Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/51

CH. II.] both her hind feet on my face, as she galloped off, leaving us each equally astonished at our mutual discovery.

The Indians of this village, who are called Pintos, are not peculiar to it alone: they are found in many other parts of Mexico, and I had frequently seen them in the capital.

The population of Istola might amount to about 1000 souls. There is only one place of worship, hardly large enough to accommodate the congregation, but there are the remains of a church, which was, once, a handsome and convenient structure. It was not likely to be repaired, as the mission was very poor, and they could hardly find a priest who could come to say mass, even once a fortnight.

Tuesday, 26th. Set off before daylight. We passed through a large wood, and missed our road, having mistaken for it a track round the side of some deep ravines, leading to a watering place for cattle. This detour mortified us, as we lost the