ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 71 
griddle-cake. These are then baked on an iron plate 
or comal , but not browned, and should be eaten hot, and 
then the tortilla tastes 
like parched corn. The 
metatles in Guatemala 
were all of very simple 
pattern and unornament¬ 
ed, not so well wrought 
as those in Mexico and 
farther southward, but 
serving their purpose 
equally well. A woman 
who cannot make good 
tortillas is in Guatemala 
not deemed fit to assume 
the duties of housekeep¬ 
ing ; and yet there are few 
articles of food requiring 
more labor in preparation than this unleavened bread. 
Except the Hawaiian poi (paste of the Coloccisium escu - 
lentum or Kalo ), I can recall no article of diet that de¬ 
mands more physical labor. The inhabitants of the tropics 
in both these cases lay aside their proverbial indolence and 
earn their bread by the sweat of their brows. For our men 
we procured meat in long strips put on skewers and 
crisped over the fire, while for ourselves we bought 
bananas, limes, and tortillas. After this we continued 
our voyage until dark, when we anchored near shore 
and enjoyed a very quiet night. At early dawn we 
were again under way. The showers continued, and far 
away on the Santa Cruz range the rains were heavy, 
boding ill for our ascent of the river. The lake water, 
