HIEROGLYPHICS ON WOOD. 433 



carved or stamped, almost obliterated, but which we 

 made out to be hieroglyphics, and, so far as we could 

 understand them, similar to those at Copan and Pa- 

 lenque. Several Indians were around us, with an idle 

 curiosity watching all our movements ; and, not wish- 

 ing to call their attention to it, we left it with an Indian 

 at the moment sitting upon it. Before we were out of 

 the doorway we heard the ring of his machete from a 

 blow which, on rising, he had struck at random, and 

 which chipped off a long shaving within a few inches 

 of the characters. It almost gave us a shivering fit, 

 and we did not dare tell him to spare it, lest from igno- 

 rance, jealousy, or suspicion, it should be the means of 

 ensuring its destruction. I immediately determined to 

 secure this mystical beam. Compelled to leave in haste, 

 on my arrival at Merida Don Simon kindly promised 

 to send it to me, together with a sculptured stone which 

 formed one of the principal ornaments in all the build- 

 ings. The latter is now in my possession, but the for- 

 mer has never arrived. In the multitude of regrets 

 connected with our abrupt departure from these ruins, 

 I cannot help deploring the misfortune of not being as- 

 sured of the safety of this beam. By what feeble light 

 the pages of American history are written ! There are 

 at Uxmal no "idols," as at Copan; not a single stuc- 

 coed figure or carved tablet, as at Palenque. Except 

 this beam of hieroglyphics, though searching earnestly, 

 we did not discover any one absolute point of resem- 

 blance ; and the wanton machete of an Indian may de- 

 stroy the only link that can connect them together. 



The ornament above referred to is introduced in one 

 of the compartments of the " plan." It is the face of a 

 death's head, with wings expanded, and rows of teeth 

 projecting, in effect somewhat like the figure of a death's 



Vol. IL— 3 I 



