HOW TO BEGIN. 



117 



C& AFTER VI. 



How to begin. — Commencement of Explorations. — Interest created by these 

 Ruins. — Visit from the Alcalde. — Vexatious Suspicions. — A welcome Visiter. 

 — Letter from General Cascara. — Buying a City. — Visit from Don Gregorio's 

 Family. — Distribution of Medicines. 



At daylight the clouds still hung over the forest ; 

 as the sun rose they cleared away ; our workmen 

 made their appearance, and at nine o'clock we left the 

 hut. The branches of the trees were dripping wet, 

 and the ground very muddy. Trudging once more 

 over the district which contained the principal monu- 

 ments, we were startled by the immensity of the work 

 before us, and very soon we concluded that to explore 

 the whole extent would be impossible. Our guides 

 knew only of this district ; but having seen columns 

 beyond the village, a league distant, we had reason to 

 believe that others were strewed in different directions, 

 completely buried in the woods, and entirely unknown. 

 The woods were so dense that it was almost hopeless 

 to think of penetrating them. The only way to make 

 a thorough exploration would be to cut down the whole 

 forest and burn the trees. This was incompatible with 

 our immediate purposes, might be considered taking 

 liberties, and could only be done in the dry season. 

 After deliberation, we resolved first to obtain drawings 

 of the sculptured columns. Even in this there was 

 great difficulty. The designs were very complicated, 

 and so different from anything Mr. Gather wood had 

 ever seen before as to be perfectly unintelligible. The 

 cutting was in very high relief, and required a strong 



