ESCAPE OF THE SPANIARDS. 323 



tage of a night when the Indians were off their 

 guard, and making saUies in the evening so as to 

 keep them awake, that weariness might afterward 

 overtake them, as soon as all was still they tied a 

 dog to the clapper of a bell-rope, putting some food 

 before him, but out of his reach, and with great 

 silence marched out from the camp. The dog, 

 when he saw them going, pulled the cord in order 

 to go with them, and afterward to get at the food. 

 The Indians, supposing that the Spaniards were 

 sounding the alarm, remained quiet, waiting the re- 

 sult, but a little before dayhght, perceiving that the 

 bell did not cease ringing, they drew near the forti- 

 fication, and found it deserted. In the mean time 

 the Spaniards escaped toward the coast, and in the 

 meager and disconnected accounts of their dangers 

 and escape, it is, perhaps, not surprising that we have 

 none whatever of the buildings, arts, and sciences 

 of the fierce inhabitants of Chichen. 



I shall close with one general remark. These 

 cities were, of course, not all built at one time, but 

 are the remains of different epochs. Chichen, 

 though in a better state of preservation than most 

 of the others, has a greater appearance of antiquity ; 

 some of the buildings are no doubt older than oth- 

 ers, and long intervals may have elapsed between 

 the times of their construction. 



The Maya manuscript places the first discovery of 

 Chichen within the epochs corresponding with the 

 time between A.D. 360 and A.D. 432. From the 



