Ml 
 
 (MB 
 
 ACHILLES DAUNT
 
 .ifj^S 7 '-I. . Ju*i -. 
 


 
 WILL AND THE PECCARIES. 
 
 Page
 
 IH THE FAR SOUTH-WEST. 
 
 FORDING THE MOTAGUA. 
 
 Page 208. 
 
 ftbomas flelson and Sons, 
 
 LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK.
 
 WITH PACK AND RIFLE 
 
 IN THE FAR SOUTH-WEST. 
 
 in ^eto Eltxua, JpLmona, artb 
 (ifentral J^Lmmra. 
 
 A BOOK FOR BOY. 
 
 By 
 ACHILLES DAUNT, 
 
 Author of " Frank Redcliffe," " The Three Trappers. 
 &c. &*c. 
 
 25 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 EDINBURGH ; AND NEW YORK. 
 1888.
 
 (Hfoittents. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SCENES OF ROJtANlIC ADVENTURE THE WILD WEST DESERTS ANCIENT SEAS 
 MESAS CANONS BAD LANDS FOSSILS SAND- STREAMS RIVERS SHIFTING 
 SAND-BEDS SUDDEN FLOODS DA NO BUS OF BEING LOST FOREST FIRES- 
 PRAIRIE FIRES GAME 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE MEXICAN ARCHITECTURE FIELD FOR VINE CUL- 
 TUREINDIAN SCARE TAKE THE TRAIL LA TENAJA OUTFIT RUBE 
 INDIAN "SIGN" NIGHT-WATCH DAWN MIRAGE HOW TO PACK A MULE- 
 ANTELOPE COOKE'S CANON APACHES THE FIGHT IN THE PASS RETREAT 
 
 OF THE SAVAGES RIO MIMBRES TROUT STRANGE ROCK FORMATIONS OJO 
 CALIENTE APACHES AGAIN THE SKIRMISH SPRING Iff THE DESERT BEAR 
 "SIGN" THE HUNT DEATH OF THE BEAR RUBE'S EXTRAORDINARY AD- 
 VENTURE IN THE DESERT THE BURRO MOUNTAINS MADRE PLATEAU WILL 
 AND THE BEAR SOLDIER'S FARRWELL. . ...47 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HOT SPRING BEAR HUNT RUBE'S FIRST EXPERIENCES OF THE WILD WEST 
 THIRST MADNESS ILLUSIONS OF THE MIRAGE BURRO MOUNTAINS SPLEN- 
 DID PROSPECT WFLL AND THE BEAR DEATH OF AN INDIAN SCOUT 75 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SIERRA MA DUE BARNEY STATION GAME CIRCUMVENTING AN ANTELOPE 
 NOTES ON THE ANTELOPE STRANGE EFFECT OF THE MIRAGE NIGHT JOUR- 
 NEY MAIL ROUTE DANGERS OF WESTERN POSTMEN COYOTE-HUNT PUR- 
 SUED BY APACHES RUBE AND WILL TO THE RESCUE SCALPS THICK CHAP- 
 PARAL RELICS OF AN INDIAN FIGHT SKULLS AND OTHER REMAINS- 
 APACHE PASS . . .96
 
 Vlll CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TREACHERY TOWARDS INDIANS FORT BOWIE RAILROAD PASS UNWELCOME 
 GUEST TREACHERY DEATH OF AN APACHE NATIVE POPULATION OF NEW 
 MEXICO AND ARIZONA RELIGION CUSTOMS PUEBLOS ACOMA NATIVE 
 ARCHITECTURE 113 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DOS CABEZAS MOUNT GRAHAM SIERRA CALITRO RUBE AND THE GRIZZLIES 
 FOREST ON FIIIB RUBE'S AWFUL POSITION "THEY DON'T LIE OUT HYAR ! " 
 HABITS OF THE GRIZZLY BEAR TERRIBLE HURRICANE ANTELOPES 
 ARAVAYPA CANON BEAR-HUNT SMOKED OUT 125 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ANCIENT BUILDINGS - SINGULAR FORMATIONS MESAS VIEW FROM CLIFFS 
 ABOVE AKAVAYPA CANON SUDDEN FLOOD RUBE'S ADVENTURE ON THE 
 SALADO RELICS OF INDIAN SKIRMISH AN APACHE RANCHERIA RUBE*S 
 ACCOUNT OF THE MOQUIS AND THE SNAKE DANCE 152 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SUDDEN ARRIVAL OF A TRAPPER APACHES ABANDON OUR PLANS THE PURSUIT 
 " CLEARING OUT " CAMP DISCOVERED FLIGHT " CORNERED " THE 
 FIGHT COCHISE, THE APACHE CHIEF THE PARLEY TREACHERY RETREAT 
 OF THE APACHES OUR LAST SKIRMISH 181 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 NEW RESOLVES SOUTHWARD HO ! EMBARK FOR BELIZE OUR SKIPPER OUR 
 
 "COMPAONONS DE VOYAGE" EXTRAORDINARY CONDUCT PRACTICAL JOKF.S 
 
 BELIZE VARIOUS RACES AMALGAMATION START FOR YSABAL REGIMENT 
 ON PARADE A STREET ROW START FROM YSABAL PURSUED FEARFUL 
 TRAIL MUD MICO MOUNTAIN EXQUISITE SCENERY WILL'S MISHAP " EL 
 CAMINO REAL" BEAUTIFUL PALM OROVE JAGUAR HUNT THE MOTAGUA 
 JAGUAR AND PYTHON 197 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 BEAUTIFUL SCENES TROPICAL TREES COCHINEAL PLANTATION GORGEOUS SUN- 
 SET SCENE SAN PABLO DON ITURBIDE SUDDEN RAIN-STORM DON ITUR- 
 BIDE'H ESCAPE CHIQUIMULA GREAT CHURCH WILD SCENES HUGE PYTHON 
 WILL'S ESCAPE DEATH OF THE PYTHON VIEW FROM SUMMIT OF THE 
 HIERRA TERRIBLE DKLUGE COMOTAN EVIDENCES OF MISGOVERNMENT 
 CHANTICLEER HIS SAD FATE THE COPAN RIVER HACIENDA A HOSPITABLE 
 
 SENORA 229 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 BAD TRAIL PICTURESQUE CLEARING ALOES DIFFICULT TRACK DEEP ABYSS 
 THE COPAN AGAIN HACIENDA DON IGNACIO DE SELLAS HOSPITALITY- 
 SHARP HHOOTING A WALK IN THE FOREST BEAUTIFUL SCENES LOST TRACK 
 OF A MONSTER SNAKE LOOKING FOR THE TRAIL FIRE -FLIES JAGUAR- 
 NIGHT IN THE FOREST THE PUMA HIS HORRIBLE HABIT OF DOGGING THE 
 TRAVELLER A STRATAGEM DEATH OF THE PUMA GET OUT OF THE FOREST 
 COPAN SENSATIONS AWAKENED BY IT HISTORY THE RUINS 253
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 COPAN STEPHENS'S NARRATIVE EXAMINATION OF THE RUINS HIEROGLYPHICS 
 FEELINGS AROU.SED BY THE SPECTACLE OF THE RUINED CITY QUARRIES 
 BEAUTIFUL PROSPECT THE COPAN RIVER HUGE SNAKES TUBOBA REP- 
 TILES TWILIGHT ON THE FOREST COCUYOS MYSTERY HANGING OVER 
 COPAN MELANCHOLY FEELINGS RETURN TO THE HACIENDA LAST SIGHT 
 OF COPAN ' 282 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LEAVE DON IGNACIO ENCUENTROS RUINS LOS AMATES IDOLS ALTARS THE 
 CUHA CLIMATE WILD RAVINE THE MOTAGUA AGAIN OLD CHURCH THE 
 LECHUZ A SNAKES LIZARDS SANTA ROSALIA CHIMALAPA LADRONES 
 ATTACKED BY ROBBERS MISS OUR WAY CROSS THE MOUNTAINS GRAND 
 VIEW GUATEMALA "WHO EVER GOES TO GUATEMALA?" LEAVE GUATEMALA 
 TECPAN RUINS DIFFICULT PASS LAKE OF ATITLAN DUCK-SHOOTINO 
 VOLCANOES QUICHE CONVENT RUINS OF QUICHE 303 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ALVARADO HIS ASSAULT UPON UTATLAN DESOLATION OF THE CITY EL SACRIFI- 
 CATOHIO ANCIENT PAGAN RITES LUST OF GOLD RUINS RUINED INDIAN 
 THREATS STRANGE STORY OF AN EXISTING CITY OF THE OLDEN TIME- 
 LEAVE QUICHE PUMAS AND MONKEYS QUESALTENANGO OCOSINGO 
 PALENQUE FIRST VIEW OF THE RUINS PROFOUND IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED 
 BY THEM TREED BY PECCARIES THE RUINS THE PALACE, F.TC. 
 OIGANTIC FIGURES MB, STEPHENS'S ACCOUNT REFLECTIONS THE DEMON- 
 PRIEST DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF AN EXAMINATION OF THE RUINS- 
 EFFECT OF THE RUINS ON THE TRAVELLER CHANGE AND DEATH 346
 
 of 3lhtstnttions. 
 
 WILL AND THE PECCARIES, . . Frontispiece 
 
 FORDING THE MOTAGUA, .. .. .. .. Vignette 
 
 SNOWY RANGE, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 
 
 HEADWATERS OF " GREEN RrVER," . . . . . . . . 23 
 
 ROCKS NEAR THE BIO MIMBRE8, .. .. .. .. .. 27 
 
 BUFFALOES ON THE PLAINS, . . . . . . . . . . 33 
 
 HEADWATERS OF THE "CANADIAN," .. .. .. .. 37 
 
 A PRAIRIE FIRE, . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 
 
 VIEW FROM ENTRANCE OF COOKE'S CANOK, . . . . . . 63 
 
 STEAN'S PASS BY MOONLIGHT, . . . . . . . . . . 103 
 
 MEXICAN PLANTS', . . . . . . . . . . . . Ill 
 
 FOBEST ON FIRE, .. .. .. .. .. .. 133 
 
 WEATHER-WORN ROCKS IN THE " BAD LAND"," . . . . . . 153 
 
 WATER-ERODED ROCKS IN THE VALLEY OF THE RIO MIMBRES, .. 157 
 
 APPROACH TO THE TRAIL OVER MICO MOUNTAIN, .. .. .. 213 
 
 TRAPPING A JAGUAR, . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 
 
 FIGHT BETWEEN A PYTHON AND A JAGUAR, . . . . . . 225 
 
 A TROPICAL FOREST, . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 
 
 STONE IDOL AT COPAN, . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 
 
 RAFT ATTACKED BY AN ALLIGATOR, .. .. .. .. 307 
 
 CAMP AT THE RUINS OF PATINAMIT, .. .. .. .. 335 
 
 PUMAS AND MONKEYS, .. .. .. .. .. .. 357 
 
 CORRIDOR OF THE PALACE, .. .. .. .. .. 373 
 
 EASTERN FACADE OF THE INTERIOR WING OF THE PALACE OF PALENQUF., 381 
 
 THE PALACE OF PALENQUE RESTORED, .. .. 385
 
 WITH PACK AND RIFLE 
 
 IN THE FAR SOUTH-WEST. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SCENES OF ROMANTIC ADVENTURE THE WILD WEST DESERTS ANCIENT SEAS 
 MESAS CANONS BAD LANDS FOSSILS SAND- STREAMS RIVERS SHIFTING 
 SAND-BEDS SUDDEN FLOODS DANGERS OF BEING LOST FOREST FIRES 
 PRAIRIE FIRES GAME. 
 
 IF the western portion of the North American Continent had 
 been " made to order," it could hardly have been better suited 
 to the requirements of the hunter and lover of adventure. 
 Nowhere else, if we except some portions of South Africa, 
 roamed such immense numbers of game animals ; nowhere 
 else is nature formed on so grand a scale, and so infinitely 
 diversified. The vast prairies and plains teemed with count- 
 less buffaloes, antelopes, red deer, and elk ; the high table- 
 lands and mountains held myriads of black-tailed deer, elk, 
 white-tailed deer, mountain sheep, and wood bison ; while 
 the carnivora were represented by great numbers of grizzly, 
 cinnamon, and black bears, cougars, panthers, wolves, and 
 wild cats. Smaller game existed in incredible abundance. 
 Even at the present day, the numbers in which some of 
 these creatures are met by the traveller or hunter excite his 
 astonishment, notwithstanding that they are but the feeble
 
 14 THE PAR WEST. 
 
 remnants of the vast bands which formerly roamed over 
 those extensive wilds. And what a country to hunt over ! 
 How magnificent are its features ! how varied and how 
 vast ! 
 
 As some information with regard to the most striking of 
 these cannot but be of interest to the reader, we will preface 
 this little work with a description of such as will render the 
 subsequent chapters more intelligible. 
 
 The term " the West," or " the Far West," is a variable 
 one, and in the past had reference to regions which at the 
 present time are not understood as implied by the phrase. 
 Nowadays, when we speak of " the West," we mean that 
 portion of the continent which lies immediately east of the 
 Rocky Mountains, and known as "the Plains," as well as 
 the mountains themselves and the country extending thence 
 to the Pacific. 
 
 In maps which are hardly yet considered obsolete, the 
 great region east of the mountains is represented in an almost 
 primitive condition. The principal rivers are indicated, as 
 are also the chief features of the landscape ; but, with a 
 few exceptions, the towns which have sprung up of late 
 years are unmarked, thus giving rise to the impression 
 that the great bulk of the country is still an unpeopled 
 solitude. 
 
 There are even greater errors than this. The writer pos- 
 sesses two maps, published under the superintendence of the 
 Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, in which 
 such glaring mistakes occur as locating the State of Nebraska 
 in the area occupied by Montana, and representing New 
 Mexico as lying north of Arizona, and separated from it by 
 the 34th degree of latitude. These two latter sections lie 
 contiguous east and west, their boundaries being coincident 
 with the line of longitude 109. Such maps are of little utility.
 
 GENERAL FEATURES. 15 
 
 The vast regions lying west of the Missouri and of the fron- 
 tiers of the States of Arkansas and Louisiana, and north of 
 the 31st degree of latitude, are represented by a blank, broken 
 only by the names of the chief rivers, or of the military 
 posts of the United States Government. Due allowance, 
 however, must be made for the mushroom growth of towns 
 and settlements in the West. A year has proved quite suffi- 
 cient in many instances to change the aspect of the country. 
 Railways have extended themselves over the face of the 
 land almost with the rapidity of groAvth of the gossamers we 
 see glancing on our lawns in the morning sunlight, carrying 
 civilization in their track, and banishing alike the romance 
 and the game of the great wilderness. 
 
 Extending east to west, from the Missouri River to the 
 Pacific Ocean, and north to south from Alaska to Panama, 
 the continent of America presents the general features of 
 a vast plateau of various elevations ; and through this have 
 been upheaved the great mountain chains which form the 
 backbone of the continent. 
 
 By referring to a good map, the reader will observe a great 
 region designated as "the Plains," extending from the so- 
 called Guadalupe Mountains of north-western Texas to the 
 49th degree of north latitude, bounded 011 the east by the 
 Missouri, and fenced in on the west by the ridges of the 
 Rocky Mountains. This vast district probably contains 
 within its limits more features of interest to the geographer, 
 the geologist, and the sportsman, than any other of equal 
 extent elsewhere. The geologist will here find Nature's 
 volume expanded for his inspection ; and the secrets which 
 in other places she attempts to guard by the confusion of 
 strata produced by her convulsions, she here seems to write 
 in such plain language that the least experienced must find 
 little difficulty in reading them.
 
 16 EXTINCT VOLCANOES, 
 
 The great plains lying east of the Rocky Mountains have 
 in all likelihood been formed by the denudation and subse- 
 quent disruption of chains of gigantic mountains in long past 
 ages upheaved from the ocean, which for countless cycles 
 dashed its waves against their skirts and bases, gradually 
 wearing down and washing away the materials of which they 
 were composed, and depositing them to serve as the founda- 
 tions of the present continent. Along by the foot of the 
 mountains to-day, the traveller is astonished to observe vast 
 tracts covered with enormous deposits of rounded pebbles, 
 water-worn stones, and dunes of sand, the relics of this 
 primeval time. These dismal deserts occur almost through- 
 out the whole length of the mountains, and are characteristic 
 of the great " divide," which separates the systems of the 
 South Platte and Republican rivers. It is especially well 
 marked near Colorado Springs, where the deposit is several 
 hundred feet in thickness. From this point it extends in 
 an easterly direction ; but its limits here have not been yet 
 defined. Southwards, however, it is known to follow the 
 mountains, and through it the Arkansas cuts it way. The 
 plateau on which is situated the town of Pueblo owes its 
 origin to this formation, which seems finally to have been 
 merged or covered up in the volcanic region south of the 
 Cumbres Espanolas, or Spanish Peaks. From the extent 
 of this stream of ruin, some idea can be formed of the vast 
 size of the mountains which gave it birth. 
 
 An examination of the country to the south and west of 
 the Spanish Peaks reveals the fact that at one time, appa- 
 rently not very remote, this was the seat of volcanic energy 
 on a most gigantic scale. The whole country seems to have 
 been deluged with molten rocks and smothered under volcanic 
 tufa. On all sides may be seen extinct volcanoes of every 
 variety of shape ; some sharp, with many a jagged crag and 
 
 (814)
 
 GEOLOGIC CHANGES. 17 
 
 grisly peak ; others of graceful shape, as if the fire king 
 were not always in a fury at their birth. 
 
 Not far from the head- waters of the Cimarron River is 
 situated one of these milder children. It is named the 
 "Capulin," and rises from the plain, in almost the precise 
 form of a lady's thimble, to the height of one thousand feet 
 a cone of lava. The ascent is easy, owing to the collapse of 
 the western side most likely during one of the last erup- 
 tions. Luckily, this gigantic breach does not interfere 
 with the regularity of the shape viewed from the other 
 sides. 
 
 Some three or four miles away to the south-west is another 
 fire-born hill Mount Tilden. The elevation of this is in- 
 considerable ; but owing to the fact that the sides are covered 
 with a loose, shifting material, into which the visitor sinks 
 deeply at every step, the ascent is more fatiguing than would 
 be inferred from the height, which is only about eight hun- 
 dred feet, although the plain from which both these ancient 
 volcanoes spring is fully six thousand feet above the level of 
 the ocean. 
 
 There is evidence to show that during ages how long we 
 cannot tell the Plains were subjected to constant upheavals 
 and depressions ; now covered by the inrushing ocean, again 
 tossed up high above its level. The earliest of these up- 
 heavals is stated to have originated in the country occupied 
 by the Raton Mountains, the Mesa Grande and the Mesa de 
 Maio. These have an elevation at present of from six thou- 
 sand to eight thousand feet. This region consists in great 
 part of a plain encumbered with ridges of lava and partially 
 melted rocks, and is thickly strewed with tufa and other 
 remains of volcanic origin. The escarpments bordering this 
 plateau are as fresh-looking as if upheaved but yesterday, 
 whereas, in fact, they have looked upon the changes effected 
 
 (814) 2
 
 18 CANONS. 
 
 all round them on more perishable monuments, themselves 
 unchangeable as time itself. 
 
 A subsequent upheaval is said to have lifted the continent 
 to a higher elevation above sea level, forcing up the western 
 or " High Plains" to a height varying from four thousand to 
 seven thousand feet. Nature selected more perishable mate- 
 rials on this occasion. The rocks are, indeed, in some in- 
 stances as sharp in outline as those of the volcanic areas ; 
 but, as a rule, the formations are of more modern date. 
 Possibly, the volcanic rocks were again replaced in their 
 former position by this later upheaval, in which they became 
 mingled with others of more recent character. 
 
 It is in this secondary plateau that the rivers, which either 
 rise in the mountains on the west or at the point of junction 
 of the first and second plains, have cut out those stupendous 
 channels known as canons, which excite the amazement of 
 visitors from lands where Nature works on a scale far less 
 striking. Those rivers which cut through the strata of both 
 plains exhibit a profundity of depth in their beds which 
 appals the traveller who ventures to peer over the verge ot 
 the abyss. The canons of the Purgatory River are fre- 
 quently two thousand feet in height. Those of the Colorado 
 attain the immense altitude above the river of seven thou- 
 sand feet. 
 
 The Mississippi and Missouri valleys bound the third 
 great plain on the east. From the level of these rivers the 
 land rises towards the west, until it reaches the confines of 
 the second plain, where it attains an elevation of from three 
 thousand to four thousand feet over the level of the sea. 
 
 This portion of the country seems of comparatively recent 
 formation, and is built up by the detritus brought down 
 from the higher plains and mountains, deposited as silt on 
 the old ocean bed. There is in this region nothing to sue-
 
 NATURE'S HANDIWORK. 21 
 
 gest upheaval. One is more led to suppose that the ocean 
 slowly drained off its surface, than that, yielding to interior 
 pressure, the face of the country was forced upwards through 
 the waters. We therefore find that this plain is less varied 
 in its features than either of the others. It is, in fact, unin- 
 teresting from its monotonous uniformity. 
 
 " Standing on the second plain," says Colonel Dodge, 
 speaking of the view from the road between Forts Lyon and 
 Union, "and looking west, the horizon is bounded by the 
 long line of peaks of the Snowy Range towering to the 
 skies, and glittering in everlasting white. Apparently at 
 their feet, though more than a hundred miles from them, 
 and looking like a black table against a white wall, are the 
 Raton Mountains ; the first plain, or horizontal upheaval. A 
 little to the right, and seemingly very near, are the Cumbres 
 Espanolas (Spanish Peaks) ; and still farther to the north- 
 west, the Sangre de Cristo, Greenhorn (or Cuernaverde), 
 Cheyenne, and a vast succession of mountain upon mountain, 
 range after range, the whole overtopped by the magnificent 
 mountain called Pike's Peak so appropriately named after 
 its original discoverer, then Lieutenant, but subsequently 
 General Zabulon Pike. 
 
 " To the south-west, and within five or six miles, the Mesa 
 de Maio, an uninterrupted continuation of the Raton plain, 
 rises like a huge black wall one thousand feet from the high 
 (or second) plain upon which we stand, and which, to our 
 rear, by a sudden and precipitous plunge of eight hundred to 
 twelve hundred feet, reaches the third or lowest plain the 
 basin proper of the Mississippi and Missouri which stretches 
 in limitless expanse to the eastward. From this position 
 can be seen in plainest form, and with all its marked pecu- 
 liarities, Nature's handiwork in the four great general up^ 
 heavals, which, in my opinion, brought this portion of the
 
 22 ELEVATED PLAIN. 
 
 continent from the depths of the ocean. In some portions of 
 the middle plains Nature seems to have endeavoured to outdo 
 her previous efforts, and to try how many and varied forms 
 the surface of the earth could be forced to assume by means 
 of partial upheavals. Some of the most curious of these 
 formations are to the west of the Laramie Plains. 
 
 "Twenty miles south of Rawlin's Springs is another curious 
 freak of nature the parallel ridges being overturned, not by 
 the upheaval of a wedge-shaped mountain " (as has happened 
 in the district west of Laramie), " but by the successive lifts 
 given to a huge plain (part of first plain). A succession of 
 parallel ranges of barren, rocky hills is finally greatly over- 
 topped by what appears, looking at its face, to be a fine 
 mountain range, it being eight thousand or nine thousand 
 feet high ; and on this face, looking north, can all the year 
 be found patches of snow. Reaching its summit with diffi- 
 culty, one is surprised to find, stretching far to the south 
 and west, an apparently boundless plain, with a gentle de- 
 clination from the northern face. Proceeding a mile or two 
 south, this plain begins to be broken, with the shallow de- 
 pressions deepening gradually into ravines, the beds of beau- 
 tiful streams (full of fine trout), the heads of the Muddy, a 
 tributary of Green River." 
 
 The bed of an ancient lake farther west has been forced 
 upwards ; and at Church Buttes it is now from one hundred 
 t two hundred feet above its former level. These Buttes 
 are still quite soft, and in their stratifications are the relics 
 of ancient reptiles ; while scattered along the plain at some 
 distance from their base are millions of beautiful specimens 
 of moss-agates and petrifactions. 
 
 Another strange formation of this wild western country is 
 what is popularly known as "the Bad Lands." This is, per- 
 haps, one of the most fantastic freaks of Nature in a country
 
 BAD LANDS. 25 
 
 where she seems so often to depart from her accustomed 
 simplicity, and to take delight in imitating the creations of 
 human art. Stretching more or less continuously from the 
 Loup River to the mouth of the Yellowstone, this extraor- 
 dinary formation presents an ever-changing variety. In 
 pre-historic times this region was beyond doubt the bed of a 
 vast lake or inland sea. It is probable that it either evapo- 
 rated or slowly drained off, leaving in its stead a marsh, 
 which in that state remained for thousands of years, or at 
 any rate for a very extended period. The soil is here thickly 
 filled with the bones of animals ; and it is observable that the 
 larger remains are generally in an upright position, as if the 
 creatures had sunk in the soft ground and thus perished. 
 In some parts, the once soft bed of this ancient lake is six 
 hundred feet thick, and the materials of which it is composed 
 are regularly distributed in layers or strata. 
 
 Writing of these formations, Colonel Dodge says : 
 " The curious peculiarity of the Bad Lands formation is 
 that the channels cut by rain and frost in this soft deposit 
 have almost invariably perpendicular sides, and differ from 
 ordinary ravines in that there is no gradual deepening. 
 They appear to cut at once through the whole thickness of 
 the deposit, are exceedingly tortuous, and vary in width 
 with the nature of the particular locality, or with the 
 length of time that the process of erosion has been go- 
 ing on. 
 
 " With this general peculiarity, the Bad Lands vary in 
 the most extraordinary degree. In some localities the upper 
 plain appears at a little distance unmarked ; but an attempt 
 to pass over it discloses the fact that it is scored in every 
 direction by innumerable narrow, crooked channels from 
 thirty to one hundred feet in perpendicular depth, and from 
 a few inches to eighty or one hundred feet in width. Through
 
 26 HOGSBACK BAD LANDS. 
 
 such " bad " lands no one but the most experienced plainsman 
 can hope to make headway." 
 
 Time, which leaves its mark as well upon the monuments 
 of nature as upon those of human art, works endless altera- 
 tions in these formations. " In process of time, the narrow 
 grass-covered portions of plain between the channels are 
 gradually cut away into \backbones,' at first very sharp and 
 narrow; getting broader, however, as more of the material 
 is washed away. This is called the ' Hogsback Bad Lands/ 
 and in most of its stages is utterly impassable. When most 
 of the material inside a particular bed has been washed out, 
 and the ' hogsbacks ' levelled with the foundation plain, the 
 Bad Lands present their most striking characteristics. 
 
 "Imagine an immense irregular bowl-shaped depression in 
 the earth, from four to ten miles in diameter, the sides from 
 one hundred to six hundred feet high, cut by the action of 
 water into myriads of forms, regular, irregular, and fan- 
 tastic. The general bottom of the bowl is level ; and scat- 
 tered over it in most picturesque irregularity are hills and 
 mounds, with their almost perpendicular faces cut into every 
 conceivable and inconceivable design castles and towers, 
 domes and pinnacles, obelisks, monuments, and pyramids. 
 The palace and the Indian ' tepee ' are here side by side ; and 
 all the varied forms are fluted by water and frescoed by 
 variously-coloured earths, forming a grand and wonderful 
 coup d'ceil that no man can imagine or realize until he 
 sees it." 
 
 With such infinite variety of outline, ploughed by chan- 
 nels narrow, wide, deep, and tortuous, the reader will prob- 
 ably suppose that to travel across this region would be all 
 but impossible. It is, however, not so in practice. The 
 buffaloes have their trails worn deep into the soil which tra- 
 verses the Bad Lands ; and by keeping to the route thus
 
 RELICS OF ANCIENT MONSTERS. 29 
 
 marked out for him, the traveller need not anticipate being 
 brought to a halt by the difficulties of his path. Around 
 and on every side are vestiges of ancient animal life. The 
 bones of many species of reptiles as well as of animals strew 
 the ground ; and among them may be discerned the mon- 
 strous relics of the mastodon and of the saurian, as well as 
 of the minutest reptiles, wliich seem classified by time, each 
 speaking of a distinct epoch in the history of the spot. 
 
 It is not merely in the Bad Lands that these remains are 
 found. All over the plains they recur in greater or lesser 
 quantities, mingled with shells and most curious petrifac- 
 tions. Nor are they confined to the surface. Colonel Dodge 
 relates that when the Union Pacific Railroad was in process 
 of construction, an attempt was made to sink a well at 
 Julesburg. The attempt was a failure so far as its object 
 was concerned ; but to the great interest of the bystanders, 
 the boring tool brought up from a depth of from two hun- 
 dred to three hundred feet the bones of many kinds of ani- 
 mals in every stage of preservation. 
 
 Some of the relics brought to light in these regions belonged 
 to animals of the most colossal size. One of these ancient 
 monsters, judging from the weight and dimensions of his 
 bones, must have measured thirty feet in height and eighty 
 feet in length ! 
 
 We have alluded to the petrifactions strewed over these 
 desert solitudes. So widely disseminated are they, that not 
 a spot of pebbly ground but will be found upon examina- 
 tion to contain specimens. Sometimes they occur thinly ; 
 at others they will be found in incalculable quantities, cover- 
 ing acres of surface. Many are most beautiful and perfect. 
 
 The author from whom we have quoted, writing on this 
 subject, says : " Sometimes acres of plain will be covered 
 with specimens of wood-agates of almost every shade of
 
 30 PETRIFIED FORESTS. 
 
 colour, from pure white to jet black, from almost perfect 
 transparency to thickest opacity, all solidified in the hardest 
 of quartz, but showing the annual rings of woody fibre as 
 clearly as if the specimen had just been torn from its native 
 tree. Sometimes whole forests appear to have been converted 
 into stone. In a small ravine, a dry tributary of Two Butte 
 Creek, I once came upon what appeared to be a sort of raft 
 or obstruction of logs. As it is a perfectly treeless country, 
 I was led to a closer examination, and to my surprise found 
 that the logs were stone. Never elsewhere have I seen 
 petrifactions so perfect. One huge trunk of a pine-tree was 
 about six feet in diameter, and ten or twelve feet long. It 
 was hollow, and a portion of the hollow part had been burned 
 away. The bark, the wood, the hollow, the marks of fire, 
 were all perfectly natural, yet the log was solid stone." 
 
 Scattered all around were many similar objects, all turned 
 to stone. One of the most singular cases of petrifaction 
 mentioned by Colonel Dodge he describes as follows : 
 
 " Once marching with a command near the Medicine Bow 
 Creek, I was searching for a crossing over a deep and diffi- 
 cult ravine for my waggons, when I came to a stump of a 
 pine-tree about two feet high and twelve inches in diameter. 
 About it were lying large chips, such as none but an ex- 
 perienced axe-man and a good axe take from trees in felling. 
 Something attracted my close attention to the stump, which 
 I found to be of stone. On dismounting and picking up the 
 chips, I found that they also were stone. This tree had 
 undoubtedly been cut down by a white man, probably since 
 the exodus of the Mormons. The petrifaction of the stump 
 is easily accounted for ; but how account for the conversion 
 to stone of the scattered chips, lying on the dry, hard sur- 
 face of the ground away from moisture ? " 
 
 There are large districts comprised within the plains, which
 
 SALT SPKINGS. 31 
 
 are in reality vast beds of gypsum covered with a deposit of 
 soil or detritus. The drainage of these regions disappears 
 beneath the surface and makes tunnels through the gypsum, 
 discharging itself into the rivers, not by ravines or other 
 channels, but beneath the surface of the ground, through 
 caves and openings in the face of the high banks. 
 
 The tributaries of the Cimarron River on both sides of its 
 course have ploughed out for themselves deep channels 
 through a deposit of this substance of immense thickness. 
 There, according to Colonel Dodge, may be found specimens 
 of selenite as transparent as glass, and fair samples of 
 alabaster. 
 
 Along the course of the Cimarron River, for a distance of 
 about forty miles, lies a great salt plain. For an equal dis- 
 tance the bed of the river is composed of loose sands, eight 
 hundred or nine hundred yards in width, and frequently so 
 soft as to form quicksands. Attracted by the. saline particles, 
 the buffaloes used to flock thither and greedily lick the sand. 
 There are salt springs near Buffalo Creek, which discharge 
 water so highly impregnated with salt as to be almost pure 
 brine. Hundreds of acres are laid with a stratum of pure 
 crystallized rock salt, as good in quality as any which can 
 be prepared by man. 
 
 Other regions are covered for many miles with alkali. 
 Such is the Bitter Creek country west of the North Platte 
 in the direction of Green River. For miles not a particle 
 of verdure, excepting here and there the artemisia, relieves 
 the utterly sterile desert. The earth is covered by the 
 whitish deposit, and presents an expanse so dreary and 
 monotonous that the eye of the traveller aches with its 
 uniformity. Well would it be for him if it ached from no 
 other cause. The dry, porous efflorescence is blown before 
 the wind, and finds its way into the mouth, nose, eyes,
 
 32 WATERLESS DE8BRTS. 
 
 throat, and produces intense suffering if the unfortunate 
 wayfarer continues long exposed to its influence. The eyes 
 become irritated by the strong glare, then inflamed, blood- 
 shot, and drip with tears; the skin dries up, cracks, and 
 peels off; the tongue becomes swollen and feels too thick 
 for the mouth, and blood oozes through fissures in the lips. 
 
 If the wretched traveller should get lost, or "turned 
 round," as the phrase is, in one of these horrible deserts, his 
 fate is sealed. Water, his first want, he will not find ; or 
 if he should come upon a spring, it is so impregnated with 
 alkali as to be devoid of the power to quench thirst; it 
 irritates the alimentary canal, and inflames the bowels. 
 Death soon relieves the sufferer ; and his whitening bones, 
 polished by wolves and vultures, serve to show those whose 
 ill-fortune has also brought them to these repulsive regions, 
 that they would do well to haste away lest the same fate 
 should befall them. 
 
 There is another of these deserts near the Upper Red 
 River, but not quite so dangerous to cross as that between 
 the North Platte and Green River. 
 
 I have said that the rivers which rise in the mountains, 
 or at the junction of the several plains with each other, cut 
 deep channels for themselves as they flow eastward. Look 
 ing over these plains, no great object breaks the uniform 
 level. Colonel Dodge, describing these plains and rivers, 
 
 "Away from the vicinity of the junction of the plains, 
 we appear to be surrounded on all sides by a boundless 
 expanse of dead level. This appearance is due to the fact 
 that in looking at it the eye catches only the higher lines of 
 the upper surface of a plain which was originally almost a 
 dead level. 
 
 " I have already said that the inclination of all the plains
 
 RIVER COURSES. 35 
 
 is from the mountains. How decided this inclination must 
 have been at first is proved by the peculiarity of the streams. 
 The larger rivers the Platte, the Arkansas, and the Cana- 
 dian taking their rise in the mountains, were already pour- 
 ing their waters towards the ocean in tortuous channels, 
 scarcely yet worn through the new upheaval. They kept a 
 general course down the inclination; the Arkansas alone 
 swerved from its direct course by a mass of hilly country 
 (which will, I think, be found referable to the second plain). 
 The first rains which fell upon the newly-raised lands had 
 to make channels for themselves. They naturally sought 
 the greatest inclination. It was from the mountains. 
 
 " An examination of a good map will show how completely 
 the streams appear to ignore each other, and how each in- 
 dependently takes its own course towards the sea. Rain 
 which falls within four hundred yards of the Arkansas runs 
 into Pawnee Fork, keeping nearly parallel to the larger 
 stream for two hundred miles before finally uniting with it. 
 
 The streams which take their rise in the mountains cut 
 
 their way through the second plain in canons more or less 
 wide and deep, depending on the nature of the material en- 
 countered. The South Platte (at first deflected from its 
 natural course, and sent to the northward by the immense 
 mass of debris washed from the mountains and deposited in 
 the sea as a bar) gets through with difficulty, but cutting no 
 very remarkable canon the materials through which it 
 makes its way being of such a nature as to be rapidly 
 rounded into hills and easily worn away into slopes. The 
 Arkansas cuts through the same ' bar,' but encounters from 
 the second plain a more rigid resistance than the Platte, and 
 it gets a long way from the mountains before fairly out of 
 canon." 
 
 It is, however, the tributaries of this last named river
 
 36 THE ARKANSAS. 
 
 that present us with the most striking examples of canon ; 
 and perhaps the finest are those upon the Purgatory (the 
 "Purgatoire" of the old voyageurs, and " Pickatwaire " of 
 the " mountain men "). For more than fifty miles the deeply 
 excavated bed of this river lies beneath perpendicular cliffs 
 of red sandstone, sometimes receding and again approaching 
 to within a few hundred yards of each other, and varying in 
 height from eight hundred to one thousand feet. 
 
 There are, of course, elsewhere upon the continent much 
 profounder chasms than these, notably those on the upper 
 waters of the Peace River in British America, which are 
 often from four thousand to six thousand feet in perpen- 
 dicular height. Such also are the famous canons of the 
 Colorado. The Cimarron River also flows for many miles 
 at the bottom of the most tremendous canons east of the 
 mountains, cut through the thickness or altitude of both the 
 first and second plains. 
 
 It will readily be seen how difficult these great clefts in 
 the plains render travel through these regions, when the 
 track of the hunter or explorer leads him at right angles to 
 their course. But this difficulty is not much lessened even 
 when some of these rivers have at length emerged from their 
 stony barriers and flow through sandy plains. 
 
 To quote again from Colonel Dodge : " In April, the 
 Arkansas at Fort Dodge is a sandy bed, a fourth of a mile 
 in width, and with possibly an average of three or four 
 inches of water. In June, when the mountains send forth 
 their floods of melted snow, the river swells, the current 
 increases in power and washes out long channels in the 
 sandy bed. When the banks show a rise of two feet, the 
 waters cut channels in the sand, five or six feet deep, and 
 covering probably a full third of the distance from bank to 
 bank. At these times the current may be said to be a huge
 
 SHIFTING CURRENTS. 39 
 
 wave of sand, surging, rolling, turning, and shifting with 
 incessant activity. Where there is six feet of water in the 
 morning, there may be by noon a bar with but an inch. By 
 night the bar may be gone, and a deep channel in its place. 
 These channels are from ten to thirty feet wide, with gener- 
 ally perpendicular sides. Some force will set a current in 
 a particular direction across a bar. In a few moments a 
 channel from three to six feet deep is cut, through which 
 the water pours as in a mill-race. A shift or change above 
 diverts the current to some other direction, and in almost as 
 few moments the recent channel is filled up to within a few 
 inches of the surface of the water. As the currents by turn 
 set in almost every conceivable direction with reference to the 
 general course of the stream, so the channels may be parallel, 
 oblique, or even perpendicular to that general course. Even 
 leaving out of consideration the danger of quicksands, it can 
 readily be seen that the crossing of such a stream is no 
 child's play. A good place of entrance being found, the 
 horse and rider, stripped of every superfluous article, wade 
 in. For a few paces the horse steps along in water but a 
 couple of inches in depth. Without a moment's notice or 
 preparatory deepening his fore feet go down under him, and 
 he plunges head first into swimming water with a tremen- 
 dous current. He has hardly recovered the shock and struck 
 out fairly in swimming before his chest strikes a wall of 
 sand, on which, after many struggles and plunges, he finally 
 succeeds in obtaining a footing. Again he walks in shallow 
 water, again to be plunged suddenly into a treacherous 
 channel, again to scramble, plunge, and strain to get out of 
 it. Imagine this done over and over again for twenty or 
 thirty times, and with an infinity of variations, and an idea 
 can be formed of the crossing of a plains-river in high water. 
 All the streams which come from the mountains are the
 
 40 RIVER BOTTOMS. 
 
 same in this peculiarity." Thousands of buffaloes, as well 
 as many men and horses, have been engulfed in the treacher- 
 ous sands of these rivers. 
 
 The plains as a rule are destitute of trees. Sometimes in 
 canons where some soil has collected, or where the " bottom " 
 is sufficiently wide and free from inundation, there are 
 groves of cotton-wood and poplar, small pines and cedars. 
 In the larger bottoms there are often fine growths of well- 
 grown trees, hackberries, elms, interspersed with many kinds 
 of shrubs interlaced with vines and variegated with flowers. 
 It is remarkable that these groves are found only in the 
 narrower portions of the river channels. As these widen out, 
 the trees gradually disappear ; and when at length the river 
 reaches the lowest or third plain, neither tree nor shrub 
 breaks the oppressive uniformity of the expanse. The 
 smaller tributaries of the larger rivers run beneath a luxu- 
 riant foliage of many kinds of trees : fragrance loads the air 
 from millions of sweet-smelling flowers ; birds enliven the 
 scene and make the groves vocal with their songs ; and bees 
 buzz busily to and fro collecting their winter store. From 
 such scenes of beauty these streams issue into the gloomy 
 sterile canons of the great rivers, where nothing breaks the 
 silence except the hoarse roar of the ceaseless war which 
 water wages with rock and boulder, and where nothing of 
 beauty meets the eye ; which, indeed, on all sides meets 
 with objects of terror. 
 
 The grass on the high plains is short ; in the river bot- 
 toms, however, in suitable places, it is long and rank ; and 
 here it is that the most terrible fires take place, when by 
 accident or by Indian treachery the dry or withered herbage 
 is set alight. The flames spread with electric rapidity ; and 
 swift must be the flight of the hunter if he effects his escape. 
 
 A most singular phenomenon of the plains is the sand-
 
 SAND-HILLS AND STREAMS. 43 
 
 hills. In "The Hunting Grounds of the Great West" they 
 are well described : " Commencing sometimes high up on 
 the second plain, the sand is arranged or disposed in what 
 may be termed sand-streams. The ground covered varies 
 in width from a few yards to thirty or more miles. Some- 
 times the sand is piled in oval or conical hills from ten to 
 two hundred feet in height ; at other times it seems to cover 
 the ground to a greater or less depth in an almost level 
 mass. These sand-streams pursue an almost unbroken 
 course in a general easterly direction; sometimes, but not 
 invariably, following the course of the larger water-courses. 
 The edges or boundary of the sand are clear cut and well 
 defined ; a remarkable fact, since the sand is so light as to 
 be the sport of every wind. It is in colour from bright 
 yellow to pure white, and the particles of fine sand are so 
 very minute that a handful thrown in the air disappears 
 entirely. 
 
 " One of these sand-streams takes its rise in the high land 
 known as the Divide, keeps an easterly course parallel to 
 a tributary of Big Sandy called Rush Creek, crosses the 
 Big Sandy, and makes a sharp bend to the south, following 
 the direction of the Big Sandy to its junction with the 
 Arkansas. It then crosses the Arkansas, and is joined on 
 its south bank by another similar but smaller sand-stream, 
 which, taking its rise in the high table-land between the 
 Purgatory and Arkansas rivers, follows the general course 
 of the latter stream." 
 
 The sand takes all kinds of forms. Sometimes it rises 
 over the bed of a stream in bluffs two hundred feet in 
 height ; at others it assumes the smooth outlines of cones, 
 domes, and long undulations, which, when formed of white 
 sand, present the aspect of a range of snow-covered hills. 
 The outlines of the sand-covered area do not change, aU
 
 44 THE GOPHEk. 
 
 though every wind makes endless alterations in the shapes 
 of knolls, domes, ridges, etc., within these limits. 
 
 One of the sand-streams probably amongst the largest on 
 the continent starts in the south-western portion of the 
 territory of New Mexico, and trending in a south-easterly 
 direction, crosses the United States boundary into the 
 Mexican State of Chihuahua, keeping parallel to the Rio 
 Grande, and at a distance from that river of from fifty to 
 seventy-five miles. This great stream has a length of more 
 than one hundred miles, and a general width of from twelve 
 to fourteen. There is, however, a region occupied on the 
 Arkansas by sand-hills some three hundred miles in length. 
 In these sand-deserts there lives a pretty little animal, the 
 gopher (which name is given on the high plains to a small 
 striped squirrel, and on the southern plains to a pouched rat). 
 The burrows which this creature excavates render travelling 
 through his settlements more difficult and dangerous than 
 even the " houses " of the well-known prairie-dog in other 
 districts. These latter can be seen and avoided with com- 
 parative ease. The burrows of the gopher are not so readily 
 visible ; and when urging his horse at speed through them 
 in pursuit of buffalo or antelope, the hunter will be for- 
 tunate if he escapes breaking his neck. 
 
 As may be supposed, on the open plains the winter is 
 very severe. It is stated by Colonel Dodge that in two 
 years at least one hundred buffalo-hunters perished from cold 
 in a district within one hundred miles of the Arkansas. In 
 1872, the same gentleman states that at Fort Dodge, where 
 he was in command, at least seventy capital amputations 
 were performed by the post surgeon on buffalo-hunters and 
 railway employes. He is of opinion that in that locality two 
 hundred men lost hands or feet or parts of them. These 
 very cold seasons are, however, fortunately exceptional, and
 
 SUDDEN FLOODS. 45 
 
 great storms usually give warning sufficient to any person 
 accustomed to the climatic phenomena of these regions to 
 enable him to betake himself in time to shelter more or less 
 effectual. 
 
 Sudden floods form another feature in the dangers of 
 plains-travel. A river channel may be as dry as the sands 
 of the Sahara, when suddenly, without any previous warning, 
 a raging flood will surge along, ten to twenty feet in depth, 
 bearing on its tumultuous crest logs, forest trees, or what- 
 ever other jetsam or flotsam it encounters in its mad career. 
 Travellers have often been engulfed by these sudden floods 
 when camping in fancied security in their channels or by 
 their banks. Many interesting particulars of hairbreadth 
 escapes from destruction by these floods could be given if 
 space permitted. 
 
 In the great sand-deserts the traveller is exposed to other 
 dangers. The sands are loose and light, and under the im- 
 pulse of storms or whirlwinds are raised in enormous clouds, 
 which sweep across the thirsty plain, enveloping horse and 
 man in their stifling folds. Sometimes under the influence 
 of whirlwinds the sands are caught up into the semblance of 
 vast towers, which wander in an uncertain course across the 
 waste, appearing endued with life, as though the demons of 
 the desert, if the superstition of the traveller yields to the 
 fancy, impelled them onwards to surround and smother him 
 in their fierce contortions. 
 
 The monotonous and vast expanse of the wild plains and 
 high table-lands exposes the hunter or traveller to a calamity 
 which is perhaps that most dreaded of all the risks incidental 
 to these countries. This is the danger of being lost. Let 
 the individual but once forget the direction of his return, or 
 even doubt it unless he keeps himself cool and uses his 
 judgment, all is over with him. In nine cases out of ten he.
 
 46 DANGERS OP BEING LOST. 
 
 will take the wrong direction ; or perhaps worse still, walk in 
 a circle of several miles' radius. Under these circumstances 
 the individual lost has frequently been bereft of his reason, 
 and on being discovered by a searching party or by chance 
 passers-by, has actually often been known to fly from them 
 like a wild beast ; or, if caught, to struggle for escape with 
 frantic energy. 
 
 Space does not allow of a full detail of all the physical 
 characteristics of these extensive regions and their peculiar 
 dangers. I prefer to notice the more salient features of the 
 country west of the Rio Grande, and southwards as we 
 advance upon our journey ; and I have prefixed to the 
 narrative the foregoing description of a portion of the wild 
 West, with the view of showing the reader the reality of 
 the dangers, hardships, and difficulties which are inseparable 
 from travel in these wild territories.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 VALLEY OF THE RIO. GRANDE MEXICAN ARCHITECTURE FIELD FOR VINE CUL- 
 TURE INDIAN SCABE TAKE THE TRAIL LA TENAJA OUTFIT RUBE 
 INDIAN "SIGN" NIGHT-WATCH DAWN MIRAGE HOW TO PACK A MULE 
 ANTELOPE COOKE'S CANON APACHES THE FIGHT IN THE PASS RETREAT 
 OF THE SAVAGES RIO MIMBRES TROUT STRANGE ROCK FORMATIONS OJO 
 CALIENTE APACHES AGAIN THE SKIRMISH SPRING IN THE DESERT BEAR 
 "SIGN" THE HUNT DEATH OF THE BEAR RUBE'S EXTRAORDINARY AD- 
 VENTURE IN THE DESERT THE BURRO MOUNTAINS MADRE PLATEAU WILL 
 AND THE BEAR SOLDIER'S FAREWELL. 
 
 THE fine valley of the Grande from Albuquerque to Fort 
 Craig, a distance of one hundred and fifteen miles, is thickly 
 peopled ; and on both sides are numerous villages of Pueblo 
 Indians, who may be considered as civilized in comparison 
 with their wild brethren of the plains and mountains. There 
 are also along this portion of the river many small towns, 
 inhabited chiefly by Mexicans. Isleta is perhaps the largest 
 Pueblo town on the river ; and in its vicinity are extensive 
 vineyards, which are cultivated by the Indians. The pre- 
 vailing system of architecture, if it can be dignified by the 
 term, is Mexican in type ; the houses are built of adobe, or 
 sun-dried bricks, and many are of two stories. They are 
 not entered directly from the street, but from an inner court, 
 which is not general in the Pueblo towns of the valley ; and all, 
 or nearly all, seem to be inhabited by more than one family. 
 The acequias, or little canals for irrigating the gardens, are here 
 well cared for; and there is a general air of comfort about tho 
 place and the people, which speaks well for their character.
 
 48 NEW MEXICAN HOUSES. 
 
 The soil along the Rio Grande is for the most part sandy 
 and friable, and is therefore easily acted upon by the current 
 of the river, which frequently changes its channel, thus 
 destroying much valuable property, and sweeping away in 
 a very short time the results of the labour of years. Corn- 
 fields, canals, and villages are often demolished ; and many 
 an industrious villager sees the produce of his labour melting 
 before his eyes, and perhaps transferred piecemeal to his 
 neighbour. 
 
 The houses of the poorest of the Mexicans are scrupulously 
 clean and tidy, and, when the owners are in somewhat better 
 circumstances, often betoken a considerable amount of taste 
 in their interior arrangements and embellishments. The 
 " parlour " is carpeted with the fleeces of lambs, as white 
 as the snows of the Sierras ; the banquettes or ottomans sur- 
 rounding the apartment are covered with spotlessly white 
 cotton cloths, or with Mexican blankets gaily striped, but 
 scrupulously clean. The ceilings are formed into pretty 
 patterns with laths of a kind of cane or bamboo, which pro- 
 duces a very neat and striking effect. The people are gener- 
 ally good-natured and civil, and if the traveller puts up at 
 their houses, he will be made to feel at his ease ; although his 
 fare, owing to the simplicity of his hosts, will most likely 
 consist of a constant repetition of greasy messes of sun-dried 
 meat, tortillas or thin cakes of Indian corn meal, tough 
 and insipid as sheets of felt, with perhaps red peppers (chile 
 Colorado), beans, and ill-cooked mutton. 
 
 The valley of the Rio Grande offers a splendid field for 
 the enterprise of the wine-growers. There is everywhere 
 throughout the United States a great demand for good wine 
 of any kind, and here the soil and climate seem expressly 
 suited by nature for its production. The grapes are large 
 and of delicious flavour, and, owing to the amount of sugar
 
 INDIAN RAIDS. 49 
 
 in them, they yield a very full-bodied, rich wine, which 
 matures by age into a very superior quality. Perhaps the 
 best portion of the valley for the cultivation of the grape is 
 from Algadones to El Paso, a distance of two hundred miles, 
 and containing probably a thousand square miles, or about 
 six hundred and forty thousand acres. The climate is per- 
 fect, and there are few regions where life could be so 
 pleasantly passed as in this valley ; while there is conveyed 
 to a northern mind an idea rather of romance than labour, 
 in the prospect of growing rich by the cultivation of one's 
 own vineyard. 
 
 But while Nature had done so much to make this region 
 attractive, man had well-nigh rendered it uninhabitable. 
 Nature preached peace and good-will ; but the fierce Navajo 
 and Apache from the west, and the no less dreaded Co- 
 manche from the east, carried terror and desolation through 
 large districts in the valley. Many villages were deserted, 
 the water-courses became dried up, and the fruitful corn- 
 fields returned to their original condition ; the lizard, the 
 coyote, and the rattlesnake again assumed possession ; and 
 what had been a scene of peace and prosperity, through 
 human depravity had reverted to a wilderness. I myself 
 was soon to act a part in some of the sanguinary tragedies 
 which were at that time of almost daily occurrence. 
 
 There had rarely been such an " Indian scare " in the 
 south-west. The Apaches, Navajoes, Nijoras, Yabipias, and 
 other tribes, had dug up the hatchet, and their war-parties 
 rendered travel in the south-west of New Mexico and 
 in Arizona a luxury to be indulged in only at the immi- 
 nent risk of sudden death. Most fortunate, indeed, would 
 be the lot of the traveller who fell into the hands of these 
 merciless wretches if they at once put him to death. But 
 710 one could flatter himself with this expectation. To inflict- 
 
 (814) 4
 
 50 APACHES. 
 
 upon their victims the utmost degree of torture of which the 
 human frame is susceptible is to these savages so refined a 
 pleasure, that any one falling into their power could expect 
 nothing else than death at the stake, with all the additions 
 which a fiendish ingenuity could suggest. 
 
 From all sides came reports of fresh atrocities. The stage 
 route from the Rio Grande to Ralston in Arizona had been 
 beset by the savages, and along that melancholy track were 
 scattered the graves of eleven hundred of their victims. 
 The settlers in the threatened districts were in hourly dread 
 of attack ; and in the rustle of the wind or the howl of the 
 coyote their excited fancy heard the stealthy approach or 
 the ferocious war-whoops of their enemies. 
 
 I had for some years been anxious to make a journey 
 through south-western New Mexico and Arizona ; and in pur- 
 suance of this intention, in company with a friend I found 
 myself, after weeks of travel and many adventures, on the 
 Rio Grande del Norte, en route for the hunting-grounds of 
 the playful Apaches, who were said " to have blood in their 
 eyes " at sight of a white man. It was a foolhardy expedi- 
 tion, and I marvel that we ever returned with our hair 
 intact to tell the tale of our adventures. 
 
 I ask you, gentle reader, to deal leniently with us for the 
 many homicides of which we were guilty. I know you have 
 a partiality for the " noble red man," and regard him as a 
 romantic character ; a little eccentric, perhaps, in his dealings 
 with the " Palefaces " occasionally, but still a fine stage 
 hero, redolent of the prairie and the forest. I merely recount 
 my experiences to amuse you. Let " Scribitur ad narran- 
 dum, non ad probandum," be the motto of this book. 
 
 We had been camped on the Grande for some days, and 
 during our stay we were objects of considerable interest to 
 our neighbours, who often came over to see the " burros"
 
 START FROM THK GRANDK. 51 
 
 (jackasses) that meant to traverse the Indian country when 
 it was overrun with war parties thirsting for white scalps. 
 We made light of the representations of these good people ; 
 and if we felt internally any misgivings as to the prudence 
 of our undertaking, we did not allow it to appear. We were 
 especially warned to look out for our " hair " when passing 
 through Cooke's Canon, which seemed a particularly favour- 
 ite spot with the savages in which to waylay their victims ; 
 and gaily wishing our visitors adios amigos, we "saddled 
 up " and left the peaceful valley of the Rio Grande behind us. 
 
 Our course shortly lay through the Canada de Sta. Bar- 
 bara, in the midst of a rough, undulating country gradually 
 rising towards the west into a range of mountains. A nine- 
 mile ride brought us to a place called La Tenaja, or the 
 Water-jar, where we were rejoiced to see a spring trickling 
 down a ridge of rocks, forming, with its parent source, three 
 wells of pure cold water. In the rainy season, most pro- 
 bably, there is here a picturesque cascade, but at the time 
 of our visit there was very little water falling into the 
 basins. 
 
 While watering our mules, we were joined by a very 
 original character. He seemed half-trader, half-trapper ; 
 and having heard that we were going south-west, in which 
 direction he also wished to proceed, he gladly availed himself 
 of whatever protection our rifles, in addition to his own, 
 would afford. 
 
 During our halt at La Tenaja, the reader must allow me 
 to present to his notice my travelling companion, myself, and 
 our outfit generally. I was really most fortunate in having 
 as comrade so thoroughly " good a fellow " as Will Scott ; for 
 that was my friend's name. A keen hunter, an ardent lover 
 of Nature, he was, I may almost say in consequence, a true 
 and sterling friend. He was called, "for short," " the Kid,"-
 
 52 "THE KIDLING." 
 
 or " the Kidling," to which name he answered witli great 
 good humour ; and although of so pacific a designation, he 
 was, when occasion required, a lion in the tight. If Will 
 said a thing, he meant it ; and although not in the least 
 obstinate in defending his own opinion when he had formed 
 a determination, he might be depended upon for carrying it 
 out. He was a first-rate shot with either gun or rifle ; and 
 when he " drew a bead " on bear, antelope, or deer, the crack 
 of his rifle was its death-knelL 
 
 As I may be accused of partiality in my description of 
 myself, I will only say that I have always been more remark- 
 able for a love of Nature (and the wilder the better^ than 
 for any other quality, and was distinguished by a correspond- 
 ing inclination for travel and adventure. Many a trip Will 
 and I have made, and some strange things have we seen ; 
 but I think we came nearer to our end on this journey than 
 we had ever previously done ; and if others wish to know 
 " how near," they had better go over the same ground when 
 next the noble red man is on the war-path. 
 
 Our outfit was sufficiently simple. We each had a good 
 riding mule, and we had an old horse, not of much use for 
 anything else, on which we packed the various articles of 
 our equipage. For personal outfit, we wore Kentucky jean 
 pantaloons ; high horse-hide boots, into which the ends of the 
 trowsers were tucked ; stout knitted woollen shirts ; and on 
 our heads we wore Mexican sombreros, heavily ornamented 
 with gold twist. As this may savour of foppery, I will 
 state that we won these hats at a shooting match at Albu- 
 querque on the Rio Grande. 
 
 For armament, we each had a fourteen-shot magazine 
 rifle, Winchester's best make ; at our hips hung on one side 
 heavy " Colt " pistols, flanked on the other side by useful 
 broad-bladed butcher-knives in cow-hide sheaths. We had
 
 OUR EQUIPMENT. 53 
 
 a plentiful supply of bullets, primers, and powder for re- 
 loading our cartridge shells. As we did not know how long 
 our journey might be, our baggage was largely composed of 
 ammunition. Indeed, there was little else except sun-dried 
 beef, coffee, salt, and pepper, and some civilized clothes for 
 occasional town wear. For great occasions we had a few 
 tins of preserved vegetables ; and carefully wrapped in many 
 a soft flannel fold was hidden away a demijohn of brandy. 
 This was, however, only used as medicine, or at intervals to 
 " correct " the indifferent water we had to drink at the half- 
 dried springs in the deserts. 
 
 Our companion was equipped pretty much as we were 
 ourselves. He had two mules one to ride, and the other, 
 an old grizzled " macho," to carry his " plunder." As he 
 rode, he presented an amusing spectacle, poking forward in 
 the saddle, his knees tucked high up against the mule's 
 shoulders, owing to the shortness of his stirrups. With 
 one hand he led the macho (which frequently would take 
 a playful mouthful of his neighbour's flank between his 
 teeth, occasioning a breach of the peace, and giving rise 
 thereby to much strong language on the part of the trapper) ; 
 in the other hand he held a heavy, ill-balanced Spencer 
 six-shot carbine with which, however, the old fellow was 
 " thar " when he fastened his aim on enemy or game. 
 
 Just before leaving the water-holes, the trapper (whose 
 name, by the way, was the same as that of a once well- 
 known mountaineer, " Reuben Herring," or " Rube," as he 
 was called for convenience) pointed out close by the water, 
 where the damp ground received the impressions, some 
 " sign " that he did not like. Will and I both examined it 
 carefully, and the more we looked at it the less we liked it. 
 We had little doubt that a party of Indians had been water- 
 ing their ponies at the spring. This was soon declared a
 
 54 INDIAN "SIGX." 
 
 certainty by Rube, who discovered among the rocks by the 
 middle basin an old moccasin, which he stated to be of 
 Apache manufacture. This gave a certain zest to our posi- 
 tion. We wondered where they were and how long they 
 had been gone. Our friend Rube did not know precisely, 
 but " guessed " they had not got further than " Cooke's 
 Canon ;" "and I sorter conclude we'll scare 'em up thar 
 strangers." We began to take an interest in our further 
 proceedings. It was possible that the Apaches had scouts 
 out who had learned our approach, and thus put the whole 
 party in this quarter on. the qui vive for our arrival. Ten 
 miles further 011 were the mountains, where, at a place called 
 " Mule Spring," we would have to camp. We re-com- 
 menced our march, keeping our eyes well about us ; and 
 several times during that ride my heart "jumped into my 
 mouth " as the wind whirled up a cloud of dust in the dis- 
 tance, which to my awakened apprehensions seemed the sud- 
 den charge of Indians over a swell or ridge. 
 
 The mountains grew gradually nearer, and we scanned 
 their outlines with suspicious eyes. But happily no sign 
 of an enemy was visible. We halted by the spring, which 
 at this time, however, was dry on the surface ; and having 
 unpacked the mules, we hoppled them and turned them 
 loose to graze. The poor creatures were half mad with 
 thirst, and crowded about us, interfering with our labours 
 in clearing out the bed of the spring, where, after a little 
 digging, we found a good supply of water. With great 
 difficulty we managed to give each of the animals a drink ; 
 and we next proceeded to look after our own wants. In a 
 sheltered nook we made a small tire, and by piling the packs 
 round it we circumscribed the area in which it \vas visible ; 
 pannikins of hot, strong coffee were soon ready, and with 
 tousrh tortillas and drv beef we soon took the edsre off our
 
 NIGHT WATCH. 55 
 
 appetites. During the ride we had no opportunity of shoot- 
 ing game, though several times we were tantalized with the 
 sight of small herds of graceful antelopes bounding fleetly 
 from our approach. We agreed to take our watches alter- 
 nately during the night; and I undertook the last, which, 
 being just before daybreak, is the most dangerous, as Indians 
 select that hour for attack. " Old Rube," as Will and I 
 called him, took the first watch ; and as we saw him drag his 
 lanky figure cautiously away from the fire-light to take up 
 his station as a vidette a little outside the camp, we both 
 bestowed ourselves in the softest places we could find, and 
 wrapped in our bufl'alo robes tried to get some sleep. It 
 was in vain, however, that I tried one by one all the usual 
 recipes for inducing slumber. My mind was on the stretch, 
 and visions of prowling Apaches intruded unpleasantly upon 
 my thoughts. The stamp of the mules, an occasional snort, 
 the weird whistle of the intermittent breeze among the rocks 
 and fissures, or the distant, long-drawn howl of the coyote, 
 successively combated my efforts, and it was not until Rube 
 was relieved by Will that I fell into an uneasy doze. I 
 must have been sound asleep, however, for some time, as it 
 seemed but a few minutes after Will had mounted guard 
 when he awoke me. I rose immediately and crept softly 
 out. The fire had burned to a small heap of dull cinders, 
 and was quite invisible when I got outside the breastwork 
 of packs. I stood close to a large dark rock which rose 
 to a considerable height within fifty yards of the camp, and 
 looked with all my powers of scrutiny round the neighbour- 
 hood. The moon was falling towards the western horizon, 
 casting vast and vague shadows in the direction from which 
 we had come ; a silence almost appalling in its intensity 
 prevailed, not broken even by the usual noises o.f night in 
 these desert places. In this deep stillness the straining ear
 
 56 THE MIRAGE. 
 
 often plays strange tricks with the imagination ; noises 
 which have no real existence are counterfeited, and the 
 listener starts as if at an alarm, and with throbbing heart 
 awaits a repetition of the phantom sound. Several times 
 during my vigil I thought I could detect the stealthy tread 
 of moccasined feet ; and uncertain of its whereabouts I 
 listened with inconceivable intentness, holding my rifle 
 cocked and ready. The mules, gathered about the old horse, 
 howevei-, stood resting, scarce moving an ear ; and this I 
 knew to be a sure sign that no enemy prowled about. There 
 is no animal so watchful as a mule ; and long before the 
 traveller, with all his boasted acuteness of ear, can detect 
 the approach of any one, the mule will announce the fact. 
 
 The period of my solitary vigil passed slowly by. In the 
 distance a coyote set up a howl, and the hideous wail was 
 taken up far and neai*. Day was breaking in the east ; and 
 seeing the sky becoming tinged with light, I awoke my com- 
 panions. While cooking our breakfast the sun arose, and 
 poured his level beams over the arid-looking country, which, 
 under their influence, seemed transformed in a most extraor- 
 dinary manner. An exclamation from Will first drew my 
 attention to the wonderful phenomenon which was now pre- 
 sented to our observation. We knew the neighbourhood 
 was a high barren waste, broken by ridge and rock into a 
 wild semi-mountainous plateau, the general apparent level 
 being preserved, except in the direction in which stood the 
 Sierras, whose summits returned the brilliant glare of the 
 sun. But these now were of gigantic proportions, and 
 seemed to reach to the zenith ; here and there they appeared 
 to be cut asunder, sometimes vertically, at others horizon- 
 tally. At some distance we perceived what we took to be 
 a herd of giraffes stalking along in the stately manner 
 peculiar to these animals ; and behind them rose a forest of
 
 HOW TO PACK A MULE. 57 
 
 colossal trees, their outlines being mirrored in the placid sur- 
 face of a sparkling lake, which lay immediately in front. 
 Into this the giraffes waded ; and, to our astonishment, their 
 shadows, the waves and the apray apparently kicked up by 
 them, which glistened brightly as it fell, were all faithfully 
 pictured ! We knew it was the illusion of the mirage ; but 
 so real did it all appear that it required an effort to doubt 
 the evidence of our senses. The " giraffes " were represented 
 by our mules, which were browsing by the edge of some 
 scrubby mesqiiit bushes ; and these had been transformed 
 into the glorious tropical forest, which, as the sun ascended 
 the heavens, slowly faded away. 
 
 The extreme dryness and elasticity of the air in these 
 upland regions occasions these deceitful representations. 
 On the plains east of the Rocky Mountains the mirage is 
 often seen ; but it is in the more elevated regions of New 
 Mexico and Arizona, particularly on the great Madre pla- 
 teau, that it attains perfection. 
 
 When the fairy scene had vanished, we set about catching 
 and packing the mules ; and as this operation requires some 
 care and trouble, I will describe the process. The chief 
 requisite of the mula de carga, or pack mule, is a square pad 
 of stuffed leather called an aparejo, and, roughly speaking, 
 it resembles a book placed " astride " of any object. On the 
 mule's back is first placed a salea, or a hand-softened raw 
 sheepskin; this forms a pad, on which is next placed the 
 xerga, or saddle-cloth. The aparejo is now put on, and 
 fastened by a broad girth, sometimes made of a kind of 
 grass, which is pulled so tight that the unfortunate animal 
 seems almost cut in two, and under this girthing process 
 groans and grunts in such a manner as to give rise to the 
 impression that the operation is very painful. This, how- 
 ever, is not necessarily the case ; and it is on the tightness
 
 58 MEXICAN MULETEERS. 
 
 of this chinchiny that the comfort of both the mule and its 
 master afterwards depends. The more firmly the aparejo is 
 secured, the less chance the mule will have of chafed sides 
 or galled back ; and the master will be spared those ebulli- 
 tions of temper which the best of us is subject to, if only 
 the requisite amount of exasperation is applied. The packs, 
 or carga, are now placed on the aparejo, the weight being 
 equally divided between both sides, and well fastened 
 together with a rope. The whole are then bound together 
 firmly with a strong pack-rope, secured under the mule's 
 belly ; and over all is thrown a petate, or mat, to protect 
 the carga from rain. When the packing is completed, the 
 topojos, or blinkers, are removed from the mule's eyes, and 
 the animal is ready for the trail. 
 
 The native Mexican is a born muleteer ; and to rise to 
 the distinction of being a mayor domo or capitan of an atajo, 
 or caravan of pack-mules, is the acme of his ambition. 
 These atajos travel on an average some fifteen miles each 
 day. This is the Jornada for mules laden with from two 
 hundred to three hundred pounds of luggage. Sometimes 
 twelve miles, or even less, constitute a day's work. It is 
 amazing to see the rapidity and dexterity with which a 
 band of eight or ten muleteers will pack and unpack a cara- 
 van of perhaps eighty or one hundred mules. When about 
 to start, the lazo of the muleteer circles around his head and 
 secures a mule ; in an instant the topojos is placed over its 
 eyes ; the salea, xerga, and aparejo are put on in a twink- 
 ling, the packs secured and the mule ready, all in three 
 minutes. Similar dexterity is shown at the halt. When 
 the packs are removed, they are arranged in regular order, 
 and are covered with the mats or petates. If rain is feared, 
 a trench is dug round the spot to carry off the water. 
 
 Just as we were about to leave the. spot, I observed a
 
 WILL AND THE ANTELOPES. 59 
 
 small band of antelopes about four hundred yards away. I 
 pointed them out to Will, who immediately started towards 
 them, running from one mesquit bush to another. These 
 dwarfed trees grew plentifully, and offered a convenient 
 shelter. Rube and I stood at the camp holding the mules, 
 anxiously awaiting the issue. At length the game began to 
 show some symptoms of suspicion, although the wind, such 
 as there was, blew from them towards the hunter. Judging 
 that he had got near enough to risk a shot, Will crouched 
 under the brunches of a thick scrubby mesquit, at about one 
 hundred and fifty yards from the antelopes, which now were 
 crowded together, and sniffed the air, some treacherous eddy 
 having carried the taint to their keen nostrils. They did not 
 appear to be quite sure in what direction the danger lay, and 
 in this uncertainty they alternately turned their inquiring 
 noses to each point of the compass. Will now raised his 
 rifle, and at the crack a fat buck sprang into the air and 
 rolled into the midst of the terrified band, which broke and 
 fled in all directions from the spot, uniting again, however, 
 presently, and scouring away with the speed of the wind. 
 Will's buck remained behind, and leaving me to guard the 
 atajo, Rube started off to bring in a share of the "meat." 
 There was little use in taking much with us, as it would not 
 keep. We therefore packed only the choice portions of the 
 animal, leaving the remainder to the wolves, which already, 
 as if by magic, were loping around the spot awaiting our 
 departure to begin their feast upon the carcass. It is 
 extraordinary to the traveller, who on looking around him 
 can see no sign of animal life, suddenly to perceive a number 
 of wolves spi-ing apparently out of the ground at the report 
 of his rifle. There are two or three species of these creatures 
 frequenting the western country namely, the large gray or 
 buffalo wolf, the prairie wolf, and the coyote. The latter is
 
 60 SIZES OF ANTELOPKS. 
 
 often confounded with the prairie wolf, but in fact it is quite 
 distinct. The true coyote is an inhabitant of north-western 
 Texas, some portions of New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico 
 proper. The prairie wolf (canis latrans) inhabits the great 
 plains and prairies east of the Rocky Mountains, and is a 
 larger animal than the coyote. 
 
 We were well pleased with the addition to our supplies 
 furnished by the antelope, which was in prime condition, and 
 must have weighed fully two hundred pounds. There is an 
 unaccountable difference in the size of antelopes. This 
 specimen was a very fine one, but they are frequently shot 
 weighing less than half that is, less than one hundred 
 pounds although to all appearance these Lilliputians are as 
 perfectly formed and as old as their heavier comrades. 
 
 Having secured the meat (which was cut in thin strips so 
 as to dry en route) on our aparejos, we mounted our mules 
 and set out. Our new acquaintance, Rube, was a great 
 acquisition to us. He had a wonderful fund of anecdote 
 illustrative of his many hairbreadth escapes and adventures, 
 and these he never tired of telling round the camp fire when- 
 ever we "drew" him on the subject ; and we found his recitals 
 so amusing that we seldom passed a camp without getting 
 him to retail them for our edification. I preserved some of 
 the more remarkable of them, and they will be found in this 
 little work, related in the style and language of the old 
 trapper. Subsequent events showed us how fortunate we 
 were in falling in with this old fellow, whose experience and 
 whose six-shooter were equally valuable to us. 
 
 From this point Ave had a choice of routes. We could pass 
 the Sierra de los Mimbres either by Cooke's Canon or by 
 another depression to the northward, which was reported 
 practicable for mules. Rube said that it was much longer 
 and more difficult than the more direct way through Cooke's
 
 COOKE'S CANON. 61 
 
 Canon ; but he frankly admitted that the latter route was 
 the more dangerous. After some consultation we decided 
 on risking the canon, although we could not hide from our- 
 selves the extreme risk we ran of being "jumped" by the 
 Apaches while passing through it. I do not know to what 
 it should be attributed, whether to the extraordinary vigour 
 of body imparted by the pure air of these solitudes, or to 
 a recklessness which is produced by the many dangers to 
 which even the most cautious traveller is exposed ; but 
 neither of us thought very much of the probable consequences 
 of passing through this ill-omened gorge, which had during a 
 comparatively short period before the date of our visit seen 
 many a terrible encounter between the skulking Apaches 
 and parties of whites. At this very time the bones of four 
 hundred of these victims to savage hate were strewed along 
 the caiion, appealing to the traveller with mute eloquence to 
 make the best of his way to more secure regions. Near the 
 entrance to the canon is now situated Fort Cummings, a 
 pleasant little stockaded building erected to overawe the 
 savages ; but the latter for some time might more truly be 
 said to have overawed the fort, as the soldiers could not 
 venture away from its protection except in strong parties, 
 and even these moved in constant fear of ambuscades. This 
 famous gorge owes its name to an old gold miner who about 
 the year 1848 discovered the possibility of reaching California 
 by this route. He made two trips and explored the canon, 
 which on his recommendation became the accepted track to 
 the El Dorado of the West. Cooke's ideas of the most direct 
 way to the gold mines must have been rather indefinite. It 
 was soon discovered that this trail was much longer and ran 
 through more sterile regions than was at all necessary, and 
 it gradually fell into disuse. Those who had availed them- 
 selves of it suffered terrible hardships ; and for many, alas ! .
 
