640 The Manuscript Troano. [ August, 
we turn to Plate xxxiu1, where Cauac is the ruling character, we 
find, as I think, in the figures of the upper compartment, and in 
its ground-color, which is of a brownish or twilight tint, indica- 
tions of the close of some important period of time. We see 
Ahau with a fiery red face sinking out of sight in the lower, left- 
hand corner, casting back, as represented by the torch in his hand, 
his fiery beams as he sinks below the western horizon. We say 
_ “sinks below,” because, just above is another (headless) figure on 
which is the character Caban or Cab which signifies “to descend,” 
and the machete. The dark figure to the right drops ten white 
balls, to the last or upper of which he points one finger; while 
just above it we see a single dark one, with a slender streak of 
light in it, just leaving the hand. If we cast our eyes over the 
Cauac column of the tables we see that ¢ex, of the first cycle, 15 
followed by ove, of the second. This 10 corresponds with the 10 
Cauac year in the next to the last group in Table x1. To the 
left, and directly in front of the face of the dark figure, are two 
characters connected, the lower one Cauac, the upper a rather 
unusual form of Ix. We have in this a symbol of the meeting of 
the two periods, the one ending with 13 Ix the other commencing 
with 1 Cauac. 
The most conspicuous object in the compartment is the br ight 
blue figure in the upper left-hand corner, on a black ground, 
surrounded by a white bordering which is crossed by dotted rays, 
each ending with a small round character. By counting, we fin 
there are just twenty-three of these rays, but exactly where the 
dagger crosses to the eye, isa space for one more—the 2qth. 
One year more will complete the Ahau and then its light will go 
out forever. 
If we notice the single red dot over the second Canac character 
in the left-hand column of this Plate (xx), we observe that it 15 
surrounded by a circle of dots, indicating its importance in some 
respect. 
We might go on to show that the figures in the upper compart- 
ments of the four Plates xx—xxim all relate to the close or com™ 
mencement of some important period, but our limits will not 
permit of this, moreover our only object in presenting the fore- 
going is to call attention to the evidence of the following ©o” 
clusions: 
Ist, That the work isa religious calendar of some kind; 24, 
