SEARCH FOR A SEPULCHRE. 277 



nexion with them. Unlike most of the ruined struc- 

 tures around, it was entire, with every stone in its 

 place, and probably had not been disturbed since 

 the earth and stones had been packed down on 

 the top. 



The Indians commenced picking out the stones 

 and clearing away the earth with their hands. For- 

 tunately, they had a crowbar, an instrument un- 

 known in Central America, but indispensable here 

 on account of the stony nature of the soil, and for 

 the first and only time in the country I had no 

 trouble in superintending the work. The cura gave 

 them directions in their own language, and under 

 his eye they worked actively. Nevertheless, the 

 process was unavoidably slow. In digging down, 

 they found the inner side of the outer wall, and the 

 whole interior was loose earth and stones, with 

 some layers of large flat stones, the whole very 

 rough. In the mean time the sun was beating upon 

 us with prodigious force, and some of the people of 

 the village, among others the proprietor of the ha- 

 cienda, came down to look on and have an inward 

 smile at our folly. The cura had read a Spanish 

 translation of the Antiquary, and said that we were 

 surrounded by Edie Oehiltrees, though he himself, 

 with his tall, thin figure and long gown, presented 

 a lively image of that renowned mendicant. We 

 continued the work six hours, and the whole ap- 

 pearance of things was so rude that we began to 

 despair of success, when, on prying up a large flat 



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