OUTFIT FOR VISITING THE RUINS. 



289 



CHAPTER XVIL 



Preparations for visiting the Ruins. — A Turn-out. — Departure. — The Road.— 

 Rivers Micol and Otula. — Arrival at the Ruins, — The Palace. — A Feu-de-joie. 

 —Quarters in the Palace,— Inscriptions by former Visiters. — The Fate of 

 Beanharn.— Discovery of the Ruins of Palenque. — Visit of Del Rio. — Expe- 

 dition of Dupaix.— Drawings of the present Work. — First Dinner at the Ru- 

 ins. — Mammoth Fireflies. — Sleeping Apartments. — Extent of the Ruins. — Ob- 

 stacles to Exploration. — Suffering from Moschetoes. 



Early the next morning we prepared for our move to 

 the ruins. We had to make provision for housekeeping 

 on a large scale ; our culinary utensils were of rude 

 pottery, and our cups the hard shells of some round 

 vegetables, the whole cost, perhaps, amounting to one 

 dollar. We could not procure a water-jar in the place, 

 but the alcalde lent us one free of charge unless it 

 should be broken, and as it was cracked at the time he 

 probably considered it 'sold. By-the-way, we forced 

 ourselves upon the alcalde's affections by leaving our 

 money with him for safe-keeping. We did this with 

 great publicity, in order that it might be known in the 

 village that there was no " plata" at the ruins, but the 

 alcalde regarded it as a mark of special confidence. 

 Indeed, we could not have shown him a greater. He 

 was a suspicious old miser, kept his own money in a 

 trunk in an inner room, and never left the house with- 

 out locking the street door and carrying the key with 

 him. He made us pay beforehand for everything we 

 wanted, and would not have trusted us half a dollar 

 on any account. 



It was necessary to take with us from the village all 

 that could contribute to our comfort, and we tried hard 

 to get a woman ; but no one would trust herself alone 



Vol. II.— O o 25 



