a bit," advised Lucien. "Perhaps we may come to the
end of it that way."

They all turned their horses for the south, and commenced riding in that
direction.

They rode for at least two miles, keeping along the border of the
settlement: but they could still see it ahead, apparently stretching for
miles farther.

"We have come the wrong way," said Lucien; "we might have done better
had we turned north. We must cross it now; what say you, brothers?"

All agreed to this; for it is not very pleasant to be going about, when
the goal of one's journey is within sight. So the heads of the horses
were brought round once more facing the butte; and the party rode in
among the mounds, and proceeded slowly and with great caution. As they
approached, the little "dogs" ran to their hillocks, barked at the
intruders, shook their short tails, and then whisked themselves off into
their holes. Whenever the party had got past, a hundred yards or so,
the marmots would come forth again, and utter their tiny cough-like
notes as before; so that, when our travellers were fairly into the
"town," they found themselves at all times in the centre of a barking
circle!

The owls rose up before them, alighting at short distances; then, once
more startled, they would fly farther off, sometimes sailing away until
out of sight, and sometimes, like the marmots, hiding themselves within
the burrows. The rattle-snakes, too, betook themselves to the burrows,
and so did the lizards and agamas. What appeared most strange, was,
that all of these creatures--marmots, owls, snakes, lizards, and
agamas--were observed, when suddenly escaping, sometimes to enter the
same mound! This our travellers witnessed more than once.

Very naturally the conversation turned upon these things; and Lucien
added some facts to what Basil had already observed.

"The holes," said he, "had we time to dig them up, would be found to
descend perpendicularly for two or three feet. They then run obliquely
for several feet farther, and end in a little chamber which is the real
house of the marmot. I say the _real_ house, for these cone-like mounds
are only the entrances. They have been formed out of the earth brought
up from below at the making of the burrows. As you see, this earth has
not been allowed to lie in a neglected heap, such as rats and rabbits
leave at the mouths of their burrows. On the contrary, it has been
built up with great care, and beaten together by