FROM QUEZALTEN AN GO TO THE PACIFIC. 153 
they had no smell. It was a most refreshing bath,— cool, 
but not so cold as the old historian reported. A new ex¬ 
perience, as we stood drying on the shore, was a shave 
with pumice-stones, which abound here. A little care is 
needed to avoid taking the cuticle away with the hair; 
hut these stone razors are admirable substitutes for Shef¬ 
field steel, and are always sharp. Water-fowl were 
abundant, and very tame. A good survey of this lake 
would be of great geological and antiquarian interest ; 
and we will speak of its depth and formation in a later 
chapter. 
We should much have liked to cross the lake to the 
ruins on the other side; but the sight of the only boats 
on the lake, as well as our limited time, deterred us. I 
have never before seen boats constructed on these lines; 
the handles on the stern seeming necessary to lift the 
large, clumsy craft out of the water. 
Oh, the hot climb up that hill to Solola ! We started 
at half-past one, and did not get back until six; and were 
then so tired that, soon after comida, we fell asleep, in 
spite of the music and rockets within a few rods of our 
bedroom. The decencies of life are much neglected here, 
as elsewhere in Guatemala, and our only washing-place 
was the veranda-rail, over which we leaned while Santiago 
poured a calabash of water over us. Those who have 
