vages."

"Mr. Harris," replied Mrs. Weldon, "if we have only thanks to offer you
for your generous resort, at least we shall offer them to you with all
our hearts. Yes! It is time for us to arrive there!"

"You are very much fatigued, Mrs. Weldon?"

"I, no matter!" replied Mrs. Weldon; "but I perceive that my little
Jack is gradually becoming exhausted! The fever begins to affect him at
certain hours!"

"Yes," replied Harris, "and although the climate of this plateau is
very healthful, it must be acknowledged that in March and April
intermittent fevers reign."

"Doubtless," then said Dick Sand, "but also Nature, who is always and
everywhere provident, has put the remedy near the evil!"

"And how is that, my young friend?" asked Harris, who did not seem to
understand.

"Are we not, then, in the region of the quinquinas?" replied Dick Sand.

"In fact," said Harris, "you are perfectly right. The trees which
furnish, the precious febrifuge bark are native here."

"I am even astonished," added Dick Sand, "that we have not yet seen a
single one."

"Ah! my young friend," replied Harris, "those trees are not easy to
distinguish. Though they are often of great height, though their leaves
are large, their flowers rosy and odoriferous, we do not discover them
easily. It is rarely that they grow in groups. They are rather
scattered through the forests, and the Indians who collect the
quinquina can only recognize them by their foliage, always green."

"Mr. Harris," said Mrs. Weldon, "if you see one of those trees you will
show it to me."

"Certainly, Mrs. Weldon, but at the farm you will find some sulphate of
quinine. That is worth still more to break the fever than the simple
bark of the tree."

Formerly, this bark was only reduced to powder, which bore the name of
"Jesuits' Powder," because, in 1649, the Jesuits of Rome received a
considerable quantity from their mission in America.

This last day of the journey passed without other incident. Evening
came and the halt was organized for the whole night as usual. Till then
it had not rained, but the weather was preparing to change, for a warm
mist rose from the soil and soon found a thick fog.

They were touching, in fact, on the rainy season. Fortunately, the next
day, a comfortable shelter would be hospitably offered to the little
troop. There were only a few hours to elapse.

Though, according to Harris, who could only establish his calculation
by the time wh