INDIANS DANCING.
"But more interesting to us than either of the balls we have mentioned was that of the Indians, where they were indulging in historic dances which have been preserved from ancient times. When we entered the room, which was pretty well filled with people who respectfully made way for us, the performance had already begun. We will remark here that the ancient Yucateos, like the Parsees, were worshippers of the sun; the reverence for that luminary has descended to this day, though it is by no means preserved in its former purity.
"Mr. Ober, the author of 'Travels in Mexico,' seems to have witnessed a better performance of this dance than we did, as he saw the beginning, which we did not see, so we will quote his account, which is as follows:
"'The first thing these Indians did was to spread a banner in the centre of the room, on which was painted a figure of the sun, with two people kneeling in adoration of it. The chief of this band of about twenty Indians then suspended from his neck a bright-colored representation of the sun stamped on tin. At the foot of the banner-staff crouched an old man, with a drum made by stretching the skin of a calf or goat over one end of a hollow log; at the side of the drum hung the shell of a land-tortoise, and the old man beat the drum and rattled the shell in unison. The article with which he beat the drum attracted my attention, and I examined it and found it to be the gilded horn of a deer. This hollow drum, with turtle-shell and deer's antler, fully confirms the statement that themusic is aboriginal; for one of the old chroniclers, in an account of a terrible battle with the Indians of Campeachy, writing not long after the event, says that they made a most horrible and deafening noise with these instruments: "They had flutes and large sea-shells for trumpets, and turtle-shells, which they struck with deer's horns."
PREPARING FOR THE BALL.
"'After the banner was spread, the band ran around it in a crouching attitude; in one hand each held a rattle, and in the other a fan of turkey feathers, with a handle formed by the foot and claw of the bird. Each one wore a wire mask, with a handkerchief over his head, and a mantle embroidered with figures of animals, and hung with small sea-shells. The costume was that of the mestizo women—a skirt from the waist to the ankles, with their peculiar dress over it—just such an one as was worn by their ancestors centuries ago, and by the ancient Egyptians. On their feet they wore sandals, tied on with hempen rope. The chief was distinguished by a high crown of peacock feathers. He chanted something in the Maya language, and they replied, and then the music struck up a weird strain and they danced furiously, assuming ludicrous postures, yet all having seeming significance, shaking their rattles and fans to right and left, and all keeping perfect time. After nearly half an hour of dancing they stopped at a signal from the chief, and gathered about the banner, gazing upon the image of the sun with looks of adoration.
"'This was the dance of sorrow or supplication; after it came the dance of joy, an Indian fandango; then the flag was furled and the floor occupied by two couples.'"
Their night in the round of balls caused our friends to sleep rather late the next morning. While they were at breakfast an invitation came to visit a henequin hacienda near the city, in the company of one of the owners, to whom they had been introduced. It is hardly necessary to say that they accepted at once.
A VOLAN COCHÉ.
They were to start at an early hour on the following morning, and at the appointed time avolan cochéwas announced at the door. Frank's description of this vehicle will be interesting to our readers.
"It is the travelling carriage of Yucatan, and well adapted to the bad roads of the country. It consists of a shallow box on two wheels, the box being suspended on leather springs and having a thick mattress spread over the bottom and just filling it. One or two Europeans form a load for one of these carriages, but it will easily hold half a dozen natives of assorted sizes. There are no seats; one is obliged to lie at full length or sit Turkish fashion, and hold on with one or both hands. Doctor Bronson says the volan coché is warmly recommended for dyspeptics, as it is guaranteed to kill or cure them in a very short time.
"The driver sits on the foot-board, very much as in a Canadian calèche, and if there is any baggage it is piled on a projecting frame behind the passengers. The carriage has a top to shelter passengers from sun and rain, and there are curtains to be let down or rolled up as one may wish.
A STREET IN MERIDA.
"Three mules are the regulation team for a volan coché. They areharnessed abreast, and under the control of a vigorous driver they get over the roads with commendable rapidity, when all things are considered. There is a great deal of swing to the vehicle, and it overturns occasionally, though not often. The roads of Yucatan are not at all good; one man told us they were made by Cortez three and a half centuries ago, and have never had a dollar of expenditure for repairs since they were constructed."
