92 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



looking down, I saw my pantaloons brown with 

 garrapatas. I laid hold of a twig, intending to 

 switch them off, and hundreds fell upon my hand 

 and arm. Getting rid of those in sight as well as I 

 could, and mounting immediately, I rode off, hoping 

 most earnestly not to find any ruins, nor any neces- 

 sity of taking up our abode in this comfortable-seem- 

 ing rancho. 



We were fortunate in finding at this place an In- 

 dian, who, for reasons known to himself and the wife 

 of the master, was making a visit during the absence 

 of the latter at his milpa ; but for which we should 

 not have been able to procure a guide. Retracing 

 our steps, and crossing the camino real, we entered 

 the woods on the other side, and tying our horses, 

 the Indian cut a path up the side of a hill, on the 

 top of which were the ruins of a building. The 

 outer wall had fallen, leaving exposed to view the 

 inner half of the arch, by which, as we approached 

 it, my attention was strongly attracted. This arch 

 was plastered and covered with painted figures in 

 profile, much mutilated, but in one place a row of 

 legs remained, which seemed to have belonged to a 

 procession, and at the first glance brought to my 

 mind the funeral processions on the walls of the 

 tombs at Thebes. In the triangular wall forming 

 the end of the room were three compartments, in 

 which were figures, some having their heads adorned 

 with plumes, others with a sort of steeple cap, and 

 carrying on their heads something like a basket ; 



