A BUSY PRIEST. 



327 



from the journey. The cura of Ayalon was a deputy 

 to Congress, and in Mexico many inquiries had been 

 made of him about the ruins, on the supposition that 

 they were in his neighbourhood, which erroneous sup- 

 position he mentioned with a feeling reference to the 

 intervening mountains. The padre of Tumbala was a 

 promising young man of twenty-eight, and weighed at 

 that time about twelve stone, or two hundred and forty 

 pounds : a heavy load to carry about with him over 

 such roads as they had traversed ; but the Dominican 

 friar suffered most, and he sat sideways in a hammock, 

 with his vest open, wiping the perspiration from his 

 breast. They were all intelligent men, and, in fact, the 

 circumstance of their making the journey for no other 

 purpose than to visit the ruins was alone an indication 

 of their superior character. The Congressman Ave had 

 seen on our way through his village, and then were 

 struck with his general knowledge, and particularly 

 with his force of character. He had borne an active 

 part in all the convulsions of the country from the time 

 of the revolution against Spain, of which he had been 

 an instigator, and ever since, to the scandal of the 

 Church party, stood forth as a Liberal ; he had played 

 the soldier as well as priest, laying down his blood- 

 stained sword after a battle to confess the wounded and 

 dying ; twice wounded, once chronicled among the 

 killed, an exile in Guatimala, and with the gradual re- 

 covery of the Liberal party restored to his place and 

 sent as a deputy to Congress, where very soon he was 

 to take part in new convulsions. They were all start- 

 led by the stories of moschetoes, insects, and reptiles at 

 the ruins, and particularly by what they had heard of 

 the condition of my foot. 



While we were taking chocolate the cura of Palenque 



