RETURN TO MERIDA. 



457 



cit}, !\nd equal to a good hotel in Italy. Very soon 

 we had the best apartments, and were sitting down 

 to thS du China, in English, tea, and pan Franges, 

 or bread without sweetening. After our hard journey 

 among Indian ranchos and unwholesome haciendas, 

 at times all prostrated by illness, we had returned to 

 Merida, successful beyond our utmost hopes. Our 

 rough work was all over, and our satisfaction can- 

 not easily be described. 



While lingering over the table, we heard the loud 

 ringing of the porter's bell, followed by landlord and 

 servants running and tumbhng along the corridor, 

 all crying out "La Diligencia," and presently we 

 heard the tramp of horses and the rattling of the post- 

 coach from Campeachy, into the court-yard. The 

 passengers came up, and among them we greeted 

 with lively satisfaction our old friend Mr. Fisher, that 

 citizen of the world, the last traces of whom we had 

 seen on the desolate island of Cozumel. Another 

 passenger, whose voice we had heard rising in Eng- 

 lish from the court-yard above the jargon of Spanish 

 and Indian, as if entirely on private account, and 

 indifferent whether it was understood or not, imme- 

 diately accosted me as an acquaintance ; said that I 

 had been the cause of his coming to that place, and 

 if he did not succeed, should come upon me for dam- 

 ages ; but I soon learned that I had nothing to fear. 

 Mr. Clayton had already created, perhaps, a greater 

 sensation than any stranger who ever visited that 

 country ; he had obtained a hold upon the feelings 

 Vol. II.— M mm 39 



