university of kansas publications museum of natural history volume , no. , pp. - , pls. - , figs. march , middle american frogs of the hyla microcephala group by william e. duellman and m. j. fouquette, jr. university of kansas lawrence university of kansas publications, museum of natural history editors: e. raymond hall, chairman, henry s. fitch, frank b. cross volume , no. , pp. - , pls. figs. published march , university of kansas lawrence, kansas printed by robert r. (bob) sanders, state printer topeka, kansas - middle american frogs of the hyla microcephala group by william e. duellman and m. j. fouquette, jr. contents page introduction acknowledgments materials and methods hyla microcephala group key to species and subspecies accounts of species and subspecies cranial osteology analysis of mating calls life history phylogenetic relationships literature cited introduction the small yellow tree frogs, _hyla microcephala_ and its relatives, are among the most frequently heard and commonly collected frogs in the lowlands of southern méxico and central america. the similarities in size, proportions, and coloration of the different species have resulted not so much in a multiplicity of specific names, but in differences of opinion on the application of existing names to the various taxa. for example, the populations on the atlantic lowlands have been known by three names, two of which have been applied to other taxa. much of the confusion has been the result of previous workers' unfamiliarity with the animals in life and unawareness of the intraspecific geographic variation in the most widespread species. independently we undertook studies of these frogs in the field. the second author worked on the interspecific relationships and isolating mechanisms in panamá (fouquette, b) and later studied the species in southern méxico. as part of his survey of the hylids of middle america, the first author accumulated field and laboratory data on the frogs throughout their ranges in méxico and central america. the purpose of this report is to present our findings on the four species of middle american frogs that we place in the _hyla microcephala_ group. in addition to conventional taxonomic characters, we have utilized the features of the cranial osteology and have relied heavily on the data obtained from an analysis of the mating calls. furthermore, we have included ecological and distributional data in our synthesis of interspecific relationships. acknowledgments examination of specimens was made possible by the provision of working space at various institutions or through the loan of specimens. for their generosity in this manner we are grateful to richard j. baldauf, charles m. bogert, james e. böhlke, doris m. cochran, robert f. inger, john m. legler, alan e. leviton, gerald raun, jay m. savage, hobart m. smith, robert c. stebbins, wilmer w. tanner, charles f. walker, ernest e. williams, and richard g. zweifel. duellman is especially grateful to charles w. myers, linda trueb, jerome b. tulecke, and john wellman for their assistance in the field and to linda trueb for her work on the cranial osteology that is incorporated in this report. fouquette is indebted to h. morgan smith and a. c. collins for assistance in the field, to a. j. delahoussaye for assistance in the laboratory, and to w. frank blair for use of the facilities of the sound laboratory at the university of texas and for much help in the early stages of this study. the research reported herein was accomplished mainly through support by the national science foundation (grants nsf g- and gb- to duellman and gb- to fouquette). the latter's field work in méxico was assisted in part by nsf grant g- to w. frank blair. some of the field studies carried out in panamá by duellman were supported by a grant from the national institutes of health (nih gm- ). we are grateful to many persons, too numerous to mention, who in various ways aided our field work in middle america. we are especially indebted to dr. rodolfo hernandez corzo and the late ing. luis macías arellano of the dirección general de la fauna silvestre of the mexican government for providing permits to collect in méxico. materials and methods for this report, data has been obtained from preserved frogs, skeletal preparations, lots of tadpoles and young, and lots of eggs. much of the material was collected in our independent field work, which has extended over a period of years. measurements were taken in the manner described by duellman ( ). osteological data were obtained from specimens that were cleared in potassium hydroxide, stained with alizarin red, and stored in glycerine. recordings were made by means of magnemite portable tape recorders (amplifier corp. america). the calls recorded by fouquette were analyzed on a sonagraph (kay electric co.) at the university of texas; those recorded by duellman were analyzed mainly on a vibralyzer (kay electric co.) at the university of kansas and in part on a sonagraph at the university of southwestern louisiana. sample calls were analyzed on all three instruments; the slight differences in results were found to be less than the error in measurement, so the data from all sources were combined without correction. the techniques and terminology of the calls are those defined by fouquette ( a, b). in the accounts of the species we have attempted to give a complete synonymy. at the end of each species account the localities from which specimens were examined are listed alphabetically within each state, province, or department, which in turn are listed alphabetically within each country. the countries are arranged from north to south. localities preceded by an asterisk (*) are not plotted on the accompanying maps due to the crowding of symbols that would have resulted. abbreviations for museum specimens are listed below: amnh --american museum of natural history ansp --academy of natural sciences of philadelphia bmnh --british museum (natural history) byu --brigham young university cas --california academy of sciences fmnh --field museum of natural history ku --university of kansas museum of natural history mcz --museum of comparative zoology mvz --museum of vertebrate zoology su --stanford university uimnh--university of illinois museum of natural history ummz --university of michigan museum of zoology usc --university of southern california usnm --united states national museum uu --university of utah tcwc --texas cooperative wildlife collection tnhm --texas natural history museum hyla microcephala group _definition._--small hylids attaining a maximum snout-vent length of mm. in males and mm. in females; dorsum yellowish tan with brown markings; thighs uniformly yellow, vocal sac in breeding males yellow; snout truncate in lateral profile; tympanum distinct, usually slightly smaller than one-half diameter of eye; vocal sac single, median, subgular; fingers about one-third webbed; toes webbed nearly to bases of discs, except only to middle of antepenultimate or base of penultimate phalanx of fourth toe; tarsal fold weak; inner metatarsal tubercle low, flat, elliptical; axillary membrane present; pupil horizontally elliptical; palpebral membrane unmarked; cranial elements reduced in ossification; sphenethmoid small, short; frontoparietal fontanelle large; tegmen tympani not extensive; quadratojugal greatly reduced; anterior arm of squamosal extending only about one-fourth distance to maxillary; posterior arm of squamosal not having bony connection with proötic; nasals lacking maxillary processes; medial ramus of pterygoid not having bony attachment to proötic; maxillary, premaxilary, and prevomerine teeth present; palatine and parasphenoid teeth absent; mentomeckelians ossified; tadpoles having xiphicercal tails with deep caudal fins and terminal mouth lacking teeth; mating call consisting of one primary note followed by a series of shorter secondary notes; haploid number of chromosomes, (known only in _h. microcephala_ and _h. phlebodes_.) _content._--as recognized here the _hyla microcephala_ group contains four species, one having two subspecies. an alphabetical list of the specific and subspecific names that we consider to be applicable to the _hyla microcephala_ group are listed below. names proposed valid names _hyla cherrei_ cope, ? = _h. m. microcephala_ _hyla microcephala_ cope, = _h. m. microcephala_ _hyla microcephala_ boulenger, (_nec_ cope, ) = _h. microcephala underwoodi_ _hyla microcephala martini_ smith, = _h. microcephala underwoodi_ _hyla microcephala sartori_ smith, = _h. sartori_ _hyla phlebodes_ stejneger, = _h. phlebodes_ _hyla robertmertensi_ taylor, = _h. robertmertensi_ _hyla underwoodi_ boulenger, = _h. microcephala underwoodi_ _discussion._--the color pattern is the most useful character in distinguishing the species of the _hyla microcephala_ group from one another. except in _hyla microcephala_, little geographic variation in color pattern is noticeable. the features of color pattern that are helpful in identifying the species are: ) presence or absence of lateral dark brown stripe; ) longitudinal extent and width of lateral stripe, if present; ) presence or absence of a narrow white line just dorsal to the lateral dark stripe; ) presence or absence of an interorbital dark mark; ) the arrangement of dark markings on the back, either as longitudinal lines or series of dashes, or in the form of various kinds of transverse markings; ) presence of dark flecks, longitudinal line, or transverse marks on shanks. few consistent differences in measurements and proportions exist among the species (table ). the most obvious morphological difference is that the head is noticeably narrower in _h. robertmertensi_ than in the other species. _hyla phlebodes_ is the smallest species; adult males attain snout-vent lengths of only . mm. the body is slender in _h. microcephala_ and _robertmertensi_, slightly wider in _phlebodes_, and noticeably broader in _sartori_. _distribution._--the composite range of the middle american frogs of the _hyla microcephala_ group includes the lowlands of southern méxico and central america, in some places to elevations of meters, southeastward from southern jalisco and southern veracruz, excluding arid regions (northern yucatán peninsula, balsas-tepalcatepec basin, plains of tehuantepec, grijalva valley, salamá basin, and upper motagua valley) to the pacific lowlands and the cauca and magdalena valleys in colombia. key to species and subspecies . lateral dark stripe, bordered above by narrow white line, extending from snout at least to sacral region lateral dark stripe, if present, not extending posteriorly to sacral region and not bordered above by narrow white line . lateral dark stripe continuous to groin; dark flecks or longitudinal line on shanks; interorbital dark bar absent; dorsal pattern usually consisting of pair of longitudinal dark lines or series of dashes lateral dark stripe usually extending only to sacral region; dark transverse bars on shanks; interorbital bar usually present; dorsal pattern usually consisting of interconnecting dark lines, sometimes forming transverse marks _h. microcephala underwoodi_ . lateral dark stripe narrow, covering only upper edge of tympanum; dorsal longitudinal stripes continuous, extending to vent _h. microcephala microcephala_ lateral dark stripe wide, encompassing entire tympanum; dorsal markings consisting of longitudinal series of flecks or dashes, or of two lines, usually not extending to vent _h. robertmertensi_ . lateral dark stripe indistinct, present only above tympanum and insertion of arm; dorsal markings consisting of narrow lines and dashes, sometimes interconnected; transverse bars on shanks narrow relative to interspaces _h. phlebodes_ lateral dark stripe absent; dorsal markings consisting of two broad chevron-shaped marks; transverse bars on shanks wide relative to interspaces _h. sartori_ accounts of species and subspecies _hyla microcephala_ cope _diagnosis._--lateral dark stripe narrow, covering only upper edge of tympanum, bordered above by narrow white stripe; dorsal pattern consisting of pair of longitudinal brown lines and no interorbital bar (eastern populations), or of irregular dark markings forming an x- or )(-shaped mark in scapular region and an interorbital bar (western populations). _content._--the populations inhabiting the pacific lowlands of southeastern costa rica eastward to colombia are recognized herein as _hyla microcephala microcephala_ cope; the populations in western costa rica northward to méxico are assigned to _hyla microcephala underwoodi_ boulenger. _distribution._--southern veracruz and northern oaxaca southeastward through the atlantic lowlands of central america to north-central nicaragua, thence southeastward on the pacific lowlands to eastern panamá, and thence into the cauca and magdalena valleys (caribbean drainage) of colombia (fig. ). [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla microcephala_.] table .--variation in certain measurements and properties in the hyla microcephala group. (all data based on adult males; mean and standard error of mean below observed range.) ======================================================================== locality | n | snout-vent | tibia length |foot length| | | length | ------------ | --------- | | | (s-v l) | s-v l | s-v l | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | _h. m. microcephala_ | panamá: canal zone | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | costa rica: golfito | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | _h. m. underwoodi_ | | nicaragua: la cumplida | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | guatemala: finca chamá | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | tabasco: teapa | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | oaxaca: donají-sarabia | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | veracruz: alvarado | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | _h. robertmertensi_ | guatemala: la trinidad | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | chiapas: acacoyagua | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | oaxaca: tapanatepec | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | _h. phlebodes_ | panamá: canal zone | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | | | | costa rica: turrialba | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | _h. sartori_ | guerrero: tierra colorada| | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ table . (continued) =============================================================== locality | head length | head width | tympanum | ----------- | ---------- | -------- | s-v l | s-v l | eye --------------------------------------------------------------- | _h. m. microcephala_ | panamá: canal zone | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | costa rica: golfito | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | _h. m. underwoodi_ | nicaragua: la cumplida | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | guatemala: finca chamá | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | tabasco: teapa | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | oaxaca: donají-sarabia | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | veracruz: alvarado | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | _h. robertmertensi_ | guatemala: la trinidad | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | chiapas: acacoyagua | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | oaxaca: tapanatepec | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | _h. phlebodes_ | panamá: canal zone | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | | costa rica: turrialba | . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . | | _h. sartori_ | guerrero: tierra colorada| . - . | . - . | . - . | . ± . | . ± . | . ± . --------------------------------------------------------------- _hyla microcephala microcephala_ cope _hyla microcephala_ cope, proc. amer. philos. soc., : , february , [syntypes.--usnm ( specimens, now lost) from chiriquí, panamá; mr. macneil collector]; bull. u.s. natl. mus., : , . günther, biologia-centrali americana, reptilia and batrachia, p. , june, . dunn, occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : , october , ; occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : , june , . stebbins and hendrickson, univ. california publ. zool., : , february , . fouquette, evolution, : , december , . busack, copeia, : , june , . ? _hyla cherrei_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, , p. , [holotype.--location unknown, apparently lost; type-locality: "alajuela, costa rica;" r. alfaro collector]. günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, p. , june, . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , . _hyla underwoodi_, ruthven, misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , september , . barbour, proc. new england zool. club, : , march , . _hyla microcephala microcephala_, smith, herpetologica, : , december , . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , . _diagnosis._--brown lateral stripe narrow, extending from nostril along canthus, along upper edge of tympanum to groin, bordered above by narrow white line; pair of dark brown longitudinal lines on dorsum extending to vent; shanks having dark longitudinal line or flecks, no transverse bars; interorbital dark mark lacking. _description and variation._--the color pattern is nearly constant. of males from the canal zone, all lack an interorbital dark bar, and all have a dark longitudinal line on the dorsal surface of the shank and a narrow lateral dark stripe, bordered above by a narrow white line, extending to the groin. the longitudinal dark lines on the dorsum are continuous to the groin in specimens and fragmented in two specimens. in two others the lines converge and fuse in the scapular region, and in four specimens auxiliary, fragmented lines are present dorsolaterally. in all specimens from southeastern costa rica (golfito, palmar sur, and villa neilly) the pattern is constant, except that in about per cent of the specimens the longitudinal line on the dorsal surface of the shank is replaced by a row of brown flecks. of the limited number of colombian specimens examined, all are patterned normally, except three from sautata, chocó, three from curumani, and three from arcataca, magdalena, which have flecks on the dorsal surfaces of the shanks, and one from espinal, tolima, which has no markings on the shanks. when active at night most individuals are pale yellowish tan dorsally; the white dorsolateral line is noticeable, but the brown lateral stripe, dorsal brown lines, and lines on shanks are so pale that often they are barely discernible. by day the dorsum changes to tan or pale reddish brown; the stripes are dark brown, and the dorsolateral stripe that is white at night becomes creamy yellow (pl. ). small brown flecks are present on the dorsum of most individuals. the venter always is white, and the iris is pale bronze with a brown tint immediately anterior and posterior to the pupil. in breeding males the vocal sac is pale yellow. _tadpoles._--tadpoles of this species have been found in weed-choked ponds in eastern panamá province. the following description is based on ku , a specimen in developmental stage (gosner, ). total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body slightly wider than deep; snout pointed; nostrils large, situated dorsally, much closer to snout than eyes, directed anteriorly; eyes moderately small, situated dorsolaterally and directed laterally; spiracle sinistral, located just posteroventral to eye; anal tube dextral. tail xiphicercal; caudal musculature moderately deep, becoming slender posteriorly, extending beyond caudal fin; fins deepest at about one-third distance from body to tip of tail; dorsal fin extending onto body, deeper than deepest part of caudal musculature; ventral fin slightly shallower than musculature. mouth small, terminal, lacking teeth and fringing papillae, but having finely serrate beaks. in preservative, top of head pale brown; dark stripe from tip of snout through eye to posterior edge of body, narrowing to thin line on proximal one-fourth of tail; venter white; tail creamy tan with fine black flecks most numerous posteriorly; posterior two-thirds of fins edged with black. in life, top of head yellowish tan; lateral stripe brown; belly white; anterior half of tail lacking pigment; posterior half deep orange; iris pale bronze (pl. ). _remarks._--evidence for intergradation of _hyla microcephala_ with _h. underwoodi_ is provided by four specimens [usc ( ), - ] from . kilometers northeast of the mouth of the río tarcoles, and nine specimens [usc ( ), , ( ), ( )] from parrita, both in puntarenas province, costa rica. these localities lie about two-thirds the distance from the northwesternmost locality for _h. m. microcephala_ (palmar sur) to the southeasternmost locality for _h. m. underwoodi_ (barranca). although in most aspects of coloration the frogs are more nearly like _h. m. underwoodi_ than _h. m. microcephala_, some specimens have longitudinal lines on their shanks, such as are characteristic of _h. m. microcephala_. the dorsal pattern varies from nearly complete longitudinal lines to broken lines, fused into an x-shaped scapular mark or not. as noted by rivero ( : ), _hyla microcephala_ seems to be closely related to _hyla misera_ werner, a species having a wide distribution east of the andes in south america. despite the similarity in color pattern, size, and structure, we are reluctant to place the two taxa in the same species until data on coloration in life, mating calls, and life history are available for _hyla misera_ and compared with those of _hyla microcephala_. the status of cope's _hyla cherrei_ is questionable. since the type, the only specimen ever referred to the species, apparently is lost, the only extant information regarding the taxon is contained in the original description (cope, ). there the species was characterized as having a narrow dorsolateral white stripe and lacking pigment on the upper arms and thighs. these characteristics of the color pattern combined with the statements "vomerine teeth few, opposite the middle of the very large choanae" and "tympanic drum distinct, one half the area of eye" serve to distinguish _h. cherrei_ from all other costa rican hylids, except _h. m. microcephala_ and _h. m. underwoodi_. no statements in the type description will definitely associate _cherrei_ with one or the other of these subspecies. since it seems obvious that _h. cherrei_ can be associated with _h. microcephala_, we prefer to place the name in the synonymy of the nominate subspecies, thereby preserving the commonly used name _h. underwoodi_ (boulenger, ) as a subspecies of _h. microcephala_. _distribution._--_hyla microcephala microcephala_ inhabits coastal lowlands from the area of golfo dulce (apparently absent from the osa peninsula) in southeastern costa rica eastward in panamá, including the azuero peninsula to northern colombia and thence southward in the valleys of the río cauca and río magdalena in colombia (fig. ). except for the central area of the canal zone the subspecies is unknown from the caribbean drainage in central america, but in colombia the subspecies occurs only in the caribbean drainage. in central america this frog occurs mostly on the coastal lowlands; the highest recorded elevation is meters at el valle, coclé, panamá. throughout most of its range _hyla microcephala microcephala_ occurs in disturbed habitats--cut-over forests, secondary growth, and pastureland. it does not seem to be an inhabitant of either primary forest or of _curatella_-savanna. _specimens examined._-- , as follows: +costa rica+: puntarenas: golfito, ku - ; km. e golfito, ku , usc - ; palmar sur, ku - , usc ( ), uu - ; * . - . km. ese palmar sur, ku - (skeletons), - ; parrita, usc ( ), , ( ), ( ) [intergrades with _h. m. underwoodi_]; km. nw piedras blancas, ku ; . km. ne mouth of río tárcoles, usc ( ), - [intergrades with _h. m. underwoodi_]; villa neilly, usc ; * - km. wnw villa neilly, usc - , ( ), ( ), ; * . km. wnw villa neilly, ku - , (eggs). +panama+: canal zone: albrook air base, tnhc , ; balboa, ansp - ; *fort clayton, uimnh - ; * . km. sw fort kobbe, ku - ; *frijoles, mcz ; *bamboa, mcz ; * . km. n gatún locks, tnhc ; *juan diaz, mcz ; *juan mina, amnh - , ansp - , ummz , ( ), uu - ; * - km. n miraflores locks, tnhc - , - , - , , - , - ; - , , - , - ; *río chagres, amnh , ; *río cocolí, . km. n miraflores locks, tnhc ; *summit, ansp - , fmnh - , ku - . chiriqui: . km. e concepción, amnh ; * . km. e concepción, amnh - ; km. s david, amnh ; *progreso, ummz , ( ), , ; río gariché, . km. ese paso canoas, ku - . coclé: km. se el caño, ku - ; el valle de antón, amnh - ( ), , ansp - , ku - , mvz - , uimnh . colón: cement plant, transisthmian highway, fmnh - . darién: el real, ku - , - , ummz ( ), usnm - ; río canclon at río chucunaque, ummz ; *río chucunaque, near yavisa, amnh . los santos: tonosí, ku - . panamá: km. s bejuco, amnh ; km. w chepo, ku - , - (tadpoles); * km. wsw chepo, ku ; *chico, río la jagua, usnm ; *la joya, cacora, ansp - ; madden dam, fmnh ; nueva gorgona, amnh - ; * . km. w nueva gorgona, amnh - ; . km. w pacora, - ; *río la laja, near chamé, ansp ; *río tapia, mcz ; *tapia, amnh , , - ; * km. e tocumen, mvz . +colombia+: chocó: sautatá, atrato, fmnh ( ), . magdalena: aracataca, ansp - ; curumani, mcz - , uimnh ; ummz , usnm ; el banco, río magdalena, ansp ; fundación, ummz - . tolima: espinal, mcz ; mariquita, fmnh - . valle: sevilla, mcz - . _hyla microcephala underwoodi_ boulenger _hyla microcephala_ boulenger, proc. zool. soc. london, p. , october , [syntypes.--bmnh . . - from bebedero, guanacaste province, costa rica; c. f. underwood collector] (not _hyla microcephala_ cope, proc. amer. philos. soc., : , february , , from chiriquí, panamá). _hyla underwoodi_ boulenger, ann. mag. nat. hist., ser. , : , april, (substitute name for _hyla microcephala_ boulenger, preoccupied). günther, biologia-centrali americana, reptilia and batrachia, p. , september, . dunn and emlen, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , march , . stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , october , . taylor, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , april , . stuart, occas. papers mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , may , . taylor and smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , june , . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol., univ. michigan, : , may, . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , . _hyla phlebodes_, cole and barbour, bull. mus. comp. zool., : , november, . kellogg, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , march , . _hyla microcephala martini_ smith, herpetologica, : , december , [holotype.--uimnh from encarnacion, campeche, méxico; h. m. smith collector]. stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol., univ. michigan, : , november, . fugler and webb, herpetologica, : , july , . stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol., univ. michigan, : , june, . neill and allen, publ. research div., ross allen's reptile inst., : , november , . duellman, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , august , . stuart, herpetologica, : , july , . hensley and smith, herpetologica, : , april , . stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , april , . holman and birkenholz, herpetologica, : , july , . duellman, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , october , ; univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , june , . _hyla microcephala underwoodi_, smith, herpetologica, : , december , . _diagnosis._--brown lateral stripe narrow, extending to groin or only to sacral region, bordered above by narrow white line; dorsal pattern bold, consisting of x- or )(-shaped mark in scapular region or pair of interconnected dark lines on back; interorbital dark mark usually present; shanks usually having dark transverse bars. _description and variation._--the dorsal color pattern is highly variable. the various permutations of the x-shaped scapular mark and dark sacral marks differ proportionately in different samples. the variation in color pattern in samples is summarized in table . in samples from the southern part of the range (southern nicaragua and guanacaste province, costa rica) more ( - %) individuals have the lateral stripes extending to the groin than in northern samples ( - %) from southern méxico and guatemala. likewise, the percentage of specimens lacking bars on the shanks and a dark interorbital bar is higher in the costa rican samples than elsewhere in the range. the x- or )(-shaped scapular markings and /\- or / \-shaped sacral markings are most prevalent in northern samples, whereas to the south the dorsal markings are more commonly arranged in a pattern of paired lines, which usually are discontinuous and usually extend posteriorly only to the sacral region. thus, the color pattern in _h. m. underwoodi_ in the southern part of its range shows trends towards the pattern characteristic of _h. m. microcephala_. intergrades between these two subspecies have been discussed in the account of the nominate subspecies. table .--variation in color pattern in hyla microcephala underwoodi ========================================================================== population | n | shanks || interorbital || dorsolateral | | | || bar || stripe | | |-------------||----------------||--------------| | | bars |flecks|| present| absent|| groin| sacrum| -------------------------------------------------------------------------- oaxaca: | | | || | || | | donají-sarabia | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | tabasco: | | | || | || | | teapa-villahermosa| | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | guatemala: | | | || | || | | la libertad | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | guatemala: | | | || | || | | finca chamá | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | guatemala: | | | || | || | | puerto barrios | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | honduras: | | | || | || | | lago yojoa | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | nicaragua: | | | || | || | | la cumplida | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | nicaragua: | | | || | || | | tipitapa | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | nicaragua: | | | || | || | | santo thomás | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | costa rica: | | | || | || | | tenorio-tilarán | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | costa rica: | | [a]| || | || | | las cañas-liberia | | | || | || | | | | | || | || | | costa rica: | | | || | || | | esparta | | | || | || | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================== population | scapular markings || sacral | | || markings | |----------------------------||----------------------| | x | )( | ][ | other || /\ | / \ | other | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- oaxaca: | | | | || | | | donají-sarabia | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | tabasco: | | | | || | | | teapa-villahermosa| | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | guatemala: | | | | || | | | la libertad | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | guatemala: | | | | || | | | finca chamá | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | guatemala: | | | | || | | | puerto barrios | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | honduras: | | | | || | | | lago yojoa | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | nicaragua: | | | | || | | | la cumplida | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | nicaragua: | | | | || | | | tipitapa | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | nicaragua: | | | | || | | | santo thomás | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | costa rica: | | | | || | | | tenorio-tilarán | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | costa rica: | | | | || | | | las cañas-liberia | | | | || | | | | | | | || | | | costa rica: | | | | || | | | esparta | | | | || | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [footnote a: longitudinal stripes present in two specimens.] when this frog is active at night its dorsum is pale yellow; faint flecks are present in some individuals. the white dorsolateral line usually is evident in the tympanic region, but in many individuals a dorsal pattern of lines and other marks is not evident. by day the dorsum changes to yellowish tan or pale brown with dark brown or reddish brown markings (pl. ). the venter is white, and the vocal sac in breeding males is yellow. the iris is pale bronze with a brown tint anterior and posterior to the pupil. _remarks._--_hyla microcephala underwoodi_ has had a confused nomenclatural history. the taxon was first named _hyla microcephala_ by boulenger ( ); this name was preoccupied by _hyla microcephala_ cope ( ). cole and barbour ( ) and kellogg ( ) used the name _hyla phlebodes_ stejneger ( ) for specimens of this frog from méxico. dunn ( , , ) applied the name _hyla underwoodi_ to panamanian specimens that we identify as _hyla phlebodes_. smith ( ) named _hyla microcephala martini_ from southern méxico and guatemala and considered the northern populations to represent a subspecies distinct from the costa rican _hyla microcephala underwoodi_, despite the fact the stuart ( : ) stated that comparisons of specimens from el petén, guatemala, with the holotype of _hyla underwoodi_ showed only trivial differences. much of the confusion regarding the name _hyla underwoodi_ stems from the illustration given by boulenger ( :pl. , fig. ) and reproduced by taylor ( : ), which shows a frog having a unicolor dorsum, dorsolateral white lines, and dark flanks. this pattern is in marked contrast to the pattern seen in most preserved specimens, which have the dorsum variously marked by dark brown lines or irregular marks. smith ( : ), in his description of _hyla microcephala martini_ from southern méxico, considered _h. underwoodi_ to be a subspecies of _h. microcephala_ that lacked dorsal dark markings. data accumulated in through field studies by the senior author at the type locality, bebedero, and other localities in guanacaste and puntarenas provinces in costa rica provide a reasonable explanation of the differences in color pattern. as noted in the preceding description of this subspecies, at night the dorsal markings are not evident in many living individuals, whereas by day the dorsal markings are prominent. most collectors prepare their specimens by day; consequently the majority of specimens have a pronounced dorsal pattern. of the frogs collected in costa rica in , some specimens were preserved at night; others from the same series were preserved by day. the differences are striking. in those preserved at night, dorsal markings are faint, if present at all. some specimens closely match the figure given by boulenger ( ). it is extremely doubtful if the frog described and illustrated by boulenger could be associated with either _hyla phlebodes_ or _h. microcephala microcephala_. individuals of the former species lack a dorsolateral white line and always have some dorsal markings evident at night; furthermore, _h. phlebodes_ is not known to occur on the pacific lowlands. _hyla microcephala microcephala_ occurs farther southeast. since there is no reason to doubt the type locality of _h. underwoodi_, since specimens from the area around the type locality that have been preserved at night are like the holotype in pattern, and since the characteristics of the populations of the frogs in guanacaste are the same as, or gradually blend into those of, populations in northern central america and southern méxico, the frogs from throughout the entire range can be referred to one taxon, the earliest name for which is _hyla underwoodi_ boulenger, which herein is considered to be a subspecies of _h. microcephala_ cope. _distribution._--_hyla microcephala underwoodi_ inhabits the atlantic slopes and lowlands from southern veracruz and extreme northern oaxaca eastward across the base of the yucatan peninsula (possibly the species is extant in the northern part of the peninsula) to british honduras and thence southeastward through the caribbean lowlands and interior valleys in honduras to central nicaragua, where it apparently avoids the forested caribbean lowlands and the dry pacific lowlands of northwestern nicaragua, but in the vicinity of managua invades the pacific lowlands and continues southward into northwestern costa rica as far as the puntarenas peninsula (fig. ). in méxico and guatemala the species has not been taken at elevations of more than meters, whereas farther south it occurs at higher elevations-- meters at silencio, costa rica, meters on montaña de guaimaca, honduras, meters at finca tepeyac, nicaragua, and meters at finca venecia, nicaragua. _specimens examined._-- , as follows: +mexico+: campeche: balchacaj, fmnh , uimnh - ; encarnación, fmnh - , , mcz , , uimnh - , , usnm - ; escárcega, ummz ; * . km. w escárcega, ku - ; laguna alvarado, km. s xpujil, ku - ; pacaitún, río candelaria, fmnh - ; *tres brazos, fmnh - , uimnh ; km. w xpujil, ku - . chiapas: palenque, uimnh , - , usnm - . oaxaca: * km. n chiltepec, ku - ; km. n donají ummz ( ); * . km. n donají, ummz ( ); * km. n matías romero, uimnh - ; * . km. n palomares, tnhc , - , - ; . km. n sarabia, ummz ( ); * . km. n sarabia, ummz ( ), * km. n tolocita, ku ; tuxtepec, ku - . tabasco: km. n frontera, mcz - ; . km. e río tonolá, tnhc ; teapa, ummz ( ); * . km. n teapa, ummz ( ); * km. n teapa, ummz ( ); * . km. n teapa, ummz ; * . km. n teapa, ummz ( ); * . km. n teapa, ummz ( ), . km. s villahermosa, ummz ( ), * . km. s villahermosa, ummz ( ). veracruz: . km. n acayucan, uimnh - ; * . km. nw acayucan, ummz ( ); . km. ese alvarado, ummz ( ); * . km. ese alvarado, ummz ( ); * . km. s aquilera, ummz ( ); * km. sw coatzacoalcos, ummz ( ); . km. e cosoleacaque, ummz ( ); km. se hueyapan, ummz ; . km. s lerdo de tejada, ummz ; * . km. ne minatítlán, tnhc - ; . km. s naranja, ummz ( ); . km. ne novillero, ummz ; san andrés tuxtla, fmnh - , uimnh - . yucatán: chichén-itzá, fmnh , mcz ( ). +british honduras+: cayo: . km. s el cayo, mcz - . stann creek: stann creek, fmnh . +guatemala+: alta verapaz: . km. n campur, ku - ; chinajá, ku ; cubilquitz, ummz , ( ); finca chamá, ummz ( ), ( ), , ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ); *finca tinaja, byu ; panzós, ummz ( ). chiquimula: chiquimula, ummz ; km. n esquipulas, ummz . el petén: la libertad, ku - , - (skeletons), mcz , ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ); piedras negras, fmnh , uimnh ; * km. s piedras negras, usnm - ; tikal, ummz ( ); toocog, km. se la libertad, ku - . el quiché: finca tesoro, ummz ( ). huehuetenango: finca san rafael, km. se barillas, fmnh - . izabal: puerto barrios, fmnh - ; km. s puerto barrios, ku - , (eggs), (tadpoles); quirigua, cas - ; . km. ne río blanco, ku ; san felípe, fmnh . zacapa: km. ene mayuelas, ku - ; km. ene río hondo, ku - . +honduras+: atlantidad: la ceiba, ummz ( ), usnm - ; lancetilla, mcz . cortes: lago yojoa, amnh - , , , ku - . el paraiso: valle de jamastran, amnh - . francisco-moranza: el zamorano, amnh - , ku , ummz ; montaña de guaimaca, amnh - ( ); ranch san diego, km. sw guaimaca, amnh . itibucá: vieja itibucá, amnh - . +nicaragua+: chontales: km. sw santo tomás, ku - , (skeleton). esteli: finca venecia, km. n, km. e condega, ku ; . km. n estelí, mcz - . managua: - km. e managua, ku - ; * km. sw tipitapa, ummz ( ). matagalpa: *finca tepeyac, . km. n, km. e matagalpa, ku - ; hacienda la cumplida, ku - , - (skeletons), ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ). rivas: *finca amayo, km. s, km. e rivas, ku - ; km. s rivas, mcz - ; * . km. se rivas, ku - ; km. se san pablo, ku - . +costa rica+: guanacaste: arenal, usc ( ); * km. w bagaces, usc ( ); * km. ne boca del barranca, usc ( ), *finca san bosco, usc ( ), ( ); *guayabo de bagaces, usc ( ), ( ), ; km. s la cruz, usc ( ); *laguna arenal, usc ; * km. n las cañas, usc ( ); * km. e las cañas, ku - ; km. sse las cañas, ku - ; * km. se las cañas, ku ; liberia, ku - ; * . km. n liberia, usc ( ); * km. n liberia, usc ( ); * . km. se liberia, ku - , - (skeletons); * . km. s liberia, usc ( ); * km. w liberia, ku - ; km. s nicoya, usc ; * - km. ese playa del coco, usc ( ), ( ); * . km. ese playa del coco, usc ( ); *peñas blancas, ku - ; *río bebedero, km. s bebedero, ku ; *río higuerón, usc ( ); santa cruz, usc ( ); *silencio, usc ; *tenorio, ku ; tilarán, ku - ; * km. e tilarán, ku , * km. ne tilarán, ku - usc . puntarenas: barranca, ku - , * km. wnw barranca, ummz ( ); * km. e esparta, ku - ; km. wnw esparta, ku ; * km. wnw esparta, ku ; * km. wnw esparta, ku - , - (skeletons); * km. wnw esparta, ku - , usc ; . km. w san ramón, usc ( ). +hyla robertmertensi+ taylor _hyla robertmertensi_ taylor, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , april , [holotype.--cnhm (formerly eht-hms ) from tapachula, chiapas, méxico; h. m. smith and e. h. taylor collectors]. smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . mertens. senckenbergiana, : , june , ; senckenbergischen naturf. gesell., : , december , . stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol., univ. michigan, : , november, . duellman, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , august , . duellman and hoyt, copeia, ( ): , december , . porter, herpetologica, : , october , . stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , april , . duellman and trueb, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , july , . _diagnosis._--brown lateral stripe wide, including loreal region and entire tympanum, extending to groin, bordered above by narrow white line; dorsum unicolor or with pair of dark lines (or rows of dashes) usually extending only to the sacral region; shanks having dark flecks, no transverse bars; interorbital bar lacking. _description and variation._--males attain a maximum snout-vent length of . mm. in oaxaca, whereas in a sample from acacoyagua, chiapas, the largest male has a snout-vent length of . mm., and from la trinidad, guatemala, - mm. specimens from the western part of the range (eastern oaxaca) have slightly smaller heads and proportionately larger tympani than the more eastern populations (table ). the color pattern shows little variation, except in the nature of the dorsal markings. in a few specimens from throughout the range, but especially in the eastern part of the range, the dorsum lacks markings between the dorsolateral white lines. in most specimens the dorsal pattern consists of flecks or dashes arranged in two parallel longitudinal rows, and in some specimens the marks are fused into parallel lines. small brown flecks are present on the dorsal surfaces of the shanks; in some specimens these flecks tend to form a longitudinal stripe on the shank. an interorbital dark mark is invariably absent. when active at night _hyla robertmertensi_ is pale yellow above with a white dorsolateral line and pale brown lateral stripe; the dorsal markings are faint. by day the dorsum is yellowish tan with brown markings. the dorsolateral stripe is creamy white, and the lateral stripe is dark brown (pl. ). the venter is white, and the iris is dull bronze. in breeding males the vocal sac is yellow. _remarks._--although this species superficially resembles _hyla microcephala microcephala_, the latter is easily distinguished by the narrow brown lateral stripe, as compared with the much wider stripe in _h. robertmertensi_. no other hylids in northern central america and southern méxico can be confused with this species. _distribution._--_hyla robertmertensi_ inhabits the pacific slopes (to elevations of meters) and lowlands from eastern oaxaca (east of the plains of tehuantepec) southeastward to central el salvador. the species also occurs in the cintalapa valley (atlantic drainage) in southwestern chiapas (fig. .) the distribution seems to be limited on the northwest and southeast by arid environments. the region in which _hyla robertmertensi_ lives is characterized by higher rainfall and more luxuriant vegetation than occur on the plains of tehuantepec or on the pacific lowlands of eastern el salvador and southern honduras. in addition to the localities listed below, mertens ( : ) recorded the species from hacienda cuyan-cuya, depto. sonsonate, el salvador. [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla robertmertensi_.] _specimens examined._-- , as follows: +mexico+: chiapas: acacoyagua, usnm - ; * km. w acacoyagua, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ); km. n arriaga, ku - , - (skeletons); asunción, fmnh , - , uimnh - , usnm ; *la esperanza, usnm - , - , km. s las cruces, ku - , (eggs); . km. n puerto madero, ummz ( ); * . km. n puerto madero, ummz ; tapachula, fmnh , uimnh ; * km. s tapachula, ku - , (skeleton); tonolá, fmnh , - , uimnh . oaxaca: tapanatepec, ummz ( ), * . km. e tapanatepec, ummz ( ); * . km. e tapanatepec, uimnh - ; * . km. w tapanatepec, ummz ( ); . km. w tapanatepec, ku - ; . km. wnw zanatepec, ummz ( ); * . km. wnw zanatepec, tnhc - ; . km. wnw zanatepec, tnhc - . +guatemala+: jutiapa: jutiapa, ummz ; la trinidad, ummz ( ). retalhueleu: casa blanca, ummz . +el salvador+: la libertad: km. nw santa tecla, ku . san salvador: . km. n san salvador, ummz ( ). +hyla phlebodes+ stejneger _hyla phlebodes_ stejneger, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , [holotype.--usnm from "san carlos," costa rica; burgdorf and schild collectors]. taylor, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , april , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , . fouquette, evolution, : , december , . duellman and trueb, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , july , . _hyla underwoodi_, dunn, occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : , october , ; occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist. : , june , ; amer. mus. novitiates, . , september , , gaige, hartweg, and stuart, occas. papers mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , october , . breder, , bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., : , august , . _diagnosis._--dark brown lateral stripe, if present, usually extending only to insertion of forearm, never posteriorly to sacral region; white line above brown stripe absent or faint; dorsal pattern weak, usually consisting of irregular dashes or interconnected lines; interorbital dark mark present; shanks having weakly defined transverse bars. _description and variation._--in the majority of specimens ( %) the lateral dark stripe extends from the nostril to the eye and thence above the tympanum to a point above the insertion of the arm; in per cent the stripe extends to the mid-flank, whereas in per cent the stripe is absent. a narrow and faint white line is present on the canthus in some specimens, but no distinct white stripe is present above the lateral dark line posterior to the eye. an interorbital bar and transverse marks on the shanks are invariably present. the dorsal markings are variable, but in most specimens ( %) consist of either an x- or )(-shaped mark in the scapular region; in the other specimens the markings are irregular short lines or absent. approximately equal numbers of specimens have a transverse bar, chevron, or broken lines in the sacral region, whereas about eight per cent of the specimens lack markings in the sacral region. when active at night, individuals are pale yellowish tan with faint brown dorsal markings. by day they are tan with more distinct brown markings (pl. ). the thighs are pale yellow; the belly is white. the iris is pale creamy tan with brown flecks. in breeding males the vocal sac is yellow. _tadpoles._--tadpoles of this species have been found in an extensive grassy pond at puerto viejo, costa rica. the following description is based on ku , a specimen in development stage (gosner, ). total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body slightly wider than deep, snout pointed; nostrils large, directed anteriorly, situated near end of snout; eyes small, situated dorsolaterally, directed laterally; spiracle sinistral, located just posteroventral to eye; anal tube dextral. tail xiphicercal; caudal musculature moderately deep, extending far beyond posterior edge of fins; fins deepest at about midlength; dorsal fin extending onto body, slightly deeper than caudal musculature; ventral fin slightly shallower than musculature. mouth small, terminal, lacking teeth and fringing papillae, but having finely serrate beaks. in preservative top of head olive-tan with brown flecks; dark stripe from snout through eye to posterior edge of body; belly white, flecked with brown anteriorly; tail creamy tan with grayish brown blotches. in life, dorsum of body reddish tan mottled with darker brown; lateral stripe dark brown; belly white, mottled with brown and black; caudal musculature heavily pigmented with grayish tan; posterior tip of tail marked with dark gray; caudal fins heavily blotched with grayish tan; iris orange-tan peripherally, red centrally (pl. ). _remarks._--this species has been confused with _hyla microcephala underwoodi_ by many workers. dunn ( , , ) and breder ( ) referred panamanian specimens of _h. phlebodes_ to _h. underwoodi_; likewise, gaige, hartweg, and stuart ( ) made the same error. cole and barbour ( ) and kellog ( ) used the name _h. phlebodes_ for mexican specimens of _h. microcephala underwoodi_. the similarity in color pattern of _h. microcephala underwoodi_ and _h. phlebodes_ easily accounts for the misapplication of names. although both species have nearly identical dorsal color patterns, that of _h. microcephala underwoodi_ usually is bolder. furthermore, in that species a narrow white line usually is present above the well-defined lateral dark stripe, whereas the lateral dark stripe is short and posterior to the eye is not bordered above by a white line in _h. phlebodes_. the type locality "san carlos, costa rica" given by stejneger ( : ) apparently refers to a region, the llanuras de san carlos, in the northern part of alajuela province, costa rica. [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla phlebodes_.] _distribution._--_hyla phlebodes_ inhabits humid tropical forests from southeastern nicaragua southeastward on the caribbean slopes and lowlands to the canal zone in panamá, thence eastward in the chucunaque basin of eastern panamá and onto the pacific lowlands of colombia (fig. ). the species also reaches the pacific slopes in the arenal depression in northwestern costa rica and in the panamanian isthmus, where it occurs in humid forests on the pacific slope of el valle and cerro la campana. mostly the species is found at low elevations, but it occurs at meters at turrialba and at meters at finca san bosco in costa rica. _specimens examined._-- , as follows: +nicaragua+: zelaya: isla grande del maíz, mcz ; río mico, el recrero, ummz ( ). +costa rica+: alajuela: . km. n florencia, mvz - , usc ; *las playuelas, km. s los chiles, usc ; los chiles, usc , ; km. ne muelle de arenal, usc ( ); *"san carlos," usnm . cartago: chitaría, ku ; * . km. e río reventazón bridge, east of turrialba, ummz ( ); *tunnel camp, near peralta, ku , - , (skeleton); turrialba, fmnh , - , ku - , - , - (skeletons), - , - (skeletons), (eggs), (tadpoles), mcz - , - , ummz ( ), usc , ( ), ( ), , , ( ), ( ), usnm . guanacaste: arenal, usc ; *finca san bosco, usc , ( ), guayabo de bagaces, usc ( ), ; *laguna arenal, usc ( ); km. ne tilarán, usc ; * km. ne tilarán, usc ; * km. ne tilarán, ummz ( ), s- (skeleton), usc ( ). heredia: puerto viejo, ku - , - (skeletons), - (tadpoles), - (tadpoles); * . km. n puerto viejo, ku ; * km. s puerto viejo, ku - ; * . km. w puerto viejo, ku - ; * . km. w puerto viejo, ku - ; * . km. w puerto viejo, ku . limón: batán, ummz ( ); la castilla, ansp ; puerto +limón+, ku - . +panama+: bocas del toro: . km. nw almirante, ku ; cayo de agua, ku - ; fish creek, ku - . canal zone: barro colorado island, amnh , ansp - ; fmnh , - ; juan mina, amnh , uu ; * . - . km. n miraflores locks, tnhc , , - , , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , . *rio chagres, amnh - ; río cocolí, . km. n miraflores locks, tnhc , - , , , , , , , - ; *summit, ansp , ku ; *three rivers plantation, su . coclé: el valle de antón, amnh , - , ansp - . colón: achiote, ku - ; ciricito, cas - , - . darién: río canclon at río chucunaque, ummz ; río chucunaque, near yavisa, amnh . panamá: cero la campana, fmnh - . +colombia+: chocó: andagoya, fmnh ; boca de raspadura, amnh - . +hyla sartori+ smith _hyla underwoodi_ (in part), smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . _hyla microcephala sartori_ smith, herpetologica, : , december , [holotype.--uimnh from mile north of organos, south of el treinte, guerrero, méxico; h. m. smith and e. h. taylor collectors]. duellman, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , december , . porter, herpetologica, : , october , . davis and dixon, herpetologica, : , january , . duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , december , . _diagnosis._--dorsum tan with broad dark brown chevrons or transverse bars; shanks marked with two or three broad transverse bars; dorsolateral stripes absent. _description and variation._--no noticeable geographic variation is apparent in either structural features or coloration in this species. all specimens lack a dorsolateral dark stripe and white line, although a dark line is present on the canthus and dissipates in the loreal region. a broad interorbital brown bar is present in all specimens. the color pattern on the dorsum invariably consists of a broad, dark, chevron-shaped mark in the scapular region and a broad dark chevron or transverse bar in the sacral region. the shanks invariably have two or three dark brown transverse bars. when active at night individuals are yellowish tan above with chocolate brown markings (pl. ). the belly is white, and the thighs are pale yellowish tan. the iris is dark bronze-color. in breeding males the vocal sac is yellow. by day some individuals were observed to change to creamy gray with distinct darker markings. _remarks._--although tadpoles of this species have not been found, observations on the breeding sites indicate that the tadpoles probably develop in ponds. except for calling males observed around a pool in a stream-bed . kilometers west-northwest of tierra colorada, guerrero, all breeding congregations have been found at temporary ponds. smith ( : ) named _hyla sartori_ as a subspecies of _hyla microcephala_. this subspecific relationship seemed reasonable until analysis of the mating calls showed that the call of _h. sartori_ is more nearly like that of _h. phlebodes_ than that of _h. microcephala_. the broad hiatus separating the ranges of _h. microcephala_ and _h. sartori_ is additional evidence for considering _h. sartori_ as a distinct species. [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla sartori_.] _distribution._--_hyla sartori_ occurs in mesophytic forests to elevations of about meters on the pacific slopes of southern méxico from southwestern jalisco to south-central oaxaca (fig. ). the lack of specimens from colima and michoacán probably reflects inadequate collecting instead of the absence of the species there. on the basis of available habitat the species would be expected to occur in nayarit, but extensive collecting there has failed to reveal its presence. the semi-arid plains of tehuantepec apparently limit the distribution to the east. _specimens examined._-- , as follows: +méxico+: guerrero: km. e acapulco, amnh - ; . km. n acapulco, uimnh - ; colonia buenas aires, km. e tecpán de galeana, ummz ( ); *el limoncito, fmnh , - , , , ummz , usnm ; el treinte, fmnh , uimnh - ; laguna coyuca, amnh ; la venta, mcz ; *morjonares, uimnh - ; . km. n organos, fmnh - , uimnh - ; . km. s petaquillas, uimnh ; . km. e. tecpán de galeana, tnhc - ; * . km. n tierra colorada, uimnh ; . km. wnw tierra colorada, ummz ( ), s- - (skeletons); zacualpán, ummz ( ). jalisco: . km. ne la resolana, ku - ; km ne la resolana, ku - . oaxaca: km. n pochutla, ku ; . km. n pochutla, ummz ( ). cranial osteology the frogs of the _hyla microcephala_ group have a minimal amount of cranial ossification as compared to more generalized hylid skulls, such as _smilisca_ (duellman and trueb, ). in the _hyla microcephala_ group the sphenethmoid is small and short, and a large frontoparietal fontanelle is present. the quadratojugal exists only as a small spur and is not in contact with the maxillary. the proötics are poorly developed. the anterior and posterior arms of the squamosal are short; the anterior arm extends no more than one-fourth of the distance to the maxillary, and the posterior arm does not have a bony connection with the proötic. the nasal lacks a maxillary process, and the medial ramus of the pterygoid lacks a bony connection to the proötic. teeth are absent on the parasphenoid and palatines, but present on the maxillaries, premaxillaries, and prevomers. the teeth are simple, pointed, and slightly curved. although the number of teeth varies (table ), no consistent differences between the species are apparent. table .--variation in the number of teeth in the species of the hyla microcephala group. (n=number of jaws, or twice the number of individuals; means are given in parentheses after the observed ranges). ========================+====+=============+==============+========== species | n | maxillary | premaxillary | prevomer ------------------------+----+-------------+--------------+---------- _h. microcephala_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | | | | _h. phlebodes_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | | | | _h. robertmertensi_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | | | | _h. sartori_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) ------------------------+----+-------------+--------------+---------- [illustration: plate upper figure, _hyla microcephala microcephala_ (ku ); middle figure, _h. microcephala underwoodi_ (ku ); lower figure, _h. microcephala underwoodi_ (ummz ). all approximately × .] [illustration: plate upper figure, _hyla robertmertensi_ (ummz ); middle figure, _h. phlebodes_ (ku ); lower figure, _h. sartori_ (ummz ). all approximately × .] [illustration: plate tadpoles of _hyla microcephala_ group: upper figure, _h. m. microcephala_ (ku ); lower figure, _h. phlebodes_ (ku ). both × .] [illustration: plate audiospectrograms and sections of mating calls of _hyla microcephala_ group: (a) _h. m. microcephala_ (ku tape no. ); (b) _h. robertmertensi_ (ku tape no. ); (c) _h. phlebodes_ (ku tape no. ); (d) _h. sartori_ (ku tape no. ).] table .--comparative cranial osteology of hyla microcephala group ===============+=======================+========================+ character | _h. microcephala_ | _h. robertmertensi_ | ---------------+-----------------------+------------------------+ frontoparietal | minimally ossified | ossification extensive | | with large fontanelle | anteriorly with narrow | | extending from | medial separation; | | sphenethmoid to | fontanelle largest in | | occipital ridge. | parietal region. | | | | | | | nasals | moderately long and | moderate in size; | | slender; arcuate in | slightly wider | | dorsal view. | anteriorly than | | | posteriorly in dorsal | | | view. | | | | sphenethmoid | extremely short in | moderately short in | | dorsal view. | dorsal view. | | | | | | | | | | columella | distal and greatly | distal and slightly | | expanded. | expanded or not. | ---------------+-----------------------+------------------------+ table . (continued) ===============+========================+======================== character | _h. phlebodes_ | _h. sartori_ ---------------+------------------------+------------------------ frontoparietal | ossification extensive | ossification moderately | anteriorly with narrow | extensive anteriorly; | medial separation; | medial separation of | fontanelle largest in | about uniform width | parietal region. | throughout length of | | fontanelle. | | nasals | moderate in size; | long and broad; | slightly wider | arcuate in dorsal | anteriorly than | view. | posteriorly in dorsal | | view. | | | sphenethmoid | moderately short in | moderately short in | dorsal view. | dorsal view; ossified | | anteriorly between | | nasals. | | columella | distal and not | distal and not | expanded. | expanded. ---------------+------------------------+------------------------ [illustration: fig. . dorsal views of the skulls of (a) _hyla m. microcephala_ (ku ) and (b) _h. sartori_ (ummz s- ). both × .] [illustration: fig. . dorsal views of skulls of (a) _hyla phlebodes_ (ku ) and (b) _h. robertmertensi_ (ku ). both × .] despite the great reduction in the ossification of the cranial elements, certain apparently consistent differences exist between the species seem to be consistent. the most notable differences are: ) amount of ossification of the frontoparietals and consequent shape and size of the frontoparietal fontanelle, ) shape of the nasals, ) shape and extent of the sphenethmoid, and ) shape of the columella (table , figs. - ). on the basis of these characters, _hyla microcephala_ can be set apart from the other species and characterized as having a poorly ossified frontoparietal and correspondingly large frontoparietal fontanelle; long, slender, arcuate nasals; extremely short sphenethmoid; and expanded distal end of the columella. the other species in the group (_phlebodes_, _robertmertensi_, and _sartori_) have more ossification of the frontoparietals, broader nasals, only a moderately short sphenethmoid, and an unexpanded distal end of the columella. among these three species, the skulls of _phlebodes_ and _robertmertensi_ are most nearly alike, whereas the skull of _sartori_ differs by having a differently shaped frontoparietal fontanelle, broader nasals, and an ossified anterior extension of the sphenethmoid between the nasals (compare fig. b with fig. a-b). although all skulls examined belong to breeding adults, the extent of the ossification of the frontoparietals and the resulting shape of the frontoparietal fontanelle might be correlated with the age of the frog. nevertheless, in the skulls of _hyla microcephala_ examined, the frontoparietals are less extensively ossified than in the skulls of the other species. the trivial differences among the other three species certainly are suggestive of close relationship, but on the basis of present knowledge of the evolutionary trends in hylid cranial osteology, the differences offer little evidence for determining phylogenetic lineage. analysis of mating calls calls of all five taxa were compared in several characteristics, of which three are deemed most significant systematically. these are ) the pattern and duration of the notes of a call-group, ) the fundamental frequency, and ) the dominant frequency. air temperatures were noted at the time the calls were recorded, but no valid correlation could be determined between this factor and any of the parameters of the calls; consequently recordings made at all temperatures ( - ° c.) were grouped together. _pattern and duration of notes._--in all five taxa the basic pattern consists of a call-group made up of one primary note followed by a series of shorter secondary notes. in some species the secondary notes differ from the primary in other characteristics. both subspecies of _hyla microcephala_ have a long, unpaired primary note followed by to (usually about ) somewhat shorter paired secondary notes. in calls of _hyla m. microcephala_ the mean duration of the primary is . ( . - . ) second and that of the secondaries is . ( . - . ) second, whereas in _h. m. underwoodi_ the mean duration of the primary is . ( . - . ) second and that of the secondaries is . ( . - . ) second. _hyla robertmertensi_ has a reverse of this pattern in that the primary note is paired and the secondaries are unpaired. in the sample studied a call-group contains - secondary notes (generally about ). the mean duration of the primary is . ( . - . ) second and that of the secondaries is . ( . - . ) second. _hyla phlebodes_ and _sartori_ have call-groups composed of a rather short, unpaired primary and several short, unpaired secondaries ( - in _phlebodes_, - in _sartori_). the mean duration of the primary of _phlebodes_ is . ( . - . ) second and that of the secondaries is . ( . - . ) second. the mean duration of the primary of _sartori_ is . ( . - . ) second and that of the secondaries is . ( . - . ) second. the two subspecies of _h. microcephala_ are identical in call pattern and agree closely in duration of notes, although those of the nominate subspecies tend to be slightly longer. _hyla robertmertensi_ is distinctive in call pattern in that it is the only species having a paired primary; the duration of the primary is completely overlapped by that in the other species, but the secondaries tend to be the shortest in the group. the call patterns of _h. phlebodes_ and _h. sartori_ are identical and the range of duration of notes of _phlebodes_ completely overlaps that of _sartori_, although both the primary and secondary notes of the latter tend to be somewhat shorter (table , pl. ). _fundamental frequency._--this parameter was analyzed for the primary notes. it was measured for the secondaries as well and was found to differ in magnitude in the same way as the primary note. in a few examples of both subspecies of _h. microcephala_ a high primary note, in which the fundamental frequency is exceptionally high, is sometimes emitted (fouquette, b). none of these notes was used in this analysis; only the fundamental frequencies of normal primary notes are compared (table , fig. ). table .--comparison of normal mating calls in the hyla microcephala group. (observed range given in parentheses below mean; unless otherwise noted data are for primary notes.). ----------------+--+---------+---------+-------------------+-------------- | |dominant | funda- |duration of notes | repetition | | | mental| (seconds) | rate of species |n |frequency|frequency+---------+---------+ secondaries | | (cps) | (cps) | primary |secondary|(notes/minute) ----------------+--+---------+---------+---------+---------+-------------- _h. m. | | | | . | . | microcephala_ | |( |( - )|( . |( . | ( - ) | | - )| | - . )| - . )| | | | | | | _h. m. | | | | . | . | underwoodi_ | |( |( - )|( . |( . | ( - ) | | - )| | - . )| - . )| | | | | | | _h. | | | | . | . | robertmertensi_| |( |( - )|( . |( . | ( - ) | | - )| | - . )| - . )| | | | | | | _h. phlebodes_ | | | | . | . | | |( |( - )|( . |( . | ( - ) | | - )| | - . )| - . )| | | | | | | _h. sartori_ | | | | . | . | | |( |( - )|( . |( . | ( - ) | | - )| | - . )| - . )| ----------------+--+---------+---------+---------+---------+-------------- the two subspecies of _h. microcephala_ agree closely in fundamental frequency. there is considerable overlap, but the difference between the means is significant at the . level of probability (t = . ). the call of _h. robertmertensi_ does not overlap that of _h. sartori_ or either subspecies of _h. microcephala_ in this parameter; but it does overlap that of _h. phlebodes_, although again the difference between the means is significant at the . level (t = . ). _hyla phlebodes_ and _sartori_ have the lowest fundamental frequencies, and there is some overlap, but here too the difference between the means is significant at the . level (t = . ). _dominant frequency._--a dominant band of frequencies cuts across the harmonics of the fundamental, obscuring the harmonic pattern and generally shifting upward in frequency. the midpoint of this band is measured at the terminal border as the dominant frequency. as with the fundamental frequency, only the normal primary notes were utilized in the comparisons (table , fig ). [illustration: fig. . variation in the fundamental frequency of the normal primary notes in the _hyla microcephala_ group. the horizontal lines = range of variation, vertical lines = mean, solid bars = twice the standard error of the mean, and open bars = one standard deviation. the number of specimens in each sample is indicated in parentheses after the name of the taxon.] the two subspecies of _h. microcephala_ agree more closely in this parameter than in fundamental frequency. the overlap is great, but the difference between the means is significant at the . level (t = . ). the calls of both subspecies completely overlap that of _robertmertensi_ in this parameter, but the difference between the means is significant at the . level. the calls of _h. phlebodes_ and _h. sartori_ overlap considerably in this characteristic, although the difference between the means is significant at the . level (t = . ) (fig. ). the call of neither species overlaps those of _h. microcephala_ and _robertmertensi_. [illustration: fig. . variation in the mid-point of the dominant frequency band of the normal primary notes in the _hyla microcephala_ group. the horizontal lines = range of variation, vertical lines = mean, solid bars = twice the standard error of the mean, and open bars = one standard deviation. the number of specimens in each sample is indicated in parentheses after the name of the taxon.] [illustration: fig. . scatter diagram relating the dominant and fundamental frequencies of the normal primary notes in the _hyla microcephala_ group. each symbol represents a different individual.] _repetition rate._--the repetition rate of the secondary notes, in calls consisting of more than one secondary, was measured for each form. a considerable amount of variation in this parameter was found in all of the taxa (table ). this variation probably is due in part to the effect of temperature differences. repetition rate is the only parameter analyzed for which there is a correlation with the air-temperature, but even here the correlation is weak, probably due to the microenvironmental effects of humidity, air-movement, and other factors in addition to the ambient air temperature that influences the body temperature of the frogs. these rates are nearly alike in both subspecies of _h. microcephala_ and in _phlebodes_. the repetition rates in _h. robertmertensi_ and _h. sartori_ are considerably faster than in the other three taxa. _hyla sartori_ has the fastest repetition rate of the group. in all characteristics of the mating calls the two subspecies of _h. microcephala_ agree closely, as might be expected, although the differences are statistically significant. _hyla robertmertensi_ is distinctive in call pattern and seems to be closer to _microcephala_ in dominant frequency but closer to _h. phlebodes_ in fundamental frequency. thus, it is somewhat intermediate between _microcephala_ and _phlebodes_. the identical pattern and similarity in fundamental and dominant frequencies of the calls of _h. phlebodes_ and _h. sartori_ possibly indicate close relationship. _geographic variation in call._--_hyla m. microcephala_ has higher fundamental and dominant frequencies in costa rica than in panamá. in costa rican _h. m. underwoodi_ the fundamental and dominant frequencies are lower than in other parts of the range. frogs of this subspecies recorded in nicaragua and honduras have slightly lower dominant frequencies and higher fundamental frequencies than those recorded in guatemala or oaxaca. the duration of both primary and secondary notes decreases to the south; samples from nicaragua and costa rica have the shortest notes. comparison of duration of notes in the two subspecies shows that the panamanian _h. m. microcephala_ have slightly longer notes than do any _h. m. underwoodi_; the more northern populations of _h. m. underwoodi_ from méxico most closely approach _h. m. microcephala_ in this characteristic. the calls of _h. robertmertensi_ in oaxaca have higher dominant and fundamental frequencies and longer secondary notes than do those in chiapas. the calls of _h. phlebodes_ recorded at puerto viejo, costa rica, have slightly lower dominant frequencies than do those recorded at turrialba, costa rica, and in panamá, whereas those recorded at turrialba have lower fundamental frequencies than in other samples. the duration of notes is slightly shorter in both costa rican samples than in those recorded in panamá. life history the frogs of the _hyla microcephala_ group breed in shallow grassy ponds. in some places they breed in permanent ponds, but usually congregate around temporary pools, such as depressions in forests, flooded fields, and roadside ditches. at the height of their breeding season, usually in the early part of the rainy season, the congregations are made up of large numbers of individuals. in april, , and in june, , the senior author noted nearly continuous choruses of _h. m. microcephala_ in roadside ditches along the kilometers of road between villa neily and palmar sur, puntarenas province, cost rica; on june , , at puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica, he estimated approximately _hyla phlebodes_ in one pond, and two nights later noticed that the number of individuals had increased substantially. other observations by the first author on size of breeding congregations include nearly continuous choruses of _h. m. underwoodi_ between villahermosa and teapa, tabasco, in july of , an estimated _hyla robertmertensi_ in a road side ditch . kilometers west-northwest of zanatepec, oaxaca, on july , , and approximately _hyla sartori_ around a rocky pool in a riverbed, . kilometers west-northwest of tierra colorada, guerrero, on june , . the length of the breeding season seemingly is more dependent on climatic conditions in various parts of middle america than on behavioral differences in the various species. thus, fouquette ( b) found in the canal zone that _h. m. microcephala_ formed breeding choruses from may through january, the entire rainy season in that area. in the wetter coastal region of puntarenas province, costa rica, the species breeds as early as mid-march, whereas in the drier region encompassing guanacaste province, costa rica, and southwestern nicaragua breeding activity is initiated by the first heavy rains of the season, usually in june. _hyla phlebodes_ inhabits regions having rainfall throughout the year. although large breeding congregations are most common in the early parts of the rainy season, males probably call throughout the year. at puerto viejo in costa rica the senior author has heard _hyla phlebodes_ in february, april, june, july, and august. charles w. myers noted calling males of this species in the area around almirante, bocas del toro province, panamá, in september, october, and february. an exception to the correlation between rainfall and breeding activity was noted by the junior author in _hyla phlebodes_ in the canal zone, where he noticed a decrease in activity of that species in october and november, when the rains are heaviest and most frequent. furthermore, independent observations made by both of us indicate that _h. phlebodes_ does not reach peaks of activity during or immediately after heavy rains, but instead builds up to peaks of activity two or three days after a heavy rain. this is in contrast to the other species, all of which characteristically inhabit drier environments than does _h. phlebodes_. peaks of breeding activity in the other species occur immediately after, or even during, heavy rains. the calling location of the males generally is on vegetation above, or at the edge of, the water. _hyla microcephala_ and _h. phlebodes_ call almost exclusively from grasses and sedges; _phlebodes_ usually calls from taller and more dense grasses than does _microcephala_. except for some minor differences in calling location observed by the junior author (fouquette, b) in the canal zone, the differences in density and height of grasses utilized for calling-locations probably is dependent primarily on the nature of the available vegetation. although bushes and broad-leafed herbs are usually present at the breeding sites, males of these species seldom utilize them for calling locations. both _h. robertmertensi_ and _h. sartori_ have been observed calling from grasses, herbs, bushes, and low trees. calling males of _robertmertensi_ have been found two meters above the ground in small trees. daytime retreats in the breeding season sometimes are no more than shaded clumps of vegetation adjacent to a pond or in clumps of grass in a pond. individuals of _h. m. underwoodi_ were found by day under the outer sheaths of banana plants next to a water-filled ditch. dry season refuges are unknown. amplexus is axillary in all four species. egg deposition has been observed in _h. m. microcephala_, _m. underwoodi_, and _phlebodes_. in all three the eggs are deposited in small masses that float near the surface of the water and usually are at least partly attached to emergent vegetation. each clutch does not represent the entire egg complement of the female. tadpoles are definitely known of only _h. m. microcephala_ and _phlebodes_; these have been described in the preceding accounts of the species. the tadpoles of these two species can be distinguished readily (pl. ). the tadpole of _h. microcephala_ has a uniformly white venter and nearly transparent tail, whereas in _h. phlebodes_ the venter is flecked anteriorly and the tail is mottled. in life, _h. microcephala_ is easily recognized by the orange posterior half of the tail, whereas the tail in _h. phlebodes_ is mottled tan and grayish brown. phylogenetic relationships the evidence already presented on osteology, external structure, coloration, mating call, and life history emphatically show that the four species under consideration are a closely related assemblage. now the question arises: to what other groups in the genus is the _hyla microcephala_ group related? furthermore, it is pertinent to this discussion to attempt a reconstruction of the phylogeny of the group as a whole and of the individual species in the _hyla microcephala_ group. with regard to the relationships of the group we must take into account certain species in south america. our endeavors there are hampered by the absence of data on the mating calls and life histories of most of the relevant species. as mentioned in the account of _hyla m. microcephala_, the species _microcephala_ possibly is subspecifically related to _hyla misera_, a frog widespread in the amazon basin. _hyla misera_ resembles _microcephala_ in coloration, external structure, and cranial characters. the frontoparietals are equally poorly ossified, and the frontoparietal fontanelle is extensive. our principal reason for not considering the two taxa conspecific at this time is our lack of knowledge concerning the color of living _h. misera_, the structure of the tadpoles, and the characteristics of the mating call. even with the absence of such data that we think essential to establish the nomenclature status of the taxa, we are confident that the two are sufficiently closely related that any discussion of the phylogenetic relationships of one species certainly must involve consideration of the other. _hyla misera_ possibly is allied to other small yellowish tan south american _hyla_ that lack dark pigmentation on the thighs. probable relatives are _hyla elongata_, _minuta_ (with _goughi_, _pallens_, _suturata_, _velata_, and possibly others as synonyms), _nana_, and _werneri_. the consideration of the interspecific relationships of these taxa is beyond the scope of this paper, but we can say that each of these species has a pale yellowish tan dorsum, relatively broad dorsolateral brown stripe, and narrow longitudinal brown lines or irregular marks on the dorsum. furthermore, examination of the skulls of _elongata_, _nana_, and _werneri_ reveals that they are like _misera_ and _microcephala_ in the nature of the frontoparietal fontanelle and in having a greatly reduced quadratojugal. thus, on the basis of cranial and external characters the _hyla microcephala_ group can be associated with _hyla misera_ and its apparent allies in south america. this association can be only tentative until the mating calls, tadpoles, and chromosome numbers of the south american species are known. among the middle american hylids, only the _hyla microcephala_ group and _h. ebraccata_ have a haploid number of chromosomes (duellman and cole, ). all other new world _hyla_, for which the number is known, have a haploid number of ; the only other _hyla_ having is a papuan _hyla angiana_ (duellman, ). _hyla ebraccata_ occurs in the humid tropical lowlands of middle america and the pacific lowlands of northwestern south america. it is the northernmost, and only central american, representative of the _hyla leucophyllata_ group, which is diverse (about species currently recognized) and widespread in tropical south america east of the andes. this group is characterized by having broad, flat skulls with larger nasals and more ossification of the frontoparietals than in the _hyla microcephala_ group. the quadratojugal is present as a small anteriorly projecting spur that does not connect with the maxillary. externally, the _hyla leucophyllata_ group is characterized by having a well-developed axillary membrane, uniformly yellow thighs, and a dorsal color pattern in many species consisting of a dark lateral band, a pale dorsolateral band or dorsal ground color, and a large middorsal dark mark. in some species, the dorsal pattern consists of small dark markings or is nearly uniformly pale. at least in the central american _hyla ebraccata_, the mating call consists of a single primary note followed by a series of shorter secondary notes, the tadpoles have xiphicercal tails and lack teeth, and the haploid number of chromosomes is . on the strength of these observations it seems imperative to consider the _hyla leucophyllata_ group as a close ally to the _hyla microcephala_ group. successful artificial hybridization supports the close relationship of _h. m. microcephala_ and _phlebodes_; partial success of artificial hybridization of these two with _ebraccata_ (fouquette, b) provides further evidence for close relationship between the _hyla leucophyllata_ and _hyla microcephala_ groups. in méxico and northern central america two small species, _hyla picta_ and _hyla smithi_, comprise the _hyla picta_ group. these frogs resemble members of the _hyla microcephala_ group by having a yellowish tan dorsum with a dorsolateral white stripe and uniformly yellow thighs. furthermore the mating call is not unlike those of the species in the _hyla microcephala_ group. despite these similarities, the _hyla picta_ group differs from the _hyla microcephala_ group by having a well-developed quadratojugal that connects to the maxillary, tadpoles with teeth present and caudal fins completely enclosing the caudal musculature, and a haploid number of chromosomes. in all of these characteristics the frogs of the _hyla picta_ group more closely resemble other middle american _hyla_ than they do the _hyla microcephala_ group. therefore, it can best be presumed that the superficial resemblances of coloration and the mating call are the result of convergence. since the _hyla microcephala_ and _leucophyllata_ groups apparently are related and since the greatest diversity of these frogs is in south america (if _hyla misera_ and its relatives are placed with the _hyla microcephala_ group), it seems appropriate to place the centers of origins of these groups in south america. therefore, the _hyla microcephala_ group and _hyla ebraccata_ of the _hyla leucophyllata_ group either have immigrated into central america, or they are representatives of those groups that were isolated in central america during most of the cenozoic when south america was separated from central america. the interspecific relationships of the species in the _hyla microcephala_ group are not clear. on the basis of coloration, _h. m. microcephala_ and _h. robertmertensi_ are close, and _h. m. underwoodi_ and _h. phlebodes_ are nearly identical. the mating calls of _h. phlebodes_ and _sartori_ closely resemble one another, whereas the call of _robertmertensi_ is intermediate between these and _microcephala_. in most respects _hyla microcephala_ is distinct from the other species, and with the exception of the amount of ossification of the frontoparietals, the other species can be easily derived from a _microcephala_-like ancestor. possibly the slightly increased ossification of the frontoparietals in _robertmertensi_, _phlebodes_, and _sartori_ is secondary, or possibly after differentiation of the species the amount of ossification was further reduced in _microcephala_. if so, the species fall into a reasonable phylogenetic scheme that has _microcephala_ as the extant species most like the ancestral stock. we visualize the evolutionary history of the group to have followed a course that began with the invasion of central america by a _microcephala_ ancestral stock that differentiated into two populations in lower central america--a _microcephala_-like frog on the pacific lowlands and a _phlebodes_-like frog on the caribbean lowlands. differentiation could have been brought about by isolation by montaine or marine barriers. the population on the pacific lowlands either was preadapted for subhumid conditions or became so adapted and dispersed northward onto the pacific lowlands of northern central america. simultaneously the frogs on the caribbean lowlands, which were adapted to humid environments, dispersed northward in the humid forested regions to southern méxico and crossed the isthmus of tehuantepec onto the pacific slopes of oaxaca and guerrero northward to jalisco. subsequent development of arid conditions, possibly in the pliocene, pleistocene, or even as late as the thermal maximum in post-wisconsin time, resulted in a restriction of the ranges in northern central america, thereby isolating part of the _phlebodes_-stock on the pacific slopes of méxico, where it adapted to drier conditions and evolved into _sartori_. the rest of the _phlebodes_-stock was restricted to the humid forests on the caribbean lowlands of lower central america. the increased aridity on the pacific lowlands eliminated the _microcephala_-stock from southern honduras and northwestern nicaragua and in so doing left an isolated population on the lowlands of chiapasand guatemala, which differentiated into _robertmertensi_. the original stock on the pacific lowlands of panamá and southeastern costa rica became _microcephala_. if the _microcephala_-stock was, as we believe, better adapted for existence under subhumid conditions than was the _phlebodes_-stock, the development of subhumid conditions in much of the lowland region of northern central america and southern méxico would have permitted the expansion of the range of _microcephala_ into the area now inhabited by _h. m. underwoodi_, while _phlebodes_ was being eliminated from this area by climatic conditions that were unsuited to its survival there. perhaps the similarity in coloration of _h. m. underwoodi_ and _phlebodes_ is the result of convergence or possibly hybridization occurred at the time the former was expanding its range and the latter's range was being restricted. if hybridization did occur, the differences in mating call subsequently were enhanced, thereby providing a valid isolating mechanism in sympatric populations. _hyla microcephala_ and _phlebodes_ range into northern south america. probably both species entered south america in relatively recent times after they had differentiated from one another in central america. literature cited boulenger, g. a. . fourth report on additions to the batrachian collection in the natural-history museum. proc. zool. soc. london, , pp. - , pls. - . october . . descriptions of new batrachians in the collection of the british museum (natural history). ann. mag. nat. hist, ser. , : - , pls. - . breder, c. m. jr. . amphibians and reptiles of the rio chucunaque drainage, darien, panama, with notes on their life histories and habits. bull. amer. mus. nat. hist, : - , pls. - , august . cole, l. j. and barbour, t. . vertebrata from yucatan: reptilia; amphibia; pisces. bull. mus. comp. zool., : - . november. cope, e. d. . thirteenth contribution to the herpetology of tropical america. proc. amer. philos. soc, : - . february . . third addition to a knowledge of the batrachia and reptilia of costa rica. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, , pp. - . duellman, w. e. . the frogs of the hylid genus _phrynohyas_ fitzinger, . misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : - , pls. - . february . . additional studies of chromosomes of anuran amphibians. syst. zool., : - , march . duellman, w. e. and cole, c. j. . studies of chromosomes of some anuran amphibians (hylidae and centrolenidae). syst. zool., : - . july . duellman, w. e. and trueb, l. . neotropical hylid frogs, genus smilisca. univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . july . dunn, e. r. . the amphibians of barro colorado island. occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : - . october . . amphibians and reptiles from el valle de anton, panamá. _ibid._, : - . june . . two new frogs from darien. amer. mus. novit., : - . september . fouquette, m. j. jr. a. call structure in frogs of the family leptodactylidae. texas jour. sci., : - . october. b. isolating mechanisms in three sympatric tree frogs in the canal zone. evolution, : - . december . gaige, h. t., hartweg, n. and stuart, l. c. . notes on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from eastern nicaragua. occas. papers mus. zool., univ. michigan, : - . october . gosner, k. l. . a simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. herpetologica, : - . september . kellogg, r. . mexican tailless amphibians in the united states national museum. bull. u.s. natl. mus., : - . march . rivero, j. a. . salientia of venezuela. bull. mus. comp. zool., : - . november. smith, h. m. . the identity of _hyla underwoodi_ auctorum of mexico. herpetologica, : - . december . stejneger, l. . a new tree toad from costa rica. proc. u. s. natl. mus., : - . june . stuart, l. c. . a contribution to a knowledge of the herpetology of a portion of the savanna region of central petén, guatemala. misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : - , pls. - . october . taylor, e. h. . the frogs and toads of costa rica. univ. kansas sci. bull., - - . july . _transmitted july , ._ transcriber's notes this file was derived from scanned images. with the exception of the list of typographical errors that were corrected below, the original text is presented. in the copy of the original, the plate text contains the notation "x " after the caption to let the reader know that the image was enlarged by a factor of two. emphasis notation _text_ = italic +text+ = bold typographical errors corrected: several minor typographical corrections were made (missing periods, commas, incomplete italicization, etc.); but are not indicated here. more substantial changes are listed below: page - umz => ummz page - diganosis => diagnosis page - fontanells => fontanelle page - prrimary => primary page - band of of frequencies => band of frequencies page - ad => had page - clumbs => clumps page - acount => account page - minchigan => michigan transcriber's note obvious typographical errors have been corrected. a list of corrections is found at the end of the text. inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation have been maintained. a list of inconsistently spelled and hyphenated words is found at the end of the text. oe ligatures have been expanded. memoir of an eventful expedition in central america; resulting in the discovery of the idolatrous city of iximaya, in an unexplored region; and the possession of two remarkable aztec children, descendants and specimens of the sacerdotal caste, (now nearly extinct,) of the ancient aztec founders of the ruined temples of that country, described by john l. stevens, esq., and other travellers. translated from the spanish of pedro velasquez, of san salvador. new york: e. f. applegate, printer, nassau street. . profile illustrations from central american ruins, of ancient races still existing in iximaya. [illustration] the above three figures, sketched from engravings in "stevens's central america," will be found, on personal comparison, to bear a remarkable and convincing resemblance, both in the general features and the position of the head, to the two living aztec children, now exhibiting in the united states, of the ancient sacerdotal caste of _kaanas_, or pagan mimes, of which a few individuals remain in the newly discovered city of iximaya. see, the following _memoir_, page . [illustration] these two figures, sketched from the same work, are said, by senor velasquez, in the unpublished portion of his narrative, to be "irresistible likenesses" of the equally exclusive but somewhat more numerous priestly caste of _mahaboons_, still existing in that city, and to which belonged vaalpeor, an official guardian of those children, as mentioned in this memoir. velasquez states that the likeness of vaalpeor to the right hand figure in the frontispiece of stevens' second volume, which is here also the one on the right hand, was as exact, in outline, as if the latter had been a daguerreotype miniature. while writing his "narrative" after his return to san salvador, in the spring of the present year, ( ,) senor velasquez was favored, by an american gentleman of that city, with a copy of "layard's nineveh," and was forcibly struck with the close characteristic resemblance of the faces in many of its engravings to those of the inhabitants in general, as a peculiar family of mankind, both of iximaya and its surrounding region. the following are sketches, (somewhat imperfect,) of two of the male faces to which he refers: [illustration] and the following profile, from the same work, is pronounced by velasquez to be equally characteristic of the female faces of that region, making due allowance for the superb head dresses of tropical plumage, with which he describes the latter as being adorned, instead of the male galea, or close cap, retained in the engraving. [illustration] these illustrations, slight as they are, are deemed interesting, because the iximayans assert their descent from a very ancient assyrian colony nearly co-temporary with nineveh itself--a claim which receives strong confirmation, not only from the hieroglyphics and monuments of iximaya, but from the engravings in stevens' volumes of several remarkable objects, (the inverted winged globe especially,) at palenque--once a kindred colony. it should have been stated in the following memoir, that senor velasquez, on his return to san salvador, caused the two kaana children to be baptized into the catholic church, by the bishop of the diocese, under the names of maximo and bartola velasquez. memoir of a recent eventful expedition in central america. in the second volume of his travels in central america--than which no work ever published in this country, has created and maintained a higher degree of interest, both at home and abroad--mr. stevens speaks with enthusiasm of the conversations he had held with an intelligent and hospitable padre, or catholic priest, of santa cruz del quiche, formerly of the village of chajul; and of the exciting information he had received from him, concerning immense and marvellous antiquities in the surrounding country, which, to the present hour, remain entirely unknown to the world. the padre told him of vast ruins, in a deserted and desolate region, but four leagues from vera paz, more extensive than quiche itself; and of another ruined city, on the other side of the great traversing range of the cordilleras, of which no account has been given. but the most stimulating story of all, was the existence of a _living_ city, far on the other side of the great sierra, large and populous, occupied by indians of the same character, and in precisely the same state, as those of the country in general, before the discovery of the continent and the desolating conquests of its invaders. the padre averred that, in younger days, he had climbed to the topmost ridge of the sierra, a height of or , feet, and from its naked summit, looking over an immense plain, extending to yucatan and the gulf of mexico, had seen, with his own eyes, in the remote distance, "a large city, spread over a great space, with turrets white and glittering in the sun." his account of the prevalent indian report concerning it was, that no white man had ever reached that city; that the inhabitants, who speak the maya language, are aware that a race of white strangers has conquered the whole country around them, and have hence murdered every white man that has since attempted to penetrate their territory. he added that they have no coin or other circulating medium; no horses, mules, or other domestic animals, except fowls, "and keep the cocks under ground to prevent their crowing being heard." this report of their slender resources for animal food, and of their perpetual apprehension of discovery, as indicated in this inadequate and childish expedient to prevent it, is, in most respects, contradicted by that of the adventurous expedition about to be described, and which, having passed the walls of their city, obtained better information of their internal economy and condition than could have been acquired by any indians at all likely to hold communication with places so very remote from the territory as quiche or chajul. the effects of these extraordinary averments and recitals of the padre, upon the mind of mr. stevens, together with the deliberate conclusions which he finally drew from them, is best expressed in his own language. "the interest awakened in us, was the most thrilling i ever experienced. one look at that city, was worth ten years of an every day life. if he is right, a place is left where indians and a city exist, as cortez and alvarado found them; there are living men who can solve the mystery that hangs over the ruined cities of america; who can, perhaps, go to copan and read the inscriptions on its monuments. no subject more exciting and attractive presents itself to any mind, and the deep impression in my mind, will never be effaced. "can it be true? being now in my sober senses, i do verily believe there is much ground to suppose that what the padre told us is authentic. that the region referred to does not acknowledge the government of guatimala, and has never been explored, and that no white man has ever pretended to have entered it; i am satisfied. from other sources we heard that a large _ruined_ city was visible; and we were told of another person who had climbed to the top of the sierra, but on account of the dense clouds raising upon it, he had not been able to see anything. at all events, the belief at the village of chajul is general, and a curiosity is aroused that burns to be satisfied. we had a craving desire to reach the mysterious city. no man if ever so willing to peril his life, could undertake the enterprise, with any hope of success, without hovering for one or two years on the borders of the country studying the language and character of the adjoining indians, and making acquaintance with some of the natives. five hundred men could probably march directly to the city, and the invasion would be more justifiable than any made by spaniards; but the government is too much occupied with its own wars, and the knowledge could not be procured except at the price of blood. two young men of good constitution, and who could afford to spend five years, might succeed. if the object of search prove a phantom, in the wild scenes of a new and unexplored country, there are other objects of interest; but, if real, besides the glorious excitement of such a novelty, they will have something to look back upon through life. as to the dangers, they are always magnified, and, in general, peril is discovered soon enough for escape. but, in all probability, if any discovery is made, it will be made by the padres. as for ourselves, to attempt it alone, ignorant of the language and with the mozos who were a constant annoyance to us, was out of the question. the most we thought of, was to climb to the top of the sierra, thence to look down upon the mysterious city; but we had difficulties enough in the road before us; it would add ten days to a journey already almost appalling in the perspective; for days the sierra might be covered with clouds; in attempting too much, we might lose all; palenque was our great point, and we determined not to be diverted from the course we had marked out." vol. ii, p. - . it is now known that two intrepid young men, incited probably by this identical passage in mr. stevens's popular work--one a mr. huertis, of baltimore, an american of spanish parents, from cuba, possessing an ample fortune, and who had travelled much in egypt, persia, and syria, for the personal inspection of ancient monuments; and the other, a mr. hammond, a civil-engineer from canada, who had been engaged for some years on surveys in the united states, agreed to undertake the perilous and romantic enterprise thus cautiously suggested and chivalrously portrayed. amply equipped with every desirable appointment, including daguerreotype apparatuses, mathematical instruments, and withal fifty repeating rifles, lest it should become necessary to resort to an armed expedition, these gentlemen sailed from new-orleans and arrived at belize, in the fall of . here they procured horses, mules, and a party of ten experienced indians and mestitzos; and after pursuing a route, through a wild, broken, and heavily wooded region, for about miles, on the gulf of amatique, they struck off more to the south-west, for coban, where they arrived on the morning of christmas day, in time to partake of the substantial enjoyments, as well as to observe the peculiar religious ceremonies, of the great catholic festival, in that intensely interior city. at this place, while loitering to procure information and guides for their future journey to santa cruz del quiche, they got acquainted with sr. pedro velasquez, of san salvador, who describes himself as a man of family and education, although a trader in indigo; and his intermediate destination, prior to his return to the capital, happening also to be the same city, he kindly proffered to the two americans his superior knowledge of the country, or any other useful service he could render them; and he was accordingly very gladly received as their friend and companion on the way. it is from a copy of a manuscript journal of this gentleman, that the translator has obtained the only information as yet brought to the united states concerning the remarkable results of the exploring expedition which he will proceed to describe, or of the fate of messrs. huertis and hammond, its unfortunate originators and conductors, or of those extraordinary living specimens of a _sui generis_ race of beings, hitherto supposed to be either fabulous or extinct, which are at once its melancholy trophies and its physiological attesters. and it is from senor velasquez alone that the public can receive any further intelligence upon this ardently interesting subject, beyond that which his manuscript imperfectly affords. in order, however, to avoid an anticipatory trespass upon the natural sequence of the narrative, it may be proper to state, that prior to his departure in their company from coban, senor velasquez had received from his fellow travellers no intimation whatever concerning the ulterior object of their journey, and had neither seen nor heard of those volumes describing the stupendous vestiges of ancient empire, in his native land, which had so strongly excited the emulous passion of discovery in their minds. frequently called by his mercantile speculations, which he seems to have conducted upon an extensive scale, to perform long journeys from san salvador, on the pacific side of the cordilleras, to comyagua in the mid-interior, and thence to truxillo, omoa, and ysabal, on the bay and gulf of honduras, he had traversed a large portion of the country, and had often been surprised with sudden views of mouldering temples, pyramids, and cities of vast magnitude and marvellous mythology. and being, as it evidently appears, a man of unusual intelligence and scholastic acquirements, he had doubtless felt, as he states, a profound but hopeless curiosity concerning their origin and history. he had even seen and consecutively examined the numerous and ornate monuments of copan; but it was not until he had proceeded to the second stage of the journey from coban to quiche, that he was shown the engravings in the first volume of stevens's central america, in which they are so faithfully depicted. he recognized many of them as old acquaintances, and still more as new ones, which had escaped his more cursory inspection; and in all he could trace curious details which, on the spot, he regretted the want of time to examine. he, moreover, knew the surly don gregorio, by whom mr. stevens had been treated so inhospitably, and several other persons in the vicinity of the ruins whom he had named, and was delighted with the _vraisemblance_ of his descriptions. the senor confesses that these circumstances inspired him with unlimited confidence in that traveller's statements upon other subjects; and when mr. huertis read to him the further account of the information given to mr. stevens by the jolly and merry, but intelligent old padre of quiche, respecting other ruined cities beyond the sierra madre, and especially of the living city of independent candones, or unchristianized indians, supposed to have been seen from the lofty summit of that mountain range, and was told by messrs. huertis and hammond that the exploration of this city was the chief object of their perilous expedition, the senor adds, that his enthusiasm became enkindled to at least as high a fervor as theirs, and that, "with more precipitancy than prudence, in a man of his maturer years and important business pursuits, he resolved to unite in the enterprise, to aid the heroic young men with his experience in travel and knowledge of the wild indians of the region referred to, and to see the end of the adventure, result as it may." he was confirmed in this resolution by several concurring facts of which his companions were now told for the first time. he intimately knew and had several times been the guest of the worthy cura of quiche, from whom mr. stevens received assurances of the existence of the ruined city of the ancient aztecs, as well as the living city of the candones, in the unsubjugated territory beyond the mountains. and he was induced to yield credence to the padre's confident report of the latter, because his account of the former had already been verified, and become a matter of fact and of record. he, senor velasquez, himself, during the preceding summer, joined a party of several foreigners and natives in exploring an ancient ruined city, of prodigious grandeur and extent, in the province of vera paz, but little more than miles to the east of guatimala, (instead of nearly , as the padre had supposed,) which far surpassed in magnificence every other ruin, as yet discovered, either in central america or mexico. it lay overgrown with huge timber in the midst of a dense forest, far remote from any settlement, and near the crater of a long extinct volcano, on whose perpendicular walls, or feet high, were aboriginal paintings of warlike and idolatrous processions, dances, and other ceremonies, exhibiting like the architectural sculptures on the temples, a state of advancement in the arts incomparably superior to all previous examples. and as the good padre had proved veracious and accurate on this matter, which he knew from personal observation, the senor would not uncharitably doubt his veracity on a subject in which he again professed to speak from the evidence of his own eye-sight. the party thus re-assured, and more exhilarated than ever with the prospect of success, proceeded on their journey with renewed vigor. although the senor modestly abstains from any allusion to the subject, in the mss. which have reached us, it cannot be doubted that messrs. huertis and hammond considered him an invaluable accession to their party. he was a guide on whom they could rely; he was acquainted with the dialects of many of the indian tribes through which they would have to pass; was familiar with the principal stages and villages on their route, and knew both the places and persons from whence the best information, if any, concerning the paramount object of their journey, could be obtained. it appears, also, from an incidental remark in his journal, that senor velasquez would have been at their right hand in a fight, in the event of any hostile obstruction on their way. as a volunteer, he had held a command under morazan, during the sanguinary conflicts of the republic, and had been a soldier through several of the most arduous campaigns, in the fierce struggle between the general and carrera. he was thus, apparently, in all respects, precisely such an auxiliary as they would have besought providence to afford them, to accomplish the hazardous enterprise they had so daringly projected and commenced. unfortunately for the public, the senor's journal, fragmentary throughout, is especially meagre concerning the incidents of travel between the capital of vera paz and santa cruz del quiche. at this period he appears to have left the task of recording them almost entirely to his two friends, whose memoranda, in all probability, are forever lost. some of those incidents appear, even from his brief minutes of them, to have been of the most imminent and critical importance. thus under the date of february nd, , he says, "on the bank of a branch of the salamo, attacked in the night by about thirty indian robbers, several of whom had fire-arms. sr. hammond, sitting within the light of the fire, was severely wounded through the left shoulder; they had followed us from the hacienda, six leagues, passed us to the north and lay in ambush; killed four, wounded three; of the rest saw no more; poor juan, shot through the body, died this morning; lost two mules." after this, there is nothing written until the th, when they had arrived at a place called san jose, where he says, "good beef and fowls; sr. huertis much better; sr. hammond very low in intermittent fever; fresh mules and good ones." next on the th of march, at the indian village of axitzel, is written, "detained here five days; hammond, strong and headstrong. agree with huertis that, to be safe, we must wait with patience the return of the good cura." slight and tantalizing memoranda of this kind occur, irregularly, until april rd, when we find the party safely arrived at quiche, and comfortably accommodated in a convent. the jovial padre, already often mentioned, who maybe regarded as the unconscious father of the expedition, had become helplessly, if not hopelessly, dropsical, and lost much of his wanted jocosity. he declared, however, that senor velasquez's description of the ruins explored the previous summer, recalling as it did his own profoundly impressed recollection of them, when he walked through their desolate avenues and deserted palaces; and corroborating as it did, in every particular, his own reiterated account of them, which he had often bestowed upon incredulous and unworthy ears, would "act like _cannabis_ upon his bladder," as it already had upon his eyes; and if he could but live to see the description in print, so as to silence all gainsayers, he had no doubt it would completely cure him, and add many years to his life. he persisted in his story of the unknown city in the candone wilderness, as seen by himself, nearly forty years ago, from the summit of the sierra; and promised the travellers a letter to his friend, the cura of gueguetenango, requesting him to procure them a guide to the very spot from whence they could behold it for themselves. this promise, in the course of a few days, the senor says, he faithfully performed, describing from recollection, by the hand of an amanuensis to whom he dictated, not only the more striking but even minute and peculiar landmarks for the guidance of the guide. on the th of april, the party, fully recruited in health and energy, set out for totonicapan; and thence we trace them by the journal through a succession of small places to quezaltenango, where they remained but two days; and thence through the places called aguas calientes, and san sebastiano, to gueguetenango; this portion of their route being described as one of unprecedented toil, danger, and exhaustion, from its mountainous character, accidents to men and mules, terrific weather and loss of provisions. arrived, however, at length, at the town last named, which they justly regarded as an eminently critical stage of their destiny, they found the cura, and presented him with the letter of introduction from his friend, the padre of quiche. they were somewhat discouraged on perceiving that the cura indicated but little confidence in the accuracy of his old friend's memory, and asked them rather abruptly, if they thought him really serious in his belief in his distant vision of an unknown city from the sierra, because, for his own part, he had always regarded the story as one of padre's broadest jokes, and especially since he had never heard of any other person possessing equal visual powers. "the mountain was high, it is true, but not much more than half as high as the hyperbolous memory of his reverend friend had made it, and he much feared that the padre, in the course of forty years, had so frequently repeated a picture of his early imagination as to have, at length, cherished it as a reality." this was said in smooth and elegant spanish, but says the senor, "with an air of dignified sarcasm upon our credulity, which was far from being agreeable to men broken down and dispirited, by almost incredible toil, in pursuit of an object thus loftily pronounced a ridiculous phantom of the brain." this part of senor velasquez's journal being interesting and carefully written, we give the following translation without abridgement:-- "the cura, nevertheless, on finding that his supercilious scepticism had not proved so infectious among us as he expected and that we were rather vexed than vacillating, offered to procure us guides in the course of a day or two, who were familiar with many parts of the sierra, and who, for good pay, he doubted not, would flatter our expectations to the utmost extent we could desire. he advised us, however, in the same style of caustic dissuasion, to take with us both a barometer and a telescope, if we were provided with those instruments, because the latter, especially, might be found useful in discovering the unknown city, and the former would not only inform us of the height of the mountain, but of the weather in prospect most favorable to a distant view. senor huertis replied that such precautions would be adopted, as a matter of course, and would, moreover, furnish him, on our return to gueguetenango, with the exact latitude and longitude of the spot from which the discovery might be made. he laughed very heartily and rejoined that he thought this operation would be much easier than to furnish the same interesting particulars concerning the location of the spots at which the discovery might fail to be made; and saying this he robed himself for mass, which we all, rather sullenly, attended. "next morning, two good looking meztitzos, brothers, waited on us with a strong letter of recommendation from the cura, as guides to that region of the sierra which the padre's letter had so particularly described, and which description, the cura added, he had taken much pains to make them understand. on being questioned concerning it, they startled and somewhat disconcerted us by calm assurances, in very fair spanish, that they were not only familiar with all the land-marks, great and small, which the cura had read to them, but had several times seen the very city of which we were in search, although none but full-blooded indians had ever ventured on a journey to it. this was rather too much, even for us, sanguine and confiding as we were. we shared a common suspicion that the cura had changed his tactics, and resolved to play a practical joke upon our credulity--to send us on a fool's errand and laugh at us for our pains. that he had been tampering with the two guides for this purpose, struck us forcibly; for while he professed never to have known any man who had seen the distant city, he recommended these meztitzos, as brothers, whom he had known from their boyhood, they declared they had beheld it from the sierra on various occasions. nevertheless, senor huertis believed that the young men spoke the truth, while the cura, probably, did not; and hoping to catch him in his own snare, if such had been laid, asked the guides their terms, which, though high, he agreed to at once, without cavil. they said it would take us eight days to reach the part of the sierra described in the letter, and that we might have to wait on the summit several days more, before the weather would afford a clear view. they would be ready in two days; they had just returned across the mountains from san antonia de guista, and needed rest and repairs. there was a frankness and simplicity about these fine fellows which would bear the severest scrutiny, and we could only admit the bare possibility of our being mistaken. "it took us three days, however, to procure a full supply of the proper kind of provisions for a fortnight's abode in the sky, and on the fourth, (may th,) we paid our formal respects to the cura, and started for the ascent--he not forgetting to remind us of the promise to report to him the precise geographical locality of our discovery." the journal is again blank until may th, when the writer says, "our altitude, by barometer, this morning, is over feet above the valley which we crossed three days ago; the view of it and its surrounding mountains, sublime with chasms, yet grotesque in outline, and all heavily gilded with the setting sun, is one of the most oppressively gorgeous i ever beheld. the guides inform us that we have but feet more to ascend, and point to the gigantic pinnacle before us, at the apparent distance of seven or eight leagues; but that, before we can reach it, we have to descend and ascend an immense barranca, (ravine,) nearly a thousand feet deep from our present level, and of so difficult a passage that it will cost us several days. the side of the mountain towards the north-west, is perfectly flat and perpendicular for more than half its entire height, as if the prodigious section had been riven down by the sword of the san miguel, and hurled with his foot among the struggling multitude of summits below. so far, the old padre is accurate in every particular." in a note opposite this extract, written perpendicularly on the margin of the manuscript, the writer says, "the average breadth of the plain on this ridge of the sierra, (that is the ridge on which they were then encamped for the night,) is nearly half a mile, and exhibits before us a fine rolling track as far as we can see. neither birds, beasts, nor insects--i would there were no such barranca!" on the tenth he says, "on the brink of the abyss--the heaviest crags we can hurl down, return no sound from the bottom." the next entry in the journal is dated may th.--"recovered the body of sebastiano and the load of his mule; his brother is building a cross for his grave, and will not leave it until famished with thirst and hunger. all too exhausted to think of leaving this our first encampment since we descended. present elevation but little above that of the opposite ridge which we left on the th, still, at least feet to climb." on the th, o'clock, p. m., he records, "myself, sr. hammond and antonio, on the highest summit, an inclined plain of bare rock, of about fifteen acres. the padre again right. sr. huertis and others just discernable, but bravely coming on. elevation, , feet. completely in the clouds, and all the country below invisible. senor hammond already bleeding at the nose, and no cigar to stop it." at o'clock, the same night, he writes, "all comfortably asleep but myself and sr. hammond, who is going to take the latitude." then follows, "he finds the latitude degrees and minutes _north_." opposite this, in the margin is written, "the mean result of three observations of different stars. intend to take the longitude to-morrow." next day, the th, he says, "a bright and most auspicious morning, and all, but poor antonio, in fine health and feeling. the wind by compass, n. e., and rolling away a billowy ocean of mist, toward, i suppose, the bay of honduras. antonio says the pacific will be visible within an hour; (present time not given) more and more of the lower mountains becoming clear every moment. fancy we already see the pacific, a faint yellow plain, almost as elevated as ourselves. can see part of the state of chiapas pretty distinctly." at o'clock, meridian, he says, "sr. hammond is taking the longitude, but finds a difference of several minutes between his excellent watch and chronometer, and fears the latter has been shaken. both the watch and its owner, however, have been a great deal more shaken, for the chronometer has been all the time in the midst of a thick blanket, and has had no falls. sr. huertis, with the glass, sees whole lines and groups of pyramids, in chiapas." at o'clock, p. m. he records, "sr. hammond reports the longitude, degrees minutes _west_. brave huertis is in ecstacy with some discovery, but will not part with the glass for a moment. no doubt it is the padre's city, for it is precisely in the direction he indicated. antonio says he can see it with his naked eye, although less distinctly than heretofore. i can only see a white straight line, like a ledge of limestone rock, on an elevated plain, at least twenty leagues distant, in the midst of a vast amphitheatre of hills, to the north east of our position, toward the state of yucatan. still, it is no doubt the place the padre saw, and it may be a great city." at o'clock p. m., he says "all doubt is at an end! we have all seen it through the glass, as distinctly as though it were but a few leagues off, and it is now clear and bright to the unaided eye. it is unquestionably a richly monumented city, of vast dimensions, within lofty parapeted walls, three or four miles square, inclined inward in the egyptian style, and its interior domes and turrets have an emphatically oriental aspect. i should judge it to be not more than twenty-five leagues from ocosingo, to the eastward, and nearly in the same latitude; and this would probably be the best point from which to reach it, travelling due east, although the course of the river legartos seems to lead directly to it. that it is still an inhabited place, is evident from the domes of its temples, or churches. christian churches they cannot be, for such a city would have an archbishop and be well known to the civilized world. it must be a pagan strong-hold that escaped the conquest by its remote position, and the general retreat, retirement, and centralizing seclusion of its surrounding population. it may now be opened to the light of the true faith." they commenced their descent the same day, and rested at night on the place of their previous encampment, a narrow shelf of the sierra. here, on the brink of the terrible ravine, which they had again to encounter, they consulted upon a plan for their future operations; and it was finally agreed that messrs. huertis and hammond, with antonio, and such of the indian muleteers as could be induced to proceed with the expedition, should follow the bottom of the ravine, in its north-east course, in which, according to antonio, the river legartos took its principal supply of water, and remain at a large village, adjacent to its banks, which they had seen, about five leagues distant; while senor velasquez was to trace their late route, by way of gueguetenango, to quezaltenango, where all the surplus arms and ammunition had been deposited, and recruit a strong party of indians, to serve as a guard, in the event of an attack from the people of the unexplored region, whither they were resolutely bound. in the meantime, antonio was to return home to gueguetenango, await the return of velasquez, with his armed party, from quezaltenango, and conduct them over the mountains to the village on the plains, where messrs. huertis and hammond were to remain until they should arrive. it appears that senor velasquez was abundantly supplied with solid funds for the recruiting service, and that mr. huertis also furnished antonio with a liberal sum, in addition to his stipulated pay, wherewith to procure masses for the repose of his unfortunate brother. of the adventures of messrs. huertis and hammond, in the long interval prior to the return of velasquez, we have no account whatever; nor does the journal of the latter contain any remarks relative to his own operations, during the same period. the next date is july the th, when we find him safely arrived with "nearly all the men he had engaged," at an indian village called aguamasinta, where his anxious companions were overjoyed to receive him, and where "they had obtained inestimable information regarding the proper arrangement of the final purpose." after this we trace them, by brief memoranda, for a few days, on the devious course of the legartos, when the journal abruptly and finally closes. the remaining narrative of the expedition was written by senor velasquez from memory, after his return to san salvador, while all the exciting events and scenes which it describes were vividly sustained by the feelings which they originally inspired. as this excessively interesting document will be translated for the public press as soon as the necessary consent of its present proprietor can be obtained, the writer of this pamphlet the less regrets the very limited use of it to which he is now restricted--which is but little more than that of making a mere abridgement and connexion of such incidents as may serve to explain the origin and possession of those _sui generis_ specimens of humanity, the aztec brother and sister, now exhibiting to the public, in the united states. from the introductory paragraphs, we take the liberty to quote the following without abridgement:-- "our latitude and longitude were now ° ' n. and ° ' w; so that the grand amphitheatre of hills, forming three fourths of an oval outline of jagged summits, a few leagues before us, most probably inclosed the mysterious object of our anxious and uncertain labors. the small groups of indians through which we had passed, in the course of the day, had evidently been startled by sheer astonishment, into a sort of passive and involuntary hospitality, but maintained a stark apprehensive reserve in most of their answers to our questions. they spoke a peculiar dialect of the maya, which i had never heard before, and had great difficulty in comprehending, although several of the maya indians of our party understood it familiarly and spoke it fluently. from them we learned that they had never seen men of our race before, but that a man of the same race as senor hammond, who was of a bright-florid complexion, with light hair and red whiskers, had been sacrificed and eaten by the macbenachs, or priests of iximaya, the great city among the hills, about thirty moons ago. our interpreters stated that the word "iximaya" meant the "great centre," and that "macbenach" meant the "great son of the sun." i at once resolved to make the most of my time in learning as much as possible of this dialect from these men, because they said it was the tongue spoken by the people of iximaya and the surrounding region. it appeared to me to be merely a provincial corruption, or local peculiarism, of the great body of the maya language, with which i was already acquainted; and, in the course of the next day's conversation, i found that i could acquire it with much facility." to this circumstance the writer is probably indebted for his life. in another day, the determined explorers had come within the circuit of the alpine district in which iximaya is situated, and found it reposing, in massive grandeur, in the centre of a perfectly level plain, about five leagues in diameter, at a distance of scarcely two from the spot they had reached. at the base of all the mountains, rising upon their sides, and extending nearly a mile inward upon the plain, was a dark green forest of colossal trees and florid shrubbery, girding it around; while the even valley itself exhibited large tracts of uncultivated fields, fenced in with palisades, and regular, even to monotony, both in size and form. "large herds of deer, cattle, and horses, were seen in the openings of the forest, and dispersed over the plain, which was also studded with low flat-roofed dwellings of stone, in small detached clusters, or hamlets. rich patches of forest, of irregular forms, bordered with gigantic aloes, diversified the landscape in effective contrast with bright lakes of water which glowed among them." while the whole party, with their cavalcade of mules and baggage were gazing upon the scene, two horsemen, in bright blue and yellow tunics, and wearing turbans decorated with three large plumes of the quezal, dashed by them from the forest, at the distance of about two hundred yards, on steeds of the highest spanish mould, followed by a long retinue of athletic indians, equally well mounted, clothed in brilliant red tunics, with coronals of gay feathers, closely arranged within a band of blue cloth. each horseman carried a long spear, pointed with a polished metal; and each held, in a leash, a brace of powerful blood-hounds, which were also of the purest spanish breed. the two leaders of this troop, who were indians of commanding air and stature, suddenly wheeled their horses and glared upon the large party of intruders with fixed amazement. their followers evinced equal surprise, but forgot not to draw up in good military array, while the blood-hounds leapt and raged in their thongs. "while the leaders," says senor velasquez, "seemed to be intently scrutinizing every individual of our company, as if silently debating the policy of an immediate attack, one of the maya indians, of whom i had been learning the dialect, stepped forward and informed us that they were a detachment of rural guards, a very numerous military force, which had been appointed from time immemorial, or, at least from the time of the spanish invasion, to hunt down and capture all strangers of a foreign race that should be found within a circle of twelve leagues of the city; and he repeated the statement made to us from the beginning, that no white man had hitherto eluded their vigilance or left their city alive. he said there was a tradition that many of the pioneers of alvarado's army had been cut off in this manner, and never heard of more, while their skulls and weapons are to this day suspended round the altars of the pagan gods. he added, finally, that if we wished to escape the same fate, now was our only chance; that as we numbered thirty-five, all armed with repeating rifles, we could easily destroy the present detachment, which amounted to but fifty, and secure our retreat before another could come up; but that, in order to do this, it was necessary first to shoot the dogs, which all our indians regarded with the utmost dread and horror. "i instantly felt the force of this advice, in which, also, i was sustained by senor hammond; but senor huertis, whom, as the leader of the expedition, we were all bound and solemnly pledged to obey; utterly rejected the proposition. he had come so far to see the city and see it he would, whether taken thither as a captive or not, and whether he ever returned from it or not, that this was the contract originally proposed, and to which i had assented; that the fine troop before us was evidently not a gang of savages, but a body of civilized men and good soldiers; and as to the dogs, they were noble animals of the highest blood he ever saw. if, however, i and his friend hammond, who seemed afraid of being eaten, in preference to the fine beef and venison which we had seen in such profusion on the plain, really felt alarmed at the bugbear legends of our vagabond indians, before any demonstration of hostility had been made, we were welcome to take two-thirds of the men and mules and make our retreat as best we could, while he would advance with antonio and the remainder of the party, to the gates of the city, and demand a peaceable admission. i could not but admire the romantic intrepidity of this resolve, though i doubted its discretion; and assured him i was ready to follow his example and share his fate. "while this conversation was passing among us, the indian commanders held a conference apparently as grave and important. but just as senor huertis and myself had agreed to advance towards them for a parley, they separated without deigning a reply to our salutation--the elder and more highly decorated, galloped off towards the city with a small escort, while the other briskly crossed our front at the head of his squadron and entered the forest nearer the entrance of the valley. this opening in the hills, was scarcely a quarter of a mile wide, and but a few minutes elapsed before we saw a single horseman cross it toward the wood on the opposite side. presently, another troop of horse of the same uniform appearance as the first, were seen passing a glade of the wood which the single horseman had penetrated, and it thus became evident that a manoeuvre had already been effected to cut off our retreat. the mountains surrounding the whole area of the plain, were absolutely perpendicular for three-fourths of their altitude, which was no where less than a thousand feet; and from many parts of their wildly piled outline, huge crags projected in monstrous mammoth forms, as if to plunge to the billows of forest beneath. at no point of this vast impassible boundary was there a chasm or declivity discernable by which we could make our exit, except the one thus formidably intercepted. "to retire into the forest and water our mules at a copious stream which rushed forth from its recesses, and recruit our own exhausted strength with food and rest, was our first necessary resource. in tracing the rocky course of the current for a convenient watering place, antonio discovered that it issued from a cavern, which, though a mere fissure exteriorly, was, within, of cathedral dimensions and solemnity; we all entered it and drank eagerly from a foaming basin, which it immediately presented to our fevered lips. our first sensations were those of freedom and independence, and of that perfect security which is the basis of both. it was long since we had slept under a roof of any kind, while here a few men could defend our repose against an assault from thousands; but it was horribly evident, to my mind, that a few watchful assailants would suffice to reduce us to starvation, or destroy us in detail. our security was that of a prison, and our freedom was limited to its walls. happily, however, for the present hour, this reflection seemed to trouble no one. objects of wonder and veneration grew numerous to our gaze. gigantic statues of ancient warriors, with round shields, arched helmets, and square breast-plates, curiously latticed and adorned, stood sculptured in high relief, with grave faces and massive limbs, and in the regular order of columns around the walls of this grand mausoleum. many of them stood arrayed in the crimson of the setting sun, which then flamed through the tall fissure into the cavern; and the deep gloom into which long rows of others utterly retired from our view, presented a scene at once of mingled mystery and splendor. it was evidently a place of great and recent resort, both for men and horses, for plentiful supplies of fresh fodder for the latter were heaped in stone recesses; while the ashes of numerous fires, mingled with discarded moccasins and broken pipes and pottery, attested a domiciliary occupation by the former. farther into the interior, were found seats and sleeping-couches of fine cane work; and in a spacious recess, near the entrance, a large collection of the bones, both of the ox and the deer, with hides, also, of both, but newly flayed and suspended on pegs by the horns. these last evidences of good living had more effect upon our hungry indians than all the rest, and within an hour after dark, while we were seeking our first sleep, four fine deer were brought in by about a dozen of our party, whom we supposed to have been faithfully guarding our citadel. it is unnecessary to say that we gladly arose to the rich repast that ensued, for we had eaten nothing but our scant allowance of tortillas for many days, and were in the lassitude of famine." tempting as such extracts are, we must avoid them, and hasten through a summary of subsequent events. there is one singular incident, however, mentioned in the passage immediately following the above, possessing too important a connexion with the final catastrophe to be pretermitted at this place. mr. hammond, the canadian engineer, fearing that the peculiarity of his appearance, as a man of fair and ruddy complexion, among a swarthy race, would subject him to great annoyance, and perhaps involve him in the horrible fate of a similar person, reported by the indians, resolved to stain his skin of a darker hue, by means of some chemical preparation which he had precautionarily provided for this purpose, before he left the united states. with the friendly assistance of antonio, this metamorphosis was completed over his whole person before he retired to rest; his red whiskers were shaved off, and his light hair died of a jet black; and so perfect was the disguise, that not one of the party who went foraging for venison recognized him on their return, but marvelled, as he sat at supper, whence so singular a stranger could have come. velasquez states, however, that his new complexion was unlike that of any human being on the face of the earth, and scarcely diminished the certainty of his becoming an object of curiosity, among an indian population. in the morning, about the break of day, the infernal yells of a pack of blood-hounds suddenly rang through the cavern, and the party could scarcely seize their rifles before many of the dogs, who had driven in the affrighted indians on guard, were springing at their throats. mr. huertis, however, the american leader of the expedition, with that presence of mind which seems always to have distinguished him, told the men that rifles were useless in such a contest, and that the hounds must be dispatched with their long knives as fast as they came in, while the fire-arms were to be reserved for their masters. this canine butchery was accomplished with but little difficulty; none of the party received any serious injury from their fangs; and the indians were exhilarated with a victory which was chiefly a conquest of their fears. these unfortunate dogs, it appears, were the advanced van of a pack, or perhaps merely a few unleashed as scouts to others held in reserve; for no more were seen or heard for sometime. meanwhile, mr. huertis seems to have struck out a brilliant scheme. he collected his whole party into that obscure branch of the cavern, near its entrance, which has been described as a depository of animal bones, and ordering them to sling their rifles at their backs, bade them stand ready with their knives. almost instantly, they observed a party of ten dismounted natives, in scarlet tunics, and armed with spears, enter the cavern in single file; and, it would seem, from seeing the dogs slain and no enemy in sight, they rushed out again, without venturing on farther search. in a few minutes, however, they returned with forty or fifty more, in the same uniform, headed by the younger of the two personages whom they had seen in command the previous evening. as soon as they were well advanced into the cavern, and heard disturbing the tired mules, mr. huertis and his party marched quietly out and seized their horses, which were picketed close by, in charge of two or three men, whom they disarmed. at a short distance, however, drawn up in good order, was another squadron of horses, which mr. huertis determined instantly to charge. ordering his whole party to mount the noble stallions they had captured, and reserve their fire until he gave the word, he, velasquez, and hammond, drew the short sabres they had worn on their march, and led the attack. the uniformed natives, however, did not wait the encounter, but scattered in wonderment and consternation; doubtless under the impression that all their comrades had been slain. but the rapid approach of a much larger force--which is found, eventually, to have consisted of two detachments of fifty each, being just twice their number--speedily reassured them, and falling in line with this powerful reinforcement, the whole hundred and fifty charged upon our comparative handful of travellers, at a rapid pace. huertis promptly ordered his little party to halt, and form in line, two deep, with presented arms; and doubtless feeling that, notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, the enemy, armed only with spears and small side-hatchets, held but a slender chance of victory over a party of thirty-eight--most of them old campaigners in the sanguinary expeditions of the terrible carrera--armed with new "six-shooting" rifles and long knives, generously commanded them to keep aim upon the horses only, until further orders. in the meantime, most of their plumed opponents, instead of using their long spears as in lance practice, threw them through the air from so great a distance that nearly all fell short of the mark--an infallible indication both of timidity and inexperience in action. the unfortunate mr. hammond, however, was pierced through the right breast, and another of the party was killed by being transfixed through the bowels. at this instant huertis gave the word to fire; and, at the next, no small number of the enemy were rolling upon the sod, amid their plunging horses. a second rapid, but well delivered volley, brought down as many more, when the rest, in attitudes of frantic wonder and terror, unconsciously dropped their weapons and fled like affrighted fowls under the sudden swoop of the kite. their dispersion was so outrageously wild and complete that no two of them could be seen together as they radiated over the plain. the men and horses seemed impelled alike by a preternatural panic; and neither cortez in mexico, nor pizarro in peru, ever witnessed greater consternation at fire-arms among a people, who, for the first time, beheld their phenomena and effects--when mere hundreds of invaders easily subjugated millions of natives chiefly by this appalling influence--than was manifested by these iximayans on this occasion. indeed, it appears that these primitive and isolated people, holding no intercourse whatever with the rest of mankind, were as ignorant as their ancestors even of the existence of this kind of weapons; and although their modern hieroglyphical annals were found to contain vague allusions to the use of them in the conquest of the surrounding country, by means of a peculiar kind of thunder and lightning, and several old spanish muskets and pistols were found in their scant collection of foreign curiosities, yet, not even the most learned of their priests had retained the slightest notion of the uses for which they were designed. while this summary conflict was enacted on the open lawn of the forest, the dismounted company in the cavern having completed their fruitless search for the fugitives, emerged from its portal with all the mules and baggage, just in time to see and hear the fiery explosions of the rifles and their effect upon the whole body of scarlet cavalry. the entire scene, including the mounted possession of their horses by uncouthly attired strangers, previously invisible, must have appeared to these terror-stricken natives an achievement of supernatural beings. and when mr. huertis wheeled his obstreperously laughing party to recover his mules, he found most of the astounded men prostrated upon their faces, while others, more self-possessed, knelt upon the bended knee, and, with drooping heads, crossed their hands behind them to receive the bonds of captives. their gallant and gaily accoutred young chieftain, however, though equally astonished and dismayed, merely surrendered his javelin as an officer would his sword, under the like circumstances, in civilized warfare. but, with admirable tact and forethought, huertis declined to accept it, immediately returning it with the most profound and deferential cordiality of manner. he at the same time informed him, through velasquez, that, though strangers, his party were not enemies but friendly visitors, who, after a long and painful journey, again to be pursued, desired the temporary hospitality of his countrymen in their magnificent city. the young chief replied, with evident discomposure and concern, that his countrymen showed no hospitality to strangers, it being interdicted by their laws and punishable with death; that the inhabitants of their city held intercourse only with the population of the surrounding valley, who were restricted alike by law and by patriotism from ever leaving its confines; he and his fellow soldiers alone being privileged to visit the neighboring regions for the purpose of arresting intruders, (_cowana_,) and escorting certain kind of merchandize which they exchanged with a people of their own race in an adjoining district. he added, with much eloquence of manner, and as velasquez believed, of language, which he but partially understood, that the independence and peace of his nation, who were a peaceful and happy people, depended upon these severe restrictions, which indeed had been the only means of preserving it, while all the country besides, from sea to sea, had bowed to a foreign yoke, and seen their ancient cities, once the seats and centres of mighty empires, overgrown with forest, and the temples of their gods demolished. he further added, says velasquez, in a very subdued but significant tone, that some few strangers, it was true, had been taken to the city by its guards in the course of many generations, but that none of them had been allowed an opportunity of betraying its existence and locality to the cruel rapacity of the foreign race. he concluded by earnestly entreating them, since he could not compel them as prisoners, to enter the city as friends, with the view of residing there for life; promising them wives, and dwellings, and honors; for even now, if they attempted to retreat, they would be overtaken by thousands of armed men on fleet horses, that would overpower them by their numbers and subject them to a very different fate. mr. huertis rejoined, through the same interpreter, that he could destroy any number of armed men, on the swiftest horses, before they could approach him, as the chief had already seen; and since he could enforce his exit from the city whenever he thought proper, he would enter it upon his own terms, either as a conqueror, or as a friend, according to the reception he met with; that there was now no race of conquerors to whom the city could be betrayed, even if he were disposed to do so, as the people of the whole country, of all races, were now living in a state of perfect freedom and equality; and that, therefore, there was no necessity for those unsocial and sanguinary laws which secluded the iximayans from friendly intercourse with their fellow-men. saying which, and without waiting for further colloquy, he ordered his party to dismount, restore the horses to their owners, and march with the train of mules toward the city, in the usual style of travel. with this order, his indians complied very reluctantly, but on assuring them that it was a matter of the highest policy, they evinced their wonted confidence in his judgment and ability. to the young chief he restored his own richly caparisoned steed, which had fallen to the lot of the unfortunate mr. hammond, who was now lying desperately wounded, in the care of the faithful antonio. for himself and senor velasquez, mr. huertis retained the horses they had first seized, and placing themselves on each side of the iximayan commander, with their friend hammond borne immediately behind them, in one of the cane couches of the cavern, on the backs of two mules yoked together, they advanced to the head of their party, while the red troopers, followed by the surviving bloodhounds leashed in couples, brought up the rear. huertis, however, had taken the precaution to add the spears and hatchets of these men to the burdens of the forward mules, to abide the event of his reception at the city gates. the appearance of the whole cavalcade must have been unique and picturesque; for velasquez informs us, that while he wore the uniform of a military company to which he belonged in san salvador, much enhanced in effect by some brilliant additions, and crowned with a broad sombrero and plume, huertis wore that of an american naval commander, with gold epaulettes; his riflemen and muleteers generally were clothed in blue cotton and grass hats, while the native cavalry, in the brilliant tunics and feathered coronals, already described, must have completed the diversity of the variegated cortege. had poor hammond been mounted among them, his costume would have been as equivocal as his new complexion, for he had attired himself in the scarlet coat of a british officer of rank, with several blazing stars of glass jewels, surmounted by a white panama hat, in which clustered an airy profusion of ladies' ostrich feathers, dyed blue at the edges. in passing the spot of the recent skirmish, they found that nine horses and two men had been killed, the latter unintentionally, besides the rifleman of their own party. many other horses were lying wounded, in the struggles of death, and several of their riders were seated on the ground, disabled by bruises or dislocations. huertis' men buried their comrades in a grave hastily dug with the spears which lay around him, while the iximayans laid their dead and wounded upon horses, to be conveyed to a village on the plain. the former, it was found, were consumed there the next day, in funereal fires, with idolatrous rites; and it was observed by the travellers that the native soldiers regarded their dead with emotions of extreme sensibility, and almost feminine grief, like men wholly unaccustomed to scenes of violent death. but velasquez remarks, that the strongest emotion evinced by the young chief, throughout their intercourse, was when he heard the word "iximaya," in interpreting for huertis. he then seemed to be smitten and subdued, by blank despair, as if he felt that the city and its location were already familiarly known to the foreign world. as already intimated, the distance to the city was about six miles. the expedition found the road to it bordered, on either side, as far as the eye could reach, with a profuse and valuable vegetation, the result of evidently assiduous and skilful culture. indigo, corn, oats, a curious five-eared wheat, gourds, pine-apples, esculent roots, pulse, flax, and hemp, the white as well as the crimson cotton, vineyards, and fruit orchards, grew luxuriantly in large, regularly divided fields, which were now ripe for the harvest. the villages, large and populous, were mostly composed of flat-roofed dwellings with broad overhanging eaves or architraves, supported by heavy columns, often filletted over spiral flutings, in the egyptian style, and generally terminating in foliaged capitals, of the same character. none of the houses were mean, while many were superb; and of the mosque-like larger buildings, which occasionally appeared, and which were supposed to be rural temples, some were grand and imposing. a profusion of bold sculpture, was the prevailing characteristic, and perhaps defect, of all. the inhabitants, who thronged the wayside in great numbers, appeared excited with surprise and exultation, on beholding the large company of strangers apparently in the custody of their military, while the disarmed condition of the latter, and the bodies of the slain, were a mystery they could not explain. many of the husbandmen were observed to be in possession of bows and arrows, and some of the women held rusty spears. the predominant costume of both sexes was a pale blue tunic, gathered in at the breast and descending to the knee, with reticulated buskins, of red cord, covering the calf of the leg. the women, with few exceptions, were of fine form, and the highest order of indian beauty, with an extraordinary affluence of black hair, tastefully disposed, and decorated with plumes and flowers. at the village where the dead and wounded were left, with their relatives and friends, doleful lamentations were heard, until the expedition approached the city. the walls of this metropolis were sixty feet high, sloping inward from the foundation, surmounted by a parapet which overhung in a concave curve and rested upon a plain moulding. they were evidently a massive work of a remote period, for although constructed of large blocks of granitic stone, white and glittering in the sun, passing ages had corroded rough crevices between the layers, and the once perfect cornices had become indented by the tooth of time. the sculptured annals of the city recorded them an antiquity of four thousand years. they formed a parallelogram four miles long and three in width, thus inclosing an area of nearly twelve square miles, and they breasted the cardinal points of the horizon with a single gate, or propylon, midway on every side. on approaching the eastern gate, the travellers discovered that the foundations of the walls were laid in a deep foss or moat a hundred feet wide, nearly full to its brink and abounding with water-fowl. it was replenished from the mountains, and discharged its surplus waters into the lakes of the valley. it was to be crossed by a draw-bridge now raised over the gate, and the parapet was thronged with the populace to behold the entrance of so large a number of strangers for whom there was no return. at a signal from the young chief, the bridge slowly descended and the cavalcade passed over; but the folding gates, which were composed of blocks of stone curiously dovetailed together, and which revolved upon hinges of the same material by a ball and socket contrivance above and below, were not yet opened, and the party were detained on the bridge. a small oval orifice only appeared, less than a human face, and an ear was applied there to receive an expected word in a whisper. this complied with, the ponderous gates unfolded, and a vista of solemn magnificence was presented to the view. it was a vista at once of colossal statues and trees, interminable in perspective and extending, as it was found, the whole length of the city to its western gate. incredible as it may be, until we reflect upon the ancient statuary of the eastern world, velasquez reports each and all of these monuments as being exactly of the height of the city wall, that is, sixty feet, and all possessing the proportions of the human figure. he adds, what is equally marvelous, that no two of them were precisely alike in countenance, and very few in their sculptural costume. there was some distinctive emblem upon each, and he was informed that they were statues of the ancient kings of assyria, from before the foundation of babylon, and of their descendants in the aztec empires of this continent. they stood sixty feet apart, with a smaller monument of some mythological animal between each, and were said to number one hundred and fifteen, on each side of the avenue they formed, which was one hundred and twenty feet in width. a similar but shorter avenue, it appears, crossed the city from north to south, having a proportional number of such monuments through its entire extent; and these two grand avenues ran through wide areas of green sward richly grouped with lofty trees. but the translator finds himself trespassing upon forbidden ground and must forbear. as the cavalcade advanced through this highway to the centre of the city, they found it crowded on each side with the masses of the population assembled to behold a spectacle so unprecedented and mysterious; but the utmost order prevailed and even the silence was profound. the news of the slaughter and dispersion of their military guardians, by an army of strangers, wielding deadly weapons of fire and smoke, had already run through every quarter of the city with increasing exaggeration and terror; but the people wisely left its investigation to their constituted authorities, and were rendered comparatively tranquil by their personal observation of its actual results. arrived at the quadrated point, where the two great avenues we have described intersect, mr. huertis boldly demanded of his guide the further course and character of his destination. he was answered by his dignified companion, that he would be conducted to the building immediately before him, which is described as one of majestic dimensions and style, where the monarch of the nation daily assembled with his councillors, at the hour of noon, to administer justice and listen to complaints. in the meantime, his wounded friend could be placed in a state of greater ease and repose, in one of the apartments of the edifice, while the mules and baggage could be disposed of in its basement vaults. when this was accomplished the hours of audience had arrived. the entire party of strangers, with the young chief and several of his subordinates, were then led into a large and lofty hall, surrounded by columns, and displaying three raised seats covered with canopies of rich drapery and design. on the one of these, which stood at the eastern end, sat the monarch himself, a personage of grave but benignant aspect, about sixty years of age, arrayed in scarlet and gold, and having a golden image of the rising sun, of extraordinary splendor, displayed on the back of his throne. on the seat on the southern side, sat a venerable man of advanced age, not less gorgeously attired; and the seat at the western end was occupied by a functionary of similar years and costume. around the apartment, and especially around the steps of the throne, sat other grave looking men, in scarlet robes. huertis, velasquez, and their indians, still carrying their loaded rifles, of which he had not suffered them to be deprived, stood on the left side of the monarch, and the young chief and his soldiers on the right. the latter gave his statement with truth and manly candour, although the facts which he averred seemed to fill the whole council with amazement, and left a settled gloom upon the imperial brow. the whole proceeding possesses great interest in velasquez's narrative, but we can only briefly state that it resulted in the decision, which was concurred in by the associate councillors, that the strangers having magnanimously released and restored the company of guards, after they had surrendered themselves prisoners; and having voluntarily entered the city in a peaceable manner, when they might possibly have effected their escape, were entitled to their personal freedom, within the limits of the city, and might eventually, under voluntary but indispensable obligations, become eligible to all the privileges of citizenship, within the same limits. in the mean time, they were to be maintained as pensioners of state, on condition that they made no use of their dangerous weapons, nor exhibited them to terrify the people. with this decision, huertis and his companions were perfectly satisfied, for the latter had undiminished confidence in his ability and determination to achieve their escape, as soon as he should have accomplished the scientific objects of his expedition. on leaving the hall of justice, they observed the elder military chief, of whom a slight mention has been made, brought in with two others of inferior rank; and it was afterwards currently reported that they had been sentenced to close imprisonment. it was, also, ascertained by velasquez, that the four companies of rangers, already noticed, composing a regiment of two hundred men, constituted the whole military force of this timid and peaceful people. from this point, our abstract of the narrative must be chiefly a brief catalogue of the most important of the concluding events. the place of residence assigned to our travellers, was the vacant wing of a spacious and sumptuous structure, at the western extremity of the city, which had been appropriated, from time immemorial, to the surviving remnant of an ancient and singular order of priesthood called kaanas, which, it was distinctly asserted in their annals and traditions, had accompanied the first migration of this people from the assyrian plains. their peculiar and strongly distinctive lineaments, it is now perfectly well ascertained are to be traced in many of the sculptured monuments of the central american ruins, and were found still more abundantly on those of iximaya. forbidden, by inviolably sacred laws, from intermarrying with any persons but those of their own caste, they had here dwindled down, in the course of many centuries, to a few insignificant individuals, diminutive in stature, and imbecile in intellect. they were, nevertheless, held in high veneration and affection by the whole iximayan community, probably as living specimens of an antique race so nearly extinct. their position, as an order of priesthood, it is now known, had not been higher, for many ages, if ever, than that of religious mimes and bacchanals, in a certain class of pagan ceremonies, highly popular with the multitude. this, indeed, is evident from their characteristics in the sculptures. their ancient college, or hospital, otherwise vacant and forlorn, was now chiefly occupied by a much higher order of priests, called mahaboons, who were their legal and sacerdotal guardians. with a yachin, one of the junior brethren of this order, named vaalpeor, a young man of superior intellect and attainments, velasquez soon cultivated a friendly and confidential acquaintance, which proved reciprocal and faithful. and while huertis was devoting all his time and energies to the antiquities, hieroglyphics, ethnology, science, pantheism, theogony, arts, manufactures, and social institutions of this unknown city and people, the ear of this young pagan priest was as eagerly imbibing, from the wiley lips of velasquez, a similar knowledge of the world at large, to him equally new and enchanting. if huertis had toiled so severely, and hazarded so much, both as to himself and companions, to acquire a knowledge of this one city and people, it soon became clear to the penetrating mind of velasquez, that vaalpeor possessed enough both of mental ambition and personal energy to incur equal toil and risk to learn the wonders of the cities and races of the greater nations of mankind. indeed, this desire evidently glowed in his breast with a consuming fervor, and when velasquez, after due observation proposed the liberation of the whole expedition, with vaalpeor himself, as its protected companion, the now consciously imprisoned pagan, horror-stricken at first, regarded the proposition with complacency, and finally, with a degree of delight, regardless of consequences. it was, however, mutually agreed that the design should be kept secret from huertis, until ripe for success. a serious obstacle existed in his plighted guardianship of the kaana children, whom he could abandon only with his life; but even this was not deemed insurmountable. in the meantime, huertis, to facilitate his own objects, had prevailed upon his entire party to conform in dress and habits with the community in which they lived. the city was surrounded on all sides by a lofty colonade, sustaining the upper esplanade of the city walls, and forming a broad covered walk beneath, in which the population could promenade, sheltered from sun and shower. in these places of general resort, the new citizens appeared daily, until they had become familiarly known to the greater part of the eighty-five thousand inhabitants of the city. huertis, moreover, had formed domestic and social connexions; was the welcome guest of families of the highest rank, who were fascinated with the information he afforded them of the external world; had made tacit converts to liberty of many influential persons; had visited each of the four grand temples which stood in the centre of the several quadrangular divisions of the city, and externally conformed to their idolatrous worship. he had even been admitted into some of the most sacred mysteries of these temples, while velasquez, more retired, and avowedly more scrupulous, was content to receive the knowledge thus acquired, in long conversations by the sick couch of poor hammond, now rapidly declining to the grave. mr. hammond's dreadful wound had but partially healed in the course of several months; his constitution was exhausted, and he was dying of remittent fever and debility. his chief regret was that he could not assist his friend huertis in his researches and drawings, and determine the place of the city by astronomical observations which his friends were unable to take. the day before he died, he was visited by some of the medical priesthood, who, on seeing numerous light spots upon his skin, where the preparation with which he had stained it had disappeared, they pronounced him _a leper_, and ordered that all intercourse with the building should be suspended. no explanation would convince them to the contrary, and his death confirmed them in their opinion. availing himself of this opportunity, and under the plea that it was important to their safety, vaalpeor removed the two orphan children in his charge to one of the country temples in the plain, and the idle mules of the strangers were employed to carry tents, couches, and other bulky requisites for an unprovided rural residence. it may be added that he included among them much of the baggage of his new friends, with the greater part of their rifles and ammunition. in the mean time huertis, velasquez, and about half of their party, were closely confined to the part of the edifice assigned for their occupation. their friend hammond had been interred without the walls, in a field appropriated to lepers by the civic authorities. huertis, was now informed of the plan of escape, but was not ready; he had more daguerreotype views to take, and many curiosities to collect. the interdicted period of nine days having expired, the young priest, who had free access to the city at all times, again appeared at their abode and urged an early retreat, as the return of the orphan children would soon be required. but huertis was abroad in the city and could not be consulted. he remained absent all the day, and did not return to his apartments at night. it was so all the next day and night, and velasquez was deeply alarmed. on searching his rooms for his papers, drawings and instruments, for secret transmittal into the country, he found them all removed, including those of mr. hammond which were among them. it was then vainly hoped that he had effected his escape with all his treasures, but his indians knew nothing of the matter. shortly after this discovery, vaalpeor arrived with its explanation. huertis had made a confidant of his intended flight whom he idly hoped would accompany it, and she had betrayed him. his offence, after his voluntary vows, and his initiation into the sacred mysteries, was unpardonable, and his fate could not be doubted. indeed, the trembling priest at length admitted that he had been sacrificed in due form upon the high altar of the sun, and that he himself had beheld the fatal ceremony. huertis, however, had implicated none of his associates, and there was yet a chance of escape. to pass the gates was impossible; but the wall might be descended in the night by ropes, and to swim the moat was easy. this was effected by velasquez and fifteen of his party the same night; the rest either did not make the attempt or failed, and the faithful antonio was among them. the fugitives had scarcely reached the secluded retreat of vaalpeor, and mounted their mules, before the low yelp of blood-hounds was heard upon their trail and soon burst into full cry. but the dogs were somewhat confused by the scent of so many footsteps on the spot at which the party mounted, and did not follow the mules until the horsemen led the way. this afforded time for the fugitives, racing their swift mules at full speed, to reach the opening of the valley, when velasquez wheeled and halted, for the pursuers were close at hand. a conflict ensued in which many of the horsemen were slain, and the young kaana received an accidental wound of which he retains the scar. it must suffice to say, that the party eventually secured their retreat without loss of life; and by break of day they were on a mountainous ridge many leagues from iximaya. in about fourteen days, they reached ocosingo, after great suffering. here velasquez reluctantly parted with most of his faithful indians, and here also died vaalpeor, from the unaccustomed toil and deprivations of the journey. velasquez, with the two aztec children, did not reach san salvador until the middle of february, when they became objects of the highest interest to the most intellectual classes of that city. as the greatest ethnological curiosities in living form, that ever appeared among civilised men, he was advised to send them to europe for exhibition. with this view they were taken to grenada where they remained the objects of much local curiosity, until it was deemed proper and advisable first to exhibit them to the people of the united states. the parties whom senor velasquez first appointed as their temporary guardians brought them to new york via jamaica, and they will no doubt attract and reward universal attention. they are supposed to be eight and ten years of age, and both are lively, playful and affectionate. but it is as specimens of an _absolutely unique_ and nearly extinct race of mankind that they claim the attention of physiologists and all men of science. transcriber's note the following errors were corrected. page error vaalpeor, in changed to vaalpeor, an diocess changed to diocese scirra changed to sierra attemped changed to attempted gautamala changed to guatimala seirra changed to sierra rasing changed to raising seirra changed to sierra balize changed to belize way changed to way. hammand changed to hammond attestors changed to attesters proceded changed to proceeded regreted changed to regretted repecting changed to respecting experince changed to experience idolitrous changed to idolatrous invaluble changed to invaluable joval changed to jovial mentined changed to mentioned realitily changed to reality rediculous changed to ridiculous guilded changed to gilded pinacle changed to pinnacle mountians changed to mountains chiapas. changed to chiapas." limbstone changed to limestone parapetted changed to parapeted aarchbishop changed to archbishop amunition changed to ammunition orign changed to origin mayua changed to maya interpeters changed to interpreters provinical changed to provincial pewerful changed to powerful i changed to "i solemly changed to solemnly mocassins changed to moccasins states changed to states. defferential changed to deferential pine-apples changed to pine-apples, a ear changed to an ear disperson changed to dispersion ran through changed to run through appartments changed to apartments indispensible changed to indispensable destinctive changed to distinctive amunition changed to ammunition apropriated changed to appropriated appartments changed to apartments valasquez changed to velasquez transmital changed to transmittal the following words were inconsistently spelled or hyphenated. blood-hounds / bloodhounds land-marks / landmarks meztitzos / mestitzos re-assured / reassured the harlequin opal a romance by fergus hume _author of "the island of fantasy," "aladdin in london," etc._ volume iii once a realm of indian glory, famed in aztec song and story, fabled by tradition hoary as an earthly paradise; now a land of love romances, serenades, bolero dances, looks of scorn, adoring glances, under burning tropic skies. london w. h. allen & co., limited , waterloo place, s.w. wyman and sons, limited, london and redhill. proem. the stone had its birth in the nurturing earth, its home in the heart of the main, from the coraline caves it was tossed by the waves on the breast of an aureate plain; and the spirits who dwell in the nethermost hell stored fire in its bosom of white; the sylphs of the air made it gracious and fair with the blue of the firmament's height. the dull gnomes i ween, gave it glittering sheen, till yellow as gold it became; the nymphs of the sea made the opal to be a beacon of emerald flame. the many tints glow, they come and they go at bidding of spirits abhorr'd, when one ray is bright, in the bosom of white, its hue tells the fate of its lord. for yellow hints wealth, and blue meaneth health, while green forbodes passing of gloom, but beware of the red, 'tis an omen of dread, portending disaster and doom. transcriber's note: minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed. words printed in italics are noted with underscores: _italics_. the cover of this ebook was created by the transcriber and is hereby placed in the public domain. index. chap page i.--within the walls ii.--the fall of janjalla iii.--the flight to tlatonac iv.--exit don francisco gomez v.--the indian raid vi.--the luck of the opal vii.