ed the foaming water,
from whence it flowed gently into a basin edged with verdure. The
torrent, quieted for a time, resumed its course, and striking against
impediments, rolled on from fall to fall, and from valley to valley,
until it reached the plains, more than three thousand feet beneath.

This cascade recalled to my memory one I had seen about a year before,
when exploring the environs of Tuxtla, in the _Terre-Chaude_--viz., the
Fall of Ingenio--one which would be reckoned among the most celebrated
in the world, if access to it was not rendered almost impossible by the
wilderness.

The sufferings of our two companions were so much alleviated by the
application of water that they soon came and sat beside us. I can not
describe the proud enjoyment we all felt in this wild spot. We were face
to face with this unknown cascade, which we were, perhaps, the first
Europeans to contemplate. Behind us the mountain sides seemed to unite
and hem in the bed of the torrent. The sun bathed with its rays that
portion which was bordered with large trees, among which kingfishers
were skimming about. One of these birds came and perched close to
us--its breast was white, its wings black on the upper side, and its
head-feathers dark green; its stout, thick-set shape, and its short
tail, made Lucien remark that it looked like a malformed creature.
Always restless, it almost immediately resumed its abrupt flight over
the surface of the water, and disappeared among the windings of the
ravine.

Lucien pointed out to me an immense willow, the branches of which,
drooping over the water, seemed to have at their ends enormous
gourd-shaped fruits. I recognized in them the nests of those beautiful
yellow birds, spotted with black, which the Mexicans call _calandres_.
To convince Lucien of his mistake, l'Encuerado threw a large stone into
the tree; the missile fell from branch to branch, and more than a
hundred frightened birds flew out from their curious retreats. At first
they appeared much alarmed; but when this had subsided, they skimmed
over the water, or entered their impregnable habitations.

[Illustration: Fall of Ingenio (from a drawing by the Marquis of
Radepoint).]

We made our way down the ravine in hopes of finding a resting-place less
rugged, and after a long, winding, tedious course, came upon a sheet of
calm water, flowing over a bed of sand. The sun was shining full open
upon its transparent surface, and, close to the edge