; so
that our pain of body was accompanied by a most sombre and melancholy
cast of mind. Yet, again, did the more balanced and delicate temperament
of Fray Antonio shine out by contrast with our coarser make; for while
he also suffered pains of the body, his mind was filled with a serene
cheerfulness that found expression in kindly, comforting words, by which
our flagging spirits were strengthened and upheld. There was in Fray
Antonio's nature, surely, a fund of gentle lovingness the like of which
I never knew in any other man.

And, in truth, our plight was such that we stood in much need of
comforting. Not only were we sick with our many hurts, but we were also
prisoners. By the full light of day we examined carefully the cave, and
found no outlet to it; and we examined carefully, also, the walls of the
canon throughout its full length, and made sure that there was no path
leading upward whereby a man could go. And escape down the valley was
cut off, for the Indians--who knew, no doubt, the manner of place we
were caught in--were on guard and watching for us; which fact came
sharply to our knowledge with a half-dozen arrows that dropped among us
as we went out a little way beyond the mouth of the canon to see if the
way was open to us. Had we been whole, we might have made a dash and
fought our way through; but even this poor plan was not possible when
our bodies were stiff and sore. Our one comforting thought was that, as
we had an abundance of provisions and an ample supply of water, we could
hold out for so long a time that the Indians at last would get tired of
waiting for us. If they ventured to attack us in the cave, we knew that
we could defend ourselves against any number of them successfully. If
they simply abandoned the siege, then we would be free without fighting
at all. But it was dismal work waiting in that dismal place for one or
the other of these two ends to come.

And the fact that the King's symbol had proved a false guide also was a
source of deep concern to us. By the full strength of daylight we again
examined the graving at the entrance to the canon, and there was no
mistaking the way in which the arrow pointed. And, what was even more
perplexing and disheartening, we found the graving repeated at the
entrance to the cave, and the arrow pointing directly towards the statue
of Chac-Mool. It was impossible that this cave, with mummies only for
inhabitants, could be the walled city wherein the res