lucien saw the tears which his
departure had called forth, he became heroic in his self-denial,
throwing aside his hat and stick.

"Mother," he cried, embracing her in his arms, "I will not go away if it
makes you cry."

"All right, then; I will go instead," said his brother Emile, who ran
and picked up the stick and hat, and then walked towards the outer door,
utterly disregarding his bedroom costume.

"No, no," said my wife; "I will not be the means of depriving you of so
much pleasure."

The kind mother again kissed her child, and commended him anew to our
joint care.

I led off my little companion; but when we got into the court-yard, I
had to exercise all my authority to make his younger brother give up
the stick and hat he had taken possession of. When restitution was
effected, the two children kissed each other, and parted friends.

At last the outer gate was passed, and our footsteps rang through the
quiet streets of Orizava. We were commencing the first stage of our
journey in pursuit of scientific discoveries.

[Illustration: Decoration]

FOOTNOTES:

[A] The jaguar (_Leopardus onca_, Linn.) is frequently called a tiger in
America. The tiger (_Tigris regalis_) is not found on that
continent.--ED.

[B] _Encuerado_, in Spanish, means both _naked_ and _clad in leather_.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER I.

WHO WE ARE.--GRINGALET.--SUNRISE.--THE SUGAR-CANE.--A HALT.

It was the 20th April, 1864. The clock of the church of the convent of
Saint Joseph de Grace chimed 4 A.M. just as we turned into the main
street that leads out of the town.

Sumichrast took the lead. Tall in stature, noble in mien, and
broad-shouldered, he was, in spite of his blue eyes and fair hair, the
perfect representative of moral and bodily strength. I was always in the