AN ODD SPORTSMAN. 1^37 
room. The neighborhood, of course, was anything but fragrant ; yet he 
drove out a couple of sheep, chickens and turkeys from a corner-:— ar- 
ranged our saddles for chairs on the earthen floor — and we were soon 
enjoying a refreshing lunch of tortillias and pulque. 
After the shower had passed we again sallied forth, and reaching the 
marshy flats, amused ourselves with watching the operations of Ignacio, 
instead of making war ourselves upon the delicate birds. After wander, 
ing about for some time without starting game, Ignacio at last perceived 
a flock alight a hundred yards to the north of him. He dismounted 
immediately — waved his hand to us to remain quiet — crouched behind 
the bull, and putting the animal in motion, in the direction of the birds, 
they both crept on together until within gunshot. Here, by a twitch at 
his tail, the beast was stopped, and began munching the tasteless grass 
as eagerly as if gratifying a relishing appetite. Ignacio then slowly 
raised his head to a level with the bull's spine and surveyed the field of 
battle, while the birds paddled about the fens unconscious of danger. 
Althougn evidently within good shooting distance, the tio discovered that 
he had not precisely got a raking range; and therefore, again dodging 
behind his rampart, put the bull in motion for the required spot. This 
attained, he levelled his gun on The animal's back and fired — honest 
Sancho never stirring his head from the grass ! Several birds fell, while 
the rest of the flock, seeing nothing but an unbelligerent bull, scarcely 
flew more than a dozen yards before they alighted again — and thus, the 
conspiring beast and sportsman sneaked along, from shot to shot, until 
nearly the whole flock was bagged ! 
The result of the afternoon's work was a plentiful platter, around 
which we gathered in the hospitable dwelling of L ; and not the 
least entertainment of the evening was a song from the "tio,'' and a wild 
dance called "the Zopiloie,'' which he accomplished after several supple- 
mentary tumblers of capital pulque. 
13th October. Although our researches in this neighborhood are fin- 
ished, we can to-day get no conveyance to JVIexico. There is not a 
vehicle to be had in the town; the boats do not leave until to-morrow, 
and I feel indisposed to undergo the fatigue and exposure of a day's jour- 
ney on horseback over the plains between the lakes. 
I have therefore resolved to wait for the Indian canoes, and, in the 
meantime, will connect some sketches of interesting ruins that I find in 
memoranda made by me during the study of various authors who have 
written on American and Mexican antiquities. 
I do so, because the works in which these subjects are discussed are 
exceedingly expensive, and rarely to be found either in this country or 
in Europe ; and I desire, moreover, to show how completely the whole 
of this country has, at one time, been covered with an active and intelli- 
gent population, the only hints of whose history are left in the ruins of 
their splendid architecture. 