--under the opal flag viii.--the battle of centeotl ix.--the triumph of the republic x.--the canon road xi.--the destiny of the opal xii.--farewell, tlatonac! the harlequin opal. chapter i. within the walls. circle of stone, circle of steel, loyalists true, pent up in battle belts twain; yet we, alone, doubly feel, that with our few, we shall a victory gain. climb up our foes, over the wall, deep bit the swords, fiercely the cannon spout fire; yet 'neath our blows, downward they fall, traitorous hordes, in torment and blood to expire. tim at once took his friends to his quarters, and made them comfortable, but scarcely had they finished a hurried meal, when an aide-de-camp arrived from general gigedo requiring their presence without delay. as peter had received a nasty blow on the head during the _mêlée_, jack insisted that he should remain behind and rest himself. peter feebly remonstrated against this arrangement, as he wanted to accompany his friends, but in the end was forced to yield to their insistence. then duval buckled on his sword, slipped his revolvers into his belt, and went off with tim to report himself at head-quarters. both of them were terribly alarmed about philip. in the first burst of emotion jack had deemed his friend dead; but, on looking at the matter calmly, it seemed probable that he would yet turn up well and unhurt. it was impossible that indians, in whatever number, could utterly exterminate a body of disciplined troops amounting to a thousand men. tim's opinion was that if they had been attacked and overpowered by strategy, they had fled to the nearest town for shelter. as he had marched overland with colonel garibay from tlatonac, he knew the country better than did jack, and proceeded to defend his theory of the reinforcements' safety, by describing the position of the towns. "it's a hundred miles or more as the crow flies from tlatonac to this god-forsaken place. within that limit are four towns, no less--one every twenty miles. when we marched south two weeks ago, we first went to chichimec, then to puebla de los naranjos, which last one is midway. hermanita is next, and then after dropping in at centeotl, we came on to janjalla!" "still, if the indians surprised them by night they might have surrounded and exterminated the whole lot. to my mind nothing is so dangerous as a despised enemy." "what!" cried tim, with great contempt, "d'you mean to tell me that a lot of naked savages could manage that. by my soul, 'tis impossible!" "but, my dear fellow, the indians are out in thousands. cocom told me so." "they may be out in millions," retorted tim, emphatically. "i tell you, jack, they couldn't have killed all these men. a good number of them must have escaped to the nearest town, and, i'll lay my soul on it, that among those who got away is philip. he wasn't born to be murdered by a lot of howling savages." "well, let us hope so," replied jack, who was beginning to take this comfortable view of things himself; "but, tell me, tim, when the reinforcements didn't arrive, why did you not wire to tlatonac?" "begad! i couldn't. the rebels cut the telegraph wires some days since. the last message was that you and doña dolores had come back safely. ah, my boy," cried tim, slapping jack on the shoulder, "didn't i sing 'glory hallelujah,' when i heard that same. but, i knew you'd turn up again all safe." "i didn't know it myself!" replied jack, grimly "it was touch and go, i can tell you." "dioul! you must tell me all about it. but hold your noise, jack, and don't be lamenting for philip. if you returned, so will he." "i fervently hope so," said jack, gloomily; "but i own that i feel doubtful. are the wires cut on both sides of the town?" "no! glory be to the saints. i can still telegraph to england by the wires going south, but i expect them to be cut every minute, so i'm hard at work sending all the news i can." "did you see the fight last night?" "did i not! whow, my boy! i guessed what was up, but till the dawn we weren't quite sure of the trouble. begad! _the pizarro's_ gone anyhow." "yes. but the other warships and transports are due to-night." "then we'll have another fight," said tim, coolly; "wasn't i wishing i was on board a torpedera! there's a heap to talk about, jack; how you escaped from that infernal xuarez, and how you sank _the pizarro_. i want to wire about that same right away." "first i must see what the general desires. oh, here is garibay. a thousand greetings, colonel." "what, señor juan! ah, mi amigo, how pleased i am to see you safe once more. i deemed you were dead." "dios! he is a merry corpse, señor," said tim, turning his head. "where's the general?" "within yonder house of the jefe politico. you also, señor correspoñsal, does he desire to see." "i am at the service of señor gigedo. know you, comandante, what he desires to speak of?" "it is that you will convey the glorious news of our naval victory to your gran'diario." "dios! that will be done within an hour. i but waited to find out all particulars from don juan." "oh! i can tell you everything," said jack cheerfully, "i was on board _the montezuma_ with don rafael, and it was her torpedo which sank _the pizarro_." "viva los torpederas," shouted garibay, who was greatly excited over this unexpected victory. the cry was taken up by a chattering group of officers lounging in from off the general's headquarters, and jack being recognized was at once surrounded by them. they were mostly young fellows, who were weary of being pent up within the walls of a suburban town, and saw in this sinking of _the pizarro_, a chance of coming face to face with the enemy. it was all cries of viva! bueno! gracias a dios! as duval passed through their midst, and many would fain have detained him, to learn particulars of the combat; but jack was anxious to hear gigedo's views concerning the non-arrival of the reinforcements, so entered the mansion at once. colonel garibay conducted them both without delay to the general's apartments. gigedo, cigarette in mouth, was poring over a large map of the country, evidently tracing the line of march from tlatonac, but on seeing duval, he sprang up and advanced to salute him, with a pleased smile. "a thousand congratulations, señor, on your escape from the hands of xuarez," he said, warmly; "and still more on your gallant conduct of last night." "oh! as to that, general, i was but an onlooker," replied duval, modestly. "the credit of sinking _the pizarro_ rests with don rafael maraquando. have you heard the particulars?" "assuredly señor, don sebastian de ahumada has left me but this moment. he informed me of the affair, and also delivered the instructions from his excellency. i find here," added gigedo, striking a pile of papers with his open hand, "that over a thousand men left tlatonac for the front, four days ago." "that is so, general. my friend, señor felipe, was with them." "they have not arrived, don juan. the troops of xuarez cannot have intercepted them and i am at a loss to understand this delay. can you explain?" "señor," said jack after a pause, "before i left tlatonac there were rumours of an indian rising. while a prisoner at totatzine i saw myself the tribes, incited to war by ixtlilxochitli, the high priest of the chalchuih tlatonac." "ah, that cursed opal!" cried garibay, fiercely; "it is the cause of great trouble. would that it could be taken from the indians." "rest content, señor garibay; it _is_ taken from the indians. doña dolores took it from the shrine, and it is now in tlatonac." "dios!" exclaimed the general and garibay, simultaneously, while tim was scarcely less astonished. "naturally enough the indians wish to recover this sacred gem, señor, therefore the rising has taken place sooner than was expected. i fear, gentlemen, that the indians have surprised and massacred our poor friends." "santissima madre! a thousand men?" "the indian forces amount to three times that number," said jack, quickly. "it is true that his excellency, at my request, sent messengers after the reinforcements to warn them of a possible attack. yet it is not unlikely that these messengers may have been intercepted by the indians. they might have fallen on the reinforcements without warning, and then--señor, three thousand against one thousand--an unexpected attack. alas! it is a terrible risk." "our troops may have retreated to one of the towns," said gigedo, taking the same view of the case as had tim. "this i would know if the telegraph wires had not been cut. but as it is we can but wait." "and meantime," remarked garibay, dryly "xuarez will land some troops--already two thousand lie before the town--we have hard work, even behind our walls to keep them back. now we have scarcely five hundred here capable of defending the town. many are dead and wounded--fever and dysentery prevail greatly. if xuarez lands more troops and makes an immediate attack janjalla must fall." "he cannot land more troops while _the iturbide_ and the torpederas guard the harbour." said gigedo in a tone of some displeasure; "and even if these two thousand again assault the walls we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. his excellency tells me that two thousand men are to follow in ten days." "hark!" cried tim, as garibay was about to reply; "a gun!--another. señores, the warships are at it again. with your permission, general." he hastily left the room and went off to the walls where he was soon afterwards joined by jack, who had been hurriedly dismissed by the general. they looked seaward, and saw the performance of a most extraordinary drama. it was now about three o'clock, and the ocean like a sheet of glass stretched in an inclined plane upward to the distant horizon. owing to the elevation of the city walls they looked down, as from the heights of an amphitheatre. the ramparts were crowded with spectators, townsfolk and soldiers. immediately below was the beach, the rebel camp--then the long pier shooting out into the blue, and beyond the flashing expanse of the sea. _the iturbide_ was lying a quarter of a mile from the shore with her two torpederas, one on each side of her. the cruiser had swung round, and was firing her guns at a slowly approaching warship. "_the columbus_!" cried jack, when his eyes fell upon this vessel. "true for you, john," said tim, handing him the glass. "she has come south by herself. i thought you told me the transports were not due here till midnight." "no more they are. i expect xuarez, learning through his spies of our departure from tlatonac has sent _the columbus_ on ahead to join forces with _the pizarro_. with two warships he hopes to keep our lot at bay till the transports with the _cortes_ are safe in the harbour." "the sinking of _the pizarro_ will rather upset his plans. _the columbus_ dare not attack two torpederas and a cruiser, single-handed." "upon my soul! that seems exactly what she intends to do, tim." a low murmur of surprise arose from the crowd on the ramparts, who were eagerly watching the warships. it seemed as though _the columbus_ was bent on her own destruction, for she came steaming straight ahead for the three ships of the junta, insolently flying the red flag of xuarez. "what the deuce does she mean," cried tim, in perplexity. "surely she can't mistake _the iturbide_ for her consort." "perhaps she intends to desert," suggested jack. _the columbus_ was now more within range, and though hitherto she had been silent under the fire of _the iturbide_, she now began to speak in her turn, and a white line of smoke ran along her black sides as the balls came singing over the water. "not much deserting about that," said tim, grimly; "no! the rebels have some scheme in their heads." by this time pedraza was thoroughly enraged at the insolence of this one ship attacking him single-handed, and signalled at once to the torpederas. the captain of _the columbus_ saw that the signals ordered the boats to "up anchor," and acted accordingly. in a surprisingly short space of time the rebel ship had swung round, and with full steam ahead was standing out to sea. the ships of the junta were taken by surprise at their manoeuvre, and it was fully a question of an hour before they started in pursuit. tim shut his glass with a click. "jack, i see it all. _the columbus_ wants to get our boats out of the harbour so as to let _the cortes_ and the transports slip in together." "rather a risky game, tim. she'll be overhauled and sunk by the torpederas in no time." "not while she can keep them off with her heavy guns! what speed have the torpederas?" "eighteen to nineteen knots." "and _the columbus_?" "well, rafael says her ordinary speed is fifteen but in case of need she can crack up steam to eighteen." "even that gives the torpederas one knot to the good. but she can outsteam _the iturbide_." "oh yes; sixteen is _her_ limit!" "then i tell you what! _the columbus_, as i said, has come here as a decoy--she knows the cruiser can't touch her speed, and she hopes to keep the torpederas at a safe distance with her heavy guns. she's off in a bee line straight out, and the other boats are after her. then she'll dodge them and steam back here to find _the cortes_ and the transports all safe in harbour." "i believe you are right, tim." "of course i'm right. look at the way she's smoking through the water." jack put the glass to his eyes and saw _the columbus_ was travelling at top speed towards the open sea. after her scampered the two torpedo boats like hounds on her trail. further behind _the iturbide_ with the black smoke vomiting from her funnels was putting her soul into the chase. pedraza was evidently determined to follow up one victory by another, and over eager to sink or capture the crack ironclad of the rebels, forgot all about the incoming transports. thus, in half an hour the four ships were mere specks on the horizon, and the harbour of janjalla was left open for the arrival of xuarez and fresh troops. the crowd of people on the ramparts were too excited at the stirring spectacle of the chase to think of such a thing, and yelled themselves hoarse in cheering for pedraza. below on the beach the rebels, who had evidently understood the manoeuvres of _the columbus_, were cheering vigorously for don hypolito. "wait you dogs," cried jack, shaking his fists at them; "soon shall you sing another tune." "by all the saints so shall we," said tim, wisely: "unless the forts keep off the transports we'll have another two thousand troops down there this night, and then--it's wigs on the green there will be." "i agree with you, tim--unless the reinforcements arrive." "even then, four thousand attacking a town can do a powerful lot, and when the reinforcements arrive we'll only have one thousand five hundred to put against them. however, let us not despair," added tim, philosophically. "come with me, don juan, and we'll look over the town. then we'll go and see if there is any sign of the new troops." jack assented, and descending from the ramparts they made their way through the town to the house where tim had his quarters. the streets were filled with soldiers, who mostly looked smart, and well fitted for their work. here and there were wounded men, and a few sick with malarian fever from the adjacent swamp, but on the whole it was wonderful how healthy was the town. twice had the rebels assaulted the walls and twice been beaten back, not without considerable loss of men on the side of the loyalists. fortunately, provisions were plentiful, and it was the cool season, therefore the troops of the junta were in comparatively good condition. despite their small numbers, they were so heartened by the sinking of _the pizarro_, that it was plain they would fight like fiends to hold janjalla until aid arrived from the capital. the townspeople took the fact of being besieged in the most contented manner, and hardly interrupted their daily occupations. in the streets the tortilleras were crying their wares, the water-carriers proclaiming the fact that they sold "aqua limpia," and, but for the unusual number of soldiers, it would have been quite impossible to see that the city was in the very jaws of danger. at times a woman wrapped in the rebozo would pass along the street, but as a rule they kept within doors, and showed themselves but rarely. in the plazas men were being drilled, and many of the houses were used as hospitals for the sick and wounded. tim and jack made their way through the crowded streets, and duly arrived at the former's quarters, where they found peter eagerly expecting them. he was weary of being by himself, and when he heard they were going to the land-gate to seek news of the reinforcements, insisted on accompanying them. after taking a drink of aguardiente, of which they stood much in need, owing to the exhaustion caused by excitement, the three friends set off at once to see if they could hear anything about the expected troops. don sebastian was fraternising with the captain in command of the cavalry, as his own troops had been sent forward to the sea ramparts. the mounted regiments were stationed at this end of the town as they were more useful in sallies than were the infantry. this was proved by the way in which they had succoured the soldiers from _the iturbide_, as only horse-men could have kept the rebel troops at bay. "no signs yet, señor," said don sebastian, politely; "but half an hour ago the general sent out two indian scouts with instructions to inquire at centeotl for our men." "that is twenty miles away." "yes; but these indians travel fast. before midnight we shall hear news of our troops--that is if they get as far south as centeotl." "and before midnight xuarez will have landed his new regiments," said tim, turning away. "well, there's no help for it, i suppose. come, jack and peter, 'tis no use waiting here. we must wait till these scouts return." "and meanwhile, tim?" "come with me to the telegraph-office. i'm going to send an account of the sea-fight to my paper." "you are sure the wires are not cut to the southward?" said peter, as they trudged along to the office. "they weren't this morning anyhow. why should they cut them? all they want to do is to intercept communication with the capital. they don't care two straws what goes to england." "xuarez does. he told me so." "ah! but, you see, xuarez is not here at present, and has forgotten to give orders to cut them. when he arrives again, he'll do it, maybe." "well, seeing that he wishes the world to look on him as a noble patriot, he certainly won't care about your wiring plain truths about him to the old country. he'll either cut the wires or bring a war correspondent on his own hook." "a rival!" cried tim, indignantly. "if i thought so, i'd shoulder a musket myself, and go out to shoot the dirty villain. here's the p.o., my boys! peter! hold your noise. jack's going to give me a history of the fight." "i know as much about it as jack does," said peter, in an injured tone, as they entered the office. "then i'll let you put in a word here and there," replied his friend, in a kind tone. "why, peter, i'd do anything to please you. didn't i think you were knocked out of time, entirely. manuel, are the wires right?" "yes, señor," replied the operator, a dark alert-looking man; "all safe to truxillo!" "bueno! then they will be safe to england. truxillo is in honduras, and is as right as the bank. come, jack, begin at once!" they were over two hours at this business as, what with jack's roundabout descriptions and peter's interruptions, it took some time for tim to get the story ship-shape. then manuel was constantly wiring the intelligence, as transmitted to him by tim, who took full advantage of the licence given by his editor to send extensive telegrams. it was close on six o'clock when he finished, and he was just stretching himself with a yawn after his long spell of sitting, when outside a murmur began. it rapidly swelled into a roar and the three friends rushed out of the office to learn what new event had taken place. the telegraph-office was situated in the street which ran straight to the land-gate, and down this street they saw advancing a dense body of men. "vivas los soldatos! viva el republico!" "hurrah!" roared tim, wildly, "'tis the reinforcements!" "there's philip!" cried jack, pushing his way through the crowd. "and wounded!" said peter, noticing with a true professional eye that cassim's left arm hung useless by his side. the janjalla band, stationed in the plaza, burst out into the patriotic strains of the "opal fandango," the crowd yelled and cheered, the soldiers tramped steadily down the street; and tim, to the imminent danger of his life, flung himself almost under the feet of philip's horse. "philip, my dear boy! here we are." "tim! jack! thank god!" cried philip, and urging his horse a little way to the side, jumped down from the saddle. tim gripped one hand, jack the other, and peter patted the baronet on the back. philip looked worn and haggard, and winced as tim seized his left hand. "are you wounded?" cried tim, letting it go. "yes; but not badly! an indian arrow through the fleshy part of the arm." "ah!" exclaimed jack, anxiously, "then cocom was right. you have been attacked by indians." "two days ago! they surprised our camp by night, and came in in overwhelming force. velez was unable to rally his men, and we were forced to retreat to centeotl." "and how many men have you brought, philip?" "six hundred!" "and one thousand started from tlatonac," said jack, sadly; "four hundred killed. thank god, philip, you at least are safe." chapter ii. the fall of janjalla. they mount the ramparts, and they man the walls, resolved to keep the climbing foe at bay, the hot-mouthed cannon hurl a thousand balls, a thousand swords flash forth to wound and slay. down in the fosse the planted ladder falls, and smoke sulphurous spreads its veil of grey; like incense from an altar up it rolls, to tell the war-god that a thousand souls are to his honour sacrificed this day. oh, mars! oh, red bellona! he or she, though fallen your shrines, we bend yet 'neath your yoke; born later than the greeks, we seem to be not much more civilised than were those folk, instead of spears, and shields, and cutlery, revolvers, rifles, guns, spit fire and smoke. for ye, blood-thirsty pair, we yet retain our ancient love, and hence on battle plain with myriad victims we your names invoke. the siege of janjalla lasted five days, and during that period the town was completely invested by the troops of xuarez. as had been foreseen by him, the _columbus_, acting as a decoy, had drawn away the ships of the junta from protecting the harbour, and that same night xuarez, under cover of darkness, landed four thousand troops from his transports. by an inconceivable oversight on the part of the engineers, the city walls were unprovided with search-lights and electric apparatus, so don hypolito was enabled to land boat-load after boat-load of men without hindrance. by dawn six thousand men were encamped on the beach, under the very guns of the forts. had xuarez attacked the capital, he would have been easily repulsed, for in tlatonac all the latest inventions for defence were to be found. krupp's guns pointed from the forts, powerful electric lights swept the harbour, and the bed of the ocean in front of the sea-line was one vast mass of torpedoes. the flower of the cholacacan army were behind the walls, armed with the latest invented rifles, and altogether a siege of the capital would have lasted months. don hypolito, however, was too crafty to waste his time so fruitlessly, and artfully attacked the republic in her weakest part. janjalla was but ill defended by walls and cannon and but ill garrisoned with capable men. by throwing on the devoted town an overwhelming mass of troops he could hope to capture it within a few days. then making it his head-quarters, could gradually advance along the plain towards the capital, eating up a town at every twenty miles. he was already master of acauhtzin in the north, and if he could only reduce janjalla and the four inland towns, he would be in complete command of the whole inner country. then, besieging tlatonac by land and sea, he could starve the capital into surrender. promptness was xuarez' great characteristic, and so rapidly had he accomplished the transference of active operations from north to south that he had completely taken the junta by surprise. it was a fatal mistake on the part of the governmental party in leaving such an incapable man as gomez at the head of affairs. if, relying on the strength of the capital to protect herself, he had sent all his available soldiers to garrison janjalla and defeat the rebels before they could get a footing in the south, he would have probably crushed the rebellion in the bud. victorious in the lower part of the country, he could have then reduced acauhtzin at his leisure, and thus ended the war within a few weeks. unfortunately, gomez lost his head at the critical period, and proved himself quite unable to cope with the masterly activity of the rebel leader. first of all, he committed the mistake of not concentrating his troops at janjalla, and then sent a few hundreds of men down at a time. general gigedo therefore found himself shut up in janjalla with scarcely a thousand troops, few guns, and insufficient ammunition. the telegraph-wires having been cut, he was unable to communicate promptly with the capital, and being in urgent need of reinforcements, was in absolute despair as to what would occur in the near future. it was true that gomez had promised another thousand men in ten days; but, even if they arrived earlier, it would be too late, as with the small garrison at his disposal, it was impossible that he could hold out against a force of six thousand for any lengthened period. he would have sent messengers to tlatonac for aid, but the troops of don hypolito completely encircled the city, and it was worse than useless to try and break through that girdle of steel. he held a council of war, but no decision could be arrived at, save that janjalla should hold out, if possible, until reinforcements arrived from the capital. day after day gigedo and his staff swept the ocean with their glasses, looking for the torpederas and the cruiser. none of them appeared, and it could only be conjectured that they had captured _the columbus_, and taken her at once to tlatonac, in the harbour of which they were now doubtless lying. meanwhile, the garrison fought with desperate valour, and with great difficulty managed to keep the rebels at bay, but it could be easily seen that such a state of things could not last. on the fourth day preparations were made by xuarez for a final assault, and everyone instinctively guessed that the end had come. _the cortes_ was lying with the transports out of range of the fort-guns, and, by means of their glasses, those shut up in the town could see that the warship was making ready to bombard the city. don hypolito had come south again, with his new troops, and could be now seen riding about the camp with a brilliant staff, seeing that all things were ready for the assault. jack, who, in company with philip, was leaning over the ramparts, noted the audacious rebel, and remarked on his presence before the walls of janjalla. "there goes the brain of the rebellion," he said touching philip on the shoulder. "if he could only be disposed of, the war would be over." "no doubt. but xuarez knows his own value too well, and will therefore keep out of danger. he has evidently made up his mind to finish the siege to-day." "unless help comes, i think he will succeed," replied jack, gloomily. "i cannot conceive what the president or maraquando can be thinking about to thus neglect janjalla. if this town falls into the hands of xuarez, as it must do, unless a miracle takes place, don francisco will find the war longer than he expects." "gomez is a fool," said philip, stamping his foot. "what the deuce is the use of keeping all the army in the capital? there must be ten thousand soldiers shut up in tlatonac, and his excellency evidently intends to keep them there till xuarez and his victorious troops arrive before the walls." "very likely the indians are before the walls now, and are waiting for xuarez to join them." "it's not improbable. things don't look promising for the junta, and all because they let gomez muddle the business. see, the rebels are marching up to the sea-gate. it is now noon. before sundown they will be within the walls, and masters of the city." "what about the garrison?" "their lives depend on the caprice of xuarez," said philip, after a pause. "he may let gigedo march out with the remains of his troop, or massacre every one of us." "i don't intend to be massacred," replied jack, dryly; "and, what is more, i don't intend to be seen by xuarez. he must know by this time, through his spies, that i escaped from totatzine, but he is probably ignorant that i am in janjalla. i must escape unseen, philip, else he will send me back to be slaughtered by ixtlilxochitli." "hardly, jack, while tim is at hand!" "what do you mean?" "don hypolito," said philip, sagely, "wishes to stand well with the world. tim is the medium through which his actions are reported to the world. were he to send an englishman to be offered up by savages to a barbaric deity, there would be trouble with england. xuarez can't afford to risk that, so he will let you go free." "he didn't do that in acauhtzin." "in acauhtzin, my friend, you were supposed by us to be killed in the riot. he could do as he pleased with one, who, to the world was practically a non-existing person. here it is different. you are alive, you are with your friends, one of whom is a correspondent of a great english journal. he dare not seize you for his own ends in broad daylight. no, my dear jack, while we are beside you, xuarez will think twice before repeating his treachery of acauhtzin. he will have to look for a new victim for ixtlilxochitli." "i fervently hope and trust so," answered jack, looking at his revolver to see that it was loaded. "and now i suppose we had better go to the plaza. the troops must be assembling just now. hark! there goes the trumpet. where is tim?" "in the telegraph-office, with peter, wiring news to his paper." "poor peter," said duval, as they left the ramparts; "he came here to collect beetles, and finds himself plunged into an unpleasant war." "never mind. there's nothing like experience, jack. peter will recount his deeds of valour, even unto the third generation. we will come out safe in the end. you will marry dolores, i eulalia, and all will be gas and gaiters, _videlicet_ nicholas nickleby." philip's gaiety was infectious, and jack burst out laughing at his last remark. they had no time, however, for further conversation, as the trumpets were calling loudly in the plaza, and they hurried to that portion of the town to find the troops rapidly falling in. general gigedo made a speech to encourage his soldiers, assuring them that he had communicated with tlatonac, and that relief would shortly come to the besieged town. "is that true, or a lie?" asked jack of don sebastian, who stood beside him. "true," replied the spaniard, smiling. "this morning carrier pigeons were sent to his excellency with messages of our deplorable state. we shall certainly be relieved in a few days." "a few days!" echoed philip, with a sneer. "my dear señor de ahumada, a few hours will see our troops evacuating janjalla." "if we are forced to do that, señor, we can fall back on centeotl." "what, with a few hundred men, and the indians scouring the country?" "they are further north." "i assure you they are not," replied cassim, emphatically. "we were attacked near centeotl, and by this time the savages are between that town and this. señor de ahumada, i assure you that if we evacuate janjalla, we shall fall into the hands of the indians." "dios!" cried don sebastian, suddenly. "_the cortes_ has started bombarding." even as he spoke a bomb burst in the air directly over the plaza. at once gigedo gave the signal to the troops to march to the ramparts. in the distance they could hear the fierce cries of the rebels as they marched out of camp, and a tremour passed through the whole of the city as those within its walls recognised the desperate state of affairs. bomb after bomb exploded with deafening noises, the troops manned the walls, the besiegers hurled themselves against the sea-gate and planted ladders against the walls. the assault had commenced. it was the beginning of the end. the full force at the disposal of general gigedo, excluding the sick and wounded, amounted to some nine hundred men. he divided this into two portions: five hundred held the sea-facing portion of the town, four hundred were stationed at the inland gate. xuarez attacked the two gates of the town simultaneously, and trusted, in the event of entering at either portal, to be enabled to attack the loyalists in the rear, and thus crush them between two armies. on the ramparts it was not so difficult to keep the foe back as it was below. they planted ladders, and these were hurled with their burden of climbing men into the ditch below. an incessant fusillade of musketry crackled along the walls, and the cannon with depressed muzzles hurled their balls with more or less damaging effect into the dense throng massed on the beach below. the bombs from _the cortes_ did their deadly work skilfully, and the besiegers kept themselves as widely apart as possible, so as to neutralise the effect of the shells on compact masses. it was outside the sea-gate, however, that the siege was pressed most hardly. xuarez had cannon planted at the gate, to break down, if possible, the huge wooden valves, clamped with iron. through the loop-holes low down in the walls the besiegers fired incessantly, killing the rebel gunners as they strove to discharge the cannon. above the city hung a thick cloud of grey smoke, and at intervals, through the misty veil, flared the red flame of a bomb bursting overhead. the rattle of musketry, the booming of cannon, the cries of the wounded, the shouts of besieged and besiegers, all made an infernal din deafening to the ear. tim and peter were at the land-gate in company with captain velez and colonel garibay, while jack and philip fought side by side in repelling the attack from the sea front. after an incessant cannonading lasting two hours, the rebels managed to smash the gates down with their artillery, and rushed in only to find themselves confronted by a dense mass of resolute soldiery. from the sea-gate the street arose suddenly, and on the top of the incline gigedo had planted cannon which cut lanes in the throng of rebels pressing through the gate. at last the battle resolved itself into a hand-to-hand fight in which the loyalists strove to beat back the rebel forces from the gate. xuarez saw this, and signalled to _the cortes_ to stand in closer and drop her shells into the centre of the besieged. at once the warship did as she was commanded, and in a few moments bombs were creating fearful havoc in the ranks of the loyalists. in answer, the guns of the forts speedily opened fire on the warship, but did little damage, as the besiegers were too busily occupied in repelling the foe as they swarmed up the walls, to take careful aim. what with the dense crowd pressing from without, the loss of men caused by the incessant bursting of the bombs in their midst, the loyalists began to fall back, and, in spite of the most desperate resistance, were thrust beyond the line of cannon at the top of the street. a horde of rebel soldiery rushed inside the gate, and proceeded to scale the ramparts in order to aid their comrades who were climbing the outer walls, and to silence the guns playing on _the cortes_. skilfully making use of all material he found to hand, xuarez turned the cannon taken from the loyalists on themselves. in the hurried retreat, they had been unable to spike the guns, and now these, loaded and fired by the rebels, were mowing them down in dozens. the soldiers on the ramparts were either killed or beaten back, and the whole of the sea front of janjalla was in complete possession of xuarez. one comfort had the loyalists, namely, that they were protected in the rear by their men defending the land-gate. shortly, however, a roar of rage, and the cheers of the besiegers announced that the town was captured on that side. the soldiers retreated towards the plaza in the centre of the town, and there found their comrades who had fallen back from the sea-gate. here there was this handful of men shut up in the square, surrounded on all sides by the victorious rebels. they could not possibly hold out long against the dense masses converging to that centre from all parts of the town, and it could be easily seen that the siege was practically over. during the fighting night had fallen, and now the battle was going on in the dim twilight, rendered still darker by the heavily hanging clouds of smoke enwrapping the town. jack had received a nasty cut on the shoulder; but philip was unwounded, and in the general scrimmage they managed to keep well together. when beaten back into the plaza, they made for the telegraph-office, where they hoped to find tim and peter. this was the rendezvous appointed by tim in case the battle went in favour of the rebels, as he wished to send a final message to his paper before clearing out of the town. with a handful of men, principally those belonging to their own regiment, philip and jack managed to throw themselves into the telegraph-office, and shortly afterwards were joined by tim. "where's peter?" asked jack, as he saw the huge form of his friend dashing through the door. "just behind, with don sebastian," gasped tim, throwing himself into a chair. "it's all up, boys; the opposidores are in full possession of the land-gate." "and the sea-gate also," said philip, who was reloading his revolver. "all our men are in the plaza, and can't hold out much longer. whew! there's another bomb." "we'd better get out of janjalla, and make for centeotl," cried don sebastian, entering with his sword smashed in two; "all is over!" "gigedo?" "killed! garibay is wounded, and taken prisoner!" "where is don pedro?" "here i am," cried peter, darting into the room and closing the door. "there's a regiment of rebels cutting their way through the crowd to take the telegraph-office. xuarez has particularly commanded it." "anyhow, i'll have time to send another telegram, if i die for it," said tim, who was hastily scribbling notes. "where's manuel?" manuel had vanished; so tim, with a growl, sat down to work the instrument himself. "keep those devils out, with your men," he said to philip, who was barricading the windows with jack. "i'll send one telegram, saying janjalla has fallen, and then we'll go off." "how the devil are we to get away?" asked philip, angrily. "easily. the cavalry barracks are behind here. we'll get round by the back way and seize the horses, then cut our way out by the land-gate. once across the river, and we are safe." philip did not wait for the conclusion of this speech, but, with a few men, dashed out at the back of the house to see if the horses were still there. jack would have followed, but peter stopped him. "i have my medicine-chest here. let me bind up your shoulder." jack was unwilling, protesting he did not feel the wound. "bosh, my dear boy, you are excited. you will feel it afterwards. if we are to ride to centeotl, you will need all the blood you have. don sebastian can hold the telegraph-office." don sebastian had posted his men at the windows, and was firing at the mass of rebels, now trying to take the house by storm. all this time tim was working the instrument and wiring the news of the fall of the city to his editor. through the yells outside, the rattle of the musketry, and the curses of don sebastian could be heard the incessant click, click, click of the telegraph-instrument. a bomb exploded on the roof of the house, and a few yards of plaster fell from the ceiling. peter had finished binding up jack's wound, and now they were both defending the windows and doors of the mansion. "how long, jack?" "in two minutes the door will be down," cried jack. "do leave that d----d instrument, tim, and look for philip." "i'll go!" said peter, as tim refused to leave his post. he turned to make for the back way, when philip came back with a radiant face. "here is a dozen horses just outside, all saddled and fresh as daisies! come, tim, quick! jack. de ahumada." "a moment," said tim, and went on with his clicking. crash! the door was down, and a number of fierce faces appeared at the door. the room was full of smoke, and the rebels were firing freely through the windows. sebastian and his men threw themselves in front of those trying to face the door, and philip, seizing tim by the shoulder, dragged him away from the instrument. "tim, you cursed fool. come along!" "just a second!" he turned back to the instrument in spite of philip's protest, but had just clicked twice when don sebastian and his men were forced back and a crowd of the enemy rushed into the room. philip, jack, and peter had already disappeared through the back, and tim was left alone with don sebastian and the soldiers. the rebels threw themselves forward with yells of delight, when tim, catching up a heavy table, flung it fair on the advancing mass, then bolted through the back door, dragging don sebastian after him. two of the soldiers followed, and promptly closed the door when on the right side. at once the rebels commenced to beat it down with the butts of their rifles, but the irishman and his friend had reached the back street. here they found their friends already mounted and waiting for them. "tim. de ahumada! mount at once!" cried philip, pointing to three horses waiting under the shelter of the wall. "make for the land-gate, and straight for the river." in another moment they were clattering towards the lower part of the town, keeping close together for safety. the street down which they were riding was quite deserted, as the fighting was principally confined to the main thoroughfares of the town. they could hear the brisk fire of musketry still kept up, the booming of the cannon, and the bursting of the shells. shrieks of women, and yells of the victors broke incessantly through these noises, and the whole city was draped in a thick veil of stinking smoke. "oh, those poor women!" cried philip, as he spurred his horse towards the gate. "now they are in the clutches of those fiends." "i'm glad we're not," muttered dr. grench, thankfully. "anyhow," said tim, cheerfully, "i've sent the fall of the city to the paper." "oh, hang your paper," said jack, whose wound was making him fractious. "come along, de ahumada." "dios! how we have been beaten." suddenly the street turned a sharp angle, and they found themselves before the gate. most of the attacking party had marched towards the centre of the town to complete their victory, and only a few scattered soldiery were on guard. these yelled loudly as they saw the small party dash towards the gate. the valves were broken down; beyond was the country, and between this and safety was but a score of men. philip drew his sword, spurred his horse to its full speed, and made for the gate, cutting down a man who tried to stay him. jack emptied two barrels of his revolver, and killed one man, wounding another. the rebel soldiers fired freely, and breaking sebastian's arm, also tumbled one of his company off his horse. tim seizing peter's bridle-rein, galloped wildly through the spare crowd, cursing freely. in their rush for the portal, they scattered them all. there were a few musket-shots, a howl of rage from the disappointed rebels, and at top speed they tore out of the gate, and made for the open country. "twenty miles," cried philip, settling himself in his saddle. "we can do that easily. hurrah!" "provided we don't fall into the hands of the indians," said jack, sagely. as for don sebastian, he turned round and shook his fist at janjalla. "carajo!" chapter iii. the flight to tlatonac. boot and saddle, away! away! we must be far e'er the breaking of day. the standard is down, the foe's in the town, forbidding us longer to stay, to stay. boot and saddle! we ride! we ride! over the prairie land side by side, our foemen behind, speed swift as the wind, and gain on us steadily, stride by stride. boot and saddle! so fast! so fast! we ride till the river be crossed and past; then over the plain, with loose-hanging rein, and find ourselves safe in the town at last. before them spread the plains, flat and desolate-looking, covered with coarse grass, and stretching towards the horizon in vague immensity. west-ward the faint flush of sunset, delicately pale, lingered low down, but otherwise the sky was coldly clear, darkly blue, thick sprinkled with chill-looking stars. to the right the leaden-hued waters of the river moving sluggishly between low mud banks, and on the left sandy wastes, alternating with hillocks and convex-shaped mounds. all this desolation appearing ghostly under a veil of mist exhaled whitely from the hot earth. over these monotonous plains galloped the six fugitives. philip and jack in the van, don sebastian and his one soldier in the rear; between tim, side by side with peter. for some time they urged on their horses in silence. then a sudden flare of crimson caused them to turn in their saddles. the low walls of janjalla were crowned with smoke, beneath which leaped tongues of flame, crimson and yellow. a rapid, disjointed conversation ensued. "those brutes are burning the city!" "it will only be some drunken soldiers. xuarez will soon put a stop to that. he cannot afford to lose his city of refuge, after paying so much to gain it." "must we swim our horses across the river?" called out grench, unexpectedly. "not unless the bridge is down. it was standing when we came this way a week ago." philip answered the question, and then cast an anxious look at the sky. "i wish the moon would rise," he said disconsolately; "we need some light." "what the deuce would be the good of that when we're on the high-road. hang it, the moon would only show xuarez how to follow us." "que dici?" asked don sebastian, looking at jack. "the señor correspoñsal thinks we might be pursued." "i doubt it, don juan. xuarez will be too busy checking the excesses of his soldiers. besides, señor, as we escaped in the confusion, it may be that we will not be missed for some hours." peter, unaccustomed to riding, began to feel sore with this incessant galloping, and raised his voice in protest. "i hope we will be able to rest at centeotl. when do we reach it?" "before midnight, probably. then we will rest till dawn, get fresh horses, and push on to tlatonac." "hope we'll get there," muttered jack, shaking his reins. "but if the indians----" "deuce take the indians," retorted philip, irritably. "come on jack, and don't worry so much." their horses were fortunately quite fresh, having been mewed up in janjalla without exercise for some weeks. stretching their necks, they clattered along at a breakneck speed. the road was as hard as flint, and their iron-shod hoofs struck out sparks from the loose stones. the riders, with their heads bent against the wind whizzing past their ears, let the reins hang loosely, and pressed on with blind trust along the highway leading to centeotl. here and there they passed a flat-roofed house, deserted by its occupants, and standing up lonely, a white splotch amid the vague gloom of its flat acreage. clumps of trees loomed suddenly against the clear sky, at times a ragged aloe sprang spectral-like from the reddish soil, thorny thickets lay densely in the hollows, tall spear-grass waved on the tops of undulating drifts of sand, and at intervals an oasis of rank herbage would frame an oval pool thickly fringed with reeds. the road wound onward, turning now to right, now to left, dipping into hollows, curving over eminences, stretching white and dusty towards the horizon like a crooked winding river. on either side they could mark the moving forms of animals, flying from the clatter of their horses' hoofs, cattle, vicuñas, llamas, and flocks of sheep. the white peak of xicotencatl arose suddenly like a ghost from the shadows of forests lying heavily along the verge of earth between plain and sky. a thin vapour lay white over the plain, and gathered thickly along the banks of the river. the horses stretched their necks and neighed loudly. they smelt the water of the stream. "the bridge is down!" cried jack, drawing rein at the verge of the stream. "indians!" "or xuarez!" added philip, gravely. "i suspect the latter. indians are not sufficiently civilised to destroy bridges." the _débris_ of the bridge impeded the current, and here the waters boiled white amid the black ruins. jagged posts stretched in black rows to the other side of the stream, but there was no foothold left by which they could cross dry-shod. "swim!" said tim, briefly, and sent his steed down the bank. the others followed, and in a few minutes the surface of the stream was dotted with black figures. the river being sluggish, with little or no current, they found no difficulty in crossing, and speedily gained the opposite bank. climbing the slope on to the flat land, they regained the line of road, and once more urged their horses to full speed. the moon arose, round and bright, making the whole scene cheerful with her kindly light. the fugitives looked back, but could see no sign of pursuit. even the town had vanished. behind, before, lay nothing but the immensity of the plains. it was as though they were in the midst of a leaden-hued sea. the appearance of the moon raised their spirits, and they redoubled their speed. centeotl was now comparatively near. the ground began to show signs of cultivation. hedges of cacti ran along the sides of the road, bearing fleshly looking flowers of tawny gold. right and left stretched gardens, environing country houses, and before them arose a white line of wall. "centeotl!" cried don sebastian, pushing forward. the gates were closed owing to the fear of the townspeople lest the indians should make a night attack. de ahumada galloped on ahead, and reined his horse immediately under the walls. at intervals the sentinels called the one to the other, "centinella alerte," to show that they were awake. the noise of the approaching horses brought them to the walls. "quien vive!" "amigos! from janjalla." the red light of torches glared from the low battlements, and in a few minutes the gates were opened. the officer in charge recognised don sebastian, and was much depressed at learning janjalla had fallen. "dios! it is centeotl next that xuarez will capture," he said, disconsolately, and then led the fugitives to the house of the jefe politico. that individual received them kindly, and gave them food and beds. he also promised them horses for the next morning, to push on to tlatonac, but feared lest they should fall into the hands of the indians, whom he believed were further north. the telegraph-wires between centeotl and hermanita had been destroyed by the savages. his town was now quite isolated in the plains. only five hundred men were within its walls, and he expected it would be shortly besieged and captured by don hypolito, unless aid arrived from the capital. during the night straggling parties of soldiers arrived from janjalla for refuge. all brought the same tale. janjalla was nearly in ruins, as the rebels had fired many houses, and the bombs and cannon had smashed others. xuarez had kept all his men in the town, and was doing his best to reduce them to order; but many were beyond his control. there was no pursuit in any case. it was reported that he would throw forward two regiments of cavalry next day, to attack centeotl. "santissima!" said the jefe, in despair; "we are lost, señores. when you arrive at tlatonac, tell his excellency that i am faithful to the junta, but that my town is too weak to hold out against the rebels." de ahumada promised and shortly afterwards, thoroughly worn out, they all composed themselves to sleep. it was impossible, however, to get much repose, as the constant arrival of fugitives, the clattering of horses through the streets, and the murmur of many voices, kept them awake. at dawn they were up at once, mounted fresh horses, and rode away from the town in the direction of hermanita, twenty miles away. they reached that town in two hours, and found the inhabitants in a state of terror. the indians had been threatening for the last week, and had been scouring the country to the south. now they had gone north, and, it was believed, with the intention of making an attack on the puebla de los naranjos. nor did the news brought by jack and his friends reassure them in any way. what with the indians in the north, and xuarez threatening them in the south, there was no doubt that hermanita was in a terrible fix. as had centeotl, they also implored don sebastian to ask gomez to send aid, lest they should fall victims to the rebels or to the indians. after taking a hurried meal, the fugitives once more proceeded on their way to the north. towards noon they struck puebla de los naranjos, and found it a heap of ruins. undefended as were the other towns by stone walls, the town was surrounded by orange groves, and had therefore been easily captured by the indians. a few terrified survivors crept about the ruins of their houses, the streets were thick with dead bodies, and the whole place presented a scene of unexampled desolation. those folks who survived said that the indians had plundered the town two days previously, and had then departed with the intention of taking chichimec. as this city was only distant twenty miles from the capital, the little party was quite appalled at the audacity of the savages. it showed how little they cared for the power of the republic. "if gomez had crushed this rebellion at once, all would have been well," said jack, as they rode from the smoking ruins of puebla de los naranjos; "but now it seems as though the indians and xuarez were going to have it all their own way." "gomez should have placed the command of affairs in the hands of a competent man, and not meddled with them," replied philip, impatiently. "he keeps all his army in the capital, and lets the country be laid waste. the end will be that all the inland towns will join with xuarez, and the capital will be besieged. with the whole of cholacaca against it, the capital must fall." "unless the junta can capture or sink the two remaining warships of xuarez," said don sebastian, who was fearfully enraged at the destruction of the country. "true! then xuarez won't be able to get more troops from acauhtzin." "he has got quite enough troops, as it is to make things unpleasant for the capital," said tim, in spanish, for the benefit of don sebastian. "six thousand at janjalla--five thousand indians. quite enough to invest the town. the junta has but eight thousand troops in tlatonac." "well, that's a good number!" "yes; but what with his own troops and the savages, xuarez has three thousand to the good. besides which, he is a capable general." "if the indians could only be detached from his cause, the rebellion might be crushed," said jack, ponderingly. "it is the only way of saving the present government." "there is no chance of doing that," replied tim, disconsolately. "the indians are mad about the loss of the opal, and will fight like fiends to get it back." "perhaps they can be quietened by means of the opal!" "dios!" exclaimed sebastian, turning in his saddle. "what mean you, señor?" "i have an idea," replied jack, quietly. "it was suggested to me by a remark of cocom's." "and this idea?" "i will not tell you at present, lest i should fail to carry it out, and thus disappoint your hopes. wait till we reach tlatonac." "if we ever do get there," muttered philip, savagely. "now we are half way to chichimec, gentlemen. there, according to report, the indians are camped. i vote we make a detour, and reach tlatonac in some other way. do you know of a road, don sebastian?" "no, señor. i know not this country." "i do!" cried duval, suddenly. "i have been all over this portion. that is a good idea of yours, philip! we must avoid the indians. i know a road!" "bueno! take the lead." it was fortunate, indeed, that philip suggested such an idea, and that jack's knowledge of the country enabled them to carry it out, else they would assuredly have fallen into the hands of the indians. making a detour towards the coast, they managed to avoid chichimec by some miles. they learned from a peon, whom they met making his way to tlatonac, that the town was entirely invested by the savages, but that as yet, thanks to the strong walls, they had been unable to effect an entrance. the jefe politico had sent this peon to the capital with a request for immediate aid from don francisco. "what, in god's name, can the president be thinking about?" cried jack, on hearing this intelligence. "he is simply playing into the hands of his enemies." "things certainly look bad for the junta, owing to his negligence. janjalla captured by xuarez. puebla de los naranjos ravaged, chichimec invested. perhaps, when the whole country is in the hands of don hypolito, this very wise ruler will bestir himself." "wait till i have a conversation with don miguel!" muttered jack, striking the spurs into his horse. "we are outsiders, and cannot interfere with local politics; but it makes me sick to see how gomez is fooling away his chances. if i can only rouse don miguel into making things hot for the president, i shall do so!" "a house divided against itself----" began peter; but tim cut him short. "hold your tongue, peter. jack is quite right. unless a good man is put at the head of affairs, don hypolito will enter tlatonac within the month. it's a mighty black look-out for the government. don francisco ought to be shunted at once." the peon ran alongside them, and kept up with their horses in the most wonderful manner. it was noon when they left puebla de los naranjos, and it was now late at night. in ten hours they had come nearly fifty miles. their horses were quite worn out, owing to the incessant galloping. now they were within a mile of the capital, and already, in the dim light, could see the line of walls looming in the distance. they were glad it was dark, or, rather, comparatively so, as it afforded them a certain amount of protection from wandering indian scouts. "the luck holds!" said philip, thankfully, as they rode towards the puerta de la culebra. "we have not seen a single savage since we left janjalla." "had it not been for your forethought, philip, they would have had our scalps by this time." "my thought, but your actions, jack. it was lucky you knew the country." "a mutual admiration society, you are!" cried tim, whose spirits were wonderfully light. "how do you feel, peter?" "worn out," replied the doctor, laconically. "faith. i'm not astonished. i'm bumped to death also. a hundred miles isn't bad for an inferior rider like myself." "oh, you are a war correspondent," began peter, fretfully, when his remarks were cut short by an exclamation from sebastian. "dios! the gates are open! soldiers are coming out!" "reinforcements for janjalla. i've no doubt," said philip, grimly. "they are a trifle late. come, gentlemen, let us see the officer in charge." they urged their jaded horses towards the gate. at the sight of the little party, the soldiers halted, and an officer rode to the front. "from whence come you, señores?" he asked in surprise. "from janjalla." "janjalla? why, we are just marching thither, señor." "you can spare yourself the trouble!" replied jack, grimly. "janjalla has fallen." the news passed rapidly from mouth to mouth, and a cry of rage went up from the throng. "moreover," added jack, quietly. "puebla de los naranjos has been attacked and sacked by the indians!" another cry of rage. "and," concluded this bearer of bad news, "chichimec is now invested by six thousand savages." a low murmur of dismay ran through the lines. calamity after calamity seemed to be falling on the heads of the government. suddenly a man rode through the gate at full speed, and pulling up his horse on its haunches, as he faced the party, made the same inquiry as had the officer. "janjalla," cried don miguel maraquando. jack uttered the same reply. "janjalla has fallen!" chapter iv. exit don francisco gomez. depart, incapable! you are no pilot to be at the helm when the ship is in danger; the vessel of state labours in the turmoil of troublous waters, rocks this side, that side, she is drifting to leeward, shoals threaten her stout timbers. round her rage the tempests which would sink her in waves of blood; only a skilful captain can pilot her into a safe haven. you are not a skilful commander! in fair weather you guided the ship in a meritorious fashion; now, when blow rebellious storms, you are not fit for the steering; the danger renders you helpless--a child were a better helmsman; no longer can you hold the ship of republican fortunes in her right course. captain! president! you are captain--president no longer! depart! give way to one who can steer with clear head and keen eye. depart, incapable! "dear one!" cried dolores, as jack embraced her, in the patio. "at last do i see you once more. santissima! how pale! what ragged clothes! and beards on all your faces." "indeed, dolores, a siege is not conducive to luxury. but we will go to my house; bath, shave, and dress. when we return, you will behold us as civilised beings." "you are wounded!" "it is nothing--a mere scratch. how delighted i am to see your dear face once more, my dolores." eulalia put out her hand timidly under the shelter of her fan, and touched philip gently on the hand. she was unable to do more, as doña serafina, severe, and vigilant, was present. their engagement had not yet been made public. "querido," she murmured, looking at her lover tenderly. "constantly have i prayed for thee." philip kissed her hand, and then that of doña serafina, to avert suspicion. the old lady was voluble, and after the first greetings were over, burst forth into speech with much dramatic gesture. "alas, señores! how sad look you all. don pedro! pobrecito! and the city is in the hands of the rebels. ay di mi! ah, the evil ones! yet, if they win on land, they lose at sea." "what is it you say, señora?" asked tim, ever on the alert for news. "have you not heard, señor correspoñsal? no; you have been away. gracios á dios! the torpederas have captured _the columbus_." "bravo!" cried jack, delightedly; "this is indeed good news! and rafael?" "rafael is here," said that young man, hastily entering the court. "ah, my dear friends, how delighted i am to behold you." "even though we bring bad news?" "yes; for i can tell you good. we followed _the columbus_, and by threatening to sink her with torpedoes, forced her to strike her flag. now she is lying in the harbour, with a crew of our own men. her rebel sailors are all in prison." "what about _the iturbide_?" "she is there also, but in a crippled condition. one of her masts was shot away by _the columbus_ before she surrendered." "and what do you do now?" "sail south to-morrow at dawn." "alas!" said jack, sadly, "you will be too late to relieve janjalla." "never mind," replied rafael, hopefully; "we shall capture or sink _the cortes_, and bring her back to tlatonac with the transports. then don hypolito will be irrevocably cut off from acauhtzin." "that does not matter to him," interposed philip, overhearing this remark; "he has most of his troops at janjalla, and will simply hold the south instead of the north." "at all events, señor felipe, we have crushed him by sea." "it will be a more difficult task to crush him by land, especially as don francisco is so dilatory." "don francisco! don francisco!" cried rafael, stamping his foot with rage. "he is not fit to be president. through him have we lost janjalla. even my father, who was his firm supporter, has turned against him." "what do you say, rafael?" "i cannot tell you yet; but there will be a stormy meeting of the junta to-morrow." "you are going to depose don francisco." "it's not improbable." "more trouble," said tim, reflectively. "there will be three presidents shortly. don francisco, don hypolito, and--don miguel!" "no more, mi amigo," said rafael, doubtful even in his own house. "it is dangerous to speak like that--as yet." he added the last words significantly, and turned away. jack was saying good night to dolores, as he was quite worn out, and wanted to get back to his own house for a good night's rest. "dolores," he whispered, as he held her hand; "you have yet the opal?" "yes; surely." "can you bear to part with it for the sake of the city?" "you can do with it as you please, juanito. but, what mean these words?" "i have a plan whereby i can detach the indians from the cause of don hypolito, and thus weaken his army. but the carrying out of the plan may entail the loss of the opal." "let it go, so that it save tlatonac," replied dolores, heroically, though, woman-like, she loved the jewel. "what is your plan?" "i must see cocom about it first. then i will tell you my secret; but now we must go. adios, querida." when the four friends left the casa maraquando, they were surprised to find themselves followed by maraquando and his son. on reaching jack's house, don miguel begged the englishman to give him a few moments' conversation, and explained how matters stood at tlatonac. it appeared that maraquando's party were disgusted at the way in which the war was being conducted by don francisco, and wanted him to resign the presidential chair. this gomez was unwilling to do, and as he had yet many supporters, it was doubtful if they could force him into such a course. now, however, that the news of the fall of janjalla, the sack of puebla de los naranjos, and the investment of chichimec had arrived, don miguel thought that he would be able to show plainly that the continuance of don francisco as president meant ruin to the government. the next day there was to be a meeting of the junta, and maraquando, explaining his designs to jack, asked him for a full report of all that had taken place in the south, so as to plainly prove the incapacity of the president in conducting the war. the four friends thoroughly agreed with maraquando's view of the matter, and told him all that he wished to know, after which they retired to rest. don miguel, on the contrary, went back with rafael to his own house, and there found a few members of his party waiting him, whom he informed of the consequence of the terrible series of blunders made by gomez. the next day there was a stormy debate of the junta in the palacio nacional. "i blame his excellency for all that has taken place," cried maraquando, at the conclusion of a long and fiery speech. "by his negligence and timidity he has lost us our opportunity of crushing this rebellion in the bud. had a few thousand soldiers been sent to janjalla at the outbreak of the war, that city would not now be in the hands of the rebels. nay, they would not have even gained a footing in the south. but, by withdrawing the garrisons from that seaport, from the inland towns, his excellency had laid them open to capture, and they had been captured. janjalla is in the power of xuarez; by this time, for aught we know, centeotl may have surrendered to his victorious army. puebla de los naranjos has been sacked by the indian tribes, who should have been crushed at once. now chichimec is surrounded, and may fall at any time, yet no aid has been sent to the relief of the citizens. all these terrible disasters have been caused by the blundering of don francisco, by his incompetency. i call on him to resign his command into more capable hands, else will we see the foe at our gates, our city in ruins, and cholacaca helpless, under the heel of the tyrant xuarez!" don francisco, bursting with indignation, replied, he had done his best! if he had sent forward troops to janjalla, they might have been defeated, and then the capital would have fallen an easy prey to the rebels, through lack of garrison. as it was, the city could hold out for months; the walls were strong, the garrison were resolute, there was plenty of provisions. he had held the army at tlatonac to save the capital. where, then, was the blunder in that? by sea, the forces of the republic had been victorious. _the pizarro_ had been sunk, _the columbus_ captured, and now the torpederas were on their way to janjalla harbour to force _the cortes_ to strike her flag. he had succeeded by sea. he would succeed on land. when the army of xuarez was before the walls of tlatonac the fate of the country could be decided in one battle. he refused to resign his position as president. the partisans of maraquando, the supporters of gomez, broke out into noisy demonstrations, and the whole place was in an uproar. the one called upon gomez to resign, the other denounced maraquando as a traitor. it seemed as though neither would give in, as though the capital would be divided into two hostile factions, when a solution of the difficulty was proposed by padre ignatius. making his appearance suddenly in the hall, the good priest first stilled the tumult by holding up his crucifix, and then begged to lay before the junta a proposition which would suit all parties. it would never do, said the padre, to depose don francisco. the pretext for war, alleged by xuarez, was that gomez ought to be deposed for breaking the constitution of cholacaca. they knew that his excellency had not done so; that he had loyally upheld the freedom and laws of the republic. if deposed by his own party, such a deposition would give colour to xuarez's assertion that he had right on his side, and perhaps prejudice the inland towns in his favour. better it would be to let don francisco still remain president till the date of the expiration of his office, four months hence, and in the meantime entrust the conduct of the war solely to don miguel maraquando. by this arrangement his excellency would still continue nominal head of cholacaca, and the war could be conducted by maraquando, without the responsibility resting on the president. this proposition, seeming to be the only possible solution of the problem, was unanimously accepted by both parties. it is true that gomez, who hated maraquando like poison, sorely grudged giving up the command of affairs to his rival; but as he saw that the junta wished it to be so, he was forced to yield. don miguel was, therefore, elected general of the army of the republic, and don francisco was permitted to retain the civil rule. then the meeting broke up, and maraquando went off to take measures for the immediate relief of chichimec, while gomez, much mortified at the slight he had received, retired sullenly to his palace. "what's the matter, tim?" asked jack, as they left the palacio nacional. "you ought to be pleased at witnessing such a stirring scene, instead of which you are like a bear with a sick head." "and haven't i a cause?" replied tim, gruffly. "look at all this shindy going on, and i can't send a telegram to my paper." "oh, that's it, is it? well, then, ask philip to lend you _the bohemian_, and go off to truxillo at once." "begad, that isn't a bad idea anyhow," cried tim, stopping suddenly; "but i don't want to leave tlatonac just now." "well, you may be pretty certain philip won't go, nor i. why not send peter? write out your news here. peter will take it, and old benker will look after the yacht." "how far is it to truxillo?" "a trifle over three hundred miles." "do you think philip will lend me the yacht?" "i'm sure he will. let us ask him at once. he is flirting with doña eulalia in maraquando's patio." tim, who had quite recovered his spirits at jack's happy suggestion, started off at once to the casa maraquando. there was no necessity, however, for them to go so far, for they met their friend coming down the calle otumba. he hailed them at once. "tim! jack! come along to the puerta de la culebra. news from chichimec." "what do you say?" roared tim, plunging towards the speaker. "cocom came to the casa maraquando a few minutes ago, and told me that a messenger had arrived from chichimec. he is at the puerta de la culebra." "the deuce!" cried jack, in alarm, as they hurried along towards the gate; "perhaps it's another request for relief." "if so, they will soon have it," said tim, quickly. "don miguel is going to send three thousand men this day to finish off these savages." "ah, that is something like!" said philip, approvingly; "there will be some chance of relieving the city with that force. i am glad don miguel has matters now in his own hands." "so am i. he'll end the war in no time. i say, philip, lend me the yacht." "what for? you are not going to janjalla again?" "no! i'm going further south. that is, i'm sending peter with despatches." "where to?" "truxillo! he can send off my telegrams from there. lend me the yacht, philip, and i'll love you for ever more." "oh, take her, by all means; but i hope she won't be smashed up by the warships of xuarez." "he's only got one now," replied tim, coolly; "and she'll have her hands full looking after the torpederas." "i forgot that! it's a good idea, tim! get all the news together you can, and peter shall go out with _the bohemian_ to-night, both of them in charge of benker." "do you think peter will go?" said jack, doubtfully. "of course he will," said tim, promptly. "the little man's of no use here. i'll make him queen's messenger for once in his life." "hallo!" cried philip, at this moment, "there's old cocom making signs. ola, cocom!" the old indian, who was hobbling on the other side of the street, came over to them with an excited look on his usually immobile face. "carambo, señores! the news. the terrible news!" "what is it?" cried the three englishmen simultaneously. "chichimec has fallen!" jack uttered an ejaculation of rage, and darted off to the gate, followed by tim and philip. they found an excited throng of people talking wildly together. don sebastian was just under the archway, with his glasses to his eyes, looking towards the plains beyond. "is the news true of chichimec's fall?" asked jack pushing his way through the crowd. don sebastian turned slowly with a grave bow, and handed jack the glasses. "quite true, señor. see! fugitives are arriving every moment." jack clapped the glass to his eye, and saw that the plain was sprinkled with people all making for the gate of tlatonac. "why don't you send out a regiment to protect them, de ahumada?" "it is going now. behold, señor." about five hundred men, well mounted, came trotting down the street, and began to file through the archway out on to the plain. jack stood on one side and watched them go by in all their martial splendour. "how did the indians take the town, de ahumada?" "it was surprised last night," replied don sebastian, sadly. "i expect the sentinels were worn out with constant watching. dios! it is frightful. first puebla de los naranjos, now chichimec; janjalla has already fallen, and tlatonac----" "won't fall," interrupted jack, abruptly, as the last of the cavalry swept through the gate. "when things are at their worst, matters mend. just now they are very gloomy. to-morrow they may improve." tim stayed behind to make inquiries about the fall of chichimec for the use of his paper, and philip, in company with jack, went off to look up peter, and ask him if he would consent to act as tim's messenger to truxillo. they could not find him in their own house, and learned from a servant that he had gone in search of them to the casa maraquando. at once they repaired thither, and had just reached the door, when peter, with a look of alarm on his face, rushed out of the house, almost falling into their arms in his hurry. "philip! jack! have you heard?" "what is the matter, peter?" "don francisco has shot himself! don miguel has just told me." philip made a gesture of horror, and jack ran into the house to see maraquando, and learn the particulars of the case. it was perfectly true. unable to bear the disgrace of being deposed from the active conduct of affairs, president gomez had retired to his room, and shot himself through the heart. chapter v. the indian raid. painted braves came on the war-path, numerous as the leaves in summer, decked with feathers and with wampum, all their faces fierce and fearless, streaked with colours like the sunset, rage was in their hearts of iron; spears grasped they, and bows and arrows, and their horses, like the storm clouds, swiftly swept across the prairies, till the firm earth shook and trembled 'neath the thunder of their thousands. loud they sang the song of battle, sang the song of war and bloodshed; while the nations, women-hearted, hid within their walled cities, like the rabbits in their burrows, when they heard that chaunt triumphal. certainly, fate was dealing hardly with the republic of cholacaca. one blow followed another, and it seemed as though the final catastrophe would be the triumphal entry of don hypolito xuarez into the capital. janjalla was in his possession; he now threatened centeotl, and the two towns of puebla de los naranjos and chichimec had been destroyed by his savage allies. the unexpected death of don francisco gomez put the finishing touch to this series of calamities, and the whole city was pervaded by a feeling of dismay. disquieting rumours crept among the people that xuarez had captured centeotl and hermanita--that he was now on his way to tlatonac--that the death of president gomez was due to his machinations. these fabrications, gaining additions as they flew from mouth to mouth, carried fear into the hearts of the citizens, and many were of the opinion that nothing was left save surrender to the insolent conqueror. the junta met within an hour of the intelligence of don francisco's death, and unanimously elected don miguel maraquando as president of the republic. even the party of the dead ruler supported this election, as they could not fail to see that maraquando would make an exceptionally vigorous and firm-handed president. though there was no doubt that don francisco had committed suicide out of pique at being deposed from the active command of affairs, yet the junta, ignoring the manner of his death, and thinking only of his past services, decreed the late president a state funeral. the houses of the city were draped in black, the flags floated half-mast high, the minute guns boomed at intervals from the forts, and, with all due formalities, president gomez was interred in the vaults of the cathedral. when the ceremony was at an end, a weight seemed to be lifted off the city. the bad fortune which had persistently dogged the later months of don francisco's rule seemed to be passing away, and, under the vigorous leadership of maraquando, the capital became wildly patriotic. one idea pervaded the minds of all--that the war was to be ended at once, and that xuarez was to be crushed by prompt and well-conceived measures. after the indians had sacked chichimec, it was naturally expected that they would march southward and join don hypolito before centeotl. instead of this, however, the savages began to threaten the capital, and daily bands of well-horsed braves would scour the plains before the puerta de la culebra. sometimes the soldiers on guard, exasperated by this insolent defiance of the principal city of cholacaca, would dash out in small parties; but on such a sally being made, the indians always disappeared. the bulk of their army still lay (as was ascertained by spies) at chichimec, and it seemed as though these scouting parties were anxious to draw the troops of the junta from behind the walls, so as to fall on them in the open plain. president maraquando was anxious to march his whole army south, and encounter don hypolito in the neighbourhood of centeotl. in order to do this, he would have to overcome the hordes of savages which formed a living barrier between tlatonac and chichimec. this entailed some risk. if beaten by the indians, he would have to fall back on the capital in a crippled condition, and thus give xuarez time to increase and discipline his army. then, again, even if he did succeed in conquering these bloodthirsty tribes, he would in all probability lose many of his men, and be forced to encounter don hypolito's fresh soldiers with jaded and diminished troops. at one time he thought of waiting until the return of the torpederas from janjalla, and then embarking his troops on _the iturbide_, proceed southward to attack xuarez in the rear. even there the savages would have to be reckoned with, and during his absence, and that of the greater portion of his troops, would perhaps attack the capital. besides, maraquando did not wish to risk an expedition to janjalla unless _the cortes_ were either sunk or captured. altogether, he was in a state of much perplexity, and the only way by which he could make a move was to detach the indians from the cause of xuarez. this task was accomplished by jack duval in what seemed to be almost a miraculous fashion. the new president entertained a great opinion of duval's abilities. he invariably found him clear-headed and shrewd, capable of giving good advice, and wonderfully prompt in coming to a decision in time of emergency. therefore, when, shortly after the death of don francisco, the young man called to see him at the casa maraquando, with a view to lay a certain proposition before him useful to the republic, don miguel interviewed him at once, and gave him his fullest attention. some time since, peter, with tim's notes, had started in _the bohemian_ for truxillo, and at the last moment philip had decided to go with him. jack desired to confer with maraquando about his proposed scheme, and to be on the spot in order to carry it out. tim was afraid to leave the capital lest he should miss some stirring event likely to be of value to his paper; but philip had no special reason for remaining constantly at tlatonac, unless for the sake of doña eulalia. dr. grench did not object to go to truxillo in _the bohemian_, but on observing that he would feel more at ease regarding the navigation of the vessel if philip commanded her, the baronet promptly decided to go. it was a good thing for peter that old benker had not heard this reflection on his seamanship, else he would have been much displeased. at all events, peter, by artfully putting the matter in this light, secured philip for his companion, and the yacht had departed the previous day for honduras. she was expected back in four days, and philip determined on his return voyage to stand in close to the shore of janjalla, and assure himself of the result of the expedition against _the cortes_. jack made his appearance in the patio in the company of cocom, whose presence he required in the delicate proposal he had to make. he intended to appeal to the superstitious side of the indian character, and wanted cocom to back up his opinion so as to induce don miguel to give his consent to an experiment he desired to attempt connected with the harlequin opal. don miguel was on the azotea smoking endless cigarettes, and glancing over some papers relating to the civil government. his secretary was present, but when duval appeared, the president sent him below with the documents, and received jack and his factotum alone. jack took a seat by the president, and cocom, rolling a cigarette, squatted on the floor, wrapped in his zarape. "where is the señor correspoñsal?" asked don miguel, solemnly, after the first greetings had passed between them. "at the puerta de la culebra," replied jack, taking the cigar offered to him by the old gentleman. "i asked him to wait there, señor, as in an hour or so the peon sent by your excellency to chichimec is expected back." "bueno! but what news do you expect by the peon?" "news that the indians contemplate an advance on tlatonac!" "por todos santos! don juan, such a thing cannot be. the indians would not dare to so insult the majesty of the republic." jack privately thought the majesty of the republic had been pretty well insulted already, but wisely refrained from giving voice to such an opinion. "the indians, excelencia!" he said, smoothly, "are, according to trustworthy reports, six thousand strong, and thus think themselves a match for even the capital of cholacaca. they have reduced puebla de los naranjos to ashes, they have sacked chichimec without hindrance, and, excited by such victories, have rashly determined to attack tlatonac on their own account without waiting for the arrival of xuarez." "do you really think they will dare to camp under our walls?" asked don miguel, still incredulous. "i really do think so, excelencia," replied jack, frankly. "if you think i am too rash in pronouncing such an opinion, question our friend cocom. he has already rendered great services to you and to the republic. therefore, you must know that he speaks truth. speak to him, señor." the president turned his eyes towards the old indian, who, impassive as an idol, sat at his feet smoking a cigarette. he answered maraquando's inquiring look with a grunt of assent to jack's remark. "i am a true indian, excelencia! of the mayas i am, and my name is that of their kings. cocom speaks now the truth. don xuarez is also an indian, he comes from the hidden city of totatzine. he has an understanding with the high-priest, ixtlilxochitli. don hypolito said war, and the chalchuih tlatonac, through the priests of huitzilopochtli, said war. therefore are six thousand indians in arms. now the opal is in the possession of the enemies of the god--in tlatonac, a city hated by ixtlilxochitli and xuarez. they have told their fighting men that this war is a holy war, for the recovery of the sacred shining stone. were it not for the opal, the indians would not dare to come to tlatonac even with six thousand braves. but it is a holy war. they will dare anything to recover the sacred stone. therefore will they come here, excelencia, and camp under your walls. this is the truth, i swear by the shrine of the holy mother of god." "it might be so," said maraquando, musingly; "the opal is in tlatonac, without doubt. my niece has it in her chamber, and knowing how sacred the indians hold the gem, i doubt but that they will fight boldly to gain it again for the hidden shrine of their god, huitzilopochtli." "assuredly, don miguel. and to gain it they will come to tlatonac." "that must not be!" cried the president, emphatically; "i will send an army against them, and encounter their host at chichimec." "with what result, señor? even if you conquered, the victory would cost you many men, and thus would your army be weakened to encounter xuarez." "true, true! don juan. but what then is to be done." "let the indian army come to tlatonac. let them camp under the walls. close the gates of the city, and make no hostile sign." "what say you, señor?" said maraquando, in a fiery tone. "would you have me leave this savage foe in peace till joined by don hypolito--by the rebel xuarez?" "they will not be joined by xuarez, don miguel. when the rebels arrive, they will find no savage allies under the walls of tlatonac." "if it could be so, it would be well. but how, señor, do you propose to make this savage army vanish without a blow?" "by means of the chalchuih tlatonac." "i do not understand, mi amigo. explain, if you will be so gracious. i am all attention." jack began to explain without further preamble. "observe, excelencia," he said slowly, so that don miguel could have no difficulty in following his reasons, "it is now noon--this night, if i mistake not, the indian army will come to tlatonac----" "bueno!" interrupted cocom, nodding his head like a mandarin, "i have heard this thing spoken with many tongues. your messenger, excelencia, will confirm what i say. the indian army will march this night for tlatonac. at dawn will you see them encamped round the walls." "proceed, don juan," said the president, gravely. "as you can see, señor maraquando," pursued jack, emphasising his remarks with his finger, "the savages will not arrive till night, so as it is now but noon, we will have time to make ready for their arrival." "dios! you said make no preparations!" "not hostile preparations! no, señor; listen, i pray you. we have the chalchuih tlatonac, the properties of which are regarded with superstitious reverence by the indians. what the opal commands they will do. when it glows red, they prepare for war. let an azure ray shine, and they know that the god commands peace, and, at whatever cost, will lay down their arms." "how is this done, this glowing of red, of blue?" "i will explain, señor. in the hidden city i saw it. the opal hung by a golden thread before the shrine of huitzilopochtli, and this thread was twisted in a certain way by the priests. by careful calculation, they could tell how far it would untwist, so that the opal stone depended motionless, showing the colour they wished. if they desired war, the red side of the stone revealed itself--if peace the blue. to prophesy plenty, the yellow ray came to the front, and so on with all the tints." "then you say, don juan, that if these indians saw the opal glowing blue, they would lay down their arms?" "assuredly, señor! and withdraw at once to totatzine, leaving xuarez to meet the forces of the junta alone. if the stone glows blue, they know it is the will of the god that they should not fight." don miguel smiled incredulously. "i doubt, señor, whether these warriors, flushed with the sacking of puebla de los naranjos and chichimec would obey the stone now, even though it glowed blue and thus proclaimed peace." "excelencia!" broke in cocom, earnestly, "you know, not the power of the chalchuih tlatonac. i, señor am a good catholic. i believe not in the devil stone; but my countrymen, señor, think that the spirit of the god huitzilopochtli dwells in the gem. they believe that he would punish them with plagues unto death were they to disobey his will as conveyed by the opal. the shining precious stone is the strongest thing in the world to them. believe me, excelencia, that when the warriors see the stone glow blue, even were they on the eve of entering tlatonac, they would lay down their arms and retire to the forests." "i trust this may be so," said maraquando, addressing himself to jack, not unimpressed by the indian's speech; "but where, señor duval, do you propose to let them see the opal?" "in the chapel of padre ignatius, outside the walls," replied jack, promptly. "cocom knows where there is an image of the war-god. he will set it up on the altar of the chapel. before it, by a thread, we will hang the sacred stone. at dawn all will be ready, and cocom can so twist the thread that when the opal hangs motionless it will glow blue. the indians will arrive during the night. at dawn they will spread themselves through the suburbs, and enter the chapel of the good padre. there they will see the image of their god, the sacred splendour of the opal. they will kneel down and worship, watching the twisting of the gem. when it stops and glows blue, then will they know huitzilopochtli is satisfied with the sacking of the two towns, and now commands peace. before noon, excelencia, there will not be a single indian left before the walls. they will retire into the forests, to the sacred city of totatzine, and thus will xuarez lose his allies." maraquando listened to this proposal in silence, his cheek resting in the palm of his right hand, nor when jack had concluded did he alter his position. he mused long and deeply, neither of his guests attempting to interrupt his meditations. this idea of detaching the indians from xuarez, by means of the opal, seemed to him to be childish. that an army of six thousand untutored savages flushed with victory should voluntarily retire at the bidding of huitzilopochtli spoken through the stone, seemed improbable. but then maraquando had never been to totatzine, he did not know in what extreme veneration the opal was held by the indians, and thus deemed jack's proposition weak, when in reality it could scarcely have been stronger. nothing is so powerful as superstition, and to work on the minds of the indians through their abject belief in the virtues of the shining precious stone was a master-stroke on the part of duval. "it seems to me," said maraquando, at length raising his eyes, "that the carrying out of this scheme will entail the loss of the opal." "without doubt, señor," replied duval, coolly; "but by such a sacrifice you gain more than you lose. the indians will desert xuarez, you will be able to march your army south, and conquer him in the neighbourhood of centeotl before he has time to approach nearer to the capital. then you can crush his nest of traitors in acauhtzin. better lose the opal than tlatonac, and if we do not succeed in getting rid of the indians it may be that the city will fall." "what says my niece doña dolores?" "i have spoken to her, señor, and for the sake of the city, she is willing to run the risk of losing the jewel." don miguel smiled approvingly. he was patriotic himself, and liked to see the same quality displayed by all his family. at the same time, he was a just man, and knowing how dolores loved the gem, did not care about taking advantage of her offer to sacrifice the same, unless she voluntarily consented to surrender the sacred stone. "we will ask the lady herself," he said, rising from his chair. "one moment, señor; i shall return with my niece." he disappeared down the staircase leading to the patio, and jack was left alone with cocom. "it may be that the indians will not dare to take the jewel," said jack, looking at the old man. cocom uttered a grunt which might have meant anything. "rest content, don juan. once the chalchuih tlatonac leaves the walls of the city, it will never return again. back to the sacred shrine of totatzine shall it go. the high priest has ordered it be sought for far and wide, lest the god afflict the people with plagues for its loss." "still, if i remained in the chapel, and watched it." "you, señor? nay, that, indeed, would be rash. the indians would slay you. only one will watch the jewel; but that one cannot prevent the worshippers seizing it." "you mean yourself?" "it is said. i speak of cocom. he shall sit by the image of the god, when the indians enter the chapel of the good father." "but the indians might slay you, cocom." "that which is to be must be," replied the old man, stolidly. "cocom must watch the sacred gem, so that it sends the blue ray of peace from its breast. the tribes have been told by ixtlilxochitli that cocom is a traitor, and false to the worship of the old gods. when he is seen, he must die." "but my friend, i----" "be silent, señor. not you nor any man can turn aside the spear of teoyamiqui. why should i murmur if death be my portion? i am old, i am mutilated, i am weary of life. if i die i die, and for the safety of the white people. it may be, señor, that, as says the good padre, cocom shall go to the heaven of the christians. with the virgin such going rests." jack found no words to reply to this speech, and remained silently thinking of how he could save the old man from death. he had as yet arrived at no conclusion, when don miguel appeared with his niece on the floor of the azotea. dolores ran towards jack and threw herself into his arms. "querido," she said in a tender voice, "my good uncle tells me of your scheme. it is that of which you spoke to me. it may save tlatonac from savage foes, and thus do i aid you to the extent of my powers." she held out the opal towards him. "you may lose it altogether, dolores." "no matter, juanito. it may save the city." "and you consent to this sacrifice, don miguel?" "yes, señor. i think it will turn aside this host of savages. with them away, we can hope to conquer xuarez. otherwise----" maraquando stopped suddenly, and made a gesture of despair. "of course it is merely an experiment," said jack, doubtfully. "but one which must be successful," cried dolores, quickly. "querido, can you doubt that, after what we saw in the sacred city? as the god speaks through the opal, so will the indians act. let it dart, then, its blue ray, and drive them back to their forests." "you are sure you can make it shine blue, cocom?" "señor," said the old man, with great dignity, "i give my life to prove that this shall be so." jack took the opal from the outstretched hand of dolores. "so be it!" he cried, fervently. "the opal has brought the indians to tlatonac; the opal shall send them back again to totatzine." tim suddenly made his appearance with a face full of excitement. "jack! señor maraquando!" he said, quickly, in spanish, "the messenger you sent to spy on the indians at chichimec has returned." "what does he say, señor correspoñsal?" "that the whole host of indians are marching from chichimec, and will be camped round the walls at dawn. dios! we are lost!" "no," cried jack, brightly, "we are saved!" "what the deuce will save us, jack?" asked tim, in english. "this!" duval held up the harlequin opal. a ray of sunlight struck the jewel, and a blue ray darted out like a tongue of steel. "bueno!" said cocom, stolidly, "the chalchuih tlatonac prophesies peace." chapter vi. the luck of the opal. the red ray dies in the opal stone, the god hath spoken, arrow and bow and spear be broken, red of war is the fiery token, and lo! in the zone, it pales, and fades, and faints, and dies, as sunsets wane in the eastern skies. the blue ray glows in the opal's heart, the god is smiling, victims no more need we be piling, on altar stone for his dread beguiling; the blue rays dart to tell us war must surely cease, so in the land let there be peace. jack at once proceeded to execute his project. fortunately padre ignatius had gone south in _the iturbide_, thinking his ministrations might be required by the wounded, else duval would never have gained the good priest's consent to such a desecration of his chapel. as it was, jack hoped to carry out his scheme, and restore the chapel to its original state before the return of the old man. the actual elevation of a heathen idol on the shrine of the virgin, not being seen by padre ignatius, he would think less of the sacrilegious act, more especially when he would find on his return the altar in nearly the same state as when he left it. being a protestant, jack had no scruples about the matter, and cocom was such a queer mixture of paganism and catholicism, that his views were not very decided. he believed in the virgin certainly; but seeing that her altar was required to save the city, cocom thought that she surely would not object to the conversion for a time of her chapel into a heathen temple. besides, if this was not done, the indians would be sure to destroy the shrine, so it was best to make an attempt to avert such a disaster, even in such an illegitimate way, rather than risk the whole place being destroyed by the savages. this was cocom's idea in the matter, therefore he proceeded to put an image of huitzilopochtli in the place occupied by the cross. father ignatius would have died of horror had he witnessed such daring. all the afternoon they laboured to transfer the chapel into a semblance of the temple of the war-god, and at length succeeded in making it a very fair representation. huitzilopochtli, his left foot decked with humming-bird feathers, was set up on the shrine itself, a small altar on which a fire was lighted burned before him, and the walls were draped with mats of featherwork and pictured linen, whereon were depicted the hideous forms of aztec deities. from the roof, by a golden thread, hung the famous opal, spinning in the dim light. after some calculation, cocom made a hole in the roof of the chapel, so that when the sun rose over the walls of the city his beams would pour through the opening and bathe the gem in floods of gold. where cocom had discovered all this idolatrous paraphernalia jack could not make out, nor would the old indian tell. but it confirmed duval in his belief that in the near neighbourhood of tlatonac the natives still worshipped the gods of their ancestors, for the celerity with which cocom had produced statue, pictured linen, and altar, pointed to the existence of some hidden temple close at hand. in fact, despite cocom's asseverations to the contrary, jack began to be doubtful as to his really being a christian, for he betrayed far too much knowledge of paganism in its worst form to be quite orthodox. one thing, however, was certain, that, pagan or not, cocom was greatly incensed against ixtlilxochitli for maiming him, and was doing his best to thwart the plans of the savage old priest. things having been thus arranged, towards sunset jack tried to persuade cocom to return with him to the city, and leave the opal to work out its own spell. this the obstinate octogenarian refused to do, averring that without his personal superintendence the scheme would fail. jack unwilling that a man from whom he had derived so many benefits should be left unprotected amid a horde of bloodthirsty savages, insisted on remaining with him to keep vigil during the night. this offer cocom also refused, and implored jack to return at once to the city, and have the gates closed, as it was near sunset, and the indian army would soon be close at hand. "leave me here, señor," he said, with quiet obstinacy. "it may be that i fall not into their hands. they may take the opal--that is sure--but they may not take me. if you remain, your white skin will attract their fury, and they may sacrifice you before that very altar you have assisted to rear. i am an indian, a maya. dog does not bite dog. it may be that i shall escape." "not if ixtlilxochitli can help it." "oh, that evil one! he would have my blood, i know, don juan. but behold, señor, if i--as the indians, my countrymen, think--took the opal from totatzine, i now bring it back again. that may save me!" "but, cocom----" "depart, señor; i have my own plans. what says the proverb of the white people? 'every one is master of his own soul.' go! i save mine as i will!" it seemed to jack that cocom was desirous of wearing the crown of martyrdom. however, it was useless to turn him from his purpose, as he was obstinately set on daring the fury of the indians. jack, for a moment, thought of employing force, and looked at the spare frame of the old man, with the idea of picking him up and bearing him inside the city. perhaps something of his purpose showed itself in his eyes, for cocom suddenly darted out of the chapel and disappeared. though he searched everywhere, jack was unable to find him, so proceeded to the puerta de la culebra, and reported his arrival to don sebastian, who was stationed there in command of the guard. "and the indian, señor?" "refuses to come within, don sebastian. he says he is safe outside." de ahumada shrugged his shoulders, and made the same remark as had cocom some quarter of an hour before. "bueno! dog does not bite dog." then he ordered the gates to be closed, which was accordingly done. it was now too late to alter existing circumstances, and the whole chances of detaching the indian host from the cause of xuarez lay with cocom and the opal. jack went off to the casa maraquando, in order to inform don miguel of all that had been done, and then rewarded himself for that wearisome afternoon by chatting with dolores. it had been deemed advisable, by don miguel, to keep jack's scheme secret, lest, should the attempt fail, and the opal be lost, the populace should lose heart in the forthcoming struggle with xuarez. so long as the opal was in the city, they deemed themselves invincible; so, whether the attempt to detach the indians succeeded or failed, maraquando determined that the people of tlatonac should still think that the sacred stone was in the possession of his niece. late that night jack went on the walls with tim, and together they watched the indians gather round the walls. above the puerta de la culebra was fixed a powerful electric light, which irradiated a considerable portion of the space beyond the gate. without the walls there was quite a town, as the huts of the peons stretched away in long lines, alternating with palms, cacti, aloes, and densely foliaged ombú trees. close to the gate these huts clustered thickly together, but after a time became scattered, and finally ceased on the verge of the plains, where the ground was thickly covered with brushwood. the indians, fearful of the guns protruding from the walls, and doubtful of the weird glare of the electric light, kept away beyond the line of huts, and finally camped in the open ground beyond. notwithstanding the distance they kept from the town the powerful rays of electric light blazed full on their camp, and caused them considerable uneasiness. the two englishmen could see their tall, dark forms, gliding like ghosts through the white radiance, and at times a mounted troop of horsemen would dash furiously across the circle of light, disappearing into the further darkness. just below, a stone's throw from the wall, arose the little chapel of father ignatius, beneath whose roof cocom, with the opal, awaited the dawn. for some hours jack watched the strange sight that savage picture, starting out of the surrounding darkness, and ultimately retired to his house, hopeful that before noon of the next day all the indians would have disappeared. tim remained behind, talking to don sebastian, and scribbling notes in his book; but at last he also went to rest, and the wall was left in possession of de ahumada and his guard. all night long the electric light flashed its beams on the camp, so as to guard against an unexpected attack by the indians. at dawn, the savages were up and doing before sunrise. they gathered together in groups, and talked of how they were to attack this formidable city, whose colossal walls bid defiance to their puny weapons. they could see soldiers moving along the ramparts, the black muzzles of the guns frowning fiercely down, and wondered at the absolute indifference of the republic, who thus permitted her hereditary enemies to camp before the gates of her principal city. everything within the town was quiet, the gates were firmly closed, no peons were to be seen moving about the suburbs, and the indians, blackening the plain with their thousands of men and horses stood perplexed before this intensely silent town. the east was flaming redly over the ocean waves. the indians could see the long line of battlements black against the clear crimson sky. no wind blew across the desert, and the great banner of the opal hung motionless from its tall staff. suddenly, in the red sky, a yellow beam shot up into the cold blue of the zenith; another and another followed, spreading like a gigantic fan. the savages threw themselves on their knees, and held up their hands in supplication to the great deity, who was even now being invoked with sacrifice in the hidden town of totatzine. the gold of the sky seemed to boil up behind the walls of the town, as though it would run over in yellow streams. then the dazzling orb appeared, and fierce arrows shot across the green suburbs to the sandy desert, where those thousands of naked indians were kneeling. suddenly a man started in surprise, and looked inquiringly at his companions. they listened as he had done, and also looked astonished. in a miraculously short space of time the whole host were in a state of commotion. those in front stood still in a listening attitude, those behind pressed forward to hear this miracle which had startled their companions. loud and shrill arose the song from the chapel of padre ignatius. it was the hymn of the opal daily chaunted by the priests of huitzilopochtli in the city of totatzine. the chiefs hastily gathered together, and consulted as to the meaning of this prodigy. never before had the sacred song been heard beyond the shrine of the sacred city, and now its music was thrilling through the still morning air under the very walls of the capital. the mystery must be solved at any cost, and commanding their warriors to wait in the camp, all five chiefs, the leaders of the host, flung themselves on their horses, and galloped bravely up to the chapel. it was a dangerous thing to do, for at any moment those terrible guns might vomit forth fire and death; but the chiefs did not care. fanaticism, dread of the gods, was their most powerful characteristic, and dismounting from their horses, they entered the door of the chapel whence the chaunt of the opal proceeded. at the entrance they stood transfixed with surprise, and for the moment deemed they were in the shrine of the opal at totatzine. half-veiled by clouds of white smoke rolling upward from a small altar, they could see the terrible features of huitzilopochtli, in all his blood-stained glory. the mats of feather-work hung glittering from the walls; they marked the grotesque visages of their deities scowling from pictured walls, and behind the altar, the hidden minstrel chaunted the hymn of the opal. the opal! there it hung in the centre of the white smoke. a ray of golden light, like a finger from heaven, smote it with terrible glory. it was turning rapidly, as they had seen it in the temple of the god at totatzine. "chalchuih tlatonac!" they cried, and all five prostrated themselves before the sacred gem. high and shrill rang out the song from the hidden singer, and the chiefs, with reverential awe, watched the spinning opal. red, yellow, blue, green, the rays flashed out jets of many-coloured fire every second. it began to revolve more slowly. slower and slower! a pause!--it hung motionless, and a ray of azure shone benignly from its breast. the song ceased, and a tall man, arrayed in white garments, came from behind the shrine, holding a blue cloak full length in his arms. this was the ritual prescribed at the shrine of huitzilopochtli when the god spoke through the opal. "the god proclaims peace!" his voice broke the spell. the indians dashed forward, and strove to seize him, but he eluded their grip, and vanished. "peace! peace! peace!" they heard him cry three times. their attention was fixed on the opal, and they did not pursue him. "the sacred stone!" cried the supreme chief; "we must bear it back to the shrine of the god. forgive us, oh, holy one." he snapped the stone off the string, and darted out of the door, followed by his four companions. at the door an old indian, now divested of his sacerdotal garments, met them, and rushed on their principal with a cry of anger. "the opal! give me back the sacred gem!" "cocom!" cried the chief, raising his tomahawk. "it was thou who thieved the gem! die, vile wretch, who desecrated the shrine of the god." his companions restrained his wrath. the fear of the opal was on them. "nay, tezuco. the god says peace! the stone burns blue rays." "bind him, then, and we will take him to totatzine; there to be sacrificed on the altar of the offended god." in a moment cocom, in spite of his struggles, was thrown across the back of the horse of one of the chiefs, and they all rode off rapidly towards the camp. in the centre of the throng, tezuco halted, and held up his hand. therein flashed the opal, and a cry of delight arose from the host, who in a moment recognised the gem, and at once prostrated themselves before its glory. "children of the war-god. this hath been given to us again. we saw the stone revolve--we saw it stay. blue was the ray of the gem. blue, my children, is the sign of peace. huitzilopochtli, the lord of war, is appeased. he proclaims peace. no longer wait we here. to totatzine!" "to totatzine!" roared the vast host, and, at a signal, rushed for their horses. war, plunder, xuarez, all was forgotten. the blue ray of the opal proclaimed peace, and this vast host, laying down its arms, departed at the bidding of the god. the townspeople on the walls of the city saw with amazement the indians suddenly, without any apparent reason, strike their camp, and file off in long lines towards the north. astonished at the sight, don sebastian sent off a message to the president. in a quarter of an hour he arrived at the puerta de la culebra, followed by jack and tim. "behold, señor!" cried jack, triumphantly pointing to the myriads tramping across the plain. "did i not speak truly? the opal has done its work." "the opal! the opal!" murmured those around him, and the cry being caught up by the populace, passed from one mouth to another. the crowd on the walls, seeing in the departure of the indians the influence of the opal, began to cry out madly. they deemed that the opal was still within the walls of tlatonac. "viva el opale! el chalchuih tlatonac!" "bueno!" said maraquando, with satisfaction, shaking jack by the hand; "you were right, señor. the indians will give us no more trouble. now we can crush xuarez in the south. señor de ahumada open the gates!" in a few moments his excellency, followed by jack, tim, and don sebastian, was galloping in the direction of the chapel. they reached it, dismounted, and entered. the opal was gone and cocom also! "i knew we would lose the opal," said jack, cheerfully; "but i thought they would kill cocom. fortunately they have only taken him prisoner." "to reserve him for a more cruel death in totatzine, señor," replied maraquando, his delight slightly damped. "he has served the republic well. i would he could have been saved." "poor devil!" murmured tim, in english, as they remounted their horses. "in any case, jack, his death has saved the republic. now the savages have gone away, it won't be difficult to thrash don hypolito." at the city gates a new surprise awaited them. don rafael, mounted on a mustang, came galloping through the gate, and reined up his steed in front of his astonished father. "my father! great news; good news! i have just returned in _the montezuma_. we have captured _the cortes_ and the transports." don miguel looked incredulous. this news, coming after the departure of the indians, seemed too good to be true. "it is true, my father," said rafael, proudly. "by noon to-day you will see them in the harbour. now don hypolito has no fleet." "hurrah!" cried jack, tossing his hat in the air. "the luck of the opal!" those near repeated his exclamation. it swelled into a roar, and throughout tlatonac only one cry could be heard, "vive el opale." chapter vii. under the opal flag. marching away; joyous and gay, rank upon rank with a splendid display, leaving the city at breaking of day. riding along, gallant and strong, round us the populace tearfully throng, greeting our going with patriot's song. under our feet, flower-buds sweet; tread we in marching through plaza and street, never our kinsfolk again may we meet. laurels to earn; foemen to spurn; only for glory we anxiously yearn, conquerors all we will hither return. "juan," said dolores, seriously, "i believe the opal brought us bad fortune. while it was in the city, janjalla fell, don francisco died, and all went wrong. now it is lost, the indians have departed, the fleet of xuarez is destroyed, and everything promises well for the future." "that is true, in one sense, yet wrong in another," replied jack, smiling. "you must not forget that it was through the opal the indians departed, and while it was in tlatonac, _the pizarro_ was sunk, and the two other warships captured." "i suppose never again shall i behold the opal, juanito?" "not unless you care to pay a second visit to totatzine." dolores shuddered. the memory of their peril in the hidden city was a painful one. recent events had not obliterated the recollection of that terrible journey to the coast through the tropical forest. "i would certainly not care about seeing totatzine again, querido. and yet i would--if only to save cocom!" "it is impossible to save cocom," responded jack, a trifle sadly. "the only way to do so would be to lead an army to the hidden city, and rescue him. but how can such a thing be done in that narrow, secret way? our soldiers would be cut to pieces in those rocky defiles." "there is no other way, i suppose?" "i am not sure, dolores. that cañon road leads to the outer world. if we could only enter the valley where totatzine is built by that way, we might succeed in capturing the city; but i am afraid such an entrance will never be discovered." "ay di mi. then poor cocom is lost." "it is his own fault, querida. i tried to save him; but he refused to obey my orders. still, there is one chance of aiding him, though i am afraid but a faint one." "and that, my juan?" "listen, angelito! the sacrifice of the cycle does not take place for two months. i have escaped it, but cocom may now be selected by ixtlilxochitli as the victim. if we can crush xuarez and finish the war within the next few weeks, it may be that we can march troops to the sacred city, and save his life." "but how can you get to the city? by the secret way?" "no; by the cañon road. see, dolores! i have an idea!" they were sitting on the azotea, two days after the indians had retreated from tlatonac. rafael had just left them, full of glee at the proposed expedition to janjalla, and it was then that dolores had made the remark about the opal which lead to the conversation regarding cocom, totatzine, and the cañon road. in her lap dolores had a pile of flowers, which she was arranging for the use of the house. jack took a handful of these, and, kneeling down on the floor of the azotea, proceeded to illustrate his theory by constructing a map with the blossoms. "behold, my own!" he said, deftly placing a bud here and there, "this rose is totatzine, situate fifty miles from the coast in a straight line. here is tlatonac, indicated by this scarlet verbena. from the point where we embarked in the canoe to the capital is twenty miles." "i understand," said dolores, much interested in this explanation. "from totatzine to the point where we embarked, and from thence to tlatonac, is what we call a right angle. now, if i draw a straight line from the capital in a slanting direction, you can see that it passes through totatzine." "i see that, querido! but the third line is longer than the other two." "it is longer than each of the other two lines if you take them separately. shorter if you take them together. you do not know euclid, dolores, else you would discover that any two sides of a triangle are together greater than the third side." "wait a moment, juanito!" exclaimed dolores, vivaciously. "from totatzine to the point where we embarked is fifty miles, from thence to tlatonac twenty miles--in all, seventy miles. but by your reasoning this third line is not seventy miles." "of course not! still i believe it is quite seventy miles from tlatonac to totatzine by this new way." "how so?" "because we cannot go thither in a straight line. if we went by this one i have drawn, the distance would be much shorter than by the secret way of the sea. but as we have to follow the railway it is a longer journey--quite seventy miles. see! this is cuavaca, at the foot of xicotencatl--thirty miles from tlatonac; from cuavaca to the terminus of the railway it is twenty miles; from thence to totatzine possibly another twenty--in all seventy miles. so you see that the distance each way, owing to the configuration of the country, is precisely the same." "yes; but what of that?" "can you not see? at the point where the railway stops it is only twenty miles to totatzine. now, if, as i suspect, there is a road leading up the cañon to the city, the distance from the termination of the railway works to that road cannot be very far. if, therefore, we discover the hidden road, we can take our troops up by rail, march the rest of the distance, and enter totatzine through the mouth of the cañon." "oh!" cried dolores, astonished at this idea. "and you propose to attempt this entrance?" "if it can be found. unfortunately cocom is the only indian who could supply such information, and he is a prisoner to ixtlilxochitli." "but if he knew of this cañon road, why did he not lead us by that way instead of towards the coast?" "you forget the whole country is overrun by indians. we could not have disguised ourselves as pilgrims had we gone by the cañon road. that is evidently the secular path. the other way to the coast is sacred." "it might be done, juanito." "yes; but it cannot be done till xuarez is conquered and the war is ended." "santissima!" sighed dolores, sadly; "and when will that be?" "very shortly. now we have succeeded in getting rid of the indians, we shall be able to crush xuarez at one blow." "when do you march south?" "to-morrow at the latest." "will señor felipe be back?" "no, i am afraid not. in three days i expect the yacht will return. by that time who knows but what we may not have conquered the rebels?" shortly afterwards this conversation came to an abrupt conclusion as don miguel sent a special messenger to call jack to the palacio nacional. in those days jack was a very important personage. maraquando was so impressed by the way in which the indians had been dealt with that he entertained a higher opinion than ever of duval's capabilities, and frequently appealed to him for advice. nor did this create any jealousy, for the cholacacans were now beginning to regard duval as one of themselves. he was going to marry the niece of their president; he was the engineer who had constructed the railway; he was deeply interested in the future of the republic; so it was generally supposed that when the war was at an end he would be naturalized, a citizen of cholacaca, and take up his abode there altogether. a clever, brilliant young man like jack was a distinct acquisition to the country, and the liberal-minded cholacacans welcomed him accordingly. from the deepest despair the city had passed into a state of great elation. with the death of gomez, all the bad fortune of the republic seemed to have vanished. since maraquando had seated himself in the presidential chair, all had gone well, and the superstitious tlatonacians looked upon him as a ruler likely to bring good fortune to the republic. nor was such a belief to be wondered at, seeing how suddenly the tide of fortune had turned within the last few days in favour of the governmental party. the indians had departed, and thus was don hypolito deprived at one swoop of half his power. _the cortes_ menaced by _the columbus_, _the iturbide_ and the torpederas had surrendered, and now with the transports were lying in the harbour of the capital. xuarez, by the loss of his fleet, was cut off completely from the north, and shut up in janjalla with but six thousand troops. after these events had transpired, the junta met in the hall of the palacio nacional to map out the coming campaign. the whole of the members were on the side of maraquando. before the peril which threatened the republic in the south all party differences had disappeared, and the representatives of the several provinces united in upholding the policy of don miguel. this judicious unity was the salvation of the republic. the capital was garrisoned by ten thousand troops plentifully supplied with cannon, ammunition, and rifles. this force was under the command of general benito, who had been elevated to the command after the death of the ill-fated gigedo at janjalla. the troops were in a great state of excitement, as it was well known that they were no longer to be held back within the walls of the capital. maraquando had decided to throw forward nine thousand men as far as centeotl, and leaving one thousand to defend tlatonac, try conclusions with the rebels in the open plains. at the second conference of the junta, this decision was somewhat modified by the advice of benito. that astute commander pointed out that in janjalla lay the strength of xuarez. if he was defeated at centeotl, he could fall back on the southern capital, whereas, if that was in the power of the government, he would have no chance of retreat, and be thus crushed at one blow. the main thing, therefore, was to capture janjalla, and deprive the rebels of this last refuge in case of defeat. it was rafael who supported the general, and proposed a plan by which the southern city could be taken. "señores," cried rafael, vehemently, "what general benito says is true. we must leave xuarez no refuge. he must be crushed between our armies in the north and south. behold, señores, in the harbour of our city lie two warships taken from the enemy, now manned by faithful sailors of the junta. also the armed cruiser _iturbide_, and the two torpedo-boats _zuloaga_ and _montezuma_, one of which i have the honour of commanding. give us, señores, the order to steam south. put two thousand troops on board of the transports. then we will lie in the harbour of janjalla, and bombard the town. as don hypolito has probably gone north with the bulk of his army to centeotl, the town will be ill defended. in the end it must surrender, and then we can land our troops and push forward to gain the rear of the rebels. from the north, señores, seven thousand men will march under the command of general benito. thus xuarez will find himself between two armies, and be forced to surrender or submit to be cut to pieces. the rebels will be defeated and the war will be ended." this proposition commended itself to the junta, and was ultimately adopted. at once the fleet, under the command of captain pedraza, was sent south, with instructions to bombard and capture janjalla. then to lead the troops and push forward to effect a conjunction with general benito at centeotl. the warships, the cruiser, torpederas, and transports, left the harbour of the capital that afternoon amid great excitement, and then the populace rolled from sea-gate to land-gate in order to witness the departure of the army for the south. as yet _the bohemian_ had not returned from truxillo, a delay which vexed tim mightily, as he wanted to send the boat off again with fresh despatches. besides, he knew that philip would be annoyed at missing the battle which was to decide the fate of the war. when he had left for truxillo, there had been no chance of the loyalists and rebels meeting in open battle; but of late events had developed so rapidly that it was impossible to delay matters further. the army was marching for centeotl, and philip was absent at truxillo. only one person was pleased at this. eulalia was afraid of losing her lover in what promised to be a terribly sanguinary affair, and was therefore pleased that he was out of danger. she had not the spartan spirit of her cousin, who, though downcast at the prospect of being separated from jack, yet bade him march forward with the army to conquer the rebels, and made no attempt to detain him by her side. two thousand infantry had embarked on board the transports for janjalla, and now the army, consisting of five thousand foot and two thousand horse, left for the front by the puerta de la culebra. maraquando was nominally commander-in-chief of the forces, but, his presence being required at tlatonac, he left the conduct of the campaign to general benito. the army of janjalla, proceeding thither by sea, was commanded by colonel palo, and he was directed, when the southern city was captured, to march to centeotl, and effect, if possible, a junction with the troops from the north. there were also forty field-guns, and a battery of gatlings, with a corps of engineers. thus provided, the army of the government deemed themselves invincible. when they set out, maraquando solemnly delivered to benito the great standard of the opal, which had never before left the walls of the capital. now, in all its splendour, it floated over the heads of the soldiers, a shining star, with its glitter of feather-work and jewels, leading them south to victory. with that standard the army could scarcely conceive that there was any chance of defeat. all signs of the indians had disappeared. there was no doubt that, obeying the opal, they had retired to the sacred city, and there delivered the recovered treasure to the high priest. doubtless ixtlilxochitli, still desirous of aiding xuarez, would stir them up to war; but before they could again emerge from the forests, general benito hoped to cut the army of don hypolito to pieces, reduce the south to order, and then marching north, defeat the savage forces under the walls of the capital. the great strength of the republic lay in the fact that by strategy they had succeeded in isolating xuarez in the south. owing to the loss of his fleet, he could no longer depend upon help from acauhtzin, and now that his indian allies had deserted him, he was forced to meet the royalist army with a comparatively small army. on monday afternoon the transports, filled with troops, and convoyed by the warships, left for janjalla, and at dawn on wednesday the army began to march out of the puerta de la culebra on its way to the south. jack took a fond farewell of dolores, and soothed her with promises of his speedy return. don miguel, with some members of the junta, accompanied benito some miles on his way, and then returned to the capital to wait the upshot of this bold attempt to end the war at a single blow. from tlatonac the army marched to chichimec, which they found in ruins. hardly a soul was left in the town, for those who survived the massacre had fled southward to puebla de los naranjos. it was true that there, also, they would find but ruins. this they did not know, as the telegraph-wires had been cut by the indians, but as those savages were between chichimec and the capital, the unfortunate townspeople were only able to escape southward. leaving chichimec, benito marched to puebla de los naranjos, and there found a considerable number of fugitives from the former city. he was informed that centeotl still held out against the rebels, though xuarez was besieging it hotly, and that hermanita was untouched by either savage or rebel. this news was very comforting, and desirous of reaching that town by nightfall, the general pushed forward his troops by forced marches. by eight o'clock the army came in sight of hermanita, and were joyfully greeted by its citizens, who threw open their gates to receive these whom they justly regarded as their deliverers. that night the troops occupied the town. centeotl was but twenty miles further on, and benito was desirous of ascertaining the position of xuarez before venturing to give battle. he sent out indian spies, and these speedily brought reports as to the numerical strength of the rebels. it appeared that xuarez had in all about seven thousand troops, as he had been joined by several of the smaller towns of the republic. he had left but five hundred to garrison janjalla, never for a moment dreaming that, guarded as was the town by _the cortes_, it would be attacked by the loyalists from the sea. now having lost his sole remaining warship, he could not help seeing that his position was desperate. by his spies, he learned that the army under benito was camped at hermanita, and that janjalla was being bombarded by the fleet of the junta. at one time he thought of falling back on janjalla, concentrating all his force within its walls, and holding out against the loyalists, until reinforced by his indian allies. as yet he knew not that they had deserted him and withdrawn to their forests. had he been aware of his isolated position, he might have come to terms with the junta, but relying on the aid of the savages, and trusting to ixtlilxochitli's promises, he felt confident that he would gain a victory. as janjalla was being bombarded by the warships, he decided not to fall back there, as he would but expose his troops to a double danger: the land army of benito and the bombs from the sea. what he proposed to do was to meet benito at centeotl, defeat his army, and then either occupy that town, and hold out till his allies came south, or march north to effect a conjunction with them before the capital. as to janjalla, he could do nothing to relieve it. it was absolutely necessary that he should keep his troops together, so as to meet the army of the republic under benito. before janjalla fell into the hands of the junta, he hoped to conquer the land forces. it was all a chance, and he fully recognised that his position was most perilous. the only hope he had of turning the tide of fortune in his favour was to be joined by the indians from the north. the warships had left tlatonac on monday afternoon, and general benito, knowing the weak garrison at janjalla, calculated that the city would succumb to the bombardment by friday at the latest. it was now the morning of that day, and he determined to march his troops forward to meet the rebel army. from janjalla, from hermanita to centeotl, it was but twenty miles each way; and assuming that janjalla was captured, as there was every reason to believe, general benito hoped that the two thousand troops from the south, and his own forces from the north would meet at centeotl about the same time. with this idea, he marched with his full strength to centeotl, for now that the indians had vanished, he had no fear of being attacked in the rear, and if forced to retreat, could fall back on hermanita, that city being defended by its ordinary garrison. don hypolito, so as not to expose his troops to the double fire of town and plain, left the shelter of the walls, and occupied a low range of hillocks running at right angles from the city. between him and benito flowed the river broad and sluggish. by noon the armies faced one another. at one o'clock the first shot was fired, and the battle of centeotl began. chapter viii. the battle of centeotl. the squadrons move across the plain, beneath a rain of deadly missiles falling, falling. oh, could we gain those heights beyond, where guns are calling, of deeds appalling, one to the other not in vain, then might we conquer in the fray, and victors be e'er close of day. the stream lying between the two armies was called the rio tardo, from its slow-flowing current, and emerging from the interior mountains, pursued its way in many windings to the sea. centeotl was built on the left bank, so that the loyalists were unable to occupy the town without crossing the river, and to do so they would have had to force a passage at the point of the sword. the battle took place about three miles from the city, on a large plain streaked here and there with low ranges of sandy hills, and intersected by the broad stream of the rio tardo. on one of these ranges don hypolito had planted his artillery, and swept the river with his heavy guns. he also disposed his infantry along the banks, whence they kept up a regular fire of musketry on the loyalists. the bridge at centeotl had been destroyed prior to the arrival of benito, so that there was no way of crossing, save under fire from the foot soldiers, or in the teeth of the battery posted on the sandy ridges. behind this battery xuarez held his cavalry in reserve, lest the loyalists should accomplish the passage of the river, and the combatants come to closer quarters. between centeotl and the position he had taken up, he placed a line of some thousand horse, with the object of preventing an attack by the besieged in his rear. in the disposition of his troops, he showed a wonderful skill in taking advantage of the capabilities of the ground, and general benito saw plainly that it would be with considerable difficulty that he could effect a crossing of the rio tardo. on his side there were no ranges of hills upon which he could post his artillery, or by which he could protect his men. nothing but a desolate plain covered with brushwood incapable of offering the least shelter against the devastating fire of the insurgents. his only way of crossing the river was to silence the battery on the sandhills. with this object, he brought up his field-guns, and opened a heavy cannonade on the heights beyond. the rebels replied, and for over two hours this cross fire went on without intermission on either side. benito trusted by this gunnery to deceive the insurgents as to his real purpose, which was to attempt a crossing with five hundred horse three miles further up the stream, near the ruins of the bridge. by doing so he could take xuarez in the rear, and while the rebels were employed in facing this new danger from an unexpected quarter, hoped to cross the river with his full force. don hypolito evidently suspected this stratagem, for he kept a sharp eye on the disposition of the loyalist army in the direction of centeotl. when he saw a body of horse move citywards to effect a crossing, he at once sent a troop of cavalry to dispute the passage. benito seeing this, despatched a battery of six gatlings to support his troops, trusting that under the cover of these guns playing on the enemy they could force the stream. at once xuarez brought up his field-artillery, and in a short space of time the cannonading lower down the river was being repeated further up at the ruins of the bridge. the right wing of the loyalist army, consisting entirely of infantry, was thrown forward in the direction of centeotl, and kept up a fusillade, under cover of which the cavalry in scattered groups tried to cross. the insurgents, however, could not be dislodged from the opposite bank, and it was impossible to accomplish the passage under their persistent musketry. for close on three miles along the banks of the river this line of sharp-shooters extended, and at each end of the line artillery thundered incessantly. men on either side were dropping every moment, and it seemed as though each army would annihilate the other without either crossing the stream. for four hours the battle had been raging without the combatants coming to close quarters, and xuarez's soldiers remaining ever on the defensive, began to grow impatient. on the other hand, the royalists trying to carry the passage of the stream by dash after dash, were warming up to their work. it would have been madness for don hypolito to cross the stream, and with his few attack the many of the loyalists. the river was his great safeguard, and so long as that interposed its waters between him and the enemy, he felt comparatively safe, trusting to hold his position until the arrival of the indians from the north, whom he counted upon taking the enemy in the rear. he saw plainly that his men were growing weary of remaining solely on the defensive, and submitting to be cut to pieces by the fire of benito's artillery; but, until he saw a prospect of being reinforced by the indians, he was powerless to do anything but stubbornly prevent the loyalists from fording the stream. general benito saw that the rebel leader was unaware of the disaffection of the allies, and relied on their arriving shortly to turn the tide of war in his favour. with a view, therefore, to dishearten him, he ordered an indian scout, attached to his staff, to ford the river if possible, below the battery point, present himself to xuarez as a deserter from the loyalists, and inform him that the indians had retreated. the scout at once obeyed, and attempted to swim the river, but just as he was close on the opposite bank, a rifle-shot struck him, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he regained the shore. several rebel soldiers ran up to finish him with their bayonets, but he implored them to take him to xuarez, as he was in possession of certain facts relating to the allies. on being brought into the presence of the rebel leader, he had just time to tell don hypolito of the uselessness of counting on the indians, and shortly afterwards expired. xuarez thought at first it was a device of the loyalists to gain time, but as hour after hour went on, and no indians appeared, he began to believe that he was indeed foolish to depend upon help from that quarter. the full terror of his position came on him at once. he saw that, deserted by the indians, cut off from acauhtzin, the whole success of the rebellion against the junta depended upon his cutting the army of benito to pieces. janjalla was behind him, and he several times thought of falling back on that town, but the knowledge that it was being bombarded by the loyalist fleet withheld him from committing such a folly. centeotl was held in the interests of the junta. there was no chance of safety there, so he saw that he must remain in his present position, and either tire out benito by holding his position stubbornly, or dash across the river with the main portion of his troops, and try the fortune of war in a hand-to-hand fight. with characteristic boldness he decided on the latter of these alternatives, and sent forward a thousand cavalry to cross the river, and carry the war into the enemy's camp. midway between the two batteries, which still kept up their fire, he brought fifteen field-guns to bear on the masses of infantry on the other bank, armed only with their rifles, hoping to cut them to pieces, and thus afford his cavalry a safe landing. benito ordered five gatling guns to silence the field battery, and prevent, if possible, the landing of the insurgent cavalry. unfortunately, his orders could not be accomplished smartly enough, and before the gatlings could be brought into position, the field-guns of xuarez had opened a heavy fire on the infantry, under cover of which five hundred horse-men crossed the stream. the landing once effected, others followed, and the cavalry rode down the infantry like sheep, while right and left the balls from the field-guns of xuarez cut passages in the crowded masses. for the moment the advantage was decidedly with don hypolito. at once a thousand cavalry, held in reserve behind the battery, were hurled forward on the horsemen of the rebels. five hundred had now crossed the stream, and there held the loyalists at bay while their comrades formed. the rebel regiment pierced like a wedge into the mass of infantry, and met the cavalry of benito some distance from the bank of the river. what with these horsemen, and the incessant firing of the field-guns, the infantry of benito were thoroughly demoralised, and flying in all directions. the cavalry of xuarez, with admirable discipline, formed into lines as soon as they crossed the river, and steadily drove the horsemen of the loyalists backward. xuarez at once took advantage of this gain, and, behind his cavalry, sent regiment after regiment of infantry with orders to carry the battery of benito by storm. in vain the foot-soldiers of the loyalists were hurled against the advancing mass of rebel horse and foot now marching steadily for the battery. they did not give way one inch. xuarez hoped to capture the battery, turn the guns against the loyalists, and then bringing the rest of his troops across the stream. this unexpected manoeuvre had taken benito by surprise, and there was but little doubt that if the battery were captured a panic would ensue amongst his own men, and thus give xuarez a decided advantage. the columns of rebels pouring across the stream pierced the host of loyalists like a wedge and bore steadily down on the battery which was still under the heavy fire of the insurgent artillery posted on the sandhills. things looked black at that moment for the loyalist army, but at this critical juncture the troops of benito succeeded in forcing the passage of the stream further up near the city. what the opposidores had done in the centre of the line they did at its end, and, under cover of a heavy fire from their gatlings, managed to cross the stream and capture the field-guns of the enemy. these were at once utilised and turned on the rebels, and in a few minutes were pouring a deadly fire into the masses of cavalry and infantry sent to hold the bridge passage by xuarez. an officer galloped post-haste to benito, informing him of the crossing of the stream, and the general recognising that he might cut off the forces of xuarez on the left bank, sent to the bridge all the soldiers he could spare, amounting to some fifteen hundred. meanwhile the cavalry of xuarez, supported by several regiments of infantry, were trying to carry the battery of the loyalists by storm. their own artillery was now silent, as so inextricably mingled were rebels and loyalists round the battery that it was impossible for the gunners of xuarez to fire without cutting their own men to pieces. the rebels were still steadily pouring, column after column, across the stream in the rear of the cavalry, when suddenly their line was cut in two by the victorious loyalists from the bridge. these had utterly beaten the rebels defending the passage, by turning their own guns on them, and now those latter were flying towards the centre of the scene of operations, followed by a scattered body of cavalry, cutting them down in all directions. the loyalist infantry quickly crossed the river, and followed in the rear of the horsemen, but, being on foot, were necessarily far behind. the rebels attempted to re-form and reach the point where their columns were fording the stream but, flushed with victory, the cavalry of benito passed clean through the mass, cutting off all further rebels from joining their comrades on the opposite shore. at the same time, owing to the deadly fire of the loyalist battery, the invading soldiers of xuarez were beginning to give way, and slowly fell back inch by inch towards the point where they had crossed. they were unable to get back, however, as the cavalry of benito held them in check on the opposite bank, and seeing this, the general threw forward two regiments across the stream further up, where the bank, owing to the clean sweep made by his cavalry, was undefended. the rebels now found themselves between two masses of their foes, between two fires, with nothing but the river between. they slowly retreated before the infantry, pressing forward from the direction of the battery, and falling back on the right bank of the river, found themselves unable to cross in the teeth of the loyalist cavalry holding the opposite bank, while the foot-soldiers behind fought viciously with the rebels. the cavalry and infantry of xuarez thus caught became demoralized, and unable to keep a firm front to the loyalists, broke up into terrified masses, which were either cut to pieces, or forced into the stream, where they were shot down by their enemies on the opposite bank. it was now close on six o'clock, and, after five hours' incessant fighting, the advantage was now with the army of the junta. benito held the passage of the bridge near centeotl, and from thence down to the battery, the banks of the stream on both sides were held by his own men. the enemy beaten on the right bank, were slowly falling back on the left, and concentrating themselves round the hillocks, from which thundered their artillery. behind the battery, xuarez still held three thousand men in reserve, and these he brought forward, with the intention of hurling them in one last effort of despair, against the advancing masses of the loyalists. general benito no longer held back his army, but in person led his soldiers across the river. in a miraculously short space of time the combat was transferred from the right to the left bank of the rio tardo, and the whole force of the loyalists, with the exception of the corps of engineers attending to the battery, had crossed the river, and were pressing forward to carry the citadel of xuarez by storm. what with killed and wounded, and prisoners taken, the number of fighting men on either side was terribly reduced; yet, numerically speaking, the advantage lay with the loyalists, who could oppose seven thousand men to four thousand on the part of xuarez. confident in his position, and in the shelter afforded by the sandhills, don hypolito gathered his four thousand round the base of his batteries, and played his guns with deadly effect on the advancing masses of the loyalists over the heads of his own men. it was now a hand-to-hand struggle, and though the loyalists had the advantage over the rebels in numbers, yet as they were unable to bring their guns across the river, the combat was more or less equalised. the deadly fire from the sandhills played havoc with their ranks, and they were mowed down in hundreds. having no artillery to oppose these guns, and being unable to silence them by the battery on the opposite bank, the only hope of thrashing the enemy lay in carrying the sandhills by storm. this benito, with desperate courage, now proceeded to do. as yet, xuarez had managed to keep the loyalists in front, and gathering his lines from the river bank to some distance into the plain, desperately resisted the attempts of the attacking force to break through and storm the battery. to protect his rear from the river side, he sent two hundred cavalry to the back of the sandhills, to guard the stream lest any straggling parties of loyalists should cross at that point and assail him unexpectedly. he was now entirely on the defensive, and, unless he succeeded in putting the loyalists to flight with his artillery, saw not how he could hope to win the victory. how bitterly did he regret the desertion of the indians, the cause of which disaffection he could not understand. with them coming from the north, he might have effected a conjunction by crossing the river as he had done, and thus captured the battery of benito. as it was, however, his soldiers had been beaten back, the loyalists had crossed the river, and now his whole force was concentrated round the sandhills, upon which was placed his artillery. in his despair, don hypolito longed for the darkness, in the hope that under cover of the night he might be enabled to fall back on janjalla. long since he would have done this but for the timely information that the town was blockaded by the warships of the junta. it seemed like madness to retreat into such a death-trap, and yet if it could hold out against the bombardment until he arrived, he would at least have walls behind which to fight. he regretted intensely that he had not captured centeotl and thrown himself therein to defend himself against the loyalists. surrounded by stone walls, he could hope to wear out the troops of the republic, and perhaps destroy them in detachments, but as it was he had no shelter. his whole front was being assaulted by the loyalists, and behind he had but his battery and a possible chance of falling back on janjalla in the night-time. the whole plain from centeotl to the point of action was now in the hands of the loyalists, and seeing this the jefe politico of the city threw open the gates and sent forward men with provisions and wine to the wearied troops. three hundred soldiers yet remained within the walls, and these also marched out to join the army of the republic, and attack xuarez in his last position. it was now past seven o'clock, and the darkness was rapidly coming on. don hypolito hoped that the loyalists would withdraw and renew the combat next day. in the interval, his men could rest and sustain themselves with food or fall back at once on janjalla. this respite, however, benito declined to give. while the light lasted, he determined to keep up the fight, and if possible dislodge xuarez from his position before the morning. deeply did he regret that he had no electric lights, by the glare of which to conduct the battle; but as it was he took advantage of the clear twilight, and pushed forward his men vigorously in attempting to break down the stubborn line of defence offered by don hypolito. it is questionable how long this state of things would have lasted, as the rebels obstinately fought on, and though benito hurled column after column against them, not one inch would they yield. the artillery also, from the heights above, was sweeping down his rearward troops. he sent one thousand across the river again, to attempt the rear of the enemy, under cover of the fire of fifteen gatlings, but xuarez turned four heavy guns on the passage of the river, and stopped the crossing with ease. "carrajo!" muttered benito, shutting up his glass in a rage, "they will hold out till it is dark, and then we must stop. during the night they will fall back on janjalla." "and into the hands of our men!" replied jack, who was standing beside the general. "no, señor, don hypolito knows it is worse than useless to retreat from his present position. when the morning dawns, you will find him still on those hills." "bueno! all the same, don juan, i would like to finish him off to-night." "then send scouts from centeotl to see if our men are advancing from janjalla." "it might be that the city is not taken." "that is true. on the other hand, it might be that the city is." coincidences occur in real life as well as in novels and here occurred a case in point. tim, who had been to centeotl to make inquiries, galloped up to benito at this moment and saluted. "general," he said rapidly, "messengers have just arrived from janjalla. the city is in the hands of the junta, and our troops, to the number of two thousand, are pushing forward by forced marches." "janjalla in our hands?" cried benito, joyfully. "then xuarez has no refuge on which to fall back." the army shouted on hearing this cheering news, and looked upon the destruction of the rebels as a foregone conclusion, as indeed it was. xuarez heard the shouting, and, becoming aware of the cause by the frequent cries of "janjalla," ground his teeth with rage, as he saw how fortune was against him. "señores," he said to his officers, "we are condemned to stay here. there is now no hope of falling back on the seaport. we can but face the enemy, and fight bravely. i should have heard of this fall before, as my scouts are all over the country to janjalla." nevertheless, in spite of this discouraging news, he urged his men to fight bravely, hoping that the night would come, and force the loyalists to withdraw for some hours. in that time his army could rest and eat, while he himself might think of some plan by which to circumvent the tactics of general benito. he was quite ignorant that two thousand men were marching from janjalla to attack him in the rear. the last glimmer of the sunset had long since died out of the sky, and it was now comparatively dark. as yet, the reinforcements from janjalla had not arrived and benito was almost on the point of ceasing the fight till dawn, when the moon arose in the west. her appearance was welcomed by him with joy, for her light was quite brilliant enough to enable the assaulting party to continue fighting; and incessantly pressing on the wearied troops of xuarez seemed the only chance of beating him from the sandhills and scattering his army. don hypolito cursed the moon audibly, for he saw that his last chance of escaping in the darkness was gone. nothing remained for him but to fight on doggedly. then his scouts arrived, and he learned that in an hour two thousand men would attack him in the rear. with a cry of rage, he hurled his field-glass down the hill. "fortune is against me," he muttered, biting his lip with wrath; "my star goes down in blood. attacked front and rear, i cannot hold out much longer." yet he was too brave to give in, and, seeing that the town of centeotl was left defenceless, as its garrison had joined benito, he hoped to make a detour, and throw himself with his remaining troops into the city. one thousand men he could leave to defend the battery and draw off the attention of the loyalists, and with his remaining two thousand march silently away to the south, then make a detour for the city. then the reinforcements would come up in vain, for he and his men would have slipped away like an eel from between the two armies. he never thought of the fate of the thousand men he was leaving behind. but at that moment he would have given anything to gain time to reconstruct his plans, and would have sacrificed a million lives so that his campaign should not end in disaster. this mad scheme to occupy centeotl in the teeth of the enemy was destined to fail for lack of time. before he could move a single column towards the city, the sound of distant firing was heard, and the reinforcements came up in the rear at a quick trot. the whole force of xuarez was disposed along the front of the battery, protecting it from the assaults of benito's army. undefended in the rear, save for two hundred cavalry guarding the river, it offered itself freely to the reinforcements for storming. don hypolito brought round troops rapidly from the front to oppose this new danger. the cavalry dashed recklessly between the battery and the advancing infantry from janjalla. three guns, with depressed muzzles, rained down shot on the masses of infantry. it was all in vain. the fresh troops, elated by the fall of janjalla, and the crossing of the river by general benito, passed clean over the thin line of cavalry drawn up to beat them back. a mass of men obliterating man and horse, rolled upward towards the hastily formed lines of weary soldiers, brought round from the front to protect the rear. these succumbed in a few minutes, and the guns no longer being able to do damage by reason of the enemy being directly under their muzzles, the reinforcements swarmed up the slanting slope of the sandhills with cries of victory. benito heard those cries, and at once guessed that the troops from janjalla were carrying the battery by storm. hitherto he had been holding five hundred cavalry and two thousand infantry in reserve. these were now brought forward and hurled on the soldiers of xuarez massed at the foot of the sandhills. the rebels looked in front, and saw this mass threatening to overwhelm them; they looked behind, and lo! over the brow of the sandhills poured a black crowd of men over whose heads floated the yellow standard of the republic. the guns were silenced, the gunners bayoneted, and the red flag of xuarez dragged from its pole at the top of the hill. xuarez himself, surrounded by a ring of his officers, waved his sword for a moment, and then the wave of men passed over him. a cry spread throughout the host of rebels that he was lost. the men at the base of the sandhills, seeing the wave of men rolling downward, lost heart and broke up into scattered masses. on came the army of benito, and between the two forces the insurgents crumpled up like paper. in all directions they fled like sheep, and were chased for miles by the victorious republicans. benito, a merciful man, strove to restrain the zeal of his soldiers. it was all in vain, they were drunken with victory, and sabred and shot the wretched fugitives without mercy. the smoke hung heavily over the field of battle, and when it cleared away, the victorious troops of the junta saw the great standard of the republic floating proudly in the place lately occupied by the battery of the enemy. don hypolito had disappeared, his army, broken to pieces, was flying in all directions. from the triumphant army massed round the sandhills, rose a roar of joy which made the earth tremble. the wind which had blown away the smoke, shook out the folds of the opal flag, and the cholacacans saluted the invincible banner with cheers. "viva el opale! viva el republica!" chapter ix. the triumph of the republic. mars, god of war, whom we abhor, hath doffed his helm, and laid his lance and shield aside. he will no more lay waste our store, nor overwhelm our lands beneath his crimson tide. peace comes anon, now war hath gone, her olive bough of gentleness and quiet she brings beneath her sway, no deadly fray can fright us now; from battle plains the harvest springs. three weeks after that memorable victory at centeotl, the city of tlatonac was holding high festival in honour of the triumphant junta. every street was illuminated and decorated with flowers. in the principal places, fireworks, so dear to the hearts of the cholacacans were being let off, and the ships lying in the harbour were brilliant with lights. the populace in their gayest attire walked singing through the streets, visited the pulque shops, and gathered in groups to indulge in their national dances. bands stationed in different squares, played the opal fandango, the march of zuloaga, and soldiers, the heroes of the hour, were to be seen everywhere, being fêted and caressed by the grateful citizens. before the palacio nacional a dense crowd had collected, and the place itself, brilliantly lighted up, was occupied by a gaily dressed throng. his excellency the president was giving a ball in honour of the establishment of peace. on one of the balconies jack and dolores were seated, watching the varied throng below, and talking of past events. for the hundredth time dolores was asking jack about the battle, and all that had taken place thereat. "i am sure, dolores, you must be wearied of this more than twice-told tale." "no, juanito! it is a tale of which i never weary. come, querido, tell me once more. begin, 'after the battle----'" "after the battle," repeated jack, humouring her fancy. "well, the first thing we did after the battle was to search for the body of don xuarez. he had been last seen on the summit of the sandhill by his battery. when the reinforcements took that position by storm, xuarez vanished, and though we searched everywhere for his body, it could not be found." "so then you knew that he had escaped?" "it was presumed so; but even now we are not certain as to what has become of him. however, he had vanished; and giving up the search for him, dead or alive, in despair, general benito left a few hundred men to garrison centeotl, and pushed on at once to janjalla. in the harbour we found the fleet, which had captured the town by bombarding it, and captain pedraza, under instructions from benito, took the ships back to tlatonac." "ah, i remember how joyful we were when they entered the harbour and announced the victory. everyone in tlatonac was mad with joy." "dios! they are mad enough to-night," said jack, smiling, as he looked down on the crowd; "but under the circumstances, i think it is excusable. the fall of acauhtzin, the last stronghold of the opposidores, is worth being excited about. did rafael tell you all about it, dolores?" "not so much as he might have done," pouted dolores, unfurling her fan; "but you see, juan, there is doña carmencita----" "of course! poor girl! fancy her father being killed when the city was being bombarded!" "a great loss, was it not?" sighed dolores, her eyes filling with tears. "ay di mi. how sad would i feel had i lost my dear uncle." "it is the fortune of war," said jack, calmly. "instead of our troops capturing acauhtzin and killing tejada, it might have been xuarez storming tlatonac and shooting don miguel. one thing, at least, doña carmencita has to be grateful for: rafael rescued her unharmed from the burning city, and now she is to be his wife." "and i am to be yours!" "yes; and eulalia is to be philip's," finished jack, promptly. "i thought don miguel would never give his consent to that marriage." "eh, juanito!" said dolores, with a mischievous smile, "i think my uncle did so to console don felipe for losing his chance of being at the battle." "poor philip! only one battle of any consequence, and he missed it by being away at truxillo." at this moment dolores was summoned away from her lover by doña serafina. the old lady was a very severe duenna when not asleep, and as dolores was yet unmarried, did not approve of her being too much in the society of her future husband. a little jealousy was mingled with this strict regard for etiquette, as doña serafina had utterly failed to fascinate peter. all her smiles and insinuating remarks had been quite thrown away on the little doctor, who showed no disposition for matrimony, and scrupulously ignored the languishing looks of his elderly admirer. finally, serafina gave up the pursuit of this medical male as a bad job, and revenged herself indirectly on the sex by being particularly sharp with eulalia and dolores, both of whom were rarely permitted to be more than a few minutes with their respective lovers. these last blamed peter in no measured terms for thus depriving them of the society of their future wives; but the doctor absolutely refused to sacrifice himself any longer on the altar of friendship. he announced this in a conversation which took place in the patio of casa maraquando after the ball. "i would do anything for you i could," he explained plaintively to jack and philip; "but i really cannot go on paying attention to doña serafina. she thinks i am in earnest!" "and so you ought to be, you little monster," said tim, quickly. "it's time you were married." "well, then, why don't you set the example?" "it's easy talking! i have no one to love me." "journalism is a jealous mistress," observed philip, laughing. "tim is devoted to 'articles from a special correspondent.'" "true for you," replied tim, complacently; "but my occupation's gone. didn't i send my last article about 'the fall of acauhtzin' from janjalla? and isn't the war over?" "the war is certainly over!" said jack, lighting a cigarette; "but the danger of another war is not yet past." "what do you mean, jack?" "don hypolito still lives; and while he lives, the republic is not safe." "still lives!" echoed philip, in surprise. "why, jack, i don't see how you can make that out. he was not found on the field of battle, nor in janjalla, nor in acauhtzin. he must be dead!" "no; don hypolito is not the man to die so easily. where he is, i do not know, but i am certain he is yet alive." there was silence for a few minutes, as each was busy with his own thoughts regarding the probable resurrection of xuarez. after the battle of centeotl, he had vanished utterly from the face of the earth. it was thought he had fled to janjalla, or perchance to acauhtzin; but in neither of those towns could he be discovered. after a bombardment of five hours, the latter city had surrendered to the warships. don josè, the governor, in the absence of xuarez, had been killed by the bursting of a bomb, and many of his officers had shared the same fate. of xuarez, however, nothing could be discovered, and don miguel was much disturbed thereat. with a restless spirit like the rebel leader still working in secret, the danger was not yet at an end, and the president was determined to spare no effort to bring xuarez, to justice. while the four friends were thinking over this matter, don rafael, who had been holding a private conversation with his father, entered the patio. that young man was the hero of the bombardment of acauhtzin. he had recovered doña carmencita; his father had consented to his speedy marriage with that lady, and he was idolised by his fellow-citizens. with all this good fortune, he should have been gay and lighthearted; but as he entered the patio, he certainly looked anything but happy. "dios! what ails you, rafael?" asked jack, as his friend threw himself into a seat, and sighed heavily. "anything wrong?" "carambo! everything is wrong. my father refuses his consent to our marriages." "what?" interrupted philip and jack, in dismay. "till xuarez is discovered and punished," finished rafael, dismally. "ah!" said philip, with a breath of relief, "it might have been worse. i thought you were about to say don miguel had refused his consent altogether." "dios! i don't know if it does not amount to that," replied rafael, shrugging his shoulders. "how are we to find this ladron of a xuarez? he is not at acauhtzin. he is not in the south. where then are we to look for him?" "can you not find out?----" "i can find out nothing, mi amigo. for my part, i believe he is dead." "for my part, señor rafael, i believe he is alive," retorted tim, gruffly. "eh! and where do you think he is to be found, señor correspoñsal?" "quien sabe," said tim, carelessly. "but you know, señor, that after the battle of centeotl, i rode to janjalla, to wire my report to england?" "yes." "while there, i heard two prisoners talking. they, deeming me to be a foreigner, and not knowing that i was conversant with spanish, spoke freely." "bueno! and they said?