FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 
129 
wood, and most primitive in design. All the worship¬ 
ping Indios seemed very devout, chanting their prayers 
in their native tongue to the bare wall or a door-post, 
and they paid no attention to us as we passed them, 
although outside they generally bowed respectfully. 
In a little shop at a street corner we found our 
almuerzo (there is no posada); and a very good one it 
was. Our hostess was a very respectable woman, whose 
house was well furnished (sewing-machine and rocking- 
chairs among other comforts), being quite a different per¬ 
son from the one who in our own country would occupy 
her position, — a rumseller. While we were waiting, two 
half-tipsy Indios came in, drank a small tumbler of aguar¬ 
diente , and soon settled themselves quietly on the side¬ 
walk for a drunken sleep, undisturbed by the passer-by. 
Our way from Chichicastenango 1 led out over a narrow 
ridge or series of ridges, with deep barrancas on either 
side. The road was good, and hedged part of the way; 
but our animals were of the poorest kind. My little 
♦ 
horse went slowly, and at last his legs seemed to collapse, 
and he came to the ground, leaving me standing over 
him. He was not worn out, he was a “trick horse.” 
For miles Frank and I walked on, leading our bestias. 
It grew very dark and misty ; lightning flashed in the 
distance, and the trees were dripping with dew. With 
1 In stumbling over this crooked name, it occurs to me that it would be fair 
to my readers, who are perhaps less familiar with Indian names, to state 
briefly how they are pronounced. G is always guttural; ch is like tche ; h is 
strongly aspirate; j is pronounced like h; x is sh; u is the French ou ; v is 
equivalent to w; and the vowels have the Italian values. Of the Indian 
names the signification is not always known, but there are certain terminations 
common enough and well understood; as tepee, a mountain or high thing, in 
Alotepec, Quezaltepec, Coatepeque, Olintepeque, Jilotepeque. Those who are 
curious in these matters will find another note in the Appendix. 
9 
