372 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



the progress of the Spaniards in America, none is 

 more complete than that which has swept over the 

 island of Cozumel. When I resolved to visit it I 

 was not aware that it was uninhabited ; and knowing 

 it to be but thirty miles long, I supposed that, with- 

 out much difficulty, a thorough exploration could be 

 made ; but even before landing we saw that it would 

 be impossible to accomplish this, and idle to make 

 the attempt. The whole island was overgrown with 

 trees, and, except along the shore or within the 

 clearing around the hut, it was impossible to move 

 in any direction without cutting a path. We had 

 only our two sailors, and if we should cut by the 

 compass through the heart of the island, we might 

 pass within a few feet of a building without perceiv- 

 ing it. Fortunately, however, on the borders of the 

 clearing there were vestiges of ancient population, 

 which, from the directions of Don Vicente Albino, 

 we had no difficulty in finding. One of them, stand- 

 ing about two hundred feet distant from the sea, and 

 even now visible above the tops of the trees to ves- 

 sels sailing by, is represented in the engraving that 

 follows. It stands on a terrace, and has steps on all 

 four of its sides. The building measures sixteen 

 feet square; it had four doors facing the cardinal 

 points, and, as will be seen by the figure of a man 

 sitting on the steps, it is very low. The exterior is 

 of plain stone, but was formerly stuccoed and paint- 

 ed, traces of which are still visible. The doorways 

 open into a narrow corridor only twenty inches 



