Page:Researches in the Central Portion of the Usumatsintla Valley.djvu/34

26 to navigate it! Fearing rain in the night, we went promptly to work to erect a large champa close to the water, covering it as well as we could with palmleaves and pieces of cloth. We also slung from tree to tree the hammocks which we had brought with us, and soon in grateful repose forgot the hardships of the day.

The distance from Chocolhá to the northern border of the Lake of Pethá was probably only five or six leagues, but as the Indian trail was very much overgrown, we had frequently to use our machetes to make our way through. It was near the close of the day. All was in order. I revelled in the enjoyment of the glorious panorama afforded by the lake, which here forms a large almost circular basin more than two kilometres in diameter. On the distant southern shore, opposite our camping-place, we saw quite a large waterfall plunging into the lake, the sound of which reached us from the distance. Low mountain ranges bordered the southern shore, and in the background towered the mighty crests of the Sierra Madre in what we supposed to be the direction of Ocotzinco.

Suddenly my men who were employed in cooking informed me that a cayuco was passing near the distant southern shore. I attentively looked in that direction, and just as the cayuco passed in front of the waterfall, I distinctly saw its black silhouette with two men standing erect thrown into bold relief against the white background. Soon after the cayuco vanished into one of the coves in that vicinity, the position of which we impressed upon our memories. This was our first sight of human beings, but the Indians on their part had not noticed us. I had the two best cayucos cleaned and all the seams very carefully calked with clay. The necessary oars — canaletes, as they are called here — were also made ready, and on Sunday, September 4th, we rowed for the first time on the lake in our small barks so fortunately acquired. There were only two men in each, while two remained in the camp (Plate V, 1, 2).

However lazy and shiftless the men of Tenosique may be in other respects, they display great aptitude on the water. It seems indeed as if rowing were the only occupation which they do not object to, for they perform all other labor with the greatest reluctance.

We crossed the lake in the direction of the waterfall, where we had seen the small boat disappear (Plate V, 5). We found at the right of the waterfall a small inlet hidden among the trees, to the bank of which several cayucos were fastened. We secured our boats here and followed a rather rocky trail inland. After travelling for about half an hour we came to a large milpa in which bananas, papayos, and sugar-cane were growing, in addition to very tall maize. At the end of the milpa we saw a group of houses, which we approached; but no one came to meet us, and there was no barking of dogs. The stillness of death prevailed on all sides. We entered the houses. There were two large ones intended for the main