 62 IN TIIK CANON. 
 
 it was a road fated to lead to the next world. We were, of 
 course, aware of the terrible interest which hung over this 
 gloomy pass, and as we perceived Cooke's peak towering 
 above the lesser summits of the range our pulses beat 
 quicker, and I at any rate began to think that we might 
 have selected a better route. However, I said nothing, and 
 we shortly drew near the entrance, where the valley narrowed 
 as it became enclosed between the wild-looking mountains. 
 We rode in silence, each seeming to feel the weight of a 
 presentiment of danger. An ominous sign was the freshly 
 made trail of Apache ponies, which Rube declared could not 
 have been made many hours. Here and there we perceived 
 bunches of grass tied up in a particular manner, and all 
 pointing in the same direction. These were, no doubt, signals 
 arranged by the savages to convey some intelligence to their 
 passing parties, but of what nature we could not guess.- 
 These symptoms of the presence of the Apaches deepened 
 our sense of uneasiness. Our eyes were incessantly searching 
 the outlines of the cliffs, or the brush- covered ledges, in 
 expectation of seeing their skulking forms waiting to ambush 
 us ; but they were invisible. Once within the canon, the 
 sandstone walls towering on either side, we felt as if we had 
 voluntarily placed ourselves in a trap from which there was 
 no retreat. High above rose the tremendous cliffs, limiting 
 the light of day ; and in the gloomy pass below, oppressed 
 with a feeling of being buried in the bowels of the earth, we 
 struggled onwards over the rugged track, which here and 
 there was encumbered with huge masses of the crags which 
 had fallen from the summits on either side. Some of these 
 were as large as cathedrals, and we had to turn aside from 
 the direct way in order to avoid them. The sharp ring of 
 the iron-shod feet of the mules echoed from cliff to cliff, and 
 was repeated a hundred times with appalling distinctness.
 
 APACHES. 65 
 
 We feared the noise would reach the ears of enemies on the 
 summit and betray our presence. We frequently passed the 
 skeletons of mules and men who had paid with their lives 
 for their temerity in venturing through this pass, which, I 
 believe, each of us was beginning to regard as little better 
 than the entrance to an Inferno. 
 
 The thread of sky which we could distinguish overhead 
 grew gradually fainter as the height of the cliffs increased, 
 and we could tell from the crimson flush of the heavens that 
 the sun was about setting. We therefore hurried forward in 
 order to clear the canon before darkness fell, as the prospect 
 of passing a night within its terrific jaws, a target perhaps 
 for the rifles of the savages aloft in case of their discovering 
 us, was not to be entertained. 
 
 We had accomplished about half the entire length of the 
 canon that is, about two miles when suddenly an appalling 
 yell rang through the air, reverberating from cliff to cliff. 
 We instantly halted, while our hearts beat wildly. Looking 
 upwards we could discern against the heavens, which still 
 glowed with the reflections of the sunset, the figures of 
 savages standing by the dizzy verge of the abyss ; and at the 
 same instant a vast block of sandstone, detached by them, for 
 a moment seemed to totter on its base and then fell forward. 
 There was a fascination in the spectacle which rooted me to 
 the spot. I felt as if I could not move. With a wild 
 exclamation old Rube seized my mule by the bridle, and 
 wrenching her round, set spurs to his own animal and fled. 
 I heard a roaring sound, as if a mighty wind were rushing 
 through a forest ; and then followed a tremendous shock, 
 which seemed to shake the earth, accompanied by a bright 
 flash that lighted up the gorge, and a terrible reverberation, 
 which was repeated and magnified by the echoes of the 
 canon. Our mules were wild with terror, and flew over the 
 
 (814) 5
 
 66 FLIGHT. 
 
 boulders amid crags and rocks in a perfectly ungovernable 
 panic. Up above we heard the fierce shouts of the savages, 
 whose rifles now began to crack, and the bullets striking the 
 rocks obliquely, whizzed past with a vicious sound. At a 
 place where the canon narrowed, another enormous mass of 
 rock fell close in front of us, causing our mules to rear back 
 with such suddenness that Rube, who was leading, lost his 
 balance and was thrown to the ground. He was on his feet 
 in an instant, however, and while holding his struggling 
 mule by the head, his keen, quick eyes were cast about the 
 spot in search of cover. 
 
 Most fortunately we were brought to a stop at a place 
 where the rocks at one side were hollowed out as if eroded 
 by the action of a torrent, and the cliff beetled forward above 
 this recess, thus offering a secure protection against attacks 
 from overhead. Here we stood crowded together. We 
 ranged the mules one behind the other, and hoppled their 
 legs, in order to secure them against a stampede ; and having 
 placed them as far as possible out of harm's way, we crouched 
 among the huge boulders, which formed a natural breastwork 
 in front of our position. We were in a capital situation for 
 defence, and we listened intently for some indication of the 
 whereabouts of the Apaches, each moment expecting to see 
 them charging up the pass. The silence was unbroken 
 except by the heavy breathing and stamping of the mules, 
 which were " blown " and excited with their quick stampede ; 
 and already the growing twilight of the canon was beginning 
 to render objects vague and undistinguishable at a little 
 distance. An hour passed in this state of uncertainty, and 
 during this time we neither saw nor heard anything of the 
 savages. Will and I grew impatient at the delay. 
 
 " Yer needn't fret," observed Rube; "they'll come. They 
 know they've run us into a nice trap, and you bet they ain't
 
 WAITING FOR THE ENEMY. 67 
 
 a-goin' to let so much plunder slide 'ithout comin' to take it, 
 or leastways a-tryin'." 
 
 We prepared ourselves for the attack by putting every 
 cartridge into the magazines of our rifles they would hold, 
 and loosening the knives and pistols in our belts. It was a 
 terrible position, and we awaited its further developments 
 with a sickening anxiety. This canon is only four miles in 
 length, and from the delay of our enemies we began to suspect 
 that they had divided, and that a party would approach our 
 position from both sides. Night was now casting her sombre 
 shade over the scene, investing every object with a doubtful 
 form, which added to the difficulty of detecting the advance 
 of the savages, whose prowling figures were often counter- 
 feited by rocks or bushea From where we were posted we 
 fortunately were able to command the pass both up and 
 down : Will kept his eye in the latter direction, while Rube 
 and I, with our rifles cocked, passed each dark uncertain 
 object in review, ready to fire. 
 
 " They cannot be coming, Rube," I said at length. " They 
 have now had plenty of time to be here from both ends of 
 the canon ; and as they have not come, I fancy they have 
 gone away." 
 
 " Don't yer go for to think any sich nonsense," replied the 
 trapper. " Them vannints air about us somewheres though 
 we can't see 'em ; they'll show, you may stake high, an' soon 
 enough at that." 
 
 We had not long to wait. While still doubting whether 
 the Apaches were in the canon, I stole quietly out of our 
 retreat, and taking advantage of the cover offered by each 
 rock or boulder, I advanced down the pass, listening every 
 few yards for any sounds which might indicate the approach 
 of the enemy. I was about to venture a little further, when 
 the clink of a piece of shingle struck upon my ear, and'
 
 68 THE ATTACK IN THE CANON. 
 
 peering intently in the direction of the noise, I could just 
 perceive through the darkness several Indians swiftly skulk- 
 ing from rock to rock, and pausing frequently, apparently to 
 discover at what precise point of the pass we were hidden. 
 Stooping to the ground, I bounded back to my companions, 
 but not before I was discovered. A terrific yell told us of 
 the fact, and from both sides of our position arrows and 
 bullets rattled around us. The breastwork of rock which 
 fronted us formed an admirable defence, and the volley pro- 
 duced no effect beyond wounding one of the mules, which 
 kicked and plunged so much as to terrify the others, and we 
 had great difficulty in preventing them from rushing out into 
 the canon. The most frightful war-whoops, echoing and 
 reechoing a thousand times from the lofty walls of the pass, 
 seeming to proceed from the throats of demons thirsting for 
 our destruction, as indeed was actually the case, announced 
 that the crisis was at hand. There appeared to be a con- 
 siderable number of the savages in the pass, but as yet we 
 had not fired a single shot, reserving our cartridges until 
 certain of our aim. 
 
 Indians are easily cowed if their first assault is unsuc- 
 cessful ; and they have a maxim among them very useful to 
 the traveller that " it is better to lose ten enemies than one 
 warrior." We therefore hoped, by keeping our fire until they 
 were close upon us, to kill a considerable number with our 
 repeating rifles before they gained access to our place of 
 refuge. This was indeed our sole hope of escape, as in a 
 hand-to-hand encounter they would outnumber us ten to one. 
 We let them approach nearer and nearer ; when finding no 
 opposition they became bolder, and no longer prowled and 
 skulked among the rocks, but advanced swiftly in a some- 
 what disorderly body. We could dimly see their figures by 
 the faint light reflected downwards from the upper cliffs,
 
 RUBE'S SHOT. 69 
 
 which yet returned the fading gleam of the sky. Letting 
 them come within fifty yards, we began to fire through the 
 interstices of the rocks. Clearly those Indians knew little 
 of the rapidity with which the "Spencer" and "Winchester" 
 could deal death. Our fire was tremendous, and dark as it 
 was we could see many dusky figures lying motionless upon 
 the ground. This gave them a lesson, and they now seemed 
 glad to find cover behind the rocks. The body which had 
 come down the canon having only the fire from Will to con- 
 tend with, had made a lodgment very near our position, and 
 from these we suffered considerable annoyance, as their 
 bullets hissed past our ears and clapped loudly on the rocks 
 close to our heads. 
 
 There now ensued a pause, and we began to fear from this 
 sudden quiet that the savages were concerting a simultaneous 
 rush to force us to a hand-to-hand conflict ; in which case it 
 would be all over with us. Rube crawled on all-fours 
 between the rocks in front to reconnoitre, and we could just 
 see him raise his rifle, and at the same moment a stream of 
 flame shot from the muzzle, while a wild shriek from the 
 canon announced that the shot was not in vain. 
 
 A death-like silence followed. " That was a ventursome 
 varmint," said Rube as he crawled back again to rejoin us ; 
 " but I guess he's rubbed out, and I feels a'most sartain he's 
 one of their big bugs. Load up and be ready for 'em in case 
 they makes a rush ; our only chance is to keep 'em out o' 
 hyar. " 
 
 We strained our senses to ascertain what the savages were 
 about, but not a sound reached us. An hour passed, and 
 then another, and still the attack was not made. We began 
 to gather hope as the night passed by ; but the time went 
 slowly, as may well be supposed. At length dawn appeared, 
 streaking the slip of sky high overhead, and as the light
 
 70 DISAPPEARANCE OF THE ENEMY. 
 
 strengthened we ventured out from our refuge and took a 
 careful view of the pass. Not an enemy was in sight, but 
 bloody traces of the struggle were abundant. The stones 
 and rocks were sprinkled with gore, and there were many 
 bows lying about which had been dropped by the dead or 
 wounded and lost in the darkness. There were no bodies to 
 be seen. These had without doubt been carried off by the 
 survivors to secure them from being scalped ; which operation 
 Rube would not have failed to perform. Indians believe 
 that the soul of a warrior who has lost his scalp does not 
 enter the happy hunting-grounds. Hence their eagerness to 
 save those of their friends and to take those of their enemies. 
 
 Finding that the savages had really gone, we got out the 
 mules and proceeded on our way, keeping a sharp look-out 
 along the cliff summits, fearful of another attack. We could 
 not account for the sudden disappearance of the Indians, 
 except by supposing that Rube's last shot had killed the 
 chief of the band ; and that this, as well as the heavy loss 
 which they had suffered in the assault, had cowed them. 
 We were well pleased to be quit of them so cheaply. We 
 had incurred no other loss than that of the mule, which was 
 badly wounded, and we killed the animal ourselves, not to 
 protract its sufferings. 
 
 On passing out of the upper end of the canon we took a 
 northerly course for about sixteen miles, and thence crossed 
 the plain through which runs the Rio Mimbres, directing 
 ourselves towards the Burro Mountains. In this plain we 
 found a depression or canada, covered with fine pasturage, 
 and we followed this for four or five miles down a slight 
 incline, which brought us to that bright and sparkling river. 
 Will was a disciple of the " gentle art," and here his talents 
 had full scope. With a stick cut from a cotton- wood tree, a 
 piece of string and a hook, baited with a long-legged insect
 
 THE RIO MIMBRES. 71 
 
 found in the grass, he landed a beautiful trout at the very 
 first cast. Soon the bank was covered with the most lovely 
 fish ; and as we were in need of breakfast, these delicately- 
 flavoured trout were shortly hissing in the pan, and were 
 thence transferred "hot and hot" to three very capacious 
 receptacles within our persons. The waters of the Rio 
 Mimbres flow over a gravelly bed, and hence the flavour of 
 the fish is excellent and the flesh firm. The banks are 
 clothed with a luxuriant growth of cotton-wood trees and 
 sycamores ; and the contrast with the brown deserts we had 
 passed, offered by the pure limpid stream with its overarch- 
 ing foliage, was most refreshing. On the bosom of this 
 beautiful river floated hundreds of wild ducks and teal, 
 which rose in large flocks at our approach. Some miles 
 below the point where we struck the stream was situated a 
 little Mexican town, containing three or four hundred in- 
 habitants. I say " was situated," because it has had an 
 intermittent existence ; now sacked and depopulated by the 
 fierce savages, and again springing into life after the lapse of 
 a few years. For aught I know it may not now exist. The 
 valley of the Rio Mimbres is blessed with a most fertile soil ; 
 and it is to this circumstance that the successive reappear- 
 ances of the " city " are due. We were much struck by the 
 extraordinary natural formations in the neighbourhood. 
 These resemble pillars, obelisks, pyramids, chimneys, tables, 
 mushrooms, altars, etc., and consist of vast masses of sand- 
 stone. They strike the beholder with astonishment at the 
 resemblance they bear to man's handiwork ; and yet these are 
 far inferior in this respect to other similar works of nature 
 in this strange land. We spent a considerable time among 
 these wonderful results of erosion and denudation, examining 
 them from every point of view ; and at length we had to 
 tear ourselves away, with our curiosity only half satisfied, at
 
 72 APACHES. 
 
 Rube's reiterated summons. The old fellow either had no 
 eye for the quaint and picturesque, or had long since become 
 accustomed to all the marvels the country had to show. If 
 he could have surrounded these monuments with a high wall, 
 and charged visitors half a dollar a head for inspection, his 
 interest in them would probably have been awakened. 
 
 Leaving the river, a ride of some six miles brought us to 
 the well-known " Ojo Caliente," or Hot Spring. The mound 
 surrounding this well is about fifty feet in height, and is 
 clearly due to the limestone deposit formed by the water 
 during a vast number of ages. The well is about twelve feet 
 deep, and has a diameter of about the same extent. The 
 scientific Will had a thermometer among his possessions, and 
 this instrument, if it spoke the truth, gave the spring a 
 temperature of 126 Fahrenheit. 
 
 While standing round the well commenting on its heat, 
 bubbles, and other properties, our mules suddenly set up a 
 loud braying; and looking downwards, to our dismay we 
 perceived a band of about twenty Apaches coming over the 
 plain towards us as fast as their ponies could carry them. 
 Old Rube uttered an exclamation not to be found in the 
 catechism, and we started for the mules, to prevent them 
 from being stampeded. We were just in time, as the yells 
 and thundering hoof-beats of the savage cavalry were 
 beginning to upset the sedateness of our animals. We 
 quickly hoppled them, arranged them in a triangle, and got 
 inside, each of us defending one side of our improvised forti- 
 fication. The Indians, who were now about four hundred 
 yards off, stopped, and seemed to be considering the chances 
 of the attempt. Rube scornfully called to them in Spanish 
 that if they wanted our scalps they might "come and take 
 them." This information they answered with wild and 
 demon-like yells, and some of them commenced circling
 
 SAVAGE HORSEMANSHIP. 73 
 
 round us tentatively, to ascertain if there was any point at 
 which they might venture an attack. But on each side they 
 beheld the cold gleam of a rifle barrel, grimly silent, and yet 
 eloquent of caution. There was one savage who, from his 
 splendid Navajo horse and the deference paid to his gestures 
 by his companions, we inferred to be the chief. This fellow 
 I determined to " drop " if he ventured a little nearer. 
 Apparently emboldened by our passive demeanour, they 
 became more venturesome, and levelled many gibes and 
 taunts at our cowardice in not coining out to meet them. 
 We paid no heed to these sarcasms on our valour, but waited 
 our opportunity. As they kept constantly moving round 
 us, the radius of the circle they described became gradually 
 more and more contracted. Soon the four hundred yards of 
 distance became reduced to three hundred, and setting my 
 sights for this range, I "got the dead drop" on the chief, 
 aiming slightly in front of him to allow for his pace. At 
 the report he threw up his arms and fell headforemost over 
 the front of his saddle. A terrific yell followed the shot and 
 the fall of the chief, and the whole band, with frantic shouts 
 of rage, charged towards us. 
 
 " Now, steady thar," exclaimed Rube ; " a shot wasted 
 may mean a scalp lost. Each o' yer take a skunk and let 
 him have it in the hump ribs." A few seconds brought the 
 party within two hundred yards, and we began to " pump " 
 our bullets into them with such good effect that out of every 
 five shots at least three emptied saddles. When almost close 
 up to us they swerved to the right, and rode off with the 
 speed of the wind. And now we beheld a fine feat of savage 
 horsemanship. Each Indian as he retired passed by the 
 body of a fallen comrade, and stooping to the ground as he 
 swept past at full speed, lifted the body with apparent ease 
 and threw it in front of him on the saddle. Bearing their
 
 74 HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 dead and wounded beyond our reach, they vanished over the 
 swell as quickly as they had come, leaving us to draw a long 
 breath of relief. We had begun well in our Indian fighting, 
 having already " rubbed out " two chiefs and a considerable 
 number of braves and warriors. 
 
 Round the Ojo Caliente there are three hot and steaming 
 streams which trickle down the mound. This would form a 
 most eligible site for a bathing establishment, and the genius 
 of the Yankee in pursuit of the " almighty dollar " has by 
 this time most probably discovered and utilized the fact.* 
 
 * There is now, or was some time since, a house of this description here, built by 
 the principal proprietor of the Pinos Altos Mines, Mr. Virgil Mastin, and the spot 
 bids fair to be a fashionable resort some day.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 HOT SPRING BEAR HUNT KUBE's FIRST EXPERIENCES OF THE WILD WEST 
 THIRST MADNESS ILLUSIONS OF THE MIRAGE BUKRO MOUNTAINS SPLEN- 
 DID PROSPECT WILL AND THE BEAR DEATH OF AN INDIAN SCOUT. 
 
 WE had been anxious to inspect the Ojo Caliente ; but our 
 adventure there naturally produced a desire for change of 
 .scene, and we therefore lost no time in unhoppling the mules 
 and starting towards the Burro or Jackass Mountains. I was 
 beginning to think this name indicative of a suitable desti- 
 nation for at least two travellers of the party, who had no 
 other excuse than curiosity to plead in extenuation of their 
 presence in the country. 
 
 Proceeding towards the mountains, we passed another 
 fine spring, somewhat less than three miles distant from the 
 Ojo Caliente, nourishing by its fertilizing waters a little 
 grove of tall cotton-wood trees. This was also a hot spring, 
 but much cooler than that we had left. We at first deter- 
 mined to remain at this spot for the night ; but on second 
 thoughts we started again, in the hope of falling in with a 
 cold spring. .We filled our xuages and water-kegs, however, 
 in case of disappointment, and left this pleasant little oasis 
 in the brown desert with a certain amount of regret. After 
 a weary ride of about eighteen miles we reached a line of 
 cotton woods mingled with willows ; and as these are pretty 
 sure indications of the presence of water, we set to work
 
 76 CACTUS GROVE. 
 
 with our solitary pickaxe (which Old Rube had packed 
 among his " plunder " to aid in his ceaseless search for gold) ; 
 and after some little digging we were gratified to perceive 
 water oozing into the excavation we were making. We 
 thus procured a plentiful supply both for ourselves and the 
 mules, which by this time were badly in need of water, and 
 were braying loudly round us as soon as they smelt the 
 grateful liquid. We spent a rather restless night, although 
 we took it in turns to watch. Our late encounters with the 
 savages had rather unstrung our nerves, and consequently 
 we slept with the consciousness that at any moment we 
 might be called upon to spring to our arms and fight for our 
 lives. It is not the danger of an actual encounter that 
 preys on the system that is soon over, and the excitement 
 attending it seems to brace rather than to relax the nerves 
 but it is the constant expectation, the endless apprehension 
 of an attack at any moment that produces this very un- 
 pleasant sensation of depression. On our way to this place 
 we rode for five miles through a grove of splendid cacti, 
 attaining a general height of fifteen feet, though many were 
 fully twenty feet in height. Scattered about among them I 
 perceived an occasional yucca or " Spanish bayonet," its 
 lofty stem giving variety to the vegetation, which at this 
 place was of a more exclusively Mexican character than 
 any that I had as yet seen. I was much struck with the 
 abundance of a kind of grouse, here called Gila quail, among 
 the cactus groves. Any one possessed of a shot-gun could 
 have indulged his inclination for slaughter to his heart's 
 content. As we rode along, immense flocks rose before us 
 and flew off with a loud noise, offering an opportunity for 
 splendid sport. We had no time, however, on this occasion 
 to stop ; and as we were armed with rifles, we could only 
 have shot a few sitting birds for the pot.
 
 A BEAR HUNT. 77 
 
 The next morning we were thrown into a state of excite- 
 ment by discovering the tracks of a bear near our camp. 
 Rube, who was a first-rate tracker, started on the trail, and 
 leaving Will to guard the mules, I accompanied the trapper. 
 The sign led towards a little ravine which we shortly came 
 to, and which led up into the mountains. At one spot here, 
 where some water trickled down over the rocks, there were 
 many indications of the presence of game. We detected the 
 round pads of cougars, as well as the traces of antelopes, 
 deer, wolves, and bears. The track we were running led 
 through these, and the skill of Rube was finely exemplified 
 by the masterly manner in which he picked it out from 
 among the others and led it towards a clump of willows 
 which fringed the dry bed of a stream. We gave this a wide 
 berth, so as not to alarm the bear in case he lay concealed 
 among them. Finding that the tracks were not to be dis- 
 covered leading out on any side of this small brake, we next 
 determined to go in and wake him up. We returned to the 
 trail and followed it carefully step by step. Rube led and 
 I followed close behind, with my rifle ready cocked in case 
 the old trapper did not disable the fierce animal with his 
 first shot. Carefully lifting aside the branches of the wil- 
 lows, we noiselessly wound our way between them, and after 
 proceeding in this manner for about twenty yards, we 
 stopped to reconnoitre. Just as we did so, a deep snarling 
 growl stopped the beating of our hearts for an instant, and 
 made these organs perform the mysterious feat of "jumping 
 into our mouths." Unlike the trapper of the books, we did 
 not exactly know what to do, but stood still and looked at 
 each other. " He's a-goin' to burst out," said Rube ; and in 
 truth he was, for at the same instant a huge shaggy beast 
 with long brownish-yellow hair, and a terrible array of white 
 teeth shown off to advantage by a red tongue, appeared like ,
 
 78 DEATH OF THE BEAR. 
 
 magic charging at us through the willows, sending us to the 
 right-about ingloriously. I did not stop until I reached the 
 outside of the patch of willows. Old Rube seemed rather 
 crestfallen at this undignified retreat, and I suggested that 
 he should go in again, as clearly the brute was within. The 
 old fellow was nothing loath, and feeling rather ashamed of 
 ourselves we ventured in a second time. We knew the bear 
 would be on the watch for us now, and " have his hair up ; " 
 but we each determined to show the other that he was not 
 afraid, and on we went gallantly. On this occasion the 
 fates were more propitious to us. We perceived the bear 
 eying us from a small open spot in the centre of the thicket, 
 and we both fired together. The distance being only about 
 ten yards, and the mark sufficiently visible, it need not 
 surprise the reader to learn that the bear fell over very 
 dead indeed. Rube looked more like the " ideal trapper " 
 than any one I had seen, as he drew his sheath-knife and 
 proceeded to flay the carcass. I returned to the camp for 
 two mules one to carry myself, and the other, old Rube's 
 macho, to carry in the hide and the best portions of the 
 meat, as well as his lanky owner. 
 
 I found Will at the camp on my return, faithful to his 
 duty as guard ; and, before setting out for the willow thicket 
 again, I gave him a description of our terrible encounter 
 with the cinnamon bear (to which variety the animal be- 
 longed), drawing a frightful picture of the dangers to which 
 we had been exposed, and of course passing over our in- 
 glorious flight. 
 
 Rube had the hide off when I got back, and was sitting on 
 the blood-stained carcass, wiping the. perspiration off his face 
 with the sleeve of his hunting-shirt. " This hyar location 
 air 'tarnal hot, pardner," he observed ; " and if any one pro- 
 poses an adjournment to cooler diggin's, I'll second it."
 
 RUBE'S FIRST EXPERIENCES OP THE WILD WEST. 79 
 
 We hoisted the skin and the hams on the macho, and 
 having secured them there to his satisfaction, Rube craned 
 up his long length to the saddle, and we set out for camp 
 not dissatisfied with our adventure. 
 
 We found everything right under the able custody of 
 Will, who, never having previously seen and handled a raw 
 bear-hide, afforded the old trapper considerable amusement 
 by a display of curiosity. The fire was soon replenished, 
 the coffee set on it to boil, a bear-ham frizzled and sput- 
 tered ; and at this very exhilarating spectacle old Rube 
 grew unusually genial, and gave us ex suo proprio motu an 
 account of one of his first experiences in the wild West. 
 
 " Yer knows," he began, looking at us over a steaming 
 pannikin of coffee, "that thar air places in these hyar 
 U-nited States whar thar ain't nothin' to be seen 'cept salt, 
 alkali at that, for miles and miles." We signified acquies- 
 cence. " Wai, it is o' that blamed stuff I am a-goin' to tell 
 yer. I hed been trapjpin' on the North Platte, and hed 
 made a fair pile o' pelts, when somethin' as weren't for my 
 good put an idee into my head that I would do better on the 
 Green River. Wai, I picked up my traps and started. Now 
 1 hed heerd o' the Bitter Creek country, but at that time 
 I hedn't ever been thar ; and I sorter concluded that the 
 boys who made so much out o' what they hed suffered thar 
 were only pilin' up the agony jest to tickle a tenderfoot, as 
 I hev no doubt many thort me to be at that time. I guess 
 I soon found out that they didn't lie. 
 
 " When I fust kem to whar I could see the alkali plain, I 
 thort 'twur the ocean, and then I thort it wur not that eyther. 
 Howesever, I pushed on. My old mule couldn't make it out 
 nohow. She fust put down her head and sniffed, and then not 
 likin' the smell nor yet the sight, the critter wanted to make 
 back tracks. I spurred her on though, thinkin' I'd soon get
 
 80 AN ALKALI PLAIN. 
 
 out o' the white salty plain, as I seed a fine row o' trees ap- 
 pearin' at what I took to be a couple o' miles out. I whipped 
 up and made the mule get on pretty quick ; but I guess I 
 hed to give that up the dust the old critter kicked up 
 a'most choked me. I did not mind it very much then 
 though, as o' coorse I thort I'd be out of the pizenous place 
 as soon as I struck the timber I could see in front. But I 
 soon began to think I were getting no nearer to it : the 
 farther on I went, the farther off the trees would go ; and I 
 now seed that they weren't the kind o' trees I hed been 
 used to. There were palms and all sich sort o' timber as 
 grows down Vera Cruz, 'way in Mexico, and I guessed there 
 were no sich trees anywheres near Green River. I were be- 
 ginnin' to feel that 'twere an unwholesome place I'd got into, 
 when suddenly thar appeared a beautiful lake right in front, 
 and the shadders o' the trees was plain to be seed, and the 
 waves were rollin' in-shore at my side, while the water at the 
 far-off bank were calm as glass ice. Thar were deer and 
 buffier and a'most all kinds of animals walkin' about, and 
 some o' 'em seemed to be drinkin' the blue ripplin' water. 
 ' This,' says I to myself, ' this is raal handy now. I am dry 
 as powder, and my old mule is too, and this hyar lake 
 couldn't hev come at any time more welcome.' The mule 
 seed the water too ; and I must tell yer, strangers, we was 
 both on us most powerful dry arter all the alkali dust 
 we'd been swallerin' all day. The critter made good time 
 torst the lake ; but we couldn't get near it nohow. It 
 flitted and sparkled and invited us on like ; and the more we 
 tried to reach it the less chance we hed o' doin' it. My face 
 were burnin', as if a hot iron hed been passed clost over 
 the skin ; my eyes were blistered and sore ; and the way 
 that dry, fine dust made 'em sweat were somethin' to see, 
 you bet. And still I held on, ever follering the lake, ever
 
 MIRAGE. 81 
 
 seein' the deer and the buffler drinkin', and even walkin' 
 through the water. I could see the splashes they made 
 as they waded through it. And so the day passed, and 
 the night kem down ; and durin' all the long hours in the 
 ghostly moonlight I rode on and on. Strangers, I began to 
 think I were mad. My brain seemed 011 fire now, and I 
 hardly knew whether I were Rube Herring still alive, or 
 whether I hedn't died and were condemned to wander for 
 ever in search of water. My tongue were so swelled it felt 
 too thick for my mouth; and drops o' blood fell from my 
 lips on to my huntin' shirt. 
 
 " And when the sun rose I were clean 'mazed, for all o' a 
 sudden the lake, the trees, the deer, and buffler I hed seed 
 afore were vamosed clur and clean away there wa'n't a sight 
 o' 'em to be seed ; and in their place what shed I see but the 
 towers and spires and houses o' a great city ! Wai, I were 
 glad. ' That blamed lake air gone the way it kem,' says I ; 
 ' but I guess hyar's a place where I kin get a drink anyhow : ' 
 and at that I poked up the mule a bit faster, and the critter 
 put out like a quarter hoss ; for I guess she seed the town 
 too, and knew that thar she'd get water. On we went, 
 and though at first I hed my fears that the town might not 
 stand for us, I were soon right glad to see we were comin' 
 nearer. But I guess there were some p'ints about it that 
 puzzled me. I couldn't see a human critter anywheres 
 around. Thar were no hosses a-comin' and a-goin', nor were 
 thar any smokes. ' They're all off on a holiday,' thort I ; 
 ' but I reckon there'll be enough o' 'em behint to give me and 
 my critter a drink.' When I got 'ithin hef a mile I pulled 
 up short. 'It's a ruined town, and thar's no humans in it.' 
 This is what I said to myself. Thar were walls around it 
 walls built as regular, seemin'ly, as ever I seed. Thar were 
 huge houses with domes over 'em for roofs, churches with 
 
 (814) 6
 
 82 PURSUED BY WOLVES. 
 
 steeples, castles, towers, battlements, all complete, but yet 
 like nary a town as ever I seed. I went on, thinkin' thar 
 must be a well that no sich town would be built whar thar 
 wa'n't no water. Strangers, when I got up I seed how I'd 
 been fooled. 'Twere no town. 'Twere all sandstone rocks 
 worn by time and weather, jest like them we were a-lookin' 
 at t'other day ; and thar wa'n't a well nor a drop o' water 
 in the hull place, nor ever hed a-been. Wai, I don't mind 
 sayin' that I sot thar on my mule and cried. I hed been 
 ridin' for the most part o' forty hours ; and now ag'in the sun 
 were fallin' torst the west, and threw the long shadders o' the 
 steeples and towers eastwards over the plain. I rode away. 
 I guess thar wa'n't no use in stayin'. I wandered all the night 
 long, and seed the moon make faces at me and jump about the 
 sky every which way. And I seed the dry bones o' men lyin' 
 on the ground. Their skulls grinned at me, and I thort T 
 heerd 'em a-shoutin that I was soon to lie thar too. I thort I 
 heerd them arter me, cryin' that I shed not go from 'em ; and 
 the dry scrapin' o' thur withered feet in the sand med my 
 blood run cold ; while I tried to shout to my mule to get 
 on, and beat her with my quirt. I must hev been mad, 
 strangers ; and the queerest thing is I knew at the time I 
 were mad, and yet I bleeved them things all the same. 
 
 " I rode all night from these dead bones, and then when day 
 were a-breakin' I heerd another nize I knew full well 'twere 
 the wail o' the wolves gatherin' for prey. The critters hev 
 their signals when they wants help, and I heerd the cries 
 answered and comin' nearer ; and then I knew they were 
 arter me. The moon were westerin' and fallin' very low, 
 and the wild white plain were shinin' like a sheet o' snow, 
 and on it I could see the black specks in the distance flockin' 
 torst me them were wolves. Thar's not a many critters in 
 the land hev the sense o' wolves : they knows when their
 
 IN A DREADFUL DREAM. 83 
 
 game is weakly and likely to fall into their clutches ; so you 
 never sees a wolf arter a critter in sound wind and limb. I 
 reckon they knew I were a'most played out, and my old 
 mule too, and that's why they kem arter us. The mule 
 knew she hed better be movin', and as the howl o' the wolves 
 kem over the plain, she shook like a leaf and started at full 
 speed. But the poor beast were too weak, and I as well. We 
 jest plodded on, fast we thought, fur 'twere as fast as we could 
 go, but precious slow, you bet, when we hed wolves behint 
 us. It wa'n't long till I heerd the hungry whimpers o' the 
 wolves clost up, then two on 'em shot out on eyther side in 
 front, and jumped up at the mule's throat. The poor thing 
 gave a fearsome scream and stummelled. Afore she could 
 reckiver herself, more o' the pisenous critters seized holt o' 
 her, and down she kem ! I were throwed o' coorse, and were 
 right in the middle o' the pack. But I guess I got new life 
 into me at sight o' death so awful and so near ; and with 
 my pistols and bowie-knife I med through 'em a-snarlin' and 
 a-yowlin' as they were, and struck out for the plain. The 
 wolves stuck by the mule until they finished her, and then 
 a few o' the cussed varmints follered me. I dropped one 
 now and ag'in when they kem too near, and before long the 
 others took away over the desert at a cry that kem floating 
 up on the wind. I reckon 'twere a signal like the one I'd 
 heerd already when they hed corned arter the mule and me. 
 
 " All night I wandered on. I felt like one in a dreadful 
 dream. All around I thort I seed skeletons beckonin' me 
 onward. Whatever way I looked, thar they were grinnin' 
 wi' their teeth shinin' bare an' white in the moonlight, and 
 their long, bony arms p'intin' out the way. The moon 
 grew red, and then I thort I wur a-wadin' through a sea o' 
 blood, and on the top were skulls bobbin' up and down, all 
 seemin' to say, 'Your turn is jest come.' I guess I must
 
 84 WATER AT LAST. 
 
 hev fainted about then, for I disremember anything else till 
 I felt the deadly cold, and woke jest as day were clearin'. 
 'Twere a fearsome wakenin', strangers ! All about were 
 that frightful whity -coloured plain ; and when I got up and 
 tried to walk I staggered like a drunken man. And as the 
 sun clomb the sky, thar were the cool, green forests right in 
 front, and thar was the cool, blue lake with waves ripplin' 
 ashore so plain that I seemed to hear their splashin'. I 
 went on and on all day, now fallin' and now reelin' forward. 
 I felt that I hed to give in, and that I might as well die 
 thar as anywhere else. I were a-goin' to throw myself down, 
 when far away I seed a small band o' antelope. I knew 
 they wouldn't stay long from water, and if I could only 
 foller 'em I might find out whar it was. I went on torst 
 'em, and then they trotted off. but very slow, like as if they 
 guessed I didn't want to do them a hurt. I follered on and 
 on for many weary miles, as it seemed to me, and torst sun- 
 down I seed peaks wi' snow upon 'em rising over the plain. 
 Strangers, I can't tell yer what I felt when I seed them hills. 
 I knew that water were thar ; but how I got thar I doesn't 
 know. I s'pose I kep' the track o' the antelopes onknown 
 to myself. The moon were shinin' ag'in when I struck the 
 timber at the foot o' the range, and behint the brush I heerd 
 the dancin' and the gurglin' o' water over rocks. I staggered 
 on and fell clost by the edge and drank. Thar's things in 
 most men's lives they don't ever forget I reckon that in 
 mine the findin' o' this water were one. I were so far gone 
 I fainted arter drinkin' ; and how long I lay I doesn't rightly 
 know. When I kem to, the sun were up, and high at that. 
 I got up, how stiff and weak I needn't tell yer. Jest then I 
 seed a deer come lopin' down a path to the water. I hed 
 my pistols still, and by the greatest luck I killed him. I 
 drank the blood hot from the carcase, and it put some strength
 
 THE THIRST MADNESS. 85 
 
 in me. All that day I stayed by the deer, eatin' and drinkin' 
 between spells o' sleepin', and I soon began to come round. 
 Thar's no use in tellin' yer how I stayed thar for a week, and 
 hevin' killed another fat buck I had strength enough to 
 make a start for somewheres. Three days out from this 
 place I fell in with a carryvan o' emigrant folk makin' for 
 Calif urny, and once wi' them I were safe enough. Strangers, 
 that's all." 
 
 During this extraordinary narrative Rube never once 
 paused. He seemed to act the scenes over again ; and across 
 the fire we could see the excited gleam of his eye and the 
 convulsive twitches of his muscles as he detailed the more 
 distressing portions of his adventure. He held us by a 
 kind of fascination. We felt he was telling us the truth, 
 and with this consciousness our blood thrilled with the 
 recital of horrors endured by the actual narrator. Adven- 
 tures such as this, unreal as they undoubtedly seem, were 
 not very uncommon a few years ago. In some portions of 
 the wild western country, where these deserts are of large 
 extent, any one, whose curiosity is sufficiently strong, at the 
 present day can try the effect of getting lost or "turned 
 round," and experience for himself these very sensational 
 adventures. After having had the " thirst madness " on 
 him, such a one will admit that old Rube did not exaggerate 
 in his descriptions. 
 
 When we had finished our breakfast, we packed the mules 
 and started. The Burro Mountains deceive the approaching 
 traveller into the idea that they are of slight elevation, and 
 offer but little impediment to his course. On a nearer in- 
 spection, however, he perceives that this effect is produced 
 by high and extensive swells in the plain, which intercept 
 his vision and only permit the summits of the hills to be 
 visible. The crest of these undulations reached, the moun-
 
 86 BURRO MOUNTAINS. 
 
 tains, a wild and rugged chain, rise abruptly at some distance 
 and present a formidable barrier to his further progress. 
 We were considerably surprised with this feature in the 
 physical conformation of the country ; but any disappoint- 
 ment or difficulty was amply compensated for by the glorious 
 prospect which lay extended to our gaze when at length we 
 reached the summit of the chain. Far to the south, reaching 
 away beyond our utmost vision, and stretching into Mexico, 
 lay peaks and rugged ranges, abrupt and isolated, and 
 probably unnamed as yet, springing high aloft from the 
 great table-land of the Madre plateau, which in its vastness, 
 wildness, and broken outlines seemed a tumultuous ocean 
 turned to earth and stone. Towards the south-east we 
 recognized the gentler forms of the Florida mountains ; and 
 rising far beyond we caught sight of that curious range the 
 Sierra de Organos, upon whose crest lies the lake which ebbs 
 and flows like the ocean, and on whose steep sides are ranged 
 those vast flute-like rocks which, from their resemblance 
 to the pipes of an organ, have given the name to these hills. 
 How clear the air in these solitudes ! These peaks were 
 upwards of one hundred miles distant from us, and yet we 
 could distinctly trace their strange configuration through the 
 great interval. Looking back upon our course, we beheld 
 Cooke's Peak towering upwards in the pellucid air, seemingly 
 quite close ; and the entrance to the pass (Palmer's), which 
 we at first meant to travel by, was as clearly visible as if 
 we could touch its portals with the hand. Somewhat north- 
 wards rose the Sierra de los Mimbres, those sparkling peaks 
 of selenite which have looked down on many a wild deed 
 done by savage Navajo or Apache ; and farther towards the 
 direct line north we could see the Santa Rita and Pinos 
 Altos mountains, as well as the snow-tipped summits of 
 perhaps the least known and wildest chain in the United
 
 THE "DIVIDE." 87 
 
 States, the Sierra de Mogollon, whose sides are clothed with 
 heavy forests, and whose ravines are even yet the paradise of 
 hunters. 
 
 We stood here upon the crest of the " divide," which on the 
 west sheds its waters to the Pacific Ocean. Our further 
 course for many miles lay mapped out before us, and we 
 little relished the prospect, for fully forty miles of sterile 
 desert intervened between the foot of the chain on which 
 we stood and the Peloncello Mountains, whose giant ridges 
 hemmed in the plain on the west. Over their tops we could 
 discern, at what seemed an infinite distance, the dome-like 
 summit of Mount Graham and the more slender points of 
 the Dos Cabezas, which shoot up from the Pina Leno range. 
 The eye seemed to pass high above these far-off summits ; 
 and in fact the position from which we viewed them was at 
 a much higher elevation over sea-level. The general lie of 
 the country was towards the west, and the slope was very 
 appreciable to the far-distant and invisible Pacific. 
 
 Two miles from the summit of a pass which led down 
 to the western plain, we found a beautiful clear spring 
 of water, which rose from under a high overhanging rock. 
 From this spring trickled a rill or small stream, which flowed 
 down the canon. We followed it for a little way, but owing 
 to the insuperable obstacles formed by great blocks of stone 
 which had fallen into its bed from the sides and summits of 
 the cliffs, we had to turn aside and again avail ourselves of 
 it at some distance lower down. Here, strange to say, the 
 stream had vanished, absorbed probably by the porous, 
 thirsty soil. As the canon approached the plain all traces 
 of fertility disappeared, and at its mouth it was simply a 
 dry desert valley. At its upper portions it is almost choked 
 with a beautiful and varied vegetation, comprising evergreen 
 oaks of a kind I had not seen before, resembling hollies,
 
 BEAVERS. 
 
 sycamores, cedars, black walnuts, as well as the rough-barked 
 cedar. There were the usual piiions or nut pines, cactus of 
 several varieties, and beautiful acacias, cypresses, and mes- 
 quits. We were not pleased to note a very plain Indian 
 trail which wound down the pass. It seemed fresh, and we 
 began again to feel that insecurity which is destructive of 
 the pleasure which the traveller would otherwise experience 
 in exploring these interesting wilds. 
 
 While in the canon we saw abundant evidences of the 
 presence of game. Deer tracks were numerous, as were also 
 those of bears and of that mischievous little animal the 
 beaver. Many trees had been cut down by these creatures, 
 and the little stream was obstructed by the clever workers, 
 whose lodges dotted a pond formed by the damming back 
 of the water. Notwithstanding that Indian " sign " was 
 fresh, Will was unable to resist the temptation of having a 
 shot at one of these as we came suddenly within view of 
 the site of their operations. Two were engaged in steering 
 a log towards the dam, and at the crack of the rifle one of 
 the beavers subsided almost without a struggle. It is said 
 that beavers work only by night ; but probably the extremely 
 sequestered nature of this settlement had encouraged these 
 fellows to be abroad in daylight. The shot disturbed great 
 flights of quail, of which I observed that there were two 
 varieties. Hares and squirrels were very abundant, and alto- 
 gether this canon seemed a very desirable retreat for a hunter. 
 
 While forcing our way down the pass among the tangled 
 thickets we suddenly heard a loud snort, and at the same 
 instant the heavy rustling of some large animal making 
 away through the brushwood. Will started in pursuit, 
 leaving Rube and me to take charge of his mules. We con- 
 tinued our descent of the canon, and it was not until we 
 reached the point where, as has already been said, the trail
 
 WILL AND THE BEAR. 89 
 
 leads out of it to avoid the almost impenetrable brushwood 
 and large rocks which choked the gorge, that we stopped for 
 a little time, to obtain if possible some tidings of our hunter. 
 We heard the distant crack of a rifle once or twice, and the 
 sounds seemed to proceed from far up the canon in the 
 direction from which we had come. We waited for an hour, 
 and as Will did not return I left Rube to guard the atajo 
 while I returned on our trail. About two miles up I came 
 suddenly on Will, standing on a ledge of rock about thirty 
 feet over the bed of the canon ; while below, and quite close 
 to me, was a very large cinnamon bear standing on his hind 
 legs and trying with his limited activity to get to closer 
 quarters with the hunter. Will's rifle lay on the ground 
 near the bear, which I now perceived had received a wound 
 from which the blood flowed freely. As yet neither game 
 nor hunter had seen me, and I stood a passive and amused 
 spectator of what was taking place. There were several 
 slight projections on the face of the rocks, which had no 
 doubt aided Will in reaching his present place of refuge, 
 and these the bear attempted to turn to account in scaling 
 the cliff. But there was a spot beyond which he could not 
 mount, and as often as he reached it he invariably came to 
 a halt, slipped, and fell down about ten or twelve feet. His 
 perseverance was very laughable. No sooner did he reach 
 the bottom than he again charged the rocks with a dis- 
 satisfied snarl, and again the same scene was enacted. Will, 
 I thought, at first seemed anxious at these repeated attempts 
 to reach him ; but when he found that his adversary was 
 unable to get up to him, he began to pelt him with stones, 
 and this treatment naturally still more exasperated the 
 temper of the bear. Suddenly Will seemed to be struck 
 with an idea. Near him a large portion of the ledge was 
 seamed and cracked, and by a little judicious pushing was
 
 90 AMUSING SCENE. 
 
 loosened so as literally to " hang by a thread. " The hunter now 
 again threw pebbles at his antagonist, and irritated him to 
 a fresh attempt to scale the rocks ; which the bear did with 
 considerable good will. Just as he reached the spot where 
 the ascent became impracticable, his adversary detached the 
 heavy mass of rock, which rolled downwards with tremen- 
 dous force, accompanied by a shower of smaller pieces ; and 
 the whole discharge took effect against the ribs of Bruin, 
 precipitating him to the bottom with such violence that he 
 lay for a moment quite motionless. A loud laugh announced 
 the satisfaction this achievement occasioned the hunter. 
 The bear raised himself somewhat stiffly, and giving his 
 enemy a parting scowl of defiance, was about to take himself 
 to the brushwood, when I put a ball into the side of his 
 head which made him spin round and round like a teetotum. 
 He was a very fat and an unusually large animal, and it was 
 not until he received four bullets at close quarters that he 
 finally lay quiet. Will's astonishment was extreme at 
 hearing the shots and seeing me appear upon the scene, 
 when he had every reason to suppose that I was several 
 miles away. While taking the hams of the beast, he gave 
 me the following account of his adventure : 
 
 After leaving us in the canon he got, as we have seen, on 
 the hot track of the bear, and could hear the animal for a 
 little distance forcing his way through the entangled under- 
 growth. When these sounds ceased, Will followed by the 
 tracks which led out of the chapparal upon the trail by 
 which we had come. Here the sign was good, so that 
 the hunter followed it at a quick walk, and shortly came 
 upon a little open space which had most likely been the site 
 of a beaver settlement, the water having killed off the 
 vegetation. There were neither beavers nor pond at this 
 time, however ; but close to the rocks the hunter perceived
 
 AN INDIAN SCOUT. 91 
 
 the object of his search leisurely shuffling along, no doubt 
 thinking himself safe from pursuit. In order to end the 
 matter as speedily as possible, Will, seeing his presence was 
 as yet unsuspected, stole on tiptoe after the bear, with the 
 intention of putting a bullet into its brain. But just as he 
 was within a few yards of the animal, it sprang suddenly 
 round, and before Will could fire more than one or two ill- 
 directed shots, the furious beast dashed the rifle from his 
 hand, and would have seized him in its clutches, had he not 
 sprung aside and with extraordinary agility clambered up 
 the almost perpendicular face of the cliff. It was in this 
 predicament I found him, and he had been there fully an 
 hour and a half when I arrived to his assistance. 
 
 When we returned to where Rube awaited us, we camped 
 for the night. We selected a sheltered little hollow, so that 
 the light from our fire would not be visible at a distance. 
 After supper Rube mounted guard, leaving Will and me to 
 take the later watches. During the first part of the night 
 we had no alarm, although when Rube came in he said he 
 felt pretty sure that there was something prowling round 
 the camp, as the mules seemed restless, and once or twice 
 they started and ran together, straining their lariats. My 
 watch was last, and just before daybreak I thought the 
 animals seemed to exhibit symptoms of uneasiness. Looking 
 fixedly for some time, I could discern in the dim light a black 
 object on the ground where I felt quite sure nothing had 
 been when we halted during the previous evening. I 
 watched this suspicious apparition with great intentness for 
 some time, and felt convinced I saw it move towards the 
 spot where the mules were tethered. We had not staked 
 them out to graze on this occasion, as we found not far from 
 the spot a luxuriant growth of grass of which we pulled 
 several large bundles, and these we threw to the animals.
 
 92 RUBE'S " PRINCIPLE." 
 
 They were not more than twenty yards from the fire, and as 
 I watched the black uncertain figure which crawled over the 
 rocks towards them, I became assured it was an Indian who 
 was meditating a stampede. As soon as I was quite certain 
 that the object moved, I raised my rifle and sighting low in 
 front fired. A wild yell followed the shot, and a naked 
 Indian sprang to his feet, but immediately reeled forward 
 and fell. Will and Rube started up in great alarm at the 
 sudden commotion, and together we examined the body of 
 the ill-starred wretch. The bullet had struck him upon the 
 collar-bone and had passed downwards, making its exit close 
 to his spine near the " small " of the back. It was a raking 
 shot, and blood poured in dark gouts from both wounds. 
 Rube rather startled us by taking the scalp, which he said 
 he did "on principle," though what kind of principle this 
 was neither Will nor I had a very definite idea. Indians, as 
 has been said, believe that the spirit of a brave who has been 
 scalped is excluded from the happy hunting-grounds; and we 
 supposed the old trapper intended to enjoy this barbarous 
 triumph over such of the friends of the hapless marauder as 
 might discover the mutilated remains. This savage was an 
 Apache, and as our hands were already so deeply imbrued 
 with the blood of this tribe, we felt that if we had the mis- 
 fortune to fall into their power we could expect nothing less 
 than death by the most terrible torture which their fiendish 
 ingenuity could devise. 
 
 Near our camp we perceived a curious wall of marble, 
 which seems to have been upheaved by some convulsion of na- 
 ture. We scrambled to its summit, and observed that it was 
 thrown up vertically to the height of from seven to twenty 
 feet over the level of the ground, and stretched away on 
 either hand along the crests of the hills for several miles. 
 It was exquisitely diversified with gray, white, and red
 
 SOLDIER'S FAREWELL. 93 
 
 marbles, and formed altogether one of the most singular 
 objects which had as yet been presented to our observation. 
 At a very short distance from this wall Will discovered a 
 spot where a vein of galena cropped out, and Rube came 
 upon indications of gold. We were anxious, however, to 
 leave the locality, as we feared a visit from the band of 
 Apaches to which our nocturnal visitor belonged. We there- 
 fore lost no time in packing the mules ; and when on gain- 
 ing a little distance I looked back, I saw half a dozen 
 coyotes and zopilotes contending for the body of the Apache, 
 which shone red and raw in the early beams of the sun. 
 
 An examination of the Burro Mountains shows them, as 
 has been observed, to be the " divide " of this portion of the 
 continent, although at first sight they appear to be nothing 
 more than an ordinary range rising from the plain which 
 skirts them. In leaving them, therefore, we began the long 
 descent towards the Pacific Ocean, and after a toilsome 
 march of nearly twenty miles we arrived at an isolated ruin 
 which had been a station on the mail route when it ran 
 along the 32nd parallel, but which now was but a melancholy 
 reminiscence of better times. This place is called " Soldier's 
 Farewell." 
 
 In the distance we perceived a cloud of dust flying across 
 the plain, and shortly we could distinguish a large herd of 
 antelopes, consisting probably of over three hundred head, 
 scouring away with the speed of the wind. Rube regarded 
 this as a suspicious circumstance, and suggested, what 
 occurred also to Will and me, that they were flying from a 
 body of Indians. Fortunately we saw nothing of them, 
 although for some time we rode in constant expectation of 
 suddenly encountering a band or war party of the savages. 
 
 The country about here is excessively sterile and broken. 
 On all sides are scenes of rugged wildness and desolation.
 
 94 DESOLATE LANDSCAPE. 
 
 In a hollow we saw two water -holes filled with a filthy 
 slimy liquid, and round about were innumerable tracks and 
 vestiges of game. As a rule, the country was bare and 
 desiccated in appearance ; but at intervals there were some 
 patches of poor dry grass. The wind blew vast clouds of 
 dust from the plain, which were sometimes caught up into 
 the semblance of prodigious towers reaching heavenward, 
 and several of these colossal figures stalked about the desert, 
 giving an almost weird effect to the extreme desolation of 
 the landscape.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SIERRA MADRE BARNEY STATION GAME CIRCUMVENTING AN ANTELOPE 
 NOTES ON THE ANTELOPE STRANGE EFFECT OF THE MIRAGE NIGHT JOUR- 
 NEY MAIL ROUTE DANGERS OF WESTERN POSTMEN COYOTE-HUNT PUR- 
 SUED BY APACHES RUBE AND WILL TO THE RESCUE SCALPS THICK CHAP- 
 PARAL RELICS OF AN INDIAN FIGHT SKULLS AND OTHER REMAINS 
 APACHE PASS. 
 
 FROM the dreary ruin of Soldier's Farewell to the next point 
 on our journey, Barney Station, on the great Madre pla- 
 teau, a distance of twenty-one miles, we made what speed 
 we could. This latter camping-ground, like the former, is 
 also a ruin, and it strikes the beholder with a sense of the 
 instability and insecurity of almost every attempt at coloniza- 
 tion in this country. The difficulties of the desert routes, as 
 well as the destruction wreaked by bands of marauding 
 Apaches or Navajos, account for the relinquishment of many 
 industries which have from time to time been started in 
 these regions.* 
 
 We had left the mountains behind us, and were now on 
 that vast and elevated table-land known as the Sierra Madre. 
 The landscape here presents to the eye of the traveller an 
 appearance of general level. The soil is destitute of moisture, 
 and indeed for upwards of fifty miles in several districts of 
 this region no running streams will be met with. Some 
 portions of the apparent " dead level " will be found to be 
 depressed, and form vast shallow basins, which collect the 
 rainfall of an extensive area. These then resemble great 
 
 * At the present time the Indians are confined to reservations set apart for them 
 by the Government, and much of the insecurity to life and property mentioned in 
 the text is now a thing of the past.
 
 96 PLAYAS. 
 
 lakes, which are often miles in extent, although only a few 
 inches in depth. The evaporation of the water leaves a 
 white shining crust, which shimmers far through the ambient 
 air and resembles the alkali deserts or vast snow fields. 
 These are known as "Playas." 
 
 At Barney Station we found very little water, and that 
 of a most disgusting quality. We were greatly fatigued 
 with our long ride of about forty miles along an arid dusty 
 track ; and cheerless as was the appearance of our halting- 
 ground, we were glad when we rode up to it. This was 
 evidently the drinking-place of all the birds and wild animals 
 of the district. Immense flocks of birds circled round the 
 water -hole, lowering in their flight until they touched the 
 spring, and again shooting up with the quickness of thought. 
 As we approached, several flocks of geese, ducks, and teal 
 rose with a prodigious flapping, quacking, whistling, and 
 screaming, and flew away over the desert. Great numbers of 
 antelopes, deer, wolves, and coyotes came to drink ; but the 
 former animals, alarmed by our presence, galloped away and 
 stood disconsolate at a great distance, afraid to venture 
 nearer. The wolves, however, were not so timid, and these 
 fellows actually charged the camp and satisfied their thirst 
 after a fashion in spite of our bullets, which stretched several 
 of them dead by the verge of the water. 
 
 Will proposed that we should circumvent the deer and the 
 antelopes, which we could see far out on the plain looking 
 wistfully towards their customary drinking -fount. After 
 some debate we agreed that the only way in which we could 
 do this was for one of the party to hide by the spring while 
 the others rode off" with the mules as if departing from the 
 neighbourhood. This suggestion was acted on, and Will 
 volunteered to play the part of butcher. Rube and I 
 mounted our mules, and leading the horse, the others accom-
 
 WILL'S "RUSE." 97 
 
 panied us without trouble. We rode without looking back 
 until we had got to a considerable distance from the spring ; 
 and on glancing round we saw, to our satisfaction, that the 
 antelopes and their timid comrades had already commenced 
 to return towards the water. In a few minutes we heard 
 two shots in quick succession, and on looking back we per- 
 ceived the poor thirsty creatures flying at the top of their 
 speed from the spring, while at the camp itself we could dis- 
 tinguish Will standing over something which lay on the 
 ground at his feet. 
 
 We lost no time in returning, and were gratified to find 
 that the bloodthirsty Kid had secured two antelopes, whose 
 carcasses lay within twenty yards of the water-hole. We 
 were in great spirits at this piece of good fortune, and we 
 immediately set to work to kindle a fire and make camp. 
 
 Both these antelopes were in first-rate condition, and their 
 tender steaks were fully appreciated after our long weary 
 ride. It is on the dry elevated plains that this animal is at 
 home, and he is so frequently found at great distances from 
 water as to give rise to the impression that he is capable of 
 existing without it. In the dreariest and most barren deserts 
 of the west he is apparently as much at his ease as in more 
 favoured regions where both pasturage and water abound. 
 It is remarkable that the presence or absence of good grass 
 does not seem to affect the condition of the antelope. He is 
 almost invariably in good condition at the proper season 
 that is, when not worn out by the constant battles with 
 rival bucks, or by maternal cares, as the case may be. There 
 can be no doubt, however, that the antelope visits water at 
 least once in the twenty -four hours, and hidden or in- 
 accessible indeed must be the spring which his keen sense 
 of smell does not discover. 
 
 It sometimes happens that the traveller threatened by 
 
 (814) 7
 
 98 THE ANTELOPE. 
 
 that most terrible of all fates, death by thirst in the desert, 
 finds a water-hole, of the existence of which he, and perhaps 
 all others, were ignorant, by watching the antelope, who will 
 surely within twenty-four hours visit it to quench his thirst. 
 This has already been exemplified by the story of Rube, who 
 would otherwise certainly have perished. 
 
 The male of the species is armed with horns measuring 
 from eight to fourteen inches in length, and these bear a 
 remarkable resemblance to the horns of the chamois, but are 
 of course considerably larger. At from two to four inches 
 from the point they become slightly palmated, and a small 
 branch or " prong " is formed. It is to this peculiarity that 
 the animal is indebted for its name of "prong-horn." This 
 armature, however, is but ill adapted for fighting, as the tips 
 are bent inwards. Were it otherwise, much damage would 
 result to the bucks in the rutting season, at which period 
 their contests are frequent and furious. Each year the 
 antelope is furnished with a fresh pair of horns. The old 
 ones are not " cast " in quite the same fashion as those of 
 the deer. In May the shelly outer coats or horny laminae 
 peel off, leaving the sensitive internal core or "pith," which 
 is thinly covered with stiff black bristles. These are sup- 
 posed to aid the animal in throwing off the horns, as they 
 point towards the tips, and the " shells " once loose and 
 started from their natural position cannot resume it owing 
 to this obstruction. The growth of these strong hairs, in 
 fact, may be said to force them off. The new horns grow 
 with marvellous rapidity ; indeed the whole process is the 
 work of only a few days. 
 
 The coat of the antelope consists of a kind of hair, thick 
 and brittle, about two inches in depth, and of a reddish hue 
 on the back : this alters on the sides to a yellowish colour. 
 The belly is white. Near the insertion of the tail, and
 
 THE ANTELOPE. 99 
 
 reaching up and down the buttocks, the hair is a beautiful 
 pure white, and is longer than on any other part of the animal. 
 
 There is no more graceful creature on the plains than the 
 antelope, and amid the wild desolation of nature his light, 
 airy movements, are marked by the eye of the hunter with 
 a double pleasure ; for he is as good to eat as to look at, and 
 it needs no little skill on the great treeless prairies to lure 
 him within range of the rifle. Although more particularly 
 a plains animal, yet he will often be observed in the park- 
 like scenery of the Rocky Mountains in company with the 
 black-tailed deer. 
 
 There is a trait in the antelope which has proved fatal to 
 multitudes of these graceful animals. They are actuated in a 
 very strong degree by both terror and curiosity, and these 
 two qualities, apparently somewhat divergent in their results, 
 combine to lead the antelope into the danger from which he 
 wishes to escape. If any unusual spectacle excites them, 
 such as a waggon crossing districts where they have been 
 but little hunted, every band within sight on either side will 
 rush towards it in a state of extreme terror, and charge past 
 within a few yards in the endeavour to escape. The rifles 
 of the hunters have then an opportunity of dealing death 
 among their ranks. 
 
 We found Will's victims all that could be desired, and 
 while we discussed them we chaffed him on his barbarity in 
 compassing their death in such a cruel and treacherous 
 manner. Will, however, was tolerably well used to our 
 ways by this time, and treated all our insinuations, as to his 
 " unnatural " conduct in slaying and devouring members of 
 the kid or "goat" tribe, with sublime indifference. He 
 even " bleated and capered," as was his wont when he wished 
 to be particularly facetious, and we had to give up our 
 attempt at chaffing him as a failure.
 
 100 THE ILLUSIONS OF THE MIRAGE. 
 
 During the night we remained undisturbed ; but neverthe- 
 less when darkness settled down on the desert, and our circle 
 of vision was restricted to the immediate vicinity of the 
 camp, our imaginations had full play, and at each wild weird 
 noise which came up from the darkness we started and felt 
 for the ever-ready faithful rifle, in anticipation of an Indian 
 attack. When travellers have been harassed by these 
 savages for some time, the nerves become very excitable, and 
 rest almost out of the question. There are, however, some 
 persons of so extremely callous a temperament as to be in- 
 different, to all appearance, to any such risks. 
 
 After sunrise next morning we beheld the arid plateau 
 and "playa" transformed in a very beautiful and extraor- 
 dinary way by the mirage. Palms and other graceful 
 tropical forms of vegetation hovered in bosques in an un- 
 certain manner like islands in a large lake, the motion of 
 whose waves seemed so well denned and natural that we 
 could hardly believe so faithful a representation to be mere 
 illusion. The outlines were sharper than is usual in these 
 deceitful appearances, and the view presented to us was just 
 as realistic as if we beheld actual woods and water. The 
 former element in the scenery turned out to be mere scrub a 
 few feet high ; and the beautiful lake, with its crested creamy 
 waves, relapsed into the dry playa which lay at a little 
 distance from our camp. These sudden apparitions of rich 
 and varied vegetation, lakes, herds of deer or other animals, 
 towns, castles, etc., enhance the charm of travel through 
 these splendid solitudes. They are so novel to the inhabitant 
 of a northern climate, and there is such a magical and weird 
 effect produced by the sudden springing up of gorgeous scenery 
 in a barren desert of cities, palaces, and towers, where no 
 human being dwells that I found them greatly to add to 
 the pleasure which my travels in these wild regions gave me.
 
 STEAN'S PEAK. 101 
 
 We started from Barney Station at about six o'clock, and 
 for upwards of twenty miles our way led us across the level 
 plateau ; after leaving which we entered the Peloncello Moun- 
 tains at a point quite near a well-known pass which leads 
 through the range, and which is called Stean's Pass. There 
 was a poor spring here, which just showed the presence of 
 water below the dry surface when we essayed to reach it 
 with our pickaxe. After half an hour's work we excavated 
 a hole three feet deep, and into this the muddy liquid slowly 
 percolated. We hardly gave it time to settle when we 
 drank our fill and then emptied it among our mules ; and as 
 we were anxious to push on, we started afresh after resting 
 for a short time, although the next place where we could 
 expect to find water was in the Apache Pass at Fort Bowie, 
 a distance of thirty-six miles. Near Stean's Pass spring 
 rises Stean's Peak, a beautiful conical mountain by which 
 we had guided our course across the arid plateau to this spot. 
 It is visible for many miles, and forms a well-known land- 
 mark to the traveller in these districts. 
 
 We waited at Stean's Pass spring only long enough to 
 recruit ourselves and our mules somewhat, and also to avoid 
 travelling further in the suffocating afternoon heat. All 
 round us hovered the strange images of the mirage, and far 
 off were herds of antelopes suspended apparently in mid air, 
 while the familiar delusions of groves and lakes appeared, 
 vanished or flitted about in a most fantastic manner. 
 
 As soon as the sun set we started, and journeyed onwards by 
 the light of the stars. The night was fine and cool, and the 
 stars shone with great brilliancy, throwing the faint shadows 
 of ourselves and animals along the track. These star-shadows 
 strike the new-comer from the North with a sense of astonish- 
 ment, accustomed as he has been to the feeble light yielded 
 by these orbs in the dull atmosphere of his own country..
 
 102 RUBE " HUFFED." 
 
 Here the crystal air, as dry as it is pure, seems to magnify 
 the light, rendering it almost possible to read small print by 
 its radiance. 
 
 After travelling for five hours we reached the Cienega de 
 San Simon. The word " cienega " implies a marsh, and it is 
 therefore probable that at the times when there are heavy 
 rains in this region the place becomes a swamp. Although 
 we could discover no traces of water, we were delighted to 
 find plenty of good pasture for our poor patient mules ; and 
 it gave us sincere pleasure to see the avidity with which 
 they set upon it as soon as we unpacked them and staked 
 them out. One of the duties of the watchers at night was to 
 change the mules from one patch of grass to another, staking 
 them out securely on a fresh place where the pasturage was 
 good. By this means they did not suffer from being restricted 
 in their range to the length of their ropes. 
 
 A caravan had evidently journeyed by this place not very 
 long before our visit, as the wheel-tracks were still visible ; 
 and what made this circumstance if possible more obvious to 
 us, as well as fortunate, was our discovering not far distant a 
 portion of a broken wheel This gave us fuel for our fire ; 
 and had it not been for this lucky "find" we should have 
 had to forego the luxury of hot coffee at our midnight supper 
 as well as at breakfast, as there was no wood at this place. 
 This latter meal we partook of very early in the morning, so 
 early, in fact, that Will and I, who were completely " done 
 up " by our long ride, " struck," and told old Rube that if he 
 persisted in awakening us at such unchristian hours he might 
 take himself off, and leave us to follow him at our leisure. 
 The old fellow got huffed at this protest, and seemed well 
 enough inclined to take us at our word ; but on Will asking 
 him where he wished to have his bones buried when we came 
 up with them on the track, the visions of Apaches which the
 
 THE MAIL ROUTE. 105 
 
 question naturally excited induced him to reconsider his 
 course; and finally, after consigning Britishers to a very 
 tropical climate, he quietly dismissed the subject in a low- 
 muttered soliloquy. 
 
 This route was that selected for the conveyance of the 
 mails, and notwithstanding the great danger from the 
 Apaches, there was no lack of hardy fellows who undertook 
 to ride from Tucson to Fort Bowie, one hundred and six 
 miles each week, for the salary attached to the office of mail- 
 carrier, which amounted to 40 per month. As might be 
 supposed, the prowling savages often waylaid these daring 
 men, who rode quite alone ; and the non-arrival of the mail 
 at its destination usually notified the fact that the carrier 
 had been "jumped" and scalped en route. The ordinary 
 custom then was for the mail-contractor to carry the bags 
 himself until a successor had been found ; and, as a rule, little 
 delay occurred in finding another man reckless enough to 
 undertake the task. People out here do not seem to set the 
 same high value on their lives that prevails in long-settled 
 and civilized communities. The idea is that they must die 
 some time, notwithstanding every precaution, and that it 
 will be " all the same a hundred years hence " whether they 
 die at any particular moment, or carry on their existence for 
 a few years more. 
 
 Old Rube having effectually aroused us, as has been said, 
 Will and I got up and cooked our breakfast over a fire made 
 from the remnant of the old waggon-wheel. The sun was 
 already rising, and the heavens were a gorgeous ocean of 
 colour, although the air was sharp enough to make us shiver 
 while trying to scorch the remains of our antelope venison 
 over an insufficient fire. We had hardly a drop of water 
 left in our gourds to make our coffee ; but we started, never- 
 theless, in very good spirits, which was due no doubt to the
 
 106 A COYOTE CHASE. 
 
 " champagne" in the air of these elevated regions. There is a 
 great buoyancy communicated to the spirits by the health- 
 giving out-of-doors life, and the crystal atmosphere of the 
 wild west ; and there are countless cases on record of 
 travellers who suffered from pulmonary affections being 
 completely restored to health after a sojourn in these 
 countries, when the skill of physicians had failed to do any- 
 thing for the sufferers. 
 
 Not long after leaving the camp, my mule almost stumbled 
 over a coyote which lay doubled up under a small bush ; and 
 as the country was sufficiently level and my animal fresh 
 and frisky, I drew my revolver and gave chase to the skulk- 
 ing marauder. At first the wolf had it all his own way, and 
 left us far behind ; but by degrees he relaxed his speed, and 
 I gradually overhauled him. The direction the beast took 
 was that in which our trail lay, and I therefore had no 
 scruple in continuing the chase. I was encouraged the 
 more to do this as I saw symptoms of nagging in the wolf, 
 and I therefore plied my spurs until I got a very respectable 
 degree of speed up. Slowly but surely I gained upon my 
 quarry, and being at length within forty yards I tried the 
 effect of a snap shot at him. I saw the dust fly from the 
 dry ground slightly in advance of the beast, and this had the 
 effect of making him change his course, which now bent to the 
 right or north of the trail. My mule was almost as excited as 
 I was myself, and got over the ground at a speed that I had 
 never given her credit for possessing before. By this time 
 several miles intervened between me and my comrades, who 
 could not keep me in sight, having my pack animal as well 
 as their own to look after. 
 
 The wolf twisted and turned, dodging for his life, and so 
 quick were his movements that I was quite unable to put a 
 bullet into him, although I emptied my revolver in the
 
 INDIANS. 107 
 
 attempt. Just as I had drawn bridle in utter disgust at my 
 want of success, my terror was not slight at perceiving a 
 small band of Apaches, as I presumed, top a swell or 
 ridge, which bounded the line of sight to the west, at a little 
 distance; and after testifying their surprise in a loud " Ugh !" 
 which I could distinctly hear, they made signs of peace by 
 holding up their hands with the palm to the front. I was 
 by no means desirous of cultivating their close acquaintance, 
 and waved them off; whereupon one or two of them made a 
 circuit as if to cut off my retreat, while the others charged 
 straight towards me. 
 
 My mule had been pretty well blown in my quick burst 
 after the wolf ; but I hoped to meet my comrades before the 
 wretches could overtake me. I had about two hundred 
 yards' start, and as I turned to fly I heard the demoniac 
 yells of my pursuers in fast and furious chase after me. 
 Fortunately my mule was as much alarmed as I was myself, 
 and the yells of the savages seemed a greater incitement to 
 speed than either whip or spur. She fairly flew over the 
 ground with the swiftness of a bird ; but notwithstanding I 
 could distinguish the gradually approaching hoof-beats of at 
 least one of the party. Turning in my saddle I menaced 
 the foremost with my pistol, and the sight of this dreaded 
 weapon somewhat modified his ardour. He relaxed his 
 speed a little ; and now the whole band, which only consisted 
 of six, rode abreast, their intention being to close in upon 
 me in a body, thus giving me no time to use my arms. 
 
 On we flew over the hard, parched earth, which gave off 
 clouds of dust from its surface, giving the chase the appear- 
 ance of a whirlwind rushing across the desert. I strained my 
 eyes to catch sight of my comrades ; but as far as I could 
 see lay the slightly undulating plain, broken here and there 
 by a rugged ridge of rock, and on it I could nowhere see the
 
 108 NEARLY CAPTURED. 
 
 least sign of my companions. My heart began to fail me as 
 I observed signs of exhaustion on the part of my gallant 
 animal, and deeply I execrated my folly in leaving the trail 
 in pursuit of a worthless coyote. 
 
 The savages also saw that they were gaining on me, and 
 their yells of joy curdled my blood, as it proved they now 
 saw themselves closing with me. I cast my eyes about me 
 in search of a place where I might make a good stand, and, 
 if I could not beat them off, at least sell my life dearly. 
 About a mile further on was one of those rocky ridges so 
 numerous in this wild, broken country ; and towards this I 
 directed myself in the expectation of finding some recess, 
 behind which I could defend myself with some chance of 
 success. But the face of the rocks was as smooth as a wall ; 
 neither crack nor cranny was visible. 
 
