THOMAS.) EXPLANATION OF FIGURES IN TQE PLATES. 67 



immediately cauglit fire and, burned rapidly. As soon as there was only 

 one brand left burning they announced it to the throng, and those who had 

 danced before assembled together and attempted to cross it, some passing 

 over without injury and some being slightly or seriously burned, imagining 

 that thus they prevented the plague and the anger of the gods, and to 

 avert the evil omens of the year, in the belief that nothing could be more 

 conciliating to their gods than this kind of sacrifice. 



"This finished, they returned home to drink and intoxicate themselves; 

 for this was required by the custom of the feast and the heat of the fire." 



If we turn now to Plates 25, 26, 27, and 28 of the Dresden Codex and 

 study them carefully, I think we shall find enough there to warrant us in 

 deciding that they ai'e intended to represent these four festivals. 



In the first place, it is apparent that these four plates, which are copied 

 on our Plates V, VI, VII, VIII, all relate to the same subject, and that they 

 are quite different from those which pi-ecede or follow them. 



In the second place, the left-hand day-column of each plate contains 

 but two days, and in each case these are the last two of the intercalated 

 days; those on Plate 25 (PI. V) being Eb and Ben, the last two days of the 

 Muluc years; on Plate 26 (PI. VI), Caban and Ezanab, the last two of the 

 Ix years; on Plate 27 (PI. VII), Ik and Akbal, the last two of the Cauac 

 years; and those on Plate 28 (PI. VIII), Manik and Lamat, the last two of 

 the Kan years. A fact worthy of note in this connection is that each of 

 these days is repeated thirteen times, the exact number of each of these 

 years in a cycle. 



In the third place, we see in the lowest compartment of each plate 

 the priest holding in his hand a headless fowl; agreeing exactly with 

 Landa's words, " degollavan una gallina y se la presentavan o offrecian" ; "they 

 beheaded a fowl and presented it as an ofiering." 



In the upper division of each we see the chosen assistant with the 

 head and tail of the Chac, bearing on his back the newly-formed image on 

 his march to the heap of stones at the border of the village, or to the house 

 of the selected chief. 



In the middle division we see the priest burning incense, in order, as 

 was their custom, to drive away the evil spirit; the sign or glyph "Ik" in 



