told them that we were on our way to
the latter. They all told us that it was impossible. Tancah was a mere
rancho, seventy miles distant, and the whole intermediate country was a
dense forest. There was no road to it, and no communication except by
an overgrown footpath. It was utterly impossible to get through without
sending Indians before to open a road all the way; and, to crown all,
we would be obliged to sleep in the woods, exposed to moschetoes,
garrapatas, and rain, which last, in our uncertain state, we regarded
with real apprehension.

The rancho was established by one Molas, a smaller and pirate, who,
while under sentence of death in Merida, escaped from prison, and
established himself at this lonely point, out of the reach of justice.
Soldiers had been sent from Merida to arrest him, who, after advancing
as far as Chemax, turned back. In consequence of new political
excitements, change of government, and lapse of time, the persecution,
as it is called, against poor Molas had ceased; and, having an attack
of sickness, he ventured up from the coast, and made his appearance in
the village, to procure such medical aid as it afforded. No one
molested him; and after remaining a while he set out to return on foot
with a single Indian, but worn down by the fatigues of the journey,
while yet eight leagues from the rancho he died upon the road.

These accounts came upon us most unexpectedly, and deranged all our
plans. And there was nothing that more strikingly exhibited the
ignorance prevailing in that country in regard to the roads, than the
fact that, after diligent and careful inquiries at Valladolid, we had
set out upon positive information that we could ride directly through
to Tancah, and had made all our arrangements for doing so, whereas at
six leagues' distance we found ourselves brought to a dead stand.

But turning back formed no part of our deliberations. The only question
was whether we should undertake the journey on foot. The mere walking
none of us regarded; in fact, it would have been a pleasant change, for
there was no satisfaction in stumbling on horseback along those stony
roads; but our servants foresaw a great accumulation of their labours,
and the risk of exposure to rain was a serious consideration; moreover,
I had one little difficulty, which, however, was really a serious one,
and could not be remedied except by a delay of several days, in the
want of shoes, those on my feet being quite i