n, who built them? never by any accident
crossed their minds. The great name of Montezuma, which had gone beyond
them to the Indians of Honduras, had never reached their ears, and to
all our questions we received the same dull answer which first met us
at Copan, "Quien sabe?" "Who knows?" They had the same superstitious
feelings as the Indians of Uxmal; they believed that the ancient
buildings were haunted, and, as in the remote region of Santa Cruz del
Quiche, they said that on Good Friday of every year music was heard
sounding among the ruins.

There was but one thing connected with the old city that interested
them at all, and that was the subject of a well. They supposed that
somewhere among these ruins, overgrown and lost, existed the fountain
which had supplied the ancient inhabitants with water; and, believing
that by the use of our instruments its site could be discovered, they
offered to cut down all the trees throughout the whole region covered
by the ruins.

CHAPTER II.

Visit to a ruined Building near Chack.--A Field of Taje.--Description
of the Building.--Hornet's Nest.--Young Vulture.--Picturesque View from
the Terrace.--Well of Chack.--Exploration of its Passages.--Return to
the Rancho.--Departure from Schawill.--The Camino Real.--Rancho of
Sennacte.--Wild Appearance of the Indians.--Continued Scarcity of
Water.--Another ruined City.--Two ruined Buildings.--Apartments,
Columns, &c.--High Wall.--Journey continued.--Rancho of
Sabachshe.--Casa Real.--Well.--Hut of the Alcalde.--The Senora.--Ruins
of Sabachshe.--Picturesque Edifice.--Alacrity of the
Indians.--Facade.--Pilasters, Cornices, &c.--Encounter with an
Iguana.--Another Ruined Building.--The Agave Americana.--More
Ruins.--The Red Hand.--The Red Hand used as a Symbol by the North
American Indians.--Conclusions to be deduced from this
Circumstance.--Delicate Manner of doing a Service.

The next morning, while Mr. Catherwood was engaged in drawing the
building represented in the last engraving, Dr. Cabot and myself set
out to visit the one which we had passed in coming from the rancho of
Chack.

In the suburbs of the rancho we turned off to the right by a path,
which we followed for some distance on horseback, when it changed its
direction, and we dismounted. From this place our guides cut a path
through the woods, and we came out upon a large field of taje, being
long stems growing close together, eight or t