----" "nothing about don hypolito, but talked of pepe." "pepe!" echoed philip, quickly. "the zambo who decoyed dolores from tlatonac--the lover of marina?" "the same. pepe, it appears, had followed xuarez to janjalla, being, as we know, the prince of spies. when _the cortes_ was taken, and xuarez was thus cut off from getting back to acauhtzin, pepe happened to be in janjalla. the troops of xuarez were wondering, in the case of defeat, how they could escape from the hands of our men. pepe laughed, on hearing their doubts, and said he could easily escape to totatzine." "to totatzine?" "to the sacred city. he said no one could follow him there, and that he knew of a secret way in the south, which would take him thither." "but, jack, the secret way you came is to the north of tlatonac," said philip turning towards duval. "very true! but for a long time i have had my suspicions that there is a second way to that city, by the cañon road, of which i told you. it is by that way, to my mind, that pepe intended to go." "yes, mi amigo!" said rafael, triumphantly; "but you quite forget. pepe was captured in the south, after the battle of centeotl, and is now in prison at tlatonac, awaiting punishment." "very true! he did not escape to totatzine, as he intended. but where was he captured? at the battle of centeotl. now, seeing that don hypolito has disappeared, it is just possible that pepe told him of the second secret way to the sacred city, and that xuarez may have escaped thence." "dios!" exclaimed rafael, springing to his feet. "think you, señor correspoñsal, that this dog is now at totatzine?" "i am not sure, but it might be so. ixtlilxochitli is his friend. there he would be safe, and if at the battle of centeotl pepe told him of this southern way to the city, when he saw that all was lost, he probably took advantage of the information." "why not find out if this is so, from pepe?" suggested jack, when tim ceased speaking. "he will tell nothing," replied rafael, in disgust. "this zambo is a mule for obstinacy." "we might try, at all events," said philip, cheerfully. "where is pepe, mi amigo?" "in the prison of the palacio nacional. if you think, señores, there is any chance of getting information from the zambo, let us seek him now." "why to-night?" said peter, looking at his watch, "or rather this morning. it is two o'clock. you are all weary with the ball. better wait till to-morrow." "no!" exclaimed rafael, throwing his heavy cloak over his shoulder. "we will go now. my father absolutely refuses to let any of us marry until we discover xuarez. i want to know where he is to be found at once, otherwise i shall get no rest. as for you, señor----" "i will come, by all means," said philip, putting on his sombrero. "it is also to my interest to find xuarez, else i may not marry your sister, rafael." "we will all go!" said jack, rising to his feet. "tim, you may get some copy, and make an article of it--'the confessions of a spy.' peter, you can go to bed, as this matter does not interest you in the least." "oh, doesn't it?" said peter, indignantly. "i am as anxious as you are to see you married, jack. but with your permission, i shall go to bed, because i do not think you'll get any information out of pepe." "we'll try, at all events," observed philip, emphatically. "i want to marry eulalia." "and i," said juan, following his friends to the door, "want to do three things, none of which i can accomplish unless pepe tells us of the secret way." "and the three things, jack?" asked tim, curiously. "first, i want to marry dolores. second, i desire to save the life of cocom, who is a prisoner at totatzine; and, third, i am anxious to obtain possession again of the harlequin opal." chapter x. the caÑon road. this is a tropical forest, where myriad leaves forming a roof overhead, keep out the effulgence of sunlight, so that beneath is the region of shadows and dimness; yet in this spectral twilight rise cities, magnificent, lonely; built in the far-distant days of giants--great architects they! sky-piercing pyramids, plinth, and column, and capital. line upon line of pillars, that loom in the darkness eternal, staircases huge, vast halls, and temples majestical; now no longer receiving the throngs of worshippers holy, only the bat flits through the ruins; ravenous beasts now wander through street, and square, and palaces gorgeous. who built all these splendours? we know not who built them. yet do they loom in the twilight region of shadows, encircled by tropical forests. as a rule, dr. grench was an early riser, and denied himself the luxurious idleness of morning slumbers, but on this special occasion he did not wake at his usual hour. the dancing of the previous night had proved too much for the virtuous peter, who always went to bed early, consequently he was very tired, and by no means pleased at being awakened unexpectedly by jack. peter was in the middle of a delightful dream, in which he was hunting unusually large beetles. after a time, however, the beetles began to hunt peter, and one, having caught him, was shaking him severely. the shaking woke him up, and the beetle changed to jack, who was trying to pull peter out of bed. "what's matter?" grumbled peter vaguely, struggling into a sitting position. "i don't want to get up." "you must," said jack, serenely, "or we shall start without you." "start? what? where? when? beetle-hunting?" "peter, you are not awake! what do you mean by such delirious talk? put on your clothes, and come down to breakfast. we're all waiting." jack vanished, and peter, wondering what was the matter, got out of bed with manifest reluctance. a cold bath drove the fumes of sleep from his head, and dressing rapidly, he repaired to the dining-room, where he found his friends and rafael making a hasty meal. peter stared, and began to ask questions. "now what is----?" "oh, here's peter," said philip, looking up with a smile. "come on, sluggard, and have something to eat. we are going to cuavaca by train." "train!" repeated the doctor, taking his seat. "what train?" "jack's train, you idiot," said tim, giving peter a dig in the ribs. "your wits are wandering!" "i think yours must be," retorted peter, addressing the company collectively. "what is the meaning of this early rising?" "we are going to cuavaca." "never heard of it." "then you hear of it now," said jack, crossly; "how stupid you are, peter. i will explain: we saw pepe, the zambo, last night, and on condition that his life is spared, he has promised to guide us to the city of totatzine by this second secret way." "oh! and cuavaca?" "cuavaca is a town thirty miles inland. the railway line is laid down to that place, and twenty miles beyond. we are taking a thousand troops to cuavaca, and intend to leave them there, while pepe shows us the cañon road. then we will lead them by that way to totatzine, save cocom, take xuarez prisoner, and secure the opal." "but," said peter, argumentatively, "is the end of your railway near this hidden city? or does a trackless forest lie between the terminus and the cañon road?" jack made a diagram on the tablecloth with knives and plates. "look, peter! this is tlatonac. this cuavaca. we go to the latter place by rail. from cuavaca the railway is constructed another twenty miles, and stops in the middle of a vast forest. here, according to pepe, is totatzine, sunken out of sight in its hollow valley. between the end of the railway and totatzine is a distance of twenty miles, more or less----" "of tangled forest and brushwood!" "nothing of the sort. don't i tell you pepe has promised to show us the secret way--the other secret way? the entrance is from a ruined city, about a mile to the right of the railway works. we find out that city, take our men from cuavaca to it, and thence march up the cañon road to totatzine." "dios! don juan!" exclaimed rafael, who had been looking at jack's table-map. "it seems to me that if the railway goes on it will pass by and reveal this hidden city." "not it. had there been a chance of its doing so, we would have had trouble with the indians pulling up the rails. no, mi amigo. the line is surveyed a long distance further on. if it turned to the right, it might certainly hit totatzine; but, as you see, it trends to the left, and if used for a century could never reveal the existence of the sacred city. ixtlilxochitli saw that, and did not mind the railway passing, so to speak, by his door. the city is too well hidden by its encircling mountains and by the windings of the cañon to be discovered without special exploration." "but it seems to me awfully stupid that the priests should take so much trouble over the one secret way and never bother about the other." this observation of philip's seemed to strike jack, and he reflected a few moments before he replied. "what you say is very true, philip," he replied slowly; "the secret way leading to the sea is very complicated, and even then the priests always blindfold pilgrims on the platform. this other road, leading from the ruined city, must be blocked up by rubbish, and what not. there is a wall across the entrance to the cañon, but it is pierced by a gate always open. no one comes by the narrow track, so i expect the entrance to that road has been choked up, and the way fallen into disuse." "then how did pepe find it out?" "lord knows! but the secret must be his alone else the priests would have destroyed the cañon path leading to the pierced wall, and so cut off communication entirely from that side of the town." "i hope pepe is not leading us into an ambush," said peter, anxiously, as they arose to go. "if he does, it will cost him his life," replied philip, grimly. "pepe, my dear doctor, marches before us with a pistol at his head. the first signs of treachery, and he falls dead. i don't think he'll risk that catastrophe." by this time peter had concluded his breakfast, and they all set out to the puerta de la culebra, near which, beyond the walls, was the railway station. on the previous night pepe, under promise of his life being spared, had admitted that don hypolito had fled northward overland to totatzine, gaining the city by the inland secret way. this road pepe promised to reveal on condition that the president spared his life. next morning, rafael told his father of the offer, and, as don miguel was anxious to capture xuarez, he readily assented to the proposition of the zambo. of course the six thousand indians, who had been disbanded by the influence of the opal, were not in the sacred city. their villages were far to the north, near acauhtzin, and as they only came south to the festivals of the opal, by the secret way of the sea, it was unlikely that the troops led by rafael and jack would encounter any resistance. the forests where the railway ended, and where, according to pepe, the cañon road began, were singularly devoid of population. this might have been caused by the jealousy of the priests, lest some wandering indians should find the entrance to the cañon road from the ruined city. if so, this jealous suspicion caused their ruin; for, had the district been infested with indians, they, seeing an unusual concourse of soldiers at cuavaca, would at once have warned the priests of the intended invasion of totatzine. then the cañon road could have been easily defended against the troops from tlatonac by a small body of defenders, and the disaster averted. as it was, however, the inhabitants of the sacred city were entirely ignorant of their danger until the foe was under their walls. the railway line was completed as far as cuavaca, a little inland village which promised to shortly develop into a city, owing to its being the future starting place, whence lines were to run north and south throughout the whole length of cholacaca. from the capital to this terminus extended a vast plain for over thirty miles, so that there was no difficulty in laying the line, and it had been speedily completed under the vigorous superintendence of jack. there were no engineering difficulties to be overcome, and the railway ran easily in a straight line over the plains to the foot of the volcano xicotencatl, where cuavaca was situated. from this point began a rugged and mountainous country, which extended northward as far as acauhtzin. twenty miles of railway had been constructed with great difficulty, as, owing to the configuration of the country, the line was singularly curving and irregular. bridges had to be built across cañons, tunnels had to be pierced through solid rock, and embankments, faced with stone walls, constructed where the ground fell away rapidly to moderately sized plains. the district was situated in the tierra templada, about ten thousand feet above sea level; but, the grade constantly ascending as the iron road went northward, it was calculated by jack that the last portion of the way would run some short distance below the snow line of the tierra friá. this expedition to capture totatzine was not without its dangers. it was the season of festival and the sacred city would doubtless be filled with fanatical worshippers, who would fiercely resist the attempted seizure of their shrines. a thousand well-armed infantry were sent to cuavaca by don miguel, and, leaving these quartered in the village, jack, with his three friends and rafael, guided by pepe, went forward to search for the secret entrance. when this was found, they intended to return and take the troops by railway twenty miles, and thence lead them by the secret entrance up the cañon road. when this was done, a reinforcement of another thousand soldiers was to arrive at cuavaca, and await instructions there, lest the first should fail to capture the city. the engines running on the line from cuavaca were singularly powerful machines, strongly built, so as to ascend the gradient to the northward, and there were plenty of trucks in which troops could be taken to the end of the railway. jack also had a few carriages shifted from the cuavaca line to that running northward, so that the whole body of soldiers now stationed at the little town could be conveyed to the hoped-for entrance of the cañon road in a remarkably short space of time. by noon all the troops were quartered at cuavaca, and then jack started by the northern line for the cañon road. he only took an engine with one carriage, so as to travel as rapidly as possible. at first he wanted to go forward himself with pepe, but philip would in no way consent to his doing this. "you can't trust that zambo, jack," he said, decisively; "he might take advantage of your being alone, and knock you on the head." "scarcely, when i am armed and he is not. if only we two go, we can travel on the engine. if you all come, i must fix on a carriage." "well, that won't make much difference," retorted philip, quickly. "we are all keen on the business, and want to see how matters turn out. tim, peter, rafael, and myself are all coming with you, jack; so hitch on a carriage to your engine right away." this was accordingly done without further objection on the part of duval, and they left cuavaca about one o'clock, travelling rapidly so as to reach the terminus with as little delay as possible. according to pepe, it would take some hours for them to discover the ruined city, and they did not expect to return before six o'clock. then it would have to be decided whether they would take the troops on to the ruined city at once, or wait till the next day. cuavaca was situate at the base of the great volcano xicotencatl, which reared its white peak high above the surrounding mountains. north and south stretched ranges from the central point with summits more or less covered with snow, and from cuavaca began dense forests which clothed the slopes of these mighty hills. leaving the village by the side towards the north, the engine with its solitary carriage ran through a moderately long tunnel piercing a high range of hills, which shot outward at right angles from the principal mountains. from thence it emerged on to a deep valley, and skirted the side of the hills in a winding track cut out of the solid rock. jack was on board the engine with the driver, personally superintending the journey, and his three friends with rafael were admiring the view from the windows of the carriage. pepe, guarded by two soldiers, was seated at the end of the carriage, and looked anything but cheerful under such surveillance. the scenery was truly wonderful. sliding along the side of the mountains, those in the carriage looking out, saw not the line on which they were running, but looked down eight or nine hundred feet into the depths below. sometimes the line was built of solid masonry clamped with iron, and it was anything but pleasant to think how the train was clinging like a fly to the perpendicular sides of the giant hills. below swirled rapid torrents raging over black rocks, or flowing in broad streams between flat mud-banks. the engine would proceed along a level for some distance, then pant slowly up an ascending gradient; suddenly turning a sharp curve, she would shoot breathlessly down a decline on to a long narrow bridge thrown across a wide expanse of river bed intersected by thin streams, which at time of rain joined their forces into one vast flood. owing to the infinite windings of the line, it was built on the narrow gauge system, so as to permit the quick turning of curves, and when the engine, leaning to one side, shot round these turnings, the sensation was anything but pleasant. "it's a most wonderful line, so far as engineering goes," said philip, drawing back from the window with a sudden qualm, as the carriage rocked dangerously; "but it is devilishly unpleasant. if we went over!" "there wouldn't be much of us left," said tim grimly. "begad, philip, i've been in a mighty lot of railway trains, but this line of jack's beats banagher, and banagher beats the devil." "santissima!" said rafael, uneasily, "i trust, señores this devil of an engine will not fall over the cliff." "i'd never travel on this line for pleasure," cried peter, who was seated on the opposite side to the precipice for safety; "nor do i think it will be much patronised by people when opened." "the sea for me," remarked philip, thankfully; "anything but being boxed up in this place, with a chance of falling five or six thousand feet without hope of getting out of the carriage." in truth the journey was singularly unpleasant in many places. jack had constructed his line thoroughly well; but there was no denying that the sudden turns, the unexpected descents, the narrow bridges, and the frequent tunnels, were enough to shake the nerves of the strongest man. on all sides arose the snow-clad peaks, far below ran rivers, spread forests, gaped cañons and between heaven and earth crawled the train, holding on to the sides of mountains. the colours and lights sweeping over the scenery were exquisite, the landscape below, above, was grand and impressive, but the four men in the carriage felt somewhat nervous at this tremendous journey. in ordinary cases, they were brave enough, and prepared for any emergency; but boxed up in this carriage they felt helpless should an accident occur. as to jack, he was used to such travelling, and looked at his work with great pride. at length the engine shot from a deep and narrow cutting into the depths of a broad-spreading forest, clothing a deep valley. through its centre ran a torrent, and the line skirted this to the left, through dense woodland, towards the high peaks of a mountain in the far distance. midway in this valley the engine slowed down, and ultimately stopped. philip, looking out of the window, saw a wide clearing, with upturned soil, fallen trees, and here and there huts erected. it was the terminus of the railway; and, thankful to have arrived in safety, they all jumped out on to the sward with alacrity. beyond this clearing appeared a track cut through the forest, trending in the direction of the distant peaks, but the line stopped at the beginning of this avenue. scattered rails, piles of sleepers, the abrupt termination of the line, showed that it went no further. between this point and the unknown city of totatzine intervened a distance of twenty miles. the little party, with their guns and revolvers all in order, stood looking around them at the unfinished line. pepe, guarded by the two soldiers, was sullen and watchful. "and where is totatzine?" said rafael, staring round this wilderness of trees. pepe pointed to the north-east, beyond the peaks. "it is there, señor. in the hollow of the hills." "and the buried city?" "bueno! i will show it to you, señores." "one moment, pepe," said jack, staying the zambo, as he turned off to the left, "how can you tell the way to this city from here?" "dios! señor americano, i escaped from totatzine to this place four months ago. i was sent by don hypolito before the war to the priest ixtlilxochitli, and he detained me in the city. i could not find the secret way to the sea, and one night went out through the wall on to the cañon road. it led me many miles along the side of the cliffs, then down a staircase into a forest; at length, señores, it took me through a tunnel. i had to climb over some rubbish of stones and earth up another staircase, and found myself in a large city of ruins. leaving that, i pushed through the forest to the left, and came upon this clearing, where i found the men of the señor americano at work. they took me to tlatonac, and there i remained till i went to acauhtzin with marina, as the señor knows." "did you tell my men of your discovery of this way?" asked jack, abruptly. "no, señor americano. i feared the vengeance of the priests." "was the railway at this point four months ago, jack?" asked philip, looking round at the clearing. "yes. there was a possibility of war, and i was just going to england to get you to come here. the works were left in the condition you now see them. if this zambo escaped, as he says, he could easily have reached tlatonac from this point." "bueno!" said rafael, in a satisfied tone, "thus far his story is true. let us go forward, amigos." jack made a sign to pepe, who at once proceeded to walk towards the woods on the left, guarded by the two soldiers. his escort was well armed, so the zambo did not try to escape, knowing that before he could run a few yards he would have a bullet in his skull. the rest of the party followed, keeping their revolvers handy, in case of a possible surprise from indians. they saw none, however, as the forest was completely deserted by all humanity. pepe pushed forward through the brushwood, and they followed. in case they should lose their way, they blazed the trees with the hatchets with which they had taken care to provide themselves. jack was resolved not to trust the zambo too far. for about a mile they proceeded through a comparatively well-defined track in a north-western direction, then suddenly turned so as to face the distant peaks some fifteen miles away. this new path gradually broadened out into a wide avenue, and at the end of three miles, buildings, and ruins of walls began to make their appearance in a scattered fashion. at length, at the conclusion of another mile, they entered a paved road, adorned on either side by statues of aztec deities, similar to those on the platform facing the sea. "i cannot believe that this city is unknown," said jack to philip, as they marched on abreast behind pepe and his guards. "why not? no one would suspect its existence from the railway clearing." "no, that is true! but occasionally there must be some tribes of indians about here, and they would be sure to hit upon it. between the clearing and the beginning of this broad road it is but four miles, and the tracks seemed pretty well defined--clear enough at all events, to guide anyone hither. once in this avenue, and it is easy to strike the city--as now." they had emerged suddenly into a vast space, built over with mansions, palaces, temples, and mighty walls. a pyramid of earth, surmounted by a ruined teocalli, was placed in the centre of the city and the wide streets shot off from this omphalos in a similar way to those of totatzine. in fact, on exploring the city thoroughly, jack came to the conclusion that those who had built totatzine had also constructed this place. the plan was precisely the same, and, judging from the massive buildings, the carven façades of the walls, the broad terraces, and the enormous flights of steps, it must have been a populous place of some importance. "judging from what we see, i think it must be a royal city," said philip, looking awestruck at these colossal works of the dead. "here, perchance, the king had his seat, and the secret way was constructed from this place to the sacred city of totatzine, where the god huitzilopochtli had his shrine." "at all events, i have no doubt that this city is well known to the indians of the present day," replied jack, decisively; "though doubtless the entrance to the cañon road, choked up by rubbish, has escaped their notice. did they know of its existence, ixtlilxochitli would have closed up the narrow track leading round the precipice into the interior wall." it was now between four and five o'clock, so they had not much time to lose if they desired to find the entrance before sunset. the engine, in charge of the driver, had been left in the clearing, jack judging it would be quite safe there, as no indians seemed to be in the vicinity. they had brought provisions with them, and if it was necessary, could camp out in the clearing till dawn, when they could go back to cuavaca to bring the troops. pepe marched forward into the central square, and then led them towards the extreme end of the city. here a surprise awaited them, for they found that the town was built against a vast cliff, some eighty or ninety feet in height. a lengthy temple, reached by a flight of steps, was cut out of the solid rock, with ranges of pillars massive in the design and architecture. "wonderful!" cried philip, in amazement, as he surveyed the cyclopean ruins; "these temples are like those of petra. what great men must they have been who built such shrines! a great civilisation once flourished here, jack." "without doubt," said tim, who was much impressed by these grand remains; "these toltecs, or whatever you call them, were greater than the aztecs. cortes, to my mind, found a vastly inferior civilisation than had been when these cities were built." "carajo, señor correspoñsal!" cried rafael, overhearing his remarks; "we have nothing like this in tlatonac." "nor are likely to have," said peter, dryly; "the toltecs were greater builders than the spaniards." guided by pepe, they entered into this rock-hewn temple, and found themselves in a vast hall. at the back of the shrine, now unoccupied by any idol, appeared a ruined archway choked up with rubbish. the explorers had taken the precaution of bringing torches with them, knowing there was a tunnel to be gone through. from this entrance, as pepe informed them, it was fifteen miles to the hidden city of totatzine. lighting the torches, they climbed over the rubbish and fallen stones heaped in front of the archway, and began to ascend an immense staircase. jack and philip went first of all, followed by pepe and his guards, after whom came the three remaining members of the party. up this staircase they ascended, and, at length emerging into the light of day, found themselves on a vast plateau, thickly covered with forests. a well-paved road, still gently ascending, stretched through these woods into the infinite distance. it was overgrown with brushwood and giant trees; still they found no difficulty in getting along, owing to the admirable way in which the stone blocks had been laid. this road ran for five miles, and then suddenly disappeared down a shallow flight of steps, under a low archway. here pepe stopped, and pointed downward. "these steps, señor americano," he said, addressing jack, "lead down for a quarter of a mile, then along a tunnel for three-quarters of a mile. it brings you out on to the bed of the torrent flowing through the cañon. the narrow path leads from its mouth for nine miles to the pierced wall. when there, you are just below the walls of totatzine." jack and his friends held a consultation as to the wisdom of proceeding further that night. the darkness was coming on, and it would be as well to get back to the clearing before the night. there they could camp out, and return to cuavaca for the troops at dawn. "for my part," said philip, quietly, "i do not think we need explore further on our own account. pepe has spoken truly up to the present, and without doubt this tunnel leads to the torrent of the cañon and the narrow path, as he describes. let us return to the clearing, go back to cuavaca, and bring on the troops. they can camp in the ruined city to-morrow night, and next morning can march to totatzine." the rest of the party agreed to this plan, and, leaving the shallow tunnel at the foot of the protecting range of the totatzine mountains, they returned to the camp. now that he had shown them the way, pepe wanted to be set free; but this the whole party unanimously refused to do. "no, no, my friend," said rafael, making himself the mouthpiece of the others, "you may warn the indians we are coming. till totatzine be taken by our troops, you are a prisoner." pepe was forced to abide by this decision, and composed himself to sleep in the clearing, watched vigilantly by his guards, who, knowing that his escape might bring the savages on them, kept a keen eye on his slumbers. "to-morrow," said jack, as they turned in, "we will return to cuavaca for the troops, and before nightfall they shall camp in the ruined city." chapter xi. the destiny of the opal. the spirit of fire, the sylph of the air, the gnome of the earth, the dangerous wave-dwelling fay; all madly desire, the opal-stone rare, which at its birth, they gifted with rainbow hues gay. earth-gnome caressed it, sylph did enfold it, wave-nymph doth chain it, in spite of the flame spirit's desire; two have possessed it, now doth one hold it, yet will he gain it, the terrible spirit of fire. there were many indians in cuavaca, and had these entertained any suspicion that there was a second secret way to the sacred city by the cañon road, they would have at once warned ixtlilxochitli of the impending danger to the chalchuih tlatonac. as it was, however, they could not conceive the reason of the troops leaving cuavaca for the interior of the country. from their wanderings in that district, they knew perfectly well that the line stopped suddenly in the midst of a dense forest, and there appeared to be no reason that soldiers should be sent thither. the generally received opinion among them was, that as the indians of the north had been on the war-trail, these soldiers were sent up by the government to punish such rebellion. with this idea, the peons of cuavaca took no heed of the expedition, knowing that it would be impossible for civilised troops to discover their brethren in the vast forests among the rugged mountains. thus, when next day at noon the explorers returned to lead the soldiers to the buried city, none of the indians suspected the truth. indeed, the troops themselves were in absolute ignorance as to their destination, as rafael, thinking the indians of cuavaca might learn too much, ordered the soldiers to blindly obey his orders, and not question as to where they were going. thus he hoped to camp a thousand men that night within the streets of the ruined city, and surprise totatzine by dawn, when the priests and the populace would be engaged in worshipping the opal. the wall towards the cañon would be quite undefended, as never within the memory of the priests had anyone come into this city from that direction. ixtlilxochitli thought that the way was quite blocked up, and never for a moment deemed that his bitterest foes would capture the city from the cañon road. all that day the trains went back and forward between cuavaca and the clearing, taking troops into the interior of the country. so soon as they arrived at the railway terminus, they were marched off through the woods to the buried city, and there ordered to camp for the night, or at least till such time as their leaders chose to guide them forward. by sunset a thousand well-armed, well-disciplined troops were bestowed in the ruined city of the toltecs, within fifteen miles of the opal shrine, and yet not a soul, save the leaders, knew that this was the case. the troops having been brought thus far, rafael, as leader of the expedition, held a council of war as to the advisability of remaining there for the night, or pushing on to the narrow path of the cañon so as to surprise the inhabitants of totatzine by dawn. jack and tim were strongly in favour of marching at once, and as philip afterwards came round to this opinion, rafael almost made up his mind to move forward without delay. "from here to the cañon torrent it is mostly tunnels," urged jack, persuasively; "so whether we go by day or night it does not matter, as we must carry torches. we can easily march along that road on the plateau between the two tunnels, and when we enter the last one, can arrive at the bed of the torrent about midnight. let us camp there with as many men as possible, and then march along the narrow path at the first glimpse of daylight. thus we will be able to assemble on the platform under the pierced wall while the populace and priests are in the great square of the teocalli. they will be unprepared, and we can capture the city without almost a blow." "but they will be equally unprepared during the day," said rafael, with some hesitation, "so why not wait here till dawn?" "they will not be unprepared during the day," replied jack, decisively, "that pierced wall has people on it occasionally. sometimes they come out on to the platform overlooking the torrent. if these saw our soldiers coming two abreast along the narrow path they would give the alarm, and the defenders of the city could kill our advance guard and block up the road. now, if we can get five or six hundred on to the platform by sunrise, they can keep the populace at bay until the rest of our men arrive, then the city will be easily taken." "only two men can walk abreast on the path?" asked philip, dubiously. "as a matter of fact, three can walk abreast, but it is safer with two. the path is cut out of the side of the cañon, and is very dangerous. it must be attempted by daylight. nine miles of narrow path in the dark would end in our losing our men. besides, who knows but what that infernal ixtlilxochitli, to make things quite safe, may not have destroyed portions of the path?" "if he's done that, there won't be much chance of our taking the city," said tim, in disgust. "true, señor correspoñsal," replied rafael, gravely; "all things considering, i think it will be best to take don juan's advice, and march two or three hundred men to the torrent camping-ground to-night." this plan being adopted, the council broke up at once. it was decided that jack and rafael should push on with three hundred men guided by pepe. these were to camp at the entrance of the tunnel where it led to the narrow path by the torrent. at dawn the remaining seven hundred men, under the leadership of philip, tim, and captain martez, should follow, and by the time they arrived at the torrent camping-ground, the advance troop would have reached the platform under the pierced wall, which they could hold till the reinforcements arrived. as a matter of fact, jack and rafael hoped to have the full strength of their men on the platform and in the city before the inhabitants took the alarm; but, in any event, three hundred could hold the narrow path entrance to the platform while the rear came up steadily. having settled these important details, they all made a hearty meal, and, after bidding their friends an affectionate farewell, jack and rafael, with their little band, pushed forward. the men now knew that their destination was totatzine, and so many rumours were current in cholacaca over the amount of treasure concealed in this sacred city that they were madly desirous of getting to the town. without hesitation they followed don rafael and the englishman up the grand staircase, from the entrance whence all rubbish had been cleared away. on arriving at the top, they saw the broad paved road stretching straight before them in the semi-darkness, and still keeping their torches lighted to guide them on their way, marched steadily along the five miles until they arrived at the foot of the great peaks. here was the shallow tunnel, also choked up by rubbish. this was speedily cleared away by a hundred willing hands, and then the leaders making pepe go down into the darkness between his guards, followed with their men. the zambo made no attempt to escape, as now seeing the power of the junta, and knowing that his life was safe, he had quite gone over to the side of don hypolito's enemies. the staircase led downward into the bowels of the earth for over a quarter of a mile, then suddenly admitted them into a vast gallery through which the air blew keenly. jack was unable to restrain his admiration at the mechanical skill which the toltecs--if they had been the engineers--displayed in thus piercing these vast tunnels through the solid rock. the red glare of the torches showed them that the sides were cased in brick painted with images of the gods, and the path under their feet was smoothly paved with stonework, worn by the feet of countless generations. to accomplish such marvels, these long-dead nations must have possessed wonderful engineering capabilities, and employed thousands and thousands of slaves. the latter might have been taken in war, and forced to labour at these colossal works, but where the toltecs learned engineering was more than jack could discover. the tunnel was only a mile long, and in a short space of time they emerged on to a vast natural platform at the very bottom of the cañon. to the left, looking from the tunnel, the great gap ended at the distance of a quarter of a mile, and through the opening they could see the flat extent of plains, and the distant pinnacles of mountains. on the right the cañon turned suddenly to one side, and they saw themselves shut in, so to speak, by vast rocky walls towering up to the height of some thousands of feet. the torrent gushed and raged a little distance below the natural terrace, and on one side of it arose a narrow flight of steps leading to the path which ended at the sacred city itself. so difficult had been the way that it was now nearly midnight, so the wearied troops camped on the terrace, and made a meal as best they could. there was but little chance of their presence being discovered by any human being in that desolate cañon, but rafael, judging it best to be on the safe side, forbade them to light fires. fortunately the night was warm, every man possessed a zarape, and they slept in comparative comfort. it was a critical period, as discovery by any wandering indian meant death to the whole band in that narrow gulch; but, to rafael's relief, the dawn broke showing not a human being to be in sight. they saw the narrow path winding like a thread along the rocks in the distance, and it looked a dangerous way to go. it was, however, the only way to the city, and once they arrived under the pierced wall, they could keep the path open for their reinforcements to follow. jack made the men eat a hearty meal before starting, and would liked to have made them drink hot coffee, but that there was a risk in lighting fires. at the first faint light of morning, which was about six o'clock, the men having finished their meal, looked to their rifles and ammunition, flung their zarapes round their shoulders, and prepared to ascend the narrow staircase. still keeping pepe before all as guide, lest he should send them forward into some unknown danger, the two young men mounted to the path, and in the space of an hour the whole company were winding along two abreast. below they looked down thousands of feet, above the cliffs arose stern and precipitous, but the path, though narrow, was well-made and safe, so, two by two, they marched forward in silence. "in a couple of hours the rest of the troops will reach the torrent," said jack to rafael, as they walked along; "and by the time we gain the pierced wall, they will not be far behind." "once we are on the platform you speak of, i do not care, juan," replied rafael, grimly; "but i hope by all the saints the indians will not see us before we can get off this path. they could cut us off with the greatest of ease." "never fear," said duval, casting an anxious look at the sky, still cold and grey; "at sunrise they will all be in the great square worshipping the opal. totatzine, you know, rafael, is a sacred city, and it is death for any inhabitant to remain away from the morning sacrifice. that is how the priests keep their hold on the people." "but the women?" "they will be present also." "it must be a large plaza," said rafael, disbelievingly. "very large. much larger than the plaza de los hombres ilustres at tlatonac." "dios! what clever people those toltecs must have been." as they proceeded, the cañon wound to right and left, shutting itself in at every curve with its own walls, so that they never saw more than a short distance before them. jack feared lest the path should suddenly come to an end behind one of the curves; but as pepe, who knew the way, marched boldly on, this did not seem possible. the grey sky began to flash crimson, and the stars to the eastward died out in the rosy hues of dawn. they could see the torrent far below like a white thread, and hear its voice, hoarse and incessant, rising upward. the serrated summits of the cañon rocks loomed black against the changing sky. on, on, and on. the road never seemed to come to an end, but stretched ever before them narrow and perilous-looking, a hanging-way between heaven and earth. "i hope to the lord none of the men will grow dizzy, and fall over," said jack, anxiously; "the path is so narrow, the depth so terrible." "no fear of that, mi amigo," replied rafael, cheerfully; "they are all too determined to get gold and silver in totatzine to lose the chance of not arriving there. believe me, juan, they are as anxious as we are to get to the end of this infernal path. by the way, martez and señor felipe must be on it by now, with their men." jack glanced at his watch. "yes; we have been over two hours now, marching. i expect martez will press onward as quickly as possible, so as to join us without delay. hullo!" "what is the matter?" "i saw a glimpse of green just now. we are nearly at the end of the journey." the word passed along the narrow line of men, and they grasped their rifles tighter, with fierce joy at the thought that they would soon be in the heart of the golden city, so famous throughout cholacaca. the path began to slope downward gently. it turned round a corner sharply, and lo! before them, jack and his friend saw the sacred town, sparkling like a jewel, in the hollow of the green valley. a wall, glistening like silver, stretched along the whole front of the cañon, and before this was a broad stone platform, on which a thousand men could assemble with ease. below was the torrent, and on this side of the rocks was a narrow path, ending abruptly in a precipice. jack pointed out this latter to rafael. "do you see that, my friend?" he said, slowly; "it leads from the secret entrance to the other path below the bridge, in the centre of the town. if you took that way, you would fall into the torrent, and be lost for ever." "dios!" said rafael, awestruck, "what devils are these priests." the platform and wall were absolutely deserted. the gates were wide open, and through the vast arch-way they could see into the streets of the town. a rosy flame, with yellow shafts, appeared behind the arid peaks of the east, and loud and shrill the invaders heard the sacred hymn, saluting the rising luminary. for centuries that song had not been heard by the white man--not since montezuma's altars had ceased to smoke had civilised beings seen what they now saw. a vast pyramid in the centre of the city, crowned with a silver temple, and dotted at the summit with tiny figures invoking the gods. it was the last time that song would ever rise; the last time the sun would be saluted with bleeding victims and rolling incense; for the last stronghold of the aztec deities was discovered. the waves of advancing civilisation were about to roll over this primeval city, and blot it and its fierce deities out for ever. silently, with anxious hearts, the little band turning the last corner of the path, stepped downward on to the platform. when jack found himself there, he breathed a sigh of relief. even though the indians found them now, they could not stop them in their onward course. his men poured on to the platform, fell into line silently, and thus established a defence at the mouth of the narrow path, while their comrades rapidly came onward to their assistance. the city was as good as won. but xuarez---- "we must take care that don hypolito does not escape, señor," said rafael, anxiously, as the troops massed themselves under the pierced wall. "leave that to me, rafael. i have an account to settle with xuarez. he shall not escape me." "shall we attack the city at once?" "i think so. it will be as well to get inside the walls, lest we should be discovered and the gates closed. leave fifty men on the platform, mi amigo, so as to hold it open for the reinforcements, then we can penetrate into the town." "making for what point?" "the great square. we must capture the bridges, and so hold the people who are now worshipping on one side of the city. they shall thus not be able to get their weapons." "the reinforcements will arrive shortly." "in about an hour, i fancy. i told martez to march as rapidly as possible, and i have no doubt he is pushing on with all speed. come, then, rafael! let us march into the city, and don't forget to seize xuarez and the opal! also we must rescue cocom." "what about ixtlilxochitli?" "oh, throw him into the torrent," said jack, savagely; "he was going to offer me up to that infernal deity of his. i believe he is making a sacrifice now." "perhaps it's xuarez." "i hope so! we will be spared the trouble of shooting him." by this time the full number of men had arrived on the terrace, and leaving fifty men to guard the path, jack, in company with rafael, pushed forward through the gate into the city. no sooner had they got inside, and were marching down the street leading to the principal bridge, than some women saw them. thunderstruck at their appearance, these paused, and then began to yell loudly. rafael sent forward some soldiers to seize them, but they disappeared, running in the direction of the great square. "carajo!" muttered maraquando, savagely; "they will alarm the town. forward, men! keep close together. señor duval, take fifty men, and hold the lower bridge. i, with one hundred, will keep the middle one, and you, señor riconada, can hold the bridge near the wall with the rest of our forces. thus we will be able to keep all the indians in the square till the arrival of our friends." jack and riconada hastened to obey these orders and blockaded the three bridges. scarcely had they established themselves when the serpent-skin drums on the summit of the teocalli began to roll out the alarm. frantic with rage and astonishment, the worshippers streamed towards the three bridges so as to repel the daring foes. no one could understand how these invaders had entered the city, and ixtlilxochitli smitten with fear, called on the children of huitzilopochtli to defend their god. the crowd pouring towards the bridges were driven back by the soldiers, and as they were without weapons, owing to having gone to the square for sacrifical purposes, they could do nothing. ixtlilxochitli was equal to the occasion, and from some secret store produced shields and spears, bows and arrows, and swords of obsidian. the drums rolled, the trumpets shrilled, and the priests on the platform of the teocalli frantically invoked the god, while those whom they had aroused desperately attempted to force the bridges. a feeling of superstitious terror was in the breasts of the indians. these terrible white men, whom no obstacle seemed to hinder, had entered totatzine as though by magic. how they had evaded the spies and overcome the difficulties of the secret way none knew, much less how they had discovered the passage. no one thought of the cañon road, not even ixtlilxochitli, who never dreamed of danger from that quarter. all the inhabitants of totatzine knew was that their worst foes were in the heart of their sacred city, and that, unless they drove them forth at once, the shrine of the opal would be lost for ever. flights of arrows fell round the soldiers holding the three bridges, and many were killed, as they had no shields with which to protect themselves. on the other hand, the round bucklers held up by the savages were no hindrance to the bullets of the invaders, and as the soldiers kept up a steady fire into the dense mass of worshippers, the ground was soon cumbered with the dead and dying. jack in vain looked for xuarez, but could see no sign of him. on the summit of the teocalli he saw a vast crowd of priests crying on the war-god to defend his shrine, and thought for a moment, as the black mass parted, that a man was lying on the stone of sacrifice. but the next instant the throng closed together again, and he was forced to give his attention to the task of defending the causeway. his soul revolted against this butchery, and he ordered his soldiers to deal as gently as possible with the comparatively defenceless enemy. nevertheless, he knew that the safety of himself and his friends depended on keeping the indians blockaded until the reinforcements arrived, and was forced to massacre the crowds which hurled themselves with fanatical devotion against his men. owing to the depth of the torrent, there was no way of crossing it save by the bridges, and these being held by the invaders, it was impossible for the indians to fight to any advantage. wave after wave rolled across the narrow bridges, and midway were repelled by the incessant fire of the tlatonacians. the spears and arrows of the indians did deadly work, and the centre of the causeways were soon filled with corpses, white men and red men mingled promiscuously together. jack saw plainly that the three bridges could be held by them for hours, yet wished from his soul that martez and philip would come up with the reinforcements, if only to put a stop to this wholesale massacre. thousands of indians were pent up in the square of the sacrifice, all arrayed in festal robes of white with chaplets of flowers. these latter were now torn off and cast underfoot, the white garments were spotted with blood--the blood of their friends--and, frantic with rage, the multitude did all that valour could do to break through the handful of men holding the bridges. the drums were rolling their thunder incessantly, the trumpets shrieked like human beings, priests bellowed, the worshippers yelled, and constantly could be heard the ominous cracking of the rifles, as every shot carried death into the white mass heaving tumultuously in the square. all at once a trumpet beyond the walls rang out clear and thin. "hurrah!" cried jack, waving his sword, "the reinforcements at last." it was indeed the seven hundred men, who had arrived sooner than was expected. martez, anxious to aid his leader as speedily as possible, had marched his men rapidly along the narrow path, and now they were steadily streaming through the gate, making for the several bridges where the fight seemed hottest. as the priests were shouting down encouragements to the people below, rafael decided to attack the teocalli, and stop this work. once the shrine was taken, and it was possible the indians might yield without further trouble, a thing he heartily desired, as, like jack, he was weary of this massacre. tim and martez stayed with don rafael, while philip joined jack, and peter, who was quite war-like in appearance, went to the town bridge, where riconada was fighting. at a given signal, all three bodies of soldiers commenced to converge towards a single point, that being the teocalli. the priests saw this manoeuvre, and bellowed with fear. many threw themselves down the steep sides of the pyramid, in vain offering themselves to the war-god in the hope that he would decree victory to their fellow-countrymen. the women in the square were shrieking wildly, and hurling stones, wrenched from the houses, at the soldiers as they pushed the mass of men steadily before them. from the summit of the pyramid a cloud of incense rolled heavenward, and ixtlilxochitli, in the red robe of sacrifice, stepped forward to the verge of the steps, holding up the opal in order to encourage his people. a yell arose from friend and foe alike as they saw the glint of the stone, and the indians closed resolutely round the base of the teocalli in a vain attempt to prevent the enemy from taking it by storm. all their valour and self-sacrifice was in vain. the three compact bodies of men pushed forward, shoulder to shoulder, through the white mass, leaving behind three several streaks of red and yellow, the uniformed bodies of their fellow-countrymen. ixtlilxochitli saw these rivers of fierce soldiery converge towards the staircase of the teocalli, and yelling aloud to huitzilopochtli, flashed the opal incessantly in the sun. "there is xuarez!" panted philip, in the ear of jack, as they cut their way onward. "where?" "by ixtlilxochitli. that chap in red. he is bound. by jove, jack, i believe the old fiend meant to sacrifice him." "pity he didn't," retorted jack, grimly; "look out philip. ah, there is tim. hurrah, tim! see which of us will reach the staircase first." even in the midst of danger, jack could not help joking, and tim burst out laughing as he hurled his huge form by rafael through the crowd. all at once their mirth ended. at the foot of the teocalli they stumbled over a nude corpse with a ragged wound in the breast. it was the body of cocom. "he has been sacrificed," cried jack, fiercely. "forward men! avenge his death." the advancing troops cheered loudly, and pressed steadily on towards the great pyramid. the soldiers in the other part of the city had set fire to the dwellings, and already the flames were rising heavenward. mad with rage, the indians fought on doggedly, but could do nothing against the discipline of regular troops; inch by inch they gave way before the line of steel pressed against their breasts. the invaders stepped over corpses on their way to the teocalli, and those lying on the ground not yet dead, twining their arms round the legs of their foes, strove to throw them. the noise was something deafening, and the whole square was one vast field of carnage. jack and rafael, with their respective troops, reached the foot of the staircase at the same time, and began to climb up. the priests, frantic with terror, threw down huge stones, tore the tiles off the shrine, and hurled them viciously at their foes. the drum was still beating, the incense rolling, and high above the din could be heard the strident voice of the old high-priest calling on his gods. "jack! rafael! keep your eye on xuarez; he is free," replied philip, as they fought their way upward. such, indeed, was the case. don hypolito had managed to get his hands free, and was now struggling with ixtlilxochitli. why he did so, none of the englishmen could make out, unless it was to kill the old man for trying to sacrifice him to huitzilopochtli. the attendant priests closed round the struggling figures to help their head, and thus omitting to defend the teocalli, in a few moments the assailants were on the top. jack sprang up first on to the platform, closely followed by tim. the crowd of priests rolled on either side, rolled over the sides of the pyramid, falling into the frantic mass below. then they saw the design of xuarez. "catch him tim; he has the opal!" xuarez, with torn clothing and pale, blood-stained face, stood against the shrine with the opal flashing in one hand and a spear in the other. jack dashed forward to seize him, and xuarez, with a yell of rage, hurled the spear. in a second tim had thrown himself between the weapon and jack, receiving it full in his breast. he fell back with a cry into philip's arms, and jack, mad with anger at his friend's disaster, flung himself forward on xuarez. the rebel leader dashed to one side, and threw himself over the smooth side of the pyramid, sliding downward on his back. jack, with his revolver firmly grasped in his right hand, followed in the same way; but before he reached the ground a red mass shot rapidly past him. "ixtlilxochitli." the rebel leader, holding the opal on high, dashed through the crowd of indians, who opened a path before the sacred gem, followed closely by the red figure of the high priest. jack saw the idea xuarez had in his head. he was making for the secret way under the bridge, hoping to escape to the mountains with his booty. at once he followed the flying figures, but the crowd closed around him, and he had much to do to protect himself. martez saw his danger and sent a body of soldiers to his assistance. in a few minutes, he was safe on the bridge surrounded by his friends. xuarez and ixtlilxochitli had disappeared through the secret entrance. determined to revenge the wound of tim and secure the opal, jack would have followed, when he heard a hundred voices on the platform beyond the pierced wall shout out the name of xuarez. wondering the reason of this, he darted up the street, followed by a few troops, and on gaining the platform, looked over to where the soldiers were pointing. on the rocky ledge below, he saw two men struggling for the possession of the opal. xuarez, hotly pursued by the old priest, had taken the wrong turning below the bridge, and they were now reeling on the verge of destruction. nearer and nearer they came to the brink, then xuarez, evidently seeing he was lost, threw the harlequin opal into the torrent. the great gem described a curve in the air, flashed rainbow hues in the sunlight, then dropped sheer into the boiling torrent below--lost for ever to the world. in another second, ixtlilxochitli had forced xuarez over the ledge, and the two men, locked in one another's arms, shared the fate of the gem. jack stood on the edge of the platform, looking in silent horror at the fate of the rebel leader, when he heard his name cried out loudly, and turned to see peter hurrying towards him with a face of horror. "jack! jack! tim!" "tim!" echoed jack, with a pang of fear, "is he wounded?" "he is dead." jack waited to hear no more, but, followed by peter, raced back to the teocalli. with the fall of the shrine had fallen the city, and jack, crossing the square untouched, ran up the staircase rapidly. there, on the summit, supported in philip's arms, with philip's tears dropping on his dead face, lay tim, merry-hearted tim, whom they all loved so truly. "oh, tim!" cried jack, with a burst of anguish, and fell on his knees beside the dead body. below the tumult continued, the incense still rolled upward; but the last sacrifice had taken place in the teocalli of totatzine, and tim was the victim. chapter xii. farewell, tlatonac. let us sail eastward, where the sun slow rises o'er the crimson wave, our western toils at last are done, and rest, for ever, rest we crave. oh, see the shore fades far away, a dim spot in the distant blue, and eastward breaks the coming day which bids our life-day dawn anew. old times are at an end,--our lives have had their share of sighs and tears; now, loyal friends, with loving wives, we hopeful look to coming years. a cheer arose from the crowd at the sea-gate, the warships dipped their flags in salutation, the guns thundered from the forts, and _the bohemian_ steamed slowly out of tlatonac harbour. at her mainmast fluttered the union jack, over her stern drooped the opal flag, for the daughter and niece of his excellency don miguel maraquando were on board, on their way to england, with their husbands, sir philip cassim and jack duval. that same day had they been married by padre ignatius, and were now departing for the honeymoon, therefore did the guns thunder, the people cheer, the flags dip. six weeks had elapsed since the fall of totatzine, since the death of poor tim, and many events had taken place during that interval. when the teocalli was captured and the priests slain, the indians, deprived at one blow of gods and leaders, yielded in despair to their conquerors. don hypolito dead, cocom sacrificed, the opal lost, nothing more could be obtained from the town, so rafael withdrew his troops by the cañon road, and returned to announce to the junta that they need no more fear the restless ambition of xuarez. poor tim's body was taken back to tlatonac by his sorrowing friends. for a long time they could scarcely believe that he was dead. tim, who was so light-hearted and full of spirits; but alas! there was no doubt that he had died almost instantaneously on the platform of the teocalli. the spear, thrown with vigorous hate by xuarez, and intended for the breast of jack, had dealt a fatal wound, and tim had but time to grasp philip's hand in faint farewell before he passed away. the three survivors were wild with grief at this loss, so cruel, so unexpected, and reverentially carried the body of their old schoolfellow to the capital for burial. in view of tim's services during the war, and the regard entertained for him by the cholacacans one and all, the junta decreed a public funeral to the remains; so tim's body, with much pomp, was consigned to the vaults of the cathedral, amid the firing of cannon, the knolling of bells. it was some weeks before the three englishmen could recover sufficiently from this cruel blow to attend to necessary matters. now that the country was at peace, and don hypolito slain, the president gave his hearty consent to the marriages of dolores, eulalia, and carmencita. the weddings were very quietly celebrated, as neither jack nor philip felt inclined for revelry now that tim was dead; and, indeed, so many of the tlatonacians had lost relatives in the late war, that public festivities would have been out of place. therefore the weddings were celebrated by padre ignatius in a very quiet fashion, and afterwards jack and philip, with their respective brides, departed for england in _the bohemian_, while don rafael and carmencita went north to acauhtzin in a warship. it was philip's intention to establish himself and eulalia in his ancestral home in kent, and live the useful life of a country gentleman, varied by occasional voyages in _the bohemian_. he could not make up his mind to part with the yacht, nor did eulalia wish him to do so, and having proved herself to be a capital sailor, she took as much interest in the boat as did sir philip himself. eulalia, having been shut up all her life in tlatonac, now showed a decided desire for rambling, so it seemed as though even marriage would not cure philip of his gipsy proclivities. still before such matters were decided upon, the baronet deemed it advisable to instal his spanish wife in the family mansion, and introduce lady cassim to the country people. as to jack and dolores, they were only paying a flying visit to the old country for a few weeks, as duval had finally made up his mind to settle in tlatonac, and become a naturalized citizen of that city. the life suited him; he was married to a native lady of the place, and, moreover, the junta had given him full control of all engineering works connected with the country; so jack, with the full approval of peter and philip, thought he could not do better than establish himself in this new land. the country was rich in natural productions, in timber, ores, and precious stones, so when jack's railways opened it up throughout the whole length, there was no doubt but that cholacaca would become one of the most flourishing republics of the americas. owing to the severe lesson at totatzine, it was anticipated that the indians would be too cowed to give the government further trouble, and this proved to be the case. the last stronghold of the old gods had fallen, and the sacred city, which had been the centre of incessant conspiracy against the republic was quite broken up. with the vanishing of the opal, it lost its character of a sacred town, and now being thrown open to the world by the discovery of the secret paths, no longer possessed any mysterious charm for the indians. with no centre, with no crafty priesthood, the power of the tribes, instead of being concentrated, became scattered, and there is no doubt that in the near future, when the country is a network of railways, that the savage tribes will vanish before the advancing flood of civilisation. peter did not come in _the bohemian_, as he had accepted the invitation of a celebrated naturalist to visit him up mexico way, and hunt beetles and butterflies in company. faithless peter, he refused to marry doña serafina, and fled the smiles of his elderly charmer, for they, to him, dearer delights of entomology. baffled in one quarter, doña serafina was successful in another, for she turned her attention to don alfonso cebrian, and succeeded, after some difficulty, in marrying the intendante of xicotencatl, who had for some years been a widower. serafina found on marriage that she possessed a step-daughter, with whom she could not agree, but speedily settled her future by marrying her off to captain velez, who thus became the intendante's son-in-law after all. after leaving tlatonac, the four people on board _the bohemian_ were talking of these things on deck, in the warm sunshine. it was the afternoon of a perfect day, and the yacht steamed merrily along towards the distant ocean. to the surprise of philip and jack, the ladies proved to be excellent sailors, and were quite fascinated with the yacht, much to the gratification of old benker, who, for the first time in his crusty old life, approved of the existence of the female sex. when they were tired roaming about and making inquiries about this, that, and the other thing, they settled down in comfortable deck-chairs to talk about the future with their respective husbands. dolores and jack were returning to tlatonac shortly, so had but the same life to look forward to; but eulalia was secretly dismayed at the prospect of being an english lady. "querido!" she said to philip, looking at him over the top of her big black fan, "i cannot talk your tongue. and your english ladies! i hear they are so cold. and your climate. oh, felipe, i fear your climate." "who told you all these nice things, eulalia?" asked philip, smiling. "don pedro." "my dear girl, you must not believe what peter says. he doesn't know a thing, except what relates to beetles. you are learning to talk english very quickly, and as to the english ladies--they will all fall in love with you." "and the climate of england," added jack, wickedly, "is the best in the world." "no!" replied philip, laughing, "i cannot conscientiously say that. but neither eulalia nor myself will stay much in england. we shall travel." eulalia clapped her hands with glee on hearing this delightful proposal, and dolores settled the future course of such travelling. "wherever you may go, señor felipe," she said smiling, "forget not that juan and myself dwell in tlatonac, and shall expect you both once a year." "more or less!" cried jack, lazily. "come in a year, philip, and you will see how cholacaca is going ahead. i will have that railway to acauhtzin ready before you know where you are. all those little forest towns will soon be in communication with the outside world----" "and totatzine?" "ah, totatzine has lost its mysterious charm of the unknown. i'll turn it into a resort for invalids, or a central american monte carlo. where huitzilopochtli was worshipped, future generations will adore the goddess of play." "at that rate, you will still have victims offered at the shrine," said philip, grimly; "but, after all, jack, it was a pity we lost the opal." "can it not be found again?" asked dolores, who deeply regretted the vanished jewel. jack shook his head. "i am afraid not. xuarez threw it into the torrent. heaven only knows in what profound depths it now lies. perhaps it is best so. while it was on earth, it caused nothing but trouble, from the time it was in the possession of montezuma, to the death of xuarez." "now it is lost, i suppose the superstition will die out!" "superstition dies hard. all kinds of legends will grow up about that famous gem. it will still be remembered for many years, the more especially as tlatonac is still, and ever shall be, the city of the opal." "and dolores is still the guardian of the opal," said eulalia, pensively. "a guardian of a stone that has now no existence," replied dolores, laughing; "but, after all, i had rather the jewel was lost than my juan." "ah, dolores!" said jack, with a sad smile, "had it not been for the señor correspoñsal, your juan would have been lost." "poor tim," muttered philip, softly, turning away to conceal his emotion. the tears sprang to dolores' eyes, and eulalia was scarcely less affected. it seemed too terrible that they should all be so happy, when poor tim, whom they loved so much, should be lying in the grave. the bitterest part of it was that the death had taken place just when the war was over. tim had escaped the siege of janjalla, the battle of centeotl, only to fall in a skirmish at the obscure town of totatzine. it was fate! they remained silent for a few minutes, thinking of the dead man, and then philip aroused himself with an effort. "come!" he said, with a smile. "we must not be melancholy on our wedding-day. poor tim himself would have been the last to countenance such folly. we can talk of other things. of rafael, for instance." "there is not much to talk about rafael," said his sister, lightly; "he is married to doña carmencita. he is now governor of acauhtzin, and when cholacaca has a fleet, he shall be its almirante. i think rafael is very fortunate, felipe." "not so fortunate as i am," replied the baronet looking at her fondly. "nor as i!" cried jack, slipping his arm round dolores' waist. "ah, philip, how many things have taken place since we sailed over these waters! did i not tell you you would bring home a bride?" "you did, and i half believed you. for once, you have prophesied correctly. i am grateful to you, jack, for having led me to secure this prize. when you came back to england, i was settling down into a crusty old bachelor; but now you will find me a devoted husband--all through your coming to england." "say, rather, all through the agreement we made at bedford school, so many years ago. that boyish freak has brought us good fortune and charming wives." "yet peter is still a bachelor." "oh, peter will marry a beetle! i expect we shall see him in england shortly. for myself, i do not complain of fate; nor does dolores." jack bent down tenderly, and kissed dolores, which example seemed so good to philip that he at once followed suit. the sun was setting in the west, and the sky was one blaze of colours. pale rose, tawny-yellow, and high above, the delicate blue of the departing day. the sky, the sea were all glittering with rainbow hues of unexampled brilliancy. the yacht, leaving all this splendour behind, steamed steadily onward towards the coming night. "it is like the chalchuih tlatonac," said dolores, pointing to the sunset. "and we are leaving it behind," replied jack, taking her hand; "but i do not regret it, querida. if fate has denied me the harlequin opal, she has given me a dearer and more precious gift--yourself." the end. university of kansas publications museum of natural history volume , no. , pp. - , pls. - , figs. july , neotropical hylid frogs, genus smilisca by william e. duellman and linda trueb university of kansas lawrence university of kansas publications, museum of natural history editors: e. raymond hall, chairman, henry s. fitch, frank b. cross volume , no. , pp. - , pls. - , figs. published july , university of kansas lawrence, kansas printed by robert r. (bob) sanders, state printer topeka, kansas [illustration: look for the union label.] - neotropical hylid frogs, genus smilisca by william e. duellman and linda trueb contents page introduction acknowledgments materials and methods genus smilisca cope, key to adults key to tadpoles accounts of species _smilisca baudini_ (duméril and bibron) _smilisca cyanosticta_ (smith) _smilisca phaeota_ (cope) _smilisca puma_ (cope) _smilisca sila_ new species _smilisca sordida_ (peters) analysis of morphological characters osteology _descriptive osteology of smilisca baudini_ _developmental cranial osteology of smilisca baudini_ _comparative osteology_ musculature skin _structure_ _comparative biochemistry of proteins_ external morphological characters _size and proportions_ _shape of snout_ _hands and feet_ _ontogenetic changes_ coloration _metachrosis_ chromosomes natural history breeding _time of breeding_ _breeding sites_ _breeding behavior_ _breeding call_ eggs tadpoles _general structure_ _comparison of species_ _growth and development_ _behavior_ phylogenetic relationships interspecific relationships evolutionary history summary and conclusions literature cited introduction the family hylidae, as currently recognized, is composed of about genera and more than species. most genera ( ) and about species live in the american tropics. _hyla_ and other genera inhabit central america; four of those genera (_gastrotheca_, _hemiphractus_, _phrynohyas_, and _phyllomedusa_) are widely distributed in south america. the other six genera are either restricted to central america or have their greatest differentiation there. _plectrohyla_ and _ptychohyla_ inhabit streams in the highlands of southern mexico and northern central america; _diaglena_ and _triprion_ are casque-headed inhabitants of arid regions in méxico and northern central america. _anotheca_ is a tree-hole breeder in cloud forests in middle america. the genus _smilisca_ is the most widespread geographically and diverse ecologically of the central american genera. the definition of genera in the family hylidae is difficult owing to the vast array of species, most of which are poorly known as regards their osteology, colors in life, and modes of life history. the genera _diaglena_, _triprion_, _tetraprion_, _osteocephalus_, _trachycephalus_, _aparasphenodon_, _corythomantis_, _hemiphractus_, _pternohyla_, and _anotheca_ have been recognized as distinct from one another and from the genus _hyla_ on the basis of various modifications of dermal bones of the cranium. _phyllomedusa_ is recognized on the basis of a vertical pupil and opposable thumb; _plectrohyla_ is characterized by the presence of a bony prepollex and the absence of a quadratojugal. _gastrotheca_ is distinguished from other hylids by the presence of a pouch in the back of females. a pair of lateral vocal sacs behind the angles of the jaws and the well-developed dermal glands were used by duellman ( ) to distinguish _phrynohyas_ from _hyla_. he ( a) cited the ventrolateral glands in breeding males as diagnostic of _ptychohyla_. some species groups within the vaguely defined genus _hyla_ have equally distinctive characters. the _hyla septentrionalis_ group is characterized by a casque-head, not much different from that in the genus _osteocephalus_ (trueb, ms). males in the _hyla maxima_ group have a protruding bony prepollex like that characteristically found in _plectrohyla_. ontogenetic development, osteology, breeding call, behavior, and ecology are important in the recognition of species. by utilizing the combination of many morphological and biological factors, the genus _smilisca_ can be defined reasonably well as a natural, phyletic assemblage of species. because the wealth of data pertaining to the morphology and biology of _smilisca_ is lacking for most other tree frogs in middle america it is not possible at present to compare _smilisca_ with related groups in more than a general way. _smilisca_ is an excellent example of an autochthonous middle american genus. as defined by stuart ( ) the autochthonous middle american fauna originated from "hanging relicts" left in central america by the ancestral fauna that moved into south america and differentiated there at a time when south america was isolated from north and middle america. the genus _smilisca_, as we define it, consists of six species, all of which occur in central america. one species ranges northward to southern texas, and one extends southward on the pacific lowlands of south america to ecuador. we consider the genus _smilisca_ to be composed of rather generalized hylids. consequently, an understanding of the systematics and zoogeography of the genus can be expected to be of aid in studying more specialized members of the family. acknowledgments examination of many of the specimens used in our study was possible only because of the cooperation of the curators of many systematic collections. for lending specimens or providing working space in their respective institutions we are grateful to doris m. cochran, alice g. c. grandison, jean guibe, robert f. inger, günther peters, gerald raun, william j. riemer, jay m. savage, hobart m. smith, wilmer w. tanner, charles f. walker, ernest e. williams, and richard g. zweifel. we are indebted to charles j. cole and charles w. myers for able assistance in the field. the cooperation of martin h. moynihan at barro colorado island, charles m. keenan of corozal, canal zone, and robert hunter of san josé, costa rica, is gratefully acknowledged. jay m. savage turned over to us many costa rican specimens and aided greatly in our work in costa rica. james a. peters helped us locate sites of collections in ecuador and coleman j. goin provided a list of localities for the genus in colombia. we especially thank charles j. cole for contributing the information on the chromosomes, and robert r. patterson for preparing osteological specimens. we thank m. j. fouquette, jr., who read the section on breeding calls and offered constructive criticism. permits for collecting were generously provided by ing. rodolfo hernandez corzo in méxico, sr. jorge a. ibarra in guatemala, and ing. milton lopez in costa rica. this report was made possible by support from the national science foundation (grants g- and gb- ) and the cooperation of the museum of natural history at the university of kansas. some of the field studies were carried out in panamá under the auspices of a grant from the national institutes of health (nih gm- ) in cooperation with the gorgas memorial laboratory in panamá. materials and methods in our study we examined preserved frogs, skeletal preparations, lots of tadpoles and young, and six lots of eggs. we have collected specimens in the field of all of the species. observations on behavior and life history were begun by the senior author in méxico in and completed by us in central america in and . osteological data were obtained from dried skeletons and cleaned and stained specimens of all species, plus serial sections of the skull of _smilisca baudini_. developmental stages to which tadpoles are assigned are in accordance with the table of development published by gosner ( ). breeding calls were recorded in the field on tape using magnemite and uher portable tape recorders. audiospectrographs were made by means of a vibralyzer (kay electric company). external morphological features were measured in the manner described by duellman ( ). in the accounts of the species we have attempted to give a complete synonymy. at the end of each species account the localities from which specimens were examined are listed alphabetically within each state, province, or department, which in turn are listed alphabetically within each country. the countries are arranged from north to south. abbreviations for museum specimens are listed below: amnh--american museum of natural history bmnh--british museum (natural history) byu--brigham young university cnhm--chicago natural history museum ku--university of kansas museum of natural history mcz--museum of comparative zoology mnhn--museu national d'histoire naturelle, paris uf--university of florida collections uimnh--university of illinois museum of natural history ummz--university of michigan museum of zoology usc--university of southern california usnm--united states national museum tnhc--texas natural history collection, university of texas zmb--zoologisches museum berlin =genus smilisca= cope, _smilisca_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , oct., [type species _smilisca daulinia_ cope, = _hyla baudini_ duméril and bibron, ]. smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . starrett, copeia, : , december , . goin, ann. carnegie museum, : , july , . _definition._--medium to large tree frogs having: ( ) broad, well ossified skull (consisting of a minimum amount of cartilage and/or secondarily ossified cartilage), ( ) no dermal co-ossification, ( ) quadratojugal and internasal septum present, ( ) large ethmoid, ( ) _m. depressor mandibulae_ consisting of two parts, one arising from dorsal fascia and other from posterior arm of squamosal, ( ) divided _m. adductor mandibulae_, ( ) paired subgular vocal sacs in males, ( ) no dermal appendages, ( ) pupil horizontally elliptical ( ) small amounts of amines and other active substances in skin, ( ) chromosome number of n = and n = , ( ) breeding call consisting of poorly modulated, explosive notes, and ( ) / tooth-rows in tadpoles. _composition of genus._--as defined here the genus _smilisca_ contains six recognizable species. an alphabetical list of the specific and subspecific names that we consider to be applicable to species of _smilisca_ recognized herein is given below. names proposed valid names _hyla baudini_ duméril and bibron, = _s. baudini_ _hyla baudini dolomedes_ barbour, = _s. phaeota_ _hyla beltrani_ taylor, = _s. baudini_ _hyla gabbi_ cope, = _s. sordida_ _hyla labialis_ peters, = _s. phaeota_ _hyla manisorum_ taylor, = _s. baudini_ _hyla muricolor_ cope, = _s. baudini_ _hyla nigripes_ cope, = _s. sordida_ _hyla pansosana_ brocchi, = _s. baudini_ _hyla phaeota_ cope, = _s. phaeota_ _hyla phaeota cyanosticta_ smith, = _s. cyanosticta_ _hyla puma_ cope, = _s. puma_ _hyla salvini_ boulenger, = _s. sordida_ _hyla sordida_ peters, = _s. sordida_ _hyla vanvlietii_ baird, = _s. baudini_ _hyla vociferans_ baird, = _s. baudini_ _hyla wellmanorum_ taylor, = _s. puma_ _distribution of genus._--most of lowlands of méxico and central america, in some places to elevations of nearly meters, southward from southern sonora and río grande embayment of texas, including such continental islands as isla cozumel, méxico, and isla popa and isla cebaco, panamá, to northern south america, where known from caribbean coastal regions and valleys of río cauca and río magdalena in colombia, and pacific slopes of colombia and northern ecuador. key to adults . larger frogs ([m] to mm., [f] to mm.) having broad flat heads and a dark brown or black postorbital mark encompassing tympanum smaller frogs ([m] to mm., [f] to mm.) having narrower heads and lacking a dark brown or black postorbital mark encompassing tympanum . lips barred; flanks cream-colored with bold brown or black mottling in groin; posterior surfaces of thighs brown with cream-colored flecks _s. baudini_, p. lips not barred; narrow white labial stripe present; flanks not cream-colored with bold brown or black mottling in groin; posterior surfaces of thighs variable . flanks and anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs dark brown with large pale blue spots on flanks and small blue spots on thighs _s. cyanosticta_, p. flanks cream-colored with fine black venation; posterior surfaces of thighs pale brown with or without darker flecks or small cream-colored spots _s. phaeota_, p. . fingers having only vestige of web; diameter of tympanum two-thirds that of eye; dorsum pale yellowish tan with pair of broad dark brown stripes _s. puma_, p. fingers about one-half webbed; diameter of tympanum about one-half that of eye; dorsum variously marked with spots or blotches . snout short, truncate; vocal sacs in breeding males dark gray or brown; blue spots on flanks and posterior surfaces of thighs _s. sila_, p. snout long, sloping, rounded; vocal sacs in breeding males white; cream-colored or pale blue flecks on flanks and posterior surfaces of thighs _s. sordida_, p. key to tadpoles . pond tadpoles; tail about half again as long as body; mouth anteroventral stream tadpoles; tail about twice as long as body; mouth ventral . labial papillae in two rows labial papillae in one row . first upper tooth row strongly arched medially; third lower tooth row much shorter than other rows; dorsal fin deepest at about two-thirds length of tail; tail cream-colored with dense gray reticulations _s. puma_, p. first upper tooth row not arched medially; third lower tooth row nearly as long as others; dorsal fin deepest at about one-third length of tail; tail tan with brown flecks and blotches _s. baudini_, p. . dorsal fin extending onto body _s. phaeota_, p. dorsal fin not extending onto body _s. cyanosticta_, p. . mouth completely bordered by two rows of papillae; inner margin of upper beak not forming continuous arch with lateral processes; red or reddish brown markings on tail _s. sordida_, p. median part of upper lip bare; rest of mouth bordered by one row of papillae; inner margin of upper beak forming continuous arch with lateral processes; dark brown markings on tail _s. sila_, p. accounts of species =smilisca baudini= (duméril and bibron) _hyla baudini_ duméril and bibron, erpétologie général, : , [holotype.--mnhn from "mexico;" baudin collector]. günther, catalogue batrachia salientia in british museum, p. , . brocchi, mission scientifique au mexique ..., pt. , sec. , Études sur les batrachiens, p. , . boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia in british museum, p. , feb. , . werner, abhand. zool.-bot. gesell. wien., : , sept. , . günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, p. , sept. . werner, abhand. konigl. akad. wiss. munchen, : , . cole and barbour, bull. mus. comp. zool., ( ): , nov. . gadow, through southern méxico, p. , . ruthven, zool. jahr. ( ): , . decker, zoologica, : , oct., . stejneger and barbour, a checklist of north american amphibians and reptiles, p. , . noble, bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., ( ): , june , . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura i, p. , june, . gadow, jorullo, p. , . dunn and emlen, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , march , . kellogg, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , march , . martin, aquarien berlin, p. , . stuart, occas. papers mus. zool., univ. michigan, : , june , ; misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , oct. , . gaige, carnegie inst. washington, : , feb. , . gaige, hartweg, and stuart, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , nov. , . smith, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , , oct. , ; ann. carnegie mus., : , march , . taylor, copeia, : , july , . hartweg and oliver, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , july , . schmidt and stuart, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., ( ): , august , . schmidt, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., ( ): , dec. , . wright and wright, handbook of frogs and toads, ed. , p. , . stuart, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , may , . bogert and oliver, bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., ( ): , march , . taylor and smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., ( ): , june , . smith, ward's nat. sci. bull., , p. , sept., . schmidt and shannon, fieldiana, zool. chicago nat. hist. mus., ( ): , feb. , . stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , june , . wright and wright, handbook of frogs and toads, ed. , p. , . stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , may, . mertens, senckenbergiana, : , june , ; abhand. senckenb. naturf. gesell., : , dec. , . schmidt, a checklist of north american amphibians and reptiles, ed. , p. , . stuart contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , nov. . zweifel and norris, amer. midl. nat., ( ): , july . martin, amer. nat., : , dec. . duellman, copeia, : , feb. , . goin, herpetologica, : , july , . turner, herpetologica, : , dec. , . conant, a field guide to reptiles and amphibians, p. , . duellman, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., ( ): , aug. , ; univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., ( ): , dec. , . porter, herpetologica, : , oct. , . _hyla vanvlietii_ baird, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , april , [holotype.--usnm from brownsville, cameron county, texas; s. van vliet collector]. baird, united states and mexican boundary survey, : , . smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _hyla vociferans_ baird, united states and mexican boundary survey, : [_nomen nudum_]. diáz de león, indice de los batracios que se encuentran en la república mexicana, p. , june . _hyla muricolor_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ( ): , [holotype.--usnm from mirador, veracruz, méxico; charles sartorius collector]. smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _smilisca daulinia_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , oct. [holotype.--"skeleton in private anatomical museum of hyrtl, professor of anatomy in the university of vienna"]. smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . _smilisca daudinii_ [lapsus for _baudini_], cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, , pt. : , . _smilisca baudini_, cope, bull. u. s. nat. mus., : , ; jour. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, , pt. : , ; proc. amer. philos. soc., : , august , . yarrow, bull. u. s. nat. mus., : , july , . cope, bull. u. s. nat. mus., : , ; bull. u. s. nat. mus., : , april , . dickerson, the frog book, p. , july, . smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , ; taylor, u. kan. sc. bull., : , feb. , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , . brattstrom, herpetologica, ( ): , nov. , . taylor, u. kan. sci. bull., : , sept. , . peters, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , june , . duellman, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , oct. , . chrapliwy and fugler, herpetologica, : , july , . smith and van gelder, herpetologica, : , july , . lewis and johnson, herpetologica, : , nov. , . martin, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , april , . stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , june, . minton and smith, herpetologica, : , july , . nelson and hoyt, herpetologica, : , oct. , . holman, copeia, : , july , . stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , april , . maslin, herpetologica, : , july , . holman and birkenholz, herpetologica, : , july , . duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., ( ): , oct. , . zweifel, copeia, : , march , . duellman and klaas, copeia, : , june , . davis and dixon, herpetologica, : , january , . neill, bull. florida state mus., : , april , . _hyla pansosana_ brocchi, bull. soc. philom., ser. , : , [holotype.--mnhn from panzós, alta verapaz, guatemala; m. bocourt collector]; mission scientifique au mexique ..., pt. , sec. , Études sur les batrachiens, p. , . _hyla baudini baudini_, stejneger and barbour, a checklist of north american amphibians and reptiles, ed. , p. , . wright and wright, handbook of frogs and toads, p. , . stejneger and barbour, a checklist of north american amphibians and reptiles, ed. , p. , ; a checklist of north american amphibians and reptiles, ed. , p. , . smith and laufe, trans. kansas acad. sci., ( ): , dec. , . peters, nat. hist. misc., : , march , . _hyla beltrani_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull. ( ): , nov. , [holotype.--uimnh (formerly eht-hms ) from tapachula, chiapas, méxico; a. magaña collector]. smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus. : , june , ; univ. kansas sci. bull, : , march , . smith, illinois biol. mono., : , may, . _smilisca baudini baudini_, smith, jour. washington acad. sci., ( ): , nov. , . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . brown, baylor univ. studies, p. , . smith, smith, and werler, texas jour. sci., ( ): , june , . smith and smith, anales inst. biol., ( ): , aug. , . smith and darling, herpetologica, ( ): , nov. , . davis and smith, herpetologica, ( ): , jan. , . neill and allen, publ. res. div. ross allen's reptile inst., ( ): , nov. , . maslin, univ. colorado studies, biol. series, : , feb. . holman, herpetologica, : , april , . _hyla manisorum_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , june , [holotype.--ku from batán, limón province, costa rica; edward h. taylor collector]. duellman and berg, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist, ( ): , oct. , . _diagnosis._--size large ([m] mm., [f] mm.); skull noticeably wider than long, having small frontoparietal fontanelle (roofed with bone in large individuals); postorbital processes long, pointed, curving along posterior border of orbit; squamosal large, contacting maxillary; tarsal fold strong, full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle large, high, elliptical; hind limbs relatively short, tibia length less than per cent snout-vent length; lips strongly barred with brown and creamy tan; flanks pale cream with bold brown or black reticulations in groin; posterior surfaces of thighs brown with cream-colored flecks; dorsal surfaces of limbs marked with dark brown transverse bands. (foregoing combination of characters distinguishing _s. baudini_ from any other species in genus.) _description and variation._--considerable variation in size, and in certain proportions and structural characters was observed; variation in some characters seems to show geographic trends, whereas variation in other characters apparently is random. noticeable variation is evident in coloration, but this will be discussed later. in order to analyze geographic variation in size and proportions, ten adult males from each of samples from various localities throughout the range of the species were measured. snout-vent length, length of the tibia in relation to snout-vent length, and relative size of the tympanum to the eye are the only measurements and proportions that vary noticeably (table ). the largest specimens are from southern sinaloa; individuals from the atlantic lowlands of alta verapaz in guatemala, honduras, and costa rica are somewhat smaller, and most specimens from the pacific lowlands of central america are slightly smaller than those from the atlantic lowlands. the smallest males are from the atlantic lowlands of méxico, including tamaulipas, veracruz, the yucatán peninsula, and british honduras. table .--geographic variation in size and proportions in males of smilisca baudini. (means in parentheses below observed ranges; data based on specimens from each locality.) ============================+============+==============+============ locality | snout-vent | tibia length/| tympanum/ | length | snout-vent | eye ----------------------------+------------+--------------+------------ southern sinaloa | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | ocotito, guerrero | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | pochutla, oaxaca | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | san salvador, el salvador | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | managua, nicaragua | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | esparta, costa rica | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | ciudad victoria, tamaulipas | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | córdoba, veracruz | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | isla del carmen, campeche | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | chichén-itzá, yucatán | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | british honduras | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | chinajá, guatemala | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | atlantidad, honduras | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | limón, costa rica | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ----------------------------+------------+--------------+------------ the ratio of the tibia to the snout-vent length varies from . to . in the samples analyzed. the average ratio in samples from the pacific lowlands varies from . in sinaloa and el salvador to . in guerrero; on the gulf lowlands of méxico the average ratio varies from . in veracruz to . on isla del carmen, campeche. specimens from the yucatán peninsula and the caribbean lowlands have relatively longer legs; the variation in average ratios ranges from . in british honduras to . in costa rica and . in honduras. specimens from southern sinaloa are outstanding in the large size of the tympanum; the tympanum/eye ratio varies from . to . (average . ). in most other samples the variation in average ratios ranges from . to . , but specimens from veracruz have an average ratio of . ; campeche, . ; honduras, . ; and limón, costa rica, . . no noticeable geographic trends in size and proportions are evident. specimens from southern sinaloa are extreme in their large size, relatively short tibia, and large tympani, but in size and relative length of the tibia the sinaloan frogs are approached by specimens from such far-removed localities as san salvador, el salvador, and chinajá, guatemala. frogs from the caribbean lowlands of honduras and costa rica are relatively large and have relatively long tibiae and small tympani. the inner metatarsal tubercle is large and high and its shape varies. the tubercle is most pronounced in specimens from northwestern méxico, tamaulipas, and the pacific lowlands of central america. possibly the large tubercle is associated with drier habitats, where perhaps the frogs use the tubercles for digging. the ground color of _smilisca baudini_ is pale green to brown dorsally and white to creamy yellow ventrally. the dorsum is variously marked with dark brown or dark olive-green spots or blotches (pl. a). in most specimens a dark interorbital bar extends across the head to the lateral edges of the eyelid; usually this bar is connected medially to a large dorsal blotch. there is no tendency for the markings on the dorsum to form transverse bands or longitudinal bars. in specimens from the southern part of the range the dorsal dark markings are often fragmented into small spots, especially posteriorly. the limbs are marked by dark transverse bands, usually three on the forearm, three on the thigh, and three or four on the shank. transverse bands also are present on the tarsi and proximal segments of the fingers and toes. the webbing on the hands and feet is pale grayish brown. the loreal region and upper lip are pale green or tan; the lip usually is boldly marked with broad vertical dark brown bars, especially evident is the bar beneath the eye. a dark brown or black mark extends from the tympanum to a point above the insertion of the forearm; in some specimens this black mark is narrow or indistinct, but in most individuals it is quite evident. the flanks are pale gray to creamy white with brown or black mottling, which sometimes forms reticulations enclosing white spots. the anterior surfaces of the thighs usually are creamy white with brown mottling, whereas the posterior surfaces of the thighs usually are brown with small cream-colored flecks. a distinct creamy white anal stripe usually is present. usually, there are no white stripes on the outer edges of the tarsi and forearms. in breeding males the throat is gray. most variation in coloration does not seem to be correlated with geography. the lips are strongly barred in specimens from throughout the range of the species, except that in some specimens from southern nicaragua and costa rica the lips are pale and in some specimens the vertical bars are indistinct. six specimens from . kilometers southwest of matatán, sinaloa, are distinctively marked. the dorsum is uniformly grayish green with the only dorsal marks being on the tarsi; canthal and post-tympanic dark marks absent. a broad white labial stripe is present and interrupted by a single vertical dark mark below the eye. a white stripe is present on the outer edge of the foot. the flanks and posterior surfaces of the thighs are creamy white, boldly marked with black. two specimens from alta verapaz, guatemala (cnhm from cobán and ummz from finca canihor), are distinctive in having many narrow transverse bands on the limbs and fine reticulations on the flanks. two specimens from limón province, costa rica (ku from batán and from suretka), lack a dorsal pattern; instead these specimens are nearly uniform brown above and have only a few small dark brown spots on the back and lack transverse bands on the limbs. the post-tympanic dark marks and dark mottling on the flanks are absent. specimens lacking the usual dorsal markings are known from scattered localities on the caribbean lowlands from guatemala to costa rica. the coloration in life is highly variable; much of the apparent variation is due to metachrosis, for individuals of _smilisca baudini_ are capable of undergoing drastic and rapid change in coloration. when active at night the frogs usually are pale bright green with olive-green markings, olive-green with brown markings, or pale brown with dark brown markings. the dark markings on the back and dorsal surfaces of the limbs are narrowly outlined by black. the pale area below the eye and just posterior to the broad suborbital dark bar is creamy white, pale green, or ashy gray in life. the presence of this mark is an excellent character by which to identify juveniles of the species. the flanks are creamy yellow, or yellow with brown or black mottling. in most individuals the belly is white, but in specimens from southern el petén and northern alta verapaz, guatemala, the belly is yellow, especially posteriorly. the iris varies from golden bronze to dull bronze with black reticulations, somewhat darker ventrally. _natural history._--throughout most of its range _smilisca baudini_ occurs in sub-humid habitats; consequently the activity is controlled by the seasonal nature of the rainfall and usually extends from may or june through september. throughout méxico and central america the species is known to call and breed in june, july, and august. several records indicate that the breeding season in central america is more lengthy. gaige, hartweg, and stuart ( : ) noted gravid females collected at el recreo, nicaragua, in august and september. schmidt ( : ) reported calling males in february in british honduras. stuart ( : ) stated that tadpoles were found in mid-february, juveniles in february and march and half-grown individuals from mid-march to mid-may at tikal, el petén, guatemala. stuart ( : ) reported juveniles from tikal in july, and that individuals were active at night when there had been light rain in the dry season in february and march in el petén, guatemala. _smilisca baudini_ seeks daytime retreats in bromeliads, elephant-ear plants (_xanthosoma_), and beneath bark or in holes in trees. by far the most utilized retreat in the dry season in parts of the range is beneath the outer sheaths of banana plants. large numbers of these frogs were found in banana plants at cuautlapan, veracruz, in march, , in march and december, . large breeding congregations of this frog are often found at the time of the first heavy rains in the wet season. gadow ( : ) estimated , frogs at one breeding site in veracruz. in the vicinity of tehuantepec, oaxaca, large numbers of individuals were found around rain pools and roadside ditches in july, , and july, ; large concentrations were found near chinajá, guatemala, in june, , and near esparta, costa rica in july, . usually males call from the ground at the edge of the water or not infrequently sit in shallow water, but sometimes males call from bushes and low trees around the water. stuart ( : ) recorded individuals calling and breeding throughout the day at la libertad, guatemala. _smilisca baudini_ usually is absent from breeding congregations of hylids; frequently _s. baudini_ breeds alone in small temporary pools separated from large ponds where numerous other species are breeding. in guerrero and oaxaca, méxico, _s. baudini_ breeds in the same ponds with _rhinophrynus dorsalis_, _bufo marmoreus_, _engystomops pustulosus_, and _diaglena reticulata_, and in the vicinity of esparta, costa rica, _s. baudini_ breeds in ponds with _bufo coccifer_, _hyla staufferi_, and _phrynohyas venulosa_. in nearly all instances the breeding sites of _s. baudini_ are shallow, temporary pools. the breeding call of _smilisca baudini_ consists of a series of short explosive notes. each note has a duration of . to . seconds; two to notes make up a call group. individual call groups are spaced from about seconds to several minutes apart. the notes are moderately high-pitched and resemble "wonk-wonk-wonk." little vibration is discernible in the notes, which have to pulses per second and a dominant frequency of to cycles per second (pl. a). the eggs are laid as a surface film on the water in temporary pools. the only membrane enclosing the individual eggs is the vitelline membrane. in ten eggs (ku from san salvador, el salvador) the average diameter of the embryos in first cleavage is . mm. and of the vitelline membranes, . mm. hatchling tadpoles have body lengths of . to . mm. and total lengths of . to . mm. the body and caudal musculature is brown; the fins are densely flecked with brown. the gills are long and filamentous. growth and development of tadpoles are summarized in table . a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku from chinajá, alta verapaz, guatemala) has a body length of . mm., a tail length of . mm., and a total length of . mm.; body slightly wider than deep; snout rounded dorsally and laterally; eyes widely separated, directed dorsolaterally; nostril about midway between eye and tip of snout; mouth anteroventral; spiracle sinistral, located about midway on length of body and slightly below midline; anal tube dextral; caudal musculature slender, slightly curved upward distally; dorsal fin extending onto body, deepest at about one-third length of tail; depth of dorsal fin slightly more than that of ventral fin at mid-length of tail; dorsal part of body dark brown; pale crescent-shaped mark on posterior part of body; ventral surfaces transparent with scattered brown pigment ventrolaterally, especially below eye; caudal musculature pale tan with a dark brown longitudinal streak on middle of anterior one-third of tail; dorsum of anterior one-third of tail dark brown; brown flecks and blotches on rest of caudal musculature, on all of dorsal fin, and on posterior two-thirds of ventral fin; iris bronze in life (fig. ). mouth small; median third of upper lip bare; rest of mouth bordered by two rows of conical papillae; lateral fold present; tooth rows / ; two upper rows about equal in length; second row broadly interrupted medially, three lower rows complete, first and second equal in length, slightly shorter than upper rows; third lower row shortest; first upper row sharply curved anteriorly in midline; upper beak moderately deep, forming a board arch with slender lateral processes; lower beak more slender, broadly v-shaped; both beaks bearing blunt serrations (fig. a). in tadpoles having fully developed mouthparts the tooth-row formula of / is invariable, but the coloration is highly variable. the color and pattern described above is about average. some tadpoles are much darker, such as those from kilometers north of vista hermosa, oaxaca, (ku - ), . kilometers east of yokdzonot, yucatán (ku ), and kilometers west-southwest puerto juárez, quintana roo, méxico (ku ), whereas others, notably from kilometers northeast of juchatengo, oaxaca, méxico (ku ), are much paler and lack the dark markings on the caudal musculature. the variation in intensity of pigmentation possibly can be correlated with environmental conditions, especially the amount of light. in general, tadpoles that were found in open, sunlit pools are pallid by comparison with those from shaded forest pools. these subjective comparisons were made with preserved specimens; detailed comparative data on living tadpoles are not available. the relative length and depth of the tail are variable; in some individuals the greatest depth of the tail is about at mid-length of the tail, whereas in most specimens the tail is deepest at about one-third its length. the length of the tail relative to the total length is usually to per cent in tadpoles in stages and of development. in some individuals the tail is about per cent of the total length. on the basis of the material examined, these variations in proportions do not show geographical trends. probably the proportions are a reflection of crowding of the tadpoles in the pools where they are developing or possibly due to water currents or other environmental factors. stuart ( : ) described and illustrated the tadpole of _smilisca baudini_ from finca chejel, alta verapaz, guatemala. the description and figures agree with ours, except that the first lower tooth row does not have a sharp angle medially in stuart's figure. he ( : ) stated that color in tadpoles from different localities probably varies with soil color and turbidity of water. maslin ( : ) described and illustrated tadpoles of _s. baudini_ from pisté, yucatán, méxico. these specimens are heavily pigmented like specimens that we have examined from the yucatán peninsula and from other places in the range of the species. maslin stated that the anal tube is median in the specimens that he examined; we have not studied maslin's specimens, but all tadpoles of _smilisca_ that we have examined have a dextral anal tube. newly metamorphosed young have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. (average . in specimens). the largest young are from la libertad, el petén, guatemala; these have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. (average . in five specimens). young from kilometers north of vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico, are the smallest and have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. (average . in three specimens). recently metamorphosed young usually are dull olive green above and white below; brown transverse bands are visible on the hind limbs. the labial markings characteristic of the adults are represented only by a creamy white suborbital spot, which is a good diagnostic mark for young of this species. in life the iris is pale gold. _remarks_: the considerable variation in color and the extensive geographic distribution of _smilisca baudini_ have resulted in the proposal of eight specific names for the frogs that we consider to represent one species. duméril and bibron ( : ) proposed the name _hyla baudini_ for a specimen (mnhn ) from méxico. smith and taylor ( : ) restricted the type locality to córdoba, veracruz, méxico, an area where the species occurs in abundance. baird ( : ) named _hyla vanvlieti_ from brownsville, texas, and ( : ) labelled the figures of _hyla vanvlieti_ [= _hyla baudini_] on plate as _hyla vociferans_, a _nomen nudum_. cope ( : ) named _hyla muricolor_ from mirador, veracruz, méxico, and ( : ) used the name _smilisca daulinia_ for a skeleton that he employed as the basis for the cranial characters diagnostic of the genus _smilisca_, as defined by him. although we cannot be certain, cope apparently inadvertently used _daulinia_ for _baudini_, just as he used _daudinii_ for _baudini_ ( : ). brocchi ( : ) named _hyla pansosana_ from panzos, alta verapaz, guatemala. [illustration: plate a b dorsal views of skulls of young _smilisca baudini_: (a) recently metamorphosed young (ku ), snout-vent length . mm. × ; (b) young (ku ), snout-vent length . mm. × .] [illustration: plate a b skull of adult female _smilisca baudini_ (ku ): (a) dorsal; (b) ventral. × . .] [illustration: plate a b c skull of adult female _smilisca baudini_ (ku ): (a) lateral; (b) dorsal view of left mandible; (c) posterior. × . .] [illustration: plate a b c d e f palmar views of right hands of _smilisca_: (a) _s. baudini_ (ku ); (b) _s. phaeota_ (ku ); (c) _s. cyanosticta_ (ku ); (d) _s. sordida_ (ku ); (e) _s. puma_ (ku ), and (f) _s. sila_ (ku ). × .] [illustration: plate a b c d e f ventral aspect of right feet of _smilisca_: (a) _s. baudini_ (ku ); (b) _s. phaeota_ (ku ); (c) _s. cyanosticta_ (ku ); (d) _s. sordida_ (ku ); (e) _s. puma_ (ku ), and (f) _s. sila_ (ku ). × .] [illustration: plate a b c living _smilisca_: (a) _s. baudini_ (ummz ) from . km. w xicotencatl, tamaulipas, méxico; (b) _s. cyanosticta_ (ummz ) from volcán san martín, veracruz, méxico; (c) _s. phaeota_ (ku ) from barranca del río sarapiquí, heredia prov., costa rica. all approx. nat. size.] [illustration: plate a b c living _smilisca_: (a) _s. puma_ (ku ) from . km. w. puerto viejo, heredia prov., costa rica; (b) _s. sila_ (ku ) from finca palosanto, km. wnw el volcán, chiriquí, panamá; (c) _s. sordida_ (ku ) from km. wsw san isidro el general, san josé prov., costa rica. all approx. nat. size.] [illustration: plate fig. . breeding site of _smilisca baudini_, km. wnw of esparta, puntarenas prov., costa rica. fig. . breeding site of _smilisca phaeota_, puerto viejo, heredia prov., costa rica.] [illustration: plate fig. . breeding site of _smilisca puma_, . km. w of puerto viejo, heredia prov., costa rica. fig. . breeding site of _smilisca sordida_, río la vieja, km. e of palmar norte, puntarenas prov., costa rica.] [illustration: plate audiospectrographs and sections of breeding calls of _smilisca_: (a) _s. baudini_ (ku tape no. ); (b) _s. cyanosticta_ (ku tape no. ); (c) _s. phaeota_ (ku tape no. ).] [illustration: plate audiospectrographs and sections of breeding calls of _smilisca_: (a) _s. puma_ (ku tape no. ); (b) _s. sila_ (ku tape no. ); (c) _s. sordida_ (ku tape no. ).] [illustration: plate lateral views of the heads of _smilisca_: (a) _s. baudini_ (ku ); (b) _s. sordida_ (ku ); (c) _s. phaeota_ (ku ); (d) _s. puma_ (ku ); (e) _s. cyanosticta_ (ku ); (f) _s. sila_ (ku ). × . .] aside from the skeleton referred to as _smilisca daulinia_ by cope ( : ), we have examined each of the types of the species synonymized with _s. baudini_. all unquestionably are representatives of _s. baudini_. taylor ( : ) named _hyla beltrani_ from tapachula, chiapas. this specimen (uimnh ) is a small female (snout-vent length, mm.) of _s. baudini_. taylor ( : ) named _hyla manisorum_ from batán, limón, costa rica. the type (ku ) is a large female (snout-vent length, . mm.) _s. baudini_. in this specimen and a male from suretka, costa rica, the usual dorsal color pattern is absent, but the distinctive curved supraorbital processes, together with other structural features, show that the two specimens are _s. baudini_. _hyla baudini dolomedes_ barbour ( : ), as shown by dunn ( a: ), was based on a specimen of _smilisca phaeota_ from río esnápe, darién, panamá. [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _smilisca baudini_.] _distribution_.--_smilisca baudini_ inhabits lowlands and foothills usually covered by xerophytic vegetation or savannas, but in the southern part of its range _baudini_ inhabits tropical evergreen forest. the species ranges throughout the pacific and atlantic lowlands of méxico from southern sonora and the río grande embayment of texas southward to costa rica, where on the pacific lowlands the range terminates at the southern limits of the arid tropical forest in the vicinity of esparta; on the caribbean lowlands the distribution seems to be discontinuous southward to suretka (fig. ). most localities where the species has been collected are at elevations of less than meters. three localities are notably higher; calling males were found at small temporary ponds in pine-oak forest at linda vista, kilometers northwest of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán, chiapas, elevation meters, and kilometers northwest of comitán, chiapas, at an elevation of meters. tadpoles and metamorphosing young were obtained from a pond in arid scrub forest, kilometers northeast of juchatengo, oaxaca, elevation meters. stuart ( : ) recorded the species at elevations up to meters in the south-eastern highlands of guatemala. _specimens examined._-- , as follows: united states: texas: cameron county, brownsville, cnhm - , , ummz , usnm . mexico: =campeche=: balchacaj, cnhm , , , , uimnh - , ; champotón, ummz ( ), , ; km. e champotón, ummz ; km. s champotón, ku - ; km. s champotón, ku - ; . km. s champotón, ku - , (tadpoles), (yg.); km. s champotón, ummz ( ); chuina, ku - ; ciudad del carmen, uimnh - ; dzibalchén, ku - ; encarnación, cnhm , , - , , - , , , - , , , uimnh - , - ; km. w escárcega, ku - ; km. w escárcega, ku - ; . km. w escárcega, ku - ; km. w escárcega, ku ; km. w, km. n escárcega, ku ; km. n hopelchén, ku - ; km. ne hopelchén, ku ; matamoras, cnhm ; pitál, uimnh ; km. sw puerto real, isla del carmen, ku - ; san josé carpizo, ummz ; tres brazos, cnhm , uimnh - ; tuxpeña camp, ummz . =chiapas=: acacoyagua, usnm - ; km. w acacoyagua, usnm - ; km. e arroyo minas, uimnh - ; berriozabal, ummz ( ); chiapa de corzo, ummz ( ); cintalapa, uimnh ; colonia soconusco, usnm - ; km. w colonia soconusco, ummz ( ); comitán, ummz ; km. nw comitán, ku ; el suspiro, ummz ( ); escuintla, ummz ( ), , , ; km. ne escuintla, ummz ( ); km. e finca juárez, uimnh ; finca prussia, ummz ; honduras, ummz - ; la grada, ummz ; km. s la trinitaria, uimnh - ; . km. sw las cruces, ku - ; palenque, uimnh , usnm - ; km. nw pueblo nuevo solistahuacán, ku - , ummz ( ), ; . km. n puerto madero, ku - ; km. n puerto madero, ku - ; km. n puerto madero, ummz ( ); km. n puerto madero, ku ; . km. n puerto madero, ummz ; rancho monserrata, uimnh - , ummz - ; region soconusco, uimnh - ; san bartola, uimnh - ; san gerónimo, uimnh ; san juanito, usnm - ; san ricardo, cnhm ; solosuchiapa, ku - ; tapachula, cnhm , , , , uimnh , - ; tonolá, amnh , cnhm , , uimnh - , usnm ; tuina, ku (skeleton); tuxtla gutierrez, cnhm , ; km. e tuxtla gutierrez, uimnh ; km. e tuxtla gutierrez, ummz . =chihuahua=: . km. sw toquina, ku - ; riito, ku . =coahuila=: mountain near saltillo, uimnh - . =colima=: no specific locality, cnhm ; colima, amnh - ; hacienda albarradito, ummz ( ); hacienda del colomo, amnh ; los mezcales, ummz ; manzanillo, amnh , ; paso del río, cnhm , - , uimnh - , ummz ( ); periquillo, ummz ( ), ( ); . km. sw pueblo juárez, ummz ; queseria, cnhm , - , , uimnh - , ummz ( ), ( ); santiago, ummz ; . km. sw tecolapa, ummz . =guerrero=: acahuizotla, uf ( ), - , ummz ( ), ; km. s acahuizotla, ku - ; acapulco, amnh , ummz ( ), usnm ; km. n acapulco, ummz ; km. nw acapulco, uf ( ); km. ne acapulco, uimnh - ; agua del obispo, cnhm , , , , , ku , - , uimnh - ; atoyca, ku - ; buena vista, cnhm , , , , uimnh ; caculutla, ku ; km. s chilpancingo, cnhm , , - , ; colonia buenas aires, ummz ; el limoncito, cnhm , , , ; el treinte, cnhm , , , - , uimnh - , usnm - ; laguna coyuca, ummz ( ); km. n mazatlán, uimnh - ; km. s mazatlán, cnhm , , , , uimnh - ; mexcala, cnhm , , , - , uimnh - ; ocotito, ku - ; . km. n ocotito, ummz ( ); . km. n organos, uimnh - ; palo blanco, cnhm , , , , , uimnh - ; pie de la cuesta, amnh , - ; puerto marquéz, amnh - ( ); . km. s san andreas de la cruz, ku - ; san vincente, ku ; zaculapán, ummz . =hidalgo=: below tianguistengo, cnhm . =jalisco=: atenqueque, ku - ; km. ne autlán, uimnh ; km. e barro de navidad, ummz ; charco hondo, ummz ; puerto vallarta, uimnh ; between la huerta and tecomates, ku ; km. se la resolana, ku , (skeleton); km. s, . km. e yahualica, ku ; zapotilitic, cnhm . =michoacán=: aguililla, ummz ( ); apatzingán, cnhm - , ku (skeleton); km. e apatzingán, ummz ; km. e apatzingán, ummz ( ); km. s apatzingán, ku - ; . km. n arteaga, ummz ; charapendo, ummz ; coahuayana, ummz ; el sabino, cnhm - , - , , , , uimnh - ; la placita, ummz ; la playa, ummz ; km. e nueva italia, ummz ( ); km. s nueva italia, ummz ; ostula, ummz ( ); salitre de estopilas, ummz ; san josé de la montaña, ummz ( ); km. s tumbiscatio, ku ; km. s tzitzio, ummz . =morelos=: . km. w cuautlixco, ku - ; km. ne puente de ixtla, ku - ; km. s puente de ixtla, cnhm , uimnh ; tequesquitengo, amnh - . =nayarit=: km. s acaponeta, ummz ( ); km. s esquinapa (sinaloa), ku ; jesús maría, amnh ; san blas, ku , , - , usnm ; . km. e san blas, ummz ; tepic, uimnh - ; km. e tuxpan, ku ; km. se tuxpan, uimnh - , - . =nuevo león=: galeana, cnhm ; salto de cola de caballo, cnhm - , ( ), - , - . =oaxaca=: km. s candelaria, uimnh - ; cerro san pedro, km. sw tehuantepec, ummz ; chachalapa, ku ; km. s chiltepec, ku ; km. s chivela, ummz ; coyul, usnm ; garza mora, uimnh - ; juchatengo, ku ; km. ne juchatengo, ku (tadpoles), (young); juchitán, usnm ; lagartero, uimnh ; matías romero, amnh - ; km. n matías romero, ku - ; km. s matías romero, uimnh ; mirador, amnh , - , - ; mira león, . km. n huatulco, uimnh - ; mixtequillo, amnh ; pochutla, ku - , uimnh - ; quiengola, amnh , ; río del corte, uimnh ; río mono blanco, uimnh ; río sarabia, km. n sarabia, ummz ( ); . km. n salina cruz, ku - ; san antonio, uimnh ; km. nnw san gabriel mixtepec, ku ; san pedro del istmo, uimnh ; santo domingo, usnm - ; . km. n sarabia, ummz ( ); tapanatepec, ku (skeleton), , uimnh , ummz ; between tapanatepec and zanatepec, uimnh - ; tecuane, ummz ( ); tehuantepec, amnh , , , ummz - , ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), - , , usnm , - , ; . km. w tehuantepec, ku - (skeletons), - (skeletons); km. s tehuantepec, ku - ; temazcal, usc ( ); km. s tolocita, ku - ; tolosa, amnh ; tuxtepec, ummz ( ); km. s valle nacional, ku - ; km. n vista hermosa, ku , - (tadpoles), - (young), (tadpoles); yetla, ku . =puebla=: km. sw mecatepec (veracruz), uimnh - ; san diego, amnh , usnm ; vegas de suchil, amnh ; villa juárez, uf . =quintana roo=: cóba, cnhm ; esmeralda, ummz ; km. nne felipe carrillo puerto, ku - ; pueblo nuevo x-can, ku ; km. ene pueblo nuevo x-can, ku ; km. wsw puerto juárez, ku - , (tadpoles); km. w puerto juárez, ku - ; san miguel, isla de cozumel, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ); . km. n san miguel, isla de cozumel, ku - ; km. e san miguel, isla de cozumel, ummz ; telantunich, cnhm . =san luis potosí=: ciudad valles, amnh - ( ), cnhm , , ku ; km. n ciudad valles, ummz ; km. e ciudad valles, uf ; km. e ciudad valles, uf ( ); km. s ciudad valles, uimnh ; km. s ciudad valles, amnh ; km. s ciudad valles, cnhm , , , uimnh - ; km. s ciudad valles, uimnh - ; pujal, ummz ( ); río axtla, near axtla, amnh - , , ku ; tamazunchale, amnh , cnhm - , , , uf ( ), uimnh , ummz ( ), ( ), usnm ; km. n tamazunchale, uimnh ; . km. s tamazunchale, amnh ; km. e tamuin, uf ( ); xilitla, uimnh - . =sinaloa=: km. n. carrizalejo, ku ; km. ne concordia, ku ; km. sw concordia, ku - ; km. e cosalá, ku ; costa rica, km. s. culiacán, uimnh - ; km. sse culiacán, ku ; el dorado, ku ; . km. ne el fuerte, cnhm ; isla palmito del verde, middle, ku - ; km. nne los mochis, uimnh - ; matatán, ku ; . km. sw matatán, ku , - ; mazatlán, amnh , ummz ( ); km. n mazatlán, uimnh ; plomosas, usnm - ; presidio, uimnh , usnm ; rosario, ku - ; km. e rosario, uimnh - ; km. sse rosario, ku ; km. sw san ignacio, ku ; . km. ene san lorenzo, ku - ; teacapán, isla palmito del verde, ku ; . km. nnw teacapán, ku ; villa unión, ku ; km. ne villa unión, ku - ; km. w villa unión, amnh . =sonora=: guiracoba, amnh - ( ). =tabasco=: km. ne comalcalco, amnh ; teapa, ummz ; km. n teapa, ummz , , ( ); km. n teapa, ummz , ( ); km. n teapa, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ); km. n teapa, ummz , ; km. n teapa, ummz ( ); tenosique, usnm - . =tamaulipas=: acuña, ummz ; km. s acuña, ummz ; km. n antiguo morelos, uimnh - ; km. s antiguo morelos, uf ; km. ne chamal, ummz ; . km. e chamal, ummz ; ciudad mante, ummz , ( ), ( ); km. n ciudad victoria, cnhm ; km. ne ciudad victoria, ku - ; . km. s ciudad victoria, uimnh - ; km. w ciudad victoria, uimnh ; km. w ciudad victoria, uimnh ; km. w el carizo, ummz ; gómez farías, ummz - ; km. ne gómez farías, ummz , ( ), , ( ), , ( ), - ; km. nw gómez farías, ummz ( ), ( ), - , ( ), ( ), , , ; km. w gómez farías, ummz ( ); km. w gonzales, ku - ; jiménez, ku ; la clementina, km. w forlan, usnm ; limón, uimnh ; llera, usnm - ; km. e llera, uimnh ; km. s llera, uimnh - ; km. s llera, uimnh ; km. sw ocampo, ummz ; km. w, km. s piedra, ku - ; rio sabinas, ummz ; km. w san gerardo, ummz ( ); santa barbara, ummz - ; villagrán, cnhm , , , , uimnh - ; . km. w xicotencatl, ummz . =veracruz=: . km. nw acayucan, ummz ; . km. se alvarado, ummz ; . km. ssw amatitlán, ummz ; barranca metlac, uimnh ; boca del río, uimnh - , ummz ( ); km. s boca del río, uimnh ; between boca del río and anton lizardo, uimnh ; canadá, cnhm ; catemaco, ummz ( ); ciudad alemán, ummz ( ); córdoba, cnhm - , usnm - ; . km. ese córdoba, ku - , (skeleton); km. ese córdoba, ummz ( ); cosamaloapan, ummz ( ); coyame, uimnh - , , ummz ( ), - ; km. se coyame, ummz ( ); cuatotolapam, ummz - ; cuautlapan, cnhm , - , , , ku , , , - , - , , , , (skeleton), , - (skeletons), uimnh - , - , , - , - , ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), usnm - ; dos ríos, cnhm ; km. ene el jobo, ku , , ; . km. e encero, uimnh ; escamilo, cnhm , uimnh ; km. n fortín, uf ; km. sw huatusco, ummz ; km. sw huatusco, ummz ; km. se hueyapan, ummz ; km. s jesús carranza, ku , , ; km. se jesús carranza, ku ; laguna catemaco, ummz ( ); . km. n la laja, uimnh ; la oaxaqueña, amnh - ; km. e martínez de la torre, uimnh - ; . km. w martínez de la torre, uimnh - ; minatitlán, amnh - ; mirador, usnm - , ; km. s monte blanco, uf ( ); km. e nanchital, ummz ; km. s naranja, ummz ( ); . km. ne novillero, ummz ( ); km. ne novillero, ummz ; . km. ne novillero, ummz ( ); km. ne novillero, ummz ; km. n nuevo colonia, ummz ; orizaba, usnm - ; km. ne orizaba, ummz ( ); panuco, ummz ; paraje nuevo, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ); paso del macho, uimnh ; paso de talaya, jicaltepec, usnm , ; pérez, cnhm ( ); km. n piedras negras, río blanco, ku ; plan del río, ku , - , , , ummz , ( ); potrero, uimnh - , ummz , , ( ), usnm - ; potrero viejo, cnhm , ku , - , - , , - , - , - (skeletons), - , (skeleton), - , - , , , , , - , uimnh , ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), , usnm - ; km. s potrero viejo, ku , , ; puente nacional, uimnh - ; km. n rinconada, ummz ( ); río de las playas, usnm - ; río seco, ummz ( ); rodriguez clara, cnhm ; san andrés tuxtla, cnhm , , , , uimnh - ; km. nw san andrés tuxtla, ummz ; . km. nw san andrés tuxtla, ummz ( ); . km. nw san andrés tuxtla, ummz ; . km. nw san andrés tuxtla, ummz ( ); km. nw san andrés tuxtla, ummz ; km. w san andrés tuxtla, ummz ; . km. s san andrés tuxtla, ummz ( ); km. ese san juan de la punta, ku ; san lorenzo, usnm - ; km. sw san marcias ku ; . km. s santa rosa, uimnh ; km. s santiago tuxtla, ummz ( ); sauzel, ummz ; km. e suchil, uimnh ; km. s tampico (tamaulipas), ummz ( ); km. n tapalapan, ummz ( ); tecolutla, uimnh - ; km. nw tehuatlán, uimnh - ; km. s tehuatlán, ku ; teocelo, ku ; tierra colorado, cnhm , - , uimnh - ; veracruz, amnh - , - , uimnh , ummz , ( ); km. w veracruz, cnhm - . =yucatán=: no specific locality, cnhm , , usnm ; chichén-itzá, cnhm , - , - , uimnh - , ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), - , , ( ), , ( ), ( ), usnm ; km. e chichén-itzá, ku - ; km. e chichén-itzá, ku ; mérida, cnhm - , uimnh - , ummz ; km. s mérida, ku ; . km. se ticul, ummz ; valladolid, cnhm - ; xcalah-op, cnhm - ; . km. e yokdzonot, ku - , (tadpoles). british honduras: belize, cnhm , - , , ummz , usnm ; bokowina, cnhm - ; cocquercote, ummz ( ); cohune ridge, ummz ( ); double falls, cnhm ; el cayo, ummz ; km. s el cayo, mcz ; gallon jug, mcz - ; manatee, cnhm - ; mountain pine ridge, mcz - ; san augustin, ummz ; san pedro, columbia, mcz - ; valentin, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ); km. s waha loaf creek, mcz . guatemala: =alta verapaz=: . km. ne campur, ku (tadpoles), (young); . km. ne campur, ku - , - (skeletons); chamá, mcz - , ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ; chinajá, ku - , - , - (tadpoles), (eggs), (tadpoles); cobán, cnhm ; cubilquitz, ummz ( ); finca canihor, ummz ; finca chicoyou, ku - , (young), , - (tadpoles); finca los alpes, ku - , (tadpoles); finca los pinales, ummz ( ); finca tinajas, byu ; finca volcán, ummz ( ), - ; panzos, mnhn , ummz ; samac, ummz ; samanzana, ummz ( ). =baja verapaz=: chejel, ummz ( ), ( ); san gerónimo, ummz ( ). =chiquimula=: . km. se chiquimula, ummz ; esquipulas, ummz ( ). =el petén=: km. nnw chinajá (alta verapaz), ku - ; flores, ummz ; la libertad, ku (young), ummz - , ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ); km. se la libertad, ku - ; km. s la libertad, mcz ( ); pacomon, usnm ; piedras negras, usnm - ; poptún, ummz ; poza de la jicotea, usnm ; ramate-yaxha trail, ummz ; río de la pasión between sayaxché and subín, ku ; río san román, km. nnw chinajá (alta verapaz), ku - ; sacluc, usnm ; sayaxché, ku - ; tikal, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ); toocog, ku - , (young), (young); uaxactún, ummz - ; yaxha, ummz ; km. e yaxha, ummz ( ). =el quiché=: finca tesoro, ummz ( ), (tadpoles). =escuintla=: río guacalate, masagua, usnm ; tiquisate, ummz ( ). =guatemala=: km. ne guatemala, ku - . =huehuetenango=: finca san rafael, km. se barillas, cnhm - ; km. wnw huehuetenango, ku - ; jacaltenango, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ). =izabál=: km. sw puerto matías de gálvez, ku - (tadpoles); quiriguá, cnhm , ummz . =jalapa=: jalapa, ummz , ( ). =jutiapa=: finca la trinidad, ummz ( ); jutiapa, ummz ; . km. se mongoy, ku ; santa catarina mita, ummz . =progreso=: finca los leones, ummz . =quetzaltenango=: coatepeque, amnh . =retalhueleu=: casa blanca, ummz ( ); champerico, ummz ( ). =san marcos=: talisman bridge, usnm - . =santa rosa=: finca la guardiana, ummz ( ); finca la gloria, ummz ( ); . km. wsw el molino, ku - . el salvador: =la libertad=: km. nw santa tecla, ku - . =morazán=: divisadero, usnm . =san salvador=: san salvador, cnhm - , ku - , - (skeletons), (eggs), - (tadpoles), (tadpoles), ummz ( ), ( ), usnm . honduras: state unknown: guaimas, ummz . =atlantidad=: isla de roatán, cnhm - ; la ceiba, usnm , - ; lancetilla, mcz - ; tela, mcz - , , ummz , usnm - . =choluteca=: . km. nw choluteca, ku - ; km. nw choluteca, ku ; km. e choluteca, ku - ; km. e choluteca, ku ; km. s choluteca, usc ( ). =colón=: bambú, uf ; belfate, amnh - ; patuca, usnm . =comayagua=: la misión, . leagues n siguatepeque, mcz - . =copán=: copán, ummz ( ). =cortés=: cofradía, amnh - ; hacienda santa ana, cnhm - ; lago de yojoa, mcz - ; río lindo, amnh . =el paraiso=: el volcán, mcz . =francisco morazán=: tegucigalapa, byu - , - , mcz - , usnm . =gracias a dios=: río segovia, mcz . =santa barbara=: santa barbara, usnm - . nicaragua: =chinandega=: km. n, km. w chichigalpa, ku ; chinandega, mcz ; río tama, usnm ; san antonio, ku - (skeletons), - . =chontales=: km. ne acoyapa, ku . =estelí=: finca daraili, km. n, km. e condega, ku - ; finca venecia, km. n, km. e condega, ku . =león=: . km. ene poneloya, ku - . =managua=: managua, usnm - ; km. nw managua, ku - ; km. ne managua, ku ; km. ne managua, ku - ; km. sw managua, ku - ; km. n sabana grande, ku ; km. n sabana grande, ku - ; km. s, . km. w tipitapa, ku . =matagalpa=: guasqualie, ummz ; matagalpa, ummz ; km. n matagalpa, ummz . =río san juan=: greytown, usnm - , - . =rivas=: javillo, ummz ; moyogalpa, isla ometepe, ku - , (tadpoles); peñas blancas, ku ; río javillo, km. n, km. w sapoá, ku - , (skeleton); . km. se rivas, ku ; . km. se rivas, ku - ; km. s, km. e rivas, ku ; km. s rivas, mcz - ; . km. ne san juan del sur, ku - ; . km. ne san juan del sur, ku - , (young); km. se san pablo, ku - . =zelaya=: cooley, amnm - , - , , - ; cukra, amnh - ; musahuas, río huaspuc, amnh - ; km. nw rama, río siquia, ummz , ( ), ( ); río escondido, usnm , ; río siquia at río mico, ummz ( ); sioux plantation, amnh - , - . costa rica: =alajuela=: los chiles, amnh ; orotina, mcz - ; san carlos, usnm . =guanacaste=: la cruz, usc ( ); . km. ne la cruz, ummz ; . km. s la cruz, usc ; . km. s la cruz, usc ( ); km. w la cruz, usc ( ); km. ne las cañas, ku - ; las huecas, ummz - ; liberia, ku , usc ; . km. n liberia, usc ; km. n liberia, usc ; . km. n liberia, usc ; km. nnw liberia, ku ; . km. ese playa del coco, usc ; . km. ese playa del coco, usc ; río piedra, . km. w bagaces, usc ; río bebedero, km. s bebedero, ku ; km. ne tilarán, ku - . =heredia=: km. sw puerto viejo, ku - . =limón=: batán, ku ; guacimo, usc ; pandora, usc ( ); suretka, ku - ; tortugero, uf , - . =puntarenas=: barranca, cnhm - ; km. wnw barranca, ku - , ummz ; km. wnw barranca, ummz ( ); km. wnw esparta, ku - , - (skeletons); km. nw esparta, ku - . =smilisca cyanosticta= (smith), new combination _hyla phaeota_, taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., ( ): , may , . taylor and smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., ( ): , june , . _hyla phaeota cyanosticta_ smith, herpetologica, : , jan. , [holotype.--usnm from piedras negras, el petén, guatemala; hobart m. smith collector]. shannon and werler, trans. kansas acad. sci., : , sept. , . poglayen and smith, herpetologica, : , april , . cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . smith, illinois biol. mono., : , may, . _smilisca phaeota cyanosticta_, stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , april , . duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., ( ): , oct. , . _diagnosis._--size moderately large ([m] . mm., [f] . mm.); skull as long as wide; frontoparietal fontanelle large; narrow supraorbital flanges having irregular margins anteriorly; large squamosal not in contact with maxillary; tarsal fold moderately wide, full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle moderately large, low, flat, elliptical; hind limbs relatively long; tibia usually more than per cent of snout-vent length; labial stripe silvery-white; lips lacking vertical bars; loreal region pale green; pale bronze-colored stripe from nostril along edge of eyelid to point above tympanum narrow, bordered below by narrow dark brown stripe from nostril to eye, and broad dark brown postorbital mark encompassing tympanum and terminating above insertion of arm; flanks, dark brown with large pale blue spots; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs dark brown with small pale blue spots on thighs. (foregoing combination of characters distinguishing _s. cyanosticta_ from any other species in genus.) _description and variation._--the largest males are from piedras negras, el petén, guatemala, and they average . mm. in snout-vent length whereas males from los tuxtlas, veracruz, average . mm. and those from northern oaxaca . mm. the smallest breeding male has a snout-vent length of . mm. the average ratio of tibia length to snout-vent length is . per cent in males from piedras negras, and . and . per cent in males from los tuxtlas and oaxaca, respectively. the only other character showing noticeable geographic variation is the size of the tympanum. the average ratio of the diameter of the tympanum to the diameter of the eye is . per cent in males from piedras negras, . from oaxaca, and . from los tuxtlas. the dorsal ground color of _smilisca cyanosticta_ is pale green to tan and the venter is creamy white. the dorsum is variously marked with dark olive-green or dark brown spots or blotches (pl. b). an interorbital dark bar usually is present. the most extensive dark area is a v-shaped mark in the occipital region with the anterior branches not reaching the eyelids; this mark is continuous, by means of a narrow mid-dorsal mark, with an inverted v-shaped mark in the sacral region. in many specimens this dorsal marking is interrupted, resulting in irregular spots. in some specimens the dorsum is nearly uniform pale green or tan with a few small, dark spots. the hind limbs are marked by dark transverse bands, usually three or four each on the thigh and shank, and two or three on the tarsus. the webbing on the feet is brown. the loreal region is pale green, bordered above by a narrow, dark brown canthal stripe extending from the nostril to the orbit, which is bordered above by a narrow, bronze-colored stripe extending from the nostril along the edge of the eyelid to a point above the tympanum. the upper lip is white. a broad dark brown mark extends posteriorly from the orbit and encompasses the tympanum to a point above the insertion of the forelimb. the flanks are dark brown with many pale blue, rounded spots, giving the impression of a pale blue ground color with dark brown mottling enclosing spots. the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs are dark brown with many small pale blue spots. the inner surfaces of the shank and tarsus are colored like the posterior surfaces of the thighs. pale blue spots are usually present on the proximal segments of the second and third toes. a distinct white stripe is present on the outer edge of the tarsus and fifth toe; on the tarsus the white stripe is bordered below by dark brown. a white stripe also is present on the outer edge of the forearm and fourth finger. the anal region is dark brown, bordered above by a narrow transverse white stripe. the throat in breeding males is dark, grayish brown with white flecks. no geographic variation in the dorsal coloration is evident. specimens from the eastern part of the range (piedras negras and chinajá, guatemala) have bold, dark reticulations on the flanks enclosing large pale blue or pale green spots, which fade to tan in preservative. specimens from oaxaca and veracruz characteristically have finer dark reticulations on the flanks enclosing smaller blue spots; in many of these specimens the ventrolateral spots are smallest and are white. all living adults are easily recognized by the presence of pale, usually blue, spots on the flanks and thighs. individuals under cover by day have a tan dorsum with dark brown markings. a hiding individual at chinajá, alta verapaz, guatemala (ku ), had a pale tan dorsum when found; later the dorsal color changed to chocolate brown. a pale green patch was present below the eye; the spots on the posterior surfaces of the thighs were pale blue, and those on the flanks were yellowish green. a calling male obtained kilometers north-northwest of chinajá (ku ) was reddish brown when found at night; later the dorsal color changed to pale tan. a green patch below the eye was persistent. usually these frogs are green at night. the coloration of an adult male (ku ) from kilometers north of vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico, was typical: "when calling dorsum pale green; later changed to dull olive-green. flanks dark brown with pale blue spots in axilla and groin and bluish white flecks on mid-flank. anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs, inner surfaces of shanks, and median dorsal surfaces of tarsi dark brown with blue spots. canthal and postorbital stripes dark chocolate brown; labial stripe creamy white. forearm, tarsal, and anal stripes pale cream-color. throat dark brown with yellow flecks; belly and ventral surfaces of limbs creamy buff; webs pinkish tan; iris deep bronze, brown below pupil." (duellman, field notes, june , .) some individuals have both green and brown coloration in life. an individual obtained at night on the south slope of volcán san martín, veracruz, méxico, had a pale tan dorsum changing peripherally to pale green. the dorsal markings were dark brown and dark olive-green. in contrast to the color-changes noted above, the labial region below the eye is always pale green, and pale spots are always present on the flanks and thighs in adults. the iris is invariably golden or bronze above and darker, usually brown, below. minute black flecks are present on the iris, and in some individuals these flecks are so numerous that the eye appears gray. recently metamorphosed young have pale tan flanks, and the posterior surfaces of the thighs are orange-yellow; pale spots are absent. a juvenile (ku ) from chinajá, alta verapaz, guatemala, having a snout-vent length of . mm. was pale yellowish tan above with olive-green markings; the flanks were dark brown with pale blue spots, and the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs were uniform bright tomato red. a juvenile (ummz ), . mm. in snout-vent length, from the southeast slope of volcán san martín, veracruz, méxico, had pale tan flanks lacking blue spots, but had red thighs. apparently the ontogenetic changes in coloration proceed as follows: ( ) flanks pale tan and thighs orange-yellow, both lacking spots, ( ) flanks pale tan and thighs red, both lacking spots, ( ) flanks dark brown with blue spots and thighs red, lacking spots, and ( ) flanks and thighs dark brown, both having pale blue spots. _natural history._--_smilisca cyanosticta_ inhabits humid tropical forest and cloud forest from the lowlands to elevations of about meters in los tuxtlas and to about meters in northern oaxaca. in these moist environments the frogs apparently are active throughout the year. active individuals have been obtained in january, july, and august in los tuxtlas, veracruz, in june and july in northern oaxaca, in february and march at chinajá, guatemala, and taylor and smith reported ( : ) activity in may at piedras negras, guatemala. calling males were observed as follows; in a rain barrel kilometers north of vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico, on june - , ; in a quiet pool in a stream kilometers south of yetla, oaxaca, méxico, in july, (dale l. hoyt, personal communication); in and near springs flowing into a stream at dos amates, veracruz, méxico, on august , (douglas robinson, personal communication); and in a water-filled depression in a log kilometers west-northwest of chinajá, guatemala, on march , . taylor and smith ( : ) reported that individuals were found at night on the ground at the edge of temporary pools at piedras negras, guatemala, on may - , . a clasping pair was found on a rock at the edge of a small stream on the south slope of volcán san martín, veracruz, méxico, on july , (douglas robinson, personal communication). only one individual has been observed in a tree at night. in the daytime, individuals were found in elephant ear plants (_xanthosoma_) at chinajá, guatemala. the breeding call consists of one or two moderately short notes that are lower pitched than those of _s. baudini_, but higher pitched than those of _s. phaeota_. each note has a duration of . to . seconds and is repeated at intervals of one-half minute to several minutes. each note is a vibrant "waunk," having to pulses per second and dominant frequency of to cycles per second (pl. b). apparently the eggs are deposited as loose clumps in the water. in eggs in the yolk plug stage of development, the diameter of the embryo is about . mm.; that of the outer envelope is . mm. hatchling tadpoles have total lengths of . to . mm. and body lengths of . to . mm. the external gills are moderately long, slender, and filamentous; the yolk sac is still moderately large. the body and anterior part of the caudal musculature are dark brown; posteriorly the caudal musculature is pale brown. the caudal fins are creamy tan. the oral discs are large and ovoid. the growth of the tadpole is summarized in table . a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku from km. n vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico) can be described as follows: body length . mm.; tail length . mm.; total length . mm.; body slightly wider than deep; snout rounded laterally, broadly ovoid dorsally; eyes widely separated, directed dorsolaterally; nostril about midway between eye and tip of snout; mouth anteroventral; spiracle sinistral, slightly posterior to midpoint of body and slightly below midline; anal tube dextral; caudal musculature slender, barely curved upward distally; dorsal fin not extending onto body, depth of dorsal fin slightly more than that of ventral fin on mid-length of tail; dorsal part of body dark brown; ventral surfaces transparent, lacking pigment; posterior edge of body pale cream-color; caudal musculature creamy white with interconnected brown spots; caudal fins transparent with small brown blotches on dorsal fin and posterior half of ventral fin; iris coppery bronze in life (fig. ). mouth small, median part of upper lip bare; rest of mouth bordered by single row of bluntly rounded papillae; lateral fold present; tooth rows / ; all tooth-rows approximately equal in length; second upper row broadly interrupted medially; other rows complete; upper beak moderately deep, forming broad arch with slender lateral processes; lower beak slender, broadly v-shaped; both beaks finely serrate (fig. c). all tadpoles having fully developed mouth parts have / tooth rows. little variation is noticeable in coloration. in many specimens the posterior edge of the body is dark brown instead of pale cream-color. mottling is rather dense on the caudal fins in all specimens; in some individuals pigment is concentrated along the anterior one-third of the lateral groove. in life the body is dark brown with greenish gold flecks ventrally; the caudal musculature is gray. in each of two recently metamorphosed young the snout-vent length is . mm. coloration of young in life (ku from km. n vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico): "dorsum pale tan with dark brown markings. thighs orange-yellow; labial stripe white; iris bronze" (duellman, field notes, july , .) _remarks._--smith ( : ) named _cyanosticta_ as a subspecies of _hyla phaeota_. the differences in cranial characters and certain external characters between _phaeota_ and _cyanosticta_ indicate that they are distinct species. furthermore, a gap of about kilometers exists between the known geographic ranges of the two kinds. _distribution._--_smilisca cyanosticta_ inhabits wet forests on the atlantic slope of southern méxico and northern central america from northern oaxaca and southern veracruz through northern chiapas in méxico and into el petén and northern alta verapaz in guatemala (fig. ). apparently the range is discontinuous, for in southern méxico the species is found in cloud forest at elevations of to meters on the northern slopes of the sierra de juárez. in the sierra de los tuxtlas in southern veracruz the species is found in wet forest at elevations of to meters, but is absent in the intervening lowlands characterized by drier forest. in the west forests of northern alta verapaz and el petén, guatemala, the species is found at low elevations. _specimens examined._-- , as follows: mexico: =chiapas=: monte libano, mcz - ; km. n san fernando, km. ne tuxtla gutierrez, uimnh . =oaxaca=: km. n vista hermosa, ku - (skeletons), - , (eggs), - (tadpoles), (young), uimnh - ; km. s yetla, ku , ummz ( ). =veracruz=: coyame, ummz - ; between coyame and tebanco, ummz ; dos amates, ummz ; between laguna de catemaco and volcán san martín, ummz ; volcán san martín, uimnh - , - , ummz ; se slope volcán san martín, ummz , ( ), , . guatemala: =alta verapaz=: chinajá, ku - , (skeleton). =el= =petén=: km. nnw chinajá (alta verapaz), ku ; piedras negras, cnhm - , , uimnh , usnm - , - ; km. s piedras negras, cnhm ; semicoch, usnm . [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _smilisca cyanosticta_ (triangles) and _smilisca phaeota_ (circles).] =smilisca phaeota= (cope) _hyla phaeota_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ( ): , [holotype.--usnm from turbo, colombia; j. cassin collector]. boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia in british museum, p. , feb. , . werner, sitzungsb. akad. wiss. münchen, : , . günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, p. , sept. . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura i, p. , june . dunn, occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : , oct. , . gaige, hartweg, and stuart, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , oct. , . cooper, copeia, : , june , . breder, bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., ( ): , aug. , . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , ; univ. kansas sci. bull, : , march , . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., ( ): , july , . brattstrom and howell, herpetologica, : , aug. , . goin, herpetologica, : , july , . cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _hyla labialis_ peters, monats. konigl. akad. wissen. berlin, p. , [holotype.--zmb from "region of bogotá," colombia]; monats. konigl. akad. wissen. berlin, p. , oct. , . boulenger, catalogue batrachia and salientia in british museum, p. , feb. , . _hyla baudini dolomedes_ barbour, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , jan. , [holotype.--mcz from río esnápe, sambú valley, darién, panamá; barbour and brooks collectors]. barbour and loveridge, bull. mus. comp. zool. harvard, : , june, . _hyla phaeota phaeota_, smith, herpetologica, : , jan. , . minton and smith, herpetologica, : , june , . _smilisca phaeota_, starrett, copeia, : , dec. , . _diagnosis._--size large ([m] mm., [f] mm.); skull as long as wide, lacking frontoparietal fontanelle; large supraorbital flanges having straight edges and extending posterolaterally; large squamosal not in contact with maxillary; tarsal fold moderately wide, full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle moderately large, low, flat, elliptical; hind limbs relatively long, tibia averaging more than per cent of snout-vent length; labial stripe silvery white; lips lacking vertical bars; loreal region pale green; dark brown or black tympanic mark dispersing into brown venated pattern on flanks; posterior surfaces of thighs pale brown, with or without darker flecks or small cream-colored flecks. (foregoing combination of characters distinguishing _s. phaeota_ from any other species in genus.) table .--geographic variation in size and proportions in males of smilisca phaeota. (means in parentheses below observed ranges; data based on ten specimens from each locality.) ================================================================== |snout-vent |head width/|interorbital locality |length |snout-vent |distance/ | |length |head width -----------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------ bonanza, nicaragua | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) -----------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------ heredia prov., costa rica | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) -----------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------ puntarenas prov., costa rica | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) -----------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------ canal zone, panamá | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) -----------------------------+-----------+-----------+------------ río quesada, colombia | . - . | . - . | . - . | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ------------------------------------------------------------------ _description and variation._--for the purposes of analyzing geographic variation in size and proportions, measurements were taken on ten adult males from each of five samples throughout the range of the species. aside from the data summarized in table , the average ratio of tibia length to snout-vent length is noticeably less in colombian specimens ( . per cent, as compared with . to . per cent in the other samples) and the ratio of head length to snout-vent length is noticeably less in costa rican specimens ( . per cent as compared with . to . per cent in the other samples). also, specimens from heredia province, costa rica, have a relatively smaller tympanum ( . to . [mean . ] per cent of the diameter of the eye, as compared with means of . to . per cent in the other samples). two populations are distinctive as regards the size of adult males. specimens from the northern caribbean lowlands of nicaragua (bonanza, the northernmost locality for the species) are remarkably small. males having snout-vent lengths of between and mm. were breeding; the largest male found had a snout-vent length of . mm. the other extreme in size is attained in specimens from the pacific lowlands of eastern costa rica and western panamá, where most breeding males have snout-vent lengths of more than mm.; the largest male had a snout-vent length of . mm. the rather striking differences in size among certain samples and the minor differences in proportions among other samples show no geographic trends. instead, the variations apparently are random among the samples. the data presented here possibly are the results of inadequate sampling, but more likely reflect actual differences in the populations. the dorsal ground color of _smilisca phaeota_ is pale green to tan; the venter is creamy white. the dorsum is variously marked with dark olive-green or dark brown spots or blotches (pl. c). a dark interorbital bar is usually present. usually a large dark dorsal mark extends from the occiput to the sacral region, but in many individuals this blotch is replaced by two or three dark marks. the dorsal markings are irregular in shape and do not tend to form transverse bands or longitudinal bars. the hind limbs are marked by dark transverse bands, usually four or five on the thigh, five or six on the shank, and four on the tarsus. two or three narrow bands are usually present on the proximal part of the fourth toe. the webbing on the feet is brown. the loreal region is pale green, bordered above by a narrow dark brown canthal stripe extending from the nostril to the orbit. the upper lip is silvery white. a broad dark brown or black mark extends posteriorly from the orbit, encompassing the tympanum, to a point above the insertion of the forelimb. the flanks are pale green or pale tan and marked with a fine dark brown or black venation. the anterior surfaces of the thighs usually are pale brown or grayish tan, sometimes having small, indistinct darker flecks. the posterior surfaces of the thighs are similarly colored, but in most specimens small but distinct dark flecks are present; in some specimens small cream-colored spots are also present on the posterior surfaces of the thighs. a distinct, narrow creamy white anal stripe usually is present. a distinct white stripe is present on the outer edge of the tarsus and fifth toe; on the tarsus the white stripe is bordered below by dark brown. a white stripe also is present on the outer edge of the forearm and fourth finger. in breeding males the throat is dark gray. little geographic variation in color or pattern is evident. few, if any, specimens from the pacific lowlands of south america are green in life. (we have seen no living individuals from south america.) some living individuals from costa rica and all those seen alive from nicaragua have a tint of pale blue on the flanks. in some specimens the dorsal pattern is so faint as to be barely discernible, whereas in most specimens the pattern is bold. the coloration in the living frogs is highly variable due to extreme metachrosis. individuals of this species are capable of changing the dorsal coloration from green to brown in a short period of time. both green and brown individuals have been found active at night. usually those individuals found hiding by day are brown. one individual from finca la sumbadora, panamá (now ku ), was kept alive in the laboratory for nearly one month. this individual usually was pale green with tan dorsal markings at night and tan with pale green markings by day. on occasion the pale green dorsal markings were boldly outlined by bright dark green. in living individuals from throughout the range of the species the iris is a bronze color, darkest medially with fine black reticulations. _natural history._--_smilisca phaeota_ inhabits humid lowland tropical forest and seldom ascends the foothills to more than , meters. the rather equable climatic conditions, especially more or less evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year, permit this frog to be active most of the year. dunn ( : ) reported males calling on barro colorado island, panamá, in february and in july, and breder ( : ) noted calling individuals in the chucanaque drainage of darién, panamá in january, march, july, august and october and in costa rica in april through august inclusively. calling males were found at bonanza, nicaragua in march and in july. at all times of year the usual daytime retreats for these frogs are near water; the frogs have been found in elephant ear plants (_xanthosoma_) and in bromeliads; occasional individuals have been found sitting on shaded branches of bushes and trees. none has been observed on the ground or beneath ground-cover by day. the length of the breeding season cannot be determined definitely. the earliest date on which eggs have been found is may ; gaige, hartweg, and stuart ( : ) reported a gravid female taken at el recreo, nicaragua, in september, and we have a gravid female taken at almirante, panamá, in march. males usually call from secluded spots at the edge of water. all calling males that we observed were on the ground within a few centimeters of the water. the males usually are hidden beneath an overhanging leaf or some other cover; they definitely do not sit in the open like _smilisca baudini_. most calling males and clasping pairs have been found at the edges of small pools or shallow ditches, although occasional individuals are found at the edges of large ponds or streams. the breeding call consists of one or two moderately short, low-pitched notes (duration . to . seconds), repeated at intervals of about seconds to several minutes. each note is a low, vibrant "wauk," having to pulses per second and a dominant frequency of to cycles per second (pl. c). the eggs are deposited in loose clumps amidst vegetation in the water. hatchling tadpoles have total lengths of . to . mm., and body lengths of . to . mm. the external gills are long and filamentous, and the yolk sac is large. the head and caudal musculature are dark brownish black, and the caudal fins are gray. the oral discs are large and roughly circular. the growth and development of the tadpoles are summarized in table and figure . a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku from the río chitaría, cartago province, costa rica) may be described as follows: body length . mm.; tail length . mm.; total length . mm.; body as wide as deep; snout rounded dorsally and laterally; eyes widely separated, directed dorsolaterally; nostril about midway between eye and tip of snout; mouth anteroventral; spiracle sinistral, about midway on length of body and slightly below midline; anal tube dextral; caudal musculature slender, curved upward distally; dorsal fin extending onto body; depth of dorsal fin slightly less than that of ventral fin at mid-length of tail; dorsal part of body pale brown; ventral surfaces transparent with scattered pigment; pale cream-colored, crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body; caudal musculature pale creamy tan with scattered pale brown spots; caudal fins transparent with scattered small brown blotches on dorsal and ventral fins; iris pale bronze in life (fig. ); mouth small; median part of upper lip bare; rest of mouth bordered by one row of pointed papillae; lateral fold present; tooth-rows / , first upper row longest; second upper row slightly shorter, broadly interrupted medially; three lower rows complete, equal in length, slightly shorter than second upper row; upper beak moderately deep, forming broad arch with slender lateral processes; lower beak slender, broadly v-shaped; both beaks serrate (fig. e). in tadpoles having fully developed mouthparts the tooth-row formula of / is invariable. the pale crescent-shaped mark on the posterior part of the body curves anterodorsally on the dorsal surface of the body. these marks in dorsal view give the appearance of a pair of short, pale stripes on the posterior part of the body. most specimens from costa rica have the pale coloration like that described above, but some individuals (notable ku from guápiles, costa rica, ku from finca tepeyac, nicaragua, and ku from bonanza, nicaragua) have much more pigment. in these specimens the same color pattern obtains as in the pallid individuals, but the pigmentation is dense. this is especially noticeable on the tail. recently metamorphosed young have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. (average, . mm. in eleven specimens). coloration of young in life (ku from río chitaría, cartago province, costa rica): "dorsum pale tan; side of head and flanks darker brown, separated from tan dorsum by an indistinct cream stripe. limbs pale yellow; thighs flecked with brown; shank and tarsus yellowish tan with indistinct brown bars. soles of feet brown. belly white; throat dusty cream flecked with silvery white. upper lip silvery white. iris bright gold with black flecks. heels, tarsal and anal stripes white" (duellman, field notes, may , ). _remarks._--peters ( : ) named _hyla labialis_ from the "region of bogotá, colombia", but in regarded his new species as identical with _hyla phaeota_ cope, , from turbo, colombia. the name _hyla labialis_ has been used for frogs from the northern andes in colombia (see dunn, : , and stebbins and hendrickson, : , for discussion of nomenclature). rivero ( : ) used the name _hyla vilsoniana_ cope, , for the frogs from the northern andes previously referred to _hyla labialis_. a review of the nomenclature and taxonomy of these frogs, which superficially resemble _smilisca_ but are unrelated, is beyond the scope of the present study. _hyla baudini dolomedes_ barbour, , is based on a small _smilisca phaeota_ (mcz ) having a snout-vent length of . mm. dunn ( a: ) placed _dolomedes_ in the synonymy of _smilisca phaeota_. we have examined the holotype of _dolomedes_ and agree with dunn's assignment. smith ( : ) described _hyla phaeota cyanosticta_ from guatemala. our studies on the external morphology, coloration, and especially the cranial osteology provide evidence that _cyanosticta_ is a species distinct from _phaeota_. _distribution._--_smilisca phaeota_ inhabits humid tropical forests from northeastern nicaragua southward on the caribbean lowlands to elevations of about meters and on the pacific lowlands of costa rica, exclusive of the arid regions of guanacaste, throughout the lowlands of panamá, exclusive of the savannas of the pacific lowland and the azuero peninsula, and southward on the pacific slopes of south america through colombia to west-central ecuador; also the valleys of the río cauca and río magdalena in colombia (fig. ). _specimens examined._-- , as follows: nicaragua: =matagalpa=: finca tepeyac, km. n, km. e matagalpa, ku , (tadpoles); matagalpa, mcz - , ummz ; km. n matagalpa, ummz - . zelaya: bonanza, ku - , - (skeletons), - , - (tadpoles); cukra, amnh ; río mico, km. e recreo, ummz ( ), ( ); junction río mico and río siguia, ummz ( ); río siguia, km. nw rama, ummz ( ), ( ), ( ), , ( ). costa rica: =alajuela=: cinchona, ku , - ; km. s ciudad quesada, usc ; laguna monte alegre, ku - ; las playuelas, km. s los chiles, usc ; san carlos, usnm . =cartago=: moravia de turrialba, ku - , - , (skeleton), - , usc ( ); peralta, ku - ; río chitaría, km. nne pavones, ku - , (eggs), - (tadpoles), (young); río reventazón, mcz - , ummz ( ); turrialba, ku - , - , - , - , - , - (skeletons), - , mcz , (tadpoles), - , usnm . =guanacaste=: tilarán, ku - ; km. ne tilarán, ku - . =heredia=: barranca del río sarapiquí below isla bonita, ku - ; cariblanco, ku - , (skeleton), , mcz ; isla bonita, ku - ; . km. w puerto viejo, ku , ; . km. w puerto viejo, ku ; km. s puerto viejo, ku . =limón=: bambú, usc ( ); batán, ummz ; coén, mcz ; la lola, ku - , uf , ummz ( ); los diamantes, cnhm - , ku - , , - ; pandora, ummz ( ), usc ( ), ; puerto limón, ku ; río larí at río dipari, km. sw amubre, usc ; río toro amarillo, km. w guápiles, ku , (tadpoles); suretka, ku - , . =puntarenas=: agua buena, ku ; . km. e buenos aires, ummz ; km. nw buenos aires, ku ; km. n, km. w dominical, ku - (tadpoles); esparta, mcz - , ; golfito, ku ; km. e golfito, ku - (skeletons); gromaco, ummz ( ); palmar, ku ; km. ese palmar sur, ku - ; . km. se palmar sur, ku (tadpoles); . km. se palmar sur, ku (young); . km. se piedras blancas, ku - ; quebrada boruca, km. e palmar norte, ku ; rincón, "camp seattle," peninsula de osa, ummz ( ), usc ; río ferruviosa, km. s rincón, usc ; . km. wnw villa neily, ku (young), (tadpoles). =san josé=: san isidro el general, ku , ummz ; km. n san isidro el general, mcz - ; km. wsw san isidro el general, ku ; km. wsw san isidro el general, ku (tadpoles), (young), (young); km. wsw san isidro el general, ku . panama: no province: cano saddle, usnm ; punta de pena, usnm ; quipo, amnh - . =bocas del toro=: almirante, ku , - ; . km. w almirante, ku ; km. w almirante, ku (skeleton), - , - ; km. nw almirante, cnhm - ; km. w almirante, ku - (skeletons), - ; fish creek, ku ; isla popa, ku - . =canal zone=: barro colorado island, cnhm , , , , - , - , mcz - , uf , ummz - , , ( ); . km. w cocoli, ku ; fort sherman, mcz ; gatun, mcz ; junction roads c b and c , tnhc ; madden forest preserve, tnhc - . =coclé=: el valle, ku - , (tadpole), tnhc . =comarca del barú=: progreso, ummz - . colón: achiote, ku - , (young); río candelaria, cnhm - . =darién=: río esnápe, sambú valley, mcz ; río sucubti, chalichiman's creek, amnh ; camp creek, amnh - ; camp creek, camp townsend, amnh . =panamá=: nw slope cerro prominente, ku ; finca la sumbadora, ku (skeleton). =chiriquí=: km. w concepción, amnh . columbia: =antioquia=: puerto berrio, cnhm (goin); turbo, usnm . =caldas=: pueblorrica, santa cecilia, cnhm - (goin). =choco=: no specific locality, amnh - ; andagoya, bmnh . . . - , cnhm (goin); golfo de urabá, cnhm (goin); peña lisa, condoto, bmnh . . . - , . . . - (goin); pizarro, cnhm - , - (goin); río san juan, playa del oro, cnhm (goin); río quesada, amnh - ; km. up río puné, amnh ; km. up río puné, amnh . =narino=: tumaco, río rosario, cjg - (goin). =valle=: buenaventura, bmnh . . . (goin); raposa, wat , - , (goin); río calima above córdoba, cjg - (goin). ecuador: no province: bulun, amnh . =esmeraldas=: cachabé, amnh - ; río capayas, cnhm ; río sapaya, ummz ( ); salidero, amnh - ; san javier, amnh . =guayas=: hacienda balao chico, ummz . =imbabura=: pambelar, amnh , . =pichincha=: hacienda espinosa, km. w santo domingo de los colorados, ku . =smilisca puma= (cope), new combination _hyla puma_ cope, proc. amer. philos. soc., : , [holotype.--usnm from nicaragua; j. f. moser collector]. günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, p. , sept., . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura i, p. , june, . cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _hyla wellmanorum_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull. ( ): , july , [holotype.--ku from batán, limón, costa rica, edward h. taylor collector]; univ. kansas sci. bull., ( ): , june , . duellman and berg, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , oct. , . _smilisca wellmanorum_, starrett, copeia, : , dec. , . _diagnosis._--size small ([m] . mm., [f] . mm.), differing from other species in the genus by the following combination of characters: skull about as long as broad; frontoparietal fontanelle keyhole-shaped; supraorbital flanges absent; squamosal small, not in contact with maxillary; bony portion of ethmoid terminating at anterior edge of orbit; tarsal fold weak, two-thirds length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle small, low, flat, elliptical; snout rounded in dorsal profile; lips thin and flaring; fingers having only vestige of web; toes one-half webbed; diameter of tympanum about two-thirds that of eye; narrow labial stripe white; pair of dark brown (sometimes interconnected) stripes on tan dorsum; no blue spots on flanks or thighs; vocal sac in breeding males pale brown. (foregoing combination of characters distinguishing _s. puma_ from other species in genus.) _description and variation._--ten breeding males from the vicinity of puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica, have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). in these specimens, the length of the tibia to the snout-vent length is . to . ( . ), and the tympanum/eye ratio is . to . ( . ). seven females have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). no individual has more than a vestige of a web between the second and third and fourth fingers. none has a web between the first and second fingers. breeding males lack nuptial excrescences on the thumbs. the vocal sac is moderately large and bilobed. in preserved specimens the dorsal ground color varies from yellowish tan to grayish brown. all specimens have dark brown dorsal markings in the form of a pair of dorsal stripes, variously modified (pl. a). in some specimens, such as ku , the stripes are discrete and extend from the postorbital region nearly to the vent. in most specimens the stripes are connected by a transverse mark in the scapular region and in many others also by a transverse mark in the sacral region. in some specimens the stripes are fragmented posteriorly; fragmentation is extreme in ku , in which the dorsal pattern consists of two series of dark longitudinal dashes. the other extreme is a nearly complete fusion of the stripes, as in ku . a dark brown interorbital bar usually extends onto the eyelids, but in some specimens this is reduced to a short v-shaped mark or small spot between the eyes. there is no dark post-tympanic mark, but dark brown pigment forms a venated pattern from the axilla to the mid-flank; the inguinal region is white, finely mottled with dark brown. the dorsal surfaces of the hind limbs are colored like the body and have two or three dark brown transverse marks on the thighs, three to five marks on the shanks, and one or two marks or irregularly arranged dark flecks on the tarsi. the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs are pale tan to brown. the webbing of the feet is tan to grayish brown. a narrow white labial stripe, white anal stripe, and narrow white stripes on the tarsi and outer edges of the forelimbs are invariably present. the ventral surfaces are creamy white. in life the dorsum is tan or pale brown with dark brown markings. some individuals have scattered metallic green flecks on the dorsum. the flanks are mottled dark brown and creamy white. the posterior surfaces of the thighs are dark brown. the vocal sacs are grayish brown, and the iris is a deep bronze color. _natural history._--_smilisca puma_ inhabits humid lowland tropical forests having more or less evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. the equable climatic conditions seemingly permit these frogs to be active throughout most of the year. taylor ( : ) found calling males at batán, costa rica, on july , . we found the species breeding near puerto viejo, costa rica, on february , june , july , and july . specimens of calling males from costa rica in the collection at the university of southern california were obtained in february at la fortuna, on august at los diamantes, on august at jabillos, and on september at la lola. gravid females were collected in june, july and august. males call from shallow water. all breeding congregations of this species that we have found were in a grassy marsh, . kilometers west of puerto viejo, costa rica. tadpoles were found in water-filled depressions in the marsh at night. when first observed, tadpoles were near the surface of the water; they responded to light by quickly taking refuge in the dense grass. no tadpoles were observed by day. the breeding call consists of a low squawk, usually followed by a series of one or more rattling secondary notes (duration of primary notes, . - . seconds; of secondary notes, . to . seconds), repeated at intervals of to seconds. the primary notes have to pulses per second and major frequencies of about to cycles per second (pl. a). only six tadpoles are available for study. four of them in stage of development have body lengths of . to . mm., tail lengths of . to . mm., and total lengths of . to . mm. one tadpole in stage and one in stage have total lengths of . mm. a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku from . km. w puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica) has a body length of . mm., tail length of . mm., and total length of . mm.; body about three-fourths as deep as wide; snout rounded dorsally and laterally; eyes widely separated, directed dorsolaterally; nostril about midway between eye and tip of snout; mouth anteroventral; spiracle sinistral, about two-thirds distance from snout to posterior end of body and slightly below midline; anal tube dextral; caudal musculature slender, barely curved upward distally; dorsal fin extending onto body; at mid-length of tail, depth of caudal musculature equal to that of dorsal fin and ventral fin; body grayish brown, palest ventrally; caudal musculature pale creamy yellow with bold gray reticulations; caudal fins transparent with gray reticulations anteriorly and black flecks posteriorly on both fins (fig. a). median part of upper lip bare; rest of mouth bordered by two rows of short blunt papillae; lateral fold present; tooth-rows / ; upper rows equal in length; second upper row broadly interrupted medially; three lower rows complete, first and second rows equal in length, slightly shorter than upper rows; third lower row noticeably shorter; upper beak shallow, forming broad, continuous arch with slender lateral processes; lower beak slender, broadly v-shaped, both beaks finely serrate (fig. b). all six tadpoles are colored alike, except that in the larger specimens scattered white flecks are present on the ventral surface of the body, and the dark reticulations continue farther posteriorly on the caudal fins than in the smaller tadpoles. in two specimens the third lower tooth-row is only about one-half the length of the other lower rows, and in one specimen the second lower tooth-row is shorter than the first. coloration of tadpoles in life: "body olive-brown with silvery green flecks laterally. caudal musculature olive-brown with greenish tan flecks. fins brown with greenish gold flecks. iris deep bronze." (duellman, field notes, february , ). one recently metamorphosed young (ku ) has a snout-vent length of . mm. in life this frog had a pale tan dorsum with dark brown markings, yellowish tan posterior surfaces of thighs, grayish brown throat, and bronze iris. _remarks._--the identity of cope's _hyla puma_ has not been known. the name has appeared in various compilations, but no workers have referred any of their specimens to that species. examination of the holotype (usnm ), an adult female, revealed the presence of the following combination of characters: snout-vent length . mm., snout blunt above and rounded laterally, nostrils close to tip of snout, lips thin and flaring, a vestige of a web on the hands, feet about one-half webbed, tarsal fold weak and extending about two-thirds length of tarsus, dorsal markings consisting of a faded dark interorbital bar and a pair of faded longitudinal brown marks connected by a transverse band in the scapular region. the type agrees well with specimens of _smilisca wellmanorum_ (taylor, ); the vestigial webbing on the hands and the dorsal coloration are especially significant. consequently, we consider _hyla wellmanorum_ taylor, , to be a synonym of _hyla puma_ cope, . cope gave only "nicaragua" as the locality for _hyla puma_. the specimen was part of a collection received at the united states national museum from lt. j. f. moser. among the species in the collection are _dentrobates pumilio_, _phyllomedusa helenae_, _corythophanes cristatus_, _pliocercus dimidatus_, _tretanorhinus nigroluteus_, and others characteristically found on the caribbean lowlands of central america. thus, it seems reasonable to assume that the type specimen of _hyla puma_ came from the caribbean lowlands. though no other nicaraguan specimens have been found by us, numerous specimens are known from the caribbean lowlands of costa rica. cochran ( : ), in her catalogue of type specimens in the united states national museum, listed _hyla puma_ cope, , as a synonym of _hyla molitor_ schmidt, . she made no qualifying statements. schmidt ( : ), in his descriptions of the species in the year following his publication of the names and latin diagnoses, stated: "dorsum uniformly gray, more intensive on back, fading away laterally and on extremities; in every-day-life this blue would be called _mueller's blau_. a delicately dotted black line runs on the canthus rostralis from the opening of the nose to the corner of the eye. in the armpits, on the flanks and the thighs two of our three specimens have black marblings." [free translation] certainly on the basis of coloration _hyla puma_ is distinctly different from _hyla molitor_. _distribution._--this species lives in the wet, forested regions of the caribbean lowlands of costa rica and presumably southern nicaragua (fig. ). all specimens are from low elevations; the highest known elevation for the occurrence of this frog is meters at laguna bonilla. [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _smilisca puma_ (triangles) and _smilisca sila_ (circles).] _specimens examined._-- , as follows: nicaragua: no specific locality, usnm . costa rica: =alajuela=: jabillos, km. n santa clara, usc ( ); km. w la fortuna, usc ( ); río la fortuna at la fortuna, usc ( ). =cartago=: laguna bonilla, tunnel camp near peralta, ku . =heredia=: puerto viejo, ku ; . km. w puerto viejo, ku ; . km. w puerto viejo, ku - , (skeleton), - , - (skeletons), - (skeletons), , - (skeletons), - , - , (tadpoles), (young). =limon=: batán, ku - ; la lola, ku , usc , , ; los diamantes, ku , ummz ( ), usc ; . km. e los diamantes, usc ( ). =smilisca sila= new species _hyla gabbi_, noble, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , feb. , . dunn, occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : , oct. , . schmidt, smithsonian misc. coll., ( ): , march , . _hyla sordida_, dunn, copeia, : , nov. , . cooper, copeia, : , june , . breder, bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., ( ): , aug. , . _hyla phaeota_, breder, bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., ( ): pl. , aug. , . _holotype._--adult male, ku from a small stream at the north edge of the village of el volcán, chiriquí province, panamá, elevation meters; obtained on feb. , , by william e. duellman. _paratypes._--ku - , collected with the holotype. _diagnosis._--size moderate ([m] . mm., [f] . mm.); skull wider than long, having large, ovoid frontoparietal fontanelle; supraorbital flanges absent; squamosal small, not contacting maxillary; bony section of ethmoid extending anteriorly between nasals; tarsal fold weak, full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle low, flat, elliptical; lips thick, rounded, not flaring; fingers one-third webbed; toes three-fourths webbed; diameter of tympanum about one-half that of eye; margin of upper lip faintly marked by interrupted creamy white stripe; dark spots on dorsum; pale flecks on flanks and posterior surfaces of thighs; vocal sacs in breeding males dark brown. (foregoing combination of characters distinguishing _s. sila_ from any other species in genus.) _description of holotype._--snout-vent length . mm.; tibia length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head width . