se upon a high mound, having a great
stone staircase different from anything we had seen, and, groping our
way among the trees, passed on to the next; and the third presented a
facade almost entire, with trees growing before it and on the top, as
if nature and rain had combined to produce their most picturesque
effect. On the way we had glimpses of other buildings, separated from
us by a thick growth of underwood; and after a hard but most
interesting morning's work, we returned to the first building.

Since we first set out in search of ruins we had not been taken so much
by surprise. During the whole time of our residence at Uxmal, and until
my forced visit to Ticul, and fortunate intimacy with the cura Carillo,
I had not even heard of the existence of such a place. It was
absolutely unknown; and the Indians who guided us having conducted us
to these buildings, of all the rest seemed as ignorant as ourselves.
They told us, in fact, that these were all; but we could not believe
them; we felt confident that more lay buried in the woods, and, tempted
by the variety and novelty of what we saw, we determined not to go away
until we had discovered all. So far, since we began at Nohcacab, we had
"done up" a city a day, but we had now a great field of labour before
us, and we saw at once that it was to be attended with many
difficulties.

There was no rancho, and no habitation of any kind nearer than the
village. The buildings themselves offered good shelter; with the
necessary clearings they could be made extremely agreeable, and on many
considerations it was advisable again to take up our abode among the
ruins; but this arrangement was not without its dangers. The season of
El Norte seemed to have no end; every day there was rain; the foliage
was so thick that the hot sun could not dry the moisture before another
rain came, and the whole country was enveloped in a damp, unwholesome
atmosphere. Besides, unluckily for us, it was a season of great
abundance in the village; the corn crop had been good; the Indians had
plenty to eat, and did not care to work. Already we had found
difficulty in hiring them; it would require constant urging and our
continual presence to secure them from day to day. As to getting them
to remain with us, it was out of the question. We determined,
therefore, to continue our residence at the convent, and go out to the
ruins every day.

Late in the afternoon we returned to the village, and in the ev