252 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



forward to meet him, and the Indian made him a 

 profound reverence ; Don Francisco received him 

 v^ith cordiaUty, and, taking him by the hand, con- 

 ducted him to his quarters. 



This Indian vras Tutul Xiu, the greatest lord in 

 all that country, the lineal descendant of the royal 

 house v^^hich once ruled over the whole land of 

 Maya, and then cacique of Mani. He said that, 

 moved by the valour and perseverance of the Span- 

 iards, he had come voluntarily to render obedience, 

 and to offer his aid and that of his subjects for the 

 pacification of the rest ; and he brought a large 

 present of turkeys, fruits, and other provisions. He 

 had come to be their friend ; he desired, also, to be 

 a Christian, and asked the adelantado to go through 

 some Christian ceremonies. The latter made a 

 most solemn adoration to the holy cross, and Tutul 

 Xiu, watching attentively, imitated the Spaniard as 

 well as he could until, with many demonstrations 

 of joy, he came to kiss the cross on his knees. The 

 Spaniards were delighted, and, the adoration over, 

 they remarked that this fortunate day for them was 

 that of the glorious San Ildefonso, whom they im- 

 mediately elected for their patron saint. 



Tutul Xiu was accompanied by other caciques, 

 whose names, as found in an Indian manuscript, 

 have been handed down. They remained with the 

 Spaniards seventy days, and on taking leave, Tutul 

 Xiu promised to send ambassadors to solicit the 

 other chiefs, though they were not his vassals, to 