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; snout short, in lateral profile truncate, only slightly rounded above, in dorsal profile rounded; canthus rounded; loreal region noticeably concave; lips thick, rounded, not flaring; nostrils not protuberant, directed laterally; internarial distance . mm.; internarial area flat; top of head flat; interorbital distance . mm., . per cent of head width; diameter of eye . mm., thrice distance ( . mm.) from tympanum to eye, and half again distance ( . mm.) from orbit to nostril; pupil horizontally ovoid; width of eyelid . mm., . per cent of head width; dermal fold from posterior corner of orbit covering upper edge of tympanum to point above insertion of forelimb; diameter of tympanum . mm., . per cent of diameter of eye; no axillary membrane; arms moderately robust; weak fold on wrist; faintly scalloped fold along ventrolateral margin of forearm; fingers short, slender; fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; vestige of web between first and second fingers; others about two-fifths webbed; discs moderate, diameter of that on third finger about one-third diameter of eye; triangular outer palmar tubercle; elliptical inner palmar tubercle on base of pollex; subarticular tubercles large, conical, none bifid; supernumerary tubercles few, large, conical; brown nuptial excrescence on prepollex; heels overlap by about one-fifth length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extending to nostril; tarsal fold weak, extending nearly full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle elliptical, flat; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; toes moderately long; toes from shortest to longest, - - - - , third and fifth about equal in length; discs about same size as those on fingers; webbing extending to middle of penultimate phalanx on all toes, except only to distal end of antepenultimate phalanx of fourth toe; subarticular tubercles round; supernumerary tubercles large, round, present only on proximal digits. anal opening directed posteriorly at level of upper edge of thighs; no noticeable anal sheath; flat tubercles ventrolateral to anal opening large; skin of chest, belly, and posterior surfaces of thighs granular; other surfaces smooth; tongue broadly cordiform, shallowly notched posteriorly, and barely free behind; vomerine teeth - , situated on ventral surfaces of separated rounded prominences between posterior margins of small, ovoid inner nares; vocal slits long, each situated along inner margin of ramus; color (in preservative) pinkish tan above with irregular olive-brown markings forming interconnected spots on back; four bars on dorsal surface of each thigh; five bars on shank, and three on tarsus; inguinal region white with black mottling; posterior surfaces of thighs yellowish tan proximally, dark brown distally; margins of lips grayish white with brown markings; ventral surfaces of hands and feet grayish brown; belly and posterior part of throat creamy white; anterior part of throat brown. _description and variation._--ten breeding males from finca la sumbadora, panamá, have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). in these specimens the tibia/snout-vent length ratio is . to . ( . ), and the tympanum/eye ratio is . to . ( . ). there is a geographic gradient in size; specimens from the western part of the range (southern costa rica) are smaller than those from the eastern part of the range (eastern panamá). five males from the pacific lowlands of southern costa rica have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.); ten males from el volcán, chiriquí, panamá, . to . mm. ( . mm.), and eight males from barro colorado island, canal zone, . to . mm. ( . mm.). these are smaller than the males from finca la sumbadora, which is east of the canal zone. ten females from el volcán have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.), as compared . to . mm. ( . mm.) in three females from finca la sumbadora. large females have scattered small tubercles on the head and back; tubercles occur in males from costa rica and in some males from western panamá. the truncate snout is characteristic of both sexes. the coloration of _smilisca sila_ consists of a gray, tan, or pale reddish brown dorsal ground color and a creamy white venter. the dorsum is marked by dark brown, olive-brown, or dark reddish brown spots or blotches (pl. b). usually the blotches are discrete, but in some individuals they are interconnected and form an irregular dark mark on the dorsum. there is no tendency for the blotches to form transverse bars as in _smilisca sordida_. in one specimen (ku ) the blotches are fused and form two wide irregular longitudinal stripes, as in _smilisca puma_. in some females the dorsal markings are reduced to a few small spots or are nearly absent (ku ), whereas in other females the dorsal markings are bold. in one female (ku ) the dorsal markings are narrowly bordered by pale blue, and numerous pale blue flecks are present on the pale brown dorsum. in many individuals of both sexes small white flecks are present on the dorsal surfaces. usually the flanks and posterior surfaces of the thighs have black mottling enclosing pale blue spots and flecks, respectively. the dorsal surfaces of the limbs are marked by dark brown transverse bars; usually three or four bars are present on each forearm, thigh, and shank. the coloration of the flanks and limbs varies geographically. specimens from southern costa rica and western panamá have distinct bars on the limbs; the posterior surfaces of the thighs have brown reticulations enclosing small blue flecks in specimens from costa rica and bolder, black reticulations enclosing large pale blue spots in specimens from western panamá. in specimens from costa rica the flanks are brown with pale blue flecks, whereas in those from chiriquí, panamá, the flanks are pale blue with dark brown mottling in the inguinal region. frogs from el valle and cerro la campana usually have distinct bars on the limbs; the posterior surfaces of the thighs are colored as in frogs from chiriquí, and the inguinal region is pale blue with coarse brown mottling. specimens from barro colorado island are marked like those from el valle and cerro la campana, except that on the posterior surfaces of the thighs fine black reticulations enclose many dark blue spots. in specimens from darién and from panamá province east of the canal zone (altos de pacora, cerro jefe, finca la sumbadora, and río pacora), the markings on the dorsal surfaces of the limbs are indistinct or absent in males, but distinct in some females. intense brown and black pigment forms fine reticulations delimiting bold blue spots on the flanks; this coloration extends to the axilla in many specimens. fine black reticulations enclose many dark blue spots on the posterior surfaces of the thighs. in females, the throat is creamy white; in some specimens scattered brown flecks are present on the chin and throat. in breeding males the anterior part of the throat is dark gray or dark brown. the coloration in life is as variable as it is in preservative. in life the holotype had a tan dorsum with dark olive-green irregular markings and small green flecks. the limbs were tan with dark brown transverse bars. the flanks were grayish tan anteriorly; the inguinal region and posterior surfaces of thighs were blue with black mottling. the belly was creamy white, and the throat was brown with creamy yellow flecks. the iris was a dull bronze color. among the paratypes, some individuals had green flecks, others did not. the inguinal region and posterior surfaces of the thighs were pale blue, pale yellowish green, or grayish tan with black mottling. the blue was most noticeable in females. colors of a male from finca la sumbadora, panamá, were described as follows: "dorsum olive-brown; irregular dark brown blotches, pale green flecks, and raised creamy yellow spots on dorsal surfaces; belly creamy white; throat grayish brown; undersides of limbs grayish tan; groin, anterior and posterior surface of thigh, inner surface of shank, anterior edge of tarsus, and proximal parts of third and fourth toes pale blue marbled with dark brown and black; webbing brown; iris pale bronze, finely reticulated with black." (duellman, field notes, january , .) a female (now ku ) from altos de pacora, panamá, was described as follows: "an irregular dark brown, green-bordered figure on head and back; dark brown, green-bordered bands on limbs--all on a lighter brown and heavily green-spotted background. these markings are more vivid at night than during the day. lower sides, from midbody onto front of thighs and rear of thighs onto venter of shanks to heels and thence dorsally onto basal portions of toes heavily blue spotted on a light brown (front of thighs and venter of shanks) to blackish brown background. venter cream. iris gray-brown, finely veined with dark brown." (charles w. myers, field notes, december , .) note that in the earlier discussion of coloration of preserved specimens, the green spots and borders have changed to pale blue after six months in alcohol. in living individuals from costa rica and panamá west of the canal zone, the blue coloration on the flanks and thighs is much less conspicuous than in specimens from eastern panamá. the color of the iris is variable, even in frogs from one locality. the coloration of the iris in living frogs (now ku - ) from valle hornito, chiriquí, panamá, was described as follows: "iris variable--from pale to dark brown; in a few the iris has a golden cast to the brown; in a few others the lower half of the iris is pale gray with the upper half being light brown." (charles w. myers, field notes, april , ). _natural history._--_smilisca sila_ inhabits the pacific slopes of lower central america where a pronounced dry season occurs. we have records of males calling in december through may and also in august (latter date from el volcán, chiriquí, panamá). the breeding season seems to be correlated with the time of the year when the water is clear and at a low level in the streams where these frogs breed. males call from the edges of small, shallow streams, from rocks in the streams, or less frequently from vegetation overhanging the streams. females are most frequently found on the banks of streams, and clasping pairs usually are in shallow pools in streams. one individual was found in a bromeliad about three meters above the ground in the daytime. the breeding call consists of a low squawk, usually followed by a series of one or more rattling secondary notes (duration of primary notes, . to . seconds; of secondary notes, . to . seconds), repeated at intervals of to seconds. the primary notes have to pulses per second and major frequencies of about to cycles per second (pl. b). eggs were obtained artificially in the field; the average length of ten embryos in the neural groove stage is . mm., and the average diameter of the outer envelope is . mm. hatchlings have large, conical oral discs, heavy gills, and a large amount of yolk; their average total length is . mm. tadpoles have been found in pools in clear streams; some tadpoles have been observed to cling by their mouths to rocks in the stream; others were found on the bottom where they seek refuge among pebbles or under rocks and leaves. a complete developmental series of tadpoles is not available. eleven tadpoles in stage of development have body lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.), tail lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.), and total lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). one tadpole in stage and one in stage have body lengths of . and . mm., tail lengths of . and . mm., and total lengths of . and . mm., respectively. the snout-vent lengths of two specimens in stage and one in stage are . , . , and . mm., respectively. a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku from finca la sumbadora, panamá) has a body length of . mm., tail length of . mm., and a total length of . mm.; body only slightly wider than deep, nearly flat dorsally; snout broadly rounded in dorsal view, bluntly rounded in lateral view; eyes widely separated, directed dorsolaterally; nostril slightly closer to eye than to tip of snout; mouth ventral; spiracle sinistral, located about two-thirds distance from snout to posterior edge of body; anal tube dextral; caudal musculature moderately heavy, straight; dorsal fin not extending onto body; fins deepest at about two-fifths length of tail, where depth of caudal musculature about equal to depth of dorsal and depth of ventral fin; musculature extending nearly to tip of tail; body dark grayish brown above and pale grayish tan below with small dark brown spots dorsally and white flecks laterally; caudal musculature pale tan with dark brown flecks over entire surface and dark brown streaks on posterior one-half of ventral fin and on all of dorsal fin (fig. b). median one-third of upper lip bare; rest of mouth bordered by a single row of conical papillae; lateral fold present; tooth rows / ; upper rows cone-shaped, about equal in length, broadly /\-shaped; second upper row narrowly interrupted medially; lower rows complete, about equal in length, but slightly shorter than upper rows; upper beak moderately massive, its inner surface forming a continuous arch with short lateral processes; lower beak broadly \/-shaped; both beaks finely serrate (fig. d). tadpoles from el volcán, chiriquí (ku ), are more heavily pigmented than those from finca la sombadora; the spots on the tail are larger. in life these tadpoles had dark brownish black bodies with golden and green lichenous flecks; the tail was tan with dark brown markings, and the iris was a grayish bronze color. in life tadpoles from finca la sumbadora were olive-tan above and dark gray with pale bluish gray irridescent spots ventrally. the caudal musculature was creamy tan with brown flecks and streaks, and the iris was pale bronze. metamorphosing young have been found on vegetation at the edge of streams and have been raised in the laboratory. seven recently metamorphosed young have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). a living juvenile (ku ) raised in the laboratory from a tadpole obtained at finca la sumbadora had a brown dorsum with darker brown markings, a white spot below the eye, and a narrow white labial stripe. the belly was white; the flanks were brown with white spots, and the posterior surfaces of the thighs were yellowish tan. the iris was a golden bronze color with much black reticulation. _remarks._--this species has been confused with _smilisca sordida_; most authors have referred both species to _hyla (smilisca) gabbi_. examination of the types of _hyla sordida_, _gabbi_, _salvini_, and _nigripes_ revealed that all of the names were referable to a single species (_s. sordida_), and that the small, blunt-snouted species in panamá and southern costa rica probably was without a name. possibly _hyla molitor_ schmidt ( ) is based on the species that we have named _s. sila_, but several discrepancies in his description, plus the unknown provenance of the type, have led us to discount the applicability of that name to the species under consideration. _distribution._--_smilisca sila_ ranges along the pacific slopes and lowlands of southern costa rica and panamá at elevations from sea level to about meters; in northern south america the species occurs in the caribbean lowlands and in the valleys of the northward draining rivers of colombia (fig. ). _specimens examined_, , as follows: costa rica: =puntarenas=: km. e golfito, ku ; quebrada boruca, km. e palmar norte, ku - ; río zapote, km. e palmar norte, usc ( ). =san josé=: san isidro el general, ku ; km. nw san isidro el general, usc ( ); km. wsw san isidro el general, usc . panama: =canal zone=: barro colorado island, amnh - , cnhm , - , , , , - , ku - , (young), (skeleton), ummz - , usc . =chiriquí=: boquete, amnh , ummz - ; el volcán, ku , - (skeletons), - , (eggs), (tadpoles); km. s el volcán, cnhm ; km. nnw el volcán, ku - ; finca palosanto, km. wnw el volcán, ku - , (skeleton), - , - ; río colorado, km. nnw el volcán, ku , ; valle hornito, km. ne gualaca, ku - . =coclé=: el valle, amnh - ( ), - , cnhm , - , - , - , , - , ku (young), - , tnhc - , usnm . =colón=: río candelaria, amnh - , cnhm - . =darién=: camp creek, camp townsend, amnh - , - , ; río chico, amnh , - ; río pita, cnhm - ; tacarcuna, usnm - ; three falls creek, amnh , . =los santos=: cerro hoya, usnm - ; lajamina, río puria, ku . =panamá=: altos de pacora, ku ; cerro jefe, ku - ; cerro la campana, cnhm , ku - , usnm ; finca la sumbadora, ku - , (tadpoles), (eggs), - (tadpoles), (young), - (skeletons); río calobra, usnm , río pacora, km. nne pacora, ku . =veraguas=: cerro carbunco, usnm ; cerro tute, cnhm - ; isla cebaco, río platanal, ku - . colombia: =antioquia=: urabá, villa arteaga, cnhm (goin). =atlantico=: sabanalarga, río causa, amnh . =smilisca sordida= (peters), new combination _hyla sordida_ peters, monatsb. konigl. akad. wissen. berlin., p. , [syntypes.--zmb (two specimens) from "veragua," panamá; j. von warszewicz collector]. brocchi, mission scientifique au mexique ..., pt. , sec. , Études sur les batrachiens, p. , . boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia in british museum, p. , feb. , . günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, p. , sept. . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura, i, p. , june, . _hyla gabbi_ cope, jour. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, new ser., , pt. : , [syntypes.--usnm - from near sipurio, limón, costa rica; william m. gabb collector]. brocchi, mission scientifique au mexique ..., pt. , sec. , Études sur les batrachiens, p. , . boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia in british museum, p. , feb. , . cope, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, p. , sept. . werner, abhand. konigl. akad. wissen. münchen., : , . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura i, p. , june, . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., ( ): , july , . cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _hyla nigripes_ cope, jour. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, new ser., , pt. : , [syntypes.--usnm - , from pico blanco, costa rica; william m. gabb collector]. brocchi, mission scientifique au mexique ..., pt. , sec. , Études sur les batrachiens, p. , . boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia in british museum, p. , feb. , . cope, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, p. , sept., . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura i, p. , june, . james, copeia, : , sept. , . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull, ( ): , july , . cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _hyla salvini_ boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia in british museum, p. , feb. , [syntypes.--bmnh . . . - from cartago, costa rica; osbert salvin collector]. günther, biologia centrali-americana: reptilia and batrachia, pl. , fig. b., sept., . werner, abhand. zool.-bot. gesell. wien, : , sept. , . _smilisca gabbi_, starrett, copeia, : , dec. , . _diagnosis._--size moderate ([m] mm., [f] mm.); skull slightly wider than long, having large and elongate frontoparietal fontanelle; supraorbital flanges absent; squamosal small, not contacting maxillary; bony section of ethmoid terminating just anterior to anterior edge of orbit; tarsal fold weak, full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle long, low, flat, elliptical; lips thin and flaring; fingers one-half webbed; toes four-fifths webbed; diameter of tympanum about one-half that of eye; no white labial stripe; dorsal dark markings irregular, sometimes forming broad transverse bars; pale flecks on flanks and usually on posterior surfaces of thighs; vocal sacs in breeding males white. (foregoing combination of characters distinguishing _s. sordida_ from any other species in genus.) _description and variation._--ten breeding males from to kilometers west-southwest of san isidro el general, san josé, costa rica, have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). in these specimens, the tibia/snout-vent length ratio is . to . ( . ), and the tympanum/eye ratio is . to . ( . ). specimens from the pacific slopes of costa rica are larger than those from the meseta central and the caribbean lowlands. ten males from kilometers east of golfito, puntarenas, have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.), and five males from rincón, peninsula de osa, have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). snout-vent lengths of ten males from la fortuna, alajuela, are . to . mm. ( . mm.), of ten males from pandora, limón, . to . mm. ( . mm.), and of ten males from escazú and río jorco on the meseta central, . to . mm. ( . mm.). eight females from the río jorco on the meseta central have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.), and six females from various localities on the pacific slopes of costa rica have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.). the only noticeable differences in proportions between males and females is in the tympanum/eye ratio; for example, this ratio is . to . ( . ) and . to . ( . ) in ten males and eight females, respectively, from the meseta central. the shape of the snout and the associated cranial elements of _s. sordida_ vary geographically and ontogenetically. specimens from the caribbean lowlands have blunt snouts in lateral view; those from the pacific lowlands have longer, more slender snouts that are pointed in lateral view, and those from the meseta central are intermediate in snout shape between the two lowland populations (fig. ). these differences in shape of the snout are dependent on the nature of the underlying cranial bones, principally the maxillaries and nasals. in specimens from the caribbean lowlands the nasals are long, wide, and narrowly separated from the ethmoid; the anterior edge is just posterior to the nostril. the maxillary flanges are nearly vertical. in specimens from the pacific lowlands the nasals are relatively shorter, narrower, and rather widely separated from the ethmoid; the anterior edges of the nasals do not extend so far forward as in specimens from the caribbean lowlands. the maxillary flanges slant medially. in these cranial characters, specimens from the meseta central are intermediate between the two lowland populations. superimposed on this geographic variation are ontogenetic changes, which are most noticeable in males. in smaller, and presumably younger, specimens the snouts are more pointed than in larger specimens; consequently some small males from the caribbean lowlands resemble larger males from the pacific lowlands, since the nasals and maxillaries of the former are not fully ossified. in addition, in small breeding males the ethmoid is only about one-half ossified, a large frontoparietal foramen is present, the anterior arm of the squamosal extends only about one-fourth the distance to the maxillary (two-thirds the distance in larger specimens), and the tegmen tympani are short, as compared with the long, thin elements in larger specimens. [illustration: fig. . variation in the shape of the snout in _smilisca sordida_; left column females, right column males; all from costa rica: (a) camp seattle, rincón de osa, puntarenas prov. (ummz ); (b) quebrada agua buena, km. sw rincón de osa, puntarenas prov. (usc ); (c) río oro, . km. nw villa neily, puntarenas prov. (ku ); (d) río jorco, near desamparados, san josé prov. (ku ); (e-f) bambú, limón prov. (usc ). × .] the dorsal ground-color of _smilisca sordida_ is gray to pale tan or reddish brown; the venter is white. the dorsum is variously marked with dark gray, dark brown, reddish brown, or olive-green spots or blotches (pl. c). a dark interorbital bar usually is present. the dorsal markings on the body usually consist of a blotch, or two or more spots, on the occiput, in the scapular region, and in the sacral region. in many specimens, especially females, these markings are in the form of broad transverse bars. a female (usc ) from las cañas, guanacaste, costa rica, has a tan dorsum with many black flecks and round brown spots bordered by darker brown. one female (ku ) from the río jorco, san josé, costa rica, has a unicolor tan dorsum. some individuals have scattered, small white spots on the dorsum; these are most evident in a male (usc ) from la fortuna, alajuela. white labial stripes and anal stripes are absent in all specimens. the limbs are marked by dark brown transverse bars; these are indistinct in some specimens from the meseta central and caribbean lowlands, whereas they are distinct in all specimens from the pacific lowlands. specimens from the caribbean lowlands have two to six bars on each shank, whereas specimens from the pacific slopes have four to six bars on each shank, and specimens from the meseta central have as many as eight bars on each shank. a narrow, sometimes broken white line is present on the ventrolateral edge of the forearm. the webbing on the hand is tan or pale gray, and the ventral surfaces of the tarsi and the webbing on the feet are dark gray or brown. breeding males have dark brown nuptial excrescences on the prepollex. the flanks and posterior surfaces of the thighs usually are marked by bluish white and creamy tan flecks, respectively, but vary considerably. in specimens from the caribbean lowlands a small amount of flecking is present in the inguinal region, and on the posterior surfaces of the thighs flecks are few or absent. in specimens from the meseta central, numerous large flecks or small, round spots (pale bluish white in life) are on the posterior half of the flanks; small flecks are on the posterior surfaces of the thighs. specimens from the pacific slopes and lowlands of southern costa rica (puntarenas and san josé provinces) have bold mottling of black and bluish white on the flanks and many bluish white flecks on the posterior surfaces of the thighs. the flanks are reticulated from the axilla to the groin in two females (ummz and usc ) from rincón, peninsula de osa. in specimens from the pacific slopes of guanacaste in northwestern costa rica, flecks are present in the inguinal region; indistinct flecks are on the posterior surfaces of the thighs. the throat is immaculate in specimens from the caribbean lowlands in limón province; the throats are dusky laterally in most other specimens except some from the meseta central, in which the throats are heavily flecked with black. this variation occurs in males and females. the color and pattern in life are highly variable. a composite description of living individuals (now ku - ) from kilometers east of golfito, puntarenas, costa rica, illustrates the variability: "dorsum pale olive-green, fading to tan posteriorly, or tan all over with dark olive-green or dark brown spots on back and bars on limbs. flanks dark brown with cream, greenish gray, or bluish gray mottling. posterior surfaces of thighs dark brown with pale blue, pale green, or tan flecks. iris creamy silver. throats white with some brown flecks peripherally." (duellman, field notes, february , .) a male from the río jorco, san josé, costa rica, was dull olive-tan above with olive-green marks; the flanks were brown with pale tan flecks, and the posterior surfaces of the thighs were pale brown with cream-colored flecks. six females from the same locality were reddish brown above with olive-brown or dark brown markings; one was uniform orange-tan, and another was dull olive-green with darker markings. the color of the iris in living frogs varies from creamy silver to grayish yellow or bronze with a variable amount of black reticulation. _natural history._--_smilisca sordida_ is not associated with any one type of vegetation; instead it lives in the vicinity of rocky streams having low gradients. breeding takes place primarily in the dry season, when the water in the streams is clear and at a low level. through most of the range of _s. sordida_ showers, or even short heavy rains, occur in the dry season. after such rains the breeding activity is maximal. breeding congregations have been found from december through april, but a few calling males and gravid females have been taken in june, july, and august. in the rainy season non-breeding individuals are found sitting on bushes near streams at night. taylor ( : ) found specimens in bromeliads by day. males usually call from rocks or gravel bars in, or at the edge of, streams. some individuals perch in low bushes overhanging the streams, and some sit in shallows in the streams. clasping pairs have been found on the banks of streams and in shallow water in streams. the breeding call consists of one to six moderately short, rather high-pitched notes (duration . to . seconds) repeated at intervals of seconds to several minutes. each note is a vibrant rattle having to pulses per second and major frequences of about to cycles per second (pl. c). the tadpoles live in shallow parts of the streams, where they cling to the surfaces of small rocks and hide beneath leaves and rocks. a complete developmental series of tadpoles is not available; measurements of those stages examined are summarized in table . a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku from km. wsw of san isidro el general, costa rica) has a body length of . mm., tail length of . mm., and a total length of . mm.; body about three-fourths as deep as wide; snout broadly rounded in dorsal view, sloping and rounded in lateral view; eyes widely separated, directed dorsolaterally; nostril slightly closer to eye than to tip of snout; mouth ventral; spiracle sinistral, about two-thirds distance from snout to posterior end of body and slightly below midline; anal tube dextral; caudal musculature heavy, straight; dorsal fin not extending onto body; fins deepest at about mid-length of tail; there depth of caudal musculature equal to depth of dorsal fin and half again as deep as ventral fin; musculature extending nearly to tip of tail; body reddish brown above and pale grayish brown with white flecks below; caudal musculature pale tan with brown flecks; a series of reddish brown dashes at base of caudal fin separated from others in series and from dashes on other side by creamy white; fins transparent with reddish brown flecks on posterior one-half of ventral fin and on all of dorsal fin (fig. c). mouth bordered by two rows of short, pointed papillae; lateral fold present; tooth-rows / ; upper rows equal in length; second upper row narrowly interrupted medially; three lower rows complete, nearly as long as upper rows, deeply indented medially; upper beak robust, inner surface not forming continuous arch with short lateral processes; lower beak deep, v-shaped; both beaks bearing short serrations (fig. f). little variation occurs in structure. in some specimens the second upper tooth-row is complete; no individuals were found to have the row broadly interrupted medially. the series of dark dashes on the dorsal edge of the caudal musculature is diagnostic of all stages studied. in life, tadpoles from and kilometers west-southwest of san isidro el general, costa rica, had a tan body, often with an olive-tan tinge; the caudal musculature was tan; the flecks and dashes were dull red or reddish brown. tadpoles from kilometers east of golfito, costa rica, had bodies with olive-green flecks. the caudal musculature was brown with bluish green flecks; the fins were transparent with reddish brown flecks. the belly was a silvery golden color. tadpoles from bajos de jorco, costa rica, had brown bodies with bluish green flecks; the tail and fins had reddish brown flecks and dashes. the iris was a bronze color in specimens from all three localities, as well as in the young mentioned in the following paragraph. nine recently metamorphosed young were found on vegetation at the edges of streams in april. these specimens have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. ( . mm.) and in life were pale greenish tan or olive-tan above and white below. the hands, feet, and thighs were pale yellowish tan. _remarks._--the foregoing synonymies indicate that confusion has existed in the application of various names, to this species, as well as in use of the names _sordida_ and _gabbi_ to include the species that we describe and name _smilisca sila_. correct allocation of the names involved was possible only after studying and comparing the type specimens, for the descriptions given by the various authors are not sufficiently explicit to determine the nature of many essential features. the presence of a rounded snout and a long white throat in males distinguishes _s. sordida_ from _s. sila_, which has a high truncate snout and short dark throat in males. the two syntypes of _hyla sordida_ peters, , (zmb ) are males having snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. the two syntypes of _hyla gabbi_ cope, (usnm - ), are females having snout-vent lengths of . and . mm., respectively. also included in the collections made by gabb is eastern costa rica are two males (usnm - ), which cope ( ) named and described as _hyla nigripes_. these specimens are soft and faded, but are recognizable as the same as _hyla sordida_ peters; the syntypes of _hyla nigripes_ have snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. we have examined one of the syntypes of _hyla salvini_ boulenger, (bmnh . . . ), a female having a snout-vent length of . mm. we are convinced that all of these type specimens are representatives of one species, the earliest name for which is _hyla sordida_ peters, . the type localities for three of the named species are in costa rica--_h. gabbi_ from sipurio on the caribbean lowlands, _h. nigripes_ from the caribbean slopes of pico blanco, and _h. salvini_ from cartago on the meseta central. the type locality of _h. sordida_ was given as "veraguas" by peters ( ). at that time veraguas was often considered to be most of western panamá. though we have not seen panamanian specimens other than the types of _s. sordida_ and one specimen from the pacific lowlands of western panamá, the species probably occurs on the caribbean slopes of western panamá. the species has been taken on the caribbean lowlands of costa rica within a few kilometers of panamá; collecting on the caribbean slopes in the provinces of bocas del toro and veraguas should reveal the presence of _smilisca sordida_ there. _distribution._--_smilisca sordida_ is found along the pacific slopes and lowlands from guanacaste, costa rica, southeastward to extreme western panamá, to elevations of about meters on the meseta central in costa rica, and on the caribbean slopes and lowlands of costa rica and probably adjacent panamá (fig. ). one specimen purportedly comes from "río grande, nicaragua." [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _smilisca sordida_.] _specimens examined._-- , as follows: nicaragua: "río grande" (? depto. zelaya), mcz . costa rica: =alajuela=: between atena and salto de san mateo, usc ; km. n ciudad quesada, usc ( ); la fortuna, usc ( ); km. e la fortuna, usc ; san carlos, usnm ; sarchi, ku - , - . =cartago=: cartago, bmnh . . . ; headwaters of río pacuare, usc ; instituto interamericano de ciéncias agricolas, turrialba, ku , usc , ; río reventazón, turrialba, mcz : km. n río reventazón bridge, usc ; km. sw río reventazón bridge on paraiso-orosi road, usc ; turrialba, ummz , usc , usnm - . =heredia=: puerto viejo, ku . =guanacaste=: las cañas, usc ; santa cecilia, mcz - ; tilarán, usc ( ). =limón=: bambú, usc ( ), ( ); la lola, usc ( ), - , , ; pandora, usc ( ), , ( ), ( ); pico blanco, usnm - ; río larí, - km. sw amubre, usc , ( ); sipurio, usnm - ; suretka, ku , (skeleton), - . =puntarenas=: km. n dominical, ku - , (young), (tadpoles); esparta, mcz ; km. e golfito, ku - , (young), (tadpoles), - (skeletons), usc ( ); quebrada agua buena, km. sw rincón de osa, usc ( ); quebrada boruca, km. e palmar norte, ku ; rincón de osa, camp seattle, ummz - , s- (skeleton), usc ( ), , ; río barranca, usc ( ); río ceiba, km. nw buenos aires, ku - , usc ( ); río ciruelitas, km. nw esparta, usc ( ); río claro, . km. nw villa neily, usc ( ); río ferruviosa, km. s rincón de osa, usc ( ); río lagarto at pan-american hwy. (guanacaste border), usc ( ); río la vieja, km. e palmar norte, ku (tadpoles), - , usc ( ); río oro, . km. nw villa neily, ku ; río volcán, km. w buenos aires, usc ; río zapote, km. e palmar, usc ( ); - km. w palmar, usc ( ); km. se palmar, ku - ; . km. nw villa neily, usc ; km. nw villa neily, usc ( ); km. nw villa neily, usc , . =san josé=: bajos de jorco, ku (tadpoles); escazú, ku , - , usc ; between monrovia and la hondura, ± . km. n santa rosa, usc ( ); paso ancho, río jorco, ummz ( ), usc ( ); río jorco, near desamparados, ku - , - , - (skeletons), usc , , ( ); río peje, km. sse san isidro el general, usc ( ); río tiriví, mcz ; san isidro el general, cnhm , ku , , ummz ; km. wsw san isidro el general, ku - , (tadpoles), (young), (tadpoles), , - , - , usc ( ); . km. wsw san isidro el general, usc ; km. wsw san isidro el general, usc ; km. wsw san isidro el general, ku - , (skeleton), (young), (tadpoles), (young), - (tadpoles), (young), - (skeletons), - ; san josé, amnh - , usc ; santa rosa, río virilla, usc . panama: =chiriquí=: río jacu, . km. ese paso canoas, ku . "veraguas," zmb ( ). analysis of morphological characters osteology in attempting to assay the taxonomic significance of skeletal differences we are faced with a dearth of data on the skeletons of frogs in general and hylids in particular. recent reviews by brattstrom ( ) and hecht ( , ) have been concerned with general salientian classification and phylogeny, principally at the family level. savage and carvalho ( ), griffiths ( ), and baldauf ( ) used osteological characters in determining the taxonomic status of the families pseudidae, brachycephalidae, and bufonidae, respectively. carvalho ( ) presented osteological evidence for the generic separation of new world microhylids. zweifel ( ) and tihen ( ) used osteological characters at the levels of the species-group and species in their respective studies on _scaphiopus_ and _bufo_. little has been recorded about the skeletons of the hylids. goin ( ) mentioned dentigerous elements and cranial co-ossification in his synopsis of the genera of hylids. copland ( ) in his review of the _hyla_ of australia, funkhouser ( ) in her revision of _phyllomedusa_, and zweifel ( ) in his review of _nyctimystes_ did not consider skeletal characters. some osteological studies on hylids have yielded worthwhile information. mittleman and list ( ) used osteological characters in defining the genus _limnaoedus_: starrett ( ) used cranial characters in combination with jaw musculature in defining the genus _smilisca_, and duellman ( ) used cranial characters in delimiting the _hyla bistincta_ group. brief descriptions of cranial structure were given for _phrynohyas_ (duellman, ) and _ptychohyla_ (duellman, a); specific and sexual differences in the skulls of _hyla chaneque_ and _hyla taeniopus_ were pointed out by duellman ( ). stokely and list ( ) described early cranial development in the hylid _pseudacris triseriata triseriata_. because our knowledge of the skeleton in hylids is so incomplete, we are not attempting to place _smilisca_ in the general scheme of hylid phylogeny on the basis of skeletal characters. instead, our purposes are to describe the skeleton and its ontogenetic development in one member of the genus (_s. baudini_), and to make comparisons that show taxonomic differences in osteological characters among species of _smilisca_. the study of dried skeletons and cleared and stained preparations, including an ontogenetic series of _s. baudini_, has resulted in an understanding of the progressive development of skeletal elements and a knowledge of interspecific and intraspecific variation in these elements. furthermore, investigations of the osteology have provided correlations between some cranial characters and certain aspects of external morphology. _descriptive osteology of smilisca baudini_ the following description is based primarily on an adult female (ku ): _skull._--the skull is large, solid, and broader than long; the greatest width is between the sutures of quadratojugal and maxillary on either side of the skull (pls. - ). the maxillaries bear well-developed dorsal flanges, curve gently, join the moderately convex premaxillaries anteriorly and form a slightly truncate snout. the combined premaxillary width is about one-fourth the width of the skull. the premaxillaries are separated medially, and laterally from the maxillaries by sutures. each premaxillary bears a dorsomedial alary process, which is anteriorly convex and four times as high as the depth of the lateral wing of premaxillary; each premaxillary also has a ventromedial palatine process that projects dorsally from the lingual edge of the premaxillary. the septomaxillaries are closely associated dorsally with the premaxillaries immediately lateral to the prenasal processes. the nasals are large, widest anteriorly and narrowing posteriorly, parallel to maxillaries, and not separated from the ethmoid by cartilage. the nasals bear long, delicate maxillary processes extending nearly to the maxillaries. anteriorly, the nasals are widely separated by the partially ossified internasal septum, which is in contact with the premaxillaries between the prenasal processes; the anterior points of the nasals lie approximately one-half the distance between the anterior ends of the ethmoid and the premaxillaries. the ethmoid is large and completely ossified; the margins are smooth. the trunate anterior edge lies between the nasals and is in contact with the internasal septum. the frontoparietals are large, smooth-margined, and bear large supraorbital flanges curving posterolaterally at the rear of the orbit. a small, oval foramen involves the posterior part of the ethmoid and anterior portion of frontoparietals; continued ossification in older specimens fills in the foramen, thereby resulting in a solidly roofed cranium. the auditory regions are relatively massive and bear narrow tegmen tympani; the distal ends of the tegmen tympani are medial to the lateral edge of the pterygoids in dorsal view. the squamosals are large; the long anterior arm is separated from the maxillary by a suture. the delicate, spindle-shaped columellae lie ventral to the tegmen tympani and squamosals, are spatulate distally, and have a broad basal attachment to the auditory region. the vomers are moderately large and are in contact anteriorly with the premaxillaries and posteriorly with the ethmoid. each vomer has two wide serrated flanges laterally. the tooth-bearing parts of the vomers are widely separated and at a slight angle to one another; the vomers terminate medially in two pointed processes on the ethmoid. the palatines are edentate, but bear strong ridges throughout their lengths. they are broadly in contact with the maxillary, are narrow medially, and are attached by pointed processes to the medial part of the ethmoid. the pterygoids are large, attached to the maxillaries immediately anterior and medial to the squamosal-maxillary connection, bear well-developed pedicles, which are broadly attached to the proötic, and a wide wing is in contact posteriorly with the distal two-thirds of the quadrate. the angular makes up most of the lower jaw, bears a broad articular surface posteriorly, and has a small coronoid process on the lingual edge; anteriorly the angular is separated from the dentary and mentomecklian by meckel's cartilage. the dentary lies external to the angular and extends from the mentomecklian to approximately the mid-length of the angular. the mentomecklians are ossified, but separated by cartilage medially. _hyoid._--the hyoid plate is curved, thin, and mostly cartilaginous, but calcined posteriorly (fig. ). the anterior cornua are slender, cartilaginous, and curve anteromedially from the hyoid plate and thence laterally and posteriorly, to attach to the posterior surface of the proötics. the lateral cornua are broad, flat, cartilaginous lateral extensions from the bases of the anterior cornua. the posterior cornua are bony, except distally. [illustration: fig. . ventral view of hyoid apparatus of an adult male _smilisca baudini_ showing areas of muscle attachment: _gen. l._, attachment of geniohyoideus lateralis; _gen. m._, attachment of geniohyoideus medialis; _hyo._, attachment of hyoglossus; _omo._, attachment of omohyoideus; _pet._, petrohyoideus; _st._, attachment of sternohyoideus. ku , × .] _vertebral column._--the atlas lacks transverse processes and a neural crest, whereas transverse processes are present on the other seven presacral vertebrae, and knoblike neural crests are present on the second, third, and fourth vertebrae; a faint neural ridge is visible on the fifth vertebra. the transverse processes are directed laterally on the second and sixth vertebrae, ventrolaterally on the third, posterolaterally on the fourth and fifth, and anterolaterally on the seventh and eighth. the processes are slightly expanded on the fourth, and more so on the fifth, vertebra. the sacral diapophyses are expanded and have a border of calcified cartilage laterally. there are two sacral condyles. the slender coccyx has a thin dorsal ridge on the anterior three-fourths of its length. _pectoral girdle._--the omosternum is large, ovoid, and cartilaginous; the sternum is a thin cartilaginous sheet deeply notched posteriorly and is not differentiated into episternal and xiphisternal elements. the coracoids are robust, twice as stout as the clavicles. the epicoracoidal cartilages overlap in the usual arciferal manner, except that they are fused anteriorly between the slender clavicles. the clavicles are strongly arched. the clavicle, coracoid, and scapula on each side form a bony articulation at the glenoid fossa. a bifurcation of the ventral end of the scapula results in a large glenoid foramen. the scapula is flat and expanded dorsally; the suprascapula is broad, flat, and calcified in large adults. in young specimens no distinct ossification of the cleithrum or ossification of endochondral centers are evident. _arm and hand._--the humerus is equally well-developed in both sexes and has a prominent lateral crest. the radius and ulna are completely fused. a bony prepollex is present in both sexes. the metacarpals are about equal in length. the phalangeal formula is - - - ; the terminal phalanges are claw-shaped. _pelvic girdle._--the ilia are long, slender, and slightly curved. a thin ridge projects laterally from the dorsal edge of the posterior one-half of each ilium. the ilial prominence is large and knoblike when viewed from above. the anterior edge of the ilial prominence is at the level of the anterior edge of the acetabular border. the dorsal acetabular expansion is small. the pubis is slender, and the ischium is elevated and robust. _leg and foot._--the slightly curved femur has a distinct crest proximally on the posterior surface. the nearly straight tibio-fibula is slightly longer than the femur. the tibial and fibial elements are completely fused but have a distinct cleft between them. a small foramen exists at the mid-length of the tibio-fibula. the fibulare (calcaneum) is much more robust than the tibiale (astragalus). the prehallux is large and flat. the metatarsals of the third, fourth, and fifth digits are equal in length; the metatarsal of the second is somewhat shorter, and that of the first is much shorter. the phalangeal formula is - - - - ; the terminal phalanges are claw-shaped. _developmental cranial morphology of smilisca baudini_ the following description of development of the skull of _smilisca baudini_ is based on the examination of cleared and stained specimens. in table the cranial bones are listed in the left hand column in the approximate order of their appearance in the young frogs. across the top of the table selected specimens designated by developmental stage or snout-vent length are listed. it should be noted that although each individual, from left to right, has an increasing number of ossified bones, the correlation with increasing size is imperfect; the precise ages of the individuals are unknown. the first bones to appear are the septomaxillaries, frontoparietals, part of the exoccipital, and the parasphenoid in developmental stage . the frontoparietals are represented by two slender ossifications dorsomedial to the orbits; the septomaxillaries are present as small ossifications anterior to the nasal capsules (pl. a). the parasphenoid is present as a faint median ossification, and the exoccipital shows some ossification. table .--the order of occurrence of cranial ossifications in the skull of smilisca baudini. where numbers are divided by a slash mark, the left and right symbols correspond to the left and right sides of the skull, respectively. =====================+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+==== bone |stage|stage| . | . | . | . | . | | | mm. | mm. | mm. | mm. | mm. ---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+---- frontoparietal | x | x | x | x | x | x | x parasphenoid | x | x | x | x | x | x | x septomaxillaries | x | x | x | x | x | x | x exoccipitals | x | x | x | x | x | x | x squamosals | -- | x | x | x | x | x | x premaxillaries | -- | x | x | x | x | x | x maxillaries | -- | x | x | x | x | x | x nasals | -- | -- | x | x | x | x | x pterygoids | -- | -- | x | x | x | x | x vomers | -- | -- | -- | x | x | x | x palatines | -- | -- | -- | x | x | x | x quadratojugals | -- | -- | -- | x | x | x | x ethmoid | -- | -- | -- | -- | x | x | x columellas | -- | -- | -- | -- | x | x | x supraorbital flanges | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | x | x proötics | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | x vomerine teeth | -- | -- | / | / | / | / | / maxillary teeth | -- | / | / | / | / | / | / premaxillary teeth | -- | / | / | / | / | / | / ---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+---- the dentigerous bones are among the most rapidly developed, although not the first to appear. they are present in developmental stage before metamorphosis is completed. the maxillaries bear a few teeth anteriorly and are ossified posteriorly to a point one-third of the distance from the anterior to the posterior edge of the orbit. ossification lengthens the posterior termini of the maxillaries to the posterior edge of the orbit. in front of the anterior margin of the orbit, bone is proliferated dorsal to the main axes of the maxillaries and forms moderate dorsal maxillary flanges. the premaxillaries appear simultaneously with the maxillaries. initially they are widely separated medially from each other, and laterally from the developing maxillaries; each bears two or three teeth, large dorsally blunt alary processes, and small palatine processes. the median and lateral edges of the prenasal processes lengthen heterochronously, causing the median edges to be longest and to lie slightly dorsal to the level of the septomaxillaries. after the maxillaries and premaxillaries develop, the vomers appear as small horizontal ossifications anterior to the parasphenoid. ossification begins in the lateral flanges, then in the prevomerine processes, and lastly in the posterior dentigerous parts of the bones; the prevomerine processes are the last parts of the vomers to ossify completely. initially the frontoparietals are present as thin rods of ossification dorsomedial to the orbits; the frontoparietals extend from the anterior to the posterior end of the orbit by developmental stage . the anterior ends of the bones remain thin and pointed; ossification progresses medially from the midpoint of the length of the orbit and posteriorly to the level of the exoccipital; a median center of ossification joins the frontoparietals posteriorly, thereby forming the posterior border of the frontoparietal fontanelle. the supraorbital flanges of the frontoparietals do not appear until all other cranial bones are ossified, or nearly so. the most rapid ossification begins laterally at the posterior edge of the orbit and decreases anteriorly over the posterior half of the orbit. this differential rate of proliferation of bone results in the pattern of development of the supraorbital flanges shown in figure . the nasals appear as thin slivers of bone half way between the anterior ends of the frontoparietals and the end of the snout. as ossification proceeds the nasals assume a triangular shape in dorsal view. the anterior ends are pointed; the lateral margins are parallel to the maxillaries. the posteromedial points do not reach the lateral margins of the ethmoid, and the maxillary processes extend about three-fourths the distance from the bodies of the nasals to the maxillaries. following the union of the frontoparietals posteriorly, the nasals widen anteriorly and are narrower at the midpoints of their long axes than anteriorly or posteriorly. with further ossification the maxillary processes extend to the maxillaries and form complete bony anterior margins to the orbits; the mid-parts of the nasals widen (pl. b). [illustration: fig. . developmental sequence of the frontoparietal fontanelle and associated bony elements in _smilisca baudird_: (a) ku , × ; (b) ku , × ; (c) ku , × ; (d) ku , × . .] the parasphenoid is the first of the palatal bones to appear. at metamorphosis the bone is well developed; the anterior tip is situated just in front of the anterior edge of the orbit, and posteriorly the lateral processes extend laterally beyond the ossified parts of the auditory region. the pterygoids do not appear until metamorphosis, when ossification is evident in only the mid-parts of the posterolateral arms. ossification follows in the mid-parts of the anterolateral arms and occurs last in the pterygoid pedicles. the palatines do not appear until all three arms of the pterygoids are at least partly ossified. ossification proceeds rapidly from the maxillaries medially to the unossified ethmoid, which is the last of the cranial bones to appear. initially it is extremely shallow; dorsally it is widely separated from the nasals, and ventrally the posterior margin meets the anterior point of the parasphenoid. in dorsal view, ossification proceeds anteriorly between the nasals and posteriorly, ventral to the frontoparietals; ventrally, ossification proceeds posteriorly dorsal to the parasphenoid. the ventral arms of the squamosal and the supraoccipital region of the exoccipital are the first occipital bones to appear. ossification follows in the regions of the semicircular canals and occipital condyles. the dorsal end of the ventral arm of the squamosal and the posterior arm of the squamosal ossify as a unit at the same time the quadratojugal appears. shortly thereafter the anterior arm of the squamosal ossifies, the distal part of the columella appears, and the anterior and lateral parts of the auditory region ossify. the angular and dentary of the lower jaw appear concurrently with the dentigerous bones. initially, the angular is short and broad; the articular surface is absent, and the anterior end is slightly overlapped by the dentary. the mentomecklians do not ossify until approximately the same time that the quadratojugal appears in the upper jaw. _comparative osteology_ the genus _smilisca_ is characterized by the following combination of cranial osteological characters: ( ) a large amount of bone is involved in the skull and a minimal amount of cartilage and/or secondarily ossified cartilage; co-ossification is absent. ( ) the skulls are uniformly broad with angular lateral margins, and truncate anteriorly. ( ) an internasal septum and quadratojugals are present. ( ) a well-developed squamosal minimally extends one-fourth the distance from the dorsal end of the quadrate to the maxillary, and maximally is separated from the maxillary by a suture. ( ) the ethmoid is large; the distance between the anterior end of the ethmoid and the anterior edge of the premaxillary varies between and per cent of the total length of the skull. on the basis of cranial osteology two species-groups can be recognized within the genus _smilisca_. the _sordida_ group, comprising _s. sordida_ and _puma_, is characterized by a broad skull in which the lateral margins of the maxillaries are relatively straight anterior to the orbit. the moderate-sized nasals are rounded anteriorly, and bear relatively short, sometimes blunt, maxillary processes. the long axes of the nasals are not parallel to the maxillaries. the ethmoid is proportionately small in the _sordida_ group. the bony part of the ethmoid terminates near the anterior edge of the orbits and does not extend anteriorly between the nasals; the entire anterior margin of the ethmoid is separated from the nasals by cartilage. the squamosals are generally small. they are narrow in dorsal view, and minimally extend one-fourth the distance from the dorsal end of the quadrate to the maxillary, and maximally, two-thirds the distance. the tegmen tympani are relatively small (fig. ). [illustration: fig. . dorsal views of the skulls of the species of _smilisca_: (a) _s. baudini_ (ku ); (b) _s. puma_ (ku ); (c) _s. phaeota_ (ku ); (d) _s. sila_ (ku ); (e) _s. cyanosticta_ (ku ), and (f) _s. sordida_ (ku ). × . .] in contrast to the tendency for reduction of cranial parts in the _sordida_ group, the _baudini_ group, constituted by _s. cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _baudini_, is characterized by more ossification of the cranial elements. the skull is broad; the lateral margins are less angular and are gently curved, rather than straight as in the _sordida_ group. the nasals tend to be larger with the long axes parallel to the maxillary. anteriorly the nasals are pointed, and posteriorly they bear long, delicate palatine processes extending to the maxillary. the ethmoid is fully ossified, extends anteriorly between the nasals, and laterally is separated by a suture from the nasals if the latter are fully ossified. the squamosals are large, and wide in dorsal view. they minimally extend one-fourth the distance from the dorsal end of the quadrate to the maxillary, and maximally are sutured to the maxillary. the tegmen tympani are massive. _smilisca sila_ is intermediate between the two species-groups described. the skull is broad; the lateral margins are gently curved, and have a pronounced angularity just anterior to the palatines which results in a broad, truncate snout. the nasals are moderate in size; because of the anterior angularity of the lateral margins, the long axes of the nasals lie parallel to the maxillary. the nasals are only slightly pointed anteriorly, and posteriorly they bear short, blunt palatine processes and medial processes in contact with the lateral corners of the ethmoid. the ethmoid is fully ossified, but does not extend anteriorly between the nasals. the squamosals are moderate in size and extend one-fourth the distance from the dorsal end of the quadrate to the maxillary. the tegmen tympani are relatively large, but proportionately short. the cranial characters utilized in the analysis of species groups (general shape, nature of the nasals, ethmoid, squamosals, and tegmen tympani), together with other characters, such as the relative height and shape of the prenasal processes, the extent of the internasal septum, and the nature of the vomers, frontoparietals, maxillaries and pterygoids are useful in distinguishing the various species (table , fig. ), as well as in establishing relationships within the species-groups. within the _sordida_ group, _s. sordida_ and _s. puma_ can be distinguished by the following characters: the bony part of the ethmoid terminates posterior to the anterior edge of the orbit and is thus widely separated from the nasals by cartilage in _s. puma_. in _s. sordida_ the bony part of the ethmoid always terminates at a level equal to, or slightly in front of the anterior edge of the orbit; therefore, less cartilage exists between the ethmoid and nasals in _s. sordida_ than in _s. puma_. the width of the premaxillary comprises about per cent of the width of the skull in _s. sordida_ and per cent in _s. puma_. the proportion of the length of the skull anterior to the bony part of the ethmoid in _s. sordida_ is approximately per cent, as compared with about per cent in _s. puma_. the prenasal processes are convex in _s. sordida_ and straight in _s. puma_. the marked ontogenetic variation in _s. sordida_ is considered in more detail in the account of that species, but it is pertinent to the present discussion to note that with respect to some features of the skull some young breeding specimens of _s. sordida_ are intermediate in appearance between large females of _s. sordida_ and adults of _s. puma_. in some breeding males (usually the smaller individuals) of _s. sordida_ the bony part of the ethmoid terminates at the anterior edge of the orbit and is widely separated from the nasals by cartilage. in small individuals _s. sordida_, especially in males, and in adults of _s. puma_ the tegmen tympani are relatively short, whereas in adult females of _s. sordida_ these elements are long and slender. in the smaller specimens of _s. sordida_ and in _s. puma_ the squamosal is small; it extends only about one-fourth of the distance to the maxillary in the smaller _s. sordida_ and about one-half the distance in _s. puma_. the more massive squamosal in large adult females of _s. sordida_ extends at least two-thirds of the distance to the maxillary. table .--comparative cranial osteology of smilisca. ===============+==============================+======================= character | _s. baudini_ | _s. cyanosticta_ ---------------+------------------------------+----------------------- | | alary processes| four times as high as | three times as high | lateral wing of premaxillary;| as lateral wing of | anteriorly | premaxillary; | convex. | anteriorly | | convex. | | nasals | long, wide anteriorly, | long, widest | narrowing posteriorly; | posteriorly; | attached to ethmoid. | attached to | | ethmoid. | | | | | | ethmoid | long; entirely ossified; | long, entirely | smooth margins. | ossified; | | smooth margins. | | frontoparietal | small, ovid fontanelle | large fontanelle, two | present or absent; | and one-half times as | long, pointed postorbital | long as wide; narrow | processes curving | supraorbital flanges | along posterior | with irregular margins. | border of orbit. | | | squamosal | large: anterior arm | large; anterior arm | in contact with maxillary. | in contact with | | maxillary. ---------------+------------------------------+------------------------ table (continued) ===============+=============================+========================= character | _s. phaeota_ | _s. puma_ ---------------+-----------------------------+------------------------- | | alary processes| two and one-half | two times as high as | times as high as lateral | lateral wing of | wing of premaxillary; | premaxillary; | anteriorly convex. | straight. | | | | nasals | long, widest anteriorly | short, narrow, not | and posteriorly, | attached to ethmoid. | bearing posteromedial | | process; not attached | | to ethmoid. | | | | | ethmoid | long, entirely ossified; | short, about two-thirds | smooth margins. | ossified; irregular | | margins. | | frontoparietal | fontanelle absent; | keyhole-shaped fontanelle; | large supraorbital | smooth margins; | flanges having | flanges absent. | straight edges and extending| | posterolaterally. | | | | | squamosal | large; anterior arm | small; anterior arm | extending / - / way | extending / way to | to maxillary. | maxillary. ---------------+-----------------------------+-------------------------- table (continued) ===============+===========================+============================ character | _s. sila_ | _s. sordida_ ---------------+---------------------------+---------------------------- | | alary processes| one and one-half | two and one-half | times as high as lateral | times as high as lateral | wing of premaxillary; | wing of premaxillary; | straight. | slightly convex | | anteriorly. | | nasals | short, wide, bearing | moderately long narrowest | small posteromedial | anteriorly and | processes; not attached | posteriorly; not attached | to ethmoid. | to ethmoid. | | | | | | ethmoid | moderately long; entirely | short; one-half to entirely | ossified; smooth | ossified; irregular | margins. | margins. | | frontoparietal | large, ovoid fontanelle; | large, elongate fontanelle; | smooth margins; | smooth margins; | flanges absent. | flanges absent. | | | | | | | | squamosal | moderately large; anterior| moderately small; anterior | arm extending | arm extending | / way to maxillary. | / - / way to maxillary. ---------------+---------------------------+---------------------------- within the _baudini_ group, the skull of _s. cyanosticta_ is the most generalized of the three species; the cranial characters are intermediate between _s. phaeota_ and _s. baudini_. the lateral margins of the skull in _s. cyanosticta_ are gently curved, and have an angularity anterior to the palatine-maxillary suture; the anterior margins are less angular in _s. phaeota_, which has a broader snout. posteriorly in _s. baudini_ the margins are slightly curved medially, and the greatest width of the skull is between the quadratojugal-maxillary sutures on either side of the skull. the frontoparietals of _s. cyanosticta_ bear slightly irregular lateral margins and a large fontanelle. there is a tendency for obliteration of the fontanelle with increasing age in both _s. baudini_ and _s. cyanosticta_; the lateral margins of the frontoparietals bear large supraorbital flanges in both of these species. in _s. phaeota_ the flanges are most prominent; they extend posterolaterally with straight margins along two-thirds of the length of the orbit and terminate in rather blunt points. the broad interorbital flanges result in a relatively broad external interorbital distance. in _s. baudini_ the flanges are curved posterolaterally around the orbit and terminate in sharp, thin points. the tegmen tympani of all three species are massive. in _s. cyanosticta_ the proötics slope posteriorly, whereas they slope anteriorly in _s. baudini_ and _s. phaeota_. the skulls of _s. cyanosticta_ and _s. baudini_ are alike in certain respects. the squamosals of both species are large and connected to the maxillary by a bony connection; the squamosals of _s. phaeota_ are large, but extend only two-thirds of the distance from the dorsal end of the quadrate to the maxillary. in _s. baudini_ and _s. cyanosticta_ the nasals are separated throughout their lengths from the ethmoid, whereas the nasals of _s. phaeota_ are separated from the ethmoid by cartilage. the latter separation is due to an incomplete ossification of the nasals in _s. phaeota_. the bony part of each nasal is constricted in the middle of the long axis of the bone, and the nasals are widest anteriorly; posteriorly each nasal bears a medial process, which is narrowly separated from the lateral edge of the ethmoid. table .--variation in the number of teeth in the species of smilisca. (all are males; n = number of jaws, or twice the number of individuals; means are given in parentheses after the observed ranges.) =================+====+==============+==============+=========== species | n | maxillary | premaxillary | vomerine -----------------+----+--------------+--------------+----------- _s. baudini_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) _s. cyanosticta_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) _s. phaeota_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) _s. puma_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) _s. sila_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) _s. sordida_ | | - ( . ) | - ( . ) | - ( . ) -----------------+----+--------------+--------------+----------- the teeth of all species of _smilisca_ are spatulate and bifid. the numbers of maxillary, premaxillary, and vomerine teeth are summarized in table . smaller and presumably younger specimens of all species of _smilisca_ have fewer teeth than do larger specimens of the same species. this correlation between size and number of teeth does not exist as an interspecific trend within the genus; for example, the smallest species in the genus, _s. puma_, has the highest number of maxillary teeth. in small specimens of a given species wide gaps are present between the maxillary teeth posteriorly; in large specimens the gaps are filled by teeth, beginning anteriorly and progressing posteriorly, until the maxillary dentition is continuous. musculature no extensive study of the muscular system was undertaken, but certain muscles know to be of taxonomic importance were studied. _jaw musculature._--starrett ( ) pointed out the unique jaw musculature in _smilisca_. in this genus m. depressor mandibulae consists of two parts, one arising from the dorsal fascia and one from the posterior arm of the squamosal. two muscles arise from the anterior arm of the squamosal and insert on the lateral face of the mandible. of these muscles, m. adductor mandibulae posterior subexternus lies medial to the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve; the other, m. adductor mandibulae externus superficialis, lies lateral to the same nerve (fig. ). in most other hylids the latter muscle is absent. no significant variation in the position of the muscles was noted in the various species of _smilisca_, though m. adductor mandibulae originate somewhat more anteriorly in _s. baudini_ and _s. cyanosticta_ than in the other members of the genus, all of which have a shorter anterior arm of the squamosal that does not reach the maxillary. the two separate parts of m. depressor mandibulae are not so widely separated in members of the _sordida_ group as in the _baudini_ group. [illustration: fig. . lateral view of the left jaw of _smilisca baudini_; _a. m. e. s._, adductor mandibulae externus superficialis; _a. m. p. s._, adductor mandibulae posterior subexternus; _col._, columella; _d. m._ depressor mandibulae; _m. b. t. n._, mandibular branch trigeminal nerve; _sq._, squamosal. ku , × .] [illustration: fig. . ventral view of throat musculature in an adult male _smilisca baudini_ (superficial musculature on left, deep musculature on right); _a. c._ anterior cornua of hyoid; _gen. l._, geniohyoideus lateralis; _gen. m._, geniohyoideus medialis; _hyo._, hyoglossus; _omo._, omosternum; _pet._, petrohyoideus; _s._, submentalis; _sm._, submaxillaris; _st._, sternohyoideus; _v. s._, vocal sac. ku , × . .] _throat musculature._--the frogs that comprise the genus _smilisca_ are characterized by paired subgular vocal sacs, essentially the same as those in _triprion_ (duellman and klaas, ). the following description is based on _smilisca baudini_ (fig. ). m. submentalis lies in the anterior angle of the lower jaw, is thick, and consists of transverse fibers extending between the dentaries. m. submaxillaris is thin and arises from the whole of the inner surface of the lower jaw, except for the anterior angle occupied by m. submentalis. anteriorly m. submaxillaris is broadly attached by fascia to m. hyoglossus and m. geniohyoideus, which lie dorsal to m. submaxillaris. medially this attachment continues posteriorly for about one-half the length of the hyoglossus. posteriorly m. submaxillaris is folded and attached to m. sternoradialis of the pectoral girdle. the vocal sacs are formed by a pair of posterolateral evaginations of m. submaxillaris; a broad connection between the pouches allows free passage of air between the pouches. the deeper throat musculature is essentially the same as that described for _phrynohyas spilomma_ by duellman ( ), except for slight differences in the place of attachment on the hyoid. skin _structure_ the skin of _smilisca_ is typical of that of most hylids in organization and structure. _smilisca sila_ is distinguished from other members of the genus by the presence of small wartlike protrusions and peculiar white, pustular spots on the dorsum. the wartlike structures are composed of three or four epidermal cells, which protrude from the surface of the epidermis; the structures are covered by a slightly thickened layer of keratin. the white pustules are slightly elevated above the surrounding skin. internally they consist of aggregations of swollen, granular, pigment-cells (perhaps lipophores) lying between the epidermis and the melanophores. _biochemical variations_ dried skins of all species of _smilisca_ were sent to josé m. cei, instituto nacional de cuyo, mendoza, argentina, for biochemical screening by means of the chromatographic techniques described by erspamer and cei ( ). the species in the _baudini_ group have detectable amounts of penta-hydroxi-trypatamine, whereas only a trace is present in the other species. furthermore, species in the _baudini_ group differ from _s. sila_ and the _sordida_ group in lacking, or having only a trace of, tryptophan-containing polypeptides. these superficial biochemical tests support the arrangement of species as ascertained by conventional taxonomic characters. external morphological characters the features of external morphology that were studied in connection with the taxonomy of the genus _smilisca_ are discussed below. _size and proportions_ the frogs of the genus _smilisca___ are medium to large tree frogs. the three species comprising the _baudini_ group (_s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, and _phaeota_) are notably larger than _s. puma_, _sila_, and _sordida_ (table ). the largest specimen that we examined is a female of _s. baudini_ having a snout-vent length of mm. _smilisca puma_ is the smallest species; the largest male has a snout-vent length of mm. and the largest female, mm. table .--comparison of sizes and certain proportions of the species of smilisca. (means in parentheses below observed ranges; data for males only.) ================+====+===========+=============+===========+ | | snout-vent|tibia length/| tympanum/ | species | n | length | snout-vent | eye | ----------------+----+-----------+-------------+-----------+ | | | | | _s. baudini_ | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _s. cyanosticta_| | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _s. phaeota_ | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _s. puma_ | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _s. sila_ | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _s. sordida_ | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ----------------+----+-----------+-------------+-----------+ no outstanding differences in proportions exist between species, although certain proportions are sufficiently different in some species to warrant mention. _smilisca baudini_ is a more squat and stocky frog than other members of the genus; this is reflected in the somewhat shorter hind legs (table ). the size of the tympanum relative to that of the eye is highly variable within samples of a given species. even so, noticeable differences in the tympanum/eye ratio are apparent. members of the _baudini_ group have the largest tympani, whereas _s. sila_ and _sordida_ have the smallest, and _s. puma_ is intermediate (table ). _shape of snout_ although all members of the genus have rather truncate snouts, subtle differences exist among the species (pl. ). _smilisca sila_ has the shortest snout; that of _s. baudini_ is only slightly longer. the snouts of _s. cyanosticta_ and _puma_ are nearly square in lateral profile, whereas those of _s. phaeota_ and _sordida_ are slightly inclined. the shape of the snout is relatively uniform within each species and displays no noticeable sexual dimorphism, except in _s. sordida_, in which there are sexual differences and geographic variation (see p. ). _hands and feet_ the characters of the hands and feet are among the most taxonomically important external features in _smilisca_. consistent differences exist in relative lengths of the digits, size of subarticular tubercles, size and number of supernumerary tubercles, size and shape of the inner metatarsal tubercle, and amount of webbing (pls. and ). in the _baudini_ group the series of species (_baudini-phaeota-cyanosticta_) show a progressive increase in amount of webbing in the hand and a decrease in number, and corresponding increase in size, of supernumerary tubercles. the amount of webbing in the feet of _s. baudini_ and _phaeota_ is about the same, but the webbing is slightly more extensive in _s. cyanosticta_. _smilisca puma_ is unique in the genus in lacking webbing in the hand; furthermore, this species is distinctive in having many large subarticular tubercles on the hand and a relatively small inner metatarsal tubercle. the two stream-inhabitants, _s. sila_ and _sordida_, have shorter and stouter fingers than the other species. the webbing is most extensive in both the hands and feet of these species, which also are distinctive in having many small supernumerary tubercles on the feet. _ontogenetic changes_ minor ontogenetic changes in structure involve the shape of the snout, relative size of the eye, development of the tympanum, and amount of webbing in the hand. in recently metamorphosed young the snout is more rounded than in adults; the canthus and loreal concavity are not evident. usually the tympanum is not differentiated in recently metamorphosed young, and the eye is proportionately large. the webbing in the feet is completely developed at metamorphosis, but young individuals have noticeably less webbing in the hand than do adults of the same species. coloration some of the most distinctive characters of the species of _smilisca_ are color and pattern of the living frogs. although many chromatic features are lost or subdued in preserved specimens, the patterns usually persist. _metachrosis_ change in color, well known in frogs, is common in hylids, especially in species having green dorsal surfaces (_phyllomedusa_ is a notable exception). the non-green _smilisca_ (_puma_, _sila_, and _sordida_) changes color, but this mostly is a change in intensity of color. in these species the markings usually are most distinct at night; frequently by day the frogs become pallid. the most striking examples of metachrosis in _smilisca_ are found in the _baudini_ group, in which the dorsal ground-color changes from green to tan; correlated with the change in ground-color may be a corresponding change in the dorsal markings, but the dorsal markings may change to the opposite color. chromosomes chromosomes of all six species of _smilisca_ were studied by means of the propriono-orcein squash technique described by duellman and cole ( ). karyotype analysis was attempted for several species by means of intraperitoneal injections of colchicine, which affected the mitotic cells as desired, but the testes examined contained too few mitotic cells to allow accurate determination of karyotypes. haploid (_n_) chromosome numbers were determined from cells in diakinesis, metaphase i, and metaphase ii of meiosis. diploid ( _n_) chromosome numbers were determined from cells in late prophase and metaphase of mitosis. chromosome counts from as few as meiotic cells of _s. phaeota_ and as many as cells of _s. sordida_ reveal a constant haploid (_n_) number of ; counts of chromosomes in one to five mitotic cells in all species, except _s. sila_, reveal that the diploid ( _n_) number is . natural history breeding like most hylid frogs _smilisca_ is most readily collected and observed when individuals congregate for breeding. _time of breeding_ _smilisca_ breeds primarily in quiet water and reaches its height of breeding activity at times of plentiful rainfall,--usually from may through october. through most of its range _smilisca baudini_ breeds in those months, but in some places where abundant rain falls in other seasons, the species breeds at those times. for example, in southern el petén and northern alta verapaz, guatemala, _smilisca baudini_ has been found breeding in february and march. the other pond-breeding species (_s. cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _puma_) live in regions lacking a prolonged dry season, and possibly they breed throughout the year, but breeding activity seems to be greatest in the rainiest months. the two stream-breeding species (_s. sila_ and _sordida_) breed in the dry season when the streams are low and clear, principally in december through april. at high elevations the species sometimes breed in the rainy season; also, individuals sometimes breed in the short dry season (summer canicula) in july and august. at several localities species have been found breeding at different times of the year: _s. baudini_ in march and july at chinajá, guatemala; _s. phaeota_ in april and august at palmar sur, costa rica; _s. puma_ in february and july at puerto viejo, costa rica; and _s. sila_ in february, april, and august at el volcan, panamá. these observations indicate only that the population breeds at more than one time in the year, but do not provide any evidence on the breeding cycles of the individual frogs. this is one important aspect of the natural history of _smilisca_ for which we lack data. _breeding sites_ all members of the genus _smilisca_ presumably deposit their eggs in water. _smilisca baudini_ usually breeds in temporary rain pools; often these are nothing more than shallow, muddy puddles. in other instances the sites are extensive ditches or large flooded areas (pl. , fig. ). this species is an opportunistic breeder, and males gather at any of a wide variety of suitable breeding sites that are formed by torrential rains in the early part of the rainy season. _smilisca baudini_ nearly always breeds in open pools having bare earthen edges. frequently congregations of _s. baudini_ are found at such small pools, but are absent from nearby large ponds surrounded by vegetation. little is known of the breeding habits of _s. cyanosticta_, which inhabits humid forests on foothills and lowlands. apparently its breeding sites are not unlike those of _s. phaeota_, which usually are pools surrounded by vegetation (pl. , fig. ), although sometimes males of _s. cyanosticta_ call from open muddy puddles. in uplands, where standing water is uncommon, this species breeds in quiet pools in streams. _smilisca puma_ breeds in grass-choked ponds and marshes, where the males call from bases of dense clumps of grass in the water (pl. , fig. ). _smilisca sila_ and _s. sordida_ differ noticeably from other species in the genus by breeding exclusively in streams, where males usually call from rocks or gravel bars in or at the edges of streams (pl. , fig. ); sometimes individuals perch on bushes overhanging streams. in the streams, or parts of streams, utilized by these frogs the water is clear, shallow, and has a slow gradient; occasional males have been found calling along cascading mountain streams. breeding choruses composed of ten or more species of frogs are not uncommon in middle america, but _smilisca_ usually breeds alone or with one or two other species and at the most five others. this tendency towards solitary breeding possibly is the result of selection of breeding sites that are unsuitable to many other species of frogs. nevertheless, many other species of frogs have been found at the breeding sites with the various species of _smilisca_; these breeding associates (table ) are most numerous for _s. baudini_, which has a broad geographic range, including a variety of habitats. _breeding behavior_ _calling sites._--all species of _smilisca_ usually call from the ground, including rocks and gravel bars; some individuals sit in shallow water near the edge of the pool or stream. sometimes males of _s. baudini_, _sila_, and _sordida_ call from low bushes or trees near the breeding site. one _s. baudini_ was observed calling while it was floating on the surface of a pond. _smilisca cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _puma_ call from secluded places at the edge of the water or in the water, whereas _s. baudini_, _sila_ and _sordida_ call from open situations. table .--breeding associates of the various species of smilisca. ==============================+========+============+========+=====+=====+======== associate |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |baudini_|cyanosticta_|phaeota_|puma_|sila_|sordida_ ------------------------------+--------+------------+--------+-----+-----+-------- _rhinophrynus dorsalis_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _leptodactylus bolivianus_ | - | - | x | - | - | - _leptodactylus labialis_ | x | - | x | - | - | - _leptodactylus melanonotus_ | x | - | x | x | x | - _leptodactylus occidentalis_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _leptodactylus quadrivittatus_| - | - | x | - | - | - _leptodactylus pentadactylus_ | - | - | x | x | - | x _engystomops pustulosus_ | x | - | x | - | - | - _bufo canaliferus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo cavifrons_ | - | x | - | - | - | - _bufo coccifer_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo coniferus_ | - | - | x | - | - | - _bufo cristatus_ | - | x | - | - | - | - _bufo gemmifer_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo haematiticus_ | - | - | x | - | x | x _bufo kellogi_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo luetkeni_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo marinus_ | x | - | x | x | x | x _bufo marmoreus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo mazatlanensis_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo melanochloris_ | - | - | x | - | x | x _bufo perplexus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _bufo typhonius_ | - | - | x | - | x | - _atelopus varius_ | - | - | - | - | x | x _diaglena reticulata_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _diaglena spatulata_ | x | - | - | - | - | - ------------------------------+--------+------------+--------+-----+-----+-------- table .--_continued_ ==============================+========+============+========+=====+=====+======== associate |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |baudini_|cyanosticta_|phaeota_|puma_|sila_|sordida_ ------------------------------+--------+------------+--------+-----+-----+-------- _hyla boulengeri_ | - | - | x | - | - | - _hyla colymba_ | - | - | - | - | x | - _hyla ebraccata_ | x | - | x | - | - | - _hyla elaeochroa_ | - | - | x | x | - | - _hyla eximia_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hyla legleri_ | - | - | - | - | - | x _hyla microcephala_ | x | - | x | - | - | - _hyla phlebodes_ | - | - | x | x | - | - _hyla picta_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hyla robertmertensi_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hyla rosenbergi_ | - | - | x | - | - | - _hyla rufioculis_ | - | - | - | - | - | x _hyla smithi_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hyla staufferi_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hyla walkeri_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _phrynohyas inflata_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _phrynohyas spilomma_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _phrynohyas venulosa_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _phyllomedusa callidryas_ | x | - | x | - | - | - _phyllomedusa dacnicolor_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _phyllomedusa moreleti_ | x | x | - | - | - | - _pternohyla fodiens_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _smilisca baudini_ | x | x | - | - | - | - _smilisca cyanosticta_ | x | x | - | - | - | - _smilisca phaeota_ | - | - | x | - | - | - _smilisca puma_ | - | - | - | x | - | - ------------------------------+--------+------------+--------+-----+-----+-------- table .--_concluded_ ==============================+========+============+========+=====+=====+======== associate |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |_s. |baudini_|cyanosticta_|phaeota_|puma_|sila_|sordida_ ------------------------------+--------+------------+--------+-----+-----+-------- _smilisca sila_ | - | - | - | - | x | x _smilisca sordida_ | - | - | x | - | x | x _triprion petasatus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _cochranella fleischmanni_ | - | - | - | - | x | x _centrolene prosoblepon_ | - | - | - | - | x | - _gastrophryne elegans_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _gastrophryne olivacea_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _gastrophryne usta_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hypopachus alboventer_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hypopachus caprimimus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hypopachus inguinalis_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hypopachus maculatus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hypopachus oxyrrhinus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _hypopachus variolosus_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _rana palmipes_ | x | - | x | x | - | - _rana pipiens_ | x | - | - | - | - | - _rana warschewitschi_ | - | - | x | - | x | x ------------------------------+--------+------------+--------+-----+-----+-------- _chorus structure._--limited observations on some of the species of _smilisca_ show a definite organization of the calling behavior of individuals. _smilisca baudini_ and _s. phaeota_ call in duets. this is especially noticeable in _s. baudini_, in which the members of a duet often call from sites separated by only a few centimeters. the call of _s. baudini_ consists of a series of like notes (see description of call in following section); the duration of each note is about equal to the interval between notes. normally one individual utters one note, pauses, and utters a single note again, or series of two or three notes. if there is no response, the first individual often waits several seconds or even several minutes and then repeats the call. the second individual usually responds after the first or second note of the sequence. the notes of the second individual usually are spaced so that they are emitted in the intervals between the notes of the first individual. this can be shown diagrammatically by having the figure " " represent notes of the first individual and figure " ," the notes of the second; an empty interval is represented by " ": - - - - - - - - - - - usually a chorus is initiated by one duet and is quickly picked up by other individuals also calling in duets. a numerical representation of a chorus of eight frogs would approximate the following organization: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - after the first one or two duets are initiated, the second individuals in the following duets usually call immediately after their respective partners have given the first notes. the other noteworthy aspect about the organization is that the entire chorus usually stops abruptly. normally the first duet stops calling shortly before the others, but this is not invariable. often one duet or one individual will emit several notes after the rest of the frogs have become silent. an interval of several minutes sometimes elapses before the chorus begins again. successive choruses apparently are initiated by the same duet. responses can be initiated artificially by imitating the call, and sometimes any loud noise will start a chorus. similar duets have been observed in _s. phaeota_. in this species the intervals are often much longer than the notes, and if two males are calling in close proximity, their calls can be mistaken for those of one individual. _smilisca phaeota_ does not congregate in large numbers; usually only two males call from one restricted site. _smilisca sila_ has a call consisting of a primary note followed by one or more secondary notes. males often call in duets, but not necessarily so. in a duet, the first male usually utters only primary notes until the second individual responds; then each individual produces a rapid series of secondary notes. _smilisca puma_ also produces primary and secondary notes. although individuals sometimes call alone, duets, trios, or quartets were more common. the chorus is initiated by one individual uttering primary notes until joined by the second, third, and fourth frogs. in one quartet in a marsh . kilometers west of puerto viejo, costa rica, on february , , the same individual initiated four consecutive choruses. each time the second member of the chorus was the same; the third and fourth frogs joined the chorus nearly simultaneously. individuals of _s. sordida_ are usually irregularly situated along a stream. no duets or other combinations of individuals are apparent in the chorus structure, but once an individual calls, a frog nearby calls almost immediately; then a frog near the second individual calls, and so on. the resulting series of calls gives the impression that the sound is moving along the stream as successive individuals join the chorus and the first callers become quiet. it is not known if the same individual initiates successive choruses or if the order of calling is the same in subsequent choruses. these limited observations on chorus structure in _smilisca_ show the presence of behavioral organization. the methods of establishing the organization and the significance of the call-order in breeding have yet to be discovered. calling males of _s. baudini_ are often close together; some individuals have been observed almost touching one another, but no indication of territoriality or aggressive behavior has been witnessed. the more distant spacing of the stream-breeding species _s. sila_ and _s. sordida_ may be a function of calling-territories, but no direct evidence is available to substantiate this supposition. _sex recognition and amplexus._--observations on _smilisca baudini_ indicate that the calls of males attract females. at tehuantepec, oaxaca, méxico, a female was first observed about two meters away from a male calling at the edge of a rain pool; in a series of short hops she progressed directly towards the male, although vegetation obscured him until she was less than a meter away. when she approached to within about centimeters of the male, he took notice of her, moved to her, and clasped her. at chinajá, alta verapaz, guatemala, a female swam directly across a pool about three meters wide to a calling male. her line of movement took her within a few centimeters of a silent male, to whom she paid no attention. she stopped just in front of the calling male, which immediately clasped her. at a large muddy pond kilometers west-northwest of esparta, puntarenas, costa rica, a female was observed swimming toward a small submerged tree; a male was calling from a branch about one meter above the water. the female climbed to a branch about centimeters below the male, which upon seeing her there immediately jumped down and clasped her. these few observations of _s. baudini_ show that in this species females are capable of locating calling males by means of phono-orientation; visual reception on the part of females seems to be secondary. contrariwise, males apparently become aware of the proximity of females by seeing them; once a male sees a female he usually tries to clasp her. possibly the males receive stimuli by means of chemo-reception, but in each observed instance the male obviously looked at the female. amplexus is axillary in all members of the genus. normally amplexing males hunch their backs and press their chins to the females' backs. clasping pairs are usually found at the edge of the water, but sometimes amplexus takes place in trees or bushes. _egg deposition._--oviposition has been observed only in _smilisca baudini_. on the night of june , , at chinajá, alta verapaz, guatemala, a clasping pair was observed at the edge of a shallow rain pool. after sitting for several minutes in shallow water, the female (with male on her back) swam part way across the pool and grasped an emergent stick with one hand. the female's body was nearly level with the surface of the water, and her hind legs were outstretched as deposition commenced; eggs were extruded rapidly. after a few seconds the female moved slowly to another twig a few centimeters away and deposited more eggs. this process was repeated until the female was spent. the spawn resulted in a surface film covering roughly one square meter. it is doubtful if this type of egg deposition occurs in any other species in the genus, especially those that lay their eggs in streams. _breeding call_ the breeding calls of the six species of _smilisca_ are alike in their explosive nature. calls are emitted quickly with a short burst of air filling the vocal sac, which immediately deflates. phonetically the calls can be described as a single "wonk" or series of such notes in _s. baudini_ and _s. cyanosticta_, a low growl in _s. phaeota_, a relatively high pitched rattle in _s. sordida_, and a low squawk usually followed by one or more rattling secondary notes in _s. puma_ and _s. sila_. quantitatively, the calls of the six species differ in number of notes, duration of notes, and in pitch (table , pls. and ). although no measurements were taken on the intensity of the calls, we observed in the field that each of the species has a loud voice. the call of _s. baudini_ seems to carry farther than any of the others. table .--comparison of breeding calls in smilisca. (observed range given in parentheses below mean. in species having primary and secondary notes, only the primary notes are analyzed here.) ==============+====+=======+===========+=========+=========+=======================+ | | notes | | | funda- | major | species | | per | duration | pulses | mental | frequencies (cps) | | n | call | of note | per |frequency+-----------+-----------+ | | group | (seconds) | second | (cps) | lower | upper | --------------+----+-------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+-----------+ _s. | | . | . | . | . | | | baudini_ | | ( - )|( . - . )|( - )|( - )| ( - ) |( - )| | | | | | | | | _s. | | . | . | . | . | | | cyanosticta_| | ( - ) |( . - . )|( - )|( - )| ( - ) |( - )| | | | | | | | | _s. phaeota_ | | . | . | . | . | | -- | | | ( - ) |( . - . )|( - )|( - )| ( - ) | -- | | | | | | | | | _s. puma_ | | . | . | . | . | | | | | ( - )|( . - . )|( - )|( - )| ( - ) |( - )| | | | | | | | | _s. sila_ | | . | . | . | . | | | | | ( - ) |( . - . )| ( - )| ( - )| ( - )|( - )| | | | | | | | | _s. sordida_ | | . | . | . | . | | | | | ( - ) |( . - . )| ( - )| ( - )|( - )|( - )| --------------+----+-------+-----------+---------+---------+-----------+-----------+ _call rate._--the rate at which call-groups are produced varies from one every few seconds to one in several minutes. in _s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _sordida_, call-groups are produced as frequently as every seconds, but usually more time elapses between call groups. in _s. sordida_, five or more minutes sometimes elapse between call-groups. the interval is somewhat less in _s. phaeota_. calls are repeated at much shorter intervals in _s. puma_ ( - seconds) and _s. sila_ ( - seconds). _notes per call-group._--except for _s. puma_ and _s. sila_, the series of notes produced in any given call of a species of _smilisca_ is essentially the same; there is no differentiation into primary and secondary notes. _smilisca cyanosticta_ and _s. phaeota_ emit only one or two relatively long notes per call-group, whereas _s. baudini_ and _s. sordida_ produce as many as and notes, respectively. males of _s. puma_ and _s. sila_ often produce only the primary note; sometimes this is done several times before the secondary notes are produced. for example, one _s. puma_ (ku ; tape no. ) produced the following number of notes in consecutive call-groups: , , , , , , , , ; secondary notes are present in only four of the nine call-groups. a typical series of consecutive call-groups in _s. sila_ (ku ; tape no. ) has , , , , , notes per call-group; secondary notes are present in only half of the call-groups. _smilisca puma_ apparently always produces at least two primary notes before emitting secondary notes; sometimes only primary notes are produced in one series of calls. the number of secondary notes following a given primary varies from one to nine; the modal number is one, and the mean is three in call-groups. _smilisca sila_ frequently begins a series of calls with two or more primary notes, but sometimes the first primary note is followed immediately by two or more secondary notes. the number of secondary notes following a given primary varies from one to five; the modal number is one, and the average is two in call-groups. _duration._--the average duration of call-groups consisting of two or more notes is . seconds in _s. baudini_; . in _cyanosticta_, . in _phaeota_, . in _puma_, . in _sila_, and . in _sordida_. although there is considerable variation in the lengths of the notes (only primary notes in _s. puma_ and _sila_ are considered here), _s. cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _sordida_ have noticeably longer notes than do the other species (table ). the secondary notes are longer than the primary notes in _s. puma_ (average . secs. as compared with . secs.) and in _s. sila_ (average . secs., as compared with . secs.). _note repetition rate._--the rate at which notes in call-groups containing two or more notes are produced varies in _s. baudini_ from . to . (average, . ) calls per second; _cyanosticta_, . - . ( . ); _phaeota_, . - . ( . ); _puma_, . - . ( . ); _sila_, . - . ( . ); and _sordida_, . - . ( . ). _smilisca baudini_, which has notes of short duration ( . to . seconds), has the fastest note-repetition rate. although the individual notes of _s. cyanosticta_ and _s. phaeota_ are relatively long (average, . and . seconds, respectively), the intervals between the notes is short; consequently, their note-repetition rates do not differ greatly from those of _s. puma_ and _s. sila_, which have shorter notes (average, . and . seconds, respectively) but longer intervals between notes. _pulse rate._--pulses vary in frequency from to per second in the calls analyzed (only primary notes in _s. puma_ and _s. sila_), but the variation in any given species is much less than that in the entire genus (table ). _smilisca puma_ is outstanding in having a high pulse rate, which is approached only by that of _s. baudini_. even in the species having the lowest pulse rates, the pulsations are not audible. the secondary notes produced by _s. puma_ and _s. sila_ have a slower pulse rate than the primary notes; often the pulses are audible. in _s. puma_ the pulse rate of secondary notes is sometimes as low as pulses per second, and in _s. sila_ still lower (as low as pulses per second). the upper limits of pulse rate in the secondary notes in these species merge imperceptibly with the rates of the primary note; consequently, on the basis of pulse rate alone it is not always possible to distinguish primary from secondary notes. _frequency._--_smilisca_ produces noisy (as opposed to more musical) calls, and the energy is distributed throughout the frequency spectrum; the calls are poorly modulated, except in _s. sordida_, in which two usually discrete bands of frequency are present (pl. c). for the most part the calls of _smilisca_ consist of little modified energy of the fundamental frequency and of its harmonics, some of which are emphasized. the upper frequency range varies within each species and even within the calls of one individual. _smilisca phaeota_ has the lowest upper frequencies; no calls ranged above cycles per second (cps.), and half of the calls never exceeded cps. _smilisca cyanosticta_ produces calls in which the upper frequency is below cps. and usually below cps. likewise, _s. puma_ produces calls that are below cps., whereas _s. sila_ has frequencies of up to cps. in both _s. baudini_ and _s. sordida_, the highest frequencies attained are about cps. variation in the highest frequencies in a series of consecutive calls by one individual frog was noted in all species. such variation is especially prevalent in _s. puma_; for example one individual (ku ; tape no. ) recorded at a temperature of ° c. at . kilometers west of puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica, on july , , produced three consecutive primary notes having upper frequencies of about , , and cps., respectively. apparently in a given species the production of the higher frequencies in some notes and not in others is correlated with the amount of distention of the vocal sac and is not dependent upon the structure or tension of the vocal cords. although the dominant frequency in _s. sordida_ is lower than that in _s. baudini_ and _s. cyanosticta_, the call of the former is audibly higher-pitched. this is due primarily to the emphasis on certain harmonics at a high frequency (sometimes as high as cps.) in _s. sordida_, whereas in _s. baudini_ and other species, if harmonics are present at those frequencies, they are not emphasized. the fundamental frequencies are as low as cps. in _s. sila_ and _s. sordida_ and as high as cps. in _s. puma_ (table ). the fundamental frequency seemingly is relatively unimportant in determining the general pitch of the call, a characteristic most dependent on the dominant frequency and emphasized harmonics in the higher-frequency spectrum. in none of the species is the fundamental the dominant frequency. in the low-pitched call of _s. phaeota_ the dominant frequency is the third harmonic (the second harmonic above the fundamental frequency, which is the first harmonic). in all other species a much higher harmonic is dominant; for examples, in _s. cyanosticta_ harmonics from to are dominant; in _s. baudini_, - ; and _s. sila_, - . a glance at the audiospectrographs and their accompanying sections (pls. and ) reveals the presence of two emphasized bands of frequency in all species except _s. phaeota_, in which only the lower band is present. these two bands of emphasized harmonics are part of a continuous, or nearly continuous, spread of energy throughout the frequency spectrum, except in _s. sordida_ in which the bands are usually distinct. as shown in the sections, certain harmonics in each of the bands are emphasized with nearly equal intensity. therefore, with the exception of _s. phaeota_, the calls of _smilisca_ are characterized by two major frequencies, one of which is the dominant frequency and the other is a subdominant frequency (table ). the upper major frequency is dominant in all calls in _s. baudini_ and _s. cyanosticta_, but either major frequency may be dominant in other species. the upper major frequency is dominant in per cent of calls by _s. puma_, per cent in _s. sila_, and per cent in _s. sordida_. individuals of these three species sometimes produce a series of calls in which the dominant frequency changes from one of the major frequencies to the other. four consecutive notes emitted by an individual of _s. sordida_ recorded kilometers east-northeast of golfito, puntarenas province, costa rica, had dominant frequencies of , , and cps., respectively. in each case, an alternation of major frequencies took place in respect to dominance. an individual of _s. puma_ from . kilometers west of puerto viejo, costa rica, produced a primary note followed by one secondary note; each note had major frequencies at and cps.; the dominant frequency of the primary note was at cps., whereas in the secondary note the dominant frequency was at cps. the difference in emphasis on the major frequencies is so slight that shift in dominance is not audible. _effect of temperature on calls._--the present data are insufficient to test statistically the correlation between temperature and variation within certain components of the calls in _smilisca_, but even a crude graph shows some general correlations. the widest range of temperatures is associated with the recordings of _s. baudini_. three individuals recorded at a temperature of ° c. at tehuantepec, oaxaca, had pulse rates of pulses per second and fundamental frequencies of - cps., as compared with an individual recorded at a temperature of ° c., which had a pulse rate of and a fundamental frequency of cps. all individuals of _s. baudini_ recorded at higher temperatures had faster pulse rates and higher fundamental frequencies. pulse rates differ in the other species in the genus but less strikingly (probably owing to narrower ranges of temperatures at which recordings were made). in five recordings of _s. sordida_ made at ° c. the pulse rate is - , as compared with four recordings made at ° c. having pulse rates of - . thirteen recordings of _s. sila_ made at ° c. have pulse rates of - (average ); one individual recorded at ° c. has pulses per second. seemingly no correlation exists between temperature and other characteristics of the calls, such as duration and rate of note-repetition. _the breeding call as an isolating mechanism._--blair ( ), bogert ( ), duellman ( a), fouquette ( ), johnson ( ), and others have provided evidence that the breeding calls of male hylids (and other anurans) serve as isolating mechanisms in sympatric species. in summarizing this discussion of the breeding calls of _smilisca_ we want to point out what seem to be important differences in the calls that may prevent interspecific hybridization in sympatric species of _smilisca_. the genus is readily divided into two species-groups on morphological characters; this division is supported by the breeding calls. in the species of the _baudini_ group the calls are unmodulated and lack secondary notes. in the _sordida_ group the calls either have secondary notes or are modulated. _smilisca baudini_ occurs sympatrically with _s. cyanosticta_ and _s. phaeota_; where they occur together, both species sometimes breed in like places at the same time. we are not aware of these species breeding synchronously at exactly the same site, although _s. baudini_ and _s. cyanosticta_ were calling on the same nights and less than meters apart in oaxaca in june, . regardless of their respective breeding habits, sympatric species have calls that differ notably. except for the higher fundamental and dominant frequencies, the calls of _s. cyanosticta_ and _s. phaeota_ closely resemble one another, but the calls of both species differ markedly from that of _s. baudini_. the geographic ranges of _s. cyanosticta_ and _s. phaeota_ are widely separated. the calls of the allopatric species _s. puma_ and _s. sila_ are not greatly different. _smilisca sordida_ has a distinctive call and occurs sympatrically with _s. puma_ and _s. sila_. in the streams in southern costa rica _s. sordida_ and _s. sila_ breed synchronously, but the high-pitched modulated call of the former is notably different from the lower, unmodulated call of _s. sila_. the data indicate that the calls of related sympatric species differ more than the calls of related allopatric species. we postulate that these differences evolved to support the reproductive isolation of the sympatric species. the data are insufficient to determine geographic variation in the calls and to determine if differences in the calls are enhanced in areas of sympatry as compared with the allopatric parts of the ranges. _other calls._--as stated previously, there is no direct evidence of territoriality in _smilisca_; we have heard no calls that can be definitely identified as territorial. single notes of _s. baudini_, _phaeota_, and _sila_ have been heard by day, just prior to rains, or during, or immediately after rains. such calls can be interpreted as "rain calls," which are well known in _hyla eximia_ and _hyla squirella_. distress calls are known in several species of _rana_ and in _leptodactylus pentadactylus_; such calls result from the rapid expulsion of air over the vocal cords and with the mouth open. distress calls have been heard from _s. baudini_. at charapendo, michoacán, méxico, a male that had one hind limb engulfed by a _leptodeira maculata_ emitted several long, high-pitched cries. a clasping pair of _s. baudini_ was found in a bush at the edge of a marshy stream kilometers northeast of las cañas, guanacaste province, costa rica. when the pair was grasped, the female emitted a distress call. eggs eggs of _s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, and _phaeota_ have been found in the field, and eggs of _s. sila_ have been observed in the laboratory. the eggs of _s. puma_ and _sordida_ are unknown. insofar as known, _smilisca baudini_ is unique in the genus in depositing the eggs in a surface film. each egg is encased in a vitelline membrane, but individual outer envelopes are lacking. the eggs are small; the diameter of recently-deposited eggs is about . mm. and that of the vitelline membrane is about . mm. the eggs of _s. cyanosticta_ and _phaeota_ are deposited in clumps, and the eggs are larger than those of _s. baudini_. diameters of eggs of _s. cyanosticta_ are about . mm., and those of the outer envelopes are about . mm. artificially fertilized eggs of _s. sila_ raised in the laboratory have diameters of about . mm.; the diameter of the outer envelopes is about . mm. in order to determine the reproductive potential of the six species, ovulated eggs were removed from females and counted. the numbers of eggs recorded are: _s. baudini_-- , , ; _s. cyanosticta_-- ; _s. phaeota_-- , , ; _s. puma_-- ; _s. sila_-- , , ; _s. sordida_-- , , . these limited data indicate that the large species (_s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, and _phaeota_) have more eggs than do the smaller species. the stream-breeding species (_s. sila_ and _sordida_) have relatively few eggs by comparison with the pond-breeders. possibly this is a function of size of eggs rather than a correlation with the site of egg-deposition. tadpoles the acquisition of tadpoles of all of the species of _smilisca_ has made possible the use of larval characters in erecting a classification and in estimating the phylogenetic relations of the several species. furthermore, developmental series of tadpoles of four species allow a comparison of the growth and development in these species. throughout the discussion of tadpoles we have referred to the various developmental stages by the stage numbers proposed by gosner ( ). _general structure_ tadpoles of the genus _smilisca_ are of a generalized hylid type, having / tooth-rows, unspecialized beaks, mouth partly or completely bordered by papillae, lateral fold present in the lips, spiracle sinistral, anal tube dextral, and caudal musculature extending nearly to tip of caudal fin. although minor differences exist in coloration, proportions, and mouthparts, no great modifications of the basic structure are present. _comparison of species_ the larval characters of the species of _smilisca_ are compared below and illustrated in figures - . _shape and proportions._--the bodies of _s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _puma_ are rounded and about as wide as deep; the eyes are moderately large and directed dorsolaterally, and the nostrils are about midway between the bluntly rounded snout and the eyes. the mouths are medium-sized and directed anteroventrally. the bodies of tadpoles of _s. sila_ and _sordida_ are slightly compressed dorso-ventrally. the snout is moderately long and sloping; the eyes are larger and directed more dorsally than in the other species, and the nostrils are closer to the eyes than the snout. the mouths are moderately large and directed ventrally. the tail is about half again as long as the body in _s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _puma_; in these species the caudal musculature is moderately heavy, and the caudal fins are deep. the caudal musculature is upturned distally in _s. baudini_ and _phaeota_, and the dorsal fin extends anteriorly onto the body in these two species and in _s. puma_. the tail is about twice as long as the body in _s. sila_ and _sordida_. in both species the caudal fins are shallow in comparison with the depth of the caudal musculature, especially in _s. sordida_ (fig. ); in neither species does the dorsal fin extend anteriorly onto the body. [illustration: fig. . tadpoles of _smilisca baudini_: (a) stage (ku ) × ; (b) stage (ku ) × ; (c) stage (ku ) × ; (d) stage (ku ) × .] _mouthparts._--the mouth of _s. sordida_ is completely bordered by two rows of papillae, whereas in the other species the median part of the upper lip is devoid of papillae. _smilisca baudini_ and _puma_ have two rows of papillae; _s. sila_ has one complete row (except medially on the upper lip) and one incomplete row, and _s. cyanosticta_ and _phaeota_ have only one row (fig. ). all species have numerous papillae in the lateral fold; the fewest lateral papillae are found in _s. cyanosticta_ and _phaeota_. although all species have two rows of teeth in the upper jaw and three rows in the lower jaw, specific differences in the nature of the rows exist between certain species. the second upper tooth-row is narrowly interrupted medially in _s. sila_ and _sordida_ and broadly interrupted in the other species. the first upper row is strongly arched in _s. puma_, moderately arched in _s. baudini_ and _sila_, and weakly arched in the other species. in all species the third lower tooth-row is the shortest, only slightly so in _s. sila_ and _sordida_, but only about half the length of the second lower row in _s. puma_. [illustration: fig. . tadpoles of _smilisca cyanosticta_: (a) stage (ku ) (b) stage (ku ) × ; (c) stage (ku ) × ; (d) stage (ku ) × .] the beaks are well developed and finely serrate in all species. the lower, broadly v-shaped, beak is slender in _s. puma_, rather robust in _s. baudini_ and _sila_, and moderately heavy in the other species. the lateral processes of the upper beak are shortest in _s. puma_ and longest in _s. baudini_ and _sordida_. in the latter the inner margin of the upper beak and lateral process have the form of a shallow s, whereas in the other species the inner margin of the upper beak forms a continuous arch with the lateral processes (fig. ). [illustration: fig. . tadpoles of _smilisca phaeota_: (a) stage (ku ) × ; (b) stage (ku ) × ; (c) stage (ku ) × ; (d) stage (ku ) × .] _coloration._--the tadpoles of _smilisca_ lack the bright colors or bold markings characteristic of some hylid tadpoles; even so, the subdued colors and arrangement of pigments provide some distinctive markings by which the species can be distinguished from one another. the species comprising the _baudini_ group (_s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, and _phaeota_) are alike in having the body brown or grayish brown dorsally and transparent with scattered brown pigment ventrally. a cream-colored, crescent-shaped mark is present on the posterior edge of the body; this mark is usually most noticeable in _s. baudini_ and least so in _s. cyanosticta_. other differences in coloration in members of the _baudini_ group are relative and subtle. _smilisca phaeota_ usually is more pallid than _baudini_, and _cyanosticta_ usually is darker than _baudini_; both species have larger dark markings on the tail than does _s. phaeota_. _smilisca baudini_ has a dark streak on the middle of the anterior one-fourth of the tail (figs. - ). _smilisca puma_ is distinctive in having a grayish brown body and dark gray reticulations on the tail. _smilisca sila_ and _sordida_ are distinctive in having pairs (sometimes interconnected) of dark marks on the dorsal surfaces of the caudal musculature, and in dorsal view the tail appears to be marked with dark and pale creamy tan transverse bars. these dark marks, as well as the small flecks on the tail, are brown in _s. sila_ and red in _sordida_. _smilisca sila_ has dark brown flecks on the dorsal surface of the body and small white flecks laterally; these markings are absent in _s. sordida_ (fig. ). descriptions of the coloration of living tadpoles are given in the accounts of the species. [illustration: fig. . tadpoles of _smilisca_; (a) _s. puma_, stage (ku ); (b) _s. sila_, stage (ku ); _s. sordida_, stage (ku ). all × . .] _growth and development_ information on the growth and development of middle american hylids is scanty. adequate descriptions have been published for _phyllomedusa annae_ (duellman, b), _phrynohyas venulosa_ (zweifel, ), and _triprion petasatus_ (duellman and klaas, ). material is available for adequate descriptions of the developmental stages of four species of _smilisca_ (tables - , figs. - ). because none of the tadpoles was raised from hatching to metamorphosis, the rate of growth and duration of the larval stages are unknown. [illustration: fig. . mouthparts of tadpoles of _smilisca_; (a) _s. baudini_ (ku ); (b) _s. puma_ (ku ); (c) _s. cyanosticta_ (ku ); (d) _s. sila_ (ku ); (e) _s. phaeota_ (ku ); (f) _s. sordida_ (ku ). all × .] table .--growth and development of tadpoles of smilisca baudini. (means are given in parentheses after the observed ranges.) ==================================================================== stage | n | total length | body length | tail length -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | ---- | . - . ( . ) | ---- -------------------------------------------------------------------- table .--growth and development of tadpoles of smilisca cyanosticta. (means are given in parentheses after the observed ranges.) ====================================================================== stage | n | total length | body length | tail length ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . | . - . ( . ) | | -- | . | -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hatchlings of three species (_s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, and _phaeota_) are available. these larvae have non-functional eyes and large oral suckers. by the time the larvae have developed to stage , external gills are present, the caudal musculature and caudal fin have been differentiated, and the head is distinguishable from the body. in stage oral suckers and a large amount of yolk are still present. the developmental data on the four species show no significant variations; consequently, we will describe the development of only one species, _smilisca phaeota_ (table , figs. and ). _stage ._--bulging cream-colored yolk mass, transparent cornea, and moderately long, unbranched filamentous gills, and oral suckers present; mouth having irregular papillae on lower lip; teeth and beaks absent; caudal myomeres distinct; pigmentation uniform over body and caudal musculature; caudal fin transparent with scattered small flecks. [illustration: fig. . relative rate of growth in tadpoles of _smilisca phaeota_ as correlated with developmental stages. formulas for the limb bud refer to its length (l) in relation to basal diameter (d).] _stage ._--operculum complete; gills absent; sinistral spiracle apparently functional; cloacal tail-piece, nasal capsules, and external nares present; gut partly formed; mouth bordered by single row of papillae, except medially; small papillae present in lateral fold of lips; two upper and three lower tooth-rows present, but not fully developed; beaks apparently fully developed; depth of dorsal and ventral fins less than depth of caudal musculature: tip of tail upturned; pigment on body most dense on dorsum and sides; faint, nearly pigmentless crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body; concentrations of pigment forming small spots on tail. _stage ._--mouthparts complete; limb bud about half as long as thick; other structural features and coloration closely resemble those in stage . _stage ._--limb bud approximately twice as long as thick; body as deep as wide; dorsal fin deepest just posterior to body; ventral fin deeper than caudal musculature; tail sharply upturned distally; anal tube dextral; brown pigment sparse on flanks. table .--growth and development of tadpoles of smilisca phaeota. (means are given in parentheses after the observed ranges.) ==================================================================== stage | n | total length | body length | tail length -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | -- | . - . ( . ) | -- | | -- | . - . ( . ) | -- | | -- | . - . ( . ) | -- | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . | . | . | | . - . ( . ) | . | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | -- | . - . ( . ) | -- | | -- | . - . ( . ) | -- -------------------------------------------------------------------- table .--growth and development of tadpoles of smilisca sordida. (means are given in parentheses after the observed ranges.) =======+===+==================+==================+================= stage | n | total length | body length | tail length -------+---+------------------+------------------+----------------- | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | . - . ( . ) | | ---- | . | ---- | | ---- | . - . ( . ) | ---- -------+---+------------------+------------------+----------------- _stages _, _ _, _ _, and _ _.--stage , foot paddle-shaped with four toe buds; stage , five toe buds; stages and , lengthening of toes. in all four stages, spiracle persistent, and pigmentation resembling that of early stages. _stage ._--metatarsal tubercle present; greatest total length ( . mm.) attained. _stage ._--subarticular tubercles prominent; skin over forelimbs transparent; cloacal tail-piece and spiracle absent; outer tooth-rows degenerating; caudal fins shallower than in preceding stages; distal part of tail nearly straight; size of dark markings on tail decreased; pigment present on hind limb. _stage ._--forelimbs erupted; larval mouthparts absent; corner of mouth between nostril and eye; transverse bands present on hind limbs; tail greatly reduced (about mm. in length). _stage ._--sacral hump barely noticeable; tail reduced to a stub; corner of mouth at level of pupil of eye; dorsal surfaces pale olive-green; venter white. changes proceed in a definite pattern during the growth and development of tadpoles. larval teeth are absent in hatchlings; the inner tooth-rows develop first, and the third lower row last. at metamorphosis the third lower row is the first to be lost. the tail increases gradually in length relative to the body. in stage the tail is . per cent of the total length, and in stage , . per cent. in later stages the tail becomes relatively shorter through resorption. duellman and klaas ( : ) noted a great size-variation in _triprion_ tadpoles in stage . no such variation is apparent in any stage of any of the species of _smilisca_ studied. the growth and development of the other species of _smilisca_ do not differ significantly from that of _s. phaeota_. the tadpoles of _s. sila_ and _sordida_ from streams have relatively longer tails at hatching. for example, in tadpoles of _s. sordida_ the average length of tail is . per cent of the body-length in stage , and in stage , . per cent. _behavior_ the tadpoles of _s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, _phaeota_, and _puma_ are pelagic inhabitants of shallow ponds. early stages of _s. baudini_ in which external gills are present have been observed to hang vertically with the gills spread out at the surface of the water, a behavior noted by zweifel ( : ) in tadpoles of _phrynohyas venulosa_, which also develop in warm, standing water having a relatively low oxygen-tension. when disturbed the pelagic tadpoles usually dive and seek shelter amidst vegetation or in mud on the bottom. this behavior was observed in _s. baudini_, _cyanosticta_, and _phaeota_ by day and at night. no tadpoles of _s. puma_ were observed by day; those seen at night were near the surface of small water-filled depressions in a grassy marsh; they responded to light by taking refuge in the dense grass. perhaps tadpoles of this species are negatively phototactic and remain hidden by day. the stream-inhabiting tadpoles of _s. sila_ and _sordida_ live in clear pools in rocky streams, where they were observed to cling by their mouths to rocks in the stream and to seek shelter amidst pebbles or beneath rocks and leaves on the bottom. these tadpoles are not found in shallow riffles. we have not found tadpoles of two species of _smilisca_ in the same body of water and therefore cannot offer observations on ecological relationships in sympatric situations. phylogenetic relationships identifiable hylid remains are known from the miocene to the recent, but these fossils are mostly fragmentary and provide little useful information regarding the phylogenetic relationships of living genera. frogs of the genus _smilisca_ are generalized and show no striking adaptations, either in their structure or in their modes of life history. interspecific relationships in attempting to understand the relationships of the species of _smilisca_ we have emphasized osteological characters. the phylogeny suggested by these characters is supported by other lines of evidence, including external morphology, tadpoles, and breeding calls. our concept of the prototype of the genus _smilisca_ is a moderate-sized hylid having: ( ) a well-developed frontoparietal fontanelle, ( ) frontoparietal lacking lateral processes, ( ) no bony squamosal-maxillary arch, ( ) a fully ossified ethmoid, ( ) paired subgular vocal sac, ( ) moderately webbed fingers and toes, ( ) relatively few supernumerary tubercles on the digits, ( ) eggs deposited in clumps in ponds, ( ) anteroventral mouth in tadpoles bordered by one row of labial papillae, but median part of upper lip bare, ( ) tail relatively short and deep in tadpoles, and ( ) a breeding call consisting of a series of like notes. two phyletic lines evolved from this prototype. the first of these was the stock that gave rise to the _baudini_ group. the evolutionary changes that took place in this line included increase in size, development of a lateral curvature of the maxillary, and an increased amount of cranial ossification, especially in the dermal roofing bones. this phyletic line retained the larval characters and breeding call of the prototype. the second phyletic line gave rise to the _sordida_ group and diverged from the prototype in the development of an angular maxillary and a breeding call consisting of a primary note followed by secondary notes. the frogs in this phyletic line retained the moderate size of the prototype and did not develop additional dermal bone. our concept of the phylogenetic relationships is shown graphically in figure . within the _baudini_ group one stock retained separate nasals and did not develop a bony squamosal-maxillary arch, but broad lateral processes developed on the frontoparietals. the tadpoles remained unchanged from the primitive type. this stock evolved into _s. phaeota_. in the other stock the nasals became fully ossified and a bony squamosal-maxillary arch developed. one branch of this second stock retained tadpoles having only one row of labial papillae and did not develop lateral processes on the frontoparietals; this branch evolved into _s. cyanosticta_. the other branch diverged and gave rise to _s. baudini_ by developing relatively shorter hind legs, large lateral processes on the frontoparietals, and tadpoles having two rows of labial papillae. within the _sordida_ group the cranial features remained unchanged in one line, which gave rise to _s. sila_, whereas in a second line the nasals were reduced, and their long axes shifted with the result that they are not parallel to the maxillaries; the amount of ossification of the ethmoid was reduced, and the tadpoles developed two rows of labial papillae. in this second line one branch retained the pond-breeding habits and gave rise to _s. puma_, whereas a second branch became adapted to stream-breeding and gave rise to _s. sordida_. _baudini_ \ _cyanosticta_ \ / + _phaeota_ _sordida_ \ / / + puma_ / \ \/ _sila_ \ /_____/ \ / \ / \ / | | prototype [illustration: fig. . hypothesized phylogenetic relationships of the species of _smilisca_.] certain aspects of this proposed phylogeny warrant further comment. features such as the deposition of additional bone that roofs the skull or that forms lateral projections from the frontoparietals, like those in _s. baudini_ and _phaeota_, are minor alterations of dermal elements and not basic modifications of the architecture of the skull. consequently, we hypothesize the independent development of these dermal changes in _s. baudini_ and _phaeota_. similar kinds of dermal modifications have evolved independently in many diverse groups of frogs. likewise, we propose the parallel development of stream-adapted tadpoles in _s. sordida_ and _sila_; in both cases the tadpoles adapted to changing environmental conditions (see following section on evolutionary history). tadpoles of _s. sordida_ already had two rows of labial papillae before entering the streams; subsequently the tadpoles developed complete rows of papillae, ventral mouths and long tails having low fins. possibly the tadpoles of _s. sila_ had two rows of labial papillae prior to their adapting to stream conditions; in the process of adapting they developed ventral mouths and long tails having low fins. similar modifications in tadpoles have occurred in many diverse groups of middle american hylids, such as _plectrohyla_, _ptychohyla_, the _hyla uranochroa_ group, and the _hyla taeniopus_ group. our lack of concern about coloration is due to the fact that, with the exception of the blue spots on the flanks and posterior surfaces of the thighs in some species, the coloration of _smilisca_, consisting of a pattern of irregular dark marks on a paler dorsum and dark transverse bars on the limbs, is not much different from that of many other neotropical hylids. blue is a structural color, rare among amphibia, which is achieved by the absence of lipophores above the guanophores. thus, the incident light rays at the blue end of the spectrum are reflected by the guanophores without interference by an overlying yellow lipophore screen. according to noble ( ), lipophores are capable of amoeboid movement that permits shifts in their positions, between or beneath the guanophores. we do not know whether this behavior of lipophores is widespread and is effected in response to environmental changes, or whether it is a genetically controlled attribute that is restricted in appearance. if the latter is the case we must assume that the prototype of _smilisca_ possessed such an attribute which was lost in _s. baudini_, _phaeota_, and _puma_. the development of blue spots is not constant in _s. sordida_ and _s. sila_; in _s. cyanosticta_ the spots range in color from blue to pale green. the coloration of the tadpoles is not distinctive, except for the presence of dorsal blotches on the tails of _s. sila_ and _sordida_. however, the similarity in pattern cannot be interpreted as indicating close relationships because nearly identical patterns are present in _hyla legleri_ and some species of _prostherapis_. this disruptive coloration seems to be directly associated with the pebble-bottom, stream-inhabiting tadpoles. in the _baudini_ group, _s. phaeota_ and _cyanosticta_ are allopatric, whereas _s. baudini_ occurs sympatrically with both of those species. the call of _s. baudini_ differs notably from the calls of _s. phaeota_ and _cyanosticta_, which are more nearly alike. although in the phylogenetic scheme proposed here _s. sila_ is considered to be more distantly related to _s. puma_ than is _s. sordida_, the calls of _s. sila_ and _puma_ more closely resemble one another than either resembles that of _s. sordida_. _smilisca sila_ and _puma_ are allopatric, whereas _s. sordida_ is broadly sympatric with both of those species. we assume that in their respective phyletic lines the differentiation of both _s. baudini_ and _sordida_ was the result of genetic changes in geographically isolated populations. subsequently, each species dispersed into areas inhabited by other members of their respective groups. selection for differences in the breeding calls helped to reinforce other differences in the populations and thereby aided in maintaining specificity. evolutionary history with respect to temporal and spatial aspects of evolution in _smilisca_, we have tried to correlate the phylogenetic evidence on _smilisca_ with the geologic data on middle america presented by lloyd ( ), vinson and brineman ( ), guzmán and cserna ( ), maldonado-koerdell ( ), and whitmore and stewart ( ). likewise, we have borne in mind the evidence for, and ideas about, the evolution of the middle american herpetofauna given by dunn ( b), schmidt ( ), stuart ( , ) duellman ( , ms), and savage (ms). according to stuart's ( ) historical arrangement of the herpetofauna, _smilisca_ is a member of the autochthonous middle american faunal element, and according to savage's (ms) arrangement the genus belongs to the middle american element, a fauna which was derived from a generalized tropical american unit that was isolated in tropical north america by the inundation of the isthmian link in early tertiary, that developed _in situ_ in tropical north america, and that was restricted to middle america by climatic change in the late cenozoic. savage (ms) relied on the paleogeographic maps of lloyd ( ) to hypothesize the extent and centers of differentiation of the middle american faunal element. according to lloyd's concept, middle america in the miocene consisted of a broad peninsula extending southeastward to about central nicaragua, separated from the panamanian spur of continental south america by shallow seas. a large island, the talamanca range, and remnants of the guanarivas ridge formed an archipelago in the shallow sea. the recent discovery of remains of mammals having definite north american affinities in the miocene of the canal zone (whitmore and stewart, ) provides substantial evidence that at least a peninsula was continuous southeastward from nuclear central america to the area of the present canal zone in early mid-miocene time. south america was isolated from central america by the bolivar trough until late mid-pliocene. thus, in the mid-tertiary the broad peninsula of nuclear central america, which consisted of low and moderately uplifted regions having a tropical mesic climate, provided the site for the evolution of _smilisca_. it is not possible to determine when the genus evolved, but to explain the differentiation of the species it is unnecessary to have the ancestral _smilisca_ present prior to the miocene. we view the miocene _smilisca_ as the prototype described in the preceding section, and suppose that it lived in the mesic tropical environment of the eastern part of the central american peninsula (in what is now costa rica and western panamá). two stocks differentiated, probably in middle miocene times; one of these, the ancestral stock of the _baudini_ group, was widespread on the caribbean lowlands from the nicaraguan depression to the bolivar trough, and the other, the ancestral stock of the _sordida_ group, was restricted to the pacific lowlands of the same region. in late miocene time the ancestral stock of the _baudini_ group dispersed northwestward around the deep embayment in the nicaraguan depression into upper central america (in what is now honduras and guatemala) and thence into southern méxico. apparently differentiation took place on each side of the nicaraguan depression; the frogs to the south of the depression evolved into _s. phaeota_, whereas those to the north of the depression represented the stock from which _s. baudini_ and _cyanosticta_ arose. prior to the uplift of the mountains in the late miocene and the pliocene the _baudini-cyanosticta_ stock probably was widespread in northwestern central america. the elevation of the mountains resulted in notable climatic changes, principally the development of sub-humid environments on the pacific lowlands. the frogs living on the pacific lowlands became adapted to sub-humid conditions and developed into _s. baudini_. the stock on the caribbean lowlands remained in mesic environments and evolved into _s. cyanosticta_. possibly in the middle miocene before the talamanca range in costa rica and western panamá was greatly uplifted, the ancestral stock of the _sordida_ group invaded the caribbean lowlands of what is now costa rica. the subsequent elevation of the talamanca range in the pliocene effectively isolated the ancestral stock of _s. sila_ on the pacific lowlands from the _puma-sordida_ stock on the caribbean lowlands. the former was subjected to the sub-humid conditions which developed on the pacific lowlands when the talamanca range was uplifted. it adapted to the sub-humid environment by living along streams and evolving stream-adapted tadpoles. on the caribbean side of the talamanca range the _puma-sordida_ stock inhabited mesic environments. the stock that evolved into _s. puma_ remained in the lowlands as a pond-breeding frog, whereas those frogs living on the slopes of the newly elevated mountains became adapted for their montane existence by developing stream-adapted tadpoles and thus differentiated into _s. sordida_. probably the six species of _smilisca_ were in existence by the end of the pliocene; at that time a continuous land connection existed from central america to south america. the climatic fluctuations in the pleistocene, and the post-wisconsin development of present climatic and vegetational patterns in middle america, brought about the present patterns of distribution of the species. from its place of origin on the caribbean lowlands of lower central america, _s. phaeota_ dispersed northward into nicaragua and southward along the pacific slopes of northwestern south america. perhaps in the late pleistocene or in post-wisconsin time when mesic conditions were more widespread than now, _s. phaeota_ moved onto the pacific lowlands of costa rica. its route could have been through the arenal depression. subsequent aridity restricted its range on the pacific lowlands to the golfo dulce region. climatic fluctuation in northern central america restricted the distribution of _s. cyanosticta_ to mesic habitats on the slopes of the mexican and guatemalan highlands and to certain humid areas on the lowlands. _smilisca baudini_ was well adapted to sub-humid conditions, and the species dispersed northward to the rio grande embayment and to the edge of the sonoran desert and southward into costa rica. in southern méxico and central america the species invaded mesic habitats. consequently, in some areas it is sympatric with _s. cyanosticta_ and _phaeota_. _smilisca puma_ dispersed northward onto the caribbean lowlands of southern nicaragua. its southward movements probably were limited by the ridges of the talamanca range that extend to the caribbean coast in the area of punta cahuita in costa rica. _smilisca sila_ dispersed along the pacific lowlands and slopes of the mountains from eastern costa rica and western panamá through eastern panamá to northern colombia. climatic fluctuation in the pleistocene evidently provided sufficient altitudinal shifts in environments in the talamanca range to permit _s. sordida_ to move onto the pacific slopes. from its upland distribution the species followed streams down to both the caribbean and pacific lowlands, where it is sympatric with _s. puma_ on the caribbean lowlands and _s. sila_ on the pacific lowlands. the evolution of the species-groups of _smilisca_ was effected through isolation by physical barriers in the cenozoic; the differentiation of the species was initiated by further isolation of populations by changes in physiography and climate. present patterns of distribution resulted from pleistocene and post-wisconsin climatic changes. today, sympatric species have different breeding habits and breeding calls which reinforce the differences in morphology. summary and conclusions the genus _smilisca_ is composed of six species of tree frogs; each species is defined on the basis of adult morphology, larval characters, and breeding behavior. keys are provided to aid in the identification of adults and of tadpoles. analysis of the characters and examination of type specimens indicates that several currently-recognized taxa are synonymous, as follows: . _hyla beltrani_ taylor, = _smilisca baudini_. . _hyla gabbi_ cope, = _smilisca sordida_. . _hyla manisorum_ taylor, = _smilisca baudini_. . _hyla nigripes_ cope, = _smilisca sordida_. . _hyla wellmanorum_ taylor, = _smilisca puma_. _smilisca phaeota cyanosticta_ smith, is elevated to specific rank, and one new species, _smilisca sila_, is named and described. the skeletal system of developmental stages and the adult of _smilisca baudini_ is described, and the skull is compared with that of other members of the genus. the tadpoles are described, compared, and illustrated; the larval development of _smilisca phaeota_ is described. breeding behavior and breeding calls are described and compared. some species of _smilisca_ have breeding choruses. two species, _s. sila_ and _sordida_, breed in streams, whereas the others breed in ponds. the genus is considered to be part of the middle american faunal element; the species are thought to have differentiated in response to ecological diversity and historical opportunities provided by cenozoic changes in physiography and climate. literature cited baird, s. f. . descriptions of new genera and species of north american frogs. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : - . april . . reptiles of the boundary. united states and mexican boundary survey. washington, d. c., p. , pl. . baldauf, r. j. . morphological criteria and their use in showing bufonid phylogeny. jour. morph., : - . may. barbour, t. . notes on reptiles and amphibians from panama. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - . january . blair, w. f. . call structure and species groups in u. s. treefrogs (_hyla_). southwest. nat., : - . june , . . non-morphological data in anuran classification. syst. zool., : - . june. . evolutionary relationships of north american toads of the genus bufo: a progress report. evolution, : - . march. bogert, c. m. . the influence of sound on the behavior of amphibians and reptiles. _in_ lanyon, w. e. and tavolga, w. n. (eds.) animal sounds and communication, pp. - . brattstrom, b. h. . the phylogeny of the salientia based on skeletal morphology. syst. zool., : - . june. breder, c. m., jr. . amphibians and reptiles of the rio chucunaque drainage, darien, panama, with notes on their life histories and habits. bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . august . brocchi, p. . note sur quelques batrachiens hylaeformes recuilles au mexique et au guatemala. bull. soc. philom. paris, ser. , : - . carvalho, a. l. . a preliminary synopsis of the genera of american microhylid frogs. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , pl. . july . cochran, d. m. . type specimens of reptiles and amphibians in the united states national museum. bull. u. s. nat. mus., :xv + pp. cope, e. d. . catalogues of the reptiles obtained during the explorations of the parana, paraguay, vermejo and uraguay rivers.... proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, , pt. : - . . third contribution to the herpetology of tropical america. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : - . october. . ninth contribution to the herpetology of tropical america. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, , pt. : - . copland, s. j. . australian tree frogs of the genus _hyla_. proc. linnean soc. new south wales, , pt. : - . september. duellman, w. e. . the frogs of the hylid genus _phrynohyas_ fitzinger, . misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , pls. - . february . . a monographic study of the colubrid snake genus _leptodeira_. bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . february . a. a review of the middle american tree frogs of the genus ptychohyla. univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . october . b. a new species of tree frog, genus _phyllomedusa_, from costa rica. rev. biol. trop., ( ): - . october. . a review of the frogs of the hyla bistincta group. univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - . march . . frogs of the _hyla taeniopus_ group. copeia, no. : - . june . duellman, w. e. and klaas, l. t. . the biology of the hylid frog _triprion petasatus_. copeia, no. : - . june . dumÉril, a. m. c. and bibron, g. . erpétologie générale ou histoire naturelle complète des reptiles, vol. , pp. dunn, e. r. a. the amphibians of barro colorado island. occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : - . october . b. the herpetological fauna of the americas. copeia, no. : - . october . . herpetology of the bogotá area. rev. acad. colombiana cien. exact., fis. nat., : - . fouquette, m. j., jr. . isolating mechanisms in three sympatric tree frogs in the canal zone. evolution, : - . december. funkhouser, anne . a review of the neotropical tree-frogs of the genus _phyllomedusa_. occas. papers nat. hist. mus. stanford univ., : - . april . gadow, h. . through southern mexico. london, witherby and co. xvi + pp. gaige, h. t., hartweg, n. and stuart, l. c. . notes on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from eastern nicaragua. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - . october . goin, c. j. . synopsis of the genera of hylid frogs. ann. carnegie mus., : - . july . gosner, k. l. . a simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. herpetologica, : - . september . griffiths, i. . the phylogeny of _sminthillus limbatus_ and the status of the brachycephalidae (amphibia, salientia). proc. zool. soc. london, : - , pls. - . guzmÁn, e. j. and cserna, z. . tectonic history of mexico. amer. assoc. petrol. geol., mem. : - . hecht, m. k. . a reevaluation of the early history of the frogs. part i. syst. zool., : - . march. . a reevaluation of the early history of the frogs. part ii. syst. zool., : - . march. johnson, c. . genetic incompatibility in the call races of _hyla versicolor_ le conte in texas. copeia, no. : - . december . lloyd, j. j. . tectonic history of the south central-american orogen. amer. assoc. petrol. geol., mem. : - . maldonado-koerdell, m. . geohistory and paleogeography of middle america, _in_ wauchope, r. and west, r. c. (eds.). handbook of middle american indians, vol. , univ. texas press, austin, pp. maslin, t. p. . notes on some anuran tadpoles from yucatán, méxico. herpetologica, : - . july . mittleman, m. b. and list, j. c. . the generic differentiation of the swamp treefrogs. copeia, no. : - . may . noble, g. k. . the biology of the amphibia. mcgraw hill, new york, pp. orton, g. l. . the bearing of larval evolution on some problems in frog classification. syst. zool., : - . june. peters, w. . mittheilungen uber neue batrachier. monats. konigl. akad. wiss. berlin, pp. - . . uber eine neue schildkrötenart, _cinosternon effeldtii_ und einige andere neue oder weniger bekannte amphibien. monats. konigl. akad. wiss. berlin, pp. - , pl. . october . rivero, j. a. . salientia of venezuela. bull. comp. zool., : - . november. savage, j. m. and carvalho, a. l. . the family position of neotropical frogs currently referred to the genus _pseudis_. zoologica, : - . schmidt, k. p. . the amphibians and reptiles of british honduras. zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., : - . december . . corollary and commentary for "climate and evolution." amer. midl. nat., : - . july. schmidt, o. . diagnosen neuer frösche des zoologischen cabinets zu krakau. sitzungb. konigl. akad. wiss. math.-natur. cl., ( ): - . march. . deliciae herpetogicae musei zoologici cracoviensis. denkschr. k. k. akad. wiss. math.-natur. cl., ( ): - , pls. - . smith, h. m. . a new subspecies of the treefrog _hyla phaeota_ cope of central america. herpetologica, : - . january . smith, h. m. and taylor, e. h. . type localities of mexican reptiles and amphibians. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . march . starrett, p. . a redefinition of the genus _smilisca_. copeia, no. : - . december . stebbins, r. c. and hendrickson, j. r. . field studies of amphibians in colombia, south america. univ. california publ. zool., : - . february . stokely, p. s. and list, j. c. . the progress of ossification in the skull of the cricketfrog _pseudacris nigrita triseriata_. copeia, no. : - . july . stuart, l. c. . a contribution to a knowledge of the herpetology of a portion of the savanna region of central petén, guatemala. misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , pls. - , map. october . . the amphibians and reptiles of alta verapaz, guatemala. misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - . june . . a geographic study of the herpetofauna of alta verapaz, guatemala. contr. lab. vert. biol., : - , pls. - , map. may. . herpetofauna of the southeastern highlands of guatemala. contr. lab. vert. biol., : - , pls. - . november. . a study of the herpetofauna of the uaxactun-tikal area of northern el petén, guatemala. contr. lab. vert. biol., : - . june. . some observations on the natural history of tadpoles of _rhinophrynus dorsalis_ duméril and bibron. herpetologica, : - . july . . fauna of middle america, _in_ wauchope, r. and west, r. c. (eds.). handbook of middle american indians, vol. , univ. texas press, austin, pp. taylor, e. h. . new caudata and salientia from méxico. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . november . . the frogs and toads of costa rica. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . july . . additions to the known herpetological fauna of costa rica with comments on other species. no. i. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . june . taylor, e. h. and smith, h. m. . summary of the collections of amphibians made in méxico under the walter rathbone bacon traveling scholarship. proc. u. s. natl. mus., : - , pls. - . june . tihen, j. a. . osteological observations on new world bufo. amer. midl. nat., : - . january. . evolutionary trends in frogs. amer. zoologist, : - . vinson, g. l. and brineman, j. h. . nuclear central america, hub of antillean transverse belt. amer. assoc. petrol. geol., mem. : - . whitmore, f. c., jr. and stewart, r. h. . miocene mammals and central american seaways. science, : - . april . zweifel, r. g. . two pelobatid frogs from the tertiary of north america and their relationships to fossil and recent forms. amer. mus. novitates, : - . april . . results of the archbold expeditions. no. . frogs of the papuan hylid genus _nyctimystes_. amer. mus. novitates, : - . july . . life history of _phrynohyas venulosa_ (salientia: hylidae) in panamá. copeia, no. : - . march . _transmitted march , ._ [] - university of kansas publications museum of natural history institutional libraries interested in publications exchange may obtain this series by addressing the exchange librarian, university of kansas library, lawrence, kansas. copies for individuals, persons working in a particular field of study, may be obtained by addressing instead the museum of natural history, university of kansas, lawrence, kansas. when individuals request copies from the museum, cents should be included, for each pages or part thereof, for the purpose of defraying the costs of wrapping and mailing. for certain longer papers an additional amount, indicated below, toward some of the costs of production, is to be included. * an asterisk designates those numbers of which the museum's supply is exhausted. vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . *vol. . (complete) mammals of washington. by walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text. april , . vol. . * . the avifauna of micronesia, its origin, evolution, and distribution. by rollin h. baker. pp. - , figures in text. june , . * . a quantitative study of the nocturnal migration of birds. by george h. lowery, jr. pp. - , figures in text. june , . . phylogeny of the waxwings and allied birds. by m. dale arvey. pp. - , figures in text, tables. october , . * . birds from the state of veracruz, mexico. by george h. lowery, jr. and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text, tables. october , . index. pp. - . *vol. . (complete) american weasels. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , plates, figures in text. december , . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . *vol. . (complete) mammals of utah, _taxonomy and distribution_. by stephen d. durrant. pp. - , figures in text, tables. august , . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . * . functional morphology of three bats: eumops, myotis, macrotus. by terry a. vaughan. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. july , . * . the ancestry of modern amphibia: a review of the evidence. by theodore h. eaton, jr. pp. - , figures in text. july , . . the baculum in microtine rodents. by sidney anderson. pp. - , figures in text. february , . * . a new order of fishlike amphibia from the pennsylvanian of kansas. by theodore h. eaton, jr., and peggy lou stewart. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . natural history of the bell vireo, vireo bellii audubon. by jon c. barlow. pp. - , figures in text. march , . . two new pelycosaurs from the lower permian of oklahoma. by richard c. fox. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . vertebrates from the barrier island of tamaulipas, méxico. by robert k. selander, richard f. johnston, b. j. wilks, and gerald g. raun. pp. - , pls. - . june , . . teeth of edestid sharks. by theodore h. eaton, jr. pp. - , figures in text. october , . . variation in the muscles and nerves of the leg in two genera of grouse (tympanuchus and pedioecetes). by e. bruce holmes. pp. - , figures in text. october , . $ . . . a new genus of pennsylvanian fish (crossopterygii, coelacanthiformes) from kansas. by joan echols. pp. - , figures in text. october , . . observations on the mississippi kite in southwestern kansas. by henry s. fitch. pp. - . october , . . jaw musculature of the mourning and white-winged doves. by robert l. merz. pp. - , figures in text. october , . . thoracic and coracoid arteries in two families of birds, columbidae and hirundinidae. by marion anne jenkinson. pp. - , figures in text. march , . . the breeding birds of kansas. by richard f. johnston. pp. - , figures in text. may , . cents. . the adductor muscles of the jaw in some primitive reptiles. by richard c. fox. pp. - , figures in text. may , . index. pp. - . vol. . . five natural hybrid combinations in minnows (cyprinidae). by frank b. cross and w. l. minckley. pp. - . june , . . a distributional study of the amphibians of the isthmus of tehuantepec, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. august , . cents. . a new subspecies of the slider turtle (pseudemys scripta) from coahuila, méxico. by john m. legler. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. august , . * . autecology of the copperhead. by henry s. fitch. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. november , . . occurrence of the garter snake, thamnophis sirtalis, in the great plains and rocky mountains. by henry s. fitch and t. paul maslin. pp. - . figures in text. february , . . fishes of the wakarusa river in kansas. by james e. deacon and artie l. metcalf. pp. - , figure in text. february , . . geographic variation in the north american cyprinid fish, hybopsis gracilis. by leonard j. olund and frank b. cross. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. february , . . descriptions of two species of frogs, genus ptychohyla; studies of american hylid frogs, v. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pl. , figures in text. april , . . fish populations, following a drought, in the neosho and marais des cygnes rivers of kansas. by james everett deacon. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. august , . cents. . north american recent soft-shelled turtles (family trionychidae). by robert g. webb. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. february , . $ . . index. pp. - . vol. . . neotropical bats from western méxico. by sydney anderson. pp. - . october , . . geographical variation in the harvest mouse, reithrodontomys megalotis, on the central great plains and in adjacent regions. by j. knox jones, jr., and b. mursaloglu. pp. - , figure in text. july , . . mammals of mesa verde national park, colorado. by sydney anderson. pp. - , pls. and , figures in text. july , . . a new subspecies of the black myotis (bat) from eastern méxico. by e. raymond hall and ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . north american yellow bats, "dasypterus," and a list of the named kinds of the genus lasiurus gray. by e. raymond hall and j. knox jones, jr. pp. - , figures in text. december , . . natural history of the brush mouse (peromyscus boylii) in kansas with description of a new subspecies. by charles a. long. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . taxonomic status of some mice of the peromyscus boylii group in eastern méxico, with description of a new subspecies. by ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . a new subspecies of ground squirrel (spermophilus spilosoma) from tamaulipas, mexico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - . march , . . taxonomic status of the free-tailed bat, tadarida yucatanica miller. by j. knox jones, jr., and ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. march , . . a new doglike carnivore, genus cynarctus, from the clarendonian, pliocene, of texas. by e. raymond hall and walter w. dalquest. pp. - . figures in text. april , . . a new subspecies of wood rat (neotoma) from northeastern mexico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - . april , . . noteworthy mammals from sinaloa, mexico. by j. knox jones, jr., ticul alvarez, and m. raymond lee. pp. - , figure in text. may , . . a new bat (myotis) from mexico. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , figure in text. may , . * . the mammals of veracruz. by e. raymond hall and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text. may , . $ . . . the recent mammals of tamaulipas, méxico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - , figures in text. may , . $ . . . a new subspecies of the fruit-eating bat, sturnira ludovici, from western mexico. by j. knox jones, jr., and gary l. phillips. pp. - , figure in text. march , . . records of the fossil mammal sinclairella, family apatemyidae, from the chadronian and orellan. by william a. clemens, jr. pp. - , figures in text. march , . . the mammals of wyoming. by charles a. long. pp. - , figures in text. july , . $ . . index. pp. - . vol. . . the amphibians and reptiles of michoacán, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. december , . $ . . . some reptiles and amphibians from korea. by robert g. webb, j. knox jones, jr., and george w. byers. pp. - . january , . . a new species of frog (genus tomodactylus) from western méxico. by robert g. webb. pp. - , figure in text. march , . . type specimens of amphibians and reptiles in the museum of natural history, the university of kansas. by william e. duellman and barbara berg. pp. - . october , . . amphibians and reptiles of the rainforests of southern el petén, guatemala. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. october , . . a revision of snakes of the genus conophis (family colubridae, from middle america). by john wellman. pp. - , figures in text. october , . . a review of the middle american tree frogs of the genus ptychohyla. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. october , . cents. . natural history of the racer coluber constrictor. by henry s. fitch. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. december , . $ . . . a review of the frogs of the hyla bistincta group. by william e. duellman. pp. - , figures in text. march , . . an ecological study of the garter snake, thamnophis sirtalis. by henry s. fitch. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. may , . . breeding cycle in the ground skink, lygosoma laterale. by henry s. fitch and harry w. greene. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . amphibians and reptiles from the yucatan peninsula, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , figure in text. june , . . a new species of turtle, genus kinosternon, from central america. by john m. legler. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. june , . . a biogeographic account of the herpetofauna of michoacán, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. december , . . amphibians and reptiles of mesa verde national park, colorado. by charles l. douglas. pp. - , pls. and , figures in text. march , . index in preparation. vol. . . distribution and taxonomy of mammals of nebraska. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - , plates - , figures in text. october , . $ . . . synopsis of the lagomorphs and rodents of korea. by j. knox jones, jr., and david h. johnson. pp. - . february , . . mammals from isla cozumel, mexico, with description of a new species of harvest mouse. by j. knox jones, jr. and timothy e. lawlor. pp. - , figure in text. april , . . the yucatan deer mouse, peromyscus yucatanicus. by timothy e. lawlor. pp. - , figures in text. july , . . bats from gautemala. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - . april , . more numbers will appear in volume . vol. . . localities of fossil vertebrates obtained from the niobrara formation (cretaceous) of kansas. by david bardack. pp. - . january , . . chorda tympani branch of the facial nerve in the middle ear of tetrapods. by richard c. fox. pp. - . june , . . fishes of the kansas river system in relation to zoogeography of the great plains. by artie l. metcalf. pp. - , figures in text, maps. march , . . factors affecting growth and production of channel catfish, ictalurus punctatus. by bill a. simco and frank b. cross. pp. - , figures in text. june , . . a new species of fringe-limbed tree frog, genus hyla, from darién, panamá. by william e. duellman. pp. - , figure in text. june , . . taxonomic notes on some mexican and central american hylid frogs. by william e. duellman. pp. - . june , . . neotropical hylid frogs, genus smilisca. by william e. duellman and linda trueb. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. july , . more numbers will appear in volume . transcriber's note with the exception of the corrections listed below and several minor corrections not listed, the text presented is that which appeared in the original printed version. the list of kansas university publications has been compiled at the end of the article. typographical corrections page correction ==== ================== cleared => cleaned data based of => data based on cnmh => cnhm acahuitzotla => acahuizotla cyanostica => cyanosticta quatemala => guatemala cyanostica => cyanosticta matagalapa => matagalpa carribean => caribbean centralia => centrali proportionaely => proportionately noticably => noticeably fouquett => fouquette carvaljo => carvalho dumeril => duméril ii trutles => turtles university of kansas publications museum of natural history volume , no. , pp. - , pls. - date, april , descriptions of new hylid frogs from méxico and central america by william e. duellman university of kansas lawrence university of kansas publications, museum of natural history editors: e. raymond hall, chairman, henry s. fitch, frank b. cross volume , no. , pp. - , pls. - published april , university of kansas lawrence, kansas printed by robert r. (bob) sanders, state printer topeka, kansas - descriptions of new hylid frogs from méxico and central america by william e. duellman biological exploration of méxico and central america has revealed the presence of a diverse fauna, elements of which have undergone speciation in separate areas within the relatively small region. some genera of amphibians, especially _eleutherodactylus_ and _hyla_, are represented by many species having small geographic ranges in méxico and central america. most of the species of _hyla_ inhabiting the lowlands have been known to science for many years, and most of the novelties today are found in the less accessible highlands. no fewer than new species of hylid frogs have been discovered and named from méxico and central america in the past decade. in the spring and summer of i studied hylid frogs in many parts of southern méxico and central america; the field work was designed to obtain specimens and data that would resolve certain systematic problems. to a certain extent the studies were successful, but in the course of the work five previously unknown hylids were discovered; these are named and described in this paper. the only species described herein that i do not know in life is one of _plectrohyla_ that has been represented in museum collections for several years but was not obtained in my own field work. in this paper i am presenting diagnoses, descriptions, and brief comments on the relationships of five new species and one subspecies. more exhaustive accounts will be included in a monograph, now in preparation, on the middle american hylids. for use of comparative material used in the preparation of this paper, i am indebted to richard j. baldauf, texas cooperative wildlife collection (tcwc); charles m. bogert, american museum of natural history (amnh); james a. peters, united states national museum (usnm); hobart m. smith, university of illinois museum of natural history (uimnh); charles f. walker, university of michigan museum of zoology (ummz); and ernest e. williams, museum of comparative zoology (mcz). ku refers to the university of kansas museum of natural history. i am especially grateful for help in obtaining specimens and data to linda trueb, who accompanied me throughout méxico and central america, where we were joined by john d. lynch in costa rica and charles w. myers in panamá. linda trueb offered helpful suggestions in the course of preparing the manuscript, and david m. dennis skillfully prepared the illustrations which more accurately depict the frogs than my written descriptions; both of these persons have my thanks for their contributions. ratibor hartmann of finca santa clara, chiriquí, panamá, made possible our travels to the río changena on the atlantic slopes of bocas del toro. field work in costa rica was facilitated by the organization of tropical studies through the courtesy of stephen b. preston and norman scott. rodolfo hernandez corzo of the dirección general de la fauna silvestre provided the necessary permits to collect in méxico. i thank each of these persons for his helpfulness and cooperation. field work in méxico and central america and the associated laboratory studies on middle american hylid frogs are supported by grants from the national science foundation (gb- and gb- ). the field work in panamá was part of a survey of the herpetofauna of that country carried out in cooperation with the gorgas memorial laboratory and supported by the national institutes of health (gm- ). hyla xanthosticta new species plate _holotype._--adult female, ku , from the south fork of the río las vueltas on the south slope of volcán barba, near the northwest base of cerro chompipe, heredia province, costa rica, elevation meters; obtained on june , , by john d. lynch. _diagnosis._--a member of the _hyla pictipes_ group (starrett, ), characterized by having dorsum uniform green, canthal stripe bronze-color, flanks and anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs dark brown with bright yellow spots, throat and belly yellow, and hands having only vestigial web. _description of holotype._--female having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe) . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head width . