ther
holding some object, or else in a simple gesture. The standing figures
are all almost completely preserved; the seated ones unfortunately
largely or wholly obliterated. In front of the standing ministrant is a
vase of offerings, usually a triple Kan figure, and in two cases with
knives. In the upper part of the picture, facing in every case but one
towards the ministrant, is a bird figure, different on each page, and
having in two cases a human head. On each page is an Ahau sign with red
numeral, all of them together forming a series which (starting on the
supposed page 1 with 4 Ahau) gives the succession 4, 2, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5,
3, 1, 12, 10, 8, 6; in other words the numbers of thirteen consecutive
katuns. The Ahau numerals 13, 11, 9, on pages 3, 4 and 5, are entirely
distinct, and enough traces appear on other pages to establish this as a
katun series beyond question. If this chapter includes just a round of
numbers it would of course be complete in 13 pages. The chapter may be
historical in contents, but the presence of this numeral Ahau-series
clearly relates these pages to successive katuns in some way, whatever
other bearings they may have. The ten pages thus in some way definitely
have to do with the lapse of 72,000 days, or not quite 200 solar years,
and the extension of the series to a full cycle of 20 katuns is quite
likely. The background of this section _e_ is red on each alternate
page.

Returning now to section _a_, we find on each page three figures, nearly
all of persons or animals, seated on a large base [Hieroglyph]
practically identical with the tun-glyph. Fourteen of the backgrounds to
these figures are red. Above each figure there seems to have been at
least six glyphs, of which but very few are left. Above these is a space
entirely erased. In the center of the section on each page is a column
containing at least two Ahaus with red numerals. The numerals of the
upper row exceed those of the lower by 6; each row decreases from page
to page by 4. The erased margins of the MS. do not afford space for
another picture besides the three, on either side, but they do just give
room for another Ahau-column on the left of each page. If this second
Ahau-column existed, we have again the katun-series repeated in each row
across. If it did not exist, the series (reading from the supposed page
1) of 13, 9, 5, etc., and 7, 3, 12, etc., decreasing by 4's, give the
numbers of successive tuns. Once again the quest