As our friends went to the door they met their host, who had just descended from the carriage and was ready for them. Frank and Fred wondered if all four of them, the host and his three guests, were to ride in one coché, and while the wonderment continued another vehicle of the same kind came dashing around the corner.
Their entertainer, Mr. Honradez, suggested that Doctor Bronson and himself would ride in one carriage, while the two youths occupied the other. As they were to spend a night at the hacienda, each of the travellers carried a small hand-bag, and these articles, added to some cushions which Mr. Honradez had thoughtfully placed in the seatless vehicles, added considerably to the comfort of the ride.
Away they dashed along the rough streets of Merida and out through the thickly shaded suburbs. They met dozens of natives bringing into the city loads of country produce to sell in the market-place; the bearers bent beneath their burdens, and many of them had travelled all night in order to reach the city in the morning. The most conspicuous of these porters were the sellers oframon, the branches of a tree that serve as food for horses and mules, which eat the leaves and twigs of ramon as they do grass or hay. According to its bulk, the stuff is very light, and a ramon-seller is completely hidden beneath his apparently enormous but really comfortable load.
"Mr. Honradez made things interesting," said Fred, "by getting up a race between our two carriages. He promised two reals to the driver who would get first to a village which he named, and the fellows went at it in earnest. They stood up on the shafts of their vehicles and yelled at their mules; at the same time they were not sparing of their whips, and the result was that the poor beasts went at a furious gallop for a mile or more. Our driver got in advance, and as we saw that the race would be kept up as long as the teams could run, Frank and I suggested to him that we would give him three reals to let the other man win. He immediately accepted the offer and dropped to the rear, shouting something in Maya to his competitor as the latter passed him. After that we went on at a more respectable pace, and were heartily glad that the breakneck speed was not kept up.
"At the village, the name of which I have forgotten, we rested ten or fifteen minutes and then went on, reaching the hacienda just as the forenoon was beginning to be uncomfortably warm. The great heat of Yucatan renders it desirable to make all journeys in the night as much as possible, and hence our early start from Merida.
A PRIMITIVE SUGAR-MILL.
"The hacienda covers a large area of ground, there being thousands of acres devoted to the culture of henequin. Then there is a considerable amount of sugar and corn grown on the place—enough for the use of all the employés, and something more besides. In the sugar-making industry the machinery is primitive, the cane being crushed in a mill propelled by oxen in the old-fashioned way, and the sugar obtained from the juice by the processes of half a century ago. The real profit of the hacienda is in the production of fibre, and in this the latest machinery is in use. The old process of making fibre by hand is altogether discarded as unprofitable, and the stripping of the leaves of the henequin is performed by great machines built in the United States or England, and driven by a powerful steam-engine of American make.
"The machinery is not at all complex, and it is evident that no great ingenuity was required to invent it. The scraper consists of a large wheel armed with strong and blunt knives all around its rim. The henequin leaves are pressed against this rim, and by means of a lever, worked bythe hand and foot of an Indian, the knives, drawn by the swiftly revolving wheel, remove in an instant the pulp which covers the fibre and lay it bare. Considerable dexterity is required for this work, and we looked on in admiration at the deftness of the Indian who performed it.
"The pulp being removed, the fibre is taken from the leaf in long strips like a 'hank' of very fine silk thread of a beautiful green tinge. It is made into small bundles and placed in the sun to dry. In drying it loses its color and becomes white and silky, and when thoroughly dried it is ready for baling. The only care requisite in the drying process is to see that it does not get wet by the rain, and that all its natural moisture is expelled. Unless this is the case it will ferment after baling, and fermentation means a great reduction in the commercial value of the article.
RAILWAY-STATION IN THE HENEQUIN DISTRICT.