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length. snout in lateral profile truncate, slightly inclined posteroventrally, in dorsal profile narrow but truncate; canthus angular; loreal region barely concave; lips thick, barely flared. snout long; distance from anterior corner of eye to nostril equal to diameter of eye; nostrils slightly protuberant, directed laterally; internarial distance, . mm.; internarial area slightly depressed; top of head slightly convex; interorbital distance . mm., . per cent of width of head; width at eyelid . mm.; . per cent of width of head. diameter of eye . mm.; thin dermal fold extending posteriorly from posterior corner of eye, above tympanum, to point above insertion of arm. tympanum distinct, its diameter half that of eye. axillary membrane absent; arms slender; thin scalloped dermal fold on ventrolateral edge of forearm; thin dermal fold on wrist; fingers long, tapering; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs small, only slightly wider than digits; subarticular tubercles large; distal tubercle on third finger broad, flat; distal tubercle on fourth finger strongly bifid; supernumerary tubercles large, round, closely spaced irregularly on proximal segments of digits; prepollex moderately enlarged. web lacking between first and second fingers, vestigial between second and third fingers, extending from middle of antepenultimate phalanx of third to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth. heels overlap by about one-third length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to anterior edge of eye; thin transverse dermal fold on heel; scalloped dermal fold along outer edge of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle large, flat, elliptical, visible from above; toes long, slender; length of toes from longest to shortest, - - - - ; discs small, barely wider than digits; subarticular tubercles large, round, subconical; supernumerary tubercles few, scattered on proximal segments of digits; toes about two-thirds webbed; webbing extending from middle of penultimate phalanx of first toe to middle of penultimate phalanx of second, from distal end of penultimate phalanx of second to base of penultimate of third, from distal end of penultimate phalanx of third to middle of antepenultimate of fourth to middle of penultimate of fifth toe. anal opening directed posteroventrally at level of mid-thigh, bordered below by large tubercles; anal sheath lacking. skin smooth on dorsum except for small scattered tubercles, granular on belly and posteroventral surfaces of thighs. tongue round, emarginate, barely free behind. prevomerine teeth - , on large ovoid elevations at level of posterior edges of small round choanae. color (in preservative): dark purplish brown above, brown on limbs; first three fingers and first three toes creamy yellow; other digits brown; flanks dark brown with white spots; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs and inner surfaces of shanks brown with cream-colored spots. white stripes on edge of upper lip, ventrolateral edge of forearm, outer edge of tarsus, and above anus. chin and throat white; belly and ventral surfaces of limbs cream-color. color (in life): dorsum green, palest on sides of head; dorsal surfaces of thighs tan; canthal stripe bronze-tan (reddish copper at night); flanks, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs, and inner surfaces of tarsi brown with bright yellow spots. throat and belly pale yellow; ventral surfaces of limbs dull, dark yellow; large, bright yellow spot on anteroventral surface of thigh; bright yellow tubercles on median part of ventral surface of thigh. anal area dark brown with white stripe above and yellow stripe below; white stripe on outer edge of forearm, outer edge of tarsus, and edge of upper lip. iris gold-color with fine black reticulations and faint reddish suffusion medially; palpebral membrane clear. _comparisons._--_hyla xanthosticta_ is a member of the _hyla pictipes_ group that contains _debilis_, _pictipes_, _rivularis_, and _tica_. from all of these, _xanthosticta_ differs by having large yellow spots on the flanks and thighs, a white labial stripe, and a large yellow spot on the proximal ventral surface of each thigh. females of _hyla pictipes_ have small creamy yellow spots on the flanks and thighs but have dark spots on the venter; furthermore, _pictipes_ lacks white stripes on the upper lip and above the anus, lacks a canthal stripe, and has larger discs and less webbing on the hand. _hyla tica_ differs from _xanthosticta_ by having white mottling on the flanks, dark transverse bands on the limbs, and larger discs, and lacks yellow spots on the thighs, and white stripes on the upper lip, limbs, and above the anus. _hyla rivularis_ is notably different in having a tan dorsum and creamy yellow venter with black flecks; moreover, _rivularis_ lacks spots on the flanks and thighs and white stripes on the upper lip, limbs, and above the anus. of all of the species in the _pictipes_ group, _xanthosticta_ most closely resembles _debilis_. this species has a dull green dorsum, usually flecked with brown or black, and a creamy white venter. the flanks of _debilis_ are creamy white with small brown flecks, and the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs are bright yellow. _hyla debilis_ has a dull tan canthal stripe and white spots on the upper lip; the webbing on the hand is slightly more extensive, and the discs are slightly larger, in _debilis_ than in _xanthosticta_. the presence of the large yellow spots on the flanks and thighs in combination with the uniformly green dorsum and yellow venter immediately distinguishes _hyla xanthosticta_ from all other known species of middle american hylids. _remarks._--the only known specimen of _hyla xanthosticta_ was perched at night on a leaf about one meter above the ground. the frog was found in humid upper montane forest characterized by large oaks supporting many bromeliads and heavy growths of mosses. two other members of the _hyla pictipes_ group--_pictipes_ and _rivularis_--were abundant along a stream in the oak forest. the specific name is derived from the greek _xanthos_ meaning yellow and the greek _stiktos_ meaning spotted, and alludes to the diagnostic yellow spots on the flanks and thighs. hyla pseudopuma infucata new subspecies plate _holotype._--adult male, ku from the río changena, bocas del toro province, panamá, elevation meters; obtained may , , by william e. duellman. _paratypes._--ku - ; mcz - , and ummz - , same locality; collected may - , , by william e. duellman. _diagnosis._--a subspecies of _hyla pseudopuma_ characterized by having dark red, instead of yellow, in groin and on anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs; white stripe above anal opening; and blunt snout. _description of holotype._--adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle) . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head width . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length. snout in lateral profile bluntly rounded, in dorsal profile truncate; canthus rounded; loreal region barely concave; lips thick, moderately flared. snout short, distance from anterior corner of eye to nostril equal to about three-fourths diameter of eye; nostrils slightly protuberant, directed dorsolaterally; internarial distance . mm.; internarial area not depressed; top of head flat; interorbital distance . mm., . per cent of width of head; width of eyelid . mm., . per cent of width of head. eye large, protuberant, diameter . mm.; thin dermal fold extending posteriorly from posterior corner of eye, obscuring upper edge of tympanum, curving downward to point above insertion of arm. tympanum distinct except dorsally, its diameter . per cent that of eye, separated from eye by distance equal to diameter of tympanum. axillary membrane absent; arms moderately robust; dermal fold on outer edge of forearm indistinct, interrupted; transverse fold on wrist weak; fingers short, stocky; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs large, width of that on third finger . mm., larger than tympanum; subarticular tubercles moderately small, flat, none distinctly bifid; supernumerary tubercles conical, present on proximal segments; prepollex enlarged, bearing nuptial excrescence composed of many minute horny spinules; webbing absent between first and second fingers, extending from middle of antepenultimate phalanx of second to base of antepenultimate phalanx of third and beyond to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth finger. heels overlap by about one-third length of tarsus when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to anterior corner of eye; transverse dermal fold on heel; tarsal fold absent; inner metatarsal tubercle long, elliptical, flat, barely visible from above; outer metatarsal tubercle small, conical; toes moderately long, stout; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - ; discs nearly as large as those on fingers; subarticular tubercles small, flat; supernumerary tubercles large, conical, pigmented, in single row on proximal segments of each toe; toes about two-thirds webbed; webbing extending from distal end of penultimate phalanx of first toe to base of penultimate phalanx of second, from distal end of penultimate phalanx of second to middle of antepenultimate of third, from distal end of penultimate phalanx of third to base of penultimate of fourth to distal end of penultimate of fifth toe. anal opening directed posteriorly at level of upper surfaces of thighs, bordered below by vertical flesh folds; anal sheath absent. skin of belly, ventral surfaces of arms, and proximal posteroventral surfaces of thighs granular, elsewhere smooth. tongue ovoid, about twice as long as wide, shallowly notched posteriorly, barely free behind. prevomerine teeth - , situated on transverse ridges between posterior borders of small round choanae. vocal slit extending from midlateral edge of tongue to angle of jaw. color (in preservative): dorsum grayish tan with large brown blotch extending from eyelids to middle of back, limbs marked with brown transverse bars, on each forearm, on each thigh, shank, and foot. flanks dark gray with white spots; groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs, ventral surfaces of shanks, and inner edges of feet orange-tan; anal region dark brown, bordered above by white stripe; belly and chin creamy white, latter with grayish brown flecks. color (in life): dorsum yellowish tan with olive-brown markings by night and uniform pale yellowish tan by day; axilla, inner surface of elbow, groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs, ventral surfaces of thighs and shanks, inner surfaces of feet, and dorsal surfaces of first three toes tomato red; flanks dark blue with yellow spots and reticulations. throat, chest, and anterior part of belly creamy white; posterior part of belly orange, becoming red in extreme posterior region; throat flecked with brown; iris pale bronze with black reticulations; palpebral membrane clear above, yellowish tan below; nuptial excrescenses dark brown. _variation._--the discussion of variation is based on the type series plus specimens (ku - ) from the río claro near its junction with the río changena, at an elevation of meters. females are slightly larger than males, but do not differ significantly in proportions (table ). all specimens have the diagnostic red legs and blue flanks with yellow spots or mottling, but the dorsal pattern is highly variable. in most individuals the dark markings on the dorsum are a solid color, but in some the borders of the marks are dark, and the interior of each mark is nearly the same color as the rest of the dorsum. a triangular dark mark with the anterolateral corners on the eyelids is present in all specimens. in some individuals the posteriorly directed apex of this triangular mark is connected to the apex of another triangular mark on the back; in other individuals the marks are narrowly separated, whereas in a few specimens the marks are broadly connected. a dark blotch usually is present on the posterior end of the body. one specimen (ku ) has many small white spots on the dorsum. the white stripe above the anus is invariably present, and the transverse bars on the limbs are present in all specimens, although they are indistinct in some individuals. the pattern on the flanks varies from three or four large spots to many ( - ) small spots. all males have dark flecks or reticulations on the throat; in some individuals the chest and belly are heavily flecked. although the amount of flecking is much less in most females, one individual is as heavily flecked on the throat and belly as any male. the change in coloration in this frog is noteworthy. the following description of metachrosis in seven specimens from the río claro illustrates the change. at night the frogs were yellowish tan above with slightly darker dorsal markings. the axilla, groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs, ventral surfaces of the hind limbs, and webbing on the hands and feet were tomato red. by day, some individuals became creamy yellow, others ashy white, and others grayish tan. the flanks were dark blue with yellow spots. _comparisons._--the population of frogs described here closely resembles _hyla pseudopuma_ günther in the highlands of costa rica. both have the same kind of, and variation in, dorsal markings; conical, pigmented supernumerary tubercles on the toes; bilobate vocal sac; and large prepollex bearing horny nuptial spinules. although at present no evidence for intergradation exists, the population described here is considered to be a subspecies of _hyla pseudopuma_. the two subspecies exhibit few differences in size and proportions, except that the tympanum is larger in _pseudopuma_ (table ). _hyla p. pseudopuma_ has dark brown or yellowish tan thighs and brown flanks with a few creamy white spots; the groin in some specimens is pale blue. the red color on the limbs characteristic of _infucata_ is lacking in _pseudopuma_, which also lacks the white stripe above the anus characteristic of _infucata_. the only noticeable morphological difference between the subspecies, except in the size of the tympanum, is the shape of the snout. in _infucata_ the snout is bluntly rounded in lateral profile and truncate in dorsal profile, whereas in _pseudopuma_ the snout is more acutely rounded in lateral profile and acuminate in dorsal profile (fig. ). this external difference is correlated with the nature of the underlying premaxillaries. in _infucata_ the premaxillaries lie in a transverse plane and have short, nearly vertical alary processes, whereas in _pseudopuma_ the premaxillaries lie at a slight angle and have longer alary processes that are inclined posteriorly. table .--variation in certain measurements and proportions in the subspecies of hyla pseudopuma. (means are given in parentheses below the observed range.) ==================+========+==+==========+==========+==========+========== | | |snout-vent| tibia | foot | tympanum/ subspecies | sex | n| length | length/ | length/ | eye | | | | s-v l | s-v l | ------------------+--------+--+----------+----------+----------+---------- _h. p. pseudopuma_|[male] | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . |[symbol]| | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _h. p. infucata_ |[male] | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . |[symbol]| | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _h. p. pseudopuma_|[female]| | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . |[symbol]| | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _h. p. infucata_ |[female]| | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . |[symbol]| | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ------------------+--------+--+----------+----------+----------+---------- [illustration: fig. . lateral views of the heads of _hyla pseudopuma pseudopuma_ (left, ku ) and _h. p. infucata_ (right, ku ). × .] the only other frog in central america having red webs and anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs is _hyla loquax_, which has a broad head, extensive axillary membrane, single median vocal sac, and uniformly creamy yellow flanks; furthermore, _loquax_ lacks conical, pigmented supernumerary tubercles on the toes and a large prepollex with horny nuptial spinules. _hyla rufitela_ has red webbing, but in no other diagnostic feature resembles _infucata_, for _rufitela_ is green above, white below, and has angular prevomerine dentigerous ridges. _remarks._--most specimens of _hyla pseudopuma infucata_ were found on bushes and low trees at night. three males and one clasping pair were on the ground. the habitat is humid lower montane forest where the amount of rainfall is high. although no breeding was observed nor calls heard, it is presumed that this subspecies breeds in shallow, temporary pools, like those utilized by the nominate subspecies. the two localities where _hyla pseudopuma infucata_ is known are in the maze of ridges north of cerro pando on the panamanian-costa rican border. the río claro is a tributary of the río changena, in turn a tributary of the río changuinola, which receives many streams and rivers draining the northern slopes of the highlands in bocas del toro province before flowing into the caribbean. we reached the río claro and río changena by walking from finca santa clara on the pacific slopes, over the continental divide, and down the north slope of cerro pando. the subspecific name is derived from the latin _infucatus_, meaning painted, in allusion to the red colors on the limbs and webs. hyla pellita new species plate _holotype._--adult male, ku from kilometers north of san gabriel mixtepec, oaxaca, méxico, elevation meters; obtained on february , , by william e. duellman and linda trueb. _paratypes._--ku - collected with the holotype and ku - from kilometers north of san gabriel mixtepec, oaxaca, méxico, elevation meters; same date and collectors. _diagnosis._--a small yellowish tan _hyla_ characterized by tympanum concealed, anal opening not bordered below by large tubercles, brown bands on shanks, and dark flecks on roof of mouth anteriorly. _description of holotype._--adult male having snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe) . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length. snout in lateral profile truncate, rounded above, in dorsal profile rounded; canthus angular; loreal region slightly concave; lips thin, flared. snout moderately long, distance from anterior corner of eye to nostril slightly less than diameter of eye; nostrils slightly protuberant, directed anterolaterally; internarial area barely depressed; distance between nostrils . mm.; top of head flat; interorbital distance . mm., . per cent of width of head. diameter of eye . mm.; thin dermal fold extending from posterior corner of eye to point above insertion of arm; tympanum absent, not visible through skin. axillary membrane absent; forearms moderately slender, having indistinct tuberculate fold on ventrolateral edge, lacking distinct transverse fold on wrist; fingers short; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - , fourth nearly as long as second; discs small, about half again as wide as digits; subarticular tubercules large, round, flattened, distal ones on third and fourth fingers bifid; supernumerary tubercles large, round, present only on proximal segments; prepollex barely enlarged, lacking nuptial excrecence. web lacking between first and second fingers, extending from base of penultimate phalanx of second to base of antepenultimate phalanx of third, from middle of antepenultimate phalanx of third to distal end of antepenultimate of fourth finger. heels overlap by about one-fifth length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extending to middle of eye, tarsal fold present, extending full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle flat, ovoid, partly visible from above; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; toes short; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - ; discs small, about two-thirds width of those on fingers; subarticular tubercles small, round; supernumerary tubercles small, flattened, irregularly arranged on proximal segments. toes three-fourth webbed; web extending from base of disc of first to middle of penultimate phalanx of second, from base of disc of second to middle of penultimate phalanx of third, from base of disc of third to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth and to base of disc of fifth toe. anal opening directed posteriorly at level of dorsal surfaces of thighs, bordered below by vertical dermal folds and few small tubercles; anal sheath absent. skin heavily granular on throat, chest, belly and ventral surfaces of thighs, smooth elsewhere. tongue cordiform, deeply notched posteriorly, barely free behind. prevomerine teeth - , situated on short elevations between small round choanae; vocal slits absent. color (in preservative): pale tan above with dark brown mark in occipital region and large irregular brown mark extending from scapular region to sacral region; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs and flanks lacking pigment; dorsal surfaces of arms, shanks, and feet tan with brown transverse bars (two on each forearm, two on left shank, one on right shank, and one on each foot); entire dorsal surfaces, except hands and first four toes, peppered with black; venter creamy white; roof of mouth between, and anterior to, choanae speckled with minute black flecks. color (in life): yellowish tan above with reddish brown flecks (later changed to pale brown with dull olive-green interorbital bar, blotch on back, and flecks on dorsum); hands, feet, and anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs dull yellow; belly white; creamy white stripes on outer edge of forearm, foot, and above anus; iris pale silver-bronze. _variation._--three adult males (including holotype) have snout-vent lengths of . - . (mean . ) mm., and two females have . and . (mean . ) mm. one juvenile has a snout-vent length of . mm. no significant variation occurs in the proportions. males have - , and females have and , prevomerine teeth. the tympanum is completely concealed in all specimens. all specimens have distinct transverse bars on the limbs; the number of bars on the shank varies from one to four. two individuals are dark brown dorsally; in these the small black flecks either are not visible or are absent; flecks are present on the dorsal surfaces of four specimens that are tan or pale brown above with darker brown irregular markings. the coloration in life consisted of olive-green or olive-brown markings on the body and olive-green or brown bars on the limbs. the dorsal ground color was yellowish tan or pale brown in all individuals. _comparisons._--_hyla pellita_ differs from all known middle american _hyla_, except _mixe_, _mixomaculata_, _nubicola_, and _pinorum_, by having a concealed tympanum. the first three of these differ from _pellita_ in greater size and by having many bands on the hind limbs. superficially _h. pellita_ resembles _hyla pinorum_, which likewise has a tan dorsum with irregular markings and limbs with transverse bars. _hyla pinorum_ differs from _pellita_ by having a proportionately larger head, no transverse bands on the thighs, and large tubercles below the anus. furthermore, in _pinorum_ the quadratojugal articulates with the maxillary, whereas in _pellita_ the quadratojugal is reduced to a small spur and does not articulate with the maxillary. _remarks._--all individuals were found on low vegetation along streams in cloud forest at night. no specimens were found when the type locality was revisited in august, . duellman ( ) placed _hyla pinorum_ taylor in the synonymy of _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ ahl. at that time only the holotype, a female, of _h. pinorum_ was known. in kraig adler and i independently collected frogs and associated tadpoles in guerrero that subsequently proved to be _hyla pinorum_ and provided evidence that _hyla pinorum_ is not conspecific with _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_. the specific name _pellita_ is latin, meaning covered with skin, and is here used in reference to the complete concealment of the tympanum beneath the skin. hyla siopela new species plate _holotype._--adult male, ku , from a small stream on the west slope of cofre de perote, veracruz, méxico, elevation - meters; obtained on july , , by william e. duellman. _paratypes._--ku - , - , same locality, date, and collector; ku - , same locality, obtained on june , , by howard l. freeman; uimnh - , same locality, obtained on july - , , by macreay j. landy and john d. lynch. _diagnosis._--a member of the _hyla bistincta_ group characterized by truncate snout with short rostral keel; fingers having little webbing and bearing large discs; axillary membrane absent; thoracic fold weak; prepollex large, flat, bearing small nuptial spines; vocal slits absent; dorsum green or tan with small irregular dark spots; flanks mottled. _description of holotype._--adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe) . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head width . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length. snout in lateral profile truncate, in dorsal profile truncate with weak vertical rostral keel; canthus angular; loreal region slightly concave; lips thick, not flaring; snout short; nostrils barely protuberant, directed dorsolaterally, situated about four-fifths distance from anterior corner of eye to tip of snout; internarial distance . mm.; internarial area not depressed; top of head slightly convex; interorbital distance . mm., . per cent of width of head; width of eyelid . mm., . per cent of width of head. diameter of eye . mm.; heavy dermal fold curving posteroventrally from posterior corner of eye, covering upper one-third of tympanum, to insertion of arm; tympanum barely distinct, its diameter . mm., . per cent that of eye, separated from eye by distance equal to half again diameter of tympanum. axillary membrane absent; thoracic fold weak; arms moderately robust; fold on wrist heavy; fingers long, slender; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs large, that on third finger as large as tympanum; subarticular tubercles moderately small, round, none bifid; supernumerary tubercles small, some barely distinguishable, in single row on proximal segment of each digit; prepollex greatly enlarged, flat ventrally, bearing nuptial excrescence composed of minute horny spinules; webbing between first two fingers vestigial; web connecting other fingers at bases of penultimate phalanges of second and fourth, and base of antepenultimate phalanx of third fingers. heels overlap by about one-third length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to posterior edge of orbit; transverse dermal fold on heel; tarsal fold thin, distinct, extending length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle large, elongate, flat, visible from above; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; toes moderately long, slender; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - ; discs slightly smaller than those on fingers; subarticular tubercles moderately small, round; supernumerary tubercles small, in single row on proximal segment of each digit; toes about two-thirds webbed; webbing extends from middle of penultimate phalanx of first toe to base of penultimate phalanx of second, from middle of penultimate of second to middle of antepenultimate of third, from middle of penultimate of third to middle of antepenultimate of fourth to middle of penultimate phalanx of fifth toe. anal opening directed posteriorly at level of mid-thigh; anal sheath short. skin granular on chin, belly, and posteroventral surfaces of thighs, smooth elsewhere. tongue broadly cordiform, notched posteriorly, barely free behind. prevomerine teeth - , situated on posteromedially inclined elevations between small ovoid choanae. vocal slits absent. color (in preservative): dull grayish brown above with small, irregularly-shaped black spots on head, back, and limbs; flanks gray mottled with creamy tan; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs tan; belly dull creamy tan; throat marked with gray blotches; anal region and posterodorsal surfaces of thighs marked with small white spots. color (in life): dorsum pale green with black spots and reticulations; flanks mottled dark brown and creamy white; outer edges of feet silvery white with brown spots; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs dull brown; webbing and first three toes dull yellowish tan; belly creamy gray; throat silvery white, mottled with gray; iris dull bronze-color with black reticulations; palpebral membrane clear. _variation._--the snout-vent length in seven adult males is . - . mm., and in five females, . - . mm. in neither sex do the average proportions differ noticeably from those of the holotype, except that the tympanum is relatively larger in females. the ratio of the diameter of the tympanum to that of the eye is . - . (mean . ) in males and . - . (mean . ) in females. the average number of prevomerine teeth in males is . , in females . . in life dorsal coloration varied from pale green to olive-green with darker green or black flecks or reticulations, or pinkish tan to brown with dark brown flecks or reticulations. some preserved specimens have relatively few dark flecks, whereas in most specimens the dorsum is heavily marked. all specimens have some white markings above the anus and on the posterodorsal surfaces of the thighs, but in some individuals the white flecks are expanded and interconnected forming an irregular white line. juveniles have a notably different coloration in life. the dorsum is uniform pale green; the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs, fingers, first three toes, and webbing are deep yellow. the anal stripe is creamy white, and the flanks are pale gray with black flecks. the upper lip, supratympanic fold, and canthal stripe are a bronze color. the belly is pale yellow with a silvery cast on the throat. juveniles having snout-vent lengths from . to . mm. are so colored in life, and uniform dark bluish gray dorsally in preservative. _comparisons._--the absence of a quadratojugal and the presence of a greatly enlarged, non-projecting prepollex place _hyla siopela_ in the _hyla bistincta_ group (see duellman, , and adler, ). the presence of a rostral keel separates _hyla siopela_ from other members of the _hyla bistincta_ group, which is composed of two species having long anal sheaths (_bistincta_ and _pentheter_), two small species having axillary membranes and lacking nuptial excrescences in breeding males (_charadricola_ and _chryses_), and three species (_crassa_, _pachyderma_, and _robertsorum_) having short heads, round snouts, short anal sheaths, and nuptial excrescences in breeding males. _hyla siopela_ differs from the last three species in the shape of the snout and from each in certain structural features; _h. crassa_ has fully webbed feet; _h. pachyderma_ has large nuptial spines, and _h. robertsorum_ has more webbing and a shorter tarsal fold. furthermore, the venter in _h. robertsorum_ is brown with creamy white flecks. in structure and coloration _h. arborescandens_ resembles _siopela_, but the former is smaller, and males of _arborescandens_ have vocal slits. _remarks._--this description brings to eight the number of species now recognized in the _hyla bistincta_ group. _hyla siopela_ is most closely related to _hyla robertsorum_ from the high mountains of the sierra madre oriental in northern puebla and eastern hidalgo. possibly the four species now recognized in the _crassa_ subgroup (_crassa_, _pachyderma_, _robertsorum_, and _siopela_) are only subspecies of a single species, but differences in the amount of webbing in _crassa_ and the nature of the nuptial excrescenses in _pachyderma_ indicate that they are distinct species. the type locality of _hyla siopela_ is a small stream cascading down the western slope of cofre de perote; the lower reaches of the stream can be reached by a dirt road leading east from the village of perote for about kilometers to a small park. the frogs were found in the stream at elevations of to meters higher than the park. the stream flows through a ravine supporting open, dry pine forest. although the stream was searched thoroughly in february, , no frogs were found. in july, , adults and juveniles were found in crevices and under overhanging rocks behind small cascades and waterfalls by day and sitting on rocks and branches in the spray of cascades at night. the specific name _siopela_ is derived from the greek _siopelos_, meaning silent, and alludes to the absence of a voice in this species. hyla altipotens new species plate _holotype._--adult male, ku , from kilometers (by road) north of san gabriel mixtepec (kilometer post on road from oaxaca to puerto escondido), oaxaca, méxico, elevation meters; obtained on february , , by william e. duellman. _paratypes._--ku - collected at the same locality on february and , , by william e. duellman, and ku from kilometers (by road) north of san gabriel mixtepec, oaxaca, méxico, elevation meters; obtained on february , , by linda trueb. _diagnosis._--a member of the _hyla taeniopus_ group characterized by a yellow venter, yellow flecks on posterior surfaces of thighs, bronze-colored stripe from snout, along canthus and edge of upper eyelid to point above arm, pointed snout, smooth dorsum, and no sexual dimorphism in shape of snout. _description of holotype._--adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle) . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head width . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length. snout in lateral profile acutely rounded, protruding beyond tip of lower jaw, in dorsal profile pointed; canthus angular; loreal region flat; lips thick, barely flared. snout long; nostrils slightly protuberant, directed dorsolaterally, situated about two-thirds distance from anterior corner of eye to tip of snout; internarial distance . mm.; internarial area slightly depressed; top of head flat; interorbital distance . mm., . per cent of width of head; width of eyelid . mm., . per cent of width of head. diameter of eye . mm.; heavy dermal fold extending from posterior corner of eye, over upper edge of tympanum to point above insertion of arm; tympanum distinct, its diameter . mm., . per cent of that of the eye, separated from eye by distance equal to diameter of tympanum. axillary membrane absent; arms moderately robust, lacking dermal fold on lateral edge of forearm, having transverse fold on wrist; fingers moderately short, broad; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs large, that on third finger one-fourth larger than tympanum; subarticular tubercles large, round, none bifid; supernumerary tubercles large, granule-like, present only on proximal segments; prepollex enlarged, not bearing nuptial excrescence. fingers about one-half webbed; webbing connects first and second fingers at level of distal end of antepenultimate phalanx, extending from middle of penultimate phalanx of second finger to middle of antepenultimate phalanx of third, and between bases of penultimate phalanges of third and fourth fingers. heels overlap by about one-half length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to point between eye and nostril; thin transverse dermal fold on heel; tarsal fold strong, extending full length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle small, flat, elongate, barely visible from above; outer metatarsal tubercle small, conical; toes moderately long, stout; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - ; discs slightly smaller than those on fingers; subarticular tubercles large, round, subconical; supernumerary tubercles large, conical, in single row on proximal segment of each digit; toes about four-fifths webbed; webbing extending from base of disc on first to base of disc on second to base of penultimate phalanx of third toe, from base of disc on third to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth to base of disc of fifth toe. anal opening directed posteroventrally at mid-level of thighs; anal sheath long, tubular. skin smooth on dorsum and on ventral surfaces of shanks, granular on throat, belly, and ventral surfaces of arms and thighs. tongue ovoid, widest posteriorly, neither notched nor free behind. prevomerine teeth - , situated on robust transverse ridges between small, ovoid choanae. vocal slits absent. testes large, ovoid, granular; length of left testis . mm. color (in preservative): brown above with many darker brown spots and narrow middorsal stripe on back; six or seven dark brown transverse bars on each segment of hind limbs and four bars on each forearm; flanks white with dark brown spots; anterior surfaces of thighs creamy white with brown reticulations; posterior surfaces of thighs dark brown with creamy yellow flecks; stripe on snout, canthus, edge of upper eyelid, and supratympanic fold tan; ventral surfaces of feet brown; rest of venter creamy white; stripe above anus white. color (in life): green above with slightly darker green spots; dorsal surfaces of upper arms and thighs tan with green transverse bars; upper surfaces of forearms and shanks green with darker green transverse bars; feet, fourth and fifth toes, and third and fourth fingers tan with brown transverse bars; other fingers and toes tan with brown flecks. ventral surfaces creamy yellow, brightest on throat and chest; flanks and anterior surfaces of thighs bright creamy yellow with dark brown reticulations and spots; posterior surfaces of thighs and ventral surfaces of feet dark brown with yellow flecks; ventral surfaces of hands and webbing on hands and feet yellowish tan. labial stripe tan; stripes on outer edge of forearm, along outer edge of foot, and above anus cream-color; stripe on canthus, edge of upper eyelid, and on supratympanic fold bronze-color. iris pale bronze with black reticulations and faint median, horizontal copper-colored streak; pupil horizontally elliptical with ventral notch; palpebral membrane clear above, pale bluish green with brown reticulations below. _variation._--in life all individuals had creamy yellow venters and yellow flanks and anterior surfaces of thighs with brown or black spots and mottling. most of the adults were colored like the holotype, but one was a much darker olive-green, and one was uniform brown above with a dark brown middorsal stripe. most subadults (snout-vent lengths . - . mm.) were pale reddish tan above with darker reddish brown bars on the limbs and blotches on the back. the side of the head was dark brown and the stripe along the canthus, edge of upper eyelid, and supratympanic fold was yellowish tan. some individuals had a dark brown middorsal stripe. the posterior surfaces of the thighs were dull yellowish tan; yellow flecks were present in the larger individuals. table .--variation in measurements and proportions in hyla altipotens. (means are given in parentheses below the observed range.) =========+===+=============+=============+=============+============= | | snout- | tibia | foot | tympanum/ sex | n | vent | length/ | length/ | eye | | length | s-v l | s-v l | ---------+---+-------------+-------------+-------------+------------- males | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | females | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ---------+---+-------------+-------------+-------------+------------- the number of transverse bars on each thigh and shank varies from five to eight. the white stripe above the anus and the stripe from the snout along the side of the head are invariably present. in some of the largest individuals the brown reticulations on the anterior surface of the thigh extend onto the ventral surface; in these specimens brown flecks are present on the ventral surfaces on the shanks. the tympanum is proportionately larger in females than in males; the variation in size and proportions is given in table . the total number of prevomerine teeth varies from to (mean, ) in five adult males and from to (mean ) in two females. the testes in all adult males are granular, ovoid in shape, and greatly enlarged. the lengths of the left testis in each of the five males are . to . (mean . ) mm. _comparisons._--on the basis of external appearance and certain cranial characters (large frontoparietal fontanelle, broad sphenethmoid, large nasals broadly separated medially having thin lateral processes articulating with the palatines, short squamosal not articulating with the maxillary, and quadratojugal present and articulating with the maxillary), _hyla altipotens_ can be associated with the _hyla taeniopus_ group (duellman, , lynch and smith, ). _hyla altipotens_ can be distinguished from all of the other members of the group by its narrow head, pointed snout in both sexes, and uniformly yellow throat and belly. small brown individuals of _hyla altipotens_ superficially resemble adult _hyla pinorum_. the latter species has a covered tympanum, less webbing on the hands, and a short, blunt snout. _remarks._--this stream-breeding frog is like _hyla taeniopus_ in having greatly enlarged testes, which possibly through the production of vast quantities of sperm are an adaptation for successful breeding in torrential streams (duellman, : ). all individuals were found in trees and bushes near streams in cloud forest at night in february. the type locality is the same as that of _hyla pentheter_ and _hyla thorectes_, discovered by kraig adler in june, . our field work there in february, , resulted in finding _hyla altipotens_, _h. pellita_, and _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_, but no individuals of the species found by adler. a visit to the same locality in august, , revealed no individuals of either _h. altipotens_ or _pellita_; instead _pentheter_ and _thorectes_ were found along the stream. duellman ( : ) listed a specimen (tcwc ) of _hyla chaneque_ from los fustes, kilometers east of san sebastian, oaxaca. reëxamination of this specimen reveals that it is _hyla altipotens_. the frog was obtained by dilford carter on april , ; it was under a rock at the edge of a stream in an oak-pine-cypress association at an elevation of meters. the specific name _altipotens_ is latin, meaning mighty, here used in allusion to the supposed potentiality of fertilization by the production of vast quantities of sperm in the large testes. plectrohyla hartwegi new species plate _holotype._--adult male, ummz , from barrejonel ( kilometers west of chicomuselo), chiapas, méxico, elevation meters, obtained on june , , by eizi matuda. _paratypes._--two subadult males, ku from parajé el triunfo, north of mapastepec, chiapas, méxico, elevation meters, obtained on may , , by miguel alvarez del toro, and uimnh from cerro azul oaxaca, méxico, obtained on march , , by thomas macdougall. _diagnosis._--a _plectrohyla_ having a bifid prepollex, bold mottling on flanks and ventral surfaces of shanks, and vertical dark bars on anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs, and lacking vocal slits and outer tarsal fold. _description of holotype._--adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe) . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head width . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length. snout short, distance from level of anterior edge of orbit to tip of snout . per cent of length of eye; snout in lateral profile angular, sloping abruptly from nostrils to jaw, in dorsal profile bluntly rounded, lacking rostral keel; canthal ridge thickened; loreal region deeply concave; lips thick, barely flared. nostrils small, barely protuberant, directed anterolaterally, situated about two-thirds distance from eye to tip of snout; internarial distance . mm. internarial area barely depressed near convergence of canthal ridges; top of head flat; interorbital distance . mm., . per cent of head width; diameter of eye . mm.; width of eyelid . mm., . per cent of head width. heavy dermal fold extending posteriorly from posterior edge of orbit, covering upper edge of tympanum; two thinner folds extending ventrally from longitudinal heavy fold covering posterior edge of tympanum; anterior and ventral edges of tympanum distinct; length of tympanum . mm., . per cent of diameter of eye. axillary membrane absent; arms robust, forearm not noticeably heavier than upper arm; distinct transverse fold on wrist. fingers long, moderately slender; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs moderately large, that on third finger larger than tympanum; webbing vestigial; subarticular tubercles small, conical; terminal tubercle on fourth finger somewhat flattened; supernumerary tubercles small, in one row on proximal segment of fourth finger and in two rows on proximal segments of other fingers; prepollex greatly enlarged, barely bifurcate; spines not protruding through skin; distal spine much longer than proximal one (fig. ). heels overlap by about one-third length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends slightly beyond snout; heavy transverse dermal fold on heel; inner tarsal fold heavy, extending full length of tarsus; outer tarsal fold absent; inner metatarsal tubercle high, elliptical, visible from above, outer metatarsal tubercle absent. toes long, slender; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - ; fifth toe nearly as long as third; discs small; subarticular tubercles small, round; supernumerary tubercles small, in single row on proximal segment of each digit; toes about three-fourths webbed; webbing extending from base of disc of first toe to base of penultimate phalanx of third, from base of disc of third to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth to base of disc of fifth toe. [illustration: fig. . palmar view of prepollical spine of right hand of _plectrohyla hartwegi_ (ummz ). × .] anal opening directed posteroventrally at level of mid-thigh; anal sheath long with membranous connection to posterior surfaces of thighs. skin on dorsal surfaces finely tuberculate; that on throat, chest, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular, that on ventral surfaces of arms and shanks smooth. tongue nearly round, free posteriorly for about one-fourth its length, barely notched behind. upper jaw shallowly notched medially. maxillary-premaxillary teeth - ; prevomerine teeth - , situated on small elliptical elevations between quadrangular choanae; vocal slits absent. color (in preservative): uniform dull brown above and creamy yellow below; flanks brown with creamy yellow mottling and dark brown spots in groin; anterior surfaces of thighs creamy yellow with two broad, vertical, dark brown bars proximally and two narrower, dull brown bars distally; posterior surfaces of thighs brown with dark brown vertical bars, interspaces cream-colored or brown. ventral surfaces of shanks creamy yellow with bold brown reticulations. _variation._--the paratypes are smaller, having snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. in these specimens the ratio of the length of the tibia to the snout-vent length is . and . per cent, and the ratio of the diameter of the tympanum to the diameter of the eye is . and . per cent, respectively. both specimens have - prevomerine teeth; one specimen has - , and the other has - , maxillary-premaxillary teeth. in these small specimens the supratympanic fold is thin, and the arms are not so robust as in the holotype. in one specimen (ku ) the tongue is not notched posteriorly. the terminal subarticular tubercle on each fourth finger is broad and flattened in uimnh , but conical in ku . both specimens have bold creamy-yellow and dark brown mottling on the flanks and dark brown reticulations on the ventral surfaces of the shanks. there are two dark brown vertical bars on the anterior and posterior surfaces of each thigh in ku and three bars on each surface in uimnh . _comparisons._--_plectrohyla hartwegi_ differs from all known species in the genus by having boldly mottled flanks, dark reticulations on the ventral surfaces of the shanks, and dark vertical bars on the shanks. in all of the other species the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs are unmarked, and the flanks are either plain or marked with small spots or flecks. structurally, _p. hartwegi_ belongs in the _guatemalensis_ group of the genus, containing _avia_, _glandulosa_, _guatemalensis_, and _pycnochila_. the species in this group lack vocal slits and have either large, rectangular, or bifid prepollices. _plectrohyla hartwegi_ differs from all of these species, except _pycnochila_, by having a tuberculate, instead of a smooth, dorsum, and _hartwegi_ differs from _pycnochila_ by having a bifid, instead of a rectangular, prepollex. _remarks._--the known distribution of _plectrohyla hartwegi_ includes three localities at elevations of to meters in the sierra madre of chiapas and extreme eastern oaxaca. the specimen from parajé el triunfo was found in a rocky stream in cloud forest at an elevation of meters. one _plectrohyla sagorum_ was obtained from the same stream. eizi matuda sent the holotype to the late dr. norman hartweg, who recognized that the specimen was unique but was reluctant to name the species on the basis of a single specimen. now that two additional specimens are available, it seems appropriate to associate hartweg's name with this new species of _plectrohyla_, a genus that hartweg first adequately defined. literature cited adler, k. . three new frogs of the genus _hyla_ from the sierra madre del sur of méxico. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , pl. , december . duellman, w. e. . synonymy, variation, and distribution of _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ ahl. studies of american hylid frogs, iv. herpetologica, : - , september . . a review of the frogs of the _hyla bistincta_ group. univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , march . . frogs of the _hyla taeniopus_ group. copeia, : - , june . starrett, p. . rediscovery of _hyla pictipes_ cope, with description of a new montane stream _hyla_ from costa rica. bull. south. california acad. sci., ( ): - , march. _transmitted july , ._ [illustration: plate upper figure, _hyla xanthosticta_ (ku ); lower figure, _hyla pseudopuma infucata_ (ku ). × .] [illustration: plate upper figure, _hyla pellita_ (ku ); middle figure, _hyla pellita_ (ku ); lower figure, _hyla siopela_ (ku ). × .] [illustration: plate upper figure, _hyla altipotens_ (ku ); lower figure, _plectrohyla hartwegi_ (ummz ). × .] - transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors corrected. spelling corrections: 'mexico' to 'méxico' on title page for consistency. 'granulelike' to 'granule-like' ...large, granule-like, present... 'midlevel' to 'mid-level' ... at mid-level of thighs... 'posterio' to 'posterior' ...anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs... 'flank' to 'flanks' ...mottling on flanks... university of kansas publications museum of natural history volume , no. , pp. - , figs. march , a review of the frogs of the hyla bistincta group by william e. duellman university of kansas lawrence university of kansas publications, museum of natural history editors: e. raymond hall, chairman, henry s. fitch, theodore h. eaton, jr. volume , no. , - , figs. published march , university of kansas lawrence, kansas printed by the state printer topeka, kansas - a review of the frogs of the hyla bistincta group by william e. duellman contents page introduction acknowledgments the hyla bistincta group analysis of characters key to the species of the hyla bistincta group accounts of the species _hyla bistincta_ cope _hyla charadricola_ new species _hyla robertsorum_ taylor _hyla pachyderma_ taylor _hyla crassa_ (brocchi) relationships literature cited introduction in the mountainous regions of middle america there are several groups of hylid frogs that inhabit mountain streams. some of these groups, such as _plectrohyla_ and _ptychohyla_, have been elevated to generic rank, whereas others are retained in the large and complex genus _hyla_. in the mountains of méxico five species of hylids that seem to compose a phyletic unit are herein referred to as the _hyla bistincta_ group. since i have been accumulating specimens of, and data on, this group with the result that all specimens known to me, including the types of all named taxa, have been studied. detailed observations have been made on the ecology and life histories of three of the species; the other two species are known to me only from preserved specimens. acknowledgments for permission to examine specimens in their care i am indebted to charles m. bogert, american museum of natural history (amnh); doris m. cochran, united states national museum (usnm); jean guibé, museum national d'histoire naturelle, paris (mnhn); robert f. inger, chicago natural history museum (cnhm); hobart m. smith, university of illinois museum of natural history (uimnh); charles f. walker, university of michigan museum of zoology (ummz). (abbreviations of institutions given above in parentheses are used throughout; the museum of natural history, university of kansas is abbreviated ku.) for their willing assistance in the field i am grateful to ann s. duellman, dale l. hoyt, and john wellman. permits for collecting in méxico were generously issued by the late ing. luis macías arellano, departamento de la fauna silvestre, dirección general de caza. the drawings in figures and were executed by gail selfridge. this research has been supported by the national science foundation (nsf g- ). the hyla bistincta group the five species comprising the _hyla bistincta_ group are moderate-sized hylids having rather blunt heads and robust bodies. the fingers are long and have little webbing (fig. ). the skin of the dorsum is thick and glandular, but not tuberculate. an anal sheath is present. the skull is rather broad, flat, and solidly roofed. the ethmoid is broad, curved downward laterally, and solidly sutured to the frontoparietal. the nasals are broad, sutured for their entire width with the ethmoid, and broadly in contact medially. the premaxillaries are in contact medially; each has a long, flat nasal process. the quadratojugal is absent, and the maxillary tapers to a point posteriorly. there is no squamosal-maxillary connection. the maxillary and premaxillary teeth are rather long, bifid, and moderately spatulate. some teeth on the premaxillary and anterior part of the maxillary are hooked. the vomerine teeth are spatulate and bifid. a broad, flat, ossified prepollex is present but does not project as a spine. the known tadpoles have ventral mouths, / tooth-rows, two or more rows of labial papillae, and long tails with low fins. [illustration: fig. . palmar view of right hand of: _a._--_hyla robertsorum_ (ku ), _b._--_hyla charadricola_ (ku ). × .] as thus defined the _hyla bistincta_ group can be distinguished from all other groups of middle american frogs by the combination of absence of the quadratojugal, non-projecting prepollex, long fingers with little webbing, and stream-inhabiting tadpoles having / tooth rows and two or more rows of labial papillae. possibly _hyla arborescandens_ and _hyla hazelae_ belong in this group. because these species are somewhat different from the included species and because their tadpoles are as yet unknown, i have refrained from including these two species in the _hyla bistincta_ group. taylor ( : ) assigned _hyla proboscidea_ (= _h. dalquesti_) and ( : ) _hyla cyclomaculata_ to this group, but because these two species have a quadratojugal and notably different tadpoles, they are excluded from the group. frogs of the genus _plectrohyla_ closely resemble species in the _hyla bistincta_ group but differ principally in having a projecting prepollex. in the highlands of costa rica a group of species, of which _hyla moesta_ is best known, resembles species in the _hyla bistincta_ group. at present insufficient information is available on the costa rican species to determine their affinities. analysis of characters the characters used in the systematic study of the frogs in this group are those usually employed in anuran systematics. of the various measurements and proportions, the snout-vent length and the relative size of the tympanum to the eye apparently are of more taxonomic importance than the others (table ). in all of the species the tympanum is at least partially covered by a heavy, dermal supratympanic fold, and in some specimens of _h. pachyderma_ the tympanum is completely obscured. in two species (_h. bistincta_ and _h. charadricola_) the snout is square, whereas in the other species it is round. the fingers are long and slender in _h. crassa_, _pachyderma_, and _robertsorum_ and somewhat shorter with more webbing in _h. bistincta_ and _charadricola_. breeding males of _hyla pachyderma_ have moderately large nuptial spines; the other species have small spines, except _h. charadricola_ in which spines apparently are absent. a well-defined thoracic fold is present in _h. pachyderma_, and a weak fold is present in _h. robertsorum_; the other species lack folds. in all species there is an anal sheath; this sheath is longest in _h. bistincta_, in which the anal opening is directed ventrally at the level of the lower edge of the thighs. table .--comparison of certain measurements and proportions in the species of the hyla bistincta group. (data from adult males; means are given in parentheses below the ranges.) a: snout-vent length b: tibia length / snout-vent length c: head width / snout-vent length d: tympanum / eye ==================================================================== species | n | [a] | [b] | [c] | [d] ---------------+----+-----------+-----------+-----------+----------- _h. bistincta_ | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | _h. | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . charadricola_ | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | _h. | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . robertsorum_ | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | _h. pachyderma_| | . | . | . | ... | | | | | _h. crassa_ | | . | . | . | . ---------------+----+-----------+-----------+-----------+----------- frogs in this group are rather drab in appearance. the dorsal color varies from dull green to various shades of brown. the most distinct aspect of the coloration is the different color patterns on the flanks and posterior surfaces of the thighs. the flanks in all species are marked with spots or reticulations. _hyla bistincta_ differs from other members of the group in having vocal slits and a distensible vocal sac. only this species has been reported to call (shannon, : ). insofar as is known, the other species are mute. examination of skeletal preparations of _h. bistincta_, _charadricola_, and _robertsorum_ and x-rays of the other species shows no notable specific differences in the osteology. since the tadpoles of only _h. bistincta_ (duellman, : ) and _h. robertsorum_ (rabb and mosimann, ) are known, larval characters are of limited use in intra-group systematics. key to the species of the _hyla bistincta_ group . snout, in dorsal profile, short and bluntly rounded; canthus rounded, sometimes indistinct, vocal slits absent snout, in dorsal profile, longer, squared; canthus distinct, vocal slits present or absent . feet webbed to base of discs; dorsum dull olive green; flanks having cream-colored spots _h. crassa_, p. feet not webbed to base of discs; dorsum brown . tarsal fold strong; thoracic fold heavy; webbing on feet extending to middle of penultimate phalanx of fourth toe; distinct white stripe above anus; cluster of largo spines on thumb in breeding males, _h. pachyderma_, p. tarsal fold weak and short; thoracic fold absent or barely indicated; webbing of feet extending to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth toe; no distinct white stripe above anus; nuptial tuberosities in breeding males consisting of small spines _h. robertsorum_, p. . tarsal fold strong; anal flap elongate; anus opening at lower edge of femur; dorsum tan or brown; flanks mottled with cream and brown; venter immaculate creamy white; no anal stripe; vocal slits present, _h. bistincta_, p. tarsal fold faint and short; anal flap not elongate; anus opening at middle of femur; dorsum olive-green with black reticulations; flanks greenish gray with brown or black spots; a row of white flecks above and below anus, vocal slits absent _h. charadricola_, p. accounts of the species in the following accounts complete synonymies are given for each species. in each account one specimen is described in detail; after this description the variation is discussed. in the list of specimens examined, localities are arranged alphabetically within the states, which also are given in alphabetical order. localities given in italics are not shown on the accompanying maps (figs. and ) due to crowding of symbols. #hyla bistincta# cope _hyla bistincta_ cope, proc. amer. philos. soc, : , august, [holotype.--usnm from "most probably veracruz," méxico; francis sumichrast collector]. brocchi, Étude des batraciens de l'amérique centrale, p. , . boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia, nd ed., p. , february , . sumichrast, la naturaleza, : , . cope, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , ; bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . günther, biologia centrali-americana, reptilia and batrachia, pp. - , june, . díaz de león, indice de los batracios que se encuentran en la república mexicana, p. , june, . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura i, p. , june, . kellogg, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : - , march , . taylor, proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , april , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , . taylor and smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . taylor, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , august , ; copeia, no. : - , december , . smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , [type locality restricted to acultzingo, veracruz, méxico]. rabb and mosimann, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , march , . duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , december , . _hyla bistincta labeculata_ shannon, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : - , figs. a, d, may , [holotype.--usnm from san lucas camotlán, oaxaca, méxico; walter s. miller collector]. smith and williams, herpetologica, : , april , . _hyla bistincta bistincta_, shannon, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , may , . shannon and werler, herpetologica, : , july , . smith and williams, herpetologica, : , april , . _diagnosis._--maximum snout-vent length in males mm.; snout in dorsal profile truncate; tarsal fold strong; inner metatarsal tubercle large, high, and elongate; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; webbing on foot extending to middle of antepenultimate phalanx of fourth toe; nuptial spines on thumb small; thoracic fold absent; anal opening at level of lower edge of femur; dorsum brown or tan; belly cream-color; flanks creamy yellow with brown reticulations or spots; anal stripe absent; vocal slits present. _description._--the following description is based on ku from uruapan, michoacán, méxico. adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe), . mm.; greatest width of head, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm., . per cent of diameter of eye. snout in lateral profile bluntly rounded, in dorsal profile truncate; canthus pronounced, rounded, not angular; loreal region slightly concave; lips thick, round, not flaring; nostrils slightly protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; interorbital distance, . mm., somewhat broader than width of eyelid, . mm. a heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum and curved downward to insertion of forearm; tympanum round, its diameter slightly more than its distance from eye. forearm not robust; row of small pustules on ventral surface of forearm; fold on wrist; prepollex moderately enlarged, covered with small, horny, nuptial spines continuous on edge of digit; row of spines on inner surface of second finger; subarticular tubercles large, round, none bifid; supernumerary tubercles rather large, round; palmar tubercles rather small, flat, elliptical; fingers long, moderately slender; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs moderately large, that on third finger slightly larger than tympanum; rudimentary web between first and second and between second and third fingers; web between third and fourth fingers extending about one-fourth length of fourth finger. heels overlap by about one-third length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to anterior edge of eye; tarsal fold strong, extending to heel; inner metatarsal tubercle large, high, and elongate; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; subarticular tubercles moderately large, round; supernumerary tubercles small, in single rows on proximal segments of digits; toes moderately short; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - , third and fifth toes about equal in length; toes about two-thirds webbed; web extending to middle of antepenultimate phalanx of fourth toe, to discs of first, second, and fifth toes, and to base of penultimate phalanx of third toe; discs rather small, about two-thirds size of those on fingers. anal opening at level of lower edge of thighs; anal sheath elongate, deeply creased medially; transverse dermal fold above anus. skin of dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs faintly areolate; skin of chin, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular, that of ventral surfaces of limbs, except thighs, areolate; thoracic fold absent. tongue nearly round, slightly longer than wide, shallowly notched behind and barely free posteriorly. vomerine teeth - , situated on rounded vomerine ridges between rather small ovoid inner nares; vocal slits present, situated along posterior edge of each ramus. color (in alcohol) pale brown on dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs; flanks and anterior surfaces of thighs creamy white with dark brown reticulations; posterior surfaces of thighs tan with creamy white spots; belly cream-color; anal stripe absent. color (in life) pale tan on dorsal surfaces; flanks and anterior surfaces of thighs pale creamy yellow with purplish brown reticulations; posterior surfaces of thighs tan with yellow spots; ventral surfaces yellow; iris pale copper-color. _variation._--there is little variation in structure. the total number of vomerine teeth varies from to . in some individuals the supratympanic fold covers the upper part of the tympanum, but at least the lower part of the tympanum is always visible. the extent of the webbing between the toes varies from three-fourths to two-thirds complete. usually the web extends to some point on the antepenultimate phalanx of the fourth toe, but in some specimens the web extends to the base of the penultimate phalanx. in the large series of specimens from uruapan, michoacán, the coloration of the flanks and anterior surfaces of the thighs varies from nearly uniform creamy yellow with only fine dark reticulations to bold reticulations enclosing yellow spots. some specimens from oaxaca and veracruz have slightly different markings on the flanks; in these the dark pigment is in the form of irregular spots or dashes, instead of reticulations. there is considerable variation in color in the living frogs. the dorsum varies from greenish tan and pale yellowish tan to reddish brown, and some individuals are dark chocolate brown. _remarks._--shannon ( : ) named _hyla bistincta labeculata_ on the basis of a single male from san lucas camotlán, oaxaca; he diagnosed the subspecies as differing from _hyla bistincta bistincta_ by having "the gray reticulation of the sides entirely broken up into elongate black blotches; tarsal fold moderately elevated." the condition of the tarsal fold is characteristic of the species. the dispersion of dark pigment on the flanks is variable. the type of _hyla bistincta labeculata_ (usnm ) is extreme in the development of dark dashes on the flanks, but this condition is approached in several specimes from oaxaca and veracruz. for example, in some specimens from cumbres de acultzingo, veracruz, the mottling on the flanks is bold; in others the flanks are reticulated. the specimen from san vicente, oaxaca, has black dashes on the flanks (smith and williams, : ), whereas a specimen from cerro san felipe, oaxaca, has no pattern on the flanks. in general, specimens from western méxico have reticulate mottling on the flanks as compared with the marbling on the flanks in specimens from eastern méxico. on the basis of available data, the recognition of subspecies in _hyla bistincta_ is unwarranted. the tadpoles of this species described by duellman ( : ) are like those of _hyla robertsorum_ in having / tooth-rows, peglike serrations on the beaks, and long, rounded tails. at uruapan tadpoles were found in a rocky stream on april , , and metamorphosing young were found there on august , . a completely metamorphosed juvenile has a snout-vent length of . mm. _hyla bistincta_ is found only along streams, where individuals can be seen clinging to vines and other vegetation closely over-hanging fast-moving parts of the stream. _distribution._--_hyla bistincta_ occurs at elevations from to meters in the mountains of the sierra madre occidental in western jalisco southward through the cordillera volcánica in michoacán, méxico, and morelos, the sierra de coalcomán in michoacán, and the sierra madre del sur in guerrero and oaxaca, and thence northward in the sierra madre oriental to central veracruz (fig. ). specimens examined.--guerrero: omiltemi, uimnh - . jalisco: km. se autlán, ummz . mexico: km. w villa victoria, uimnh , usnm . morelos: cuernavaca, usnm ; _ km. n cuernavaca_, uimnh - . michoacan: cerro san andrés, ummz ; dos aguas, ummz ; _ . km. ene dos aguas_, ummz ; _los conejos_, ummz - ; uruapan, ku - , (skeleton), uimnh , , ummz - , , ( ), (tadpoles), , ( ), , s- (skeleton), s- (skeleton), usnm - , - . oaxaca: cerro san felipe, uimnh ; pluma hidalgo, amnh ; san lucas camotlán, usnm ; san vincente, uimnh (smith and williams, : ). veracruz: no specific locality, usnm ; cumbres de acultzingo, cnhm - , uimnh - , - , usnm . [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla bistincta_ and _hyla charadricola_.] #hyla charadricola# new species _holotype._--university of kansas museum of natural history no. from the río totolapa, . kilometers by road west of huachinango, puebla, méxico, meters; obtained by john wellman on june , . _paratypes._--ku - , same data as holotype, and uimnh , obtained at the type locality by william e. duellman on february , . _diagnosis._--maximum snout-vent length in males, mm.; snout in dorsal profile truncate; tarsal fold short and weak; inner metatarsal tubercle moderately large, elliptical, and flat; outer metatarsal tubercle minute, round, and indistinct; webbing extending to base of terminal phalanx of fourth toe; nuptial spines on thumb absent; thoracic fold absent; anal opening at level of middle of thigh; dorsum olive-green with black reticulations; venter cream color with brown flecks on chin; flanks pale grayish green with brown spots; anal stripe absent; row of white flecks above and a row below anus; vocal slits absent. _description of holotype._--adult male having a snout-vent lenth of . mm.; tibia length, . mm., per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe), . mm.; greatest width of head, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm., . per cent of diameter of eye. snout in lateral profile bluntly rounded, in dorsal profile truncate (fig. ); canthus pronounced, rounded, not angular; loreal region slightly concave; lips thick, rounded, not flaring; nostrils slightly protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; interorbital distance, . mm., somewhat broader than width of eyelid, . mm. a heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum and then to insertion of forearm; tympanum round, its diameter three-fourths its distance from eye. forearm rather slender; a short axillary membrane; no fold on wrist; no nuptial excrescence or spines on enlarged prepollex; subarticular tubercles moderately small, round; none bifid; few supernumerary tubercles on proximal segments of digits; large, flat palmar tubercle present; fingers long and slender; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs moderately large, that on third finger about equal to diameter of tympanum; rudimentary web between first and second fingers; web between third and fourth fingers extending to about one-fifth length of fourth finger (fig. ). heels overlap by about one-third length of tibia when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to middle of eye; tarsal fold weak, extending from moderately large, flat, elliptical inner metatarsal tubercle to middle of tarsus; outer metatarsal tubercle minute, round, indistinct; subarticular tubercles round; single row of small, round supernumerary tubercles on proximal segments of each digit; toes moderately short and slender; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - , third and fifth about equal in length; toes about three-fourths webbed; web extending to base of terminal phalanx of fourth toe; discs small, about two-thirds size of those on fingers. anal opening directed posteroventrally at middle of thighs; two transverse dermal folds above anus; short, thin anal sheath present; many small tubercles lateral and ventral to anal opening. skin of dorsum, chin, and ventral surfaces of limbs smooth; belly moderately granular; posterior surfaces of thighs heavily granular; no thoracic fold. tongue nearly round, shallowly notched behind, free posteriorly for about one-fourth its length; vomerine teeth, - , long, situated on posteroventral edges of narrow transverse vomerine ridges between moderately large, round inner nares; no vocal slits. color (in alcohol) purplish brown on dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs; fine darker reticulations on dorsum; flanks pale tan with dark brown spots; posterior surfaces of thighs tan; chin creamy white with brown spots; belly dusty white; undersides of thighs and shanks yellow; webbing grayish brown; undersides of first two fingers dusty white, of third and fourth fingers and of feet brown; anal stripe absent; small white flecks above and below anal opening. color (in life) dark green on dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs; darker green reticulations on back; flanks dusty white with dark olive-gray mottling; dark olive-gray stripe from nostril through eye and then to insertion of forelimb; upper lips pale green; inguinal region, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs dark yellowish orange; ventral surfaces of tarsi and shanks, and webbing of feet dusty yellow; belly white; iris silvery gold. [illustration: fig. . holotype of _hyla charadricola_ (ku ). × . .] _variation._--adult males have snout-vent lengths from . to . mm., and adult females from . to . mm. no notable variation in structure is displayed in the type series. in some individuals the dark reticulation on the dorsum is faint. juveniles in life had dorsal colorations varying from rich brown with darker reticulations to pale green or gray with dark green reticulations. some adults when collected were pale green with faint or no dorsal reticulations; later these individuals darkened. in all specimens the anal stripe is absent, and the flanks are heavily spotted. _comparisons.--hyla charadricola_ differs from all other members of the _hyla bistincta_ group in the following combination of characters: truncate snout, green dorsum, and absence of a thoracic fold. from other hylids that occur in the same area, _hyla charadricola_ differs from _hyla miotympanum_ and _h. arborescandens_, both of which are green dorsally, by having a truncate snout and longer fingers with less webbing. _hyla eximia_, though green, has brown dorsal spots, shorter fingers, and a round snout. _hyla robertsorum_ differs in having a round snout and brown dorsum, and _hyla taeniopus_ is much larger, has transverse bands on the limbs, and has extensive webbing between fingers. _remarks._--at the type locality, a shallow rocky stream in pine forest, _hyla charadricola_ was found beneath rocks at the edge of fast moving sections of the stream and beneath rocks in shallow riffles in the stream. most of the frogs were in water. at night they were found sitting on rocks in the stream. _hyla miotympanum_, which is abundant at the type locality, lives in bushes and beneath rocks along the stream but usually is not found in the riffles inhabited by _hyla charadricola_. at lago de tejocotal _hyla charadricola_ was found beneath rocks near the shore of the lake and by a stream in the pine forest. individuals were found on low vegetation over-hanging a small stream in pine-oak forest four kilometers southwest of tianguistengo. five recently metamorphosed young (ku - ) found at the type locality on june , , have snout-vent lengths of . to . (average . ) mm. the young are colored like the adults, except that in life the dorsum is a brighter green and the flanks are more yellow than tan and have less dark spotting than in adults. _distribution.--hyla charadricola_ inhabits streams in pine and pine-oak forests at elevations of to meters in northern puebla and eastern hidalgo (fig. ). specimens examined.--hidalgo: lago de tejocotal, km. e acaxochitlán, ku , ummz , ; km. sw tianguistengo, ku - . puebla: _ . km. w huachinango_, ummz ( ); río totolapa, . km. w huachinango, ku - , , - , (skeleton), (skeleton), mcz - , uimnh , ummz ( ), s- (skeleton). #hyla robertsorum# taylor _hyla robertsorum_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , figs. - , november , [holotype.--cnhm (formerly eht-hms ) from el chico parque nacional, hidalgo, méxico; mr. and mrs. radclyffe roberts and edward h. taylor collectors]; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , . taylor and smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . rabb and mosimann, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , march , . duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , december , . _diagnosis._--maximum snout-vent length in males, mm.; snout in dorsal profile rounded; tarsal fold short and weak; inner metatarsal tubercle moderate in size and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small, round, and indistinct; webbing extending to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth toe; nuptial spines on thumb small; weak thoracic fold present; anal opening above level of middle of thighs; dorsum dark brown with dark reticulations; venter brown with cream-colored flecks; flanks brown with creamy white spots; anal stripe absent; small white spots in anal region; vocal slits absent. _description._--the following description is based on ku from el chico parque nacional, hidalgo. adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe), . mm.; greatest width of head, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm., per cent of diameter of eye. snout short, in lateral profile blunt, in dorsal profile round; canthus rounded; loreal region slightly concave; lips thick, round, and not flaring; nostrils slightly protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; interorbital distance, . mm., slightly broader than width of eyelid, . mm. a moderately heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum and curving downward towards insertion of forearm; tympanum nearly round, covered by dermal fold above, its diameter slightly less than its distance from eye. forearm moderately robust; distinct fold on wrist; prepollex much enlarged with patch of small nuptial spines continuous on side of digit; similar line of nuptial spines on inner edge of second finger; subarticular tubercles round, moderate in size, none bifid; supernumerary tubercles small and present only proximally; fingers long and slender; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs moderately large, that on third finger about size of tympanum; no web between first and second fingers; rudimentary web between other fingers. legs robust; heels over-lap by about one-fourth length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extending to posterior corner of eye; tarsal fold weak, extending to about middle of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle moderately large, flat, and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small, round, and indistinct; subarticular tubercles round; supernumerary tubercles small, in single row on proximal segments of each digit; toes moderately long and slender; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - , the fifth nearly as long as third; toes nearly fully webbed; web extending to base of penultimate phalanx of fourth toe and to discs on other toes; discs small, about two-thirds size of those on fingers. anal opening above middle of thighs; anal sheath short, deeply creased medially; heavy transverse dermal fold above anus; no large anal tubercles. skin of all dorsal surfaces, chin, and ventral surfaces of limbs, except proximal parts of thighs, smooth; belly and proximal parts of thighs areolate; thoracic fold present, weak. tongue elliptical, slightly longer than wide, not notched behind, and free posteriorly for about one-fourth of its length; vomerine teeth - , situated on small, widely separated, transverse ridges between rather small elliptical inner nares; no vocal slits. color (in alcohol) dark brown with irregular darker reticulations on dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs; flanks brown with small creamy white spots; posterior surfaces of thighs dark brown; chin creamy tan; belly grayish brown with cream-colored flecks; ventral surfaces of limbs pale brown; webbing on feet gray; small white spots in anal region. color (in life) chocolate brown with darker brown reticulations and irregular blotches above; flanks brown with yellow spots; belly gray to grayish brown with faint cream-colored spots; iris a deep bronze color. _variation._--in males the total number of vomerine teeth varies from to . in many specimens the vomerine ridges are larger and more closely approximated medially than in the specimen described above. females attain snout-vent lengths of mm., have as many as vomerine teeth, and have a proportionately larger tympanum than males. some of the largest specimens of both sexes have indistinct cream-colored pustules scattered on the ventral surface of the forearm. some individuals have nearly uniform grayish brown ventral surfaces; in others the chin, as well as the abdomen, is brown with cream-colored spots. the dorsal surfaces of some specimens are nearly uniform dark brown with no reticulations. in others the dorsum is paler brown with distinct darker mottling; in some of these there is little mottling laterally, so that there is the effect of an irregular, pale brown, dorsolateral stripe. _tadpoles._--the tadpoles of this species were described by rabb and mosimann ( ). tadpoles obtained from streams at . kilometers north and at . kilometers southeast of zacualtipán, hidalgo, are like those described by rabb and mosimann in having / tooth rows, peglike serrations on the beaks, and long rounded tails. the largest tadpole (ku ) has small hind legs, a body length of mm., and a total length of mm. _remarks._--taylor ( : ) found frogs of this species in plants along small spring-fed rivulets in an open meadow at el chico parque nacional. also, he noted that active frogs dove into the streams and took refuge in the mud on the bottom. rabb and mosimann ( : ) found this species along banks of tiny streams in open meadows and noted that the frogs sought refuge in the water. at el chico parque nacional on june , , i found _hyla robertsorum_ under rocks along small rivulets by day; at night, when the temperature was ° c., frogs were sitting on rocks and in junipers overhanging a small stream. at the same locality on june and , , frogs of this species were found on rainy nights, when the temperature varied from to ° c. at this time the frogs were sitting on the grassy banks of rivulets in the meadow. during the day _hyla robertsorum_ was found on the earthen banks of the rivulets in places where dense growths of grass overhung the streams. on december , , one specimen of _hyla robertsorum_ was found beneath a rock in a small stream in pine forest at . kilometers north of zacualtipán. rabb and mosimann ( : ) obtained tadpoles of _hyla robertsorum_ from quiet pools of a stream at el chico parque nacional. i found tadpoles in pools in rocky streams in pine forest at . kilometers north and at . kilometers southeast of zacualtipán. four completely metamorphosed juveniles obtained on june , , at el chico parque nacional have snout-vent lengths of . to . mm. gravid females were found at the same locality on june , , and june , . [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla crassa_, _hyla pachyderma_, and _hyla robertsorum_.] _distribution.--hyla robertsorum_ inhabits streams in the pine and fir forests in the higher parts ( to meters) of the sierra madre oriental in extreme northern puebla and eastern hidalgo (fig. ). specimens examined.--hidalgo: km. w agua blanca, ummz ( ); el chico parque nacional, cnhm , , ku - , - (skeletons), - (skeletons), - , (skeleton), uimnh - , - , - , ummz , ( ), (tadpoles), usnm - , ; . km. n zacualtipán, ku , (tadpoles); . km. se zacualtipán, ku (tadpoles). puebla: honey, ummz . #hyla pachyderma# taylor _hyla pachyderma_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , pl. , figs. - , november , [holotype.--usnm from pan de olla, veracruz, south of tezuitlán, puebla, méxico; hobart m. smith collector]. taylor and smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , ; univ. kansas sci. bull, : , march , . rabb and mosimann, occ. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , march , . _diagnosis._--maximum snout-vent length in males mm.; snout in dorsal profile round; tarsal fold strong; inner metatarsal tubercle round and moderate in size; outer metatarsal tubercle small and indistinct; webbing on foot extending to middle of penultimate phalanx of fourth toe; nuptial spines on thumb large; thoracic fold present; anal opening at level of middle of thighs; dorsum dull grayish brown with scattered indistinct dark flecks; venter cream-color mottled with brown on throat and chest; flanks grayish brown with cream-colored reticulations; anal stripe distinct, creamy white, sometimes extending outward on thighs; white spots or line below anus; vocal slits absent. _description._--the following description is based on usnm from pan de olla, veracruz. adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe), . mm.; greatest width of head, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length. snout short, in lateral profile bluntly rounded, in dorsal profile rounded; canthus rounded; loreal region slightly concave; lips thick, round, and not flaring; nostrils slightly protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; interorbital distance, . mm., somewhat broader than eyelid, . mm. a heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanic region and then to insertion of forearm; tympanum completely concealed. forearm moderately robust; distinct fold on wrist; prepollex enlarged bearing cluster of moderate-sized, horny, nuptial spines continuous on edge of digit; row of spines present on second finger; subarticular tubercles round, small proximally and slightly larger distally; supernumerary tubercles small and indistinct; three palmar tubercles, median and outer partly fused; fingers long, moderately slender; discs moderately large; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; second and fourth fingers subequal in length; webbing between fingers rudimentary. heels overlap by about one-fourth length of shank when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to anterior edge of eye; tarsal fold thick, low, extending nearly to heel; inner metatarsal tubercle moderately large and round; outer metatarsal tubercle small and indistinct; subarticular tubercles small and round; supernumerary tubercles small, present on proximal segments of digits; toes moderately long and slender; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - ; third and fifth toes subequal in length; toes about three-fourths webbed; web extending to middle of penultimate phalanx of fourth toe; discs rather small, about two-thirds size of those on fingers. anal opening directed posteroventrally at level of middle of thighs; anal flap slightly elongate; thick, transverse dermal fold above anus. skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of limbs, except thighs, smooth; skin of chin, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular; thoracic fold present. tongue nearly round, slightly notched behind, and barely free posteriorly; vomerine teeth - , situated on posteroventral edges of small, transverse vomerine ridges between rather large triangular inner nares; no vocal slits. color (in alcohol) of dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs dull grayish brown with indistinct scattered darker flecks; flanks grayish brown with cream-colored reticulations; posterior surfaces of thighs tan; chin cream-color, mottled with brown; belly creamy yellow; anal stripe cream-color. _variation._--in addition to the specimen described above three others are known. one is a juvenile having a snout-vent length of . mm., and two are females having snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. variation in structure and coloration between the four specimens is slight. in the females the tympani are partly visible and are about one-third the diameter of the eye; the chest is mottled with brown; the anal stripe extends laterally in the form of a row of cream-colored dashes and spots onto the posterodorsal surfaces of the thighs. _remarks._--on the basis of the four specimens available for study, _hyla pachyderma_ seems to be closely related to _hyla crassa_ and _hyla robertsorum_. in the _hyla bistincta_ group, _hyla pachyderma_ is unique in having enlarged nuptial spines. taylor and smith ( : ) stated that the frogs were found on bushes and weeds beside a small, bounding stream near pan de olla. i have searched unsuccessfully for this species in the area around pan de olla and tezuitlán. _distribution._--this species is known only from a stream at an elevation of about meters on the atlantic slopes of the sierra madre oriental in central veracruz (fig. ). specimens examined.--veracruz: pan de olla, south of tezuitlán, puebla, usnm - . #hyla crassa# (brocchi) _cauphias crassus_ brocchi, bull. soc. philom. paris, ser. , : , [holotype.--mnhn from "mexico;" adolphe boucard collector]. _cauphias crassum_ brocchi, Études des batraciens de l'amérique centrale, p. , pl. , fig. , . díaz de león, indice de los batracios que se encuentran en la república mexicana, p. , june, . kellogg, bull. u. s. nat. mus., : - , march , . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , . rabb and mosimann, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , march , . _hyla crassa_, boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia, nd. ed., p. , february , . günther, biologia centrali-americana, reptilia and batrachia, p. , september, . nieden, das tierreich, amphibia, anura , p. , june, . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . taylor, amer. mus. novitates, : , december , . _hypsiboas crassus_, cope, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _hyla robustofemora_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , figs. - , november , [holotype.--uimnh (formerly eht-hms ) from cerro san felipe, kilometers northeast of oaxaca, oaxaca, méxico; edward h. taylor collector]; univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . taylor, amer. mus. novitates, : , december , . smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , march , . rabb and mosimann, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , march , . _plectrohyla crassa_, hartweg, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , june , . stuart, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , january , . _diagnosis._--maximum snout-vent length in males mm.; snout in dorsal profile round; tarsal fold strong; inner metatarsal tubercle small and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small, flat, and indistinct; foot fully webbed; nuptial spines on thumb small; thoracic fold absent; anal opening at level of middle of femur; dorsum dull olive-green; belly creamy yellow; chin gray with yellow flecks; flanks dull olive-green with scattered cream-colored spots; and stripe faint, cream-color; vocal slits absent. _description._--the following description is based on uimnh from cerro san felipe, oaxaca. adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; foot length (measured from proximal edge of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of longest toe), . mm.; greatest width of head, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; head length, . mm., . per cent of snout-vent length; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm., . per cent of diameter of eye. snout short, in lateral profile bluntly rounded, in dorsal profile broadly round; canthus absent; loreal region nearly flat; lips thick and not flaring; nostrils barely protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; interorbital distance, . mm., somewhat broader than width of eyelid, . mm. heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum and then to insertion of forearm; tympanum concealed above, its diameter about equal to its distance from eye. forearm thick; distinct fold on wrist; prepollex enlarged bearing patch of small nuptial spines continuous on side of digit; similar patch on second finger; subarticular tubercles small and round, none bifid; few supernumerary tubercles on proximal segments of digits; large, flat palmar tubercle; fingers long and slender; length of fingers from shortest to longest, - - - ; discs moderately large; rudimentary web between second and third fingers and between third and fourth. legs thick; heels overlap by about one-fourth length of shank when hindlimbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to posterior corner of eye; tarsal fold thick, extending to heel; inner metatarsal tubercle small and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small, flat, and indistinct; subarticular tubercles small and round; single row of supernumerary tubercles on proximal segments of each digit; toes moderately short and slender; length of toes from shortest to longest, - - - - ; toes fully webbed; flap of skin on inner surface of first toe; discs about same size as those on fingers. anal opening directed posteroventrally at middle of thighs; anal sheath moderately elongate; small tubercles below anal opening. skin of dorsum rather smooth, somewhat granular on dorsal surfaces of limbs; skin of chin and belly moderately granular; that of posterior surfaces of thighs smooth; no thoracic fold. tongue nearly round, shallowly notched posteriorly, and free for about one-fourth its length; vomerine teeth - , situated on rounded ridges between small inner nares; no vocal slits. color (in alcohol) dull olive-green on dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs; flanks dull olive-green with scattered cream-colored spots; posterior surfaces of thighs grayish brown with faint creamy mottling; chin gray with cream-colored spots; belly creamy yellow, suffused with gray posteriorly; undersides of feet and webbing gray; anal stripe faint, pale cream-color. _variation._--the only other known specimen (mnhn ) is a female having a snout-vent length of . mm. and resembling the specimen described above in most details of morphology. in mnhn the tympanum is completely concealed, and the - vomerine teeth are arranged in two irregular rows. the female has more cream-colored mottling on the flanks and posterior surfaces of the thighs and more distinct mottling on the throat than the male described above. _remarks._--the systematic status of _cauphias crassus_ brocchi has been in doubt since the time of the original description. brocchi ( : ) stated: "les dernieres phalanges sont obtuses, tronqués a leur extrémité antérieure." brocchi placed the species in his genus _cauphias_ (type species, _c. guatemalensis_), which he considered to be related to _hylodes_ ( = _eleutherodactylus_ in the sense used by brocchi); he thereby placed _cauphias_ in his hylodidae ( = leptodactylidae, in part). this idea of relationships was perpetuated by barbour ( : ), who reported on the second known specimen of _cauphias guatemalensis_ and stated: "when i dissected the sternum i was at once struck by its similarity to noble's figures of transitional types between arciferal and firmisternal forms. the _cauphias_ sternum recalls some of his figures for _sminthillus_ and _eleutherodactylus_. this genus is probably most closely related to the latter and has probably become highly modified to meet some peculiar environmental condition or on account of some specialized habits as yet unknown." kellogg ( : ) placed _cauphias_ in the leptodactylidae and stated that the terminal phalanges are t-shaped. hartweg ( : ) considered _plectrohyla_ to be the correct generic name for _cauphias guatemalensis_; he thereby relegated _cauphias_ to the synonomy of _plectrohyla_. hartweg ( : ) further showed that the terminal phalanges of _plectrohyla guatemalensis_ were not t-shaped and that intercalary cartilages were present. thus, he correctly concluded that _plectrohyla guatemalensis_ (and _p. crassa_ by implication) was a member of the family hylidae. stuart ( : ) followed hartweg's allocations and further suggested that _plectrohyla crassa_ might be the same species as _hyla robustofemora_ taylor. in his description of _h. robustofemora_ taylor ( : ), who had not examined the type of _cauphias crassus_, stated that were it not for the statements of brocchi and kellogg that _c. crassus_ has t-shaped terminal phalanges, "i might suspect i had before me a specimen of _cauphias_ closely related to _crassum_." i have compared the type of _cauphias crassus_ with that of _hyla robustofemora_. with the exception of the minor differences mentioned in the preceding section on variation, the specimens are alike, leaving little doubt that they represent the same species. the statements of brocchi and kellogg to the contrary, the type of _cauphias crassus_ possesses intercalary cartilages between the penultimate and terminal phalanges; the latter are not t-shaped, but as in the type of _hyla robustofemora_, resemble those typical of _hyla_. on the basis of the morphological characters, as pointed out for _hyla robustofemora_ by taylor ( : ), _hyla crassa_ is a member of the _hyla bistincta_ group. _distribution._--this species is definitely known only from a small stream at an elevation of meters in the mountains of central oaxaca (fig. ). specimens examined.--oaxaca: cerro san felipe, uimnh . "mexico," mnhn . relationships the evolutionary trend in the members of the _hyla bistincta_ group is towards aquatic habits. _hyla bistincta_, the least specialized species in the group, has relatively short fingers, webbing between the fingers, a truncate, high snout, and relatively large subarticular and supernumerary tubercles. _hyla charadricola_ resembles _bistincta_ in having relatively short fingers, a slight amount of webbing, and a truncate snout. apparently these two species are more closely related to one another than either is to the other species in the group. _hyla robertsorum_, _pachyderma_, and _crassa_ are the most aquatic members of the group. these species are closely related, possibly conspecific. all have round, sloping snouts, robust forearms, long, unwebbed fingers, and large webbed feet. both _h. pachyderma_ and _h. crassa_ seem to be advanced beyond _h. robertsorum_. if small nuptial spines, moderately webbed feet, and absence of a well-defined thoracic fold are considered to be less advanced than large nuptial spines and a strong thoracic fold, as in _h. pachyderma_, or fully webbed feet, as in _h. crassa_, then _h. robertsorum_ must be considered to be less advanced than _h. pachyderma_ or _h. crassa_. members of the _hyla bistincta_ group inhabit mountain streams. the frogs can be found along these streams throughout the year. since in most stream-breeding hylids there is no migration to breeding sites, the breeding call does not function to attract females to the breeding site. apparently voices are lacking in all members of the _hyla bistincta_ group, except in _hyla bistincta_. the presence of vocal slits and the ability to call further indicate that _hyla bistincta_ is the primitive member of this group. members of the _hyla bistincta_ group and the species of _plectrohyla_ closely resemble each other in osteology and body form of the adults and in structure of the tadpoles. this resemblance suggests a close relationship between the two groups. _plectrohyla_ apparently evolved from an ancestral stock resembling the extant _hyla bistincta_. probably this stock gave rise independently to _plectrohyla_ and to the _hyla robertsorum-pachyderma-crassa_ complex. in the former the voice was retained, and a projecting prepollex spine developed, whereas in the latter the voice was lost, and the prepollex spine did not project. _plectrohyla_ lives in mountain streams in the chiapan-guatemalan highlands; the _hyla robertsorum-pachyderma-crassa_ complex inhabits similar environments in the sierra madre oriental in méxico. _hyla charadricola_ also lives in the sierra madre oriental, whereas _hyla bistincta_ is widespread in the mountains of méxico southeastward to the isthmus of tehuantepec. literature cited barbour, t. . _cauphias_ rediscovered. copeia, no. : - , december . brocchi, p. . note sur quelques batraciens hylaeformes recueillis au mexique et au guatemala. bull. soc. philom. paris, ser. , ( ): - . duellman, w. e. . the amphibians and reptiles of michoacán, méxico. univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - , december . hartweg, n. . notes on the genus _plectrohyla_, with descriptions of new species. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , pl. , june . kellogg, r. . mexican tailless amphibians in the united states national museum. bull. u. s. natl. mus., :iv + pp., pl. , march . rabb, g. b. and mosimann, j. e. . the tadpole of _hyla robertsorum_, with comments on the affinities of the species. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , march . shannon, f. a. . notes on a herpetological collection from oaxaca and other localities in mexico. proc. u. s. natl. mus., : - , may . stuart, l. c. . descriptions of two new species of _plectrohyla_ brocchi, with comments on several forms of tadpoles. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , january . taylor, e. h. . new species of mexican anura. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , november . . a new hylid frog from eastern mexico. univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , august . . a new hylid frog from central veracruz. copeia, ( ): - , pl. , december . taylor, e. h. and smith, h. m. . summary of the collections of amphibians made in méxico under the walter rathbone bacon traveling scholarship. proc. u. s. natl. mus., : - , pls. - , june . _transmitted june , ._ - notes on the bibliography of yucatan and central america; comprising yucatan, chiapas, guatemala (the ruins of palenque, ocosingo, and copan), and oaxaca (ruins of mitla.) a list of some of the writers on this subject from the sixteenth century to the present time. by ad. f. bandelier. from proceedings of the american antiquarian society, october , . worcester: press of chas. hamilton, main street. . notes on the bibliography of yucatan and central america.[ ] by ad. f. bandelier. yucatan. _writers of the sixteenth century._ juan diaz, chaplain to juan de grijalva. "itinerario de l' armata del re catholico in india verso la isola de iuchathan del anno m. d. xviii."--printed first (in the italian language) as an appendix to the "itinerario de ludovico varthema," in the edition of , and subsequently in the editions of , and of the latter book. it was also translated into the english language by richard eden, in the "historie of travayles," london, , but i am not sure whether the report of diaz is contained in it. the most popular translation is that by h. ternaux-compans, in his first "recueil de pièces relatives à la conquéte du méxique," (vol. x. of his "voyages, relations et mémoires originaux pour servir á l' histoire de la découverte de l' amérique,") and the latest and best reprint, together with a splendid spanish translation, is contained in vol. i. of "coleccion de documentos para la historia de méxico," , by s^r j. g. icazbalceta, of méxico. * * * * * petrus martyr ab angleria. "enchiridion de insulis nuper repertis simulatque incolarum moribus," basel, . (separate print of the th decade, which contains the first items about yucatan ever published in europe after diaz's report). "de orbe novo decades petri martyris ab angleria, mediolaneusis, protonotarii, cesarei senatoris.--compluti apud michaelem de eguia," in december, . alcalá. "opus epistolarum petri martyris anglerii, mediolanensis, &c., &c." also printed by miguel de eguia. alcalá. of further reprints, and of translations of peter martyr's works (the reports on yucatan are contained in the th and th decades), i merely quote: "novus orbis regionum ac insularum veteribus incognitarum, &c." by simon grynæus, basel, , embodying dec's , , , _and_ . [footnote : the absence of mr. bandelier in mexico, precludes a submission of the proof to his revision, and will account for any errors that may be discovered in the text. publishing committee.] (also the edition of .)--a french translation of the th decade, by simon de colines, paris, .--a german version, by hôniger of kônigshofen.--hackluyt's reprint of . "de orbe novo petri martyris anglerii, &c., &c.," and finally the complete english translation by michael lok and richard eden: "de novo orbe, or the historie of the west indies, &c., &c.," london, . i need not dwell on the great importance of martyr's book, for yucatan. hernan cortÉs. (his first letter is lost: in place of it the letter of the "municipality of vera cruz," dated th july, , contains a short statement about yucatan. this letter is printed in vol. i. of "coleccion de documentos inéditos para la historia de españa," and in vol. i. of "historiadores primitivos de indias," by enrique de vedia, madrid, .--folsom's translation of . "despatches of hernan cortés, the conqueror of mexico, &c." substitutes an introduction by the translator himself.--the earliest mention of this report is found in robertson: "history of america," vol. iii., p. , edition of , and an abstract is found in prescott: "conquest of mexico," appendix ii., d vol.) "fifth letter to the emperor charles vii.," noticed by robertson and prescott; contained, in full, in "historiadores primitivos de indias," vol. i., by vedia. a full english translation, by pascual de gayangos, was published in , by the "hackluyt society," vol. . juan cristÓbal calvet de estrella. "de rebus gestis ferdinandii cortèsii," written between and , and printed with a spanish translation: "vida de cortés," by sr. icazbalceta in vol. i. of "col. de documentos para la hist. de méxico."--short and meagre. andrÉs de tapia. "relacion hecha por el señor andrés de tapia, sobre la conquista de méxico." (icazbalceta's "coleccion de documentos, &c." vol. ii. méxico, .) benedetto bordone. "libro di benedetto bordone.--nel qual si ragione tutte l'isole del mondo con li loro nomi antichi e moderni," .--later editions also. girolamo benzoni. "historia del mondo nuovo," venice, .--translated into german by nicolaus hoeniger: "die neue welt und indianischen kônigreichs, neue und wahrhaffte geschichte, &c., &c.," basel, .--incorporated in théodore de bry "grosse reisen," parts , , and .--of other prints i but mention the latest english translation, published by the hackluyt society in (vol. ,) under the title of "history of the new world, by girolamo benzoni," edited as well as translated by rear-admiral w. h. smyth. there are italian versions of , french of , and latin of . bernal diez del castillo. "historia verdadera de la conquista de nueva españa," madrid, . (there may be two editions of the same year). of the spanish reprints i mention here (also contained in "historiadores primitivos de indias," vedia, , vol. ii.), the one of , paris, vols. ^o, and the other of , méxico, vols. also.--two english translations are known to me at present: "the true history of the conquest of mexico, by captain bernal diez del castillo," translated by maurice keatings, london, .--"the memoirs of the conquistador, bernal diez del castillo," translated by john ingram lockhart, london, .--there is also a german translation, by p. j. rehfuss, bonn, .--bernal diez (not diaz) is very valuable as eye-witness, having been to yucatan with cordoba ( ), grijalva ( ), cortés ( ),--and finally with the latter to honduras, passing through peten. fray lorenzo de bienvida. letter to the infanto philip (ii.), dated yucatan, february, . original in ms. french translation by h. ternaux-compans in " ^{er} recueil de piéces concernant le méxique," vol. x. , of his collection of "mémoires et documents originaux, &c., &c." gonzalo fernandez de oviedo y valdÉs. "historia general y natural de las indias," composed of books.--the first books, and part of the th, were published by the author as early as ,--and the first books as early as ,--but the entire work has only been printed in , at madrid, vols. folio.--it is full of details concerning yucatan. francisco lopez de gomara. "historia general de las indias, y todo lo acaescido en ellas dende que se ganaron hasta agora. y la conquista de méxico, y de la nueva españa, &c." zaragoza, .--of this book i quote--e. g.--the following spanish editions: medina del campo, , antwerp, prints, --zaragoza, ,--and it is also contained in "historiadores primitivos de indias," by andrés gonzalez barcia, madrid, , vol. ii.--and in "historiadores primitivos de indias," by vedia, madrid, , vol. i.--there is an italian version, by augustino de cravaliz, rome, , ("la histoirie generale delle indie occidentali. &c., &c."), and french translations published respectively in , , , and .--finally, juan bautista de san anton muñoz chimalpain guauhtlehuanitzin made a translation into the mexican, or "nahuatl" language, which c. m. bustamante published at mexico, in .--i know of no english translation of the work.--it actually consists of two parts, the "historia general," and the "conquista de méxico."--the former contains a short, but fair, description of yucatan, and the latter a report on cortés' doings there and matters relating thereto. bartolomÉ de las casas. of the numerous (over forty) writings of the bishop of chiapas, i select only "historia de las indias," published "at last," madrid, and , by the marquis de la fuensanta del valle and don josé sancho rayon, in vols. the th vol. contains the famous "apologética historia."--another publication of the "historia de las indias," though not as complete, has appeared in mexico in vols., as the first series of sr. j. m. vigel's "biblioteca mexicana," and .--it does not contain the "apologética."--fragments of the latter are found in lord kingsborough's "antiquities of mexico," vol. viii. "brevissima relacion de la destruycion de las indias," sevilla, . of this polemic and strongly tinged memoir there are innumerable versions.--i know of spanish publications besides the above, and those of london, ,--philadelphia, ,--both due to dr. de mier,--madrid, j. a. llorente, , and méxico, .--latin translations: francfort, ; oppenheim, ; heidelberg, .--french translations: antwerp, ; amsterdam, ; rouen, ; lyon, ; paris, ; amsterdam, . (the last two contain each five papers of las casas), and paris, . "oeuvres de don bartolomé de las casas," by j. a. llorente.--of italian translations (with spanish text). i allude to those of . venice.-- , id.:-- , id., and also of .--there is a german translation of .--dutch translations: amsterdam, and , and .--i know of but one english translation, which bears the title "a relation of the first voyages and discoveries made by the spaniards in america, &c., &c." london, ,--although dr. robertson mentions one of .--las casas must be used with great caution. diego de landa. "relacion de las cosas de yucatan." bishop landa was born in , and died in ; his work must therefore have been written between and the latter date. it was published by the abbé brasseur de bourbourg, in , with a french translation opposite to the spanish text, and under the title of "relation des choses de yucatan."--republished again in , with some other matter. the merits of landa are certainly very great, but the real import of his so-called "a. b. c." ("de sus letras forme aqui un a. b. c." pp. - ), has been misunderstood and correspondingly misrepresented. the picture which landa gives us of the customs and organization of the mayas is completely at variance with some of his other statements. much close attention is required. "cartas de indias." vol. i. madrid, . these contain several letters and reports on yucatan, from the th century. i only refer to one, a complaint of four indian "gobernadores," dated april, , against the bishop diego de landa, designating him as "principal author of all these evils and troubles...." joseph de acosta. "historia natural y moral de indias," sevilla, . i merely mention this author, without entering into further bibliographical details about his work. it has been translated into many languages, and--in part or wholly--incorporated in many general collections of "americana." he says but little about yucatan, still his book is indispensable to any one studying yucatecan antiquities. i also advert here to his former publication, which is but little known: "de promulgatione evangelii apud barbaros, sive de procuranda indorum salute," libros ; printed in . gerÓnimo de mendieta. "historia ecclesiástica indiana," written about , but printed for the first time, by sr. j. g. icazbalceta, at mexico, in --contains much and valuable information.--mendieta has been extensively copied by torquemada. fray toribio de paredes, surnamed "motolinia." "historia de los indios de nueva-españa," written about , but published in full only by sr. icazbalceta in vol. i. of "coleccion de documentos, &c."--mentions yucatan incidentally.--a large part of the work had been printed before in the "documentos inéditos, &c." under the title of "ritos antiguos, sacrificios é idolatrias de las indias de la nueva-españa,"--also in vol. ix. of lord kingsborough.--a latin version, under the title of "de moribus indorum" may have existed once. * * * * * yucatan is, furthermore, mentioned in many works of a more general character, embodying information gathered mostly from the sources already referred to. i do not, therefore, enter into any lengthy bibliographical sketches of them. simon grynaeus. "novus orbis," . already noticed under petrus martyr. petrus apianus. "cosmographia," , , (dutch version), &c. abraham ortelius. "theatrum orbis terrarum," , , &c. thomaso porcacchi. "l'isole pio famose del mondo," , , , &c., &c. g. mercator. "atlas, six cosmographical meditations." duisburg, . conrad loew. "meer oder see-ansicht buch." cologne, . sebastian munster. "cosmographey," , &c. andrÉ thevet. "les singularites de la france antarctique, autrement nommé amérique, et de plusieurs terres et isles decouvertes de notre temps."--paris, ; antwerp, ; in italian, at venice, . i forbear further mention of the polemic works on the origin of the american indians,--and now turn to some writers whose works are probably lost, or at least not accessible, although there is positive evidence of their former existence. fray gerÓnimo roman. "republica indiana"--certainly existed as late as , or "república de las indias occidentales." fray alonzo solana. "noticias sagradas y profanas de las antigüedades y conversion de los indios de yucatan." (written before ). don francisco montejo. "carta al rey sobre la fundacion de la villa de san francisco de campeche, y de la ciudad de mérida," june, . (still at sevilla, leg. . "cartas de indias"). in the above list i have not included any grammar, vocabulary, sermonary, "doctrina," &c., &c., for the use of the indians of yucatan, or written in the maya language, of which several are known. in conclusion, i beg to add the maya writing, entitled: "series of katunes," published, with an english translation, by mr. j. l. stephens, in "incidents of travels in yucatan," and by brasseur de bourbourg, in "rel. d. ch. de y." _writers of the seventeenth century._ antonio de herrera. "historia general de los hechos de los castellanos en las islas y la tierra firme del mar océano," madrid, , , vols. folio. there are two other editions in the original language: madrid, and , and antwerp, . of this most important book, several translations have appeared, embodying either the whole or only a part.--thus a french translation of the "descripcion de las indias occidentales," appeared at amsterdam in twice, and a french translation of the st, d and d decades, at paris, .--a latin version of the "descripcion" was also published in , by colin, at amsterdam, and a very unreliable english rendering by john stephens, in vols. ^o, appeared at london in . herrera is one of the most important authorities on every subject of which he treats. gregorio garcia. "orígen de los indios del nuevo mundo é indias occidentales." st edition, ; second edition, madrid, , by barcia.--a very important and valuable work. juan de torquemada. "los veinte y uno libros rituales y monarchia indiana, con el orígen y guerras de los indios occidentales." st edition, madrid, ; d edition, madrid, . barcia. augustin de vetancourt. "teatro mexicano." méxico, .-- d edition, in "biblioteca de la iberia," méxico, .--treats of yucatan incidentally, speaking of cortés, &c. the work consists properly of three books: the "teatro," the "crónica de la provincia del santo evangelio de méxico," and the "menologio franciscano." antonio de remesal. "historia general de las indias occidentales, y particular de la gobernacion de chiapas y guatemala."--this book has also another title: "historia de la provincia de san vicente de chyapa y guatemala de la orden de san domingo."--madrid, and .--treats of yucatan also, following las casas generally. an important work. bernardo lizana. (lizama or lizaba?) "devocionario de nuestra señora de itzmal, historia de yucatan é de conquista espiritual," , according to the abbé brasseur and leon y pinelo.--e. g. squier speaks of two works: one "historia de la provincia de yucatan, y su conquista espiritual," valladolid, , and the other "historia de nuestra señora de izamal."--whichever way may be right, there remains accessible as yet, but a fragment published in spanish, with a french translation by the abbé brasseur in his "relation des choses de yucatan," . the fragment is entitled: "del principio y fundacion destos cuyos omules deste sitio y pueblo de ytzmal...."--lizana is of the highest importance and value, and it is much to be regretted that the _entire_ book is of such difficult access. diego lopez de cogolludo. "historia de yucatan."-- st edition, madrid, ; d edition, mérida, ; d edition, .--cogolludo has always been regarded as the historian of yucatan "par excellence." he is indeed indispensable for any study of yucatan antiquities, but, like all other authors, he must never be implicitly followed. the closest criticism possible is absolutely required. gil gonzalez dÁvila. "teatro ecclesiástico de la primitiva iglesia de los indios occidentales." madrid, . juan diaz de la calle. "memorial y resûmen breve de noticias de las indias occidentales." madrid, . * * * * * these constitute the most important sources on yucatan written during the th century. nearly all of them are of _special_ value, and we would call particular attention to cogolludo, lizana, torquemada, herrera, and remesal. among such authors, who wrote upon the subject and whose writings are not now accessible, i name here: pedro sanchez aguilar. "relacion de las cosas de yucatan, y informe contra los idólatras del obispado de yucatan, &c." . francisco cÁrdenas. "relacion de la conquista y succesos de yucatan," . (if existing, probably in spain). nicolÁs lizarraga. "representacion al rey pidiéndole la conquista de itzá y lacandon, con unas noticias y mapa de dichas tierras." nicolÁs de valenzuela. an account of the expedition against the lacandones, written , and comprising pages. i would further call attention to the land titles, such as deeds, grants, donations, &c., &c., in yucatan, some of which go back to the th century. these contain occasional references to the indian settlements, some of which are certainly of great value and importance. finally, i refer to some general works, treating of yucatan: samuel purchas. "his pilgrimage, &c., &c." london, , and . (this forms the th volume of purchas' great works).--the great work of purchas, also known as "hackluytus posthumous," appeared in , and treats also of yucatan. o. dapper. "die unbekannte neue welt, oder beschreibung des welt-theils amerikas, &c." amsterdam, . this is in fact but a translation of the following: arias montanus. "de nieuvre en onbekende weereld: of beschryving van america en t' zuid lande." amsterdam, . mathias quad. "enchiridion cosmographicum: dass ist, ein handbüchlein, der gantzen welt gelegenheit, &c." cologne, and . joannes petrus maffei. "... historiarum indicarum libri xvi., &c." antwerp, --frequently reprinted and translated. jacobus viverus. (van de vijvere). "handbook: of cort begrijp der caerten ende beschryvinghen van allen landen des werelds." amsterdam, . (this is the d edition of an anonymous atlas). cornelius wytflict et anthoine magin. "histoire universelle des indes occidentales et orientales," douay, . gaspard ens. "west und ost-indischer lustgart.:...." cologne, . aubertus miraeus. "de statu religionés christianae...." cologne, . athanasius inga. "west-indische spiegel, &c." amsterdam, . johann philipp abelin. (gottfriedt). "neue welt und americanische historien." francfort, a. m. . a. o. exquemelin. "de amerikaensche zee-roovers." amsterdam, . (innumerable translations, &c. &c). eberhard werner happel. "thesaurus exoticorum." hamburg, . (indifferent compilation). i do not include in this hasty bibliographical list any linguistical works whatever,--or writings on the plants and medicinal herbs of spanish-america. purposely i omit also antonio de solis, whose history of the conquest of mexico has a great literary, but hardly any scientific, value. _writers of the eighteenth century._ juan de villagutierre y sotomayor. "historia de la conquista y reducciones de los itzaes y lacandones en la américa septentrional." madrid, . the first part only, composed of books,--the second part may not have been completed,--at least it has remained unknown till now. the work is of the highest importance, especially for that part of yucatan which has since hardly been explored. abbate francesco saverio clavigero. s. j. "storia antica del messico." cesena, , . spanish translations: london, ; méxico, , id. . english translation: london, . german version: leipzig, . (the english copy by sir charles cullen),--all these works mention yucatan also. antonio de alcedo. "diccionario geográfico-histórico de las indias occidentales ó américa...." madrid, - . vols. ^o.--english translation by g. a. thompson. london, - . joseph antonio de villa-seÑor y sanchez. "teatro americano." méxico, .--of indirect value for yucatan. ( vols. folio). j. lafitan. s. j. "moeurs des sauvages américains, comparées aux moeurs des premiers temps." paris, . (there is a dutch translation: "de zeden der wilden van amerika," but i have no access to its date at present).--the best ethnological work previous to . abbÉ guillaume thomas raynal. "histoire philosophique et politique des établissements et du commerce des européens dans les deux indes." paris, , and other editions. english translation. edinburgh, . william robertson. "history of america." (numberless editions and translations, all too well known to require special mention here).--highly important. chevalier de pauw. "recherches philosophiques sur les américains." london, . a strongly negative, and through its exaggerations in that direction, very injudicious work. still it should be read attentively, as well as the rejoinder to it by dom pernetty. gemelli carreri. (properly belongs to the th century). "giro del mondo...." naples, .--french: "voyage du tour du monde." paris, . * * * * * in the library of the cathedral of mexico there still exists: arturo o'neil. "descripcion, poblacion, y censo de la provincia de yucatan en la nueva españa." . * * * * * we have also notice of the former existence of the following works, by: fray andrÉs avendaÑo. "diccionario de nombres de personas, ídolos, danzas, y otras antiqüedades de los indios de yucatan." "explicacion de varios vaticinios de los antiguos indios de yucatan." * * * * * to take notice of all the geographical works, cyclopædias, &c., &c., published in the th century, and which contain notices of yucatan, would be a task exceeding far the time and limits of this list. it can easily be proved, however, that the works on especially yucatecan topics are not numerous. this may be due, in part, to the rigorous exclusion of foreigners from spanish america, and the consequent decline of intellectual activity towards the close of spanish domination. the great collection of juan bautista muñoz contains hardly anything on yucatan. _writers of the nineteenth century._ here the number of publications increases so rapidly, that i cannot attempt to notice all. besides, many of the authors are so well known that a mere mention of their names and the titles of their works will suffice. periodicals containing papers on yucatan, will be mentioned generally, but detailed reference to special articles can be given only in a few exceptional instances. the latest works will only be alluded to. alexander von humboldt. "essai politique sur le royaume de la nouvelle-espagne." paris, , vols. ^o.--id. paris, , vols. ^o.--paris, - , vols. ^o. spanish translation: madrid, . english translation by john black. london, . also translated into the german. references to yucatan and its inhabitants may also be found in "ansichten der natur," (notes), and even in "kosmos." friedrich von waldeck. "voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la province de yucatan." paris, . splendid, but the drawings are mostly restorations,--therefore suspicious. antonio del rio. (the date of this report is: "palenque june, ," and i shall refer to it more particularly under the heading of "chiapas,"--still, as it contains the report of the franciscan, thomas de soza, on yucatecan ruins, i place it here also). "description of the ruins of an ancient city, discovered near palenque, in the kingdom of gautemala, in central america; translated from the original manuscript report of captain don antonio del rio." london, .--there are two german translations: one "huehuetlapallan, amerika's grosse urstadt, &c." meiningen, , and v. minutoli's "beschreibung einer alten stadt in guatemala." .--a french translation, by d. b. warden, in "antiquités méxicaines." vol. ii. and, finally, the spanish original, in "diccionario universal de geografia, &c." vol. viii.--see also abstract in "mosaico mexicano." vol. ii. lorenzo de zavala. report on uxmal, published in vol. i. of "antiquités méxicaines." john l. stephens. "travels in central america, chiapas, and yucatan." n. york, . "incidents of travel in yucatan." n. york, . f. catherwood. "views of ancient monuments in central america, chiapas and yucatan." n. york, . b. m. norman. "rambles in yucatan." n. york, . charles st. john fancourt. "the history of yucatan." london, .--not of great value. emmanuel von friedrichsthal. letter of april, , in "registro yucateco," vol. ii., and "diccionario universal," vol. x.--"les monuments de l'yucatan," in "nouvelles annales des voyages," , vol. .--these papers are not very valuable. juan galindo. report on the antiquities of lake peten. "antiquités méxicaines," vol. i. modesto mendez. report on tikal. "zeitschrift für allgemeine erdkunde," vol. i.; ; also in siver's "mittelamerika" and other places. he is, as yet, the only authority on tikal. julius froebel. "aus amerika, erfahrungen, reisen, und studien." leipzig.--english translation: "seven years travel in central america." london, . carl bartholomÂus heller. "reisen in mexico." leipzig, .--rather fair and moderate. dÉsirÉ charnay, and viollet le duc. "cités et ruines américaines." paris, .--invaluable for its photographs. arthur morelet. "voyage dans l'amérique centrale, l'ile de cuba, et la yucatan." paris, . english translation by mrs. e. g. squier. "itza, or the unexplored regions of central america." london, .--a very attractive and valuable work. charles etienne brasseur de bourbourg. "histoire des nations civilisées du méxique et de l'amérique centrale." paris, - . "rapport sur les ruines de mayapan et d'uxmal," in "archives de la cômission scientifique du méxique," vol. ii. "relation des choses de yucatan." paris, . (see landa and lizana). "quatre lettres sur le méxique." paris, . "manuscrit troano." paris, - . the late abbé brasseur was certainly the greatest of all modern travellers in mexico and central america, as far as extent of travel and long duration of stay are concerned. he knew those countries better, and had easier access to the natives, than any other similar traveller of this century. his works are therefore, actual mines of wealth so far as old documents are concerned: he has collected and brought to light more manuscripts than any other student. but his honest zeal and unrestrained enthusiasm have led him into paths on which he has wandered lamentably astray. his works are indispensable, though very little of his own conclusions can be believed. juan pio perez. "cronología antigua de yucatan," in "relation des choses de yucatan." . diccionario de la lengua haya. mérida, . manuel orozco y berra. "geografia de las lenguas y carta etnogrática de méxico." méxico, . american antiquarian society, worcester, mass. _proceedings no. ._ oct. , page . report of s. f. haven, ll.d. _proceedings no. ._ oct. , page . report of s. f. haven, ll.d. _proceedings no. ._ april, , page . report of s. f. haven, ll.d. _proceedings no. ._ april, , page . "the mayas," by stephen salisbury, jr. _proceedings no. ._ april. , page . "dr. le plongeon in yucatan," by stephen salisbury, jr. _proceedings no. ._ oct. , page . report of s. f. haven, ll.d. _proceedings no. ._ april, , page . "terra cotta figure from isla mujeres," by stephen salisbury, jr. page , "the mexican calendar stone," by philipp j. j. valentini, ph.d. _proceedings no. ._ oct. , page . "archæological communication on yucatan," by augustus le plongeon, m.d. page , "notes on yucatan," by mrs. alice d. le plongeon. proceedings no. ._ april, , page . "mexican copper tools," _by philipp j. j. valentini, ph.d. page , "letter from dr. augustus le plongeon." _proceedings no. ._ oct. , page . "the katunes of maya history," by philipp j. j. valentini, ph.d. _proceedings no. ._ april, , page . "the landa alphabet," by philipp j. j. valentini, ph.d. _proceedings no. ._ oct. , page . "mexican paper," by philipp j. j. valentini, ph.d. page , "notes on the bibliography of yucatan and central america," by ad. f. bandelier. philipp j. j. valentini. "a new, and an old map of yucatan," in "magazine of american history," . albert gallatin. "notes on the semi-civilized nations of mexico, yucatan, and central america," in vol. i. of "transactions of the american ethnological society." n. york, . a. aubin. "mémoire sur la peinture didactique et l'écriture figurative des anciens méxicaines." paris, - . ( papers, published also in the "revue américaine et orientale." st series, vols. iii., iv. and v.) lÉon de rosny. "les écritures figuratives et hiéroglyphiques des peuples anciens et modernes." paris, . "mèmoire sur la numération dans la langue et dans l'écriture sacrée des anciens mayas." (compte-rendu du "congrés international des américanistes." , vol. ii.) "essai sur le déchiffrement de l'écriture hiératique de l'amérique centrale." paris, .--still continued. francisco pimentel. "cuadro descriptivo y comparativo de las lenguas indígenas de méxico." méxico, . german translation, by isidor epstein. n. york, . hyacinthe de charency. "recherches sur le codex troano." paris, . d. geronimo castillo. "diccionario historico, biografico y monumental de yucatan." mérida, . vols. serapio baqueiro. "ensayo historico sobre las revoluciones de yucatan, -- ." mérida, . vols. gustav klemm. "allgemeine culturgeschichte der menschheit." vols. leipzig, - . heinrich wÜttke. "die enstehung der schrift." edward king, lord kingsborough. "antiquities of mexico." - , london, vols. folio. special value of plates. de larenandiere. "méxique et guatemala," in "univers pittoresque." paris, . wm. h. prescott. "history of the conquest of mexico." (too well known to need any remarks). lewis h. morgan. "systems of consanguinity and affinity of the human family." . (no. of "smithsonian contributions to knowledge.") "american aboriginal architecture." johnson's encyclopedia, vol. i. "ancient society." new york, . hubert howe bancroft. "the native races of the pacific states." vols. n. york, . john d. baldwin. "ancient america." new york, . josÉ m. melgar y serrano. "exámen comparativo entre los signos simbólicos, &c." vera cruz, . gustav brÜhl. "die culturvölker alt-amerika's." new york, cincinnati, and st. louis, , , and . adolph bastian. "die culturlaender des alten america's." berlin, . vols. john t. short. "the north americans of antiquity." new york, . * * * * * i further refer to papers in "nouvelles annales des voyages." . by h. ternaux-compans. "registro yucateco." vols. i. and ii. and to the publications of crescencio carrillo, licenciado. (i have but glanced at one of his works). eligio ancona. "historia de yucatan." mérida, . vols. manuel larrainzar. "estudios sobre la historia de américa, sus ruinas y antigüedades." méxico, . vols. * * * * * on most of the works like those of prescott, bancroft, baldwin, and others, i need not comment, having already expressed my opinion in "art of war and mode of warfare of the ancient mexicans," and "tenure and distribution of lands, and customs with respect to inheritance among the ancient mexicans."--( th and th reports of the peabody museum). in regard to yucatecan paintings and carvings, i have expressed my convictions in "sources for aboriginal history of spanish america," vol. of the "proceedings of the american association for advancement of science." . i repeat it, this attempt at a bibliography on yucatecan antiquities is far from being complete,--many works of greater or less importance having probably been overlooked. chiapas. this district or state contains the well known ruins of palenque and ocosingo. still, but very few of the works hereafter mentioned relate to these places. it is therefore a bibliography of chiapas and of its aborigines:--zendal, zoques, zotzil, chiapanecos, &c., and not a special bibliography of palenque, &c., which i intend to present,--convinced that our lack of knowledge on the aborigines of chiapas in general is a chief cause of our ignorance about the past history of these remains. a large number of authors treating of chiapas have already been noticed in regard to yucatan, and in such cases i merely give the author's name, without the title or any other reference to his works, except when there are special reasons for it. _writers of the sixteenth century._ diego de godoy. "relacion á hernando cortez, en que trata del descubrimiento de diversas ciudades i provincias, i guerra que tuvo con los indios, &c., de la provincia de chamula."--first incorporated in the "historia general" of oviedo y valdés, again in barcia's "historiadores primitivos de indias," and in "historiadores primitivos de indias" of vedia.--french translation by ternaux-compans, in ^{st}, "recueil de pièces concernant la méxique, &c."--also italian in "ramusio," vol. iii. gonzalo fernandez de oviedo y valdÉs. hernan cortÉz.--"carta quinta." francisco lopez de gomara. bernal diez del castillo. (eye-witness of the conquest of chiapa.) bartolomÉ de las casas. (especially the "apologética historia.") gerÓnimo de mendieta. (incidental mention.) in the d "_recueil de piecés concernant le méxique_," of ternaux-compans, there is a complaint or letter of an anonymous author against las casas, dated chiapas.--i also refer to "_cartas de indias_," vol. i., containing several letters of las casas himself. * * * * * there is, in fact, but very little published about the antiquities of chiapas, during the th century. i do not even mention any of the general collections which have an occasional reference to the name. but few vocabularies are noticed. still we are informed of the following works, which may yet be in existence, or which at all events have existed once, and were written during the th century. fray tomÁs torre. "historia de los principios de la provincia de chiapas y guatemala, del orden de santo domingo." fray domingo vico. "historia de los indios, sus fábulas, supersticiones, costumbres, &c., &c." the library of the "museo nacional" of the city of guatemala, contains a number of fragments of a "_historia de la provincia de san vicente ferrer de chiapas y guatemala_," the third book of which is superscribed: "isagoge histórico apologético general de todas las indias."--there is no date nor name of author, but it can be conjectured that it was written in the th century.--gregorio garcía also quotes: _fray estévan de salazar_. "discurs. symb. apost." who in turn is said to refer to a book entitled "_historia, i relacion de la teología de los indios mexicanos_," said book being lost in a shipwreck, . _writers of the seventeenth century._ gregorio garcia. antonio de herrera. juan de torquemada. antonio de remesal. augustin de vetancourt. gil gonzalez dÁvila. juan diaz de la calle. augustin dÁvila-padilla. "historia de la fundacion y discurso de la provincia de santiago de méxico." st edition, madrid, ; d edition, brussels, .--mentions chiapas only in connection with the biography of las casas.--the first edition has almost disappeared, so that it is practically a book of the th century. augustin cano. "historia de la provincia de predicadores de san-vicente de chiapas y guatemala."--fragment of a ms. at the "museo nacional" of guatemala. * * * * * the following books are known to have existed once: fray juan zapata y sandoval. "cartas al conde de gomera ... sobre los indios de chiapas." "cartas al rey sobre el estado dulce diócesis de chiapas." * * * * * i make no mention of the compilations and general collections containing references to chiapas. they are not numerous.--gregorio garcía in his book, "origen de los indios," has probably the earliest mention of the ruins of ocosingo, and even perhaps, some indication about those of palenque.--cortez who, accompanied by bernal diez, passed very near palenque in , did not take any notice of the pueblo,--which at that time was certainly not inhabited. _writers of the eighteenth century._ nuÑez de la vega. "constituciones diocesanas del obispado de chiapas." rome, . important for its reports on the idolatrous rites and the traditions of the aborigines. lorenzo boturini bernaducci. "idea de una nueva historia general de la america septentrional." madrid, . valuable for his mention of the calendar of chiapas. mariano fernandez de veytia y echeverria. "historia del origen de las gentes que poblaron la america septentrional que llaman la nueva-españa, con noticia de los primeros que establecieron la monarquía que en ella floreció de la nacion tolteca."--this work has been published as lately as , at mexico, by c. f. ortega, under the title of "historia antigua de méxico."--it contains notices of the calendar of chiapas. f. x. clavigero. s. j. (abbate.) antonio de alcedo. joseph antonio de villa-seÑor y sanchez. francisco ximenez. "crónica de la provincia de chiapas y guatemala,"--of which part of the th book is at the "museo nacional" of guatemala. "historia de la provincia de predicadores de san vicente de chiapas y guatemala." written about ,--and possibly the same work as the above.--according to brasseur de bourbourg, volumes which did not suit or fit together and were the remnants of two mss. copies of the original, existed at the university of guatemala in . toribio cosio. "relacion histórica de la sublevacion y pacificacion de la provincia de los tzendales." (may still exist at mexico.) francisco vasquez. "crónica de la provincia del ill'mo nombre de jesús, del orden de san francisco de guatemala."--guatemala, and , vols.--the library of guatemala ("museo nacional") still contains an anonymous ms. of leaves, "notas y advertencias" to the above work.--whether the "crónica" itself is at guatemala, i am unable to say. the book is very scarce. mr. squier owned the first volume only. anonymous. "relacion de la sublevacion de los zendales, en el año de ." ms. perhaps still at the city of guatemala. ramon de ordoÑez y aguiar. "historia de la creacion del cielo y de la tierra, conforme al sistema de la gentilidad americana." ms. at the "museo nacional" of the city of mexico.--very important for the traditions of chiapas. "memoria relativa á las ruinas de nachán, en las inmediaciones del pueblo de santo domingo del palenque." ms. formerly belonged to brasseur de bourbourg. it was written about , and is the first authentic report on the celebrated ruins. d. nÁxera. "vida portentosa del v. p. fr. antonio margil de jesús." méxico, . h. vilaplana. "vida portentosa del americano septentrional apóstol antonio margil de jesús...." méxico, . (margil was one of the earliest missionaries in chiapas.) _documents relative to the explorations of palenque._ besides the "memoria" of ordoñez already quoted, which first directed attention to the ruined pueblo, there exist the following documents: josÉ de estacheria. "expediente sobre el descubrimiento de una gran ciudad en la provincia de chiapas, distrito de guatemala." nov. . (archives of the royal academy, at madrid).--it is directed to the lieutenant "alcalde mayor" of chiapas, at s^{to} domingo del palenque, directing him to survey the ruins. josef antonio calderon. "informe, fecho en de diciembre de ." description of the ruins. mss. translated and published by brasseur in "ruines de palenque," . antonio bernasconi. other reports on the ruins, accompanied by plans and drawings. ms. in spain. date, june, . juan bautista muÑoz. letter to the marquis de sonora, written . translated by brasseur: "ruines de palenque." . antonio del rio. "descripcion del terreno y poblacion antigua nuevamente descubierta en las inmediaciones del pueblo del palenque."--i have already referred to it under "yucatan." whether the plates of the english edition are genuine, is yet doubtful. * * * * * i must add here, that until about , the state of chiapas pertained, not to mexico, but to the captain-generalcy of guatemala, and consequently all the authorities treating of the latter country may be supposed to contain information about chiapas also. _writers of the nineteenth century._ (explorations of palenque.) juan garrido. _said_ to have written about palenque in . guillermo dupaix and luciano castaÑeda. "relacion hecha al rey, sobre tres expediciones, &c." in , , and . they visited palenque late in .--their reports and drawings were first published in , in vols. iv. and v. of lord kingsborough's "antiquities of mexico," and an english translation in vol. vi.--a french and spanish version, together with all the plates, is contained in "antiquités mexicaines." paris, .--the drawings of castañeda are by far the most complete which we have, although they disagree with many of those of other travellers. this disagreement will be referred to hereafter. juan galindo. "palenque et autres lieux circonvoisins." letter dated april, , in "antiquités méxicaines," vol. i.--english translation in the "literary gazette," no. , london, .--col. galindo visited palenque himself, but he is so enthusiastic that all his statements and even measurements should be taken with many allowances. friedrich von waldeck. "description des ruines de palenque," with large plates, in "monuments anciens du méxique." paris, .--m. de waldeck had spent two years at palenque ( - ,)--his plates are magnificent, but they restore far too much. john l. stephens. "travels in central america, chiapas, and yucatan." n. york, . "incidents of travel in yucatan." . f. catherwood. (see yucatan.) arthur morelet. (see yucatan.) visited p. in . dÉsirÉ charnay. (see yucatan.) in . charles etienne brasseur de bourbourg. "ruines de palenque," in "monuments anciens du méxique," , paris.--valuable for the historical introductions and for the numerous references to authorities. the historical essay is a confused and disorderly jumble, barely readable.--the abbé visited palenque subsequently--in . to these reports i finally add: charles rau. "the palenque tablet in the united states national museum," washington, d. c., . (no. of "smithsonian contributions to knowledge.") * * * * * aside from the numberless historical, archæological, and ethnological works, several of which i have already noticed under "yucatan," i beg to refer to some specifically central-american and mexican sources treating of chiapas in general, with some occasional mention of palenque and of ocosingo, or even without any particular reference to them. domingo juarros. "compendio de la historia de guatemala," -- .--english translation by j. bailly, london, . francisco de paula garcia l'elaez. "memorias para la historia del antiguo reyno de guatemala." vols. guatemala, .--an excellent work, full of valuable and reliable information. hyacinthe de charency. "le mythe de votan." alençon, .--ingenious speculations. fÉlix cabrera. "teatro crítico-americano."--published with the different editions of del rio.--abstract from nuñez de la vega, with more or less hypothetical speculations about the origin, life, and doings of "votan" in chiapas. mariano robles dominguez de mazariegos. "memoria histórica de la provincia de chiapas...." cadiz, . emilio pineda. "descripcion geógráfica del departamento de chiapas y soconusco." in the "boletin de la sociedad de geografia y estadística de méxico." vol. iii. also, méxico, . josÉ de garay. "reconocimiento del istmo de tehuantepec." méxico, . francisco pimentel. "cuadro descriptivo de las lenguas indígenas, &c." (see yucatan.) manuel orozco y berra. "geografia de las lenguas." (see yucatan.) * * * * * in the imperfect list herewith submitted i have frequently included works of which nothing is known save that they once existed. this is done for the purpose of calling attention to them, should any one of them be found in the hands of book owners and collectors here or abroad. libraries like those of mr. lenox or of mr. john carter-brown should be searched for such writings, and copies at least should be secured. the plan of palenque, made by bernasconi, in , should also be copied without delay. a copy can be obtained from madrid, by application to the royal academy of spain. guatemala. (copan and chiapas included.) _writers of the sixteenth century._ hernan cortÉs. ( th and th letter. casual mention.) pedro de alvarado. seventeen letters to hernan cortés, the first of which is dated: utlatlan, april, . only two of those letters were printed, the remaining fifteen are yet in mss. mr. e. g. squier owned ms. copies of the whole, but whither they went at his sale i do not know. the two which were published ( april and july), appeared in the following works: "delle navigationi et viaggi, &c." by gian battista ramusio. venice, italian version. the "due lettere de pietro d' alvarado," are contained in the d volume, editions of , , and . oviedÓ. "historia y natural de las indias." vol. iii. written between and , but printed only . madrid. andrÉs gonzalez barcia. "historiadores primitivos de indias." madrid, , vol. i. h. ternaux-compans. "premier recueil de piéces relatives à la conquéte du méxique." paris, .--french translation. enrique de vedia. "historiadores primitivos de indias." madrid, . (vol. i.) these letters, from the conqueror of guatemala, are very important, and the unpublished ones should be printed at the earliest possible moment. francisco lopez de gomara. (quite full, and mentions the earliest author giving the etymology--or rather, an etymology--of the word "cuauhtemallan"--this is the earliest _printed_ notice about it.) gonzalo fernandez de oviedo y valdÉs. (has other information besides alvarado's letters.) bartolomÉ de las casas. (very important, particularly on the interior provinces pertaining or adjacent to his bishopric of chiapas.) girolamo benzoni. (visited guatemala himself, and although brief, he still is valuable.) petrus martyr, ab angleria. (brief notice, in connection with the movements of alvarado, in the last decade, cap's v. and x.--earliest reports on guatemala in general, received in europe.) fray toribio de paredes, surnamed motolinia. (not only the "historia de las indias de nueva-españa," contains incidental reference to guatemala,--but there is a trace of a "viaje á guatemala."--yet the latter is still in doubt.) fray gÊronimo de mendieta. bernal diez del castillo. (although a citizen of spanish guatemala, his reports are not very full.) "requeto de plusieurs chefs d'atitlan." addressed, under date of feb'y, , to philip ii. published in french, by h. ternaux-compans, in ^{st} "recueil de piecés concernant le méxique," .--it is valuable. pascual de andagoya. "relacion de los sucesos de pedrarias dávila en las provincias de tierra firme ó castilla del oro, y de lo ocurrido en el descubrimiento de la mar del sur y costas del perú y nicaragua." about .--original at sevilla, printed for the first time by don martin fernandez de navarrete, in . vol. iii. of "coleccion de los viajes y descubrimientos, &c."--english translation, by c. r. markham, published under the title of "the narrative of pascual de andagoya," by the hackluyt society, vol. , .--slight mention is made of guatemala. alonzo de zurita. (Çorita?) "breve y sumaria relacion de los señores, y maneras y diferencias que habia de ellos en la nueva-españa...."--this important official document, written about , has been published but once in spanish,--in vol. ii. of "coleccion de documentos inéditos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y colonizacion de las posesiones españolas en américa y oceanía," .--the text is, however, imperfect.--a better original had been used by ternaux-compans for his french translation: "rapport sur les diffirentes classes de la nouvelle-espagne."--zurita is very important on the organization of the quiché tribes of guatemala, and he has been almost verbally copied by herrera. diego garcia de palacio. "carta dírigida al rey de españa," , march th.--the chief importance of this report, in connection with this list, consists in its being the earliest notice of the ruins of copan. herrera made extensive use of palacio's writings, but he omitted that part which referred to copan because it was not confirmed (at his time) by any other testimony. the first publication of palacio was by ternaux-compans, in , "recueil de documents et mémoires originaux sur l'histoire des possessions espagnoles, &c."--french translation: fluent, but not always reliable. a spanish copy appeared in , in vol. vii. of "coleccion de documentos inéditos...."--a spanish copy, with english translation, by e. g. squier, in , as vol. i. of his "collection of rare and original documents, relations, &c., &c."--finally. dr. alexander von frantzius published a german translation in , under the heading of "san salvador and honduras im jahre, ,"--which is particularly valuable on account of the notes by the translator, as well as by dr. c. h. berendt.--palacio must have visited copan about , and the fact is established through him that its buildings were in ruins at the time of the spanish conquest, that is about , and no distinct traditions of their origin left. * * * * * passing over all general collections and geographical works, &c., &c., of the sixteenth century, i will mention: "cartas de indias." (see yucatan.) and the miscellaneous collections like _"colección de documentos inéditos para la historia de españa," begun by navarrete_, miguel salvá, and pedro saing de barada, in , and still continued. "_colección de documentos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y colonizacion de las posesiones españolas en américa y oceanía._" commenced in , and still continued. (these collections contain chiefly documents from the "real archivo de indias," and although they are of recent date, the papers are all from the earlier times of spanish conquest and settlement.) * * * * * the library of the "museo nacional" at the city of guatemala (la nueva), contains the following: rafael arÉvalo. "libro de actas del ayuntamiento de la ciudad de guatemala." (town book or record, from to .) "colección de documentos antiguos del archivo del ayuntamiento de la ciudad de guatemala."--(both bound in one volume and published in and .) manuscripts. "libro segundo del cabildo de la ciudad de santiago de la provincia del guatemala." ( to .) "libro tercero de cabildo." ( to .) "historia de la provincia de san vicente de chiapa y guatemala." (fragmentary.) francisco hernandez, cacique of solola. (francisco ernandez arana xahila.) "memorial," written about .--original owned by brasseur de bourbourg, who quotes it under the heading of "memorial de tèc-pan-atitlan."--it is one of the most important and valuable documents existing on aboriginal topics,--embodying, as it does, a statement of the conquest of guatemala, written by a native in his own language. "documentos antiguos de la casa de ixcuinte-nèhàib." in addition to these, i must lay particular stress on the "territorial titles" land grants, cessions, leases, or deeds to lands, still held in guatemala,--or to whatever (if anything) may be left of their records.--such papers contain frequently interesting, if not important references to antiquities, traditions and historical facts, also to the customs and manners of the indians. among the other authorities still perhaps existing, or known to have existed, though of difficult access, i refer to those below, avoiding, of course, linguistical works, unless they are of direct bearing on other subjects also. juan estrada de ravago (or juan strada salvago.) "descripcion de las provincias de costa rica, guatemala, honduras, nicaragua y tierra-firme y cartagena, &c., &c." may, . (ms. copy of it belonging to e. g. squier.) "memorial de las advertencias i cosas que la c. cath, r'l m. del rey i su re. consejo de indias manda hacer, &c., &c." (ms. of e. g. squier.) . francisco montero de miranda. "relacion dírigida al ill'mo señor palacio, &c., &c., sobre la provincia de la verapaz ó tierra de guerra." . (ms. of e. g. squier.) frayles: francisco viana, lucas gallego, and guillermo cadena. "relacion de la provincia y tierra de la vera paz," . (ms. of squier.) fray tomÁs cÁrdenas. "representaciones al rey sobre el estado de los pueblos de la vera-paz." fray tomÁs castelar. "tratado de los idolos de guatemala." "triunfos de los mártires del orden de predicadores en las indias." printed . fray tomÁs torre. "historia de los principios de la provincia de chiapas y guatemala, del orden de santo domingo."--written prior to . fray domingo vico. "historia de los indios, sus fábulas, supersticiones, costumbres, &c." "teologia para los indios, en lengua de vera paz." vols. (still existing.) gerÓnimo roman. "república indiana." (see yucatan.) this list is certainly far from complete, and it may be that among the vocabularies, grammars, and such works now lost, although we know of their former existence, there were some,--perhaps even many,--which contained historical and ethnological matter of great value.--it is hardly possible to avoid all allusions to such subjects in any work on linguistics. but the number of books of that class is too great for the purpose of the present list. _writers of the seventeenth century._ augustin davila-padilla. (see yucatan. first edition appeared in .) gregorio garcia. (plain and well informed, though brief.) juan de torquemada. (important on organization and government, also myths.) antonio de herrera. (very full and important.) antonio de remesal. (not as full on antiquities as might be expected.) augustin de vetancourt. (very slight mention.) enrico martinez. (casual mention.) gil gonzalez dÁvila. juan diez de la calle. fernando de alba ixtlilxochitl. "relaciones históricas."--of these, the thirteenth, "de la venida de los españoles," is of particular interest for guatemala,--since it relates in detail cortés' trip to honduras. the "relaciones" are printed in full in vol. ix. of lord kingsborough's collection,--the th however, was published under the title of "horribles crueldades de los conquistadores de méxico," as appendix to sahagun's "hist-general," vol. iii., in . from this, m. ternaux made a french translation, published by him in , as "cruautés horribles des conquérants du méxique,"--in the first series of his "voyages et mémoires originaux, &c." "historia de los chichimecos, o' reyes antiguos de tezcuco."--casual mention of guatemala.--published in kingsborough, vol. ix., and translated by ternaux and printed in french as "histoire des chichiméques ou des anciens rois de tezcuco," in .--( d series.)--besides these, there are found references to guatemala in the "sumaria relacion, de los toltecas." (kingsb. ix.)--ixtlilxochitl, though full of details, is always a very suspicious source.--he is the representative of _one tribe exclusively_. francisco antonio fuentes y guzman. "recordacion florida; discurso histórico, natural, material, militar, y político del reyno de guatemala." ms. of . original in the municipal archives of the city of guatemala. copy at the "museo nacional."--fuentes is like ixtlilxochitl--both have the same tendency to extol their native tribes--still both must be carefully studied and critically examined.--a publication of fuentes, well and judiciously annotated, would be highly useful. fernando espino. "historia de la reduccion y conversion de la provincia de taguzgalpa, con la vida de los tres mártires."--printed at guatemala, .--whether and where it still exists i do not know. lionel wafer. "a new voyage and description of the isthmus of america."--london, . fray thomas gage. "new survey of the west indies." (a work which is looked upon with great suspicion, because the author, although he evidently went to guatemala from mexico, misrepresents a great many facts. still he cannot be overlooked.)--this book appeared first prior to .--robertson quotes an english edition of , and that of is the fourth edition. there are french editions of , - , , . dutch of , . german of . spanish, .--yet this list is evidently still incomplete, as further material is out of my reach. antonio de leon y pinelo. "tratado de confirmaciones reales de encomiendas, oficios, y casos en que se requieren para las indias occidentales." madrid, .--this work is one of the best on many vital points of spanish administration,--and since the latter is so intimately connected with the past and present condition of the aborigines as to make its knowledge absolutely necessary,--it must be attentively studied.--i shall, for this reason, add below the books of solòrzano: "epítome de la biblioteca oriental i occidental, náutica y geográfica." madrid, . d edition, by barcia, and . (important bibliographically.) "relácion que en el consejo real de las indias hizo el licenciado ..., sobre la pacificacion de las provincias del manché y lacandon," . ms. of e. g. squier. juan de solÓrzano-pereyra. "disputationem de indiarum jure, sive de mixta indiarum occidentalium inquisitione, acquisitione, et retentione tribus libris compehensam." (this is the title of the first volume only, the second volume bears the heading "de indiarum gubernatione, &c.") madrid, - .-- d edition, . "política indiana." madrid, .--subsequent editions, , - , . the latter work is but a spanish transcription or version of the first. the importance of both is in their clear "exposé" of the principles of right and law, according to which the spanish indies were governed.--we are thereby enabled to judge of the true relations existing between the conquering and conquered races, and to detect, how far the original condition of the latter was understood or misunderstood by the former--(and misrepresented?) * * * * * the "museo nacional," at guatemala, has the following manuscripts besides those already mentioned: "historia de la provincia de predicadores de san vicente de chiapa y guatemala."--a fragment, possibly by _fray augustin cano_. "solicitud que el padre fray augustin cano hizo al ill'mo s^r obispo de guatemala ... que se hallaba de visita en el pueblo de cajabon pidiendo amparo para reducir á los indios choles." "informé dado al rey por el _padre fray augustin cano_ sobre la entrada que por la parte de la verapaz se hizo al peten en ." "suma de los capítulos generales y principales, ordenaciones, &c., de la provincia de predicadores de chiapa y guatemala." by _fray lope de montoya_. "vidas de varios padres de la provincia de chiapa y guatemala del orden de indicadores," by _fray antonio de molina_. whether the "noticia ó relacion de los padres de la orden de predicadores que florecian en la provincia de los zoques" (anonymous ms.), belongs to the th century, i am unable to say. * * * * * notice of the following books or writings has been communicated to me from various sources: fray antonio arochena. "catálogo y noticia de los escritores del orden de san francisco de la provincia de guatemala." (a very important bibliographical composition, to judge from its plan.) fray estevan aviles. "historia de guatemala desde los tiempos de los indios, hasta la fundacion de la provincia de los franciscanos; poblacion de aquellas tierras, propagacion de los indios, sus ritos, ceremonias, polícia, y gobierno." (said to have been printed at guatemala in .) fray salvador cipriana. "libro de los idolos de la provincia de zacatula." "hechos de los padres fray levis cancer, fray bartolomé de las casas, y fray pedro de angulo, en la predicacion del evangelio." "historia de la entrada de los españoles en zacatula." nicolas lizarraga. (see yucatan.) fray melchor de jesus lopez. "relacion de la conversion á la fé de los indios de salamanca." . "relacion de la pacificacion de los indios de vera-paz." fray pedro sotomayor. "informacion de los varones ilustres del orden de san francisco del reino de guatemala." diego de unzueta. "relacion de guatemala,"--handed to juan diez de la calle in . nicolas de valenzuela. (wrote about the expedition against lacandon,--in .) fray estevan verdelete. "noticias de la provincia de teguzigalpa." (written between and .) juan zapata y sandoval. (see chiapas.) fray pedro daza. "memorias históricas de la fundacion y predicacion de los religiosos de la merced de la redencion de cautivos en guatemala." fray josÉ morera. "noticias de la provincia de guatemala, con un tratado de la mísion y martirio de los p. p. misioneros, verdelete y montragudo." (ms. said to be at guatemala.) fray pablo rebullida. "informe á la audiencia de guatemala sobre el estado actual de la cristiandad de la provincia de talamanca." . "cartas sobre el caracter de los indios terrabas, talamancas, y changenes." fray pedro de urtiaga. "diario del viaje de los cinco misioneros desde querétaro hasta guatemala."--printed in , at guatemala. alonzo duarte. "relacion de lo que yo (a. d.) vecino desta ciudad de santiago de guatemala entendí y vide quando d. francisco valverde vino a sondar el puerto de cavallos." . ms. pertaining to e. g. squier. these are certainly not all,--perhaps only a minority of the documents relating to guatemala,--which originated during the th century. in regard to the ruins of copán,--fuentes is perhaps (because a number of the last enumerated authors i have not seen) the only one who mentions its ruins, and even gives an enthusiastic description of them,--but torquemada as well as herrera relates the tradition of comizahual, which also relates to copán. the latter place is, besides, commonly regarded as belonging properly to _honduras, and only of late has been added_ to guatemala. i add the following, although they are of scarcely any value for the purpose in view: josÉ monroy. "estado del convento de guatemala, del orden de nuestra señora de la merced." printed, . diego rodriguez de ribas. "disertacion canónica sobre los justos motivos que representa el reyno de guatemala, para que el consejo se serva de erigir en metropolí ecclesiástica la s. iglesia catedral, &c." printed, . _writers of the eighteenth century._ antonio de alcedo. f. x. clavigero. (very slight mention.) the following mss. are yet at guatemala "museo nacional." pedro cortÉs y larraz. "descripcion geográfico moral de la diócesis de guatemala." - . fray francisco ximenez. "historia de la provincia de san vicente de chiapa y guatemala de la orden de los predicadores." vols. josÉ sanchez. "apuntaciones para la historia de guatemala." fernando velasquez de guzman. "relacion de los obispos de guatemala." there is, besides, a ms.: "efemérides de guatemala desde su fundacion hasta la ruina de ."--anonymous. printed works: fray isidro fÉlix de espinosa. "el peregrino septentrional atlante." (life of fray antonio margil.) méxico, . fray cÁrlos cadena. "breve descripcion de la noble ciudad de santiago de los caballaros de guatemala, &c." mexico, .-- d edition, guatemala, . juan de villagutierre y sotomayor. (on vera paz.) francisco nuÑez de la vega. (on chiapas.) toribio cosio. (in the university library of mexico.) fray josÉ diez. "noticia de las misiones de guatemala." fray ildefonso joseph flores. "teología de los indios." fray francisco vasquez. (see chiapas.) fray francisco ximenez. (see chiapas.) it is said that ximenez wrote two large historical works, one in five volumes, of which but three were finished.--this is a mistake, the entire edition of five volumes is still at guatemala. the other work, secured by dr. scherzer, bears the title "las historias del orígen de los indios de esta provincia de guatemala....," and published by him at vienna in . (anonymous ms. said to exist at guatemala.) "informe del provincial de la orden de santo domingo guatemala, tocante á los negocios de la vera-paz." . "relacion de la sublevacion de los zendales." . antonio rodriguez campas. "diario histórico de guatemala." fray juan cartajena. "la s^{ta} iglesia de guatemala, madre fecundísima de hijos ilustrissimos." méxico, . ramon ordoÑez y aguiar. (see chiapas.) at mexico. (a number of the above works may be lost.) _writers of the nineteenth century._ all general works, archæological, historical, and geographical, are left out. i even omit, as abundantly known, kingsborough, bancroft, baldwin, short, the "antiquites méxicaines," the "cités et ruines méxicaines" of waldeck,--brasseur de bourbourg, &c., &c.--reference to these sources is self-understood. domingo juarrez. "compendio de la historia de guatemala." - , guatemala. (relies too much on fuentes.) english translation by bailey. london, . "a statistical and commercial history of the kingdom of guatemala, in spanish america."--a second spanish edition appeared in . francisco de paula garcia pelaez. (see chiapas.). "memorias para la historia del antiguo reyno de guatemala." . charles etienne brasseur de bourbourg. "popol vuh. le livre sacré et les mythes de l'antiquité américaine, avec les livres héroiques et historiques des quichés." paris, . hardly any work of this century has created such a "mixed" sensation of a serious nature, as this book.--it could be seen at a glance, that no mystification was possible,--but there was a wide field open for discussion on the point of origin, as far as the document itself, the "popol vuh," was concerned.--still the "sensation" has not resulted in much active critical examination, and i think (if i may be permitted to commit such a breach of modesty,) myself the only person attempting a criticism of the "popol vuh" on the basis of documentary evidence. unfortunately, i was unable to prepare my annotations in time for the publication of the th volume of proceedings of the american association for the advancement of science, in .--thus only the text of "sources for aboriginal history of spanish america," appeared without any documentary evidence attached. one thing is evident, that the "popol vuh" was _written_. now it is a fact very easily proven, that the aborigines of guatemala had no phonetic alphabet whatever, consequently _that they did not write_.--therefore the "popol vuh" must have been composed, as an instrument in writing, since the conquest; or after .--this is developed utterly independent of the fact that the document hints at two data (p. ,) indicating the time of its composition to have been after , and prior to .--therefore it was written in our letters, or perhaps with the aid of the "five characters" invented by fray francisco de la parra, previous to , to indicate sounds for which our alphabet had no signs.--at all events, it was written in the native quiché idiom, and was only met with incidentally by fray francisco ximenez at the town of chichicastenango, towards the close of the th century.--this dominican monk translated it into the spanish language and incorporated both text and translation in the first volume of his "historia de la provincia de predicadores, &c."--according to brasseur de bourbourg's really silly and irritatingly confused bibliography--(p. xiii., "notice bibliographique.") dr. scherzer certainly deserves credit for having published a spanish text rendering approximatively the "popol vuh," in , and there is no doubt but that it is as correct a rendering of the original quiché as the french translation of brasseur de bourbourg. the filiation of the text being thus established as far back as to , it remains to investigate the question: how much of it was originally indian;--if all of it or not? there is no doubt but that the greater part of it is indian songs, preserved for centuries, and indian myths and tales--historical traditions--which were recorded by the compiler in the form now before us. but this compiler, or rather--recorder--has given to these tales a chronological sequence,--at least in the first part,--which may hereafter prove conjectural.--actions are made to succeed to each other, which may yet prove to be without any connection at all.--i do not insist upon this point--since a new translation of the "popol vuh" should precede its investigation--but i particularly insist upon a careful and critical study of its first so-called "chapters." these first chapters give us cosmological ideas and notions, purporting to be originally indian, which, at their very inception, show a singular admixture of foreign elements. the first sentences appear to be transcriptions from the book of genesis. they are not aboriginally american.--we are therefore led to investigate whether, prior to , european influences could have been brought to bear upon the recollection and the imagination of the natives.--there is very positive evidence to that effect.--the monks, at the earliest stages of conversion, used paintings of their own, to impress upon the natives the notions of a creation of the world, of the deluge and salvation of a single pair therefrom, &c., &c.--the dominican father gonzalo lucero travelled about with painted charts representing such striking events, which he displayed in confirmation of his teachings. fray jacobo testera (he died aug. , ) used similar means. fray pedro de angulo, who went with las casas to guatemala and was made provincial of chiapas in , wrote three dissertations in the zutuhil language, one on the creation of the world, one on adam's fall, and one on the expulsion of our first fathers from paradise.--fray luis cancer wrote similar pages in the language of oajaca, previous to .--fray domingo vico, who was killed by the indians of lacandon, in , wrote his "teologia para los indios," in the quiché language, also a dissertation on the "eternal paradise," in the language of vera-paz.--but there is also indisputable proof that _songs were composed on the subject of the creation of the world_ and other parts of the hebrew genesis, in the quiché language, which songs were used as the means of conversion of the natives of vera-paz in . (remesal. lib. iii., cap. xi., p. .) they had been composed by las casas, fray rodrigo de ladrada, fray pedro de angulo, and probably fray luis cancer. many other similar ones were composed afterwards. thus we see that, prior to , ecclesiastics had commenced to write upon cosmological subjects with our letters and in the languages of guatemala, and that, on the other hand, christian cosmogony had become a text for indian songs. the "popol vuh" has therefore nothing extraordinary in its origin; it is but a child of its time, like the "memorial de tecpan-atitlan," by the chief of sololá, only anonymous,--and preceded by a cosmological introduction made up of christian and indian tales confusedly intermingled, and therefore apocryphal so far. these criticisms, however, apply merely to the "first part,"--the rest of the "popol vuh" appears to be original, and therefore of the greatest value. this however cannot be said of the translation, only of the ms. a new translation, supervised by a native, should be obtained at any price. "grammaire quichée, et le drame rabinal-aché." paris, . of the "rabinal-aché," a new translation is absolutely requisite. mr. brasseur, like all translators of indian songs, has so disfigured it by the introduction of a foreign terminology, as to render it useless for any one who has no access to vocabularies, &c. john l. stephens. (see yucatan), also frederick catherwood. juan galindo. (see yucatan and chiapas.) what i have seen of his reports has left upon my mind the impression that he means to be truthful, but in his zeal and eagerness saw "too big," and again "too often." "the ruins of copan in central america." transactions of the american antiquarian society, vol. ii., pp. - . . "notions sur palenque," &c., &c., "transmises à la société géographique de france," in "antiquités méxicaines," vol. i., pp. - .--published also in the "bulletin" of the french geographical society, and in the "literary gazette" of london. e. g. squier. "the serpent-symbol, and the worship of the reciprocal principles of nature in america." n. york, . "the states of central america: their geography, topography, &c., &c. aborigines," n. york, . "notes on central américa, particularly the states of honduras and san salvador." n. york, .--german translation, leipzig, .--french version, paris, .--spanish, paris, , (two different translations.) "honduras, descriptive, historical and statistical." london, . "honduras and guatemala." "the national intelligencer." n. york, . "the ruins of tenampua." although in honduras, they appear traditionally connected with copan. n. york, , in "proceedings of the historical society of new york." "monograph of authors who have written on the languages of central america." albany, .--a very valuable and important contribution to bibliography. * * * * * carl scherzer. "wanderungen durch die mittel-amerikanischen freistaaten." braunschweig, .