MODE OF LIFE AT PALE N QUE. 309 



in three bows about two feet high over the frame of the 

 beds. Over these the sheets were stretched, and, sew- 

 ed down all around, with a small space open at the 

 head, had much the appearance of biers. At night, 

 after a hard day's work, we crawled in. Hosts were 

 waiting for us inside. We secured the open places, 

 when each, with the stump of a lighted candle, hunted 

 and slew, and with a lordly feeling of defiance we lay 

 down to sleep. We had but one pair of sheets apiece, 

 and this was a new way of sleeping under them ; but, 

 besides the victory it afforded us over the moschetoes, 

 it had another advantage ; the heat was so great that 

 we could not sleep with our clothes on ; it was impos- 

 sible to place the beds entirely out of the reach of the 

 spray, and the covering, held up a foot or two above us 

 and kept damp, cooled the heated atmosphere within. 



In this way we lived : the Indians came out in the 

 morning with provisions, and as the tortillas were made 

 in the alcalde's own kitchen, not to disturb his house- 

 hold arrangements, they seldom arrived till after break- 

 fast. 



In the mean time work went on. As at Copan, it 

 was my business to prepare the different objects for Mr. 

 Catherwood to draw. Many of the stones had to be 

 scrubbed and cleaned; and as it was our object to have 

 the utmost possible accuracy in the drawings, in many 

 places scaffolds were to be erected on which to set up 

 the camera lucida. Pawling relieved me from a great 

 part of this labour. That the reader may know the 

 character of the objects we had to interest us, I proceed 

 to give a description of the building in which we lived, 

 called the palace. 



A front view of this building is given in the engra- 

 ving. It does not, however, purport to be given with 



