420 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



to me, and offered it for our accommodation, which, 

 on looking within, I did not hesitate to accept. 

 This man had never heard of us nor we of him, 

 and, probably, neither will ever hear of the other 

 again. It was another instance of the universally 

 kind treatment we met with in all parts of the 

 country. 



Silan is the port of Izamal, which is eleven 

 leagues distant. According to our arrangement, Di- 

 mas was to meet us here with the horses, but he had 

 not arrived or been heard of We learned, how- 

 ever, that there was no green food to be procured 

 at this place, which Dimas had probably learned at 

 the village, three leagues distant, and had therefore 

 remained at that place ; yet we had some uneasiness, 

 as he had to make a journey of two hundred and 

 fifty miles, and our first business was to despatch 

 Albino for information. Next we had a great en- 

 terprise in procuring breakfast, and after this in 

 providing for dinner, which we determined should 

 be the best the country afforded, to consist of fish 

 and fowl, each of which had to be bought separ- 

 ately, and, with separate portions of lard, sent to 

 different houses to be cooked. 



During the interval of preparation I took a 

 walk along the shore. Toward the end of a 

 sandy beach was a projecting point, on a line with 

 which I noticed on the water what seemed to be a 

 red cloud of singular brilliancy, and, at the same 

 time, delicacy of colour, which, on drawing nearer, 