"We watched the machine turning out the fibre, and then went to the baling-house, where the stuff was being put up by a cotton-press into bales of about 450 pounds each. In this condition it is shipped to market; one scraper, requiring the labor of four men to tend it, will produce about one bale of fibre daily, provided the leaves are of fairly good size and quality and the workmen are not novices. The average value of henequin fibre is about $20 a bale, delivered at the nearest railway-station; of course it has its ups and downs, like any other commodity in the world."
After our friends had looked at the machines and partaken of a hearty breakfast—the fact is that the breakfast came before the inspection of the scraping and baling departments—they took a siesta, according to the customof the country, until the cool hours of the afternoon. Then they mounted horses and accompanied Mr. Honradez in a ride over the estate and through the fields of henequin plants. As they rode along, and paused occasionally to contemplate objects of especial interest, the gentleman explained some of the features of the business.
STOREHOUSE AT THE HACIENDA.
"If you have decided to go into an enterprise of this sort," said he, "you must first get your land by buying it from the Government or a private owner, who is generally the descendant of somebody who obtained an immense grant in consequence of some real or fancied service to the Spanish Crown. The land is covered by a sort of scrub, which must be cleared away. The clearing is effected by cutting and burning, the cutting being done one season and the burning the next. Then the young plants are set out in holes dug in the thin soil; they are set about eight feet apart, and take root at once. You have doubtless learned already that the plants are in condition for cutting when they are five years old, and will yield leaves annually for fifteen or twenty years. A good planter will so arrange it that new plants are constantly coming to maturity; and this he will do by setting out a certain quantity of new ones every year."
Frank asked how many leaves were required for a bale of fibre.
"From six to eight thousand," was the reply, "according as they are large or small. Their size depends considerably upon the amount of rain which falls in the few weeks preceding the time they are cut."
"Is all the fibre made at the hacienda sent out of the country?" queried Fred.
"Not literally all," said the gentleman, "but for practical purposes the whole of it is exported. Four-fifths of our product is sent to the United States, where it is used for cordage, bagging, and many other things of the same sort, and most of the rest to Europe. There are two or three small factories here in Yucatan for making coarse cloth, ropes, and twine out of the fibre; they are owned by Americans or Englishmen, and their machinery is of foreign make, mostly American. With the exception of the overseer, engineer, and machinist, all the employés are natives, many of them being mestizo girls, who are as skilful as the girls of any other country in tending the looms where the cloth is woven. These factories purchase their fibre from the haciendas, but their consumption is small. The Indians use a great deal of fibre in making articles for their personal needs, but they generally scrape it by hand. They are very conservative, and if permitted to have their own way they would destroy every machine in the country before sunset to-morrow."
A MORNING RUN.
It was evening before the ride was concluded, and the party returned to the hacienda, where a dinner of substantial character awaited them. Of course Mr. Honradez insisted that there was "no money in the business," and said he would be glad to sell out for less than what his estate had cost him. But Fred made a mental note of the fact that he did not name any price at which he would sell, and that he lived in princely style both at the hacienda and in Merida. He had two sons at school in Paris, a daughter was being educated in Merida by a specially imported governess, and the gentleman himself spent a good half of his time in other countries. From these facts, and from information of various kinds that reached them, the youths concluded that the henequin culture was profitable; and in this view they have many supporters both in the country and out of it.
"Would you like to see acenoté?" said Mr. Honradez, just before our friends retired for the night.
"Certainly," replied Doctor Bronson for himself and the youths, while the latter wondered what a cenoté was.
A CORNER OF THE HACIENDA.
"Well, I'll show you one in the morning," was the reply. Then there was an exchange of wishes all around for a pleasant slumber, and in a little while everybody was in bed, or rather in hammock. Our friends had brought their hammocks as part of their baggage, and when they were ready to retire they found those useful articles stretched in the corridor ofthe principal dwelling of the hacienda, in a place that afforded ample ventilation.
Whether it was owing to the expected cenoté or the unrestful character of a night's novitiate in a hammock we are unable to say, but the youths were up somewhat earlier than usual and eager to begin the day. Doctor Bronson was not far behind them, and they did not have to wait long for their host. When he appeared he was followed by a mozo carrying an armful of towels, and after a hearty greeting led the way to a small house at a little distance from the stables of the hacienda.
