FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 127 
hitherto found. We had rain that night and the next 
day; but our new horses were brought in fair season. 
When we came to settle the bill we found the wretched 
landlord had charged seven dollars, given the bill to his 
wife, and hidden himself. Finding expostulation with the 
senora of no effect, I despatched Frank to lay the case 
before the Jefe, while I tried abuse; this had the desired 
effect of bringing the landlord from his hiding-place. I 
called him a ladron (robber), and, to the intense amuse¬ 
ment of the many bystanders, described the meat he had 
set before us as mulct solamente (nothing but mule). The 
boys caught the phrase, and we heard it shouted at 
the poor man until we departed. The Jefe sent the 
comandante and two soldiers to bring the “robber” to 
reason, and mine host thereupon told us to pay what we 
pleased. The comandante suggested three dollars as the 
proper price; but we gave him four, and soon after nine 
o’clock we scraped the mud of this town from our feet. 
The road led down immense barrancas, where we saw 
deposits of pumice some eight hundred feet thick. Min¬ 
gled with this layer were large blocks of lava, seemingly 
ejected from some crater eruption; but where was the 
crater? We passed a little hamlet marked San Sebastian 
de Lemoa on the map; but all the people had gone a 
fishing on a lake near by, whose borders were swarming 
with ducks. Four leagues from Quiche we came to Santo 
Tomas Chichicastenango. This is a neat, attractive little 
village, hardly as large as its name is long, with clean 
streets, a fountain and eucalyptus-trees in the Plaza, and 
an ancient church. Close at hand are the ruins of an 
older town, which we, to our regret, had no time to visit. 
At the cabildo we were politely received, and our beasts 
