ed by the voices of myriads of bright birds that flutter among the
trees of the forest.

The jackal flying to his den, utters his parting growl, and the funereal
voices of the night-birds are heard for the last time. The maipouri and
roebuck have already disappeared within the thickets, where they have
chosen their respective dens.

Finally, the clouds redden like the wings of the flamingoes, as the sun,
shooting upward, gleams with golden brilliance upon the fronds of the
palms, and discloses in all their splendid variety the trees of the
American forest.

The tall ebony trees, with their bunches of golden flowers, the guiacums
and perfumed liquidambars--like pyramids of solid vegetation--the
mahogany and cedrela trees, and the princely palms towering over
gigantic tree-ferns, and fanciful festoons of parasitical climbers, that
form a flowery cortege around their stems.

In the midst of the almost impenetrable labyrinths formed by these
various kinds of trees, glades may here and there be encountered, and
paths leading from one to another, trodden only by wild animals, or
savage bulls, the descendants of those introduced by the great Cortez
into the province of Oajaca. These, maddened by thirst, may be seen
pressing through the thick undergrowth towards the river, or standing,
half immersed, with their black muzzles buried under water. Here and
there pieces of the flowery turf, detached by their hooves, float down
the stream, while birds alighting upon these miniature islets, joyfully
flap their wings, as if celebrating a triumphal procession upon the
water.

Such, in all its primitive splendour, was the aspect of the Ostuta on
the morning in question, at that solemnal hour, when the sun proclaimed
his presence upon the eastern horizon.

CHAPTER FIFTY SIX.

THE BANDIT CAMP.

The bivouac fires appearing by the ford of the Ostuta were those of
Arroyo and his guerilla.

At sunrise, this temporary encampment of the guerilleros presented a
scene sufficiently animated and picturesque. A hundred men might be
seen occupying themselves in grooming their horses. This they did in
the most primitive fashion, some rubbing them down with bunches of dry
grass, others with the first stone that offered, while still others,
mounted on the bare backs of the animals, were swimming them through the
stream, in order to wash and refresh them. On the bank the saddles were
placed in a sort of irregular alignment, in the m