120 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



at Uxmal, the point where we were interrupted by 

 the illness of Mr. Catherwood. We had received 

 intelligence, however, of the ruins of Mayapan, an 

 ancient city which had never been visited, about 

 eight leagues distant from Merida, and but a few 

 leagues aside from the road, by the haciendas, to 

 Uxmal. The accounts which we could obtain were 

 meager, and it was represented as completely in ru- 

 ins ; but, in fulfilment of the purpose we at that time 

 entertained of going to every place of which we 

 heard any account whatever, we determined to visit 

 this on our way to Uxmal. It was for Mayapan, 

 therefore, that we were now setting out. 



Our saddles, bridles, holsters, and pistols, being en- 

 tirely different from the mountings of horsemen in 

 that country, attracted all eyes as we rode through 

 the streets. A friend accompanied us beyond the 

 suburbs, and put us into a straight road, which led, 

 without turning, to the end of our day's journey. 

 Instead of the ominous warnings we were accus- 

 tomed to receive in Central America, bis parting 

 words were, that there was no danger of robbers, or 

 of any other interruptions. 



Under these favourable circumstances, in good 

 health and spirits, with recommendations from the 

 government to its officers in different sections of the 

 country, and through the newspapers to the hospi- 

 tality of citizens in the interior, we set out on our 

 journey. We had before us a new and unexplored 

 region, in which we might expect to find new scenes 



