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285 



building, examined every apartment, and arranged 

 the whole plan and order of work. This over, we 

 went to join Doctor Cabot, who was in the mean 

 time pursuing an independent occupation, but on 

 joint account, and for joint benefit. 



The name of Chichen is another instance added 

 to those already given, showing the importance at- 

 tached in that dry country to the possession of 

 water. It is compounded of the two Maya words 

 chi, mouth, and chen, well, and signifies the mouth 

 of the well. Among the ruins are two great se- 

 notes, which, beyond doubt, furnished water to the 

 inhabitants of the ancient city. Since the estab- 

 lishment of a hacienda and the construction of a 

 well, these had fallen into disuse. Doctor Cabot 

 had undertaken to open a path in one of them down 

 to the water, for the purpose of bathing, which, in 

 that hot climate, was as refreshing as food. We 

 came upon him just as he had finished, and, besides 

 his Indian workmen, he had the company of a large 

 party of Mestizo boys from the village of Piste, 

 who were already taking advantage of his labours, 

 and were then swimming, diving, and perched ail 

 about in the hollows of the rocks. 



On our journey from Peto, the particulars of 

 which I was obliged to omit, we had entered a re- 

 gion where the sources of the supply of water again 

 formed a new and distinctive feature in the face of 

 the country, wilder, and, at first sight, perhaps crea- 



