PURCHASING PALENQUE. 



361 



face except the nose, and for two or three moments 

 this alone was visible. Another brush covered this, 

 and the girl was buried. The reader will excuse me. 

 I am sorry to say that if she had been ugly, I should, 

 perhaps, have regarded it as an every-day case of a wife 

 neglected by her husband ; but her sweet face speaking 

 from the grave created an impression which even yet is 

 hardly effaced. 



But to return to things more in my line. We had 

 another long journey before us. Our next move was 

 for Yucatan. From Mr. Catherwood's condition I had 

 great fear that we would not be able to accomplish what 

 we purposed ; but, at all events, it was necessary to go 

 down to the seacoast. There were two routes, either 

 by Tobasco or the Laguna, to Campeachy, and war 

 again confronted us. Both Tobasco and Campeachy 

 were besieged by the Liberals, or, as they were called, 

 the Revolutionists. The former route required three 

 days' journey by land, the latter one short day ; and as 

 Mr. C. was not able to ride, this determined us. In the 

 mean time, while waiting for his recovery, and so as not 

 to rust and be utterly useless when I returned home, I 

 started another operation, viz., the purchase of the 

 city of Palenque. I am bound to say, however, that I 

 was not bold enough to originate this, but fell into it ac- 

 cidentally, in a long conversation with the prefect about 

 the richness of the soil, the cheapness of land, its vicin- 

 ity to the seaboard and the United States, and easy 

 communication with New- York. He told me that a 

 merchant of Tobasco, who had visited the place, had 

 proposed to purchase a tract of land and establish a col- 

 ony of emigrants, but he had gone away and never re- 

 turned. He added, that for two years a government 

 order from the State of Chiapas, to which the region 



Vol. II.— Z z 