 The end of the ridge was within a quarter of a mile on my 
 left, and in the hope of finding a refuge on the other side I 
 rode for the point with the savages hard at my heels. They 
 had lessened their original distance to about one half, and 
 this last manoeuvre of mine lost me some ground, as my pur- 
 suers cut off the angle the moment they saw I turned from 
 the direct course with the intention of rounding the ridge. 
 Already an arrow from the foremost shot past my ear with 
 a sharp hiss, and another struck my mule in the flank. I 
 turned sharply round the end of the rocks, and immediately 
 my heart gave a great leap of joy, for there close to me 
 were my companions ! The ridge had hidden them from me 
 as I raced over the plain. I could not have chosen a better 
 course than the one which accident had determined. At the 
 instant when my eyes fell upon them I shouted " Indians !" 
 and both Will and Rube spurred forward with their rifles 
 cocked. At the same moment the six savages shot round 
 the ridge and pulled up short, with a simultaneous grunt of
 
 AN UNEXPECTED RESURRECTION. 109 
 
 surprise at seeing three where they had only anticipated to 
 find one. Before they could decide on what course to 
 pursue, Rube's Spencer and Will's Winchester sent forth 
 their deadly contents, and two of the savages dropped from 
 their horses. The others did not stand upon the order of 
 their going, but disappeared like magic. 
 
 Rube immediately rode up to the two who had fallen, and 
 was about to dismount for the purpose of satisfying his 
 spleen by scalping the bodies, when, to our astonishment, 
 one of the wretches rose, and drawing an arrow to the head 
 loosed it at the trapper, who luckily saw the action, and by 
 a timely duck to one side escaped the missile, which buried 
 itself to the feather in the hunter's mule. Before the savage 
 could fit another arrow to his bow, a bullet from Will's rifle 
 stretched him lifeless upon the ground. 
 
 We did not wish to countenance Rube in his inhuman 
 practice of scalping the dead bodies ; we therefore left the old 
 trapper to do as he pleased, conscious that all remonstrance 
 on our part would be in vain, and rode on slowly leading 
 the mules. We were presently overtaken by the old fellow, 
 who was wiping his knife across the withers of his pack- 
 mule, and in his belt we saw the ghastly trophies which he 
 had severed. He was highly wroth at the loss of his riding- 
 mule, and we had to divide some of his packs between our 
 own animals. It was a considerable time before the 
 trapper's equanimity returned, and this seemed in no small 
 degree aided by his contemplation of the bleeding scalps in 
 his belt. " It don't make up for the mule," said he ; " but 
 it makes one's feelin's easier to look at them thar top- 
 knots !" 
 
 A portion of this day's journey lay through a district 
 covered with thick chapparal, consisting chiefly of mesquits, 
 aloes (of which I noticed two kinds), prickly pears, yuccas,
 
 110 SAD SOUVENIRS. 
 
 greasewood, cacti of several varieties, and other kinds of 
 thick, thorny bushes, which formed a jungle almost impene- 
 trable to man or beast. 
 
 We noticed some sad souvenirs of Indian ambuscades at 
 this spot : skulls and other human remains lay scattered 
 about, some of them apparently being almost quite fresh, as 
 they still contained traces of animal matter and glistened 
 with viscid juice. Several of the skulls bore the unmistak- 
 able marks of tomahawks or similar weapons, the bone being 
 crushed in ; and strange it was to see peeping through the 
 gaping fissures of one or two of these relics of humanity of 
 older date, small, bright-coloured flowers, the seeds having 
 been deposited by the wind in the mould within ! 
 
 We were now approaching the Chiricahui Mountains, 
 among which lies the Apache Pass. We trotted along as 
 briskly as the nature of the ground would admit, and soon 
 " opened" the pass, and, turning up it, reached Fort Bowie, 
 which is situated about six miles from the entrance.
 
 MEXICAN PLANTS.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TREACHERY TOWARDS INDIANS FORT BOWIE RAILROAD PASS UNWELCOME 
 QUEST TREACHERY DEATH OF AN APACHE NATIVE POPULATION OF NEW 
 MEXICO AND ARIZONA RELIGION CUSTOMS PUEBLOS ACOMA NATIVE 
 ARCHITECTURE. 
 
 A PEW years before the time of our visit, the Apache Pass 
 was the scene of an act of treachery on the part of the 
 whites, as disgraceful as any which we find so commonly 
 ascribed to the Indians. 
 
 Prior to the winter of 1861-62, the Apaches had tolerated 
 the passage of the Mail Company's coaches through their 
 territory, and had, on the whole, behaved well towards the 
 Americans who resided in or travelled through this region. 
 This good feeling may have been aided by the judicious 
 conduct of the company in making occasional presents to the 
 red men of food and clothing. Unfortunately for the con- 
 tinuance of this state of things, at the commencement of the 
 great civil war a Federal ofiicer named B - received 
 the command of this wild region, and he soon established his 
 quarters at the mouth of the Apache Pass. While here, 
 one day a young Mexican lad disappeared mysteriously ; and 
 
 his friends waited upon B , expressing the belief that 
 
 the Apaches had kidnapped or killed the boy. The chief of 
 the tribe at that time was the since well-known Cochise, and 
 
 this warrior on being summoned before B , and accused 
 
 of being concerned in the disappearance of the lad, strongly 
 
 (814) 8
 
 114 THE APACHE CHIEF. 
 
 denied all knowledge of it. Six warriors who accompanied 
 him also denied having even heard of the Mexican boy being 
 
 missing. B refused to credit their statements, and 
 
 orders were given for the arrest of Cochise. Immediately on 
 hearing this the chief slit open the tent with his knife and 
 effected his escape ; but his companions were less fortunate, 
 and were all made prisoners. 
 
 There was present a man named "Wallace, who had for a 
 considerable time lived on good terms with the Indians, and 
 he now proposed to visit the Apache camp and endeavour to 
 arrange the difficulty. On his arrival among the Apaches 
 he could obtain no intelligence of the Mexican lad ; and he 
 
 sent word to B that, as far as he could judge, the 
 
 Indians were innocent of the charge made against them, 
 adding that he himself was retained as a hostage for the safe 
 return of the six warriors who had been captured. 
 
 The commanding officer, however, refused to make any 
 terms with the Apaches, nor would he believe Wallace's 
 statement. He threatened that if the boy was not instantly 
 set free he would hang the six Indians that night. The boy, 
 of course, could not be liberated, as he was not a prisoner ; 
 
 and the inhuman B actually had the six savages 
 
 hanged ; while next morning the body of the unfortunate 
 Wallace was seen swinging from the verge of the cliffs over- 
 hanging the pass. Cochise and his tribe immediately went 
 on the war-path, and many a terrible act of retributive 
 vengeance they subsequently were guilty of against the whites. 
 We were ourselves destined to have an interview of a very 
 unpleasant nature with this chief ; but I must not anticipate. 
 
 The scenery round Fort Bowie is very beautiful. On all 
 sides are lofty, wild-looking mountains, chief among which 
 is Helen's Dome. The fort itself is a collection of small 
 buildings of adobe or sun-dried brick, erected on the top of
 
 RAILROAD PASS. 115 
 
 an eminence which commands the pass both up and down 
 for several miles. It has been the scene of many an Indian 
 skirmish as thrilling as any which have figured in the pages 
 of Cooper or Mayne Reid. These furnish incidents for 
 graphic writing, and in this shape are pleasant reading ; but 
 to the actual participators and sufferers they are anything 
 but agreeable : there is no honour to be won ; and to leave 
 one's bones to be gnawed by wolves in a barren wilderness, 
 while one's scalp flutters from a pole in an Indian lodge, 
 has nothing even picturesque about it. 
 
 We spent two very pleasant days at Fort Bowie. The 
 officers in command were as hospitable as they always are 
 in these out-of-the-way places, where every wayfarer is made 
 welcome with a heartiness that carries conviction of its 
 genuineness. We were sorry to leave ; but Will and I had 
 still a very long journey before us, and we hastened away, 
 although we would have much preferred to stay for some 
 time longer. 
 
 As we wished to examine the country somewhat to the 
 north of the Apache Pass, we retraced our steps for a few 
 miles and then turned northwards, skirting the mountains ; 
 and after a most dreary and thirsty journey, we reached a 
 deep depression in the range, about twenty miles from the fort. 
 
 This is known by the name of Railroad Pass ; which name 
 was bestowed upon it by its discoverer, Lieutenant Parkes 
 of the United States army. Here we searched in vain for 
 water ; and as it was impossible to camp without this first 
 requisite, we continued our journey for six or seven miles 
 further up the dry bed of a water-course, and at last had the 
 good fortune to find a spot where, after some digging, we 
 procured sufficient for our wants. This river-bed descended 
 from the sides of a well known mountain, the Dos Cabezas, 
 or Two Heads.
 
 116 AN UNINVITED VISITOR. 
 
 Just as we were about to make camp I thought I discerned 
 a movement behind some rocks at a distance, and thinking 
 it might have been a momentary glimpse of an animal which 
 had hidden among the boulders, I walked noiselessly towards 
 the spot, having my rifle ready for a shot. When I got 
 within about thirty yards of the spot at which I thought I 
 had seen the moving object, a naked, painted savage sprang 
 to an erect posture from behind a rock, and drawing an 
 arrow to its head, stood on the defensive ! 
 
 I was very much startled by this sudden and warlike 
 apparition, not having at the moment the least expectation 
 of seeing anything of the kind. I made signs of peace, and 
 rested my rifle on the earth. The savage relaxed his bow, 
 and stepped forward with a " How ! how !" holding out his 
 hand. I shook hands with him, and we walked towards the 
 camp, Rube and Will looking about as astonished as I had 
 been a moment before. 
 
 The savage, however, seemed quite at his ease, and affected 
 not to notice the extremely cool reception offered him by my 
 companions. He could only converse with us in Spanish, 
 and we learned that he belonged to the Tonto Apaches, the 
 most notorious gang of cut-throats and thieves in the whole 
 country. 
 
 Rube presently drew my attention to the manner in 
 which our unwelcome guest was painted. I observed that 
 one side of his ill-favoured visage was coloured with ver- 
 milion, while the other cheek was daubed with mud. I 
 looked inquiringly at Rube, who said, " That ar chap air in 
 disgrace with his band, and air now a-scoutin' for scalps to 
 make it all squar' ag'in : we'd better keep the sharpest kind 
 o' look-out to-night, or you may lay he'll make a ' raise' by 
 us. The varmints allers have thar phisogs dirted that-away 
 when they're in disgrace."
 
 THE TRAPPER'S WATCH-DOG. 117 
 
 We proceeded with our preparations for camping. A fire 
 was kindled and the kettle set over it to boil; the mules 
 were staked out, and we moved hither and thither without 
 taking any further notice of the Indian. When our supper 
 was ready we invited him to join; which he did with alacrity, 
 bolting our provisions with the voracity of a wolf, and say- 
 ing " Bueno" to everything. We could observe that he was 
 taking an inventory of our belongings, probably with the 
 intention of marking what would be most convenient to 
 appropriate when opportunity offered. At length, greatly 
 to our relief, he rose to depart, and taking his bow and 
 arrows, he shook each of us very heartily by the hand and 
 bid us good-night. He then struck up the dry bed of the 
 stream and was presently lost to view. 
 
 We felt rather uneasy at having our camp known to this 
 savage, who perhaps had comrades not far off. At any rate 
 he himself would probably give us trouble during the hours 
 of darkness; and with this possibility in view we brought 
 the mules close to the camp at nightfall, and put out the fire. 
 Will and I lay down to take some rest, while Rube went a 
 little down the dry water-course to watch ; thinking that as 
 we had last seen the Apache disappear up stream, the likeli- 
 hood was that if he returned with hostile intentions it would 
 be from below, so as to take us by surprise. The old trapper 
 took his macho with him, with the remark that " he could 
 smell arey a red varmint as could be scared up a good hef 
 mile and more, and would be a sight better'n a watch-dog, as 
 he didn't bark." 
 
 By this time the gloomy shades of night obscured the 
 neighbourhood ; all objects had become dusky and vague, 
 and we beheld our " guide, counsellor, and friend " disappear 
 with a sense of anxiety on his account as well as on our own. 
 Our ride during the day had greatly fatigued me, and
 
 118 AN UNPLEASANT WATCH. 
 
 although I felt some apprehension, I fell into a sleep which 
 was broken by unpleasant dreams. How long I lay in this 
 semi-conscious state I do not know. I started several times, 
 and on each occasion I found Will awake and listening. I 
 dozed off again, and thus lay between sleeping and waking, 
 when I was suddenly and effectively roused by Will laying 
 his hand on my arm, and desiring me to sit up and listen. 
 I never in all my life before became thoroughly awake in so 
 short a time. I seemed at one bound, as it were, to spring 
 from a condition of unconsciousness to one of intense watch- 
 fulness, while my heart beat so loudly that I could hear it 
 a great deal too plainly. 
 
 The .silence was deep and oppressive ; but now and then 
 a weary sigh would seem to float past the wind among the 
 aloes and cacti. Presently I heard a mule snort, then 
 another, and they seemed to crowd together. I could in- 
 stinctively see them with ears cocked and pointed in the 
 direction of suspicion. Just then Rube returned from his 
 watch, and I took his place ; but I did not imitate the 
 trapper by taking my mule to aid me on my post. I took 
 up my station under a bush about thirty yards from the 
 camp, down the ravine, and remained as motionless as a 
 statue. The wind blew from me towards the mules; and 
 this was a fortunate circumstance, as the sequel will show. 
 Under any circumstances sentry duty is unpleasant; but 
 when one has some reason to believe that a Tonto Apache is 
 skulking towards one's post, " with blood in his eyes," the 
 unpleasantness becomes aggravated. I made myself as 
 small as possible, and concealed myself as well as the nature 
 of the spot admitted. About two hours of this anxious 
 watching had passed, and I was beginning to wonder how 
 soon I ought to go to call Will to relieve me, when I heard 
 a sound that made my heart stop and then beat loudly. It
 
 DEATH OP OUR VISITOR. 119 
 
 was the sudden sharp snort of a mule, and it was repeated 
 immediately by the others. I could tell that the animals 
 were looking in my direction ; and as I noticed what wind 
 there was blew towards them, I knew the object of their 
 alarm must be up-wind that is, on the present occasion, 
 down the watercourse. I turned in this direction and 
 strained my eyes as well as my ears to catch any indication 
 of danger, but nothing could I see or hear. The mules con- 
 tinued to be extremely uneasy, and this convinced me that 
 their suspicions were not imaginary. A mule has a sharp 
 nose ; and as a rule these animals are very much alarmed by 
 the scent of savages prowling round the camp. I lay down, 
 the better to bring objects within the field of my vision; and 
 while in this posture I got a terrible fright by hearing some 
 one step up close to me. It was Will, who came to know if 
 I could discover what fidgeted the mules. Together we 
 listened and watched. All at once I thought I could dis- 
 tinguish an object which I could not recall having seen 
 before. It was in the middle of the water-course, and I 
 tried to recollect whether I had observed it when I first 
 mounted guard, but to no avail. I fixed my eyes on this 
 suspicious apparition, and desired Will to do the same. We 
 both suddenly noticed it moving almost imperceptibly, while 
 we caught a faint scratching noise. 
 
 "It's an Indian," whispered Will; "I'm sure it's an In- 
 dian, and he has got a bush in front of him to hide him." 
 We watched a little longer to make quite sure, and having 
 now beyond a doubt detected its approach, we both fired to- 
 gether. 
 
 A shriek followed the shots, and on running to the spot 
 we found that our suspicions had been correct. An Indian 
 lay dead on the ground. Rube now joined us ; and having 
 struck a light, we recognized our friend of the previous-
 
 120 RUBE'S DELIGHT. 
 
 evening dirt on one cheek and vermilion on the other. 
 Blood was now, however, obliterating any distinction in 
 their hues, flowing from a bullet- wound just under the eye. 
 The poor wretch must have been peering forward through 
 his screen when he was shot. 
 
 " Hurra w," cried Rube ; "that's the varmint sure enough 
 as corned in last night. No offence, old hoss," he added, as 
 knife in hand he bent over the body ; " but I jest wants yer 
 har, which is more'n ye does." So saying, the old heathen 
 made two cuts quart and tierce round the head, inserted the 
 point of his knife under the skin, and with a sudden pluck 
 pulled off the scalp, and stuck it all bleeding behind his belt. 
 "I does it," said he, perceiving disgust on our faces, "jest to 
 rile the fellurs as finds his body. All them Injuns holds by 
 the idee that ef they ain't got thar har on arter death, they'll 
 be kep' out o' the happy huntin'-grounds ; and that makes 
 'em mad, you bet." 
 
 After this scare we returned to camp ; and as none of 
 us wished again to go to sleep, we rekindled our fire and sat 
 by it, conversing on the unpleasant episode which had taken 
 place. The old trapper had had considerable experience 
 among the Indian tribes of the south-west, and in answer to 
 inquiries which I addressed to him, he gave me some infor- 
 mation with regard to them, to which I add a few statistics. 
 
 At the present time the native population of Arizona and 
 New Mexico is probably somewhat over thirty-five thousand. 
 Of this number about twenty thousand are wild Indians ; 
 the remainder are Pueblo or town Indians, who live in 
 houses of their own construction, are semi-civilized, and are 
 subject to the rule of caciques. They dress neatly in buck- 
 skin shirts, breeches and moccasins, and wear a girdle round 
 the waist. They are only to be met with south of the 
 thirty-sixth parallel of latitude ; and as they preserve no
 
 INDIAN STATISTICS. 121 
 
 tradition of having reached their present territory from the 
 north, the date of their migration thither must be very re- 
 mote. They may be classified as follows: 
 
 1. The Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande Valley. These 
 number about five thousand. 
 
 2. The Pimas Indians of the Gila Valley. They are 
 scattered through eight villages, and number probably three 
 thousand. 
 
 3. The Zufii Indians. These are among the most civilized 
 of the Pueblo tribes. The present population of Zufii, situ- 
 ated latitude 35, longitude 108 50', comprises about one 
 thousand two hundred persons. 
 
 4. The Indians of the Moqui Pueblos. These towns are 
 seven in number, and lie about one hundred and fifty miles 
 north-west of Zufii. They contain about two thousand five 
 hundred souls. 
 
 5. The Papago tribes. These are distributed through 
 nineteen villages, and the collective population can hardly 
 be less than four thousand souls. 
 
 Those Indians who inhabit the valley of the Rio Grande 
 became converted at a very early date to Christianity 
 through the zeal of the Spanish missionaries. In each pueblo 
 or town there is a church, ordinarily built of the sun-dried 
 bricks or adobes of the country. 
 
 In the territory of New Mexico there are twenty-two 
 pueblos namely, Taos, Pecuries, Abiquiu, San Juan, Santa 
 Clara, San Ildefonso, Pojuaque, Nambe, Tesuque, Pecos, 
 Cochiti, San Domingo, San Felipe, Sandia, Isleta, Belen, 
 Santa Ana, Zia, Jemes, Laguna, Acoma, and Zufii. Within 
 the jurisdiction of El Paso there are the following Seneca, 
 Isleta, Socorro, San Lorenzo del Real. 
 
 The population of these towns has fallen off very con- 
 siderably within the present century. In the year 1790,
 
 122 TRIBAL GOVERNMENT. 
 
 according to the statement of Mr. Ward, agent for the 
 pueblos, the total number of inhabitants was eleven thousand 
 one hundred and seventy-five; while in 1864 it had fallen to 
 seven thousand and sixty-six, at which date several of the 
 pueblos had entirely ceased to exist. 
 
 The greater number of the towns above named lie in the 
 valley of the Rio Grande ; but there are several which are 
 situated at considerable distances from it, on some of the 
 streams tributary to that river. Of these I may mention 
 Taos, Laguna, Acoma, and San Domingo, all of which are 
 characterized by a similarity of type. Ordinarily the houses 
 are only of one story ; but they are sufficiently capacious to 
 accommodate several families. The roofs are flat, rising 
 terrace-like one behind the other. Watch-towers are 
 usually placed at the angles of the villages. In every 
 village will be found a kind of council house, partly exca- 
 vated out of the ground, and to this access is gained only by 
 means of a trap-door in the roof. This is the estufa ; and it 
 is in this jealously guarded chamber that the sacred fire is 
 kept constantly burning. 
 
 Each pueblo has its own system of government, presided 
 over by a cacique, or supreme chief, selected from among 
 the oldest and most trusted of the tribe. This position is 
 held for life; and the authority of the cacique is usually 
 sufficient to settle all questions of internal government. 
 There is also a war-chief, selected from among the warriors 
 for his bravery and cunning, who conducts the campaigns 
 of the tribe against their enemies. There is another officer, 
 the fiscal major, whose duties are civil, and relate to matters 
 of public importance, such as repairs of churches, regula- 
 tion of church affairs, etc. 
 
 The elders of the community meet together in council to 
 debate all questions of importance in the government of the
 
 PUEBLOS. 123 
 
 tribe, and over these parliaments the cacique presides. This 
 body chooses suitable persons to nil all the public positions, 
 with the exception of that of cacique. The cacique is chosen 
 by a kind of universal suffrage. 
 
 It is singular that the inhabitants of villages living under 
 this system of government, and apparently forming a homo- 
 geneous people, should not all speak the same language. They 
 do not do so; and when occasion requires intercommunication 
 they resort to Spanish, which they seem very readily to acquire. 
 
 With regard to the religious ideas of these various tribes, 
 there seems to be some doubt whether they can really be 
 considered as bona-fide converts to Christianity, or whether, 
 while assuming outwardly the forms of Catholicism, they 
 really nourish in private their ancient superstitions. It 
 appears to be beyond doubt that in some pueblos the estufa 
 is still used as the place of sacrifice to the god Quetzalcoatl ; 
 and in the gloomy interior of this apartment still gleams the 
 sacred fire, and from its azotea the priests look daily for the 
 reappearance of Montezuma. The French missionaries who 
 now labour among them are, however, much revered; and from 
 this it is natural to infer that their adoption of Christianity 
 is not altogether nominal. 
 
 The pueblos which lie west of the Rio Grande are fre- 
 quently situated in very striking and commanding positions, 
 upon the summits of high cliffs, affording great advantages 
 for defence against attacks. Old Zuiii stood upon the flat 
 top of a lofty mesa, one thousand feet above the plain at its 
 foot. Laguna is built upon the summit of a limestone rock, 
 about forty feet high, and can easily be defended by a small 
 body of men against the assaults of vastly greater numbers. 
 In this pueblo the houses are chiefly constructed of stone, 
 plastered with mud, and are generally two stories in height, 
 outer wall of the first story is a blank ; there are'
 
 124 ACOMA. 
 
 neither windows nor doors in it. At its summit is a terrace, 
 and rising behind this is another story, which is entered by 
 doors. Access to the first or ground floor is had by means 
 of ladders, which are lowered through trap-doors in the 
 terrace mentioned as forming the summit of the first story. 
 The upper floors only are used for sleeping in ; the rooms at 
 the ground level are used for storage. It is said that these 
 people are strictly honest, sober, and industrious ; while 
 their women are modest and virtuous. 
 
 Acorn a is perhaps one of the most interesting of the 
 pueblos. Like so many others, it is built on the summit of 
 an elevated mesa, whose precipitous sides reach a height of 
 between three and four hundred feet over the valley. The 
 buildings are larger than those of Laguna, having three instead 
 of two stories, each successive flat being smaller than that 
 underneath it. On the top of this mesa there are perhaps 
 about fifty acres of land ; and a long, winding flight of rock- 
 hewn steps gives the only access to the town. This, of course, 
 offers admirable facilities for defence. The Acomans are 
 very wealthy for Indians. They possess large herds of 
 cattle ; while their farms yield considerable quantities of 
 pumpkins, maize, peaches, etc. 
 
 As all the towns of these tribes bear a considerable re- 
 semblance to each other, and as the general similarity is 
 shared by their inhabitants, sufficient has been said to give 
 a fairly accurate idea of them without going further into 
 details, which would perhaps be uninteresting to the reader.
 
 CHAPTER YT. 
 
 DOS CABEZAS MOUNT GRAHAM SIERRA CALITRO RUBE AND THE GRIZZLIES 
 FOREST ON FIRE RUBE'S AWFUL POSITION "THEY DON'T LIE OUT HYAR ! " 
 HABITS OF THE GRIZZLY BEAR TERRIBLE HURRICANE ANTELOPES 
 ARAVAYPA CANON BEAR-HUNT SMOKED OUT. 
 
 THE Dos Cabezas forms the southern boundary of the pass 
 in which we were camped, and is the terminal point of the 
 Chiricahui Range on the north. Separated from this moun- 
 tain by the breadth of the pass is another fine hill, Mount 
 Graham, which forms the southern extremity of the Pina- 
 Lefio Mountains. From this point the distance either way 
 to the ends of the pass is about equal, or seven miles ; and 
 the breadth of the valley between the two ranges mentioned 
 is probably from ten to eleven miles. 
 
 This pass bears a greater resemblance to a fine valley than 
 to such a mere depression between high mountain ranges as 
 is suggested by the word "pass." It is covered with a most 
 luxuriant vegetation, but is devoid of trees. Almost through 
 its centre is scooped out the bed of an arroyo, or mountain- 
 stream, apparently long dried up, as at the time of our visit 
 it presented the appearance of a broad ribbon of succulent 
 pasturage meandering through the verdant valley. 
 
 We started from our camp under the Dos Cabezas at day- 
 break, and shortly thereafter approached the western outlet 
 of the valley, the sides of which formed a frame for a very 
 striking view of the Sierra Calitro, which lay exactly oppo-
 
 126 SIERRA CALITRO. 
 
 site. The whole of this district was evidently frequently 
 traversed by Indians, as we constantly struck their trails ; 
 but by some unusual good fortune we did not meet the 
 savages themselves. We were destined, however, to meet 
 them several times during the further prosecution of our 
 journey ; and these rencounters were anything but agreeable. 
 
 Most of the Indian tribes are now placed by Government 
 on reservations ; but some years since this was not the case, 
 and rapine, outrage, and murder were the unfailing attend- 
 ants of the ferocious Apache, Navajo, or even of the more 
 degraded and apparently less formidable Ute. 
 
 During the first part of our march this day we passed an 
 extensive playa; over which, as it was still early morning, 
 we beheld the usual phantoms of the mirage. It is shortly 
 after sunrise that these illusions are most perfect in their 
 outlines; which is probably due to the angle at which the 
 sun's rays strike the earth at that time. The valley here 
 may rather be described as a plain, as it appears almost a 
 perfect level, and is covered with a very nutritious grass, 
 which gives it an appearance of great fertility. 
 
 For some distance we rode along the flanks of the Sierra 
 Calitro, looking for a suitable spot at which to make our 
 camp. Towards the middle of the afternoon we perceived 
 some cotton- woods rising by the edge of the range, and here 
 we found a spring of water, which Rube said he believed to 
 be Bear Spring. We halted at this spot and prepared to 
 pass the night. Eastward lay the plain we had crossed, and 
 over it we could see the Dos Cabezas and Mount Graham 
 towering up skywards ; while for many a league extending 
 southwards stretched the Chiricahui Range, the afternoon 
 sun striking full upon its rugged sides, through a glorious 
 purple haze, which softened the rugged outlines of the hills, 
 and gave them an artificial appearance of distance.
 
 THE TRAVELLER'S DESIDERATUM. 127 
 
 Rube's axe soon procured a sufficient supply of fuel ; and 
 when the kettle had been filled and placed over the blaze, the 
 mules staked out on a bit of good grass, the packs neatly 
 piled and covered up, we threw ourselves on the ground, and 
 waited with some equanimity the boiling of the water. 
 Coffee is the grand desideratum of the traveller in these 
 regions : it washes down his tough meat, and communicates 
 a grateful glow to his tired frame which perhaps no other 
 beverage is capable of doing. Tea holds the next place to 
 coffee ; but it lacks the body of the latter. 
 
 As we lay by the fire we could command an extensive 
 view eastwards ; and far out we could see some large animals, 
 but what they were we could not determine. They were too 
 far to follow, and we therefore confined ourselves to guessing 
 what they might be. Rube said they were probably cattle 
 which had strayed from some party of emigrants. Will 
 thought they might be wild cattle, and even suggested 
 mountain bison ; at which Rube laughed. " Thar ain't none 
 o' them hyarabout," he said; "and they couldn't hev corned 
 so far from whar they resorts. They keeps only in the 
 thickest mountain-forests, and the nearest place they could 
 a be air the Mogollon range ; and I don't know for sartain if 
 thar to be had in that eyther." 
 
 This speculation set us conversing on the various wild 
 animals of these countries, and the old trapper communicated 
 some interesting facts relative to them. After all, it is men 
 like Rube who possess the most accurate knowledge of the 
 animals, in whose pursuit they spend their lives. A closet- 
 naturalist, from the examination of a tooth or a bone, has 
 little scruple in making statements which he professes to 
 deduce from these slender data. But there are many matters 
 of which he must necessarily be ignorant, and these demand 
 observation, often long continued, in order to be fully under-
 
 128 RCBE'S STORY. 
 
 stood. I admit that the professional hunters are often un- 
 reliable in their statements; but is not the scientist open to 
 die same accusation? Many an exploded scientific theory, 
 once held to be true, bears witness to this. 
 
 The trapper had had terrible encounters with that most 
 formidable animal the grizzly bear ; and he bore some traces 
 of these, which he seemed proud to show us. Unbuttoning 
 his buckskin shirt, he pointed to three or four deep grooves, 
 reaching from just below the collar-bone to the lower point 
 of the chest all the skin and a great deal of the flesh and 
 muscle had been torn away. These scars presented a ghastly 
 appearance, the mutilated flesh not having been skilfully 
 replaced ; while round the edges it seemed to have sloughed 
 away, leaving a deep hollow with sides of a purple colour. 
 Both thighs had been badly lacerated, the claws of the 
 ferocious beast having ploughed long furrows from the groin 
 to the knee. With such terrible injuries it was amazing 
 that the hunter could walk about with little peculiarity of 
 gait, a slight hitch or jerk in lifting the right leg alone being 
 observable. 
 
 Will and I were of course eager to hear the details of the 
 combat which resulted in these injuries, and we presently 
 drew the hunter on the subject, when he gave us the follow- 
 ing narrative of the occurrence : 
 
 " Them 'ar rips air not handsome," he began ; " but I hev 
 more, accordin' to sample, hyar" (indicating his back with a 
 motion of his hand), " and mebbe somethin* better than them 
 ye've seed. They were not all done at one time, though ; it 
 tuck a sight more'n one grizzly to use me up that a way : 
 and I hev an idee them Vars might jest as well a let me 
 alone. They didn't make much out o' the speculation. But 
 that ain't what I were a-goin' ter say. 
 
 " Yer were askin' how I corned bv them marks, I were
 
 A GRIZZLY. 129 
 
 out a good few yearn agone in the Nevada Mountains, and 
 while in them diggin's I were constant on the search for 
 ' colour ' in the gulches and by the stream sides. Thar was 
 silver a plenty in that country ; but that were o' no account 
 with me, as I hed been to Californy, and hed got an idee that 
 gold were the only thing to gather. Wai, I didn't get any, 
 and were intendin' to prospect in some other diggin's, and 
 with this view I turned westwards ag'in. One evenin', while 
 makin' my way down a heavily timbered gulch, I thought I 
 heerd a nize like the snort o' a buffler bull. I wur a-thinkin' 
 o' nothin' in partic'lar at the time, and so the nize didn't 
 seem to get holt o' my old ears as mebbe it would at another 
 time ; but I could make out 'twere from the front it kem. 
 I pushed through the underbrush out into a small open whar 
 I seed at once't what it were 'twa'n't nothin' else but a 
 grizzly as I had heerd, and an old ' she ' at that, for thar were 
 two cubs along with her. Whatever I hed been a-thinkin' 
 of before, you bet I thought o' somethin 7 else now. I hed 
 hardly showed my nose out o' the bushes when the old var- 
 mint gev jest one look and kem at me with her mouth open, 
 red and steamin' ; and a sight that were, I reckon ! I let 
 drive at her, o' coorse ; but she didn't drop. I didn't expect 
 that she would, as I knowed grizzlies air powerful partic'lar 
 about not clyin', and I seed 'twould hev to be a stand-up fight 
 with my knife and pistols. I let these into the b'ar, you may 
 stake high, 'ithout losin' much time ; but they didn't seem to 
 hev much effect. I knew 'twere o' no use to run ; thar were 
 no time, as the distance were so short, and the heavy timber 
 wa'n't near enough, or o' coorse I could hev shinned it up a tree. 
 " The b'ar tackled me afore I could think o' what were best 
 to do ; and then seein' as I were to all appearance bound to 
 go under, I braced myself up and determined to sell my life 
 as dear as I could. I put one foot firm on the ground and 
 
 (814) 9
 
 130 THE FIGHT. 
 
 balanced myself, ready to leap aside, or back'ards, or stab, 
 jest as come handy. The b'ar run right into me, riz up and 
 med a blow. I stepped back, but hardly in time, as the 
 scaly varmint's claws took all the shirt off my shoulder and 
 back ; and though I didn't feel the blow much at the time, 
 I very soon felt the blood runnin' down my back and into 
 my boots. This med me raal savage. I hed dodged the b'ar ; 
 but she kem at me ag'in. I stood for her this time ; and jest 
 as she riz to grip me, I put my knife into her throat, under 
 the chin, and gev it all my weight. The blade went in to 
 the handle, thirteen inches it were ; but I were whammelled 
 off my legs in a twinklin', and fell with the b'ar atop o' me, 
 and usin' her claws like all possessed. I kinder fainted then, 
 and rec'lects nothin' more till I kem to ; and then I seed the 
 b'ar lyin' clost by, and the two cubs lickin' at her. She 
 were dead. That last stab, as I found, hed cut her wind- 
 pipe, and hed split her heart right in two ! 'Twere lucky so 
 far ; but when I tried to rise I found I were badly hurt. 
 One leg wouldn't work nohow ; and, besides, I felt nasty 
 weak, hevin' lost a sight of blood. I were pasted up in my 
 clothes with clotted blood, partly from the b'ar it were ; but 
 I reckon I hed lost more than my old carcase could spare. 
 Arter a little I could jest manage to rise standin' ; but as to 
 walkin', that were altogether onpossible. I loaded up both 
 rifle and pistols : and the first thing I did were to kill the 
 two cubs. I then med a fire ; and crawled on all-fours to 
 the crick to bathe myself. The cold water med me ache 
 like thunder, but it freshened me ; and arter a little while 
 I roasted one o' the cubs and tried to eat a bit. I felt 
 blamed queer, I tell yer ! Things were wheelin' round me, 
 my head bein' weak yet ; but arter chawin' a bit o' the b'ar 
 cub I lay down clost to the fire and fell asleep. It were a 
 nasty sleep, fellurs, I tell yer. I hed dreadful dreams, and
 
 THE WOODS ON FIRE. 131 
 
 every few minutes I kinder woke and thought I were bein' 
 torn to raggles by some varmint ; then I'd think I were 
 bein' burned to death ; and ag'in I'd feel icy cold down my 
 back and legs, while my head were fairly a-blazin'. At last 
 I got a quiet sleep ; and when I woke I couldn't nohow make 
 out whar I were, nor whether I hadn't died and seed a place 
 we heers tell of as waitin' for evil-doers. I hed an idee that 
 'twere day when I went asleep ; but at fust when I woke I 
 seed a mighty glare all around. The sky above were like 
 an ocean of blood; the crick bottom were lit up with red 
 light, so that every stick and limb shone out clear ; and I 
 heerd such a nize o' splittin', crackin', whistlin', and roarin' 
 as seemed to come from no airthly source. As yet I hedn't 
 looked round ; this is what I seed the fust glimp, and in my 
 bamfoozled state I couldn't understand what it all meant. 
 But on turnin' round I knew at once't what it meant : the 
 timber on both sides o' the crick bottom were in a blaze, and 
 the fire were comin' down torst me at the rate o' a gallopin' 
 horse, sendin' showers of sparks far before, and lightin' the 
 long dry grass which already hed tuck fire within a hun- 
 dred yards. 
 
 " I knew 'twere no time for swoppin' horses, and so I got 
 up ; but yer may stake high I felt in anything but case for 
 a race. I could jest hobble along; and I med the crick, 
 turnin' down it, wadin' up to my waist in snow-cold water. 
 I fell every ten yards, and got so stunned and freezed and 
 fooled with the bad usage I were gettin' that I hardly knew 
 what I were a-doin'. I knew I hed to get out o' that crick 
 bottom in the shortest time it could be done ; but this idee 
 were so cloudy in my mind that I kep' along the water, sous- 
 ing into the pools, fallin' over the rocks, and goin' generally 
 heels over head every which way, that I never thought that 
 thar might be a shorter way out than by keepin' to the
 
 132 A FEARFUL RUN. 
 
 bottom. I could hear the fire roarin' behint, and the trees 
 bustin' and blowin' up with reports like cannon ; and the 
 nize seemed to me to be comin' nearer, which med me get 
 over the ground faster than ever. Sparks fell by me, and 
 dropped hissin' into the water ; and every now and then 
 deer and elk galloped past flyin' from the fire. I seed two 
 'painters' go by, never as much as lookin' at me as they 
 passed ; and, fellurs, thar were two grizzlies hoofin' down 
 the bottom pretty lively, and lookin' back sometimes as if 
 they'd a mind to fight the fire if it could be done. These 
 varmints left me behind ; and, strange as it may sound to 
 say, I felt lonesome like when every livin' thing hed gone, 
 and I were left alone to run my race before the devourin' 
 fire. I began to feel weak ag'in. I reckon I would hev hed 
 enough to do at my best to make my way before the flames, 
 which kem on at a speed you'd hardly bleeve 'ithout bein' 
 thar to see ; but now I were lame and weak, and I ran like 
 one in a dream. 'Twere a fearful run ; and each moment 
 nearer kem the fire, and thicker fell the sparks an' ashes. I 
 could see the flames now. At fust when I started down the 
 bottom I hed put some timber atween me and the fire ; but 
 I were now in view, and like as if it hed been a livin' thing 
 a-huntin' me, the sight o' me appeared to give it more life, 
 and I felt it were gainin' on me at every step. 
 
 " The crick bottom got narrower, and the two sides drew 
 in closer torst each other ; and seein' this, I began to hope 
 that it might canon, and if so be it did, thar might be an 
 end o' the trees and, o ; coorse, the fire. But thar wa'n't no 
 sich luck, I guess. I soon found that thar were a fall in the 
 crick ; 'twere at a place whar the banks riz up straight as 
 poplars on eyther side ; and along the banks back'ards thar 
 wa'n't no place whar I could climb. I were in a raal trap : 
 the falls in front, fifty foot deep I jedged ; behind were the
 
 OVER THE FALLS. 135 
 
 fire ; and on right and left were steep banks of rotten clay, 
 fifteen foot high, with thick timber atop. I med an attempt 
 to climb out, but the rotten stuff caved in and let me fall. 
 The fire were now comin' very close, and I could feel it 
 gettin' hotter and hotter every minute. I were nigh a'most 
 choked with the smoke, which were drivin' down the bottom 
 before the wind jest as if I were in a chimbly. I ran to the 
 falls and looked over; 'twere hopeless to get down. The 
 water fell in one solid sheet straight to the bottom, and the 
 black, smooth, shiny rocks didn't offer a foothold ; a chit- 
 munk couldn't a gone down. I seed the fire now within a 
 hundred yards ; flames shot up a hundred feet above the 
 crick and wrapped the trees around jest as you'd wind a 
 painted cloth about 'em ; thick timber fell off the high banks 
 into the water with a terrible report ; and showers of sparks 
 and hot coals fell so thick about me that I hed to keep 
 brushin' 'em off my clothes. 
 
 " I knew I hed no time to lose, and that it hed got to be 
 ' drown or bum ' with me. I med up my mind to try goin' 
 over the falls, whatever kem of it, when my eye fell on a 
 spot whar I thought I could climb the bank. It were at a 
 p'int whar it wa'n't a yard from the edge of the crick ; the 
 clay hed fallen forward, and thar seemed to be a chance of 
 climbin' out in a channel worn by water from above. I ran 
 at it and made a kind of leap : the clay held. I grabbed 
 roots that stuck out and hauled myself up. I were jest 
 a'most sartain of gettin' out when my foot slipped, and 
 afore I could clutch anything to save myself by, I fell back- 
 'ards and tumbled kersplash into the crick ! 'Twere five or 
 six feet deep hyar, so the tumble didn't hurt ; but afore I 
 kem to the surface the fust thought that flashed through 
 me were that over the falls I must go, as the place whar I 
 slipped were within ten yards of 'em. The crick ran swift-
 
 136 SAVED. 
 
 hyar, bein' only about hef the width it were a little higher 
 up. I kem up pretty speedy, yer may be sure ; but it were 
 at the very brink. The next second I went over. I rec'lets 
 seein' the blazin' forest lookin' like the gates of Tophet, the 
 blood-red sky spreadin' across the open above ; and then the 
 stiflin' gurgle and rush of the water seemed to put out the 
 fira I felt myself a-floatin' away, down down ; and 
 though I knew I were a-drowndin', I did nothin' to save my- 
 self. It seemed so cool and pleasant like ; and I thought I 
 were in a place lit up by the brightest, yellowest sunshine, 
 fallin' upon green branches wavin', wavin', and I heerd the 
 singin' of many birds. Then the sunlight seemed to fade 
 away, and the birds' singin' to get fainter, and it grew dark 
 and cold. I floated away out of the world like, and were as 
 good a'most as dead. I lay thar, or leastways I arterwards 
 knew I lay thar, for a couple of hours or more. When I got 
 a faint notion that I wa'n't dead entirely, I found I were 
 lyin' at one side o' the deep pool into which the water fell 
 from above. I could see the green and white sheet of solid 
 water stretchin' up to the top of the rocks and lined ag'in 
 the fiery sky ; and the spray it churned up in the whirlpool 
 below fell in a shower on my face. I were lyin' on my back, 
 hevin' run aground in a little spot, about two feet wide, 
 between two rocks, whar some shingle hed collected, and 
 med a kind o' toy strand, as I may say. I were too weak 
 to stir, and thar I lay lookin' up torst the sky, which were 
 still red with the shine of the burnin' forest, and watchin' 
 the woods still blazin', and listenin' to the thunder of the 
 falls. The fire had passed me, and were burnin' along down 
 the bottom. 
 
 " By-and-by I tried to stir, but grievous hard work it 
 were, I kin tell yer. I managed to get ashore, whar I fell 
 on my face and turned deadly sick. I reckon it would have
 
 CAUSE OP THE FIRE. 137 
 
 touched an Injun to see the way I were in. The sickness 
 relieved me, and arter another spell I could sit up, and 
 began to think of how I could get out. Thar were one 
 thing sartain, and that were, that if I'd lost my rifle I might 
 as well die at once't, as without it I could get nothing to 
 eat. I hed a faint notion that I hed throwed it and my 
 powder-horn down in my fright at the fire overtakin' me, at 
 the spot whar I tried to climb the bank above the falls. It 
 might yet be thar. I crawled out of the crick-bed, and 
 arter a deal of weary work got round and back ag'in to this 
 spot ; and at fust I couldn't see any sign of rifle or powder- 
 horn. The fire hed heaped lots of charred trees and all 
 kinds of sich rubbish atop of the place, and some of these 
 were still burnin'. I thought that, o' coorse, the rifle were 
 quite ruined and the powder blown up, when the idee tuck 
 me that mebbe they hed got kivered up with the dirt and 
 clay that caved in with my weight when I fell. I tossed 
 and pulled at it for some time, when I were main glad all on 
 a sudden to come on the rifle, which were not a bit hurt ; 
 and under it I got my powder-horn, safe as ever. Only for 
 that lucky cave-in of the bank they'd a been burned up. I 
 lied my bullet-pouch still round my shoulders ; so thar I 
 were arter all, sick and sore and weak, and, I may say, half- 
 drownded too, but still able to crawl along, and, best of all, 
 with my rifle in my hand. With that I knew I could get 
 food ; and I hed no fear that with food and rest I would get 
 round ag'in. To make a long story short, I lay up in another 
 crick bottom a few miles away, whar the game were plenty ; 
 and in a month I were as fit to go as I am now. Yer may 
 bet, though, I hed enough of grizzlies for some time. I 
 heerd arterwards that 'twere Injuns hed sot fire to the 
 timber, to burn out two miners who hed the ill luck to hev 
 thar camp found out by the varmints. One of the miners
 
 138 NOTES ON THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 
 
 were shot as he tried to break away ; and the other'n got 
 into a cave, whar he cached until the fire hed passed by." 
 
 Rube here stopped, and seemed lost in the recollection of 
 his marvellous escape. 
 
 " Is all that true, Rube?" asked Will bluntly. " Where 
 I come from, people would say the paint was put on just a 
 trifle too thick." 
 
 The hunter made no reply for a moment, as if hardly 
 comprehending that doubt could be entertained with regard 
 to the truth of his narrative. At length he said calmly, 
 " Stranger, do people ever tell lies in your country 7" 
 
 " I am afraid they do rather often," replied Will. 
 
 " Ah, I thought so," said the hunter, quite relieved. " I 
 don't blame yer, then, for a-doubtin' me, though I showed 
 yer the rips that ar grizzly med on my old carcase. People 
 out hyar don't lie. I can't show yer the marks of my 
 drowndin', seein' as it didn't make any ; but for all that it 
 kem mighty close on rubbin' out Rube Herring." 
 
 Whatever might be said with regard to the truth of 
 Rube's story, I fear his statement, that " out hyar people 
 don't lie," is open to question. 
 
 This singular adventure led to some conversation on that 
 terrible animal the grizzly bear; and from Rube, whose 
 experience was considerable, we gathered some information, 
 which is worth noting. 
 
 The grizzly is the most formidable as well as the largest 
 of the carnivora found on the American continent. His 
 natural habitat is confined to the mountains, but he has very 
 often been met with on the plains at a considerable distance 
 from them. This is especially the case in autumn, when he 
 rambles long distances in search of the numerous berries and 
 Avild fruits found at that season. The wild grape thickets, 
 as well as those of the wild plum, are a favourite haunt, and
 
 NOTES ON THE GRIZZLY BEAR, 139 
 
 of these fruits the shaggy monster is extremely fond. As a 
 rule, the grizzly is a shy animal ; that is, his nature leads 
 him to prefer dark, sequestered retreats, where it is hard to fol- 
 low him up, unless the hunter be provided with dogs trained 
 for the purpose. On hearing any suspicious sounds, which 
 would seem to indicate the approach of danger, he usually 
 makes off, uttering a hideous sound, a combination of a 
 grunt and a roar, which certainly induces considerable cau- 
 tion on the part of the hunter. Although a grizzly will 
 retreat when he has the choice, no animal lights with such 
 dogged, indeed, demoniac determination, when he fancies 
 himself surrounded or cut off. Odds then make no im- 
 pression, and he will charge a regiment with as much 
 ferocity as if assailed by only one antagonist. The female, 
 as we have seen in the instance cited by Rube, will make a 
 stand by her cubs ; but this is not invariably her practice, 
 as she has often been known to seek safety in flight, leaving 
 her young to their fate. When " cornered," the ferocity of 
 an old male grizzly has probably no parallel among wild 
 beasts. He has considerable activity, enormous strength, 
 long, terrible claws, which cut like chisels ; and at each blow 
 a victim is killed outright, or maimed for life, as well as 
 most frightfully mutilated. His tenacity of life is very 
 remarkable ; shot after shot may be fired into him with no 
 other result, apparently, than that of increasing his rage. 
 With regard to this peculiarity, there is one circumstance 
 which should not be lost sight of, and it is this : the hunters 
 of the West, until within late years, were in the habit of 
 using very small bore rifles, often carrying round bullets 
 weighing not more than sixty to the pound, and even 
 lighter. Their object in this was, of course, to economize 
 ammunition, by getting a greater number of rounds out of 
 a given quantity of powder and lead. Armed thus lightly f
 
 140 A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE. 
 
 it was only to be anticipated that such animals as the grizzly 
 bear could not be subdued with one or two shots, unless the 
 hunter's aim was very exact. Thus arose an exaggerated 
 idea of his invulnerability. With modern Express rifles 
 these animals have been " bagged " by sportsmen with little 
 difficulty ; although occasionally, of course, bad shooting will 
 result in a very lively scene, and some damage, even loss of 
 life, may result before the formidable beast gets a quietus. 
 
 Any one who has the ill luck to get caught by a grizzly 
 bear is most fortunate if he escapes with his life. At a 
 military post in the West such an individual was to be seen 
 a few years since ; and judging from the description of his 
 injuries as given by an eye-witness, he must have been 
 endowed with the tenacity of life ascribed to the bear itself 
 to have survived them. It seems that while acting as guide 
 and hunter to a party of Californian miners, he one day 
 encountered a grizzly bear while ascending a steep and nar- 
 row track which led up the side of a precipitous hill. There 
 was no means by which the hunter could avoid the encounter : 
 on one side rose the perpendicular cliff, on the other sunk 
 the precipice ; while to have turned back would only invite 
 pursuit from the monster, who was quickly approaching. 
 The brave fellow made the best of the circumstances, and 
 braced his nerves for a desperate fight. The bear reared 
 himself upright, as is their custom, and in this attitude com- 
 menced the attack. The hunter advanced his rifle, put the 
 muzzle into the beast's open mouth, depressed the butt at 
 the same moment, to throw the ball upwards through the 
 skull, and fired. The shot was instantly fatal ; but in the 
 fraction of time during which the bear lived, with one move- 
 ment of his powerful claws he rendered the man a wreck 
 for life. " One fore claw passed over the man's right shoulder, 
 liad hooked under the right shoulder-blade and torn it out
 
 STRANGE HABIT OF THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 141 
 
 entirely. The other fore claw had torn all the flesh from 
 the right side. One hind claw had torn open the lower 
 abdomen, letting out the bowels, and badly scarifying the 
 left leg, while the other hind claw had torn every particle 
 of muscle from the right thigh from the groin to the knee. 
 In spite of these terrible injuries, the man, after many 
 months, recovered. When I saw him, he was apparently in 
 good health, but could not use, or even move, his right arm 
 or either leg. He gave me the particulars of his fight, and 
 described his wounds with great animation and gusto, smok- 
 ing his pipe the while, and wound up with the remark, ' Any- 
 body can fight bear that wants to ; I've had enough grizzly 
 in mine.'"* 
 
 When wounds such as these can be inflicted by this 
 monster in a single instant, we can imagine the desperate 
 case of any one unfortunate enough to be in his power for 
 a few minutes ! The grizzly is distinguished by a peculiar 
 habit. If his enemy is knocked senseless, or if by the 
 exertion of great presence of mind he shams death, the ani- 
 mal will not mutilate the body, but after snuffing about it 
 for a little will retire. He sometimes has been known to 
 carry away his victim under these circumstances and 
 bury him, by heaping dried leaves or soil over his 
 body ! 
 
 The female produces from one to three cubs at a birth, 
 usually in the early part of the year, and these remain with 
 her until the following fall, when they retire to their winter 
 quarters. The food of this species consists chiefly of various 
 roots, and such wild fruits as are found within its range. 
 These are plums, cherries, wild grapes, acorns, etc. It is 
 also an indefatigable worker among decayed logs, turning 
 them over in search of larvse and insects : ant-hills are 
 
 * " Hunting Grounds of the Great West." By Colonel Dodge.
 
 142 A STORM. 
 
 torn open easily with the powerful fore arms, and the teem- 
 ing inhabitants eagerly devoured. 
 
 While interchanging our remarks, each contributing some 
 few facts from his own knowledge, the bright sun was hasten- 
 ing westwards ; and when, having at length exhausted the 
 subject, we began to stretch and manifest other symptoms of 
 fatigue, twilight was already falling upon the landscape. In 
 the north, angry-looking clouds were massing; and there 
 was an ominous stillness in the air, which seemed charged 
 with electricity. The mules were uneasy, and did not feed 
 well ; so we brought them nearer to the camp, and saw that 
 their lariats were well secured. Rube prophesied a severe 
 thunder-storm, and we made what preparations we could to 
 render ourselves comfortable. The packs were heaped to 
 windward of the fire, or rather on that side from which we 
 expected the wind, and having dug a trench round them, to 
 carry off the wet, we mended our fire, and sat round it in 
 expectation of what was to come. 
 
 The clouds grew darker each moment and hurried towards 
 the zenith, throwing an appalling gloom over the earth, 
 which was already vague with the shades of approaching 
 night. In the distance a low muttering became audible ; and 
 a pale, watery gleam began to surround the edges of the vast 
 volumes of blue-black vapours which were inwrapping the 
 whole heavens in their folds. This marked the descending 
 deluge. The silence was oppressive, and was unbroken, 
 except by an occasional growl which proceeded from the 
 murky darkness of the sky. Suddenly a stream of fire pierced 
 the gloom, lighting up with ghastly distinctness plain and 
 mountain, and leaving behind a tenfold darkness. Scarcely 
 had the flash imprinted itself upon our sight, when a 
 deafening roll of thunder crashed along the heavens, shaking 
 the solid earth with its ponderous vibration, and terrifying
 
 LIGHTNING. 143 
 
 the mules, which tried to break away. We flew to prevent 
 this ; and now our miseries began. Flash followed flash so 
 rapidly that they might almost be said to yield a constant 
 light, as their pale blue and jagged streams shot from the 
 clouds and zig-zagged across the sky. Many shot so close 
 past that we could hear the vicious crackle of the electric 
 fluid ; and we could see them strike the plain, bounding like 
 snakes of fire to the horizon. I had heard some loud 
 thunder in my own country, but I had never heard any- 
 thing to compare with what I this night experienced. The 
 crashes followed so closely upon each other that for some 
 time it is hardly an exaggeration to say that there was but 
 one long-continued appalling roar. And during this terrific 
 elemental strife the rain poured down in torrents : it seemed 
 as if the atmosphere was transformed into a furious mael- 
 strom, torrents contending with torrents, and as if our 
 camp was the vortex of the struggle where the shattered 
 masses of water were hurled to the earth. And through 
 this driving deluge the lightning darted, now playing round 
 the peaks of the Calitro Mountains, and again shooting 
 slantwise towards the earth. A huge poplar was struck by 
 the fluid scarcely a hundred yards from the camp, and was 
 completely shattered. We could mark the ruin wreaked 
 upon it by the ghastly gleam of the flashes, the riven frag- 
 ments of the trunk leaning asunder, while its branchy top 
 slowly rolled off to leeward, impelled by the fury of the 
 hurricane. 
 
 A single instant sufficed to extinguish the fire, and of 
 course we ourselves were wet to the skin in a moment. 
 This uproar continued for about half an hour. I could see 
 Will and Rube holding on to rearing mules by the light of 
 the flashes, and I have no doubt that they beheld me simi- 
 larly occupied. The storm-cloud gradually fought its way-
 
 144 A " PAINTER ! " 
 
 V 
 
 southwards ; and long after it had passed us we could see 
 the lightning playing through it, and hear the deep reso- 
 nance of the thunder. Before the turmoil had quite sub- 
 sided, I caught a glimpse of the eye of the mule I held : it 
 was turned backwards, and apparently fixed in terror upon 
 something which I could not see. At this moment I heard 
 that well-known sound which makes the heart beat and 
 tightens the grasp upon the rifle the low wail of a " painter." 
 The mule, no doubt, scented the ferocious beast, and the 
 terror-stricken animal trembled violently, and pulled hard 
 trying to break loose. In the momentary light afforded by 
 a flash I caught sight of a long, low animal, crouched within 
 ten yards, its eyes fixed in my direction, and apparently 
 ready to spring. It was immediately swallowed up in the 
 darkness. I could only contrive to hold the mule with 
 considerable difficulty ; and I had also to keep an eye to 
 the old horse, which, although usually as steady as a rock and 
 not at all weak-nerved, was now almost as much frightened 
 as the mule, so great was the fear inspired by the presence 
 of the puma. 
 
 We thus stood holding the mules for more than an hour, 
 wet through, chilled to the marrow of our bones, and every 
 now and then, with great exertions, preventing a stampede. 
 There were evidently two pumas prowling round the camp ; 
 but in the thick darkness it was impossible to get a shot. 
 Day at length broke, and never did shipwrecked mariner 
 behold the approach of a sail with more pleasure than did 
 I welcome the warm glow which shot over the eastern 
 horizon and illumined the heavens. We found plenty of 
 puma " sign " round the camp, and Rube started off on the 
 tracks of one which led up along the cotton woods. Will 
 and I felt very woebegone and bedraggled after such a 
 night, and in the raw morning air we both shivered like
 
 ANTELOPES. 145 
 
 aspen leaves. We set to work to make a fire, and for this 
 purpose we found the debris of the shattered cotton-wood 
 useful, as, on examination, we discovered that several of its 
 branches were dead and "dry." The thunder-shower, how- 
 ever, had wetted everything, and we had more smoke than 
 fire for some time, until the growing blaze absorbed the 
 moisture. After drying ourselves as well as we could, we 
 set about preparing breakfast ; and as this was just ready, 
 we beheld Rube returning, but without success, from his 
 puma-hunt. He had lost the tracks among rocks and stones, 
 and could not carry them for more than a mile from the 
 camp. 
 
 As soon as we finished our primitive meal, we packed the 
 mules and started. The sun was now well over the horizon, 
 and, rare spectacle on these desert plains, his warm beams 
 drew clouds of vapour from the earth, while the playas 
 were transformed into real lakes, a few inches only in depth, 
 but of great superficial extent. We passed Kennedy's Spring, 
 where some travellers had apparently recently encamped, as 
 several empty meat- tins lay scattered about; and there were 
 the embers of two fires, through which no grass blades were 
 as yet growing. 
 
 Far away over the plain a band of five antelopes were 
 slowly moving, now and then stopping to regard us with 
 suspicion. Will left me to take care of his pack-mule, and 
 taking advantage of a depression, he rode hard to head them 
 before they arrived at a ridge of rocks which lay in advance 
 of their course. Rube and I proceeded very slowly, which 
 we judged to be more prudent than to stop altogether, in 
 which case the antelopes might also halt to watch us. As 
 we continued our march, the timid creatures, according to 
 their habit, began to fear that they would be headed off; 
 and they therefore trotted off springily toward the rocks, 
 <") 10
 
 146 THE ARAVAYPA CANADA. 
 
 where in a minute or two we had the satisfaction of seeing 
 Will ensconced and ready for them. But here their acute 
 instincts told them that danger lay hidden. They sud- 
 denly stopped short, their heads thrown high and somewhat 
 forward, the impersonation of grace. But alas for their 
 caution ! Two hundred yards was the limit of the distance 
 that divided them from the hunter. We could see him raise 
 his rifle ; and as the smoke puffed from the muzzle, a fine 
 buck leaped from the plain, fell, rose, and staggered a few 
 yards, and fell again to rise no more. His companions 
 scoured away with the speed of the wind, jumping aside as 
 they heard the whistle of a second bullet sent after them by 
 Will, and which knocked up some dust in advance. We 
 rode up to the dead antelope, and watched Rube butchering 
 it. The old fellow had been disgusted by the unscientific way 
 in which Will and I had " sp'iled the meat" of the last ante- 
 lope that had been shot, and he insisted on doing the cutting 
 up himself; an arrangement to which we did not object. 
 
 After this little episode we continued our journey, and 
 rode for many hours across a dry plateau, exposed to the 
 beams of a tropical sun. I could hardly believe my memory 
 that I had so lately suffered agonies from wet and cold, as I 
 felt the perspiration dropping down my cheeks, and noted 
 the lather on our poor suffering animals. Towards night we 
 struck the Aravaypa Canada, and turned along its smooth 
 grass-covered bottom. Riding for some distance, we observed 
 that the sides gradually rose until they assumed the height 
 of bluffs, while the " bottom" was diversified by clumps of 
 bushes ; and here and there were patches of willows, which 
 indicated the presence of water underneath the soil. In- 
 deed, that there was a stream here at intervals was evident, 
 as we could see its well-marked course winding downwards 
 under the tall cliffs.
 
 AN UNDISTURBED NIGHT. 147 
 
 We halted as evening began to draw in, and made samp. 
 We were fortunate in finding a small spring or water-hole ; 
 and, well satisfied with our situation, we made a prodigious 
 fire, and set to work to boil the choicest portions of the ante- 
 lope. We were none too soon in doing this, as some of it 
 was already spoiled by the heat. We enjoyed a hearty meal, 
 however, off the remainder. Near here was a sulphurous 
 spring quite unfit for human use, or indeed for any other. 
 It was perceptibly warm, and perhaps might be beneficial in 
 cutaneous affections. 
 
 This night offered a grateful contrast with the preceding. 
 We were undisturbed, and although we each took our turn 
 of sentry duty, we enjoyed a refreshing sleep which quite 
 restored our spirits. When the glorious sun again flooded 
 the landscape with his glowing beams, we were up blithe and 
 jovial, and set about our usual preparations for a start, with 
 more than our ordinary good spirits. Rube even was heard 
 to hum what he believed to be a tune ; but although the 
 result was a dismal failure, it heightened the sensations of 
 elasticity which Will and I felt, and we accepted the phe- 
 nomenon as a good omen. 
 
 It was a merciful dispensation that gave us these good 
 spirits at the commencement of what turned out to be the 
 most fatiguing day's travel we had yet experienced. After 
 starting from Eureka Spring, we rode for ten miles before 
 meeting with another drop of water. At this point, how- 
 ever, we found a splendid spring gushing out of the earth 
 about midway in the cailada, and forming the source of a 
 stream which irrigated the lower portions of the valley and 
 produced a luxuriant vegetation of many kinds of trees and 
 bushes. We stopped here for a short time to drink and to 
 water the mules, and again proceeded. All the remainder 
 of that day we held on, and throughout the night, until the'
 
 148 FINE VEGETATION. 
 
 brightening of the sky in the east announced the approach of 
 day. We camped by the verge of a rivulet, and, utterly 
 worn out, lay down and slept until the afternoon. During 
 this ride we had covered, probably, upwards of sixty miles ; 
 and never did I enjoy a sleep so profound or so refreshing, 
 although my bed was simply mother earth, and my only 
 covering a navajo blanket, which I had thrown over me to 
 keep off the heat of the sun. 
 
 At this spot there was little shelter ; but if we had only 
 continued our ride for a few miles further, we should have 
 enjoyed the shade of a thick grove of cotton-woods. We 
 spent the night here, and on the next day we found our- 
 selves riding amid a glorious vegetation. Cotton-woods, 
 cedars, cacti twenty-five feet in height inwreathed in gor- 
 geous blossoms, and all the varied vegetable productions of 
 this section of the country, surrounded us ; and I never tired 
 of refreshing my eyes by resting them on these luxuriant 
 thickets, aching as they were with the endless panoramas of 
 the desert plateaus. Birds of many hues flew from tree to 
 tree, and gave life to the scene; the refreshing gurgle of 
 water hidden beneath the leafy canopy of overhanging foli- 
 age rose upon the air ; and, in fact, we seemed to have got 
 into a new world. It is when worn out and scorched by 
 long travel through arid wastes that such scenes as these are 
 properly appreciated, and the buoyancy of our spirits in- 
 creased as each turn in the path revealed some new feature 
 of the picturesque landscape. 
 
 We halted at noon, and lay in the shade of magnificent 
 cotton-woods seventy feet in height : a gentle breeze stirred 
 their branches, and produced a delicious sense of coolness. 
 Our mules cropped the luxuriant herbage, and seemed to 
 enjoy the change quite as much as we did ourselves. The 
 tracks of a very large bear were visible in the soft margin of
 
 A BEAR'S CAVE. 149 
 
 the stream, and after our midday repast we hid the mules in 
 the grove of cotton-woods, and all three started in pursuit. 
 It was a foolish thing to leave camp without any one in it 
 to keep guard ; but we had not seen any Indian sign lately, 
 and we hoped for the best. 
 
 After leaving the rivulet, the trail led through the cotton- 
 woods and across the bottom or Canada (which was gradually 
 approaching the dimensions of a caiion), and towards the 
 broken cliffs at the other side. For some way back on our 
 course these bluffs had presented the appearance of a high 
 cliff worn down in terraces. The topmost summit formed 
 one, and under this there were two others, each of which 
 seemed the true summit as the cliff was scaled, the deception 
 becoming apparent only when each terrace was mounted in 
 turn. We could see high up in the face of the second ter- 
 race the mouth of a cave, and we had no doubt that this 
 was the home of our bear. Will, who started up the steep 
 acclivity the moment he perceived the opening, shouted to 
 us to come up. We therefore left the trail, and shortly 
 stood at the entrance to the cave, where there were innu- 
 merable traces of our game. A very much soiled and beaten 
 trail led inwards, and our only doubt now was as to our next 
 proceeding. 
 
 " I guess I'll make the varmint show," said Rube at 
 length. 
 
 He immediately returned to the Canada, and searched 
 about apparently in quest of something which was to assist 
 us in our attack on the bear's stronghold. We watched 
 him with curiosity, and soon saw him cutting some of the 
 scrub which grew in tufts and small patches here and there 
 along the Canada. This was the ideodondo, or, in trapper 
 phrase, "the stink-plant;" and bearing a large armful of this, 
 Rube rejoined us at the mouth of the cavern. A heap of-
 
 150 SMOKED OUT. 
 
 dried grass was placed by the hunter within the cave, at 
 some little distance from the entrance; and a light having 
 been applied, it sprang into a blaze. The stink -plant was 
 then piled on top, and having seen it fairly under way, 
 Rube returned ; and the three of us piled thick brushwood 
 in the mouth of the cave, in order to prevent the escape of 
 the smoke. Having effected this to our satisfaction, we 
 cocked our rifles, and awaited the success of the experiment. ' 
 Nearly half an hour passed, during which we heard nothing 
 of the bear; and fearing lest the fire should have gone out, 
 the old trapper removed some of the brushwood from the 
 entrance. Thick clouds of intensely nauseous and disgust- 
 ing smoke poured forth, driving Rube coughing before it. 
 We replaced the branches ; and perceiving ourselves how 
 suffocating was the smoke, Will and I began to entertain 
 better hopes of the result. In a few minutes we heard 
 unmistakable sounds proceeding from the cave. A loud 
 snarling sneeze, followed by a cough, announced that the 
 bear was awakened, and might be expected at any moment 
 to break out. We stood breathlessly listening, keeping our 
 eyes fixed on the bushes which we had piled in the mouth 
 of the cave, and through which the smoke was beginning to 
 find its way. 
 
 Suddenly the brushwood was dashed outwards, and from 
 among the stifling clouds of smoke which poured forth, the 
 bear charged from the cave. Although we had been expect- 
 ing him to appear at any moment, when he actually did so 
 we were taken rather aback ; and before we could get our 
 rifles to our shoulders, he was already half-way to the bottom 
 of the Canada. Rube's Spencer cracked ; but although the 
 flying beast was evidently hit, he did not fall. Will and I 
 fired each several ineffectual shots, and just as the bear was 
 close to some thick chapparal, in which he would have been
 
 WOLVES. 151 
 
 safe from pursuit, a lucky shot from the old trapper hit him 
 at the back of the head and knocked him over. He was not 
 yet dead, however : he rolled about trying to rise, but was 
 clearly too much confused by the shot to succeed. Will 
 finished him at close quarters with a bullet through the 
 head, and we then examined our prize. It was an old male 
 cinnamon bear. His teeth were very much worn, as were 
 the claws ; but, notwithstanding his age, he was in splendid 
 condition, and his hams were promptly secured by Rube. 
 The pelt was also added to the stores of the trapper. The 
 cinnamon bear is generally almost as dangerous an antag- 
 onist as the grizzly, but will, like the latter, choose escape 
 if the way lies open to him, rather than go out of his way 
 to attack. Their mode of life is pretty much the same, so 
 that what has been said of the grizzly is equally applicable 
 to the cinnamon bear. 
 
 On returning to camp we found that it had been undis- 
 turbed during our absence ; but there were several wolves 
 prowling round it, one of which I shot, as the party were 
 loping off on seeing us approach. We were disgusted to 
 find that these vermin had chewed and spoiled whatever 
 articles of leather or hide had been left lying on the ground ; 
 but, luckily, we returned in time to prevent further mis- 
 chief.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ANCIENT BUILDINGS SINGULAR FORMATIONS MESAS VIEW FROM CLIFFS 
 ABOVE ARAVAYPA CANON SUDDEN FLOOD RUBE'S ADVENTURE ON THE 
 SALADO RELICS OF INDIAN SKIRMISH AN APACHE RANCHERIA HUBE'.S 
 ACCOUNT OF THE MOQUIS AND THE SNAKE DANCE. 
 
 NOT far from where we were camped we found numerous 
 remains of ancient buildings, all of stone, and of various 
 dimensions. Although time had levelled these monuments 
 of human art, their internal divisions were still easily dis- 
 tinguishable ; and around the locality for a little distance 
 was scattered a great quantity of broken pottery, exactly 
 resembling that used by the Pueblo Indians of the present 
 day. These buildings, however, seemed of great antiquity, 
 nor could we discover anything which would indicate that they 
 had been occupied during recent times. 
 
 Leaving this picturesque spot, we continued our course 
 along the cailada, which sank deeper and deeper beneath its 
 lofty cliffs as we advanced. Now and then these great walls 
 approached within a short distance of each other, and again 
 receded until the bottom or valley between them was two 
 and occasionally even three miles in breadth. At some 
 points they lost the aspect of cliffs, and became great broken 
 slopes of drift ; and not seldom this friable substance was 
 time-worn into quaint forms resembling rude buildings, 
 towers, castles, and other fanciful formations. These sin- 
 gular creations of time and weather were plentifully scat-
 
 WEATHER-WOHN ROCKS IN THE BAD LANDS."
 
 WILD SCENES. 155 
 
 tered along our track ; and, in fact, we hardly were once out 
 of sight of them during a considerable part of our journey 
 through this great pass. As we advanced, the mountains 
 gradually drew in closer towards each other, so as to form a 
 canon, and at one point terminated abruptly in the cliffs 
 which enclosed it. Although the canada, as has 'been men 
 tioned, in several places assumes the dimensions of a canon, 
 it is here that this formation may be properly said to begin. 
 
 We made camp at the true entrance of the canon, under- 
 neath the gigantic volcanic cliffs which rose high above us, 
 and whose dark shadows anticipated the gloom of night. 
 As soon as our camp was pitched, Will and I mounted to 
 the summit of the cliffs to view the country. As far as we 
 could see, a desolate wilderness, stony and sterile, stretched 
 away to vagueness. Casting our eyes downwards into the 
 canon, a delightful contrast was offered by the thread of 
 luxuriant vegetation which clad the gorge, as well as the 
 more open canada which we had lately traversed. Outside 
 the canon, the whole country seemed destitute of verdure ; 
 not a tree or a particle of grass varied the uniform brown 
 and gray chaos of broken ridges, terraced mountains, and 
 mesas, which extended around on all sides. Some of the 
 latter formations presented five terraces, while on several I 
 counted as many as from eight to twelve successive tables, 
 whose well-marked escarpments rose successively one behind 
 the other. On all this region volcanic energy has been ex- 
 erted ; and from this Titanic force has resulted the extraor- 
 dinary confusion into which the mountains have been 
 thrown. 
 
 The jagged peak and sharply-outlined ledge or ridge were 
 of Plutonic rock thrown high aloft through intervening 
 strata, while over large areas lay a black and shining coat 
 of lava, whose points and edges were still as sharp as at the
 
 156 LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 
 
 moment when their fires congealed to stone. At some dis- 
 tance rose a double -peaked hill, somewhat resembling a 
 saddle ; and we learned from Rube that this resemblance 
 has given its name to the mountain. It interposes its bulk 
 between the Aravaypa Canon and the Rio Gila ; and it is 
 probably owing to this obstruction that the Aravaypa River 
 turns from its direct north-west course to south-east, as we 
 could distinguish the grim cleft of the canon containing the 
 stream winding across the broken mesa country, evidently 
 diverted by Saddle Mountain from its general direction. 
 Over the whole of this vast panorama lay a silence as deep 
 and oppressive as if life had been banished from the earth. 
 The sterile rocks had no inhabitants save the passing eagle, 
 or what reptiles might lurk among them. Wild and barren 
 as these scenes appear, the contemplation of them yields a 
 certain pleasure, although inferior to that experienced in 
 viewing richer prospects. Man has had no share in forming, 
 or rather in deforming, their grand and awful features ; his 
 egotism and littleness are rebuked by their sublimity, and he 
 has to recognize a higher power than his own. 
 
