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364 Indian settlement. We here hired two conductors, who preceded us with flambeaux, made of pine tree, which gave a glaring light: descending from the village, we came, in the course of a quarter of an hour, to the ford which we had been seeking: it was very fortunate that we did not venture through the river at the other spot, for it was excessively deep, and the landing was impracticable, owing to the abruptness of the banks and the thick underwood with which they were hemmed in. Had we ventured, we should probably have been all drowned, man and horse. The point at which we passed the Chimalapañ was quite deep enough, for the waters were very high, owing to the recent rains, and the sand-bank on which we had alighted would probably in a few more wet evenings be no longer distinguishable from the rest of the river.

When we landed on the other side, the road was so narrow, owing to the excessive vegetation, that we could scarcely pass, one