the cura, which
promised to add greatly to the interest of our expedition.

That I might take a passing view of one of these places on my return to
Uxmal, I determined to go back by a different road, across the sierra,
which rises a short distance from the village of Ticul. The ascent was
steep, broken, and stony. The whole range was a mass of limestone rock,
with a few stunted trees, but not enough to afford shade, and white
under the reflection of the sun. In an hour I reached the top of the
sierra. Looking back, my last view of the plain presented, high above
everything else, the church and convent which I had left. I was an hour
crossing the sierra, and on the other side my first view of the great
plain took in the church of Nohcacab, standing like a colossus in the
wilderness, the only token to indicate the presence of man. Descending
to the plain, I saw nothing but trees, until, when close upon the
village, the great church again rose before me, towering above the
houses, and the only object visible.

The village was under the pastoral charge of the cura of Ticul, and in
the suburbs I met his ministro on horseback, waiting, according to the
directions of the former, to escort me to the ruins of Nohpat. At a
league's distance we turned off from the main road, and, following a
narrow path leading to some milpas, in fifteen minutes we saw towering
before us lofty but shattered buildings, the relics of another ruined
city. I saw at a glance that it would be indispensable for Mr.
Catherwood to visit them. Nevertheless, I passed three hours on the
ground, toiling in the hot sun, and at four o'clock, with strong
apprehensions of another attack of fever, I mounted to continue my
journey.

A little before dark I emerged from the woods, and saw Mr. Catherwood
standing on the platform of the Casa del Gobernador, the sole tenant of
the ruins of Uxmal. His Indians had finished their day's work, Bernaldo
and Chaipa Chi had gone, and since Doctor Cabot left he had slept alone
in our quarters. He had a feeling of security from the tranquil state
of the country, the harmless character of the Indians, their
superstitions in regard to the ruins, and a spring pistol with a cord
across the door, which could not fail to bring down any one who might
attempt to enter at night.

It had happened most fortunately for our operations that Mr. Catherwood
had held out. Without any resources or anything to occupy him except
work, he had acc