"Hum!" muttered Captain Waktehno, surveying him with admiration, whilst staunching the blood of a large wound he had received in the breast; "a roughish sort of fellow! If the others are like him, we shall have more than our work to do. Come!" he continued turning towards his companions, who awaited his orders, "do not let us stand here any longer to be shot at like pigeons. To the assault, in God's name!--to the assault!" The pirates rushed after him, brandishing their arms, and began to climb the rock, vociferating, "To the assault! to the assault!" On their side, the Mexicans, witnesses of the heroic death of Captain Aguilar, prepared to avenge him. CHAPTER IV. THE DOCTOR. Whilst these terrible events were being accomplished, the doctor was quietly herbalizing. The worthy _savant_, enraptured by the rich _flora_ he had beneath his eyes, had forgotten everything but the thoughts of the ample harvest he could make. He proceeded with his body bent towards the ground, stopping for a long time before every plant he admired, ere he resolved to pull it up. When he had loaded himself with an infinite number of plants and herbs exceedingly valuable to him, he resolved at length to seat himself quietly at the foot of a tree, and classify them at his ease, with all the care that celebrated professors are accustomed to bring to this delicate operation, mumbling in the meantime, some morsels of biscuit which he drew from his bag. He remained a long time absorbed in this occupation, which procured him one of those extreme delights which the learned alone can enjoy, and which are unknown to the vulgar. He would probably have forgotten himself in this labour until night had surprised him, and forced him to seek shelter, had not a dark shadow come between him and the sun, and projected its reflection upon the plants he had classified with so much care. He mechanically raised his head. A man, leaning on a long rifle, had stopped before him, and was contemplating him with a kind of laughing attention. This man was Black Elk. "He! he!" he said to the doctor, "what are you doing there, my good sir? Seeing the grass moved about so, I thought there was a doe in the thicket, and, devil take me! if I was not on the point of sending a bullet at you." "The deuce!" the doctor cried, eyeing him with an expression of terror, "you should be careful; do you know you might have killed me?" "Well, I might," the trapper replied, laughing; "but don't be afraid! I perceived my error in time." "God be praised!" And the doctor, who had just perceived a rare plant stooped eagerly to seize it. "Then you won't tell me what you are doing?" the hunter continued. "Why, can't you see, my friend?" "Who, I? Yes; I see you are amusing yourself with pulling up the weeds of the prairie, that is all; and I should like to know what for?"