--english version, london, . "narrative of the circumnavigation of the globe by the austrian frigate novara." london, . (the official reports on the results of the circumnavigation, &c., are very rare.) "die indianer von ixtlahuacan." vienna, . "ein besuch bei den ruinen von quirigua." vienna, . i omit here his linguistical writings, and his publication of the "historia del origen de los indios, &c.," in .--see ximenez. moritz wagner, and carl scherzer. "die republik costa-rica in central amerika." leipzig, .--describes the ruins of quirigua. manuel galvan rivera. "historia de méxico, guatemala, estados-unidos del norte, perú, &c." méxico, . "gaceta de guatemala." (from .) contains interesting notices, historical and ethnological. "periodico de la sociedad econÓmica de guatemala." (only numbers published in and .) may, , to april, . the padres: chica, abella, and escoto, and aguilar. "informes, al ill'mo señor arzobispo de guatemala, tocantes á la vera-paz." and . mss. dominguez de mazariegos. (see chiapas.) domingo fajardo. "informe dirigido al gobierno supremo de méxico, relativo á su mision á vera-paz y peten." campeche, . orlando n. roberts. "narrative of voyages and excursions on the east coast and in the interior of central america." edinburgh, . carl hermann berendt. "report of explorations in central america." smithsonian report, . "collection of historical documents on guatemala." smithsonian report, . "die indianer des isthmus von tehuantepec."--zeitschrift für ethnologie. berlin, , vol. v. "_analytical alphabet_ for the mexican and central american languages." published by the american ethnological society. new york, . "_cartilla en lengua maya_ para la enseñanza de los niños indigenes." mérida, . _el ramie._ tratado sobre el cultivo y algunas noticias de esta planta. mérida de yucatan, . (ed. de la revista de mérida.) _los escritos de d. joaquin garcia icazbalceta._ ed. de la revista de mérida. tomo ii., . "_articulo sobre el méxico_," se halla en el "deútsch amerikanisches conversations lexicon, barbeitet von. prof. alex. i. schem. lieferung , band vii., seite , pp. . (n. y. .) "_remarks on the centres of ancient civilization in central america_, and their geograpical distribution." address read before the am. geogr. society, n. y., july th, , with map. _zur ethnologie von nicaragua._ articulo publicado en correspondenz-blatt der deutschen gesellschaft für anthropologie, ethnologie und urgeschichte. redigirt von n. a. v. frantzius in heidelberg, no. , september, . in "geographische mittheilungen" von a. petermann, gotha. (the above makes no pretension to be a full list of the eminent linguist's publications.) alexander von frantzius. (see palacio.) "san salvador and honduras im iahre, ."--annotated also by berendt. gustav bernoulli. "reisen in der republik guatemala."--in "petermann's mittheilungen," - . baron der theil. "le guatemala." in "l'explorateur," vol. iii. . j. laferrier. "de paris au guatémala." paris, . george williamson. "antiquities in guatemala." smithsonian reports, . (very interesting and of great value for archæological studies.) j. w. boddam-wetham. "across central america." london, . adolph bastian. "die monumenta in santa lucia cozumalguapa."--"zeitschrift für ethnologie," . "die culturlaender des alten amerikas." (see yucatan.) gustav brÙhl. (see yucatan.) h. w. bates. "central america, west indies, and south america." london, . a. boncard. "le guatèmala."--in "l'explorateur," . no. . francisco pimentel. (see yucatan and chiapas.) manuel orozco y berra. (see yucatan, &c.) s. habel. "the sculptures of santa lucia cozumalguapa."--smithsonian contributions, no. .--washington, . in closing this list, i must again distinctly state, that it is very imperfect,--and that no one acquainted with the literature of central america can fail to notice many omissions.--but i had neither time, nor opportunity to do better, owing to the state of my health. in conclusion, i wish to advert to a few books of an exclusively bibliographical tenor, which every student of american history must at least attempt to consult.--some of them are, unfortunately, extremely rare: nicolÁs antonio. "bibliotheca hispana nova, &c." st edition, rome, . d edition, madrid, - . juan josÉ de eguiara y eguren. "biblioteca mexicana." méxico, . incomplete: only the first volume published. antonio de alcedo. "biblioteca americana." ms. original belonged to mr. jared sparks. méxico, . j. mariano bÈristain de souza. "biblioteca hispana americana. septentrional." méxico, and , volumes. (exceedingly rare.) brasseur de bourbourg. "bibliothéque méxico-guatemalienne." paris, . * * * * * i forbear quoting here at length the bibliographical works of harrisse, rich, ludewig, ternaux-compans, sabin, and others.--they are deservedly well known, and of easy access to any student. oajaca. ("huaxyacac.") _writers of the sixteenth century._ hernan cortÉs. ( d letter.) bernal diez del castillo. (casual notice.) francisco lopez de gomara. ("conquista de méxico.") fray toribio de parades, surnamed motolinia. ("historia de los indios de la nueva-españa." see bibliography of yucatan.)--this is probably the earliest mention of the ruins of mitla, which were, however, inhabited at that time. motolinia has been entirely overlooked by bancroft, although his description of mitla is truly excellent. gonzalo fernandez de oviedo y valdÉs. (casual notice.) codex chimalpopoca. now in process of publication, in the "anales del museo nacional de méxico." vol. ii., by mendoza, sanchez solís, and chavero. juan de tobar. "códice ramirez,"--published by s^r j. m. vigil, as an anonymous chronicle, in . also "historia de los indios mexicanos." original in possession of the estate of sir thomas phillips, at cheltenham, england. copy of a fragment, privately printed, at the lenox library, new york. (written between and .) diego durÁn. "historia de las indias de nueva-españa, é yslas de tierra firme."--(written between and , but only the first part of it printed, at mexico, , by s^r josé f^r ramirez.)--very important; mentions again mitla as a settlement inhabited about . "apéndice" por alfredo chavaro, méxico, . fernando de alvarado tezozomoc. "crónica mexicana."--written . printed for the first time in vol. ix. of kingsborough, and again (though not complete) in the "biblioteca mexicana" of s^r vigil, with notes by s^r orozco y berra.--a french translation has been made by ternaux-compans, under the title of "histoire du méxique, par alvarado tezozomoc," paris, , vols. it is utterly unreliable. fray gerÓnimo de mendieta. (copies textually from motolinia.) fray bernardino sahagun. "historia universal de las cosas de nueva-españa," in vols. and of kingsborough.--the same book, under the title of "historia general, &c., &c." appeared at mexico, in vols., , edited by c. m. de bustamante. only very slight and casual mention of oajaca. _writers of the seventeenth century._ augustin dÁvila-padilla. juan de torquemada. (important.) antonio de herrera. (important.) gregorio garcia. (important.) francisco de burgoa. "palestra historiale de virtudes y exemplares apostólicos." méxico, . "geográfica descripcion de la parte septentrional del polo artico de la américa." méxico, . this work is regarded (especially by such as have not seen it), as the leading work on oajaca.--i have never even seen it--it is exceedingly rare. _writers of the eighteenth century._ mariano veytia. f. x. clavigero. antonio de alcedo. lorenzo boturini bernaducci. joseph joaquin granados y galvez. "tardes americanas." méxico, --a work considerably over-estimated,--containing casual mention of oajaca,--fluently written. _writers of the nineteenth century._ i forbear mentioning here _all_ the writers on oajaca,--more particularly avoiding all the general works,--those excepted which contain plates of special value. the first who called attention to mitla was certainly alexander von humboldt. "vues des cordilléres et monuments des peuples indigénes de l'amérique." paris, . royal folio.--same, vols. ^o paris, . english version, by helen m. williams, london, . "essai politique sur la nouvelle-espagne." (see "yucatan.") mathieu de fossey. "le méxique." paris, .--very fair. eduard mÛhlenpfordt. "versuch einer getreuen schilderung der republik mejico." hannover, . vols. arthur von tempsky. "mitla, a narrative of incidents and personal adventures." london, .--of small scientific value. guillermo dupaix, and castaÑeda. (in "antiquités méxicaines," also in lord kingsborough's "antiquities of mexico.") dÉsirÉ charnay. (saw the ruins in . his photographs are very important.) josÉ maria garcia. (visited mitla in , according to "boletin de la sociedad mexicana de geografia y estadistica." vol. vii., pp. and .) brantz-mayer. "mexico as it was and as it is." new york, . very fair. "mexico, aztec, spanish and republican." hartford, . very good. "observations on mexican history and archæology." (smithsonian contributions. no. , washington, .) contains sawkins' drawings of mitla. j. w. von mÜller. "beitrage zur geschichte und ethnographie von mexico." leipzig, . "reisen in den vereinigten-staaten, canada, and mexico." leipzig, . carlos maria de bustamante. "memoria estadística de oajaca, y descripcion del valle del mismo nombre." vera-cruz, . murguia. "estadistica antigua y moderna de la provincia de guajaca." "boletin, &c." vol. ii. juan b. carriedo. the writings of this author are, unfortunately, but little known.--in the "ilustracion mexicana," vol. ii., he has given an essay on "los palacios antiguos de mitla."--but he has published other papers and even books on the same subject. "estudios históricos, y estadísticos del estado oaxaqueño." oajaca, . the astor library of new york has an incomplete copy of a work of carriedo on oajaca, with colored drawings by him,--unfinished. copious notes by the author's own hand accompany the text. in historical questions carriedo mostly follows and cites burgoa. francisco pimentel. "cuadro descriptivó de las lenguas indígenas de méxico." (see yucatan and chiapas.) manuel orozco y berra. in "geografia de las lenguas."--reference is made to a number of very important papers on oajaca, the title of one, among others, "estado que comprende el número de parroquias de la diócesis de oajaca, con expresion de sus nombres, estado ó territorio en que están situadas, número de pueblos, &c., &c." further, certain official reports are quoted,--the originals of which are in the hands of my friend s^r j. g. icazbalceta,--s^r orozco mentions the following: pedro de ledesma. "relacion de oajaca, por el alcalde...." . hernando de cervantes. "relacion de teotzacualco y amoltepec...." . augustin de salazar. "relacion del vicario de chilapa." juan lopez. "relacion del corregidor...." . finally, i must call attention to a linguistical work, known to me only through s^r orozco y berra's citation, and through references given by s^r pimentel--to wit: antonio de los reyes. "arte en lengua mixteca." méxico, . numerous grammars, vocabularies, "doctrinas," sermonaries, &c., &c., were written in the course of the th century, of and in the language of oajaca. emilio hÉrbrÜger. "album de vistas fotográficas de las antiguas ruinas de los palacios de mitla." oaxaca, . text and valuable photographs. * * * * * in conclusion, i would merely beg to add,--that there can hardly be any doubt as to the fact that mitla was _inhabited_ when the spaniards first visited the place. it therefore becomes a point of special interest. university of kansas publications museum of natural history volume , no. , pp. - , figs., pls. december , the systematics of the frogs of the _hyla rubra_ group in middle america by juan r. leÓn university of kansas lawrence university of kansas publications, museum of natural history editors: frank b. cross, philip s. humphrey, robert m. mengel. volume , no. , pp. - , figs., pls. published december , university of kansas lawrence, kansas printed by robert r. (bob) sanders, state printer topeka, kansas the systematics of the frogs of the _hyla rubra_ group in middle america by juan r. leÓn contents page introduction acknowledgments materials and methods the hyla rubra group key to species and subspecies key to known tadpoles accounts of species and subspecies _hyla boulengeri_ (cope) _hyla foliamorta_ fouquette _hyla rubra_ laurenti _hyla elaeochroa_ cope _hyla staufferi_ cope _hyla staufferi staufferi_ cope _hyla staufferi altae_ dunn evolutionary history literature cited introduction the tree frogs of the _hyla rubra_ group are abundant and form a conspicuous element of the neotropical frog fauna. representatives of the group occur from lowland méxico to argentina; the greatest diversity is reached in the lowlands of southeastern brazil (cochran, ). the group apparently originated in south america; the endemic central american species evolved from stocks that invaded middle america after the closure of the colombian portal in the late pliocene. dunn ( ) partially defined the _rubra_ group as it occurs in central america. cope ( , , ), brocchi ( ), boulenger ( ), günther ( ), noble ( ), kellogg ( ), dunn and emlen ( ), stuart ( ), and gaige ( ) dealt with the middle american species now considered to make up the _rubra_ group. more recently, taylor ( , ), fouquette ( ), starrett ( ), and duellman ( , , a) studied aspects of the taxonomy and biology of the species of this group. the five species of the _rubra_ group in central america have received ten different names. one species, _hyla staufferi_, has received five names (two subspecies are recognized herein). _hyla boulengeri_ was named in the genus _scytopis_, but the type species of _scytopis_ is a member of the genus _phrynohyas_ fitzinger, (duellman, .) little has been published concerning the ecology, life history, osteology, and mating calls of the middle american species of this group. the purpose of the present report is to describe the species occurring in middle america and to comment on their distributions, ecology, cranial osteology, and mating calls, and in so doing provide evidence for the evolutionary history of the species inhabiting middle america. acknowledgments for permission to examine specimens in their care, i am grateful to drs. richard g. zweifel, american museum of natural history (amnh); robert f. inger, field museum of natural history (fmnh); ernest e. williams, museum of comparative zoology (mcz); hobart m. smith, university of illinois museum of natural history (uimnh); charles f. walker, university of michigan museum of zoology (ummz); jay m. savage, university of southern california (usc); james a. peters, united states national museum (usnm); richard j. baldauf, texas cooperative wildlife collection (tcwc); and w. frank blair, texas natural history collection (tnhc). ku refers to specimens in the museum of natural history, university of kansas. for the loan of tape-recordings of mating calls i thank drs. w. frank blair, university of texas, and richard g. zweifel, american museum of natural history. i am indebted to the ford foundation-universidad de oriente (venezuela) science project for a scholarship which enabled me to study for two years at the university of kansas, foster institution of the project. i have benefited by being able to work in the museum of natural history at the university of kansas and i am grateful to dr. e. raymond hall, director, for providing space and equipment. i gratefully acknowledge the assistance and advice of dr. william e. duellman, who suggested and directed this work, made available specimens under his care and gave much of his time in reading the manuscript and suggesting improvements. i am grateful to dr. frank b. cross who critically read the manuscript and made many editorial suggestions. i am indebted to linda trueb for assistance with the osteological aspects of this study; she helped to clarify many confusing points. i am grateful to charles w. myers for making available his field notes on these frogs in panamá, to arthur c. echternacht for reading part of the manuscript, and to john d. lynch for many suggestions and helpful criticisms. the illustrations were executed by david m. dennis. materials and methods for the purposes of the present study i examined preserved specimens, skeletons, and lots of tadpoles. external characteristics used in the analysis of variation are those currently employed in the study of anuran systematics. twelve measurements and six proportions were taken in the manner described by duellman ( ). only the most important references are given in the synonymies, except those of the two subspecies of _hyla staufferi,_ which are more nearly complete. the taxonomic history of each frog is discussed under _remarks_ in each account. the cranial osteology was studied by using skeletons and cleared and stained specimens of all species. developmental stages of tadpoles were determined from gosner's ( ) table. personal field work in central america in the summer of provided an opportunity to make observations on the ecology, calling sites, and color in life; these data were supplemented by field notes from, and discussions with, dr. william e. duellman and charles w. myers. the mating calls of the frogs were recorded in the field on magnemite and uher tape recorders by dr. duellman in the course of his work on the hylid frogs of middle america--supported by grants from the national science foundation (g- and gb- ). these recordings, plus those borrowed from other institutions, provided tapes for analysis of the mating calls. the calls were analyzed on a vibralyzer (kay electric company). the hyla rubra group _definition._--the species forming the group are small to moderate-sized tree frogs (maximum snout-vent length of males of various species - mm.), distinguished from other groups in the genus _hyla_ as follows: brown, grayish brown, or yellowish tan above; thighs plain, marbled with dark brown, or having vertical bands; vocal sac single, median, subgular; snout flat, protruding, rounded or pointed; webbing between fingers reduced or absent; web between first and second toes reduced to fringe on second toe, rest of toes about half webbed; tarsal fold reduced or absent; shanks robust; inner metatarsal tubercle larger than outer; prevomerine teeth on transverse ridges between small to large sized choanae; skull generally longer than wide; nasals large (length more than per cent total length of skull) and having pointed maxillary processes; maxillary bearing small ventromedial palatine process; quadratojugal slender, always joined to maxillary by bony suture; auditory region of proötic slender and short; delicate spatulate columella ventral to crista parotica, broad basally, compressed anterolaterally, slightly rounded distally; anterior arm of squamosal extending about half distance to maxillary; sphenethmoid wider than long; frontoparietal fontanelle present or absent; prevomerine, premaxillary, and maxillary teeth present; prevomer with two lateral processes forming incomplete bony margin to internal nares; tadpoles having pointed xiphicercal tail, snout short, rounded; / tooth rows; dorsal fin deeper than ventral fin; sinistral spiracle; short dextral anal tube not reaching edge of ventral fin; mating calls consisting of single long note or series of short notes. _composition._--this group contains about currently recognized species, most of which occur in brazil. only five species--_boulengeri,_ _elaeochroa_, _foliamorta_, _rubra_, and _staufferi_ with two subspecies--occur in central america. _hyla boulengeri_ and _rubra_ are widespread in south america, and _foliamorta_ occurs in colombia, whereas the other species are known only from middle america. _distribution._--the species of the _hyla rubra_ group range from the lowlands of northern argentina and bolivia to southern tamaulipas and guerrero, méxico. _comments._--in central america two subgroups of species can be recognized. _hyla boulengeri_ and _h. foliamorta_ are distinctive in the large size of adults (snout-vent lengths - mm.); both have prominent bars on the thighs, a well-defined interorbital triangular mark, blotches or spots dorsally, and large choanae. _hyla elaeochroa,_ _h. rubra,_ and _h. staufferi_ are smaller (snout-vent lengths - mm.); they have the thighs weakly barred or vermiculate anteriorly and posteriorly or unmarked, an ill-defined interorbital triangular mark, linear markings dorsally, and small choanae. key to species and subspecies . larger frogs (males to mm. snout-vent length); thighs strongly barred; supratympanic fold black; dorsum blotched or spotted smaller frogs (males to mm. snout-vent length); thighs weakly barred or plain; supratympanic fold pale brown; dorsum usually having linear pattern . dorsum tuberculate; snout subacuminate; vocal sac flecked with brown; tarsal fold rudimentary; web absent between fingers; black spots absent in scapular region _h. boulengeri_ dorsum smooth; snout pointed; vocal sac dark gray; tarsal fold absent; trace of web between fingers; two or more elongate dark spots in scapular region _h. foliamorta_ . snout-vent length more than mm.; tympanum / to / diameter of eye; prevomerine elevations about size of choanae snout-vent length less than mm.; tympanum less than / diameter of eye; prevomerine elevations smaller than choanae . thighs mottled posteriorly; discs on fingers about / size of tympanum; faint dark line from nostril to eye _h. rubra_ thighs faintly barred or plain posteriorly; discs on fingers about size of tympanum; distinct dark line from nostril to eye _h. elaeochroa_ . dorsum brown with irregular dorsolateral stripes and interrupted paravertebral stripes; two transverse bars on shanks; interorbital bar present _h. staufferi staufferi_ dorsum gray with complete dorsolateral and paravertebral stripes; longitudinal stripe on shank; interorbital bar absent _h. staufferi altae_ key to known tadpoles . entire lower beak black; beaks moderate-sized, serrate; dorsal fin high, extending to middle of back no more than half of lower beak black; beaks small, finely serrate; dorsal fin lower, barely extending onto body . papillae present only laterally _h. boulengeri_ papillae present laterally and ventrally _h. foliamorta_ . distinct brown stripe from nostril to eye; two stripes below eye, _h. elaeochroa_ faint stripe from nostril to eye; no stripe below eye _h. staufferi_ accounts of species and subspecies _hyla boulengeri_ (cope) _scytopis boulengeri_ cope, bull. u.s. natl. mus., : , december , [holotype.--usnm , from "nicaragua"; j. a. mcniel, collector]. _hyla boulengeri:_ günther, biologia centrali-americana, reptilia and batrachia, p. , june . noble, bull. amer. mus. nat. hist, : , june . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , . _diagnosis._--size large (male to mm., female to mm.); skull as long as wide; frontoparietal fontanelle present; snout subacuminate; canthus not pronounced; choanae large; tongue cordiform, slightly longer than broad; interorbital triangle tubercular; skin on dorsum tuberculate; tarsal fold reduced or absent; thighs, shanks, and tarsi boldly barred with dark brown and pale yellow-green in life. _description._--head flattened, longer than wide; snout projecting beyond lower lip; loreal region oblique; canthus not pronounced; length of eye less than interorbital distance; tympanum large, about per cent of diameter of eye; interorbital triangle distinct; arms short; fingers lacking web; palmar tubercle tripartite; subarticular tubercles distinct; long tubercle on base of first finger; discs truncate; legs long; tarsal fold reduced or absent; inner metatarsal tubercle rounded, larger than outer, both elevated; subarticular tubercles distinct; one phalanx free of web on second, third, and fifth toes, three free on fourth toe (fig. a and b); skin tuberculate on dorsum, less so on flanks; skin of belly granular, that on chest and throat weakly granular; tongue cordiform, longer than wide, free and notched behind; vocal slits large, lateral to tongue. [illustration: fig. . a and b.--hand and foot of _hyla boulengeri_ (ku ), × . c and d.--hand and foot of _hyla s. staufferi_× (ku ), × ] in life, dorsum tan or brown with dark spots on snout, head, and scapular region; interorbital triangle and blotch posteriorly on dorsum dark brown; flanks pale green; groin pale green or orange, mottled with dark brown; thighs tan or brown above with dark transverse bars on anterior and posterior surfaces; spaces between bars green or orange; inner surfaces of shanks and outer surfaces of tarsi brown and orange; foot brown above; forelimbs brown and pale green above, weakly barred; belly creamy white with scattered brown spots; vocal sac creamy white flecked with brown; lower jaw brown with white spots on lips (pl. a). in preservative, head and dorsum dark brown with triangular spot between eyes; dark spots on head and scapular region and dark brown blotch posteriorly on dorsum; flanks creamy white with brown spots; groin creamy white mottled with dark brown; thighs brown above with dark brown transverse bars on anterior and posterior surfaces; inner surfaces of shanks and outer surfaces of tarsi barred with pale brown; dorsal surface of foot mottled brown and creamy white; ventral surface of foot and toes pale brown; forelimbs faintly barred with pale brown; belly white with a few pale brown spots; vocal sac flecked with pale brown; lower jaw marked with small white spots on lips. _variation._--geographic variation is evident in the snout-vent length, tibia length, and foot length, all in relation to snout-vent length, and the relative size of the tympanum to the eye (table ). the largest specimens are from the humid pacific lowlands of costa rica; individuals from the caribbean lowlands of costa rica, canal zone, and south america are smaller. a general trend for increase in size extends from south america to the pacific lowlands of costa rica. most variation in color does not seem to be correlated with geography; color variation is nearly as great within a given population as between separated populations. however, most specimens from rincón de osa, puntarenas province, costa rica, are dusky brown, but a few are darker. in comparison with specimens from the caribbean lowlands of central america, specimens from the pacific slopes in costa rica have a darker interorbital triangle. in some specimens from the latter area rugosities are present on the borders of the interorbital triangle, on the snout, on the upper eyelid, and on the heel. specimens from the caribbean lowlands are less tuberculate, and most individuals from there lack rugosities on the tarsus. living individuals from puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica, and from the canal zone, panamá, are brown above with a metallic green tint. rugosities are present on the posterior edges of the forelimbs in some specimens from throughout the range. in most respects, specimens from the canal zone resemble those from the caribbean lowlands of costa rica more than they resemble those from the pacific lowlands of costa rica, but some individuals from the canal zone are less metallic above and have small white spots dorsally on the body, head, and limbs. a moderate amount of color change from night to day has been noted. at night, a male from puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica, was grayish tan above with slightly darker markings; the flanks were pale yellowish green. by day, the dorsum was brown with darker markings, and the throat was pale gray with white flecks; the rest of the venter was creamy white. the groin was pale green with black mottling; the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs and inner edges of the tarsi were greenish yellow with black bars. table .--geographic variation in size and proportions in males of _hyla boulengeri_. (means in parentheses below observed ranges.) ========================================================================= | | snout-vent| tibia | | | | length | length/ |tympanum/|foot length/ locality | n | (mm.) | snout-vent| eye | snout-vent --------------------+----+-----------+-----------+---------+------------- costa rica: tilarán | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: rincón | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . de osa | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: alajuela| | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . province | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: puerto | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . viejo | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: suretka | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | panamá: canal zone | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | venezuela: santomé | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) table .--comparison of mating calls in the _hyla rubra_ group. (means in parentheses below observed ranges.) ============================================================================ | |notes| | | | major frequencies | | per |duration| pulses|fundamental| (cps) | |call | of note| per | frequency |--------------------- species | n |group| (sec.) | second| (cps) | lower | upper ---------------+---+----+---------+-------+-----------+---------+----------- h. boulengeri | | | . - | - | - | - | - | | | . | ( )| ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | | | ( . ) | | | | | | | | | | | h. foliamorta | | | . - | - | - | - | - | | | . | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | | | ( . ) | | | | | | | | | | | h. elaeochroa | | - | . - | - | - | - | - | | ( )| . | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | | | ( . ) | | | | | | | | | | | h. s. staufferi| | - | . - | - | - | - | - | | ( )| . | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | | | ( . ) | | | | | | | | | | | h. s. altae | | - | . - | - | - | - | - | | ( )| . | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | ( ) | | | ( . ) | | | | _cranial osteology._--the skull of _hyla boulengeri_ is as long as it is wide, and is flat; the premaxillary is small and bears to teeth (mean for specimens, . ). the alary processes of the premaxillaries are widely separated, concave posteriorly, and vertical. ventrally, the premaxillary is connected to the prevomer by bony tissues. the maxillary is slender and bears to teeth (mean for specimens . ). the pars facialis of the maxillary is laterally convex and about four times as high as the pars dentalis. the nasal is large (its length about per cent of total length of skull), and pointed anteriorly and posteriorly in dorsal view. the nasals are separated anteromedially by the cartilaginous septum nasi. one or two protuberances are present on the midlateral concavity of the nasal. posteriorly, the nasal overlaps the sphenethmoid and articulates with the palatine. dorsally the sphenethmoid is large, pentagonal, and completely ossified. the frontoparietal is elongate, smooth, and bears a small supraorbital process on the anterior edge of the orbit. a keyhole-shaped frontoparietal fontanelle is present; the fontanelle is narrow anteriorly and wide posteriorly. the bony part of the proötic is separated dorsally from the squamosal by the cartilaginous crista parotica. the squamosal is small, its anterior arm slender and pointed. the posterior arm of the squamosal is pointed terminally and articulates with the proötic medially. the prevomer is large and elongate. anteriorly the prevomer is connected to the maxillary-premaxillary articulation; posteriorly, the prevomer is separated from the sphenethmoid by cartilage. each prevomer bears six to nine teeth. the palatine is present and edentate. the anterior end of the parasphenoid is broad (less pointed than in _hyla foliamorta_). the pterygoid is slender and well developed. _natural history._--_hyla boulengeri_ inhabits humid lowland tropical forests and breeds in temporary ponds. clasping pairs and gravid females were observed at puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica, on june , . males were calling from depressions in decaying logs and stumps, in forked stems, and from leaves of broad-leafed plants near the pond. males were observed in late july and early august calling from _calathea_ and _heliconia_ leaves at the edge of a pond in the wet forest of the osa peninsula. william e. duellman informed me that he collected calling males in january at el real, darién, and in march at almirante, bocas del toro, panamá. taylor ( ) found calling males in june at turrialba, cartago province, costa rica, and dunn ( a) observed males calling in july, november, and december in panamá. gravid females have been found from april to august. breeding activities of _hyla boulengeri_ always seem to be associated with temporary ponds; in central america breeding apparently takes place throughout most of the year. the mating call of _hyla boulengeri_ consists of one short, moderately low-pitched note. each note has a duration of . to . second and is repeated at intervals of one second to several minutes. the notes have to pulses per second, a fundamental frequency of about cycles per second, and a dominant frequency of , cycles per second (table , pl. a). the eggs are deposited in a mass in the water. no information is available concerning early development. tadpoles in advanced stages of development were found in a temporary pond at rincón de osa, puntarenas province, costa rica. the pond was about cm. deep, had a muddy bottom and lacked vegetation. three recently metamorphosed young were found in mid-august, , on grass at the edge of another temporary pond in the forest. _tadpoles_--twelve tadpoles are available. these were collected at rincón de osa, puntarenas province, costa rica. the maximum size represented is . mm., total length (stage of development). a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku ) has a body length of . mm., tail length of . mm., and total length of . mm. other characters are as follows: depth of tail equal to length of body; body deeper than wide; distance between eye and nostril equal to that between nostril and tip of snout; mouth anteroventral, upper and lower lips bare; papillae present laterally; tooth rows / ; upper rows about equal in length; first upper row slightly, and second upper row widely, interrupted medially; lower rows about equal in length, shorter than upper rows; third lower row containing - large teeth; beak strong, serrate; spiracle nearer anus than eye; anal aperture not extending to border of ventral fin; caudal musculature slender posteriorly, extending to tip of pointed tail; dorsal fin extending to middle of body, slightly deeper than ventral fin; posterior three fourths of tail spotted; rest of tail and body gray-brown or transparent; hindlimbs flecked or spotted with brown (table , fig. a and a). table .--sizes of tadpoles of _hyla boulengeri_ in relation to developmental stages. (means in parentheses below observed ranges; measurements in mm.) ======================================================= stage | n | body length | tail length | total length --------+---+-------------+-------------+-------------- | | . | . | . | | | | | | . | . | . | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . | . | . | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . | . | a recently metamorphosed young has a snout-vent length of mm.; the head is as long as wide, the eyes are prominent; the limbs are weakly barred; the skin is rugose above and granular below. the venter is immaculate; the dorsum and limbs are gray-brown in preservative (pale green in life). the interorbital space, supratympanic fold, and scapular region are darker than the rest of the body; the fingers lack webbing; the webbing on the foot is the same as in adults; small metatarsal tubercles are present, but the tarsal fold is absent. [illustration: fig. . tadpoles of (a) _hyla boulengeri_ (ku ) and (b) _hyla elaeochroa_ (ku ), × .] [illustration: fig. . mouthparts of tadpoles of (a) _hyla boulengeri_ (ku ) and (b) _hyla elaeochroa_ (ku ), × .] _remarks._--cope ( : ) described _scytopis boulengeri_ from nicaragua. günther ( : ) placed _boulengeri_ in the genus _hyla_, and stated that cope possibly placed _boulengeri_ in the genus _scytopis_ on the supposition that it had an accumulation of "sebaceous glands" above the tympanum. noble ( : ) redescribed _hyla boulengeri_ on the basis of three specimens from zelaya province, nicaragua, and noted that the glands were not prominent in any of the specimens. duellman ( : ) showed that _scytopis hebes_ (generotype of _scytopis_ by monotypy) is a phrynohyas, and thus placed _scytopis_ cope, , in the synonymy of _phrynohyas_ fitzinger, . dunn and emlen ( : ) placed _hyla lancasteri_ barbour in the synonymy of _hyla boulengeri_; the former was known solely from one juvenile. they made no qualifying statements, but probably they were impressed by the strongly barred thighs, a coloration known among central american hylids at that time only in _hyla boulengeri_ (duellman, a: ). taylor ( : ) followed dunn and emlen with reservation and noted some differences. duellman ( a: ) showed that the holotype of _lancasteri_ was a juvenile of a species subsequently named as _hyla moraviaensis_ by taylor ( : ). in central america, _hyla boulengeri_ can be confused only with _hyla foliamorta;_ the latter is restricted to central and eastern panamá and northern colombia. the snout of _foliamorta_ is more pointed and protruding, and the vocal sac is darker than in _boulengeri_; the groin of _foliamorta_ usually is creamy white, whereas _boulengeri_ usually has a dark spot. the skulls differ in that _boulengeri_ has a frontoparietal fontanelle, the prevomer is larger and elongate, anteriorly connected to the premaxillary, and posteriorly separated from the sphenethmoid by cartilage; _foliamorta_ lacks a fontanelle, the prevomer is smaller, anteriorly separated from the premaxillary by cartilage, but connected by a bony suture to the sphenethmoid. the mating call of _boulengeri_ differs by having shorter notes, twice as many pulses per second, a higher fundamental frequency, and more closely approximated major frequencies than does that of _foliamorta_. _hyla boulengeri_ need not be compared in detail with the other central american members of the _hyla rubra_ group, because all of them are smaller and have shorter snouts, smoother skin, and dissimilar color patterns. _distribution._--in central america _hyla boulengeri_ inhabits the forested lowlands in locally humid areas in guanacaste province, costa rica, and in the humid golfo dulce region of costa rica; it occurs on the carribbean lowlands from central nicaragua to south america, where it ranges to guyana and ecuador. the highest elevations where _h. boulengeri_ has been found are meters at turrialba, cartago province, and meters at tilarán, guanacaste province, costa rica (fig. ). _specimens examined._--costa rica: _alajuela_: km n ciudad quesada, near la florencia, usc ( ); km n florencia, usc ; laguna monte alegre, ku ; las playuelas, km s los chiles, usc , ( ), ; km ne muelle del arenal, usc ( ). _cartago_: turrialba, ku . _guanacaste_: km n liberia, usc ( ), ( ); . km n liberia, usc , ( ); . km s liberia, usc ; taboga, km se las cañas, ku , usc ; km ne tilarán, usc ; km ne tilarán, usc ( ), , . _heredia_: puerto viejo, ku - (skeletons), - (skeletons), - , - ; km ne puerto viejo, ummz ; km s puerto viejo, ku - (skeletons), - , (skeleton); . km w puerto viejo, ku , (skeleton). _limón_: mountain cow creek, near banano, ku , (skeleton); km s río tortuguero, amnh ; suretka, ku - , . _puntarenas_: . km s bahía rincón on nw side río rincón, usc ; parrita, usc ; . km w rincón de osa, ku - , - (tadpoles); km sw rincón de osa, ku - ; . km nw villa neilly, usc ; . km wnw villa neilly, ku . _san josé_: km wsw san isidro el general, ku - . [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla boulengeri_ (circles) and _h. foliamorta_ (dots).] panamá: _bocas del toro_: . km w almirante, ku . _canal zone_: barro colorado island, fmnh ; near clayton reservation, uimnh ; . km sw fort kobbe, ku ; miraflores locks, amnh - ; summit, amnh , ku , - , (skeleton). _colón_: río gatuncillo, near nuevo san juan, ku . _darién_: el real, ku - . _hyla foliamorta_ fouquette _hyla foliamorta_ fouquette, herpetologica, : , april , [holotype.--tnhc , km. nw miraflores locks, canal zone, panamá; m. j. fouquette, jr. collector]. _diagnosis._--size medium (male to mm., female to mm.); skull longer than wide; frontoparietal fontanelle absent; snout acuminate, projecting; interorbital triangle bordered by white lines; scapular region having two or more elongate spots; dorsum smooth; vocal sac dark gray; groin creamy white; traces of web between fingers. _description._--head flattened, longer than wide; snout flat, pointed, protruding beyond lower lip; loreal region slightly concave; canthus moderately prominent; eyes smaller than interorbital space; tympanum distinct, to per cent of diameter of eye, smaller than internarial space; arms short; fingers having rudimentary webs; median palmar tubercle tripartite; inner palmar tubercle on base of first finger flat; subarticular tubercles distinct; discs of fingers smaller than diameter of tympanum; legs long; tarsal fold lacking; inner metatarsal tubercle larger than outer; one phalanx free on second, third, and fifth toes, two and one half phalanges free on fourth toe; narrow fringe continuing from web to discs of toes; discs of toes about the size of those on fingers; skin smooth on dorsum and flanks, that on belly and posterior part of thighs granular; tongue oval, longer than wide; vocal slits oblique, about one half length of tongue. in life, dorsum pale tan to pale reddish brown with irregular reddish brown markings; small dark spots on head; distinct dark brown triangular mark between eyes, bordered by thin white lines; apex of triangle always directed backward; supratympanic fold with black edge; scapular region having two to five small, elongate black spots; belly creamy tan with small brown spots; vocal sac uniformly dark brown with scattered creamy tan flecks; upper jaw dark brown; limbs creamy white below with scattered brown spots; groin marked with small brown spots in some specimens; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs yellow-orange with three distinct black blotches; two dark bands on upper surface of shanks; webbing of feet yellowish tan with brown mottlings (pl. b). in preservative, dorsum brown or gray with darker markings; interorbital triangle distinct, bordered by white lines; supratympanic fold with black edge; two or more small elongate black spots in scapular region; belly white with numerous brown flecks; edge of upper lip dark brown; vocal sac dark gray; undersides of limbs creamy white; groin creamy white with or without brown spots; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs having three black blotches separated by creamy white spaces; shanks having two brown bands; webbing of feet mottled with brown. _variation._--twenty-eight breeding males from the area between chepo and tocumen, panamá, have snout-vent lengths of . mm. to . mm. (mean . mm.). in these specimens, the ratio of the tibia length to the snout-vent length is . to . (mean, . ); the ratio of the diameter of the tympanum to that of the eye is . to . (mean, . ). one female has a snout-vent length of . mm., tibia/snout-vent length ratio of . , and tympanum/eye ratio of . . two to five (usually three) elongate black spots are present in the scapular region in different individuals. the flanks in some are spotted with brown; in others they are creamy white. a small black spot is present in the groin of some specimens. usually two to four blotches are present on the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs; in some specimens the blotches are reduced to small spots. one or two brown spots are present proximally on the shanks in most specimens. in some individuals tuberculations are scattered on the head and in the tympanic and scapular regions, but the dorsum is smooth in most specimens; the belly is creamy white flecked with brown. _cranial osteology._--the skull of _hyla foliamorta_ is flat and longer than it is wide. the premaxillary is small and bears to teeth (mean for specimens, . ). the alary process of the premaxillary is vertical and concave posteriorly. ventrally, the premaxillary is completely separated from the prevomer by cartilage. the maxillary is slender; each bears to teeth (mean for specimens, ). the pars facialis of the maxillary is laterally convex and less than three times the height of the pars dentalis. the nasal is large and pointed anteriorly and posteriorly in dorsal view. the length of the nasal comprises about per cent of the total length of the skull. the nasals are separated anteromedially by the cartilaginous septum nasi. one protuberance is present on the midlateral concavity of the nasal. posteriorly, the nasal overlaps the sphenethmoid; posterolaterally the nasal articulates with the palatine. the sphenethmoid is completely ossified and pentagonal in dorsal view. the frontoparietal is elongate, without a pronounced anterior supraorbital process. the frontoparientals are sutured medially throughout their lengths; the frontoparietal fontanelle is absent. the bony part of the proötic is narrowly separated dorsolaterally from the squamosal by the cartilaginous crista parotica. the squamosal is large; the anterior arm is pointed. the posterior arm of the squamosal is broad, rounded terminally, and articulates with the proötic medially. the prevomer is short and separated anteriorly from the premaxillary and maxillary by cartilage. the posterior margin of the prevomer has a bony articulation with the sphenethmoid. each prevomer bears five to seven teeth. the palatine is small and edentate. the anterior end of the parasphenoid is narrow (more pointed than in _hyla boulengeri_). the pterygoid is slender and well developed (fig. a). [illustration: fig. . dorsal views of the skulls of (a) _hyla foliamorta_ (ku ) and (b) _h. elaeochroa_ (ku ), × .] _natural history._--_hyla foliamorta_ inhabits lowland forests in eastern panamá and breeds in temporary ponds. males have been observed calling from grasses, bushes, and emergent vegetation near temporary ponds and ditches along roads. william e. duellman informed me that he found a breeding congregation of this species in june near chepo, panamá, where males were calling from spiny palms at the edge of a woodland pond. fouquette ( ) found calling males in may, august, and september near miraflores locks, canal zone. calling stations vary from one to two meters above ground. no clasping pairs have been found; only one female is known (ku , from km ne tocumen, panamá); this gravid individual was collected in early june. the mating call of _hyla foliamorta_ consists of one pulsed, low-pitched, moderate trill of about o. second duration. each note is repeated at intervals of seconds to a few minutes. the notes have about pulses per second, a fundamental frequency of cycles per second and a dominant frequency of about cycles per second (table , pl. b). egg deposition sites are unknown. no information is available concerning early development, and little is known about the breeding season of _hyla foliamorta_. probably its breeding activities are restricted to the rainy months. _tadpoles._--eight tadpoles were collected from a weedy temporary pond near chepo, panamá, in early june. a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku ) has a body length of . mm., tail length of . mm., and a total length of . mm. other characters are as follows: depth of tail equal to length of body; body deeper than wide; distance between eye and nostril equal to distance between eye and spiracle; mouth anteroventral; median part of upper lip bare; rest of lip having one row of papillae; a few other rows of small papillae at corners of mouth; tooth rows / ; first upper row entire, second upper row interrupted medially, shorter than first; lower rows shorter than upper rows, third shortest; beak moderately robust; spiracle nearer eye than anus; anal tube short, aperture not extending to border of ventral fin; caudal musculature slender, extending to tip of pointed tail; dorsal fin extending onto body (table ). table .--sizes of tadpoles of _hyla foliamorta_ in relation to developmental stages. (means in parentheses below observed ranges; measurements in mm.) ======================================================= stage | n | body length | tail length | total length --------+---+-------------+-------------+-------------- | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . | . | | ( . ) | | | | | | | | . | . | . in life, yellow above, white below; caudal fin greenish yellow with black or gray reticulations; dark line from snout to eye; dark spot behind eye; tail unpigmented except for fine dark reticulations. in preservative body creamy white, transparent below with dark pigment above in some specimens. _remarks._--_hyla foliamorta_ can be confused only with _hyla boulengeri_. the differences between adults of these species were discussed in _remarks_ on _h. boulengeri_. the tadpoles of _foliamorta_ have labial papillae on the lower lip and a stripe between the eye and the tip of the snout. by comparison the tadpoles of _boulengeri_ have a bare lower lip and no stripe between the eye and the tip of the snout. _distribution._--_hyla foliamorta_ inhabits the subhumid pacific lowlands (elevations of less than meters) of central panamá and caribbean lowlands of northern colombia (fig. ). _specimens examined._--panamá: _panamá_: km wsw chepo, ku - , - , - (tadpoles); km wsw chepo, ku , - ; . km sw naranjal, ku , (skeleton); km n tocumen, ku - , (skeleton); km ne tocumen, ku - . no specific locality: tnhc . _hyla rubra_ laurenti _hyla rubra_ laurenti, synopsis reptilium emendatum, p. , . daudin, hist. nat. rainettes grenouilles crapauds, ii: , . daudin, hist. nat. particuliere reptiles, : , . günther, catalogue batrachia salientia brit. mus., p. , . boulenger, catalogue batrachia salientia s. ecaudata, p. , february , . dunn, occas. papers, boston soc. nat. hist., : , october , . _hyla elaeochroa_ (part): dunn and emlen, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , march , . _diagnosis._--size medium; skull longer than wide; frontoparietal fontanelle absent in adults; snout subovoid; choanae rounded; dorsal stripes present; black vermiculations on posterior surfaces of thighs. _description._--head flat, longer than wide; snout long, subovoid, slightly protruding beyond lower lip; loreal oblique, concave; canthus rounded, indistinct; diameter of eye about equal to interorbital space; tympanum large, about three fifths diameter of eye, smaller than internarial distance; supratympanic fold indistinct; arms short; fingers free of webs; subarticular tubercles distinct; median palmar tubercle large, bifid; inner palmar tubercle on base of first finger flat, elongate; disc of third finger about one half diameter of tympanum; legs moderately long; tarsal fold absent; inner metatarsal tubercle distinct, oval; toes about half webbed; web on fourth toe extending to disc; discs of toes about size of those on fingers; skin smooth above with small granules on head and in scapular region in some specimens; skin on flanks, throat, belly, and lower surfaces of thighs granular; tongue oval, longer than wide, not free behind; choanae small, oval; vocal slits long, lateral to tongue. in preservative, dorsum pale brown with darker dorsolateral stripes; narrow dark brown line from nostril to eye; groin, anterior surface of thighs, and posteroventral surfaces of shanks creamy tan with dark brown vermiculations; white spots present on thighs in some specimens; throat flecked with brown; belly creamy white or gray. _remarks._--the taxonomic history of _hyla rubra_ laurenti is confused. seba ( : ) illustrated and diagnosed a frog for which he used the name _ranula, americana, rubra_. linnaeus ( : ) considered seba's frog to be a variety of _hyla arborea_. laurenti ( : ) apparently examined the same individual that seba called _ranula, americana, rubra_. for this specimen, laurenti used the binominal _hyla rubra_ and provided a brief diagnosis. the type locality was given as america. daudin ( : ) redescribed the same specimen(s?) treated by seba and laurenti and provided a fairly good description and figures. daudin restricted the type locality to surinam and indicated that marin de baize was the probable collector. daudin ( : and : ) neglected to consider laurenti's work, but he applied the same name used by laurenti. most authors have credited _hyla rubra_ to daudin, but rivero ( : ) noted that _hyla rubra_ laurenti, , has priority over _hyla rubra_ daudin, . since both laurenti and daudin worked on seba's material, it is reasonable to assume that daudin redescribed the same frog that was named by laurenti; this was not an uncommon practice in the early nineteenth century. thus i conclude that _hyla rubra_ daudin, , is a junior synonym of _hyla rubra_ laurenti, . dunn ( a: ) first reported _hyla rubra_ from central america; he recorded the species from the canal zone and san pablo, panamá. i have examined the material of _hyla rubra_ from panamá deposited in various museums. most of the specimens are faded, discolored, and do not have distinct brown vermiculations on the thighs. the specimens seem to be more like _hyla rubra_ than any of the other species in the _rubra_ group. the presence of oval choanae and a tympanum larger than the largest finger disc separate these specimens from _hyla elaeochroa_, a species with which _rubra_ has been confused. _hyla elaeochroa_ does not occur in the canal zone or eastern panamá. all museum specimens from nicaragua, costa rica, and western panamá that have been called _hyla rubra_, plus those mentioned by dunn and emlen ( : ) and dunn ( : ) are _hyla elaeochroa_. the taxonomic status of the many south american populations referred to _hyla rubra_ and of other populations now recognized as different species is not clear at the present time. considerable variation in external characters and in cranial features has been observed in south american _rubra_. a review of the taxonomy of these populations is beyond the scope of this paper. possibly the central american specimens herein referred to _rubra_ will ultimately be found to be specifically distinct from those in surinam. since i have no osteological material from central america, i have been unable to describe the cranium in this account. furthermore, i have no data on the ecology and life history of _rubra_ in central america. _distribution._--_hyla rubra_ inhabits lowland tropical forests from central-eastern panamá to northern south america and thence through lowlands east of the andes to northern argentina (fig. ). _specimens examined._--panamá: _canal zone_: gatun, ummz ( ); madden dam, fmnh ; no specific locality, ummz ( ), usnm . _colón_: cerro bruja, mcz . _darién_: el real, usnm - , . _panamá_: juan díaz, mcz ; las sabanas, mcz ; río trinidad, ummz ; san pablo, mcz - . _hyla elaeochroa_ cope _hyla elaeochroa_ cope, jour. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , [holotype.--usnm , sipurio, limón province, costa rica; william m. gabb collector]. günther, biologia centrali-americana, reptilia and batrachia, p. , june . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , . duellman, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , june , . _hyla quinquevittata_ cope, proc. amer. philos. soc., : , april [holotype.--usnm , nicaragua; j. f. bransford collector]. günther, biologia centrali-americana, reptilia and batrachia, p. , june . noble, bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., : , june . _hyla rubra_ (part): dunn and emlen, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , march , . _hyla dulcensis_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , november , [holotype.--ku , golfito, puntarenas province, costa rica; edward h. taylor collector]. _diagnosis._--size medium (male to mm., female to mm.); skull wider than long; nasals truncate anteriorly; frontoparietal fontanelle moderate in size; snout slightly protruding; tympanum about size of largest discs on fingers; dorsum marked by longitudinal stripes; dark stripe between eye and nostril; in life tan to olive-green with or without dark mark between eyes; bones greenish blue. _description._--head flat, longer than wide; snout long, rounded, protruding beyond mouth; canthus indistinct; length of eye equal to interorbital distance; loreal region not pronounced; tympanum distinct and about two-fifths diameter of eye; interorbital triangle present or absent; arms short; trace of web between fingers, extending as fringe along sides of fingers; first finger very short with small disc; other discs about size of those on toes; discs on third finger and fourth toe as large as tympanum; outer palmar tubercle moderate in size, partly bifid; inner palmar tubercle large, elongate, flat; subarticular tubercles distinct; legs moderately long; tarsal fold absent; inner metatarsal tubercle flat; outer metatarsal tubercle smaller, indistinct; subarticular tubercles moderate in size; fringe on toes to tip of disc of second toe; rest of toes about two-thirds webbed; foot length about two fifths snout-vent length; tibia length about one half snout-vent length; skin above smooth or with minute pustules; belly finely granular; ventral surfaces of thighs and areas below anus granular; skin on ventral surfaces of limbs smooth; tongue relatively large, longer than wide, barely notched behind; vocal slits elongate, lateral to tongue; choanae medium in size. in life, dorsum yellowish brown, olive green, or grayish brown with dark brown spots on snout, dark brown stripe from nostril to eye, dark yellow-brown interorbital triangle, and dark supratympanic region; generally five interrupted longitudinal dark brown stripes on dorsum (one on each flank, pair of paravertebral and one vertebral); flanks pale yellow; groin yellowish brown; thighs marked with one or two transverse yellow-brown blotches; shanks with two or three yellow-brown blotches above; spaces between blotches on thighs, shanks, tarsi, and feet yellow; brown spots on tarsi and in some specimens on feet; arm pale yellow with pale brown spots; belly creamy white having slight blue-green tint; vocal sac and chin yellow; axillary region yellow, blue-green in some specimens (pl. a). in preservative, head and dorsum yellowish brown; dark brown stripe from nostril to eye; dark brown spots on snout; a dark brown interorbital triangle with apex directed backward; dark brown supratympanic region; dorsal stripes same as in living individuals; flanks pale yellow with brown spots in some specimens; groin creamy white; thighs and shanks having or lacking transverse dark brown blotches; spaces between blotches creamy white or yellow-brown; arms pale yellowish brown; belly and vocal sac creamy white. _variation._--geographic variation in size and some proportions, such as the ratio of tibia length to snout-vent length and the ratio of the diameter of the tympanum to that of the eye, have been observed in this species. the largest individuals are from the golfo dulce region (samples from piedras blancas and rincón de osa), puntarenas province, costa rica. the smallest individuals are from el recreo, zelaya province, nicaragua, and from the caribbean lowlands of costa rica. the diameter of the tympanum is proportionately larger (relative to the size of the eye) in males from tilarán, guanacaste province; the tympanum is nearly as large in males from piedras blancas, puntarenas province, and puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica. the lowest ratios occur in individuals from almirante, bocas del toro, panamá, in specimens from the caribbean lowlands of costa rica (except puerto viejo), and in those from el recreo, zelaya province, nicaragua. in general, the tympanum is proportionately larger in females than in males; the tympanum is largest in females from the pacific lowlands of costa rica (table ). color variation has been observed in individuals from the same population, as well as in individuals from different localities, between males and females, and from night to day. in life, most individuals from the pacific lowlands of costa rica are dark tan to greenish gray above with dark brown longitudinal stripes that are entire or broken, but some specimens (mostly males) are dusky brown and lack longitudinal stripes or an interorbital triangle; females usually have the dark interorbital triangle and the stripes on the dorsum. individuals from turrialba, cartago province, costa rica, are pale olive-tan with olive-brown markings. individuals from puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica, are uniformly yellowish brown with or without dark longitudinal stripes. specimens from el recreo, zelaya province, nicaragua, are like those from puerto viejo. males from almirante, bocas del toro, panamá, are pale brown with dark brown longitudinal stripes and an indistinct interorbital triangle. females have a distinct interorbital triangle and dark brown blotches on the thighs and shanks. by night, the dorsum usually is pale yellow, and the belly is creamy white. by day, the dorsum is dark tan; the stripes and spots are darker, and the belly is yellowish white. taylor ( ) noticed that considerable variation in color pattern occurred from night to day in individuals from turrialba, cartago province, costa rica. at night some individuals lacked a dorsal pattern, but by day many of these individuals developed dorsal stripes. _cranial osteology._--the skull of _hyla elaeochroa_ is slightly wider than it is long, and flat. the premaxillary is small and bears to teeth (mean for specimens, . ). the alary process of the premaxillary is small, vertical, and slightly concave posteriorly. ventrally, the premaxillary is partially united to the prevomer by ossification. the maxillary is slender and bears to teeth (mean for specimens, . ). the pars facialis of the maxillary is laterally convex and is about twice as high as the pars dentalis. the nasal is large, robust, anteriorly truncate, but pointed posteriorly in dorsal view. the nasal comprises about per cent of the total length of the skull. there is an anterior cartilaginous septum nasi separating the two nasals; the latter overlap the sphenethmoid posteriorly. each nasal bears a shallow concavity in the midlateral side and lacks a maxillary process. dorsally, the sphenethmoid is wider than long, roughly pentagonal in shape; the frontoparietal is elongate, smooth, and bears a small anterior supraorbital process. the sphenethmoid and frontoparietal form the anterior margin of the frontoparietal fontanelle; the fontanelle is narrow anteriorly and wider posteriorly (fig. b). the entire distal surface of the proötic is in contact with the posterior arm of the squamosal. a narrow cartilaginous crista parotica is visible dorsally in some specimens. the squamosal is broad posteriorly but its anterior arm is slender and not in contact with the maxillary. table .--geographic variation in size and proportions in males of _hyla elaeochroa_. (means in parentheses below observed ranges.) ========================================================================== | |snout-vent| tibia | | | | length | length/ |tympanum/|foot length/ locality | n | (mm.) | snout-vent | eye | snout-vent ---------------------+----+----------+------------+---------+------------- nicaragua: el recreo | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: tilarán | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: puerto | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . viejo | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: turrialba| | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: bataán, | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . limón, and suretka | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: piedras | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . blancas | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | costa rica: rincón de| | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . osa | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | panamá: bocas del | | . - . | . - . | . - . | . - . toro | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) [illustration: plate living _hyla_: (a) _h. boulengeri_ (ku ) and (b) _h. foliamorta_ (ku ), × .] [illustration: plate living _hyla:_ (a) _h. elaeochroa_ (ku ), (b) _h. staufferi staufferi_ (ku ), and (c) _h. staufferi altae_ (ku ), × .] [illustration: plate audiospectrograms and sections of mating calls of (a) _hyla boulengeri_ (ku tape no. ) and (b) _h. foliamorta_ (ku tape no. ) and (b) _h. foliamorta_ (ku tape no. ).] [illustration: plate audiospectrograms and sections of mating calls of (a) _hyla elaeochroa_ (ku tape no. ), (b) _h. s. staufferi_ (ku tape no. ), and (c) _h. staufferi altae_ (ku tape no. ).] the prevomer is short, and broadest anteriorly. the prevomer is joined to the premaxillary by ossification. the posterior margin of the prevomer bears a narrow cartilaginous articulation with the sphenethmoid. the anterolateral and posterolateral processes of the prevomer form an incomplete bony margin to the small choanae; each prevomer bears four to seven teeth. the palatine is small, curved anteriorly and edentate. the anterior part of the parasphenoid is robust and ends in a point. the pterygoid is slender and weakly developed. _natural history._--_hyla elaeochroa_ inhabits humid lowland tropical forests in lower central america and breeds in temporary ponds. clasping pairs, gravid females, and calling males have been found mostly in june, july, and august. william e. duellman informed me that he also found males calling in mid-february, late april, and may. duellman ( ) reported detailed observations of the social organization in the mating call of _hyla elaeochroa_. the choruses in this species are initially organized, but when many individuals call, the chorus loses organization. i observed this species breeding in a temporary pond at puerto viejo, heredia province, cost rica, in late june. calling males and clasping pairs were extremely abundant within a few hours after a heavy rain. males were mostly found calling from low emergent herbs in the pond and less commonly from bushes and trees to heights of six meters above the water. calling males were also observed at ricón de osa, puntarenas province, costa rica, in late july. these breeding individuals were found in a shallow pond at the edge of a wet forest. calling stations were less than two meters in height. john d. lynch informed me that after a heavy rain in early august, he found several hundred individuals congregated in a small grassy pond less than a foot deep, at rincón de osa. males were calling from sites on grass stems a few centimeters above the water. the mating call of _hyla elaeochroa_ consists of short notes, repeated at intervals of about . second. each note has a duration of . to . second. the fundamental frequency varies from to cycles per second, and the notes have - pulses per second; the dominant frequency is at about , cycles per second (table , pl. a). the eggs are deposited in a mass in the water near floating vegetation. william e. duellman informed me that he observed hatchlings oriented vertically with the tip of the mouth at the surface of the water. they gradually sank to bottom, but swam back to surface again. no additional information is available concerning early development. tadpoles have been found in shallow grassy ponds in clearings and in temporary woodland ponds. _tadpoles._--three hundred and thirty-one tadpoles in various stages of development are available. thirty-five tadpoles in stage have a mean body length of . mm. ( . - . mm.), tail length of . mm. ( . - . mm.), and total length of . mm. ( . - . mm.). the largest tadpole examined is in stage and has a total length of . mm. (table ). a typical tadpole, stage of development (ku , from puerto viejo, heredia province, costa rica), has a body length of . mm., tail length of . mm., and a total length of . mm. other characters are as follows: body depressed anteriorly; body length greater than depth of tail; internarial space as broad as interorbital distance; nostril equidistant between eye and tip of snout; eyes moderately large; mouth anteroventral and triangular; median fourth of upper lip bare; rest of lip bordered by one row of papillae; clumps of small papillae at corners of mouth; tooth rows / ; upper rows equal in length; second row interrupted medially; lower rows shorter than upper rows, diminishing in length; beak rather weak with small serrations; spiracle short and nearer eyes than anus; anal opening not reaching edge of ventral fin; caudal musculature attenuated distally (figs. b and b). table .--sizes of tadpoles of _hyla elaeochroa_ in relation to developmental stages. (means in parentheses below observed ranges; measurements in mm.) ------+---+-------------+-------------+-------------- stage | n | body length | tail length | total length ------+---+-------------+-------------+-------------- | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | | | | ( . ) | | in life, dorsum yellowish tan with gray-brown mottling; belly and ventrolateral surfaces silvery-gold or white; black stripe from tip of snout to eye; two black blotches below eye, another blotch extending from eye to base of caudal musculature; caudal musculature and fins gray-brown. in preservative, yellowish tan and silvery-gold colors lost; black reticulations present on tail. _remarks._--cope ( : ) described _hyla elaeochroa_ from sipurio, limón province, costa rica. he based his description on a small specimen, . mm. in snout-vent length, having a dorsum uniformly colored and lacking an interorbital triangle and blotches on the thighs. cope ( ) described pigmented specimens from nicaragua as _hyla quinquevittata_, which he diagnosed as having dark brown bars on the hind limbs and five dark brown longitudinal stripes on the dorsum, the median one of which was expanded anteriorly so as to form a large triangular spot between the eyes. he thought this species was related to _hyla eximia_ baird and noted that "the hinder legs are much larger; the muzzle is more acuminate and the color bands are much wider" than in _eximia_. cope did not compare _quinquevittata_ with _elaeochroa_, which he had described ten years before. günther ( : ), noble ( : ), and nieden ( : ) regarded both _elaeochroa_ and _quinquevittata_ as valid species. dunn and emlen ( : ) regarded both as synonyms of _hyla rubra_, but they made no qualifying statements. taylor ( : ) placed _quinquevittata_ as a synonym of _elaeochroa_ and indicated that _rubra_ was another species. taylor ( : ) described _hyla dulcensis_ from the humid tropical forests of golfo dulce, puntarenas province, costa rica. he thought this species was "related to _h. elaeochroa_ but differs in its somewhat larger size, smaller finger and toe discs, the obsolete canthus rostralis; the loreal region concave and the choanae larger." duellman ( a: ) compared adults, tadpoles, and mating calls of _dulcensis_ and _elaeochroa_ and concluded that a single species was involved. _hyla elaeochroa_ can be easily confused with the closely related _hyla staufferi_. although the durations of the calls are similar, the call of _elaeochroa_ has only about one third the number of pulses per second, a much lower fundamental frequency, and a lower dominant frequency than that of _staufferi_. _hyla elaeochroa_ is larger and has a less pointed snout than does _staufferi_. although the skulls of the two species are similar, that of _elaeochroa_ differs in having broad palatines and comparatively larger nasals that are truncate anteriorly. in _staufferi_ the nasal is rounded anteriorly and the palatine is absent. _distribution._--_hyla elaeochroa_ occurs on the caribbean lowlands from western panamá through costa rica to eastern nicaragua, and on the pacific lowlands of southeastern costa rica and extreme western panamá. most localities where it has been collected are below meters, but the species has been found at two localities above meters (el silencio and pacuare, cartago province) on the caribbean slopes of the cordillera de talamanca, costa rica (fig. ). _specimens examined._--nicaragua: _zelaya_: el recreo, ummz ( ). costa rica: _alajuela_: laguna monte alegre, ku . _cartago_: km e chitaría, ku ; el silencio, . km ne turrialba, ku - ; . km ene pacuare, ku - , - ; km s pavones, ku ; turrialba (instituto interamericano de ciéncias agrícolas), ku - , - , - , - , , - , - , - (skeletons), - (young), (eggs), - (skeletons), (skeleton), - (skeletons). _guanacaste_: km e tilarán, ku - , - (young). _heredia_: puerto viejo, ku , , - , - , , - (young), (young), - , (tadpoles), (young), - (skeletons); . km n puerto viejo, ku - , (tadpoles); km s puerto viejo, ku - (skeletons), (young), - (skeletons). _limón_: bataán, ku - ; la lola, ku - , - (skeletons); los diamantes, ku - , - ; peralta, ku - ; puerto limón, ku - ; suretka, ku - , , . _puntarenas_: km nw buenos aires, ku ; km e esparta, ku (tadpoles); golfito, ku - ; km e palmer norte ku ; . km se palmar sur, ku (skeleton), - , (eggs), - (tadpoles); piedras blancas, ku - ; . km w rincón de osa, ku - , (tadpoles). [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla elaeochroa_ (circles) and _h. rubra_ (dots).] panamá: _bocas del toro_: almirante, ku ; isla bastimentos, ku - ; río cricamola, . km from coast, ku . _chiriquí_: río gariché, . km ese paso de canoas, ku - . _hyla staufferi_ cope _hyla staufferi_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , october , [holotype.--usnm , orizaba, veracruz, méxico; francis sumichrast collector]. _diagnosis._--small frogs (male to mm., female to . mm.); skull longer than wide; palatine absent; large cartilaginous crista parotica present; snout flat, elongate and protruding; dark interorbital bar and dorsal stripes usually present. _description._--head flat, especially in females, longer than wide; snout long, protruding beyond mouth; loreal region concave; canthus ill-defined; length of eye greater than internarial distance or width of eyelid; length of eye less than interorbital space; tympanum distinct; interorbital spot irregular; supratympanic fold faint; arms short; fingers free of webs; discs on third and fourth fingers equal to diameter of tympanum; inner metatarsal tubercle on base of first finger distinct; first finger shorter than second; palmar tubercle distinct (fig. c); legs short (usually less than per cent of snout-vent length); tarsal fold absent; metatarsal tubercles small, outer tubercle smaller than inner; subarticular tubercles small, simple, distinct; toes less than half webbed (fig. d); skin smooth above with a few small pustules on head, scapular region, flanks, and supratympanic region; arms and legs smooth; skin of belly coarsely granular; posteroventral surfaces of thighs finely granular; tongue small, rounded, longer than wide, slightly free and notched posteriorly; vocal slits small, lateral to tongue; choanae moderate in size. _variation._--the largest males of _hyla staufferi_ are from jalapa, guatemala, and from san salvador, el salvador. in these samples the average snout-vent length is mm. in panamanian specimens the average snout-vent length is . mm. slight variation in the ratio of tibia length to snout-vent length exists throughout the range; more variation exists in the ratio of the diameter of the tympanum to that of the eye; the tympanum is proportionately larger in northern populations (table ). the primary differences between panamanian and more northern populations are in size, color pattern on the dorsum and shanks, amount of webbing between the toes, and duration of notes in the mating call (table , pl. ). the color in panamanian _staufferi_ is gray or gray-brown with a pair of distinct, complete, dark brown dorsolateral stripes, a pair of entire paravertebral stripes, and in some specimens a vertebral stripe. about five per cent of the individuals have interrupted stripes on the dorsum, whereas in the more northern populations complete paravertebral stripes are present in less ten per cent of the specimens; when complete stripes are present, they are irregular. the dorsal ground color in non-panamanian specimens is brown, olive-brown, or dark brown. transverse bars are present on the shanks in _hyla staufferi_ from costa rica northward to méxico, whereas in panamá all the individuals have a longitudinal stripe on the shank (table , pl. ). the interorbital spot or bar is more noticeable in northern populations than in specimens from panamá. frogs from costa rica and northward have the toes about three fourths webbed, whereas in panamá the toes are about two fifths webbed. the mating calls of the northern and panamanian populations are similar, but the notes have a longer duration in the northern populations and a higher dominant frequency in panamanian populations. _hyla staufferi_ is the most variable member of the _hyla rubra_ group in central america. the panamanian populations are geographically separated from the costa rican and more northern populations by an area of tropical rainforest in the golfo dulce region in southeastern costa rica and adjacent panamá. _hyla staufferi_ does not occur on the caribbean versant of costa rica and panamá. the golfo dulce region and the caribbean versant are humid and inhabited by _hyla elaeochroa_. _hyla staufferi_ is an inhabitant of subhumid and xeric areas. on the basis of the discontinuous variation in several characters which correlate with the disjunct distribution of the two populations, two subspecies of _hyla staufferi_ are recognized. the accounts that follow apply equally to each. _cranial osteology._--the skull of _hyla staufferi_ is flat and longer than wide. the premaxillary is small and bears to teeth (mean for specimens, . ). the alary process of the premaxillary is small, concave posteriorly and vertical. ventrally, the premaxillary is united to the prevomers by partially ossified cartilage. the maxillary is slender and usually bears to teeth (mean for specimens, . ). the pars facialis of the maxillary is convex and less than twice the height of the pars dentalis. the nasal is large, rounded anteriorly, and pointed posteriorly in dorsal view. the nasal comprises about per cent of the total length of the skull. anteromedially the two nasals converge; posteriorly they overlap the sphenethmoid. the nasals lack a concavity in the midlateral surface. dorsally, the sphenethmoid is wider than long, roughly pentagonal in shape; the frontoparietal is elongate, narrow, and smooth, with a small supraorbital process anteriorly. the frontoparietal fontanelle is narrow anteriorly and wide posteriorly. table .--geographic variation in size and color in males of _hyla staufferi_. (means in parentheses below observed ranges.) ================================================================= | | |complete dorsal| | |snout-vent | stripes |barred shanks locality | n |length (mm.)| (per cent) | (per cent) ---------------+-----+------------+---------------+-------------- veracruz | | . - . | . | | | ( . ) | | | | | | campeche | | . - . | . | | | ( . ) | | | | | | oaxaca | | . - . | . | | | ( . ) | | | | | | chiapas | | . - . | . | | | ( . ) | | | | | | guatemala | | . - . | . | | | ( . ) | | | | | | el salvador | | . - . | . | | | ( . ) | | | | | | honduras | | . - . | . | | | ( . ) | | | | | | nicaragua | | . - . | . | . | | ( . ) | | | | | | costa rica | | . - . | . | . | | ( . ) | | | | | | total | | . - . | . | . non-panamanian | | ( . ) | | | | | | panamá | | . - . | . | . | | ( . ) | | only a narrow connection exists between the posterior, pointed arm of the squamosal and the lateral edge of the proötic. the crista parotica is visible dorsally along the lateral edge of the bony proötic. the squamosal is narrow anteriorly and posteriorly. the prevomers are short and separated anteriorly by partly ossified cartilage of the overlying solum nasi. the prevomer is joined to the premaxillary by cartilage. the posterior margin of the prevomer articulates directly with the sphenethmoid. the anterolateral and posterolateral processes of the prevomers form the incomplete bony internal margin of the choanae. each prevomer bears three to six teeth. the palatine is absent. the anterior part of the parasphenoid is narrow and ends in a point. the pterygoid is slender and weakly developed. _natural history._--throughout its range _hyla staufferi_ occurs in subhumid forests and savannas; consequently, the breeding activities are limited by the seasonal occurrence of rainfall, which accumulates in temporary ponds where this species breeds. clasping pairs and gravid females have been found mostly from june to august throughout its range. this species was observed calling at finca taboga, guanacaste province, costa rica, in mid-july. the males were calling from temporary grassy and weedy ponds in which _hyla microcephala_ also was calling, but the two species had different calling sites. _hyla staufferi_ called at stations at heights of five to cm. near the edge of the pond, whereas _hyla microcephala_ called from emergent vegetation in the middle of the pond. charles w. myers informed me that at penonomé, coclé, panamá, he found _staufferi_ calling from grass in puddles where _microcephala_ was absent, and at el caño, coclé, panamá, _staufferi_ was calling from higher sites ("several inches to a few feet above water") than _microcephala_. stuart ( : ) reported breeding individuals from la libertad, guatemala, after rainfall in late may, and schmidt and stuart ( : ) reported _staufferi_ breeding in july in the salamá basin, alta verapaz, guatemala. stuart ( : ) and duellman ( : and : ) agreed that this species breeds early in the rainy season. however, rand ( : ) stated that in el salvador "these frogs did not begin to call until almost a month and a half after the beginning of the rains." blair ( : ) reported that males call in june and july in chiapas, oaxaca, veracruz, and tamaulipas, méxico. the mating call of this species is a series of closely spaced notes having a fundamental frequency of about cycles per second. each note has a duration of . to . second, repeated at intervals that are longer than the duration of the call. the notes are moderately low-pitched and have a dominant frequency of more than , cycles per second and about pulses per second (table ). _tadpoles._--measurements of the tadpoles that are available are given in table . the largest tadpole examined is in stage and has a total length of . mm. a typical tadpole in stage of development (ku , km ese córdoba, veracruz, méxico) has a body length of mm., tail length of . mm., and a total length of . mm. other characters are as follows: body as deep as wide, depressed anteriorly; body as long as depth of tail; interorbital space greater than distance between eye and snout but equal to internarial space; nostril equidistant between eye and tip of snout; distance between spiracle and eye less than distance between eye and snout; eyes large, situated dorsolaterally; mouth anteroventral, approximately triangular in outline; one row of papillae covering lower lip and all except median fourth of upper lip; scattered papillae at corners of mouth; tooth rows / ; first upper row entire, second row interrupted medially, shorter than first; lower rows shorter than upper rows; beak weak; spiracle short and nearer eyes than anus; anal opening not reaching edge of ventral fin; dorsal fin barely extending onto body; caudal musculature pointed distally. table .--sizes of tadpoles of _hyla s. staufferi_ in relation to developmental stages. (means in parentheses below observed ranges; measurements in mm.) ====================================================== stage | n | body length| tail length | total length --------+---+------------+-------------+-------------- | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . | . | . | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . | . | . | | | | | | . - . | . - . | . - . | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | . | . | . | | | | | | . | -- | -- in life, body pale olive-tan, belly silvery white with pinkish-orange reticulations in some specimens; tail creamy white with silvery flecks and black or brown reticulations. in preservative, tan and pinkish-orange coloration lost; body transparent, reticulations on tail present. _remarks._--_hyla staufferi_ was described by cope ( : ) on the basis of specimens from orizaba, veracruz, méxico. he described the color pattern as "color above dark olive, with a short black bar over each scapula, and one from eye to eye, with a trace along the coccyx." cope ( : ) placed _staufferi_ as a subspecies of _hyla eximia_, but he did not justify his action. günther ( : ) also considered _staufferi_ to be conspecific with _eximia_ without making any qualifying statement. dunn and emlen ( : ) named _hyla culex_ from tela, honduras, on the basis of a male (mcz ) having a snout-vent length of . mm., and a female (usnm ) from patuca, honduras. they diagnosed the species as having "discs larger than tympanum ... black interorbital triangle, traces of black dorsal marking; three black bars on anterior and posterior face of thighs, two black bars on tibia, on tarsus and on forearm." the holotype now is faded but has some of the pattern described. dunn and emlen did not compare _culex_ with _staufferi_ but did compare it with _boulengeri_ and _rubra_. dunn ( : ) named _hyla altae_ from summit, canal zone. his description was based on a male (mcz ) having a snout-vent length of . mm., the color pattern was described as "gray with four darker dorsal stripes ... a faint trace of mid-dorsal striping...." dunn defined the _hyla rubra_ group and recognized _boulengeri_, _altae_, _culex_, and _rubra_ as members. _hyla elaeochroa_ and _staufferi_ were omitted from his key to the group in central america. kellogg ( : ) compared _staufferi_ with _eximia_ and concluded that the two were probably distinct species. stuart ( : ) considered _altae_ to be a synonym of _culex_. gaige ( : ) considered _altae_ and _culex_ to be conspecific but regarded _staufferi_ as a different species. she also suggested that _staufferi_ was not related to _eximia_ but belonged to the _rubra_ group. taylor ( : ) and duellman ( a: ) considered _altae_ and _culex_ to be synonyms of _staufferi_. the only other worker besides cope and günther to consider _hyla staufferi_ as a member of the _eximia_ group was blair ( : ), who suggested the relationship on the basis of similarities in the structure of the calls of _eximia_ and _staufferi_. taylor ( : ) and smith and taylor ( : ) excluded _staufferi_ from the _eximia_ group on the basis of morphological characteristics. i consider _culex_ to be inseparable from _staufferi_, whereas _altae_ is recognizable as a panamanian subspecies of _staufferi_. _hyla staufferi staufferi_ cope, new combination _hyla staufferi_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , october [holotype.--usnm , orizaba, veracruz, méxico; francis sumichrast collector], brocchi, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, , p. . boulenger, catalogue, of the bratrachia salientia s. ecaudata, p. , february , . kellogg, bull. u.s. natl. mus., : , march , . smith and taylor, bull. u.s. natl. mus., : , . taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , . rand, fieldiana zool. chicago nat. hist. mus., : , april , . duellman, univ. kansas publ, mus. nat. hist., : , june , . _hyla eximia staufferi_ cope, bull. u.s. natl. mus., : , january , . _hyla eximia_ (part): günther, biologia centrali-americana, reptilia and batrachia, p. , june . nieden, das tierreich, anura i, p. , june . _hyla culex_ dunn and emlen, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , march , [holotype.--mcz , tela honduras; raymond a. stadelman collector]. stuart, misc. publ., univ. michigan mus. zool., : , october . gaige, carnegie inst. washington publ., : , . _diagnosis._--small frogs (male to mm., female to . mm.); dorsolateral stripes irregular; paravertebral stripes usually broken; two or three transverse bars on shanks; thighs spotted or not; arms usually barred; interorbital bar usually present; toes about three fourths webbed; color brown, tan, or olive-green. _variation._--three hundred and sixty males chosen at random from throughout the range have snout-vent lengths of . to mm. ( . mm.). the smallest individuals are from costa rica and nicaragua (means . and . mm., respectively). the largest individuals are from guatemala and el salvador (mean of each . mm.). the ratio of the diameter of the tympanum to that of the eye is more than per cent in most samples, but in those from costa rica and british honduras it is smaller. the color pattern is highly variable. some specimens are dark brown or pale brown in color. incomplete dorsal stripes are present in . per cent of the specimens, and transverse bars are present on the shanks in . per cent of the specimens. the interorbital spot varies from transverse to longitudinal in position, and an irregular white line extends from the upper jaw to the arm in some specimens (table ). _distribution._--_hyla staufferi staufferi_ inhabits savanna and subhumid and xeric forests in the lowlands and moderate elevations from southern tamaulipas southward to nicaragua on the caribbean versant and from guerrero, méxico to northwestern costa rica on the pacific lowlands (fig. ). duellman ( : ) commented that a specimen from chinajá, guatemala, possibly was transported there in the cargo from toocog, because with this one exception the species is unknown in tropical rainforest in guatemala. [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for _hyla staufferi staufferi_ (circles) and _h. staufferi altae_ (dots).] _specimens examined._--méxico: _campeche_: km s champotón ku - ; km w escárcega, ku - ; km w, km n escárcega, ku - , - . _chiapas_: km s arriaga, ku - ; km n ixtapa, ku - ; . km sw las cruces, ku ; km s las cruces, ku - ; km s las cruces, ku (tadpoles); km s tapachula, ku - , (young). _guerrero_: el limoncito, near la venta, ku - ; mexcala, near balsa river, ku ; organos, s el trienta, ku . _oaxaca_: km n matías romero, ku - ; . km s pochutla, ku - (skeletons); km s pochutla, ku - ; . km e tapanatepec, ku - ; . km wnw tapanatepec, ku - ; temascal, usc ( ); . km s tolocita, ku - ; . km tuxtepec, ku - , (tadpoles); km s tuxtepec, ku - ; km w zanatepec, ku (tadpoles). _quintana roo_: isla cozumel, . km n san miguel, ku - (young). _san luis potosí_: valles, ku . _tabasco_: teapa, ummz ( ), ( ); . km n teapa, ummz ; km n teapa, ummz ( ); km n teapa, ummz ; . km s villahermosa, ummz ( ); . km s villahermosa, ummz ( ). _tamaulipas_: km e chamal, ummz ; gómez farías, ummz ( ); km se gómez farías, ummz ; km ne gómez farías, ummz ( ), ( ); kilometer between río limón and llera, ummz ( ); km w san geraldo, ummz ( ), ( ); km w san geraldo, near río frío, ummz ( ). _veracruz_: km sw boca del río, ku - ; km sw boca del río, ku ; km ese córdoba, ku (tadpoles); cuautlapán, ku - , ; hacienda tamiahua, cabo rojo, ku ; km ene mata oscura, ku ; km se paso del toro, ku ; portrero viejo, ku - , , , - . guatemala: _alta verapaz_: chinajá, ku ; finca la cubilquitz, ummz , ( ), ( ). _baja verapaz_: km s san jerónimo, ummz ( ), ( ). _chiquimula_: . km se chiquimula, ummz ( ); esquipulas, ummz ( ), ( ). _el petén_: no specific locality, usnm , - ; la libertad, fmnh - , ku , ummz ( ), ( ), ummz - . _esquintla_: km n san josé, amnh - . _guatamala_: km ne guatamala, ku . izábal: puerto barrios, tcwc - , - ; . km ne río blanco, ku - . _jalapa_: jalapa, ummz ( ). _jutiapa_: finca la trinidad, ummz ( ), ( ); jutiapa, ummz ( ). _zacapa_: km ene mayuelas, ku ; km ene río hondo, ku - , (young). british honduras: belize: belize, fmnh . _el cayo_: san agustín, ummz ( ). _stann creek_: km s stann creek on hummingbird highway, ummz - . el salvador: _cuscatlán_: km wnw cojutepeque, tnhc - . _la libertad_: km nw santa tecla, ku - . _la union_: . km santa rosa, tcwc - . _morazán_: dividendero, usnm - . _san salvador_: san salvador, fmnh - , ku - , - , (eggs), usnm , ( ), ; . km nw san salvador, ku - . honduras: _atlantidad_: ceiba, usnm . _choluteca_: choluteca, ku - ; km e choluteca, ummz ( ); . km ne choluteca, ku - ; . km e choluteca, ku - ; km e choluteca, ku : km s choluteca, usc ( ). _colón_: isla guanaja (islas de la bahía), tcwc , tnhc . _cortés_: agua azul, tcwc - ; east side lago yojoa, ku - . _el paraiso_: valle de jamastrán, amnh - . _francisco morazán_: escuela agrícola panamericana, amnh - ; . km nw comayaguela, ku ; el zamorano, ku ; km n tegucigalpa, tnhc , . nicaragua: _chinandega_: finca san isidro, km s chinandega, ku - . _managua_: km e managua, ku ; km s tipitapa, ku - . _rivas_: . km se rivas, ku - ; km se rivas, ku ; . km ne san juan del sur, ku - ; . km ne san juan del sur, ku - ; km se san pablo, ku - . _zelaya_: isla grande del maiz, ku - . costa rica: _alajuela_: _los chiles_, usc ( ), . _guanacaste_: km w bagaces, usc ( ); finca taboga, ku - ; km s la cruz, usc ; las cañas, ku (skeleton); km n las cañas, usc ( ); guardia, río tempisque, usc ; km n guardia, ku - ; . km n guayabo de bagaces, usc ( ); liberia, ku - ; km w liberia, ku - , usc ( ), ( ), ( ), ; km n liberia. usc ; km nnw liberia, ku ; . km n liberia, usc , ( ); . km s liberia, usc ( ); km n nicoya, usc ( ); km s nicoya, usc , ; peñas blancas, ku ; . km ese playa del coco, usc ( ); km e playa del coco, usc ( ); santa cruz, usc ( ); km e santa rosa, tcwc - ; tenorio, ku ; tilarán, ku . _puntarenas_: km wnw esparta, ku - , (skeleton); . km wnw esparta, ku ; km wnw esparta, ku ; km e esparta, ku ; hotel maribella, ku - ; km w puntarenas, tcwc - . _hyla staufferi altae_ dunn, new combination _hyla altae_ dunn, occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : , june , [holotype.--mcz , summit, canal zone, panamá; emmett r. dunn collector]. _hyla culex_: stuart, misc. publ. univ. michigan mus. zool., : , october , . gaige, carnegie inst. washington publ., : , . _hyla staufferi_: taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , . duellman, univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : , june , . _diagnosis._--small frogs (male to mm., female to mm.); dorsolateral and paravertebral stripes complete; longitudinal dark gray stripe on shank; thighs unmarked; interorbital bar usually absent; toes about three fifths webbed; gray to brownish gray above. _variation._--_hyla staufferi altae_ is less variable in size, proportions, and color pattern than is _h. s. staufferi_. the size varies from . to mm. ( . ) in males. the ratio of tibia to snout-vent length is . to . ( . ), slightly less than in the northern subspecies. in color pattern . per cent of the individuals have complete dorsal stripes, and all have a longitudinal stripe on the shank (table ). _distribution._--this subspecies is restricted to subhumid forests and savannas on the pacific lowlands of panamá. _hyla s. altae_ is presently known to occur from chepo in east-central panamá through the azuero peninsula to concepción, chiriquí, in western panamá (fig. ). _specimens examined._--panamá: _canal zone_: no specific locality, tnhc ; . km sw fort kobbe, ku . _chiriquí_: . km e concepción, amnh - ; . km n david, tnhc - ; km s david, amnh . _coclé_: km ne el caño, ku - ; el valle de antón, amnh - , ku - ; km ssw penonomé, ku - . _los santos_: tonosí, ku (tadpoles), - . _panamá_: km wsw chepo, ku - ; km wsw chepo, ku - ; el cangrejo (panamá), ku - ; nueva gorgona, amnh , ; . km w pacora, ku - ; km n tocumen, ku - ; km ne tocumen, ku . evolutionary history my assumptions regarding the evolutionary history of the _hyla rubra_ group in central america were derived partly from interpretations of the evolutionary history of other animal groups (simpson, , ; dunn, b; stuart, ; duellman, , , , ; and duellman and trueb, ). the origin and early evolution of the group probably occurred prior to the mid-pliocene in the lowlands of south america, because the greatest diversity of the group is in brazil. differentiation into two or more subgroups took place in south america prior to the late pliocene. at the end of the pliocene, shortly after the closure of the colombian portal, many south american animals migrated into central america (simpson, , maldonado-koerdell, , and savage, ). it is likely that the _hyla rubra_ group entered central america at that time; apparently two stocks (_rubra-elaeochroa-staufferi_ stock and _boulengeri-foliamorta_ stock) migrated into central america. _hyla elaeochroa_ is closely related to _rubra_ and probably differentiated from _rubra_ through spatial isolation. thus, we have _elaeochroa_ in central america and _rubra_ in south america; most likely only in relatively recent times has _rubra_ migrated into eastern panamá from northern south america. the differentiation and dispersal of _elaeochroa_ and _staufferi_ took place in central america after the pliocene. probably the events of the pleistocene resulted in the isolation of populations. one of these (_hyla staufferi_ stock) was restricted in the subhumid pacific lowlands, whereas the _hyla elaeochroa_ stock occupied the tropical wet forests of the caribbean lowlands. _hyla elaeochroa_ apparently more closely resembled the parental stock by being restricted to the tropical rain forests, whereas _staufferi_ adapted to subhumid environments and thereby was able to disperse throughout most of the subhumid regions of central america. after geographical separation took place the initial genetic divergence between the two populations was maintained by means of ecological and ethological isolating mechanisms. under these circumstances it can be supposed that the different ecological preferences of _elaeochroa_ and _staufferi_ depend on the climatic changes that took place during the pleistocene. on this basis it may be proposed that when the original prototype broke up into the two incipient species, the _staufferi_ stock became physiologically and behaviorally adapted to subhumid conditions and dispersed into dry areas of the lowlands of middle america. the tropical evergreen forests on the caribbean side of lower central america and the uplift of the talamanca range in the pliocene were barriers to the dispersal of _staufferi_. consequently, this frog dispersed along the pacific lowlands. at the present time _staufferi_ occupies the length of the pacific lowlands in central america, except in the rainforest of the golfo duce region, which apparently is a relict stand and now separates the ranges of two subspecies of _hyla staufferi_. this species crossed the central nicaraguan lowlands and reached the caribbean lowlands of nicaragua and nuclear central america. the species migrated through the subhumid corridor in northern honduras and eastern guatemala (comayagua valley in honduras and the motagua valley of guatemala) to the isthmus of tehuantepec. duellman ( ) hypothesized "that during the times of glacial advances (pleistocene) the lowlands of the isthmus probably were more extensive and had more semiarid tropical environments than at the present" and that when semiarid environments were continuous from the pacific slope across the isthmus to the gulf lowlands _staufferi_ and other amphibians migrated northward to southeastern tamaulipas, méxico. _hyla elaeochroa_ dispersed along caribbean lowland routes. this species not only occurs in the wet forests of the golfo dulce region but also in guanacaste. it is possible that _elaeochroa_ entered guanacaste and moved to the golfo dulce region when the intervening area was less xeric than now (duellman, b). _hyla elaeochroa_ extended its range to eastern nicaragua, but even though northeastern nicaragua has over , mm. of precipitation annually (vivo escoto, ), this species has not spread into honduras and guatemala. _hyla boulengeri_ is widespread in amazonian and northern south america, whereas _foliamorta_ occurs only in eastern panamá and in north-central colombia. the ancestral _boulengeri-foliamorta_ stock probably invaded central america in the late pliocene and dispersed through humid forested environments to nicaragua. apparently a peripheral population established itself in the dry pacific lowlands of panamá. this population differentiated from _boulengeri_ of the humid caribbean lowlands and evolved into _foliamorta_, which subsequently expanded its range into colombia. literature cited blair, w. f. . mating call as evidence of relations in the _hyla eximia_ group. southwestern nat., ( ): - . november . boulenger, g. a. . catalogue of the batrachia salientia s. ecaudata, nd. ed., pp. - , pls. - . february. brocchi, p. - . etude des batraciens de l'amerique centrale. mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, liv. , pp. - , pls. - . cochran, d. m. . frogs of southeastern brazil. bull. u.s. natl. mus., : - . cope, e. d. . third contribution to the herpetology of tropical america. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : . . on the batrachia and reptilia of costa rica. jour. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, new series, : - , pls. - . . thirteenth contribution to the herpetology of tropical america. proc. amer. philos. society, : . april. daudin, f. m. . histoire naturelle des rainettes, des grenouilles et des crapauds. paris, pp. - , pls. - . . histoire naturelle générale et particulière des reptiles. paris, : - . duellman, w. e. . the frogs of the hylid genus _phrynohyas fitzinger_, . misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. mich., : - , pls. - . february . . a monographic study of the colubrid snakes genus _leptodeira_. bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . february . . a distributional study of the amphibians of the isthmus of tehuantepec, méxico. univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist, : - , pls. - . august . . amphibians and reptiles of the rainforests of southern el petén, guatemala. univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . october . . a biogeographic account of the herpetofauna of michoacán, méxico. univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . december . a. taxonomic notes on some mexican and central american hylid frogs. univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : - . june . b. the central american herpetofauna: an ecological perspective. copeia, : - . december . . social organization in the mating calls of some neotropical anurans. amer. midl. nat., ( ): - . january. duellman, w. e., and l. trueb . neotropical hylid frogs, genus smilisca. univ. kansas publ., mus. nat. hist., : - , pls. - . july . dunn, e. r. a. the amphibians of barro colorado island. occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : - . october . b. the herpetological fauna of the americas. copeia, : - . october . . a new hyla from panamá canal zone. occas. papers boston soc. nat. hist., : - . june . dunn, e. r., and j. emlen . reptiles and amphibians from honduras. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : - . march . fouquette, m. j. . a new tree frog, genus _hyla_, from the canal zone. herpetologica, : - . april . gaige, h. t. . some reptiles and amphibians from yucatan and campeche, méxico. carnegie inst. washington publ., : - . gosner, k. l. . a simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. herpetologica, : - . june . gÜnther, a. c. l. . catalogue of the batrachia salientia in the british museum. pp. - . - . biologia centrali americana. reptilia and batrachia. london, xx + pp., pls. - . kellogg, r. . mexican tailless amphibians in the united states national museum, bull. u.s. natl. mus., : - . laurenti, j. n. . specimen medicum exhibens synopsin reptilium emendatum cum experimentis circa venema et antidota reptilium austriacorum. vienna, pp. - . linnaeus, c. . systema naturae. holmiae, ed. reformata, i: - . maldonado-koerdell, m. . geohistory and paleography of middle america. in r. wauchope and r. c. west (eds.). handbook of middle american indians, vol. i, univ. texas press, austin, pp. nieden, f. . amphibia:anura i. das tierreich. berlin, pp. noble, g. k. . the amphibians collected by the american museum expedition to nicaragua in . bull. amer. mus. nat. hist., : - . rand, a. s. . notes on amphibians and reptiles from el salvador. fieldiana, zool., chicago nat. hist. mus., : - . april . rivero, j. a. . salientia of venezuela. bull. mus. comp. zool., : - . november. savage, j. m. . the origins and history of the central american herpetofauna. copeia, : - . december . schmidt, k. p., and l. c. stuart . the herpetological fauna of the salamá basin, baja verapaz, guatemala. field mus. nat. hist., zool. ser., : - . seba, a. . locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio, et iconibus artificissimis expressio, per universam physis historiam. amsterdam, i xxxiv + pp., pls. - . simpson, g. g. . turtles and the origin of the fauna of latin america. amer. jour. sci., : - . . the geography of evolution. chilton books publishers. philadelphia, pp. - . july. smith, h. m. and e. h. taylor . an annotated checklist and key to the amphibians of méxico. bull. u.s. natl. mus., : - . starrett, p. . description of tadpoles of middle american frogs. misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : - , pl. . stuart, l. c. . a contribution to a knowledge of the herpetology of a portion of the savanna region of central petén, guatemala. misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : - , pls. - . october . . the amphibians and reptiles of alta verapaz, guatemala. misc. publ. mus. zool., univ. michigan, : - . june . . a geographic study of the herpetofauna of alta verapaz, guatemala. contr. lab. vert. biol., univ. michigan, : - , pls. - . may. taylor, e. h. . frogs of the _hyla eximia_ group, with description of two new species. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . june . . the frogs and toads of costa rica. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . july . . additions to the known herpetological fauna of costa rica, with comments on other species. no. iii. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . november . vivo escoto, j. a. . weather and climate of méxico and central america. _in_ r. wauchope and r. c. west (eds.), handbook of middle american indians. vol. , univ. texas press, austin, pp. _transmitted february , ._ ============================================================== this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution . unported license, http://creativecommons.org/ ============================================================== life blood it lies hidden deep in the mist-shrouded rain forest of central america. a place where a brilliant doctor fulfills dreams for some--and creates chilling nightmares for others. now, filmmaker morgan james is about to journey straight into the heart of a dark conspiracy. where a bizarre human experiment comes at a terrible price, and where she may be the next to pay with her . . . life blood books by thomas hoover nonfiction zen culture the zen experience fiction the moghul caribbee wall street _samurai_ (the _samurai_ strategy) project daedalus project cyclops life blood syndrome all free as e-books at www.thomashoover.info pinnacle books are published by kensington publishing corp. third avenue new york, ny copyright © by thomas hoover all rights reserved. first printing: december, printed in the united states of america isbn: - - - key words: thomas hoover (author) life blood (novel: medical thriller) in vitro, independent film, adoption, fertility, human eggs, guatemala, peten, maya, mayan pyramid, vision serpent, jaguar, baalum, mayan mothers, movie making, copal life blood chapter one new york, new york. a blissful spring morning beckoned, cloudless and blue and pure. i was driving my high-mileage toyota down seventh avenue, headed for the location shoot that was supposed to wind up principal photography for my first feature film, _baby love_. it was about the pain and joy of adoption. i guess directing your first feature is something like giving birth to your first child, but that gets us way, way ahead of the story. my name, by the way, is morgan smyth james, after two grandmothers, and i'm thirty-eight and single and strive to be eternally optimistic. that morning, however, in spite of everything else, i was missing steve terribly and feeling like i'd screwed up essential components of my life. to try for some perspective, let me say i'd always planned to have a normal, loving family. really. find an emotionally present soul mate who cared about things i care about--okay, slim and smart and spectacular in bed wouldn't be a minus--get married on a lawn with lots of white roses some sunny june afternoon, work one or even two perfect kids into our fulfilling, giving lives. but somehow i'd managed to have none of that. i'd messed up at every turn. in reality i had nobody to blame but myself. eighteen years ago, just out of college, i turned down two really nice guys. my body was fertile and hormone-driven--was it ever!--but grad school loomed and my greatest fear (instead of, as now, my fondest hope) was getting "trapped" into motherhood. also, i had the youthful delusion that life was forever. there was, in truth, one simpatico young director i met at nyu film school whom i would have married in a minute, but after jason won my heart he dumped me for his undergraduate sweetheart who had skillfully gotten herself knocked up during his christmas break. which was when i first developed my fallback strategy for coping with bad news. after moping around in sweats for two days, cutting class and hiding in a revival house showing a goddard retrospective, not understanding half the french and too bleary-eyed to read the subtitles, i decided to build a defense system. from that day on, i'd put all heartbreak in a special box, nail down the lid, and act as though it wasn't there. it worked then and it still works, more or less, now. people sometimes accuse me of living in selective denial (they're right), but it makes me one heck of a survivor. and something else. i decided then and there to focus my life: i'd concentrate on learning to make movies and let the family part just play out naturally. i had the idea that whereas men's affections couldn't be controlled, a career could. even then i realized it was only a partial truth, but i decided to go with it anyway. which brings us down to three years back. and a funny thing was happening. almost without realizing it, i'd started lingering in stores to look at little pink jumpers, begun gazing into the baby carriages that suddenly seemed to be sprouting everywhere. the phrase "my baby" became the most powerful one i could imagine, made my throat swell till i'd half choke. at which precise time, like a _deus ex machina_, enter steve abrams, the man who gave me hope. he came along just as i was noticing that infinite stream of wonderful guys had dwindled down to relationship dropouts, men with distant eyes and former wives in other states. we discovered each other at the reopened oloffson hotel in haiti, where i was shooting a documentary about voodoo and he was photographing that country's ragged, plucky children for national geographic. no ex-spouses, no need for psychic pampering. okay, he wasn't going to win a mr. universe contest any time soon; he had a couple of extra pounds that, actually, i kind of liked. but he was my age, had great brown eyes, sandy hair thinning only just a bit. no greek god but definitely a man. he could tune a jeep carburetor with his eyes closed or fix a cranky hotel lock, then recite byron (sort of) and proceed to snare the perfect chilean red for crawfish _etouffee_ (yes!). but i knew i loved him when i realized it was more than any of that. i felt as if i'd found the other half of myself. just one glance across the table and we each knew what the other was thinking, feeling. we'd laugh at the same instant, then as though on cue, half cry together over the miseries of that wretched island. sometimes it was almost eerie. and as for lovemaking, let me just say steve didn't need a how-to manual. we were made for each other. maybe it's un-pc to mention it, but i also felt safe around him. and i think he felt the same. we liked that feeling. us fending off the world. when we got back to new york, we had to see each other every day. we still had separate apartments--thanks to the new york real-estate squeeze--but we were scouting in our spare time for an affordable loft in lower manhattan that could accommodate steve's darkroom, my office, and--yes--a baby. we evolved into parents-to-be, pricing baby carriages. who could have predicted it? the joy of sharing a need. it was a total high. before long we decided to stop waiting for the perfect space. we'd start on the baby anyway, our first joint project--which, we believed, would only be the first of many. but nothing happened. over a year and still nothing. that was when life began to feel like a cruel bait-and-switch. when you aren't ready, you can produce a baby in a momentary absence-of-mind, whereas once you're finally an adult, accomplished, lots-to-offer woman, ready to be the mother you wish you'd had, your body has closed down your baby-making equipment like an unused rust belt factory. fertility has calculatingly abandoned you for the sun belt of youth. "well," dr. hannah klein, my long-time ob/gyn, declared, "our tests all indicate you're both fertile, so just keep trying, under optimum conditions." optimum conditions. there followed almost a year of "optimum conditions." do it upside down; wait and have a cold shower while i take my temperature; no, not that way, not tonight. my mucus is thicker: quick! eventually we both began feeling like laboratory rats. our once-incredible love life drifted into something only a boot-camp sergeant with nazi leanings could be turned on by. i think that's what finally caused steve to go over the edge. three months ago--a friday morning i shall never forget--he stepped out of my shower, swathed himself in a white towel, and announced he was going to central america to do a book. he needed time to think. the move, he explained, wasn't about us. he really wanted to spend a year down there with his nikon, capturing the region's tentative processes of democratic transition. besides, he was beginning to think we'd both gone a little mental about the baby. out came that special box of heartbreak again. i consoled myself we were just having a seventh-inning stretch, but the wisdom in that box told me i'd somehow blown it. the baby we hadn't created had become a specter hovering in the ether between us, ever a reminder of failure. as a parting gesture, the never-say-die long shot, he left a "deposit" with dr. klein--for her liquid-nitrogen womb-in-waiting--enough for two final intrauterine inseminations. later on today i was going to see her and find out if our last and final attempt had stuck. but nothing about my cycle was giving me any hope. in the meantime, though, i had a movie to finish. we were shooting an interview at a five-story condominium building in greenwich village belonging to a woman named carly grove, who'd recently adopted. her story was intriguing, but now--with my own hopes of ever having a baby down to two outs in the bottom of the ninth--well, now i had more than one reason for wanting to meet her. . . . when i arrived, i lucked into a parking space right in front. our security guy, lou crenshaw, was off today getting some city paperwork sorted out, but my crew was already upstairs--as director i get to arrive at a decent hour, though later on i also get to do lonely postproduction work till midnight--leaving our three vans double-parked, with a new york city film board permit prominently displayed inside each windshield. the building, formerly a hertz parking garage, was near the end of barrow street, facing the hudson river, and was filled with artists and entrepreneurs. the truth was, i wanted to get the interview on film as soon as possible. i was more than a little worried carly might decide to get cold feet and back out. she'd started to hedge when i had one last confirming chat with her last night, something about a "no-disclosure" agreement she now remembered signing. this had to be a one-take, all-or-nothing shoot. which was why i'd sent down the full gang this morning, not just the "key" personnel as i'd initially planned. leading my (motley) crew was the director of photography, first cameraman roger drexel, a grizzled veteran with a ponytail who'd been with my producer, david roth and his applecore productions, from back when he did beach movies and splatter films. he worked with the production manager, erica cole, our lipstick lesbian, who coordinated crew schedules. the second camera was handled by greer seiber, recently of nyu film school, who was so happy to have a job, any job, she acted as though david's previous string of low-budget, b-flick epics were remakes of _gone with the wind_. scott ventri, another applecore old-timer, was key grip, the guy who got the gear on and off the vans, set it up, and signed off on safety regs. today he also was responsible for blacking out windows and setting up lights. the chief electrician, gaffer, was ralph cafiero, who'd come down the previous day and temporarily hot-wired the circuit breaker in the apartment to make sure there was enough amperage. he and his lighting "crew," another bright-eyed (and cheap) nyu grad named paul nulty, had arrived this morning ahead of everybody else to pre-light the "set," a northeast corner of the apartment. i'm always a little hyper about sound, so i'd asked tony wills, who handled recording, to also come down the previous day and record the "tone" of the living room, the sound when there is no sound, in order to have it available for editing. today he'd run the boom mike and be assisted by sherry moran, his latest girlfriend, who was mixer/recordist. for carly's makeup and hair, i had arlene morris, an old friend from all the way back to my early days as an ad on the soaps. . . . i rang carly's bell and she buzzed me right up. she doubtless had a closet full of donna karan suits, but she came to the door in pre-faded jeans and a striped sweater. a successful publicity agent, she was petite, with dark hair and eyes and an obvious don't-bug-me take on life. "come on in. my nanny's here to help keep kevin out of the way." she was sounding like she'd gotten her old spunk back, or so it seemed at first. "i've completely cleared the living room." i looked around the place, now a vision of setup pandemonium. "you're sure this is all right?" "well . . ." she was biting at her lip. "maybe we ought to talk first, okay? but come on in. i'll probably do it. maybe i just need a good reason to. . . ." as her voice trailed off, i found myself mining my brain for a sales point. finally, out of the blue, i settled on one. "because you're totally crazy?" she laughed out loud. "not a bad start. i live in total madness. it's the definition of my life." i laughed too and looked around. no kidding. her loft apartment was a wild mixture of stairs and galleries and levels--unconventional in every way. also, it had a lot of in-your-face decor, outrageous posters, and african fertility masks, signs of a wonderful, irreverent personality. then too, stuffed animals and toys were strewn all over. "i can't really afford the rent," she declared, seeing me survey the place, "but i need the space for kevin. i've just joined bloomingdale's anonymous. twelve steps to shredding your charge plates." her nanny, a jehovah's witness from jamaica named marcy (who reminded me of a cuddly voodoo doll, complete with cornrows), was bringing carly's little boy kevin down from his bath in the upstairs bathroom. he was definitely adopted, sandy-haired and peachy, nothing like carly's dark, severe strands and mediterranean skin. when marcy put him down, he tried to walk, and i felt my envy ratchet upward a notch. he'd just started taking tentative steps, at eleven months old, and there was still a frankenstein quality as he strode stiff-legged, arms out for balance. i walked over, picked him up, and gave him a kiss. he looked like a scandinavian travel poster, a cherubic vision, and i felt a great void growing where my heart had been. then marcy reached out and pried him from me. i hated to let him go so much i almost pulled him back. "you're so lucky," i said to carly, feeling a surge of yearning. "he's great." "you know," she said, "i've been thinking about that 'no disclosure' thing children of light made me sign. that's their name, by the way. like a vow of silence about them. they seemed pretty serious about it." dear god, i thought, don't let her chicken out. don't, don't. "so, we won't mention them. just never use their name." she stood a minute, mute, and then her eyes grew determined. "no, i've got a better idea. i like you. and i think more single women ought to know about adoption. so you know what? i think i'll use their name all over the damned place. i paid what they asked, and for that i ought to be able to do what i want. what are they going to do? come and steal kevin back?" then she sighed and stared at me. "maybe, though, you could run through again how exactly we fit into this movie." i liked to tell the story to people, just to get their reaction. there are always moments of doubt in the film-making process when you wonder if the audience for your picture is going to consist entirely of your immediate family, your backers, and your creditors. "well, as i tried to explain before, it's a fictional construct intended to feel like a documentary, about a career slave named gail crea who's based on a hundred women i know. she's got a great career, manages fund-raising for a major museum, and work is going great. but then one day she finds herself suddenly daydreaming about babies, envying mothers. she yearns for someone to take care of, has a recurrent dream she's stealing a baby out of a carriage on the street. it's demeaning." "god," carly said, "i know exactly what you're talking about. i've been there. have i ever." the truth was, i also knew it all too well. it was poignant and demeaning at the same time. "anyway, gail's focused on career all through her twenties, and by her late thirties she's become a serious professional. but her personal life is still on hold. she 'meets people' at work, or some other way, and she has a couple of long-standing relationships that finally crater because the guys, make that commit-ophobes, 'need space.' along the way, there're ghastly fix-ups and dismal dinners with what seem like a hundred thousand misfits. she becomes the dating queen of new york, but eventually she realizes all the men she's meeting are either assuaging their midlife crises with some pneumatic bombshell named bambi, or they're divorced and whining and carrying a ton of emotional baggage. the fact is, she's become the sensible, successful professional she's been looking for all this time. this all sort of seeps in as back story." i perched on a stool at the breakfast bar and looked down at my jeans, and noticed that a rip was starting in the crotch. shit, back to cottage cheese. those horrible eight pounds i could never get rid of. i crossed my legs. "finally, after she gets a couple more promotions, she wakes up one morning and realizes she's never going to have a family. all the stable, rational men have disappeared. like there's a black hole or something. nothing's left but the walking wounded. she concludes it's actually easier to get a baby than a decent guy--which is what she starts trying to do. high concept: this picture is about how adopting a baby can enrich the life of a childless human being and, not coincidentally, bring joy to an orphaned infant." i remembered when i'd first pitched it to david roth of applecore. his response had been; "definitely art-house. probably never get past the angelika. a wide release is gonna be three screens where they serve iced cappuccino." i was dead set to prove him wrong. "so," i wound up, "i've shot the entire film, but now, thinking it over, i've decided there's one last thing i need to do. as i go through the story, at every step of the adoption process i want to cut to an interview, just talking heads, tight shot, of somebody who actually went through it. nonfiction. the real-life happy ending. and that's where you come in." what i wasn't telling her was, i was increasingly concerned the picture might be slightly hollow without this punch of real life. "well," carly declared with a grin, "my ending couldn't be happier." "okay, want to get started?" i looked around at arlene, makeup, who always seemed to have more on her face than in her bag. i kidded her about that a lot. but she was actually the one who had found carly, bumping into her at a gym in the village. "hey, let's go for it." arlene grinned. i turned back to carly. "so how's about we prep a little while you're getting the 'natural' look?" in the back of my mind i knew what i wanted for the interview. something like the feeling i remembered from _the thin blue line_, where people engaged in hamlet-like monologues that told us more about them than they themselves knew, that let us really know their secrets and their fears. the interviewer was never seen or heard. arlene ensconced carly at the dining room table, a weathered country french, where she'd already unfolded and plugged in a mirror with lights. "having kevin has been wonderful," carly began. "he's changed my life. sure, being a single 'supermom' makes for a lot of bad-hair days, but no matter how much i complain, it's worth every burp." i thought momentarily about having her hold him during the interview, but instantly decided it would be too distracting. kevin and his wonderful eyes would commandeer the camera. a kid this cute in a scene was nothing less than grand larceny. he came toddling in now, dragging a stuffed brown bear. then he banged its head and tried to say its name. "benny." his funny, awkward walk reminded me a little of lou crenshaw after a couple of drinks. god, he was fantastic. "come here, sweetie." i picked him up, inhaling his fresh baby scent, and wanted to hold him forever--while he slammed the bear against my face. this child, i thought, is too good to be true. he was wearing a small bracelet around his left ankle, a tiny little chain, with a small silver medallion attached. it looked like the face of a cat. funny. carly didn't have a cat, wasn't a cat person, so why the little bracelet? and the back had a bunch of lines and dots, like a jumbled-up morse code. ask her about that, i thought. but later. now carly was caught up in the sound of her own voice and on a roll. while arlene continued with the makeup, moving to her eyes, she bubbled on. "like i told you on the phone, i tried and tried to adopt, through a whole bunch of lawyers, but it was a nightmare. one guy even helped me put ads in newspapers all around the country, but nothing worked. i kept getting scammed by women who wanted thousands of dollars up front, then backed out at the last minute." she was getting up, looking intense. "let me have a minute. i want to make coffee for everybody." i followed her into the kitchen, which was the "country" type with a faux granite counter and lots of copper-bottomed pans hanging from the ceiling. she was right about the pain of adoption, which was why her story was such a burst of sunshine. as part of the start-up research for my picture, i'd actually gone to meet an adoption attorney out in brooklyn, a sleazy-looking guy named frank brasco. i'd been pretending to be a client, to find out firsthand how tough it really was. what i heard was chilling. "i don't want to get your hopes up," he'd declared for cheery openers. "finding a healthy, caucasian, american baby is virtually out of the question, so naturally we focus on foreign-borns. all the same, it can take years, and there's incredible paperwork. passports for the kid, an extended visa for you while you go there and then wait around to process everything in triplicate. bribes, corruption, you can't imagine." he sighed and adjusted his toupee, as though the very thought made him weary. "and that's just the foreign end. here you have the ins, the immigration and naturalization service. they give bean-counting paper-pushers a bad name." he examined me closely. "not jewish, i take it. 'cause if that's what you're looking for, you may have to wait for the messiah." now, almost a year and a lot of experience later, i knew full well how right he was. which was what made carly's story so fantastic. "so how did you manage to get kevin? you said it only took a few months?" "well, to go back to the beginning, i didn't start out wanting to adopt. but when the guy i was planning to marry got cold feet--after four and a half years, the louse--and there was nobody else on the horizon, i decided to just have a baby on my own. you know, find some smart, good-looking hunk, seduce him, and get things going the old-fashioned way, or if that didn't work, then i figured i'd just go to a sperm bank. who needs an actual man, right?" she took out a white and green bag of coffee beans, labeled balducci's on the side. i was still holding kevin, who threw benny onto the floor, then began to sniffle and point. but carly seemed not to notice as she shook the coffee beans into the grinder. "well, getting a baby the fun way turned out to be moot, because it seems i have some kind of uterine condition--which meant i couldn't get pregnant, or even do an in vitro. bottom line, if i wanted a baby, i had to adopt." she pressed the button on the coffee grinder, sending a blast of whirring through the kitchen. in seconds it was over and she was tapping the batch into her braun. "so that's when i started on the attorney thing, got worked over good trying to adopt as a single mom, and finally heard about children of light." "the adoption organization? what do you know about them?" "tell you the main thing," she said, "they're the place that can make it happen." she reached over and poked kevin's tummy. "right, big guy?" sure looked that way. what a cutie. by now the spacious living room had been turned into a mini film set, with two -mm panaflex cameras set up, windows blanked out, lights and filters in place, and a video camera and monitor. having tested the boom mike and the tape recorder, tony and sherry were ready. carly announced to everybody that coffee was available, and i handed kevin over to marcy. then together we marched into the living room. "okay," i told her, "we're going to be filming, but ignore that fact. just look into the back of the camera and talk to it as though it were me." "hey." she grinned. "you're dealing with a pro. this is my thing." i looked around at the cameras and the grips. "okay, guys. roll sound." there was a retort as the clap stick used for synching whacked out the start of the shoot. "scene one, take one, carly grove interview." she proceeded to hit the ground running, recounting in great detail her story of many disappointments. she finally got to the point where she was trying to adopt the baby of a woman in a memphis jail, and then even that fell through. "which was when my main lawyer, chuck, just gave up and recommended i hock the family silver, take a valium, and try this place called children of light. where you go when all else fails. so i gave them a call." "and what happened?" it sounded too good to be true. "did they seem . . . in any way unusual?" she looked at me, as though puzzled by the question. then she shrugged it off. "well, first they tried to get me to check into their clinic--it's this place up the hudson--to let them see if my 'condition' could be cured somehow, using his special techniques." "his?" "goddard. dr. alex goddard. he's a kinda spacey guy, but he's the big-shot presiding guru there." she remembered the camera and turned back to it. "i told his staff i didn't have that kind of time, and anyway nothing could be done. they were pretty insistent, so i eventually ended up talking to the man himself. he sort of mesmerizes you, but i finally said, forget it, it's adoption or nothing. so he just sent me back to the peons. checkbook time." i stared at her, hungry for details, but she didn't notice, just pressed on. "the money they wanted, i have to tell you, was staggering. sixty thousand. and believe me, they don't give revolving credit." i thought about the figure. it was the highest i'd heard for getting a baby, but it wasn't totally off-the-wall. terrific babies don't drop from trees. carly was still going strong. "it took me almost half a year to scrounge it together. a lot of credit lines got maxed. but when i finally did plunk down the loot, sure enough, i had kevin in less than three months. i don't even know where he came from. they took care of all that, but i do know it was probably out of the country, because of the blank ins forms i signed. but then, who cares? with a deal this good, you don't press for details, right?" carly grove had a mutual love affair with the camera. the footage was going to be fabulous. the only problem was, it sounded like an "infomercial" for the adoption miracle wrought by this doctor named goddard. when the interview began to wind down, losing its punch, i suggested we call it a day. with the time pushing two o'clock, i wanted to get the film to the lab, get it developed, and take a look at the rushes. i also had a doctor's appointment, not to mention a meeting with david to bring him up to speed on what i was doing. but surely he was going to be pleased. the interview, with carly's honest intensity, would give the picture spine and guts. just as i'd hoped. you could always tell by the reaction of the crew. even roger drexel, who usually hid his thoughts somewhere in his scraggly beard, was letting his eyes sparkle behind his panaflex. scott was also grinning as he struck the lights and cafiero ripped up the power lines, now taped to the floor. everybody was in wrap mode, flushed with a great shoot. i followed carly into the kitchen, where marcy was feeding kevin some gerber applesauce. the time had come, i thought, to spring the next big question, out of earshot of the crew. "i hate to put you on the spot, but do you know any other women like you, single, who've adopted through children of light?" i decided to experiment with the truth. "god knows, depending on what happens in my own situation, i'm . . . i'm thinking i might even want to check them out for myself." "what do you mean?" she gave me a quick, concerned look. "maybe i'd like to talk to them about adopting too." i realized i was babbling, my usual prelude to obsessing. carly's worried gaze eased up a bit, but she started twisting at her hair. "well, i might have another name. when my lawyer first told me about them, he gave me the name of another woman who'd adopted from them, and i talked to her a little about how they worked. she'd just gotten her baby, so i guess she was about six months ahead of me in the process. her name was . . . i think it was pauline or paula or something. she's probably not the kind of person who'd take their 'no disclosure' crap all that seriously. she was adopting a girl, and she lives somewhere on the upper west side." "any idea how i could find her?" "you know, she wrote kids' books, and i think she gave me her card. in case i ever needed somebody to do some ya copy. let me go look in my rolodex. i filed her card under 'y' for young adult. right. it'll just take a second." the woman, whose name was paula marks, lived on west rd street. the business card, a tasteful brown with a weave in the paper, described her as an author. the address included a "suite" number, which meant she worked out of her apartment. "mind if i take down her phone number and address? i'd really like to look her up. to see if her experience was anything remotely like yours." carly gazed at her fingernails a second. "okay, but do me a favor. don't tell her how you got her number." she bit her lip, stalling. "it's one thing for me to talk to you myself. it's something else entirely to go sticking my nose into other people's business." "look, i'll respect her privacy just as much as i respect yours." i paused, listening to what i'd just said. the promise sounded pretty lame. i'd just filmed her, or hadn't she noticed? "look, let me call paula, see if she'll agree to be interviewed on camera. i'll keep your name entirely out if it, i promise." she reached down and plucked kevin out of his high chair, kissed him on his applesauce-smeared cheek, then hugged him. "sorry. guess i'm being a little paranoid. i shouldn't invite you here, then give you a hard time about what you're going to do, or not do. i can't have it both ways." in the ensuing tumult and confusion of the wrap, i did manage to get one more item from carly grove. the address and phone number of children of light. but i completely forgot the one thing i'd been meaning to ask about. that little amulet, with the strange cat's face and the lines and dots on the back. why was kevin wearing it? and by the time i got to the street, surrounded by the clamor of crew and equipment, it seemed too inconsequential to go back and bother with. chapter two moving on, my next stress-point was to meet with my young boss, the afore-noted david roth, who was ceo and first operating kvetcher of applecore productions, a kinda-sexy guy whose heart was deeply engaged, often unsuccessfully, with bottom lines. the issue was, i'd done today's shoot, the interview with carly, without troubling to secure his okay. without, in fact, telling him zip--the reason being i was afraid he wouldn't green-light the idea. now my next move was to try to convince him what i'd just done was brilliant. actually i liked david a lot, and hoped the occasional tangles we'd had over the film wouldn't stand in the way of a friendship. the truth is, you don't meet that many interesting, stable men in my line of work. our artistic goals weren't always in sync, but all the same, he'd done an enormous favor for somebody close to me and for that i'd vowed to walk through fire for him. when i marched into his cluttered, dimly lit office, my mind still churning over carly's strange adoption story, what i saw sent my problem-detector straight into the red. there, sitting across from him, was nicholas russo, a five-seven smoothie in a charcoal brioni double-breasted, the gentleman david sometimes referred to as nicky the purse. another land mine in my life. he operated off and on as applecore's "banker" when cash flow got dicey and real banks got nervous. it was an arrangement of last resort, since nicky's loans had to be serviced at two percent a week. do the numbers: he doubled his money in a year. i knew too that putting money out to independent filmmakers was part of nicky's attempt at a legitimate front; the real cash went onto the streets of hell's kitchen, just outside our door, where he got five percent a week. and nicky's overdue notices were not sent through the mail. he also had a piece of a video distributorship, roma exotics, that reputedly specialized in . . . guess what. it was all stuff i tried not to think about. i had a strong hunch what was under discussion. the $ , david had borrowed to finish my picture. we'd gotten the loan three months ago, when cash was tight, and we both figured we could pay it back later in the year, after we got a backup cable deal (though i was ultimately hoping for a theatrical distribution, my first). shit! what did nicky want? were we behind on the weekly juice? i'd signed on with david partly to help his bottom line. was i instead going to cause his ruin? at the moment he had his back to nicky, seemed to be meditating out the window he loved, its vista being the grimy facades that lined the far west of fifty-eighth street. his office, with its wide windows and forest of freshly misted trees, told you he was a plant nut. outside it was early april, the cruelest month, but inside, with all the trees, spring was in full cry. the place also felt like a storage room, with piles of scripts stacked around every pot. the office normally smelled like a greenhouse, but now the aroma was one of high anxiety. david revolved back and looked across the potted greenery, then broke into a relieved smile when he saw me. i could tell from his faraway stare that he was teetering on the verge of panic. "hey, come on in," he said. "nicky's just put a brand-new proposition on the table." david had a keen intelligence, causing me to sometimes wonder if he was in a line of work beneath him. (for that matter, maybe i was too.) he was dark-haired, trim, with serious gray eyes and strong cheekbones. this morning he was wearing his trademark black sweater, jeans, and white sneakers, a picture of the serious go-for-broke new york indy-prod hustler. he'd already made and lost and made several fortunes in his youthful career. my only sexual solace since steve left was an occasional glance at his trim rear end. i also saluted his fiscal courage. his congenital shortfall, i regret to say, was in the matter of judgment. exhibit a: nicholas russo's funny money. "nicky, you remember morgan james, the director on this project." "yeah, we met. 'bout four months back." nicky rose and offered his manicured hand, a picture of old world charm. his dark hair was parted down the middle and his brioni, which probably fell off a truck somewhere in the garment center, had buttons on the cuffs that actually buttoned. "how ya doing?" "hi." i disengaged myself as quickly as possible. the slimeball. again, why was he here? the way i understood it, we'd signed a legitimate, ironclad note. nicky wasn't exactly the chase manhattan bank, but i assumed he was a "man of honor," would live by any deal david had with him. "do we have some kind of problem?" "nah," nicky said, "i'm thinking of it more in the way of an opportunity. dave, here, showed me some of your picture this morning, and it ain't too bad. got me to thinking. you're gonna need a video distributor. so maybe i could help you out." oh, shit and double-shit. i looked at him, realizing what he had in mind. "how's that? applecore already has a video distributor. we use--" "yeah, well, like i was telling dave, i got a nose this picture's gonna do some serious business." he tried a smile. "whenever i see one of these indy things that don't add up for me, like this one, i always know it's a winner. what i'm telling you is, i think you got something here. he says you're figuring on a cable deal, and maybe a theatrical release, but after that you gotta worry about video. i'm just thinking a way i could pitch in." pitch in? the last thing i needed was some skin-flick wiseguy getting his sticky hands on my picture. forget about it. "well, i don't really see how. i'm shooting this one by the book. i've got a standard screen actors guild contract, and everything is strictly by the rules. if we're current on the loan, then . . ." i looked at david, who appeared to be running on empty. maybe, i thought, i didn't understand what was at stake. what had nicky said to him? this was a man who could make people disappear with a phone call to guys nicknamed after body parts. "look, let me talk to david about this. i don't know what--" "you two're just gonna 'talk' about it?" russo's penetrating eyes dimmed. "now that's a little disappointing, i gotta tell you, since i sent for my business manager, eddie down there in the car, hoping we could reach a meeting of minds right here. sign a few things. roll that note i'm holding into a distribution deal and give everybody one less worry." he turned in his chair, boring in on me. "like, for instance, i checked out your locations and i noticed there ain't no teamsters nowhere. all you got's a bunch of fuckin' mick scabs driving them vans. now that can lead to circumstances. inadequate safety procedures. of course, that wouldn't have to be a concern if we was partners together. then you'd have good security. the best." i looked at david, who seemed on the verge of a heart attack. why was he letting this even be discussed? get in bed with nicky russo and the next thing you know he's got somebody hanging you out the window by your ankles. besides, ten to one the guy was bluffing, seeing if he could scare us. i refocused. "mr. russo, it may ease your mind to know that our security is managed by a former agent for the fbi. he was with them here in new york till about a year ago, when he came to us full time. his name is agent lou crenshaw. you're welcome to check him out. he's familiar with union issues, and he carries a . . he also has plenty of friends down at federal plaza. so if you have any lingering concern about our security procedures, why don't you run it by him?" the mention of lou seemed to brighten david's listless eyes. he leaned back in his chair and almost smiled. he had good reason. the favor he'd done for lou, and indirectly for me, was enough to inspire eternal loyalty. lou would face off against half of hell's kitchen for david roth. "that ain't the point, exactly," russo said, shifting uncomfortably. "thing is, roma could do good distribution for you. we work with a lot of people." "then why not submit a formal proposal? in writing. i'm in charge and that's how i do business. if your numbers work, then we can talk." "just trying to be helpful." he glared at me, then seemed to dismiss my presence. i disappeared from his radar as though lifted away by an alien spacecraft, and he turned back to david. "you know, dave, me and you've kinda drifted apart lately. old friends oughtn'ta do that. we ought to keep more in touch. i think we get along okay." in other words, get this pushy broad out of my face. "it's just business, nicky," david said, trying to conjure an empty smile. "business and pleasure don't always mix." yes! david, tell the creep to leave us alone. tell him. "doing business with me ain't a pleasure?" nicky russo asked, hurt filling his voice. he'd brought out a large havana and was rolling it in between his thumb and forefinger. "i figured we was best friends. _paisans_." "we're not _not_ friends, nicky. we've just got different goals in life. you know how it is." i worked my way around behind his desk and glanced out the window. the lingering day was beginning to cloud over, a perfect match for my state of mind. after this i had a late appointment with dr. hannah klein. i feared she was going to end my baby hopes. "yeah, well," nicky russo said finally, rising, "i gotta be downtown in a little while, so i guess we can talk about this later." "okay, sure." david made a shrugging sign. like: women! what can you do? then he got up too. "look, nicky, let me chew on this. maybe i'll get back to you." "yeah, you think about it, all right?" he rose without a further word and worked his way out the wide double doors, stumbling through the ficus forest as he struck a match to his cigar. "david, don't sign anything with him. don't. i'll handle the teamster stuff if it comes up. i know how to talk to them." "okay, okay, calm down. he was just seeing if he could push me. i know him. you called his scam with that talk about lou. by tomorrow he'll forget about the whole thing." he looked at me, his eyes not quite yet back in focus. "thanks. you can say things to him i'd get cement shoes for. nicky's not really ready for people like you. he has this macho front, but he doesn't know how to handle a professional woman with balls." "you're welcome. i guess." balls? i adored those vulnerable male bits, but i preferred not to think of myself in those terms. truth was, nicky russo played a large part in my personal anxieties. "but i mean it. n. o." "i hear you," he said, sighing. then he snapped back to the moment. "so where do things stand otherwise?" i'd come for an after-the-fact green light of the day's shoot, but already i was thinking about hannah klein. "david, i'm going to find out in about an hour whether steve and i are ever going to have a baby. but truthfully i don't think i'm pregnant. i think it's over." it hurt to say it. he knew about steve and me--i'd written some language on maternity leave into my contract--and i think he was mildly rooting for us. or maybe not. "could be it's all for the best," he declared. he'd sat back down, picked up a pencil off his desk to distract himself, and was whirling it pensively, one of his few habits that made me crazy. "maybe you were destined to make movies, not kids." i listened to his tone of voice, knowing he often hid his real feelings with safe, sympathy-card sentiments. he rose to eloquence only when nothing much was at stake. he'd even sent me flowers and a mea-culpa note twice as a makeup after we'd had a disagreement over costs and scheduling. and one of those times, i should have sent him flowers. sometimes i wondered why we worked so well together. the truth was, we operated on very different wavelengths. some history to illustrate. over the past eight years, before i teamed up with david, i'd done three "highly praised" documentaries. but getting to that point meant busting my behind for years and years at the lower end of the professional food chain. after nyu, i toiled as a script supervisor on pbs documentaries, about as close to grunt work as it comes. eventually i got a fling as a production assistant, assembling crews, but then the money dried up. (thank you, jesse helms.) whereupon i decided to try capitalism, working for three years as an ad on the soaps: first guiding light, then as the world turns, then search for tomorrow. i can still hear the horrible music. then a connection got me a slot at a&e as a line producer. eight months later the series got canceled, which was when i decided the time had come to take my career into my own hands. i hocked every last credit card, went to japan, and made a documentary. the result: i was an "overnight" success. men started addressing me by my name. my first film was about the impact of zen on japanese business. as part of my research, i shaved my head and lived three months at a kyoto temple, eating bean curd three meals a day, after which i had enough credibility to land long interviews with tokyo ceos. i then sold the edited footage to a&e. when it became a critical hit, they financed a second film, about the many gods of india and how they impact everything about the place. there, i also got caught up in the mystical sensuality of ragas, indian classical music, and took up the violin (one of my major professional mistakes). next i moved on to mexico's southern yucatan to film a day in the life of a maya village for the discovery channel. they wanted me to add some footage from guatemala, but i scouted the country and decided it was too scary. instead, i spent several months in haiti filming voodoo rituals, again for a&e. and met steve. then one day i checked my bank account and realized that, financially speaking, i was a "flop d'estime." i was doing the kind of work that does more for your reputation than your retirement plan. i decided to go more mainstream and see what happened. but to do that i needed a commercial partner, a backer. ironically enough, when i first teamed up with david, he had bottom-line problems too, but from the opposite direction. he was busy disproving the adage that nobody ever lost money underestimating the taste of the american public. he knew something was wrong, but what? apparently, when he started out, somebody told him cable audiences possessed an insatiable appetite for bare-skin-and-jiggle. hey, he figured, that stuff he could grind out in his sleep. his first, and last, epic in the skin genre was _wet t-shirt weekend_, whose title says it all. he explained the economics to me once, still baffled why the picture hadn't worked. he'd assumed all you had to do was find a bunch of nineteen-year-olds who looked like they're sixteen, go nonunion someplace down south with a beach, and take care the wardrobe trailer has nothing but string bikinis. "cost only a million-eight to make," he declared with pride, "but every penny is on the screen." he insisted i watch it, perplexed that it was universally regarded as a turkey. it was a painful experience, so much so i actually began to wonder if his heart was really in it. (the great schlockmeisters secretly think they're fellini; they're operating at the top of their form, not consciously pandering.) chastened financially, he decided to move into low-budget action-adventure. his efforts, most notably _virtual cop_, had car chases, blue-screen explosions, buckets of fake blood. somebody died creatively in every scene. they did business in asia and southern europe, but he was dumbfounded when nobody at hbo or showtime would return his calls. it gnawed at his self-esteem. that was the moment we found each other. he'd just concluded he needed somebody with a quality reputation to give applecore an image makeover, and i'd realized i needed somebody who knew more than i did about the mechanics of making and distributing independent films. we were an odd couple. i finally shook hands on the partnership after he caved in and agreed i could do anything i wanted, so long as it looked mainstream enough to get picked up by time-warner or somebody else legit. well, quasi-legit. we both agreed on no more bikinis and no more films about places that required cholera shots. it was something of a compromise on both our parts. thus far, though, we were getting along. maybe luck was part of it, but _baby love _was still on schedule and on budget. and i already had a deal nearly in the bag with lifetime, the women's channel, that would just about cover the costs. everything after that would be gravy. again, hope hope. maybe not the theatrical release i'd been praying for, but good enough--so he had to smile and not give me a hard time about the money i'd just spent. had to, right? i took a deep breath. "david, i did a little extra shooting this morning that's kind of. . . outside the plan. but it's really important. want to hear about it?" "what! i thought you were finished with principal photography." he looked disoriented, the deer in the headlights. hints of extra crew time always had that effect on him. "you're saying this wasn't in the budget?" "just listen first, okay?" like a politician, i avoided giving him a direct answer. i told him about the interview with carly and the reason for it. "nice of you to share the news with me." his eyes narrowed. "i think we've got some big-time communication issues here." "look, don't worry. i'll figure out how to save some money somewhere else." "morgy, before we continue this unnerving conversation, we've got to have a serious review of the matter of cash flow." he frowned, then went back to whirling the pencil, his hair backlighted from the wide window, his eyes focused on its stubby eraser as though he'd just discovered a new strain of bacteria. "so let me break some news regarding the current budget." he put down the pencil, adjusted its location on his desk, and looked up. "i didn't want to have to upset you, since the picture seems to be going so well, but we've drawn down almost all our cash. i actually think that's why nicky was here today, sniffing around, wanting to see a rough cut. he's got a keen nose for indy cash-flow trouble." "what are you saying?" it was unsettling to see david turning so serious. "are we--?" "i'm saying we can cover the payroll here, all our fixed nut, even nicky's vig, for maybe six more weeks, if you and i don't pay ourselves. of course, if we can get an advance on some kind of cable deal, that would tide us over more comfortably till this thing is in the can. but right now we're sailing pretty close on the wind. i've bet applecore on your picture, morgan. we can't screw this up." i swallowed hard. i knew we were working on the edge, but i didn't know the edge was down to six weeks. "david, i'm all but ready for postproduction. i'm just thinking i may need one more interview. just a one-day shoot. i'm going to make this picture work. you'll see." he sighed. "all right, if you think it's essential, get the footage. maybe i can even shake another fifty out of nicky, if i string him along about the distribution deal--don't look so alarmed, i won't go through with it. anyway, i can tell he's impressed with the picture so far. happy now?" no, i wasn't happy. what was i going to do if hannah klein had bad news? adoption? i finally was facing the fact i'd possibly been making a movie about myself all this time. like yeats, penning his own tombstone. "cast a cold eye, on life, on death. ." so why not give him the whole story? "david, if it turns out steve and i can't have a baby, i've begun thinking about trying to adopt." there it was. more pain. "maybe i'm about to become the heroine of my own picture." he stared at me incredulously. "morgy, you of all people should know by now that adopting would take up all your energy, like a giant sponge. come on. i've seen your dailies. i got it, about how hard it is. you telling me now you didn't get it?" he was right. righter than he realized. but then i thought again about carly grove, who'd found kevin in no time at all, with zero hassles. the only troubling part was that it was all so mysterious. . . . after i left david's office, i remembered i hadn't actually had lunch, so i grabbed two hot dogs with sauerkraut (okay, it was junk, but i secretly loved kosher franks) and a diet pepsi to go, from one of the striped-umbrella vendors, then hailed a cab clutching the grungy brown bag. i was heading for hannah klein's office on the upper west side. and now i had another clock ticking in addition to the biological one. the big money clock in the sky was suddenly on final countdown. chapter three it took only a few minutes for hannah klein's assistant, lori, to run the pregnancy test that confirmed my suspicions and settled my future. steve's and my final attempt, another intrauterine insemination (iui, med-speak for an expensive "turkey baster") with the last of his deposit, had failed. the end. the bitter end. "morgan," hannah declared, staring over her desk, her raspy new york voice boring through me like a drill, "given how this has all turned out, maybe you ought to just start considering adoption--if having a child still means that much to you." hannah klein was pushing seventy, a chain smoker who should have been dead a decade ago, and she unfailingly spoke the truth. her gaze carried only synthetic solace, but i was probably her fifteenth patient of the day and maybe she was running low on empathy. oddly, though, sitting there in her office, miserable, i felt strangely liberated. i adored the woman, a child of the holocaust, with layers of steel like a samurai sword, but i also loved the thought of never again having to go through the humiliation of cowering in her straight-backed office chair, like a so-so student on probation waiting to receive my failing grade. it was now time to come to grips with what i'd known in my heart for a long time. god had made me a theoretically functional reproductive machine that just wouldn't kick over. translation: no cysts, fibroids, polyps, no ovulatory abnormalities. my uterus and fallopian tubes were just fine, steve's sperm counts were okay, but no baby was swimming into life inside me. sometimes, however, reality asks too much. it's not easy getting your mind around the idea that some part of your life is over, finally over. the baby part. to admit that it's time to move on to plan b, whatever that is. such realizations can take a while, especially if you've been living with high-level hope, no matter how irrational. "i frankly don't know what else we can do," she went on, projecting through my abyss of gloom. she was shuffling papers on her ash-strewn desk, white hair in a bun, fine-tuned grit in her voice. upper west side, a fifty-year fixture. she never wore perfume, but to me she always smelled faintly of roses mixed with smoke. earthy. "aside from trying in vitro." we'd already discussed that, but it was definitely the bottom level of hell. besides, i was running out of money, and spirit. and now, with steve gone, the whole idea seemed moot anyway. "so," she concluded, "barring that, we've done everything possible, run every test there is, both on you and on your . . ." "steve," i inserted into her pause. she seemed to deliberately block his name at crucial moments. maybe she thought i could have done better. maybe a nice solid dentist who owned a suit instead of some freelance photo jock who showed up for his sperm counts wearing khaki safari shirts. well, let her deal with it. ". . . and i can't find anything. sometimes, the body just won't cooperate. we may never know why. you've got to face that. but still, adoption is always an option." adoption. all along i'd told myself i didn't have the courage, or the heart. making movies is a full-time job, not leaving time to go filling out forms and jumping through hoops for years and years. and to cap it off, i was just two years short of the big four-oh and financially struggling--hardly an adoption agency's profile of "ideal." but now, now i'd just discovered carly grove and the miracle of children of light. so maybe there really could be a way to adopt a beautiful child with no hassles. maybe it would simplify everything to the point i could actually pull it off. could this be my plan b? then what if steve came back? could we be a family finally? i wasn't used to being that lucky. and i still wanted hannah klein's thoughts, a reality test, which was why i pressed her on the point. "truthfully, do you think adopting is really a workable idea for somebody like me? would i--?" "morgan, i know you're making a film about the realities of the adoption process. we both realize it's not easy." she must have seen something needful in my eyes, because she continued on, adding detail, letting the well-known facts convey the bad news. "as you're well aware, finding a young, healthy, american baby nowadays is all but impossible. at the very least it can take years." she was fiddling with some papers on her desk, avoiding my eyes. then she stubbed out her cigarette in a gesture that seemed intended to gain time. "and even if you're willing to take a baby that's foreign-born, there still can be plenty of heartbreak. that's just how it is." "i'd always thought so too," i said. "it's actually the underlying motif of my picture. but today i had an incredible experience. i filmed an interview of a single woman, early forties, who just adopted a baby boy. it took less than three months and he's blond and blue-eyed and perfect. i saw him, i held him, and i can assure you he's as american as peach cobbler. the way she tells it, the whole adoption process was a snap. zero hassles and red tape." "that's most exceptional." she peered at me dubiously. "actually more like impossible. frankly, i don't believe it. this child must have been kidnapped or something. how old, exactly, was he when she got him?" "i don't know. just a few weeks, i think." her eyes bored in. "this woman, whoever she is, was very, very lucky. if what she says is true." "the organization that got the baby for her is called children of light," i went on. "that's all i know, really. i think it's up the hudson somewhere, past the cloisters. have you ever heard of them?" dr. hannah klein, i knew, was pushing three score and ten, had traveled the world, seen virtually everything worth seeing. in younger years she was reputed to have had torrid liaisons with every notable european writer on the west side. her list of conquests read like an old new yorker masthead. if only i looked half that great at her age. but whatever else, she was unflappable. good news or bad, she took it and gave it with grace. until this moment. her eyes registered undisguised dismay. "you can't mean it. not that place. all that so-called new age . . . are you really sure you want to get involved in something like that?" i found myself deeply confused. were we talking about the same thing? then i remembered carly had said something about an infertility clinic. "frankly, nobody knows the first thing about that man," hannah raged on. "all you get is hearsay. he's supposedly one of those alternative-medicine types, and a few people claim he's had some success, but it's all anecdotal. my own opinion is, it's what real physicians call the 'placebo effect.' if a patient believes hard enough something will happen, some of the time it actually might. for god's sake, i'm not even sure he's board-certified. do yourself a favor and stay away. oftentimes, people like that do more harm than good." then her look turned inquisitive. "did you say he's providing children for adoption now? that's peculiar. when did he start that?" was i hearing some kind of professional jealousy slipping out? hannah klein was definitely old school to the core. "he who?" i was trying to remember the name of the doctor carly had mentioned. "you mean--" "he says his name is . . . what? goddard? yes, alex goddard. he's--" my pager chirped, interrupting her, and she paused, clearly annoyed. i looked down to see a number i knew well. it had to be lou crenshaw, our aforementioned security guard. he'd been off today, but there was only one reason he would page me: some kind of news from lenox hill. maybe it was good news about sarah! my hopes soared. or maybe it was bad. please, dear god. "i'm sorry, dr. klein. i've got to go. right now. it could be a medical emergency." she nodded, then slid open the top drawer of her desk and handed me a list of adoption agencies. "all right, here, take this and look it over. i've dealt with some of them, letters of reference for patients like you." she must have realized the insensitivity of that last quip, because she took my hand and squeezed it, the closest we'd ever come to intimacy. "let me know if i can help you, morgan. really." grasping the lifeless paper, i ached for steve all over again. times like this, you need some support. i finally glanced down at the list as i headed out. sure enough, children of light was nowhere to be seen. why not? i wondered. they'd found kevin, a lovely blond baby boy, for carly, a single woman, in no time at all. they sounded like miracle-makers, and if there was ever a moment for miracles, this was it. shouldn't they at least have been given a footnote? i wanted to stalk right back and demand to know the real reason she was so upset, but i truly didn't want to waste a moment. lou had paged me from a pay phone--he didn't actually have a cell phone of his own--and i recognized the number as belonging to the phone next to the lenox hill hospital's third-floor nurses' station. when i tried it, however, it was busy, so i decided to just get in my car and drive there as fast as i could. and as i battled the traffic down broadway, i realized that by diverting my mind from my own trivial misery to the genuine tragedy of sarah, i was actually getting my perspective back. that was one of the many things sarah had done for me over the years. all right. sarah and lou, who figure so largely in this, deserve a full-dress introduction, so obviously i should start by admitting i'd known them all my life. lou was my mother's half brother, three years younger than she was, who came along after my grandfather widowed my grandmother in a freak tractor rollover and she remarried a lifelong bachelor neighbor. (i have old snapshots of them, and i can tell you they all were cheerless, beady-eyed american gothics.) i'd arranged for david to hire lou eight months earlier, not too long after i came to applecore. at that time he'd just taken early retirement from the fbi, because of an event that shook us all up pretty seriously. for some time now, lou's been a rumpled, willy loman figure, like a traveling salesman on the skids, shirts frayed at the collars, face tinted from a truckload of early times. over the past fifteen years i'd watched his waist size travel from about thirty-three inches to thirty-seven, and i'd guess it's been at least a decade since a barber asked him if he needed any off the top. natalie rose, his spirited, wiry wife of thirty-seven years, succumbed to ovarian cancer seven years ago last september, and i know for a fact she was the one who bought his shirts, provided him with general maintenance. my first memories of him were when he was a county sheriff in a little burg called coleman, smack in the middle of texas, some fifty-five long, dusty miles from the ranch where i grew up. when i was about fourteen, i remember he gave up on that and moved to dallas, there to enter training for the fbi. he eventually ended up in new orleans, and then, after natalie rose passed away and he more or less fell apart, he got transferred to new york, considered the elephant graveyard of an fbi career. probably the reason i saw him as much as i did as a kid was because of my cousin sarah, his and rose's only child. she was six years younger than me, a lot when you're kids, but we were very special to each other, had a kind of bonding that i've never really known with anybody since. we spent a lot of time staying at each other's house, me the almost-grown-up, and truthfully, i loved her helplessly, like a little sister. i always wanted to think she needed me, which can be the most affirming feeling in the world. i do know i needed her. she was now lying in a coma, and the way she got there was the tragedy of my life, and lou's. to begin with, though, let me say sarah was a pretty blonde from the start, with sunshiny hair that defined her as perpetually optimistic--and who wouldn't be, given the heads she always turned. (i was--am--blond too, though with eyes more gray than her turquoise blues, but for me blond's always been, on balance, an affliction: sexist film producers assume, dammit, that you're a failed showgirl, or worse. i've actually dyed it brunette from time to time in hopes of being taken more seriously.) sarah and i had always had our own special chemistry, like a composite of opposites to make a complete, whole human being. whereas i was the rational, left-brained slave of the concrete, she was a right-brained dweller in a world of what-might-be. for years and years, she seemed to live in a dream universe of her own making, one of imagination and fanciful states. once, when she was five, lou hid in his woodworking shop for a month and made an elaborate cutaway dollhouse to give her at christmas. but when i offered to help her find little dolls that would fit into it, she declared she only wanted angels to live there. so we spent the rest of the winter--i dropped everything--hunting down christmas tree ornaments that looked like heavenly creatures. she'd swathe them in tinsel and sit them in balls of cotton she said were little clouds. i always felt that just being around her opened my life to new dimensions, but her dream existence constantly drove lou and rose to distraction. i think it was one of the reasons he never got as close to her as he wanted, and his feelings about that were deep frustration, and hurt. he loved her so much, but he could never really find a common wavelength. finally she came down to earth enough to start college, and eventually she graduated from smu in biology, then enrolled at columbia for premed. by then she was interested in the workings of the brain, in altered states. i didn't know if it was just more pursuit of fantasy, but at least she was going about it professionally. anyway, when lou got transferred to new york, he was actually delighted, since it gave him a chance to be closer to her. we all managed to get together for family reunions pretty often, though lou and sarah were talking past each other half the time. then tragedy struck. she was just finishing her master's, and had been accepted by cornell medical--lou was bursting with pride--when he suggested they use her christmas break to drive back down to texas together, there to visit rose's grave. (i think he really wanted to show off his budding doctor-to-be to the family.) sarah was driving when they crossed the state line into louisiana and were side-swiped by a huge mack eighteen-wheeler, which was in the process of jackknifing across a frozen patch of interstate. they were thrown into the path of an oncoming car, and when the blood and snow were cleared, a six-year-old girl in the other vehicle was dead. the result was sarah decided she'd taken a human life. her own minor facial cuts--which lou immediately had repaired with plastic surgery--somehow evolved into a major disfigurement of her soul. all her mental eccentricities, which had been locked up somewhere when she started college, came back like a rush of demons loosed from some pandora's box deep in her psyche. she dropped out of school, and before long she was in the throes of a full-scale mental meltdown. she disappeared, and in the following two years lou got exactly one card from her, postmarked in san francisco with no return address. he carried it with him at all times and we both studied it often, puzzling over the new age astrological symbol on the front. the brief note announced she'd acquired "divine energy" and was living on a new plane of consciousness. then eight months ago, the state department notified lou she was missing in guatemala. she'd overstayed her visa and nobody knew where she was. so how did her "new plane of consciousness" land her in central america? was that part of the fantasy world she'd now returned to? lou still worked downtown at federal plaza, but he immediately took a leave of absence and, though he spoke not a syllable of spanish, plunged down there to look for her. he was there a month, following false leads, till he finally ran into a reverend ben jackson, late of a self-styled protestant ministry in mississippi, who was one of the ardent new evangelicals swarming over central america. the man mentioned that some chicle harvesters in the northwest peten