Fred suggested to his cousin, while their host was in conversation with Doctor Bronson, that the cenoté was probably some kind of game, and they would quite likely have it for breakfast. "Perhaps," said he, "they keep it alive and kill it when wanted, and this house may be the place where it is shut up."
"I think it's something to wear," replied Frank, "and the house is the store-room. Possibly, though, it's some kind of vegetable like celery or onions. Anyway, we'll find out soon."
They were speedily enlightened on the subject. On reaching the house in question, Mr. Honradez explained that it was the entrance to a private cenoté of his own.
"You are already aware," said he, "that there are no rivers in Yucatan, and have learned from experience that we have plenty of water, notwithstanding the absence of streams. Beneath the calcareous formation on which the whole of the peninsula stands there are streams and lakesof water, which are reached through natural or artificial openings in the surface rock. These openings, whether natural or artificial, are called cenotés, and some of them are of great depth. Sometimes they are mere pits or wells, and, on the other hand, there are cenotés which form large grottos with lakes of considerable area. The water is clear and cool and entirely wholesome. We use the cenotés for obtaining our supply of water and also for bathing.
"This is our bathing-house," he continued, "and I've brought you here for your morning bath. You will find bathing-trousers in the rooms, and can undress and come down as soon as you like."
He showed them the way into their dressing-rooms, and then disappeared into a room of his own. When the youths reappeared, in appropriatecostume, their host called to them from somewhere down in the interior of the earth, and they proceeded in the direction of the voice.
AN UNDERGROUND WALK.
By a sloping and slippery stair-way cut in the rock they descended some thirty-five or forty feet till they reached a pool of clear water over which the rock rounded in a high dome nearly to the surface. A hole two or three feet in diameter and covered with an iron grating opened in the centre of the dome, and gave light enough to show the interior of the place very fairly. Many stalactites hung from the roof, and stalagmites stood up wherever they could find standing room. From the grotto where our friends found themselves little nooks and small grottos opened, so that the spot was by no means unattractive. Numerous lizards clung to the rock or swam in the water; and these crawling and slimy things took away many of the merits the bathing-place might have possessed.
FORMATION OF STALACTITES.
"The lizards do no harm," said Mr. Honradez, "but they are not pleasant to look at, and we would gladly drive them out if we could. There is a curious bird called the 'toh' which lives in the cenotés; it has a soft plumage, and sports a long tail of only two feathers, which have nothing on their stems until the very tip is reached. If you look sharp you may possibly see an eyeless fish similar to the fishes which are found in the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky."
The youths looked in every direction, and though Frank thought he saw one of these strange members of the finny tribe he was unable to capture it. Frank asked if the cenotés communicated with each other or were separately supplied from the rains sinking into the ground.
"We cannot say that all of them are connected," was the reply; "but it is certain that some of them are. Many contain streams with perceptible currents, and it has been observed that at times the cenotés are full of alligators, while at others none can be found there. As the alligator cannot pierce its way through solid rock, there must be channels which connect with large bodies of water where the alligators live."
At the suggestion of alligators Frank and Fred intimated that they did not care to stay long in the water, and their search for eyeless fish was abandoned in favor of the larger game. Mr. Honradez laughed, and said there was not the slightest danger, as no alligator larger than a rat could possibly make its way into the place where they were, as all the entrance channels were very small.
Thus reassured, they remained tranquil, and enjoyed the plunge and swim in the cool water. Meanwhile their host explained that these sources of water supply had been known from very ancient times; long before the Conquest the inhabitants built their towns near the water-holes, and atthe present time any one desiring to establish a hacienda seeks first a good cenoté, and locates his buildings near it.
On returning from the bath the host showed them the well which supplied the hacienda with water. Peons drew the water in buckets at the end of a long rope passing over a windlass, and poured it into a large trough, whence it was taken by the servants from the kitchen, or allowed to flow in pipes to the engine-house, stables, or wherever else it was needed.
AT A NORIA.