 The rock-encumbered mesa on which we stood rendered 
 walking difficult ; but the rugged beauty of the scenery led 
 us on despite all obstacles, and after scrambling among rocks 
 and up and down declivities for about three miles, we reached 
 a deep cleft or gorge which communicated with the Aravaypa 
 Canon. We descended into this, and soon returned to our 
 camp, the situation of which we knew, as we could see the 
 high conical peak of Lookout Mountain, which rose above 
 the spot. This hill seems the sentinel placed by Nature to 
 watch the entrance of the pass. It commands the prospect 
 down the canada we had traversed, as well as that upwards 
 through the canon for some distance. At some remote period 
 this hill was most probably used for the purpose its name
 
 AN EXCITEMENT. 159 
 
 denotes, as we remarked the remains of buildings upon its 
 summit. The foundations still remain, and the general shape 
 of the houses was traceable. At the foot of the mountain a 
 splendid spring, double the volume of the Aravaypa, gushes 
 forth ; and it is possible that to its action during ages the 
 existence of the canon is due. It may, however, be ob- 
 served that volcanic agency might have originally cracked 
 the crust of the earth, and formed a natural channel for 
 drainage. 
 
 Above our camp, for probably two miles, the sides of the 
 canon present a great contrast to each other, one rising per- 
 pendicularly to about the height of five hundred feet, while 
 the other is only a steep slope. Both become precipitous above 
 this point, just at a spot where a vast pyramidal or triangular 
 mass of rock seems completely to close the pass. The cliffs 
 are partly composed of conglomerate or drift for the first 
 few miles of the canon ; but as the descent increases, the 
 sandstone rocks become visible, the precipices rise higher 
 and higher, and finally the hard granite foundation is 
 reached, which forms the bed of the stream. 
 
 During the night which we passed under Lookout Moun- 
 tain we had an excitement. Rube had taken the first watch, 
 and Will and I were sound asleep. We were all at once 
 awakened by the shouts of the old trapper ; and, springing to 
 our feet, with our senses in a very disordered state and 
 visions of Indians dancing before our eyes, we beheld the 
 trapper holding on to his macho with might and main, 
 while the other mules, and even Sobersides (the old horse), 
 were straining at their lariats and snorting with terror. We 
 each ran to prevent a stampede ; and now for the first time 
 we became aware of a rushing sound from the stream, which, 
 however, we could not see owing to the darkness. 
 
 "Them blamed critters," cried Rube, "heerd the nize of
 
 160 SUDDEN FLOODS. 
 
 the water and were nigh on vermosin'. I reckon it's one of 
 them freshets as comes no one knows how, and the beasts 
 got skeert with the rushin' of the crick." This was the true 
 explanation of the sudden terror of the animals. The water 
 continued to rise with great rapidity, and the rushing noise 
 which had at first accompanied it now increased to a loud 
 roar as the full flood thundered down the canon, sweeping 
 trees and bushes from their hold like so much dry straw. 
 
 Luckily our camp had been pitched upon the higher side 
 of the bottom, and we were therefore not compelled to change 
 our position ; if we had been encamped farther down the 
 canon, we would have been exposed to great danger by this 
 sudden flood, which gathered volume as it went, and covered 
 the bottom completely at certain points. These sudden and 
 inexplicable floods are one of the mysteries of these western 
 solitudes. Without the slightest previous warning, when there 
 has been no rain to account for them, they suddenly start, 
 apparently out of the ground, and spread ruin and desolation 
 along their course. Trains of emigrants and parties of 
 soldiers out scouting on the high plains have often been 
 exposed to great peril by these unlooked-for floods. In 
 1873 a company of the United States cavalry was out on 
 a scout when it met with disaster from this cause. The 
 official report of the captain states that the company, to 
 the number of sixty-two, were patrolling the valley of the 
 Republican River; and one day, when there had been no rain 
 for five days previously, a terrible freshet suddenly trans- 
 formed the whole of Blackwood valley, forty-five miles in 
 length and from a mile to a mile and a half wide, into a 
 raging torrent six or seven feet deep. The camp was swept 
 away, and the soldiers had to betake themselves to trees, 
 which most providentially happened to be at hand, or other- 
 wise the whole company must have perished. As it hap-
 
 RUBE'S STOEY OP A FRESHET. 161 
 
 pened six men were drowned and twenty-six horses lost. 
 There was no way of accounting for this extraordinary 
 deluge ; there had been no rain in the district, and to all 
 appearance a sudden flood of lava might have been as 
 reasonably expected as this prodigious torrent of water. 
 This is one of the dangers of Plains travel, and the explorer 
 must put up with whatever loss or discomfort arises from 
 this source with what philosophy he may. 
 
 We remained on the watch for two hours, and were much 
 relieved to find that the water had ceased to rise. The 
 mules had by this time become accustomed to the hoarse 
 thunder of the torrent, and manifested no further symptoms 
 of uneasiness. We therefore again staked them out ; and 
 as it was now Will's watch, Rube and I lay down by the 
 fire. The old trapper had had many experiences of sudden 
 freshets, and he gave me the following short account of one 
 which had come on him in the valley of the Salado in Texas 
 not long before our meeting with him : 
 
 " I hev been pretty nigh through every kind of scrimmage 
 with man and beast, fire and water, and a'most areything yer 
 could name," he remarked ; " but when I thinks of 'em all, I 
 don't bleeve I ever kem nearer to bein' sent under than by 
 one of them blamed waterspouts. This 'un were bad enough, 
 but it wa'n't a sarcumstance to the one I'm a-goin' to tell yer 
 about. 
 
 " I were headin' nor '-west for Santa Fe from Texas, and 
 hed struck the Salado. Jest as I corned to the river, by great 
 good luck I knocked over a fine prong-horn buck ; and seein' 
 plenty of float sticks (drift timber) by the edge of the 
 water-holes in the bed of the stream, I jest med my fire thar. 
 The weather had been powerful dry for some weeks a-past ; 
 narey a drop of rain hed I seed since leavin' the head of the 
 Brazos, and o' coorse I never took a notion of anything 
 
 (814) 1 1
 
 162 A WATERSPOUT. 
 
 happenin' this night any more'n any other. So I jest 
 squatted by the fire, arter puttin' out my mule on a small 
 patch of good grass, and took my supper of antelope. When 
 I'd finished I clomb the bank, took a look at my critter, and 
 gev an eye all round for any sign that might be seed ; but 
 thar wa'n't nothin'. It were a fine starlight evenin', and 
 tha rwa'n't enough wind to put leeway on a 'skeeter. I thought 
 'twere a good thing to hev the fire down in the bed of the 
 Salado, for o' coorse the high banks hid it, and any Injuns 
 would hev to come right atop of it afore they seed it or me. 
 
 " Wai, I kem back to the fire and wrapped my old carcase 
 up in my blanket, and slipped off to sleep as quiet as arey a 
 child as yer iver seed, I reckon. The last thing I heerd 
 were the ' crop-crop ' of my old critter's teeth as she nipped 
 the grass, and at that I fell off. Some time in the night I 
 began to feel cold down my back and legs, and between 
 asleep and awake I shivered and pulled the blanket tighter 
 about me. But 'twere of no use. I soon med out that I 
 were gettin' wet ; and at that I thought it were rainin' and 
 thar wa'n't no use in movin', so I lay still dozin'. 'Twa'n't 
 long till I heard an all-fired nize, and I sot up at once't, 
 Injuns bein' my fust notion. My old brain-box were not 
 rightly clear, and I listened to the row, and you bet my ha'r 
 began to rise as I heerd the muss a-comin' nearer. I couldn't 
 make out nohow what it were, nor whether I'd be safer down 
 out o' sight in the bed of the stream, or out on the bank. 
 Jest then I thought of the mule, and I started out to catch 
 her, knowin' the old critter would be as much skeert as 
 myself. I were jest in time, as she hed the picket-pin 
 a'most pulled up, and would hev streaked it over the plain in 
 another shake ef I hedn't corned at that minute. The north 
 were black as thunder, and I noticed lightnin' dartin' and 
 shootin', and the roar of a storm were comin' up fast. I
 
 THE FLOOD. 163 
 
 were wide awake now, and seed it were a waterspout we 
 were goin' to hev. I laid holt of the mule and waited. 
 'Twa'n't long, you bet, when the storm were upon us, an ice 
 storm at that. Thar were a raal shower of ice, pieces a'most 
 as large as my hand, with edges to 'em like knives, and 
 through this were sich rain as I never seed. The mule 
 wouldn't stand it, and the critter backed and reared so that 
 while trying to keep her from breakin' away we got nearer 
 and nearer to the bank of the Salado. I hed my back to 
 this, and had narey an idee but of keeping holt of the 
 mule ; and whether or no, 'twere so dredful dark that thar 
 wa'n't no sich thing as seein' a yard a'most anyway. Wai, 
 the old critter gibbed and backed, carryin' me all around arter 
 her, so that we kem on the edge of the bank, and both on us 
 slipped and fell over. 
 
 " 'Twa'n't deep, not more than ten foot, but that were 
 enough, I calc'late, to take what senses I hed left out of me. 
 The mule fell across my legs, and by the greatest of good 
 luck, whar we fell were into a water-hole under the bank, 
 and this were about four foot deep. Only for that bit of 
 water, I reckon my legs would hev been snapped like pipe- 
 stems. Anyway I couldn't rise all at once, but held my 
 head above water by holdin' on to the mule's neck. While 
 we were rollin' about this a way, with the ice a-peltin' down 
 upon us, and makin' blood run from my head and face, what 
 shed I hear but the loud roarin' of the Salado, swelled with 
 the storm ; and as I were facin' up stream, by the light o' a 
 flash o' lightnin' I seed the water comin' torst us, in a ten- 
 foot wave all stuck over with logs, trees, and bushes ! I 
 med one desprit wrench to get loose, and hed pulled my legs 
 from under the mule, when the flood were upon us ; and 
 afore I could make one step to the bank, which hyar were 
 not easy to get up even if I hed time to try, we were both
 
 164 "SCOOTING." 
 
 whipped off like chips, and rolled over and over. I gin up 
 'twere all over with me. I were so bamfoozled with the 
 peltin' of ice-chunks, and with bein' a'most drownded besides, 
 that I hardly moved a hand to try to save myself. I got 
 badly hit with the logs ; and once I got squeezed atween two 
 trees, and as they heeled over in the flood I were drawed 
 under water, and ef they hadn't been washed asunder ag'in I'd 
 never hev corned alive to the surface. The mule I never 
 seed ag'in. I dunno what happened to the critter, exceptin', 
 o' coorse, that she were drownded ; thar can't be any doubt 
 about that. I hed one hand over a log of cotton-wood 
 'ithout thinkin' like of what I were doin'. The action were 
 nat'ral, I suppose, and this kep' me from goin' down. My 
 hips were a'most paralized with the squeeze they got when 
 the mule fell with me over the bank, and on trying to strike 
 out with my legs, I found they wouldn't work nohow. So I 
 jest scooted along with the front o' the flood, and the way I 
 got over the ground were a caution to see, I guess. Thar 
 were huge rocks scattered along the bed of the Salado, and 
 as often as I seed one o' them, I thort I'd be smashed ag'in 
 it ; but allers the water riz over it with a fierce rushing roar, 
 and I'd be swep' over it with a swing like takin' a jump on 
 a good hoss. And all the time the storm kep' on : the 
 lightnin' whizzed through the thick drive of ice and rain, and 
 the way the great pieces of ice fell into the water all around 
 were like bein' pelted wi' big domiicks. Once't or twice I got 
 a blow on the head as med fire flash out of my eyes, and 
 afterwards I'd feel faint and sick, as much with the blow as 
 with the wheelin' around of everything and the surgin' and 
 eddyin' of the flood. I were wonderin' how long I could hold 
 out when I seed that one bank of the Salado p'inted out very 
 far into the bed of the stream, and at the end were some 
 trees with thar branches hanging out so as I could grab 'em.
 
 AN ALARM. 165 
 
 I jest watched my chance, and as the flood reached 'em I 
 laid holt. The water riz ag'in me jest as if I hed been a 
 rock, and the weight and rush swayed the branches down 
 till I feared they'd break. Howsomever they didn't, and I 
 hauled myself out. Seein' as the bank hyar were so high 
 that the water didn't reach the top altogether, owin' to the 
 other side bein' low so that the freshet spread far out over 
 the plain, I throwed myself down with a feelin' of thank- 
 fulness at my escape, and I kinder think I must hev fainted. 
 Anyhow, I don't rightly remember what happened for some 
 time, when I were found by a stock-raiser, who, luckily for 
 me, were lookin' for some cattle that hed strayed. Thar 
 were no denyin' the whole thing were blamed ugly, and I 
 hed as narrer an escape as I ever hed in my life." 
 
 Rube's odd adventure was narrated in a deep, droning 
 voice, which, combined with the fatigues of the day, produced 
 a drowsiness that completely overpowered me. I could hear 
 the trapper still speaking and illustrating the dangers of 
 camping near Plains rivers, with examples from his own 
 experience ; but I had heard enough, and soon was deaf to 
 his stories. We passed the night in tranquillity, and we 
 therefore felt refreshed and ready to start as soon as the 
 flushed sky overhead announced that the sun had already 
 risen above the horizon. 
 
 It was evident that a large party had recently passed 
 through the canon, as a track had been cleared, and many 
 trees and bushes bore the mark of the axe. This was a most 
 convenient circumstance for us, as it saved us a great deal of 
 labour. We accordingly pushed on quickly, and as the place 
 was eminently suited for the purposes of Indian ambuscade, 
 we kept unusually on the alert, in expectation of seeing 
 savages lurking among the cliffs. At one point an immense 
 block of rock fell with a thundering crash and startled us
 
 166 TOKENS OF DANGER. 
 
 not a little, as we attributed its fall to Indians ; but we saw 
 none. Towards evening we halted at a spot where the north 
 side of the canon was hollowed out, forming a kind of cavern ; 
 and we here saw tokens of a fight which had not long 
 previously taken place between Indians and a party of 
 Californians who were on their way to the east to take 
 part in the great civil war. Skulls and other human 
 remains lay scattered about ; the greater part of which, if 
 not the whole, were those of the Aravaypa Apaches who had 
 fallen. 
 
 The sight of these grim tokens of danger was not cal- 
 culated to raise our spirits ; but as the position was an 
 eminently good one in case of a night attack, we made our 
 camp under the scooped-out cliff, well secured against rocks 
 falling from above. This spot was the site of an Apache 
 settlement, or rancheria, and we could trace the remains of 
 the acequias, or irrigating canals, which they had made to 
 conduct the water of the stream to their garden plots. 
 
 Deep down in the bowels of the earth, at the bottom of 
 these stupendous canons, daylight yields to a gloomy twilight 
 much earlier than above ; it is therefore needful to camp 
 betimes in order to have the necessary preparations completed 
 before darkness sets in. 
 
 We made our fire in the gallery-like cave, and as night 
 fell its bright reflection lit up the recess and gave it an 
 appearance of coziness which was quite exhilarating. The 
 little clearing made by the Apaches afforded pasture for our 
 mules, and as the coffee-kettle bubbled and boiled, and the 
 ribs of an antelope which Rube had shot sputtered over the 
 glowing embers, I thought that after all there were worse 
 places than our bivouac in the depths of the Aravaypa canon. 
 We would have been perfectly happy, I think, were it not 
 for the haunting thought that at any moment we might be a
 
 THE MOQUI INDIANS. 167 
 
 mark for a shower of arrows and bullets from some outlying 
 band of Apaches. We were fortunate, however, in passing 
 through this canon shortly after the massacre of the Aravaypa 
 Apaches by the Californian volunteers. Indeed, had it not 
 been for this, we could not possibly have attempted to travel 
 by this route. On that occasion, out of a total number of 
 about seventy, only twelve savages escaped. This band was 
 a terror to the whole country, owing to the many atrocities 
 which they had committed, and their destruction was hailed 
 with universal satisfaction. 
 
 Rube, who, as has been said, had visited most of the 
 Indian tribes of the south-west, gave us some information 
 about that interesting people the Moquis, which I insert 
 here, in addition to some derived from other sources,* as it 
 can hardly fail to interest the reader. I drop the old 
 trapper's peculiar idiom ; but his narrative, I believe, accu- 
 rately details one of the most extraordinary customs in exist- 
 ence at the present day among the aborigines of the American 
 continent, as well as affords some information relative to the 
 Moquis, who are perhaps the most interesting of existing 
 tribes in the United States. 
 
 The Moquis country is, roughly speaking, bounded on the 
 east by the line which separates New Mexico from Arizona, 
 the 109th meridian ; south and west it is bounded by the 
 Colorado Chiquito, and it lies some sixty miles southwards 
 from the great Colorado River of the west. As has been 
 noticed in a former chapter, the towns or pueblos of the 
 Moquis are seven in number; they are all built upon the 
 summits of sandstone precipices, and are absolutely im- 
 pregnable against the assaults of any tribes with which the 
 Moquis might be at war. These "towns" are distributed 
 
 * I am indebted to Captain Bourke's interesting work, " The Snake Dance of tho 
 Moqui Indians," for many of the particulars in this chapter.
 
 168 THE MOQUIS. 
 
 over the country as follows : three are located in a small 
 district close to each other on the eastern mesa ; their 
 names are Suchongnewy, Hano (otherwise Tegua), and 
 Hualpi. At a distance of about seven miles, across an 
 extensive valley in which dry sands alternate with the corn, 
 melon, and bean fields of these wild farmers, rises the 
 precipitous promontory on which are built the picturesque 
 towns of Mushangnewy, Shupolewy, and about three miles 
 further back, the fort of Sumopowy. Ten miles from the 
 last named place, on the top of a high bluff, lies the town of 
 Oraybe, whose inhabitants disdain intercourse with their 
 fellow-tribesmen in the other villages. These names are 
 perhaps indicative of the staple commodities raised in the 
 neighbourhood of each place. Thus the word " Shupolewy " 
 is supposed to mean peaches, which fruit is produced in 
 abundance at that pueblo. If this inference be correct, it is 
 not irrational to suppose that the names of the other towns 
 similarly indicate the nature of their chief products. 
 
 The designation by which the Moquis refer to themselves 
 is Opii ; they use, however, another name, Shumi, which is 
 regarded as a sacred word, and is probably that by which 
 they refer to themselves in religious services. 
 
 All the tribes which cut the hair straight across the 
 forehead are considered by the Moquis to come of a common 
 stock with themselves. On the eastern mesa there are a 
 great number of deserted and ruined villages which were no 
 doubt once inhabited by this people. I have elsewhere given 
 some statistics of the decrease which has taken place in their 
 numbers since the end of the last century. The Moquis are 
 divided into bands, each of which is ruled by a chief or 
 " cacique ; " three caciques appoint a " mungwee," an officer 
 who may be supposed to bear some affinity with the mayor 
 of civilized communities : he holds his position for periods
 
 THE MOQUIS. 169 
 
 varying from one to two years. The clans or subdivisions 
 of the tribe live in a portion of the town allocated to them ; 
 this is in fact their "ward," and on public occasions they 
 depute members to represent them. Each of these repre- 
 sentatives bears the " totem " of his proper band or gens, 
 and this serves to distinguish the various parties who engage 
 in the national dances, religious ceremonies, or public games. 
 This custom, however, is not invariably followed, and in fact 
 is deviated from on one of the most solemn of all their cere- 
 monies, that of the "snake dance," when absolute uniformity 
 is required by their priests, or medicine-men. Delegates 
 from other pueblos, however, often attend. 
 
 The system in vogue among the Moquis of dividing their 
 nation into many distinct clans, each with its totemic desig- 
 nation, as The Bears, The Eagles, The Badgers, etc., has had 
 a singular effect on their internal policy and tribal regula- 
 tions. A Moqui child is held to belong to the gens of the 
 mother, and not to that of the father ; all the children of 
 any one gens are regarded as brothers and sisters, and 
 marriages between them are consequently forbidden, although 
 connections are made between individuals who according to 
 our ideas would be too closely related. On his marriage the man 
 goes to reside in the wife's house ; and although his marriage 
 does not occasion a change of gens on his part, his children 
 belong to the gens of the mother. Among the Moquis the 
 lady has the privilege of choosing her husband, and has a 
 corresponding right to get rid of him if he is not satisfactory 
 on further acquaintance ! Any property which the mother 
 possesses at the time of her death goes to her daughters. 
 
 The dress of the Moquis consists of cotton and woollen 
 garments gaily coloured, and often ornamented with fringes 
 or tassels. It bears a close resemblance to that in use 
 among the Zunis, and altogether seems to be more suited to
 
 170 THE SXAKE DANCE. 
 
 a quiet sedentary people than to such warlike tribes as the 
 Apaches. 
 
 The most singular of the ceremonies among the Moquis is 
 the snake -dance, a religious observance which is equally 
 astonishing and disgusting to the civilized spectator. The 
 ceremony is commenced in the estufa, before alluded to, a 
 kind of cellar lighted only from above. Just before the 
 dance begins, the snakes, hitherto secured in large ollas or 
 jars of earthenware, are liberated, and crawl over the floor, 
 but are prevented from wandering too freely by some of the 
 older men, who wave them back. Confined in a small space, 
 the slimy creatures present a loathsome spectacle ; some 
 knotted together in a horrible entanglement instinct with 
 life and motion, and others in every attitude straight, 
 crooked, or sinuous. Some essay to scale the walls of their 
 prison, gradually working their way to an erect position 
 until only the tips of their tails touch the floor, when they 
 slip backwards and fall with a heavy sodden sound upon the 
 writhing mass of their fellows which covers the ground 
 round about From this swarm of venomous vermin there 
 arises a peculiarly foul and disgusting effluvium, which the 
 onlooker must have a strong stomach to endure for more 
 than a minute or two at a time. 
 
 When the dance is about to begin, the restraint imposed on 
 the reptiles is removed, the railings, which are part of the 
 furniture of the chamber, are thrown down, and what may 
 be considered a kind of altar is dismantled, and the snakes 
 are at liberty to crawl more at will over the area of the 
 estufa. In front of the altar is now placed a plain earthen- 
 ware bowl covered with a white cotton cloth and containing 
 water with which some salt has been mixed and some sea- 
 shells. By this time the chamber is crowded with both old 
 and young, busily engaged in preparing themselves for the
 
 THE SXAKK DANCE. 171 
 
 approaching ceremony by painting their bodies and getting 
 ready the different articles necessary. During this interval 
 the snakes crawl about on one side of the estufa, but are 
 prevented from straying too far by two old men who recline 
 upon the floor, and to all appearance seem indifferent to 
 everything around them. But this abstraction is only appa- 
 rent. If a reptile evinces a desire to leave the side of the 
 estufa to which it is confined, these mute guardians spring 
 to their feet and brush it back with wands tipped with 
 eagles' feathers. Of these implements the snakes evince 
 considerable dread ; which is accounted for by the supposition 
 that as the eagle is the natural enemy of the reptile the 
 latter recognizes the feathers, and, apprehensive of danger, 
 wishes to escape. There may be some truth in this, as 
 almost invariably the sight of them seems to inspire the 
 reptile with fear. If, however, a snake be found to disre- 
 gard the taps of the magic wands, he is deftly seized behind 
 the head and conveyed, writhing and twisting, back to his 
 proper quarters. The reader may suppose that these snakes 
 have been deprived of their poison -fangs, as is sometimes 
 done by Indian serpent-charmers to impose on the spectators 
 of their arts. This, however, is certainly not the case with 
 the sacred snakes of the Moquis, which are chiefly rattle- 
 snakes, such as are met with every day in the country ; and 
 the old men who have charge of them are evidently guarded 
 in their dealings with them, touching them gently and avoid- 
 ing exciting them, with scrupulous care. 
 
 Great quiet is imposed upon those present at the "snake- 
 herding," as this preliminary ceremony may be called. Loud 
 talking is strictly forbidden, and if any one present has occa- 
 sion to speak he must do so in a very low tone and as briefly 
 as possible. The crowd, therefore, is grave, orderly, and 
 sedate ; every one seems to know exactly what he is to do*
 
 172 THE SNAKE DANCE. 
 
 and how he is to do it, and there is an absence of that con- 
 fusion and noise which would certainly take place among an 
 equal number of white people assembled together for any 
 important purpose. 
 
 The apparent absence of dread of the reptiles, on the part of 
 their custodians, is very remarkable. Young and old handle 
 them with equal indifference ; but, as I have stated, they do 
 this quietly, deftly, and cautiously. Sometimes a young man 
 will be observed bringing in a fresh supply of snakes to add 
 to those already collected, and for convenience of transport 
 he places them in a sack or bag slung over his shoulder. 
 Sometimes persons may be seen carrying the repulsive reptiles 
 in their hands. In this case, however, the snakes are firmly 
 and yet lightly grasped close behind the head with the left 
 hand, the operator's thumb being extended in such a manner 
 as to prevent the reptile from getting his head round ; and 
 meanwhile the right hand is employed in stroking and sooth- 
 ing him, by being gently passed along the undulating body 
 from the neck to the rattles at the tail. This motion of 
 the hand is useful in two ways. It keeps the snake mollified 
 and prevents it from coiling itself, which is a symptom of 
 belligerency not to be lightly regarded, even by a Moqui 
 medicine-man. Should this untoward event happen, the per- 
 son carrying the snake receives assistance from the older 
 individuals among the medicine-men, who are looked up to by 
 the gens to which they belong with the most profound respect. 
 These hoary priests of a hideous fetish are distinguished by 
 a string of small shells of a peculiar kind, worn upon the 
 wrist ; and these sacred symbols are never assumed by the 
 warriors of the tribe, except perhaps by some few who have 
 earned the gratitude and homage of all by great public 
 services. 
 
 As the moment for the commencement of the dance ap-
 
 THE SNAKE DANCE. 173 
 
 preaches, the snakes are taken hold of and put into bags of 
 cotton cloth or of buckskin, no fear or trepidation beiiag dis- 
 cernible on the faces of those engaged in the task. Naked, 
 with the exception of a cloth round their waists, even with- 
 out moccasins, these apparently reckless operators seize the 
 snakes, sometimes singly, sometimes by twos, walking about 
 the while among the numerous reptiles, and even occasionally 
 trampling on them as they wriggle and undulate over the 
 floor. All this is done with the most perfect nonchalance. 
 But wonderful as this performance is, it is far excelled by 
 the apparent recklessness of the old men, who, to show a 
 visitor their power over the venomous reptiles, have been 
 known to gather them up in bundles from the floor, and even 
 to carry them wriggling and writhing between their teeth ! 
 
 The snakes are next carried outside the estufa, and great 
 is the relief of any white spectator at again reaching the open 
 air. The handling of the snakes seems to intensify the 
 nauseousness of the stench which they give forth ; and in 
 addition to this, the rancid odour of the pigment used by the 
 actors in the adornment of their persons, together with the 
 smell of heated and filthy humanity in the confined atmos- 
 phere of the semi-subterranean estufa, combine to produce a 
 fetor which only the most vivid imagination can figure or 
 the strongest stomach endure. 
 
 Outside, everybody is in holiday attire. Festivity and 
 gaiety, tempered by a certain religious gravity, seem universal. 
 The subdued hum of many voices fills the air, and expecta- 
 tion is on tiptoe. The present fashion in use among ladies 
 of cutting the hair square across the forehead may have 
 originated among the Moquis. It is at least a coincidence that 
 this fashion became prevalent about the time that the Moqui 
 country was rendered accessible to visitors by the extension 
 of the railways. The men who await the sallying forth of
 
 174 THE SNAKE DANCE. 
 
 the procession have their hair very trimly arranged, and cut 
 neatly and squarely across the eye-brows, and backwards at 
 each side level with the mouth. Behind, it is tucked up into 
 a kind of pigtail, wound about with red worsted threads. 
 The married women have their hair somewhat differently 
 dressed. The chief distinction consists in having it parted 
 either in the centre or at one side. Maidens have their own 
 peculiar method of hair-dressing, which at least presents a 
 curious appearance, and certainly forms an unmistakable 
 advertisement that they are not as yet appropriated. The 
 female portion of the crowd are clad in a dark blue cloth, 
 relieved with lemon -coloured stitching, which is at once 
 simple and womanly ; variety is given by blankets of different 
 hues, scarlet and blue being those most favoured. They are 
 further adorned with red and green girdles, and have neck- 
 laces of silver, of coral, chalcedony, and abalone. The scene 
 which Rube described took place at the pueblo of Hualpi ; 
 and on the occasion of the ceremony delegates were sent by 
 the various other Moqui towns throughout the country, as 
 well as by the Navajoes, who, however, came merely out of 
 curiosity, as they do not partake in the religious rites of their 
 neighbours. 
 
 At length the great moment is at hand. The approach of 
 the procession is heralded by a loud whirring noise like the 
 rattling of pease in a child's toy. This proceeds from the 
 arcade, and announces the fact that the dancers, provided 
 with gourds filled with corn, sheep's toes strung together to 
 form rattles, etc., are approaching. 
 
 In advance walks an elder of the tribe without moccasins, 
 his head encircled with a crown of leaves, and carrying a red 
 earthenware vessel filled with water, with which he asperses 
 the ground. Another ancient carries a basket containing 
 Indian corn meal. A third stretches his left hand towards
 
 THE SNAKE DANCE. 175 
 
 a necklace of bear claws, and with the other hand shakes 
 a rattle shaped like the letter T and painted white. 
 
 Behind these walk five men in single file carrying similar 
 rattles. These functionaries, however, only fill a secondary 
 position, and are not looked upon as performing so sacred a 
 rite as those who precede them. At an interval of five paces 
 come a number of little boys averaging probably five years 
 of age, walking one behind the other, and each carrying a 
 white T-shaped rattle ; and at a similar distance behind comes 
 an old man bearing upright in his left hand a mystic bow 
 gaudily ornamented with tufts of horse -hair and feathers, 
 and swinging in his right hand an instrument somewhat like 
 a sling, from which proceeds a whirring sound. This portion 
 of the procession forms the first detachment of the dancers. 
 
 The second batch now advances. It is composed of forty- 
 eight individuals, all males; two are children. All carry 
 in both hands wands furnished with eagle feathers, with the 
 exception of one person, the last of the party, who bears a 
 bow exactly similar to that carried by another individual in 
 the first division. Each has tortoise-shell and sheep and goat- 
 toe rattles secured to his right knee ; and these make a weird 
 sound at every motion of the wearers, which accentuates the 
 " uncanny " impression produced by the whole spectacle. 
 
 Tufts of scarlet feathers are worn at the top of the head 
 by the members of this procession. Their coarse black hair 
 hangs loose between the shoulders, and every face is painted 
 black down to the level of the upper lip. The contrast 
 offered by the. mouth and the portions of the face painted 
 with kaolin produces a hideous and startling effect. 
 
 Most of them wear collars of small white sea-shells re- 
 sembling beads, as well as abalone shells. Strings of similar 
 shells are slung like a sasli from the left hip across the breast 
 over the right shoulder. They are all naked with the ex-
 
 176 THE SNAKE DANCE. 
 
 ception of coloured cotton kilts reaching to the knee, and 
 skins of the fox and coyote which hang down behind. Their 
 legs, bodies, and arms are of a uniform greenish black. But 
 the variety of their adornment can hardly interest the 
 reader. 
 
 Both detachments of dancers parade gravely round the 
 "sacred stone," keeping between this mysterious object and 
 the medicine-lodge and sacred tree. The first portion of the 
 procession forms itself into a line, one end resting by the 
 tree, and in front of it stands one of the old medicine-men, 
 holding in his hands the dish containing water and a wand 
 ornamented with eagle feathers. The second detachment 
 forms itself fnto a corresponding line fronting the first, and 
 separated from it by about four yards. Those who have 
 rattles shake them gently, making a noise very closely re- 
 sembling the pattering of rain on dry leaves ; and those who 
 hold the eagle-feather wands wave them to and fro in unison 
 with the shaking of the rattles. This is continued for a 
 short time, the movements of the rattles and wands being 
 accompanied by a kind of refrain sung by all the members of 
 the procession, each stamping violently on the ground in 
 time with the cadence. At this point the old medicine-man 
 by the tree begins to pray aloud with great distinctness and 
 decorum, and asperses the ground with water, the second 
 officiating medicine -man dusting corn meal about. The 
 second division of the procession now moves out of line and 
 proceeds by a series of strange high steps to make the circuit 
 of the sacred rock, imitating the method of sowing corn, to 
 the music of a dismal chorus from the other party. 
 
 Twenty squaws, both married and unmarried, tricked out 
 in white and scarlet robes, now come forward, each carrying 
 a vessel filled with meal, with which they strew the ground 
 in all directions. This finishes the first portion of the
 
 THE SNAKE DANCE. 177 
 
 ceremony. No. I division still remains drawn up in line, 
 its medicine-man praying in a loud voice; and while the 
 prayer is being recited the other division leaves the ground, 
 marches to the arcade, and presently returns, two and two, 
 the left-hand files carrying snakes in their hands and in 
 their mouths ! The heads of the reptiles project to the 
 right of the bearer, and at this side is the second file, each 
 provided with the eagle wands before mentioned, with which 
 they gently stroke the heads and necks of the snakes, whose 
 slimy wriggling bodies are secured between the teeth of their 
 bearers ! 
 
 The long line of greenish-black savages, naked except for 
 the kilts, the fox tails, and moccasins which they wear, their 
 faces grim and partially painted black and dirty white, 
 their scarlet top-knots and coarse stringy hair carried straight 
 out behind the head, their knee-rattles clattering as they 
 prance along, while their loathsome charges writhe and twist 
 between their teeth, or flop heavily against their breasts, 
 presents one of the most hideous and demon-like spectacles 
 to be beheld among savages in any country at the present 
 day. 
 
 When this party reaches the end of what may be called 
 their parade-ground, they drop the snakes and resume 
 their position by the sacred tree, rock, and medicine-lodge, 
 stamping twice with the left leg, at the same moment uttering 
 a grunting sound. 
 
 The female performers extend themselves over the arena : 
 some stand on a terrace immediately above the arcade, some 
 stand on ladders near an archway, and the remainder, con- 
 stituting the greater number, occupy a position between the 
 sacred rock and the medicine-lodge, with three exceptions. 
 These last stand at the extreme eastern end of the ground. 
 All bear the gaudily-painted baskets in the manufacture of 
 
 (814) 12
 
 178 THE SNAKE DANCE. 
 
 which the Moquis are so expert. They are painted red, 
 yellow, and black, and are further ornamented with recogniz- 
 able likenesses of butterflies, deer, and other creatures. 
 These baskets are beautifully made. Those used in the 
 ceremony are filled to the edge with corn meal, or rather 
 with corn flour ; and this is flung about in handfuls on the 
 ground, into the air, and also upon the snakes. While en- 
 gaged in this rite the squaws accompany their actions with 
 prayer, as their lips may be seen to move and muttered 
 sounds may be heard. 
 
 Great significance is attributed to this aspersion of the 
 ground, the air, the priests, and the reptiles with flour. The 
 Zuiii Indians are lavish in their offerings of it on these occa- 
 sions ; and there are few houses in the whole country in which 
 a small bowl of the mystic meal may not be observed, from 
 which the worshipper takes a small portion to throw towards 
 the east at rising in the morning. 
 
 As the squaws asperse the snakes with the flour, the reptiles 
 are lifted by one of the individuals provided with an eagle- 
 feather wand and are taken to the line of No. 1 division, 
 which still retains its place near the medicine-lodge. Here 
 they are received mostly by the little boys who, it will be 
 remembered, formed part of the procession, but are immedi- 
 ately transferred by them to a medicine-man who had offici- 
 ated as high priest, and this individual in his turn places 
 them in the sacred lodge. In this way the whole of the 
 snakes are taken from the ground and carried to this sanc- 
 tuary, no other difference being observable than that after 
 the first ceremonious translation of the reptiles every man 
 carries at least one in his mouth, and some enthusiasts even 
 contrive to carry two ! At this point of the proceedings the 
 highest excitement prevails ; the air is filled with flour till it 
 seems misty as with a drifting shower of finely -powdered
 
 ONE HUNDRED SNAKES. 179 
 
 snow. The ground is covered with it, and through it wriggle 
 and undulate the snakes that have been dropped, and these 
 are also specially sprinkled with the mystic dust. Round 
 about the sacred rock perambulates the procession, and as 
 they march their enthusiasm seems to increase ; thicker falls 
 the flour-drift, and the more freely are the reptiles handled, 
 many now cramming two between their teeth ; but still the 
 feather-bearers continue to titillate them with their wands, 
 and the flour-sprinklers dust them liberally. 
 
 When they are all deposited in the medicine -lodge, a 
 circular space is marked out by a ring of corn meal scattered 
 on the ground. The reptiles are again brought forth and 
 placed within this circle, and are completely smothered in 
 meal ; during which operation the chief medicine-man prays 
 devoutly. After this the final scene is enacted. The snake- 
 bearers again approach and seize the reptiles, which they 
 carry with the speed of the wind to the edge of the mesa. 
 They descend with extraordinary agility, and at the bottom 
 release their dangerous charges to go in whatever direction 
 they please. 
 
 While this is being done, No. 1 division makes the circuit 
 of the sacred rock and lodge, the medicine-man belonging to 
 the party ; who, the reader will recollect, carried a kind of 
 sling, which he whirled about to create a whizzing noise. To 
 the rhythm of this the procession circles the rock and lodge 
 twice, and on arriving for the second time in front of the 
 rock, each member of the party stamps upon the ground 
 with the right foot. 
 
 During the whole ceremony the number of snakes handled 
 is about one hundred, and these reptiles are passed from 
 one to the other by the dancers at least four times. It is 
 a miracle that no accident occurs, and it is impossible that 
 they always escape being bitten. It is stated, however, that'
 
 180 NO RELIGIOUS PREJUDICES. 
 
 in the event of any one being bitten, they have a certain 
 remedy which obviates any danger arising from such an 
 accident. 
 
 Rube's account was very circumstantial. The old trapper 
 had had many opportunities of seeing the dance both among 
 the Moquis of Hualpi and at other pueblos; and no doubt, 
 if occasion required, he would be competent to act as chief 
 medicine-man himself. At any rate, no religious prejudices 
 would operate to restrain him.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SUDDEN ARRIVAL OF A TRAPPER APACHES ABANDON OUR PLANS THE PURSUIT 
 "CLEARING OUT " CAMP DISCOVERED FLIGHT "CORNERED" THE 
 FIGHT COCHISE, THE APACHE CHIEF THE PARLEY TREACHERY RETREAT 
 OF THE APACHES OUR LAST SKIRMISH. 
 
 NEXT morning an incident occurred which changed all our 
 plans. We were seated, according to our daily custom, 
 round the fire, drinking our coffee and speculating on our 
 day's proceedings, when we were very much astonished to 
 see a man coming down the canon towards us at the fastest 
 pace at which he could get his mule to carry him. His whole 
 appearance was disordered, and we instantly perceived he was 
 flying from some imminent danger. The moment he saw us 
 he pulled up with a jerk ; but observing that we were whites 
 he came up to the fire. 
 
 " I guess I thought 'twere out of the frying-pan into the 
 fire with me," he said. " The Injines air riz, and I have 
 streaked it from a band of the cussed varmints. Ye '11 hev 
 to move out of hyar, you bet; thar's a hundred of 'em 
 arter me if thar's one, and they'll be up by hyar purty 
 speedy!" 
 
 This was nice news for us. We had been free from appre- 
 hension of attack for a few days, and hoped to get through 
 our journey with no further unpleasantness ; but we were 
 now thrown into the greatest excitement by this unlooked- 
 for news, and in " the shortest time on record " we had our'
 
 182 A FLYING TRAPPER. 
 
 animals packed and were retreating down the canon on our 
 tracks. 
 
 Our new acquaintance was a trapper and prospector, and 
 had been for the previous three months pursuing his danger- 
 ous calling actually surrounded by hostile savages who would 
 have desired nothing better than to catch him arid roast him 
 alive. He had been very fortunate in avoiding discovery 
 until within the hour preceding his sudden appearance at our 
 camp, and had been chased by the Indians " on sight," 
 though fortunately for him he had had a long start. 
 
 We moved off with considerable rapidity, and I thought 
 with a very uncomfortable feeling of the long trail which led 
 over the desert mesas, and through mountain gorges to the 
 far distant Rio Grande. Will and I decided to push on day 
 and night, and to lose not an instant until we again attained 
 the comparatively secure regions of the New Mexican Settle- 
 ments. The reader must not think we were very easily 
 diverted from our original intention of exploring the most in- 
 teresting of the pueblos and ruins in Southern and Central 
 Arizona. The Indian rising on this occasion was on a very 
 large scale, and the routes west and north were rendered ex- 
 tremely hazardous. To come for pleasure and to stay for 
 fighting did not recommend itself to us as either agreeable or 
 rational, and we therefore " backed out " of the country with 
 what the stay-at-home reader may consider as undignified 
 precipitation. We had afterwards the satisfaction of know- 
 ing that we saved our scalps by this swift retreat, as nearly 
 every white on the route we traversed fell into the hands of 
 the savages, and suffered the usual fate of being scalped and 
 tortured. 
 
 The first night after receiving intelligence of the rising, 
 our desire for gaining^ safe quarters was, if possible, intensi- 
 fied by a sudden attack ; and as this was nearly the last
 
 FLIGHT. 183 
 
 occasion on which we had a brush with the savages, I will 
 describe it. 
 
 Our camp was pitched in the Canada before mentioned 
 leading up into the Aravaypa Canon. We took particular 
 pains to choose a spot so well sheltered that no prying 
 eye could detect it. But in this hope of escaping discovery 
 we were doomed to disappointment. Our mules, hard-ridden 
 and hungry as they were, we kept close to us ; but we cut 
 and pulled some armfuls of grass, which we threw before 
 them, although this was but a poor substitute for the free 
 range they would have enjoyed had we been otherwise cir- 
 cumstanced. We had travelled late by the ghostly light of 
 a young moon, which was waning in the west, casting long 
 dark shadows wherever her beams could penetrate. It was 
 about twelve o'clock when we turned at right angles from 
 the direct path and rode for some distance in a zigzag 
 course among young cedars and other thick, umbrageous 
 trees, until our further progress was arrested by the steep, 
 sloping sides of the caiiada. Here we found a small open 
 spot covered with some tall grass, and, as has already been 
 said, we pulled and cut some armfuls of it for our jaded 
 animals. We made a small fire, guarding it carefully by 
 piling about it our packs and crowding round it ourselves, so 
 as to circumscribe its light as much as possible. We con- 
 sidered this an excess of caution ; but, as the event proved, 
 it was ineffectual. Some prowler must have been sent up 
 Lookout Mountain, at the junction of the caflon with the 
 canada, to descry any vestiges of the party, whose well- 
 marked trail must, of course, have been discovered when the 
 band of savages in pursuit of the trapper came to the spot 
 at which we had camped. The darkness prevented them 
 from following our track, but knowing that as long as we 
 were within the cafion we must perforce keep to the bottom,
 
 184 FLIGHT. 
 
 they pushed on at speed, not troubling themselves about the 
 trail. At the junction of the canon with the caiiada they 
 perceived that we had a choice of routes open to us, and 
 they rightly guessed that we would be camped somewhere 
 within view of the lofty summit of Lookout Mountain, 
 whose peak I could dimly discern over the top of the thicket 
 surrounding our fire. It did not occur to us that they 
 would send a vidette to that point to look out for a possible 
 fire; but this they did, with the result of discovering our 
 whereabouts. There was a circumstance, which we did not 
 learn until afterwards, that saved us from certain death. 
 On seeing the flying trapper gain the entrance of the Ara- 
 vaypa Canon, two-thirds of the band, numbering about 
 seventy-five, gave up the chase, leaving the remainder of 
 their body to attempt the capture of the fugitive. They had 
 a more important enterprise on foot, and did not wish to 
 expose their expedition to a hazardous delay, which might 
 enable the United States troops to come on the scene to 
 prevent its execution. The greater number, therefore, of 
 the savages turned aside from the pursuit, leaving only 
 about twenty-five to secure the trapper, whom they did not 
 doubt they would cut off somewhere within the canon. Had 
 the whole body come upon us, nothing could have saved us 
 from certain destruction. 
 
 "We set watches as usual, the first being taken by the 
 strange trapper. As may be supposed, we enjoyed but little 
 repose ; and although the great fatigue we had undergone 
 caused sleep, it was a broken one, and several times I started 
 up, while vague fears and disturbing dreams prevented me 
 from obtaining much rest. The second watch was taken by 
 Rube ; and it was at this time that the extreme uneasiness 
 of the mules, together with the too frequently repeated 
 calls of night-birds, attracted the attention and aroused the
 
 FLIGHT. 185 
 
 suspicions of the old hunter. He quietly awoke us and 
 communicated his fears. We agreed that if our camp had 
 been discovered, it was most probable that the savages would 
 endeavour to surround us ; which their numbers, of course, 
 would render an easy task. The route down the Canada, as 
 it presented no difficulty to their advance, we supposed 
 already overrun by them, and the back trail up the canon 
 we could only take as a dernier ressort. There remained 
 the slope behind us, up which we thought we could lead the 
 mules. We agreed that to remain where we were would 
 be little short of madness, surrounded as we were by a thick 
 .growth of chapparal, which offered concealment to our ene- 
 mies, while we would be exposed to their fire in the small 
 clearing where we had encamped. 
 
 The -mules were packed quickly and without noise ; not a 
 word was spoken ; each worked at his own pack-animal, and 
 in a very few minutes we were ready to move. We left the 
 spot in single file, and threaded the thick underbrush with 
 the greatest caution. But, despite our care, the packs 
 brushed against the tree stems and branches, making a loud, 
 rustling sound, which in the deep silence could be heard for 
 some distance. We pushed on, however, with the greatest 
 expedition compatible with caution, and soon found that we 
 were approaching the crest of the slope. Here we emerged 
 from the shelter of the trees, and took our way over broken, 
 difficult ground, where the sharp ringing of the mules' shoes 
 against the rocks immediately brought us to a halt, while 
 Rube and the trapper wrapped buckskins round their hoofs. 
 We stood upon the highest point of the elevated slope, 
 which fell rapidly downwards into the bottom of the cailada ; 
 and from the heavy shade which filled it, Will and I, who 
 had stepped up to a rocky point to command a better view, 
 could hear the occasional snap of a twig, proceeding appa-
 
 186 THE BARRANCA. 
 
 rently from the chapparal near our tire. The faint glow of 
 this was visible, through the tops of the trees, showing us, 
 when too late, that well hidden as we had conceived it to 
 be, it was in reality not so. 
 
 All at once from the " bottom " rose a chorus of terrible 
 yells : the savages had reached the fire and found their 
 victims gone. We immediately remounted our mules and 
 hastened away, but had not gone two hundred yards when 
 we found our progress barred by a deep barranca that 
 yawned black and dismal across the route, looking like a 
 river of ink, so gloomy were its shadows and so well defined 
 its banks. Right and left, as far as we could see in the im- 
 perfect light, this huge fissure extended. Rube, who led, 
 turned his mule at right angles and followed the chasm, in 
 the hope of finding some point at which we could descend. 
 For nearly half an hour we struggled among rocks and 
 boulders of every shape and size, the mules, encumbered 
 with their foot- wrappings, stumbling and falling, and throw- 
 ing off their packs, thus causing us the greatest anxiety lest 
 the delay, as well as the noise which we unavoidably made, 
 might enable the savages to trace us. At several points 
 the narrow track which we followed, hemmed in by inacces- 
 sible rocks, led close to the brink of the profound abyss ; and 
 as we passed slowly along by these dangerous places we could 
 look straight down past our feet into the barranca. The 
 least stumble on the part of a mule would have precipitated 
 both itself and its rider into the jaws of certain destruction. 
 
 Shortly after passing the last of these ledges, an exclama- 
 tion from Rube caused us to push to the front, with an 
 undefined apprehension of some further danger. Here we 
 perceived that the barranca ran into the Aravaypa Cafiada 
 at a spot where the sides of the latter were formed by 
 precipitous cliffs ! We were, in fact, hemmed in on right
 
 WAITING FOR THE ENEMY. 187 
 
 and left and in front by unscalable chasms, and had no 
 option but to retreat or to stay where we were. After some 
 deliberation we resolved to remain : the savages might not 
 be able to follow our trail over the rocky ground which we 
 had encountered immediately after leaving the crest of the 
 Canada at the beginning of our retreat ; in which case we 
 would have merely to stay quietly where we were until the 
 coast was clear. If they followed us, the place was well 
 suited for defence. We could only be attacked in front, 
 and on this side there was a natural ridge of rock almost 
 like a low wall, which would make a splendid breastwork. 
 It would require, we thought, fully a hundred Apaches to 
 take our position, unless they charged us simultaneously, 
 which we hoped they would not do. 
 
 We dismounted and stood anxiously expecting the appear- 
 ance of the savages over the rocky ridges which jutted above 
 the general level like the broken billows of a storm-tossed 
 ocean. We could dimly discern their outlines ; and I often 
 fancied that I could detect the crouching figure of an 
 Apache peering from behind the shelter of a ridge, and 
 almost expected to see the flash of his rifle at each moment. 
 These were, of course, tricks of imagination; but these fancied 
 apparitions kept my nerves in a condition of tension which 
 was anything but pleasant. . It is the prolonged waiting for 
 attack that preys on the nerves. Many men who would 
 face visible danger boldly, become excited and apprehensive 
 as the weary hours drag on ; their nerves cannot withstand 
 the strain, and they finally become an easy prey to a sudden 
 panic. 
 
 As the time passed without bringing any news of the 
 enemy, we began to get impatient. Hoskins, the strange 
 trapper, volunteered to reconnoitre, and we presently saw 
 his dim form skulking from rock to rock, making a short
 
 188 " THEY'RE COMIN' !" 
 
 stay at each in order to listen for any sign of danger. He 
 was soon lost to view ; and we then stood silent and expect- 
 ant, listening intently for some sound which might indicate 
 the approach of the savages. Now and then we heard 
 the distant cry of a coyote or the hoot of an owl, but we 
 were uncertain whether to consider them as signals of the 
 Indians or as made by the creatures themselves. An hour 
 passed in this state of anxiety, and as yet we had not heard 
 anything of our scout. Rube was about to start out with 
 the intention of ascertaining what had detained him, when 
 we saw him suddenly spring over the ridge or breastwork 
 of rock which has been mentioned, and make towards us at 
 the top of his speed. "They're comin!" he exclaimed, as 
 soon as he saw us. " They'll be hyar in a quarter of an 
 hour at latest. We're in a nice kind of trap, I guess, and 
 thar ain't no sort o' doubt them varmints knows it." 
 
 We held a hurried consultation as to our defence. The 
 affair was very simple, owing to the absence of alternatives. 
 We could not escape, and therefore the only thing to be 
 done was to fight. 
 
 As has been said, the barranca joined the Aravaypa 
 Cailada, and it was at the point of junction that we were 
 now placed. On either hand yawned deep gulfs, which we 
 could not descend ; but then, on the other hand, their pre- 
 cipitous sides could not be ascended by the enemy ; we were 
 therefore unassailable in flank or rear, and had to defend 
 ourselves only on the front of our position. This was pro- 
 tected by a rugged line of rocks, scalable only at the point 
 where we had entered this natural fortress, close to the brink 
 of the chasm. Owing to this formation of the ground we 
 were enabled to concentrate our fire on this particular 
 point, and it is to this circumstance our final escape 
 was due.
 
 "HIGH RESOLVE." 189 
 
 We took the mules close to the brink of the Aravaypa 
 Canada, under the high rocks which formed the terminal 
 point of our breastwork, where they were quite out of the 
 line of fire. We tied them securely, and having done what 
 we could for their safety, we took up our positions and 
 awaited the coming of the enemy. It would be difficult to 
 describe my feelings at this time. I heartily wished myself 
 anywhere else ; I condemned my folly very sincerely for 
 having ever .come into such a barbarous country; but 
 nevertheless I kept my eyes fixed on the narrow track that 
 led by the verge of the barranca to the spot at which I was 
 posted, and held my rifle to my shoulder as I leaned, half- 
 lying, against the rocks, ready with " high resolve " to do or 
 die. There was a considerable amount of romance in the 
 position of four men assailed on the brink of precipices, in 
 the darkness of night, by six times their number of impla- 
 cable savages. I had read Fenimore Cooper, and recollected 
 with a grim kind of amusement the desire his descriptions 
 had often excited in my verdant mind to share the perils of 
 the wilderness. I cannot say that I congratulated myself 
 on the accomplishment of these wishes. 
 
 A quarter of an hour passed, and no savages appeared. 
 Rube and Hoskins were amusing themselves with " cussin' 
 the varmints," and promising them a warm welcome ; Will 
 and I lay crouched side by side, each straining eye and ear, 
 and occasionally muttering our surprise at the delay. We 
 lay thus for a long time ; certainly two hours elapsed, and 
 we felt stiff and very cold with our uncomfortable vigil. 
 Either the Apaches knew the great strength of our position 
 and were afraid to venture on us, or they were delaying in 
 order to make us suppose that we had effectually baffled 
 their pursuit. Whatever was their motive, the delay, 
 although trying and irksome, was very fortunate, as it
 
 190 THE ATTACK. 
 
 deferred the attack until break of day, when the light 
 enabled us to aim with accuracy. 
 
 The eastern heavens had for some little time been Hushed 
 with the coming sunrise, and objects were each moment 
 becoming more distinct, when Will, whose eyes were sharper 
 than mine, drew my attention to a movement which he said 
 he had perceived among the jutting points of rock at about 
 one hundred and fifty yards from our position. I looked 
 attentively, and in the twilight I observed several Apaches 
 spring from rock to rock, pausing behind each in succession ; 
 and we could see their swarthed faces cautiously raised 
 above their shelter, reconnoitring for a further advance. 
 The moment of the attack was at length at hand, and I 
 could hear the beating of my heart as I pressed my rifle 
 to my shoulder and waited for a chance. 
 
 Fifty yards nearer to us lay a huge detached boulder : 
 this I felt would be availed of in the next rush of the 
 savages, and I kept my eye on the rock, expecting to see 
 one or more of them peeping from behind it. In this I was 
 not disappointed. Hardly had I shifted the direction of 
 my rifle-barrel by a slight movement of my arm when I saw 
 the copper-coloured visage of an Apache staring over the 
 top of the boulder, the ruddy gleam of dawn falling on him 
 and heightening the natural hue of his face. It was an 
 excellent mark ; but I felt my blood thrill unpleasantly at 
 having to slay a fellow-creature, although justifiably in self- 
 defence. The savage did not see us, as we were well shielded 
 by the rocks, and yet had a perfect view through a kind of 
 natural embrasure formed by a fissure or " crenelle " at the 
 junction of two large masses. I pressed the butt of my 
 trusty Winchester to my shoulder, took a steady aim at the 
 shining disc, and pulled the trigger. Simultaneously I heard 
 that very unpleasant sound which announces the passage of
 
 THE FIRST BLOOD. 191 
 
 a bullet through bone and flesh, and which, although I have 
 shot hundreds of animals, I never hear without a momen- 
 tary pang. Will, who saw the savage as well as I did, 
 exclaimed, " My stars, that poor wretch is done for ! I 
 saw the blood gush from his forehead before he fell." 
 
 Almost as soon as the echoes had caught up the report 
 of my rifle, a wild yell of vengeance, a blood-curdling and 
 inhuman chorus, rang among the rocks, and reverberated 
 among the canons, magnifying the sounds, until it appeared 
 as if an army of savages were about to charge in upon us to 
 avenge the death of their comrade. 
 
 Hoskins and Rube in the meantime had altered their 
 position, and had come close to the spot where Will and I 
 crouched. We all awaited the next move on the part of the 
 savages with anxiety, but still with a stern determination to 
 tight it out to the last cartridge. I had broken the ice with 
 the death of the first victim of the skirmish ; and strange as 
 it may seem, my reluctance to shed blood was so consider- 
 ably abated that I kept reviewing every jutting rock or 
 ridge in search of another chance of thinning their ranks. 
 
 At this moment Rube's Spencer cracked, and immedi- 
 ately Hoskins also fired : neither Will nor I could see with 
 what effect, but both the trappers asserted that two " var- 
 mints war rubbed out." 
 
 There was a narrow ledge leading by the brink of the 
 barranca ; any one wishing to reach the spot where we 
 stood must pass this, and be exposed to our fire. Clearly 
 the savages perceived this, and each was reluctant to be the 
 first. A considerable delay now ensued. We kept close, 
 and although, in the language of Rube, we kept our eyes 
 skinned, we could not detect the whereabouts of a single 
 enemy. Dead silence fell upon the scene of the late tur- 
 moil; and it seemed incredible that so many human beings
 
 192 A FLAG OP TRUCE. 
 
 lay among the silent rocks bent upon mutual destruction. 
 The Apaches, however, during this interval had been plot- 
 ting how to circumvent us. We soon saw a white cloth, or 
 rather a rag purporting to be white, elevated above the top 
 of a boulder and waved in the air. I put my handkerchief 
 over the muzzle of my rifle and waved it in reply. A sav- 
 age then came round the rock, holding his flag of truce in 
 front of him, and advanced towards us. Rube, seeing that 
 I meant to go forward to meet him, laid a detainer on me, 
 with the remark, " Shucks ! stay whar ye air. Them var- 
 mints only wants a chance to make rags of us ; let the var- 
 mint come in hyar and we'll see what he wants." I thought 
 this advice so excellent that I remained where I was ; but 
 I still kept my extemporized flag flying above our parapet. 
 The hundred yards were soon traversed by the Apache, and 
 presently he lightly leaped over the ridge which defended 
 our position and stood before us. He was a truculent-look- 
 ing savage; every low vice seemed to contend for the monopoly 
 of expression in his face. But his physique was splendid : 
 his chest was full and broad ; his arms finely moulded and 
 round ; his lower limbs were those of a Grecian statue. He 
 was naked with the exception of a breech-cloth and, of 
 course, his moccasins. His face was hideously besmeared 
 with vermilion and ochre, and his scalp-lock was stiffened 
 with some similar stuff. He stood easily, straight as a lance, 
 and looked us in the face with the haughty glance of a con- 
 queror. From his nose hung a brass ring about two inches 
 in diameter, and from either ear depended three similar 
 rings. His whole body glistened in the early light, having 
 evidently been recently well rubbed with some rancid grease, 
 from which emanated a very foul smell Several eagles' 
 feathers decorated his stiff, coarse hair, and denoted him to 
 be a chief. I had hardly taken in this coup cTceil of the
 
 "COCHISE, BY THUNDER!" 193 
 
 savage when Hoskins exclaimed, " Cochise, by thunder!" 
 It was in fact that celebrated chief, or rather that notorious 
 wholesale murderer, that stood before us. He extended his 
 hand to Hoskins, saying, " Me Cochise ; white man's friend." 
 The trapper took the filthy paw held out to him, and motion- 
 ing to us all round, said something in a Spanish patois which 
 I did not catch. Cochise nodded to us, but in a dignified 
 kind of way. Hoskins next asked him how it could be, if 
 he were the white man's friend, as he said he was, that he 
 and his braves lurked behind the rocks with their rifles in 
 their hands, and with blood in their eyes for their white 
 brothers. The savage seemed in no wise perplexed by the 
 question, and replied that he did not know we were whites 
 until he saw us. He took us for Utes, with whom his tribe 
 were at war ; but now, finding we were his white brothers, 
 he would bury the hatchet if we would handsomely pay him 
 for the loss of his three warriors who had fallen. We would, 
 of course, give him our mules and baggage ; and as we were 
 all such good hunters, one rifle would keep us in food until 
 we got back to our own people, and we would give him 
 the other rifles and their ammunition ! The extravagance 
 of the demand took us aback, and he must have seen by our 
 faces that we would not accede to this modest request, for 
 he immediately added that he would not take all the mules ; 
 he would leave us one, pointing to Rube's old macho, whose 
 grizzled hide and woebegone appearance made his exception 
 an act of generous self-denial on the part of the savage. 
 
 While this controversy was going on, Will, happening to 
 look in the direction of the lurking Apaches, perceived to 
 his great alarm that, profiting by our colloquy with the 
 chief, they had slipped on from rock to rock, and one was at 
 that moment passing by the ledge before alluded to as the 
 key of our position. Cochise was instantly told to order. 
 
 (814) 13
 
 194 A FEARFUL FALL. 
 
 him back, but he affected not to understand; and seeing 
 that treachery was meditated, we broke up the conference, 
 and gave the chief to understand that he must take himself 
 off. This he did, but calmly ; nor did he once look round, 
 although he knew that four rifles were ready at a moment's 
 notice to resume hostilities. Scarcely had Cochise gained 
 the shelter of his rocks than a savage war-whoop again pealed 
 forth from twenty throats, and two savages leaped from their 
 ambush to pass the ledge. Will, who was thirsting for an 
 opportunity of distinguishing himself, not having yet fired a 
 shot, struck through the heart the foremost Apache, who 
 had actually got upon the narrow track ; and at the crack of 
 the rifle the unfortunate savage leaped from the ground and 
 fell over the dizzy verge ! In the silence that followed we 
 heard the heavy and distant thud made by the fall of the 
 body upon the rocks far beneath. Rube's rifle stretched 
 the second savage lifeless before he could again gain the 
 security of his ambush. Bullets hissed harmlessly over our 
 heads or cracked upon the rocks ; but owing to the protec- 
 tion afforded by our position none of us were even grazed. 
 Several bullets passed through the embrasure at which 
 Will and I were stationed ; but although startled by their 
 vicious hiss, we kept our places and fired whenever we had 
 a chance. There was one savage whose bullets were better 
 directed than any others, and they so often came through 
 our look-out aperture that we had no difficulty in tracing 
 them to a large rock which rose close to the barranca, the 
 under edge of which had been weather-worn at one side, so 
 as to form a first-rate rifle-pit. Lying on the ground behind 
 this boulder, the savage marksman was able to view our 
 position through this space, and it was dangerous to move 
 lest some portion of our bodies should be exposed to his fire. 
 Owing to the fact that we were at a slightly higher eleva-
 
 RETREAT OP THE APACHES. 195 
 
 tion than this savage, we could not see him ; but we could 
 see the barrel of his rifle poked out whenever he was about 
 to fire. We determined to try the effect of a ricochet shot : 
 by striking the smooth rock underneath the overhanging 
 verge of the boulder, we hoped our bullets would pass inward 
 and strike the Apache as he lay with his face to the inner 
 side of the aperture. Waiting our opportunity, we soon saw 
 the barrel of his weapon thrust out, and at that instant we 
 pulled trigger. The effect was evident : the savage's rifle 
 fell and lay motionless on the ground, nor were we again 
 annoyed from this quarter. After this event the fight 
 languished, and by eight o'clock had entirely ceased. The 
 Apaches perceived that they were no match for us, and took 
 themselves away, greatly to our relief. They also carried 
 off along with them the bodies of their slain comrades, so 
 that we were unable to ascertain with accuracy how many 
 had fallen ; but we felt pretty sure they had lost at least 
 six of their number. Looking over the brink of the bar- 
 ranca, we saw, far below, the remains of the savage whom 
 Will had killed. His body had burst asunder with the tre- 
 mendous fall, and presented a sickening spectacle. Several 
 vultures were already flapping about it, and a coyote or two 
 were contending with them for the loathsome morsels that lay 
 scattered around. We were devoutly thankful to have come so 
 well out of this affair. The strength of our position was our 
 safeguard, for there can be little doubt that if we had been at- 
 tacked at our camp in the Canada we should all have perished. 
 Although the Apaches had retired, we had no means of 
 knowing whether they had not done so in order to entrap 
 us into leaving the security of our natural fortress. There 
 were many places where they could easily ambush us, and 
 with this fear before our eyes we led our mules over the 
 rocks, ready at a moment to secure them and to take sheltej
 
 196 THE RIO GRANDE AGAIN. 
 
 among the clefts and ridges. But no enemy appeared. We 
 perceived traces of the skirmish plentifully scattered about : 
 blood was spattered freely over the rocks, and a few weapons 
 lay here and there on the ground. I took particular notice 
 of the huge boulder from behind which, the reader will 
 remember, a well-posted savage had annoyed Will and me 
 by his accurate shooting. A pool of blood marked the spot, 
 testifying to the effect of our shots. 
 
 We did not breathe freely again until we had reached the 
 Canada, and once in this we pushed on as fast as our mules 
 could carry us. All that day we journeyed on, nor did we 
 halt until the sinking sun warned us to camp for the night. 
 It may be supposed that on this occasion we took ample care 
 that the light of our fire should not be seen from any point at 
 a distance; and although we were very anxious, lest our trail 
 might be found and followed up by marauding parties of 
 Apaches, we passed a quiet night. 
 
 Our journey back to the Rio Grande was almost without 
 incident : we shot a few antelopes and two cinnamon bears, 
 and on one occasion only did we again encounter the Apaches. 
 We were fortunate in falling in with a strong party of the 
 Third U.S. Cavalry ; and, of course, with them we were safe 
 from molestation. We had, however, to keep a sharp look- 
 out at night, to prevent our animals from being stampeded. 
 The Redskins made several attempts ; but our vigilance ren- 
 dered them abortive. A sentry was wounded one night 
 while on guard; and the savage who fired at him was shot, 
 while running off in the darkness, by Hoskins, who happened 
 to come upon him just in the nick of time. In due time we 
 reached the Rio Grande, and Will and I enjoyed the dolce 
 far niente of lounging about the gardens of Albuquerque, 
 eating grapes and spinning yarns of our adventures to such, 
 curious neighbours as questioned us.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 NEW RESOLVES SOUTHWARD HO ! EMBARK FOR BELIZE OUR SKIPPER OUR 
 
 "COMPAONONS DE VOYAOE" EXTRAORDINARY CONDUCT PRACTICAL JOKES 
 
 BELIZE VARIOUS RACES AMALGAMATION START FOR YSABAL REGIMENT 
 ON PARADE A STREET ROW START FROM YSABAL PURSUED FEARFUL 
 TRAIL MUD MICO MOUNTAIN EXQUISITE SCENERY WILL'S MISHAP " EL 
 CAMINO REAL" BEAUTIFUL PALM GROVE JAGUAR HUNT THE MOTAGUA 
 JAGUAR AND PYTHON. 
 
 WHILE lying on the bank of the Grande one day, pipe in 
 mouth, and dreamily viewing the splendid prospect that lay 
 before me bathed in gorgeous sunset hues, Will, who was 
 similarly occupied, said suddenly, as if struck by a happy 
 thought : "I say, old fellow, we've had to deny ourselves 
 the pleasure of seeing the pueblos and ruins of Arizona; 
 but what say you to going to see Copan 1 We have noth- 
 ing to detain us here now, and we can start down the 
 river and perhaps find a schooner at Brownsville to take 
 us to Belize." This was a good suggestion, and after 
 some further deliberation we finally determined to act upon 
 it. The very next day we left Albuquerque and jour- 
 neyed down the Grande, admiring the splendid cafions en 
 route, and also inspecting the many little out-of-the-way vil- 
 lages and pueblos along the settled portions of the valley. 
 We had some odd adventures on this trip ; but space for- 
 bids me to detail them here. After some hardships in- 
 separable from travel in thinly-peopled countries, we finally 
 reached Brownsville ; and here we were fortunate enough
 
 198 SOUTHWAKD HO ! 
 
 to find a , small coasting vessel, on board which we at once 
 secured cabins, greatly to the disgust of several miners, who 
 wished to monopolize the accommodation for themselves. 
 We had had some experience of how to manage this class 
 of persons, and in a day or two we were in favour with the 
 rough fellows, whose hearts were really not so black as 
 might at first be inferred from their language and appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Our skipper was a very queer specimen of humanity. He 
 was rarely sober ; but the ingenuity of his oaths seemed to 
 imply that his senses were not altogether overcome by the 
 liquor which he was constantly imbibing. They were too 
 original and quaint to have been stock phrases shot forth by 
 rote. He was addicted to the practice of shooting pretty 
 freely in any and every direction with a huge navy "Colt," 
 and the deck-house, the spars, bulwarks, etc., bore abundant 
 evidence of this dangerous habit. The miners, however, did 
 not quite relish this pastime, and one day when a glancing 
 bullet shot the pipe from the mouth of one of them, three 
 or four immediately drew their pistols, walked up to the 
 skipper, put the cold barrels to his head, and quietly "backed" 
 him into his deck-house, where they shut him up. A great 
 brawny fellow, who said he was quite an adept at navigating 
 a ship, having been ferryman at Milliken's ferry on the 
 Brazos in Texas for several years, took charge of the vessel, 
 and ordered the hands about as if he were an Admiral on 
 his own quarter-deck ! His companions, ten in number, 
 and rough boys in a fight, laughed and backed him up. 
 Never was a mutiny more quiet or more successful. How- 
 ever, it was only a rough joke, and after the captain had 
 been imprisoned for a couple of hours he was again liberated 
 and reinstated in command. Will and I looked on, partly 
 amused and partly apprehensive of some bloody termination
 
 IKE THE KNIFER. 199 
 
 to this horse-play ; but the contretemps smoothed down again 
 as quickly as it had arisen. 
 
 The ringleader in this episode was a big burly rollicking 
 filibuster, whose name I did not hear : his companions spoke 
 of him as " Ike the knifer," and this ill-omened designation 
 deterred us from cultivating his acquaintance. He seemed 
 a roistering, good-natured fellow, as indeed they all did. 
 The party were bound for the Rio San Juan or the more 
 dangerous Frio country, in search of gold, and intended to 
 proceed to Greytown, starting up the river from thence. 
 They recked little of the far-famed Guatusos, who have so 
 rarely been seen by white men, and who have been so fatal 
 to the very few that have had that privilege. 
 
 We had, on the whole, an uneventful run from the Del 
 Norte to Belize. We had, however, a stiff gale when off 
 Cape Catoche, which sent me below reduced to a state of 
 abject misery. Will, who was what is called a good sailor, 
 rather enjoyed our tossing than otherwise; and by way of 
 comforting me, he coolly remarked that his pleasure was con- 
 siderably heightened by the contrast between my wretched 
 plight and his own immunity ! Owing to the gale, our leeway 
 was so great that we had a narrow escape of running upon 
 the Chinchorro Bank, off the coast of Yucatan : we grazed 
 several times very slightly, but were quittes pour la peur. 
 
 Our big-booted gold-hunters laughed at the danger, swore 
 at the storm, and proposed to feed the sharks with the cap- 
 tain. They were like great big children, romping, playing end- 
 less practical jokes on each other and on every one else, and be- 
 haved altogether in an insane way. There was a little nigger 
 boy about fifteen years old on board who was the chief butt 
 of their wit. One day while we were slipping quietly through 
 the water, within view of the green and level coast-line, they 
 seized on this luckless wight, and having put a life-buoy over
 
 200 A PRACTICAL, JOKE. 
 
 his shoulders attached to a line, they coolly threw him over- 
 board, telling him they wanted to see how sharks took people 
 down ! The lad screamed and struggled : he appealed to the 
 captain, who only laughed ; and then he besought us to save 
 him. We tried to interfere, but were roughly shouldered 
 aside and told to "keep our heads shut;" we therefore 
 stood passively by, expecting every moment to see the lad 
 taken down. The gambusinos sat and stood by the taffrail 
 chaffing him. Pretending to see sharks coming at him, they 
 made bets as to which would have him first. The little 
 nigger, who was towed through the water at about seven 
 knots, was half drowned and half paralyzed with terror, 
 but still managed to " hand " himself along the tow-line 
 towards the ship in a very comical manner. To heighten 
 the joke, the fellows began to shoot at sharks, which they 
 told the boy were just on the " turn " to seize him ; and no 
 doubt the sharp hiss of the balls as they passed his head 
 must have added to his fright. To do the rough fellows 
 justice, on a suspicious fin being seen about fifty yards off, 
 they hauled in the lad at once, not much the worse of his 
 ducking. They then insisted on his having some "chain 
 lightning " from each of them ; so the wretched boy was 
 obliged to take a treat from them all round " to wash away 
 unkindness," and was soon rolling about the deck in a state 
 of helpless drunkenness. "Ike the knifer" signalized himself 
 by lashing him to the capstan, to keep him from being injured 
 by the roll of the vessel ; and he then threw a sail over him 
 to keep off the sun. 
 
 This joke kept them in capital " form " for the rest of the day, 
 and long and loud were their shouts of merriment as they 
 recalled the figure cut by their victim, now hauling on the 
 line, now swept through the crest of a wave by the speed of 
 the ship ; again emerging half dazed from his submersion, and
 
 BELIZE. 201 
 
 looking round with apprehensive eyes to see the sharks that 
 were about to pounce upon him ! Merriment is a thirsty 
 affection, and after every joke the whole gang would repair 
 to the steward's pantry, where " straight whisky " was con- 
 cealed by them in immense quantities. They paid in "dust" 
 and nuggets. One fellow deposited a nugget with the steward 
 which was probably worth <8, and drank against it, " chalk- 
 ing " his score with a piece of charcoal on the title-page of a 
 Bible which somehow had found its way into this very uncon- 
 genial atmosphere. 
 
 Whatever may be thought of such companions, they cer- 
 tainly kept ennui from being a passenger in our ship. What 
 with West India pickles in the tea-pot, " squashes " mashed 
 up in the bunks, live coals surreptitiously introduced into 
 one's boots, the never-ending " squenchers," and the loud 
 bursts of laughter, they managed to keep us alive. I was 
 very glad to shake hands with them, however, and to see 
 them finally disappear with a parting "Be good to yourselves." 
 They were too strong company for either Will or me. 
 
