APPROACH TO PALENQUE. 



279 



the face the heat was insufferable. Before daylight I 

 walked to the river, which was broad and shallow, and 

 stretched myself out on the gravelly bottom, where the 

 water was barely deep enough to run over my body. It 

 Was the first comfortable moment I had had. My heat- 

 ed body became cooled, and I lay till daylight. When 

 I rose to dress they came upon me with appetites whet- 

 ted by a spirit of vengeance. Our day's work had been 

 tremendously hard, but the night's was worse. The 

 morning air, however, was refreshing, and as day dawn- 

 ed our tormentors disappeared. Mr. Catherwood had 

 suffered least, but in his restlessness he had lost from 

 his finger a precious emerald ring, which he had worn 

 for many years, and prized for associations. We re- 

 mained some time looking for it, and at length mount- 

 ed and made our last start for Palenque. The road was 

 level, but the woods were still as thick as on the mount- 

 ain. At a quarter before eleven we reached a path 

 which led to the ruins, or somewhere else. We had 

 abandoned the intention of going directly to the ruins ; 

 for, besides that we were in a shattered condition, we 

 could not communicate at all with our Indians, and 

 probably they did not know where the ruins were. At 

 length we came out upon an open plain, and looked 

 back at the range we had crossed, running off to Peten 

 and the country of unbaptized Indians. 



As we advanced we came into a region of fine pas* 

 ture grounds, and saw herds of cattle. The grass show* 

 ed the effect of early rains, and the picturesque appear- 

 ance of the country reminded me of many a scene at 

 home ; but there was a tree of singular beauty that was 

 a stranger, having a high, naked trunk and spreading 

 top, with leaves of vivid green, covered with yellow 

 flowers. Continuing carelessly, and stopping from time 



