192 INCIDENTS OP TRAVEL. 



that in their hearts they were full of superstitions, and 

 still idolaters ; had their idols in the mountains and ra- 

 vines, and in silence and secrecy practised the rites re- 

 ceived from their fathers. He was compelled to wink 

 at them ; and there was one proof which he saw every 

 day. The church of Quiche stands east and west. On 

 entering it for vespers the Indians always bowed to the 

 .west, in reverence to the setting sun. He told us, too, 

 what requires confirmation, and what we were very cu- 

 rious to judge of for ourselves, that in a cave near a 

 neighbouring village were sculls much larger than the 

 natural size, and regarded with superstitious reverence 

 by the Indians. He had seen them, and vouched for 

 their gigantic dimensions. Once he placed a piece of 

 money in the mouth of the cave, and a year afterward 

 found the money still lying in the same place, while, he 

 said, if it had been left on his table, it would have dis- 

 appeared with the first Indian who entered. 



The padre's whole manner was now changed ; his 

 keen satire and his laugh were gone. There was in- 

 terest enough about the Indians to occupy the mind 

 and excite the imagination of one who laughed at ev- 

 erything else in the world ; and his enthusiasm, like 

 his laugh, was infectious. Notwithstanding our haste 

 to reach Palenque, we felt a strong desire to track 

 them in the solitude of their mountains and deep ra- 

 vines, and watch them in the observance of their idol- 

 atrous rites ; but the padre did not give us any encour- 

 agement. In fact, he opposed our remaining another 

 day, even to visit the cave of sculls. He made no 

 apology for hurrying us away. He lived in unbroken 

 solitude, in a monotonous routine of occupations, and 

 the visit of a stranger was to him an event most wel- 

 come; but there was danger in our remaining. The 



