A DILEMMA. 



223 



they had broken open the trunks, taken out the money, 

 thrown the rest of the contents down some ravine, 

 mounted the mules, and made off. Besides money, 

 beds, and bedding, these trunks contained all Mr. 

 Catherwood's drawings, and the precious notebooks to 

 which the reader is indebted for these pages. The 

 fruits of all our labour were gone. In all our difficul- 

 ties and perplexities we never had a more trying mo- 

 ment. We were two leagues from Aguas Calientes. 

 To go on, rouse the village, get fresh Korses, and return 

 in pursuit, was our first idea ; but this would widen the 

 distance between us, and probably we should not be 

 able to get horses. 



With hearts so heavy that nothing but the feeble hope 

 of catching them while dividing the money kept us from 

 sinking, we turned back. It was four o'clock in the af- 

 ternoon ; neither our mules nor we had eaten anything 

 since early in the morning. Night would be upon us, 

 and it was doubtful whether our mules would hold out. 

 Our prisoners told us we had been very imprudent to 

 let the men set out alone, and took it for granted that 

 they had not let slip the opportunity of robbing us. As 

 we rode back, both Mr. C and I brooded over an ap- 

 prehension which for some time neither mentioned to 

 the other. It was the letter I had written on behalf of 

 the cura. We should again be within reach of Car- 

 rera. If the letter by accident fell into his hands, he 

 would be indignant at what he considered my ingrati- 

 tude, and he could very easily take his revenge. Our 

 plans, however, were made up at once. We determined, 

 at all events, not to go back to Guatimala, nor, broken 

 as we were in fortune and spirit, to give up Palenque, 

 but, if possible, to borrow money for the road, even if 

 we set out on foot ; but, o gloria eternal, as the oifi- 



