JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA. 



181 



to breathe, while I was bringing up my journal. I have 

 no doubt he would have held out two hours, but there 

 was no necessity for making the experiment. On reliev- 

 ing him from his task, I put a real into his hand, and 

 made him a sign to go. He gazed for a few moments at 

 the coin, then clutched it with his little fingers, and with- 

 out uttering a word, bounded out of the hut with the 

 agility of an antelope. 



I now looked round for a place to sleep in, and, to my 

 surprise, observed that my Indian friends — father, son, 

 and daughter — had disappeared, and left us in exclusive 

 possession of their house. I could not help expressing 

 my regret at having, as it were, turned the family out of 

 doors ; but the soldiers only laughed at me, and told me 

 not to trouble myself about them, for an Indian could 

 sleep any-where. I resolved with myself, however, to 

 make them some amends, the next morning, by a liberal 

 compensation. In the mean time, I disposed myself for 

 rest on a hurdle of cane-reeds, covering it with my leo- 

 pard's skin ; the soldiers, spreading out their chamarras, 

 stretched themselves on the ground. 