"In nearly every village throughout Yucatan," said Mr. Honradez, "you will find a well of this sort in the public square; it is called anoria, and the usual mode of drawing water is by an endless rope passing over a wheel and carrying small buckets. These bring up the water from below, and as they turn over the wheel they pour their contents into a trough. The system is almost an exact copy of that in use in Egypt centuries before Yucatan was heard of. The rude machine is propelled by a mule walking in a circle and driven by a boy. The mule is invariably an old one, fit for no other work, and sometimes a horse or ox, likewise old and poor, is found in its place."
"I suppose the village pays for the mule and the driver," one of the youths remarked.
"Yes," was the reply; "and the payment is by direct taxation. Every person who takes a jar of water is expected to leave a handful of corn in payment. This corn goes for the support of the boy and the animal, and to judge by the condition of the beast, the lion's share of the tax is taken by the boy."
The conversation about the curious wells of Yucatan came to an end with several stories concerning them. One was that in the town of Tabi there is a large cenoté which shows down in the depths of the water when the sun is at the meridian the perfect figure of a palm-tree, trunk, leaves, and all being fully delineated. In another town there is a cenoté where, according to the early chroniclers, any one dies instantly who enters the water without holding his breath. It is needless to say that bathing there is not at all popular. Other subterranean pools contain poisonous lizards which cause violent and even fatal headaches by merely biting the shadow of any person who passes them. Another lizard, when wounded, is said to throw its tail at its assailant; it detaches and throws it a distance of several yards, and if it strikes the flesh will cause death. Many of the cenotés are reputed to be the haunts of demons and fairies, the bad spirits being much more numerous than the good ones.
In the cool hours of the afternoon our friends started on their return to Merida, and late in the evening drew up in front of the hotel. Their host urged them to remain a week or two at the hacienda; with the politeness customary to the country, he told them that the place and everything about it were theirs—a declaration which was certainly in earnest, so far as a prolonged visit was concerned. But they were anxious to continue their investigations of Yucatan, and having already arranged to go to Uxmal with an American gentleman residing at Merida, were unable to remain longer with Mr. Honradez.
AT HOME IN MERIDA.
The second morning after their return they started for the ruins of Uxmal, which are about sixty miles from Merida. Doctor Bronson and Mr. Burbank, his American friend, rode in one volan coché, and Frank and Fred in another. A cart with the needed supply of provisions and cooking utensils had left on the previous day, and was to meet them at Uxmal, which contains no hotel or other accommodation for travellers. Lodgings are taken in some of the deserted and ruined buildings; and with a suitable equipment and a supply of food, one can get along very comfortably.
The road presented the same scenes as the one they had taken a few days before, and therefore does not need special description. At the first village on the road the vehicles halted to allow the panting mules to takebreath and water, and our friends descended from their cramped positions to stretch their limbs. Mr. Burbank spoke a few words to some of the natives that gathered around them, and then asked the strangers to go with them to see aheetzmek.
SCENE OF THE HEETZMEK.
Wondering what a heetzmek was, they followed to a house a few yards away, where a woman was walking around the dwelling carrying a very young child astride her hip. Having completed the circuit, she repeated it again and again, till she had walked five times around the dwelling, carrying the child as before.
"This is a ceremony which corresponds to the christening of infants in other countries," said the gentleman. "The woman that you see is the baby's godmother; the position in which the Yucateos carry theirchildren astride the hip is like that of India and some other Asiatic countries. The heetzmek is performed when the infant is about four months old.
"The natives believe in the magic of the number five. You have seen the woman walk five times around the house as she carries the child. Five eggs have been buried in hot ashes, and as they break they will rouse the five senses of the infant; if they fail to open, it will be of only ordinary intelligence, but their breaking will insure extraordinary mental ability."
"Probably," remarked Frank, "they take good care to have the ashes hot enough to make sure that the eggs will burst."
"If they are as intelligent as they want the child to be, they certainly will," replied Mr. Burbank. "In addition to the egg test there is a further ceremony of putting into the infant's hands the implements it will use when matured. The godmother is held in great respect by the whole family, and especially by the child for whom she has stood sponsor."
The heetzmek over, the journey was continued, the mules having rested sufficiently.
