food for hundreds. These plants grew by the
water's edge, in a damp soil--their natural habitat. Their leaves
drooped over the stream. Another plant, equally interesting, was seen
farther back, in a dry place. There were many of these ten or fifteen
feet high, and as thick as a man's wrist. This was the _yucca_ plant.
All of them knew it. They knew that its roots produced the far-famed
cassava. Cassava is bread. Hurrah! the staff of life was secure!

But, more than this, there were fruits in abundance; there were mangoes
and guavas, oranges and the celebrated cherimoya--the favourite of Peru.
There were shaddocks and sweet limes; and see! yonder is a clump of
sugar-canes, with their thin silken leaves and yellow tassels waving in
the wind. Oh, look here! Here is a coffee-shrub, with its ripe, aromatic
berries; and here is the cacao-tree. Coffee and chocolate--there was a
choice of beverages! Ha! what have we here--this plant like an orange
tree? It is a species of holly. As I live, it is the _yerba mate_, the
"Paraguay tea." What shall we light upon next?

And so the delighted travellers went on, over the ground, through the
thick-tangled weeds and convolvuli, making new discoveries at every
step. Even Guapo's favourite, the coca-shrub, was found growing among
the rest, and the eyes of the old Indian sparkled at the sight of it.

Don Pablo's first conjecture had been right. They had arrived at the
ruin of some old missionary station, long since deserted. Some zealous
monk had planted all these plants and trees; had for years, no doubt,
tended them with care; had dreamt of establishing around this lonely
spot a great hierarchy, and making the "wilderness blossom as the rose."
An evil day had come--perhaps during the revolt of Juan Santos, or maybe
in the later revolution of Tupac Amaru. The hand of the savage had been
turned against the priest, who had fallen a victim, and his roof--the
mission-house--had been given to the flames. Not a vestige of building
was to be seen--neither stick nor stone--and had it not been for the
curious variety of vegetation collected on the spot, this once
cultivated and flourishing garden might have been taken for part of the
primeval forest.

It must have been a long time since the place was inhabited, for great
trees and parasites had grown up in the midst of the cultivated plants.

After the first transports of delight had to some extent subsided, a
consultation was held as to future