ns on so
extraordinary a sight. Another large building we found filled with bows
and arrows and small darts. We now carefully searched the surrounding
neighbourhood, but we could nowhere see any maise plantations.

While we were thus looking about us we observed fifteen Indians
approaching from the side of the morass, who, on coming up, touched the
ground with their hands and kissed it. These were the chiefs of the
township, and they begged of Cortes, in a half-crying tone of voice, not
to set fire to their buildings. They had, they said, but recently
settled in this spot, and had been compelled to fortify themselves thus
strongly from fear of their enemies; whom, if I do not mistake, they
termed Lacandones. These people had burnt down their two former towns
which lay on the plain, had plundered them of all they possessed, and
had killed numbers of their countrymen. On our further march we should
pass over the ashes and ruins of their former habitations. These chiefs
then related the cause of their enmity, and described their mode of
warfare. Upon this Cortes inquired of them what had induced them to
dress so large a quantity of turkeys and other fowls? To which the
chiefs replied, that they again expected an attack from the Lacandones,
who would be sure, if victorious, to carry off all their property and
fowls; they had therefore determined to eat up all their provisions
before the enemy arrived; but if they themselves proved victorious,
they would march into the enemy's towns, plunder them in their turn, and
so make up for their recent losses.

Cortes told them he was extremely sorry to hear of their wars, but that
it was not in his power to render them any assistance at present, as he
was obliged to continue his march. This tribe, to whom the two other
large townships also belonged, through which we passed on the following
day, were termed the Mazotecs, a name which, in their language, denotes
the land or the nation of the wild deer, and this was indeed a most
appropriate appellation, as the reader will presently see.

From this place we took two guides with us, who led us over the ruins of
the two townships above mentioned, and gave us some further account of
the Spaniards whom we should find at a considerable distance further on.

CHAPTER CLXXVIII.

_We continue our march, and what further happened to us._

After we had quitted this fortified township, we came into an extensive
open plain, on whic