pressed against the
sides, to which they adhere, and are left to bake. In baking, the edges
curl up so that the cake, instead of being flat, is saucer-shaped. They
are crisp and good. Leaving at four, we continued on the hot, deep,
dusty road, but saw interesting plants and animals along the way.
There were fine displays of the parasitic fig, from examples where the
parasite was just beginning to embrace its victim, through cases where
it had surrounded the tree with a fine network of its own material, to
those where the original tree-trunk was entirely imbedded in the great
continuous gray investing trunk of the parasite, now larger than its
host. Some trees bore bunches of pale-purple flowers of tubular form,
which fell easily from the calyx, and dotted the ground along the
roadside. Other trees appeared as if covered with veils of little
purplish-red flowers hung over them. Others were a mass of golden bloom,
the flowers being about the size of cherry blossoms. A few trees, yet
leafless, showed large, brilliant white flowers at the tips of rather
slender branches. At Ixhuatlan, we saw the first monkey's comb of the
trip. This orange-yellow flower, growing in clusters so curiously shaped
as to suggest the name, is among the most characteristic, from this
point on through Chiapas into Guatemala. There were but few birds, but
among them were macaws and toucans. Eustasio said that in the season,
when certain berry-bearing trees are in full fruit, the latter may be
seen by hundreds.

When night had really fallen, I unwisely sat in front with the driver,
to prevent his sleeping, and to keep the animals moving. Both drivers
had a way of dozing off, utterly regardless of the movements of the
animals or the dangers of the road. Carts going in opposite directions
must often depend absolutely upon the oxen for their chance of escaping
collisions or being thrown over precipices. Frequently the animals
themselves stop, and the whole company is at a standstill until the
driver wakes up. In this _jornada_, we had planned to reach La Frontera,
the border of the state of Chiapas, at which place we had been promised
we should arrive at 8:30 in the morning. Everything had gone well, and
we were just about to reach the place, where it was planned to repack
for the last time; it was just daylight, and Eustasio was congratulating
us upon our prompt arrival; we drove to the brink of a dry stream, on
the other side of which was our resting-