re our kind hostess is
preparing coffee."

The little fellow did as he was told; but he limped sadly.

"Do your legs feel like mine?" he asked of l'Encuerado.

"No, Chanito; we did not walk far enough yesterday for that."

"You can't mean that we haven't walked far? Papa says that we are now
seven leagues from Orizava."

"Yes; that may seem a great deal to you, and perhaps too much; that is
why I wanted to put you up on the top of my pack. Now, come, let me see
where you suffer."

"All over my limbs, but particularly inside my knees."

"Wait a minute, and I'll soon cure you."

L'Encuerado then laid Lucien down in front of the fire, and began to rub
him after the Indian method, vigorously shampooing the whole of his
body. Next he made him walk and run with the longest strides he could
take; and, after repeating this process, brought him a cup of boiling
coffee. Having been revived and strengthened in this way, the lad quite
recovered his sprightliness, and soon asked when we were going to start.

I gave a small present to the old couple who had so kindly accommodated
us, and our little party began its second day's work; Gringalet sniffing
the breeze, and evidently enjoying the excursion as much as any of the
party.

When the sun rose, the sky was covered with grayish clouds, driven along
quickly by a north wind; but the weather was cool, and well adapted to
walking. A limestone mountain rose right in front of us, the slope of
which we had to climb; but ere we reached the top, we halted at least
twenty times to take breath. Our little companion, with his head bent
down towards the ground, struggled to retain his place by our side. At
last we reached the summit, and felt at liberty to rest.

Casting a glance on the plain beneath us, the boy surveyed a vast
prairie, dotted over with clumps of bushes. He silently contemplated the
panorama which was spread out beneath, although he failed to completely
comprehend all that he saw.

"Look at those black spots moving about over the plain," said he.

"They are oxen," I replied.

"Oxen! Why they are scarcely as big as Gringalet."

"Don't you know that you must not trust to appearances? Recollect the
trees you saw yesterday, which you thought were a forest."

"But if, from this height, the oxen appear no larger than sheep, the
sheep ought not to look greater than flies."

"You can easily judge; there is a flock of goats down below."

"A flock of goats! It is li