It was nine o'clock in the forenoon, and about twenty-five miles of thejourney had been made when the walls of the hacienda of Uayalké came in sight. The appetites of the youths were on a keen edge, and Frank remarked to Fred that he could breakfast off the hind-leg of a donkey, if only that ordinarily unattractive viand were presented.
"I think I scent breakfast," responded Fred. "They are famed for their hospitality in Yucatan, and we'll probably find what we want at this hacienda."
His prediction was verified, for hardly had he ceased speaking when the foremost carriage turned towards the yard of the hacienda, followed very naturally by the other. The drivers unhitched their mules beneath a wide-spreading tree in front of the residence of the manager, and proceeded to make themselves at home. Themayordomocame out and welcomed the strangers, and without waiting for a suggestion from Mr. Burbank, whom he knew, he sent a servant to order breakfast. In a very short time it was ready, and the travellers sat down; tortillas, frijoles, stewed chicken, eggs, and fruit, disappeared in due course, and the keen appetites were keen no longer.
"How about the posterior limb of theequus asinusnow?" whispered Fred to Frank, as they left the table.
"Non possumus," was the only answer that occurred to Frank. His views on the subject of edible things had materially changed in the last hour.
The youths made note of the fact that the hacienda of Uayalké was a large and evidently a very prosperous one. The manager told them that they had several thousand acres of land in henequin, and there were more than 1200 men and women employed about the establishment and in the fields. The engines and machinery were more ponderous and powerful than at the hacienda already described; and the buildings of the establishment, together with the huts of the laborers, formed quite a settlement. There was a deep cenoté, from which a troop of women were drawing water, by means of a wheel, with buckets on an endless rope; as fast as their jars were filled they carried them away in the direction of the garden, where the water was used for keeping bright the orange and other trees that cannot live without water.
GARDEN OF THE HACIENDA.
The garden, thus invigorated, was like a spot of green in a desert, and reminded the youths of some of the oases they had visited in their Oriental journeyings. Frank compared it to Biskra, in the Great Sahara, and Fred declared that he saw a striking resemblance to some of the gardens at the edge of the Libyan Desert. Beyond the garden in every direction was the dry and repellent land covered with the hardy henequin, which needs no water, or but the merest trifle of it.
They did not see an idler about the place, every one from the manager down seeming to be fully occupied. Mr. Burbank said that no hacienda in the whole country was better managed than this, and there was none where the laborers were better satisfied with their employer and employment. He added that here, as everywhere else in Yucatan, the laborers were constantly in debt to the establishment, and therefore were unable to quit work suddenly or "go on strike." A laborer who is in debt cannot change employers, unless the new one assumes the responsibility of the obligation to the old; and to bring this about requires considerable negotiation.
After a stay of two hours and more at the hacienda, the journey was continued. Six or seven miles farther on the travellers reached the cenoté of Mucuyché, and made a brief halt to examine it. The cavern is about forty feet deep, and the entrance is surrounded by a garden kept green by the water drawn from the never-failing source. Our friends descended by means of steps cut in the rock. These steps were overhung by stalactites, which furnished convenient holding-ground for nests of swallows and hornets in great numbers. What particularly pleased the youthswas that they found here an abundance of the blind fishes that they sought in vain in their first exploration of underground Yucatan. There was the same abundance and variety of lizards and other creeping things as before; some of them were of goodly size, and Fred learned that they were iguanas, and that they often appeared at table.
"I suppose you drive them away as soon as possible," he replied. "They are not pleasant things to look at when one is eating."
"On the contrary," Mr. Burbank answered, "the iguana is a delicacy of which I have often partaken. He appears at table, not in his live state, but after passing through the hands of the cook."
NATIVE VILLAGE NEAR UXMAL.
Fred thought he did not want any iguana then or at any other time, and his mind was firmly made up on the subject. His views changed two or three days later when, after eating heartily of a delicious stew, which secured the praises of both Frank and himself, he learned that the stew aforesaid was nothing less than the despised iguana. He quietly remarked that great allowance must be made for prejudice, and then dismissed the subject.
