Page:A Study of the Manuscript Troano.djvu/115

Rh immediately caught fire and burned rapidly. As soon as there was only one brand left burning they announced it to the throng, and those who had danced before assembled together and attempted to cross it, some passing over without injury and some being slightly or seriously burned, imagining that thus they prevented the plague and the anger of the gods, and to avert the evil omens of the year, in the belief that nothing could be more conciliating to their gods than this kind of sacrifice.

"This finished, they returned home to drink and intoxicate themselves; for this was required by the custom of the feast and the heat of the fire."

If we turn now to Plates 25, 26, 27, and 28 of the Dresden Codex and study them carefully, I think we shall find enough there to warrant us in deciding that they are intended to represent these four festivals.

In the first place, it is apparent that these four plates, which are copied on our Plates V, VI, VII, VIII, all relate to the same subject, and that they are quite different from those which precede or follow them.

In the second place, the left-hand day-column of each plate contains but two days, and in each case, these are the last two of the intercalated days; those on Plate 25 (PI. V) being Eb and Ben, the last two days of the Muluc years; on Plate 26 (PI. VI), Caban and Ezanab, the last two of the Ix years; on Plate 27 (PI. VII), Ik and Akbal, the last two of the Cauac years; and those on Plate 28 (PI. VIII), Manik and Lamat, the last two of the Kan years. A fact worthy of note in this connection is that each of these days is repeated thirteen times, the exact number of each of these years in a cycle.

In the third place, we see in the lowest compartment of each plate the priest holding in his hand a headless fowl; agreeing exactly with Landa's words, "degollavan una gallina y se la presentavan o offrecian"; "they beheaded a fowl and presented it as an offering."

In the upper division of each we see the chosen assistant with the head and tail of the Chac, bearing on his back the newly-formed image on his march to the heap of stones at the border of the village, or to the house of the selected chief.

In the middle division we see the priest burning incense, in order, as was their custom, to drive away the evil spirit; the sign or glyph "Ik" in