INTERESTING MONUMENT OF ANTIQUITY. 123 



on it couriers travelled, bearing letters to and from 

 the lords of those cities, written on leaves or the 

 bark of trees. It w^as the only instance in which 

 we had found among the Indians anything like a 

 tradition, and the universality of this legend was il- 

 lustrated by the circumstances attending our arrival. 

 While we were standing upon the road, an old In- 

 dian came up from the other direction, bending un- 

 der a load, who, in crossing it, stopped, and, striking 

 his stick against the stones, uttered the words Sac- 

 bey, and Kabah, and Uxmal. At the same time oar 

 carriers came up, the old sexton at their head, who, 

 depositing his burden upon the ancient road, repeat- 

 ed Sacbey, and then favoured us with an oration, in 

 which we could only distinguish Kabah and Uxmal. 



It had been my intention to explore thorough- 

 ly the route of this ancient road, and, if possible, 

 trace it through the woods to the desolate cities 

 which it once connected, and it was among the 

 vexations of our residence at Nohcacab that we had 

 not been able to do so. The difficulty of procuring 

 Indians to work, and a general recurrence of sick- 

 ness, rendered it impossible. We could not tell how 

 much time might be required ; the whole country 

 was overgrown with trees ; in some places the track 

 was but faintly marked, and in others it might be 

 lost altogether. It remains, therefore, an unbroken 

 ground for the future explorer. 



Again passing old walls'* on each side of the 

 road, at the distance of two leagues we reached 



