THE HOME OF A FORGOTTEN RACE 



607 



the silent fury of Canek and his fighting 

 men ? 



Never again did Chichen Itza know 

 its Lord Canek, nor any of his band of 

 fighting men. In the passing of a night 

 they vanished, the Lord Canek and the 

 soft-eyed maiden, the stolen bride of the 

 drunken one. 



Time passed. The lord who won a 

 bride, but did not learn to keep her, 

 lived his life, died, and was forgotten. 



The memory of Lord Canek lived on 

 in song and story and became a part of 

 the legends of Chichen Itza. 



THE IvOST IS FOUND 



One day, long after, a hunting band 

 from Chichen Itza went toward the 

 south- — some days' journey. Young men 

 they were and full of rashness, so they 

 kept on the chase until the lane grew 

 hilly and higher, and at last rose into the 

 very clouds. Wonderingly, they turned 

 homeward, journeying over a strange 

 country, until they reached a lake of 

 shining water, and in the lake an island 

 city, with houses and temples and the 

 carved fronts of many buildings like 

 their own Chichen Itza. 



From this island city warriors came 

 and met them and led them to the wait- 

 ing ruler and his aged wise men. 



"Who are you, presumptuous ones, 

 that you dare to come unbidden on our 

 land and unwanted to our city?" asked 

 the Batab in stern menace. 



The young man spoke bravely, coolly : 

 "We came from our home, Chichen Itza, 

 and have wandered here unbidden be- 

 cause in the chasing of the deer we went 

 farther than we knew ; and, finding path- 

 ways right before us, we kept on, think- 

 ing to find old friends or make new ones." 



The ruler turned and took counsel with 

 his wise men, then said to the waiting 

 hunters : "If your tale be true, that you 

 are of Chichen Itza and not of another 

 province, you will indeed find here old 

 friends new made — old friends and new 

 as well. 



"This is the city of Tayasal, whose lord 

 is Canek, who once was lord of your 

 own Chichen Itza, the City of the Sacred 

 Well." 



This is the legend. The substance is 



as told by the good old, but very dry, 

 chronicler, Padre Cogolucco. I confess 

 to have taken this skeleton and put a 

 little fiesh on here and there, just to 

 round out the form — a little brown and 

 red, just to give a local coloring, and so 

 produce the true general effect ; that is 

 all. But perhaps I had better have left it 

 as the ancient priestly scribe tells it ; 

 "quien sabe" — who knows? 



Not all of the tales of Chichen Itza are 

 prehistoric or legendary. 



Far later, chronologically, than the leg- 

 end of Canek, a proven fact, with only a 

 small portion of "information" embedded 

 in it, is furnished us, and brings us down 

 to the historic times of the early Spanish 

 conquerors, when they were in deadly 

 struggle with the fearless Mayas. 



MONTEJO WELCOMED 



In 1 525- 1 526 Monte jo was weary with 

 his long and seemingly fruitless struggles 

 against the native Mayas. Constantly 

 buffeted by his countless enemies and 

 having no place of refuge, he found him- 

 self in imminent danger. 



The overlords of the provinces near the 

 coast, known by the name of Cheles 

 (bluebirds), were in a way friendly to 

 the Spaniards, and Monte jo found his 

 way toward them. The other Indians, 

 seeing that the Spaniards were headed 

 coastward and thinking that they were 

 seeking to return from whence they came, 

 did not seek to fight or in any way annoy 

 them ; thus the Spaniards arrived safely 

 at the home of the Batabs Cheles. 



These received them hospitably and, in 

 response to the petition of Monte jo, al- 

 lowed them to find a safe asylum at 

 Chichen Itza, then governed by a vassal 

 chief, Cupul. 



Upon their arrival, Cupul, according to 

 a native document, "The Narrative of 

 Nahum Peck," said to them : 



"Stranger lords, take your rest in these 

 halls," and they did ; they made them- 

 selves very much at home, after the man- 

 ner of the Spanish conquerors of those 

 days, even before they had fairly earned 

 the proud title. 



For a time the Indians bore the bur- 

 dens that their guests put upon them with 

 meekness, but at last they rebelled at 