 Belize has improved somewhat during late years. But at 
 the time of our visit it might be truly described as one of 
 the last places made. Approaching it from the sea, however, 
 it presented a picturesque appearance ; and, like more time- 
 honoured cities in the Old World, it seems to spring at 
 once from the waves. The eye is caught first by a line of 
 white houses stretching by the verge of the water for up- 
 wards of a mile ; and, at the time of which I speak, this was 
 terminated by Government House at one extremity, and by 
 the barracks at the other. A Gothic spire rising behind 
 Government House suggested ideas of peace and order, while 
 the waving branches of the cocoa-nut trees gave a refreshing 
 air of coolness and repose to the scene. A few vessels were 
 lying scattered here and there in the harbour ; and among
 
 202 A SOCIAL MILLENNIUM. 
 
 these I noticed several rafts of- splendid mahogany logs, the 
 export of which forms the staple industry of the country. 
 
 We at length got ashore, and were truly glad to stretch 
 our legs again on terra firma after our confinement on board 
 the little vessel for so long. We were somewhat dismayed 
 to learn that there was no hotel in the place at which it 
 would be advisable to put up ; but after some little search 
 among the various houses, stumbling over the uneven road- 
 way and narrowly escaping a ducking once or twice in the 
 numerous niud puddles which lay like so many traps in the 
 way of the unwary pedestrian, we found a "lady" who would 
 accommodate us. We could not afford to be squeamish, and 
 notwithstanding that our hostess was a greasy-looking mu- 
 latto, and our single room nothing better than a large box 
 with holes in the floor, we were glad to secure this asylum 
 for the short time we meant to remain in the town. 
 
 The bulk of the population was composed of blacks ; but 
 antipathy of race seemed non-existent in Belize no one was 
 thought the less of for being black or yellow. The negroes 
 were fine specimens of physical strength and symmetry 
 straight, tall, broad-shouldered, and robust, with healthy- 
 looking skins, which glistened in the sunlight a jetty black. 
 They appeared as a rule to be well fed, well clothed, and 
 prosperous. Their dress consisted chiefly of white cotton 
 shirts and trowsers and straw hats : the women were clad in 
 white frocks with short sleeves and broad red bands, which 
 made a striking contrast with their white dresses. 
 
 We were invited to dine with one of the principal mer- 
 chants in the town, and we were not a little surprised to 
 find that the greater portion of the company was composed 
 of blacks. At first we felt some awkwardness on being 
 presented to these coloured gentlemen with as much for- 
 mality as if their skins were white. Some of them, how-
 
 YSABAL. 203 
 
 ever, conversed as intelligently as average whites ; and 
 before we left the house we began to think that after all a 
 colour prejudice was unreasonable. In general, indeed, we 
 found colour a mere matter of taste white women had black 
 husbands, and white men often took black wives. This 
 seemed an odd state of things ; but this amalgamation of 
 races has been in progress here for several generations, and 
 now no one seems to care whether he is black or white. 
 Travellers to Central Africa become so accustomed to the 
 sleek black beauties of that country that on their return to 
 civilized society white ladies seem bloodless and consumptive 
 by comparison. 
 
 The roadways about Belize, at the time of which I speak, 
 were in the most dreadful state, and consisted chiefly of an 
 alternation of puddles and quagmires, across which the visitor 
 had to spring. I believe they have been somewhat improved 
 since. The moment we left our house we were ankle deep 
 in mud ; the house itself was elevated on posts about two 
 feet over the ground, and the space underneath was a slimy 
 puddle, paddled by ducks to the consistency of a pea-soup ! 
 
 It may be supposed that we did not unnecessarily protract 
 our stay at Belize. On the day following our arrival we 
 took advantage of a steamer which was about to start for 
 Ysabal, and we were not sorry when at length we began in 
 earnest our journey towards the famous ruins which we had 
 come so far to see. Coming on deck next morning, we found 
 ourselves in the harbour of Ysabal. It was still early ; but 
 the sun shone in a cloudless sky, and there was little breeze 
 to temper his beams, which were unpleasantly hot. 
 
 The so-called "town" is built upon the rising grounds by the 
 banks of the Golfo Dolce ; and beyond it the horizon is 
 bounded by chains of mountains. 
 
 There were very few good houses in the place ; in fact the
 
 204 A RIDICULOUS SPECTACLE. 
 
 town was mostly composed of sheds of various shades of pre- 
 tension, thatched with the leaves of the cahoon tree. In the 
 square there were a few frame houses; and here also was 
 situated the church, the architecture of which was as primi- 
 tive as that of the houses. The climate, however, is so fine 
 that the substantial edifices of more northern regions are 
 here quite unnecessary. Why therefore should they be 
 built 1 This is the logic of the inhabitants. Northerners as 
 a rule are very intolerant of the dolce far niente of tropical 
 climates. Accustomed at home to the furious rush and 
 hurry of the general struggle for existence, they contemn 
 the laziness of the more easy-going inhabitants of countries 
 where Nature has been more lavish of her gifts, and where 
 life is supported by the minimum of exertion. Mr. Franz 
 Keller, in his interesting record of travel in South America, 
 gives an amusing instance of the contentment with the ex- 
 isting state of things shown by a native to whom he had 
 offered hire to act as guide to a surveying expedition. 
 " If you will return to me to-morrow," said the Indian at 
 length, in reply to Mr. Keller's importunities, " when I have 
 sold my fish, . I will give you twice as much to let me alone." 
 And truly the savage was right. Why should his copper- 
 hued hide stream with perspiration in order that the survey 
 work (which to him was not more necessary than Greek to 
 a cow) should be facilitated? The inhabitants of tropical 
 climates live comfortably according to their own ideas ; 
 Northerners wish to make them live according to Northern 
 ideas : who is right 1 
 
 On strolling through the village we were very much 
 amused by the ridiculous spectacle presented by a "regi- 
 ment " on parade. There was no uniformity in the dress, 
 size, or equipments of those soldiers. Some appeared to 
 be about fifteen years of age, others were bronzed, bearded
 
 "CORNERED." 205 
 
 ruffians of probably fifty years. They stood in an irregular 
 line, big and little disposed accidentally. Some had muskets 
 of the old brown Bess pattern, while others held antiquated 
 firelocks of extravagant length of barrel, to which were fixed 
 rusty bayonets, giving them the appearance of some curious 
 agricultural implements. Many of these warriors were bare- 
 foot ; most of them exhibited a striking variety in the colour, 
 cut, and quantity of their garments. They certainly were 
 the most motley gang of blackguards either of us had ever 
 seen, and we watched their manosuvres with as much interest 
 as if the parade had been got up expressly in our honour. No 
 one seemed to know where to go, or what to do, at the word of 
 command ; and even this was frequently given hesitatingly, 
 and often recalled and another order substituted. At the com- 
 pletion of the parade the men fell into a shambling column 
 and marched past with an inimitable air of martial valour 
 that was altogether irresistible ; and despite our attempts at 
 gravity, Will and I broke into a hearty laugh, taking care, 
 however, to look another way, and to appear as if our merri- 
 ment had some other cause. 
 
 We estimated the population of the town at perhaps 
 fifteen hundred or two thousand souls, of every shade of 
 colour, including of course Spaniards. While exploring an 
 outskirt of the town, in which we suddenly found ourselves, 
 we were followed and jeered at by several of the brave warriors 
 whose martial evolutions we had lately been inspecting. At 
 first we took no notice and walked straight on ; but finding 
 that the ruffians still followed us, and were joined by a dozen 
 or more congenial spirits, we walked up to a wall that ter- 
 minated a kind of cul de sac into which we had inadvertently 
 wandered, and standing with our backs to it, took out our 
 pipes, filled them, and began to smoke. Will sat down as 
 if quite at ease, and neither he nor I took the least apparent
 
 206 WE CLEAR THE STREET. 
 
 notice of the gang, who were gibing us at the distance of 
 about twenty yards. When we had smoked for a few 
 minutes, conversing calmly together, we agreed to try what 
 a little bullying would effect. A pebble having been thrown 
 at this moment afforded a good excuse. We suddenly seemed, 
 as it were, to become conscious of the presence of the rabble, 
 and drawing with one hand our knives, we brandished our 
 six-shooters in the other and made a few determined strides 
 towards the jabbering pack of blackguards. The effect was 
 magical. They scattered and fled, sending ducks, cocks 
 and hens flying with cackles and quacks of terror in all 
 directions ! Some dived down side alleys, others ran into 
 the houses, while several clambered with monkey-like activity 
 over a wall that bounded the roadway and disappeared. In 
 an instant not a soul was in sight. 
 
 We returned to our ship and got out our baggage, and 
 having engaged four mules and their two owners we set out 
 from the "town" on our journey to the ruins. We had 
 hardly left when we heard a great clatter behind, and on 
 looking back we perceived about a dozen men armed with 
 muskets coming after us, at the same time ordering us to 
 halt. We paid not the least attention to this tumult, and 
 were presently overtaken by the officer in command, who 
 ordered us peremptorily to return with him to the town to 
 answer a charge of having been guilty of murderous violence 
 against a number of persons. We laughed at the little man's 
 fussiness, and desiring him to go home if he valued his health, 
 we drew our pistols ; and both turning our mules towards him 
 at the same moment, he got alarmed and retreated rapidly 
 on the main body. We wished him adieu, and this was the 
 last we saw of him. He and his queer following evidently 
 thought discretion the better part of valour ; and I suppose 
 they returned to the town to report that they had been un-
 
 A DREADFUL TRACK. 207 
 
 able to overtake us, so rapid had been our flight upon their 
 appearance. 
 
 We soon found ourselves upon a plain which was covered 
 with picturesque copses of trees and shrubs ; the soil, how- 
 ever, was soft and marshy, so that the mules sank into it 
 over their fetlocks. We crossed this, and then entered the 
 forest. The shade formed a pleasant contrast with the great 
 heat in the open ; but the difficulties of the route increased 
 in proportion as we advanced. During our travels in New 
 Mexico and Arizona we had often to make our way over 
 difficult ground ; but the worst place we had yet met with 
 was a joke to the " road " we had now to traverse. The 
 thick tenacious mud seemed to become thicker and more 
 sticky at every step ; the path was formed by a chaotic 
 succession of holes of varying depth, separated from each 
 other by ridges of mud and by the gnarled contorted roots 
 of the overarching trees, which frequently were stretched 
 across the track at the height of two or three feet. Over 
 these obstructions our mules had to flounder as best they 
 could, taking their rise at the leap out of the dismal depths 
 of the quagmire, and by their frantic exertions scattering 
 around copious showers of blue adhesive mud. Right or 
 left there was no refuge from this travellers' gehenna : steep 
 slopes, thickly wooded with the inextricably interwoven vege- 
 tation of the tropics, confined us to the road, and for a time 
 all our energies were concentrated on keeping our saddles, 
 which was in itself a feat of which we might justly be proud. 
 It often happened that just as a mule plunged wildly over 
 an elevated and dangerous network of roots, the rider's head 
 became entangled amid the festoons of creepers or lianas 
 which were intertwined from tree to tree, and some of these 
 snake-like parasites were furnished with rough or thorny 
 projections, which inflicted painful abrasions and scratches.
 
 208 MULISH PIG-nEADRDNESS. 
 
 I say nothing of the frequent loss of hats, guns, etc. ; nor 
 will I mention the exacerbation of temper occasioned by 
 these apparent trifles. Let the reader figure to his mind 
 what I have said ; let him add a hothouse atmosphere, cooler, 
 indeed, than the blazing sun, but almost as oppressive ; mos- 
 quitoes in legions, and each insect doing all he knew to ex- 
 asperate his victim ; the not infrequent halt to replace some 
 article of baggage kicked off by a mule ; a thick coating of 
 blue mud plastered over dress, hands, face, saddle, every- 
 thing ; if he can imagine the situation, aggravated by the 
 not unnatural pig-headedness of two mules that would fall 
 and cast their packs into the deepest sloughs they could find, 
 and wait quietly half-smothered until they were lifted and 
 belaboured to their legs again ; if he can figure all this, and 
 then multiply it by ten for the difference between imagina- 
 tion and reality, he will begin to have a faint conception of 
 our ride over this portion of the route. 
 
 We kept the echoes busy with our shouts and with the 
 loud cracking of our whips, which fell with the report of a 
 pistol upon the flanks of our unfortunate animals. In a 
 short time we descended into the bed of a quick -rushing 
 stream, which glanced and surged and foamed amid rock and 
 boulder, canopied above by the bright green foliage of the 
 trees, through which shot the rays of the sun in many a 
 slanting sheaf, lighting up the tufts of feathery bamboo 
 which waved above the dancing waters. Every branch was 
 fringed with orchids, and many of the trees were draped with 
 deep green veils of graceful moss, which decked them over from 
 top to bottom. Looking down the stream, the forest receded 
 slightly from the banks, and starting forward from its dense 
 bosom I saw the heads of many palms waving their fronds 
 with the least motion of the air. The banks, and even the 
 boulders, were ablaze with flowering shrubs. Here scarlet and
 
 WILL DISAPPEARS. 209 
 
 gold was Nature's livery, and these gorgeous hues tinted the 
 landscape, and were borne even through the air by parrots 
 or other birds. There was, however, a great diversity in 
 the colours of these : many were golden-green, some were 
 blue and yellow, others were crimson, while yet others 
 seemed so bedizened as if got up expressly for chromatic 
 effect. Blue-winged jays chattered harshly among the 
 branches. Suddenly a stream of fire seemed to shoot 
 through the trees : that was a macaw in his flaming garb. 
 Everywhere were birds as brilliant as the flowers, and flowers 
 as brilliant as the birds. It was a paradise of colour. Lovely 
 as the scene and its inhabitants were, however, we had some- 
 thing less pleasing to occupy our attention. The passage of 
 the stream was difficult owing to the numerous rocks, or 
 rather large rough stones, scattered about in it. The water 
 rushed over these in foaming swirls that rendered it almost 
 impossible for either ourselves or the mules to steer a safe 
 course. Will's mule stumbled over a stone, made a pro- 
 digious effort to keep its legs, sending showers of spray over 
 itself and its rider, and finally pitched head first into a rapid. 
 Will disappeared completely for a moment, but emerged blow- 
 ing like a grampus, and still holding on by the reins. The 
 ducking, however, was most useful in ridding him of the 
 superfluous dirt contracted during our scramble through the 
 swampy track. However, everything has an end, and we 
 at last got to the other side and exchanged the rushing river 
 for another muddy trail. The trees overhung this so closely 
 as almost to exclude the light, and for about an hour we fol- 
 lowed this gloomy path, when we reached the foot of a 
 mountain; and dispirited as we had been by the difficulties 
 of our road up to this point, our hearts almost failed us 
 altogether by the prospect which now confronted us. 
 
 The level track here ceased and gave place to a precipitous. 
 (4) 14
 
 210 A TRYING PASSAGE. 
 
 gully, rugged and torrent- worn, encumbered with huge stones, 
 varied by frequent sloughs, and so tortuous and narrow that 
 on either hand we hardly had room to squeeze past the high 
 banks that shut us completely in. In several of the worst 
 places, where a stiff and yet soft clay deposit had been left 
 in deep holes, each of our mules in succession sunk to the 
 shoulders. A halt was then called, and all hands proceeded 
 to extricate the helpless beasts. During this trying operation 
 those animals that had been got through the sloughs some- 
 times took advantage of their momentary freedom, started 
 off up the defile, and knocked their freshly adjusted packs 
 off against the rocks or projecting banks. They had then to 
 be captured ; and this was not an easy task, as the knowing 
 brutes scrambled along all the faster on hearing us trying to 
 overtake them. We had to head them off by climbing out 
 of the gully and getting in advance of them unperceived. 
 Whenever one stuck fast, those behind had to stand still, 
 there being no room to pass; and both Will and I got our 
 legs much bruised and scratched by having them rasped 
 against the banks at nearly every slip or stumble on the 
 part of our animals. Our guides led the van and brought 
 up the rear : he in advance pulled and tugged and searched 
 for the best spots, where choice offered; while he behind 
 lashed and shouted, stormed and cursed, in unison with his 
 fellow in front. We sat in passive misery, clinging to our 
 saddles, accommodating ourselves to the convulsive movements 
 of our animals, now and then bearing against the rocks to 
 steady them, or with acrobatic agility removing a limb from 
 imminent peril of collision with the snags or stones projecting 
 from the sides of the gully. After emerging from this pas- 
 sage we again entered on a track exactly similar to that 
 which I have already described as commencing with the 
 forest, with the addition that the route we had now to travel
 
 THE GREAT HIGHWAY. 211 
 
 was up a very steep ascent. We thought that the mud 
 holes were deeper, wider, and more tenacious of their hold 
 upon us, and that the tree roots were more frequent, more 
 matted and impassable ; but we were wearied and disgusted, 
 and perhaps we were wrong. It was, however, a terrible 
 place; and at each lurch of my mule I thought, with a 
 certain amount of amusement, of my pride in performing 
 much less difficult feats of horsemanship while following 
 our local pack of hounds at home. 
 
 The day wore on while we were struggling with the 
 difficulties of this fearful place ; but as the sun sank towards 
 the horizon and flooded skies and forest with his crimson 
 beams, we emerged upon a small open space or clearing at 
 the summit of the mountain, about a hundred yards in 
 diameter, and used as a camping-ground by the mule trains 
 that traverse this route. Reader, do not imagine that this 
 track through the forest was one in occasional use through 
 a little frequented portion of the country. No such thing ; 
 it was the great highway of traffic leading to the city of 
 Guatemala, and over which is carried the great bulk of the 
 merchandise that finds its way into the country ! 
 
 We took advantage of the clearing to halt for a few 
 minutes to rest ourselves and our wretched mules. These 
 poor brutes presented a woful aspect : they were thoroughly 
 worn out, bedraggled, and plastered with mud all over. 
 Instead of searching for something to eat, they drooped 
 their heads and tails and stood huddled together, presenting 
 the very image of dejection. In half an hour we again took 
 the trail, and after two hours struck a wild mountain 
 stream plunging madly along over its rocky bed, beneath 
 the gloomy shade of tall trees. This was the Arroyo del 
 Muerto, or Deadman's Stream. Crossing it we continued 
 our way along a slope of the mountain, and after a little came
 
 212 THE MICO MOUNTAIN. 
 
 out upon a ridge free from timber, from which we enjoyed a 
 glorious prospect of the setting sun, tinging a vast and rich 
 savanna with his fiery light. Below this point we at 
 length gained a table-land from which we descended to the 
 plain at its foot. As night was approaching (the sun having 
 now almost touched the horizon) we reached a wood of 
 palms which threw a dense shade across the path. Their 
 high arches extended above us, and in the mystic light 
 which prevailed beneath their branches we could easily have 
 fancied ourselves passing through the aisles of vast and lofty 
 cathedrals, so like these creations of human art were their 
 umbrageous arches. The trunks formed treble and quad- 
 ruple colonnades ; and upon the greensward underneath, the 
 expiring beams of the sinking sun painted the shadows of 
 the massive pillars of this sylvan temple. Amid these we 
 camped, and never did tired wayfarers hail a halt with more 
 pleasure. We had been ten hours in the saddle and had 
 only advanced twelve miles. This will give a more vivid 
 idea of the difficulties we had encountered than any words. 
 
 We were almost too fatigued to eat, and although we had 
 not tasted a mouthful of food since starting in the morning, 
 we made but a poor attack upon our provisions. Fortunately 
 the mule that had carried them had escaped the many 
 dangers which beset us by flood and forest, and our stock of 
 coffee, tins of preserved meat, biscuits, etc., were uninjured, 
 as was also our ammunition. 
 
 As we lay at our camp among the palms we could discern 
 the massive bulk of the forest -covered Mico mountain, 
 which we had crossed with such toil and suffering, looming 
 through the gathering twilight ; and as we beheld it we 
 devoutly prayed that we might be delivered from it in the 
 future. It was an experience never to be forgotten even by 
 us who had scaled the canons of New Mexico and Arizona,
 
 JAGUAR HUNT. 215 
 
 and had travelled by many a rough and dangerous trail. 
 We turned in at once; and I, at least, slept a dreamless sleep, 
 which was broken only by the call of our guides at sunrise. 
 
 Our first care was breakfast ; and as the steaming and 
 fragrant cup went round, the sun rose and lighted the scene. 
 Our bivouac was regretfully deserted, and taking a lingering 
 look of admiration at the beautiful colonnade of palms that 
 had sheltered us, we spurred our mules and soon left the 
 spot behind. The way we were conducted by our guides 
 led us along the ridge of a mountain, and on either hand we 
 looked down into fertile wooded valleys, while far away 
 were green hills, dotted over with detached trees, smiling in 
 the bright early sunshine. Nowhere, however, could we see 
 any trace of inhabitants; but we did not consider this a 
 drawback. It was not long, however, before we heard 
 sounds of chopping wood ; and causing our guides to lead us 
 towards it, we presently came upon a singular scene. An 
 enormous tree, closely resembling the higueira, or wild fig of 
 tropical America, rose before us, its vast trunk buttressed 
 by roots which rose high above the ground, and in front of 
 this several natives were busily occupied in planting stakes 
 so as to form an enclosure round a cavernous opening that 
 yawned under the centre of the great stem. A glance 
 sufficed to show us their object. The hole was the haunt of 
 a jaguar, the fierce tigre of Spanish America, and the hunters 
 perceiving from the " sign " that he was at that moment 
 within, they were about to trap him. 
 
 They moved with caution and made as little noise as 
 possible, digging the holes for the stakes with their machetes 
 and scooping out the loosened earth with their hands. The 
 stakes they cut at a little distance, so as not to alarm the 
 jaguar by any unnecessary noise at the entrance of his lair. 
 We had arrived in the nick of time for a little excitement ;
 
 216 JAGUAR HUNT. 
 
 and leaving our mules at a safe distance in charge of the 
 guides, my friend and I looked to our rifles and took up our 
 position in front of the tree on a small mound or sloping 
 bank. The hunters begged us not to fire except as a last 
 resource, as their intention was to capture the animal alive 
 if possible, with the view of selling him to a wild beast 
 collector, who was in search of specimens for a zoological 
 society in Europe. We were intensely interested by the 
 proceedings, as each moment we expected to see the fierce 
 brute charge out among his enemies and deal death among 
 them. Meanwhile the hunters stealthily proceeded with 
 their work : three stakes had been planted in front and a 
 little at one side of the cave ; one of the men stood behind a 
 huge root, spear in hand, ready to stab the beast if he should 
 attempt to escape, which Will and I hoped devoutly he would 
 do. We had hardly exchanged a remark to this effect when 
 we heard a loud snarling roar proceeding from the lair, and 
 almost at the same moment the jaguar appeared at the 
 entrance, his mouth open, displaying his shining teeth, while 
 in the darkness of his retreat his eyes flamed like live coals. 
 We, who stood some thirty yards distant, had a good view 
 of him as he shot out into the light. The Indians, with 
 one accord, struck work and vanished round the huge tree 
 trunk. He with the spear seemed to forget his office, and 
 stood apparently transfixed himself, instead of transfixing the 
 jaguar. In an instant the furious beast leaped over the 
 slight obstruction caused by an elevated root, and with one 
 blow in passing knocked the man backwards ; and seemingly 
 satisfied with this feat, he made for the woods at a graceful 
 canter. This occurrence took place so suddenly, and, as it 
 were, so unexpectedly, although we had quite looked for it, 
 that neither Will nor I could get our rifles to bear until the 
 animal was some fifty yards away. Both reports seemed
 
 - ^j 
 
 TRAPPING A JAGUAR. 
 
 I'age 216.
 
 THE MOTAGUA. 219 
 
 one, and although the jaguar was evidently hit hard, he did 
 not fall. When the balls hit him he hoisted his tail and 
 hind legs in the air, and roared, but held on at scarcely 
 abated speed. Thanks to our repeaters, however, we got 
 two more bullets into him ; and now clearly feeling sick, he 
 "treed." This was a fatal step. We quietly approached 
 the tree, and about thirty feet above the ground, stretched 
 along a giant branch, we perceived him glowering savagely 
 at us. Will threw up his Winchester, and at the crack the 
 animal gave a convulsive leap, and, turning over in the air, 
 fell with a resounding thump upon the ground. He was 
 quite dead. Our first shots had entered a little in front of 
 the hip, and had raked him obliquely, coming out on the 
 left side near the shoulder. The last shot struck him 
 exactly between the eyes and escaped at the back of his 
 head. He was a young male in splendid condition and most 
 handsomely spotted. We claimed the hide ; but finally agreed 
 to buy it from the Indians, as they were as accessory to the 
 death of the beast as we were. 
 
 We had some difficulty in getting either of our mules to 
 carry the skin for us -the sight and smell were enough for 
 them ; but by accustoming them to see it carried by one of 
 the guides, they soon lost their dread of it. The man who 
 was knocked down escaped with a contused shoulder and 
 some severe scratches which bled very freely for some time. 
 
 After this adventure we continued our journey, and about 
 three o'clock in the afternoon we saw below us in a valley, 
 glittering and flashing in the sun, the Motagua river, which 
 is one of the largest in Central America. In an hour we 
 stood upon the bank at a spot exactly opposite Encuentros, 
 and beheld ourselves surrounded upon all sides by lofty 
 mountains, outlined against the deep blue sky, their sides 
 covered with forests or exhibiting green slopes of pasture,
 
 220 IN A SORRY PLIGHT. 
 
 and their base hidden among a luxuriant and entangled 
 wilderness of vegetation, nourished by a fertile soil and a 
 tropical sun. It was a beautiful scene ; and through it, with 
 strong, impetuous current, rolled the noble stream, on the 
 banks of which we were halted. 
 
 We hallooed for a ferryman for some time in vain. We 
 could see five or six canoes floating by the opposite bank ; 
 but the houses seemed deserted. Will fired a few shots, and 
 these brought several Indians running to their doors to 
 learn the cause of the commotion. Our guides shouted for 
 some one to come over for us; and after a little delay a canoe 
 was unmoored, and a man got in and shoved out into the 
 stream. In a moment the powerful current carried him down- 
 wards ; but the native was evidently an adept at the use of 
 his paddle. He soon brought his craft alongside, and took on 
 board our baggage, saddles, and other impedimenta, as well 
 as ourselves. We led the mules into the water, and caused 
 them to swim after us by attaching ropes to their halters ; 
 but it was no easy task to induce them to face the strongly 
 rushing river. However, by this time we were becoming 
 inured to difficulties and annoyances of all kinds, and were 
 therefore not easily ruffled by any circumstance. We 
 landed safely close to the village, and immediately set to 
 work to render ourselves as respectable as was possible 
 in our position, by having a good bath and removing as 
 much dirt from our clothes as we could. 
 
 Our plight was far from enviable ; we were covered from 
 head to foot with mud, which had been plentifully spat- 
 tered over us by our animals, as also by our having to dis- 
 mount and struggle thigh-deep through quagmires, to assist 
 the pack-mules as often as they fell. We spent an hour in 
 cleaning ourselves, very much to the interest of the inhabit- 
 ants of Encuentros, who crowded about us to gratify their
 
 SUNSET SCENE. 221 
 
 curiosity. We had no fear of alligators, as the river was 
 very rapid. These reptiles as a rule haunt sluggish bayous 
 and lakes, and are rarely, if ever, found in quick-running 
 water. To say that we relished our bathe is to say nothing. 
 We had not changed our clothes for thirty-four hours, and 
 during much of that interval we had been bathed in per- 
 spiration. It was therefore an inexpressible relief to throw 
 oft' our filthy garments and to plunge head first into the 
 deep and crystal river. The thought of having to resume 
 our soiled habiliments was disagreeable ; but by wringing 
 them several times in the water, much of the dirt was 
 removed, and we set them up to dry while we enjoyed our 
 ablutions to our hearts' content. The water was of a 
 delightful temperature, so that we prolonged our bathe 
 until our clothes were dry enough to put on. We felt quite 
 refreshed, and proceeded to the village in quest of quarters 
 for the night, as we did not mean to proceed beyond En- 
 cuentros until the next morning. 
 
 Evening was drawing on apace as we left the river, and 
 the hues of the sunset sky bathed the amphitheatre of 
 mountains in a flood of carmine light. The air was still, 
 the graceful foliage of the trees depended motionless towards 
 the earth, and the silence of the afternoon was broken only 
 by the majestic river, which swept past the banks with a 
 rushing sound, and by the occasional scream of a parrot, of 
 which birds there were several flocks in sight. The Motagua 
 on our side was deep in the shadows of the overhanging 
 trees ; but at some distance a long line of light fell upon its 
 ample bosom from the setting sun and transformed it to a 
 sheet of flame. It was an exquisite evening, and the scene 
 seemed to be the abode of perpetual peace. 
 
 We lodged with a half-naked mulatto, Don Ignacio do 
 Paez, who presently introduced us to his wife, who was as
 
 222 UNPLEASANT BED-FELLOWS. 
 
 greasy and as yellow and as lightly clad as her liege lord. 
 However, far be it from me to criticise their appearance, 
 and their apparel, or rather their want of it. They were 
 hospitable : they killed the fatted fowl and baked the 
 leathery tortilla in our honour ; and when we retired to 
 rest, it was upon the bullock-hide trestle of our host and 
 hostess that we sought repose. It is true we paid for this 
 accommodation ; but then no one is so unreasonable as to 
 expect favours gratis in Spanish America. We were there- 
 fore none the less under an obligation. Our mules stood 
 outside, and Don Ignacio, for a further consideration, pro- 
 vided them with some coarse hay. The guides slung their 
 hammocks at the side of the house. 
 
 Sleep should not be lightly looked for by a traveller in 
 Central America. Our bed contained other occupants than 
 myself and my friend, and these resented our intrusion, or 
 perhaps welcomed us in a manner more pleasing to them- 
 selves than to us. In short they were legion, and if unani- 
 mity had prevailed among them they could easily have pulled 
 us out of bed. What with the heat, the unpleasant odours 
 of the apartment, and the mosquitoes, we found sleep out of 
 the question. We tossed and grumbled for a few hours, and 
 finally, being unable to stand it any longer, I got up and 
 went out. The freshness of the air was delightful by con- 
 trast with the closeness of the hut, and I inhaled it with 
 rapture. The moon sailed high over the forest-covered moun- 
 tains and threw her silvery radiance upon the broad and 
 smooth surface of the swift Motagua ; the gloom of the trees 
 was illumined by myriads of cocuyos or fire-flies, which 
 glanced like tiny lanterns amid the foliage. A deep silence 
 rested upon the dreamy landscape, broken, or rather made 
 more marked, by the drowsy rush of the river and the occa- 
 sional note of some bird. I sat on a bench beside the door
 
 DAYBREAK. 223 
 
 and enjoyed the beauty of the night. In a short time I 
 began to feel sleepy, and lying at length upon the bench, 
 I obtained the rest which the great fatigues of the pre- 
 vious day rendered deep and refreshing. Towards morning, 
 however, the air grew chill and I awoke. The moon was 
 just sinking behind the mountains. She seemed to rest on 
 the summit of a peak, but presently slowly passed down 
 beyond it, and against her clear disc its outlines were dis- 
 tinctly drawn. I took my rifle and walked down to the 
 river. The mighty flood passed me in its impetuous course, 
 great patches of foam flecking its surface. Now and then 
 a tree was carried rapidly by, having doubtless been under- 
 mined by the waters. 
 
 Knowing that it would be impossible to face the offensive 
 interior of the hut again after the fresh air I had been 
 inhaling, I continued my walk by the river bank, although 
 the darkness which precedes the dawn rendered objects very 
 indistinct. There was a charm in wandering thus in this 
 wild spot, and I therefore walked on. and on, until the 
 gradual brightening of the sky announced the approach of 
 sunrise. I rambled very slowly, and sometimes I sat down 
 to pass the time, so that when. I turned in order to re- 
 trace my steps I had probably wandered more than two miles 
 from the village. Dawn rapidly overspread the sky, and 
 already birds were awake and astir; congos howled among 
 the woods in their dismal fashion, and many kinds of waders 
 and other aquatic birds flitted by the margins of the water. 
 As soon as the sun rose I was about to turn aside from the 
 river, when I perceived Will coming towards me. He, too, 
 had been forced to the open air ; and together we went a 
 little way into the woods in the hope of getting a shot at 
 some animal. Our guides had told us that deer were plenti- 
 ful, and also an animal which they called a "bush-cow," but
 
 224 A TERRIBLE CONTEST. 
 
 what that could be neither Will nor I could determine. 
 From their description, however, it seemed worth cultivating, 
 and we had some hope of falling in with it in a forest glade or 
 by the margin of some sluggish stream. We had not gone 
 far when our attention was arrested by an extraordinary 
 noise which proceeded from the thick woods in front. I had 
 heard the cries of most of the wild animals of America ; but 
 none of them resembled this. It varied also : sometimes it 
 seemed to be produced by a creature in terrible agony ; 
 again, and instantly, it sounded like the gasping sobs of 
 some animal being strangled ; and then again changed to a 
 strange snarling roar, half stifled in its utterance. We also 
 could hear a great commotion among the underwood, as 
 if a terrible contest were going on between some powerful 
 creatures. 
 
 We were very much interested to find out the cause of 
 this turmoil, and cocking our rifles we pushed quietly and 
 quickly towards the spot. A single glance explained the 
 mystery : before us was being enacted a wild drama, a battle 
 for life or death between an immense python and a jaguar ! 
 
 We stood fixed to the spot with horror and astonishment. 
 The spectacle was an awful one : devilish hate and fierce 
 strength, teeth, claws, and the tortuous folds of the muscular 
 reptile, combined to render the strife a fearful one. The 
 boa had thrown two massive coils round the throat and chest 
 and between the fore legs of his enemy, and had fixed his 
 open jaws over the right temple. The jaguar, on the other 
 hand, struggled with the utmost desperation, and rolled over 
 the ground, uttering the smothered roars which had brought 
 us to the spot, and sometimes rearing on his hind legs, and 
 tearing with his powerful claws in the endeavour to rid him- 
 self of his terrible foe. But his efforts were futile. The 
 folds of the great snake, instead of becoming relaxed, were
 
 FIGHT BETWEEN A PYTHON AND A JAGUAR 
 
 Page 224.
 
 EVERY BONE BROKEN. 227 
 
 slowly and surely drawn tighter and tighter, the gasping 
 sobs of the jaguar became more frequent and more laboured, 
 and presently, with a despairing and half-stifled roar, he 
 ceased to struggle, and lay still. He was dead. At this 
 point the snake unwound his coils, and for an instant seemed 
 to inspect his victim. He then prepared to devour the 
 carcass. But neither Will nor I could allow the loathsome 
 creature to complete his triumph. We advanced a step or 
 two to get a better aim, when the huge reptile heard us, and 
 raised his head high above the grass and weeds, his baleful 
 eyes fixed upon us with a stare that had something absolutely 
 fiendish in its malignant intensity. A ball from Will's rifle 
 crashed through his skull, and we had immediately to stand 
 clear, so tremendous were the dying struggles of the monster. 
 Bushes, grass, and even small trees, were levelled with the 
 earth, and through a confused mass of torn and tossed leaves 
 and branches we could see the glistening blood-stained coils 
 writhing in furious contortions. His struggles soon quieted, 
 however ; and although the brute was sensitive to a touch for 
 some time after, he was now practically dead. The bullet 
 had shattered his skull ; and notwithstanding this, so great 
 is the vitality of these reptiles, he lived for an hour after- 
 wards ! 
 
 We next inspected the jaguar. On pulling him over on 
 his back we at once perceived that nearly every bone in his 
 body was broken. The python had not escaped scathless 
 either, as many deep scratches testified. He must have 
 seized the jaguar suddenly and unexpectedly. If the latter 
 had been able to get the neck of the snake into his mouth, 
 the contest would have been soon decided. We removed the 
 handsome spotted hide, which was quite uninjured, and 
 leaving the great boa lying in the weeds in a pool of blood, 
 we returned to Encuentros to breakfast. *
 
 228 A HEARTY BREAKFAST. 
 
 Don Ignacio had just arisen as we reached the door, and 
 was much surprised at seeing us return with the hide of 
 a tigre as a trophy. We set him to work preparing our 
 meal ; and although the chicken was not tender, and the 
 tortillas were tough, we ate a hearty breakfast, and washed 
 down the solids with plenty of strong coffee.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BEAUTIFUL SCENES TROPICAL TREES COCHINEAL PLANTATION GORGEOUS SUN- 
 SET SCENE SAN PABLO DON ITURBIDE SUDDEN RAIN-STORMDON ITUR- 
 BIDE'S ESCAPE CHIQUIMULA GREAT CHURCH WILD SCENES HUGE PYTHON 
 WILL'S ESCAPE DEATH OP THE PYTHON VIEW FROM SUMMIT OF THE 
 MERRA TERRIBLE DELUGE COMOTAN EVIDENCES OF MISGOVERNMENT 
 CHANTICLEER HIS SAD FATE THE COPAN RIVER HACIENDA A HOSPITABLE 
 SENORA. 
 
 WE left Encuentros at seven o'clock, and for about an hour 
 we followed the course of the Motagua, and then began to 
 ascend the steep slopes that lead back from the river to a 
 mountain ridge of considerable elevation. From this point 
 the eye takes in a vast expanse of country, comprising all 
 the elements of picturesque scenery green and fertile plains, 
 gorgeous forests, and ranges of hills, exhibiting every variety 
 of outline, gray and green hued with rock and wood, and in 
 the far distance softened in purple haze. The ridge was 
 narrow, and a bad route ; but we had no choice, and occupied 
 ourselves in alternately admiring the prospect and in avoiding 
 the many slippery rocks and other obstacles that were thickly 
 strewn along the path. 
 
 For several miles we traversed this mountain ridge, and 
 then, much to our relief, struck into a dense forest of shady 
 trees. In front of the woods a magnificent tree excited our 
 admiration. It was a ceiba or silk-cotton tree; and although 
 it was of vast proportions, it was not for itself we admired 
 it, but because it was inwreathed in scarlet vines, which
 
 230 TROPICAL VEGETATION. 
 
 completely covered it with their million flaming blossoms. 
 Other trees were hung over with beautiful bignonias, whose 
 trumpet-shaped corollas were haunted by hundreds of gaudily- 
 painted humming-birds, which flashed in the sunlight as they 
 shot past with the rapidity of light. Over the crest of the 
 forest rose the graceful crowns of the palma real, which is 
 one of the tallest as well as most beautiful of its kind. 
 Many of these were fully one hundred feet in height, and 
 we remarked that they were, as usual, attended by the cana 
 de la India, or Indian cane, which is almost invariably found 
 growing close to these trees. Fruit-laden corozos also at- 
 tracted our attention, their immense grape-like clusters 
 seeming more numerous than the leaves. 
 
 The nuts of this tree are about the size of a walnut, and 
 are covered exteriorly by a pulpy substance which it is 
 difficult to detach from the shell. The fruit hangs down 
 beneath the umbel of the fronds, and gives an appearance of 
 great richness to the tree, the smooth glossy trunk of which 
 almost resembles an iron pillar, so free from any roughness 
 or inequality is it. There were here specimens of almost 
 every tree in Central America. As we rode along I noticed 
 abanicos, or fan-palms, or, as they are sometimes called, 
 talipot trees, growing abundantly, their vast leaves hanging 
 limp and motionless in the sultry air ; the thorny trunked 
 pirijao palms, lifting high their plumed heads, and exhibiting 
 their enormous racemes of golden-hued fruit ; the wax-palm, 
 famed for its resinous gum ; the cocoa, upon which hangs the 
 well-known pan de vida. The thickets were filled with 
 bamboo briers and scores of plants of which I did not know 
 the names; and through the intertwined undergrowth rose 
 the trunks of perhaps the most beautiful of all tropical forms 
 the graceful and full-plumed tree-ferns, whose immense 
 fronds hung downwards and filled the middle space between
 
 THE HONDURAS TURKEY. 231 
 
 4 
 
 the higher foliage of the great trees above and the underwood 
 below. On all sides we beheld the beautiful blossoms of the 
 scarlet vine draping the branches, tropical tree-flowers, and, 
 as I have stated, the trumpet-shaped corollas of the bignonia. 
 The woods were lighted up with colours as brilliant as were 
 ever mixed on the palette of a painter, and their hues were 
 intensified by the cloudless rays of the sun. From tree to 
 tree in this gorgeous paradise flashed vividly -coloured birds; 
 tanagers of several species ; resplendent trogons, of which 
 there were many varieties ; flocks of lories, harshly chatter- 
 ing as they flew off at our approach. Crested curassows hid 
 behind the foliage as we passed ; and several times we caught 
 sight of that beautiful bird, the turkey of Honduras. 
 
 The wild turkey of North America was by many supposed 
 to be distributed throughout the central regions of the con- 
 tinent ; but this was an error which probably arose from the 
 resemblance a somewhat slight one^ between the great bird 
 of the north and the painted beauty of the south. The latter 
 is a splendid game-bird, and the flavour of his flesh recom- 
 mends itself as much to the palate as his gorgeous plumage 
 does to the eye. In colour it is a dark mottled green shot 
 with a metallic lustre, which blazes in the sunlight as the 
 proud bird catches the rays upon his burnished coat. I could 
 devote a volume to the lovely beings which we constantly 
 met as we advanced ; but I can only afford space for a few 
 of the most striking forms. 
 
 After passing through this luxuriant wilderness, we were 
 very much astonished to come suddenly upon a closed gate, 
 which was stretched across the road exactly like a toll-bar ! 
 We had supposed the neighbourhood to be quite uninhabited, 
 but here was very convincing proof to the reverse. How- 
 ever, we saw no one, and having opened the gate, which by 
 the way was of solid mahogany, as were its massive posts,
 
 232 A COCHINEAL ESTATE. 
 
 we continued our journey through a thick wood, which 
 afforded us shelter from the burning sun. We presently 
 canie upon a bright dashing stream embowered in the rich 
 entangled vegetation of the tropics, the brilliant green of 
 which, aided by the pleasant sparkle and gurgle of the 
 stream, seemed to mitigate the sense of suffocation which we 
 endured from the heat. Beyond this charming little river, 
 the vista of which, up and down as we crossed, will long 
 remain impressed on my memory, we came upon a lane 
 enclosed between high hedges, through which shot up tall 
 trees that closed in overhead; and on following this for a 
 short distance we perceived that we were passing through 
 the estate of a rich native who raised cochineal. We did not 
 halt, however, but continued across a bare plain, where we 
 were almost scorched to death by the extraordinary heat of 
 the sun. This plain was sheltered from the winds, and its 
 surface refracted the rays, and thus added to the heat. 
 About three o'clock we entered Gualan, where a thermometer 
 which had somehow penetrated to that out-of-the-way place 
 registered 100 in the shade of the deeply -thatched veranda 
 of the house at which we put up. 
 
 Our first act was to indulge in the luxury of a bath ; our 
 next to put on clean clothes. This was one of the most real 
 pleasures I have ever experienced. We had been drenched 
 with perspiration, covered with dust and dirt, and had in 
 addition got wet through in crossing rivers, and our clothes 
 had dried and stiffened upon us. To get them off, to wash, 
 and put on clean linen, was a pleasure to remember. 
 
 Gualan stands upon a table of breccia rock just at the 
 point where two majestic rivers commingle their waters, and 
 is surrounded by a chain of mountains. The population 
 consists chiefly of Mestizoes, and probably numbers ten or 
 twelve thousand. The houses as a rule are of one story,
 
 BEAUTIFUL SUNSET. 233 
 
 and have piazzas in front. The principal street terminates in 
 the plaza or square, and here is a large church with a Gothic 
 door, in front of which, at fifteen yards' distance, stands a 
 cross about twenty feet in height. We observed that by the 
 banks of the Motagua there was a kind of boat-building 
 yard, and several boats, one of which measured upwards of 
 fifty feet in length and about eight feet beam, were being 
 constructed. The river here is not deep. We saw men and 
 women fording it, the parting gleams of the setting sun 
 tinging the water, which rippled against their legs in wave- 
 lets of fire. The woods caught the gorgeous flush of sky and 
 water, and I then declared that I never would again criticise 
 a landscape painting as too highly coloured. The hues of 
 this sunset scene were indescribably vivid. It seemed as if 
 the sun shone upon the earth through the medium of some 
 vast and richly-hued window in the heavens. We wandered 
 about for some time, pleased with the primitive simplicity of 
 the place and the people, and as dusk approached we returned 
 to our house. 
 
 We enjoyed a refreshing night's rest. Our beds were 
 clean, and were furnished with mosquito-netting. The 
 windows were spacious, and through them a gentle air 
 entered, bringing coolness and perfume. We therefore had 
 no difficulty in sleeping, and, as I have said, we enjoyed a 
 deep and reinvigorating repose. 
 
 The next morning we felt none the worse of our fatigues, 
 and started in the best spirits. We kept the Motagua river 
 on our right hand, and beyond it rose the picturesque slopes 
 and cliffs of the Vera Paz mountains, which reach an eleva- 
 tion of from six to eight thousand feet. After riding for 
 about an hour, the path began to ascend, and presently 
 thereafter we found ourselves in the midst of one of those 
 gardens of Nature which she now and then plants, seemingly
 
 234 A GARDEN OP NATURE. 
 
 to show man what can be done in this fertile land with the 
 materials which lie about on every side, and which only 
 require to be brought together. About us on all sides were 
 thickets and beds of flowers of every hue and of every 
 species ; bushes, blossoming, as it were, at every pore, sur- 
 rounded us, and among them rose the beautiful palmetto. 
 From the rocks, and among the ravines in every nook and 
 cranny, grew plants and shrubs blazing with colour. High 
 trees overhung with flowering vines seemed themselves one 
 vast bouquet, so entirely did the gorgeous blossoms monopo- 
 lize every square inch wherever there was room there was 
 a flaming flower. For about three hours we passed from one 
 scene of beauty to another ; everywhere there was variety 
 and everything was beautiful. 
 
 We at length descended to the river, and at this spot it 
 ran with great swiftness, occasionally breaking into foam 
 against huge boulders that studded its bed. The path fol- 
 lowed the river, and after continuing by the banks for some 
 distance, it again rose to a height of several thousand feet. 
 We reached San Pablo early in the afternoon. This little 
 town is built upon a lofty plateau having the river at its 
 foot, and in the distance the view is intercepted by the 
 summits of the Vera Paz mountains. As we entered the 
 village we passed the church, and proceeding a little further 
 we dismounted, and desiring our guides to look after the 
 mules, we sought out the alcalde, from whom we procured 
 fresh guides to take us on to Zacapa. From the road near 
 the church we beheld an enchanting prospect of mountain 
 and forest, the former being streaked with the white lines of 
 two noble cascades which shot down its sides, disappearing 
 among the wooded slopes. Starting afresh we soon gained a 
 view of the extensive plain of Zacapa, over which rose the 
 ridges of a belt of mountains, at whose feet is situated the
 
 ZACAPA. 235 
 
 town. This plain is fertile and well cultivated. Having 
 crossed it, we forded a stream, and scrambling up a rugged 
 bank we found ourselves at Zacapa. The cultivated appear- 
 ance of the plain surprised us ; but we were still more 
 astonished by the town, which was by far the best we had 
 yet seen in the country. The streets were well laid out and 
 regular j the houses were well built, and were covered with 
 smooth plaster and whitewashed. Large balconied windows 
 and piazzas formed a feature in each house. The church was 
 a massive structure, two hundred and fifty feet long, and its 
 walls were ten feet in thickness. The faqade was in the 
 Moorish style, and was thickly covered with mauresques. 
 The shape was that of a Latin cross, of which one end was 
 roofless. The other seemed to be the residence of some poor 
 villager. Bells were ringing as we approached, and we 
 observed people issuing from their houses and proceeding to 
 the church for vespers. 
 
 We had been very kindly given letters of introduction by 
 the cura of Gualan to a gentleman in Zacapa, Don Iturbide 
 de Oviedo, and to his house we directed ourselves. 
 
 We were not sorry to perceive that the house was one of 
 the best in the town ; and having entered we were shown 
 into a handsome sala, in the furniture and general arrange- 
 ment of which much taste had been expended. It was in 
 truth a pleasant surprise to find such good quarters ; and our 
 host, who made his appearance in a few moments, by his 
 warm welcome made us feel quite at ease. Don Iturbide's 
 mansion had a street frontage of one hundred and twenty 
 feet, and was of corresponding depth, enclosing in the centre 
 a courtyard filled with beautiful plants, statues, and foun- 
 tains. Round this court ran balconies supported by pillars 
 of polished mahogany, ornamented with Corinthian capitals. 
 
 The sala was lighted by six large windows reaching from
 
 236 DON ITURBIDE. 
 
 the ceiling to the floor, and was probably about sixty feet in 
 length. Hanging baskets containing beautiful flowers, and 
 gilt cages in which were gaudily-plumaged birds, hung in the 
 windows; and distributed about the room were many curious 
 objects specimens of pottery from Copan, ancient weapons, 
 and other archaeological treasures. There were also book- 
 cases filled with handsomely-bound volumes, among which 
 was a complete set in Spanish of the Waverley novels. To 
 see these delightful works in so distant a place was like an 
 unexpected meeting with old friends. Time and space 
 seemed annihilated, and while turning over the pages of 
 " Woodstock " I forgot my situation, and again imagined 
 myself beneath a holly-covered bank by the brink of a 
 tumbling cascade where I have passed many a happy hour 
 with my favourite author. 
 
 We passed a pleasant evening under the hospitable roof of 
 Don Iturbide. He had married a charming Creole of New 
 Orleans, where he had met her a few months before the time 
 of our visit. Although devotedly attached to her husband, 
 she seemed to regret the beautiful city she had left, as well 
 as her friends. However, she had as yet hardly had time to 
 make new friendships, and in a year afterwards when I next 
 saw her she seemed very bright and happy. 
 
 The next morning at seven o'clock we left Zacapa, and 
 were accompanied for a few miles by Don Iturbide, who, 
 finding that his pressing offers of hospitality could not induce 
 us to prolong our stay, rode with us for an hour or two to 
 see us fairly off. The Don was a fine sample of a descendant 
 of the conquistadores handsome, dashing, gallant, and brave. 
 He was likewise well educated, and a most agreeable com- 
 panion. He was an ardent hunter, and the walls of his 
 spacious mansion were adorned with many a trophy of his 
 skill.
 
 WILL'S SECOND DISAPPEARANCE. 237 
 
 After fording the Motagua, which at the spot was broad, 
 rapid, and deep enough to reach the shoulders of our mules, 
 my companion, in the endeavour to keep his legs dry, threw 
 them over the withers of his mule, holding on to the saddle 
 with might and main as the animal stumbled over the uneven 
 bed. When about half way over, and while in the deepest 
 part of the channel, the mule gave a tremendous lurch, 
 having slipped on a stone at the bottom. In an instant her 
 rider disappeared. He seemed rather to vanish by some 
 magical means than simply to fall from the back of a 
 stumbling mule. In a moment, however, his head emerged 
 from the rapid current, and being a powerful swimmer, he 
 struck out obliquely for the bank, which he reached almost 
 at the same moment as his mule. Will was not cast down 
 by this accident. To show how little he regarded it, he 
 skipped and bleated along the bank, shaking showers of 
 water from his clothes, and altogether presented so ludicrous 
 a spectacle that I laughed until the tears came into my eyes. 
 He remounted, dripping as he was, and we continued our 
 journey over the beautiful plain of Zacapa, which was all 
 cultivated and waved with corn-fields. Cochineal was like- 
 wise produced by the natives, and they derive a considerable 
 profit from this industry. The fields were well fenced by 
 hedges of cactus, mixed with some thick -growing shrubs, and 
 altogether the district presented an appearance of progress 
 and comfort very unusual in the country. 
 
 After leaving the plain we again became entangled among 
 rocks, thickets, and hills ; fertility disappeared, and the 
 general aspect of the scenery was sterile and wild. The path 
 became broken and difficult, and while struggling up the 
 steep ascent, the foremost mule detaching stones from their 
 loose bed, which rolled down and were avoided by the others 
 as best they could, we were overtaken by one of the sudden
 
 238 DON ITURBIDE'S ESCAPE. 
 
 deluges for which the mountains of this country are cele- 
 brated. I had seen in Ireland rain against which nothing 
 seemed to afford protection ; but it could not be compared 
 with the water-spouts of Central America. The atmosphere 
 seemed transformed into a driving, drifting, more or less 
 continuous sheet of solid water. In one instant I was wet 
 to the skin. The streams of wet collected by my clothes 
 drained from my trowser legs as if they had been six- 
 inch pipes. Our mules turned tail to the storm, and under- 
 neath a large tree we awaited its passing. Fortunately there 
 was little wind an unusual circumstance. Will, who had 
 been previously as wet as he could be, laughed at my dejected 
 appearance, and declared that he did not mind it in the least. 
 
 As soon as the rain ceased, Don Iturbide bade us farewell 
 and returned to Zacapa, while we advanced up the mountain. 
 We feared that the Motagua would be swollen by the 
 heavy rain before Don Iturbide could reach it ; and we 
 afterwards learned that we were right in that expectation. 
 Our host had a narrow escape from being drowned while 
 swimming his horse, a powerful black stallion, across the broad 
 and rapid river. A large tree which was being swept down 
 by the flood struck against the horse and rolled him over in 
 the water. His rider was of course thrown into the current, 
 and only by great exertion managed to haul himself upon 
 the tree, which floated for some distance. The current 
 drifted it against the bank, when Don Iturbide got ashore. 
 In the meantime, the horse had succeeded in gaining the 
 bank, and had started off home, where his arrival without 
 his rider threw our host's young wife into the greatest 
 anxiety. Servants were despatched to search for him, and 
 these met their master following his runaway steed upon 
 foot. 
 
 In about two hours we reached the top of the mountain,
 
 CHIQUIMULA. 239 
 
 which, from a height of between three and four thousand feet, 
 commands a fine prospect over the plain of Zacapa. We 
 could see the neat white town glistening among its gardens. 
 The many-hued fields, neatly divided from each other, gave 
 the landscape the appearance of a coloured map, bordered 
 by mountains and varied by tracts of forest. 
 
 On crossing the ridge of the mountain, we beheld below 
 another fine plain extending away to a great distance ; and 
 afar off we could see the town of Chiquimula, our next ob- 
 jective point, while near to it we could detect the immense 
 ruins of the ancient church which tradition states to have 
 been wrecked by earthquakes. The mountain chain on 
 which we were was much broken by ravines and jagged 
 ridges of rock, among which thousands of pretty plants had 
 taken a hold and softened by their beauty the rugged features 
 of the rocks. In the distance the hills were veiled by a warm 
 haze, and their hues were a mixture of the pale colours of the 
 silvery and rose-coloured mimosae which grew thickly over 
 the slopes. A fatiguing descent along a zigzag path brought 
 us to the plain, which, like that of Zacapa, was well tilled, 
 and grew great quantities of plantains, corn, and cochineal. 
 Crossing this plain, we forded a river, and after mounting 
 a high bank, we entered Chiquimula just at three o'clock. 
 This town gives its name to the department. In the plaza, 
 which occupied the centre of the town, a fine fountain threw 
 jets of sparkling water into the sultry air ; and shaded as it 
 was by tall palms, gave rise to a sense of coolness and relief 
 from the burning air of the plain. This fountain, with its 
 graceful shady palms, called to my mind an image of the 
 East. Women were grouped around it exchanging gossip : 
 some were drawing water, while others stood by with their 
 jars balanced on their heads, their picturesque costumes and 
 graceful forms heightening the interest of the scene.
 
 240 A GREAT CHURCH. 
 
 We had no difficulty in finding lodgings. In the first 
 street which we entered we found a clean and comfortable 
 house, with stables at the back ; and having made our terms 
 for the whole party with the owner, Will and I sallied forth 
 to view the town. We first walked to inspect the great 
 church which had arrested our observation from the hills as 
 we approached the plain of Chiquimula. It is situated by 
 the edge of a table-land, and is two hundred and fifty feet in 
 length by seventy -five feet in breadth : the walls are ten feet 
 thick. The facade is adorned with statues of saints, which 
 are larger than life, and have kept their sad vigil in their 
 niches for many a generation since the temple was deserted. 
 
 On entering we observed that the roof had fallen in, and 
 that the space within the walls was encumbered with vast 
 masses of masonry overgrown with bushes and trees. It was 
 melancholy to see so fine a church, which once had resounded 
 with the praises of God, given over to the bat, the owl, and 
 the snake ; but, as has been already said, it was so shaken 
 by earthquakes that the Chiquimulans deemed it safer to 
 leave it and to build another church elsewhere. The neigh- 
 bourhood was covered with the ruins of the ancient village ; 
 but the spot is now only used as a grave-yard for the adjacent 
 town. Some of the chief families have their places of inter- 
 ment within the great church ; and we observed some niches 
 in the interior walls containing the bones of priests and other 
 religious persons, with the names of the deceased written 
 underneath. The space immediately outside was the burying- 
 ground of the common people. Here all was uncared-for 
 and neglected : weeds covered the graves and waved in the 
 wind, which seemed to sing the dirge of the dead in its 
 mournful cadence as it sighed through the ruined walls or 
 rustled among the rank vegetation. But melancholy thoughts 
 seem out of place in this brilliant climate. The ground was
 
 A VAST CHURCH. 241 
 
 plentifully gemmed with glowing flowers ; Hocks of parrots 
 screamed harshly as they flashed in all their wealth of colour 
 from point to point, and their ceaseless chattering, together 
 with the warmth of the air, the brightness of the flowers, 
 the luxuriant beauty of the vegetation, and the fecundity of 
 nature, banished all morbid ideas, and divested death itself 
 of half its repulsiveness. 
 
 On leaving the church we returned to the town, which we 
 reached just as the sun declined towards the western horizon. 
 Troops of ruffianly soldiery lounged about, having just been 
 dismissed from evening parade ; and not liking the banditti- 
 like air of these fellows, Will and I took great care to avoid 
 them. There was little to see in the village, and we were 
 therefore not sorry to leave the streets, where our presence 
 attracted a good deal of attention, which might at any 
 moment become unpleasant. We took an early supper and 
 retired to bed, as we had to start betimes in the morning. 
 We accordingly rose at five o'clock, and by six were under 
 way. We passed close by the ruined church, which threw 
 a prodigious shadow in the early sunlight, and were con- 
 ducted by our guides through a very closely cultivated 
 valley, where we were on all sides surrounded by Indian 
 corn of tremendous height, bearing testimony to the great 
 fertility of the soil. In half an hour we reached the village 
 of San Estevan, where, greatly to our astonishment, we saw 
 a vast cathedral-like church rising in grandly solemn mag- 
 nificence high above the wretched thatched huts that sur- 
 rounded it. On a nearer approach we discovered that this 
 church, like that of Chiquimula, was roofless and ruined a 
 melancholy memento of former greatness. The sun streamed 
 through its unmullioned windows ; its facade was defaced ; 
 its ornaments dropping to decay ; its statues mouldering 
 away ; dead silence encompassed it ; and it took no great 
 
 (814)
 
 242 EL GAMING REAL. 
 
 stretch of fancy to imagine that the old building was brood- 
 ing sullenly over its vanished splendour. 
 
 Near San Estevan we noticed acequias running in various 
 directions, leading water to the fields which the villagers 
 wished to irrigate. These little canals were fed by a small 
 stream, which has its source in the adjacent mountains. 
 We crossed this stream, which was bank high from the 
 recent rains, and after much searching we at last hit upon 
 the "king's road;" which turned out, despite its high- 
 sounding title, to be a mere bridle-path, leading up the 
 acclivity of the mountain range verging on the stream. 
 As we advanced the wildness of the country increased, as 
 did also the difficulty of the path. Thick brushwood 
 lined both sides of the miserable track, which the grandilo- 
 quent natives entitle "El camino real." Now and then 
 we heard the rustle of some animal cautiously retreating 
 through the thickets, alarmed at our approach ; but owing 
 to the impervious screen of branches we were unable to get 
 a shot. At one point of the path our guide suddenly halted 
 and started back in alarm. On going forward a few paces 
 I found myself close to a huge python in an inert condition, 
 coiled up by the side of the track, and apparently quite 
 unconscious of being observed. He was about the thickness 
 of a man's thigh, and was partly concealed beneath a dense 
 flowering bush that grew close to the muddy pathway. 
 The mules smelt him, and could hardly be persuaded to pass ; 
 but at length we got them past the reptile, and having sent 
 them on for about a hundred yards, Will and I began 
 operations on the python. He seemed so still and im- 
 passive, Will declared his belief that he was dead ; and with 
 this idea he approached the great reptile and poked him 
 with the muzzle of his rifle. In a moment the python 
 started into life, and raising his head stared for an instant
 
 A HIDEOUS HEAD. 243 
 
 at his assailant; and then opening his huge jaws he made a 
 vicious lunge forward almost into Will's face, withdrawing 
 his head at the same moment, as if his intention had been 
 to hook his enemy with his formidable teeth. Will sprang 
 back in terror, never expecting such a sudden resurrection ; 
 and the python quietly unloosed his coils and began to slip 
 away through the brushwood. Just as his tail was dis- 
 appearing beneath the brush, I made a cut at it with my 
 large wood-knife, or machete, and nearly severed the reptile 
 in two. But this was more than his patience could endure. 
 He abandoned the idea of flight, and came back like lightning, 
 his eyes shooting forth a blaze of anger, and his jaws dis- 
 tended to their utmost stretch. So quick was his attack 
 that I had hardly time to cock my rifle before he emerged 
 from the bushes. I fired a hurried shot at the hideous head, 
 and, although not fatal, it smashed the creature's lower jaw 
 to pieces. Will now fired, and with better aim, for his ball 
 struck between the eyes, passed through the skull, and tra- 
 versed about three feet of the neck and body, coming out 
 underneath, as we afterwards discovered. It was painful to 
 watch the death-struggles of this monster. He was about 
 eighteen feet in length, and of considerable bulk, so that in 
 his furious contortions his great weight smashed down the 
 underwood. He twined and untwined himself, pretty much 
 as does an eel when landed by a fisherman. Will showed 
 considerable activity in making cuts at him when a chance 
 offered, and then springing aside to avoid the frantic threshing 
 of the reptile's body, which was now streaming with blood 
 from the bullet-holes and knife-wounds. We left him 
 before he got quiet, and as we followed the mules we could 
 hear him crashing and rustling among the bushes for some 
 little distance. 
 
 We reached the top of the mountain at eleven o'clock, and
 
 244 FANTASTIC FORMS. 
 
 from this vantage-ground we could see the houses of Chi- 
 quimula reduced to a few glistening dots in the distance; and 
 in the valley to the right we descried the village of St. 
 Helena, over which towered, in ruined magnificence, another 
 of those splendid old churches, which, demolished as they 
 are, bear evidence to the zeal and piety of the ancestors of 
 the present very degenerate inhabitants of this country. 
 Around were lofty mountains, cloud-capped, and varied in 
 their wildness of feature. Some were stony, broken by 
 rugged cliff and peak ; others were smoother in outline, 
 covered with dark green mantles of forest, through which 
 here and there I could detect green patches of pasture. In 
 these openings among the forests the haze of distance seemed 
 to nestle, and speckled the hills with its soft and dove- 
 coloured hues. Jagged spires of rock broke the sky-line of 
 portions of these ranges. Cones, pyramids, and many other 
 wild, fantastic forms, were outlined against the distant clouds. 
 The valley was flooded by the fiery noontide tropic sunlight, 
 and the prospect altogether was one of extreme grandeur, 
 softened by the beauty of the woods and the delicate shades 
 that seemed to float over them. 
 
 The blue-black clouds behind the mountains were moving 
 swiftly upwards, and their edges seemed to melt into a ghastly 
 pallor, which indicated that their contents were descending in 
 torrents. Near by was a deserted hut, covered with the 
 leaves of the cahoon ; and seeing that the storm would break 
 in less than half an hour, we took refuge in this asylum and 
 awaited the coming of the deluge. "We could trace its pro- 
 gress towards us. The valley was still lighted by the warm, 
 brilliant sun, but dark shadows raced down the distant 
 mountains and overspread the landscape with extraordinary 
 rapidity. A cold gray gloom replaced the full glow of the 
 sun, and we could see the crests of the palms and other trees
 
 A TROPICAL DELUGE. 245 
 
 bend suddenly, while their pendulous branches stretched out 
 like hair to leeward as the fierce wind seized upon them. 
 Mile after mile was added to the territories of the storm 
 king in quick succession, and we soon felt the temperature 
 falling. The air became chilly, we heard a rushing sound, 
 heavy drops began to fall thinly upon the roof, sudden dark- 
 ness blotted out the sun, a fierce gust tore through the forest, 
 and in an instant the deluge was upon us. How it rained ! 
 The ground, which a moment before had been dry and 
 baked, now was covered with a miniature sea, which ran off 
 in little torrents wherever there were depressions. The 
 noise on the roof was deafening, and we fully expected to 
 see it beaten in. The valley was invisible through a drifting 
 world of vapours, through which we could dimly trace the 
 lines of rain which slanted like ropes through the gloom. 
 It only wanted thunder and lightning to complete the 
 picture. But on this occasion these were absent. 
 
 Our mules turned their tails to the deluge, and stood the 
 picture of patience with drooping heads while the water 
 poured off them in sheets. The tempest went down as 
 quickly as it had arisen, and in half an hour the sun again 
 shot his unclouded beams upon the scene, which now glittered 
 and flashed with the brightness of the myriad jewels with 
 which the rain had decked each branch, rock, and blade of 
 grass. The country was soaked ; but the fervid heat shortly 
 absorbed this excess of moisture, and in a few hours there 
 remained little, if any, trace of the storm. 
 
 We started as soon as the rain ceased, and shortly de- 
 scended to a narrow and deeply enclosed valley, over which 
 towered lofty mountain ridges. One of these was composed 
 of red sandstone, which, where exposed, seemed like flame 
 in the full light that fell upon it. In other parts it was 
 covered witli a thick growth of immense pines, among which
 
 246 SEVEN RUINED CHURCHES. 
 
 there was no underwood, the red rock appearing at intervals 
 where the surface was denuded by torrents. 
 
 During this day's ride we observed no fewer than seven 
 ruined churches, all of gigantic proportions. The present 
 inhabitants of the country must have deteriorated sadly ; 
 they could not erect such monuments of piety as did their 
 forefathers. Strife and rapine and unending civil com- 
 motion have been the curse of the Hispano- American race, 
 and are th real causes of the backward condition of every- 
 thing. 
 
 We perceived, as we rode along, about four o'clock in the 
 afternoon, the ruins of the great church of Jocotan, sur- 
 rounded by the humble cottages of the villagers. Towards 
 sunset we emerged upon a fine table-land, on which we per- 
 ceived the remains of another great church, which seemed 
 the sepulchral monument of a pious people who had long 
 since passed away. Surely these vast and splendid edifices 
 could not have been erected by a population intent only on 
 the things of this world. It was sad to see those colossal 
 buildings roofless and crumbling to decay, and to think that 
 the ancient piety which had elevated such temples had been 
 banished from the land by ceaseless internecine feuds as 
 senseless as they were wicked. But eternal turmoil seems 
 the destiny of these beautiful countries. As 1 write I learn 
 that in the latest political convulsion ten thousand people 
 have been rendered homeless, and four million dollars worth 
 of property destroyed, in the strife between San Salvador 
 and Guatemala. 
 
 The country in many parts has been desolated by civil 
 war : all industry languishes ; the towns and villages present 
 the sad spectacle of deserted streets, often grass-grown and 
 silent, and of people dejected and listless. For this state of 
 things continued peace under vigorous and energetic govern-
 
 COMOTAN. 247 
 
 ment is the only remedy. But the governments of Central 
 America are in the hands of men who, as a rule, consult 
 only their own ambition and selfish greed, and are regardless 
 of all else. 
 
 At Comotan we had evidence of the paralyzing effects of 
 misgovernment. The streets were empty ; the centre was 
 marked by an uncertain track ; the rest was grass-grown up 
 to the walls of the houses. Not a soul was in sight. The 
 church was empty ; even the prison windows were un- 
 tenanted. An oppressive silence rested on the place. The 
 westering sun threw broad shadows across the streets ; and 
 golden light tinted the roofs and eaves of the houses, and 
 illumined the gigantic old church, which in its decay was 
 as sad an evidence of a deteriorating people as the deserted 
 town. 
 
 We had great difficulty in finding any provisions. Our 
 guides at length returned to us at the Cabildo with half a 
 dozen eggs and one very attenuated chicken. The dejection 
 of the place had seized upon us, and we said nothing. Will 
 sighed and gloomily plucked the anatomic fowl, whose bones 
 were starting through the skin. I roasted the eggs, and in 
 silence we consumed our meal. We were apathetic to the 
 hunger of the guides ; they had nothing. But we both felt 
 that they were suffering a just punishment for having brought 
 us to such a place ; and I make it a rule never to interfere 
 with 'the course of justice. While we ate, and the guides looked 
 sadly on, a cock crew. The sound was electric in its effect. 
 Will looked up briskly ; his eye met mine ; we nodded in- 
 telligence. The bird had sung his death-song. On the top 
 of a wall fifty yards away strutted chanticleer. The glory 
 of the sunset encompassed him. He raised his head heaven- 
 ward, clapped his wings, and again woke the unaccustomed 
 echoes with his clarion battle-call. It was a noble spectacle !
 
 248 TRAGIC FATE OF CHANTICLEER. 
 
 The sharp crack of a rifle rang through the town ; a solitary 
 feather floating slowly earthward marked the spot lately 
 occupied by the gallant fowl, whose plump carcass fell upon 
 the ground with a soothing and appetizing sound. In a 
 moment he was secured, and in three minutes divested of 
 his feathers and split open. He hissed and sputtered mer- 
 rily on the embers. Our guides were thus provided for and 
 restored to good humour. We paid the owner of the bird 
 what we thought to be a fair price ; but he was far from 
 being satisfied, contending that the loss of the fruitful father 
 of future flocks of poultry could not be compensated for by 
 the paltry sum we offered. He wanted to be paid for fowls 
 that had not yet been hatched, and which now never would 
 be hatched. 
 
 Will discovered a way out of the dilemma which was both 
 satisfactory and amusing. Turning to our guides he asked 
 them if they could scold. They replied that they could do 
 a little in that way. "Then," said Will, "oblige me by 
 discharging a few of your most convincing expletives at this 
 rascal." Immediately both fell upon him and vociferated at 
 the top of their lungs, heaping maledictions upon him, and 
 pressing upon him, fairly thundered him out of the house ! 
 We laughed loud and long, and slung our hammocks to pegs, 
 which some extraordinarily energetic alcalde had caused to be 
 driven into the walls for the accommodation of travellers. 
 
 Early next morning we left this decaying town. As we 
 passed through the streets we met no one ; the inhabitants 
 were still in their hammocks. The early sun streamed among 
 the deserted dwellings and upon the emerald green grass 
 skirting the mule-track between them ; not a sound was 
 heard except those which we made as we paced slowly along. 
 It struck me as unnatural to see such a number of human 
 habitations apparently deserted no traffic in the streets, a
 
 RIO CO PAN. 249 
 
 dead silence over all, while the bright morning sun shone 
 cheerfully from a cloudless sky. 
 
 In this country one is always either going up or coming 
 down mountains, and although at first the variety of the land- 
 scapes is some compensation, it at last becomes monotonous, 
 and the fatigue occasioned by the steep paths forces itself un- 
 pleasantly on the notice. Shortly after leaving Comotan we 
 began to ascend a mountain, from the top of which we had a 
 splendid view of the lovely valley which we had left and 
 which was still in a natural condition. Man had hardly 
 done anything to turn to account the bountiful gifts showered 
 upon this beautiful land ; the plains were almost without 
 cattle ; and the forests, which form such a mine of wealth, 
 were untouched. Although from an economic point of view 
 this was to be regretted, neither Will nor I were sorry to 
 note the general stagnation, which left Nature in her primi- 
 tive condition. We were in search of the wild and the 
 beautiful ; and we had not as yet been able to regard 
 agricultural improvement as compensation for the demolition 
 of forests and the banishment of game. I fear we hold still 
 to this opinion. 
 
 At half -past twelve o'clock we saw before us, dashing 
 among stones and reflecting the glorious emerald hue of the 
 overhanging foliage, the Copan river. We began to feel as 
 if our journey were at last approaching its completion. To 
 see Copan was the object of our expedition, and as we 
 struggled through the deep ford we felt more impatience to 
 traverse the slight distance that still intervened between it 
 and us than we had yet felt at any time during the journey. 
 The passage of the river was difficult ; the bed was uneven, 
 and the water rushed impetuously over large stones. To 
 add to these obstacles, in the centre of the stream there was a 
 sand-bar, the edges of which were soft and deep. We had
 
 250 A RARE SPECTACLE. 
 
 become adepts in rough travel by this time, and these ob- 
 structions did not dismay us. After leaving the river the 
 path led up a steep acclivity, from the top of which we be- 
 held the Copan winding through the valley beyond, having 
 made a sudden turn round the high ridge upon which we 
 stood. At the bottom of this slope we struck a beautiful 
 stream, which we supposed to run into the Copan. The water 
 was as pure as crystal, and the bottom was of clear golden 
 gravel with quartz sand intermingled. Along the banks 
 grew mighty trees densely veiled in trailing moss (Tillandsia), 
 pyramids of blossoms tinged the river with their reflection, 
 frail and lace-like vegetation filled the spaces between the 
 taller growth, and rapid, stream, and woods shone and 
 sparkled at ten thousand points in the full splendour of the 
 afternoon sun. We caught a passing glimpse of a spectacle 
 which is rarely seen in the woods, although, perhaps, this is 
 owing to the absence of spectators. A dim green vista 
 opened back from the path, and at its farther end was a 
 small clear space, at one side of which stood a tall clean- 
 stemmed tree, upon which the sunlight fell fully. Standing 
 on its hind legs against this tree, and sharpening its claws 
 exactly after the manner of a cat, was a graceful little 
 "leon." It passed its claws rapidly along the bark of the 
 tree, the sunshine illumining its chestnut-coloured coat. I 
 immediately halted and drew my friend's attention to it ; 
 but at this moment it saw us, and after an astonished stare 
 it bounded lithely into the forest. The hue of these animals 
 seems to differ with locality. They have often been ob- 
 served of different shades of brown and chestnut. 
 
