78 



INCIDENTS 



OF TRAVEL. 



Coming out from the cave, w^e w^ent on to the 

 aguada, which was nearly a league distant. It was a 

 small, muddy pond, with trees growing on the sides 

 and into the water, which, in any other country, 

 w^ould be considered an unfit watering-place for 

 beasts. The proprietor and all the Indians told us 

 that in the dry season the remains of stone embank- 

 ments were still visible, made, as they supposed, by 

 the ancient inhabitants. The bank was knee deep 

 with mud ; a few poles were laid out on supporters 

 driven into the mud, and along these the Indians 

 walked to dip up water. At the time our horses 

 were brought down to drink ; but they had to be 

 watered out of the calabashes or drinking-cups of 

 the Indians. 



At two o'clock we returned to the casa real. We 

 had " done up" another ruined city, and were ready 

 to set out again ; but we had one serious impedi- 

 ment in the way. I have mentioned that on our 

 arrival at this place we gave Albino a dollar, but I 

 omitted to say that it was our last. On setting out 

 on this journey, we had reduced our personal lug- 

 gage to hammocks and petaquillas, the latter being 

 oblong straw baskets without fastenings, unsafe to 

 carry money in, and silver, the only available coin, 

 was too heavy to carry about the person. At Sa- 

 bachshe we discovered that our expenses had over- 

 run our estimates, and sent Albino back to Nohca- 

 cab with the keys of our money trunk, and direc- 

 tions to follow us in all haste to this place. The 



