78 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



Church of St. John in the wilderness of Judea, but the 

 situation was even more beautiful. At two o'clock we 

 crossed the stream and entered the village. Opposite 

 the church the muleteer told us that the day's work was 

 over, but, with all our toils, we had made only fifteen 

 miles, and were unwilling to stop so soon. The ex- 

 ceeding beauty of the place might have tempted us, 

 but the only good plastered hut was occupied by a band 

 of ruffianly soldiers, and we rode on. The muleteer 

 followed with curses, and vented his spite in lashing the 

 mules. Again we crossed the stream, and, continuing 

 up the valley along the dry bed, which bore marks of 

 the flood that washed it in the rainy season, in an hour 

 we crossed it half a dozen times. Heavy clouds rested 

 on the mountains, and again we had rain. At four 

 o'clock we saw on a high table on the left the village of 

 Hocotan, with another gigantic church. According to 

 the route agreed upon with the muleteer, this should 

 have been the end of our first day's journey. We had 

 been advised that the cura could give us much informa- 

 tion about the ruins of Copan, and told him to cross 

 over and stop there ; but he refused, and, hurrying on 

 the mules, added that we had refused to stop when he 

 wished, and now he would not stop for us. I could not 

 spur my mule beyond her own gait, and, unable to over- 

 take him, jumped off and ran after him on foot. Acci- 

 dentally I put my hand on my pistols, to steady them 

 in my belt, and he fell back and drew his machete. 

 We came to a parley. He said that if we went there 

 we could not reach Copan the next day ; whereupon, 

 willing to make a retreat, and wishing to leave him no 

 excuse for failing, we continued. 



At six o'clock we rose upon a beautiful table of land, 

 on which stood another gigantic church. It was the 