 There is another animal from which the hacienderos suffer 
 the black puma, or black leopard, as it is often called. It 
 is said that this animal is fast disappearing owing to the 
 increase of jaguars, which will not allow it to live in the
 
 A WILD TRACK. 251 
 
 same district with them. This may or may not be true with 
 regard to these two creatures ; but it is certainly true of 
 others, as, for instance, the Norway and the old brown rat. 
 The jaguar is stronger than the black leopard, and if he 
 objects to living in the same region with that animal, he 
 possesses both courage and strength enough to evict him. 
 
 At four o'clock we reached the point at which we were to 
 leave the "camino real." Here we turned aside into a wild 
 track obstructed with bushes and large stones, and so steep 
 that we deemed it safer to dismount and make our way 
 downwards upon foot, than to intrust ourselves to the mules, 
 which had quite enough to do to get along lightened of our 
 weight. Again our course ascended, for here the country is 
 more hilly than usual, and our progress was constantly up 
 hill and down again ; and exhausted as we were, it was with 
 surprise and pleasure we saw at a little distance, surrounded 
 with gardens of plantains, tobacco, and corn, a neat-looking 
 house that, is for the country. It was built of wood, the 
 outside being plastered with mud ; but this was white- 
 washed, and the projecting thatch threw a deep cool shadow 
 against the clean white wall, which seemed all the whiter and 
 cooler for being embowered in lianas that trailed over the 
 roof and hung pendent in picturesque festoons between 
 the posts supporting the eaves. Tall flower-decked trees 
 shaded the house at the back ; and through an opening in 
 these, distant blue mountains were visible. It was a peace- 
 ful and a lovely spot in which to pass away life ; but even 
 here, I suppose, the rose was not without its thorn. 
 
 The owner stood at a little gate which opened in the fence 
 that separated the house from the pathway. He was a 
 somewhat fierce-looking fellow, swarthed almost black by 
 the sun, and the shadow of his large sombrero still further 
 deepened the colour of his face. However, he was very
 
 252 NATIVE HOSPITALITY. 
 
 civil, and in reply to our request for a night's shelter invited 
 us to enter. The interior was clean and tidy, and the 
 general disposition of the scanty furniture seemed to bespeak 
 a woman's superintendence. Almost as soon as I noticed 
 this, our host's wife made her appearance. She had been 
 among the plantains, and was returning to cook her hus- 
 band's supper. She was eminently good-looking, but had a 
 sad expression on her handsome face, which, for want of a 
 better reason, we ascribed to the utter seclusion in which she 
 lived. She seemed pleased to see strangers, and set about 
 her hospitable preparations with such a good will that we 
 felt quite at home immediately. She said we were the only 
 visitors they had had for the previous six months, and she 
 thought it likely that she would not see so many strangers 
 again for six months more. Her husband was a tigrero, or 
 tiger-hunter, and the walls of his house were hung with 
 many a spotted hide. He sold them at intervals, and said 
 that he got a good deal of money in that way. His plantain 
 patch, his tobacco, and his little field of corn, constituted the 
 remainder of his resources ; and he remarked, that although 
 by no means " muy rico " (very rich), he was happy and had 
 enough. This was philosophy, and we did not dispute it. 
 
 After supper we slung our hammocks and very soon fell 
 asleep, notwithstanding the myriad strange and wild noises 
 that proceeded from the entangled forest outside. In the 
 tropics nocturnal life is more active than that of day, and 
 the air resounds with weird noises which it is not always 
 easy to account for, and which at first almost deprive the 
 traveller of sleep.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 BAD TRAIL PICTURESQUE CLEARING ALOES DIFFICULT TRACK DEEP ABYSS 
 THE COPAN AGAIN HACIENDA DON IONACIO DE SELLAS HOSPITALITY 
 SHARP SHOOTING A WALK IN THE FOREST BEAUTIFUL SCENES LOST TRACK 
 OF A MONSTER SNAKE LOOKING FOR THE TRAIL FIRE -FLIES JAGUAR 
 NIGHT IN THE FOREST THE PUMA HIS HORHIBLE HABIT OF DOGGING THE 
 TRAVELLER A STRATAGEM DEATH OF THE PUMA GET OUT OF THE FOREST 
 COPAN SENSATIONS AWAKENED BY IT HISTORY THE RUINS. 
 
 WE left the hacienda at an early hour. Our kind enter- 
 tainers would not accept any remuneration for the hospitality 
 which we had received from them, and with many kind 
 wishes both on our side and on theirs, we struck into a 
 dense forest which covered a steep hill close to the farm. 
 The path was a quagmire almost as bad as that which leads 
 over the Mico mountain. The distance to the top of the 
 ascent, however, was not so great in the present instance, 
 nor were there so many roots stretched treacherously across 
 the track. We floundered along in some parts with a good 
 deal of difficulty ; but higher up the ground was drier, and 
 we shortly gained the summit. Here was an open space ; 
 that is, it was almost free from forest trees, but it was 
 covered with beautiful plants of many species, among which 
 aloes were the most numerous. They were of all sizes ; 
 some were only just appearing from the soil ; some were 
 five, ten, or fifteen feet in height; while others towered above 
 us as we rode through them some of these were fully thirty 
 feet high. Many were dead, and their great stalks lay about
 
 254 A WILDERNESS OF BEAUTY. 
 
 at every angle, supported against others still vigorous and 
 covered with blossoms. It was an image of death in the 
 midst of life, and such life ! This small clearing was a 
 wilderness of beauty. 
 
 Over it were scattered hundreds of flowering plants of 
 every hue and of every variety of shape and size in their 
 blossoms. At intervals were single trees, which seemed to 
 have been planted by man's hand to give a park-like aspect 
 to the little meadow. Beneath, between, and upon these 
 were wreaths, festoons, and piles of blossom. A splendid 
 and inextricable labyrinth of gorgeous plants surrounded us : 
 foliage and flowers contended for supremacy on every twig 
 and branch ; lianas of every degree of thickness twined 
 serpent-wise around the trees, and having exhausted the 
 accommodation of trunk and branch, sent down pendent 
 streamers covered, like all the rest, with beautiful flowers. 
 These parasites are among the most exquisite objects in 
 creation. When entwined round the forest trees they fill 
 every spot with their leaves and blossoms ; and when at 
 length the tree decays and falls to the earth, they form its 
 sepulchre. It moulders away wrapped in an impenetrable 
 maze of tendril and blossom. 
 
 Green alleys extended among the gorgeous enclosures 
 formed by the lines of tall plants and detached trees ; and 
 the emerald grass, as well as the extraordinary wealth of 
 flowers, both on the ground, overhead, and on either hand, 
 acquired additional effulgence from the bright morning sun. 
 It was a veritable fairyland, and I looked about me scarcely 
 believing that all this beauty was not a dream. 
 
 For several hours we struggled up and down mountains, 
 sometimes shut in among dense sweltering jungles, and again 
 commanding vast and varied prospects from the summits of 
 the hills. At one point we passed close to the edge of a
 
 A TROPICAL FORLST. 
 
 I'atje 254.
 
 ENTER HONDURAS. 257 
 
 precipice at the foot of which grew great pines, but which in 
 the profound depth were dwarfed to the apparent height of a 
 few feet. Riding by the brink of such a tremendous abyss 
 is trying to the nerves, and I would have been glad to dis- 
 mount if there had been room. But having once entered 
 on the dangerous portion, I had no option but to trust to 
 the sure-footedness of my mule. Slowly and gingerly the 
 animal felt its way, my right foot hanging the while over the 
 verge of the cliff. I could look past it down into the tops 
 of the trees far beneath ; but although I had the opportunity 
 of doing so, I preferred to look the other way, and inclined 
 inwards as far as I could, so as to fall on that side in case 
 of an accident. We got safely past this place; but we seemed 
 a long time passing it. Not far from this precipice our guides 
 pointed out the boundary between the territories of Guate- 
 mala and Honduras, in which latter State we now were. 
 
 Early in the afternoon we suddenly came in sight of a 
 collection of miserable huts thatched with corn-stalks. On 
 asking the guides what the name of this place was, they 
 answered " Copan " ! We could hardly believe that we 
 heard aright, but they reiterated the name. We looked at 
 each other and laughed aloud. Was this Copan, that cele- 
 brated relic of olden time and extinct civilization ? Where 
 were the gigantic ruins of palaces and temples, of streets and 
 squares and great public buildings? Certainly not here. 
 We asked the guides. "Quien sabe," they replied; "who 
 knows ? we never saw them " ! 
 
 We pushed forward to the huts, where we were immedi- 
 ately surrounded by a group of wondering natives. Our- 
 selves, our belongings, etc., were evidently objects of extraor- 
 dinary curiosity. Visitors were a rarity, and the treat 
 was to be made the most of when within reach. We in- 
 quired for the ruins ; but to our astonishment, and I may . 
 
 (814) 17
 
 258 DON IGNACIO. 
 
 almost add to our dismay, no one seemed to know anything 
 about them ! Such is the stupor in which the natives of 
 these gardens of Eden are sunk. They know nothing and 
 care for nothing. Disgusted by the ignorance of the villagers, 
 we determined not to halt among them. We therefore 
 pushed on and again came to the Copan river, which having 
 forded we emerged at the other side on a clearing where we 
 were rejoiced to see a house of some pretension. It had a 
 tiled roof and was surrounded with cocina and other out 
 offices, which marked it at once as the residence of a rico or 
 rich landed proprietor. As soon as we were fairly in view 
 of the house we were instantly set upon by a half-score of 
 dogs of every degree of size and ferocity. Two of these 
 were speedily disabled by well-directed kicks from the mules, 
 and the others retreated before our whips and the missiles 
 hurled at them by the guides. Not a human being was 
 visible : the doors were on the latch, but there was no one 
 either within or without, as far as we could perceive. We 
 took French leave, however, to the premises. Our mules 
 were unpacked and were soon rejoicing in the fine pasture in 
 front of the house, and we loitered about in expectation of 
 some one presently turning up to bid us welcome. We soon 
 heard the dogs again give warning, and a moment after we 
 heard quick hoof-beats on the meadow. It was the proprietor, 
 who had returned from visiting a friend, attended by several 
 servants. He seemed rather taken aback on seeing strangers 
 in possession of the doorway of his house ; but he courteously 
 bade us welcome, and placed his hacienda and all in it at our 
 absolute disposal. This phrase, however, was too Spanish to 
 mean much ; we had heard it often under circumstances in 
 which its use was a mere farce. But Don Ignacio de Sellas, 
 our present acquaintance, seemed kindly disposed, and we 
 were therefore ready to believe his professions. I may here
 
 PALMETTO WINE. 259 
 
 state that our confidence in the Don was not misplaced. 
 He was extremely kind, and he gave us great assistance by 
 sending men with machetes and axes to clear away the thick 
 entangled growth of weeds and trees that covered the ruins. 
 
 Our first care was to get something to eat. We had not 
 halted to refresh ourselves since starting in the morning, and 
 our appetites were' very keen. Don Ignacio perceiving that 
 we eyed the lumps and strings of beef that hung from the 
 ceiling with a hungry expression, ordered dinner to be pre- 
 pared for us. A huge piece of bacon and three or four fowls 
 were put together into a pot and set over the fire ; a massive 
 gordita was placed on the table flanked by two half-gallon 
 jars, one of which contained vino de coyol, or palmetto 
 wine,* and the other a sweet thick liquid, supposed to be 
 wine, and which was manufactured by our host himself. 
 
 As soon as the bacon and fowls were ready they were 
 placed steaming hot upon the table. Don Ignacio invited us 
 to "draw in," which we did with alacrity, for the savoury 
 smell of the smoking dainties made our mouths water. The 
 guides were well provided for in an apartment at the back 
 of the house, so that when we had at length satisfied our 
 tremendous appetites we found them outside the house en- 
 joying their cornshuck cigaritas upon the grass under the 
 shade of some trees. 
 
 Our host was a great hunter, and had a perfect arsenal of 
 weapons in his sitting-room. He was greatly taken with 
 our Winchesters a weapon he had never previously seen. 
 He had unbounded confidence in a double " Lang " rifle 
 
 * This liquor is obtained in the following manner : A palmetto is cut down, and 
 a deep hole chiselled out near the top, at the part whence spring the leaves. This 
 hole must be cut through the pulp of the tree, and is covered with a piece of bark 
 to serve as a lid. In a few hours the cavity will be found full of a frothy liquid, 
 slightly yellow in colour, and of a sweet yet pungent flavour. It is very refreshing, 
 and becomes stronger if the tree is allowed to lie in the sun for a couple of days, 
 which produces fermentation. A longer exposure renders the juice intoxicating.
 
 260 SHARP SHOOTING. 
 
 which he had picked up at Belize from some sporting Briton 
 who had no further use for it. With this weapon Don 
 Ignacio could shoot with great accuracy ; but we were sur- 
 prised to see that he had removed the back sights, as he said 
 they prevented him from shooting quickly. In the forest 
 the range was never more than sixty or eighty yards, often 
 much less, and for these short distances the sights were quite 
 needless. He put up an ace of spades on a tree, and at 
 eighty yards, firing from the shoulder standing, he put six 
 bullets into it out of eight shots, shooting alternately from 
 each barrel. This was very good work, but absolutely aston- 
 ishing when done without the guide formed by the back 
 sights. 
 
 Will, not to be outdone, took another card from the Don's 
 ' pack, and to my great satisfaction made a better score. The 
 Don, however, had it all to himself when it came to hitting 
 moving objects. This was a kind of shooting which neither 
 Will nor I had ever practised, and we made execrable 
 attempts to rival the great skill of our host, who hit the 
 greater proportion of objects fired at. Several birds which 
 flew past fell to his bullets, to our great surprise. Satisfied, 
 at length, with his manifest superiority, Don Ignacio re- 
 turned his rifle to its rack and proposed that we should visit 
 the ruins. But we were fatigued, and, as it was growing 
 late, we determined to put off" our visit until the following 
 morning, when we would have a long day to devote to an 
 examination of them. 
 
 The Don assented, and begging us to use his house and 
 servants as if they belonged to us, and apologizing for leaving 
 us, as he had some business to attend to, he mounted his 
 mule, and, touching his hat politely to us, started off" at full 
 speed. As soon as he was out of sight, we took our rifles 
 and walked across the meadow to the forest. The sun was
 
 INSIDE THE FOREST. 261 
 
 sinking towards the west, and his beams shot through the 
 thick foliage only at intervals. Much of the space among 
 the trees was in deep shadow, through which we could vaguely 
 trace the stems of palms, mahogany trees, tamarinds, and 
 others, rising like the pillars in a dimly lighted cathedral. 
 Here and there the forest was partially illumined by the 
 slanting sheaves of sunbeams that fell through openings in the 
 branches, and which streamed far away through the woods, 
 lighting up many a golden vista as we advanced, and trans- 
 forming the rough trunks into pillars of amber. Overhead 
 we could hear monkeys scrambling among the tree -tops; 
 parrots chattered and screamed and sometimes shot through 
 the rays of light, glancing with gorgeous sheen for an in- 
 stant. The monkeys were grave and sad-looking creatures. 
 They seemed devoid of that lively curiosity characteristic of 
 the species, and sat among the branches as we passed, eying 
 us with solemn gravity. 
 
 We could have shot scores of the creatures ; but we could 
 not associate the idea of sport with such slaughter. We saw 
 no game during our ramble ; but we shot two snakes a 
 tuboba, and another, the cascabel, which is the native name 
 for the common rattlesnake. In a patch of mud which we 
 passed we noticed the broad smooth trail of a monster snake 
 a python. These grow to a great size, and there are stories 
 among the natives of some having been seen thirty feet in 
 length and as thick as a man's body ! One of this size would 
 weigh about three hundred pounds. It is not improbable 
 that many individuals of the species attain great bulk and 
 length. One twenty feet long, however, is a large specimen. 
 They prey on deer and other animals, crushing them to death 
 in their powerful folds. As has been noticed in the case of 
 the contest already described between a python and a jaguar, 
 and in the adventure which we ourselves had with another^
 
 262 LOSE THE TRACK. 
 
 these giant reptiles are no despicable antagonists for man 
 himself. If seized suddenly, and his arms pinioned by the 
 snake twining himself round the body, a man would be 
 squeezed to death in a few moments. If, however, he had a 
 sharp knife and had his hands free, a few good slashes would 
 soon terminate the affair. 
 
 As darkness was fast falling on the forest, we turned 
 to retrace our steps. We pushed along rapidly, in order to 
 get back to the hacienda in time for the early supper which 
 Don Ignacio had told us would be prepared for us. The 
 sunlight had faded away, and a deep gloom, a double night 
 as it were, filled the woods, so that although outside the trees 
 it was as yet hardly twilight, beneath their heavy canopy we 
 had scarcely light to pick our way. We had gone too far, 
 led on by the beauty of the vegetation, which with infinite 
 variety continually presented us with some fresh object of 
 interest, and now on our return the increasing darkness and 
 thick entanglement of underwood rendered us uncertain in 
 what precise direction the hacienda lay. As usually happens 
 under such circumstances, we differed as to the route. Will 
 maintained that we ought to go straight west, which point 
 we knew by the deep flush of the heavens visible now and 
 then between the trees. I stoutly held that we ought to go 
 south, as after entering the woods we had continually borne 
 to our left that is, to the north and consequently a 
 southerly course would bring us out on the meadow or 
 clearing in which stood the hacienda. I argued my point 
 with all the rhetoric at my command 5 but my friend was 
 sure I was wrong. Finally we decided to go west for some 
 distance, and if we did not then strike the meadow, we 
 would alter our course agreeably to my ideas. We set off 
 immediately towards the west, walking very swiftly and 
 running where this was possible. There was not even the
 
 LOST. 263 
 
 semblance of a path, and we crashed through masses of plants 
 blossom-laden and heavy with perfume often brought up 
 with a jerk by a tough liana stretched between the trees, and 
 now and then we had to turn aside from some impenetrable 
 jungle. Will began to get doubtful that this was the proper 
 track ; however, he accounted for the difficulties we met by 
 the absence of light. When we entered the woods, he said, 
 we saw where we were going, and that made a great differ- 
 ence. I said nothing, and we held on. We presently came 
 to a stream rushing swiftly over its rocky bed, the foam of 
 its mimic rapids being dimly discernible in the darkness. 
 This was a poser. We certainly had not crossed any stream 
 when wandering into the forest ; therefore it was quite clear 
 that we should not cross one in getting out. 
 
 " Give it up ! " said Will, in the tone of one relinquishing 
 an attempt to solve a riddle. " I don't know where we are ; 
 that's the fact." I ran over in my mind all the recipes I 
 had heard of among Western hunters for discovering a lost 
 track. The only one that seemed likely to be of use was to 
 sit calmly down, and keep flurry and fear at arm's-length. 
 To get lost in such a luxuriant wilderness of forest, where 
 every tree seemed the twin brother of its neighbour, and 
 where track there was none the whole forest being one 
 impenetrable interlacement of lianas, palmettos, palms, 
 bamboos, etc., with occasional mahogany trees and other tall 
 full-foliaged forms meant certain death unless we could find 
 our way out of it. It is true we had our rifles, but we had 
 brought but a few rounds of ammunition only, in fact, the 
 cartridges that happened to be in the magazines when we 
 started, and these were very few, owing to the shooting 
 match with Don Ignacio. I knew, however, that by mount- 
 ing some high hill we could command a wide prospect, and 
 in this way we might be able to discover the whereabouts of
 
 264 FIRE-PLIES. 
 
 the hacienda In the meantime there was nothing to be 
 done until the morning light enabled us to proceed through 
 the entangled woods and make our way to a mountain top. 
 We therefore sat down, hot and fatigued, upon a little bank 
 beneath the spreading branches of a mahogany tree. The 
 brook danced past in the gloom, and its merry gurgle and 
 splashing relieved us through the hours of darkness. We 
 knew that in all probability this stream joined the Copan 
 river, and that if we followed it down to its junction and 
 then turned up the Copan we would at any rate strike the 
 ruins, which our host had told us lay within a few miles of 
 his house. When this idea occurred to us we felt easier, and 
 lighting our pipes we lay on the bank, chatting and admiring 
 the glimmer of the cocuyos as they flitted to and fro among 
 the trees. There are several kinds of fire-fly in this country. 
 The cocuyo is the largest, and gives light enough to read print 
 by, if the insect be held close to the paper and " brightened 
 up " occasionally by being rubbed against it. There is an- 
 other kind, the gusaiiito, much smaller than the cocuyo, and 
 also less brilliant. The male alone is furnished with wings, 
 and during the hours of darkness he may be observed flitting 
 with uncertain glimmer through the woods or over the opens. 
 During the day the female lies hid among the grass or leaves ; 
 but on the approach of night she emerges from her retreat, 
 and in company with her mate, who flies and circles about 
 her, emits her pale gleam at intervals as she crawls over the 
 forest paths. The gusanito is of a brownish-black colour, 
 and is the same insect that has received the name of " light- 
 ning bug " from the unpoetical inhabitants of the Southern 
 States of North America. 
 
 Over the brook there was a space free from branches, and 
 in this opening we noticed several large birds hovering, 
 occasionally flitting on extended wings downwards towards
 
 VAMPIRES. 265 
 
 the water, and flapping past our faces so closely that we 
 could feel the fanning of their wings. These were vampires. 
 There are two or three species of these birds in the tropical 
 forests of America. Their chief food consists of insects, of 
 which there are countless species in these woods. They by 
 no means confine themselves to insect diet, and have been often 
 known to attack animals ; and even man himself is not ex- 
 empt from contribution. Some assert that the sharp nail on 
 their wings is made use of to make a puncture, to which the 
 mouth is then applied, and the blood sucked in large quantities. 
 During this operation they keep up a constant fanning with 
 their large wings, which soothes the victim, and prevents 
 him from being awakened. One kind is a foot or more in 
 length, and has an alar spread of two feet. It is the smaller 
 sort that attacks man. There are many other kinds of bats 
 in Central America, but they are purely vegetable or insect 
 feeders, and are quite harmless. 
 
 We had been fully two hours seated by the brook, when 
 Will drew my attention to two luminous spots which I had 
 not noticed among the myriad shining specks which gave a 
 twilight glimmer to the woods. These lights were steady, 
 and seemed to have expression in them, of which the other 
 scintillating sparks were destitute. We both looked long 
 and hard; and it did not need the whispered "Jaguar ! " from 
 Will to convince me that we were being ogled by a fierce 
 tiger, who no doubt was debating with himself the nice ques- 
 tion of whether we were or were not good to eat. We hesi- 
 tated about tiring at him. There was no light to sight by, 
 and if we only wounded the animal he would instantly charge 
 upon us. Uncertain how to act, we did nothing but simply 
 stare at the gleaming orbs. Our steady stare seemed to have 
 some effect, for the eyes appeared to flicker that is, their 
 owner withdrew them now and then and suddenly they dis-
 
 266 A JAGUAR. 
 
 appeared altogether. We now felt very uneasy. The jaguar 
 might be only prowling round us in order to spring unawares 
 from some other quarter. We were surrounded by a dense 
 and impenetrable thicket, which offered him just the sort of 
 cover he liked, and through which, with the extraordinary 
 stealth that characterizes the felidce, he could slink almost 
 without indicating his movements by the least noise. An 
 hour of great anxiety passed. Every sound that proceeded 
 from the vegetable walls that enclosed us made us start ; 
 and the spectral forms of the vampires, as they flitted 
 backwards and forwards and chased each other, seemed to 
 our nervous imaginations little better than demons peculiar 
 to these wild and inhospitable scenes. Towards midnight we 
 were relieved by seeing the heavens lighten, as the moon 
 climbed higher and higher. Her beams found many a chink 
 in the apparently solid roof of the forest, and fell in peaceful 
 pools of misty silver upon the earth. As soon as the light 
 fell fairly upon the spot where we lay, Will and I left our 
 retreat under the mahogany and stood close to the brook, 
 with our backs to it. We guessed the jaguar had not crossed 
 that, and if he meant to attack us he would appear from 
 some other direction. We listened intently, but the rushing 
 of the stream and the various noises which issued from the 
 woods drowned any lesser sounds. We finally came to the 
 conclusion that the jaguar had taken himself off; and as 
 there was now light enough to enable us to continue our 
 search for the hacienda, we followed the brook, intending to 
 keep by it until we reached the Copan river. By this means 
 we knew we would recover our bearings. 
 
 Our progress, as may be supposed, was difficult. Lianas 
 stretched like ropes from tree to tree across our path ; and 
 in the alternate gloom and moonlight, it was hard to dis- 
 tinguish between obstacles and their shadows. Vines, bam-
 
 LOST. 267 
 
 boo-briers, thorny bushes, apparently a kind of mimosa, 
 prickly pears, and other underwood, tilled up every available 
 space between the taller growth of palms, tree-ferns, abanicos, 
 palma real, corozos, etc., which towered overhead and threw 
 shades as dark as ebony upon the entanglement beneath. 
 Not seldom we were brought up with a round turn by a 
 bamboo-brier or thorny liana striking us in the face as we 
 pushed through the dense jungle. By the course of the 
 stream the vegetation was probably thicker than elsewhere, 
 but we did not venture to leave it lest we might not be able 
 to find it again. A white fleecy mist rose off the water and 
 hung above it in heavy folds, surcharging the branches with 
 moisture, which dashed upon us in showers. We held on 
 towards the west for more than an hour, in which time we 
 certainly should have struck the Copan outside the forest if 
 we had been going in the right direction. We therefore 
 again halted in a small open space surrounded by the tremu- 
 lous crests of palms and gigantic tree-ferns, beautiful even in 
 the subdued light which veiled half their gracefulness of foli- 
 age. The moon by this time was high in the heavens, and 
 lighted up the little clearing almost as brightly as the sun 
 on a cloudy day. This clearing was about half an acre in 
 extent, and was most probably caused by a more or less con- 
 stant overflow from the brook, which in the season of con- 
 tinuous rains no doubt transformed it into a pond, and thus 
 killed off the trees. At this time it was covered with grass, 
 weeds, and a pinkish flower two or three feet in height. We 
 had advanced into this high grass about fifty yards when 
 Will stopped and listened. I was about to ask him what he 
 had heard, when I heard a soft, long-drawn sigh, from the 
 verge of the forest. W did not need its repetition to ascer- 
 tain its nature. We knew at once it was the cry of the 
 "leon" or puma. We had often hoard of the horrible habit
 
 268 HABITS OP THE PUMA. 
 
 this animal has of dogging travellers for miles through the 
 forest, never appearing, but always close at hand, trailing 
 his long body stealthily through the woods, silent and ghost- 
 like, green-eyed and hungry. Our first thought was, of course, 
 that he was after us. We looked with the utmost intentness 
 back upon our trail, which was distinctly visible through the 
 tall weeds. A waving motion was slowly passing through it 
 towards us. There was no doubt we were followed. There 
 are few things in the wild life of this country so trying 
 to the nerves as being stalked mile after mile by a puma. 
 When we consider the nature of its haunt the dim, mysteri- 
 ous forest, thick and entangled, instinct with life and re- 
 echoing with the calls and cries of unknown creatures ; the 
 ghastly moon stealing through and checkering the jungle with 
 dense black shadow, and misty, uncertain light ; the weird 
 consciousness on the part of the traveller of the grim attend- 
 ant, and the suggestive rustle and waving of the vegetation, 
 marking its almost silent path ; the invisibility of the animal, 
 which stops as the traveller stops, and advances as he ad- 
 vances, placing its round paw upon his foot-marks, and keep- 
 ing its fell eye upon him through the gloomy woods,- we can 
 easily understand how this fearful presence will work upon 
 the mind and drive the wayfarer out of his senses. If, in 
 desperation, he returns a few yards upon his trail in order to 
 bring matters to a crisis, he will see nothing a rustle, a 
 wave among the grass, silence ! The beast has vanished. 
 But on every foot-mark which the man has left behind him, 
 he will see the huge, cat-like track of his pursuer. Again he 
 rushes forward, beads of perspiration starting to his fore- 
 head : instantly the long rustle of the weeds and underwood 
 announces that the spectral monster is anew upon his track, 
 his head held low, and the light of hunger in his fierce 
 green eyes.
 
 A STRATAGEM. 269 
 
 As we stood in the moonlight, we had a good view of the 
 broken and trampled grass where we had passed along. We 
 saw the waving motion I have mentioned suddenly cease; 
 and this showed us that the puma had ascertained that we 
 were halted, and had stopped also. We crossed the open 
 space and entered the woods. As we did so we looked back, 
 and my blood ran cold as I again distinctly saw the grass 
 bending aside from the passage of the animal. We held on 
 through the forest, and after a few minutes listened again. 
 A faint, silky rustle, not twenty yards from us, proved that 
 our pursuer was still after us. We went towards the spot 
 from which the sound had come ; but there was nothing 
 to be seen except the tell-tale " pugs." An idea now 
 occurred to me. I would advance, making slightly more 
 noise than needful, in order to make sure that the beast 
 should hear me. Will would lie perdu by the side of the 
 track, and ambush him as he passed. In a moment this 
 project was put into execution. I crashed through the 
 brushwood, making a good deal of noise, and held on for 
 about a hundred yards. I each moment expected to hear 
 the report of Will's rifle, and was ready to rush back to his 
 assistance at that instant. I had been gone only about two 
 minutes when the forest re-echoed with the sharp crack of 
 my friend's Winchester ; another and another shot followed, 
 accompanied by a loud, snarling roar. In a moment I took 
 the back track, and found Will standing over the long, red 
 carcass of our treacherous and vindictive follower. It hap- 
 pened just as we had hoped and expected. The animal fol- 
 lowed swiftly on my trail on hearing me pushing my way 
 through the woods in front; but at the instant that it reached 
 a spot opposite where Will lay concealed, it halted and turned 
 its gleaming eyes in his direction. A current of air had 
 carried the taint of his presence to its sharp nostrils. Will
 
 270 DANGER OF GETTING LOST. 
 
 aimed as well as lie could in the uncertain light between the 
 scintillating orbs, and fired. The ball struck rather lower 
 than he intended, but at the report the puma leaped from 
 the ground and uttered the roar I had heard. A second and 
 third shot followed, and these proved sufficient. 
 
 We would have gladly carried the hide as a trophy with 
 us, but we were too anxious to discover the direction of the 
 hacienda to delay for the space necessary to flay the carcass. 
 We held a hurried consultation as to our next course. 
 Hitherto we had been going due west, and although we had 
 certainly gone east when we entered the forest, I was almost 
 certain that we had deflected considerably towards the north. 
 I therefore felt pretty sure that by striking south from where 
 we stood, we would hit upon the great clearing round Don 
 Ignacio's hacienda. We lost no time in coming to this con- 
 clusion, but started off at our best pace. In an hour we had 
 the satisfaction of seeing light ahead, and presently we saw 
 before us the meadow with the dark outlines of the hacienda 
 amid its grove of trees clearly visible at the distance of half a 
 mile. We saw dark objects hurrying about, and heard the 
 blowing of horns and the firing of guns. It was a search- 
 party which were just starting after us, led by the Don in 
 person. He had become alarmed at our sudden and un- 
 accountable disappearance ; and as we had been seen enter- 
 ing the forest, the true state of affairs gradually dawned upon 
 him. It often happens that a person who enters these ver- 
 dant wildernesses without due precaution that is, without 
 observing his course, and without a proper knowledge of the 
 geography of the district is never heard of again. He gets 
 "turned round "just in the same manner as has already been 
 noted in connection with the great plains of North America, 
 and is in that condition capable of any folly. He rushes 
 blindly through the flowery wilderness beautiful, yet under
 
 STALKED BY THE PUMA. 271 
 
 the circumstances horrible ; fatigue shortly brings his wild 
 career to a stop, hunger weakens him, or perhaps he is fol- 
 lowed by the leon and becomes his prey. " Swiftly, mistily 
 night comes down. The maddened traveller walks on and 
 on, falling wounded, half-dead, with weariness, and sinks at 
 length under some time-hoary tree. Then the great eyes 
 flash nearer and nearer, until they glare hungrily into his 
 face. And if he be awake, they disappear again with a long 
 rustle of the brushwood ; but if he be asleep, they burn and 
 blaze over him. And then a sharp, sudden cry is heard, a 
 savage growl, a momentary struggle, and then the under- 
 growth cracks and sways as the beast drags slowly through."* 
 This is a very likely fate to befall any one so unfortunate as 
 to get lost in the verdant wildernesses of Tropical America. 
 
 Don Ignacio told us that we were most fortunate in get- 
 ting out so easily. He had lately lost one of his best men, 
 who had wandered out with his gun into the same forest. 
 The general opinion was that the man had lost his idea of 
 direction, and had plunged deeper and deeper into the track- 
 less woods. He may, however, have met with his end under 
 other circumstances. Jaguars, pythons, and innumerable 
 venomous snakes, would equally account for his disappearance. 
 
 Our hospitable host gave us a hearty welcome back to his 
 hacienda, and accentuated it by a most welcome supper. 
 When we had eaten our fill, we went to bed ; and I, at any 
 rate, fell into a deep, refreshing sleep, undisturbed by any 
 unpleasant visions of crouching pumas thirsting for my blood. 
 
 Notwithstanding our fatigues of the preceding day, Will 
 and I awoke early. The day was bright as indeed what day 
 is not in this country 1 and there was a steady though light 
 breeze, which tempered the heat and added to the sense of 
 exhilaration produced by the summer scene. It promised to 
 
 * Frederick Boyle, "A Ride Across a Continent."
 
 272 COPAN. 
 
 be a perfect day for the exploration of our ruins, and after 
 breakfast Don Ignacio accompanied us on the expedition. 
 He had never made a thorough exploration of Copan himself, 
 nor could he hear that anybody else had done so. Dense 
 jungle covered the most of the relics of the great city, and 
 the small area which has been examined bears but a small 
 proportion to the great extent of the place. 
 
 It gives the visitor a strange feeling to come suddenly on 
 these great ruins, lying desolate amid the rich tropical vege- 
 tation that covers them. On all sides lie great masses of 
 stone, pyramidal structures, broken terraces, idols, and over- 
 turned altars, speaking eloquently of an ancient people and 
 an extinct civilization, of which they alone form the sum of 
 our knowledge. Who built these vast cities 1 If we could 
 discover a clew to the hieroglyphics which are chiselled on 
 their monuments, we might know. A gloom as impenetrable 
 as that of night hangs over their origin, and invests them 
 with a mystery which heightens the impression of sadness 
 that steals over the spectator as he contemplates the scenes 
 of the life and labour of an unknown but once powerful 
 people. Dense jungle and tall forest trees grow upon and 
 among the crumbling walls. Gorgeous creepers enshroud 
 them in their variegated drapery ; monkeys swing themselves 
 among the overhanging branches; and snakes, bats, lizards, 
 and all manner of crawling, creeping things, make them their 
 residence. Where are the people that once lived here ? At 
 what time did they become extinct, and what catastrophe 
 produced their disappearance? These are questions which 
 have been many times put, but there is as yet no answer. 
 There is some slight evidence to show that some of these 
 cities were inhabited at a comparatively recent date. Some 
 assert that at the Spanish Conquest Copan was in all its 
 glory. It is extraordinary to contemplate the utter apathy
 
 ANCIENT PEOPLES. 273 
 
 displayed by the inhabitants of Spanish America with regard 
 to the history of these giant cities. They regard them as of 
 no more interest than the rocks or mountains of the country. 
 Those who live close to them hardly know of their existence, 
 and can venture no further than "Quien sabe ? " if asked as to 
 their extent. It may be assumed as tolerably certain that 
 the whole, or the greater part, of the North American con- 
 tinent was at some former period inhabited by populous 
 nations, which had made considerable advances in the arts of 
 peace. The clearing away of the great forests has disclosed 
 many tumuli or mounds, fortifications, and other evidences 
 of extinct races. Mummies have been found in a cave in 
 Kentucky ; inscriptions have been discovered carved upon 
 rocks ; and in both Arkansas and Wisconsin ruined walls 
 and the remains of a large city attest the civilization of the 
 primitive inhabitants.* 
 
 As we proceed southwards these relics become more fre- 
 quent as well as more perfect. As regards the state of pres- 
 ervation of the ruins of Mexico and Central America, the 
 greater mildness of the climate may account for it to some 
 extent ; but it is stated by some writers that the course of 
 migration of the race that left these monuments behind them 
 was from north to south. If this be true, the ruins of the 
 south are probably of much more recent date than those 
 farther north, which may help to account for their better 
 condition. 
 
 Early Spanish historians make mention of a city named 
 
 * Since writing the above, a statement, vouched for on apparently respectable 
 authority, has appeared in the newspapers, that in the State of Missouri an ancient 
 city has been discovered at a depth of three hundred and sixty feet under ground 
 during gome boring operations in connection with a coal mine. The streets are 
 described as laid out at right angles ; the houses substantial and commodious ; and 
 the whole was stated to be arched over by a flood of congealed lava. Tools of bronze 
 were found ; also some of flint. A skeleton was discovered, and is described as of a 
 gigantic size. In the earlier part of this work, the reader's attention was drawn to 
 a discovery, at a great depth, of animal remains at .Tulesburg. 
 (814) 18
 
 274 HERNANDEZ DE CHAVES. 
 
 Copan, which they located in pretty much the position occu- 
 pied by the ruins of that name. They represented the city 
 as inhabited by a warlike people, who offered great opposi- 
 tion to the Spanish invaders. There are, however, some 
 discrepancies in their statements which render it doubtful 
 whether the city alluded to could be identical with what we 
 now know as Copan. The city referred to by the historians 
 stood in the ancient province of Chiquimula de la Sierra, 
 which was overrun by the victorious followers of Pedro de 
 Alvarado. No detailed account has been given by these old 
 writers of the conquest. The conquered race attempted to 
 regain their independence in 1550, but were again reduced 
 to pray for peace by Hernandez de Chaves, who was de- 
 spatched to subdue them. The Indians, however, struggled 
 bravely for a time, and many bloody battles were fought 
 before they finally yielded to the Spanish yoke. The town 
 of Esquipulas, the capital of the province, was surrendered 
 to Hernandez de Chaves by the cacique who held it, and 
 with the fall of the capital the rebellion collapsed. 
 
 " The cacique of Copan, whose name was Copan Calel, had 
 been active in exciting the revolt and assisting the insur- 
 gents. Hernandez de Chaves determined to punish him, and 
 marched against Copan, then one of the largest, most opu- 
 lent, and most powerful places of the kingdom. The camp 
 of the cacique, with his auxiliaries, consisted of thirty thou- 
 sand men, well-disciplined veterans in war, armed with 
 wooden swords having stone edges, arrows, and slings. On 
 one side, says the historian, it was defended by the ranges of 
 mountains of Chiquimula and Gracias a Dios ; and on the 
 opposite side by a deep fosse and an intrenchment formed of 
 strong beams of timber, having the interstices filled with 
 earth, with embrasures and loop-holes for the discharge of 
 arrows. Chaves, accompanied by some horsemen well armed,
 
 CAPTURE OP COPAN. 275 
 
 rode to the fosse and made sign that he wished to hold a 
 conference. The cacique answered with an arrow. A shower 
 of arrows, stones, and darts followed, which compelled the 
 Spaniards to retreat. The next day Chaves made an attack 
 upon the intrenchment. The infantry wore loose coats 
 stuffed with cotton, swords, and shields. The horsemen wore 
 breastplates and helmets, and their horses were covered. 
 The Copanes had each a shield covered with the skin of the 
 danta on his arm, and his head was guarded by bunches of 
 feathers. The attack lasted the whole day. The Indians, 
 with their arrows, javelins, and pikes, the heads of which 
 were hardened by fire, maintained their ground. The 
 Spaniards were obliged to retreat. Chaves, who had fought 
 in the thickest of the battle, was alarmed at the difficulties 
 of the enterprise and the danger to the credit of the Spanish 
 arms, but received information that in one place the depth 
 of the ditch which defended Copan was but trifling, and the 
 next day he proceeded to the spot to make an attack there. 
 The Copanes had watched his movements, and manned the 
 intrenchment with their bravest soldiers. The infantry 
 were unable to make a lodgment. . The cavalry came to their 
 assistance. The Indians brought up their whole force ; and 
 the Spaniards stood like rocks, impassable to pikes, arrows, 
 and stones. Several times they tried to scale the intrench- 
 ments, and were driven back into the fosse. Many were 
 killed on both sides ; but the battle continued without ad- 
 vantage to either, until a brave horseman leaped the ditch, 
 and his horse being carried violently with his breast against 
 the barrier, the earth and palisades gave way, and the fright- 
 ened horse plunged among the Indians. Other horsemen 
 followed, and spread such terror among the Copanes that 
 their lines were broken, and they fled. Copan Calel rallied 
 at a place where he had posted a body of reserve ; but
 
 276 ARRIVE AT THE RUINS. 
 
 unable to resist long, retreated and left Copan to its 
 fate."* 
 
 From this narrative, taken from the early Spanish his- 
 torians, one would naturally infer that the defences of the 
 city were of a merely temporary character, or at least that 
 they were such as might have been erected within a short 
 period. This inference would seem to indicate that the 
 Copan of the above narrative cannot be identical with the 
 ruins with which we are familiar. 
 
 As our party reached the Copan river, the first object that 
 attracted our observation on the opposite bank was a gigantic 
 wall of cut stone, carefully built, and apparently rising out 
 of the water. This wall was in very tolerable preservation : 
 and in the days when Copan was inhabited must have formed 
 an almost impregnable defence. We essayed to cross the 
 river towards it ; but finding it too deep, we went up the 
 bank for a little distance, and here the water was wide and 
 broken into shallows. The bottom, however, as we had 
 hitherto found on nearly every occasion, was stony and diffi- 
 cult, and caused our mules to stumble about a good deal. 
 The other bank was thickly clothed with a vigorous vegeta- 
 .tion, which had to be cleared off with machetes before we 
 could advance. For this work Don Ignacio had brought 
 several of his men ; and owing to this act of kindness, we 
 were enabled to make a better examination of the ruins than 
 we otherwise could have hoped for. 
 
 On arrival at the great wall we mounted it by the aid of 
 stone steps, which were in many places in a perfect state of 
 preservation, but in others had been displaced by the growth 
 of bushes and trees in their interstices. At the top we 
 found ourselves on a great terrace, overgrown with dense 
 jungle, which concealed its extent and form. Don Ignacio's 
 
 * "Travels in Central America." By John L. Stephens.
 
 ANCIENT SCULPTURES. 277 
 
 men preceded us and hewed a path ; and following close upon 
 them we now and then observed some relic of the ancient 
 time fragments of sculpture half buried in the rich vege- 
 table mould, portions of columns thickly covered with carv- 
 ing, figures of men clothed in strange and cumbrous garments, 
 with impossible head-dresses and stolid features. We pres- 
 ently found ourselves at the base of a high pyramidal mass 
 of masonry, with flights of steps on its sides, but hidden 
 under a thick growth of shrubs and trees. Near this was a 
 tall square pillar of stone, about fourteen feet in height, and 
 having sides probably of three feet across. This was en- 
 cumbered with a vast amount of very boldly relieved carving 
 from the base to the top. In front was a human figure or 
 idol, dressed in highly ornamented garments, and with a 
 grim and awful expression, which no doubt in olden time 
 often inspired superstitious worshippers with terror. The 
 back of this column *was quite different in design from other 
 monuments: in front was a large sacrificial stone or altar, 
 also covered with emblematic figures in every variety of 
 execution. We did not fail to observe the accuracy here, as 
 well as everywhere else upon our journey, of Mr. Stephens's 
 descriptions. His observations at Copan were so exactly 
 similar to our own that I cannot do better than present them 
 to the reader. In speaking of this stone altar he says : 
 
 " The sight of this unexpected monument put at rest at 
 once and for ever in our minds all uncertainty in regard to 
 the character of American antiquities, and gave us the 
 assurance that the objects we were in search of were inter- 
 esting not only as the remains of an unknown people, but 
 as works of art, proving, like newly -discovered historical 
 records, that the people who once occupied the continent 
 of America were not savages. With an interest perhaps 
 stronger than we had ever felt in wandering among the
 
 278 A BURIED CITY. 
 
 ruins of Egypt we followed our guide, who, sometimes miss- 
 ing his way, with a constant and vigorous use of his machete 
 conducted us through the thick forest among half-buried 
 fragments, to fourteen monuments of the same character and 
 appearance, with some more elegant designs, and some in work- 
 manship equal to the finest monuments of the Egyptians : 
 one displaced from its pedestal by enormous roots, another 
 locked in the close embrace of branches of trees and almost 
 lifted out of the earth ; another hurled to the ground and 
 bound down by huge vines and creepers ; and one standing 
 with its altar before it in a grove of trees which grew around 
 it, seemingly to shade and shroud it as a sacred thing in the 
 solemn stillness of the woods it seemed a divinity mourning 
 over a fallen people. 
 
 " The only sounds that disturbed the quiet of this buried 
 city were the noise of monkeys moving among the tops of 
 the trees, and the cracking of dry branches broken by their 
 weight. They moved over our heads in long and swift pro- 
 cession, forty or fifty at a time ; some, with little ones 
 wound in their long arms, walking out to the end of boughs 
 and holding on with their hind feet or a curl of the tail, 
 sprang to a branch of the next tree, and with a noise of 
 a current of wind passed on into the depth of the forest. It 
 was the first time we had seen these mockeries of humanity, 
 and, with the strange monuments around us, they seemed 
 like wandering spirits of the departed race guarding the 
 ruins of their former habitations. 
 
 "We returned to the base of the pyramidal structure and 
 ascended it by regular stone steps, in some places forced 
 apart by bushes and saplings, and in others thrown down by 
 the growth of large trees, while some remained entire. In 
 parts they were ornamented with sculptured figures and 
 rows of death's heads. Climbing over the ruined top we
 
 WHO WERE THE BUILDERS? 279 
 
 reached a terrace overgrown with trees, and, crossing it, de- 
 scended by stone steps into an area so covered with trees 
 that at first we could not make out its form, but which, on 
 clearing the way with the machete, we ascertained to be a 
 square, and with steps on all the sides almost as perfect as 
 those of the Roman Amphitheatre. The steps were orna- 
 mented with sculpture ; and on the south side, about half- 
 way up, forced out of its place by roots, was a colossal head, 
 evidently a portrait. We ascended these steps and reached 
 a broad terrace, eighty feet high, overlooking the river, and 
 supported by the wall which we had seen from the opposite 
 bank. The whole terrace was covered with trees, and even 
 at this height from the ground were two gigantic ceibas, or 
 wild cotton-trees, above twenty feet in circumference, ex- 
 tending their half-naked roots fifty or a hundred feet around, 
 binding down the ruins and shading them with their wide- 
 spreading branches. 
 
 " We sat down on the very edge of the wall and strove in 
 vain to penetrate the mystery by which we were surrounded. 
 Who were the people who built this city ? In the ruined 
 cities of Egypt, even in the long-lost Petra, the stranger 
 knows the story of the people whose vestiges are around him. 
 America, say historians, was peopled by savages ; but 
 savages never reared these structures, savages never carved 
 these stones. We asked the Indians who made them, and 
 their dull answer was, ' Quien sabe ? ' (Who knows ?) There 
 were no associations connected with the place, none of those 
 stirring recollections which hallowed Rome, Athens, and 
 
 ' The world's great mistress on the Egyptian plain ;' 
 
 but architecture, sculpture, and painting, all the arts which 
 embellish life, had flourished in this overgrown forest ; 
 orators, warriors, and statesmen, beauty, ambition, and gloty,
 
 280 SAD SENSATIONS. 
 
 had lived and passed away, and none knew that such things 
 had been, or could tell of their past existence. Books, the 
 record of knowledge, are silent on this theme. The city was 
 desolate. No remnant of this race hangs round the ruins, 
 with traditions handed down from father to son, and from 
 generation to generation. It lay before us like a shattered 
 barque in the midst of the ocean, her masts gone, her name 
 effaced, her crew perished; and none to tell whence she came, 
 to whom she belonged, how long her voyage, or what caused 
 her destruction ; her lost people to be traced only by some 
 fancied resemblance in the construction of the vessel, or per- 
 haps never to be known at all. The place where we sat, 
 was it a citadel from which an unknown people had sounded 
 the trumpet of war ? or a temple for the worship of the God 
 of peace? or did the inhabitants worship the idols made 
 with their own hands, and offer sacrifices on the stones 
 before them 1 All was mystery, dark, impenetrable mystery, 
 and every circumstance increased it. In Egypt the colossal 
 skeletons of gigantic temples stand in the unwatered sands 
 in all the nakedness of desolation ; here an immense forest 
 shrouded the ruins, hiding them from sight, heightening the 
 impression and moral effect, and giving an intensity and 
 almost wildness to the interest." 
 
 This graphic description of the sensations aroused by the 
 sight of these sad memorials of a vanished race exactly 
 portray the effect this extraordinary spectacle had upon me. 
 I sat and pondered, and in fancy again beheld these ruins 
 erect in all their pride of strength and beauty, their inhabi- 
 tants crowding the thoroughfares, or streaming towards the 
 temples or sacred places for the purposes of worship. The 
 air resounded with the trumpets and cymbals accompanying 
 their gay processions ; the altars streamed with blood, and 
 the expiring groans of the offerings rose above the devout
 
 A BEAUTIFUL SEPULCHRE. 281 
 
 murmurs of the vast assemblage. But the dream vanished 
 almost as soon as indulged : the gibing forms of the monkeys 
 replaced the ancient inhabitants, and the dissonant chatter 
 of the parrots or the rush and splash of the Copan beneath 
 the wall alone disturbed the stillness of the jungle. We sat 
 long musing, upon our elevated vantage-ground. Any desire 
 for conversation was extinguished ; we felt as if in the 
 presence of the dead, and levity seemed so unsuited to the 
 scene that I believe a laugh would have startled us almost 
 as much as it would in a church. 
 
 The sun was setting as we turned to descend, and from 
 our high position we beheld his beams streaming in a flood 
 of crimson glory along the top of the forest, which lay spread 
 before us vivid with brilliant hues, and varied by many a 
 graceful form shooting above the general level. Above, the 
 sky was aflame with the glare of the sinking luminary ; and 
 beneath rushed the river, now in shadow and again gleaming 
 with a deep glow, and vanishing beneath the heavy green 
 curtain which the forest extended above it. It was a beauti- 
 ful sepulchre for the ruined city. Wall and altar, pyramid 
 and terrace were buried in forest ; bignonias and all the 
 myriad flowering parasites common to the country twined 
 and trailed over them and almost covered them up from 
 sight ; and down upon this inextricable confusion of life and 
 death shone the setting beams of the same sun which had in 
 the days so long gone by given light to the vanished people 
 who dwelt here. 
 
 We returned to the hacienda, and grudged our night's 
 rest in our anxiety to continue our explorations.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 COP AN STEPHENS's NARRATIVE EXAMINATION OF THE RUINS HIEROGLYPHICS 
 FEELINGS AROUSED BY THE SPECTACLE OF THE RUINED CITY QUARRIES 
 BEAUTIFUL PROSPECT THE COPAN RIVER HUGE SNAKES TUBOBA REP- 
 TILES TWILIGHT ON THE POREST COCUYOS MYSTERY HANGING OVER 
 COPAN MELANCHOLY FEELINGS RETURN TO THE HACIENDA LAST SIGHT 
 OF COPAN. 
 
 EARLY the next day we again directed our steps to Copan. 
 Don Ignacio had sent on men with machetes to clear away 
 as much of the jungle as possible, so that we had little exer- 
 tion beyond standing by to see the gradual development of 
 the various relics as the creepers and underwood were cleared 
 away from them. Here again Mr. Stephens's narrative is 
 so nearly a record of our own observations that I avail my- 
 self of it : 
 
 "It is impossible to describe the interest with which I 
 explored these ruins. The ground was entirely new ; there 
 were no hand-books or guides ; the whole was a virgin soil. 
 We could not see ten yards before us, and never knew what 
 we should stumble upon next. At one time we stopped to 
 cut away branches and vines which concealed the face of a 
 monument, and then to dig around and bring to light a frag- 
 ment, a sculptured corner of which protruded from the earth. 
 I leaned over with breathless anxiety while the Indians 
 worked, and an eye, an ear, a foot, or a hand, was disen- 
 tombed ; and when a machete rang against the chiselled stone 
 I pushed the Indians away and cleared out the earth with
 
 HUARROS'S ACCOUNT. 283 
 
 my hands. The beauty of the sculpture, the solemn stillness 
 of the woods, disturbed only by the scrambling of the 
 monkeys and the chattering of parrots, the desolation of the 
 city and the mystery that hung over it, all created an 
 interest higher, if possible, than I had ever felt among the 
 ruins of the Old World." 
 
 In speaking of the history of the ruins Mr. Stephens 
 writes : 
 
 " Huarros, the historian of Guatemala, says : ' Francisco 
 de Fuentes, who wrote the Chronicles of the Kingdom of 
 Guatemala, assures us that in his time that is, in the year 
 1700 the great circus of Copan still remained entire. This 
 was a circular space surrounded by stone pyramids about six 
 yards high, and very well constructed. At the bases of 
 these pyramids were figures, both male and female, of very 
 excellent sculpture, which then retained the colours they had 
 been painted with; and what was not less remarkable, the 
 whole of them were habited in the Castilian costume ! In the 
 middle of this area, elevated above a flight of steps, was the 
 place of sacrifice. The same author affirms that at a short dis- 
 tance from the circus there was a portal constructed of stone, 
 on the columns of which were the figures of men likewise 
 represented in Spanish habits, with hose, and ruff around the 
 neck, sword, cap, and short cloak. On entering the gate- 
 way there are two fine stone pyramids, moderately large 
 and lofty, from which is suspended a hammock that contains 
 two human figures, one of each sex, clothed in the Indian 
 style. Astonishment is forcibly excited on viewing this 
 structure, because, large as it is, there is no appearance of 
 the component parts being joined together; and though 
 entirely of one stone and of an enormous weight, it may be 
 put in motion by the slightest impulse of the hand !' 
 
 "From this time that is, from the year 1700 there is
 
 284 SITUATION OP COPAN. 
 
 no account of these ruins until the visit of Colonel Galindo 
 in 1836, who examined them under a commission from the 
 Central American Government, and whose communications 
 on the subject were published in the ' Proceedings of the 
 Royal Geographical Society of Paris,' and in the ' Literary 
 Gazette' of London. He is the only man in that country 
 who has given any attention at all to the subject of antiqui- 
 ties, or who has ever presented Copan to the consideration 
 of Europe and our own country. Not being an artist, his 
 account is necessarily unsatisfactory and imperfect, but it is 
 not exaggerated. Indeed, it falls short of the marvellous 
 account given by Fuentes one hundred and thirty-five years 
 before, and makes no mention of the movable stone ham- 
 mock with its sitting figures, which were our great induce- 
 ment to visit the ruins. No plans or drawings have ever 
 been published, nor anything that can give even an idea of 
 that valley of romance and wonder, where, as has been re- 
 marked, the genii who attended King Solomon seem to have 
 been the artists. 
 
 " It lies in the district of country now known as the State 
 of Honduras, one of the most fertile valleys of Central 
 America, and to this day famed for the superiority of its 
 tobacco. Mr. Catherwood* made several attempts to deter- 
 mine the longitude ; but the artificial horizon which we took 
 with us expressly for such purposes had become deranged, 
 and, like the barometer, was useless. The ruins are on the 
 left bank of the Copan as you ascend ; which river empties 
 into the Motagua, and so passes into the Bay of Honduras 
 near Omoa, distant, perhaps, two hundred miles from the 
 sea. The Copan river is not navigable even for canoes, ex- 
 cept for a short time in the rainy season. Falls interrupt its 
 course before it empties into the Motagua. Cortez, in his 
 
 * Mr. Stephens's companion.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 285 
 
 terrible journey from Mexico to Honduras, of the hardships 
 of which, even now when the country is comparatively open 
 and free from masses of enemies, it is difficult to form a con- 
 ception, must have passed within two days' march of this city. 
 
 " The extent along the river, as ascertained by monuments 
 still found, is more than two miles. There is one monument 
 on the opposite side of the river, at the distance of one mile, 
 on the top of a mountain two thousand feet high. Whether 
 the city ever crossed the river and extended ' to that monu- 
 ment it is impossible to say. I believe not. At the rear is 
 an unexplored forest in which there may be ruins. There 
 are no remains of palaces or private buildings, and the prin- 
 cipal part is that which stands on the bank of the river, and 
 may perhaps with propriety be called the Temple. 
 
 " This Temple is an oblong enclosure. The front, or river 
 wall, extends in a line north and south six hundred and 
 twenty-four feet, and is from sixty to ninety feet in height. 
 It is made of cut stones from three to six feet in length, 
 and a foot and a half in breadth. In many places the stones 
 have been thrown down by bushes growing out of the 
 crevices ; and in one place there is a small opening, from 
 which the ruins are sometimes called by the Indians Las 
 Ventanas (or the windows). The other three sides consist of 
 a range of steps and pyramidal structures, rising from thirty 
 to one hundred and forty feet in height on the slope. The 
 whole line of survey is two thousand eight hundred and 
 sixty -six feet ; which, though gigantic and extraordinary for 
 a ruined structure of the aborigines, that the reader's 
 imagination may not mislead him, I consider it necessary 
 to say, is not so large as the base of the Great Pyramid of 
 Ghizeh. 
 
 " Near the south-west corner of the river wall and the 
 south wall is a recess, which was probably once occupied by
 
 286 A STKANGE AND WEIRD APPEARANCE. 
 
 a colossal monument fronting the water, no part of which is 
 now visible : it may have been broken and the fragments 
 buried or washed away by the floods of the rainy season. 
 Beyond are the remains of two small pyramidal structures, 
 to the larger of which is attached a wall running along the 
 right bank of the river : this appears to have been one of the 
 principal walls of the city, and between the two pyramids 
 there seems to have been a gateway, or principal entrance 
 from the water. 
 
 " The south wall runs at right angles to the river, begin- 
 ning with a range of steps, about thirty feet high, and each 
 step about eighteen inches square. At the south-east corner 
 is a massive pyramidal structure, one hundred and twenty 
 feet high on the slope. On the right are other remains of 
 terraces and pyramidal buildings ; and here also was pro- 
 bably a gateway, by a passage about twenty feet wide, into 
 a quadrangular area two hundred and fifty feet square, two 
 sides of which are massive pyramids one hundred and twenty 
 feet high on the slope. 
 
 " At the foot of these structures, and in different parts of 
 the quadrangular area, are numerous remains of sculpture. 
 At one point is a colossal monument richly sculptured, fallen 
 and ruined. Behind it fragments of sculpture, thrown from 
 their places by trees, are strewed and lying loose on the side 
 of the pyramid from the base to the top ; and among them 
 our attention was forcibly arrested by rows of death's heads 
 of gigantic proportions still standing in their places, about 
 half way up the side of the pyramid : the effect was extraor- 
 dinary." 
 
 These figures presented a strange and weird appearance, 
 grinning eternally in that solitary place ; and this result was 
 heightened considerably when the uncertain rays of the moon 
 half hid and half revealed their features. They excited sen-
 
 A PAINTED IDOL. 287 
 
 sations of the " uncanny " order, and suggested the blood- 
 stained rites of a people sunk in the hopeless darkness of 
 pagan superstition. 
 
 It may be observed that it is doubtful whether these 
 sculptures are intended to represent the heads of men or of 
 monkeys. We noticed the remains of a gigantic figure 
 which was undoubtedly meant to represent an ape, lying 
 broken upon one of the sides of the pyramid. The head had 
 been broken off, and we searched in vain for it among the 
 fragments of other sculpture, stones, and bushes : the trunk 
 lay wedged among a quantity of stones which had become 
 detached from the pyramid. It is possible that these figures 
 may have been objects of worship among the inhabitants of 
 Copan. If they worshipped monkeys, however, there were 
 then no doubt plenty of the living animals procurable in the 
 country, and it seems more likely to suppose that these 
 would be selected as deities, in preference to their sculptured 
 images. But it is idle to speculate upon the eccentricities of 
 pagan superstition. 
 
 On the south-east side of the cleared area of the ruins we 
 observed a tall column encumbered with sculpture, which, as 
 it were, formed a setting for a human figure, the arms being 
 brought to the front of the body, the fingers turned upwards, 
 and the backs of the hands turned towards each other. The 
 front of this monumental idol faces the east, and it is placed 
 about two yards from the base of the pyramidal wall. It is 
 thirteen feet in height, four feet broad in front, and three 
 feet in depth. It is covered on all sides with sculpture, 
 which is of a more elaborate character than any which we 
 observed at Copan. This idol had evidently been painted, 
 as it still bore traces of a red colour. Most likely this colour 
 was selected in order to excite terror, as well as being more 
 appropriate to a deity worshipped, as we may suppose, with
 
 288 THE RUINS. 
 
 human sacrifices. Before it was a large sacrificial stone or 
 altar, having in front a human figure of full size, the face of 
 which, from its softer expression and smooth outlines, seems 
 to be that of a female. 
 
 It would be quite impossible to give anything like a 
 detailed description, in the space at my disposal, of the many 
 and varied monuments left behind by the ancient inhabitants 
 of this place. In every direction we stumbled upon some 
 statue or idol or piece of sculpture ; altars and ornamental 
 masses of stone met us at every turn ; pyramids, and ranges 
 of terraces, with rows of death's heads staring grimly upon 
 us, fallen walls and pyramidal elevations (having once pro- 
 bably borne altars on their summits) lay around us, their 
 outlines, and indeed more or less of their area, hidden 
 beneath a thick growth of trees and bushes, which made it 
 well-nigh impossible for us to arrive at an accurate estimate 
 of the general shape and disposition of the great city of 
 which they were part. Mr. Stephens, who, with his friend 
 Mr. Catherwood, gave much time and trouble to their ex- 
 amination, writes as follows of a portion of the ruins : " On 
 the right is a confused range of terraces running off into the 
 forest, ornamented with death's heads, some of which are 
 still in position, and others lying about as they have fallen 
 or been thrown down. Turning northward, the range on 
 the left hand continues a high, massive, pyramidal structure, 
 with trees growing out of it to the very top. At a short 
 distance is a detached pyramid tolerably perfect, about fifty 
 feet square and thirty feet high. The range continues for 
 a distance of about four hundred feet, decreasing some- 
 what in height, and along this there are but few remains 
 of sculpture. 
 
 " The range of structures turns at right angles to the left 
 and runs to the river, joining the other extremity of the
 
 Page 287.
 
 THE KUINS. 291 
 
 wall at which we began our survey. The bank was elevated 
 about thirty feet above the river, and had been protected by 
 a wall of stone, most of which has fallen down. 
 
 "The plan was complicated and, the whole ground being 
 overgrown with trees, difficult to make out. There was no 
 entire pyramid, but at most two or three pyramidal sides, 
 and these joined on to terraces or other structures of the 
 same kind. Beyond the wall of enclosure were walls, ter- 
 races, and pyramidal elevations, running off into the forest, 
 which sometimes confused us. Probably the whole was not 
 erected at the same time, but additions were made and 
 statues erected by different kings, or perhaps in commemora- 
 tion of important events in the history of the city. Along 
 the whole line were ranges of steps with pyramidal elevations, 
 probably crowned on the top with buildings or altars now 
 ruined. All these steps and the pyramidal sides were painted, 
 and the reader may imagine the effect when the whole 
 country was clear of forest, and priest and people were 
 ascending from the outside to the terraces and thence 
 to the holy places within, to pay their adoration in the 
 temple. 
 
 " Within this enclosure are two rectangular court-yards, 
 having ranges of steps ascending to terraces. The area of 
 each is about forty feet above the river. Of the larger and 
 most distant from the river the steps have all fallen, and 
 constitute mere mounds. On one side, at the foot of the 
 pyramidal wall, is a monument or idol. It is about the same 
 height with the others, but differs in shape, being larger at 
 the top than below. Its appearance and character are taste- 
 ful and pleasing, but the sculpture is in much lower relief : 
 the expression of the hands is good though somewhat formal 
 The back and sides are covered with hieroglyphics," 
 
 The visitor who has arrived at this point among the
 
 292 A HUGE MONOLITH. 
 
 ruins cannot fail to perceive a huge monolith, or single 
 block of stone, which, there can be little doubt, once served 
 the purposes of an altar. It differs from all the other altars 
 found in Copan. As a rule they are only moderately orna- 
 mented, and, owing to their not being much elevated above 
 the earth, are much effaced by time as well as covered with 
 moss and other vegetable matter. This great stone, however, 
 is an exception. Perhaps it formed the 'high altar,' at 
 which the most sacred rites were performed on occasions of 
 peculiar solemnity. It stands," says Mr. Stephens, " on 
 four globes cut out of the same stone ; the sculpture is in 
 bas-relief, and it is the only specimen of that kind of sculp- 
 ture found at Copan, all the rest being in bold alto-relievo. 
 It is six feet square and four feet high, and the top is 
 divided into thirty-six tablets of hieroglyphics, which, beyond 
 doubt, record some event in the history of the curious people 
 who once inhabited the city. The lines are still distinctly 
 visible. The sides of this altar are adorned with human 
 figures. Those on one side all face one way, while of those 
 on the other, the two at each side face towards the two at 
 the other side." 
 
 Describing these Mr. Stephens says : " On the west side 
 are the two principal personages, chiefs, or warriors, with 
 their faces opposite each other, and apparently engaged in 
 argument or negotiation. The others are divided into two 
 equal parties, and seem to be following their leaders. Each 
 of the two principal figures is seated cross-legged, in the 
 Oriental fashion, on a hieroglyphic which probably designates 
 his name and office or character ; and on three of which the 
 serpent forms part. Between the two principal personages 
 is a remarkable cartouch containing two hieroglyphics well 
 preserved, which reminded us strongly of the Egyptian 
 method of giving the names of the kings or heroes in whose
 
 OVERAWED. 293 
 
 honour monuments were erected. The head-dresses are 
 remarkable for their curious and complicated form : the 
 figures have all breastplates, and one of the two principal 
 characters holds in his hand an instrument which may 
 perhaps be considered a sceptre ; each of the others holds an 
 object which can only be a subject for speculation and con- 
 jecture. It may be a weapon of war ; and if so it is the 
 only thing of the kind found represented at Copan. In 
 other countries battle-scenes, warriors, and weapons of war, 
 are among the most prominent subjects of sculpture ; and 
 from the entire absence of them here, there is reason to 
 believe that the people were not warlike, but peaceable and 
 easily subdued." 
 
 Will and I rambled long among these strange buildings, 
 overawed by their massive sublimity. We could as yet 
 hardly realize that these wonderful monuments of a departed 
 and obscure people were undoubted facts. Here in the 
 midst of the jungle, surrounded on all sides by the wild 
 luxuriance of nature, cut off from the world, and civilized 
 society merely a faint recollection, it gave rise to a feeling 
 of inexpressible sadness to contemplate the former scenes of 
 man's existence, of his wealth, his arts, and his industries, 
 now silent and desolate; his dwellings effaced, his temples 
 ruined, his gods overthrown, and his altars the basking-places 
 of lizards or other reptiles, while there was no one able to 
 guess at his fate or even to conjecture whence he came. I 
 recommend Copan as a suitable residence for those who 
 desire to retire from the world to contemplate the vanity of 
 all worldly aspirations. Here they will have plenty of 
 material for solemn reflection ; and if they cannot be impressed 
 by the vanity of human wishes upon the scenes once occupied 
 by the rich striving to be richer, by the poor striving to gain 
 wealth, by the ambitious struggling to attain their ends, and
 
 294 THE QUARRIES. 
 
 by the other multiform varieties of human life in all its 
 phases, from the cradle to the grave, they cannot hope to be 
 impressed by such considerations anywhere in this world. 
 
 We visited the ancient quarries of Copan, where were 
 procured the stones with which the city was constructed. 
 Two Indians led the way, hewing open with their machetes a 
 track which had become overgrown by the riotously luxuriant 
 vegetation of these regions. We followed them through 
 many a scene though the distance was short of wild and 
 tangled beauty. At the bottom of a descent we crossed a 
 dashing stream, which glanced wherever a sunbeam pene- 
 trated the heavy foliage, and vanished down a long vista in the 
 forest, reflecting in its smoother reaches the flower-gemmed 
 tendrils of bignonias and other parasitic plants that twined 
 about the trees on its banks. We ascended a mountain on 
 the opposite side of the river, and from the summit, which 
 was quite free from trees, we beheld, stretched out below us, 
 the splendid forest through which we had been journeying ; 
 and we could perceive the course of the Copan river across 
 the landscape here flashing in the sun, or there revealing 
 its track through the forest by a dark line which marked the 
 divided woods. There were but two or three clearings 
 visible, and these constituted the sole traces of human 
 influence on the whole of the vast expanse of country com- 
 prised within the range of our vision. The ruins of Copan 
 were nowhere visible ; they were completely enshrouded in 
 forest. " Imagination peopled the quarry with workmen, 
 and laid bare the city to their view. Here, as the sculptor 
 worked, he turned to the theatre of his glory, as the Greek 
 did to the Acropolis of Athens, and dreamed of immortal 
 fame. Little did he imagine that the time would come 
 when his works would perish, his race be extinct, his 
 city a desolation and abode for reptiles, for strangers to
 
 HOW DID THEY DO IT ? 295 
 
 gaze at and wonder by what race it had once been in- 
 habited."* 
 
 We were astonished to see the route by which the immense 
 blocks of stone had been conveyed from the quarry to the 
 city. The track was broken and rugged, and how those 
 ancient engineers overcame the difficulties of transportation 
 neither of us could imagine. But when we saw one of these 
 enormous blocks elevated as a monument on the summit of 
 a hill two thousand feet high, the lesser marvel ceased to be a 
 subject of astonishment. 
 
 We passed many great blocks which had been thrown 
 aside owing to some defect in their cutting or in their 
 material ; and at the bottom of a slight declivity, which 
 terminated in a hollow, lay a vast stone which we supposed 
 either to have been too heavy for removal, or which had 
 been abandoned from some other motive. It is difficult to 
 estimate correctly the enormous labour necessary to hew out 
 these gigantic stones from their bed in the rocks, and to convey 
 them by a difficult and irregular track to their destination 
 at the city. Now-a-days science has placed many powerful 
 agencies at the disposal of the workman ; but at that dis- 
 tant date few, if any, of these existed. It is supposed that 
 the blocks were hewn and fashioned by means of a very 
 hard species of stone called chaystoiie ; and numerous frag- 
 ments of this are found among the ruins. 
 
 We enjoyed a fresh breeze upon the mountain top, and 
 gazed long and silently at the splendid panorama that lay 
 spread out around us on all sides. We felt that it would be 
 the last time we should behold it ; and as we at length turned 
 to descend, it was with regret that I withdrew my eyes from 
 the scene to fix them upon the rough and toilsome path by 
 which we had come. 
 
 * "Travels in Central America." By J. L. Stephens.
 
 - - TWO LOATHSOME MOXSTEES. 
 
 When we readied the river, which we struck at a spot a 
 short distance above the ruins, we halted for a little in order 
 to rest. The scene here was of coarse confined to the bed of 
 the river; bat even within that small compass how much 
 beauty was crowded [ At the foot of. the bank the Cbpan 
 vwifUy rushed onwards to the rains, its surface smooth and 
 unbroken, and reflect tr._- :-'.::._ i'.- ::.:: -;.-:- ''.::- :: :!-.-- 
 IKWWCU&, which merged into the man j hues of the mirrored 
 woods at either side. I cannot hope to picture to the reader 
 the rich softness of the foliage ; the glittering, waving crests 
 of the tall palms; the flower-sheeted breast of the forest 
 which fronted us ; and all the waving, trailing, gorgeous 
 entanglement with which tropical nature has so lavishly 
 endowed this country. The air was heavy with perfume; 
 misty spokes of light shot afar through the woods, revealing 
 their recesses, and here and there glowing on some blossom- 
 laden tree, about which flashed and whirred myriads of gaily- 
 coloured-humminig birds. 
 
