ast, and at the
distance of six or eight yards opened into another, or rather was
stopped by another crossing it, and running north and south. I took
first that on the right hand, running south. At the distance of a few
yards, on the right side of the wall, I found a door, filled up, and at
the distance of thirty-five feet the passage ended, and a door opened
at right angles on the left into another gallery running due east.
Following this, at the distance of thirteen feet I found another
gallery on the left, running north, and beyond it at the end, still
another, also on the left, and running north, four yards long, and then
walled up, with only an opening in it about a foot square.

Turning back, I entered the gallery which I had passed, and which ran
north eight or ten yards; at the end was a doorway on the right,
opening into a gallery that ran east. At the end of this were six
steps, each one foot high and two wide, leading to another gallery,
which ran north twelve yards. At the end there came another gallery on
the left which ran west ten yards, and at the end of this another on
the right, running north about sixty feet. This passage was walled up
at the north end, and at the distance of five yards from this end
another doorway led into a passage running to the east. At the distance
of four yards a gallery crossed this at right angles, running north and
south, forty-five feet long, and walled up at both ends; and three or
four yards farther on another gallery crossed it, also running north
and south. This last was walled up at the south, and on the north led
to still another gallery, which ran east, three yards long. This was
stopped by another gallery crossing it, running to the south three
yards, when it was walled up, and to the north eight yards when it
turned to the west.

In utter ignorance of the ground, I found myself turning and doubling
along these dark and narrow passages, which seemed really to have no
end, and justly to entitle the place to its name of El Laberinto.

I was not entirely free from the apprehension of starting some wild
animal, and moved slowly and very cautiously. In the mean time, in
turning the corners, my twine would be entangled, and the Indians,
moved by the probability of getting no pay entered to clear it, and by
degrees all came up with me in a body. I got a glimpse of their torches
behind me just as I was turning into a new passage, and at the moment I
was startled by a noi