Page:The Annals of the Cakchiquels.djvu/208

202 Brasseur to be a hill, one league west of the modern village of Rabinal.

Tecpan, "the royal house." See Introduction, p. 13.

ꜯumah chi qui ꜭux; Brasseur translates these words, "cuirassés sur la poitrine," and says this was the name of the Pokomams (Hist. Mex., II, p. 126). ꜯuum is leather or skin, and ꜭux is heart; but ꜯumah, and later, xꜯumax, is a verb, signifying to lower, to depress.

"The venison and honey." This sentence is apparently a gibe or jeer, addressed by the defenders of Cakhay to Gagavitz after his attack on their city had been repulsed.

29. Ah queh hay, "those of the deer (skin) houses."

xakotiꜭen a titil a ꜫana abah. Brasseur translates, "il ne nous est resté que les vieilles femmes et les pierres dejà hautes." This illustrates how far he is from the correct meaning at times. For these words, see notes to Sec. 41.

30. Xhachatah qui vach. Brasseur gives this literally, "leurs faces ensuite se divisèrent;" but vach means also "fruit, results, possessions," and so I render it.

31. ꜫaꜫ xanul, "the uncoverer of fire." This is supposed by Brasseur to be the name of a volcano, and the whole episode to refer to a pretended miracle. See his ''Hist. Mexique'', Vol. II, pp. 166-7. He calls the passage "fort difficile," which it certainly is.

32. Çakchoꜫ. "Brulé à blanc," is Brasseur's translation, but I cannot verify it. No such stone is mentioned in Guzman's list of Cakchiquel names of stones. It would seem that there were fourteen chief performers in the dance of ꜫaꜫ xanul, and that they took the name of certain stones.

34. Chi ꜫalibal, "at the seat;" but the author chooses to derive it from ꜫa, hand, which is a doubtful etymology.

35. The episode of Tolgom, his capture and death, is explained by Brasseur, suo more, as the destruction of the ruler of an independent tribe on the shores of Lake Atitlan.

ꜭhabak Nicnic, the quivering mud, perhaps the quicksand. This strange name adds to the obscurity of the legend.

ꜭakbatzulu. The punning explanation of this name refers to its similarity to ꜭak, to place in front of another; also to shoot with arrows, or to stone. Its real derivation seems to be ꜭakba, from ꜭakaba, to reveal, disclose, and tzulu, to embrace, sleep together. (Compare chee tzulu, later on.)

37. His song, i.e., his death song.