Annoyance from
Fleas.--Visit to the Ruins of Labphak.--A lofty Structure.--Apartments,
&c.--Staircases.--Doorways.--Interesting Discovery.--Courtyard.--Square
Building on the second Terrace.--Ornaments in Stucco.--Oblong Building
on the third Terrace.--Colossal Figures and Ornaments.--Centre
Apartment.--Tokens of recent Occupation.--Ground Plan of the lower
Range of Apartments.--Sculptured Bas-reliefs.--Builders adapted their
Style to the Materials at Hand.--Abode at the Ruins.--Wants.--Moonlight
Scene.--Painting.--Circular Holes.--Range of
Buildings.--Staircases.--Ornaments in Stucco.--Rain.--Love of the
Marvellous.

Early the next morning we resumed our journey. On leaving the village
we were soon again in the wilderness. Albino remained behind to
breakfast; we had not gone far before we came to a fork of the road,
and took one of the branches, by which we missed our way, and rode on
over a great plain covered with bushes above our horses' heads, the
path finally becoming so completely choked up that it was impossible to
continue. We turned back and took another; and, keeping as near as
possible, by the compass, what we understood to be the direction, came
out upon a muddy aguada, covered with weeds, and beyond this a sugar
rancho, the first we had seen in Yucatan, indicating that we were
entering a different section of country. We had escaped the region of
eternal stones, and the soil was rich and loamy. A league beyond this
we reached the rancho of Santa Rosa. It was a very rare thing in this
country to notice any place for its beauty of situation, but we were
struck with this, though perhaps its beauty consisted merely in
standing upon a slight elevation, and commanding a view of an open
country.

The major domo was somewhat surprised at the object of our visit. The
ruins were about two leagues distant, but he had never seen them, and
had no great opinion of ruins generally. He immediately sent out,
however, to notify the Indians to be on the ground in the morning, and
during the evening he brought in one who was to be our guide. By way of
getting some idea of the ruins, we showed him some of Mr. Catherwood's
drawings, and asked him if his bore any resemblance to them. He looked
at them all attentively, and pointed to the blanks left for the
doorways as the points of resemblance; from his manner we got the
impression that we should have to thank the cura for a bootless visit.

The night at this rancho was a m