United States or Faroe Islands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Oh no, Chanito, there will be dessert to-day," replied l'Encuerado. "Perhaps as good as the cook would provide at home; but, at any rate, it is sweet enough. Look at it!" The Indian girl brought a calabash full of water, and a cone of black sugar, weighing about half a pound. "What is that?" cried Lucien. "Panela," answered the Indian girl. "Poor man's sugar," interposed Sumichrast.
L'Encuerado continued to follow the footpath, until he suddenly stopped on a gentle eminence, which overlooked a small green valley with a brook running through it. To my great joy I counted as many as six palm-leaf huts. The sight refreshed us so marvellously, that we all descended with rapid, long strides.
A skunk, which in shape and color somewhat resembles a squirrel, had thus perfectly poisoned our bivouac. Nothing was left for us but to decamp as quickly as possible, for the stench rendered the place uninhabitable for several days. L'Encuerado could not find enough bad names for abusing the animal, which, however, had only availed itself of the means of defense with which nature has endowed it.
The dog, with his ears laid back, his tail between his legs, turned his nose to the wind with an anxious glance, and set up a fresh howl, which was answered by the shrill prolonged cries of the coyotas, or jackal of Mexico. "So these miserable brutes think they are going to frighten us?" cried l'Encuerado. And while we were making up the fire, the Indian rushed off into the darkness.
In a moment the opossum had jumped down close to it, and turned towards us her threatening jaws; then, finding all her treasure complete, she disappeared among the brush-wood. "Why didn't you let me shoot at the tlacuache?" asked l'Encuerado. "What is the good of killing a poor creature which would be of no use to us?"
The woodpecker strikes the trees in order to frighten the insects that are concealed under the bark; and the action which l'Encuerado has interpreted in his own way is performed with a view of getting hold of the fugitives."
"You have forgotten to tell him," added l'Encuerado, "that the tender shoots of the tunero, baked under the ashes, will furnish us this evening with a most delicious dish."
We waited for an hour without any result. My friend proposed to go and take a hurried dinner, and then return to our post near the rock. In a few minutes we had joined l'Encuerado, for, unknown to us, our bivouac was established about four gunshots from the lake. The Indian jumped with joy on hearing of the appearance of what he called a "water-dog."
The path we were treading was flat and unpromising, and the water from the cave, with which we had filled our gourds, was so unpleasant in taste that we longed to find a spring. Being unable to get a clear view of the horizon, I directed l'Encuerado to climb to the summit of a lofty tree.
"Yes; but it is sticking fast between two branches, sixty feet above the ground; it is a shot thrown away." We watched anxiously the rapid bounds of the graceful little animals which we had just disturbed, as they were fast making their way into the wood. "Is l'Encuerado asleep?" I cried, with vexation.
Word Of The Day