it at once. If we had
encountered these woods at Kabah, where we had such difficulties in
procuring Indians, we should have despaired of being able to accomplish
anything, but, fortunately so far, where our labours were great we had
at hand the means of performing them.

We were at no loss what to do, our great object now being to economize
time. Without waiting to explore the rest of the ground, we set the
Indians at work, and in a few minutes the stillness of ages was broken
by the sharp ringing of the axe and the crash of falling trees. With a
strong force of Indians, we were able, in the course of the day, to lay
bare the whole of the front.

Dr. Cabot did not arrive on the ground till late in the day, and,
coming upon it suddenly from the woods, when there were no trees to
obstruct the view, and its three great ranges and immense proportions
were visible at once, considered it the grandest spectacle he had seen
in the country.

[Engraving 2: Front of the Casa Grande at Zayi]

The plate opposite represents the front of this building. The view was
taken from a mound, at the distance of about five hundred feet,
overgrown and having upon it a ruined edifice. In clearing away the
trees and undergrowth, to this mound we discovered a pila, or stone,
hollowed out, and filled with rain-water, which was a great acquisition
to us while working at these ruins.

The plate represents so much of the building as now remains and can be
presented in a drawing.

It has three stories or ranges, and in the centre is a grand staircase
thirty-two feet wide, rising to the platform of the highest terrace.
This staircase, however, is in a ruinous condition, and, in fact, a
mere mound, and all that part of the building on the right had fallen,
and was so dilapidated that no intelligible drawing could be made of
it; we did not even clear away the trees. The engraving represents all
that part which remains, being the half of the building on the left of
the staircase.

The lowest of the three ranges is two hundred and sixty-five feet in
front and one hundred and twenty in depth. It had sixteen doorways,
opening into apartments of two chambers each. The whole front wall has
fallen; the interiors are filled with fragments and rubbish, and the
ground in front was so encumbered with the branches of fallen trees,
even after they had been chopped into pieces and beaten down with
poles, that, at the distance necessary for making a drawing, b