Page:Researches in the Central Portion of the Usumatsintla Valley.djvu/32

24 Tinieblas is occasionally visited by neighboring Lacantuns, who sell to the employees beautiful bows and arrows, rare birds and other articles; and yet none of the people here had the least idea where the Lake of Pethá was situated or how the Indian settlements could be reached.

As was my custom, I closely questioned the men here whether in their search for trees or in hunting, they had ever found ruins. They declared unanimously that they had never seen a trace of ruins in the neighboring forests.

Mr. Guillen arrived on the 31st of August, and all the details of our projected expedition were discussed most thoroughly with him. As I was fully prepared, we were able to leave Tinieblas on the next day (September 1st). Our saddle and pack animals were, of course, left behind. There were six of us in all. We took with us only a small camera (9 X 12 cm.) and the most necessary provisions. In addition we were all armed.

Following a forest path, we came once more to the camino de los Tzendales and to the halting-place San Antonio, where a large galeron invited repose; but as this San Antonio is barely two leagues from Tinieblas, we continued our march and pitched our tent near a small brook about a league from El Espejito. On the road we met some men with a train of mules coming from Tzendales. They were also carrying with them some bound mozos, who had committed a horrible double murder at Tzendales.

At an early hour on September 2nd we reached the halting-place El Espejito, about four leagues from San Antonio. Here we decided to abandon the road to Tzendales, and turning to the right, we pushed forward into the forest in a southerly or southeasterly direction. Soon we had to ford a not insignificant tributary of the Chocolhá, and in doing so we took advantage of the lime-rock formations of the river bed at this spot. A few steps beyond we found to our great joy an Indian trail which led in exactly the same direction which we had intended to take. Convinced that this trail must lead somewhere, we followed it for two leagues over hills and ravines, coming finally to a pass on the upper Chocolhá (right bank), where, from all appearances, the Lacantuns were accustomed to cross the river.

At this spot the river, flowing over a great bed of lime rock, forms a small waterfall only about one and one-half metres high. In the dry season the Indians probably cross the river by walking on this ledge, but at present the river was so high that such a proceeding was out of the question. In the mean time we encamped on a terrace on the hither side, erecting a small palmleaf hut for the night. Then we felled several small trees of light wood, which we cut into six long pieces and fastened them firmly together by means of tough vines, bejucos (climbing plants). Having finished our small raft, we decided to attempt a crossing a little below the waterfall, at a place where the river forms large, deep pools.