e
adventure had occurred. Fleming told us that when we did not return he
had set off to look after us; but at last, overcome again with the heat
of the sun, he had sat down and dropped asleep. It was now getting late
in the day, so after we had marked the place where the dead puma lay, we
agreed that we would return to the bottom of the valley and try and find
our companions. That we might enjoy a whole day in the mountains, it
had been arranged that we should bivouac in the valley, and not commence
our return till the following morning. We looked about for the doctor
and guides, but they were nowhere to be seen. We fired off our rifles,
but no one answered in return. We began to be anxious. Could they have
been stopped by robbers? or could any Indians have attacked them? Such
things had occurred before now, we were told. Sometimes bands of the
fierce Araucanian Indians had been known to make incursions into the
province from the south, and to attack farm-houses and even villages
among the mountains. Robbers, too, in large bands once frequented the
country, and laid contributions on all the peaceable inhabitants.
Still, since the government has been settled and order established, such
occurrences were no longer heard of. We therefore resolved that it
would be unwise to make ourselves unhappy; so, after having partaken of
some of the articles of Fleming's basket to stay our appetites, we set
to work to prepare for our encampment for the night. We fixed on a spot
under a high rock, which would shelter us from the prevailing wind; and
we then looked about for fuel with which we could light a fire. We
found a plant in great abundance, but we could not tell whether, it
would burn or not. "Try, at all events," said Fleming. We made a heap,
and put some paper and matches under it. It burned admirably, exuding a
resinous smell; and we afterwards found that it was called the _Alpinia
umbellifera_. After we had collected enough fuel for the night, we sat
ourselves down before the fire wrapped up in our cloaks, which Fleming
had been carrying for us. When enough ashes had been made, we produced
our meat and toasted some slices at the end of our ramrods.

"I say, Harry, does not this remind you of the night we spent at the
Falkland Islands?" said Jerry. "I like this bivouacking life
amazingly." I agreed with him that it was very good fun in fine
weather, but that with cold and snow, or rain, I thought we should v