department of guatemala had found a young woman in an old dugout canoe on the guatemala side of the wide usumacinta river, near a tributary called the rio tigre, lodged in amongst overhanging trees. she'd been struck on the head and presumably set adrift somewhere upriver, left for dead. she was now in a coma, resting at jackson's "jesus es el hombre" clinic, also located deep in the northwest peten rain forest. he had no idea who she was. lou rented a car and drove there, almost a day on unpaved roads. it was sarah. thus she was no longer missing; she was now the apparent victim of an attempted murder. however, rather than being helpful, the local _policia_ appeared annoyed she'd been found, thereby reopening the matter. a blond _gringa _was out hiking somewhere she had no business being in the first place and tripped and hit her head on something. where's the crime? lou brought her back to new york, using a medevac plane supplied by the state department, which, wanting no more cia-type scandals of american nationals being murdered in guatemala, cooperated with great dispatch. after that, he needed a job that would afford him time flexibility, so he could be at her bedside as much as possible. david was looking for a security head, and i realized it would be a perfect match. since we didn't really need a full-time person, lou could spend a lot of hours at lenox hill, watching over sarah. she was just lying there now, no sign of consciousness, her body being kept alive with iv i'd go by to visit her as much as i could, and almost as bad as seeing the comatose sarah was seeing the grief in lou's eyes. he would sit there at the hospital every day, sometimes several hours a day, fingering an old engraved locket that carried her high-school graduation picture, just rubbing it through his fingers like a rosary. we always made allowances when he wanted to take time off during one of our shooting schedules, figuring maybe he was helping her. . . . as i turned east, to go crosstown, i thought again about sarah's condition. she and i looked a lot alike, dense blond hair for one thing, but to see her now you'd scarcely know it, since hers had been clipped down to nothing by the hospital. her cheekbones, however, were still strong, a quality now exaggerated by her emaciated state, and her eyes, which i had not seen in years, were a deep languid, turquoise blue. but seeing her lying there inert, being kept alive with tubes and liquids, wearing pressure pants to help circulate blood through her legs, you'd scarcely realize she'd been a strikingly beautiful woman before the accident. what's worse, from what i knew, the horrific brain traumas that bring on a coma don't automatically go away when you regain consciousness. if the coma is the result of a head injury, and if it lasts more than a few days, the chances of regaining all your mental functions are up for grabs. lou once said there's a scale of eight stages to full recovery. people who have short comas can sometimes come out of them and go through those stages quickly--from initial eye movement to full mental faculties. others, who've been under for months or longer can require years to come back. sometimes they can only blink their eyes to answer questions; sometimes they babble on incessantly. they can talk sense, or they can talk nonsense, incoherent fantasies, even strings of numbers. the brain is a complex, unpredictable thing. . . i always thought about this as i took the elevator up to lenox hill's third floor. the room where they kept sarah was painted a pale, sterile blue, and made even more depressing by stark fluorescent lights. everything was chrome and baked-on enamel, including the instruments whose crt screens reported her bodily functions. none of the instruments, however, had ever shown the brain activity associated with consciousness. lou was there when i walked in. he had a kind of wildness in his eyes, maybe what you get when you mix hope with despair. we hugged each other and he said, "she had a moment, morgy. she knew me. i'm sure she did." then he told me in detail what had happened. a nurse passing sarah's room had happened to notice an unexpected flickering on one of her monitors. she'd immediately informed the nurses' station, where instructions included lou's home number. he'd grabbed a cab and raced there. when he got to her room, he pushed his way past the caribbean nurses and bent over her, the first time he had hoped a conversation with her would be anything but a monologue. "honey, can you hear me?" there was no sign, save the faint flicker of an eyelid. it was enough. his own pulse rocketed. "where's the damned doctor?" while the physician was being summoned, he had a chance to study her. yes, there definitely was some movement behind her eyelids. and her regular breathing had become less measured, as though she were fighting to overcome her autonomic nervous system and challenge life on her own. finally an overworked pakistani intern arrived. he proceeded to fiddle with the monitors, doing something lou did not understand. then without warning--and certainly attributable to nothing the physician did--sarah opened her eyes. lou, who had not seen those eyes for several years, caught himself feasting on their rich, aquatic blue. he looked into them, but they did not look back. they were focused on infinity, adrift in a lost sea of their own making. they stared at him a moment, then vanished again behind her eyelids. he told me all this and then his voice trailed off, his despair returning. . . . "lou, it's a start. whatever happens is bound to be slow. but this could be the beginning. . . ." we both knew what i was saying was perilously close to wishful thinking, but nobody in the room was under oath. for the moment, though, she was back in her coma, as though nothing had changed. i waited around until eight o'clock, when i finally convinced myself that being there was not doing anybody any good. lou, i later learned, stayed on till well past eleven, when they finally had to send security to evict him. okay, i've been holding out on the most important detail. the truth is, i hardly knew what to make of it. at one point when i was bending over sarah's seemingly unconscious face, her eyes had clicked open for just a fleeting moment, startling me the way those horror movies do when the "un-dead" suddenly come alive. lou was in his chair and didn't see it, didn't notice me jump. the last thing i wanted to do was tell him about it, and i was still shivering as i shoved my key into the toyota's ignition and headed for home. she'd looked directly into my eyes, a flicker of recognition, and then came the fear. she sort of moved her mouth, trying to speak, but all that came was a silent scream, after which her eyes went blank as death and closed again. she knew me, i was sure of it, but she had looked through me and seen a reminder of some horror now locked deep in her soul. chapter four lou took the next few days off to spend by sarah's side, but nothing more happened. i repeatedly called him at the hospital to check on her, though it was becoming clear her brush with consciousness had only been an interlude. finally, i decided to show carly's rushes to david (he loved them) and try to concentrate on postproduction for the rest of the week and the weekend, anything to make me not have to dwell on sarah's ghostlike, soundless cry of anguish. postproduction. when you're shooting a picture, you have to make all kinds of compromises; but in post, with luck and skill, you can transform that raw footage into art. you mix and cut the takes till the performances are taut; you loop in rerecorded dialogue where necessary to get just the right reading of a line; the foley guys give you clear sound effects where the production sound is muddy; and you balance the hues of reds and blues, darks and lights till you get just the right color tone. all of the polishing that came with post still lay ahead. the first step was to go through the rough cut and "spot" the film, marking places where the sound effects or dialogue would need to be replaced with rerecorded studio sound--which meant several days, maybe weeks, of looping to edit out background noise and make the dialogue sound rich and crisp. for some of it, the actors would have to come back in and lip-synch themselves, which they always hate. it was daunting, to have to work back and forth between production sound tracks and loop tracks, blending alternate takes. you had to figure on only doing about ten minutes of film a day, and then, after all that, you had to get the "opticals" right, the fade-outs and dissolves and, finally, the credit sequences. normally, once i started post, i would have exactly ten weeks to accomplish all that before the executive producer, david, got his hands on my picture. that was the prerogative that was part of the standard director's contract. now, though, i figured that was out the window. with the money going fast, i had to produce a rough cut and get the picture sold to cable in six weeks, period. but first things first. i deeply needed at least one more interview--carly's was too much of a happy one-note--which was why i needed to shoot paula marks. it was now on for thursday, today. the appointment had taken all weekend, including a sunday brunch, to set up, but by that time i was sure this second mother would be perfect. she was a tall, willowy woman, forty-three, who had let her hair start going to gray. honesty, it was right there in her pale brown eyes. she wrote children's books, had never married--she now believed she never would--and had decided to adopt a child because she had a lot of extra love she felt was going to waste. different from carly grove, maybe, but not in the matter of strength, and fearless independence. we arrived around ten a.m. to discover her apartment was in one of those sprawling prewar west side monoliths, thick plaster walls and a rabbit's warren of halls and foyers, legacy of an age before "lofts" and open spaces. terribly cramped for shooting. but paula agreed to let the blue-jeaned crew move her old, overstuffed couch out of the living room, along with the piles of books that lined the walls. another issue was makeup. at first paula insisted she didn't want any. never wore it, it was deceitful, and she didn't want to appear on camera looking like barbie. (small chance of that, i thought. a little war paint now and then might help your chances of landing a father for this child.) eventually arlene persuaded her that cameras lie and the only way to look like yourself is to enhance those qualities that make you you. it was a thin argument, but arlene came from a long line of apparel proprietors who could unload sunlamps in the sahara. paula's adopted daughter rachel, who was a year and a half old, was running around the apartment, blond tresses flowing, dragging a doll she had named angie. except the name came out "ann-gee." she was immediately adopted by the crew, and erica, the production manager, was soon teaching her how to play patty-cake. then rachel wanted to demonstrate her new skills at eating spaghetti. in five minutes she was covered head to toe in ragu tomato sauce. when the panaflex was finally rolling, the story paula spun out was almost identical to the one told by carly grove. she'd spent hours with all the legal services recommended by nysac, new york singles adopting children, listening to them describe a scenario of delays and paperwork and heartache. it could be done, but it could take years. look, she'd declared, i'll cash in my ira, do anything, just give me some hope. okay, they'd replied, tighten your belt, scare up sixty big ones, and go to see children of light. we hear stories. . . . soon after she called them, the skies had opened. a new age physician and teacher there, a man with striking eyes named alex goddard, had made it happen. rachel was hers in just four months, no paperwork. sure, she declared, children of light was expensive, but alex goddard was a deeply spiritual man who really took the time to get to know you, even practically begged you to come to his clinic-commune and go through his course of mind-body fertility treatment. but when she insisted she just wanted to adopt, he obligingly found rachel for her. how could she be anything but grateful? she was so happy, she wanted everybody in the world to know about him. as she bubbled on, i found my attention wandering to rachel, who'd just escaped from the crew keeping her in the kitchen and was running through the living room, singing a song from sesame street. something about the way she moved was very evocative. where've i seen her before? then it dawned on me. her walk made me think of kevin. actually, everything about her reminded me of kevin. were all kids starting to look the same? god, i wanted them both. yeah, i thought, daydreaming of holding her, she's kevin all over again, clear as day. she's a dead ringer to be his older sister. it feels very strange. or maybe i was just seeing things. to some extent all babies looked alike, right? that is, until you have one of your own. i had to swallow hard, to try to collect my thoughts. carly and paula scarcely even knew each other. if rachel really was kevin's sister, they'd never know anything about it. incredible . . . it was just too big a coincidence. but still. . . and what about the film footage? show close-ups of the kids, and anybody not legally blind was going to see the similarity. . . . why would somebody give up two children for adoption? i found myself wondering. giving up one was tragic enough. "cut." i waved at everybody. "take ten. we need to recharge here, take a break and stretch." paula was caught off guard, in the middle of a sentence, and she let her voice trail off, puzzled. "hey, i'm sorry rachel came barging in," paula finally said. "guess she broke everybody's concentration, huh?" "yeah, well, sometimes we all need to lean back and take a fresh run at things." i called to rachel, who came trotting over, spaghetti sauce still on her face, and picked her up. i felt at a loss about what to do. tell paula her daughter had a younger brother in the village, and she might fall apart. "i was actually curious about something. do you know anything about rachel's birth mother?" "i don't want to know. it would disrupt my life. and my peace of mind." her eyes acquired a kind of sadness mingled with anxiety. "i'm reconciled to the fact she probably got into some kind of trouble, may not have exactly been nobel prize material, but i'm a big believer in nurture over nature. that's why i write books for kids. so i think rachel's going to end up being a lot more like me than like her real mother." brave words. but i'll bet you anything the story of rachel's mother is a lot more complicated than you imagine. i glanced at my watch, the hour pushing four-thirty. time to call it a wrap. besides, if we shot any more today, the crew would end up on overtime, and david was getting increasingly nervous about my extra costs. i also needed a little downtime to reflect. "look, i think i've got enough footage to work with for now. let me just get the release signed take this film downtown, and get it processed. maybe we can come back for another shoot when i figure out exactly where this is going." "anytime. just give me some notice and i'll try to have the place cleaned up more next time." "don't worry. i like it to look real. just sign the release and i'll take it from there." i was about to set rachel back on the floor when something caught in my sweater. looking down, i realized it was a tiny charm bracelet, with two little medallions on it. one was a little red plastic likeness of pocahontas, the disney character, and the other was a silver face of a cat, long and stylized. and on the back, those curious lines and dots again, only these were arranged differently from those on the one carly's boy kevin had. "paula, what's this? this cat. where'd you get it?" "oh, that." she smiled. "she was wearing it when i got her, on a little silk cord around her waist, under her diaper. they told me it was a gift from her real mother, a keepsake. sort of breaks your heart, but the way they said it, you want to keep it forever. . . ." at that moment erica was just plugging the phone back in, and the second she did, the old, black panasonic cordless began to ring. "hang on a sec," paula said. "let me get that. my agent is supposed--" she'd picked up the phone and was plopping back onto the couch. "hi." then her look turned blank. "no, of course not." she fell into an uncomfortable pause, looking around at everybody. then she continued. "nobody's contacted me." she halted again, her face white, and stared directly at me. i abruptly sensed that i was the topic of the conversation. "sure i'm sure. . . . yes, i remember signing. . . . don't worry. i'd have no reason to. . . . okay, sure, i'll let you know." she clicked off the phone and looked up with startled eyes. "it was somebody who said they worked for children of light. she wanted to know if you'd contacted me." her face collapsed. "you. she asked me specifically about _you_. by name. how did--?" "i have no idea." my hands were growing cold. had carly told them about me? why would she do that? "anyway, you handled it okay." which made me wonder. if children of light was such a perfect organization, why was paula so frightened she immediately felt compelled to lie, to swear she hadn't broken their rules? "right." her composure was slowly coming back. "look, now that i think about it, why should they care? it doesn't make any sense. they got their money." she turned to me. "let me have that release." she seized the paper and endorsed it with a flourish. my pulse was still in overdrive, but i hugged her, then signaled the crew that shooting was over for the day. "okay, everybody. time to wrap." the gang immediately began striking the lights and rolling up electrical cords. they would take the equipment back downtown and deliver the film to the lab, while i would head home. it had been a long day and lots of thinking was needed. besides, it was starting to rain, a dismal spatter against paula's grimy windows, as the gray spring afternoon had begun darkening toward sullen evening. "listen, i enjoyed this." paula had taken rachel in her arms and was stroking her blond hair. "i really love talking about her. she's changed my life." i gave her another hug. "you're great. and you're going to be wonderful in the film." if i used her. the whole thing was getting unnerving. "you have no idea how much you've helped." then i said good-bye to rachel, who responded with a perfect "bye, bye" through her haze of spaghetti sauce. okay, get the superintendent. crank up the freight elevator. get out of here. scott ventri, key grip, took charge of handling the gear, dictating which equipment got loaded on first. i watched long enough to make sure everything was going okay, and then i joined arlene, old friend and queen of outrageous makeup, on the other elevator. "you notice it?" she whispered. the door had just closed. "notice what?" i knew full well what she was talking about. but it just felt too bizarre. "those kids could almost be twins. that little boy last week, and this girl. they look just alike. it's spooky." "guess their parents couldn't figure out what was causing those pregnancies. so they just kept having more babies." i decided to try to insert some humor, deflect the conversation. "maybe we should tell paula and carly." "very dumb." arlene bit at a long, red, false fingernail, a perennial habit for as long as i'd known her. "we should mind our own business, that's what we should do." "works for me. but it also proves we were smart not to shoot any footage of the kids. the whole world would realize something's funny." then i had an idea. "want to come downtown to my place after we unload? have some deep thoughts over what all this means?" first the kids, then the call. what was this guy alex goddard, whoever he was, up to? definitely time to talk to somebody. . . . "gee, i'd love to," arlene was saying, "but i can't. i gotta go out to kew gardens for my mom and dad's anniversary tonight. their thirty-fifth, can you believe? of course, i was a very late baby." she blinked her dark, languid eyes, as though rehearsing the line for a downtown club. "a miracle of modern fertility science, right?" shit. arlene, i need you. "right." she giggled, then seemed to study the flashing lights on the elevator's control panel. "god, those kids, they're too good to be true. i'd love to have one like that." she impatiently pounded the number one a couple of times, perhaps hoping to speed our creaky descent. "i can get bonked every night of the week, but i can't get a serious boyfriend. new york's clubs aren't exactly brimming with the vine-covered-cottage-and-picket-fence type. and as for the pickings at work, given the kind of pictures david makes, forget it. last thing i need is some twenty-year-old pothead who thinks with his wang." "i'm afraid i'm not helping you much with this one." i'd cast _baby love_ mostly with off-broadway unknowns. the actress mary gregg was a veteran of joseph papp's original public theater, the experimental enterprise downtown. the few male parts all went to guys who were either gay or married. "oy, what can you do, right? if it happens, it happens." arlene watched the door begin to stutter open as we bumped onto the lobby level. then she zeroed in on me. "you really want a kid too, don't you? i mean, that's why you did this script, right? which, by the way, is great. i mean the script." "i think most women do, down deep." she smiled. "well, if i ever have one, it's going to be the old-fashioned way. it's a heck of a lot cheaper than adopting." she was heading out, into the front foyer. "not to mention more fun getting there." on that i definitely had to agree. the lobby's prewar look was gray and dismal, and as we emerged onto the street, the rain had turned into a steady downpour. lou was off again today, down at the hospital with sarah, so i'd engaged a doorman from a new co-op across the street to keep an eye on our vans. a crisp twenty had extracted his solemn promise to do just that. at the moment, however, he was nowhere to be seen. proving, i suppose, david's theory that we needed our own security guy at all location shoots. lou, i thought, i hope you're finally getting through to her. "no limo, but at least we get first call on the vans," arlene observed, her voice not hiding the sarcasm. "just once i'd like to work for somebody who had serious vip transportation." "david would walk before he'd get a limo." we were headed down the street, me digging out my keys, when i noticed the man standing in the rain. he was just behind our lead van, a three-year-old gray ford, waiting for us. my first thought was he must be connected to nicky russo, david's wiseguy banker, here to bust my chops over the teamster issue. screw him. just my luck he'd send somebody the very day lou was not on hand. but then i realized i'd guessed wrong. the man was more hispanic than italian. he also was short, solidly built, late fifties maybe, with intense eyes and gray hair that circled his balding pate like the dirty snow around a volcano's rim. as he moved toward us, i thought i detected something military in his bearing, not so much the crispness of a soldier but rather the authoritative swagger of an officer. well, maybe a retired officer. "the paper on your windshield says you are filming a movie," came a voice with a definite spanish accent. no greetings, no hiya, how're you doin'? just the blunt statement. then, having established what was already clear to all at hand, he continued. "it says the title is _baby love_. why are you making this movie here?" that was it. i glanced at arlene, who'd turned white as a sheet. you get a lot of onlookers around a location shoot, but not too many who challenge your right to exist, which was exactly what was coming through in his menacing tone. i handed arlene the keys. "here, go ahead and open up. i'll handle this." then i turned back to him. "what you saw in the windshield of the vans is a new york city film board permit. that's all the information we are required to provide. if you read it, you know everything i'm obliged to tell you." i returned his stare. "however, if people ask nicely, i'm happy to answer their questions." "are you making this movie about a person in this building? your other films have been documentaries." god help me, i thought. is this what my fans are like? then it hit me. i don't know how i'd missed the connection, but now it just leapt out. first the phone call, then this hood. somebody was tracking me. "i'm scouting locations," i lied, feeling a chill go through me. "we're second unit for an action film, shooting some prep footage for the producers. does the name arnold schwarzenegger mean anything to you?" "then why is the film about babies?" "that's meant to be a joke. remember the movie _twins_? it's a joke title. do you understand?" at that moment, paul nulty came barging out the door with a huge klieg light, followed by several other members of the crew carrying sound gear. our cordial tete-a-tete was about to be disrupted. my new hispanic friend saw them and abruptly drew up. that was when i noticed the shoulder holster under his jacket, containing some sort of snub-nosed pistol. jesus, i thought, this must be what some kind of hired killer looks like. that gun's not a prop. "i think you are lying." he closed his jacket and, ignoring my crew, bored in relentlessly on me, his eyes dead and merciless. "that is a big mistake." it was the first time in my life i'd ever stood next to a man who had a gun and was deeply ticked at me. he'd wanted me to see his piece, just to make sure i took him seriously. he wasn't threatening me, per se. rather he was letting me know how strongly he cared about what i was doing. well, damn him, but i still was scared. i might have managed to bluff nicky russo, but he was a guy who operated by an age-old set of sicilian rules. this thug didn't strike me as the rule-book type. hand shaking, i pulled out my cell phone, flicked it open, and punched in . "listen, if you're threatening me with a gun, i'm calling the cops. whatever problem you have with the new york film industry, you can explain it to them." new york's police emergency number was still ringing as he abruptly turned and strode away. i clicked the phone shut and moved to get out of the way as a trolley loaded with more gear was rolled past me down the sidewalk. unfortunately, i also took my eyes off him for a second, and when i looked up again, he seemed to have disappeared into the rain, though i did notice somebody who could have been him get into a long black car well down the block and speed off toward broadway. "what did that creep want?" arlene asked, coming back with the keys. i was only slowly returning to reality, and it took me a few moments to form a coherent answer through all the adrenaline surging into my brain. "i . . . i don't know. but i think i'd better warn everybody to keep an eye out for strangers. he's . . . he's wound a little tight, to put it mildly." i was still shaking, which she fortunately failed to notice. at that point, there seemed no great reason to spook her with mention of the gun. "boy, he wasn't just some homeless junkie," she said. "he looked like a heavy in one of david's old action pictures. all he needed was a mack- ." "right." jesus, arlene, i think he might have had one. "so let's get moving." as i watched the vans being loaded, slowly calming down, i kept thinking about him. he was undoubtedly connected to the phone call, but why would anybody be so worried about what i was doing? i couldn't think of any serious reason. half an hour later we were all headed downtown. along the rain-swept streets the "all beef" hot-dog vendors cowered under their red-and-yellow striped umbrellas, while departing office workers, briefcases perched above their heads as makeshift protection, scurried along the edges of buildings searching for cabs. while arlene continued to chat nonstop, i tried to do a little mental processing. and my mind kept drifting back to the sight of little rachel, and kevin. what perfect kids. the way she was running. . . . hey, wait a minute. how could they be siblings? brother and sister? rachel was almost exactly half a year older than kevin. biology didn't work that way. no way could they be related, but still . . . they looked so alike. i realized arlene hadn't put it together about the ages. the brother/sister theory made absolutely no sense. those kids were born six months apart. if that wasn't strange enough, why did they both have those tiny cat medallions with the lines and dots on the back? which were actually kind of creepy, more like sacred amulets than little toys. talk to lou. he might have some insights. no, better yet, go to the source. children of light. call alex goddard's adoption agency or clinic or whatever it is and make an appointment. chapter five i was feeling a bit off center that evening, but i explained it away as mental overload, the rain, and the implied threats. that diagnosis got revised the next morning when i awoke with a mind-numbing headache, chills alternating with a mild fever, and my chest feeling like it was caught in a compactor. it was a so-called common cold, but there was nothing common about my misery, which was truly exceptional. i made a cup of echinacea tea and then washed down mg of vitamin c with some aging orange juice from my fridge, after which i took a couple of tylenol, put on yesterday's jeans, and headed uptown to work. i also treated myself to a cab. when i settled into the cluttered corner room that was my office, i told myself this was not a day to make any big decisions. just stick to matters that required nothing more than autopilot. the first thing i did was call lou to check on sarah (no change), and then i told him about my hispanic visitor. he made concerned sounds and promised to accompany me on any further location shoots. next i pulled out my date book and punched in a phone number i'd scribbled in the back. i'd gotten it when i was winding up my interview with carly grove. "children of light," said an unctuous voice. "this is ramala." i hesitated a moment before giving my name. they already knew who i was; ramala or somebody had called paula marks and asked about me. me. what would she do when she heard it was yours truly in the flesh? i tried to take a deep breath, working around the feeling my lungs were on fire, and identified myself. ramala received the information as though she'd never heard of me. maybe she hadn't. then i asked for an appointment with alex goddard. as soon as it was convenient. "he leaves his saturdays open," she said, more of the smiley voice, "so i could make a special appointment for you tomorrow. would ten a.m. be all right?" her accent was the kind of delhi colonial-ruling-class you associate with expensive silk saris and ruby bracelets, yet at the same time her voice had an overlay of that melodious, touchy-feely unctuousness you hear on relaxation tapes. i half expected her to next say, inhale deeply and feel the love flowing through the universe. in any case, she couldn't have sounded more open and forthcoming. i had to remind myself immediately that it wasn't true. given the inquisitive phone call to paula marks, children of light was an organization that deeply cherished its privacy. presumably they had a reason, and that reason didn't necessarily have to be sinister, but still, i had every reason to think they were upset about me and it made me paranoid. and now alex goddard immediately had time for a "special appointment." "ten o'clock will be fine," i said, just barely croaking the words out of my chest. she gave me directions for reaching the riverdale clinic, called quetzal manor, and hung up. i felt so miserable i could barely remember afterward what she'd said, but fortunately i'd taken notes. quetzal manor. an odd choice for a name, i'd thought. some kind of bird sacred to the maya indians of central america. but then paula had mentioned at one point that he was very interested in indigenous third world herbs and remedies. so maybe it fit. but still, one big puzzle kept coming back to haunt: how do you produce perfectly healthy siblings six months apart? (i actually called carly and paula back to verify the ages.) the more i thought about kevin and rachel, the more i realized they were so unmistakably related. puzzling over that, i began to wonder if maybe i was on the verge of uncovering a blockbuster documentary. could we be talking something approaching science fiction here? making documentaries, you're always on the lookout for the unexpected, the fresh. so how about an organization that could obtain beautiful caucasian babies seemingly at will, including peas-in-a-pod born a few months apart? i was already framing a pitch to david in my mind. anyway, the rest of the day, while i was busy battling my cold with antihistamines and lots of hot soup, i mounted a major phone inquiry just to make sure all the rules on adoption hadn't somehow changed when i wasn't looking. they hadn't. first off, to get a child in three or four months, you'd almost certainly have to go with foreign adoption. china was everybody's flavor of the month, because they favored older parents and also because the one-child-per-family policy there had ended up producing a wide-scale abandonment of girls (who were all those precious boys going to marry? i often found myself wondering). however, the shifting politics there made the process very unreliable. a few months? don't even think about it. pressing on, i satisfied myself that the country-specific organizations that found babies in the emerging parts of the world all still worked the same. cradle of hope specialized in orphaned russian kids. children and families, inc., provided adoptions for equadorian children. international adoption assistance, inc., handled brazilian orphans. but they all were still fussy, and they could take ages. how about a brand-new healthy baby in just a few months? i'd ask. some kind of new fast track? the question was always taken as a joke. . . . i would be driving up to quetzal manor in my old toyota, and i dearly wished steve could somehow materialize and be with me. in his absence, however, i convinced lou to come along. i figured the change of scene would do him good, and i also wanted the security of having him with me, after the threatening phone call to paula and the hispanic thug who'd accosted me outside her apartment building. besides, it'd just be a couple of hours. the next morning, as we trekked up riverside drive, then the henry hudson parkway, the sky was a flawless blue and the wide hudson seemed like an ardent highway leading into the heart of america. still in elevated spirits over sarah's momentary brush with consciousness, lou had noticeably less of a hangover than was usual most mornings. maybe he was looking forward to a little mental r&r. for my own part, i felt my curiosity growing. i'd gone to a lot of appointments over the years, but rarely did i suspect the person i was going to see already knew more about me than i knew about them. after we crossed the henry hudson bridge, we left the highway and headed down a service road that led toward the river. then there was an imposing gate, open, and a tree-shrouded driveway. finally the place loomed in front of us. the physical appearance of quetzal manor was a study in european grandeur, translated with a few extra frills from the new world. carly had told me it had once been a carmelite convent, dating from sometime in the middle of the last century, and it was a monument to church authority, with endless arches of cut stone, turrets, gargoyles. as we were motoring to the end of the long cobblestone drive, i felt as if i was approaching some gothic movie set. given its hovering sense of regal authority, the place could easily have been a castle, but it seemed more like a brooding homage to medieval torture. let me just say it was truly magisterial, yet also more than a little creepy. as we parked under a huge oak tree in front, i surveyed the facade, trying to marshal my strength. enough of my cold still lingered that i didn't feel as if my mind was working on all cylinders, and for a moment i merely sat looking, trying to breathe. "want me to go in with you?" lou asked finally. he was examining the building suspiciously, like a detective surveying a crime scene. i wanted him with me and then again i didn't. i longed for the company, a protector, but i didn't want the complications, more things to explain inside. finally i made a snap decision. "why don't you take a stroll around the grounds?" i suggested. "commune with nature. the fresh air will do you good. this can't take long. mainly i just want to get some literature and try to gain a feeling for the place." that wasn't entirely, or even partly, true. what i really wanted to find out was threefold: how did they manage to get beautiful healthy caucasian babies for two single women in just a few months; how could those babies be only six months apart in age and still obviously be siblings; and (this was where my feelings got complicated) could they get a baby for me the same way, never mind how they did it. it was the third thing that actually bothered me the most, since i was far from sure i wanted to be a part of whatever was going on. lou just shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "take as long as you like. i'll just wait here in the car. i'm not the nature type." that was certainly the case. i walked across the cobblestones to an arched entryway that had no door. i wondered at this--most convents are like a fortress--and then i realized the front door had been removed, leaving only its ancient hinges still bolted into the stones. perhaps it was intended to be a symbol of openness, inviting you in. there was no sign of anybody--the saccharine-voiced ramala was not on hand to greet me--so i just headed on down a wide hallway, past a table of brochures. the place had been decorated with expensive good taste: tapestries all over the stone walls, perfect persian rugs, classic church statuary--all of it calling forth powerful feelings from deep in the psyche. then i entered a vast interior courtyard, where a central fountain splashed cheerily in the midday light. the courtyard was circled with a picturesque gallery of cells, all with massive wooden doors, most likely rooms once inhabited by chaste sisters. the place did seem to be a clinic-commune now, just as paula had said. not nuns this time around, but rather new age acolytes whose tastes ran more to secular music than to religious chants, as witness the cacophony of sounds that wafted out from several of the cells. only it wasn't any kind of conventional music; it seemed a mixture of japanese flute, north indian ragas, african drumming. i liked the ragas, even recognized my favorite, "bhairavi." then i spotted something that riveted my attention. at the back of the courtyard, just past a final wooden door, stood a huge south indian bronze statue, about five feet high, of the dancing shiva. it appeared to be presiding over the arch way that led out into a dense natural garden behind the building. i walked across the cobblestones to examine and admire it. it seemed an odd item to find here in the courtyard of a once-cloistered convent. i was so enthralled i failed to hear the door behind me open. "do you find my shiva interesting, ms. james?" said a soothing voice, just barely audible above the chirps of birds. i think i caught a breath in my phlegm-locked chest, but then i turned to see a tall man dressed in casual chinos and a dark sweater. he was trim, looked to be in his early sixties, with a mane of salt-and-pepper hair and lean features more craggy than handsome. but his eyes were everything, telling you he owned the space around him, owned in fact, the air he breathed. it had to be alex goddard. "yes," i answered almost before i thought. "it just seems to be a little out of place here." i wondered if he was going to introduce himself. then i realized that when you're used to being the master of a private domain, you probably never think to bother with such trivial formalities. everybody knows who you are. "well," he said, his voice disarmingly benign, "i suppose i must beg to differ. may i suggest you consider this shiva for a moment and try to imagine he's a real god?" "he is a real god" i said immediately feeling patronized. nothing makes me angry faster. "in india, he's--" "yes," he said "i know you did a film about india--which i found quite extraordinary, by the way--but why wouldn't the shiva fit right in here? you see, he's a very modern, universal figure. he incorporates everything that exists in the contemporary world. space, time, matter, and energy. as well as all of human psychology and wisdom." "i'm aware of that," i said sensing my pique increase. we were not getting off to a great start. "yes, well." he seemed not to hear me. instead he started putting on the leather jacket he'd had slung over his shoulder. "notice that shiva has four arms, and he's dancing with one foot raised. he's also standing inside that great circle of flame, a sort of halo encompassing his whole body. that circle stands for the great, all-embracing material universe, all of it. dark and light, good and evil. he knows and controls everything." hey, i realized, this guy's got some kind of identity thing going with this ancient indian god. he continued as he zipped up the jacket. "shiva has four arms because--" "let me tell you," i said, interrupting him. he looked startled, clearly not accustomed to a woman meeting him on his own ground. "he has four hands because he has a lot to do. that little drum in his upper right summons things into existence. and there in his upper left he holds a fire that destroys." goddard was examining me curiously, but i just stared back and continued. "his lower right hand is held up in a kind of benediction, as if to say, 'find your peace within,' and the lower left points down at his feet, where one foot is planted on the back of that repulsive little dwarf there, the human ego. crush the ego and be free. the other foot is lifted to signify spiritual freedom." "you seem to know the shiva well." he broke into a grudging smile, as though we'd just met. chalk up round one as a draw. "i'm glad you came, ms. james. i'm a great admirer of your work and i especially wanted to provide your orientation personally. it's a genuine pleasure to meet you at last." at last? i took his proffered hand and stared. all the questions i'd been brooding over for the past week sort of disappeared into a memory file somewhere. instead all i could do was focus in on him. meeting carly and paula's miracle worker in the flesh made me recall something aldous huxley once observed. he declared that the kind of man, and they are almost always men, who can control others with his mind needs to have certain qualities the rest of us can only envy. of course he has to be intelligent and have a range of knowledge that can be used to impress people, but most of all, he has to have a will of iron, an unswerving tenacity of purpose, and an uncompromising self-confidence about who he is, what he wants. this means a slightly remote manner, a glittering eye, and a sympathetic gaze that bores in deeply on you one minute, then seems off in another realm, focused on infinity, the next. perhaps most importantly of all, his voice must be that of a pied piper, a soft yet penetrating instrument that acts directly on the unconscious of his listeners. even though he was doing a casual number with me, my first impression of alex goddard was that he perfectly embodied all those qualities. i also sensed a false note. what was it? maybe he was being just a little too casual. "if you're here about doing a film," he began, "please be aware we do not encourage publicity. if you've come because of your infertility, as ramala said you mentioned in your call, then i welcome you with open arms." well, he knew how to cut to the chase. and after his phone call to try to intimidate paula marks, i was well aware he didn't "encourage publicity." but now i also realized he wouldn't be overly interested in my new idea of someday doing a documentary on this place. but then a lot of people say no at first and then come around. "i was actually interested in neither," i said, feeling my sinuses about to close down permanently. "i was actually hoping to find out about your adoption service, how it works." "ah," he said, his eyes shifting from intense scrutiny to somewhere lost in the ozone, "that's not something i handle personally. in any case, you first must come and participate in our program. then, if we fail to achieve your objectives, we can take the adoption matter under consideration." "i think i'd like to hear about it anyway." i took a deep breath, again groping for air. "for instance, where and how you get the children you place." "i see," he said calmly, as though my question were about the weather. then he secured his coat tighter. "i'm thinking, how would you like to take a short walk? down to the river. we could get to know each other better." i just nodded, not looking forward to the harsh wind that would assault my inflamed sinuses. but maybe i was getting somewhere. as we started out through the stone archway and into the rear garden, which seemed to extend for acres, he continued. "you seem to have a lot of questions about what i'm doing here. so let me try and put my efforts into perspective. as i like to point out to women when they first come here, we in the west are making do with only half the world's medical knowledge. we ignore all of the east. there's also the wisdom of the indigenous peoples here in the western hemisphere, the native americans. who are we to say they don't have a lot to teach?" he smiled, as though embarrassed to be passing along such a commonplace. "for example, western medical practice, virtually until this century, consisted mainly of using leeches to drain away 'humors' in the blood. at the same time, the indigenous peoples of this continent knew more about the curative powers of plants, even drugs, than europe ever dreamed of. yet they were deemed savages." i wasn't sure where he was leading, but the supreme self-confidence with which he spoke had the effect of sweeping me along. the engaging eyes, the voice, the well-used designer jacket, it all worked. he was good, very good. "so you see," he went on, "what i've tried to achieve here at quetzal manor is to integrate the knowledge of east and west, ancient and modern." "so what, exactly, do you--?" "well, first let me explain that i studied in the far east for over a decade, until i understood how to control the energy flows in the body, your chi. then i moved to central america, where i learned all that is currently known about native american practices and medicines. i still have a special place there, where i carry out pharmacological research on the rare plants of that area, studying their effects on human fertility, on the origins of life. i have no time to waste on disease and degeneration." we were well into his eden-like rear garden now, which had lots of herbs and was also part orchard. there were apple trees and other fruit trees i couldn't readily identify, all just starting to show their first buds. when we came to the end, there was a cobblestone path leading west. in what seemed only a few moments, we'd reached a line of bluffs overlooking the hudson. the early spring wind was cutting into my face, causing my nostrils to feel on fire. as we stood gazing down at the rippling waters of the hudson below, where a lone sailboat was caught in the breeze, the moment took on a timelessness, feeling as though it could have been any place, any century. "incidentally," he went on, turning slightly to me, "are you familiar with the name asklepios?" i had to shake my head no. it sounded vaguely familiar, but . . . "he was the ancient greek god of medicine. the physicians who revered him held that sickness could be cured using drugs and potions that came from outside the body, since they believed that's where disease originated. now, of course, billion-dollar industries thrive by enhancing our arsenal of antibiotics." i listened to this, wondering where he was headed. then he told me. "there was, however, another school of healing at that time, those who honored the daughter of asklepios. she was hygeia, their goddess of health. the hygeians believed that wellness originated from properly governing your own body. for them, the greatest service of the physician was to learn how we can work with our bodies. their ideal was healing from within rather than intervention from without." again he was studying me, as though trying to determine whether i was going along with what he was saying. "unfortunately," he continued, "the hygeian school more or less died out in the west. however, it lives on in other places. for example, primitive peoples have no manufactured, synthetic drugs, so they use natural herbs to enhance their own immune system and stay healthy." he turned to study the river, dropping into silence. "maybe i'm missing something," i declared finally. his hypnotic voice had drawn me in, in spite of myself. "how does this relate to infertility?" he turned back and caught me with his shining eyes. they seemed to be giving off heat of their own. "just as the body is intended to heal itself, so is a woman's womb meant to create life. if she's childless, the reason more often than not is that her body is out of harmony with itself. what i do here is seek out each woman's unique energy flows and attempt to restore them, using eastern practices and hygeian herbal therapies." "does it always succeed?" i abruptly wondered if his techniques might work for me. face it, western medicine had completely struck out. the problem was, the guy was just a little too smooth. "not always. some women's bodies are naturally unresponsive, just as all organisms are subject to random . . . irregularities. in those cases, i try to provide her a child by other means." "you mean adoption," i suggested. "by whatever means seems appropriate," he replied cryptically "well, there's something i'd like to understand. last week i met a woman who had adopted a baby boy through children of light. she got him in three months. such a thing is, according to what i can find out, totally unheard of. so how did you manage that?" he stared down at the river. "i thought i'd explained that adoptions are not what we primarily do here. they're provided only as a last resort, in the few cases where my regimen of hygeian therapies fails." "but in those cases, where do you find--?" "as i've said before we talk about adoption, first we need to satisfy ourselves that no other options are possible." then his eyes clicked into me. "if you could come back next saturday to begin your tests and receive an orientation, i could give you an opinion about your chances of bearing a child. it will require a thorough examination, but i can usually tell with a good degree of certainty whether my program can help someone or not. it's really important, though, that you stay at least . . ." he was staring at me. "mind if i do something that might relieve some of the symptoms of that cold?" he reached out and touched my temples with his long, lean fingers. then he placed his thumbs just above my eyebrows and pressed very hard. after a long moment, he slowly moved the pressure down to the bridge of my nose, then across under my eyes. finally he put the heel of his hands just above my ears and pressed again. after a couple of seconds he stepped away and continued talking as though nothing had happened. "after i give you a full examination, we can discuss our next step." with that he turned, ready to head back. "now if you'll excuse me, i've got a lot of research data to organize." i guess he assumed his juggernaut of arcane medical theory had rolled over me sufficiently that he could move on to other matters. i sensed he really wanted me to come back, but he was careful to wind down our mutual interview with a take-it-or-leave-it air. all the same, i felt intrigued as we moved back through the gardens and then into the courtyard. a baby. maybe he could make it happen for steve and me. in spite of myself, i felt a moment of hope. "thank you for coming," he said by way of farewell, just brushing my hand, then turned and disappeared through one of the ancient wooden doors along the veranda, leaving me alone. well, i thought, the calm voice and casual outfit are probably just part of his bedside manner, but you can't be near alex goddard and not feel a definite sense of carefully controlled power. but is his power being used for good? this was the man whose staff was trying to deny me interviews with mothers who'd adopted through children of light. and what about the hispanic hood with the gun? did alex goddard send him? if not, his appearance at paula's building was one hell of a coincidence. so why should i trust . . . that was when i noticed it. my lingering cold had miraculously vanished, inflamed sinuses and all. i was breathing normally, and even my chest felt cleared. my god, i thought, what did he do? hypnotize me? it was as though a week's healing had passed through my body. i had an epiphany, a moment that galvanizes your resolve. i had to do a documentary about this man, to find out what he was really up to. he'd mentioned he had a place in central america. was that the source of his special techniques, some kind of ancient meso-american medical practices he'd discovered? he claimed he didn't want any publicity, but that's always just an opening move. when somebody says that, what they really mean is they don't want any bad publicity; they just want to have final say about what you produce. there're ways to handle the problem. i liberated a brochure from the hall table on my way out, thinking i would study it soon. very closely. i had a nose for a good story, and this one felt right. when i got back to the car, lou was nowhere to be seen. he'd given me the impression he intended merely to sit there and doze while i went inside, but now he was gone. then he appeared emerging from the forest of trees. actually, there was another building opposite the stone drive that i hadn't noticed at first. hmmm, i thought, i wonder what that's all about. for some reason alex goddard hadn't offered me a tour; he'd taken me for a stroll in the opposite direction. . . . "that was fast," lou said settling into the car. "you get what you came for?" the answer to that was both yes and no. in a sense i'd gotten considerably more than i bargained for. "he wants me to come back," i said. "and i think i might do it. there's a lot more going on with alex goddard than you'd know from just looking at this place. the trick is to stay in control when you're around him." i tossed the brochure into lou's lap as i started the engine. he took it and immediately began looking through it. lou, i knew, was a man always interested in facts and figures. as we headed toward the parkway he was pouring through the brochure with intense interest, even as i tried to give him a brief reprise of alex goddard's medical philosophy. "it says here his patients come from all over the united states and europe," he noted, finally interrupting me. i found nothing odd in that, and went back to rambling on about quetzal manor. give the place its due, it was placid and tranquil and smacked of the benign spirituality goddard claimed to put so much stock in. still, i found it unsettling. however, lou, as usual, chose to see matters his own way. he'd been studying the fine print at the back of the brochure, mumbling to himself, and then he emitted a grunt of discovery. "ah, here's what i was looking for," he declared. "you know, as a registered new york state adoption agency, this outfit has got to divulge the number of babies they placed during their last yearly reporting period." "according to him, he only resorts to adoption if he can't cure your infertility with his special mind-body regimen," i reminded him. "your energy flows--" "no shit," lou observed, then went on. "well, then i guess his mind-body, energy flows, whatever, bullshit must fail a lot. because last year the number was just under two hundred. so at sixty thou a pop, like it says here, we're talking about twelve million smackeroos gross in a year. not a bad way to fail, huh?" i caught myself emitting a soft whistle as he read out the number. there was definitely a lot more going on with alex goddard than met the eye. "so what's he do with all that dough?" lou mused. "better question still, where in the hell did he find two hundred fresh, orphaned babies, all listed here as caucasian? and get this: the ages reported at final processing are all just a couple of months, give or take." good questions, i thought. maybe that's the reason he doesn't want publicity; it sounds a little too commercial for a mind-body guru. my other thought was, with so many babies somehow available, why was alex goddard so reluctant to even discuss adoption with me? the answer, i was sure, lay in the fact he already knew more about me than i knew about him. he knew i was making a film about adoption (how did he come by that knowledge? i kept wondering) and he was concerned he might be mentioned in it. i kept asking myself, why? on our drive back down the henry hudson parkway, i decided i was definitely looking at a documentary in the making. i just had to decide whether to do it with or without his cooperation. chapter six after i dropped off lou at his space in soho, where he was house sitting for an estate now in the courts, i decided to head on home. the more i thought about alex goddard, the more i felt frustrated and even a little angry that i'd completely failed to find out any of the things i'd wanted to learn about him. i replayed our interview in my mind, got nowhere, and then decided to push away thoughts of quetzal manor for a while and dwell on something else: sarah, my film, anything. it was saturday, and unfortunately i had no plans for the evening. translation: no steve. back to where i started. how many million stories in the naked city, and i was just so many million plus one. it's not a jungle out there, it's a desert. the truth was, after steve took off, i hadn't really been trying all that hard to pick myself up off the canvas and look around. besides, i didn't want some other guy, i wanted him. added to that, i somehow felt that when you're on the short countdown for forty, you shouldn't have to be going out on blind dates, wondering whether that buttoned-down mba sitting across from you in some trendy italian restaurant thinks you're a blimp (even though you skipped lunch), telling yourself he's presentable, doesn't seem like a serial killer, has a job, only mentioned his mother once, and could qualify as an acceptable life's mate. there's no spark, but he's probably quite nice. you wanly remember that old barney's ad jingle, "select, don't settle," but at this stage of life you're ready to admit you've flunked out in love and should just go with like. which was one of the reasons i missed steve so deeply. he was a lover, but he was also a best friend. and i was running low on those. every woman needs a best pal. after my former best, betsy, married joel aimes, off-broadway's latest contribution to dreamworks, and moved to the coast with him, i was noticing a lot of empty evenings. in the old days, we could talk for hours. it was funny, since we were actually very different. betsy, who had forgotten more about clothes and makeup than most women would ever know, hung around the garment-center showrooms and always came away with samples of next season's couture, usually for a song. i envied her that, since i usually just pretended not to care and pulled on another pair of jeans every morning. but she shared my love of asian music. anyway, now she was gone and i could tell we weren't working hard enough at staying in touch. she and joel had just moved to a new apartment and i didn't even have her latest phone number. . . . which brought me back to steve. i'd often wondered why we were so alike, and i'd finally decided it was because we both started from the same place spiritually. in his case, that place was a crummy childhood in new haven--which he didn't want to talk about much because, i gathered, it was as lonely and deprived as my own, or at least as depressing. his father had owned a small candy store and had wanted all his four children to become "professionals." the oldest had become a lawyer, the next a teacher. when steve's turn came, he was told he should become a doctor, or at the very least, a dentist. didn't happen. he'd managed four years of premed at yale, but then he rebelled, cashed in his med-school scholarship, and went to paris to study photography. the result was he'd done what he wanted, been reasonably successful at it, and his father had never forgiven him. i think he was still striving for the old man's approval, even after all the years, but i doubted he'd ever get it. steve was a guy still coming to grips with things that couldn't be changed, but in the meantime he lived in worlds that were as different from his own past as he could find. he deliberately avoided middle-class comforts, and was never happier than when he was in some miserable speck on the map where you couldn't drink the water. whatever else it was, it wasn't new haven. . . . thinking about him at that moment, i had an almost irresistible desire to reach for my cell phone and call him. god, i missed him. did he miss me the same way? i wanted so much to hear him say it. i had a contact number for him in belize city, an old, brit-like hotel called the bellevue, where they still served high tea, but i always seemed to call when he was out somewhere in the rain forest, shooting. do it. don't be a wuss. but then i got cold feet. did i want him to think i was chasing after him? i didn't want to sound needy . . . though that was exactly what i felt like at the moment. finally i decided to just invent a phone conversation, recreating one from times past, one where we both felt secure enough to be flip. it was something i did more than i'd like to admit. usually there'd be eight rings at his park slope loft and then a harried voice. yes. steve, talk to me. . . . "yo. this is not a recording. i am just in a transcendent plane. and if that's you, murray, i'll have the contact sheets there by six. patience is a virtue." "honey, it's me. get out of the darkroom. get a life." "oh, hi, baby." finally tuning in. "i'm working. in a quest for unrelenting pictorial truth. but mainly i'm thinking of you." "you're printing, right? darling, it's lunch hour. don't you feel guilty, working all the time?" the truth was, it was one of the reasons i respected him so much. he even did his own contacts. his fervor matched my drive. it's what made us perfect mates. "i've got tons of guilt. but i'm trying to get past it. become a full human person. go back to the dawn of man. paint my face and dance in a thunderstorm." he'd pause, as though starting to get oriented. "hey, look at the time. christ. i've got a print shoot on thirty-eighth street at three." he was chasing a bit of fashion work to supplement his on-again, off-again magazine assignments. "love," i said in my reverie, "can you come over tonight? i promise to make it worth your while. it involves a bubble bath, champagne, roses everywhere, sensuous ragas on the cd. and maybe some crispy oysters or something, sent in later on, just to keep us going." then i'd listen to the tone of his voice, knowing he'd say yes but putting more stock in how he said it. still, he always gave his lines a good read. "then why don't we aim for about nine?" i'd go on, blissful. "that ought to give me a chance to get organized. and don't bring anything except your luscious self." the fantasy was coming together in my mind. thinking back, i realized how much i missed him, all over again. . . . that was when the phone on the armrest beside me rang for real. for a moment i was so startled i almost hit the brakes. then i clicked it on, my mind still buzzing about steve, and also, in spite of my resolve, about the curious runaround i'd just gotten from alex goddard. "listen, there was a message on my machine when i came in. i've got to go up to the hospital. right now." lou's voice was brimming with hope and exuberance. "they said sarah was stirring. she's opened her eyes and started talking. they said she's not making much sense, but . . . oh, god." "that's wonderful." i felt my heart expanding with life. for some reason, i had a flash of memory of her climbing up into the rickety little tree house--well, more like a platform--i'd helped her build in my thirteenth summer, no boys invited to assist. a year later that part had seemed terminally dumb. "i'll meet you there." i was almost home, but i screeched the car around and headed east. racing over, though, i tried not to wish for too much. i kept remembering all the stages to a complete recovery and telling myself that whatever had happened, it was only the first step on a very long, very scary journey. . . . i hadn't realized how scary till i walked into the room. lou, who had gotten there just minutes before i did, was sitting by her side, holding her hand, his gaze transfixed on her. she was propped up slightly in her bed, two pillows fluffed behind her head, staring dreamily at the ceiling. three attentive middle-aged nurses were standing around the sides of her bed, their eyes wide, as though sarah were a ghost. i very quickly realized why. she was spinning out a fantasy that could only come from a deranged mind. had she regained consciousness only to talk madness? "lou, does she recognize you?" i asked. he just shook his head sadly, never taking his eyes off her face. she was weaving in and out of reality, pausing, stuttering, uncertain of her incoherent brain. once, when she'd fallen off a swing and got knocked out for a brief moment, she came to talking nonsense. now she seemed exactly the same way. "lights ... so bright," she mumbled, starting up again to recount what seemed to be a faraway fantasy, ". . . like now. why . . . why are there lights here?" her lips were moving but her eyes were still fixed in a stare. then, with that last, odd question, her gaze began to dart about the room, looking for someone who wasn't present. she settled on me for a moment, and i felt a chill from her plaintive vulnerability. when i tried to look back as benignly and lovingly as possible, i couldn't help noticing how drawn her cheeks were, doubtless from the constant iv feeding, and again my heart went out. "i'm scared," she went on, "but--" "i'm here, honey," lou declared, bending over her, his eyes pained. "do you know who i am?" "the jade face . . . a mask," she babbled on, still ignoring him. "all the colors. it's so . . . so beautiful." her hallucination didn't relate to anything i could understand. she clearly was off in another world, like when she was a kid, weaving the lights of the room now into some kind of dream. i touched lou's shoulder and asked permission to turn off the overhead fluorescents, but he just shrugged me off, his attention focused entirely on her. his eyes had grown puzzled, as though he wanted to believe she was returning to rationality but his common sense was telling him it wasn't true. i was having a different reaction. what she was saying was random babblings, all right, but i was beginning to think she was reliving something she had actually seen. however, she wasn't through. "i want to pray, but . . . the white tunnel . . . is coming." she shuddered, then almost tried to smile. "take me . . ." she was gone, her eyelids fluttering uncontrollably. "honey, talk to me," lou pleaded. he was crying, something i'd never seen him do, something i was not even aware he was capable of. what he really was trying to say was, "come back." it wasn't happening. she stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes, a shutter descending over her soul. "she'll be okay," i whispered to him, almost believing it. her brain had undergone a physical trauma, enough to cause a coma, but some kind of mental trauma must have preceded it. was she now trying to exorcise that as part of her path to recovery? the nurses in the room stirred, perhaps not sure what to do. the overhead lights were still dazzlingly bright, and i moved to shut them off, leaving only a night-light behind the bed. perhaps the lights had brought her awake, but i was convinced what she'd just gone through had tired her to the point that she would not revive again that day. then one of the caribbean nurses came over and placed her hand on lou's shoulder. she had an experienced face, full of self-confidence. something about her inspired trust. "i wouldn't let this upset you too much," she said, a lovely lilt in her voice. "what just happened may or may not mean anything. when patients first come out of a coma, they can sometimes talk just fine, and yet not make any sense. they ramble on about things they dreamed of like they were real." then she smiled. "but it's a good first step. she could wake up perfectly fine tomorrow. just don't pay any attention to what she says for a while. she's dreaming now." lou grunted as though he believed her. i nodded in sympathy, though no one seemed to notice. i also thought that although what sarah had said was bizarre, it sounded like something more than a dream. or had she gone back to her child-state where imaginary worlds were real for her? then in the dim glare of her bed light, lou took a wrinkled blue booklet out of his inner pocket and stared at it. i had to stare at it a moment before i realized it was a passport. "what--?" "the american consulate in merida, mexico, sent it up to federal plaza yesterday, because my name and office address are penciled on the inside cover as an emergency contact. the police down there said somebody, some gringo tourist fly-fishing way down on the usumacinta river, near where the rio tigre comes in from guatemala, snagged this floating in a plastic bag. he turned it in to the mexican authorities there, and it ended up with our people." he opened the passport and stared at it. "the photo and id page is ripped out, but it's definitely sarah's." he handed it over. "guy i know downtown dropped it off last night. i'm not sure if it has anything to tell us, but now, i was hoping it might help jog her memory." i took it, the cover so waterlogged its color was almost gone. however, it must have been kept dry in the plastic bag for at least some of its trip from wherever, since much of the damage seemed recent. lou shook his head staring wistfully at me. "i still don't know how she got down there. she was in california. remember that postcard? if she'd come back east, she'd have got in touch. wouldn't she?" his eyes pleaded for my agreement. i didn't know what to say, so i just shrugged. i wanted to be sympathetic, but i refused to lie outright. he took my ambivalence as assent as he pulled out the locket containing her picture, his talisman. he fingered it for a moment, staring into space, and then he looked down and opened it, as if seeing her high school picture, from a time when she was well, would somehow ease his mind. "this whole thing doesn't sound like her," he went on. "know what i think? she was being held down there against her will." my heart went out to him, and i reached over and took the locket for a moment, feeling the strong "src" engraved on its heart-shaped face. "lou, she's going to come out of it. and when she does, she'll probably explain everything. she's going to be okay any day now, i've got a hunch. a gut feeling." i had a gut feeling, all right, but not that she was going to be fine. my real fear was she was going to wake up a fantasy-bound child again. then i handed the locket back. he'd seemed to turn anxious without it. he took the silver heart and just stared down at it. in the silence that settled over us, i decided to take a closer look at the passport. i supposed lou had already gone through it, but maybe he'd missed something. as i flipped through the waterlogged pages, i came across a smudgy imprint, caked with a thin layer of dried river clay, that was almost too dim to be noticed. "lou, did you see this?" i held it under the light and beckoned him over. "can you read it?" "probably not without my specs." he took it and squinted helplessly. "my eyes aren't getting any better." i took it back and rubbed at the page, cleaning it. it was hard to make out, but it looked like "delegacion de migracion, aeropuerto internacional, guatemala, c.a." "i think this is a guatemalan tourist entry visa." i raised the passport up to backlight the page. "and see that faint bit there in the center? that's probably her entry date. written in by hand." he took it and squinted again. "i can't read the damned thing, but you're right. there's some numbers, or something, scribbled in." i took it and rubbed the page till i could read it clearly. "it's march eleventh. and it was last year." "hot damn, let me see that." he seized it back and squinted for a long moment, lifting the page even closer to the light. "you're right." he held it for a second more, then turned to me. "this is finally the thing i needed. now i'm damned well going to find out what she was doing down there." "how do you think you can do that?" i just looked at him, my mind not quite taking in what he'd just said. "the airlines." he almost grinned. "if they can keep track of everybody's damned frequent-flyer miles for years and years, they undoubtedly got flight manifests stored away somewhere too. so my first step is to find out where she flew from." "but we don't know which--" "doesn't matter." he squinted again at the passport. "now we know for sure she showed up at the airport in guatemala city on that date there. i know somebody downtown, smooth black guy named john williams, the fbi's best computer nerd, who could bend a rule for me and do a little b&e in cyberspace. he owes me a couple. so, if she was on a manifest for a scheduled flight into guatemala city that day, he'll find it. then we'll know where she left from, who else was on the plane." he tapped the passport confidently with his forefinger. "maybe she was traveling with some scumbag i ought to look up and get to know better." "well, good luck." in a way i was wondering if we weren't both now grasping for a miracle: me half-hoping for a baby through some new age process of "centering," lou trying to reclaim sarah from her mental abyss with his gruff love. but then again, miracles have been known to happen. chapter seven "quetzal manor could have the makings of a great documentary," i was explaining to david roth. "i just need some more information-gathering first, to get a better feeling for what alex goddard is up to. so going back up there will be two birds with one stone. i'll learn more about him, and he might even be able to tell me why i haven't been able to get pregnant." he was frowning, his usual skeptical self. "how long--?" "it's just for the weekend, or maybe a little . . . i'm not sure exactly. i guess it depends on what kinds of tests he's going to run. but the thing is, i have to do it now, while he and i are still clicking. an 'iron is hot' kind of moment. the only possible problem might be if i have to push back my schedule for looping dialogue for _baby love _and then somebody's out of town." "you check with the sound studio to warn them about possible rescheduling?" he wanted to appear to be fuming. but since he'd invited me down to his tribeca loft at least once every three months, now that i'd finally shown up, he also had a small gleam in his eye. what did that mean? "yes, but i've already spotted most of the work print, and i've made tentative dates for people to come in. in a week and a half. everything's still on schedule." he leaned back on his white couch, as though trying to regroup. it was saturday morning and i'd already made the appointment to see alex goddard. i was going. i probably should have run it by david first, but damnit, it was my life. truthfully, though, i'd been dreading telling him all week, so to try and make him as congenial as possible, i'd arranged to see him at home and relaxed. it seemed to be working, more or less. "okay, okay, sometimes i guess it's best to just go with your gut," he said, beginning to calm down. he'd offered to whip up some brunch when i first arrived, and now i was feeling sorry i'd turned him down. i really did like him. but, alas, only as a friend. "before i cave in totally, though, do me a favor and tell me some more about this . . . documentary? what, exactly, makes you think it's--" "everything." whereupon i laid on him the full story of carly and paula, the children, and my encounter with alex goddard. the only thing i left out was the story of the hispanic hood since i didn't think he could handle it. "this quetzal manor sounds like a funny operation," he declared solemnly when i'd finished. "i say the less you have to do with a place like that, the better. who knows what's going on." "but, david that's what makes it so interesting. the fact that it _is_ a 'funny' operation. i really can see a documentary here, after baby love is in the can. but i'll never have a chance if i don't get to know this guy while i've got a good excuse. that's how my business works." "so you're going to go back up there and . . . is this like going undercover or something?" "well . . ." what was i going to say? i was actually half beginning to believe that alex goddard might be able to figure out why steve and i couldn't conceive. it was certainly worth a few days of my life, documentary or no documentary. "look, i really want to find out what's going on. for a lot of reasons." he sighed and sipped at his coffee. "morgy, this has got to be quick. nicky russo called again. the thing i've learned about loan sharks, they keep your books better than you do. he knows exactly how much money we've got left and how long we can last. he's licking his chops, getting ready to eat us whole." "what did you tell him?" the very thought of nicky gave me a chill. if we missed so much as a week on the juice, he'd have the legal right to just seize my negative. when you're desperate, you sign those kinds of loans. "i told him something i haven't even told you yet." he smiled a wicked grin. "i know you've been schmoozing lifetime about a cable deal, but before we put the ink to that, i want to finish some new talks i've started with orion, their distribution people." i think i stopped breathing for a second or two. was there a chance for a theatrical release for _baby love_, not just a cable deal? "when . . . you've actually met with them? how--?" "late yesterday." he was still grinning. "i ran into jerry reiner at morton's and pitched the picture. actually, i heard he was in town, so i wore a tie and ambushed him at lunch. he wants to see a rough cut as soon as we've got something ready." "david, you're an angel." i was ecstatic. it was more than i'd dared hope for. "so stay focused, for chrissake, and finish your picture. we're this close to saving our collective asses, so don't blow it. i've gone over all the schedules pretty carefully, and i'd guess we can spare a day or two, but if you drag this out, i'm going to read you your contract, the fine print about due diligence, and then finish up the final cut myself. i mean it. don't make me do that." "don't you even think about that." never! "this is my picture." "just business. if it's a choice between doing what i gotta do, or having nicky russo chew me a new asshole and become the silent partner in applecore, guess what it's gonna be." "david, you know i would never let that happen." i walked over and gave him the sweetest hug i knew how, still filled with joy. "and thanks so much for trying to get us a theatrical. you don't know how much that means to me." "hey, don't try the charm bit on me. i'm serious. i'll cut you a weekend's slack, but then it's back to the salt mines. either this picture's in the can inside of six weeks, or we're both going to be looking for new employment. so go the hell up there, do whatever it is you're going to do, and then get this damned picture finished. there'll be plenty of time after that to worry about our next project. with luck we might even have the money for it." with that ultimatum still ringing in my ears, i took my leave of david roth and headed north, up the henry hudson parkway. my life was getting too roller-coaster for words. . . . as i drove, i tried not to dwell on the practical aspects of what was coming. it was hard to imagine what tests alex goddard could perform that hadn't already been done by hannah klein. just thinking back over that dismal sequence made me feel baby-despondent all over again. when i first mentioned i was thinking about trying to get pregnant, she looked me over, perhaps mentally calculating my age and my prospects, and then made a light suggestion. "why don't i give you a prescription for clomid. clomiphene citrate enhances ovulation, and it might be a good idea in your case. you're still young, morgan, but you're no longer in the first blush of youth." i took it for six months, but nothing happened. that was the beginning of my pregnancy depression. by that time, she'd decided i definitely had a problem, so she began what she called an "infertility workup." the main thing was to check my fallopian tubes for blockages and look for ovulatory abnormalities. but everything turned out to be fine. depression city. "well," she said, "maybe your body just _thinks_ you've released an ovum. we need to do an ultrasound scan to make doubly sure an ovarian follicle has ruptured when it's scheduled to and dropped an egg." it turned out, however, that all those hormonal stop-and-go signals were working just fine. in the meantime, steve and i were doing it like bunnies and still no pregnancy. okay, she then declared, the problem may be with your fallopian tubes after all. time to test for abnormalities. "this is not going to be fun. first we have to dilate your cervix, after which we inject a dye and follow it with x-rays as it moves through the uterus and is ejected out of your fallopian tubes. we'll know right away if there's any kind of blockage. if there is something, we can go in and fix it." "sort of check out my pipes," i said, trying to come to grips with the procedure. i was increasingly sinking into despondency. she did it all, and for a while she suspected there might be some kind of anatomical problem. which brought us to the next escalation of invasiveness. "we've got to go in and take a close-up look at everything," she said. "it's a procedure called laparoscopy. i'll have to make a small incision near your navel and insert a tiny optical device. in your case, i want to combine it with what's called a hysteroscopy, which will allow me to see directly inside your uterus for polyps and fibroids." but again everything looked fine. i began to wonder what had happened to everybody's mother's warning you could get pregnant just letting some pimply guy put his hand in your pants. prior to all this, i should add, steve had provided samples of sperm to be tested for number and vigor. (both were just fine.) then, toward the end of all the indignities, he actually paid to have some kind of test performed involving a hamster egg, to see if his sperm was lively enough to penetrate it. no wonder he finally went over the edge. now i was reduced to alex goddard. i'd brought a complete set of my medical test records, as ramala had requested on the phone. i'd also brought a deep curiosity about what exactly he could do that hadn't already been done. i further wondered how i was going to talk steve into coming back long enough to share in the project. as i motored up the driveway to quetzal manor, i told myself he loved me still, wanted a baby as much as i did . . . well, let me be safe and say almost as much. the problem was, he was so demoralized about the whole thing. and then what? what if nothing happened? i started to park my car where i had the last time, then noticed the place actually had a parking lot. it was located off to the left side of the driveway, near the second, modern building, and was more or less hidden in amongst the trees. the lot was filled with a lot of late-model but inexpensive cars, basic working-girl transportation, and it seemed a better bet for long-term parking. the front lobby, which had been empty the first time i was there, was now a minimalist reception area, a long metal desk rolled in from somewhere. i had the odd feeling it was there just for me. the woman behind the desk introduced herself as ramala, the same person i'd talked to twice on the phone. she looked to be about my age, with long dark hair and quick asian eyes, punctuated by a professional smile. she knew my name, used it the minute she saw me, and then abruptly handed me a twenty-page "application" to complete. "it's not just a formality," she explained, businesslike and earnest. "dr. goddard feels it's essential that he come to know you as a person. he'll read this carefully, believe me." she ushered me to a chair that had a retractable table for writing, then gave me a ballpoint pen. the document turned out to be the most prying, nosy thing i'd ever filled out. the pages demanded what amounted to a mini life history. one of the things that struck me as most strange was the part asking for a ten-year employment and residential history. if you've moved around as much as i have, worked freelance a lot, you'll understand how difficult it can be to reconstruct all those dates and places, but i did my best. there were, of course, plenty of health questions too. one page even asked whether there was anything out of the ordinary about my own birth: was the delivery difficult, a cesarean, a breach baby? it was, as noted, a life history. "why does he need all this information?" i asked finally, feeling the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist. "i brought all my medical records." ramala gave me a kindly smile, full of sympathy. "he must know you as a person. then everything is possible. when i came here, i had given up on ever having a child, but i surrendered myself to him and now my husband and i have twin boys, three years old. that's why i stayed to help him. his program can work miracles, but you must give him your trust." well, i thought, i might as well go with the flow and see where it leads. when i'd finished the form, she took it back, along with the pen, then ushered me into the wide central courtyard where i'd met alex goddard the first time. he was nowhere to be seen, but in the bright late-morning sunshine there was a line of about twenty women, from late twenties to early forties, all dressed in white pajama-like outfits of the kind you see in judo classes, doing coordinated, slow-motion tai chi-like exercises. they were intent, their eyes fixed on the fringes of infinity. these must be some of his acolytes, i thought, the ones i heard in their nuns' cells the first time i was here. what on earth does all this orientalism have to do with fertility? i then found myself wondering. i've studied the far east enough to do "penetrating" documentaries about it, and i still can't get pregnant. i took one look at them--none of them looked at me--and my heart went out. they were so sincere, so sure of what they were doing. for somebody who's always questioning everything, like me, it was touching, and maybe a little daunting too. without a word, ramala led me past them and on to an entryway at the far end of the courtyard, past the giant dancing shiva. the door was huge and ornate, decorated with beaten-copper filigree--much like one i'd seen in a mogul palace in northern india. definitely awe-inspiring. she pushed open the door without ceremony and there he was, dressed in white and looking for all the world like the miracle worker he claimed to be. he seemed to be meditating in his chair, but the moment i entered, his deep eyes snapped open. "did you bring your records?" he asked, not getting up. while i was producing them from my briefcase, ramala discreetly disappeared. "please have a seat." he gestured me toward a wide chair. the room was a sterile baby blue, nothing to see. no diplomas, no photos, nothing. except for another, smaller bronze statue of the dancing shiva, poised on a silver-inlaid table. i also noticed that his own flowing hair seemed to match that of the bronze figure. yes, i thought, i was right. that's who he thinks he is. and he has complete power over the people around him. how many chances do you get to do a documentary about somebody like this? i should have brought a betacam for some video. he studied my test records as a jeweler might examine a diamond, his serious eyes boring in as he flipped through the pages. the rest of his face, however, betrayed no particular interest. i finally felt compelled to break the awkward silence. "as you can see, i've had every test known to science. and none of them found anything wrong." he just nodded, saying nothing, and kept on reading. after a long, awkward silence, i decided to try and open things up a bit. "tell me, do you have any children of your own?" the question seemed to be one he didn't get asked too often, because he stopped cold. "all those who come here are my children," he replied, putting aside my records, dismissively finished with them. "well"--i pointed to them--"what do you think?" "i haven't examined you yet," he said, looking up and smiling, indeed beaming with confidence. "nothing in those records tells me anything about what may be your problem. i look for different things than do most physicians." he fiddled with something beneath his desk, and the room was abruptly filled with the sound of a hypnotic drone. perhaps its frequency matched one in my brain, because i instantly felt relaxed and full of hope. much better than muzak. then he rose and came over. is he going to do my exam right here? i wondered. where's all the ob/gyn paraphernalia? the humiliating stirrups? standing in front of me, he gently placed his hands on my heart, then bent over and seemed to be listening to my chest. his touch was warm, then cold, then warm, but the overall effect was to send a sense of well-being through my entire body. "you're not breathing normally," he said after a moment of unnerving silence. "i feel no harmony." how did he know that? but he was right. i felt the way i had the first time i tried to sit in zen meditation in kyoto. as then, my body was relaxing but my wayward brain was still coursing. "i'll try," i said, attempting to go along. what i really was feeling was the overwhelming sense of his presence, drawing me to him. next he moved around behind me and cradled my head in his hands, placing his long fingertips on my forehead, sort of the same way he'd done when i was standing with him on the windy heath, nursing a killer cold. all the while, the drone seemed to be increasing to a piercing, overwhelming volume, as though a powerful electrical force were growing in the room, sending me into an alpha state of relaxation. "what are you doing? is this how you do an exam for--?" "the medical tests you had showed there's nothing wrong with your uterus or your fallopian tubes, nothing that should inhibit conception. there's no need to pursue that any further. but the mind and the body are a single entity that must be harmonized, must work as one. although each individual has different energy flows, i think my regimen here could be very helpful to you. already i can tell your problem is a self-inflicted trauma that has negated the natural condition wherein your mind and body work in unison." "what 'trauma'?" i asked. he didn't answer the question. instead he began massaging my temples. "breathe deeply. and do it slowly, very slowly." as i did, i felt a kind of dizziness gradually coming over me, the hypnotic drone seeming to take over my consciousness. instead of growing slower, my breathing was actually becoming more rapid, as though i'd started to hyperventilate. but i no longer had any control over it. my autonomic nervous system had been handed over to him, as dizziness and a sense of disorientation settled over me. the room around me began to swirl, and i felt my conscious mind, my will, slipping out of my grasp. it was the very thing i'd vowed not to let happen. the same thing had occurred once before, after i broke my collarbone in the pacific surf that slammed a mexican beach south of puerto villarta. when a kindly mexican doctor was later binding on a harness to immobilize my shoulder, the pain was such that i momentarily passed out while sitting on a stool in his office. i didn't fall over or collapse; it just seemed as though my mind, fleeing the incredible pain, drifted away in a haze of sensation. now the pastel blue walls of the room slowly faded to white, and then i was somewhere else, a universe away, surrounded by blank nothingness. i tried to focus on the bronze shiva directly across, but the ring of fire around him had become actual flames. the only reality left was the powerful touch of alex goddard's hands and a drone that could have been the music of the spheres. chapter eight sometime thereafter, in a reverie, i felt myself in a magical forest whose lush vines reminded me of kerala in india. it was a verdant, hazy paradise, another eden. a child was with me, a child of my own, and i felt jubilation. i watched the child as she grew and became a resplendent orchid. but with childbearing came pain, and i seemed to be feeling that pain as i took up the flower and held it, joy flowing through me. then alex goddard drifted into my dream, still all in white, and he was gentle and caring as he again moved his hands over me, leaving numbness in their wake. i thought i heard his voice talking of the miracle that he would make for me. a miracle baby, a beautiful flower of a child. i asked him how such a thing would happen. a miracle, he whispered back. it will be a miracle, just for you. when he said it, the orchid turned into the silver face of a cat, a vaguely familiar image, smiling benignly, then transmuted back into a blossom. then he drifted out of my dream much as he had come, a wisp of white, leaving me holding the gorgeous flower against my breasts, which had begun to swell and spill out milk the color of gold. . . . a wet coolness washed across my face, and--as i faintly heard the sounds of bach's well-tempered clavier, glenn gould's piano notes crisp and clear--i opened my eyes to see ramala massaging my brow with a damp cloth. she smiled kindly and lovingly as she saw my eyes open, then widen with astonishment. "what--?" "hey, how're you doing? don't be alarmed. he's taking great care of you." "what. . . where am i?" i lifted my head off the pillow and tried to look around. i half expected steve to be there, but of course he wasn't. "you're here. at quetzal manor." she reached and did something and the music slowly faded away. "don't worry. you'll be fine. i think the doctor was trying to release your chi, and when he did it was too strong for you." "what day is it?" i felt completely disoriented my bearings gone. "sunday. it's sunday morning." she reached and touched my brow as though giving me a blessing. like, it's okay, really. at that moment, alex goddard strolled in, dressed again in white. just as in the dream, i thought. "so, how's the patient?" he walked over--eyes benign and caring--and lifted my wrist, absently taking my pulse while he inserted a digital thermometer in my ear. for a flashback moment he merged into, then emerged from, my dream. "you're looking fine. i have to say, though, you had quite a time yesterday." "all i remember is passing out in your office," i mumbled glancing around at the gray plastic thermometer. and that strange dream, you telling me i would have a miracle baby. "you had an unusual reaction," he went on. "you remember i spoke to you about mind-body harmony. you see what can happen when i redirect the flows of energy, chi, from your body to your mind." he smiled and settled my wrist back onto the bed. "don't worry. i have a lot of hope for you. you're going to do fine." he looked satisfied as he consulted the thermometer, then jotted down my temperature on a chart. he's already started a medical record, i thought. why? "i'm . . . i'm wondering if this really is working out," i said. it was dawning on me that i was getting into alex goddard's world a lot deeper and a lot faster than i'd expected. i'd come planning to be an observer and now i was the one being observed. that was exactly not how i'd intended it. maybe, i thought, if i back off and make a new run, i can keep us on equal footing. "perhaps i ought to just go back to the city for a few days and--" "i'd assumed you came to begin the program." he looked at me, a quick sadness flooding his eyes. "you struck me as a person who would follow through." "i need to think this over" i really feel terrible, i thought, trying to rise up. what did he do to me? "maybe i'm just not right for your 'program'?" the idea of a documentary had momentarily retreated far into the depths of my mind. "on the contrary." he smiled. "we've shown that you're very responsive." "maybe that's it. maybe i'm too responsive." i rose and slipped my feet off the bed. the motion brought a piercing pain in my abdomen. "ouch! what's . . ." i felt my pelvis, only to find it was very sensitive. pulling aside my bed shift, i gazed in disbelief at my lower abdomen. there were red spots just above my pale blue panties. alex goddard modestly averted his eyes. "i didn't want to say anything," he explained to the wall above my head, "but you were in pretty delicate shape there for a while. mild convulsions, and i think your digestive system had gone into shock. the stomach is a center of energy, because it's constantly active. so i gave you some shots of muscle relaxant. nothing serious. it's an unusual treatment, but i've found it works. it . . . modulates the energy flows. i also took a blood sample for some tests, but the results were all normal." he then asked me about my menstrual cycle, exact days, saying he wanted to make sure it wasn't just routine cramps. "the seizure you had passed almost as soon as it came, but you might actually have been hallucinating a bit. you had a slight fever all night." "well . . ." something like that had happened to me years ago in rural japan, when i stupidly ate some unwashed greens and my stomach went into shock. at one point a local doctor, chinese, was trying acupuncture, which also left me sore. "nothing to be worried about," he continued. "but if you're the least bit concerned, maybe we ought to do a quick sonogram, take a sound picture. ease your mind that everything's okay." "that doesn't really seem necessary," i said. for a clinic specializing in "energy flows" and "mind-body" programs, there was a lot of modern equipment. odd. "won't do a bit of harm." he nodded at ramala, who also seemed to think it was a good idea. "come on, help me walk her down to the lab." he turned back. "it's totally noninvasive. you'll see for yourself that you're fine." before i could protest, i found myself walking, with some dizziness, down the hallway. this part of quetzal manor, which i had not seen before, was a sterile, high-tech clinic. i realized i was in a different building from the old convent, probably the new one i'd noticed across the parking lot, the one he hadn't bothered to mention that first day. but all i could focus on were the blue walls and the new white tiles of the floor. the sonogram was as he described it, quick and noninvasive. he rubbed the ultrasound wand over my abdomen, watching the picture on a crt screen, which showed my insides, a jumble of organs that he seemed to find extremely informative. "look." he pointed. "those lines there are your fallopian tubes, and that's your uterus." he pushed a button to record a digital image. "seems like whatever was upsetting your stomach is gone. obviously nothing's wrong here." "good," i said, "because i really need to take a few days and think this over." "you should stay," he said, reaching to touch my hand. "i think the worst is well behind us. from here on, we can work together. in fact, what i actually wish you would do is come with me to my clinic in central america. it's truly a place of miracles." i assumed he was referring to the "special place" he'd mentioned during our first interview. if quetzal manor was on the exotic side, i thought, what must that place be like? a documentary that took in the totality of who and what he was could be-- "in fact," he went on, "i just learned i have to be going there later today. a quick trip to catch up on some things. so this would be an ideal time for you to come. we could go together." well, i thought, i'd love to see what else he's up to, but this whole scene is getting out of control. when i first met alex goddard, we had a power balance, but now he's definitely calling the shots. "i don't think i'm ready for that kind of commitment yet." "as you wish." he smiled with understanding. "but let me just say this. it's not going to be easy, but nothing i've seen so far suggests there's any physical reason why you can't have a child. we just need to get you in touch with the energy centers in your body. rightness flows from that." "you really think so?" in spite of myself i felt my hopes rising, even though i had definite mixed feelings about his kind of "holistic" medicine. "i'm virtually certain. but whether you want to continue with the program or not is a decision you'll have to make for yourself." "well, maybe when i'm feeling better we can talk some more about it." i definitely needed to reconsider my game plan. "for now, i think i'd better just get my things and--" "as you wish." he sighed. "your clothes are in your room. there's a closet in the corner by the window." i shot a glance at him. "does my blue cross cover this?" "on the house." a dismissive wave of his hand, and another kindly smile. i was still feeling shaky as i moved back down the vacant hallway, but i refused to let either of them help me. instead i left him to oversee ramala as she shut down the equipment. oddly, the place still seemed vacant except for me, though there was a large white door that appeared to lead to another wing. what was in there? i wondered. the questions kept piling up. it soon turned out i was wrong about the clinic being empty. when i reached the door to the room where i'd been, i thought i heard a shuffling sound inside. i pushed it open gingerly and saw the room was dark. it hadn't been when i left. the shuffling noise--i realized it was somebody closing the venetian blinds--immediately stopped. i began feeling along the wall for the light switch. "please leave it off," said a spacey female voice. "it's nice when it's dark." as my eyes became accustomed to the eerie half-light, i finally made out a figure. it was a short woman, childlike but probably mid-twenties. "what are you doing in here?" "i just wanted to, like, be with you." she'd done her dark hair in multiple braids, with a red glass bead at the end of each. "you're special. we all know it. that's why he brought you over here, to this building. to be near them." "what do you mean, 'special'?" i asked, heading for the closet and my black jeans. then i wondered. near who? now she was reaching into a fanny pack she had around her waist and taking out a baggie filled with plastic vials. "these are herbs i've started growing here. i picked them for you. if you'll--" "slow down," i said, lifting my jeans off the hanger and starting to struggle into them. finally i took the baggie, moved to the window, and tilted up the blind. inside it were clear plastic medicine bottles containing various gray and green powders and flakes. my god, what's she trying to give me? and why? "listen," she went on, insistent. "take those. put two teaspoons of each in water you've boiled and drink it. every day for a week. they'll make you strong. then you'll be--" "hey, i'm going to be just fine, really." i set them aside and studied her, still a ghostlike figure in the semi dark. there was a wildness in her eyes that was very disturbing. at that moment, alex goddard appeared in the doorway. he clicked on the light, looking puzzled. "couldn't find the switch?" then he glanced around. "tara, did you get lost? i thought you were doing your meditation. it's sunday. afterwards, though, you can weed the north herb boxes if you want." she nodded silently, then grabbed the baggie and glided out, her brown eyes filled with both reverence and what seemed like fear. "who was that?" i asked, staring after her, feeling unsettled by the whole experience. "she seemed pretty intense." "tara's been pretty intense for some time, perhaps for much of her life," he declared with a note of sadness as he closed the door behind her. "i've not been able to do anything for her, but i've let her stay on here since she has nowhere else to go. she loves the gardens, so i've let her work out there. it seems to improve her self-esteem, a kind of benign therapy, her own natural path toward centering." well, i thought, she certainly could use some "centering." "look, dr. goddard, let me get my things, and then i've got to be going. i can't start on anything right now. not the way i'm feeling. and visiting your other clinic is completely out of the question, at least for the moment." "i have great hopes for you," he said again, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "i'm sorry we can't begin to work together immediately. but do promise me you'll reconsider and come back soon." "maybe when i'm feeling better." keep the option open, i told myself. for a lot of reasons. "in that case, ramala can show you out. i've arranged for her to give you some herbal extracts from the rain forest that could well start you on the road to motherhood. whether you decide to come back or not, i know they'll help you." and he was gone, a wisp of white moving out the doorway. it was only then that i realized i'd again been too preoccupied to ask him about kevin and rachel, the beautiful siblings born six months apart. instead all i had left was a memory of those penetrating eyes. and the power, the absolute power. chapter nine after giving me a small bag with two bottles, ramala led me out, and i discovered i really _had _been in a different building, the one situated across the long-term parking lot and all but hidden in the trees. it was new, one-story, and probably larger than it appeared from the front. again i wondered what went on in there, since it seemed so empty. check it out and soon, i told myself as i slipped my key into the ignition. you've got to find out a lot more about this place. on the drive back to the city, my main thought was that i'd lost a day of my life. it'd just sort of slipped away. but that wasn't all. i also began to meditate on the fact that alex goddard could have an immense influence over my body (or was it my mind?) with a simple touch. give him his due, he could definitely make things happen. first my cold and now this. perhaps he could give me a child, if i got "centered," whatever that meant. but why should i trust him? and there was another problem. for a baby i'd need steve, the man i loved, the guy who'd promised to be with me through thick and thin. did he really mean it? he'd have to fly in, which meant a serious piece of change for the airfare. finally, could he face another chance of failure? my spirits sank at the prospect of having to ask him. were we both just going to be humiliated one more time? he'd made his home base in belize, that little rhode island of a country abutting big, bad guatemala. he liked the fact they used english, more or less, as the official language and they hadn't gotten around to murdering two hundred thousand maya, the way guatemala had. in a romantic moment, i'd programmed his belize hotel number into the memory of my cell phone--the telephones down there are amazingly good, maybe the brit legacy--though i'd never actually tried it. (i'd called him from home about half a dozen times, but he was rarely there.) well, i thought, the time has come. maybe it was the sensual feelings released by all the chi flowing around, but for some reason i found myself feeling very lonely. he hadn't called recently, though. . . . it took ten rings, but eventually the hotel answered. a moment later, they were trying his room. i guess i was half afraid a woman might pick up, but it was him and there were no hushed tones or cryptic monosyllables. i heaved a minor sigh of reassurance. "baby, i can't believe it's you," he declared. "i've actually been trying to reach you for a day now." "you finally get around to missing me?" it was so good to hear his voice, full of life and energy. "all the time. never didn't. you've just got to understand it's crazy down here. all last week i was in honduras, haggling over permits. don't ask." he paused. "so, when are you coming down? they've got a national park here that's a pure chunk of rain forest, jaguars everywhere." he laughed. "but forget that. if you come down, we'll never get out of the hotel. just room service all day." "no immediate plans," i said, immediately wondering how i could swing it. "but you never know." i wasn't entirely sure how to approach steve anymore. there was something about the abrupt way he took off that left things up in the air. a tiny sliver of uneasiness was slipping into my head-over-heels trust, the camel's nose under the tent. "first the good news," i declared. "david's talking to orion about a theatrical release for _baby love_." steve knew how deeply i longed for a theatrical--it would be my first--and he enthused appropriately. but he also knew i wouldn't call him early sunday morning just to tell him that. there was only one other thing that would inspire such an unsocialized act. "uh, should i be asking how the other baby project is going?" he said. for a moment i wasn't sure what to say, since i didn't really even know myself. "still a work in progress," i said finally. then; "honey, i've just been to see a doctor who's . . . well, he's a little unconventional. and nervous-making. but everything else has failed." whereupon i gave him a quick, cell-phone summary of what i'd just been through at quetzal manor. "so are you going to go back eventually?" he sounded uneasy. "for the full 'program'?" he had a way of zeroing in on essentials. the truth was, my baby hopes and my sense of self-preservation were at war with each other. . . . "morgy, are you there?" "i'm here. and i guess the answer is, i'm still trying to decide. like i said, he's into eastern medicine and native american . . . i'm not sure what. but if i need you, are you still in the project?" "what do you mean?" "darlin', don't play dumb. you know exactly what i mean. could you come back if i needed you? really needed you?" there was a long pause, wherein the milliseconds dragged by like hours. trees were gliding past, throwing shadows on my windshield, and i still felt vaguely dizzy. i also had a residual ache in my abdomen where alex goddard had given me those damned muscle-relaxant shots. why was i even considering going back? finally: "you're not making this easy, you know. down here, without our . . . project on the front burner every day, i've been reassessing . . . well, a lot of things. if we had a baby, it would turn our lives upside down. i mean, it's not like we just bought a sheepdog and chipped in on the grooming. this is a human life we're talking about. are we really prepared to do justice to a child?" there it was. i didn't know whether i wanted to burst into tears, or strangle the man. "well, why don't you just think about it," i told him. "this doesn't sound like a conversation we should be having on a cell phone." blast him. "if that's the way you feel now, then i might just have a baby on my own." how, i wasn't sure. i'd been so certain we were a couple, i'd not given it any real thought. "or then again, i might just go ahead and adopt, with or without you." "look, i'm not saying i won't do it. i'm just saying it's not a trivial thing." he paused. "so where does that leave us?" translation: second thoughts. "i don't know where that leaves us, steve. in the shit, i guess. but i'd still like to know if i can count on you, or am i going to have to go to a sperm bank or something?" "jesus. let me think about this, okay? do i have to answer you now?" "no. but i'm not going to wait forever either." "all right." then he paused. "morgy, i miss you. i really do. i just need some time to think about our next step. are you sure you're okay? you sound a little out of it." "thanks for asking. i've just got a lot on my mind." turmoil, dismay, and hope, all tossed together, that was what i had on my mind. i really didn't need mixed signals from steve at the moment. a few more awkward pleasantries and i clicked off the phone, wiped the streaks from my cheeks, and abruptly sensed alex goddard's face floating through my psyche. why was that? then i looked down at the bottles on the seat beside me, the "herbal extracts" ramala had given me on the way out. what, i wondered, should i do about them? for that matter, what were they anyway? and what did they have to do with "centering"? if i started on his homeopathic treatments, what would i be getting into? then i lectured myself: never take something when you don't know what it is. hannah klein. that's who i should ask. i was so focused, i pushed the number i had stored for her in my phone memory before i remembered it was sunday. instead of getting her office, i got an answering service. "do you want to leave the doctor a message?" a southern-sounding voice enquired. without thinking, i heard myself declaring, "no, this is an emergency." what am i saying? i asked myself. but before i could take it back, hannah was on the line. i know how intruded on i feel when an actor calls me at home on sunday to bitch. better make this good, i told myself. "i was at an infertility clinic yesterday and passed out," i began. "and now i have some herbs to take, but i'm . . . well, i'm not sure about them." "what 'clinic'?" she asked. there was no reprimand for calling her on sunday morning. when i told her about alex goddard, she said little, but she did not sound impressed. looming there between us like the dead elephant on the living room floor was the fact that she'd specifically warned me not to go near him. and after what had just happened, there was a good case she might be right. "can i buy you brunch?" i finally asked, hoping to lure her back onto my case. "i'd really like to show you these herbs he gave me and get your opinion." "i was just headed out to zabar's to get something," she said, somewhat icily. well, i suppose she thought she had good reason. "i'll get some bagels and meet you at my office." sunday traffic on upper broadway was light, and i lucked out and found a parking space roughly two blocks from her building. it was one of the low-overhead "professional" types with a single small elevator and no doorman. when i got there, the lobby was empty. her suite was on the third floor, and i rang the bell before i realized the door was open. she was back in her office, behind the reception area, taking off her coat, when i marched in. while she was unwrapping her sesame bagels, smoked sturgeon, and cream cheese with chives, she got an earful. my feeling was i'd better talk fast, and i did. i told her everything i could think of about what had happened to me at quetzal manor. i didn't expect her to make sense of it from my secondhand account, but i wanted to set the background for my next move. "when i was leaving, his assistant gave me these two bottles of gel-caps. she said they're special herbal extracts he makes from plants in the rain forest. do you think i ought to take them?" i suspected i already knew the answer. given her previously voiced views on alex goddard, i doubted she would endorse any potions he might dispense. but plant medicine has a long history. at least she might know if they presented any real danger. she was schmearing cream cheese on the bagels, but she put down the plastic knife, took the two bottles, and examined them skeptically. "these are not 'herbal extracts,' " she declared giving her first analysis before even opening them. "they're both manufactured drugs. the gel-caps have names on them. it's a latin american pharmaceutical company." then she opened the first bottle, took out one of the caps, crushed it between her fingers, and sniffed. "uh-huh, just what i thought." then she touched a pinch of the white powder to her tongue. "right." she made a face and wiped her tongue with a tissue. "except it's much stronger than the usual version. i can tell you right now that this drug, in this potency, is illegal in the u.s." what was it? i wondered. cocaine? and how could she tell its potency with just a taste? then i reminded myself why i'd come to her in the first place: she'd been around the track many, many times. "it's gonadotropin," she said glaring at me. like, you damned fool. "i'm virtually certain. the trade name here in the u.s. is pergonal, though that's not what this is. this is a much stronger concoction, and i can see some impurities." she settled the bottle onto her desk with what seemed almost a shudder. "this is the pharmaceutical equivalent of hundred-and-ninety-proof moonshine." "what is it? what's it supposed it do?" jesus, i thought, what's he giving me? "it's a hormone extracted from the urine of menopausal women. it triggers a greater than normal egg production and release. it's sometimes prescribed together with lupron, which causes your body to release a similar hormone. look, if you want to try pergonal, the real version, i'll write you a prescription, though i honestly don't think it's going to do you the slightest bit of good." i couldn't believe what i was hearing. i'd almost been considering giving alex goddard the benefit of the doubt, at least till i found out more about him, and now he hands me this. now we both were looking at the other bottle. "what do you think that is?" i asked, pointing. she broke the plastic seal, opened it, and looked in. it too was a white powder sealed in gel-caps, and she gave one a sniff, then the taste test. "i have no idea." she set the bottle back on her desk, and i stared at it, terrified of what it might be. finally i got up my courage and reached for it. a white sticker had been wrapped around it, with directions for taking . . . whatever it was . . . written on it. then i happened to notice that one corner showed the edge of another label, one beneath the hand-applied first one. i lifted a letter opener off her desk and managed to get it under the outer label. with a little scraping and tugging, i got it off. "does this mean anything to you?" i asked her, handing it back. "it's in spanish, but the contents seem to be hmg massone." "i don't believe it," she said, taking the bottle as though lifting a cobra. i even got the distinct feeling she didn't want to leave any fingerprints on it. "that's an even more powerful drug to stimulate ovarian follicles and induce superovulation. it's highly illegal in this country. anybody who gives these drugs in combination to a patient is flirting with an ethics charge, or worse." i think i gasped. what was he trying to put into my body? she settled the bottle back on the desk, her eyes growing narrow. "since you say his 'nurse' or assistant or whatever she was gave you this, i suppose there's always the chance she made an innocent mistake. but still, what's he doing with this stuff at all? they manufacture it down in mexico, and also, i've heard, somewhere in central america, but it's not approved in the u.s. anybody who dispenses this to a patient is putting their license at risk." she paused to give me one of those looks. "assuming alex goddard even has a medical license. these 'alternative medicine' types sometimes claim they answer to a higher power, they're board-certified by god." "i don't for a minute think it was an 'innocent mistake.' " i was beginning to feel terribly betrayed and violated. i also was getting mad as hell, my fingertips tingling. "but why would he give me these drugs at all? did he somehow--?" "i think you'd better ask him," she said passing me a bagel piled high with cream cheese and sturgeon. she bit into her own bagel and for a while we both just chewed in silence. i, however, had just lost all my appetite. alex goddard who might well be my last chance for a baby, had just dispensed massive doses of illegal drugs to me. which, my longtime ob/gyn was warning me, were both unnecessary and unethical. "what do you think i should do?" i asked finally, breaking the silence but barely able to get my voice out. she didn't say anything. she'd finished her bagel, and now she'd begun wrapping up the container of cream cheese, folding the wax paper back over the remaining sturgeon. i thought her silent treatment was her way of telling me my brunch consultation was over. she clearly was exasperated with me. "let me tell you a story," she said finally, as she carefully began putting the leftover sturgeon back into the zabar's bag. "when i was eight years old all the jews in our polish ghetto were starving because the nazis refused to give us food stamps. so my father bribed a nazi officer to let him go out into the countryside to try to buy some eggs and flour, anything, just so we could eat. the farmer came that saturday morning in a horse-drawn wagon to pick up my father. at the last minute, i asked to go with him and he let me. that night the nazis liquidated our entire ghetto, almost five thousand people. no one else in my family survived. not my mother, not my two sisters, not anyone." her voice had become totally dispassionate, matter-of-fact, as though repression of the horror was the only way a sane person could deal with it. she could just as easily have been describing a country outing as she continued. i did notice, however, that her east european accent had suddenly become very prominent, as though she was returning there in her thoughts. "when we learned what had happened, my father asked the farmer we were visiting to go to a certain rural doctor we knew and beg him to give us some poison, so we could commit suicide before the nazis got us too. the doctor, however, told him he had only enough poison for his own family. he did, however, give him a prescription for us. but when my father begged that farmer to go to a pharmacy and get the poison, he and his entire family refused. instead, they hid us in their barn for over a year, even though they knew it meant a firing squad if the nazis found us." she glared at me. "do you understand what i'm saying? they told us that if we wanted to do something foolish because we were desperate, we would have to do it without their help." it was the first time i ever knew her real story. i was stunned. "what, exactly, are you driving at?" i think i already knew. the long, trusting relationship we'd shared was now teetering on the brink. by going to see alex goddard--even if it was partly a research trip to check him out--i had disappointed her terribly. she'd lost respect for me. she thought i was desperate and about to embark on something foolish. "i'm saying do whatever you want." she got up and lifted her coat off the corner rack. "but get those drugs out of here. i don't want them anywhere near this office. i tried everything legal there was to get you pregnant. if that wasn't good enough for you and now you want to go to some quack, that's your affair. let me just warn you that combining gonadotropin and hmg massone at these dosages is like putting your ovaries on steroids; you get massive egg production for a couple of cycles, but the long-term damage could be severe. i strongly advise you against it, but if you insist and then start having complications, i would appreciate not being involved." translation: if you start fooling around with alex goddard, don't ever come back. it felt like a dagger in my chest. what was i going to do? one thought: okay, so these drugs aren't the way, but you couldn't help me get pregnant. all i did was spend twenty thousand dollars on futile procedures. not to mention the heartbreak. "you know," i said finally, maybe a little sharply, "i think we ought to be working together, not at cross-purposes." "you're welcome to think what you like," she bristled. "but i have to tell you i don't appreciate your tone." i guess i'd really ticked her off, and it hurt to do it. then, finally, her own rejection of me was sinking in. "so that's it? you're telling me if i try anything except exactly what you want me to, then just don't ever come back." "i've said all i intend to." she was resolutely ushering me toward the door, her eyes abruptly blank. well, i told myself, going from anger to despair, then back to anger, whatever else i might think about alex goddard, at least he doesn't kick people out because of their problems, even a sad soul like tara. still, what about these illegal drugs? there i was, caught in the middle--between an honorable woman who had failed, and alex goddard, who'd just lived up to my worst suspicions. heading down in the elevator, alone, i could still hear hannah klein's rejection, and warning, ringing in my ears. maybe she had just confirmed that still, small voice of rationality lecturing me from the back of my mind. i marched out onto the empty sunday streets of upper broadway, and when i got to the corner, i stood for a long moment looking up at the pitiless blue of the sky. the sun was there, but in my soul i felt all the light was gone. finally i opened the first bottle and then, one by one, i began taking out the gel-caps and dropping them into the rainwater grate there at my feet, watching them bounce like the metal sphere in an old pinball machine before disappearing into the darkness below. when both bottles were empty, i tossed them into the wire trash basket i'd been standing next to. the next time i saw alex goddard, he was going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. beginning with why he'd given me a glimmer of hope, only to then cruelly snatch it back. i found myself hating him with all my being. chapter ten i headed on back downtown, planning to take a bath, change clothes, and then recalibrate my game plan. maybe, i thought, i ought to just go up to the editing room at applecore, try some rote work to help tranquilize my thoughts. but first things first. about halfway there, at thirty-eighth street, i pulled over and double-parked by a korean deli, and surveyed the flowers they had out front, an array of multicolored blooms that virtually blocked entry to the doorway of the tiny grocery. azaleas, chrysanthemums, birds-of-paradise, but i wanted the pink roses. at ten dollars a bunch, they seemed the right touch. i dug out a twenty and picked two. still standing on the street, i pulled them to me and inhaled deeply. as far back as i could remember, i'd always loved the scent of roses. i'd never really thought myself pretty, the natural-blond often-dyed-brown hair notwithstanding, but just having roses around somehow made me feel that way. i wanted to be engulfed in them, especially any time confusion threatened to get the upper hand. five minutes later and i was at twenty-first street. i'd arrived. my refuge, my one-bedroom cocoon. time to collapse into a hot bath, wonder why alex goddard had given me illegal drugs, and contemplate roses. i was looking for a parking space when my cell phone rang. no, don't bother, i told myself. enough intrusion for one day. then i remembered i'd sprung for the caller-id feature, and i glanced down at the little liquid crystal slot. it was a number i happened to know, lou's place downtown. one eye still on the street, i reached over and picked it up. "finally got you," he boomed. "where the heck are you?" "i just got home from--" "yeah, i know where you been. dave told me." he paused, as though he was holding off on some important announcement. "hang on a sec. there's somebody here might like to speak to you." i thought about lou's makeshift digs, lots of "heirloom"--worn-out--family furniture he'd lugged along with him. sarah and i used to play on the couch, and it still had a dim mauve stain where i'd once dumped a glass of "grape" kool-aid on her head when she was six. whatever else, definitely not a soho look. then i heard a whispery voice. "hi, morgy." it was a tentative utterance i'd heard only once before, when she was waking up after falling off a playground swing. she'd been knocked out cold for a moment and i'd been frantic, wetting a handkerchief in the nearby fountain and desperately rubbing it over her face. when she came to, she'd gazed up into my eyes and greeted me as though we'd just met. my god! before i could recover and say anything, lou came back on. "we're practicing eating chicken-noodle soup. and we're trying to do a little talking. why don't you come on down? she asked about you earlier this morning, said, 'where's morgy?' " "lou! this is incredible!" "you gotta believe in miracles, right? just come on down." "is she . . . god, you've got it." my hopes went into orbit as i clicked off the phone and revved my engine. i could have swamped him with a lot of questions then and there, but i immediately decided i wanted to see her first, with my own eyes. i still couldn't quite believe it was true. on the other hand, a weekend partial recovery was not totally beyond the realm of medical possibility. with a coma, so little is understood that anything's possible. lou was right. this was definitely a weekend of the unexpected. i'd been close to the deaths of people near to me, both my parents for starters, but i'd never been close to the restoration of life. it's hard to explain the rush of joy when you think somebody is gone for good and then they pop up again, like they'd never been lost. and with sarah that feeling was especially jarring. it was almost as though some part of me had come back alive. the fact is, since sarah and i were both only children, we'd identified a lot with each other. true, we'd traveled our separate paths, each looking, perhaps, for something to fill the lonely void in our lives that a sibling might have taken. as a child of the dusty, empty plains of west texas, i didn't see other kids very much during the summer, and i made up reasons why she and i should visit each other as often as possible. once, when i was plowing, turning over oat stubble--yes, my dad warily let me do that if i asked--i unearthed a rabbit nest full of little baby cottontails. sarah was coming to visit the next day, and i rescued the infants so we could play nursery. we fed them milk with little eyedroppers, and before long sarah decided she was actually a reincarnated mother rabbit. that was when she became a vegetarian, and she remained so--by her account--till she finished college. it was just another of those magic moments of childhood i ended up sharing with her. i also sometimes wondered, as you might have guessed, what it would've been like to be born a boy. i was definitely a tomboy, had a real collie (my own version of lassie), liked to climb trees and dig holes in the hardscrabble west texas earth. maybe that was why i felt so at home--free associating now--when i filmed my documentary of the maya village in mexico's yucatan. it was hot and dry and lay under a pitiless sun, a blazing white bone in the sky that seared the spare landscape. none of my crew could understand how anybody could bear to live in such a place, but to me it seemed perfectly natural, almost like home. thoughts of which now made me sad. i only wish my parents had lived long enough to see that documentary. maybe then they'd have understood how terribly lonely i'd been as a child, a loneliness i shared so deeply with sarah. would we ever be together again? on my hurried trip downtown, i kept wondering what i was about to encounter. was it going to be the fantasy-bound sarah of her girlhood, perhaps the same sarah who'd spun out some stuttering vision of a jade mask? or would all that be past and would she again be the ambitious, sparkling pre-med student she'd become when she was in college? getting to soho took only about ten minutes, scant time to think. lou's place was in what had once been a garment factory sweatshop. he'd rented it from another agent at the bureau, who had inherited it from a cousin, a well-known downtown artist, lately dead of aids. lou paid virtually no rent, was there mainly to keep out squatters, and couldn't care less that he was living in one of new york's trendier sections. all he knew was that there was plenty of room, and free parking on the street for his old buick. i'd been down many times before. inside, the space was still inhabited spiritually by the dead artist, with acrylic paint spattered on walls and graffiti i didn't fully understand in the bathroom. the place seemed to be a broom-free area, with layers of the past littered on the floor like an archaeological excavation. and the old kool-aid-stained furniture, fitting right in. what always struck me, though, was the number of photos of sarah. they were everywhere in the open space, on tables, the desk, several on the walls. mostly they were old, several blown up and cropped from snapshots, grainy. the space felt like a shrine to her memory. when lou let me in, i was greeted by a spectral face, a wheelchair, and a valiant attempt at smiling normalcy. maybe lou thought it was real, was progress, but i was immediately on guard. it was sarah's eyes that caught me. they pierced into my soul and we seemed to click, just like always, only this time it was as though all our life together passed between us. i had the sense she was trying to tell me something with her eyes that went beyond words, that she was trying to reach out to me, perhaps to recapture that shared understanding we'd had years ago. lou introduced me to a mrs. reilly, a kindly, irish-looking practical nurse who was part of the outpatient package the hospital provided. she wore a white uniform and was around sixty, with short-bobbed gray hair and an air of total authority. she'd just finished feeding sarah a bowl of soup, and was brushing out her cropped blond hair, what there was of it. mrs. reilly glanced at me, but never broke the rhythm of her strokes. "she's tired now, but she's already stronger than she was." then lou spoke up. "they called me early yesterday morning. but by the time i got around to trying to reach you, you'd vanished. so i rang dave and he told me where you were, up there with that crackpot." he was grinning. no, make that beaming like the famous cat. "by last night, she was walking with some help, so they said she might as well be here. like i said, it's a miracle." "you brought her home just this morning?" i couldn't believe the hospital would discharge her so soon, but this was the hmo age of medical cost-cutting. "only been here a couple of hours." he pointed to a shiny set of parallel steel railings in the corner. "that's for physical therapy. right now she can only walk with somebody on either side holding her, but in a few days, i figure . . ." his voice trailed off, as though he didn't want to tempt fortune. then he turned toward sarah. "in a few days, right, honey?" she nodded, then finally spoke directly to me. "morgy, i want some clothes. please. i hate these horrible hospital things. i never want to see them again." i noticed that she'd started crying, a line of tears down each emaciated cheek. was it something to do with seeing me? i wondered. then she began trying to struggle out of the blue bed shift she was wearing, though she didn't have the strength. "i'll get you something great, sar, don't worry." i reached to stay her hand. it was, i thought, extraordinarily cold, even though the loft itself was warm as toast. what kind of clothes should i buy for her? i found myself wondering. blouses with buttons? pullovers? what could she manage? maybe i'd bring some items from home first and let her try them out. we used to be about the same size, though now she was all skin and bones. i moved a chair next to her, took her other hand, and leaned as close as i dared. i desperately wanted to put my arms around her, but i wasn't sure how she would respond to my touch. her eyes, however, were clear and had never looked a deeper blue. "sar, what's the matter? why're you crying? you should be happy. your dad's right here and he loves you and we're going to take wonderful care of you." "who? him?" she asked, looking straight at lou, her blue eyes like an unblinking camera's lens. the plaintive question took my breath away. hadn't they been talking for two days? "don't pay any attention when she says things like that," mrs. reilly declared, her voice just above a whisper. "she's still not quite herself. she drifts in and out." she seemed to be drifting in and out at the moment, though it was mostly out. then she looked directly at me, only now her eyes were losing their laser-like focus, were starting to seem glazed. "who're you?" she reached out and touched my unwashed hair, running her hands through the tangled strands. next she stared off, terrified, her eyes full of fear. "the smoke," she whispered. "the knife. i'm next." abruptly she was off again in the reverie that had enfolded her that first time in the hospital. or at least that was what i guessed. "what are you talking about?" i felt like shaking her, except i was too shook-up myself. she turned back, and for a moment she just stared glassy-eyed, first at me, next at lou, and finally at mrs. reilly. then she reached for a glass of orange juice on the table beside her. she looked at it as though it were some potion, then slowly drank it off, not pausing once. outside, a faint police siren could be heard, and i was afraid it was distracting her. anyway, something told me her momentary séance was played out. her face had grown calm and rested, though i could barely repress a tremble. "whatever you think," i said finally, slipping an arm around her shoulder, "we're both right here. and we love you and we want to help you get better." she didn't say anything more, just closed her eyes and drifted away. but it wasn't back into a coma, since her breathing was growing heavier. i wanted to grab her and yell at her and demand that she come back to us, but i was fearful of what effect it might have. "what the hell was she talking about?" lou asked finally, his voice quavering. "i don't know," i said, as puzzled as he was. that was when mrs. reilly spoke up. she was the only one not upset. "when they come out of a coma, sometimes they're not right for a while." she patted sarah's hand then gave it a solicitous squeeze. "i once had a man wake up and start talking about magic trips through the air, about how he was a dual citizen of the earth and the sea. he was talking like a lunatic. one day he would know his family, and the next he would look at them and start screaming they'd come to kill him. you just never know how these things will go at first. but she'll be herself before long." she lifted sarah's limp hand up to her cheek, then kissed it. "you're going to be all right, dear. i've seen enough like you to know." "then what do you make of what she just said?" lou asked her, having given up on me. "earlier this morning she was fine. knew who i was, everything. then the minute morgan comes in, she starts making up that loony jabber." the sanguine mrs. reilly just shrugged as if it didn't really matter. for my own part, i didn't necessarily like him implying my arrival had caused her to relapse into her dream world of terror. it seemed to me that whenever i showed up, she started trying to tell me what was really eating away at her soul. well, i told myself finally, maybe she's regressed back to when we were kids, when we only had each other to share our secrets with. what if we've rebonded in some new, spe cial way? it would be natural, actually. she's trying to reach out to me, like long ago. now she appeared to be dozing off, exhausted, her head tipping downward toward her blue hospital shift. mrs. reilly took that as a hint, and slowly began wheeling her toward the bedroom, leaving me alone with lou. i glanced over at him, thinking more and more that i had to do something, track down what had happened to her. i wanted to do it for me, but even more for him. i'd never seen him so despondent. maybe it was the thing scholars call the curse of rising expectations. back when she was hardly more than a vegetable, he was overjoyed by a flickering eyelid. now that she was talking, he wanted all of her back. instead, though, it seemed as if she had returned to us for a moment, only to be snatched away again. i could tell it was killing him. "look, i'm sorry that when i showed up, she started going off the deep end." i wanted desperately to help, but at that moment i felt powerless. "maybe i should just stay away for a while." "nah, she loves having you here. don't worry. but anyway, dave said something about you taking a couple of days off. maybe i can use that time to be here with her and settle her down." then he grimly took out her locket and rubbed its worn silver in his fingers, his eyes brimming with his heartache. "this is all just so damned confusing." was he telling me, indirectly, that i should go away and leave them alone? first hannah klein rejects me, and now _et tu_, lou? maybe, i thought, he's taking out his despair on me, blaming me for her relapse. truthfully, i guess i was blaming myself a bit too. "listen, i'm going to go home now and leave you two alone," i said. "but why don't you see if you can get her to talk some more? without me around, maybe she'll make more sense." "if she wants to say something, i'll listen." he gave me a strong, absent embrace, his eyes still despondent. "but no way am i gonna start pushing her." i edged into the bedroom, unsure if i really should, to say good-bye to sarah and to give her one last hug. her eyes were open again and she just stared at me for a second, then whispered a word i couldn't quite make out. it might have sounded like "babylon," but that made no sense at all. finally she covered her eyes with her hands and turned away, gone from me, leaving me more alone than i'd ever felt. chapter eleven heading home, finally, i told myself to try to calm down. i was determined to help sarah get over her trauma, though truthfully i was too tired to really think straight at that moment. so instead i decided to let everything rest for a few hours and try for some distance. in fact, i began imagining myself in a hot bath, gazing at my now-wilting roses. home sweet home. mine was a standard one-bedroom in a building that had been turned into a co-op five years earlier, the owner offering the individual apartments to the tenants. i'd stayed a renter, however, passing up the "low" insider price, $ , , because i didn't really have the money, and when i did have it someday i would want something bigger. i wished i had more space--a real dining room and a bigger bathroom would do for starters, along with some place for more bookcases. and if a baby should someday miraculously come along . . . i'd often thought you could tell a lot about somebody from where and how they lived; it's revealing as a rorschach test. what, i often wondered, did my apartment say about me? a decorator might conclude i'd done up the place with love, then lazily let it go. they'd decide i cared about nice things, but once those nice things were there, i neglected them. it would be true. i'd covered the walls of the living room with pale blue cloth, then hung a lot of framed pictures and old movie posters. okay, i like movies. for me even the posters are art. my couch was an off-white, more like dirt-colored actually, and covered with pillows for the "feminine" touch. i'd hoped you'd have to look twice to realize it was actually a storage cabinet in disguise, with drawers along the bottom of the front. the floor was polished hardwood, rugs from india here and there, in sore need of a vacuuming, and even a couple of deceased insects that'd been there for over a week. that sort of said it, i thought glumly. i'm a workaholic slob. the bedroom revealed even more about me. the bed was a brass four-poster, queen-size, partly covered by an heirloom quilt. it hadn't been made in a week. (who has the time?) the room itself was long and divided into areas for work and sleep. opposite the bed itself was an antique english desk, on which sat my old macintosh, and next to that was my file cabinet, the indispensable part of the "home office" the irs loves to hate. on top of it was a stack of marked-up scripts, notes scribbled all over them in six different colors. you never realize movies are so complicated till you see a breakdown sheet. camera angles and voice-overs and . . . next to the bed was a violin case and three books about indian ragas. what was that about? somebody might wonder. some kind of indian music nut? i was, albeit a very minimally talented nut. the kitchen was the new york efficiency kind painted a glossy tan, the color of aerosol olive oil. the cabinets contained mostly packages of pasta, instant soup, and coffee filters. not even any real food. i live on deli takeout these days. an inventory of my fridge at this moment would clock two cartons of "fresh squeezed" orange juice, a half quart of spoiling milk, a bag of coffee beans, plastic containers of wilting veggies from the corner salad bar, and three bottles of new york seltzer. that was it. god help me, i thought, my mind-state turning even more morose. this is my life. i had become that retrograde woman of the nineties: works ninety hours a week, makes ninety thou a year, weighs ninety pounds, and thinks (pardon my french) cooking and fucking are provinces in northern china. well, the ninety-pounds part of that obscene quip didn't fit--and it wasn't the nineties anymore, anyway. in any case, was my apartment a place to raise a child? no earthly way. like carly, i'd have to spring for some decent space, preferably with a washing machine. . . . a parking slot was open right in front of my building, a minor miracle on this day of uncertain events. as i was pulling in, i glanced over to see a man walking past, not catching the face but sensing something familiar in the walk. he was in the process of unbuttoning a federal express uniform, peeling away the top to reveal a dark suit. he certainly seemed to be in a big hurry, carrying an unmarked shopping bag. maybe, i thought, his shift was over and he was meeting his wife, or a friend. i wondered if he'd left a package for me, and told myself to check with the super. not the usual delivery guy--did they come on sunday now?--and also . . . where was the truck? they always parked right here by the building. i was still so upset over sarah, i couldn't immediately process those illogical observations, so i just grabbed my pink roses, dripping from the bottom of their paper wrapping, and opened the car door. it was definitely good to be home. i loved my chelsea neighborhood, where you got to know the locals, running into them in the delis, the little restaurants, the dry cleaners. just like a small town. if you worked at home, the way i sometimes did, you even got to know the mailman and the delivery guys for ups and fedex. . . . hey! that guy. i finally placed the walk, a kind of a strut. he was the slimeball who'd been outside paula marks' building last week, carrying a gun and threatening me. what's he doing here? my pulse went off the charts. was he one of nicky russo's wiseguy crew after all? had he come back, with his pistol, to pay me a return engagement? my god. chill out, i told myself, take a deep breath. he's leaving. just try and find out who he is. roses in one hand held up awkwardly around my face, i slowly ambled down the street after him. i didn't have to go far. within about a hundred feet, he unlocked a long black lincoln towncar, stepped out of the fedex camouflage, tossed it onto the seat along with the bag he was carrying, pulled the cap off his bald head got in, and sped away. the license plate looked different from the usual, but i got what i needed: dl and a string of numbers. uh-oh, i thought. was he leaving a package bomb for me? i turned back and let myself into the outer lobby, glancing around as i did. there were no parcels anywhere, just blank, brown tile. my apartment was a. the name on the bell was m. james. as i stepped through the inner lobby--still no package--a rumpled face appeared in the doorway just to my left. the sign on it, flaking, said super. "oh, hi." the voice was patrick mooney, our superintendent, who did not normally emerge to greet those arriving. but there had been complaints from the building's managing agent that he could never be found for emergencies, so he probably wanted to appear available, even on sundays. his voice was slurred from some midday medicinal irish whisky. "thought you were home. fedex guy was here earlier looking for you." oh, boy. "did he leave a package?" "he had something with him, if that's what you mean. like a bag of some kind." "and you let him go up?" i couldn't believe what i was hearing. i felt a rush of dismay. "said he had to. needed a signature." patrick mooney then shrugged and reached for the dooijamb to steady himself, his whisky breath wafting across the hall. great security. i stepped into the elevator as the door was clanking shut, and watched as he rubbed his eyes and eased his own door closed. now i was really puzzled. if the fedex guy came "earlier," why was he just now leaving? a lot of scary theories went through my mind as i pushed the button for the third floor. i took a deep breath as the elevator opened, but again i saw no packages. so far so good. getting off, i set down my roses on the hall carpet and fumbled for my key. when i inserted it, the lock felt a little rough, causing me to think for an instant i'd used the wrong key, but then it responded. what had caused that? i wondered. had the guy been fiddling with my door, wiring a bomb? using one hand i pushed it open, again holding my breath and standing aside, but it opened okay. i exhaled, then reached back to drag in the flowers. but if he didn't leave a package, what was he doing here? casing out where i lived? planting a bug in the elevator? and why was he here so long? the place was dark when i stepped in, the drapes drawn. i relocked the door, then surveyed the gloom. no explosions, so i guessed he didn't plan to kill me. yet. here i was, home, safe and sound. i just stood a minute, still uneasy. then i remembered the flowers, my dripping bouquet, and headed for the kitchen. deal with them, and then maybe get a bottle of white wine out of the fridge and sip some in the bath. after my unnerving sequence with sarah, thoughts of going to the office had zero appeal. time to lighten up, way up. preoccupied, not looking around, i stuffed the roses into a vase by the sink, and then i thought again about the white wine and opened the refrigerator. i'd still not bothered to turn on any lights, but the kitchen and its ancient fridge were dimly illuminated by the tiny window just across. i wasn't sure where i'd put the bottle, since i'd had to rearrange things to make room for the dup of carly's interview. (i was also planning to take home a safety dup of paula's interview sometime later in the week.) why was i doing that? taking home copies? it was a sign of deep compulsion. you couldn't really make a professional-quality second negative from a first positive--by that time it would be third-generation--but i'd brought it anyway. now and then i just have a raw instinct that keeping a safety backup around is a good idea. but the canister had ended up devouring the entire lower shelf of the fridge. i opened the white door and peered in. the light was out, and for a moment i stared numbly at the dark, half-filled shelves. the only thing that struck me as odd was that i could see the pure white of the empty bottom shelf. for a second i could only stand and stare, but then i backed away, trying to figure out what was wrong, and stumbled over something. i regained my balance and flipped on the overhead light. "what!" the floor around me was littered with bottles, my old toaster, my tiny microwave. it was a total shambles. i recoiled stumbling again, this time over cans strewn across the linoleum. my kitchen, it was slowly sinking in, had been completely trashed. i felt a visceral wave of nausea. it's the scariest thing in the world having your space invaded like a form of psychic rape. i sagged against the refrigerator as i gazed around. the cabinets had been emptied out, a hasty and haphazard search. quick and extremely dirty, as glass containers of condiments, including an old bottle of dill pickles, were shattered and their contents smeared into the floor. "i don't believe this." i marched back into the living room and reached for the lights. this room too had been turned upside down. the tv, stereo, vcr, all had been swept onto the rug. but they were still there. that guy, that animal, who did this wasn't a thief. he'd been looking for something. my breath now coming in pulses, i edged into the bedroom and switched on the light. the bed was the way i'd left it, the covers thrown back and the pillows in a pile. the clock radio was there, and so was the old mac, still on the table in the far corner, my "workstation." again nothing seemed to be missing. i headed back to the kitchen, where the refrigerator door was still open. i gazed at the interior a moment, still puzzled, trying to figure out what wasn't right. . . . shit! shit! shit! that's what was wrong. the field of white bottom shelf was empty. totally empty. the film canister of paula's interview was gone. for a moment i just leaned against the kitchen counter, barely pushing aside an impulse to throw up in the sink. think, i told myself, get a grip and think. . . . it was the film he'd wanted. and he'd wanted it badly enough to pick the lock, then rip my home apart looking for it. i pulled at a tangle of hair, feeling my mind in chaos, and tried to reason out the situation. why? why would he steal a positive that couldn't be used for anything? finally the real truth of what had happened hit me like a fist in the chest. my home sweet home had been violated. seething, i went into the living room and reached for the phone, the only thing not on the floor. my first instinct was to call david, but then i decided he'd just go into a tizzy of hysteria and be no support at all. so instead i called lou, praying i wouldn't wake sarah. in an unsteady voice, i tried to tell him what had happened. he seemed puzzled to hear from me again so soon, but then he quickly turned fbi, concerned for my safety. "guy sounds like a professional," he declared. "probably got in with an electric picker, like the edge. any asshole can buy one for a hundred and thirty bucks. it'll rake cylinders at a hundred times a second. pro like that, you can be sure there'll be no prints." "but why would . . . ?" my voice was still a croak. "i mean, my god, all for a lousy reel of film?" "fucker wants you to know he's in town. so how he did it's as important as what he did. it's a time-proven scare tactic." he paused. "morgan, i don't like this one bit. there could be more before this is over." "think i should call the cops?" "damned right you should," he said, slowly and sadly, "but to tell you the truth, they ain't gonna do all that much. somebody messed up your apartment and lifted a third-hand copy of a woman talking. they'll say it sounds more like malicious mischief than a crime. then they'll write it up and that'll be the last you'll hear from them." "well," i said, my anger welling up, "maybe i don't feel quite so laissez-faire. tell me, you know anybody who can run a plate for you on a sunday?" "you got the prick's license number?" he exclaimed. "why the hell didn't you say so?" "honestly, it sort of slipped my mind. i'm having a little trouble thinking straight right now." fortunately my short-term memory is pretty good, even when i'm stressed, so i spewed it out. "don't go anywhere," he declared. "i'll get back to you in five minutes." i hung up the phone and lay down, flat out on the carpet, trying a breathing exercise to calm down. the problem was, it wasn't working. having had some experience with being robbed--i once got completely cleaned out when i had a ground-floor apartment down in the village--i know you go through certain kubler-ross-like stages of anger, denial, depression, acceptance. you also go through a predictable series of recriminations: i should have had window bars and gates; i should have had a different lock; i should have had two different locks. in the instance just recalled, i'm virtually certain an apartment painter duplicated a set of my keys on his lunch break and then passed them on to a second-story artist. no way to prove that, mind you, but it had to be what happened. i also suspect he checked my appointments calendar to see when i was going to be out of town. but in this case the lock was definitely picked. nobody had a set of my keys except the super, and steve. so the guy with the spanish accent knew how to slip through doors and he had no financial interest in my old vcr. he only had an interest in my film. what had he said there on the sidewalk outside paula marks's apartment? something about how making this picture was a big mistake? i jumped as the phone erupted by my ear. "the name colonel jose alvino ramos grijalva mean anything to you?" lou asked. "how could it? i'm not sure i can even pronounce it." "well, colonel ramos declares himself to be a military attaché at the guatemalan consulate here. you've got a big shot in the guatemalan army rummaging through your apartment. this is even worse than i thought. those guys are killers." "jesus." i was still coming to grips with the horrifying fact he'd been in my apartment, in my only refuge. "think i could bring charges against him?" "well, let's consider this a minute. probably no prints, no credible witness. you'd have a damned hard time proving anything." he sighed. "truth is, i doubt you could even get a restraining order, given what little you've got to work with." "the bastard." i sat a moment, feeling the logical, left side of my brain just shut down. my mind went back to its most primitive level, running on adrenaline. "look, i need to check out something. i'll call you in the morning." "well, be careful," he said warily. "and for god's sake don't go running off anyplace alone. i'm telling you you're not safe. always be around people." "i'll keep it in mind." with that i gently hung up the phone and exhaled. think. some colonel from guatemala just broke into my apartment looking for what i might know about children of light, where i've been going to see about having a baby. so why is he so interested in what i'm doing? i remembered alex goddard wanted me to go to a "clinic" he had somewhere in central america. ten to one that clinic was in guatemala. that was what this whole thing was about. and now he'd just gone back there; at least that was what he'd said. guatemala was a long way off, but his other operation was right up the river. i hadn't seen all of it this morning, but that was about to change. a lot of things were about to change. it was time to start getting the playing field level again. chapter twelve i arranged with patrick mooney to have his sister in queens, a full-figured woman named rosalyn, come in and finish the job of reconstructing my wrecked home. she arrived an hour and a half later, and was hard at work when i left. i also agonized over the police-report issue, but finally decided to forgo the bother. lou was right: it would be a two-hour ordeal of futility. besides, i had better things to do with my time. i was going to return the favor of an information-gathering expedition. alex goddard had said he'd be absent from quetzal manor--who knows for how long--and this time around i was going to do the place right, the next step in my undercover research. the first, and main, thing i wanted to do was explore the new high-tech clinic that sat nestled in the woods across from the old building. everything about it was the exact opposite of a "manor." not a shred of new age "spirituality," just a lot of digital equipment and ultrasound and . . . what else? chief among my questions: what was behind that big, white door? maybe i was being impulsive, but i was completely wired and the truth was, i wasn't going to sleep till i knew a lot more than i did. and if i went late tonight, sunday, i probably wouldn't have to deal with ramala. i called roger drexel, my unshaven cameraman, and asked him to come up and meet me at applecore. it was sunday and he was watching the third quarter of a knicks game and into his second six-pack, but he agreed. after all, i was his current boss. all i really wanted was his betacam and some metal tape, which would be broadcast quality. (i'd wanted to do it yesterday, but now the time had definitely come.) we met at the office, and he unlocked the room with the camera gear and loaded in a fresh tape. with any luck, he made it home for the end of the game. i then had a sinful cheeseburger and fries at a greek diner two blocks down the avenue. it was my idea of a courage-bolstering indulgence. my watch read six thirty-five and daylight was waning when i revved my old toyota and started my northbound trek back to quetzal manor. when i was passing the george washington bridge, the first drifting flakes of a freak late-season snowstorm began pelting my windshield. good i thought, turning on my wipers, the less visibility, the better. at least i believed that till the road started getting slippery and i had to throttle back. it was only then i realized i'd been pushing eighty on the speedometer, passing a lot of cars. lou's warning not to go anywhere alone was still filed in the back of my mind but i kept trying not to think about it. sometimes there are things you've just got to do. the highway grew more treacherous the farther north i went, but the traffic was thinning out and by the time i reached the turnoff to quetzal manor, total darkness had set in, in addition to which the paving was covered with at least an inch of sparkling-new pristine snow. as i eased up the roadway, my headlights made the trees around me glisten with their light dusting of white, like frosting on the tips of a buzz cut. i switched off my lights as i made the last turn in the road but not before catching a glimpse of quetzal manor, and i must confess to feeling a shudder, of both anger and apprehension, run through me as i watched its magisterial turrets disappear into the snowy dark. i parked my car at the back of the lot and retrieved the flashlight i'd brought, a yellow plastic two-battery model. i hadn't realized there'd be snow when i left home, so i was just wearing some old sneakers, but they'd do. i then sat there in the dark for a long minute, listening to the silence and thinking. the first thing was to find out if anybody was guarding the place. the next was to get some video of the new building. i grabbed the bag carrying the betacam, tested my flashlight against the floorboard, and then headed up the snowy driveway. i marched straight through the open arch that was the front door, and i was again in the drafty hallway where i'd met ramala saturday morning. it was empty and dark now, no lights anywhere, not even out in the courtyard beyond. the stony quiet--no music, no chants--felt unnatural, but it also suggested that alex goddard's adoring acolytes were safely tucked away. early to bed . . . you know the rest. so maybe i really had come at the right time. a chilly wind was blowing in from the far end of the hallway, and i felt like i'd just entered a dank tomb, but i tightened my coat and pressed on. when i got to the end and looked out, the snowy courtyard was like a picture postcard. and completely empty. all right, i thought, move on to what you came for. but when i turned and headed back down the hallway, toward the entry arch, i caught a glimpse of a furtive form, dark and shadowy, lurking just outside. shit! i froze in my tracks, but then the figure stepped inside, wearing something that made me think of little red riding hood, like a tiny ghost in a cowl. it was tara, alex goddard's spacey waif, who was moving so oddly, i thought for a moment she might be sleepwalking. she wasn't, of course. she'd just been out strolling around the driveway in the snow. i soon realized she lived her life in something resembling a trance, as though she were a permanent denizen of the spirit world. for her it was a natural condition. "it's so beautiful like this," she mumbled dreamily, as though we'd been in the middle of a lifelong conversation. "i just love it." her voice was barely above a whisper, but in the silence it seemed to ricochet off the stone walls. "i want to take them out, show them god's paintbrush. will you help me?" "take who out?" i asked, immediately deciding to go with the moment. finally she looked directly at me and realized whom she'd been talking to. "you were here before. i tried to give you herbs to help you, but then he came and . . ." her voice trailed off as she walked back through the portico and out again into the drifting snow. then she held up her hands, as though attempting to capture the flakes as keepsakes. "i so want to show them. they've never seen it before." she glanced back at me. "come on. let's do it." as i followed her out into the drifting white and across the parking lot, the accumulation of snow was growing denser, enough now to start covering the cars, but still, something told me the flurry was going to be short-lived. i took a long, misty breath of the moist air and clicked open the case holding the betacam, readying myself to take it out the minute we got inside. well, i thought, maybe i've gotten lucky. she was headed for the new clinic, which was exactly where i wanted to go. it was nestled in the trees, up a winding pathway, and as i slogged along i could feel the snow melting through my sneakers. when we got to the front door, large and made of glass, she just pushed it open. "we never lock anything," she declared, glancing back. "it's one of our rules." the hallway was dark, silent, and empty except for the two of us. still, i felt a tinge of caution as we entered. at some level this was trespassing. "come on," she said, casually flipping a switch on the right-hand wall and causing the overhead fluorescents to blink on. "he's away now, and everybody's in bed. but i'll bet they're still awake in here. it's a perfect time." i didn't feel anything was perfect, but i did know i wanted to learn what was behind the door i'd seen when i was leaving. it was at the end of the hallway, wide and steel and painted hospital white. and, sure enough, that was exactly where tara was heading. she just kept talking nonstop, in her dreamy, little-girl voice. "we've got to try and make them understand it's okay. that it'll be just for a minute." she shoved open the door without knocking, and my ears were greeted by the faint strains of beethoven's "moonlight sonata," one of my favorites. for an instant i was caught up in the music, a poignant moment drawing me in. the room itself was spacious, with a row of white bassinets along one side and subdued lighting provided by small fluorescent bulbs along the walls. it was, i immediately realized, a no-frills nursery. alongside the bassinets were tables with formula and boxes of pampers and handi-wipes. two short women of indefinable nationality--they looked vaguely asian--were in attendance, and at the moment one was facing away and bouncing a baby on her shoulder. her infant looked like a boy--or was that just my imagination?