ent
importance to constitute a village. The casa real, like that at Chack,
was a large hut, with mud walls and a thatched roof. It had an open
place in front about a hundred feet square, enclosed by a fence made of
poles, and shaded by an arbour of palm leaves. Around the hut were
large seybo trees. The casa real is erected in every rancho of Indians
expressly for the reception of the cura on his occasional or perhaps
barely possible visits, but it is occupied also by small dealers from
the villages, who sometimes find their way to these ranchos to buy up
hogs, maize, and fowls. The hut, when swept out, and comparatively
clear of fleas, made a large and comfortable apartment, and furnished
ample swinging room for six hammocks, being the number requisite for
our whole retinue.

This place was under the parochial charge of our friend the cura of
Ticul, who, however, owing to the multiplicity of his other
occupations, had visited it but once. The padrecito had sent notice of
our coming, and had charged the people to be in readiness to receive
us. Immediately on our arrival, therefore, Indians were at hand to
procure ramon for the horses, but there was no water. The rancho had no
well, and was entirely dependant on that of Chack, three miles distant.
For two reals, however, the Indians undertook to procure us four
cantaros, one for each horse, which would serve for the night. In the
evening we had a formal visit from the alcalde and his alguazils, and
half the village besides.

Although we had been some time in the country, we regarded this as
really the beginning of our travels; and though the scenes we had met
with already were not much like any we had ever encountered before, our
first day's journey introduced us to some that were entirely new. The
Indians assembled under the arbour, where they, with great formality,
offered us seats, and the alcalde told us that the rancho was poor, but
they would do all they could to serve us. Neither he nor any other in
the place spoke a word of Spanish, and our communications were through
Albino. We opened the interview by remonstrating against the charge of
two reals for watering our horses, but the excuse was satisfactory
enough. In the rainy season they had sources of supply in the
neighbourhood, and these were perhaps as primitive as in any other
section of the habitable world, being simply deposites of rain-water in
the holes and hollows of rocks, which were called sartenejas.