mprovised cable slowly down. Seeing that the port was safely reached,
and relieved of a great care, I began tying Gringalet, who hadn't left
off howling since his young master disappeared. In spite of his terror,
I launched the dog into the air; he struggled, howled, and nearly evaded
l'Encuerado's friendly grasp; the latter, as he again let him down,
tried to explain the inutility of his struggles, and the danger of
breaking loose. At length, having for the last time examined the stakes
and the cross-piece, I also descended. I then shook the lasso, and at
once succeeded in disengaging it.

I saw below me Sumichrast and Lucien, seated on a narrow projection,
which led by a rocky declivity down to the foot of the mountain. Soon I
joined them, followed by the Indian. We had fixed the cross-bar between
two stout branches, and for a long time, without loosening the stick, I
shook the cord. At last, tired out, and about to leave it, the piece of
wood suddenly gave way, and nearly fell on me.

Walking now became very laborious, and it was occasionally difficult to
preserve our balance in passing over rocks, sometimes smooth, at others
very uneven. Our path lay between perfect hedges of orchids, of which
beautiful race Mexico possesses hundreds of species; we stopped at
nearly every step to admire some of these curiously shaped, brilliantly
colored, but often scentless flowers. L'Encuerado pointed out many
plants of the lynx flower, called by the Indians the _serpent-flower_,
the fine petals of which are dotted with yellow spots, and marbled with
pink, violet, and white. Farther on, another flower, the tiger-lily,
reminded us, by its color, of the animal from which it takes its name.
Plucking as he went along, Lucien became possessor of such a bouquet as
the richest gardens could not furnish. Of course he wanted to know the
names of all, but he was obliged to be content with learning that, with
the exception of the vanilla-plant, the brilliant legion of orchids
furnishes nothing utilized in the arts or industrial skill.

We had just reached the foot of the mountain, when an immense mass of
stones obliged us to turn aside. I took the lead, and an involuntary
slip brought me unexpectedly to a cave. My companions came running up in
answer to my call; I took three or four steps into the entrance, and
immediately made up my mind, from its thorough adaptability, to shelter
there for the night. While I, helped by Lucien, was collect