of my senses, and then exclaimed, in tones of
astonishment,--

"Dig sooap! Where'll they go to dig it, shure?"

"Right there," said I, pointing to a small palmilla,[The palmilla is a
species of palm, known as the soap-plant, whose roots, when bruised in
water, make a very thick and remarkably soft and white lather. The plant
is much used by the natives for cleansing clothes, and is far superior to
any manufactured soap for scouring woolens. It also makes an admirable
shampoo mixture.] numbers of which were growing all about us.

Patsey looked in the direction indicated; and, seeing nothing that
resembled soap, regarded me attentively for a moment, and then wheeled
and darted away.

Presently I saw the three boys coming towards me, and Ned laughingly
remarked that he and Hal wanted some soap to wash their shirts with.

I answered, that I had just sent them word by Patsey, to go and dig some.

Evidently Ned was as much surprised at my answer as Patsey had been; but
he mustered courage enough to inquire where he should find it.

"There, there, and there!" replied I, pointing in rapid succession to the
plants that were growing around us. Ned stood spell-bound for a moment,
and then slowly turned towards Hal and Patsey, who were standing at a
little distance.

As he approached them, Patsey caught him by the arm, and, with a most
knowing look on his broad, Irish face, exclaimed, "Didn't I tell yez the
boss wuz crazy, an' I wouldn't git my new clo'es, any how?"

Wishing them to learn the merits of this truly wonderful plant that
grows so common throughout this region, I rose from the ground. Patsey
beat a hurried retreat, taking refuge with Jerry, saying, the "Boss had
gone as crazy as a bidbug, wid his diggin' sooap and givin' clo'es away,
to be shure."

Sending Ned for a spade, I soon unearthed one of the large bulbous roots,
which I divided into pieces, and, accompanying the boys to the spring,
practically demonstrated its remarkable saponaceous qualities, leaving
them delighted with the experiment; but had hardly returned to my blanket
again when I was startled by the report of two rifles, that came from
below us, near the base of the mountains where our animals were grazing.

However commonplace this incident may appear to the reader, to us it was
the tocsin of danger. Before the lofty crags above us had ceased to
reverberate the echoes, every man was on the alert.

The boys came running to the spot where I s