292 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



probably never heard such a cannonade before, and al- 

 most, like their ancestors in the time of Cortez, regard- 

 ed our weapons as instruments which spit lightning, and 

 who, we knew, would make such a report in the village 

 as would keep any of their respectable friends from pay- 

 ing us a visit at night. 



We had reached the end of our long and toilsome 

 journey, and the first glance indemnified us for our toil. 

 For the first time we were in a building erected by the 

 aboriginal inhabitants, standing before the Europeans 

 knew of the existence of this continent, and we prepared 

 to take up our abode under its roof. We selected the 

 front corridor as our dwelling, turned turkey and fowls 

 loose in the courtyard, which was so overgrown with 

 trees that we could barely see across it ; and as there 

 was no pasture for the mules except the leaves of the 

 trees, and we could not turn them loose into the woods, 

 we brought them up the steps through the palace, and 

 turned them into the courtyard also. At one end of the 

 corridor Juan built a kitchen, which operation consisted 

 in laying three stones anglewise, so as to have room for 

 a fire between them. Our luggage was stowed away 

 or hung on poles reaching across the corridor. Paw- 

 ling mounted a stone about four feet long on stone legs 

 for a table, and with the Indians cut a number of poles, 

 which they fastened together with bark strings, and laid 

 them on stones at the head and foot for beds. We cut 

 down the branches that entered the palace, and some of 

 the trees on the terrace, and from the floor of the pal- 

 ace overlooked the top of an immense forest stretching 

 off to the Gulf of Mexico. 



The Indians had superstitious fears about remaining 

 at night among the ruins, and left us alone, the sole 

 tenants of the palace of unknown kings. Little did 



