Again on the Road.--The Bird-catching Spider.--The Marten and the Skunk.--The Flying Squirrel.--The Otter-hunt.--L'Encuerado wounded. 353 CHAPTER XXIV. A laborious Task.--Wild Lime-trees.--Pigeons.--The West India Cherry.--The Earwig.--Snakes and Serpents.--First Glance at the Terre-Chaude. 367 CHAPTER XXV. A Ground-squirrel.--A Mouse's Nest.--Humming-birds and their young ones.--The Locust-tree.--Mexican Wolves and their Retreat. 375 CHAPTER XXVI. The Path through the Forest.--A forced March.--The Bromelaceae.--Mosquitoes.--The Water-plant.--The Promised Land.--A Band of Monkeys. 387 CHAPTER XXVII. L'Encuerado and the Parrots.--Gringalet meets a Friend.--The Cougar, or American Lion.--A Stream.--Our "Palm-tree Villa."--Turtles' Eggs.--The Tantalus.--Herons and Flamingoes. 400 CHAPTER XXVIII. A Grove of Logwood trees.--Ants at their Work.--Parasitic Insects.--The Great Ant-eater.--Spoonbills and Herons.--Lost in the Forest. 415 CHAPTER XXIX. A nocturnal Visitor.--The Fall of a Tree.--A fearful Night.--The Monkeys.--Master Job.--All right at last. 428 CHAPTER XXX. We build a Raft.--The Horned Serpent.--Good-bye to "Palm-tree Villa."--Mosquitoes and Horse-flies.--The Rattlesnake.--An Ocelot. 438 CHAPTER XXXI. The Hunters hunted.--Escape from Peccaries.--A Jaguar-hunt.--An Ibis.--The Caymans.--The Wild Bulls. 446 CHAPTER XXXII. The King of the Vultures.--The Ticks.--L'Encuerado frightened by a Demon.--The Tapirs.--Good-bye to the Stream.--The Puma's Prey.--A miserable Night.--Our Departure.--The Savannah.--Lucien carried in a Litter.--Hunger and Thirst.--We abandon our Baggage and Pets in Despair. 464 CHAPTER XXXIII. Thirst.--L'Encuerado's Return.--The Description of his Journey.--Janet, Verdet, and Rougette.--Hunting wild Horses.--Our last Adventure.--The Return. 483 [Illustration: Decoration] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FRONTISPIECE. We were just then passing through a plantation PAGE 28 At last, lagging a little, our party reached the foot of the mountains 44 The basket and its bearer chased one another down the hill 50 Almost immediately the foliage was pushed aside 56 On hearing the uproar two Indian women came running towards us 65 Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with perpendicular sides 74