ucks floating quietly upon its surface. As we rode up Dr.
Cabot shot a trogan, one of the rare birds of that country, adorning by
its brilliant plumage the branches of an overhanging tree. We lost an
hour of hard riding by mistaking our road among the several diverging
tracks that led from the aguada. It was very hot; the country was
desolate, and, suffering from thirst, we passed some Indians under the
shade of a large seybo tree eating tortillas and chili, to whom we rode
up, confident of procuring water; but they either had none, or, as
Albino supposed, hid it away as we approached. At one o'clock we came to
another aguada, but the bank was so muddy that it was impossible to get
to the water without miring our horses or ourselves, and we were
obliged to turn away without relief from our distressing thirst. Beyond
this we turned off to the left, and, unusually fatigued with the heat
and hard riding, although we had come but eight leagues, to our great
satisfaction we reached the hacienda of Zaccacal.

Toward evening, escorted by the major domo and a vaquero to show the
way, I set out for the ruins. At the distance of half a mile on the
road to Tekax, we turned off into the woods to the left, and very soon
reached the foot of a stone terrace. The vaquero led the way up it on
horseback, and we followed, dismounting at the top. On this terrace was
a circular hole like those before referred to at Uxmal and other
places, but much larger; and, looking down into it till my eyes became
accustomed to the darkness, I saw a large chamber with three recesses
in different parts of the wall, which the major domo said were doors
opening to passages that went under ground to an extent entirely
unknown. By means of a pole with a crotch I descended, and found the
chamber of an oblong form. The doors, as the major domo called them,
were merely recesses about two feet deep. Touching one of them with my
feet, I told him that the end of his passage was there, but he said it
was tapado, or closed up, and persisted in asserting that it led to an
indefinite extent. It was difficult to say what these recesses were
intended for. They threw a mystery around the character of these
subterranean chambers, and unsettled the idea of their being all
intended for wells.

Beyond this, on a higher terrace, among many remains, were two
buildings, one of which was in a good state of preservation, and the
exterior was ornamented all around with pillars set