 We sat on a rock by the edge of the river and watched 
 the current passing the wealth of foliage on the banks, so 
 smoothly and swiftly, and yet so silently, that it rather 
 seemed a strange illusion than a reality. Happening to 
 glance aside through the trees at our side of the river, I saw 
 a strange sight. Coiled round a branch about ten feet from 
 the ground, his long sinuous body twined through a fork, 
 and his tail appearing round the trunk of a tree, was a huge 
 snake, his head and part of his length hanging downwards 
 towards the ground, and his fangs extended ; while another 
 huge reptile lay coiled up underneath, with head erect and 
 distended jaws, between which the other seemed disposed to 
 strike. Whether this was a serpentine mode of salutation, 
 or whether the two loathsome monsters were about to fight, 
 neither of us could determine, and Will did not give them
 
 REPTILES. 297 
 
 time to show. Scarcely had he seen them when he faced 
 round, and with a very clever shot, considering that the 
 reptile was undulating backwards and forwards and was 
 about fifty yards distant, he smashed the pendent serpent's 
 head to atoms. I fired at the other, and the bullet struck 
 among his coils, but did not disable him. We ran after him, 
 and both of us kept up a fusilade, sometimes hitting and 
 often missing him in our hot haste. We finally killed him 
 On returning to the tree we saw the other still plunging and 
 writhing about in the last agonies, in pretty much the same 
 way as the one which, as the reader will remember, we 
 killed by the side of the road after leaving San Estevan. 
 The larger of these two reptiles was twenty feet in length, 
 and weighed, as well as we could judge, about two hundred- 
 weight. Their skins shone in the sun with a variety of 
 passing colours. Some people describe snakes as "beautiful * 
 or " graceful," and go into ecstasies over their hues. To me 
 they are inexpressibly disgusting. They are in the physical 
 what sin is in the moral order : and I never lost an op- 
 portunity of shooting them, which I felt to be almost a 
 religious duty. Between us, Will and I " used up a pretty 
 tall heap of snakes," as our old friend Rube would say. 
 during our sojourn in this country. On several occasions 
 we had very narrow escapes from being bitten by poisonous 
 species, of which there are many varieties. There are also 
 other intensely poisonous reptiles. There is a dull-looking 
 lizard the mere sight of which will scare the bravest tigrero 
 from the spot. It is said that this dreadful creature is so 
 poisonous that a mere touch upon a booted foot is suffi- 
 cient to cause death ! Mr. Frederick Boyle, who spent a 
 considerable time in Central America, and has given us a 
 very interesting narrative of his adventures, states that he 
 received from Dr. Flint of Granada an account of a reptile
 
 298 KEPTILES. 
 
 whose poisonous properties almost exceed belief. The first 
 case that came under the doctor's notice was that of a man 
 found dead one morning with the complete impress of a 
 lizard's body burned into his back ! A short search disclosed 
 the reptile's body. It was dead, having apparently been 
 crushed by the weight of the man lying on it. Another 
 case was that of a healthy young woman who put her foot 
 hardened, by long habit of walking barefoot, into the con- 
 sistency of leather upon one of these reptiles in the woods. 
 Though Dr. Flint used every remedy he could devise, she 
 finally died in great agony. This lizard seems to be almost 
 transparent, and is small, and slow in its movements. Very 
 little pressure will suffice to crush it, when a whitish liquid 
 exudes from the body.* Mr. Boyle also gives a very graphic 
 account of the tuboba and its surroundings : "Then suddenly 
 a shout and a scuffle. Amidst cries of ' Tuboba ! tuboba ! 
 sefior ! ' we hurry to the spot ; and there, in a scene of wild 
 confusion, we make our first acquaintance with that great 
 snake, the terror of Central America, the beautiful black 
 and brown 'tuboba.' He is not likely to wriggle away or 
 try to hide himself. Knowing his deadly power he stands 
 steadily before us ; his glassy eye looks straight in front ; he 
 does not deign to glance aside, though our every movement 
 is marked. The long coils of his body, so soft and satiny, 
 are quivering on the spring. His throat swells with rage 
 and venom, and his head begins to sway with an almost 
 imperceptible motion. For a moment we admire the graceful 
 curve of that raised neck, and then the poor tuboba lies 
 struggling upon the ground with a bullet through his skull. 
 But the insects and creeping things we unhoused,! how 
 odd they were. Great spiders with basilisk eyes, which 
 
 * "A Ride Across a Continent." By F. Boyle, 
 t From the wood-piles along the San Juan.
 
 LIVING JEWELS. 299 
 
 darted about . in a strange zigzag course ; hairy beetles and 
 flat cockroaches, which took to their wings and flew ; flat 
 soppy insects of hideously uncertain shape, which rolled 
 about under foot ; shiny black crickets, with long inquisitive 
 horns, which leaped into the air, and struck us in the face. 
 But there were others also. Living jeAvels flashed about the 
 displaced wood : lovely little frogs, that seemed made of 
 scarlet sealing-wax, scrambled about our feet and looked up 
 with eyes of emerald and topaz ; big iguanas, with coats of 
 shining green, scuttled over the grass, carrying their long 
 tails high above their backs ; flies of sapphire, with ruby 
 wings, hung quivering in the sunbeams that pierced the 
 tangled foliage. When the pale evening mists began to 
 climb the steamer's sides, the last logs were thrown on board, 
 and we rejoined our party." 
 
 We lay-to until the "pale evening mists" began to trail 
 slowly off' the Copan, and after the burning sun had sunk 
 beyond the forest and a green gloom began to gather among 
 the trees, we crossed the river and returned by the darkening 
 paths to the hacienda. As we passed the ruins we turned 
 to view them for the last time. We could faintly trace the 
 outlines of the great wall in the dim light, and at its foot 
 we could see the white foam thrown off" by the quick-rushing 
 river, which tilled the air with its chafing against rocks and 
 boulders. All beyond was swallowed up in foliage and in 
 shadow. A thousand flickering gleams, which danced on 
 uncertain courses, marked the flight of cocuyos and other 
 noctilucous insects ; the trees hung motionless in the still 
 air; and over the whole scene there was a brooding mystery, 
 which was due chiefly to the feelings drawn forth by the 
 desolate and silent city lying buried beyond the river. From 
 where we stood its monuments were invisible ; but they rose 
 before our minds, and we figured a far other scene, when,
 
 300 THE MORAL EFFECT OF THE MONUMENTS. 
 
 unknown generations ago, the temples and other vast struc- 
 tures, the walls and dwellings of the great city, rose among 
 their gardens, and the hum of teeming human life filled 
 the air. 
 
 " Of the moral effect of the monuments themselves, stand- 
 ing, as they do, in the depths of a tropical forest, silent and 
 solemn ; strange in design, excellent in sculpture, rich in 
 ornament, different from the works of any other people ; 
 their uses and purposes, their whole history so entirely 
 unknown ; with hieroglyphics explaining all, but perfectly 
 unintelligible we do not pretend to convey any idea. Often 
 the imagination was pained in gazing at them. The tone 
 which pervades the ruins is that of deep solemnity. An 
 imaginative mind might be infected with superstitious 
 feelings. From constantly calling them by that name in our 
 intercourse with the Indians, we regarded these solemn memo- 
 rials as ' idols,' deified kings and heroes, objects of adora- 
 tion and ceremonial worship. We did not find on either 
 the monuments or sculptured fragments any delineations of 
 human, or, in fact, of any other kind of sacrifice, but had no 
 doubt that the large sculptured stone invariably found before 
 each ' idol ' was employed as a sacrificial altar. The form of 
 sculpture most frequently met with was a death's head 
 sometimes the principal ornament, and sometimes only 
 accessory ; whole rows of them on the outer wall adding 
 gloom to the mystery of the place, keeping before the eyes 
 of the living death and the grave, presenting the idea of a 
 holy city the Mecca or Jerusalem of an unknown people. 
 
 " In regard to the age of this desolate city we shall not 
 at present offer any conjecture, although it can hardly be 
 doubted that its history is graven on its monuments. No 
 Champollion has yet brought to them the energies of his 
 inquiring mind. Who shall read them ?
 
 OUR LAST LOOK AT THE CITY. 301 
 
 ' Chaos of ruins ! who shall trace the void, 
 O'er the dim fragments cast a lunar light, 
 And say, " Here was, or is, where all was doubly night" ? ' 
 
 "In conclusion it may be remarked, that if this be the 
 place referred to by the Spanish historian as conquered by 
 Hernandez de Chaves, at that time its broken monuments, 
 terraces, pyramidal structures, portals, walls, and sculptured 
 figures were entire, and all were painted. The Spanish 
 soldiers must have gazed at them with astonishment and 
 wonder; and it seems strange that a European army could 
 have entered it without spreading its fame through official 
 reports of generals and exaggerated stories of soldiers at 
 least no European army could enter such a city now without 
 this result following. But the silence of the Spaniards may be 
 accounted for by the fact that those conquerors of America 
 were illiterate and ignorant adventurers, eager in pursuit of 
 gold and blind to everything else ; or, if reports were made, 
 the Spanish Government, with a jealous policy observed 
 down to the last moment of her dominion, suppressed every- 
 thing that might attract the attention of rival nations to her 
 American possessions." 
 
 We looked our last upon the remnants of the great city, 
 and as darkness was beginning to make dim the forest paths, 
 we turned away and followed our guides. The gloom of the 
 woods, and the solemn feelings which the deserted abodes of 
 the ancient inhabitants of the place had evoked, made us 
 unusually silent. We followed each other in Indian file 
 along the narrow track, which in many parts rather resembled 
 a tunnel hewn through some solid substance than a pathway 
 through a forest, so thickly interlaced at either side and 
 overhead were the tendrils of the various vines and parasites. 
 These passages were nearly pitch dark, and as we felt our way 
 along, it was trying to the nerves to hear the echoes answer-
 
 302 A PAIR OP JAGUARS. 
 
 ing the roars of a pair of jaguars that had started on their 
 nocturnal hunt. We reached the hacienda, however, un- 
 molested, but very much fatigued. We had visited the 
 ruins which we had come so far to see; and toilsome as the 
 journey had been, neither of us regretted having undertaken 
 it. The images of those vast monuments of a vanished 
 people will ever be fresh in my memory; and the feelings 
 with which their first appearance inspired me have, after the 
 lapse of years, lost none of their intensity. It was an 
 episode in my existence the recollection of which will survive 
 while life remains. This feeling has not been lessened by the 
 subsequent sight of other and greater ruins. No doubt first 
 impressions are strongest and take a firmer hold upon the 
 imagination ; and thus, while I cannot recall my visit to 
 Copan without emotion, I look back almost unmoved upon 
 the vast monuments of Palenque, although at the time these 
 excited sentiments as absorbing and apparently as deep.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LEAVE DON IGNACIO ENCUENTROS RUINS LOS AMATES IDOLS ALTARS THE 
 CURA CLIMATE WILD RAVINE THE MOTAOUA AGAIN OLD CHURCH THE 
 LECHUZ A SNAKES LIZARDS SANTA ROSALIA CHIMALAPA LADRONES 
 ATTACKED BY ROBBERS MISS OUR WAY CROSS THE MOUNTAINS GRAND 
 VIEW GUATEMALA "WHO EVER GOES TO GUATEMALA ?" LEAVE GUATEMALA 
 TECPAN RUINS DIFFICULT PASS LAKE OF ATITLAN DUCK-SHOOTING 
 VOLCANOES QUICHE CONVENT RUINS OF QUICHE. 
 
 THE next morning we took leave of our kind entertainer, 
 whose hospitality contributed so materially to our enjoyment, 
 and to whose kindness in furnishing us with men to clear 
 away the jungle we owe whatever we know of the interesting 
 relics of the great city. As we entered the forest (a different 
 part of the same in which we had been lost a few evenings 
 previously), we waved him our adieus ; then a turn in the 
 path hid him from our sight, and left him again to his 
 solitude. He was a man of cultivated mind, and possessed 
 much and varied knowledge. He had travelled in Europe, 
 and was familiar with most of its capitals and with some of 
 its celebrated men. Beautiful as was his place of exile from 
 civilized life, I am at a loss to understand how he could have 
 banished himself to such an out-of-the-way district, where so- 
 ciety was unknown and where his only relaxation was the chase. 
 I must now beg the reader to fancy himself back again at 
 Encuentros, a place where, as he will remember, we spent 
 the second night after our arrival in the country. Here we 
 learned by accident, and very greatly to our surprise, that
 
 304 ENCUENTROS. 
 
 there were large ruins in the neighbourhood. We had heard 
 nothing of them on the occasion of our previous visit to this 
 place ; indeed, even now that we knew of their existence 
 and made inquiries respecting them, we could find no one 
 able to give Us information. At length we found a man 
 who knew where they were and undertook to conduct us 
 to them. We could plainly perceive that our curiosity 
 with regard to these relics of past ages excited considerable 
 suspicion in the dull minds of the inhabitants. Archaeological 
 zeal was, of course, an unknown quantity to them, and some 
 interested motive, pecuniary or political, was ascribed to us. 
 This may account for the apathy or more decided objection 
 which was manifested to our explorations here as well as at 
 Palenque. I have no doubt that we should have found a 
 similar state of things at Copan had we not been fortunate 
 enough to have the assistance of Don Ignacio de Bellas, who, 
 being well known in the country and highly respected by 
 the natives, disarmed suspicion by being himself our com- 
 panion. It is hardly credible that we should have arrived 
 at Encuentros in search of antiquities, respecting which we 
 made many inquiries, and yet receive no hint of the presence 
 of large and interesting ruins in that vicinity. Intense 
 apathy or dull suspicion seems the alternative state of the 
 Central American mind. It would be unjust to ascribe this 
 character to the more educated classes ; but of the lower 
 class natives I fear it is hardly an exaggerated description. 
 I have little doubt that the ruins near Encuentros were well 
 known to every inhabitant of that place ; yet our request 
 for guides was met with a general confession of ignorance as 
 to the direction in which they lay, varied by an occasional 
 assertion that we had been deceived, and that they had no 
 existence at all ! However, as I have said, we at length 
 met with a man who offered to conduct us.
 
 AN ALLIGATOR. 305 
 
 He said that we should have to go down the river in a 
 canoe, and that therefore we must leave our mules behind. 
 With some misgiving as to the prudence of doing this we 
 decided to run the risk, and took our places in a fine 
 canoe belonging to our guide, twenty-five feet long and four 
 feet broad, hollowed out of the trunk of a mahogany 
 tree. 
 
 Upon the river we had some sport. There were numerous 
 aquatic birds, a good many of which we bagged. We were 
 told that in the lower reaches, towards the sea, alligators were 
 plentiful These monsters will attack bathers, or lie in wait 
 at a spot near a village where women come to draw water, 
 when they will make a sudden rush and sometimes succeed 
 in seizing a victim. They have even been known to attack 
 persons in boats or upon rafts. An instance of this kind 
 came under my own observation. While descending the 
 San Juan on a raft, in company with a naturalist in search 
 of new species, without any warning, the water alongside our 
 rough log-raft suddenly yawned, and through the spray up- 
 rose the hideous form of a great alligator ! His gaping jaws 
 were raised four feet above the water as he placed one of his 
 fore arms among the logs of the raft, and fixed his cold cruel 
 eye upon us. We were not a little startled by this hideous 
 apparition. A negro attendant hit him a heavy blow on the 
 snout with the steering-pole, when the monster subsided 
 beneath the surface, leaving the river agitated by great 
 waves on which our raft danced as if descending a rapid. 
 We were so much taken by surprise that neither of us had 
 time to use our weapons. The negro had more presence of 
 mind than we; and had he not struck with his pole, I have 
 no doubt that the alligator would have floundered on board, 
 and possibly might have swamped our raft. We kept a 
 sharp look-out for the reappearance of this audacious brute, 
 <"; 20
 
 306 LOS AMATES. 
 
 and we presently saw him rise to the surface, about fifty 
 yards off, among others of his kindred. Here he bubbled 
 and floated with just the outline of his back above water, 
 and the ridge at the top of his head exposed, in which are 
 placed the eyes. We both took a very careful aim at him, 
 and at the report of our rifles the monster gave a flap with 
 his tail that struck the water with a loud clap, and after 
 a few violent struggles subsided quietly. The others dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 In about two hours we reached Los Amates, a place not 
 far from El Poso, which is situated on the main road from 
 Ysabal to Guatemala. Los Amates is very picturesquely 
 situated on the bank of the river of the same name, which 
 here was about seventy yards broad, and in general from 
 three to four feet deep. 'There were deep pools at intervals ; 
 but there were few stretches of more than one hundred 
 yards where the river was not fordable on muleback. There 
 were several places where the channel was broader than 
 usual, and here the water was about two feet deep. We 
 were told that a little lower down the depth was never less 
 than three feet, so that vessels could reach that point by 
 ascending the Motagua from the sea, provided they did not 
 draw more than three feet. Some miles below Los Amates 
 we entered a forest of splendid cedars and mahogany trees. 
 The soil was moist and deep, and we sank over our ankles 
 in the mud and decayed vegetable matter, which, added to 
 the stifling heat, made this portion of the expedition any- 
 thing but pleasant. Our guide, however, pushed on rapidly, 
 and we struggled after him as best we could. In three 
 quarters of an hour we suddenly found ourselves confronted 
 by a pyramidal structure rising among the trees. It was 
 like a glimpse of Copan. The sides were furnished with 
 steps, perfect in several places, which enabled us to scramble
 
 SCULPTURES. 309 
 
 to the summit, twenty-five feet high ; and by other steps we 
 descended on the opposite side. An enormous head attracted 
 our attention at a little distance. It was nearly concealed 
 beneath a vast tree, and was besides covered with moss. It 
 was about six feet in diameter. Close to it was a large altar, 
 almost hidden under moss and creepers. We diverged in 
 several directions in search of more curiosities, and, at about 
 three hundred yards to the north of the pyramid above 
 mentioned, we came upon a number of vast monumental 
 idols bearing a close similarity to those of Copan, but of 
 much greater size. The first which we met with measured 
 about twenty feet in height, and five feet and a half broad 
 on two of its sides, and two feet eight inches on the 
 others. In front we discerned the figure of a man in fair 
 preservation ; and on the reverse side was sculptured what 
 seemed to be the figure of a woman, but this was so de- 
 faced that it was difficult to make it out. Up the sides 
 were hieroglyphics, which were in excellent preservation, 
 although cut in low relief; and these were, as far as we 
 were able to judge, exactly similar to the inscriptions at 
 Copan. 
 
 Another great idol rises to the height of twenty -three feet 
 out of the ground, and has representations of men in the 
 front and back; and, like the preceding one, has hieroglyphics 
 cut in low relief on the sides. 
 
 Not many yards distant is another tall obelisk, twenty-six 
 feet high. This is the most curious relic at this place. It 
 has become deflected from the perpendicular so far that its 
 summit overhangs its base by more than twelve feet ; and it 
 is prevented from falling partly by the depth to which it 
 penetrates the earth, and partly by a large tree that has 
 opportunely grown against it in such a manner as to form a 
 support. On the side which overhangs the ground is carved
 
 310 QUIRIGUA. 
 
 the figure of a mail, which time has hardly injured. It is 
 singularly perfect, and its execution is remarkably good. The 
 opposite side seemed to bear a similar representation; but 
 this was so covered with moss and other vegetable matter 
 that we could not observe accurately. The remaining sides, 
 as in the other cases, bore tablets of hieroglyphics. Near 
 by lies a large statue, about ten feet in length, but completely 
 covered with creepers ; and another, of similar description, 
 lies on its back, its stony eyes fixed in an eternal stare upon 
 the heavens overhead. 
 
 Besides these there are four others of lesser size, but much 
 broken and worn by time and weather ; and among them 
 were altars overgrown by vegetation, which concealed their 
 exact form and dimensions. One of these, we remarked, was 
 placed upon a little mound or hillock, and was surrounded 
 by a low wall of stones. In the middle of this circular space, 
 at the bottom of a hollow to which access is had by descend- 
 ing very narrow steps, is a great round block of stone 
 ornamented with hieroglyphical inscriptions, and resting on 
 what we conjectured to be two immense heads. 
 
 This whole neighbourhood was clearly at some remote 
 period the site of a great city of pretty much the same type 
 as Copan, but, I should think, of considerably less extent. 
 The remains are of an inferior description to those at Copan; 
 the sculpture is not so rich, and is much more defaced, owing 
 perhaps to much greater antiquity. The ruins at Quirigua 
 form a mystery which will probably never be unravelled. 
 This city was most likely inhabited by people of the same 
 race as that which built Copan. " For centuries it has lain 
 as completely buried as if covered with the lava of Vesuvius. 
 Every traveller from Ysabal to Guatemala has passed within 
 three hours of it we ourselves had done the same ; and yet 
 there it lay, like the rock-built city of Edom, unvisitecl,
 
 DIVIDED OPINIONS. 311 
 
 unsought, and utterly unknown."* We wandered about in 
 the sweltering jungle for a considerable time, frequently 
 coming upon a monument, a building, a crumbling wall, an 
 idol, or an altar, all speaking with mute eloquence of a 
 people passed away and utterly forgotten. I cannot hope to 
 transfuse into my readers the sensations awakened by the 
 sight of these ruins. However accurate and vivid might be 
 the description, it would lack the elements which render an 
 actual visit so impressive. To inspect the remains of the 
 ancient abodes of our race, the history of which we know, 
 and with the causes which led to their destruction and 
 abandonment we are familiar, is productive of deep and 
 solemn feeling. But when we come upon memorials of a 
 vanished people, once civilized and powerful, as we know 
 from their works, but of whom no other traces remain, and 
 to whose history we possess no key their temples and their 
 altars, the gods in whom they trusted, and their dwellings, 
 alike overthrown and buried for unknown years in forest 
 and jungle we feel our souls stirred by new and strange 
 emotions. Dull indeed must he be who can behold these 
 monuments unmoved, or whose feelings are proof against 
 their pathos ! 
 
 We returned to Encuentros, and our first thought was to 
 see if our mules were all right. We found a crowd of 
 loiterers hanging round the shed where we had left them, 
 listening to our guides' account of our strange behaviour in 
 searching for old buildings and idols at Copan. Opinion 
 seemed to be divided with regard to our sanity, but every 
 one agreed that our conduct was very strange and suspicious. 
 Finding the mules and our baggage all right, we visited the 
 cura in order to obtain his aid in getting lodgings for the 
 night. We were very kindly received, and on hearing the 
 
 * "Travels in Central America." By .1. L. Stephens.
 
 312 THE CURA. 
 
 nature of our business, the good padre gave us a very warm 
 invitation to his own house. During our sojourn in the 
 country we had many opportunities of observing the daily 
 duties which fall to the lot of the clergy. In addition to 
 performing all the services of the Church, visiting the sick 
 and performing the last offices at the graves of his parishion- 
 ers, the cura is looked upon by every one, young and old, 
 among his flock, as a father to be venerated, a friend to be 
 loved, and a counsellor whose advice is ever open to all that 
 seek it. " The door of the convent was always open, and 
 Indians were constantly resorting to him : a man who had 
 quarrelled with his neighbour ; a wife who had been badly 
 treated by her husband ; a father whose son had been carried 
 off as a soldier ; a young girl deserted by her lover ; all who 
 were in trouble or affliction, came to him for advice and 
 consolation, and none went away without it." Such is the 
 character given by Mr. Stephens of the hard-working Central 
 American cura. 
 
 We retired to rest early, being much fatigued by the 
 labours of the day. We were called by our host at an early 
 hour on the following morning, and we rose at once in order 
 to start on our journey to Guatemala. Our curiosity on the 
 subject of ruins had been rather stimulated than satisfied by 
 an inspection of Copan and Quirigua, and we now determined 
 to push on to Palenque, visiting en route whatever similar 
 remains the time at our command would enable us to see. 
 
 I have not space sufficient to give the details of our journey 
 from Encuentros to Guatemala. We had our moments of 
 pleasure and our periods of fatigue and discomfort, which 
 are inseparable from every human undertaking, but which 
 we had now begun to regard as too commonplace to excite 
 particular attention. We crossed the plain which lies be- 
 tween Encuentros and the mountain of Quesaltepeque; which
 
 QUESALTEPEQUE. 313 
 
 with its thick woods and deep miry paths reminded us 
 unpleasantly of our never-to-be-forgotten ride over the Mico 
 mountain, when, as the reader will remember, we were first 
 introduced to the difficulties of Central American travel. 
 
 There is one matter to which I have perhaps omitted to 
 give due prominence in this narrative; that is, the climate 
 of these regions. The innumerable mountain chains, as well 
 as the proximity of two oceans, necessarily induce a great 
 rainfall ; and although at the season of our visit the weather 
 was unusually dry, there were many days on which we 
 had tremendous rains. This great moisture acted upon in 
 the stifling forests by the hot atmosphere renders fever 
 prevalent in some districts. By our great precautions we 
 escaped this danger during the whole time we were in the 
 country. We carefully avoided camping on low grounds or 
 near stagnant water; and if we got wet, we put on dry clothes 
 as soon as possible. We were also particular as to what 
 water we drank, using a little brandy as a corrective when 
 occasion required; and of course we were provided with some 
 quinine. These precautions were only needful in exceptional 
 localities. 
 
 As we ascended Quesaltepeque thick black clouds were 
 descending from its summit, and reeked in and out of the 
 gorges and among the trees like the smoke of a factory. 
 Soon heavy rain began to fall. It came down all at once, 
 just as if it had been held aloft in some receptacle the bottom 
 of which had suddenly fallen out ! The path ran like a mill- 
 race, and our mules plunged and waded through the deep 
 slush, ever straining upwards, often slipping and staggering 
 from side to side, and now and then fairly sticking in the 
 yawning depths of the coffee-coloured mud. Our motto was 
 "Excelsior," and we presented no bad image of heroes press- 
 ing towards their goal through bad repute and good repule
 
 314 ESQUIPULAS. 
 
 and all the difficulties and obstacles usually lying in the path 
 of duty. 
 
 From the summit we beheld the plain of Esquipulas, 
 bounded in the distance by a high range of pine -clad 
 mountains. A transitory gleam of sunshine lighted up the 
 vast prospect, banishing in a moment the deep gloom of the 
 clouds. But it slowly faded out, leaving the shadows ap- 
 parently deeper than it found them. It was like an April 
 day at home alternate sunshine and showers. But the 
 sun was twice as hot, and the rain very much heavier, 
 than the vernal sun or showers of Britain. In a passing 
 gleam, a sheaf of beams fell upon and lighted up the gray 
 walls of the great church of Esquipulas, pointing, like the 
 finger of Heaven, to this monument raised by the piety of 
 the natives of past days. We passed through the village 
 without halting, very much to the discontent of our guides, 
 who grumbled loudly at our want of consideration. Crossing 
 a beautiful stream overhung by palms, whose nodding crests 
 were reflected in the crystal water, we pushed up the oppo- 
 site bank through a wild ravine, where jutting rocks gave a 
 stern air to the scene, softened by the ever-present luxuriance 
 of tropical vegetation. We passed close by the brink of a 
 deep precipice, on a projecting ledge of rock of natural 
 formation ; and at one part, where this ceased, it had to be 
 supplemented by an embankment built from the bottom. 
 On the inside of the narrow track rose a wall of rock as 
 perpendicular as the side of a house. At the bottom of the 
 precipice rushed the stream, lately beautiful and peaceful, 
 but here a torrent dashing furiously from boulder to boulder, 
 and wheeling in mad eddies around the flanks of the rocks. 
 Its hoarse thunder reverberated among the cliffs, and by 
 no means tended to steady the nerves. We shortly de- 
 scended to its bed by a broken and very difficult track,
 
 " GOT THE DEAD DROP." 315 
 
 and climbed up the opposite side of the gorge, which soon 
 terminated, both cliffs approaching and merging together. 
 At this point was situated a small farm-house, and noth- 
 ing wilder or more picturesque than its situation can be well 
 imagined. On one side the view extended down the rough 
 precipitous ravine I have described, and on the other lay a 
 pleasant valley, fertile and pleasantly varied with wood and 
 meadow. 
 
 Late in the afternoon we entered the village of San 
 Jacinto, where, as at Encuentros, we became the guests of 
 the good padre. 
 
 The next morning Will and I rose early. Indeed, neither 
 of us had much wish to lie abed longer than darkness con- 
 tinued, for the heat and mosquitoes rendered it well-nigh 
 impossible to sleep. We went down to the Motagua and 
 enjoyed a most invigorating bath in a sequestered pool 
 calm as a mirror, and reflecting on its peaceful surface the 
 dappled sky and rich vegetation which lined the banks. A 
 large heron, something like the Jabiru crane, stood at the 
 opposite side up to his knees in the water. Will, who had 
 his rifle, "got the dead drop" on the graceful bird; and 
 with the report it collapsed and floated a wreck upon the 
 water. Several other birds shared the same fate ; but as 
 they were all shot across the river, we did not feel disposed 
 to take the trouble to retrieve any of them. We were for- 
 tunate, however, in securing a specimen of the splendid 
 Re de zopilotes, or king vulture, a most magnificent bird. 
 I had never previously examined one of these great raptorials, 
 and evil-smelling though he was, I could not help admiring 
 the wonderful beauty of his appearance. Strange that so 
 exquisite a garb should conceal a carcass of such horror ! 
 
 On returning to the village we found that the padre had 
 not been idle during our absence. On the table was an
 
 316 CORK BUTTER. 
 
 appetizing repast of chocolate, sweet-bread, sausages, corn- 
 bread, honey, and, mirabile dictu, Cork butter ! I have heard 
 that at a state banquet given to a certain traveller the King of 
 Dahomey once produced some Cork butter ; but I never ex- 
 pected to find it on the table of the cura of San Jacinto. 
 Truth compels me to say that its travels had not improved 
 its quality, though what that had been at the time of its 
 inspection in the market I was unable to conjecture. 
 
 After breakfast we set out, very much refreshed and 
 bearing away very pleasant recollections of the hospitality 
 we had received from our kind entertainer. 
 
 During this day's journey we enjoyed the novelty of tra- 
 velling along a level road for a considerable distance. It 
 was bordered on both sides by cultivated lands, which were 
 evidently extremely fertile and productive. At one point, 
 not far from Chiquhnula, we passed the spot at which we 
 had turned off to follow the difficult route that leads to 
 Copan. In a solitary, uneventful existence, a long stretch 
 of time, for the want of incidents to measure it off like 
 mile-stones into periods, appears comparatively short. When 
 many stirring or at least interesting occurrences take place 
 within a limited period, their effect is to give rise to an 
 impression that an indefinitely extended time has elapsed. 
 It was thus with us. The sight of this track recalled to my 
 mind that barely a month had passed since we travelled over 
 it on our way to view the great ruins, and I could hardly 
 believe that all the incidents which had taken place had 
 been crowded into that short interval. Shortly after, we 
 passed the old ruined church which I have already mentioned, 
 and entered the town of Chiquimula, which now seemed to 
 us quite a centre of civilization after our sojourn among the 
 forests. It has a good plaza, adorned with a very handsome 
 fountain, overshadowed by a picturesque group of palms.
 
 THE LECHUZA. 317 
 
 We spent the night here, and started at a very early hour 
 the next morning. Our route led us past the old church, 
 and in the gray twilight its great size seemed even greater. 
 The interior was black as a cavern ; and from the darkness 
 came the startling cry of the lechuza, a maniacal gurgling 
 scream, which might easily be supposed to be the death-cry 
 of the victim of some assassin instead of being the scream of 
 the great Mexican owl. This creature preys upon squirrels, 
 rabbits, and other small animals and birds. In the solitude 
 of the great woods it almost takes one's breath away to hear 
 this wild, weird cry pealing through the dismal vistas when 
 Night is shrouding objects with her sombre veil, confusing 
 their outlines, and often simulating with very innocent 
 materials many a strange form. The traveller hardly knows 
 by what creatures he is surrounded ; and the creations of 
 his fancy, as well as those vague figures I have alluded 
 to, seem to become instinct with life as the hideous and 
 thrilling screams of the lechuza ring through the woods. 
 
 Passing by a small stagnant pool with marshy edges and 
 surrounded by trees, where the tall sedge and many lovely 
 plants rioted in a rank luxuriance, we heard the loud, clear, 
 metallic tones of the bell frog ; which, however, dwells upon 
 trees and not in the water. From this peculiarity it is some- 
 times known as the "green tree frog." 
 
 The tree toad is another creature that swells the chorus 
 of reptile and insect life. Its cry resembles the syllables 
 " 11-1-1-uk," and, according to the natives, is most frequently 
 repeated before rain. There is another very minute specimen 
 of the hylce, sometimes known in the southern parts of the 
 Union as the "savanna cricket," which with its tiny trill- 
 ing cry tries to rival the louder notes of its great kindred. 
 While passing under some low-hanging branches, the guides 
 cautioned Will and me, who followed each other in single
 
 318 THE CULEBUA TIGRE. 
 
 file, to avoid a thick liana that was looped around them. 
 Just as I ducked under it, to my horror and amazement it 
 slid along the branches and disappeared ! What we had 
 taken for the twining stem of a liana was in fact a great 
 snake, most likely a macaurel, which lay loosely coiled among 
 the branches. This reptile reaches a great size, and bears 
 considerable resemblance to the boa both in its colour and 
 general habits. It is a tree-climber, whither it resorts in 
 pursuit of monkeys, birds, or other creatures. There are 
 many kinds of snakes in Central America, among which may 
 be mentioned the culebra tigre or tiger-snake ; so called from 
 its markings, which resemble those of the tigre or jaguar. 
 When about to strike, this reptile coils itself and elevates 
 its head to a height of several feet from the ground. We 
 killed a tiger-snake in the woods by the Motagua which 
 measured eleven feet long, and we were told of others that 
 had been seen in that neighbourhood twelve feet or more in 
 length. Another venomous snake, the cascabel, is common 
 in some parts. This snake is said to be identical with the 
 rattlesnake. Perhaps the most deadly of the serpent tribe, 
 however, is the " beautiful " coral snake. There is said to 
 be an antidote to its bite, the mikania gwico, or guaco plant, 
 the juice of which is supposed to be efficacious in allaying 
 the dangerous symptoms, which otherwise would speedily end 
 in death. 
 
 As the sun rose we saw the familiar forms of various 
 species of lizards warming themselves in his beams. Among 
 the most curious of these creatures may be mentioned the 
 so-called "basilisk," to which our credulous ancestors 
 ascribed the terrible power of inflicting death by its glance. 
 This lizard measures about five inches in length : it lives 
 almost entirely upon insects, and being semi-aquatic in its 
 habits, is found by the banks of streams. The natives relish
 
 THE IGUANA. 319 
 
 its flesh, which they assert is as palatable as that of the 
 great iguana. This last is the largest of its kind. It often 
 measures upwards of three feet in length. It is furnished 
 with a singular serrated ridge or crest, which reaches from 
 the top of the head, along the back, to a point about mid- 
 way in the tail. Beneath its throat will be found a loose 
 fold of skin, which hangs from the jaw to the breast, to 
 which it is attached. The colour of the iguana seems to 
 vary with the sex. The males are in general a dull green, 
 while the females have frequently been observed of a much 
 lighter hue. It is propagated from eggs, which, after the 
 fashion of the South American turtles, are laid in holes in 
 the sand or soil by the margins of streams, often to the 
 number of thirty or forty in a single nest. These eggs are 
 esteemed a great delicacy by the natives, and are eagerly 
 sought after. The flesh of this giant lizard is white, and 
 much resembles chicken. Those who overcome their first 
 repugnance to it become very fond of it, and it really is 
 very good eating. 
 
 When pursued, the iguana takes refuge in trees, among 
 which it is quite at home. It has been known, however, 
 when hard pressed, to plunge into rivers or other water, 
 where it disappears most mysteriously. Being gifted with 
 the faculty of retaining its breath for a considerable time, 
 it is enabled to remain under water without reappearing, 
 and thus many escape. 
 
 We saw several of these interesting but rather repulsive- 
 looking reptiles on our way from Chiquimula over the sierra 
 to the Motagua ; and our guides secured one of them with a 
 lasso or noosed rope, when he jerked it to the ground and 
 killed it with his machete. We tasted its flesh, and al- 
 though somewhat prejudiced, we found it tender and much 
 like chicken in flavour and appearance.
 
 320 DISTRESSING SENSATIONS. 
 
 Towards evening we arrived at the village of Santa 
 Rosalia, which is situated at a bend of the river where the 
 bank projects into the stream. Although its situation is 
 eminently beautiful both in itself and in its surroundings, 
 the village was a poor affair, consisting merely of a few 
 thatched huts. It sufficed, however, for our purposes. We 
 got accommodation for ourselves and our mules, and what 
 more did we want 1 
 
 The next day we passed along a level road, having the 
 Motagua, which we regarded as an old friend, on our right, 
 and the mountains of Vera Paz culminating the landscape 
 against the sky. We halted at a small village, Fisioli, at 
 midday, to refresh both ourselves and our animals, as our 
 ride had been long and the day was excessively hot and 
 oppressive. When the heat is accompanied by great moisture 
 in the air, it becomes almost unbearable. One's spine be- 
 comes a mere piece of india-rubber, incapable of upholding 
 the body, and any exertion is almost impossible. On days 
 when there is a dry heat, these distressing sensations are not 
 nearly so marked. About five o'clock in the evening we 
 reached a kind of table-land covered with what at first sight 
 I took to be vast orchards of apple trees in full blossom. 
 These trees I was unable to identify. They were loaded 
 with beautiful flowers, and among them grew giant tunos or 
 cacti with great candelabra-like arms fifteen to twenty feet 
 in length. 
 
 It was beginning to get dark as we reached Chimalapa, 
 and here we put up at the Cabildo, a species of town hall 
 which is availed of as a caravansary by travellers. This 
 was a spacious building, well plastered and white-washed, 
 which gave it a clean and cool appearance, very refreshing to 
 tired and half-baked wayfarers like us. 
 
 The next day, as was our custom, we started at a very
 
 ROBBERS. 321 
 
 early hour. The morning's ride was always pleasant, the 
 air was cool, and the effects of the gradual illumining of 
 the landscape by the rising sun were always beautiful, and 
 often almost sublime, especially among the mountains. 
 Sombre peaks gradually caught the glow, becoming flushed 
 and rose-hued. Floating mists, which often filled the valleys, 
 became tinged with gorgeous colour and slowly dispersed ; 
 and above, the heavens offered every variety of cloud, vary- 
 ing in size, shape, and colour, from minute to minute. 
 
 On the next day we had an adventure which broke in 
 upon the monotony of our travels. After leaving Guasta- 
 toya we saw several figures ahead of us on the road. No 
 sooner did they perceive us following them than they sepa- 
 rated, some going to one side of the road and the remainder 
 to the other side. We thought this manoeuvre rather sus- 
 picious, and both of us got our rifles ready in case their 
 services might be required. On arriving within a few yards 
 of the men, they came out of the bushes at both sides of 
 the road simultaneously, and ordered us to halt. They 
 looked very truculent ruffians ; and all of them, I have no 
 doubt, would be condemned in any court in Christendom 
 from their evil looks alone. 
 
 They all carried machetes bare in their hands ; and one 
 fellow, who seemed their leader, had in addition an old 
 horse-pistol, which he presented at me. I happened to be 
 in front, and being thus peremptorily summoned to halt, and 
 not being anxious to shed blood, I did so. No doubt these 
 fellows had grown bold from the impunity with which they 
 had attacked and robbed their own countrymen ; and prob- 
 ably they were under the delusion that we would give in, 
 notwithstanding that we were armed, as easily as their 
 accustomed victims. While I was parleying with the leader, 
 who demanded with the most horrible oaths and threats that 
 
 (814) 21
 
 322 FIRED AT THE RUFFIAN. 
 
 we should instantly throw down our arms and hand over 
 whatever money or other valuables we possessed, Will, who 
 was close behind, fired at the ruffian and shot him dead on 
 the spot. One of the gang rushed at me with his machete 
 raised, but was met with a ball in the heart that stretched 
 him out on his face without a groan or the least motion. 
 The others dived through the chapparal like jungle cocks and 
 disappeared. We left the robbers where they fell, and on 
 looking back from a little distance, we saw that with the 
 extraordinary instinct of their species, several zopilotes 
 were already congregating to the banquet. Had we re- 
 turned a few hours later, we should have found nothing 
 of the robbers except their well-polished bones. There are 
 many species of insects that act the part of Nature's scaven- 
 gers as well as the vultures ; and these in a very short 
 time divest of every particle of flesh any animal that finally 
 succumbs to the bullet of the hunter, or that dies a natural 
 death in the woods. It excites strange feelings thus to see 
 how quickly and with what ease proud, conceited man, is 
 removed from the sphere of his hopes and of his actions, 
 whether good or evil. A few bones mark for a little time 
 the place where he fell ; but these too disappear, and there 
 remains no trace of that being for whom the world itself was 
 hardly large enough so lately. 
 
 We feared that this incident would get us into trouble. 
 But luckily the robbers, who were a notorious gang, were 
 afraid to venture within reach of the law in order to have 
 the matter investigated. Although we had acted in self-defence 
 we would have been by no means certain to be exempt from 
 considerable annoyance if the ruffians had notified the occur- 
 rence to the alcalde of Guastatoya. We said nothing about 
 it, of course, and our guides preserved a discreet silence. 
 
 As we advanced, the country became better cultivated, the
 
 LOSE THE TRACK. 323 
 
 road being bordered by fields separated from each other by 
 hedges; and here and there we observed a hacienda, generally 
 placed in a commanding and picturesque situation. This 
 cultivated tract, however, soon gave place to a rugged ravine, 
 so wild and apparently so unfrequented that I began to 
 think we must have missed our way and wandered off the 
 road to the city of Guatemala. 
 
 This proved to be the case ; and after a good deal of 
 trouble and delay we again got upon the right track, and at 
 nightfall arrived at a farm-house, where we were kindly 
 lodged by the proprietor, who informed us that we had 
 arrived within a day's journey of the city. 
 
 On continuing our journey the next day, the road soon 
 began to ascend the steep and rugged sides of a mountain, 
 from which the eye took in a vast extent of country, all ap- 
 parently as wild and uninhabited as it may have been three 
 hundred years ago. When we gained the summit, we be- 
 held below us a magnificent amphitheatre formed by great 
 mountain ranges enclosing a vast hollow ; and here we 
 discerned a small white speck, which our guides told us 
 was the village of El Puente. Descending the mountain 
 we gained the valley at its foot ; and here the road passed 
 over a deep, wild ravine, by a stone arch which spanned the 
 dashing waters of a brook. On the other side of the valley 
 we commenced to ascend the ridge that enclosed it in that 
 direction ; and from this the view was extraordinarily grand 
 and impressive. Behind lay the valley we had crossed, the 
 trees and village of El Puente dwarfed by distance, and sur- 
 rounded by a great ridge of mountains five thousand feet in 
 height, their sides here and there glistening with waterfalls, 
 embellished with forests, or exhibiting patches of pasture 
 that shone in the bright sunlight with the sheen of emeralds. 
 We continued along the lofty ridge which divides the valley
 
 324 THE BULL AND THE JAGUAR. 
 
 at one side from that at the other ; and as \ve advanced, some 
 new object or some new point of view constantly arrested our 
 attention or excited our admiration. Passing through a 
 wood of pines, which showed the great elevation of our posi- 
 tion, we descended the range, and in an hour gained a large 
 cattle estate, or hacienda de ganados, where we saw many 
 hundreds of fine cattle, large, "loose-boned," long-horned 
 animals, roaming over the fine pastures on the lower slopes 
 of the mountain. We noticed that a fine young bull was 
 much marked about the shoulders and back with deep scars 
 and gashes ; and on questioning a vaquero the man told us 
 that these injuries had been inflicted by a jaguar that had 
 leaped upon the animal from a rocky ledge near a spring 
 upon the mountain side. The powerful beast in his first 
 spring dealt the bull a blow that knocked it down; and while 
 lying thus at his mercy, he would no doubt have made short 
 work of it had it not been for the opportune aid given by 
 another bull, which charged the jaguar as he squatted on the 
 body of his victim, and rolled him over and over. The 
 wounded bull then rose and assisted his bold brother, and 
 between them they put the great cat to flight. The oddest 
 thing was that this adventure had caused a bond of union to 
 spring up between the animals, which constantly grazed side 
 by side or lay close to each other upon the grass, although 
 before the incident no such good feeling existed between 
 them. The wounds were very deep and were still angry- 
 looking notwithstanding that they were attended to every 
 day by the vaquero, and dressed with some composition to 
 keep off the flies and to promote healing. 
 
 After crossing a broad ravine, we at last beheld ourselves 
 at the gates of Guatemala. But where was the city ? We 
 entered and advanced between rows of wretched huts, in 
 front of which lounged their occupants, mostly lower class
 
 A RUFFIANLY RABBLE. 325 
 
 " greasers " and half-drunken Indians and soldiers. Fires 
 were lighted on the road, and at these, great pieces of meat 
 were being roasted for the soldiers, a large number of whom 
 were then in the city. They certainly looked vile ruffians, 
 their scowling, besotted faces, bearing plainly the impress of 
 the free indulgence of every low passion. Their "uniform" 
 was a matter of individual taste or the result of accident. 
 All had large straw hats, through which appeared in many 
 instances the shock hair of the wearers. Their arms were 
 old flint-lock muskets, with here and there a percussion lock ; 
 and to these were fixed bayonets, which I should say had 
 never been cleaned, or perhaps had not even been unfixed, 
 since first put on. 
 
 A more ruffianly rabble it would be hard to find, or even 
 to imagine. As these fellows were capable of any atrocity, 
 we were very careful to keep clear of them ; and after passing 
 them we found ourselves at the foot of a long straight street 
 which seemed to lead away into the city. We searched in 
 vain for a long time before we could find anything in the 
 shape of a hotel. Even an inquiry for such an accommoda- 
 tion seemed to excite both astonishment and amusement. I 
 do not know whether Guatemala boasts of hotels at the 
 present day ; but, incredible as it may appear, this state 
 capital was utterly ignorant of their necessity at this time. 
 When Mr. Stephens visited Guatemala his inquiries for 
 hotels excited some ridicule. " What's the use of a hotel in 
 Guatemala 1 Who ever goes to Guatemala 1" was the answer 
 he received from a gentleman to whom he applied for in- 
 formation. 
 
 At length strange that success so rarely favours any one 
 at first we got sumptuous lodgings in a house taken care of 
 for the owners by a mulatto who had held a command in 
 former years in General Carrera's army. It was the first
 
 326 THE HEIGHT OF LUXURY. 
 
 time we had even seen a bed since leaving Don Ignacio de 
 Sellas's hospitable house at Copan, and it may therefore be 
 readily supposed that when we were each accommodated 
 with a luxurious mattress on an ebony and gold four-poster, 
 over which was hung crimson netting, we slept the sleep of 
 the just. The height of luxury was reached when we were 
 shown to a spacious bath-room. The water, however, was 
 supplied in buckets to the cistern ; but there was plenty of 
 it, and we were prodigal in our ablutions. Probably never 
 before had so much water been used in that house. But we 
 could not reconcile the existence of a bath-room in Guatemala 
 with the absence of a hotel. It was unintelligible why there 
 should have been civilization enough in the place to produce 
 the one and not to produce the other. Speaking of this city, 
 which now contains a population of about fifty thousand, 
 Mr. Stephens says : " Situated in the Tierras templadas, or 
 temperate regions, on a table-land five thousand feet above 
 the sea, the climate of Guatemala is that of perpetual spring, 
 and the general aspect reminded me of the best class of 
 Italian cities. It is laid out in blocks of from three to four 
 hundred feet square, the streets parallel and crossing each 
 other at right angles. The houses, made to resist the action 
 of earthquakes, are of only one story, but very spacious, with 
 large doors and windows protected by iron balconies. In 
 the centre of the city stands the Plaza, a square of one 
 hundred and fifty yards on each side, paved with stone, with 
 a colonnade on three sides. On one of these stands the old 
 Viceregal Palace and Hall of the Audiencia ; on another are 
 the Cabildo and other city buildings ; on the third the 
 Custom-House and Palace of the ci-devant marquisate of 
 Aycinena ; and on the fourth side is the Cathedral, a beautiful 
 edifice in the best style of modern architecture, with the 
 Archiepiscopal Palace on one side and the Colegio de los
 
 GUATEMALA HOUSES. 327 
 
 Infantes on the other. In the centre is a large stone fountain 
 of imposing workmanship, supplied with pipes from the 
 mountains about two leagues distant ; and the area is used as 
 a market-place. The churches and convents correspond with 
 the beauty of the Plaza, and their costliness and grandeur 
 would attract the attention of tourists in Italy or old Spain. 
 
 "The foundation of the city was laid in 1776, a year 
 memorable in our own annals " (Mr. Stephens was an 
 American), " and when our ancestors thought but little of 
 the trouble of their neighbours. At that time the old capital, 
 twenty -five miles distant, shattered and destroyed by earth- 
 quakes, was abandoned by its inhabitants, and the present 
 was built in the rich valley of Las Vaccas in a style com- 
 mensurate with the dignity of a captain-generalship of Spain. 
 I have seldom been more favourably impressed with the first 
 appearance of any city, and the only thing that pained me 
 in a two hours' stroll through the streets was the sight of 
 Carrera's ragged and insolent-looking soldiers ; and my first 
 idea was that in any city in Europe or the United States the 
 citizens, instead of submitting to be lorded over by such 
 barbarians, would rise en masse and pitch them out of the 
 gates." 
 
 Some of the houses in Guatemala are constructed in a very 
 agreeable manner. That in which we put up, having been 
 built some ten or fifteen years previously to our visit for a 
 rich citizen, is worth describing. It formed a square, one 
 side fronting the street, from which access was gained to a 
 large court-yard in the interior by a covered passage, in which 
 was the porter's lodge. This passage was paved with lozenges 
 of black and white marble. The patio or court-yard was 
 similarly paved round all its sides, the centre being occupied 
 by a small garden filled with beautiful subtropical plants 
 and parterres of flowers, bending beneath the silver showers
 
 328 MAKING HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES. 
 
 plentifully sprinkled over them by a fountain which threw 
 the water outwards from small pipes arranged circularly. 
 The windows of the various rooms looked out on this square 
 from under the shelter of a deep portico which was sup- 
 ported on columns ; and as this was roofed, it afforded in 
 the evenings a very pleasant promenade all round the patio, 
 while during the heat of the day this advantage was also 
 available beneath its shade. Near the outer entrance from 
 the street was a large sala or reception-room with a handsome 
 window opening on a balcony overhanging the street; and 
 next to this were several other spacious apartments, rather 
 scantily furnished according to English ideas ; but this was 
 compensated for by polished floors inlaid in pretty patterns 
 with different -coloured woods, and handsome projecting 
 cornices, which were supported by light Corinthian columns. 
 This colonnade round the rooms had a novel and pleasing 
 effect, and the pillars being reflected in the polished surface 
 of the floors, gave the rooms a wonderfully glittering, mirror- 
 like appearance. At one end of the comedor or dining-room 
 a door gave access to a large, airy bed-room, with a highly 
 polished floor and lighted by two windows which reached 
 quite to the cornice from the floor. Outside, these windows 
 were connected by a broad balcony roofed over, and orna- 
 mented with statues and caryatides holding lamps. Large 
 vases filled with pretty flowering shrubs formed an agreeable 
 screen along the outer side of the balcony. In fact this 
 house was altogether a good specimen of the dwellings of the 
 better classes in Guatemala. The mulatto officer, we learned, 
 was merely in charge of the house during the absence of its 
 owners, who had gone to Zonzonate. In the meantime he 
 was glad to make hay while the sun shone ; that is, to pocket 
 whatever he could by letting lodgings in the house. 
 
 We left Guatemala with regret. It was bright and
 
 AN UGLY PLACE. 329 
 
 tolerably clean, and we longed to lounge away a week or two 
 there, to rest after our travels. But unluckily we had not 
 time, and however reluctant we were to go, we had to start 
 on the morning following our arrival. We did not wish to 
 give up visiting Palenque, and that would consume the 
 greater portion of the time which we had at our disposal. 
 So malgre nous "boot and saddle" was our cry at dawn. 
 Passing successively Mixco and Guatemala Antigua, we 
 reached Patsum on the third day. This is a large Indian 
 village situated on the high-road to Mexico, in the midst of a 
 country of varied beauty, in some parts well cultivated and 
 in others wild and desolate. At this place we turned off by 
 a narrow track, and proceeded across a vast plateau five or 
 six thousand feet above sea level. At this great elevation 
 the air was cool and exhilarating, and we trotted briskly 
 along, admiring the splendid prospects that frequently opened 
 as we advanced. 
 
 We noticed two considerable hillocks or mounds on the 
 right of the road, similar to those in the valley of the Missis- 
 sippi, and these were without doubt relics of the ancient 
 inhabitants of the country. At this point the road ran by 
 the brink of a great cleft or barranca, which yawned along- 
 side in unpleasant proximity. The plain ran up to the very 
 lip of the chasm perfectly level, and an uglier place to come 
 upon in the dark it would be hard to conceive. Without 
 warning of any kind, a single step would take the traveller 
 from level ground over the verge of a precipice between two 
 and three thousand feet in depth ! Looking down from the 
 dizzy height of this great precipice, the woods below were 
 reduced to the semblance of shrubs it was, in fact, like 
 looking upon a brake of gorse, although we knew that the 
 trees so far beneath were eighty to one hundred feet in 
 height. During the clay we passed by another of these
 
 330 TECPAN GUATEMALA. 
 
 tremendous barrancas, and shortly after we reached the 
 small village of Tecpan Guatemala, having traversed a road 
 bordered by magnificent trees intermingled with aloes thirty 
 feet high and many beautiful flowering shrubs. 
 
 Tecpan consists of a long street of huts terminating in a 
 spacious plaza, where are the chief buildings. The inhabit- 
 ants are mostly Indians. Near the plaza is the church, 
 which boasts the distinction of being the second built in the 
 country since the Conquest. It is probably one of the finest 
 in Guatemala, having a facade of two hundred feet; and 
 besides being very lofty, it is richly ornamented with stuccos 
 and figures of saints, and has several spires and turrets. It 
 gives the traveller a feeling of amazement to come upon such 
 splendid religious structures in a country apparently retro- 
 grading to a condition bordering upon barbarism. The 
 ancestors of the present races inhabiting Central America, 
 both red and white, must have been vastly superior to their 
 descendants. The energies of the present inhabitants seem 
 to be concentrated upon turbulence and anarchy. Inter- 
 minable revolutions destroy the trade and prosperity of the 
 country, and whatever intelligence or industry exists is 
 paralyzed. Scarce a year passes without seeing a bloody 
 revolution in one or other of the Central American States. 
 At the very time I write, the newspapers announce the 
 burning and sacking of Colon, which have been accompanied 
 by the most horrible cruelties on the inhabitants, two hundred 
 of whom are stated to have been burnt alive in the calaboose. 
 
 Near Tecpan are some interesting ruins. In describing 
 the old city, Fuentes says : "To the westward of the city 
 there is a little mount that commands it, on which stands a 
 small round building about six feet in height, in the middle 
 of which there is a pedestal formed of a shining substance 
 resembling glass, but the precise quality of which has not
 
 RUINS OP PATINAMIT. 331 
 
 been ascertained. Seated around this building the judges 
 heard and decided the causes brought before them, and their 
 sentences were executed upon the spot. Previous to execut- 
 ing them, however, it was necessary to have them confirmed 
 by the oracle; for which purpose three of the judges left 
 their seats and proceeded to a deep ravine, where there was 
 a place of worship containing a black transparent stone, on 
 the surface of which the Deity was supposed to indicate the 
 fate of the criminal. If the decision was approved, the 
 sentence was executed immediately ; if nothing appeared on 
 the stone, the accused was set at liberty. This oracle was 
 also consulted in the affairs of war." We got sight of this 
 curious relic of superstition, which on examination proved 
 to be nothing more worthy of veneration than a piece of 
 common slate measuring about fourteen inches by ten, and 
 of the thickness of a common house slate. 
 
 At about a mile and a half from Tecpan the track brought 
 us to the brink of a dismal ravine, which opened to a great 
 depth just beneath our feet. To descend it was not an easy 
 task, but the guides brought us to a spot where the banks 
 had broken away somewhat, thus affording a rugged and very 
 steep passage to the bottom. The mules were reluctant to 
 trust themselves upon the slippery path ; but being pulled on 
 in front and whipped up unmercifully behind, we got them 
 over, and sliding and staggering, slipping and plunging, we 
 finally got them to the bottom. At the other side of the 
 ravine the guides led us by a narrow path along which only 
 one mule could advance at a time. This was the passage 
 that led to the old city. Along this we went in single file, 
 and after some little time we mounted to a table-land, and 
 on continuing over this for a mile or so we came upon the 
 remains of the ancient Patinamit. 
 
 We dismounted, and leaving our guides to guard the mules
 
 332 SHATTERED IDOLS. 
 
 and packs, we proceeded to explore the ruins. All about the 
 spot the ground was covered with traces of ancient buildings 
 or with the grassy mounds which had grown over and con- 
 cealed their fallen walls. Many of the walls had been 
 thrown down by the Indians of Tecpan, who removed the 
 stones to build that village. Enough remained, however, to 
 gratify our curiosity. The foundations of one house measured 
 one hundred feet in length, and were fifty broad. On ex- 
 ploring the site, we ascertained that it was encompassed on 
 all sides by the deep ravine up which we had come, and so 
 steep and precipitous is this that it can be scaled nowhere 
 except just at the spot where we had ascended. We found 
 the defaced and almost unrecognizable remains of two figures, 
 the nature of which it was difficult to determine. They were 
 about three feet in length. One of them seemed intended to 
 represent an animal of some kind. This had been pulled out 
 of its bed in the soil shortly before our visit, and lay upon 
 the ground fully exposed. These shattered idols give rise to 
 sadder feelings than the ruined habitations that surround 
 them. It is natural that houses and other works of the 
 human hand should have a period to their existence ; but to 
 behold the gods, once believed in and worshipped by a 
 vanished people, lying broken and neglected amid the ruins 
 of their temples, excites deeper feelings than mere pity or 
 regret. It suggests a people now unknown and long for- 
 gotten, successful indeed in the things of this life while they 
 existed, but who none the less have lived in vain. They 
 lived in darkness, and died in it ; and the great mystery of 
 their fate on earth pales before the greater mystery of their 
 eternal lot. Where once thronged busy crowds, there is now 
 but a solitary hut. The vast outlook from the spot seems to 
 compel the attention of the traveller to the contemplation of 
 the memorials at his feet. Silence dwells about the place,
 
 A GRAVE AND MELANCHOLY VOICE. 333 
 
 but fancy listens to the echoes of the past. Trees and bushes 
 cover many of the remains, but offer little obstacle to their 
 examination. It is said that on Good Friday each year the 
 cura of Tecpan repairs hither at the head of a long procession 
 of the villagers, to worship the true God amid the scenes of 
 former idolatry ; and on these occasions the Indians assert 
 that they can hear the pealing of bells deep beneath the 
 ground. 
 
 We made our camp among the trees of a grove near the 
 ruins, where the solitary Indian, whose hut I have mentioned, 
 had made a shed for his mule. We slung our hammocks to 
 the posts, and our guides bestowed themselves wherever they 
 thought best. The sole resident of the ruins paid us a visit, 
 and while dozing in our hammocks his grave and melancholy 
 voice sounded in our ears with the mournful cadence of the 
 wind moaning through the crevices of the shattered dwellings 
 of his forefathers. The moon presently rose and showered 
 her silvery beams upon the foliage of the overhanging trees, 
 throwing dense shadows upon the earth, and here and there 
 lighting up a figure or a tree trunk. It was a mild night, 
 and in the intervals when I lay awake I admired the trellis 
 of branches stretched across the silver disc of the moon, or 
 watched the swarthy figures of our guides in their twglige 
 attitudes by the fire. Large bats flew about, and in the 
 darkest shadows glimmered the tiny lanterns of the fire- 
 flies. 
 
 The next day we returned along our tracks towards 
 Patsum, which we passed on our left. Our road now lay 
 along a high level table-land, through which wound a 
 tremendous abyss three thousand feet in depth. We were 
 not pleased to find that we had to descend this fearful ravine 
 by a narrow winding track absolutely without a guard of 
 any kind, where the slightest stumble on the part of either
 
 334 A DIZZY TRACK. 
 
 ourselves or our mules would infallibly precipitate us to the 
 bottom. At one point, where this dizzy track made a sudden 
 turn round the flank of a precipitous cliff, the earth had been 
 washed away, leaving a blank space of several feet, where 
 the sheer descent was visible. It was not absolutely perpen- 
 dicular, but the extreme steepness with which the side of the 
 cliff sloped downwards was sufficiently terrible, and a fall 
 here would serve every purpose of destruction. At this spot 
 we had to exercise some ingenuity in order to get our mules 
 over the breach. The track was so narrow that we could riot 
 turn them round in order to return. We therefore left one 
 of the guides to remain by them, while we and the other 
 guide went back to get some logs with which to make a 
 bridge. We had a considerable distance to go before finding 
 trees suitable for the purpose, and suffice it to say that after 
 several weary journeys backwards and forwards we at last 
 got together sufficient for the purpose. The logs were laid 
 side by side across the chasm, which was about ten feet 
 broad, and covered with stones and earth. This piece of 
 engineering took five hours to accomplish, as the labour of 
 cutting the logs with our machetes, which were light tools 
 for such a task, and the distance which they had to be 
 brought to the scene of operations, consumed about four 
 hours. Laying them in their places and continuing the 
 semblance of a path across them was easy, but not so was 
 the work of enticing the mules to cross. After much per- 
 suasion, cajoling, and whipping had been employed in vain, 
 we had recourse to an apparently cruel expedient. Collect- 
 ing as much dry herbage and withered brush as we could 
 find, we made a bonfire just behind the stubborn animals. 
 As the flames crackled and flared high they at length re- 
 lented, and after several uneasy demonstrations savouring of 
 a desire to scramble round and attempt escape through the
 
 CAMP AT THE RUINS OF PATINAMIT.
 
 " HER EARS COCKED." 337 
 
 flames, they suddenly took heart of grace, and we at the 
 same moment using our utmost capacities of pulling, shout- 
 ing, and whipping, they charged the " bridge," and got safely 
 over. The last mule displaced the logs in her frantic efforts 
 to get past the dangerous spot, and one of her hind legs went 
 through. However, she scrambled out on to the track at 
 the other side and followed her comrades all trembling, her 
 ears cocked at the terrific abyss that lay beneath alongside, 
 and her legs feeling their way down gingerly. At the 
 bottom of this tremendous gorge a stream ran impetuously, 
 dashing over slopes of black rocks or thundering down from 
 one ledge to another, filling the air with a hoarse roar that 
 added to the impression of danger which the place was so 
 well fitted to arouse. 
 
 In the afternoon we ascended the opposite bank of this 
 ravine, and on the summit we observed traces of the fortifica- 
 tions erected there about the year 1838 by General Guzman, 
 to command the precipitous ascent, in order to repel the 
 invasion threatened by Carrera. This position, although 
 apparently of impregnable strength, was surprised and taken 
 by a body of Indians despatched against it by the latter. 
 The fortifications were dismantled, the boundaries destroyed, 
 and the place (Los Altos) was annexed to the state of 
 Guatemala. 
 
 Towards nightfall we emerged upon the elevated plateau 
 that surrounds the lake of Atitlan. This scene has been 
 well described by Mr. Stephens : " From a height of three 
 thousand or four thousand feet we looked down upon a 
 surface shining like a sheet of molten silver, enclosed by rocks 
 and mountains of every form, some barren and some covered 
 with verdure, rising from five hundred to five thousand feet 
 in height. Opposite, down on the borders of the lake, and. 
 apparently inaccessible by land, was the town of Santiago de 
 
 (814) 22
 
 338 LAKE OF ATITLAN. 
 
 Atitlan, to which our friend was wending his way, situated 
 between two immense volcanoes eight thousand or ten 
 thousand feet high. Farther on was another volcano, and 
 farther still another more lofty than all, with its summit 
 buried in clouds. There were no associations connected with 
 this lake, until lately we did not know it even by name ; 
 but we both agreed that it was the most magnificent spec- 
 tacle we ever saw. We stopped and watched the fleecy 
 clouds of vapour rising from the bottom, moving up the 
 mountains and the sides of the volcanoes. We descended at 
 first by a steep pitch and then gently for about three miles 
 along the precipitous border of the lake, leaving on our right 
 the camino real and the village of San Andres, and suddenly 
 reached the brink of the table-land, two thousand feet high. 
 At the foot was a rich plain running down to the water; and 
 on the opposite side another immense perpendicular moun- 
 tain-side, rising to the same height with that on which we 
 stood. In the middle of the plain, buried in foliage with 
 the spire of the church barely visible, was the town of 
 Panajachel. Our first view of the lake was the most 
 beautiful we had ever seen, but this surpassed it. All the 
 requisites of the grand and beautiful were there gigantic 
 mountains, a valley of poetic softness, lake and volcanoes ; 
 and from the height on which we stood, a waterfall marked 
 a silver line down its sides. A party of Indian men and 
 women were moving in single file from the foot of the moun- 
 tain toward the village, and looked like children. The de- 
 scent was steep and perpendicular, and on reaching the plain 
 the view of the mountain-walls was sublime. As we ad- 
 vanced, the plain formed a triangle with its base on the lake ; 
 the two mountain ranges converged to a point and communi- 
 cated by a narrow defile beyond with the village of San Andres."* 
 
 * "Travels in Central America."
 
 A TIRESOME DAY. 339 
 
 When we passed these magnificent scenes, the failing light 
 heightened their grandeur and impressiveness, but rendered 
 their details too vague for observation. We had the aid of 
 the moon as we journeyed across the plain ; and as we ap- 
 proached the village the road passed beneath the sombre 
 shadows of a forest where the air was heavy with the per- 
 fume of flowers. Here and there an opening admitted the 
 light of the moon ; and round the shadowy edges of the little 
 clearings stood trees as covered with flowers as any which 
 had excited our wonder and admiration since entering the 
 country. In these spaces large vampires flew about ; and 
 wherever their pale gleams were not eclipsed by the brighter 
 rays of the moon, hundreds of fire-flies glanced and glimmered. 
 We put up in the village, but had to content ourselves with 
 the bare accommodation of the cabildo. We slung our ham- 
 mocks to pegs in the walls, and while watching the vague 
 forms of the huge bats that darted in and out through the 
 open door, I fell fast asleep. This had been the longest and 
 most tiresome day's journey we yet had undertaken, and so 
 fatigued were we that the sun was several hours above the 
 horizon before his light awoke us. I doubt if his beams, bright 
 as they were, would have so soon produced this effect, had 
 they not been aided by the noise made by the villagers, who 
 crowded about the cabildo, moved by curiosity as to who we 
 were and whither we were going. 
 
 When they learned from our guides that we were going 
 about inspecting the ruins of the old cities they thought us 
 mad. No one in this country travels for curiosity or plea- 
 sure, and if we were acting in a manner unknown in the 
 country, we must be mad. This seemed conclusive, and one 
 by one the crowd of gapers dispersed, each satisfied with his 
 own wisdom and laughing at our folly. 
 
 On rising we proceeded to the lake to bathe. It was not
 
 340 DUCK-SHOOTING. 
 
 easy to find a secluded nook, for the villagers, possibly ex- 
 pecting some fresh eccentricity, were disposed to keep us in 
 view. However, we threw them off the track and had a 
 most delightful bath in the deep cool waters, which plashed, 
 as if in mimicry of the ocean, with a musical murmur against 
 the rocky shores. Multitudes of ducks quacked and flew over 
 the surface, and we enjoyed some sport with them. Will 
 outdid his previous performances, and his great skill with 
 the rifle secured the respect of such of the natives as were 
 attracted to the spot by the sound of the firing. The birds 
 were extraordinarily tame, having evidently been seldom dis- 
 turbed. On inquiry we found that there was but a single 
 gun in the village, and this had been out of order for six 
 months past ! Will's rifle soon had the surface of the lake 
 dotted with dead and dying ducks ; and when at these re- 
 peated hints the remainder took themselves off to safer 
 quarters, the Indians launched canoes and vied with each 
 other to retrieve the dead and wounded birds. Many amus- 
 ing scenes took place, as a bird squattered and flew over the 
 lake pursued by two canoes, each doing its utmost to se- 
 cure it. Missiles would fly about the unlucky duck, which 
 often dived and reappeared in some unexpected quarter, 
 again to be pursued with the same result. Several of these 
 ducks were shot by us from the shore just as the Indians 
 were reaching forward to grasp them. The hiss and splash 
 of the bullets in such close proximity not a little astonished 
 those would-be retrievers. 
 
 Leaving San Andres and skirting the lake for some dis- 
 tance, the path soon commenced to ascend the mountains in 
 a zigzag manner, at one moment giving us a view of the 
 great lake, and again of the plain. This ascent was ex- 
 tremely difficult owing to the steepness of the path. In one 
 place we had to clamber upwards over steps which had been
 
 A STRANGE ENTRANCE. 341 
 
 hewed in the mountain side. We should have enjoyed the 
 splendid prospects which constantly were presented to us if 
 we could have afforded leisure to attend to them. At one 
 time we had exposed to our view six volcanoes, four of 
 which are reputed to exceed ten thousand feet, and the other 
 two, fifteen thousand feet in height. Below us at a vast depth 
 lay the lake, its surface apparently as polished as a mirror, 
 reflecting the giant forms of the hills upon the nearer shore, 
 and stretching away towards the west, where a high chain 
 of mountains bounded our vision at the distance of many 
 miles. The rough, uneven track, several times passed close 
 beneath thundering cascades that appeared to leap towards 
 us from the sky itself, the deafening crash with which they 
 fell into their profound basins rendering our voices inaudible, 
 while showers of spray were scattered about and nourished 
 luxuriant gardens of exquisite plants in every little nook 
 where some soil had accumulated. 
 
 Our next stage was Solola, where we remained for the 
 night ; and the next day we pushed forward to examine the 
 remains of Santa Cruz del Quiche. Descending into an 
 immense ravine by a zigzag path, which was guarded at the 
 most dangerous parts by high stone walls, we scrambled up 
 the opposite side and reached the plain of Quiche, upon which 
 we beheld the ruins of the ancient regal city, which in its 
 day formed the capital of the kingdom of Utatlan. Our 
 course led us between two pretty lakes of insignificant 
 extent, and we soon arrived at the village, where we put up 
 at the convent. The entrance was sufficiently strange. We 
 halted at the foot of a lofty flight of stone steps and looked 
 about, wondering where we were to go next. An Indian lad 
 desired us to mount the steps; for which the practice we had 
 had among the sierras now proved to have been a good 
 training. We rode up, our mules striking fire from the'
 
 342 SLEPT WITH ONE EYE OPEN. 
 
 stones as they clambered along, and passed through a long 
 corridor into a large square-flagged chamber, whence another 
 great flight of steps led down into the court-yard of the con- 
 vent, which was surrounded by high walls. This was the 
 most extraordinary entrance to a stable-yard I had ever beheld ; 
 but it was the only mode of ingress or egress, and however 
 incommodious, travellers have to put up with it. 
 
 This convent is said to have been the first founded in the 
 country by friars of the Dominican order, and existed at the 
 time when Alvarado waged his ruthless wars against the 
 natives. 
 
 The place was now almost dismantled ; the large chambers 
 were either half ruinous or filled with lumber or rubbish : 
 some were used as hay-sheds; from others we heard the 
 familiar grunt of hogs, whose snouts were thrust inquiringly 
 through apertures which time and their teeth had worn in 
 the doors. It was a melancholy spectacle to see this fine 
 building gradually falling to pieces ; but ruin seems the lot 
 of all things in Central America. 
 
 We got lodgings for ourselves in the cabildo ; that is to 
 say, we were at liberty to sling our hammocks against the 
 walls. We did not like the appearance of the inhabitants of 
 this place. They had a downward, scowling expression of 
 face, which made anything but a pleasant impression. We 
 were careful, therefore, to keep our arms near us ; and slept 
 " with one eye open," pretty much as we used to do on the 
 plains or among the canons of Arizona. 
 
 We may have misjudged the people, however, for day 
 found us with throats intact. We lost no time in setting 
 out for the ruins, guided by a sinister-looking native, a 
 mestizo, who carried his machete as if for immediate use. 
 We had not left the village many minutes when we found 
 ourselves on the verge of one of those stupendous chasms so
 
 THE ANCIENT TOLTECS. 343 
 
 often alluded to in these pages. This was about fifteen 
 hundred feet deep ; and our guide pointed out to us the place 
 where many years before an unfortunate Indian, who was 
 being pursued by the alguazils, or police of the village, threw 
 himself headlong, to avoid falling into their hands ! He was 
 dashed to fragments against the rocks at the foot of the 
 tremendous cliffs. 
 
