TUMB ALA. 



267 



lying in the path, so that we had to turn out to avoid 

 treading on them. Riding through a narrow passage 

 between these high rocks, we came out upon a corner 

 of the lofty perpendicular table several thousand feet 

 high, on which stood the village of Tumbala. In front 

 were the church and convent ; the square was filled 

 with wild-looking Indians preparing for a fiesta, and on 

 the very corner of the immense table was a high coni- 

 cal peak, crowned with the ruins of a church. Alto- 

 gether it was the wildest and most extraordinary place 

 we had yet seen, and though not consecrated by asso- 

 ciations, for unknown ages it had been the site of an 

 Indian village. 



It was one of the circumstances of our journey in 

 this country that every hour and day produced some- 

 thing new. We never had any idea of the character 

 of the place we were approaching until we entered it, 

 and one surprise followed close upon another. On one 

 corner of the table of land stood the cabildo. The jus- 

 titia was the brother of our silver-dish friend Padre So- 

 lis, as poor and energetic as the padre was rich and 

 inert. At the last village we had been told that it 

 would be impossible to procure Indians for the next 

 day on account of the fiesta, and had made up our 

 minds to remain ; but my letters from the Mexican au- 

 thorities were so effective, that immediately the justitia 

 held a parley with forty or fifty Indians, and, breaking 

 off occasionally to cuff one of them, our journey was 

 arranged through to Palenque in three days, and the 

 money paid and distributed. Although the wildness 

 of the Indians made us feel a little uncomfortable, we 

 almost regretted this unexpected promptness ; but the 

 justitia told us we had come at a fortunate moment, for 

 many of the Indians of San Pedro, who were notori* 



