had gathered, and our insisting upon his doing so quite crowned his
vexation. With a view of consoling him, I reminded him that the guavas
would spoil in twenty-four hours, and that his basket held more than we
could possibly consume.

Sumichrast was walking about twenty steps in front of us, when suddenly
he stopped and drew back. When I got abreast of him, my eyes met an
immense ravine, at the bottom of which the torrent was rushing with a
loud noise. The water was first calm and sluggish, accumulating in a
large basin, then it suddenly burst forth against an immense rock and
disappeared, roaring and foaming in two columns, which, after uniting,
broke into a thousand little cascades. We all wished to visit the bottom
of this ravine, in order to enjoy this wondrous sight in all its
grandeur.

Before making our way into the brush-wood we put down our insect-cases
and game-bags, for the enterprise required our unimpeded agility. As
long as we could cling on to the plants and shrubs, the descent was mere
child's play; but we soon found ourselves treading on a reddish
ferruginous soil, which some great land-slip had exposed. Sumichrast was
the first to venture on this dangerous ground, which gave way under him
at his third stride. Our companion rolled over the declivity,
instinctively grasping the first branches he could reach; but he let go
directly, uttering a piercing cry. Fortunately a shrub kept him from
falling into the gulf. I planted my feet as deeply as I could in the
crumbling soil, so as to be able to help my friend, who, with his face
contracted with pain, raised towards me his right hand, which was
already red, swollen, and covered with blisters. The branch he had
caught hold of in his fall belonged to a gigantic nettle, called by the
Indians _Mala-mujer_, or "bad-woman." This plant only grows on damp
banks--"a piece of malice," said l'Encuerado, "adopted in order to play
shameful tricks on unsuspecting travellers; towards whom it
treacherously stretches out its green stalks and velvety leaves as if
offering them assistance."

[Illustration: "A shrub kept him from falling into the gulf."]

We felt quite grieved at Sumichrast's suffering; for we well knew by
experience the intolerable pain which is produced by the sting of this
herb. L'Encuerado took Lucien in charge, while I gave my assistance to
the injured man. For some distance we moved along without much
difficulty, but very soon a whole forest of net