is
trouble. Our interpreter turned out to be a joker, and, while we were
telling him encouraging remarks, with which to soothe the subject, he
was saying, "Now you will die; pretty soon you will not be able to
breathe any more; you will be dead and buried before to-morrow; your
poor widow will no doubt feel badly, but probably she will find another
quite as good as you." We had always realized the possibility of such
misinterpretations, but, so far as we know, this was the only time that
our interpreter ever played us false.

On our return from measuring the women, we found that Ramon had made
no progress. The three subjects, whom we had selected and left in his
charge, under strenuous orders, had taken fright at Juan's experience
and fled. We lost two hours in hunting them and bringing them in; and we
should not have succeeded then, had it not been for Juan's assistance.
He seemed to feel that, having undergone the operation, it might ease
his position, and decrease possible danger, if he had companions in
misery. Finally, at 4:30, long after the hour we had set, we left for
Tumbala. We secured six _cargadors_--one each for the four moulds,
one for the instruments, and one for the remaining plaster,--as our
pack-animals had long since passed. Five of them were left to follow
at their leisure, on condition that they reach Tumbala early the next
morning, but the sixth, a wee old man, who had helped us woman-hunting,
went with us, by his own request, to carry the instruments. He was so
small that we did not believe he could carry the burden, but he made no
sort of trouble about it, trotting along most happily. We had been told
that the road was _pura subida_--pure ascent--and so we found it. We
were soon in the tropical forest of the Chinantla, and the land of the
Mixes, with begonias, tree-ferns, bromelias, and orchids. Here and
there, were bad bits of road, deep mud, slippery stones, irregular
limestone masses. It was dark before we reached Tumbala, and although
there was a moon, the mists were so dense that it did little good.
Arriving at 6:45, we found the town a wretched place, with a worthless
and nerveless _agente_. This was once the largest of the Chol towns,
and we had thought to do the bulk of our work there. It is fortunate,
indeed, that we stopped at Hidalgo, because Tumbala is now completely
ruined by the contract-labor system, which has sent its men all through
the country onto _fincas_. The _agente_ would p