, at nine, only three animals appeared. This decided us to
leave Ramon behind to pack the busts which we had made, while the others
of the party, with the _padre_, mounted on his own horse, should make
the journey. A foot _mozo_ carried the camera. The road was of the usual
kind, and was marked at every quarter league with a little cross of wood
set into a pile of stones and bearing the words, De Tekax----L. As we
passed La Trinidad we noticed great tanks of water for irrigation before
the house, and tall trees with their bare, gray roots running over and
enveloping the piles of stones on which they had been planted. There
were no other plantations or villages until just before the ninth
cross--two and a quarter leagues--we came to the hennequin plantation of
San Juan. The mayor domo was delighted to see the _padre_ and greeted us
warmly, taking us at once to the great house. We rode between long lines
of orange trees, loaded with sweet and juicy fruits, and were soon
sitting in the cool and delightful hallway. It is impossible to say how
many dozens of those oranges four of us ate, but we were urged to make
away with all we could, as the daily gathering is something more than
five thousand. Soon an elaborate breakfast was ready for us, but before
we ate we took a drink of fresh milk from cocoanuts cut expressly for
us. We had salmon, eggs, meat-stew, beans, tortillas, and wine. But the
mayor domo expressed his regret that he did not know we were coming, as
he would gladly have killed a little pig for us. As dessert a great dish
of fresh _papaya_ cut up into squares and soaking in its own juice,
was served. Sitting in the cool corridor, after a good breakfast,
and looking out over a beautiful country, with promises that all the
subjects necessary for measurement should be supplied, the idea of
riding on to Xaya lost attractiveness, and we sent a foot-messenger with
an order to the town authorities to send the _h'men_ with his _sastuns_
without delay to see us.

[Illustration: MAYA DANCE; SAN JUAN]

[Illustration: THE H'MEN WITH HIS SASTUN; SAN JUAN]

This was our first opportunity to see the industry of hennequin, which
is the chief product of this _hacienda_. The leaves, after cutting, are
brought from the field tied up in bundles. These are opened, and the
leaves are fed into a revolving, endless double chain, which carries
them on iron arms upward and dumps them onto a table, where three men
receive them and feed t