BENEFITS OF A RAIN. 



135 



have formed part of the same city, there is reason to 

 beheve that it once covered as much ground and 

 contained as many inhabitants as any that has yet 

 been presented. 



The first intelhgence I received of the existence 

 of these ruins was from Cocom, v^ho, the reader may 

 remember, w^as our guide at Nohpat ; and this is all 

 that I am able to communicate in regard to their 

 history. 



We returned to the rancho worn down with fa- 

 tigue, just in time to escape a violent rain. This 

 brought within, as an accompaniment to the fleas of 

 the night before, our carriers and servants, and we 

 had eleven hammocks, in close juxtaposition, and 

 through the night a concert of nasal trombones, 

 with Indian variations. The rain continued all the 

 next day, and as no work, could be done, Mr. Gather- 

 wood took advantage of the opportunity to have an- 

 other attack of fever. We were glad of it on an- 

 other account, for we had kept a man constantly 

 employed in the woods searching for water ; our 

 horses had exhausted all the rocky cavities around, 

 and we could not have held out another day. The 

 rain replenished them, and relieved us from some 

 compunctions. 



In the afternoon the little boy came down with a 

 message from his mother, desiring to know when we 

 were going away. Perhaps the reader is curious to 

 know the costume of boys at Chunhuhu. It con- 

 sists of a straw hat and a pair of sandals. This one 