Two hours before sunset they reached a hacienda, where they receivedthe same cordial reception as at Uayalké. It had been intended to complete the journey to Uxmal that day, but as the hour was late and darkness would certainly overtake them before their destination could be reached, Mr. Burbank decided to accept the pressing invitation of the mayordomo to spend the night there.
HUNTING THE IGUANA.
The mules were unharnessed and led away to the stables, where they were bountifully fed on fresh grass cut and brought by the peons. There was a fine garden here filled with all sorts of tropical trees; and not theleast interesting sight in the place was a large number of beehives of a very primitive character. They were nothing else than sections of a hollow log cut off with a saw, and the ends closed with dried mud, or with boards fitted in, like the head of a barrel.
WHAT PERFUMES THE HONEY.
Frank and Fred stood at a respectful distance as they looked at the beehives. They were mindful of the proverb which refers to the prudence of the burnt child; and having been stung by the honey insects on several occasions, they did not wish a repetition of the experience. Mr. Burbank walked fearlessly up to the hives and called to the youths to follow him.
"Please excuse us," replied Frank; "the bees may recognize you, as you've been here before, but they don't know us."
"Never mindthem," the gentleman answered, with a laugh. "The bees in this country are stingless, and you run no risk in making their acquaintance."
Thus assured, the youths advanced and found themselves unharmed. The bees circled about them in great numbers, but "left no sting behind." Mr. Burbank told them that the hives were emptied every six or eight weeks, and thus the bees were kept busy the year round. Why they collect honey in a country where flowers are perpetually in bloom he could not understand. "It speaks well for the industry of the insect," he remarked; "he has no occasion to work, and only does so from the force of ancestral habit. He has some imitators among the human race, but by no means so generally as many of us might wish."
While discussing the subject of bee-keeping in Yucatan they were called to supper, which was an excellent one, of purely Mexican character. Turtle soup, chile con carne, frijoles, tortillas, and other national dishes were served in abundance, and the meal ended with honey from the beehives which they had investigated. Frank and Fred had observed a delicious fragrance as they entered the room where supper was served, and were unable at first to discover its origin. All the scent of the finestflowers of Yucatan seemed to be gathered there. They looked around for floral baskets or bouquets, but none were visible. When the honey was served they found that this it was which furnished the fragrance, and they asked Mr. Burbank about it.
"You are quite right," he answered; "it is the perfume of the honey that fills your nostrils. In some seasons of the year it is much greater than now; it spreads over the whole house, and is as powerful as musk or any other famous perfume of the Old World."
THE SIERRA FROM THE GARDEN OF THE HACIENDA.
Just as they rose from the supper-table the bell of the chapel rang fororacion, or evening prayer, which was attended by our friends and all the laborers and everybody else about the establishment. When the service was ended each of the worshippers said "Buenos noches, señor" (good-night, sir) to each of the strangers. Everybody went early to bed, and by nine o'clock the whole place was in the deepest silence. This remark will not apply to all seasons of the year; during the periods offiestas, or festivals, late hours are generally kept, and early rising is not assiduously practised.
The hammocks of the travellers were slung in a corridor, and the freecirculation of air and the coolness of night, together with the fatigues of a long ride over rough roads, insured sound sleep. In the morning chocolate was served before six o'clock, and a little after that hour the carriages were on their way. No direct payment for the hospitality of the hacienda was in order, but indirect compensation was made in the shape of fees to the mayordomo and the servants who had waited upon the strangers.
Soon after leaving the hacienda the road ascended, and Frank ascertained from the driver, who spoke Spanish fairly, that they were climbing the sierra, a hilly ridge hardly worthy the name of mountain, though called so by courtesy. It is the highest ground of Yucatan, and therefore the inhabitants are to be excused for calling it a mountain, as they would otherwise be without one.
