A gentle breeze was blowing, while the air was cool and soft; so that, forgetful of the past, and sanguine for the future, we built our bivouac. While at work, our eyes were attracted on every side by the insects and birds, whose splendid colors literally enamelled the trees in which every shade of green blended harmoniously. It would be difficult to describe the wild grandeur of the scene around us. We might have fancied we were in one of those marvellous gardens which Arabian story-tellers delight in depicting. The roaring of some wild beast reminded us that our fire was nearly out. At last I set the example of going to rest. We intended to pass three or four days in this spot, as it was so favorable to our pursuits. "Nobody can accuse us of being too fond of rest," said my friend; "this is the 20th of April; therefore we have now been travelling uninterruptedly forty days." The next day at dawn I set off with Sumichrast on an exploring expedition, leaving Lucien still fast asleep. We returned, about eleven o'clock, with a dozen birds, among which we had a greenish-yellow woodpecker, with a bright red tuft on its head; also a _Cuculus vetula_, a species of cuckoo, which feeds on lizards and young serpents. During our absence, l'Encuerado had cut down three palm-trees and hollowed out the lower part of the trunks, in order to collect their sweet sap. He also wove a sort of palisade of creepers round several thick stakes, in which we could sleep without fear of surprise. In a hole near the top of one of the palm-trees, Lucien spied out a parrot's nest, and had taken possession of two young birds, red, green, and yellow in color, which seemed to adapt themselves wonderfully to the attentions lavished upon them by the boy. "What are you going to do with these poor orphans?" I asked. "I am going to take them home to my brother and sister. L'Encuerado says that they would perch on the edge of his load." "How shall you feed them?" "With fruit, and sometimes with meat. M. Sumichrast said yesterday that they would eat any thing that was given to them. I have already named them 'Verdet' and 'Janet.'" "They will be sure to get within reach of Gringalet; are you sure that he will leave them alone?" "L'Encuerado has already given him a lecture about it." "Still I am very much afraid that 'Verdet' and 'Janet' will come to an untimely end." While we were resting, Lucien and his friend went off to examine a caoutchouc-tree. The boy came back much disappointed. "Your India-rubber-tree isn't worth much," said he to Sumichrast, showing him a thick white liquid, which he had just collected. "And pray why not?" "Because India-rubber ought to be black and dry." "It will acquire these qualities as it grows older. The India-rubber oozes from the tree in the form of a milky liquid, like that with which you are now smearing your fingers."