﻿[7] 
  WORK 
  OF 
  STEAMER 
  ALBATROSS. 
  9 
  

  

  off 
  by 
  rail 
  fences. 
  There 
  were 
  large 
  fields 
  of 
  bananas, 
  and 
  plantain 
  trees, 
  

   pineapples, 
  corn, 
  and 
  ginger, 
  with 
  immense 
  groves 
  of 
  orange 
  and 
  lemon 
  

   trees, 
  but 
  all 
  seemed 
  neglected 
  entirely 
  or 
  very 
  poorly 
  cultivated. 
  

   Farming 
  implements 
  of 
  the 
  crudest 
  kind, 
  no 
  modern 
  appliances 
  being 
  

   used, 
  may 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  fields. 
  The 
  houses 
  were 
  

   five 
  large 
  thatched 
  structures 
  arranged 
  in 
  a 
  square. 
  These 
  are 
  used 
  

   for 
  servants 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  store 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  plantation 
  

   as 
  they 
  are 
  gathered. 
  In 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  this 
  square 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  stone 
  

   building 
  with 
  a 
  thatched 
  roof, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  residence 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Anduze. 
  

   This 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  beautiful 
  place 
  once, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  sadly 
  out 
  of 
  re- 
  

   pair. 
  While 
  waiting 
  for 
  supper 
  we 
  went 
  to 
  an 
  Indian 
  village 
  which 
  is 
  

   located 
  on 
  this 
  plantation. 
  Here 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  about 
  fifty 
  

   houses 
  occupied 
  by 
  thirty 
  families. 
  They 
  were 
  much, 
  neater 
  in 
  their 
  

   general 
  appearance 
  and 
  more 
  intelligent 
  than 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  San 
  Miguel. 
  

   Our 
  appearance 
  excited 
  so 
  much 
  curiosity 
  that 
  the 
  entire 
  village 
  turned 
  

   out, 
  so 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  a 
  good 
  view 
  of 
  them, 
  I 
  found 
  their 
  complexion 
  to 
  be 
  

   that 
  of 
  a 
  bright 
  mulatto, 
  very 
  dark 
  eyes, 
  and 
  with 
  long, 
  straight, 
  coarse, 
  

   black 
  hair. 
  The 
  men 
  had 
  scanty 
  black 
  beards, 
  and 
  were 
  in 
  height 
  about 
  

   5 
  feet 
  4 
  inches, 
  with 
  features 
  blunt 
  and 
  short. 
  I 
  entered 
  several 
  of 
  their 
  

   houses, 
  which 
  were 
  huts 
  made 
  of 
  poles, 
  with 
  thatched 
  roofs, 
  the 
  floors 
  

   being 
  made 
  of 
  cement, 
  raised 
  a 
  foot 
  or 
  more 
  above 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  kept 
  

   very 
  clean. 
  In 
  each 
  case 
  I 
  found 
  but 
  oue 
  room 
  in 
  a 
  hut 
  where 
  the 
  entire 
  

   family 
  lived, 
  cooked, 
  and 
  slept, 
  their 
  hammocks 
  being 
  triced 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   rafters 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  But 
  everything 
  was 
  very 
  clean, 
  all 
  the 
  women 
  

   were 
  dressed 
  in 
  loose, 
  comfortable 
  white 
  gowns 
  and 
  the 
  children 
  the 
  

   same 
  — 
  those 
  that 
  had 
  anything 
  on. 
  Some 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  making 
  

   cigars, 
  some 
  curing 
  tobacco, 
  and 
  others 
  making 
  baskets. 
  The 
  occupa- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  wood-chopping, 
  all 
  being 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  cutting 
  cross-ties 
  for 
  railroad 
  companies 
  in 
  Yucatan. 
  

  

  "Unlike 
  the 
  other 
  villages 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  the 
  cattle 
  here 
  are 
  not 
  al 
  

   lowed 
  to 
  run 
  at 
  large 
  about 
  the 
  houses, 
  but 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  big 
  pens 
  with 
  

   high 
  stone 
  walls 
  around 
  them. 
  I 
  saw 
  some 
  old 
  Indians 
  that 
  were 
  un- 
  

   able 
  to 
  converse 
  in 
  Spanish, 
  and 
  who 
  knew 
  no 
  language 
  but 
  the 
  orig- 
  

   inal 
  Indian 
  tongue. 
  They 
  all 
  speak 
  the 
  Indian 
  language 
  somewhat. 
  

   They 
  have 
  a 
  small 
  Catholic 
  church 
  in 
  the 
  village, 
  but 
  there 
  having 
  

   occurred 
  several 
  remarkable 
  spiritualistic 
  exhibitions 
  among 
  the 
  inhab- 
  

   itants 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  they 
  have 
  in 
  consequence 
  all 
  turned 
  spiritualists, 
  

   and 
  their 
  church 
  is 
  neglected 
  and 
  about 
  to 
  fall 
  down. 
  Just 
  on 
  the 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  ruin, 
  which, 
  these 
  Indians 
  say, 
  was 
  here 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  conquest, 
  but 
  they 
  know 
  nothing 
  definite 
  about 
  

   it. 
  The 
  next 
  morning 
  we 
  went 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  ruins 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   plantation, 
  and 
  the 
  undergrowth, 
  having 
  been 
  cut 
  away 
  the 
  evening 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  from 
  around 
  them, 
  gave 
  us 
  a 
  good 
  view. 
  I 
  found 
  what 
  had 
  once 
  

   been 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  temple, 
  covering 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  acre 
  of 
  ground, 
  the 
  

   walls 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  fallen 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  large 
  mound, 
  on 
  

   which 
  grass, 
  trees, 
  and 
  undergrowth 
  had 
  grown 
  so 
  thick 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  

  

  