From the top of the ridge they looked over a considerable area of country covered with the scrub forest for which the country is noted, and dotted here and there with the ruins of cities, which indicate the existence of a numerous population in previous centuries. Down the other side of the ridge they went at breakneck pace, the cochés being tossed from side to side with such violence that the youths were compelled to hang on with both hands to prevent being thrown out and left by the road-side. Several times the vehicle narrowly escaped overturning; and this, too, close to chasms where an upset would have sent them almost perpendicularly down a hundred feet or so, and reduced vehicle, mules, passengers, and baggage to an average value of fifty cents a bushel. And the curious thing about the whole business was that on reaching level ground the driver reined in his team and proceeded at a more dignified pace.
SIDE OF ANCIENT ALTAR.
ARCHWAY OF LAS MONJAS, UXMAL.
At nine o'clock they reached the hacienda of Uxmal, where they were invited to breakfast. The invitation was accepted, and immediately after the conclusion of the meal the party continued to the ruins, which were about a mile farther on. The mayordomo invited them to make the place their home as long as they were in the neighborhood. Mr. Burbank gave an evasive answer to the invitation, at the same time earnestly thanking their host for his courtesy. To decline absolutely might seem a rudeness, and to accept would not accord with their arrangement to live at the ruins of the ancient city.
HACIENDA OF UXMAL.
On reaching the ruins the party halted to consider what should first be investigated. Doctor Bronson asked the youths if they had any suggestions to make, whereupon Frank intimated that he desired above everything else to visit the Dwarf's House.
"Why so?" queried the Doctor.
"On account of the very pretty legend connected with it," replied Frank. "It is given by Stephens, Charnay, and others who have been here, but the best form of it is by Mrs. Le Plongeon."
Then he read the following from "New and Old in Yucatan:"
"'During the reign of a certain Maya king there lived a woman who was both feared and respected, for she was a wonderful sorceress. A son was born to her, and he became a great favorite, for he was good and clever, though very small—in fact, a dwarf. Finally he became so popular—probably the people fawned on him to please the formidable witch—that the King grew jealous, and sought his destruction by giving him difficult tasks, so that, failing, he might be accused of disobedience. But, thanks to his mother, the boy always succeeded.
"'One day the King, out of patience, ordered the boy to build in onenight a high mound and a house on the top. The youth was at his wits' end, but went, as usual, to seek maternal aid. "Oh, mother, mother! I shall surely die, for the King has ordered me to do more than I can possibly accomplish;" and he told her his trouble.
"'"Never mind, my child, don't be alarmed. In the morning the house will be there."
"'It was, and from that day to this has been called the Dwarf's House. The King was enraged. He sent for the dwarf. "I am greatly pleased with the house. Now I want to break six cocoyoles" (small andveryhard cocoanuts about the size of a walnut) "on your head, and then I will give you my daughter in marriage."
"'The dwarf declined to accept the offer on these conditions. The monarch insisted. "I want you to marry my daughter, and you must accept my conditions."
"'Again the poor dwarf sought his mother in despair. "There is no hope for me now."
"Oh yes, there is," replied the clever witch. "You go back to his Majesty and tell him that you accede to his request provided he afterwards allows you to break six cocoyoles on his own head."
"'And to this the King publicly agreed, because he was determined to kill the dwarf with the first cocoyol.
"'Then the sorceress rubbed her son's head with something that made it so hard nothing could possibly hurt it.
"'The King arrived, and the dwarf, in the presence of all the people, laid his head on a stone. With another the King broke the cocoyol on the head of his intended victim—broke all six of them—but the dwarf rose unhurt.
"'Then it was the turn of the monarch to lay his proud head down, and as his scalp was not prepared, the dwarf broke his skull, and thus got rid of his enemy. The agreement had been faithfully carried out, so the public had nothing to say. The dwarf then married the princess and became king.'"
Of course the marriage of the dwarf to the princess was the end of the story, and Frank so intimated. As the Dwarf's House was visible from where they stood—in fact it is the most prominent object as the ruins are approached—the party went to it at once.
"It stands on an artificial mound about 100 feet high," wrote Fred, in describing the visit, "and therefore was quite a task for the dwarf to accomplish in a single night. Do you doubt the truth of the story? Well, here is the mound with the house upon it, and anywhere around here youmay gather cocoyoles in whatever number you like. Could there be any further proof needed than these facts?