VI SIT TO THE RUINS. 



89 



breakfast upon a large scale, and seemed mortified 

 that there was no one to do it justice. Out of pure 

 good feeling toward him, I had it brought to the side 

 of my hammock. My effort made him happy, and I 

 began to think my prostration was merely the reac- 

 tion from over-excitement ; and by degrees what I 

 began to please our host I continued for my own 

 satisfaction. The troubles of my companions no 

 longer disturbed me. My equanimity was perfectly 

 restored, and, breakfast over, I set out to look at the 

 ruins. 



Ever since our arrival in Yucatan we had re- 

 ceived courtesies and civihties, but none more thor- 

 ough than those bestowed by our host of Nohcacab. 

 He had come out with the intention of passing a 

 week with us, and the Indians and the whole rancho 

 were at our service as long as we chose to remain. 



Passing through one of the huts, we soon came 

 to a hill covered with trees and very steep, up which 

 the proprietor had cut, not a mere Indian path, but 

 a road two or three yards wide, leading to a build- 

 ing standing upon a terrace on the brow of the hill. 

 The facade above the cornice had fallen, and below 

 it was of plain stone. The interior was entire, but 

 without any distinguishing features. Following the 

 brow of this hill, we came to three other build- 

 ings, all standing on the same range, and without 

 any important variations in the details, except that 

 in one the arch had no overlapping stone, but the 

 two sides of the ceiling ran up to a point, and 



Vol. II.--M 



