pass through his district, but had not time to visit the _cabecera_.
We named the towns through which we planned to pass, and begged him to
send orders directly to the local authorities, instead of trying to
communicate with us. This he had done promptly, and during our stay in
his district, everything was done for us without delay. The _agente_
at Cancuc is a new official, but a man of sense, and sympathy for the
indians, among whom he lives. We arrived at half-past three and had our
_mozo_ been on time, might have done some work. The _agente_ showed
us the historic picture in the old church; it is the portrait of a
clergyman, whose influence did much to quell the insurrection in 1713.
More interesting to us than the old picture, were groups of indians,
kneeling and praying. When they knelt, they touched their foreheads and
faces to the ground, which they saluted with a kiss. Having assumed
the attitude of prayer, they were oblivious to all around them, and,
curiously, their prayers were in the native language. The town-house was
placed at the disposition of our party, but the _agente's_ bed, in his
own house, was given to me. As I sat writing at the table in his room,
the whole town government--a dozen or so in number--stalked in. Most of
them wore the heavy black _chamaras_ made by the Chamula indians. These
were so long that they almost swept the ground. The faces of the men
were dark and wild, and their hair hung in great black shocks down upon
their shoulders and backs. In their hands they held their long official
staves. Advancing to the table where I sat, in the order of their rank,
they saluted me, kissing my hand; arranging themselves in a half-circle
before my table, the _presidente_ placed before me a bowl filled with
eggs, each wrapped in corn-husks, while the first _alcalde_ deposited a
cloth filled with a high pile of hot _tortillas_; a speech was made in
Tzendal, which was translated by the second official, in which they told
me that they appreciated our visit; it gave them pleasure that such
important persons should come from such a distance to investigate the
life and manners of their humble town; they trusted that our errand
might be entirely to our wishes, and that, in leaving, we might bear
with us a pleasant memory. They begged us to accept the poor presents
they had brought, while they assured us that, in them, we had our
thousand most obedient servants. And this in Cancuc--the town where
we were t