Page:Works of Jules Verne - Parke - Vol 1.djvu/383

 "What is it, Joe?"

"And this time my master will not object to your firing your gun."

"But what is it?"

"Do you see that flock of large birds over there, which are approaching us?"

"Birds?" said the doctor, seizing his telescope.

"I see them," cried Kennedy. "There are at least a dozen of them."

"Fourteen, if you have no objection," said Joe.

"Please goodness, they are sufficiently mischievous that the tender-hearted Samuel may not object to my shooting some."

"I shall not say a word," said Ferguson, "but I should very much prefer to see them at a greater distance."

"You are afraid of these birds, then?" said Joe.

"They are condors, Joe, and of the largest size, and if they do attack us"

"Well, we shall defend ourselves, Samuel. We have an arsenal ready to receive them. I do not suppose that these creatures are very formidable."

"Who can tell?" replied the doctor.

Ten minutes afterwards the flock was within range. These fourteen birds filled the air with their hoarse cries. They flew at the "Victoria " more irritated than alarmed by its appearance.

"How they scream," said Joe; "what a fearful row!"

"They probably regard us as intruders upon their domain, and think that we have no business to fly like themselves."

"Truly," replied Kennedy, "they are sufficiently formidable and quite as dangerous as if they were armed with Purdey's guns."

"They have no need of them," replied Ferguson, who had suddenly become very serious.

The condors flew round in wide circles, and their orbits gradually got smaller and smaller. They flashed through the sky with fantastic rapidity, sometimes darting down with the utmost velocity, and breaking their line with sharp angular flights.

The doctor, feeling nervous, resolved to ascend, in order to escape from such a dangerous neighborhood; he in-