340 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



crying out, in a deep, sepulchral voice, every ten 

 minutes by the watch, " Devuelve esos huesos." 

 " Restore those bones." 



We heard that he had with him accidentally an 

 English physician, though we could not make any 

 English of the name. Our fever might leave us in 

 a few hours, and with the desperate hope that we 

 might arrive in time for Doctor Cabot's skill to be 

 of some use to him, or, if not, to bid him a last fare- 

 well, we requested the padrecito to procure coches 

 and Indians by two o'clock in the afternoon. 



Two fete days in succession were rather too 

 much for the Indians of Nohcacab. In about an 

 hour one of the new alcaldes came to tell us that, 

 in celebrating the choice of their new officers, the 

 independent electors had all become so tipsy that 

 competent men could be found for only one co- 

 che. Perhaps it would have been difficult for the 

 alcaldes to know whether their immediate condi- 

 tion was really the fruit of that day's celebration or 

 a holding over from Newyear's Day, but the ef- 

 fect was the same so far as we were concerned. 



The alcaldes and the padrecito, however, appre- 

 ciated our motives, and knew it was utterly impos- 

 sible for us to go on horseback, so that, with great 

 exertions, by two o'clock the requisite number 

 came reeling and staggering into the room. We 

 were still in our hammocks, uncertain whether it 

 would be possible to go at all, and their appearance 



