ooded with pines and oaks. The
whole country hereabouts is composed of monoclines, all the crests
presenting one long, gentle slope, with rocks dipping with the slope,
and one abrupt short slope, cutting the strata. The roads, for the most
part, follow along the edge of these monoclines, making them unusually
long, though easy. The rocks over which we passed were an olive
shaly-sandstone, with notable concentric weathering, limestone, and here
and there, red sandstone, abundantly green-spotted. Indians, everywhere,
were burning over fields, preparatory to planting, while the day was
clear, the smoke rose in clouds, and at many places we suffered from
these field fires. Twice we passed a point just as the flames leaped
from one side of the road to the other, and rode between two lines of
blaze. The fire, burning green branches and stalks, caused thousands of
loud explosions, like the rattle of musketry.

Long before we were near it, we caught sight of Cancuc, the beautiful,
perched upon its lofty crest. In San Cristobal, our journey had
been matter of conversation among the _mestizos_ and many and dire
predictions had been made. "Ah, yes, it is easy for these gentlemen to
do this work here in the _cabecera_, but let them get to Tenejapa, and
Cancuc--there it will be another matter; they will be killed upon the
journey; if they reach Cancuc, they will never leave the town alive."
The town is built on the edge of a ridge, which drops in both
directions, leaving barely room for the placing of houses. From it, we
looked out in every direction over a magnificent landscape. Cancuc is
famous for the insurrection of 1712. Curiously, like the outbreak at
Chamula in 1868, it was due to the visions and religious influence of a
girl. Maria Candaleria was the centre and impulse of the whole movement.
Dr. Brinton has thrown the incident, which abounded in picturesque
details, and which caused the Spanish government great difficulty, into
a little drama, which bears the name of the inspired priestess.

[Illustration: TZENDAL MAN AND WIFE; TENEJAPA]

[Illustration: TZENDALS; TENEJAPA]

We were now within the district of my friend Valencia. Two years ago,
when we passed through the country of the Mixes, he was the _jefe
politico_ of the District of Yautepec; he had been transferred to this
state and this district, with his _cabecera_ at Ocosingo. That town lay
far from our course, and we had written Senor Valencia, that we planned
to