 Shortly after this we came to what had evidently in 
 ancient times formed the line of fortifications that guarded 
 the city. Walls in every stage of ruin, here a few upright 
 stones, there grass-and- weed-covered mounds, stretched away 
 on either hand, and connected towers, the remains of which 
 we could discern at intervals. The stones had been cut and 
 placed with care ; and among the shapeless masses of debris 
 we noticed many arrow heads of flint. Passing over this 
 outer line, we perceived before us a vast platform rising in 
 terraces and culminating in a tower one hundred and twenty 
 feet high. The steps connecting the terraces are in suffi- 
 ciently good preservation, and clambering up we reached the 
 summit, where we entered a square enclosure surrounded by 
 stone walls plastered within with a very hard and smooth 
 cement, which still in most places adhered to the walls with 
 its original tenacity. The top of the tower is reached by a 
 flight of stone steps. 
 
 Fuentes, who wrote the Chronicles of the Kingdom of 
 Guatemala, gives the history of the kings of Quiche and 
 Kachiquel, who, according to him, descended from the ancient 
 Toltecs. But I forbear to inflict it upon the reader. It is 
 enough to say that if a manuscript written by Don Juan 
 Torres, grandson of the last sovereign of Quiche^ speaks truly, 
 the ancient Toltecs claimed descent from the house of Israel, 
 who, after escaping from Pharaoh through the Red Sea, fell 
 into idolatry. Finding that Moses disapproved of their
 
 344 QUICHE. 
 
 backsliding, they fled from him, and under the leadership of 
 one Tanub they managed to cross from Asia to America, 
 though in what manner is not stated. They set up their 
 tents anew in Mexico, and from their great leader descended 
 the kings of Tula and Quiche and of the Toltecs. The history 
 of these ancient warriors is simply a record of bloody feuds 
 and battles as uninteresting as the wars between the kites 
 and the crows. That these kings ruled over rich and power- 
 ful countries is certain ; the vast ruins they have left behind 
 them attest it. 
 
 Mr. Stephens furnishes information relative to Quiche 
 which he derived from the narrative of Fuentes. According 
 to this historian the city " was surrounded by a deep ravine 
 that formed a natural fosse, leaving only two very narrow 
 roads as entrances, both of which were so well defended by 
 the castle of Resguardo as to render it impregnable. 
 
 "The 1 centre of the city was occupied by the royal palace, 
 which was surrounded by the houses of the nobility; the 
 extremities were inhabited by the plebeians ; and some idea 
 may be formed of its vast population from the fact that the 
 king drew from it no less than seventy-two thousand fighting 
 men to oppose the Spaniards. It contained many very 
 sumptuous edifices, the most superb of which was a seminary, 
 where between five and six thousand children were educated 
 at the charge of the royal treasury. The castle of the 
 Atalaya was a remarkable structure, four stories high, and 
 capable of furnishing quarters for a very strong garrison. 
 The castle of Resguardo was five stories high, extending one 
 hundred and eighty paces in front, and two hundred and 
 thirty in depth. The grand alcazar, or palace of the kings of 
 Quiche, surpassed every other edifice ; and in the opinion of 
 Torquemada it could compete in opulence with that of 
 Montezuma in Mexico, or that of the Incas in Cuzco. The
 
 THE PALACE. 345 
 
 front extended three hundred and seventy-six geometrical 
 paces from east to west, and it was seven hundred and 
 twenty-eight paces in depth. It was constructed of hewn 
 stones of various colours. There were six principal divisions. 
 The first contained lodgings for a numerous troop of lancers, 
 archers, and other troops constituting the royal body-guard. 
 The second was assigned to the princes and relations of the 
 king ; the third to the monarch himself, containing distinct 
 suites of apartments for the mornings, evenings, and nights. 
 In one of these saloons stood the throne under four canopies 
 of feathers ; and in this portion of the palace were the 
 treasury, tribunals of the judges, armoury, aviaries, and 
 menageries. The fourth and fifth divisions were occupied 
 by the queen and royal concubines, with gardens, baths, and 
 places for breeding geese, which were kept to supply feathers 
 for ornaments. The sixth and last division was the residence 
 of the daughters and other females of the blood royal. 
 
 " Such is the account as derived from the Spanish historians 
 from manuscripts composed by some of the caciques who 
 first acquired the art of writing ; and it is related that from 
 Tanub, who conducted them from the old to the new con- 
 tinent, down to Tecum Umam, was a line of twenty mon- 
 archs."* 
 
 * " Travels in Central America." By J L. Stephens.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ALVARADO HIS ASSAULT UPON UTATLAN DESOLATION OF THE CITY EL SACRIKI- 
 CATORIO ANCIENT PAGAN RITES LUST OF GOLD RUINS RUINED INDIAN 
 THREATS STRANGE STORY OF AN EXISTING CITY OF THE OLDEN TIME- 
 LEAVE QUICHE^ PUMAS AND MONKEYS QUESALTENANGO OCOSINGO 
 PALENQUE FIRST VIEW OF THE RUINS PROFOUND IMPRESSIONS PRODUCED 
 BY THEM TREED BY PECCARIES THE RUINS THE PALACE, ETC. 
 GIGANTIC FIGURES MR. STEPHENS'S ACCOUNT REFLECTIONS THE DEMON 
 PRIEST DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF AN EXAMINATION OF THE RUINS 
 EFFECT OF THE RUINS ON THE TRAVELLER CHANGE AND DEATH. 
 
 HAVING presented the reader with this picture of the city of 
 Utatlan in the days of its splendour, it is sad to describe it 
 as we beheld it. The history of its fall, with the causes that 
 led to it, are too long for insertion here. After a series of 
 sanguinary engagements, in which, despite their immense 
 numbers and determined bravery, the Indians were defeated 
 with enormous losses, they made submission and invited 
 Alvarado to enter their capital. He came with his army, 
 " but observing the strength of the place that it was well 
 walled and surrounded with a deep ravine, having but two 
 approaches to it, the one by an ascent of twenty-five steps, 
 and the other by a causeway, and both extremely narrow ; 
 that the streets were but of trifling breadth and the houses 
 very lofty ; that there were neither women nor children to 
 be seen ; and that the Indians seemed agitated, the soldiers 
 began to suspect some deceit." 
 
 That these suspicions were well founded soon became 
 evident, as the Indian allies of Quesaltenango reported that
 
 THE UTATLANS. 347 
 
 they had ascertained that the people intended to commit 
 their capital to the flames that very night, and seize the 
 opportunity afforded by the confusion to fall upon their 
 enemies and massacre them every one. " These tidings were 
 found to be in accordance with the movements of the 
 Utatlans ; and on examining the houses, the Spaniards dis- 
 covered that there were no preparations of provisions to 
 regale them, as had been promised, but everywhere was a 
 quantity of light dry fuel and other combustibles. Alvarado 
 called his officers together and laid before them their perilous 
 situation, and the immediate necessity of withdrawing from 
 the place ; and pretending to the king and his caciques that 
 their horses were better in the open fields, the troops were 
 collected, and without any appearance of alarm marched in 
 good order to the plain. The king, with pretended courtesy, 
 accompanied them; and Alvarado, taking advantage of the 
 opportunity, made him prisoner, and after trial and proof of 
 his treachery, hung him on the spot. But neither the death 
 of Tecum nor the ignominious execution of his son could 
 quell the fierce spirit of the Quiches. A new ebullition of 
 animosity and rage broke forth. A general attack was made 
 upon the Spaniards. But Spanish bravery and discipline 
 increased with danger; and after a dreadful havoc by the 
 artillery and horses, the Indians abandoned a field covered 
 with their dead, and Utatlan the capital, with the whole 
 kingdom of Quiche, fell into the hands of Alvarado and the 
 Spaniards."* 
 
 We stood upon the highest point of the relics of the 
 fortress of Resguardo, and gazed with a deep interest upon 
 the great plain beyond, where these scenes had been enacted. 
 All around was now the silence of desolation where three 
 centuries since were exhibited the pomp and power of a 
 
 * Stephens.
 
 348 THE VANITY OF HUMAN AMBITION. 
 
 sovereign at the head of his people. They are gone : their 
 ruthless conquerors are gone, and the city itself, for the 
 possession and defence of which scores of thousands died, is 
 crumbling piecemeal to ruin. 
 
 The great seminary, the alcazar, and other edifices of the 
 kings of Quiche, are now one shapeless mass of ruins. 
 Much of this demolition is due to the natives, who have 
 carried off great quantities of the materials to build their 
 present village. Enough remains, however, to give a pretty 
 accurate idea of the general arrangement of the buildings as 
 well as of the shape and disposition of the various apart- 
 ments. We noticed here and there, wherever a portion of a 
 wall had been sheltered, that some of the original colouring 
 remained. It seems probable, therefore, that the whole of 
 the interiors had formerly been ornamented with paintings. 
 
 It was sad to tread these ruined halls, which answered to 
 our steps with a melancholy echo, and to think of the days 
 when they sheltered the representatives of a great and 
 powerful people. The snake, the basilisk, and the owl now 
 occupy apartments once consecrated to beauty. And here 
 again I could not help reflecting on the vanity of human 
 wishes and ambition. Kings had ruled here ; but their place 
 no longer knows them ; their race has vanished ; their very 
 subjects have either disappeared or have become strangely 
 deteriorated ; while the ambitious conquerors of these fair 
 realms, urged on by their insatiable lust of gold, overthrew 
 and destroyed what they were unable to reconstruct. 
 
 I can only afford space for a glance at one or two of the 
 remains most worthy of notice. Perhaps the most remark- 
 able is that which has received the title of El Sacrificatorio, 
 and which is supposed to have been a place of sacrifice. It 
 is a four-sided structure of stone, measuring sixty-six feet 
 square at the base, and as it slopes towards the summit, it
 
 A VISION. 349 
 
 presents the appearance of a truncated pyramid. It is 
 about thirty -three feet in height. There are ranges of steps 
 in the middle of three of its sides ; these steps are seventeen 
 inches high, but are only eight inches broad. If these 
 dimensions had been reversed the effect would have been 
 much better, and it would have been much easier to ascend 
 or descend them. Looking down from above, notwithstand- 
 ing the limited height, the visitor feels an unpleasant sensa- 
 tion of insecurity owing to the narrowness of the steps and 
 their extreme steepness. There are buttresses at the corners 
 of the pyramid ; but what their object could have been it is 
 not easy to ascertain. To support a pyramid seems an un- 
 necessary precaution, and yet what other object the builders 
 had was hard to guess. On the western side there are no 
 steps, and here the sloping wall is plastered smoothly with 
 the hard cement which we had remarked on the floors of the 
 palace. At the edges a little of this coating had been broken 
 off, and we observed that it had been put on in three thick- 
 nesses, and also that it had been originally decorated with 
 painted figures. 
 
 The summit of this structure has been demolished, but we 
 had very little doubt that in the olden time it bore an altar 
 often reeking with the blood of human victims. What a 
 terrible spectacle it must have been to behold the space be- 
 low packed with vast crowds of superstitious worshippers, 
 their fierce eager faces upturned to the lofty scene whereon 
 were gathered the priests and their bound and helpless 
 victims. We may suppose that the dreadful ceremony 
 opened with the celebration of some lesser rites which gave 
 the victims a short respite in which to contemplate the full 
 horror of their situation. Slowly these are got through ; 
 minute by minute the time for the bloody tragedy approaches, 
 and deeper and more fiend-like becomes the expression com-
 
 350 DESCRIPTION OP A SACRIFICE. 
 
 mon to the great crowd below which sways from side, to side 
 in subdued yet fierce excitement, and from which rises a deep 
 murmur, ominous of the coming storm. As the priests grasp 
 the victims and their assistants place them over the altar, the 
 solemn hum deepens into a dull roar of brutal joy, which is 
 intensified when at the blows of the sacrificial knife blood 
 spouts over the altar and trickles in small streamlets down 
 the flights of steps. Some of those nearest to the pyramid 
 imbrue their hands in the crimson pool and toss it towards 
 the idol to which the victim is immolated in an acces of 
 horrid zeal, the gory shower falling back upon their faces 
 and giving them a wilder and more demon-like aspect. 
 Strange scenes these old walls have witnessed. Better, be- 
 yond doubt, it has been that the fierce Spaniard wrought 
 their ruin than that the disciples of a foul and bloody super- 
 stition should have continued for generations longer to out- 
 rage God by their pagan rites. After all, the basilisk, despite 
 his fabled terrors, is a less objectionable resident of these 
 old ruins than the hideous Moloch in whose face was death. 
 
 Mr. Stephens, describing a sacrifice, says : " The barbar- 
 ous ministers carried up the victim entirely naked, pointed 
 out the idol to which the sacrifice was made, that the people 
 might pay their adorations, and then extended him upon 
 the altar. This had a convex surface, and the body of the 
 victim lay arched, with the trunk elevated and the head 
 .and feet depressed. Four priests held the legs and arms, 
 and another kept his head firm with a wooden instrument 
 made in the form of a coiled serpent, so that he was pre- 
 vented from making the least movement. The head priest 
 then approached, and with a knife made of flint cut an aper- 
 ture in the breast, tore out the heart, which, yet palpitating, 
 he offered to the sun, and then threw it at the feet of the 
 idol. If the idol was gigantic and hollow, it was usual to
 
 THE LUST OP GOLD. 351 
 
 introduce the heart of the victim into its mouth with a golden 
 spoon. If the victim was a prisoner of war, as soon as he 
 was sacrificed they cut off the head, to preserve the skull, 
 and threw the body down the steps, when it was taken up 
 by the officer or soldier to whom the prisoner had belonged 
 and carried to his house, to be dressed and served up as an 
 entertainment for his friends. If he was not a prisoner of 
 war, but a slave purchased for the sacrifice, the proprietor 
 carried off the body for the same purpose. In recurring to 
 the barbarous scenes of which the spot had been the theatre, 
 it seemed a righteous award that the bloody altar was hurled 
 down and the race of its ministers destroyed." 
 
 From the circumstance that neither statues, carved figures, 
 nor hieroglyphics are found at Quiche, it seems highly pro- 
 bable that it was not built by the same race that built Copan 
 and Quirigua. We know much of the history of Quiche, 
 and that it was in the zenith of its prosperity at the time of 
 Alvarado's fatal visit ; and as we have no mention of either 
 Copan or Quirigua, which differ so materially in their archi- 
 tecture and in their ornamentation, we may assume for them 
 an antiquity vastly greater. The lust of gold led to the 
 destruction of Quiche, and this same lust even aided Time in 
 his assaults upon its remains. A small gold image having 
 been found among the ruins, it was sent to the President, 
 Seravia, of Guatemala, who immediately set on foot a com- 
 mission to explore the place thoroughly for hidden treasure. 
 In this search the palace, which had been in comparative 
 preservation so late as about the year 1807, was completely 
 demolished ; and had it not been for the veneration in which 
 the ruins were held by the Indian natives of the locality, 
 who rose and threatened to put the workmen to death if 
 they did not desist from their work of spoliation, not a stone 
 would have been left upon another.
 
 352 A WONDERFUL CITY. 
 
 We were shown a small hollow, which was stated to be 
 the opening of an underground passage connecting the ruins 
 with Mexico ! By pulling aside a few stones, we discovered 
 a tunnel arched over with large flag-stones, so laid that they 
 overlapped each other and formed a pointed roof in the way 
 we remarked at Palenque. The builders of these ancient 
 cities seem to have been ignorant of the various forms of 
 arch used in other countries. We nowhere saw either the 
 rounded, Gothic, or other form ; passages, doorways, etc., 
 were bridged over by large, flat stones, each successive one 
 of which projected somewhat beyond that beneath, and in 
 this way an arch was formed, clumsy in appearance, but 
 very massive. 
 
 The Indians about Quiche are said to preserve in an 
 uncommon degree the customs and characteristics of their 
 ancestors. They are jealous of strangers, and dislike the 
 curiosity which they often manifest with regard to the 
 ruins. They are nominally Christians, and attend the cere- 
 monies of the Church with punctuality and decorum ; but 
 we were given to understand that they are still very super- 
 stitious, and are not quite free from suspicion of idolatry, 
 notwithstanding the zealous care of the clergy. In caves 
 and in the gloomy recesses of the forests it is said they some- 
 times assemble for the worship of the deities of their pagan 
 ancestors, and they do this so secretly that it is only known 
 as a rumour. The foundation for it eludes the search, but 
 its persistence leaves little doubt of its truth. 
 
 Here we again heard of the existence of that wonderful 
 city which the padre of Santa Cruz del Quiche told Mr. 
 Stephens he had himself beheld from the summit of the 
 sierra near Chajul. This is a city inhabited at this present 
 day by a race speaking the Maya language, and who are as 
 independent as were their ancestors before the Spanish Con-
 
 THE PADRE'S STORY. 353 
 
 quest. These Indians had never tolerated any intercourse 
 with the white invaders of the country, and our informant 
 said that they lived in a large city, whose white buildings 
 and towers could be observed glistening in the sun from the 
 top of the sierra by any one that took the trouble to climb 
 up there. We would have been only too glad to do a little 
 exploring round this interesting district, but, as I have 
 already said, we had no time to spare for side expeditions, 
 unless when, as in the case of Quiche, the place happened to 
 lie close to the road by which we were journeying. Mr. 
 Stephens writes as follows of this most interesting statement : 
 " But the thing that roused us was the assertion by the 
 padre that four days on the road to Mexico, on the other 
 side of the great sierra, was a living city, large and populous, 
 occupied by Indians precisely in the same state as before 
 the discovery of America. He had heard it many years 
 before at the village of Chajul, and was told by the vil- 
 lagers that from the topmost ridge of the sierra this city 
 was distinctly visible. He was then young, and with much 
 labour climbed to the naked summit of the sierra, from 
 which, at a height of ten thousand or twelve thousand feet, 
 he looked over an immense plain extending towards Yucatan 
 and the Gulf of Mexico, and saw at a great distance a large 
 city spread over a great space, and with turrets white and 
 glittering in the sun. The traditionary account of the 
 Indians of Chajul is, that no white man has ever reached 
 this city; that the inhabitants speak the Maya language, 
 are aware that a race of strangers has conquered the whole 
 country around, and murder any white man who attempts 
 to enter their territory. They have no coin or other circu- 
 lating medium ; no horses, cattle, mules, or other domestic 
 animals, except fowls, and the cocks they keep under ground, 
 to prevent their crowing being heard. 
 
 (814) 23
 
 354 MEN LIVING WHO CAN SOLVE THE MYSTERY. 
 
 " There was a wild novelty something that touched the 
 imagination in every step of our journey in that country ; 
 the old padre, in the- deep stillness of the dimly-lighted con- 
 vent, with his long black coat like a robe, and his flashing 
 eye, called up an image of the bold and resolute priests who 
 accompanied the armies of the conquerors ; and as he drew 
 a map on the table and pointed out the sierra to the top of 
 which he had climbed, and the position of the mysterious 
 city, the interest awakened in us was the most thrilling I 
 have ever experienced. One look at that city was worth 
 ten years of an every-day life. If he be right, a place is left 
 where Indians and an Indian city exist as Cortez and Alva- 
 rado found them ; there are men living who can solve the 
 mystery that hangs over the ruined cities of America, per- 
 haps who can go to Copan and read the inscriptions on its 
 monuments. No subject more exciting and attractive presents 
 itself to my mind, and the deep impression of that night 
 will never be effaced." 
 
 We left the ruins of Quiche as evening was drawing on, 
 and after again scrambling down and up the tremendous 
 ravine, we reached the modern village, where we stayed the 
 night. We were glad to leave before daybreak in the morn- 
 ing, as our guides told us that an ominous curiosity had been 
 awakened among the natives as to the object of our visit, 
 and they feared that if we did not take French leave we 
 might be subjected to some unpleasantness. We rose in the 
 dark and set out quietly, not without some apprehensions of 
 being molested and detained. But happily our departure 
 was unnoticed ; and when the sun rose we had put several 
 miles between us and Santa Cruz del Quiche. 
 
 During this day's journey we had a little adventure. 
 Since coming into the country we had not enjoyed much 
 sport ; indeed we had no time, as each day was wholly
 
 PUMAS AND MONKEYS. 355 
 
 devoted to the route, or in examining some ancient ruin or 
 other object of interest. This day, however, while proceed- 
 ing through a stretch of forest, we beheld the unusual spec- 
 tacle of pumas chasing monkeys among the trees. Hearing 
 heavy bodies swinging through the branches some little dis- 
 tance ahead, we cautiously advanced, and presently, guided 
 by the shaking of the foliage and the nuts and small dry 
 twigs that fell to the earth, we detected two pumas clambering 
 with great activity among the lianas and branches, while 
 above them were two monkeys, who seemed well aware of 
 the dangerous nature of their neighbours. Apparently one 
 was rather disposed to hold his ground. He grasped a 
 branch with both his forehands, and made faces expressive 
 of rage mingled with fear at the foremost of the pumas. 
 The latter sprang lithely aloft, and immediately the mon- 
 key's valour evaporated. With a barking kind of scream he 
 loosed his grip with paw and tail, and turned to fly from 
 the spot. Unluckily for him he chose a bad direction in 
 which to leave the tree. The next tree was at a slightly 
 greater distance than he could spring, and while measuring 
 the intervening space with his eye and glancing about to 
 descry a better mode of retreat, the puma gained upon him, 
 and with an easy pat of her fore paw sent poor Jacko flying 
 through the branches towards the earth, where he arrived with 
 a dull, heavy thud. He just twitched his tail about once or 
 twice, stretched himself out, and died. The second puma pur- 
 sued the remaining monkey ; but that animal was more for- 
 tunate than his comrade in choosing a line of retreat. With 
 extraordinary swiftness he rather flew than scrambled from 
 tree to tree, and easily distanced his pursuer, who indeed gave 
 up the attempt to follow him after the first branch or two. 
 
 As yet we had not been observed by either of the ani- 
 mals, who were too intent on their own sport to regard any-
 
 356 IN THE CLUTCH OP A PUMA. 
 
 thing else. They descended the tree, apparently with the 
 intention of securing the monkey which had been killed, and 
 had got quite close to the ground, when all of a sudden their 
 eyes fell upon us, drawn up in full view and quietly regard- 
 ing their proceedings. At first it seemed as if they did not 
 quite realize what we were ; then their bodies were stretched 
 out on the large branches, along which they " flattened " 
 their heads, and their eyes seemed filled with a greenish 
 blaze of anger. Will and I slipped out of our saddles to 
 take a better aim, as our mules were beginning to get skittish, 
 and handing them over to the guides, we each took a puma 
 and fired. Both shots sounded together, but the result was 
 not the same. The puma at which I had aimed was badly 
 placed for a certain shot, his forehead being alone visible, 
 and it sloped at such an angle from me that my ball glanced 
 along it without further injury to the beast than partially 
 to stun it It fell, however, along with the other, which 
 was quite dead ; and as we approached, it suddenly sprang 
 to its feet, and before I could attempt to defend myself 
 seized me in its claws and hurled me to the earth ! I was 
 half dazed with the shock, and hardly knew what had 
 occurred, the whole affair having taken place in a moment. 
 The puma contented itself with knocking me down, and I 
 received no other injury than one or two rather ugly scratches, 
 and a shock to the nerves. Before Will could use his rifle, 
 the agile beast sprang to the cover of the dense bushes that 
 hemmed in the track and disappeared. We were glad, how- 
 ever, to have one of them as a trophy ; and we soon had his 
 skin off, leaving his blood-covered carcass to lie in the path, 
 where doubtless it was speedily discovered by zopilotes and 
 carnivorous insects. 
 
 The reader must now imagine himself transported to 
 Palenque. It is true that we paid a brief visit to the ruins
 
 PUMAS AND MONKEYS. 
 
 PatfC 355-
 
 REACH NEW PALENQUE. 359 
 
 of Quesaltenango and Ocosingo; but our survey was so 
 brief and unsatisfactory that I will not trouble him with 
 my observations. I will not describe our journey over the 
 mountains, where we had to dismount from our mules and 
 trust ourselves to sillas borne upon men's shoulders. We 
 were thus carried along the verge of a ravine of tremendous 
 depth, and at every faltering step of my porter my heart 
 gave a great jump, as I thought he was about to collapse 
 under my weight and tumble down headlong. After many 
 hardships and dangers we finally one day, about mid-day, 
 reached the village of Palenque, and prepared at once to 
 examine the ruins, which lie at a wild and desolate spot 
 about eight miles distant. 
 
 We first of all found, in answer to our inquiries, that we 
 could not hope to visit the ruins each day, returning at 
 night to the village, as the road was so bad that the time 
 and labour consumed in achieving even that short distance 
 would leave us little inclination and opportunity for explora- 
 tion. Our first object, then, was to carry out to the ruins 
 every article needful to us during a short sojourn among 
 them ; and with much trouble we finally succeeded in doing 
 this, notwithstanding considerable disinclination to aid us 
 on the part of many of the Indians, who viewed our designs 
 with that dull suspicion which, as I have already stated, 
 seems one of the alternative states of the native mind. 
 
 We found that the modern village of Palenque had 
 suffered a considerable abatement of its former importance, 
 which was a favourite topic among the older inhabitants. 
 A good many years before the period of our visit it had 
 derived much prosperity from the overland trade from 
 Guatemala ; but the increase of the British settlement at 
 Belize had diverted this traffic, and Palenque suffered accord- 
 ingly. In addition, it had the misfortune to be visited by
 
 360 EVERY CRIME COMMITTED. 
 
 cholera, which swept off half its inhabitants. Even at the 
 time of our visit there were abundant traces of this visitation 
 in ruined houses, the former owners of which had perished 
 en masse, and which were now dropping piecemeal to decay. 
 The streets were silent and deserted ; and the evening sun 
 cast the shadow of the old church upon the emerald turf 
 which covered the pavement of the great square. Still, 
 making every allowance for the effects of the misfortunes 
 from which the village has suffered, we thought the descrip- 
 tion of its quondam glories much exaggerated. There was 
 little cleared land in the vicinity, and the forest came up 
 directly to the houses, which seemed as if about to be 
 " crowded out " by the thick, matted trees. 
 
 Palenque is situated in the province of Tzendales, and 
 according to its prefeto, as quoted by Mr. Stephens, it re- 
 mained in the hands of the Indians for a century after the 
 conquest of Chiapas had been effected. It is more than two 
 centuries since the faith was first preached here by one 
 Lorenzo Mugil, a missionary sent hither from Rome. His 
 memory appears to be regarded with reverence among the 
 Indians, as they still preserve his dress as an object of 
 veneration. In the year 1700, Spain extended her sove- 
 reignty over the inhabitants ; and here, as has occurred else- 
 where, the natives preferred patriotism to Christianity (as 
 if they were antagonistic elements), and threw off their 
 allegiance to Rome and to Spain together. Many outrages 
 were committed by the rebels : priests were murdered, 
 churches desecrated, white men massacred. In short, every 
 crime was committed which was possible under the circum- 
 stances. This revolt, however, was speedily quelled, and in 
 a short time order and religion were again restored. 
 
 There are in the neighbourhood some wild tribes which 
 have never been civilized or converted. These people re-
 
 THE CARIES FELL DOWN BEFORE HIM. 361 
 
 ceive the generic title of " Caribs," and their territories are 
 separated from those of their somewhat more advanced 
 neighbours by a small river called the Chacamal. From a 
 circumstance narrated by the prefect of Palenque to Mr. 
 Stephens, it would seem that these natives are sufficiently 
 ready to embrace Christianity, unless they have changed 
 very greatly of late years. " Fifty years ago the Padre 
 Calderon, an uncle of the prefect's wife, attended by his 
 sacristan, an Indian, was bathing in the river, when the 
 latter cried out in alarm that some Caribs were looking at 
 them, and attempted to flee ; but the padre took his cane and 
 went toward them. The Caribs fell down before him, con- 
 ducted him to their huts, and gave him an invitation to 
 return and make them a visit on a certain day. On the 
 day appointed, the padre went with his sacristan, and found 
 a gathering of Caribs and a great feast prepared for him. 
 He remained with them some time, and invited them in 
 return to the village of Palenque on the day of the fete of 
 St. Domingo. A large party of these wild Indians attended, 
 bringing with them tiger's meat, monkey's meat, and cocoa, as 
 presents. They listened to mass, and beheld all the ceremonies 
 of the Church ; whereupon they invited the padre to come 
 among them and teach them. And they erected a hut at the 
 place where they had first met him, which he consecrated as 
 a church ; and he taught his sacristan to say mass to them 
 every Sunday.* As the prefect said, if he had lived many 
 of them would probably have been Christianized ; but, un- 
 fortunately, he died. The Caribs retired into the wilderness, 
 and not one had appeared in the village since." 
 
 Having well-nigh exhausted the capacity of the few miser- 
 able shops in the village to supply us with provisions, we at 
 
 * There are some circumstances which render this part of the statement extremely 
 doubtful.
 
 362 THE RIO MICOL. 
 
 length set out, on the day following our arrival, for the goal of 
 our expedition. We had live meat and dead meat to wit, 
 bacon, or rather pork, and fowl ; the fowls were carried by 
 the natives that we had hired as porters, and two of these 
 fellows staggered along under such a heterogeneous assort- 
 ment of baggage as I had never before beheld. Each of 
 them carried half a dozen live fowls strapped by the legs to 
 a belt round the waist ; on their shoulders were trunks, 
 containing our changes of clothes and such other articles as 
 we absolutely required at the ruins ; tied to the boxes were 
 great pieces of pork hacked at the moment of starting from 
 the carcass of a pig which had succumbed to a well-directed 
 bullet from Will's rifle. These were crusted over with salt, 
 which had been pounded and ground into them in the hope 
 that it would preserve the meat until it should be required. 
 This hope proved illusory. When one of the pieces had 
 been boiled, and the cover removed from the pot, the 
 odours that emanated were neither those of Ind nor of 
 Araby the Blest. We had to throw away the whole of it ; 
 that is, Will and I declined to eat it. The Indians and the 
 guides seemed to consider it a great delicacy, and wondered 
 at our generosity in resigning it to them. This fancied con- 
 sideration on our part scored a mark in our favour ; and our 
 attendants exerted themselves with good will to make us 
 comfortable. 
 
 But I am anticipating. After setting out from the 
 modern Palenque, in two hours we found ourselves on the 
 bank of a stream which we learned was named the Rio 
 Micol ; and after crossing this we pushed through the forest, 
 and in half an hour struck another stream, the Otula, which 
 dashed merrily over its stony channel 
 
 " Darkened by shadows of earth, 
 But reflecting an image of heaven,"
 
 APPROACH THE RUINS. 363 
 
 like the hearts of the farmers of Acadie. In a few minutes 
 we beheld familiar objects among the trees and bushes; piles 
 of stones displaced from creeper-clad walls, large blocks 
 covered with sculpture ; terraces overgrown with trees and 
 bushes, their massive sides showing here and there, through 
 rents in their vesture of vegetation, vast buildings ruined by 
 time aided by the roots of large trees which forced asunder 
 great masses of masonry. In a word, we were at Palenque. 
 As we approached the ruins, filled with the recollections 
 of Copan and Quirigua, I felt as if entering among the 
 tombs of the dead. Everything about me spoke of man's 
 handiwork set at nought by time, and overrun with the 
 myriad productions of nature. An inexpressible emotion 
 fills the mind at the sight of these great buildings, broken, 
 and half seen through the entanglement of forest. Their 
 vastness astonishes ; their massive ornamentation speaks of 
 taste and culture on the part of their unknown and long- 
 forgotten builders ; the silence of the spot, its remoteness 
 from human intercourse, the dense enshrouding forest which 
 for so long had concealed the great city from the observation 
 of the world, and whose giant trees, standing mute and 
 motionless in the sultry air, seemed to brood over the 
 secrets of the place all these appealed with a powerful 
 effect to my imagination. In approaching the ruins, the 
 pathway ascends somewhat rapidly the slope of the hills, or 
 of the successive plateaus, which, from their regularity, 
 appear to be rather the result of man's labour than natural 
 creations. As we got within sight of the remains of the 
 great city, our Indians, with loud cries, drew our attention 
 to the palace, which we dimly discerned among the trees, 
 its heavy front ornamented with figures in stucco, which 
 seemed in motion as the flickering shades of the brandies 
 passed and repassed across them.
 
 364 SUBLIME INFLUENCES. 
 
 If we take this building as a centre, the city may be 
 regarded as placed upon the slope of the foot-hills of the 
 Cordilleras. Some have stated that from the tops of the 
 temples they have discerned the waters of the Gulf of 
 Mexico ; but this is manifestly absurd. If they could catch 
 the distant gleam of the lake of Catasaya, which lies about 
 thirty miles to the northward, it is the utmost point to which 
 their vision could reach. As the ocean is probably fully 
 eighty miles distant, it would require the eye to be placed 
 at an altitude of some four hundred feet in order to see it ; 
 and it need hardly be said there is no temple at Palenque 
 of that height. 
 
 We climbed the pyramids and entered the ruins, and 
 their sublime influences made us silent. We wandered 
 about from one great relic to another. We examined the 
 massive palace, the dismantled temples, the pyramids, and 
 statues, and saw that their grandeur had not been ex- 
 aggerated. They are more than grand they are absolutely 
 awe-inspiring. The visitor finds himself wondering whether 
 these vast remains are indeed the work of men, or whether 
 they have not rather been erected by a race of giants that 
 have vanished from our earth. 
 
 Having taken our first cursory view of the most striking 
 buildings, I directed my attention towards making ourselves 
 comfortable. I looked around for my friend. He was no- 
 where to be seen. Thinking he was within the palace I 
 called, but got no answer. My voice reverberated along the 
 empty corridors with a hollow sound ; and several bats, dis- 
 turbed by the noise, flitted about in the twilight of these 
 gloomy passages. When the imagination is powerfully ex- 
 cited, trivial things receive undue attention. It seemed to 
 me as if these ugly beings were the spirits of the ancient 
 possessors of these halls appearing to protest against our
 
 WILL TREED. 365 
 
 entry. On stepping outside one of the many doorways, I 
 heard shouts and shots at some distance, and recognizing 
 Will's voice, I set off for the spot at the best pace the diffi- 
 culties of the path would allow. On coming within speaking 
 distance, I hailed him. " Take care of yourself," he shouted 
 back. "I'm treed by peccaries, and if they catch a sight of 
 you they will put you up a tree in no time." I looked to 
 my rifle, and having filled the magazine, I pushed forward 
 quietly. Soon I got within sight of my friend, who sat 
 astride of a large branch about ten feet from the ground, 
 while round about below were twenty or thirty of the vicious 
 little animals which he had been incautious enough to 
 attack. He had expended all the cartridges he had with 
 him, and had already killed seven or eight of the peccaries. 
 I climbed into a tree before beginning my assault upon the 
 herd, well aware that if I did not place myself in a position 
 of safety, the very first shot would bring the whole body of 
 enraged animals upon me, when it would perhaps be too late 
 to look out for safe quarters. I soon climbed to a fork 
 which afforded me a convenient refuge ; and at my first shot 
 a pig jumped into the air, and lay kicking and squealing 
 upon the ground. The others looked up at Will with, if 
 anything, increased rage, and danced about in an acme of 
 passion. Another shot produced a like result. But after 
 this they discovered my whereabouts, and charged my tree, 
 where they took up their position, grunting and champing 
 their tusks until foam flew from their .jaws. I cared little, 
 however, for their demonstrations. They had put them- 
 selves completely within my power, and shot after shot 
 thinned their ranks ; the survivors, apparently nothing 
 daunted, still keeping their post at the foot of the tree. 
 Several of them ran round it as if searching for a mode of 
 ascent, and leaped against the trunk, resting their fore legs
 
 366 A SPLENDID SUPPLY OF PORK. 
 
 upon it, and looking up as if they cursed me for being beyond 
 their reach. A bullet was the invariable reply to these 
 manoeuvres, and in a few minutes the greater number of 
 the fierce but silly creatures lay dead over the ground. 
 About six remained, and seeing that flight was the best 
 course, they trotted off, the last of their number falling to 
 a shot just as he was disappearing in the jungle. 
 
 Will said he had heard a noise like the clattering of 
 castanets in the bushes, and being curious to know what 
 caused it, he followed the sound. Presently he came on a 
 small pig-like animal rooting vigorously among the deep 
 vegetable mould ; and before realizing the danger of the 
 proceeding, although cautioned by an Indian, who, knowing 
 what was coming, immediately took to his heels, he fired at 
 it. The dying squeals, as well as the report of the rifle, 
 brought the animal's comrades to its aid, as is their invariable 
 custom; and these seeing Will, instantly made a rush at him. 
 He was thus driven to the tree in which I had found him ; 
 but as he had only a few rounds of ammunition with him 
 at the time, he would have been kept prisoner longer than 
 would have been agreeable had I not been there to come to 
 his assistance. 
 
 The Indians were delighted to be presented with such a 
 splendid supply of pork ; and they spent an hour or two in 
 cleaning the peccaries and stowing away the meat in some 
 recondite corner of the palace. 
 
 We took up our quarters in a great gallery which seemed 
 to promise us shelter from the weather. We were fortunate 
 in being here at the dry season. But still there were often 
 sudden storms accompanied by deluges of rain, and it was 
 well to provide against any such contingency by obtaining 
 the best shelter the palace could afford. 
 
 In building the pyramids at Palenque, the constructers
 
 PROGRESS OP DECAY. 367 
 
 laid out the natural elevations in terraces. They lined them 
 with stone and divided them into stages, just as was done 
 by the Toltecs when erecting the pyramids of Teotihuacan. 
 There are few things more striking than a walk among these 
 extraordinary buildings. The isolation, the silence, the deep 
 solitude, the gloomy shadow of the trees which bend above 
 the edifices and the pyramids, intensify the mystery in which 
 the place is shrouded, and overpower the mind with feelings 
 of the deepest melancholy. Since the period of Mr. Stephens's 
 visit, the years that had passed had wrought some changes. 
 Portions of the walls which he had found standing are now 
 overthrown ; the whole front of the temple of the cross is 
 laid open, and in the temple of the lion the finest bas-relief 
 on the altar has altogether disappeared. 
 
 As time goes on, still further ravages will be wrought 
 among these venerable buildings. In fifty years, perhaps a 
 mere mass of shapeless ruins will alone mark the site. 
 
 While some of our Indians were clearing out the palace 
 for our accommodation, we wandered about, preceded by 
 others who hewed a passage for us with their machetes 
 through the thick growth of plants and trees. Wherever 
 we penetrated amid the silence of this virgin forest we came 
 upon vestiges of the ancient city ; before, behind, upon all 
 sides we were surrounded by them, and how far they 
 extend through the solitudes of the forest is as yet un- 
 known. 
 
 We returned to the palace as twilight was falling upon 
 the forest, and as we passed among the dimly seen ruins we 
 felt their impressiveness even more than when they were 
 illuminated by the full light of day. Fancy had more play ; 
 and upon occasions such as this, when there was no lack of 
 every element likely to arouse the imagination, we figured to 
 ourselves what the city must have been in its pristine mag-
 
 368 WORK IS AN ABOMINATION. 
 
 nificence, when every house was lighted up, and hill and dell 
 alike teemed with population. 
 
 We established our kitchen as well as our dining-room in 
 the outer corridor, which runs along the eastern front of the 
 palace, and we slung our hammocks in the eastern gallery 
 of the inner wing. Our dining-room commanded a magnifi- 
 cent prospect over the top of the forest ; from our " bed- 
 room " the view was confined to the court-yard outside. 
 Finding that our meals were served with great irregularity, 
 owing, as our cook explained, to the difficulty of both cooking 
 and keeping the fire going, we detailed two Indians to act 
 under his orders as hewers of wood and drawers of water. 
 After this arrangement we always knew when to return to 
 the palace from our wanderings over the great space occupied 
 by the ruined city. The remainder of our attendants, in- 
 cluding our guides, accompanied us and hewed away the 
 thick growth of plants and branches that covered the build- 
 ings so thickly as almost to hide some of them from obser- 
 vation. We had to keep our eyes upon these fellows, how- 
 ever, as when not watched they dropped work and sat down 
 to smoke and chat. As a rule the indigenous natives of 
 America are extremely lazy work is an abomination to 
 them. But as they contrive to live without it, perhaps this 
 is not surprising. The machete, a huge knife with a keen, 
 heavy blade, is their pet weapon, or implement for forest 
 work; and with this they can do a good deal of work if they 
 can be induced to bestir themselves. When several of them 
 are acting together, they can clear a path through the en- 
 tangled forest almost as fast as their employer can walk after 
 them. They are also expert in the use of the axe, and a 
 couple of them will cut down an enormous tree with as much 
 ease, apparently, as an unskilled person could cut down a 
 small shrub. But for the aid furnished by these natives we
 
 THE PALACE. 369 
 
 should have been unable to examine a single building satis- 
 factorily, so smothered in vegetation are they, both around 
 the sides and on the top. 
 
 The palace may be regarded as divided into two well- 
 defined divisions. A double corridor or aisle runs along 
 three sides namely, on the east, north, and west, enclosing 
 behind also a double corridor and two court-yards of different 
 dimensions. In one of these passages the irrepressible 
 tourist had scratched his name ; and at one place were some 
 lines which I was unable to read owing to their height above 
 the floor. It struck me as a good background for the pro- 
 verbial "John Smith," to show off his utter insignificance 
 against. 
 
 The palace is a huge rectangular mass of buildings with a 
 frontage of two hundred and twenty-eight feet in length and 
 a depth of one hundred and eighty feet. Its height is out 
 of all proportion to its length, being only twenty-five feet. 
 But all round projects a massive cornice of stone. In the 
 front there are fourteen doorways, each nine feet wide, and 
 separated from each other by piers averaging a width of 
 seven feet. As the visitor faces the palace, eight of the 
 left-hand piers have fallen, and lie in a confused mass of 
 rubbish on the terrace, overgrown with weeds, etc. The 
 extreme right-hand angle has also fallen. There remain 
 standing but six of the piers, and the rest of the facade is 
 quite open. 
 
 Generally speaking, outside the galleries nothing in this 
 great building appears to have been executed with method 
 or upon a regular plan. The various parts exhibit a great 
 variety in height and size, which suggests the idea that they 
 were built as occasion required and without consideration 
 for uniformity with what had been already constructed. 
 The court-yards enclosed within the galleries form irregular 
 
 (814) 24
 
 370 STUCCO FIGURES. 
 
 rectangles, and the northern side of the largest is about 
 seven feet longer than the southern side. The buildings are 
 of stone cemented together with lime mortar, and the whole of 
 the front was evidently covered with stucco and then painted. 
 The piers between the doorways are ornamented with figures 
 in bas-relief, and higher up we observed three hieroglyphical 
 figures deeply sunk in the stucco. On the south side, where 
 are the apartments, the want of uniformity of design is most 
 apparent. Here there is scarcely a vestige of plan : great 
 buildings and small are huddled together. They are built 
 upon unequal lines, and advance towards each other or recede 
 in a manner for which there has apparently been no object. 
 Their roofs are perpendicular or slanting; and their orna- 
 mentation, whether rich or simple in design, is scattered 
 over them in a hap-hazard manner. 
 
 Speaking of the stucco figures alluded to above, Mr. 
 Stephens says : " The principal personage stands in an up- 
 right position and in profile, exhibiting an extraordinary 
 facial angle of about 45. The upper part of the head seems 
 to have been compressed and lengthened, perhaps by the same 
 process employed upon the heads of the Choctaw and Flat- 
 heads of our own country. The head represents a species of 
 which few are seen in this part of the country at the present 
 time. The head-dress is evidently a plume of feathers ; 
 over the shoulders is a short covering decorated with studs, 
 and a breastplate ; part of the ornament of the girdle is 
 broken ; the tunic is probably a leopard's skin ; and the 
 whole dress no doubt exhibits the costume of this unknown 
 people. He holds in his hand a staff or sceptre ; and opposite 
 his hands are the marks of three hieroglyphics, which have 
 decayed or been broken off. At his feet are two naked 
 figures seated cross-legged and apparently suppliants. A 
 fertile imagination might find many explanations for these
 
 STEPHENS'S ACCOUNT. 371 
 
 strange figures, but no satisfactory interpretation suggests 
 itself to my mind. The hieroglyphics doubtless tell us 
 their history. The stucco is of admirable consistency and 
 hard as stone. It was painted ; and in different places about 
 it we discovered the remains of red, blue, yellow, black, and 
 white. 
 
 " The piers which are still standing contain other figures 
 of the same general character, but which unfortunately are 
 more mutilated ; and from the declivity of the terrace it was 
 hard to set up the camera lucida in such a position as to 
 draw them. The piers which are fallen were no doubt en- 
 riched with the same ornaments. Each one had some 
 specific meaning, and the whole probably presented some 
 allegory or history ; and when entire and painted, the effect 
 in ascending the terrace must have been imposing and 
 beautiful." 
 
 With reference to the front of the building, Mr. Stephens 
 writes : " The principal doorway is not distinguished by its 
 size or by any superior ornament, but is only indicated by a 
 range of broad stone steps leading up to it on the terrace. 
 The doorways have no doors, nor are there the remains of 
 any. Within, on each side, are three niches in the wall, 
 about eight or ten inches square, with a cylindrical stone 
 about two inches in diameter fixed upright, by which per- 
 haps a door was secured. 
 
 " Along the cornice outside, projecting about a foot beyond 
 the front, holes were drilled at intervals through the stone ; 
 and our impression was that an immense cotton cloth, run- 
 ning the whole length of the building, perhaps painted in a 
 style corresponding with the ornaments, was attached to 
 this cornice, and raised and lowered like a curtain, according 
 to the exigencies of sun and rain. Such a curtain is used, 
 now in front of the piazzas of some haciendas in Yucatan.
 
 372 STEPHENS'S ACCOUNT. 
 
 " The tops of the doorways were all broken. They had 
 evidently been square, and over every one were large niches 
 in the wall on each side in which the lintels had been laid. 
 These lintels had all fallen, and the stones above formed 
 broken natural arches. Underneath were heaps of rubbish ; 
 but there were no remains of lintels. If they had been 
 single slabs of stone some of them x must have been visible 
 and prominent ; and we made up our minds that those lintels 
 were of wood. We had no authority for this. It is not 
 suggested either by Del Rio or Captain Dupaix, and perhaps 
 we should not have ventured the conclusion but for the wooden 
 lintel which we had seen over the doorway of Ocosingo ; 
 and by what we saw afterwards in Yucatan we were con- 
 firmed beyond all doubt in our opinion. I do not conceive, 
 however, that this gives any conclusive data in regard to 
 the age of the buildings. The wood, if such as we saw in 
 the other places, would be very lasting. Its decay must have 
 been extremely slow, and centuries may have elapsed since 
 it perished altogether. 
 
 " The building has two parallel corridors running length- 
 wise on all four of its sides. In front these corridors are 
 about nine feet wide, and extend the whole length of the 
 building, upwards of two hundred feet. In the long wall 
 that divides them there is but one door, which is opposite 
 the principal door of entrance, and has a corresponding one 
 on the other side leading to a court-yard in the rear. The 
 floors are of cement, as hard as the best seen in the remains 
 of Roman baths and cisterns. The walls are about ten feet 
 high, plastered, and on each side of the principal entrance 
 ornamented with medallions, of which the borders only re- 
 main ; these perhaps contained the busts of the royal family. 
 The separating wall had apertures of about a foot, prob- 
 ably intended for purposes of ventilation. Some were of
 
 CORRIDOR OF THE PALACE. 
 
 Page 371
 
 REFLECTIONS. 375 
 
 this form 1-1 , and some of this r ] , which have been called 
 the Greek H_r cross and the Egyp U tian tau, and made the 
 subject of much learned speculation." 
 
 Mr. Stephens inferred that the long unbroken corridors 
 in front of the palace were intended as ante-chambers for 
 lords and other dignitaries of the court. At any rate, who- 
 ever promenaded there must have enjoyed a noble prospect 
 over the swelling woods and cultivated lands which, doubt- 
 less, at that day occupied much of the ground now usurped 
 by the forest. 
 
 " From the centre door of this corridor a range of stone 
 steps, thirty feet long, leads to a rectangular court-yard 
 eighty feet long by seventy feet broad. On each side of 
 the steps are grim and gigantic figures carved in stone in 
 basso-relievo, nine or ten feet high, and in a position slightly 
 inclined backward from the end of the steps to the floor of 
 the corridor. They are adorned with rich head-dresses and 
 necklaces ; but their attitude is that of pain and trouble. 
 The design and anatomical proportions of the figures are 
 faulty. But there is a force of expression about them which 
 shows the skill and conceptive power of the artist." 
 
 We found that apartments lay upon each side of the 
 palace, and those we inferred to have been used as sleeping- 
 rooms. On one side the piers have crumbled to pieces ; but 
 on the opposite side they still remain entire, and these are 
 adorned with stucco figures. It is marvellous that these 
 figures should have survived the influences of the weather 
 for so many centuriea There are in this country many 
 alternations of wet and dry, of storm and sunshine, and 
 yet these stuccos have survived, and are to-day almost as 
 perfect as when they were first put up ! 
 
 Our first night in the ruins was an impressive experience 
 which haunts my recollection. We got back, as I have
 
 376 A WEIRD NOISE. 
 
 said, to our quarters as the shades of evening were veiling 
 these mysterious buildings and throwing over them what 
 Pope calls a "browner horrour." In the great gallery a 
 tire had been made, and its ruddy light glowed upon the 
 walls and cast upon them the shadows of our Indians, who 
 supplied the flames with armfuls of fuel. The farther 
 ends of the ambulacrum were swallowed up in darkness as 
 opaque as that of Egypt ; but at intervals a vagrant cocuyo 
 or two flickered through a doorway with uncertain gleam 
 and flopped and flew amid the gloomy recesses. Outside all 
 was vague and awful. Our fancies, filled with the scenes we 
 had witnessed, traversed anew the silent paths leading by 
 ruined wall, crumbling monument, or overgrown pyramid ; 
 and these were invested by the thickening gloom with a 
 double share of interest and mystery. When we thought of 
 the centuries through which this city has stood here, a 
 melancholy instance of the perishable nature of even man's 
 greatest works, we felt a strange awe subduing our souls. 
 We thought of this great city (now a series of gray forest- 
 covered ruins rising in that desolate spot, the darkness of 
 night shrouding it as it had done for unknown years), as it 
 once was at the evening hour, when the stir of life ani- 
 mated it, and a blaze of lights shone from temple and palace 
 and the houses of its citizens. 
 
 The night was calm, but now and then a mournful gust 
 sighed over the forest, and entered with the sense of a 
 presence through the great doorways, moaning along the 
 dismal passages as if the spirits of the founders of the 
 edifice were bewailing its ruin. In the uncertain light huge 
 bats flew in and out, no doubt attracted by the light of the 
 fire ; and in that weird place it needed no great stretch of 
 imagination to endow them with something of the super- 
 natural. In the middle of the night a prodigious noise re-
 
 A DEMON PRIEST. 377 
 
 sounded along the great corridors. We sprang up to listen ; 
 but it was not repeated. The Indians huddled together near 
 the fire, mute with terror, and no doubt expecting every 
 moment to behold some horrible sight. Although our hearts 
 beat a little faster than common, we affected to treat the 
 matter as not worthy of remark, though the noises which 
 awakened us certainly were of an uncanny kind. We did 
 not discover until next morning by what they probably had 
 been made. I was dressing just as the night was giving 
 way to a gray twilight, when a large bird almost flew against 
 me, as it entered a doorway from without. T saw at once it 
 was the lechuza or great owl of the country ; and it now 
 flashed upon me that this was the creature that had dis- 
 turbed our sleep with its demoniac gurgling screams. The 
 Indians, however, would not accept this as the explanation, 
 and spoke of sprites and gnomes, and demons of even a 
 darker character, which were said to haunt the ruins. They 
 told us of a huge black spirit which was supposed to issue 
 from the subterranean passage leading out below the palace, 
 and which has also a communication with the interior of the 
 building. This fiend strangles any one who has the evil 
 fortune to lie in his direct path. One of the natives said he 
 had seen him coming up the dark stairway, and wherever 
 his eye fell, the spot glowed with a dull red light ! It 
 happened to be a night of terrible storm. Thunder roared 
 and bellowed over the woods ; and such was its nearness, 
 that the trembling of the air shook pieces of mortar from 
 among the crevices of the ceilings, and these falling upon the 
 party, of whom the narrator was one, caused them to believe 
 the palace was about to fall upon them. Under this impres- 
 sion the Indian ran towards the court-yard, and in passing 
 one of the entrances to the subterranean apartments, his 
 blood froze with horror to perceive rising from the gloomy
 
 378 EXTENT OP THE RUINS. 
 
 void the awful apparition. He saw it go towards the range 
 of doors in the front of the palace ; and the shrieks of his 
 comrades announced that they too had seen it. It took its 
 path steadily without deviating, and went towards a great 
 altar where human sacrifices were offered in the olden time ; 
 and there, while the lightning played and crackled around, 
 casting its livid light upon the tempest-torn forest, and 
 lighting for a moment every object with great distinctness, 
 the demon priest was seen by the terrified Indians offering 
 the bloody victim to the great idol, whose eyes, reflecting the 
 glare of the demon, glowed luridly in the darkness ! This 
 was a wild tale, suited to the spot; and although a smile 
 went round the circle of faces, I am inclined to suspect that 
 the incredulity was simulated. All these natives are ex- 
 tremely superstitious; and it is a fact that it needs great 
 inducement to get any of them to spend a night in the ruins. 
 We had to offer high wages, and this had to be supplemented 
 by the authority of the alcalde, who threatened and stormed 
 before he could get our porters to accompany us when they 
 understood that we meant to remain at the ruins. 
 
 With regard to the extent of the ruins, Mr. Stephens 
 says : " Even in this practical age the imagination of man 
 delights in wonders. The Indians and the people of Palenque 
 say that they cover a space of sixty miles ; in a series of 
 well-written articles in our own country they have been set 
 down as ten times larger than New York ; and lately I have 
 seen an article in some of the newspapers referring to our 
 expedition, which represents this city, discovered by us, as 
 having been three times as large as London ! It is not in 
 my nature to discredit any marvellous story. I am slow to 
 disbelieve, and would rather sustain all such inventions : but 
 it has been my unhappy lot to find marvels fade away as I 
 approached them even the Dead Sea lost its mysterious
 
 -MR. STEPHENS'S VISIT: 379 
 
 charm ; and besides, as a traveller and 'writer of a book,' I 
 know that if I go wrong those who come after me will not 
 fail to set me right. Under these considerations not from 
 any wish of my own, and with many thanks to my friends 
 of the press I am obliged to say that the Indians and people 
 of Palenque really know nothing of the. ruins personally, and 
 the other accounts do not rest upon any sufficient foundation. 
 The whole country for miles round is covered with a dense 
 forest of gigantic trees, with a growth of brush and under- 
 wood unknown in the wooded deserts of our own country, 
 and impenetrable in any direction except by cutting a way 
 with a machete. What lies buried in that forest it is im- 
 possible to say of my own .knowledge. Without a guide we 
 might have gone within one hundred feet of all the buildings 
 without discovering one of them. 
 
 "Captain Del Rio, the first explorer, with men and means 
 at command, states in his report that in the execution of his 
 commission he cut down and burned all the woods. He does 
 not say how far ; but judging from the breaches and excava- 
 tions made in the interior of the buildings, probably for 
 miles around. Captain Dupaix, acting under a royal com- 
 mission, and with all the resources such a commission 
 would give, did not discover any more buildings than those 
 mentioned by Del Rio, and we saw only the same; but 
 having the benefit of them as guides at least of Del Rio, 
 for at that time we had not seen Dupaix's work we of 
 course saw things that escaped their observation, just as 
 those who come after us will see things that escaped ours. 
 This place, however, was the principal object of our expedi- 
 tion, and it was our wish and intention to make a thorough 
 exploration. Respect for my official character, the special 
 tenor of my passport, and letters from Mexican authorities, 
 gave me every facility. The prefect assumed that I was sent
 
 380 MR. STEPHENS'S VISIT. 
 
 by my government expressly to explore the ruins ; and every 
 person in Palenque, except our friend the alcalde, and even 
 he, as much as the perversity of his disposition would permit, 
 was disposed to assist us. But there were accidental diffi- 
 culties which were insuperable. First, it was the rainy 
 season. This, under any circumstances, would have made it 
 difficult ; but as the rains did not commence till three or 
 four o'clock, and the weather was always clear in the morn- 
 ing, it alone would not have been sufficient to prevent our 
 attempting it. But there were other difficulties which em- 
 barrassed us from the beginning, and continued during our 
 whole residence among the ruins. There was not an axe or 
 a spade in the place, and, as usual, the only instrument was 
 the machete, which here was like a short, wide-bladed sword ; 
 and the difficulty of procuring Indians to work was greater 
 than at any other place we had visited. It was the season 
 of planting corn, and the Indians, under the immediate 
 pressure of famine, were all busy with their mil pas. The 
 price of an Indian's labour was ninepence per day ; but the 
 alcalde, who had the direction of this branch of the business, 
 would not let me advance to more than one shilling, and the 
 most he would engage to send was from four to six a day. 
 They would not sleep at the ruins came late and went away 
 early. Sometimes only two or three appeared, and the same 
 men rarely came twice ; so that during our stay we had all 
 the Indians of the village in rotation. This increased very 
 much our labour, as it made it necessary to stand over them 
 constantly to direct their work ; and just as one set began to 
 understand precisely what we wanted, we were obliged to 
 teach the same to others ; and I may remark that their 
 labour, though nominally cheap, was dear in reference to the 
 work done." 
 
 We were rather more fortunate in our experience than
 
 A RUINED HOUSE. 383 
 
 Mr. Stephens seems to have been. We prevailed upon our 
 Indians to remain with us at the ruins, and we therefore had 
 them at hand always when they were wanted. It was also 
 the dry season, which was a great advantage. But with these 
 facilities we were unable to see as much as we would have 
 wished. As I before stated, our time was very limited, 
 owing to my friend being obliged to return home by pressing 
 business ; and we had to rush through the scenes I have 
 described without giving any of them the attention their 
 interest demanded. But what we did see does not need the 
 adventitious aid of exaggeration to render it of deep interest. 
 Leaving the palace by what is known as the subterranean 
 passage (the same as that said by the story-teller to harbour 
 the demon of his tale), the explorer finds himself emerging 
 into daylight though there are several borrowed windows or 
 openings in this passage close to the foot of a pyramid, but, 
 which is much dilapidated and hirsute with shrubs, trees, 
 etc. This structure appears to have had flights of steps 
 along its sides ; but they had been displaced by the roots of 
 trees which had grown up in the crevices, and now lay in 
 masses of ruin at the foot, or here and there wherever their 
 fall had been arrested by accident. By holding on to the 
 branches it is possible to clamber up the steep sides of the 
 pyramid ; but there is considerable difficulty in the feat, 
 owing to the insecurity of the stones, which are easily dis- 
 lodged from their insecure hold ; and as many of them arc 
 very large and heavy, a limb might easily be crushed if 
 caught between or beneath them. The danger is perhaps 
 greater to those in the rear of the first climber, as the stones 
 gather velocity in their descent, and thunder down the 
 rugged slope of masonry, levelling the bushes and raising a 
 cloud of dust. When the visitor has accomplished about 
 half the ascent, a house becomes visible through a vista in tlie
 
 384 AN UNDECIPHERABLE LANGUAGE. 
 
 foliage. It is placed upon the top of a mass of masonry, 
 sloping backwards and upwards for one hundred and ten feet. 
 It was of course ruined great trees hedged it round about, 
 and many were actually growing upon its nagged roof, cast- 
 ing a deep shade upon the building, and accentuating the 
 melancholy feelings excited by the spectacle of its decay. 
 
 This building measures seventy-six feet in length, and it 
 has a depth of twenty-five feet. It has a front somewhat 
 like that of the palace, but has only five doors and six piers, 
 all of which remain. The facade was embellished with fine 
 stuccoes ; and the terminal piers at each side were orna- 
 mented with hieroglyphics in tablets, each of which was 
 divided into ninety-six squares. There are human figures 
 on four of the piers. One represents a woman holding a 
 child in her arms. Round this figure is a richly executed 
 border, and under the feet is a bracket, also ornamented. 
 The head, however, is wanting. The remaining figures pre- 
 sent a general similarity to the above, and apparently each 
 of them held an infant. Above them are hieroglyphics. 
 Behind the house is a dark passage, which has been divided 
 into three separate chambers ; possibly they may have 
 served as bed-rooms. They have no windows ; but instead 
 are ventilated by loop-holes three inches wide and twelve high. 
 The walls are bare and uninteresting, except the back wall 
 of the central chamber, which fronts the entrance door. On 
 this is a large tablet of hieroglyphics four feet six inches 
 wide, and three feet six inches high. How I longed to pos- 
 sess some clew to the meaning of these mysterious inscrip- 
 tions ! The history of the place was without doubt here set 
 down ; but it is, unfortunately, in an undecipherable lan- 
 guage. These complicated figures seemed to mock me as I 
 gazed at them with a deep longing to fathom their meaning; 
 but they were inscrutable, and I fear they will remain so.
 
 Front EUtmtuti. 
 SmtH. 
 
 THE PALACE OF PALENQUE RESTORED.
 
 NOT DISAPPOINTED. 387 
 
 At any rate, they have baffled the skill of every one that has 
 hitherto attempted the task of unravelling their mystery. 
 We wandered through the forest in search of fresh relics, and 
 everywhere we found them. Sometimes a mass of shapeless 
 ruin ; often an irregular mound smothered in jungle ; often 
 a night of steps stopped further progress ; and on the brush- 
 wood being hewed away, we found ourselves confronted with 
 a pyramid, ranges of steps along its sides, and a wilderness 
 of jungle enshrouding it. 
 
 I will not fatigue the reader with further details of this 
 extraordinary place. To do so would only weary him, with- 
 out leaving any definite impression. But I wish I could 
 convey to him an adequate idea of the deep awe which we 
 experienced in scanning these monuments of a departed 
 people. Their silence ; their complete isolation from the 
 world; the gloom of the dense forest, less opaque, indeed, than 
 the mystery that shields from our knowledge the history of 
 their builders ; the grim idols, and the altars which once ran 
 with human blood ; the weird influence of beholding night 
 settling down upon the spot and throwing its sombre mantle 
 alike upon ruins and forest ; these are accessories which the 
 reader cannot have, and which produced in our minds at the 
 time an impression of almost painful intensity. Despite the 
 utter inutility of speculations upon the origin or the history 
 of the ancient dwellers in this place, I was constantly form- 
 ing conjectures as to who they were, whence they came, and 
 how they vanished. It is always thus with whatever piques 
 our curiosity. 
 
 In concluding his notice of Palenque, Mr. Stephens says : 
 "The reader is perhaps disappointed, but we were not. 
 There was no necessity for assigning to the city an immense 
 extent, or an antiquity coeval with that of the Egyptians, or 
 of any other ancient and known people. What we had
 
 388 " CHANGE SWEEl'ETH OVER ALL." 
 
 before our eyes was grand, curious, and remarkable enough. 
 Here were the remains of a cultivated, polished, and peculiar 
 people, who had passed through all the stages incident to the 
 rise and fall of nations, reached their golden age, and perished, 
 entirely unknown. The links which connected them with 
 the human family were severed and lost, and these were the 
 only memorials of their footsteps upon earth. We lived in 
 the ruined palace of their kings ; we went up to their deso- 
 late temples and fallen altars ; and wherever we moved we 
 saw the evidences of their taste, their skill in arts, their 
 wealth and power. In the midst of desolation and ruin we 
 looked back to the past, cleared away the gloomy forest, and 
 fancied every building perfect, with its terraces and pyramids, 
 its sculptured and painted ornaments, grand, lofty, and im- 
 posing, and overlooking an immense inhabited plain ; we 
 called back into life the strange people who gazed at us in 
 sadness from the walls ; pictured them in fanciful costumes 
 and adorned with plumes of feathers ascending the terraces 
 of the palace and the steps leading to the temples ; and often 
 we imagined a scene of unique and gorgeous beauty and 
 magnificence, realizing the creations of Oriental poets, the 
 very spot which fancy would have selected for the ' Happy 
 Valley ' of Rasselas." 
 
 This eloquent explanation of the feelings touched in Mr. 
 Stephens's breast by the spectacle of these almost unknown 
 ruins, describes more faithfully than I can do the sensations 
 with which my friend and I beheld them. In all that I 
 have seen elsewhere, I have met with nothing which pro- 
 duced impressions as ineffaceable as those I received when 
 viewing the pre-historic relics of Copan, Quirigua, and 
 Palenque. But change is one of Nature's laws : 
 
 " Change sweepeth over all ! 
 In showers leaves fall
 
 CHANGE AND DEATH. 389 
 
 From the tall forest tree ; 
 On to the sea 
 Majestic rivers roll- 
 It is their goal. 
 
 Each speeds to perish, in man's simple meaning 
 Each disappears ; 
 
 One common end o'ertakes life's idle dreaming 
 Dust, darkness, tears. 
 
 " O'er cities of old days 
 
 Dumb creatures graze ; 
 
 Palace and pyramid 
 
 In dust are hid ; 
 
 Even the sky-searching tower 
 
 Stands but its hour. 
 Oceans their wide-stretched beds are ever shifting, 
 
 Sea turns to shore ; 
 And stars and systems through dread space are drifting, 
 
 To shine no more ! " Amnyinoun. 
 
 1 will here take leave of the reader, happy if I have in- 
 duced him to accompany me thus far in my wanderings. I 
 do not wish to create in his mind a fictitious interest in 
 these ancient buildings by laboured or fanciful descriptions. 
 I trust it would be unnecessary to have recourse to exaggera- 
 tion to excite in his mind a sympathy for the fate of their 
 unknown builders. But nothing can add to the effect they 
 produce upon the traveller who conies upon them lying 
 almost unknown and unvisited amid the wild luxuriance of 
 a tropical forest. They speak a melancholy language ; and 
 the mournful dirge which the winds sing among their ruins 
 seems to have for its refrain Change and Death. 
 
 THE EN'D.
 
 Travel and Adventure. 
 
 Jack Hooper. His Adveatures at 
 Sea and in South Africa. By 
 VERNEY LOVETT CAMERON, C.B., 
 D.C. L. , Commander Royal Navy; 
 Author of "Across Africa," "Our 
 Future Highway," etc. With 23 
 Full-page Illustrations. Crown 
 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges. 5s. 
 " Our author has the immense advan- 
 tage over many writers of boys' stories 
 that he describes what he has seen, and 
 does not merely draw on his imagination 
 and on boots." SCOTSMAN. 
 
 With Pack and Rifle in the Far 
 South -West. Adventures in 
 New Mexico, Arizona, and 
 Central America. By ACHILLES 
 DAUNT, Author of <: Frank Red- 
 cliffe," " In the Land of the 
 Moose, the Bear, and the Beaver," 
 " The Three Trappers," etc. 
 With 30 Illustrations. Crown 
 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges. 5s. 
 A delightful book of travel and adven- 
 ture, with much valuable information as 
 to the geography and natural history of 
 the wild American "Far West." 
 
 The Eastern Archipelago. By 
 the Author of "The Arctic 
 World," "Recent Polar Voy- 
 ages," etc. With 60 Engravings 
 and a Map. Crown 8vo, cloth 
 extra, gilt edges. Price 5s. 
 
 A description of the scenery, animal 
 and vegetable life, people, and physical 
 wonders of ths islands in the Eastern 
 Seas. 
 
 Early English Voyagers ; or, The 
 Adventures and Discoveries of 
 Drake, Cavendish, and Dampier. 
 Numerous Illustrations. Crown 
 8vo, cloth extra, gilt edges. 5s. 
 The title of this work describes the con- 
 tents. It in a handsome volume, which 
 ivill be a valuable gift fur young person* 
 generally, and boy* in particular. There 
 are included many interexting illustra- 
 tions and portraits f the three great 
 voyagers. 
 
 Our Sea Coast Heroes ; or, Tales 
 of Wreck and of Rescue by the 
 LifeJjoat and Rocket. By ACHIL- 
 LES DAUNT, Author of "Frank 
 Redcliffe," " With Pack and 
 Rifle in the Far South-West," etc. 
 With numerous Illustrations. 
 Post 8vo, cloth extra. 2s. 6d. 
 
 The Forest, the Jungle, and the 
 Prairie ; or, Tales of Adventure 
 and Enterprise in Pursuit of Wild 
 Animals. With numerous En- 
 gravings. Post 8vo, cloth extra. 
 Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 A party of u-eatlier-bound schoolboys 
 are here supposed to relate in turn the 
 stories that form the book. They are full 
 of romantic adventure and deeds of dar- 
 ing ; but at the same time they are true, 
 and cannot be read without imparting 
 valuable information on natural history. 
 
 Scenes with the Hunter and the 
 Trapper in Many Lands. Stories 
 of Adventures witli Wild Ani- 
 mals. With Engravings. Post 
 8vo, cloth extra. Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 A party of school-boys sjiend some o) 
 their half-holidays in relating to one 
 anotlier stories of adventure in search oj 
 wild animals. These stories, though often 
 ^full of romantic and stirring incidents, 
 are all true. Tftey cannot fail to be 
 attractive to young readers. 
 
 The Swiss Family Robinson ; or. 
 Adventures of a Father and his 
 Four Sons on a Desolate Island. 
 Illustrated. Post 8vo, cloth ex 
 tra. Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 A cheap edition <>} this wdl-known 
 work. As the title suggests, its character 
 is somewhat similar to that of th famous 
 "Robinson Crusoe." It combines, in a 
 hiijh degree, the two desirable Dualities in 
 a book, instruction and amuxdnent. 
 
 Sandford and Morton. A I ;.,,!. 
 for the Young. By THOMAS DAY. 
 Illustrated. Post 8vo, cloth ex- 
 tra. Price 2s. 6d. 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW TOUK.
 
 Boy's Library of Travel and Adventure. 
 
 The Three Trappers. A Book for 
 Boys. By ACHILLES DAUNT, 
 Author of "In the Land of the 
 Moose, the Bear, and the Beaver. " 
 With 11 Engravings. Post 8vo, 
 cloth extra. Price 3s. 6d. 
 
 A Canadian story, for young readers, 
 beautifully illustrated, combining useful 
 information in natural history and geo- 
 graphy, with interesting incidents and 
 adventures. 
 
 Wrecked on a Reef ; or, Twenty 
 Months in the Auckland Isles. 
 A True Story of Shipwreck, Ad- 
 venture, and Suffering. With 40 
 Illustrations. Post 8vo, cloth 
 extra. Price 3s. 6d. 
 
 A true story of five men who were 
 wrecked among the Auckland Isles, and 
 escaptd at last in a boat of their own 
 buitding. 
 
 Egypt Past and Present. De- 
 scribed and Illustrated. With a 
 Narrative of its Occupation by the 
 British, and of Recent Events 
 in the Soudan. By W. H. DAVEN- 
 PORT ADAMS. With 100 Illus- 
 trations and Portrait of General 
 Gordon. Post 8vo, cloth extra. 
 Price 3s. 6d. 
 
 In this volume are brought together the 
 principal facts in connection with tlie 
 history and monuments of Egypt. The 
 illustrations are from authentic sources. 
 
 Ralph's Year in Russia. A Story 
 of Travel and Adventure in East- 
 ern Europe. A Book for Boys. 
 By ROBERT RICHARDSON, Author 
 of "Almost a Hero," etc. With 
 Eight Engravings. Post 8vo, 
 cloth extra. Price 3s. 
 
 The story of an English family required 
 for a time to reside in Russia. It intro- 
 duces numerous and varied incidents of 
 travel and adventure in that country, 
 and describes the various customs and 
 mode of life of the people. 
 
 Robinson Crusoe. The Life and 
 Strange Adventures of Robinson 
 Crusoe, of York, Mariner. Writ- 
 ten by Himself. Carefully Re- 
 printed from the Original Edition. 
 With Memoir of De Foe, a Me- 
 moir of Alexander Selkirk, and 
 other interesting additions. Il- 
 lustrated with upwards of Seventy 
 Engravings by KEELEY HALS- 
 WELLE. Crown 8vo, cloth extra. 
 Price 3s. 
 
 An Edition that every boy would be 
 pleased to include in his library. It is 
 handsomely bound, and the numerous 
 illustrations assist greatly in the realiza- 
 tion of this famous story. 
 
 The Swiss Family Robinson ; 
 or, Adventures of a Shipwrecked 
 Family on a Desolate Island. A 
 Neiv and Unabridged Transla- 
 tion. With upwards of 300 En- 
 gravings. Crown 8vo, cloth ex- 
 tra. Price 3s. 
 
 A book similar in character to the 
 famous " Robinson Crusoe," and conse- 
 quently fascinatiiig to young readers. 
 There is a vast amount of instructive in- 
 formation on natural history, etc., inter- 
 woven with the story. 
 
 Gulliver's Travels into Several 
 Remote Regions of the World. 
 With Introduction and Explana- 
 tory Notes by the late ROBERT 
 MACKENZIE, Author of "The 19th 
 Century, " " America, "etc. With 
 20 Illustrations. Post 8vo, cloth 
 extra. Price 3s. 
 
 "A very handsome edition, under the 
 editorship of Mr. Robert Mackenzie, who 
 has supplied for it a well-written intro- 
 duction and explanatory notes We 
 
 have also here the curious original maps 
 and a number of modern illustrations 
 of much merit. Altogether this is a most 
 attractive re-appearance of a famous 
 book." GLASGOW HERALD. 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS. LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK.
 
 24633
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 of California, San Diego 
 
 --^&$ -