326 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



^of Sisal, with convent and cloisters by its side, and 

 a square in front, which, as we rode across it, sound- 

 ed hollow under our horses' feet, and underneath 

 was an immense senote. We passed up the Calle 

 de Sisal, a long street with straggling houses on each 

 side, and were directed to the house of Don Pedro 

 Baranda, one of the largest and best in the place. 

 This gentleman had received advices of our intend- 

 ed visit, and had engaged for us a house. As our 

 luggage did not arrive, he furnished us with ham- 

 mocks, and in an hour we were comfortable as in 

 our house at Merida. About midnight Albino came 

 clattering to the door, accompanied by only one 

 horse, carrying our hammocks, and bringing the dis- 

 astrous intelligence that the horse carrying the Da- 

 guerreotype apparatus had run away, and made a 

 general crash. Hitherto the apparatus had always 

 been carried by an Indian, but the road from Chi- 

 chen was so good that we were not afraid to trust 

 it on horseback. There was consolation, however, 

 in the thought that we could not lose what we had 

 already done with its assistance. 



The next morning we were in no hurry. From 

 Valladolid it was our purpose to prosecute our ex- 

 ploration through a region of which less was known 

 than of any we had yet visited. In our short voy- 

 age with Captain Fensley from the Laguna to Sisal, 

 he had told us of stone buildings on the coast, near 

 Cape Catoche, which he called old Spanish forts. 

 These accounts were confirmed by others, and we 