--and i felt my heart go out. the light was dim, but i could tell he was a gorgeous sandy-haired kid plump and peachy, so sublime in his tender vulnerability as he gazed around with eyes full of trust. he was staring directly back at me and before i could stop myself, i gave him a little wave and wrinkled my nose. he stared at me a second then responded with a tiny smile. hey, i thought, i've got the touch. "come on," tara said ignoring the women, "let me show you. they're all so beautiful." by then my eyes were adjusting to the subdued light, and as we walked down the middle of the long room, i confirmed my assumption that the bassinets next to the tables all contained infants. i'm no expert on babies, but i'd guess they were all around six weeks old maybe a couple of months at most. this is the nest, i thought. ground zero. kevin and rachel were both probably in this room at one time too. . . . "aren't they wonderful?" tara was saying, still in her squeaky, spaced-out voice. i was opening the betacam bag when the first woman, the one holding and lightly bouncing her little boy, absently put her hand under his quilt, then spoke to the other in deeply accented english. "he's wet again." it was the first words either of them had uttered. then she turned to me in exasperation, assuming, i suppose, that i was one of alex goddard's flock. "and i just changed him." again the accent, but i still couldn't identify it. she made a face, then carried him over to a plywood changing table in the center of the room. i felt a great baby-yearning as i moved over beside her, but she was behaving like a typical hourly wage-earner, glumly going about her job, and i just stood there a moment, vainly wanting to hold him, then turned back to tara. "where do all these children come from?" "ramala says they're orphans or abandoned or something. from overseas or wherever." she sighed. "they're so perfect." she was completely zombied-out. it felt like talking to a marshmallow on downers. "but how, exactly, do--?" "people bring them here." she seemed uninterested in the question, just plunging on as she wandered on down the line of bassinets. i'd finally come to my senses enough to take out the betacam, though the light wasn't actually enough to really work with, certainly not broadcast quality. she stopped and picked up one of the infants out of its bassinet, then turned back to me, her eyes turning soft as she hugged it the way she might a small puppy. "isn't this one cute? i'd so love to have him." was she on some kind of drug that suppressed curiosity? i found myself wondering as i panned the camera around the room. there must have been at least twenty bassinets, all just alike, wicker with a white lace hood. a couple of the babies were sniffling, and the one tara had picked up now began crying outright, much to her annoyance. the room itself smelled like baby powder. "and then what happens?" i asked finally, zooming in on one of the women. "what happens when?" now tara was twirling in a circle, humming futilely to the shrieking child. "you mean, after they come here?" "right." god, getting answers from her was making me crazy. "the girls here take them to their new mothers." her eyes had turned even more dreamy as she lightly bounced the bawling bundle she was holding one last time, after which she returned it to its bassinet. then she gazed around the room. "it's so sad to see them leave." did paula and carly get their babies that way? i found myself wondering. probably, but it was one more thing i'd neglected to ask. "come on," tara continued. "let's take some of them out. he makes the nurses try and speak english around the children, but they don't really know much. maybe you could figure out a way to, like, explain--" "tara, i don't think taking any of these babies out into the snow is a very hot idea. not tonight. maybe in the morning." stall her, i thought. she's completely out of it. then i looked at the woman changing the baby. sure enough, i was right. it was a boy. "but i want to." tara turned crestfallen. "to show them how beautiful--" "well, i don't speak whatever language they're speaking," i said, cutting cut her off. "i'm not even sure i could make it sound reasonable in english. so you'll have to do it without my help." then i turned to the woman who'd been changing the baby. "do you know where this child came from?" why not take a shot? she just stared at me, alarmed, then turned away. nothing. she clearly wasn't going to tell me anything, even if she could. she and the others were just cheap hired help, probably illegal immigrants without a green card and scared to death for their jobs. they weren't going to be doing an in-depth tell-all to anybody. i thought about the situation for a moment, and decided i'd seen what i came to see. this was pay dirt. alex goddard was running a full-scale adoption mill, just as lou had suspected. he was collecting beautiful white babies from "overseas or wherever," and selling them here at sixty thousand a pop. which went a long way toward explaining why he didn't want children of light to be featured in my film. and the guatemalan colonel who'd just trashed my home was almost certainly in on the operation. alex goddard might be a new age miracle worker rediscovering ancient native american herbal cures, but he also was running a very efficient money machine. still, the big question kept coming back: where did he get all the babies? to extract any more information about that from quetzal manor, i'd have to break into an office somewhere, and i wasn't quite up to that yet. i didn't have the nerve of colonel jose alvino ramos. "tell you what, tara, i think i'm out of here." i was returning the betacam to its bag. nothing i'd shot was remotely broadcast quality, but i did have proof of what was going on. my "undercover" investigation was making some headway. "okay." she sighed her expression increasingly glazed. i took one last look around the room, at the row of bassinets, then gave her a parting pat and headed for the exit. "look," i said turning back as i reached the door. "don't say anything to anybody about me being here tonight, okay? can we just let it be our secret?" "sure, whatever." she shrugged absently. like, why not. "and tara, do yourself a favor. get out of this place." "but there's nowhere else i can go," she said sadness in her eyes. as i slowly closed the door, the last thing i heard was the sound of the beethoven sonata dying away. what a day . . . and night. as i walked down the hallway carrying the camera bag, i tried to process my new information. i'd just seen some of the most incredibly lovable babies ever. that part of it was a beautiful experience, one that pulled at my heartstrings more strongly than i'd ever imagined something like that could. the part that troubled me was, the babies were so alike, so fair, and . . . they all could have been perfect siblings for kevin and rachel. no, i told myself, surely that was my imagination. though they did look amazingly related. . . . as i moved across the parking lot, i thought i saw a movement in the shadows just inside the entry archway, a quick change in the pattern of dark. was it ramala or one of the girls, i wondered, or was it just my paranoia? keep walking, i told myself. lose yourself in the snow. the only way they can stop you from exposing this racket now is to kill you. when i got back to my car, i gazed up at the imposing turrets of quetzal manor one last time, wishing there was enough light to film them, and collected my thoughts. was the story about the babies being orphans or abandoned children or "whatever" really true? i didn't believe it, not for a minute. but as carly grove said, alex goddard could "make it happen." the problem for me was, he wouldn't tell me where he got the children, and nobody i'd talked to so far seemed to want to know, not really. i wanted to know. chapter thirteen in moments i was heading down the snowy drive, south toward my home (which had been hopefully put back together). i pushed the pace, mesmerized by the snow, and tried to decide what to do next. the thug ramos had stolen some second-generation interview footage from me, but now i had a tape of something a lot more interesting. when i pulled into my street, the time was just past eleven and i was thinking about calling lou, or steve, or both. but then i saw something odd. a woman was walking down the steps from the lobby of my building, a woman i recognized from somewhere. her hair was tangled and she was wearing black jeans and a black sweater. it took a second before i finally processed the fact it was carly grove. and she seemed frantic. i assumed she'd come in a cab, but she had my home phone number, so why would she come over if i didn't answer? new yorkers don't just drop in. a social no-no. maybe the reason had something to do with how she looked. i felt like i was seeing a specter. "thank god you're here," she blurted out, striding up. she was actually shaking, and i could tell she'd been crying. nothing like the gutsy woman i'd seen a few days earlier. "i kept getting your machine, but i thought maybe you were hiding." i looked at her, and forgot all about my own issues. it was hard to remember ever seeing a human being in such distress, except for sarah. "why would i be hiding?" i was taking out the betacam bag and closing my car door, hoping to seem normal and professional. "they called me about six o'clock tonight. children of light." she could barely get the words out. "they'd seen my interview with you. how did they get it?" i looked down at the snowy--make that slushy--street and felt a chill go through me, followed immediately by anger. ramos, that bastard. "they . . . somebody took a copy this morning." stated like that, it sounded pretty lame. "i'm so sorry--" "he threatened kevin. he actually said if i signed a release to let you use the film, my child would 'meet with an accident.' and then he said something about you, that your own--" "who? who called you? did he tell you his--?" "he wouldn't give a name. just some man. he had a foreign accent." she threw her arms around me, and i hugged her back as best i could. "where's kevin now?" i was so concerned about carly that i'd repressed the information that he'd also mentioned me. "marcy was there, so i told her to take him with her. to her mother's place in the bronx, where she lives." carly was still trembling as she loosened her grip on me. "i called a car service to drive them up." "well, come on in. let's talk." truthfully, i wasn't sure how much i wanted to tell her about what i'd just seen at quetzal manor. it would probably just distress her more. where had kevin come from? did i really want to de-legitimize him in her eyes? as i led her through the lobby, hoping to appear composed, patrick mooney greeted us, announcing that his sister, rosalyn, had been gone for an hour and that she appreciated my memorable tip. the place looked like nothing had happened, and carly immediately collapsed onto my "earth-tone" couch. i hadn't told her my apartment had been tossed along with the robbery and, thanks to rosalyn, i didn't need to. in fact, it actually looked cleaner than it had in months. maybe, i thought, i should reprioritize my life and hire her more often. then i got a glass of water for carly and sat down next to her. "i'm really sorry," i began, deeply meaning it. "if i'd known all this was going to happen, i'd never--" "it's not your fault." she took a long drink. i hadn't bothered with ice, and i immediately felt i'd been inhospitable. kind of a vagrant, minor concern, considering. then she went on. "i guess i knew down deep i shouldn't have given you that interview. but i wanted the world to know about kevin. now, though . . . should i call the police or something?" the short answer to that was yes, but my mind was already skipping on to a different topic. "carly, do you know where kevin came from? really came from? did you ever actually try to find out?" she sighed and took another sip. "i told you i don't care. when they brought him, all pink and helpless, i just--" "who brought him?" i interrupted. "well, i'd been up there the day before, signing all the papers. i was supposed to go up that day, but then somebody called and said one of the girls who was staying in the clinic or whatever it is was bringing him to me. so don't come." "you're saying one of the girls--?" "yeah." she looked wistful for a moment, as though remembering. "then she just showed up, looked like some blond college dropout. i guess a little more fanfare would've been nice, but marcy was there to help me and that was it. that's the last contact i ever had with children of light." she shuddered involuntarily. "till now." well, i thought, the last thing i'm going to do is tell her about what i just saw. she's the ideal customer for alex goddard: she truly doesn't want to know details. "carly, there's not much i can do about what's already happened, but i can try to keep you from getting into any more trouble. why don't you call them in the morning and tell them you've yelled at me and rescinded your permission for applecore to use the film? and say i've promised i won't. you've threatened to sue me or something. that should get you off the hook." "you really think so?" her look brightened slightly. "yes, it's me they're worried about, not you. i represent some threat to them, because of the film i'm making. just bail out and you'll be okay." "thanks. i did get the feeling that's all they really want." she took another drink of water. "but if they wanted to scare me, they're doing a hell of a good job." "well, then, why not take kevin and go away for a couple of weeks? on a vacation someplace? and while you're doing that, i'm going to have a one-on-one with alex goddard. i've got a little leverage now." she looked at me. "what . . . what are you going to do?" i couldn't tell her about my videotape of his baby cache without explaining a lot more about children of light than i thought she wanted to hear. "don't you think the less you know the better?" i said, taking her hand. "i've caused you enough trouble already." "no, i caused myself trouble." she was getting up. "can i use your bathroom?" "sure." i pointed the way. while she was gone, i went to the kitchen and surveyed it, checking the cabinets. again, the place was cleaner than it had been in ages. the look of it momentarily bucked me up. when carly came back, she hugged me and then announced she wanted to go check on kevin. "i'll do what you said about calling them," she concluded, reaching for her bag. "i think you're right. that ought to get them off my case. at least for the moment. as for the long run--" "carly," i said, taking her hand again, "we'll get through this. just trust me." we hugged one more time and then she was gone. i took the moment to double-lock the door, and then collapsed on the couch. what should be my next move? i closed my eyes and tried to review all the insidious things that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. the illegal drugs, the break-in and theft of my film, the suspicious nursery of children of light, the threats to carly . . . then it finally came back that she'd mentioned ramos saying something about me. by now i was getting used to being threatened by the man, so one more time was hardly news. but i wished i'd asked her the specifics. that was when i roused myself and reached for the phone. the time was pushing eleven, but i still wanted to check in on sarah, see how she was doing. had she come back to reality after i left? i was listening to the phone ring, my mind drifting to thoughts of how to gently ask lou about her, when i realized nobody was picking up. what's going on? i wondered, immediately coming alert. mrs. reilly had probably gone home for the day, but no way would lou be in bed before midnight. he always had trouble settling into sleep. maybe, i then hoped, i'd just dialed the wrong number. but when i tried again, still no answer. i clicked off the phone and felt a wave of concern. if colonel jose alvino ramos could find out i was making a movie, and then find out where i lived, he sure as hell could locate my extended family. was that what he'd meant when he mentioned me to carly? i grabbed the set of lou's keys i had stored in my bedroom's desk drawer and flew out the door. the streets were plastered with a grimy veneer of city snow, melting fast, but i pushed the limits of safety and ran a couple of lights since the traffic was spotty. there was a parking space just across the street from lou's building, and as i pulled in i looked over at his windows. through the curtains i could tell a dim light was on, probably coming from sarah's bedroom. the front room, however, was dark. my pulse was pounding as i raced up the steps to the street door. i thought about pushing his bell, but i didn't have the patience. instead i just fumbled with the key set till i found the biggest one and shoved it into the lock. the building had no lobby, just a row of stairs leading up to the next floor, with lou's own door set off to the left. i shoved his medeco key into the deadlock and pushed it open. the room was pitch-dark. "who . . ." said a startled voice, and i knew it was lou, somewhere in the direction of the couch. i clicked on the light switch and saw him lying on the floor, leaning against the couch, blood everywhere, his eyes in shock. "my god! what happened?" "i'm afraid to move. the phone was ringing and i figured it was you, but i didn't dare get up. knowing you, you'd come over if i didn't answer." he was holding his side as he looked at me. "morgy, she's gone." at first what he said didn't sink in as i bent over him. the right side of his shirt, just above his belt, was soaked in blood. taking care, i unbuttoned it and saw an open cut that looked as though he'd been stabbed with a knife. it also appeared to be reasonably superficial, as though a thin blade had pierced through a couple of layers of tread on his ample spare tire. but it was bleeding still, enough to make it look worse than it probably was. however, if it'd happened to me, i'd doubtless be in shock too. i got up, went to the bathroom, and pulled two towels off the rack, then doused water over one and came back. "don't move. i'm going to pull your shirt away and try to clean you up, see how bad it is." he just groaned and stared at the ceiling. as i was swabbing his side, what he'd said finally registered. "did you say . . . _sarah_!" i dropped the towels and ran into the bedroom. it was empty, the bed rumpled and beige sheets on the floor. "no." i turned and feeling a hit of nausea, hurried back to his side. "what happened? did--?" "fat hispanic guy. spic bastard. he had a couple of young punks with him. mrs. reilly had just left and i went to the door, thinking it was probably you ringing my bell. he flashed a knife and they shoved their way in. then one of his thugs went into the bedroom and carried her out. when i tried to stop them, the sob knifed me. i guess i . . . swooned cause the next thing i remember is waking up here on the floor." it sounded garbled and probably didn't occur as quickly as he thought. but i knew immediately what had happened ramos--of course that's who it was--had come to take sarah. it was his one sure way to stop me from mentioning children of light in my film. she was a hostage. my first instinct was to kill him. "what else can you remember?" i was already dialing . time to get an ambulance. and after that, the cops. after about ten rings i got somebody and, following an explanation that was longer than it needed to be, a woman with a southern accent told me the medics would be there in fifteen minutes. i took another look at lou and ordered them to hurry, then hung up. i was going to call the police next, but first i needed to hear exactly what had happened before he got quarantined in some emergency room. his eyes were glazing over again, as shock and blood loss started to catch up with him. clearly he would pull through, but right now, sitting there in a pool of blood, he could have been at death's door. "look . . . at that." he was pointing, his rationality beginning to fail. for a second i didn't realize what he meant, but then i saw a fax lying beside the phone. i picked it up. the time on it was : p.m. and it was from somebody named john williams. then i remembered. wasn't that the fbi computer whiz he'd talked about the other day at the hospital, after we'd deconstructed sarah's waterlogged passport? there was no message, just a sheet with a date--two years old--and a list of names accompanied by numbers and a capital letter. then i noticed the letterhead of aviateca, the guatemalan national airline, and it dawned on me i was looking at a flight manifest. i scanned down the page, and then i saw it. sarah crenshaw, b. williams found her, i thought. and she was traveling first class. what caught my eye next was the name of the person sitting in a, the seat right next to hers. a. godford. probably a computer misprint. or maybe it was the name he used when he traveled. so if it was him, which it surely was, the bastard didn't even try to hide it. i just stood there, thinking. maybe you get one big-time coincidence in life, and if so, this must be mine. sarah and i had both found alex goddard. or he'd found us. other women came and went through quetzal manor, but we were different. she'd escaped from him, half dead but now he'd sent ramos to bring her back. it was the one way he could be sure to keep me under his control. but again, why? was it just to stop my film, or was there more to the story? "morgy," lou groaned "that son of a bitch took her tonight. i just know it." that was my conclusion precisely, though i hadn't been planning to say it to him, at least not yet. "how can you be so sure?" "something they said. i didn't quite catch it, but it sounded like, 'he wants you back.' then some word. it sounded like 'babylon' or something." i stared at him a second trying to remember where i'd heard that before. then it clicked in. that was the last thing sarah had said she'd whispered that word when i was putting her to bed. what could she have been talking about? he wheezed and i went back to him and pressed the towel against his side. the bleeding was about stemmed but he was definitely due for a hospital stay. a siren was sounding down the street. probably the ambulance. thank god i thought. now it's time to call the police. then i noticed he was crying. what was that about? "morgy, they didn't actually kidnap her. you see, she--" "what?" i guess i was trying to take it in. "what do you mean?" "know what she said? sarah?" he choked for a second, then continued. "she said, 'yes, i want to go back.' " chapter fourteen before i could ask him what the hell he was talking about, the medics were ringing the doorbell. they strode in with a gurney, also rolling a portable plasma iv, young guys who looked like they'd be more at home at a garden hockey game, followed immediately by two uniformed policemen, actually policewomen, one short and heavy, with reddish hair, the other a wiry young hispanic. (i found out that ambulances called out for stabbing or gunshot wounds automatically get a cop escort.) in less than three minutes, lou was in the blue-and-white ambulance and on his way to st. vincent's emergency room. i rode in the backseat of the squad car as we followed them and tried to explain what little i knew of what had happened. it turned out to be an education in the mindless sticking points of the law. long story short: the fact that i hadn't reported the burglary of my apartment that very same day immediately cast doubt on my seriousness as a truth-seeking citizen; i had no proof the unreported burglary of my apartment (if, indeed, such had actually occurred) was by some guatemalan military attache named jose alvino ramos; since lou had never seen colonel ramos before tonight, he couldn't possibly identify him as that burglar either; accusing diplomats of a crime without ironclad proof was frowned on downtown; and when i stupidly repeated what lou had said about sarah's last words (well, he was going to tell them sooner or later, it would just come bubbling out at some point), the whole case that she was kidnapped went into revision mode. by the time we got to the hospital, i was getting questions that seemed to imply that maybe it was all a domestic affair--like most of their calls: some spaced-out chick who'd run away once and got brought back and then, still unstable and crazy, decided to knife her own dad and disappear again. now he was understandably covering for her. happened more than you'd think. i kept stressing that lou was former fbi and not the sort to invent such a whopper, but this was listened to in skeptical silence. if it was a kidnapping, they then wondered aloud what was the motive and where were the demands of the perpetrators? i was ready to start yelling at them by the time we parked in the seventh avenue driveway of the emergency room at st. vincent's. they next made me cool my heels in the waiting room while they went back to interrogate lou. they were with him for almost an hour, then came back to where i was and asked me to read and sign the report they'd written. a troubled girl, who had emerged from a coma and apparently was suffering bouts of non-rationality, had disappeared and her father had been stabbed but not seriously. he was the only witness to the incident and claimed she'd been kidnapped. however, the girl had run away once previously, and there was no physical evidence she'd been taken against her will; in fact, her father admitted she had declared just the opposite. the whole incident would be investigated further after he came downtown and made a complete statement. "i'm not going to sign this." i handed it back, fuming. "is there anything here that's not factually correct?" the hispanic cop was looking me straight in the eye, her expression cold as alaska. the question made me seethe. sarah was probably already on her way out of the country, and here i was trying to reason with two women who practically thought she was the criminal. but i knew a lost cause when i saw one. "forget about it. i want to see lou." an intern was coming out and i snagged him, announced i was next of kin to a patient, and demanded to be taken through the official door and into the back. at that moment, the stout cop's radio crackled. they were being summoned to a christopher street gay bar where somebody had just been knifed in a back room. she looked at me, as though to say, "this sounds like a real crime," and then they hurried out for their squad car. christ! the intern, a young black guy, led me past a row of gurneys and into a private room at the rear of the huge space. lou was bandaged all around his chest and hooked up to an iv and a monitor. he looked better, but i wasn't sure he'd be ready for what i was about to tell him. "hey, how're you feeling?" i asked as i walked in, trying to seem upbeat. "fucking cops." he was boiling, his face actually red. "where do they get them these days? mcdonald's rejects?" "easy, don't get your blood pressure up." i reached over and touched his brow. it felt like he had a mild temperature. "let's all just calm down and try to think rationally." "yeah, i'm thinking rationally. you saw that fax i got from williams." "you think that was alex goddard seated next to her, right?" "who else? when she was in her moonbeam phase, she must have heard about him and gone up there and ended up in his clutches. but why did she let him take her down to--?" "he told me he has a clinic in central america. he called it 'a place of miracles.' and then colonel ramos shows up, part of the guatemalan diplomatic corps. put two and two together. that's got to be where they're taking her." "who knows, but i'm going to get the boys downtown to put out a missing-persons apb nationwide. gerry'll do it for me if i ask. fuck new york's finest. they ain't gonna do crap anyway." i listened wondering how to impress my bright idea upon him. the chances were ramos was taking sarah back to guatemala. probably right this minute. for some kind of unfinished business. or just to hold her there as an insurance policy that children of light would never be mentioned in my picture. "i seriously doubt a missing-persons alert is going to do any good lou, because i seriously doubt she's going to be walking the streets of this country. that bastard ramos is taking her where he knows he can hide her." "you mean . . . jesus." he stared at me as though the idea had never crossed his mind. i think he'd just repressed it. "what are we going to--?" "the only thing we can do. i'm going down there. i'm going to go straight down there and locate alex goddard." "that's an exceptionally lousy thought process." his voice seemed to be coming from a great distance. "why? give me one good reason why. you think the police down there are going to bring charges against a colonel?" i really could have used some encouragement. "it's the only way--" "morgan, you've always been high-strung." he sighed and then winced. "ever since you were a kid. i worried about you then and i'm worried about you now. i don't want you to go down there and get into trouble. because believe me, that's a seriously wrong place to get crossways with the pricks who make the rules. you don't know your way around that third world craphole. wouldn't be that hard to end up a statistic. we can alert the embassy. have them start looking for her." "listen, there's a lot more going on between alex goddard and me than you know." this was definitely not the time to tell him about the babies, or about carly and the threats. "trust me. i'm going down there. in the morning, if i can. who knows? sarah and ramos might even be on the same plane." as i was finishing that pronouncement, two nurses came in rolling a gurney and announced that his room was ready. then they gave him a sedative. was i being irrational? the thing was, though, what would you do? i was absolutely sure ramos had taken her. so it was obvious that was where he would go next. he was a "diplomat," apparently, so he could easily fudge the passport formalities. as the nurses were helping lou onto the gurney, i stood there holding his hand and thinking about what lay ahead. steve was in belize and maybe not even reachable, but i decided to start by giving him a call the minute i got home. then a middle-aged wasp, with dark hair, slightly balding, strode in the room. the photo id on his chest read "dr. m. summers." "so, how's the patient?" he enquired cheerily, ignoring me as he immediately began checking the chart at the foot of lou's bed. "felt better," lou said, not being taken in by his pro forma cheer. "well, we're going to make sure you get a good night's rest." dr. summers finished with the chart and started taking his pulse. "what's left of it." "how long am i going to be in here, doc?" lou asked, flinching as the nurses removed the iv stuck in his arm. "a couple of days. for observation. to make sure there're no complications." he smiled again. "you're a lucky man, mr. . . . crenshaw. just a superficial cut. but we don't want you out playing handball for a few days." he turned and gave me a conspiratorial wink, then glanced back. "okay, up we go." "can i come with him?" i asked, not optimistic but hoping. the doctor looked genuinely contrite. "i'm really sorry, but he's going to be fine and visiting hours are long past. you can call in the morning. and you can come up anytime after two p.m. tomorrow. let's let him get some rest now." i walked around and took lou's hand, hot and fevered, feeling so agitated. "don't think about anything tonight, okay? worrying won't help. just get some sleep. i'm going to find her, i promise you." "don't--" he mumbled some words, but i think the sedative the nurses had given him was seriously starting to kick "look, you can call down to federal plaza tomorrow. see what they can do. in the meantime, let me follow my nose." he tried to answer, but he was too far gone. i then watched wistfully as he disappeared down the sterile alley of beds. after i stopped by the desk and helped them fill out the insurance forms, i caught a cab downtown to retrieve my toyota. the time was now two-fifteen in the morning, but i still had plenty to do. when i got home, the first thing i did after i walked in the door was grab a phone book and call american airlines. they had a flight, in the morning at nine-thirty. i gave them my credit card specifics and made a reservation. i no longer thought that alex goddard's children of light and its guatemalan accomplices were merely doing something shady. my hunch now was that it was completely illegal. they were getting hundreds of white babies in some way that couldn't bear the light of day, and they were prepared to do whatever it took to prevent me from highlighting them in my film. and with the army involved, and now sarah taken, their game was beginning to feel more and more like kidnapping. they certainly knew how. sarah had become a pawn, and all because of me. i almost wondered if i'd been unconsciously led to him by her, though that was impossible. whatever had happened, the remorse i now felt was overpowering. it was, in fact, an intensified version of the guilt that had dogged me for the past fifteen years, the horrible feeling i'd somehow let her down, not done enough for her. i could have flown back for her high school graduation, but i was cramming for grad school finals and didn't take the time. things like that, which, looking back, seemed terribly selfish. and now i'd brought this on her. god. okay, i thought, glancing at the clock, time to start making it up to her. screw up your courage and wake steve. the problem was, lou had been right about one thing. it'd been years since i'd been to guatemala, and i wasn't sure i knew beans about how things operated down there these days. i was high on motivation and only so-so in the area of modus operandi. i needed steve's help in plying the tricky waters of that part of the planet. he was busy, but this was definitely "us against the world" time, so maybe he could drive over to guatemala city and help. i picked up the phone again and punched in the number of his hotel in belize city, which seemed to be embedded permanently in my brain. that wonderful accent at the desk mon, and then they were ringing his room. i had no reason on earth to assume he would be there, but . . . the click, the voice, it was him. "sorry to call so late, love. you said you missed me, so i've decided to find out if it's true. your coming attraction is about to arrive." i guess i was trying to keep it flip. after our talk that morning, i wasn't entirely sure where we stood anymore. "who . . . morgy, is that you? god it's two . . . are you okay?" then he started coming around, processing what i said. "you're coming . . . honey, that's great." as i noted before, he always knew how to give a good reading, sound sincere, no matter what the occasion. "actually, i've just made a plane reservation, and i'm going to be in guatemala city tomorrow, just after noon." i hesitated then thought, why beat around the bush? "care to meet me there?" "that's terrific," he declared coming fully awake. "but why don't you just come to belize city? can't you get flight? it's actually not nearly as wild here as the travel books--" "well, i've . . . look, i'd rather not talk about this on the phone. but do you think you could get free and drive over i really could use your help. i've got a situation." "well . . ." he paused. "i could be there by late tomorrow assuming my rented jeep still operates after last week and the roads haven't totally disintegrated. where're you going to be staying?" "i don't know. got any suggestions? i want to keep out of the limelight." "then try the camino real. it's like a holiday inn with plastic palm trees. definitely low maintenance and low profile. hang on, i'll get you the number." which he did, though i could hear him stumbling around the room in the dark. then he continued. "but listen, here's the bad news. i've got to be back here day after tomorrow. i just got a special permit to do some night shooting in the jaguar preserve down by victoria peak--you remember the rain forest i told you about?--but it's only good for one night, and i hear rumors there's an off-season hurricane forming in the caribbean, which means i've got to stick to schedule. after that, though, i'm free again." "we'll work it out." i was thrilled he would just drop everything and come. maybe we were over the rough spot about the baby. he didn't bring that up and i didn't either. instead we killed a few minutes, and then i let him go back to sleep. i wanted to say i love you, but i didn't want to push my luck. after that i called the hotel he'd recommended. the exchange was more spanish than english, but they had a room. apparently lots of rooms. next i rang paula marks, even though it was terribly late. she must have had the phones off, but i left a message telling her to be careful, with a postscript that i'd explain everything later. just stick close to home. finally i called david's voice mail up at applecore. i told him i had a personal crisis and was going to guatemala city. i'd try to be back by the end of the week, hell or high water, but no guarantees. and if he touched so much as a frame of my work print while i was gone, i'd personally strangle him. i don't remember much of what happened next. i basically went on autopilot. it's as though i dropped into a trance, totally focused. i packed my passport, a good business suit, the tailored blue one, and also a set of mix-and-match separates, easy to roll and cram in. finally a couple of pairs of good (clean) jeans, a few toiletries, and then, thinking ahead, i also threw in my yellow plastic flashlight. i almost always over pack, but not this time. oh, and one other thing. for airplane reading i grabbed a lonely planet guide to central america that steve had left behind--i guess he figured he was at the stage of life to start writing them, not reading them--that turned out to be very helpful, particularly the map of guatemala city and the northern peten rain forest. i then collapsed and--images of sarah's emaciated face haunting my consciousness--caught a couple of hours' sleep. the next thing i knew, it was : a.m. and i was settling into window seat f on american airlines flight --next to a two-hundred-pound executive busy ripping articles out of the business section of _el diario_--headed for guatemala city. chapter fifteen for once in my life, i took my time getting off an airplane. but the instant i felt that first burst of humid tropical air against my face, like a gush from a sauna, i found myself wondering what sarah had felt the moment her feet first touched the ground of guatemala. in fact, i'd decided to try to think like her, to better understand why she might want to come back. truthfully i didn't have a clue. but first things first. not knowing whether i was being stalked by ramos or his proxies, i decided the idea was to see and not be seen--which actually was easier than i'd expected, at least during the initial pell-mell stages. turned out the self-centeredness of homo sapiens blossoms under those circumstances. ignore thy neighbor, goes the credo. i just buried myself in the crush. when i got to "inmigracion," i labored through the "formalities" (as all countries love to call the suspicious looks you get from their airport bureaucrats) along with all the other gringo passengers on aa flight , paranoid i might be arrested on the spot for some spurious reason. the purpose of my visit, i declared, was tourism. just a nod at my passport and a stamp, which looked exactly like the one in sarah's. i stared at it and felt a renewed sense of purpose. in fact, the photo in my passport looked more than a little like her. maybe, i thought, i'm getting carried away with the identity issue, but there it was. as i emerged through the wide glass doors of the arrival area, which fronted out onto the steps leading down to the parking lots and the humidity, i spotted a black land rover with tinted windows right in front. uh-oh. that was, steve once told me, a vehicle much favored by the notorious guatemalan g- military secret police, who had retired the cup for murderous human-rights abuses over the past two decades. then two middle-aged men with latin mustaches and nondescript brown shirts began getting out through the door on the far side. they next walked around to the terminal side of the car and glanced up the steps in my direction, as though looking for somebody. it was a quick survey, after which they turned back and nodded to the vehicle before it sped away. what's that about? am i imagining things already? by the time i reached the bottom of the steps, i was being besieged by clamoring cabbies, so it was difficult to keep an eye on the two men, who were now walking off to the side of the main commotion, toward a shady grove of palms at the end of the arrival drive, lighting cigarettes. get out of here. whether you're fantasizing or not, the thing to do is grab an unsuspecting cab and get going. i strolled toward the other end of the long row of concrete steps till i reached an area where cabs were parked, more drivers lurking in wait. they all looked the same way most cabbies in third world lands look: shabby clothes, with beat-up cars, an expression in their eyes somewhere between aggression and desperation. just pick one whose car looks like it might actually make it to downtown. i spotted a dark blue chevy that seemed clean and well maintained, its driver young and full of male hormones as he beckoned me to his vehicle, all the while undressing me with his eyes. yep, he was definitely my guy. i ambled by his car, acting as though i was ignoring the innuendos of his pitch. then i bolted for the back door, opened it myself since he was too startled to help, threw in my carry-ons, piled in behind them, and yelled, "let's go. rapido." as we sped away, i realized his greatest surprise was that i hadn't raised the subject of price. at that point, it was the last thing on my mind. i looked back to see the two guys from the black land rover, together with two others, heading for a car that had been double-parked right in front. had i been right after all? we made a high-speed turn onto the highway, and i immediately ordered the driver to take a service road that led off toward a cluster of gas stations and parking lots with falling-down barbed-wire fences. i figured i had about half a minute of lead time, whatever was going on. we dodged massive potholes and the loose gravel flew, but then we reached a ramshackle gas station and i ordered him to pull in. then i watched the line of traffic speeding by on the main highway for several minutes. nobody pulled off. good. my driver finally got around to asking where i wanted to go, and as calmly as i could, i told him. "the palacio nacional." "_si_." with that he gunned his engine and spun out. jesus! "_mas despacio, por favor_." "okay," he said, showing off his english as he donned his sunglasses. "i go more slow. no problem." the initial destination was part of my new plan, hatched while i was on the plane. when i was reading my guidebook and filling out my entry card i'd had a bright idea. i knew exactly how i wanted to begin. heading into town, the time now the middle of the afternoon, i leaned back in the seat and tried to absorb the view, to get a feeling for where i was. we first traveled through the suburban fringes, the heavily guarded luxurious mansions of the landholding and military elite, the one percent of guatemala who own ninety-nine percent of the country. iron fences and wide expanses of lawn, protected by uzi-toting security, guarded whimsical architectural conceits topped by silver satellite dishes. a twenty-foot wall shielded their delicate eyes from the city's largest shanty-town, makeshift hovels of bamboo and rusted tin, with no signs of water or drains or toilets. guatemala city: as steve had put it once, a million doomed citizens, the rich and the poor, trapped together side by side in the most "modern" capital in central america. why on earth had sarah decided to come here? even if she did travel with the mesmerizing alex goddard it was hard to imagine a place less spiritual. couldn't she feel that this was all wrong? one of us had to be missing something major. fifteen minutes later i was passing through the fetid atmosphere of downtown, which seemed to be another world, guatemala city's twin soul. it was an urban hodgepodge of burger king, mcdonald's, discount electronics emporia, an eye-numbing profusion of plastic signs, filthy parking lots, rattletrap buses and taxis, stalled traffic. exhaust fumes thickened the air, and everywhere you looked teenage "guards" in uniforms loitered in front of stores and banks with sawed-off shotguns, boys so green and scared-looking you'd think twice about letting one of them park your car. but there they were, weapons at the ready, nervously monitoring passersby. who were they defending all the wealth from? the ragged street children, with swollen bellies and skin disease, vending single cigarettes from open packs? or the hordes of widows and orphans, beneficiaries of the army's mayan "pacification" program, who now begged for centavos or plaintively hawked half-rotten fruit from the safety of the shadows? my bright-idea destination was a government office in the palacio nacional, right in the center of town, where i hoped i could find sarah's old landing card, the record of when tourists arrived and departed. when i'd filled mine out on the plane, i'd realized you were supposed to put down where you'd be staying in guatemala. i figured the best way to locate her this time was to find out where she went last time. . . . as my cab pulled up in front, a black land rover was parked in a "prohibido estacionarse" zone by the front steps. to my eyes it looked like the same one i'd seen at the airport. shit. but nobody was around, so i decided maybe i was just being paranoid again. the palacio turned out to be a mixture of moorish and faux greek architecture, with a facade of light green imitation stone that gave off the impression of a large, rococo wedding cake. i took a long look, paid off the driver--who had turned out to be very nice--and headed in. it was, after all, a public building, open to tourist gringos. nobody in the lobby appeared to take any particular notice of me, so after going through their very serious security, uniforms and guns everywhere, i checked the directory. it turned out the president, cabinet ministers, and high military officers all kept offices there, but it didn't take long to find the bureau i was looking for. going down the marble-floored hallway on the third floor, i passed by the sala de recepcion, a vast wood-paneled room of enormous chandeliers, stained-glass windows, and a massive coat of arms. quite a place, but not my destination. at the far end of the hallway, i found the door i wanted, went in, and tried out the spanish question i'd been practicing in the cab. not necessary: english worked fine. "_senora_, the records for that time were only kept on paper," a ladino woman declared shrugging, her nails colored a brash mauve, her hair a burst of red, "but you are welcome to look." she'd been on the phone, chatting in rapid-fire spanish, but she quickly hung up and got out her glasses. "thanks." the welcome mat was obviously a little thin. the woman was trying to be friendly, but very quickly her nervousness began to come through. "we're always glad to accommodate americans searching for friends or relatives," she went on, attempting a smile. "some of your american press has been printing distortions, that the guatemalan army conspired with the cia to cover up murders. it's a total lie." right. maybe you ought to see some of the photos steve has of the "army-pacified" maya villages up in the mountains. the search took an hour and a half of leafing through dusty boxes, which chafed my hands raw, but then . . . voila. there it was. the crucial piece of information lou had missed. a hastily scribbled-in landing card for an american, with the name sarah crenshaw. i stared at it a moment, feeling a glow of success. was it an omen? it was definitely her. she'd even dotted an "i" with a smiley face, one of her personal trademarks. then i looked down the form. what i wanted was the address she'd put down as a destination in guatemala. the answer: "ninos del mundo, peten department." my hopes sank. great. that was like saying your address is children of the world, lost somewhere in the state of montana. the home address was equally vague. just "new york." so much for the high level of curiosity at "inmigracion." however, the carbon copy of the landing card, which you're supposed to surrender when you leave, was not stapled to it, the way it was on all the others in the box. naturally, since she'd left in a medevac plane, half dead. "what does this mean?" i got up and walked over to the woman's desk, carrying the card. mainly i just wanted to get a rise out of her. "the carbon copy is missing. does that mean she could still be here?" red alert. she glanced at the arrival date a moment and her eyes froze. then, doubtless with visions of another cia scandal looming in her consciousness, she brusquely announced that the office was getting ready to close for the day. "you'll have to pursue any further inquiries through the american embassy, mrs. james, which handles all matters concerning u.s. nationals." "well, thanks for all your help." i was finally getting the police-state runaround i'd expected all along. i guess i needed her to care, and it was obvious she didn't. okay . . . i'd planned to go to the embassy anyway. maybe they could tell me about this place she'd put on her landing card. could it be the local name for alex goddard's clinic? as i picked up my things, i thought again about the prospect of showing my face on the streets of guatemala city. would there be more loitering men in grungy brown shirts waiting to watch my every move? more black land rovers? as i marched back out through the ornate lobby, i decided not to let my imagination get too active. it was now late afternoon, but i was making progress. i also was thinking about steve, wondering if he'd gotten into town yet. probably not for another couple of hours, but just thinking about seeing him again, and having him for support, was boosting my energy. a short cab ride later i arrived at the embassy of the all-powerful united states of america, a two-block-long concrete fortress on reforma avenue guarded by yank marines with heavy automatic weapons. when i explained myself to the pr people manning the reception desk, including my brush with guatemalan bureaucracy, they told me to check with the internal security section. "in fact, if you're looking for an american national, this is where you should have come in the first place," said a very efficient-appearing young woman, with a business suit and dark, close-cropped hair. "a phone call from here works wonders at the palacio nacional." i had no proof sarah was in guatemala yet, and if she was, it would doubtless be under a different name. what's more, telling them my suspicion that she'd been kidnapped by a high official and brought here would definitely brand me as a conspiracy theorist. so for now, all i could really hope to get from them was an address for alex goddard's clinic, someplace to start. where and what was "ninos del mundo"? apparently the woman hadn't fully understood that. moments later a thirtyish male attache showed up, looking very harried. he also could have been president of the local young republicans, with a cute haircut and preppie tie, knotted perfectly. "hi, i'm mel olberg. how can i . . .?" i told him i wanted to see someone who was responsible for the records of missing american tourists. i also sensed he was edgy and trying to get it over with fast; all the while he kept checking his watch, only half listening. "gee, i really wish you'd come earlier," he said. "monday afternoons are a little nuts around here, weekly reports due and all, and it's getting late." when he glanced at his watch again, making sure i noticed, i found myself wanting to yell at the guy. "i mean it's been two years since this woman you're looking for filled out a landing card. we might have something in the files, but. . . would it be possible for you to come back tomorrow?" "no, it will not be possible," i lied. "i've got a plane back to new york tomorrow." i felt my frustration rising. i wanted to just grab him and shake him. my first thought was to tell him i make documentary films and maybe he'd like to end up in one about how my country's guatemala city embassy didn't care about its citizens. but then i decided to go in a different, probably more productive, direction. "just for five minutes," i declared, reaching for feigned helplessness. "well, let me call upstairs," he muttered, realizing, i suppose, that the best way to get rid of me was to kick me up the chain of command, "and see if mr. morton can take a moment to meet with you." it worked. the next thing i knew, i was in the office of a good-looking diplomat named barry morton--gray temples, tailored suit, rugged face of a sixty-year-old soap-opera heartthrob who plays tennis and keeps a mistress. chief information officer. "actually, i do remember her, vaguely," morton declared, flashing me his professional smile. "the crenshaw girl was an unfortunate case. to begin with, anybody who overstays their visa that long gets us in a lot of hot water with the locals. they always tend to blame us, ms. . . ." "james. my name's morgan james." "ms. james." another of those smiles. "frankly, i don't know what to tell you, though." he shrugged, exuding helplessness. "it's hard to keep track of every american tourist who comes and goes through this country. some of the hippie types end up in a mountain village somewhere, gone native. in this instance, as i recall, we got her out on a medevac." "her landing card gave her destination as someplace called 'ninos del mundo,' up to the peten. that ring a bell? any idea how i could find it?" "niiios del mundo?" he glanced up quickly. "that's a new one on me." he'd been fiddling with a stack of papers on his desk, giving me only half his attention, but he abruptly stopped. "you try the phone book?" "like i said, it's in the peten." i was getting the definite sense he wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. the whole scene was feeling tense and off. "my understanding is that's mostly rain forest. do they even have phones up there?" "not many," he said, his tone starting to definitely acquire an "i have better things to do" edge. that was when he focused in on me, his look turning protective. "let me speak candidly, ms. james, strictly off the record. down here people have been known to 'disappear' just for asking too many questions. curiosity killed the cat, and all that. between us, this place is still a police state in many regards. you want my advice, let sleeping dogs lie. just forget about this crenshaw girl. she's out of the country now, so . . . let me put it like this: people who go poking around here are just asking for trouble." i felt a ring of sincerity in his voice. maybe a little too much sincerity. why was he so worried for me? "that may be true, but i'm still going to see what i can find out. my heart is pure. why should anybody care?" "do what you think best," he said with a sigh, "but i've told you everything we know. which, i'm afraid, is actually very little." "by the way." try one more thing on him, i thought, see what he'll say. "since you're so concerned about sarah, you'll be relieved to know she's regained consciousness and started to talk." there seemed no point in telling him any more. the rest was all still speculation. that stopped him cold. "what . . . what has she said?" his eyes appeared startled in the glaring light of the office fluorescents. at long last i had his undivided attention. "you're busy." i smiled at him. "i don't want to bore you with details. but it's just going to be a matter of time before she remembers exactly what happened down here." "she hasn't talked about it yet?" he was fiddling with an ornate letter opener, an onyx jaguar head on the handle. "she's getting there." i stared back at him, trying to read his mood. "we may soon find out who was behind whatever happened to her." then i tried a long shot. "maybe officialdom here had something to do with it." "let me tell you something." he sighed again, seeming to regain his composure. "the sovereign state of guatemala definitely plays by its own rules. whenever foreigners down here meet with foul play, lower-level officials have developed a consensus over the years that sometimes it's better not be too industrious. nobody's ever sure of what, or who, they might turn up." the meeting was definitely ending, and once again i had more questions than answers. something about barry morton felt wrong, but i couldn't quite get a grip on what it was. one thing i was certain of: he knew more than he was telling me. why was that? as i was exiting through his outer office, headed for the swarming streets below, i waved good-bye to his secretary, a stout, fiftyish ladino matron with defiantly black-dyed hair, a hard look mitigated somewhat by the zircon trim on her thick glasses and a small silver pendant nestled on her ample, low-cut sweater. it was the pendant that caught my eye, being the silver face of a cat, most likely the local jaguar. looked just like the ones i'd seen you-know-where. i was staring so hard i almost stumbled over a chair. yes. it was definitely like those i remembered from kevin and rachel. the only difference was, when she bent over to reach for her stapler, the medallion twisted around and the back, i could see, flashed blank silver, no engraving of lines and dots. so where did she get it? i started to ask her, but decided i'd just get more bs runaround. then i had another thought: maybe she handled a lot of things that never made it to barry morton's desk, the "don't waste the boss's valuable time" kind of secretary. maybe she s the one i really should have been talking to, the kind of woman who takes care of everything while the high-paid senior supervisor is at long lunches. she looked at me, and our eyes met and held for a second. had she been listening in on my chat with morton? did she know something i ought to know? by then, however, thoughts of steve were weighing in. i hadn't seen him in three and a half months and i was realizing that was about my limit. i wanted to recapture the lost time. our being together was going to make everything turn out right. clinging to that thought, i grabbed a cab and headed for my hotel and a much-overdue hot bath. chapter sixteen "come here," he said. whoosh. there he was. he strode through the door, tan safari shirt, smelling like a man who'd just driven hundreds of miles through central america in an open jeep. i wanted to undress him with my teeth and lick off the sweat. brown eyes, skin tan as leather, he threw his arms around me and i felt the weight of the world slip away. he was here. i was wearing a robe, fresh from the tub, but it was gone in a second. steve, i gotta say, knew a thing or two about the bedroom. as we wound ourselves together for the next two hours, i had a refresher course in how much id missed him, soul and body. his taste, his skin, his touch. finally, we were both so exhausted we just lay there bathed in sweat, spooned together on the sagging bed. i hadn't felt so good in years. it was like another world. "god i've missed you," i said again, holding him closer. the air-conditioning was beginning to lose ground against the late sun, but i didn't care. after my solo nightmare of the last two days, i was remembering what it was like to be a couple again. the camino real, by the way, turned out to be an american-style hideaway with budget shag carpeting and flaking blue walls. in a way, though, the downtrodden decor actually made it more romantic, like we'd sneaked off to a garish hot-sheet motel for a twilight rendezvous. i finally dragged myself up and got us a bottle of water. then, leaning against the rickety headboard, i recounted an abbreviated version of what had happened yesterday after we'd first talked--the theft of my film, and then lou being assaulted and sarah taken, apparently willingly, to be brought (i strongly suspected) back here. what i held out on were the details about a certain colonel jose alvino ramos, my belief that he was behind the crimes and in league with alex goddard and stalking me. i was afraid our room was bugged. "morgy, we'll get through this," he said, reaching over to stroke my hair. "if somebody brought her back down here, we'll find her. and i apologize for being such a shit on the phone, about the baby. i'd just had a local lab lose three rolls of high-speed kodachrome and i was seriously frosted at the world. we can keep trying if you want to." "just hold me." i put down my glass and i reached around and ran my finger across his chest. it was so lovely to be this close to somebody you wanted so much. i loved his earnest brown eyes and his soft skin. i loved him. just having him with me made such a difference. the unexpected part was, i'd asked him to come and help me, but now that he was here, i was starting to feel uneasy about luring him into my personal nightmare. was that really fair? also, i was getting hints he had problems of his own. the photo book, i gathered, was not coming together the way he'd hoped. he'd mumbled something about finding himself torn between a heartstrings essay about the children (his specialty; you've probably seen his work, whether you know it or not), a devastating portrayal of the latest crop of sleazy politicos, or a nature valentine to the vanishing rain forest. but whenever he agonized about his work, i knew enough to keep my mouth shut and just listen. he didn't want bright ideas; he just wanted me to clam up and be there for him. anyway, i knew he'd think his way through the problem. he had a deceptive air of vulnerability that always disappeared in a crunch. he was the master of ad hoc solutions. . . . at that moment, he reached for his watch, studied it, and abruptly bolted straight up. "hey, i almost forgot my surprise. i hope you're still up for it. did you know this is our anniversary? it was on this very day i first watched you dive into that grungy swimming pool at the oloffson in port-au-prince." "my god you're right. i'm humiliated." i hugged him contritely, feeling like a self-centered twit. i guess i was too focused on sarah. (i screw up a lot on birthdays too, always with an excuse.) "i don't even have a present for you. i've been so--" "that's okay." he grinned then stood up and headed for the shower. "not the first time. but i've got one for both of us. we'll make it a gift to each other. it'll help start you thinking like a _guatemalteco_ insider." "what? you sneak. what did you get?" "a trip back into the void of prehistoric time," he yelled over his shoulder. "i am the possessor of a little-known secret about this town. i called from belize city this morning and made dinner reservations for us downtown. you'll see." god i loved this man. but the last thing on my mind at that moment was food. "honey, i don't know if i'm really--" "hey, don't wimp out on me. if we're going to do this place, at least we can do it in style. besides, you can't live on smog alone. you gotta eat." he had a point. starving myself wasn't going to help find sarah any sooner. and there were details i wanted to tell him that i didn't want to broadcast in the room. what if colonel ramos had long ears to match his long arm? "come on," he pressed. "just put on the slinkiest thing you've got and get ready to go native. it'll help you put this part of the world into perspective." alas, i had nothing particularly "slinky," though fortunately i'd packed a silk blouse i could loosen and tie with a scarf around the waist. don't laugh, it worked. i even brushed on some serious eye shadow, which normally i don't bother with much. i tried not to let him know how concerned i was as we walked down the driveway of the hotel and hailed a cab, while i furtively searched the shadows. seeing the streets after dark made me sad all over again for sarah. i still wanted to see and feel guatemala the way she had, but when i got close to the realities of the place, it made me uneasy. it turned out the marvel he'd discovered was called siriaco's, a wonderful old place with a patio and garden in back--both roofed by glittering tropical stars--which were down a stone pathway from the main dining room and bar. it appeared to be where a lot of vips, the ruling oligarchy, dined. it was romantic and perfect. when we arrived, his special anniversary surprise was already being laid out on a low stone table, attended by mayan women all in traditional dress: the colorful _huipil _blouses of their villages, red and blue skirts, immense jade earrings. "they've reconstructed a kingly feast from old documents," he explained, beaming at my amazement. "cuisine of the ancient rain forest. we're going to have a banquet of authentic _guatemalteco_ chow from eons ago." and the meal was definitely fit for royalty. soon we were working our way through a long-forgotten medley of piquant flavors that swept through my senses as though i were in another world. there was pit-roasted deer, steamed fish, baked wild turkey. one calabash bowl set forth coriander-flavored kidney beans; another had half a dozen varieties of green legumes all in a rich turtle broth; a third offered vanilla-seasoned sweet potatoes; others had various forest tubers steamed with chiles. we even had a delicious honey wine, like heavenly nectar, served in red clay bowls, that made me want to have sex right on the table. there with steve, the unexpected juxtaposition of spices and flavors made every bite, every aroma, a new sensual experience. (let me say right here he's a cooking fanatic, whereas i've been known to burn water. i think it's the new division of labor in post-feminist america.) finally the mayan waitresses brought out cups of a chocolate dessert drink from ancient times, cocoa beans roasted, ground, and boiled with sugarcane. the whole event was pure heaven. except for the occasional unwanted intrusions. various dark-eyed low-cut ladino divorcees, about half a dozen in all, hanging out at the bar with heavy perfume and too much jewelry, kept coming over purportedly to marvel over our private feast (or was it steve's big brown eyes). he returned their attentions with his polite and perfect spanish, but i despised them. in any case, they were shameless. not remembering quite enough espanol, however, the best i could do was just to put my hand on his and give them the evil eye. it seemed to work, though what i really wanted to do was hold up a cross the way you do to ward off vampires. . . . "hey, check out orion," he said finally leaning back, an easy, delicious finger aimed at that sprawling constellation. i looked up at the canopy of stars, and sure enough, the hunter and his sword dominated the starry sky above like a stalwart centurion, guarding us. "i always know i'm in the tropics when it's right overhead." "honey, this has been wonderful," i declared. "thank you so much." i moved around and kissed him. "it's exactly the attitude adjustment i needed." "well"--he smiled back--"now i guess we've got some organizing to do. so tell me everything you left out back there at the hotel. i know you were holding off." i was feeling increasingly hyper, probably from the high-octane chocolate, but i proceeded to recount all my findings about alex goddard and quetzal manor. then i moved on to colonel ramos and how he'd threatened carly and me about my film. finally, i told him my deep belief that colonel ramos and a couple of his goons were obviously the ones who'd roughed up lou and taken sarah. "bad scene," he said when i finally paused for breath. he was toying with his cup and running his fingers through his sandy hair, in that "deep thought" mode of his. "way i see it, this just sounds like a classic case of selling kids. to me, that's right up there with murder and grand larceny." "well, i also firmly believe it's all tied in with alex goddard's clinic here, or whatever it is. the place sarah called ninos del mundo on her landing card. i'll bet you anything that's where ramos has taken her." "you know," he said, his brow a perfect furrow, eyes narrowed, "about the babies you saw, there've been press stories over the last few years about americans being attacked in guatemala on suspicion of trying to kidnap maya children out in the villages, to put up for adoption. but i've never seen any proof of it. i've always thought it just might have been dumb gringos who don't know the culture. they go poking around out in the countryside and stupidly say the wrong thing. maybe using schoolbook spanish nobody out there really understands. but now this makes me wonder if--" "love, those babies i saw up at quetzal manor are not kidnapped indian children, trust me. they're caucasian as vanilla snow cones. try again." "i get your point," he said quickly. "but let me relate the facts of life down here. when you've got some guatemalan colonel behind something, you'd better think twice about how many rocks you turn over." "funny, but that's exactly what some guy at the embassy named barry morton said to me." "and you'd better listen. this is the country that turned the word 'disappear' into a new kind of verb. people get 'disappeared.' i actually knew some of them, back in the late eighties. one dark night an army truck rolls into a village, and when the torture and . . . other things are over with, a few maya are never heard from again." he looked at me. "you saw my pictures of that village in the huehuetenango department, tzalala, where the army mutilated and murdered half the--" "i know all about that." it was chilling to recall his gruesome photos. "but i'm going to track down alex goddard's clinic, no matter what. that's where they've taken sarah, i'm sure of it. i just may need some help finding it." he grimaced. "damn, i've got to head back to belize by noon tomorrow." then his look brightened. "but, hey, i finish my shoot wednesday, so i can drive back here on thursday. then on friday maybe we could--" "come on, love, i can't just sit around till the end of the week. what am i going to do till then?" the very thought made me itchy. "i need to find out if ninos del mundo, the place sarah put on her original landing card is for real. her card said it's somewhere in the peten, the rain forest. if i could find somebody who--" "okay, look." he was thinking aloud. "how about this? there's a guy here in town who owes me a favor. a big one. he screwed me out of twenty grand in the u.s. we were going to start a travel magazine--i think i told you about that--but then he took my money and split the country. he ended up down here and went to work for the cia--till they sacked him. after that he leased a helicopter and started some kind of bullshit tourist hustle. he sure as hell knows what's going on. name's alan dupre. the prick. maybe i could give him a call and we could get together for a late drink. he's got an easy number these days: -mayan." "how's he going to help?" "trust me. he's our guy." i leaned back and closed my eyes, my imagination drifting. in that brief moment, my mind floated back to yesterday afternoon at lou's loft, and sarah. her hallucinations still haunted me. what had happened to her in the rain forest? and why would she say she wanted to go back? then i snapped back. "all right. try and ring him if you think he can help. right now i need all i can get." he got up and worked his way to the phone, past the crowded bar, while i tried to contemplate the night sky. i looked up again, hoping to see orion, but now a dark cloud had moved in, leaving nothing but deepening blackness. he'd said there was a storm brewing, part of an out-of-season hurricane developing in the caribbean, so i guessed this was the first harbinger. "tonight's out, but tomorrow's okay." he was striding back. "crack of dawn. which for him is roughly about noon. we'll have a quick get-together and then i've got to run. really. but if this guy doesn't know what's going on down here, nobody does. he's probably laid half those hot tomatillos there at the bar. the man has his sources, if you get my meaning." "then let's go back to the glorious camino real." i took his hand. "we'll split the check. at the moment, even that seems romantic." "i'm still thinking about--" "don't. don't think." i touched his lips, soft and moist, then kissed him. an impulsive but deeply felt act. "we've all had enough thinking for one day." chapter seventeen alan dupre didn't ring till almost ten-thirty the next morning, and i had the feeling even that was a stretch. he then offered to meet us in the parque concordia, right downtown. as i watched him ambling toward our bench, my first impression was: why'd we bother? the man appeared to be in his early forties, puffy-eyed and pink-cheeked with discount aviator shades, looking like a glad-handing tourist just down to central america for a weekend of unchaperoned bacchanals. the flowered sport shirt, worn outside the belt, gave him the aura of a tout insufficiently attired without a can of coors in hand. how can this be progress? i'm down here hoping to find sarah, and i end up in a trash-filled park meeting some expat operator. steve had explained that the main benefit of alan dupre's cia gig was that he did learn how to fly a helicopter. with that skill he'd ended up starting a tourist agency in guatemala city using an old bell he leased: "mayan pyramids from the air." mainly, though, he was a self-styled bon vivant who knew people. "steve the brave." on came dupre's mirthless smile as he approached a jaunty spring entering his step. "alan, any friend of yours has got to be brave." steve just stared at him. dupre had the kind of empty grin that looked like it'd been rehearsed in his high school bathroom mirror. it was thin, kind of forked and dangerous, and this morning its plaster quality undermined any attempts at honesty. maybe dealing with complaining tourists every day of your life did that to you. "you called, i came." he was now shifting from foot to foot. "guess it finally had to happen. what's the phrase? you can run but you can't hide? surprise us both and pretend you're happy to see me." steve looked like he was not entirely prepared for this moment. he used the awkward pause that followed to introduce me. dupre shook hands like he was fearful of germs, then turned back. "jesus, man, i'm still working on the money, honest to god. but do i get a last cigarette before the firing squad?" "hey, alan, ease up." steve was deadpan. "good to see you again. i mean it. love that waikiki shirt, by the way. never knew you had such progressive taste." "this is actually my incognito attire. for secret missions. it's my objective today to look like some cruise-ship jerk." he glanced around nervously. "so how'm i doing?" "i'd say your years of training in undercover work have paid off." i listened, remembering steve had explained that alan dupre's career as a cia information-gatherer was hampered by his propensity to drink too much tequila and then brag about his occupation, hoping to impress whatever woman he had in his sights at the moment. "so bring me up to date." steve was trying to hide his total contempt. "why'd you get out of the spook business? langley couldn't find a 'new mission' for you after the evil empire dissolved?" dupre's face turned pensive. "man, you don't get it, do you? langley's still got plenty on its mind. nothing has changed. most people don't realize the u.s. isn't run by the folks they vote for. there's a permanent government that doesn't appear on larry king, and i was part of it. the central intelligence agency of the u.s. of a. will go on doing exactly what it's always done, guiding events in third world toilets like this through whatever means are necessary to protect america's strategic concerns. keeping the world safe for microsoft and ronald mcdonald." he paused and glanced at me, as though slightly embarrassed. then he continued. "what i'm saying is, all those beltway turkeys with the briar pipes and gigabyte computers, sitting around wringing their hands, worried the company needs a new mission, never really grasped its old mission." "you're right," steve said going along with the shtick, the applause lines dupre had doubtless used in a thousand bars. "i'm getting slow. what langley needs nowadays is a new cover story." "couldn't have phrased it better." dupre smiled again too easily. "they're--" "actually," steve said cutting him off impatiently, all the while gazing up at the gathering dark clouds as though they were a hovering adversary, "the truth of the matter is, we called you to discuss a favor. a small helping hand." he seemed to be searching for a sales point. "for old times' sake." "for old times' sake?" dupre appeared to be having trouble with the concept. "yeah. all we want is to hear a little talk of the town." he gazed out over the square, uzi-toting police still strolling by. "you know, local information of the kind that doesn't make the papers." "right," i said. "for starters, how could a gringa sort of melt into the peten rain forest, disappear for months and months, and then end up in a coma?" i'd decided to feel him out before going for the bigger questions. "people disappear down here all the time, and nobody in their right mind goes around inquiring why." dupre seemed genuinely astonished that anyone would find such a thing unusual. he also was fingering a cigarette pack in his breast pocket, clearly nervous about the quick turn our conversation had taken. "whatever's your problem in guatemala, just forget about it. drink some _cerveza_, take a few snapshots of the picturesque natives, and then move on to a civilized place. this is a land of mystery, lady, and the people who matter like it that way. there are those here who take their privacy very seriously." just like alex goddard's children of light, i thought. or ninos del mundo, or whatever it's called. it was chilling to hear alan dupre backing away so quickly from my question. the guy seemed truly scared under all the bluster. i also observed that his eyes were curiously small, out of proportion to his face. i hadn't noticed it at first. "well," i went on, determined to push him, "an old landing card for the person i'm looking for said her destination was a place called ninos del mundo, up in the peten. i assume that's somewhere in the northern rain forest, right? so i guess what i want to know is, does that name stir up any connections?" he looked around, then extracted a gauloise from a blue pack and lit it with a wooden match, flicking the tip with his fingernail. he inhaled, taking his time. "well, maybe i've heard a little something about a place some people call by that name." he drew again on the cigarette. "and the story might include a female american _tourista_ or two--about one a year, actually--who've sort of melted into the forest never to be seen more. i'm not exactly sure where it is, though. or even if what you hear is true. but who cares? come on, guys, this is guatemala, for chrissake. shit happens. get a life." "the embassy, or the cia, or anybody ever carry out an inquiry?" i felt my energy rising. "a woman every year or so? i went by reforma avenue yesterday and nobody there seems to have ever heard of any of this." "no kidding." he snorted. "whatever happened that place, our caring embassy, ain't gonna do zip--don't faint at the news--and there's no way the company's going to pull their old-time yankee number, roll in with the beige sunglasses, and yell, 'okay, you peons, we're here to take names and kick butt. what happened to our national?' they've recently acquired a habit of taking local situations at face value. makes for a lot better tables at the tony supper clubs in town." this guy liked to talk, i realized but he had no interest in going beyond glib one-liners. i glanced at steve, and i could tell he was having the same thoughts. "tell you what," steve said finally, "how about this? tell us whatever you know about how to find this place, and maybe we can adjust the terms on the money you screwed me out of. i might settle for something less on the dollar and let bygones be bygones." "hey, man, you'll get your money. i'm good for it." dupre sighed and drew on his gauloise. "it's just that things are a little tight right now, you know." he paused. "matter of fact, i was hoping you might be able to spare a couple of bills for a week or so. but i guess . . ." his voice trailed off. alan dupre knew something i needed to know, or might know it. steve had definitely found the right guy in that regard. but he clearly was cautious to the point of paralysis as he kept furtively glancing around. what was he so fearful of, and what could i do to convince him to help me? i stood gazing at the dark sky for a long moment, and then i had an off-the-wall idea, a long shot, the all-or-nothing take you go for when the sun is dying and the unions are looking at overtime. "you do tourist flights, right?" i started, still working on the idea. "so how about pretending i'm an eco nut? a lover of the rain forest. you can tell whoever you're so afraid of that you're taking me up into the wilds to show me jaguars or something. a regular tour. just cruising around, taking in the sights. totally innocent. and then if we accidentally scouted a little, maybe we could find the place." "jesus, you're serious about this, aren't you?" dupre nervously crushed out his cigarette, staring at me glassy-eyed. "never been more." he extracted another gauloise. "okay, a counteroffer, miss . . ." "james. morgan james." "right, miss james. i'm beginning to think you've got no realistic sense of proportion about this part of the world. you--" "fools rush in, right?" "my point precisely. but if steve here means what he says, well, maybe there's a little room to negotiate. maybe i could take you on a quick sightseeing trip. and just for laughs i could kind of inadvertently stray over the area i think you might find productive. assuming we can locate it. but here're my terms. i do it and steverino and me are square. consider it a twenty-thousand-dollar cruise." "fine with me." steve didn't even blink, and i loved him all over again, right on the spot. though the truth was, i knew he'd never planned on seeing a penny of the money again anyway. "and you think this place is ninos del mundo?" i was trying not to get my hopes up too much, but still . . . dupre lit his new cigarette. "you didn't hear this from me, okay? you heard it from the embassy or some other damned place. but that's one name for it. another is 'jungle disneyland.' actually, i think the local name is _baalum_, the old maya word for jaguar. but everybody acts like it's a state secret, so all you get are rumors." "well, assuming we find it, then how could i get in? i mean actually in." i was squinting at him, feeling my body tense. what was it lou had said about a word he'd heard when they were taking sarah? it sounded like "babylon"? i also thought that was what she'd whispered to me. could it be the word was actually baalum? the gloomy morning skies abruptly flooded with the brilliant white light of hope. i glanced back at steve, and our eyes locked for a long moment. "morgy, for chrissake, what are you saying?" steve took my hand. "don't you realize this is guatemala? don't even think about it." "we're just talking now, okay?" i squeezed his hand then looked back at dupre. "i was just wondering. once we've found it, could i get a sneak look-see? assuming i wanted to?" "well, i'll tell you one thing, miss morgan james." dupre was fingering his new cigarette, oblivious to my reaction. "give no serious thought to just driving up. the army'd be all over your butt in the time it takes to cock an ak- ." he glanced up at the sky again, though now a dense bank of dark clouds had swallowed what remained of the sun. a pre-rain gloom was enveloping the park, which was starting to empty out, the hawkers and loiterers headed home to wait out the weather. "but if we do find it, then as long as we're there, i might be able to drop you off for a quick glance somehow, say, if we did it around twilight time . . . that is, if that's what you want. but it's ten minutes tops, and that's my final offer. frankly, i think you'd be ill-advised in the extreme to do it, but . . . in any case, it's got to be a low-profile enterprise all the way. we screw this up and we could easily swell the ranks of the 'disappeared.' " "but you think you could actually locate it?" "what i hear, the place is on a tributary of the usumacinta river, a latrine they call the rio tigre. way up in the northwest. low-level army types, you meet them in bars from time to time, like to bs about it. i've got a rough idea where it might be, though you don't know whether to believe a bunch of kid recruits after half-a-dozen beers." then my mind clicked. the rio tigre? didn't that have something to do with where lou said sarah was found? that was definitely where i wanted to go. "morgy, have you lost your senses?" steve had placed his hand on my shoulder. "if the army's involved in something down here, you don't want to know about it. don't lose sight of the fact those goons knocked off two hundred thousand villagers since the freedom-loving days of the gipper, for fear they might be commies, with the cia practically flying in the ammo. this whole damned country's just one big mass grave. yet another unclaimed corpse or two won't make a hell of a lot of difference." "steve, i'll bet you anything that's where she is." saying it, i had a vision of all the things that had happened to me, and to sarah, because of alex goddard. i couldn't wait to confront the bastard. "he's brought her back." steve just glared at me for a long moment, despairing. "christ, you make me nuts. okay, look, how about this? at least let me come with you. that way we'll face the unknown together." though i had a lump-in-the-throat moment, i didn't say anything, just stood there glorying in the feeling of being together. it was so wonderful to have him with me and so difficult to think about pressing on without him. there was a long, awkward pause, and then he glanced at his watch. "blast, i've got to hit the road if i'm going to get back in time to set up for tonight's shoot. i just pray i can beat the rain." then he pulled me around and circled me fully in his arms. "please, morgy, i really don't like the sound of this. i'll move heaven and earth to get back here by friday night, and if you still want to check out this '_baalum' _place, then we'll figure out a way to do it together." "just you stay safe." i hugged him back. "nothing i do is going to mean much if i don't have you. don't worry. i'll be okay." alan dupre had abruptly taken an even deeper interest in the darkening sky. i got the feeling he was uncomfortable being around two people capable of caring. "it's only for a couple of days," steve went on. "we'll both be okay if we just stick together." "right," i said, and kissed him harder than i ever had. five minutes later, my heart and my head still at war with each other, i was alone in the virtually empty park with my brand-new best friend. watching steve's jeep blend into the smoggy haze of the avenue made me feel like half of me had just disappeared into another dimension. "so that's that," i declared finally, turning back and taking a deep breath. i had to find sarah before something else truly horrible happened to her. and the one thing i was determined to do was keep steve as safely distant from my search as i could, even though it meant i was going to be terribly lonely for the next few days. "when can we leave?" "hey, get real." dupre choked, whirling around. "we can't go today. case you hadn't noticed, there's a storm coming. if you really want to go . . . and i mean really want to, then maybe in a day or so. preferably when steve--" "i don't want to drag him into this," i said evenly. truthfully, i was sounding braver than i felt. but then i remembered once going down into the four-hundred-year-old subterranean harem quarters of the red fort in agra, seemingly miles underground and pitch black, with nothing but a flashlight, surrounded by screaming bats and knee-deep in guano, for no better reason than i was determined to see how the women there once lived. so how much scarier could this be? "well, i say no way," dupre told me. "not today. correction, make that no fucking way." he had removed his aviator shades and was cleaning them with a dirty hanky. "besides, i don't think you have any business going up there in the first place. if you're not scared shitless, you ought to be." "alan, i think you 're the one who's afraid to go." he almost reached for another cigarette, but then stopped himself. "i will definitely plead guilty to a deep-seated disquiet about the people who rule this placid paradise. but if it'll square things with steve, then i'll take you up to have a quick look, for my sins. but it's got to be after the weather clears." i finally realized he was already thinking about his next loan. steve, beware. "tomorrow then?" i wasn't going to blink, because the peten was where sarah had ended up the first time and i was sure that was where ramos had taken her now. _baalum_. dupre stared at the sky a moment longer, then caved. "maybe we can shoot for tomorrow late. if i can convince myself this storm has done its worst." he looked back at me. "but i gotta tell you one thing, ms. morgan james. we blunder in up there and end up getting ourselves 'disappeared,' we won't even get our pictures in the papers. you'd better tell your immediate loved ones where you're going, and it wouldn't be the worst time in the world to think about making a will." the way he said it, i was sure for once he meant every word. chapter eighteen when i got back to the camino real, the time was early afternoon and the bed was freshly made, with all signs and scents of my and steve's torrid reunion long gone. i tried to push aside thoughts of how much i was already missing him and focus on what i was getting myself into. i must admit i was having serious qualms about going up to the peten, the part of guatemala where sarah had been left for dead, with my brand-new tour director, the flaky alan dupre. i'd never been in a helicopter before, much less one flying over a stormy rain forest. on the other hand, if that was where they'd taken sarah, the sooner i got there, the better. sitting there in the room, i found myself feeling right at home: everything about it was so familiar to an expert on budget travel like me. off-brand carpet the color of decaying vegetation, the usual two double beds (one totally unused, except as a suitcase shelf), the tv suspended over the dresser and bolted to the wall. funny, but it was the first time i'd noticed half the things in the room. okay, i told myself, the thing to do first is call st. vincent's and check on lou. also, i wanted to tell him what was happening. i just hoped he wouldn't launch into a lecture about the recklessness of what i was planning. i needed support, not male advice. i got the desk to give me the local at&t contact number, then rang right through to st. vincent's. the next thing i knew, they were calling his room. "hi. how's the patient?" "morgan, what the hell are you up to? i've been trying to reach you. i finally called david and he said you'd left a message; something about central america. why the hell--?" "i was trying to explain that to you sunday night, but you were pretty far gone." "well, i ain't that far gone now, so i'm telling you to--" "by the way," i interrupted, hoping to change the subject, "how're you feeling?" "i guess i'll live. they let me get up and go to the bathroom now. they're saying i can probably go home tomorrow." "that's encouraging." thank god he was going to be okay. "i also had a talk with gerry, downtown. he believes sarah was kidnapped, even if new york's finest don't, so that means the fbi has jurisdiction. we're gonna get some action. they're trying to get a photo of that colonel, so maybe i can id the bastard. but the consulate's giving us a lot of shit about it." "well, i'm tracking something down here. between the two of us, i think we'll find her." "so, what the hell are you doing?" i told him about finding the name of a destination on sarah's old landing card, and about meeting a guy who was going to take me there as soon as the weather cleared. "and you think she could be there now?" he didn't sound hopeful. "there're reasons to check it out." i didn't want to elaborate. "maybe we'll get lucky." i was attempting to say as little as possible, fearing the phone was tapped. in that spirit, i decided to get off the line as quickly as possible. "lou, you get lots of rest, and i'll try and call you tomorrow." with a final warning to watch out for myself, he took down my hotel number and hung up. truthfully, he was sounding pretty tired and weak, not nearly his old self. well, he had a right to be. but at least there were no complications. my next call was going to be to david roth, to check in on things at applecore, but first i wanted to order up some_ huevos rancheros_, get some breakfast protein. i was becoming energized by the prospect of progress, and being that way always makes me ravenous. it's probably a primal female response that has a latin name. i checked out the number for room service, and was literally reaching for the black phone when it rang of its own accord. startled i picked up the receiver, wondering who had my number. "hello." it was a man's voice that sounded vaguely familiar. "thought i'd check in and see how things are going with your search." "hi," i answered back after a pause, trying to place his intonation. "oh, sorry. barry morton. remember me? fortress america. you came by the office yesterday." "how . . . ?" why was he calling me? "how did you get this--?" "you must have accidentally put the wrong hotel on your landing card as your address in guatemala city." he hesitated a second then said "but i had my secretary call around and . . . well, it happens all the time." "i see." it did have the ring of logic. and i had put down a different hotel. a safety measure. "do you always take this much . . . interest in your fellow citizens?" "only when they come to see me personally." he chuckled. "so how's it going?" "well, thanks for calling," i said. "everything's moving along." "good, good." there was another pause, then, "incidentally, you having any luck finding that ninos del mundo place you were looking for?" i hesitated, wondering why he would ask and also unsure what to say. "not yet," i volunteered. my god, it finally dawned on me. the guy was tracking me. he wanted to know what i knew. "you come up with anything at your end?" "i've been busy, a string of meetings, but i still think you might want to check out the phone book." it was the second time he'd made the suggestion. he was practically ordering me to do it. why? "you never know. i'm afraid that's about the best i can do." "maybe i will," i said. "i've been a little busy too." the phone call was feeling stranger and stranger. he was sending me to see something, probably in hopes it would make me go away. it was actually more unnerving than if he'd done nothing at all. "well, in any case, i hope you have a good visit," he declared diplomatically. another pause. "planning to be here long?" "i'm not sure yet." why did he want to know that? "i see. whatever happens, i hope you find what you're looking for. best of luck." he hung up, leaving me with the feeling he already knew the answer to every question he'd asked. the guys at the airport, and now the embassy--i was the best-known tourist in the country. okay, maybe i should just play along and see what happens. in any case, i'd just lost my appetite for fried eggs with hot sauce, but i had a definite interest in the phone book. and there they were. ninos del mundo. complete with an address, way out the boulevar r. aguilar batres. well, why not see where it leads you? sarah's card said the place was in the peten, but who knows? i got up off the bed and went into the bathroom for a shampoo and shower. despite the fact that barry morton wanted me to see this ninos del mundo place, whatever it was, i didn't want to show up looking and smelling like some bedraggled tourist. i'd wear my tailored blue suit, which, along with the dark blue heels, ought to make me look adequately businesslike. the shower was wonderful, purging away the soot of the park, and i was wrapping my hair in a large beige towel when the phone jangled again. i tucked in the edge to secure it and walked over. maybe it was lou ringing back. no such luck. the caller was none other than my brand-new partner alan dupre. i was not thrilled to hear his voice. was he about to get cold feet and back out? "morgan, listen," he said, not wasting time on niceties, "there's been a small change of plans. i've--" "alan, don't do this to me." you shit. "you agreed--" "no, why i'm calling is, we've got to go ahead and go up today, storm or no, god help us. you happy now?" what? after that neurotic song-and-dance he'd just given me in the park? i should have been overjoyed, but something about the whole thing immediately felt synthetic. i paused a long moment, trying to think the situation through. what was going on? the answer to that was clear as day. i was being set up. somebody wanted me out of town, and they'd just found a way. or was i being paranoid again? had the weather cleared? i reached over and pushed aside a curtain. nope, it looked as threatening as ever. no question. this was definitely a setup. on the other hand why not use whoever had put him up to this? this told me for sure i was on the trail of sarah, and the sooner i got going, the better. aside from calling new york and then checking out the local ninos del mundo that barry morton wanted me to see so badly, i had no other pressing plans. . . . "alan, i thought you declared no 'effing' way were you going to go today," i said testing him. "why the sudden revision in scheduling?" "yeah, well, something heavy's come up for tomorrow. i'm afraid it's gotta be now or forget it for at least a week." unrefined bullshit. but somebody knew how badly i wanted to go. "look, there's something i need to check out first. i just learned about a place here in town i want to at least see. it's also called ninos del mundo." "no shit." he paused. "okay, we'll talk about it. get the address and maybe we can cruise by if there's time. thing is, we don't have all that much leeway here." "one last question." i thought i'd give him a final shot at the truth. "just tell me honestly why it has to be today. the real story." "like i said everything's changed." he wasn't budging. "so if we're doing this, i've got to pick you up now and get us on our merry way." he was too cheerful by half, which definitely told me he was lying. "all right, but i really need to make at least one phone call first." i wanted steve to know where i was. "and if i walk out of here with a bag, i've got to let the desk know i'm not skipping on the bill." "forget the phone call. no time. do it after we get back. just be out front in exactly nineteen minutes. this is not a dry run. the train is leaving. i'm outta here now." there was a click and he was gone. i sat there a moment staring at the floor. what was i getting into? well, there's one way to find out. play their game and beat them. there's no better way to get inside what's going on. the first thing i did was call steve's hotel in belize city. of course he wasn't there, but i left a long message to the effect that i was taking a "sightseeing" trip up to the peten with alan dupre today because of unforeseen new circumstances. the reasons were complicated, but i'd watch out for myself and therefore he shouldn't worry. that out of the way, i looked around the room. it was a disaster, but i quickly began cramming things into the small folding backpack i always took on trips. then i rang the kitchen and told them to make up a quadruple egg sandwich (_quatro huevos, por favor_) to go, along with a large bottle of distilled water. by the time i got to the reception desk and explained i wasn't actually checking out for good, alan dupre was already waiting outside in his battered green jeep, cleaning his scratchy shades and leaning on the horn. let him wait. i wrote out a long note to steve, on the chance he might come looking for me. then with deliberate slowness, i wandered out to where alan's jeep was parked and tossed my backpack behind the seat. "first things first." i climbed in and handed him the address of ninos del mundo i'd copied onto some hotel stationery. "this is where we've got to go." he stared at it a moment, puzzling, and then seemed to figure out where it was. "upscale part of this beautiful oasis." he shifted into gear. "but it's more or less on the way." he glanced up nervously at the sky. "we just don't have all day." off we headed toward the suburbs, through a ganglia of downtown streets laced with pizza joints and frying-meat vendors, till we eventually ended up on a tree-lined avenue that looked as genteel as oyster bay. when we got to the address, i told him to park across the way, and just sat a moment staring. the building itself was a windowless compound surrounded by trees and a high wall of white stucco, with a guardhouse and wide iron gate (not unusual for guatemala) protecting a long walkway. the whole thing looked like a fortress, except the view through the gate was a pastoral vista of neat flower beds and a pristine lawn. the guardhouse itself had a dozing teenager, undoubtedly with an uzi resting across his lap. "okay, alan," i said "time to get with the program. how's your spanish?" "depends on who i'm trying to bs." he shrugged and began cleaning his sunglasses again. "well, why don't you see if you can talk us past that guard." he stared at the entrance a moment. "be a waste of our precious time. tell you right now, kids like that only answer to one boss, the _jefe_, the big guy, whoever he is. that's how they retain their employment. a joint locked down this tight don't give sunday tours." "well, i think he's asleep. so i'm going to be creative and see if there's a back entrance of some kind. maybe a service area that'll give me some idea of what's going on here." "do what you want, but make it fast," he said, leaning back in the seat. "and try not to get shot." i carefully got out and walked down the empty street a way, then followed the stucco wall/fence--the building covered an entire city block--until i came across an alley entrance, with another large iron gate, padlocked shut. i peered up the driveway, shrouded in overhanging trees, but there was nothing in the parking lot except a couple of army jeeps. and a black land rover. well, barry morton really wanted me to see this. but why? is there a connection to the place in the peten? and what are the army vehicles all about? i sighed and made my way back to the street. when i reached the jeep, alan was gone, but then i realized he was over talking to the young guard, offering him a cigarette. a few moments later he waved good-bye and casually ambled back. "okay." he settled in and hit the ignition. "here's the official deal. this place is some kind of hospice for unwed mothers. they also take in orphans, or so he thinks. according to him, no american women have ever had anything to do with the place, which is probably why i'd never heard of it." he glanced at me as we sped off. "you happy now? debriefing young army dudes is a specialty of mine, so i think that's probably the straight scoop." "did you ask if it's connected with something in the peten?" i was still hoping. in any case, whatever it was, i was collecting more pieces of the puzzle. "hey, give me a break." he shifted up, gaining speed. "i know when to push, and this wasn't the precise moment. the kid was itchy enough as it was. like, who the fuck are you, gringo, and what are you doing here? i got all i could get without a cold _cerveza_." he glanced over. "you ask me, a little gratitude wouldn't be entirely out of place." "okay. _muchas gracias, amigo_. happy now?" "ecstatic." the jeep was open and i checked out the sky, which was growing darker and more threatening by the minute. the promised foul weather still seemed to be just that, promised but it was definitely on the way. alan dupre must really be scared. finally i leaned back in the torn plastic seat and closed my eyes. was this ninos del mundo the latin branch of children of light? the place where alex goddard's babies came from? considering the interest colonel ramos had in my movie, the army jeeps could be a tip-off. also, there seemed to be an even chance that barry morton was involved somehow. but it was all still guesswork. and anyway, this wasn't the place sarah had put on her landing card. _that _ninos del mundo was somewhere up north, hidden in the rain forest. ready or not, sar, hang on. chapter nineteen "what did he say?" i asked, not quite catching the burst of rapid-fire spanish from the cockpit. the explosion of expletives had included the word _navegacion_. something about malfunction. god help us. alan dupre's helicopter reminded me of the disintegrating taxis on guatemala city's potholed streets. the vibration in the passenger compartment was so violent it made my teeth chatter. my stomach felt like it was in a cocktail shaker, and the deafening roar could have been the voice of hell. i was staring out the smudgy plastic window, where less than three hundred meters below i could just make out the top of the peten rain forest of northwest guatemala sweeping by beneath us. so this was what it looked like. dense and impenetrable, it was a yawning, deciduous carpet enveloping the earth as far as the eye could see--if something ten stories high could be called carpet. i'd been in the forests of india's kerala and seen some of the denser growth in southern mexico, but this was like another planet. the main problem was, a violent downpour, the leading edge of the hurricane, was now sweeping across the yucatan, stirring up the treetops of the jungles below. the rain, which had begun in earnest about ten minutes after we got airborne, had been steadily increasing to the point it was now almost blinding. this was the risk i'd chosen to take, but let me admit right here: the weather had me seriously scared, my fingernails digging into the armrests and my pulse erratic. and now was there something else? we'd only been in the air for thirty-five minutes, and already we had some kind of mechanical issue looming? what was left to go wrong? "some of the lights went out or something." dupre tried a shrug. "i'm not sure. no big deal, though. this old bird always gets the job done." his pilot, lieutenant villatoro, formerly of the guatemalan army, had just shouted the new development back to the cabin. "probably nothing. don't worry about it." don't worry about it! his "tourist" helicopter was a guatemalan candidate for the air & space museum, an old bell uh- d patched together with chicle and corn masa. surely the storm was pushing it far beyond its stress limits. "right, but what exactly--?" "sounds like the nav station." he clicked open his seat belt. "something . . . who knows? if you'd be happier, i'll go up and look." i felt my palms go cold. "doesn't seem too much to ask, considering." the world down below us was a hostile mélange of towering trees, all straining for the sky, while the ground itself was a dark tangle of ferns, lianas, strangler vines, creepers--among which lurked olympic scorpions and some of the earth's most poisonous snakes. if we had to set down here--i didn't even want to think about it. to lower a helicopter into the waves of flickering green below us would be to confront the hereafter. "it's just the lights, like he said." dupre yelled back from the cockpit's door, letting a tone of "i told you to chill out" seep through. he was peering past the opening, at the long line of instruments. he followed his announcement with a sigh as he moved back into the main cabin. "relax." i wasn't relaxed and from the way his eyes were shifting and his gauloise cigarettes were being chain-smoked he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. in his case it wasn't just the weather. he was fidgeting like a trapped animal, giving me the distinct sense he was doing someone's invisible bidding and was terrified he might fail. "well, why don't you try and fix it?" was he trying to act calm just to impress me? "can't you bang on the panel or something?" "okay, okay, let me see what i can do. jesus!" he edged back into the cockpit, next to villatoro. the wind was shaking us so badly that, even bent over, he was having trouble keeping his balance. then he halfheartedly slammed the dark instrument readouts with the heel of his open hand. when the effort produced no immediate electronic miracle, he settled into the copilot's seat. "_que pasa_? " he yelled at villatoro, his voice barely audible over the roar of the engine and the plastering of rain on the fuselage. then he looked out the windscreen, at the torrent slamming against it, and rubbed at his chin. "_no se, mi comandante_," the guatemalan shouted back. i sensed he was hoping to sound efficient and unperturbed. dupre claimed his pilot had personally checked out the bell and prepped it. now, though . . . "_mira_. like i said the lights. on the nav station. maybe the electrical--" "how about the backup battery?" dupre was just barely keeping his cool. villatoro scratched his chin. "i'll tell you the truth. the backup is _muerto_. i tested it before we left, but i couldn't find any replacements in provisiones. i figure, no problem, but now, amigo . . ." i felt another wave of dismay, right into my churning stomach. "well, keep your heading north." dupre's voice was coming from a place of extreme pain. "and if you sight the rio tigre, then _baalum_ or whatever should be more or less due west, according to what i'm assuming. just keep your eyes open." he paused. "problem is, with all this rain, the river's going to be tough to make out." i redoubled my efforts to peer out the window, searching, my breath coming in bursts. still nothing. dear god, what now? finally dupre headed back, bracing himself against the firewall as he crouched and passed through the door into the main cabin. when he settled into the seat across from me, he was glaring at me as though everything was my fault. "you know." he was yelling again. "i'm beginning to think maybe we ought to try to find a clearing and just sit out this crap till morning." he leaned over and peered down through the bell's spattered side windows at the dense tangle of growth below. after a moment he got up and once more moved the toward the cockpit, still with the same troubled look. this time, however, he was beaming as he shouted back. "there may be a god after all. i think we just intersected the rio tigre. we can bear due west now, along the river. we could be getting close, if it's where i think it is." i turned and stared down again, barely making out the thread of the stream through the rain. yes! maybe there's hope. still, below us the windblown treetops were a solid mass of pastel sparkles, a dancing sea of hungry green . . . but then i thought i saw something. hey! it might even be a clearing. i quickly unbuckled and made my way up to the cockpit, hanging on to anything i could grasp. "alan, look," i yelled, and pointed off to the side, out through the rain-obscured windscreen. "i think we just passed over something. back there. see?" "where?" he squinted. "you can still just make it out." i twisted and kept pointing. i was biting my lip, trying to hold together. "there . . . it looks like some kind of clearing. maybe . . . i don't know, but what if we just set down there and let this storm blow over?" he ordered villatoro to bank and go back for a look. a few moments later it was obvious there was an opening in the trees. "yeah, let's check it out." he then said something to villatoro and we started easing toward it, definitely a wide opening. the billowing ocean of trees below us seemed to be parting like the red sea as we settled in. there had to be solid ground down there somewhere. had to be. "what's . . ." i was pointing. "there, over to the side, it's a kind of hill or something. it's--" "where?" dupre squinted again, his voice starting to crack. then he focused in. "yeah, maybe there's something there. hard to tell what it is, though. but i guess we're about to find out." he gestured to the lieutenant, barking an order in quick spanish. while the bell kept moving lower through the opening, dupre flicked on the landing lights, and appeared to be muttering a prayer of thanks. i was staring out, growing ever more puzzled. a "hill" was there, all right. the problem was, it was definitely man-made, topped by a stone building. i could just make it out in the glare of the lights. "what do you think that is?" "what do i think?" dupre studied the scene for a moment longer, and then his face melted into the first smile i'd seen since we left. "i think we are lucky beyond belief. god help us, we may have found it. that could be the damned pyramid or whatever's supposed to be up here." he leaned back. "yeah, congratulations. look at that damned thing. either this is the place, or we're about to become the archaeologists of the year. cover of _time_. the nobel frigging prize." at that moment i almost wanted to hug alan dupre, but not quite. instead i moved farther into the cockpit, trying to get a look out the windscreen. by then we had lowered well through the opening in the trees, the helicopter's controls fighting against the blowing rain, and it felt as though we'd begun descending into the ocean's depths in a diving bell, surrounded by thrashing, wind-whipped branches. now, though, i was staring at the ghostly rise of the pyramid emerging out of the rain. "it looks brand new." "yeah, the whole place is 'jungle disneyland' remember? except this deal ain't about mickey mouse, believe me. there's plenty of army hanging out around here." lieutenant villatoro took us ever lower, gently guiding the chopper's descent, and now we were only a few feet above the ground. there certainly was no mistaking what was around us, even with the blowing rain. the pyramid loomed over one side of a large plaza, a big paved area that was mostly obscured from the skies since the swaying trees arched over and covered it from aerial view. "okay, we're about to touch down." dupre was clawing at his pocket, yearning for a cigarette. "so if you still want to get out, move over by the door. i'll disengage the main rotor once we're on the ground." as we settled in, the rotor began to cause surface effect, throwing a spray off the paving stones, which now glistened under the cold beam of the landing lights. and looming above us, off to the right, was a stepped pyramid in the classic mayan style. we all lapsed into silence as the bell's skids thumped onto the stones. the ex-army pilot, villatoro, kept glancing over at the pyramid as though he didn't want to admit even seeing it. did he know something alan and i didn't? this was the moment i'd been bracing for. i was increasingly convinced somebody wanted me to see this place, whatever it was, but now what should i do? well, the first thing was to dip my toe in the water, do a quick reconnoiter on the ground. if this really was _baalum_, dupre's maya disneyland, could it also be part of alex goddard's clinic of "miracles," the location sarah called ninos del mundo? if i knew that for sure, then i could start figuring how to find out if she was here--as i suspected--and get her out of his clutches. maybe the see-no-evil embassy might even be prodded into helping an american citizen for a change. "i'm getting out, to look around a little, but not till you turn off the engine. i want to be able to use my ears." "all right, but don't take all day. this kind of weather, i want to keep it warm." he turned to villatoro and shouted the order. in the sheets of pounding rain, i figured that no one could have heard us come in. that, at least, was positive. when the rpm's of the engine had died away, i clicked open the bell's wide door, slid it back, and looked around. in the glare of the landing lights i realized at once that the stones were old, weathered, and worn, but the grout that sealed them was white and brand new. the plaza was free of moss, clean as the day it was done--which did not appear to be all that long ago. above me, the pyramid, continuous recessed tiers of glistening stones, towered into the dim skyline of trees. i stepped out onto the pavement, holding my breath. the plaza was almost football-field in size, reminding me of an italian piazza. around me the rain was lessening slightly, and as my eyes adjusted . . . my god. there wasn't just a pyramid here; through the sparkle of raindrops at the edge of the helicopter's lights i could see what looked like a wide cobblestone walkway leading into the dense growth just off the edge of the square, probably toward the south, away from the river, connecting the plaza with distant groups of small, thatch-roofed houses, set in clusters. . . . could alex goddard's "miracle" clinic be in some collection of primitive huts? it made no sense. but i decided to try to get a closer look. i'd walked about thirty feet away from the helicopter, across the slippery paving, when i saw a flash of lightning in the southeast, followed by a boom of thunder that echoed over the square. at least i thought it was thunder. or maybe the army was holding heavy artillery practice somewhere nearby. abruptly the rain turned into a renewed torrent, and the next thing i heard was the helicopter's engine start up again. then i sensed the main rotor engage, a sudden "whoom, whoom, whoom" quickly spiraling upward in frequency. hey! i told him not to--! when i looked back at the bell's open door, dupre was standing there, frantically searching the dark as he heaved out my tan backback and what looked like a rolled-up sleeping bag, both splashing down onto the rain-soaked paving. what! for a moment i thought the thunder, or whatever it was, must have completely freaked him. then what was actually happening hit me with a horrifying impact. "alan, wait!" i started dashing back, but now the main rotor was creating a powerful downdraft, throwing the rain into me like a monsoon. by the time i managed to fight my way through the spray, the rotor was on full power and alan dupre and his bell were already lifting off. i reached up, and just managed to brush one greasy skid as he churned away straight upward into the rainy night. "you shit!" i yelled up, but my final farewell was lost in the whine of the engine. my god, i thought, watching him disappear, i've just been abandoned hundreds of miles deep in a central american rain forest. then it all sank in. whoever had gotten to him was playing a rough game. they didn't want me just to see _baalum_, they wanted me delivered here. probably to secure me in the same place sarah was. colonel ramos, or whoever had frightened dupre into bringing me, had wanted us both. so what now? were we both going to be "disappeared"? staring around at the pyramid and the empty square, i could feel my heart pounding. then i tripped over the rolled sleeping bag and sank to my knees there in the middle of the rain-swept plaza, soaked to the skin and so angry i was actually trembling. up above me, alan dupre, king of two-timers, had switched off his landing lights, and a few moments later the hum of the bell was swallowed by the night sounds of the forest--the high-pitched din of crickets, the piercing call of night birds, the basso groan of frogs celebrating the storm. and something else, an eerie sense of the unnatural. i can't explain it. even the night songs of the birds felt ominous, the primeval forest reasserting its will. it was haunting, like nature's mockery of my desolation. i pounded the sleeping bag and felt . . . shit, how did i let this happen? get a grip. i finally stood up and looked around. maybe when god wants to do you up right, she gives you what you want. you used alan dupre just like you intended: he got you here. but there's more to the plan of whoever's holding his puppet strings. so the thing now is, don't let yourself be manipulated any more. get off your soggy butt and start taking control of the situation. . . . that was when i sighted a white form at the south, forested edge of the plaza. what! i ducked down, sure it was somebody lurking there, waiting to try to beat me to death as they had sarah. did ramos intend to just murder me immediately? but there was no getting away. if i could see them, they surely could see me. and where would i escape to anyway? i dug my yellow plastic flashlight out of my backpack and my hand shaking, flicked it on. the beam, however, was just swallowed up in the rain. all right. i strapped on the pack and taking a deep breath, threw the rolled sleeping bag over my shoulder and headed across the slippery paving toward the white, which now glistened in the periodic sheets of distant lightning. meet them straight on. try and bluff. when i got closer, though, i realized what i was seeing was actually just the skin of a jaguar, bleached white, the head still on, fearsome teeth bared which had been hung beside the paved pathway. thank god. but then, playing my light over it, i thought, bad sign. my first encounter at _baalum_ is with a spooky, dead cat. it felt like a chilling omen of . . . i wasn't sure what. i studied it a moment longer with my flashlight, shivering, then turned and headed quickly across the plaza toward the pyramid now barely visible in the rain. if there were jaguars, or god knows what else, around i figured i'd be safer up at the top. when i reached the base and shined my light up the steps, i saw they were steeper than i'd thought, but they also looked to be part of some meticulous restoration and brand-new, probably safe to climb. and there at the top was a stone hut, complete with what appeared to be a roof. good. if there hadn't been anything taller than it around i think i might have just climbed a tree. on the way up i began trying to digest what the place really was. the pyramid was "fake". . . or was it? a hundred years ago the eccentric brit archaeologist sir arthur evans whimsically "reconstructed" the palace of minos on crete with his own money, and it's still a tourist highlight. so why couldn't somebody do the same with a reclaimed mayan pyramid in central america? still, this was different, had the feel of being somebody's crazed obsession. as i topped the steps, i realized the building that crowned the pyramid was also a "restoration" like everything else, including a decorated wooden lintel above the door that looked to be newly lacquered. bizarre. i moved through the door and unloaded my gear, then extracted my water bottle, now half-empty, for a pull. finally i unrolled alan dupre's sleeping bag on the (dry) stone floor, removed and spread out my wet clothes, peed off the edge, then took a new pair of underpants, jeans, and shirt out of my backpack, donned them, and uneasily crawled in. i was shivering--whether from the soaking rain or from fright, i didn't know--and my teeth were trying to chatter. was i hidden away enough to be safe? i didn't know. all i did know was, i was in something deeper than i'd ever been in my life, and i had no idea how i was going to get out. and i was both scared to death and angry as hell. sarah was here, though, i was certain. like a sixth sense, i could feel her presence, out there somewhere in the rain. for a moment i was tempted to just plunge into the storm looking for her, but a split second's reflection told me that was the stupidest thing i could do. instead, i should try and get some rest, till the storm cleared, and keep periodic watch on the plaza in case somebody showed up. then, the minute there was light, i'd hit the ground and go find her. i suppose nothing ever happens the way you plan. my mind was racing and my nerves were in the red, but i was so exhausted from the teeth-rattling trip in the bell i couldn't really stay alert very long. in spite of myself, i eventually drifted off into a dreamless doze, a victim of the narcotic song of wind in the giant cebia trees and the insistent drumming of forest rain on the roof. chapter twenty i awoke as a sliver of sun flashed through the stone doorway of the room and forest birds erupted around me in celebration. as i pulled myself up and moved over to the opening, a quick tropical glare burned into my face. my god, the dawn was electric; it was the purest blue i'd ever seen, a swath of artist's cobalt. an azure radiance from the sky glistened off the rain forest leaves around me. had i dreamed the stormy, haunted world of the night before? when i looked down, everywhere below me was a bank of dense, pastel mist. was the plaza really there or had i imagined it? i felt like the top of the pyramid was floating on a cloud. "babylon." that was what sarah had called this place. ancient and mysterious. i took a breath of the morning air and wondered what would draw her back here. was _baalum _the ultimate escape from her other life? even so . . . why would she want to return after somebody had tried to murder her? what was waiting down there in the fog? turning back, i noticed that the room's inside walls were embossed with rows and rows of classic mayan glyphs, like little cartoon faces, all molded in newly set plaster. to my groggy sight they seemed playful, harmless little caricatures, though next to them were raised bas-reliefs of warriors in battle dress. it was both sublimely austere and eerie, even creepy. i knelt down and rolled my sleeping bag, trying to clear my head. then i stuffed my still-moist clothes into my backpack and thought about the river, the rio tigre, down somewhere at the back of the pyramid. and i felt my pulse rate edging up. the first thing i wanted to do was see it in the light of day. it had been sarah's way out, the only thing i knew for sure she'd touched. get going and do it. i headed through the rear door and down the back steps. when i reached the ground, the dense forest closed in around me, but i was certain the river lay dead ahead, through the tangle of trees. as i moved down a path that grew ever steeper, the canopy up above thickened, arching over me till it blotted out the pure blue of the sky. and the air was filled with nature sounds--birdcalls, trills, songs, and clacks, all mingled with the hum and buzz of insects. then suddenly, from somewhere up in the canopy, a pack of screeching spider monkeys began flinging rotten mangos down in my direction. i also thought i heard the asthmatic, territorial roar of a giant howler monkey, the lord of the upper jungle. and what about snakes? i kept an eye on the vines and tendrils alongside the path, expecting any moment to stumble across a deadly fer-de-lance, a little red-and-black operator whose poison heads straight for your nervous system. on the other hand, the birds, the forest birds, were everywhere, scarlet macaws and keel-billed toucans and darting flocks of amazon parrots, brilliant and iridescent, their sweeping tails a psychedelic rainbow of green, yellow, red. then the next thing i knew, the path i was on abruptly opened onto a mossy expanse of pea-soup green, surely the rio tigre, and . . . my god, those dark-brown bumps scattered everywhere . . . they're the eyes and snouts of . . . yes, crocodiles, lurking there in wait, hoping i'm dumb enough to wade in. forget what alan dupre said. this is definitely not "disneyland." then i glanced upstream and caught sight of a string of mahogany dugout canoes tied along the shore. they were huge, about fifteen feet long and three feet wide, and clearly designed to be crocodile-resistant. they . . . wait a minute. lou said sarah was found in a dugout canoe that had drifted all the way down the rio tigre to where it joins the usumacinta. one more clue she might have been here. maybe i was closing in. _yes!_ i glared back at the crocodiles' unblinking reptile eyes and tried to get my mind around the fact sarah could have stood right where i was standing, or been set adrift from here in a coma, to float downstream. seeing that vision, i felt unbidden tears trailing down my cheeks. and the questions i had kept piling up. was this the location of alex goddard's "miracle" clinic? why was _baalum _such a high-security secret? what was the connection between this place and sarah's ravaged mind and body? i wanted to know all of it, and by god i would. this was the farthest i'd ever been from "civilization," though i was trying not to let that fact sink in too deeply. the water was green and full of small aquatic creations, but i managed to find a reasonably unmossy spot and--still keeping an eye on the leering crocodiles--splashed my face. it felt good, even if it was filthy. . . . okay, i'd seen enough of the river. i raised up and stretched. time to go. my hopes at war with my nerves, i turned my back on the scummy, fetid rio tigre and headed back up the jungle trail toward the plaza. when i got there, i was struck all over again by the vision of the pyramid. something like it might have been here originally, but in any case it had been completely redone, with newly cut yellowish stones and white lime plaster, an exotic castle nestled in the green lap of the rain forest, rising above the square like a haunting presence. it must have been well over a hundred feet high, a stone wedding cake with a dozen steep tiers between the ground and the platform at the top, which also was square and roughly fifteen feet on the side. standing there gazing at it, i think i'd never felt more disoriented. sarah, sarah, how could we both end up here, at the last outpost of the known world? but seeing is believing. i took a deep breath, then turned down the pathway toward the thatch-roofed huts. through the mist it was gradually becoming clear that _baalum_ actually was a village, and a sizable one. the walkway led past a string of clearings, each with clusters of one-room huts built in the ancient, classical style, with walls of mud over rows of vertical saplings, their roofs and porches peaked with yellow-green thatch weathering to browns and grays. the structures, outlined starkly against the towering green arbor of the forest above, were grouped around paved patios. it all was neat and meticulous, like a jungle brigadoon. although the effects of the storm were everywhere--blown thatch and bamboo--i still felt as if i'd fallen into a time warp where clocks had gone backward. what . . . ? then i began to catch the outlines of people, as though they had materialized out of the pale fog. all pure maya, short and brown, shiny black hair, they appeared to be just going about their daily lives. i was approaching a workshop area where, under a wide thatch shade, men with chipped-flint adzes were carving bowls, plows, various implements from mahogany and other rain forest woods. next to them, potters were fashioning brown clay jugs. they all were wearing white loincloths and a large square cotton cloth knotted around their shoulders, their hair tied back in dense ponytails. it must have been how the maya looked a thousand years ago. their earnestness reminded me of the villagers i once filmed in the yucatan for the discovery channel--with one big difference: there i was the big-shot gringo; here i felt like a powerless time traveler. the sense of being lost in another age was as compelling as the "colonial" mock-up at williamsburg, but this was real and it was decidedly spooky. finally one of the men looked up and noticed me. our eyes locked for an instant--it seemed like forever--and then he reached over and, in a way that seemed breathless, shook the man next to him, gesturing toward me. together they gazed back as though viewing a phantom, their brown faces intent, and then they turned and called out to the others, alerting them. what are they going to do with me? i wondered with a sudden chill. a stranger here in their hideaway midst. would they just turn on me? find some women. get off the street. i turned and headed as fast as i could down the cobblestone central path, till i saw a cluster of females on a whitewashed stone porch, long hair falling over their shoulders as they bent to their tasks beneath the thatch overhangs. some were stirring rugged clay pots of corn soaking in lime; others were grinding the softened maize to tortilla thinness on wide granite platters. behind them was another group that appeared to be part of a sewing commune, young wives busy at their back-strap looms, layering thread after thread of dyed cotton. none of them was wearing a _huipil_--the traditional multicolored blouse i'd remembered from the waitresses in the restaurant. instead, they all had on a kind of handloom-woven white shift i'd never seen before. talk to them. let them know you're no threat to anybody. as i moved down the hard clay pathway toward them, two looked up and took notice. their first reaction seemed to be alarm, as they tensed and stared. but then i tried a smile and it seemed to work. their looks turned to puzzlement, then embarrassed grins, as though they wanted to be friendly but weren't sure how to acknowledge my presence. when i reached the porch, several reached out to touch me. one older woman, short and wizened and extremely brown, even tried to stroke my hair. what was going on? i was taken aback, but i also was determined to get through to them. why not just ask them point-blank if sarah's here? is there any chance they understand spanish? "_buenos dias_." i smiled and nodded. "_dispenseme. quiero descubrir . . . esta una gringa de los estados unidos aqui? _" they all returned uncomprehending looks, then glanced quickly at each other in confusion. or at least that was how i read their faces. "sarah," i said, pronouncing the name slowly. "sarah crenshaw." "sara," one voiced, then others. they backed away and immediately began a heated dispute, which eventually involved all the women. well, one thing was for sure: they damned well knew who i was asking about. but why were they so upset? next, several of them grew testy, pointing at me as they continued to argue. finally the two i'd first approached turned and began urging me to leave, gesturing at me with their hands as though sweeping me out of the compound. yes, there was no mistaking. i was being dismissed. and i detected an odd nervousness as they glanced around, seemingly worried somebody might catch me there with them. i got the feeling they'd finally decided they didn't want me anywhere near them, since they kept pointing down the thoroughfare in the direction of the pyramid. i've blown it, i thought. they must have figured out i'm here to get her and decided they no longer want to have anything to do with me. what did that mean? and now what do i do? as i retreated back out to the main walkway, i felt a growing sense of defeat. then, looking down it, i realized i'd literally been going in a circle. it was actually a large oval that curved back to the main square and the pyramid, where i'd started from. god, what a nightmare. i obviously had to rethink my game plan, find a way to communicate. and on top of that, i was dying of thirst. i fished out the almost-empty plastic container from my backpack, then walked across the square and settled myself on the first step leading up the steep front. as i drew on the bottle, my mind still swirling, i happened to notice an upright stone slab off to the side, like a tall, thin tombstone, with a bas-relief of a maya warrior on it, next to some kind of two-headed serpent god--probably kukulkan, one of the few maya deities i knew. and then, down the side, were rows of lines and dots. i studied them a minute before realizing it was the classical mayan number system, telling precisely when things happened to the ruler shown there: born on such and such a date, assumed the kingship, won great battles, etc., all carefully dated as career high-points. i knew that dots represented single years, horizontal lines the number five. the maya loved numbers and numerology, so . . . that was when i glanced up to see a group of women approaching slowly across the square, with a bunch of the men watching from the forest arbors beyond, and they were huddled around something they were carrying. whatever it was, they seemed to be delivering it to me. then i realized they were the same ones who'd just kicked me out of their compound. what next? are they coming to drive me from the plaza too? should i try and forcibly search all the huts? but then they set down their load--it turned out to be a crude bamboo-and-thatch palanquin--and stepped aside as they beckoned me forward. for a moment i just stared, disbelieving. i felt like i was seeing someone i didn't want to recognize, perhaps because that someone looked so much like me. "morgy, they told me a new one was here, and i hoped it was you." sarah was swinging her skinny legs off the side, her voice bright. her face was drawn, but her hair was neat and her eyes were radiant. "isn't _baalum_ the most wonderful place you've ever seen?" she was wearing a white shift that reminded me of the blue hospital smock she'd had on the last time i saw her, except here it seemed more like something that had a special significance, like the robes of an acolyte. her shoes were soft brown slippers that looked brand-new, and around her waist was a braided leather band. as i stared at her, i wondered if she was really as transformed as she looked. she was undeniably stronger than two days ago, in spite of what that bastard alex goddard and his guatemalan army cronies had done to her to get her here. but still, she had to be half dead. thank god lou couldn't see her now. "sar, oh, sar." i rushed over and threw my arms around her. she'd been freshly bathed and perfumed--a fragrance like chocolate--but she felt like a bag of bones. "are you okay?" "i was afraid _baalum_ was all just a dream." she hugged me back, then started rising to her feet. god, could she walk? "but now i remember everything." "sar, i've come to take you home." i grasped her hand, warm and soft, to help her stand--though it wasn't necessary. "you're not safe--" "no, it's wonderful now" then she turned and said something to one of the women. it took me a moment to realize she was speaking their language; i guessed it was kekchi maya. i was stunned. how did she learn it? finally she looked back at me and switched to english again. "i didn't understand before. i was . . . sick so much." "sar, come on." i slipped my arm around her. "we're going to get you out of here." i'd never felt so helpless. alan dupre had said there was a road, but it was controlled by the army. right now, i didn't even know where it was. maybe i could find a phone, or radio. call the embassy. there must be something. alex goddard has to be here somewhere, but he's not going to stop me. i'll strangle him if he tries. i hugged her again, the feel of her skin-and-bones frame making my soul ache. but most hurtful of all, i wasn't sure she would want to leave. "sar, can you understand me?" i tried to catch her deep blue eyes. "i'm taking you home. your father's very worried about you." mention of lou seemed to finally get through to her. she turned and examined me with a quizzical look, and then her eyes hardened. "morgy, he was never there for me." her voice was filled with certainty, and pain. "but when i went to see dr. goddard he let me come here for the ceremony. it's so spiritual. after--" "sar, come on." what did she mean by "ceremony"? whatever it was, i had to get her out of this place. immediately. "we've--" "are you here for the ceremony?" her face flooded with renewed joy. "it's two days from now. maybe he'll let you--" "she should be resting." it was a harsh voice, directly behind us. i recoiled, then whirled around. three men were standing there, two of them young privates in uniforms of the guatemalan army and carrying ak- assault rifles, the ones with the long, ominous curved clip steve called _cuerno de cabrio_, the "horn of the goat." the third was in a black sweatshirt and black jeans, his long salt-and-pepper hair tied back in a ponytail. "they should have known better than to bring her out here," alex goddard said. "not in her condition." the bastard. it was all coming together in my mind. he'd tried to kill her once before, and now he was going to finish the job. but he'd have to kill me first. "i'm here to take her home." i marched up to him. "you're not about to get away with kidnapping. i'm going to get the embassy to--" "she's here for important medical reasons." he met my eyes. "i hope you'll allow me the opportunity to help her." "what do you mean, 'help'?" "i'll explain if you'll give me a chance." he revolved and delivered some brusque orders in kekchi maya to the women, who nodded apologetically and began helping sarah back onto the palanquin. after he admonished her in the same language, he then said something in quick spanish to the two young army privates, who gave him a firm salute, turned, and walked over to pick the palanquin up, to carry it for the women. the sense of authority he exuded reminded me of that first morning we met at quetzal manor. his eyes flashed from benign to demanding to benign in an instant. "no, damn it, _alto_!" i strode over, shoved the soldiers aside, and took her hand. "sar, honey, don't you understand what's going on? something terrible happened to you when you were here before. i'm so worried--" "but he says i need to stay, morgy." she drew back. "it's best. he's helping me." as i watched the two privates carry her away, down the cobblestone pathway, ak- 's swung over their shoulders, i felt my helplessness become complete. the army here was under his control, just like everything else. how was i going to tell lou about this, that sarah had been brainwashed? whatever alex goddard had done to her had turned her into some kind of "moonie," ready to denounce her own father. so now did i have two battles to wage: one with alex goddard and one with her? then he walked over to me. "i'm not going to ask how you got here, though i assume it wasn't easy." he smiled, like a kindly priest, and put his hand on my shoulder. "but however you did it, i'm glad you decided to come. it's important for you to be here. she needs you now." chapter twenty-one "cut the crap." i pulled away, still in shock from seeing sarah so addled. i wanted more than anything else in the world just to slug him. "why did you bring her here? think about your answer. kidnapping is a serious crime in the states." "i've been very concerned about her." he looked up at the groves of cebia trees around the square, a quiet glance, as though to inhale the misty morning air. my legal threat had gone right past him--probably because here he was the only law. "but now she's receiving the treatment she needs. i expect she'll be fine before long." "treatment?" i was caught off guard. okay, let's start getting things straight. "when she was here before, somebody tried to beat her to death. how--?" "what happened then was beyond my control." he motioned me to join him as he settled onto the first step of the pyramid sadness in his eyes. we were alone in the square now, and i felt like i'd become his personal prisoner, trapped. "sarah was . . . is very dear to me. i care for her deeply." "you cared so much for her she ended up in a coma, over on the mexican border." i didn't sit. instead i just bored in, hoping to stare him down, but his eyes had grown distant, that little trick he had of alternating between intimacy and remoteness. again it reminded me of that first morning we'd met, looking out over the bluffs of the hudson. "if you'll let me, i'd like to try and tell you something of the circumstances surrounding that tragedy." he was gazing off in the direction the women had gone. "you see, when sarah first appeared at quetzal manor in new york, she was a very troubled young woman. she declared she was a person of pure spirit and she wanted to have a baby without so much as touching a man, some procedure that would produce a divine child created of cosmic energy." cosmic energy. i had a flashback, hearing the words, to the time when she'd just turned six and we'd been sent by my mother to the hayloft to track down nests secreted there by rogue chicken hens. when we came across a cache of eggs, she asked if baby chicks came out of them. i assured her they did, and then she asked if human babies came from eggs too. my biology was pretty thin, but i told her i supposed they did, sort of, but then the eggs were probably hatched, or something, before babies were born. she thought about that a moment, scrunching up her face, then declared "no!" and bitterly began smashing the eggs. babies and all living things came from another world, she declared, a special place we could not see. they came directly from god. . . . that was why she would seek out someone like alex goddard. for her, he must have seemed a messenger of the unseen. who better to create a child for her? the ironic part was, i'd found him for almost the same reason, seeking a miracle when all else had failed. were sarah and i even more alike than i'd realized? "so i began trying to work with her." he was turning back to me. "but then i discovered she'd been born with an abnormality of the uterus. it has a medical name, but suffice to say it's very rare, and afflicts only about one woman in twenty thousand. even after my diagnosis, though, she refused to give up. she was a person of enormous tenacity." god, i thought. why didn't she come home to us, to lou and me? we loved her. i felt my guilt go out to her all over again. "she next declared she wanted to come here to _baalum_, to the place of miracles. i told her that, yes, miracles can sometimes transpire here, but only at a great price. we would need to have an agreement and she would have to keep it no matter what." "what do you mean, an agree--?" "truthfully, though," he went on, ignoring me, "i immediately regretted the offer, since i realized she was far too unstable for this . . . environment. finally i forbade her to come, but just before my next scheduled trip she found out and booked herself on the same flight. there was literally nothing i could do to stop her." "she put ninos del mundo on her landing card." i was growing sick to my stomach at the rehearsed way he was recounting her story. "that's this place, right? _baalum_." "my clinic here is known by that name. the village itself is called baalum." he was easily meeting my eye, holding his own in our battle of wills. "sarah was, i have to say, a very impressionable young person. once here, she forgot all about her purpose for coming. she should have stayed up the hill there"--he was pointing off to the south--"where i could care for her, but instead she moved down here, into the compounds. then she discovered a hallucinogenic substance they have here, began using it heavily, and i think it tipped her into a form of dementia." so, she was doing drugs, something i'd always secretly feared. well, maybe she was still having flashbacks of some kind; maybe that explained why she was off in another world when she came out of her coma. "what . . . kind of 'hallucinogenic substance'?" he sighed then shrugged and answered. "here in the rain forest there's an ugly three-pound toad the _bufo marinus_--you'll see them around, near sunset--that has glands down its back that excrete a milky white poison." i knew about them. they were migrating north now, even into florida. they were huge and looked like jabba the hutt in star wars. i hate toads of all varieties, but the thought of those monsters made me shudder. "my god, isn't their toxin lethal?" was sarah trying to destroy herself? was that why her mind was so blitzed? "i've heard--" "yes, it can kill you, but it can also--if processed correctly, with fermented honey--give you truly supernatural visions. the classical maya used it for ceremonial purposes. i'd managed to reconstruct how they prepared it, and--something i now deeply regret--i showed the shamans here how to replicate the procedure. at the time it was just a minor part of my research into traditional pharmacology, but she heard about it and persuaded them to give her a vial. then more and more." that did sound like sarah. always out on the edge, testing new realities. but then i thought a moment about what he'd actually said. some of the people here in his "place of miracles" were doing heavy drugs, and she'd got caught up in it. "but why didn't you stop her?" you unfeeling bastard. "i tried, believe me. but i'm afraid she was far past listening to me. by then she was learning the kekchi maya dialect, becoming totally immersed in their world. she began having episodes of complete non-rationality, and then one day she told the women in her compound she was going over to palenque, the maya ruins in mexico. it's where the classical maya held their last kingship ceremony. before anyone realized she was serious, she stole one of their _cayucos_, their mahogany dugout canoes, and headed down the rio tigre." his eyes had turned completely dark, the way he used to blank them out. "she just went missing. everyone here was devastated. we all loved her." i stood there weighing his story. it didn't ring true. i supposed she was capable of something that crazy, but would she have actually done it? i didn't think so. then i remembered something else he'd said. "you said you proposed an 'agreement.' what was that about?" he stared at me. "it's nothing that need concern us. suffice to say i kept my part. anyway, it's over and past now." why wouldn't he tell me? did she make some bargain with the devil? "but regarding sarah," he went on, "i only just learned she'd been found and brought to new york in a coma. wanting to do what i could, i immediately called the hospital and, out of professional courtesy, they told me she'd shown early stages of coming out of it, but she appeared to be hallucinating. it was exactly what i'd feared. . . ." his voice trailed off. "i hope i did the right thing, but when i learned she'd been released, i arranged for her to be brought back here, where perhaps i can do something for her." "what?" "in rare cases, the hallucinogen she took permanently alters critical synapses in the brain. i'm fearful she may have abused it to the extent something like that could have occurred. no one in the u.s. would have the slightest idea what to do, but i think i may know of an herbal antidote they turned to in ancient times that can repair at least part of the damage. i also knew that getting her back here through normal channels would be impossible." "so you had colonel ramos and a bunch of his guatemalan thugs just break in and take her?" i didn't know which part of the story horrified, and angered, me the most. "i have the misfortune to know him reasonably well, and i explained it was very important to me, and he agreed to assist. i honestly didn't know where else to turn. i understand there may have been some violence, for which i apologize, but these people have their own way of doing things." he rose and came over and put his hand on my shoulder. "i hope you'll understand." the son of a bitch was coming on oily and contrite, when he'd just subcontracted an outright kidnapping. i wanted to kill him. finally i walked away, trying to get a grip on my anger. "you know, that bastard also broke into my apartment and stole a reel of a picture i'm shooting." i turned back. "i've also got a strong feeling he's the one who just threatened one of the women i filmed." "well, if that happened, then let me say welcome to the paranoid harassment of the guatemalan high command." he sighed against the morning sound of birds chirping all around us. "unfortunately, i gather they've assumed you're documenting the operations of children of light in some way, doing a movie." his eyes drifted off into space, as though seeking a refuge. "you see, my project up here in the peten is to carry out pharmaceutical research with as few distractions as possible. but in guatemala city, i have what is, in effect, a hospice for girls in trouble--which is also called niiios del mundo, by the way--that's connected with my u.s. adoption service, children of light. however, any time niiios del mundo takes in an orphaned or abandoned infant and tries to provide it with a loving home through adoption in the states, the government here always threatens to hold up the paperwork if i don't give a bribe, what they call an 'expediting fee.' so if you were to probe too deeply . . . let me just say it's not something they'd care to see lead off minutes." it sounded like more bs, but i couldn't prove that. yet. "well, why don't you just clear that up, and then i'll take sarah and--" "but i've only now initiated her treatment. surely you want to give it a chance." i looked out at the rain forest. this was the place she'd come to once, and--though i'd never admit it to alex goddard--it was the place she'd announced she wanted to return to. but something devastating had happened to her mind here. what should i do? the fact was, i didn't trust alex goddard any farther than i could throw him. i had to get sarah and get us both out of here as soon as possible, though that meant i'd have to neutralize him and the army, and then use my limited american dollars to try to buy our way back to guatemala city. "but come." he turned his gaze toward the south. "let me show you the thing i'm proudest of here. it's just up there." he was pointing toward a dense section of the rain forest, in the opposite direction from the river and up a steep incline. i couldn't see anything but trees, but then i still had the feeling i'd stepped through the looking glass and found sarah trapped there. the next thing i knew, we were on an uphill forest trail, headed due south. "i think it's time you told me what's going on back there in the village," i said. what was it about this place that had seized such a claim on sarah's mind? "_baalum_ is difficult to explain to someone encountering it for the first time." he paused. "much of it is so--" "i think i can handle it." "you have every right to know, but i don't really know where to start." "how about the beginning?" why was he being so ambiguous? "very well." he was taking out a pair of gray sunglasses, as though to gain time. "it actually goes back about ten years ago, when i was prospecting for rainforest plants up here in the peten and accidentally stumbled across this isolated village, which clearly had been here since classical times. i immediately noticed a huge mound of dirt everybody said was haunted by 'the old ones,' and i knew right away it had to be a buried pyramid. they're more common down here than you'd think. so i struck a bargain with the village elders and acquired the site. but after i unearthed it and began the restoration, i became inspired with a vision. one day i found myself offering to restore anything else they could find--which eventually included, by the way, a magnificent old steam bath--in exchange for which they would help me by undertaking a grand experiment, a return to their traditional way of life." "so you deliberately closed them off to the modern world?" it told me alex goddard could control a mayan village just as he controlled everything else he touched. it also confirmed he had a weakness for the grandiose gesture. would a time come when i could exploit that? "i told them that together we would try to recreate the time of their glory, and perhaps in so doing we could also rediscover its long-lost spirit, and wisdom. on the practical side, they would help me by bringing me the rare plants i needed to try and rediscover the lost native american pharmacologies, and in return i would build them a clinic where families can come for modern pediatric and public-health services. so _baalum _became a project we share together. i call it a miracle." that still didn't begin to explain why it felt so eerie. something else was going on just under the surface. what was he really doing here? then the path uphill abruptly opened onto a clearing in which sat a large two-story building, its color a dazzling white, most likely plaster over cinder block, with a thatch roof and a wide, ornate mahogany door at the front. the building was nestled in a grove of trees whose vines and tendrils had embraced it so thoroughly, there was no telling how far it extended back into the forest. there also was a parking lot, paved and fed by a well-maintained gravel road leading south. seeing it, i felt an immediate wave of relief. even better, the lot itself contained half-a-dozen well-worn pickup trucks, while sunburned maya men were lounging in the shade of a nearby tree and smoking cigarettes. they were not from baalum. they wore machine-made clothes and they were speaking spanish, unlike the men in loincloths down in the village. yes! that's how i can get us out of here. a few dollars . . . parked there also was a tan humvee, the ultimate all-road vehicle, which i assumed belonged to alex goddard. maybe i should just try to steal it. as we passed through the door and into the vestibule of the building, i glimpsed a cluster of maya women and children crowded into a brilliantly lit reception area. goddard smiled and waved at them, and several nodded back, timorously and with enormous reverence. they were being attended by a dark-eyed, attractive maya woman in a blue uniform--the name lettered on her blouse was marcelina--who was holding a tray of vials and hypodermic needles. she was pure _indigena_, all of five feet tall, with broad cheekbones and deep-set penetrating eyes. unlike the other women in the room, however, there was no air of resignation about her. she was full of authority, a palpable inner fire. "one of my most successful programs here"--he nodded a greeting to her--"is to provide free vaccinations and general health resources for the villages in this part of the peten department." "i thought usaid already had public-health projects in guatemala." the sight deeply depressed me. they all looked so poignant, the women with their shabby _huipils_ and lined faces, the children even more disheartening, sad waifs with runny noses and watery eyes. which confirmed again that they'd come in the pickups parked outside, driven here by the men. i had six hundred cash in dollars. i could just buy one of those worn-out junkers for that. alex goddard glanced around, as though reluctant to respond in the presence of all the maya. "you saw those 'security guards' down there just now. they're nothing but boys with guns, 'recruits' kidnapped by the government on market day and pressed into the army. they're all around here. the powers that be in guatemala city are very threatened by what i'm achieving, so they've got these army kids hanging around, keeping an eye on me. they also hate the fact i can provide health services better than they can. but to answer your question, most of the aid money gets soaked up by the bureaucracy in guatemala city, so the people up here have learned to rely on me. the army, however, despises me and everything i'm doing." what a load of bs. you just admitted you had an inside track with colonel alvino ramos. anybody can see children of light or ninos del mundo, or whatever the hell other aliases you use, is thick as thieves with the guatemalan armed forces. don't insult my intelligence. it just makes me furious. i turned to marcelina. she'd begun passing out hard-sugar candies to the mesmerized children, showing them how to remove the cellophane before putting them into their mouths. though she was pure maya, she looked educated. i instinctively liked her. maybe she could tell me what was really going on here. "do you speak english?" "yes." she was gazing at me with a blend of curiosity and concern. "if--" "i've got a procedure scheduled shortly," goddard interjected, urging me on down the tiled hallway. "but i need to take a moment and recharge. come with me and we can talk some more." near the end of the hall, we entered a spacious, country-style kitchen. he walked over and opened the refrigerator. "care for a little something to eat?" he looked back, speckled white hair swinging across his shoulders as his ponytail came loose. "i had marcelina whip up some gazpacho last night and i see there's some left. it's my own secret recipe, special herbs from around here. it's good and good for you." "i'm not hungry." it wasn't true. i was growing ravenous. but i was repressing the feeling because of everything else that was going on. his "village" was holding back its secrets, and now his clinic of "miracles" also felt suspiciously wrong. i'd seen plenty of rural public-health operations in developing countries, and this setup was far too big and fancy. the whole thing didn't begin to compute. "as you like." he gave an absent shrug. i looked around and noticed that just off the kitchen was another space, which was, i realized, his private dining room. there was a rustic table in the center that looked like it had been carved from the trunk of a large cebia tree. i walked in, and moments later he followed carrying a tray with two calabash bowls of gazpacho and some crusty bread. "in case you change your mind and decide to join me." he placed a bowl opposite where he was planning to sit. "like i said, there're unusual herbs around here with flavors you've never dreamed of." he began eating, while behind him i glimpsed marcelina moving down the hall, carrying more trays of vaccine and headed out toward the vestibule again. i had to find a way to talk to her. as i settled into the rickety chair that faced my plate, i glanced down and saw a red lumpy mixture with a spray of indefinable green specks across the top like a scattering of jungle stars. no way. when i looked up again, he was swabbing his lips with a white napkin, his penetrating eyes boring in. "now," he said, "it's time we started concentrating on you. got you going with your program." chapter twenty-two "my program?" i stared back at him, feeling a jolt. with my thoughts completely focused on sarah, the last thing on my mind was my own baby. "now that you're here"--he smiled--"there's no reason we shouldn't proceed. this is, after all, a place of miracles." right. you let sarah destroy her mind and now you want me to . . . don't even think about it. "i have to tell you, i'm not overly impressed thus far with your 'program,' " i said. "first i passed out in your clinic, and then my doctor in new york told me those drugs ramala gave me are highly illegal, and for good reason." "what is 'legal' is more often than not the judgment of medical reactionaries." he dismissed the issue with a wave of his hand. "my work has moved far beyond anything the fda has ever dreamed of." then his look turned grave. "i hope you'll give me a chance to try to help you. i've been giving your case a lot of thought since our first examination, about what we should do. but first let me ask you . . . do you have a partner who could come here soon?" okay, maybe the thing to do was appear to play along for a while, move under his radar, and then get sarah and split. "it's a possibility." he smiled again. "excellent. if this person can come here to the clinic for a . . . deposit, then we could put you on a fast-track schedule." "one thing at a time. first i'd like to know exactly what it is you have in mind." would his "program" include stringing me out on the toad drug, the way he'd done with sarah? "of course." he leaned forward in his chair. "i believe that, given your history, an in-vitro procedure would have the highest chance of success. you undoubtedly know how it works. we remove a number of eggs by aspiration and grade them for maturity and viability, after which we fertilize them to begin embryos growing. then we pick the most promising for implantation." "in vitro is invasive and dangerous and there's a lot that can go wrong." i genuinely hated the idea. "to some extent." he examined his watch for a moment, then looked up. "but let me just say this. since any reproductive therapy, particularly in vitro, is strongly dependent on the factor of timing, i've developed experimental compounds down here that can regulate egg maturities very precisely. it minimizes a lot of uncertainties, which is why we're so lucky you're . . ." he paused. "look, the first thing we need to do is put you on a strict regimen of diet and spiritual discipline, using my system for regulating your chi, your energy flows. then, if you respond we can start thinking about the procedure. and should you eventually decide you want to go ahead and you can have your partner come here, we could possibly have everything done in just a few days." "well, you can forget about me taking any 'experimental compounds.' " how long could i stall him? "morgan, there's more to this." his look grew pained. "it's awkward to bring it up, but your presence here creates no small difficulty for me. i told you certain people in the military high command have concerns about the film you're making. and then the next thing they know, you show up here. it's just going to heighten their paranoia. but if i can convince them you're here for fertility treatment . . . in any case, it's important that nothing you, or i, do is at odds with that presumption. i hope it's true, but even if you chose to forgo it, i still need to put you on my normal regimen. you understand." that's baloney. somebody had me brought to _baalum_. whoever did it knows full well why i'm here. the problem is, i still don't know what they really want. "well, you can say i've come to take sarah home," i told him. "that seems reason enough." "the other story is simpler to explain." he took a last bite of gazpacho, then rested his pewter spoon on the table. "take my word for it." "and what if i don't choose to go along with this charade?" "we would both be in jeopardy. they're entirely capable of . . . things i'd rather not have to elaborate on." i sat there, feeling a chill envelop the room. how was i going to get out of this place? "by the way, a while ago sarah mentioned something about a 'ceremony.' what's that--?" "it's a special time here." his gaze shifted to the ceiling. "in fact, it's supposed to take place in three days, but the army has informed me it has to be two days from now. that's the day they rotate the troops here, so there'll be double strength." "but why do they need--" "things can get a bit frenzied." he smiled, though he seemed to be embarrassed. "however, the people will love the fact you're here to share it with them." did he say "frenzied"? my mind immediately flashed on the aztec rituals of ripping out beating hearts. but the maya didn't go to that extreme, at least so far as i knew. once again, though, i had the feeling i was only hearing what he wanted me to know, not the whole truth. it felt like a chess game where i didn't know the location of all the pieces or how they could move. "tell you what." he was getting up, turning toward the hall. "why don't you let me show you around the clinic? in fact, i'm scheduled to perform an in vitro this morning for a childless couple here. you're free to see it. perhaps that could help you make your own decision." "well . . . do you have a phone? i need to make some calls." would he let me call out? that would be a first test of what his intentions were. it was all getting so insidious. i had sarah to worry about, and the army, and now some kind of "ceremony" that he'd managed to stay cannily vague about. i only knew i wanted the whole world to know where i was. "of course," he said. "you're welcome to use my office." he was pointing down the hall. "it's right this way." yes! maybe i'm not completely his prisoner yet. i still have privileges. but i'd damned well better use them while i can. i walked out and felt a breeze, and then i studied the far end of the hallway, at the opposite end from the entrance, and noticed huge slatted windows. as we walked in their direction, i realized there was a stairway on one side, at the end of the hall, leading up to the second story of the building. "what's up there?" "hygenic nursery rooms." he glanced at the stairs. "unlike u.s. practice, new mothers here aren't sent home after a day or two. women and their newborns are encouraged to stay here at the clinic for at least a week. it's actually very much a part of their tradition, a period of bonding. you're welcome to visit with them later if you like." i intended to. in fact, i found myself looking around and trying to memorize everything about the place. a two-story building, a marble stair, a nursery upstairs, downstairs rooms along either side of the hallway (what was in them?), and an office i was about to see. could the clinic be locked down? what were the escape routes? how closely was the army watching? the time would come, i was sure, when i'd need every scrap of intelligence i could collect. when we reached the end of the hall, the fresh cool wind still blowing against my face, he stopped in front of a large, ornate wooden door with a brass knob in the very center. there was no sign of a lock, just a sense of great gravity about its purpose. "the phone's in here." he pushed the door and it slowly swung inward on hinges that must have required ball bearings. it was indeed an office, dimly lighted by the moving screen-savers of two computers, each on a separate desk. he flicked on the overhead lights and i noticed that one computer was hooked to a fax machine, the other to a separate printer. an impressive assembly of data-management technology for out here in the rain forest. then i focused on the central desk, on which sat an open, briefcase-looking box containing a mini-console labeled magellan world phone. a small satellite dish was bolted down next to it. "it uplinks to the inmarsat series geostationary satellites." he indicated the dish. "but it works like a regular phone. the international codes all apply." then he turned to leave. "i should be ready for the procedure in a few minutes." i picked up the handset and flicked it on. three green diodes flashed, then two yellow ones, after which a white light came on and i heard a continuous hum, a dial tone. hooray. but was his satellite phone tapped? why would he let me just call out? was this a feint in our game of cat-and-mouse, just to lull me into believing everything here was safe and benign? remembering sarah's drug experience, i already knew that couldn't be true. for now, though, i had to get an sos out while i had the chance. i'd long since memorized the number of steve's hotel in belize city, and if i could reach him, he could go the embassy in guatemala city and . . . i wasn't sure what. i still hoped to get out of here on my own, but if that failed . . . maybe some of those sturdy marines . . . when i dialed the belize number, however, the phone just rang and rang. come on. somebody please pick up. then they did. thank goodness. but when i asked for steve-- "so sorry, mon," came the proud caribbean voice, "but mr. abrams check out monday. early in the morning." "right, i know that. but he came back last night, didn't he?" "no, mon. he say he be coming back, to hold his room, but--" "he didn't come back?" i felt my palms go icy. who was going to know where sarah and i were? "what do you mean?" "he not coming back here, mon." the man paused and mumbled something to another clerk, then came back on. "nobody seen him since. you want leave a message, that's okay. but i don't know when--" "no." i didn't know what to say. the implication was only gradually sinking in. "no message. thanks anyway. i'll try back later." "any time, mon. no problem." i hung up, trying to stay calm. steve, where are you? okay, i told myself, you don't actually know something's wrong. it could be anything. still, it was very worrying. steve, my one and only . . . i was staring at the phone, wondering what my next move should be. whatever else, i've got to try to reach lou, tell him i've found sarah. but then what? he certainly wasn't going to be any help in getting us out. if he blundered his way down here, there was a real chance he'd misread the delicacy of the situation and end up getting us all "disappeared" by the army. but still, i had to tell him about her. i picked up the handset again, keyed in the u.s. country code, and tried the number for his place in soho. he'd said he was going to be released from st. vincent's today, so maybe he was home by now. the familiar ring jangled half a dozen times and then . . . "crenshaw residence." it was the irish tones of mrs. reilly, sarah's day nurse. hallelujah. i guessed she was there now taking care of lou. "uh, this is morgan james. mr. crenshaw's niece. remember? i came by. is he home yet? i need to talk to him." "he's resting, dear. i was just about to go out and get some things, milk and soup and the like." "so . . . dare i ask? how is he?" "he's weak, but i think he's going to be fine. if people will just let him be." "look, i hate to bother him, but it's really an emergency. i'm calling from guatemala." "oh. i truly don't know if he's awake, dear. he was napping a while ago." "could you . . . could you go and see? please. and take the phone?" "just a minute." she sounded reluctant, but i could hear her movements as she shuffled across the loft. i listened, wondering how long alex goddard was going to be away, and then a moment later . . . "yeah." there was a rustle as lou got a grip on his cordless. "morgan, is that you? where the hell are you now?" it took me a second to even find my voice, i was so thrilled to hear him. he sounded just like always. "hey, how's it going, champ?" i said. come on, lou. get well. fight. "i started having these migraines, but they gave me some medicine--" "listen." i cut him off, and immediately felt guilty i'd been so impatient. "i'm up in northern guatemala and i've found sarah." "oh, my god." that was followed by a long silence, probably an emotional meltdown. "is she all right?" what was i going to say? that she'd been brainwashed or worse by alex goddard? that we were both in his clutches, cut off from the world, and in deep, deep trouble? "she's able to stand," i said. i don't remember what white lies i eventually managed to tell him. i think it was something like, "she's being treated for a post-coma syndrome by a medical specialist. i've found out that when she was in guatemala before, she was given some very bad drugs, and someone here who knows about them is trying to reverse some of the damage." "alex goddard, right?" there was no bs-ing lou for very long. "that bastard." "lou, i'm going to get her out of here and back home as soon as possible. everything's going to be all right. don't worry. it's really too complicated to try and explain over the phone." "yeah, well, i'm coming. soon as i'm up. i'm gonna take that son of a bitch by the--" "don't. don't you go anywhere. i'm handling it, okay?" i heard him grunt, whether from pain or frustration i couldn't be sure. "lou, listen, i'm going to try and phone you every day. if i miss a day, then you should call the embassy down here. tell them you're fbi. that might get their attention. the place where i am, where sarah is, is named baalum. it's a . . . kind of village. in the northern peten department. i don't know if the u.s. has any clout up here, but that's where they should come looking." i got him to write it down, and then eased him off the line as gently as i could and hung up. i would have loved for him to be here, but i wanted to try to get sarah out by stealth if i could. and stealth was scarcely lou's style. my calls were one for two, and there still wasn't anybody to help me. the time had come to try david. i was having the glimmerings of a new strategy. it was lunchtime in new york, but on wednesdays he usually just had a sandwich at his desk. maybe i could catch him. "hello," declared the british female voice he'd put on his machine, hoping it would sound like he had a classy secretary. "you've reached the office of david roth, president of applecore productions. we're sorry mr. roth is not available at this time to--" "david," i barked into the phone. "if you're there, pick up. this is morgan. i've got to talk to you." while the announcement kept running, noises erupted outside in the hall, voices and a clicking sound, as though something was being rolled along the tile floor. shit. was alex goddard about to walk in? my mouth went dry. come on, david, i know you're there, hiding--variety with a tuna salad on rye, extra pickle. dr. brown's cel-ray soda. "david damnit, pick up." i said it quieter this time, but i could feel my heart pounding. "this is an emergency." "morgy, don't!" he yelled as i heard the receiver being lifted. "jesus, i just walked in from the deli. listen, thank god it's you. drop whatever the hell you're not doing and get your butt in here. jerry reiner called, you know, the orion distribution deal--and he wants a rough cut of _baby love_ yesterday so he can pitch it to the suits on the fifth floor. we could be staring at financial success here. i hope you can handle the vulgarity of that." "david, you're not going to believe where i am," i began, working out my game plan as i went along, trying to sound cool and control my racing pulse. "i'm in northern guatemala, at a place that would make a terrific feature. it's like a maya theme park, deep in the rain forest. but it's real. i want you to contact the embassy and get them to grease the way for my crew to come here. this is too good to pass up." i thought about the costs and then added, "at least one camera and sound." one sure way to get sarah out was to blow the place open to the world. "what's . . . where are you again?" i gave him a glowing trailer of the williamsburg-like qualities of baalum--a beautiful, exciting recreation of times gone by that out-disneyed disney. the cable channels would be bidding for the footage. "hey, look, all things in time." he wasn't buying. "i'm talking an actual deal here. you know, money? fuck the jungle wonderland. you've got exactly one more day down there on the tarzan set, or wherever the hell it is, and then i'm gonna start finishing final cut on this damned picture myself. don't make me have to do that, morgy. this is not a drill. nicky russo came by again yesterday. he's fully prepared to call our note and impound your original negative. it's here, under lock and key, but we've got to get this project in the can and sold." "you touch a frame of my movie and i won't be responsible for my actions." god, he was missing my sos. "david do one thing for me, please. i can't tell you how important it is. i haven't explained everything. this situation is . . . it's very threatening. i need you to at least call the embassy down here and see if they'll send somebody. the army's all over the place and--" a loud noise intervened followed by complete, absolute silence. the diodes on the panel all began flashing yellow. "shit!" had alex goddard been listening in and decided to cut me off before i could get word to the embassy? i slammed the box and went for the usual maneuver: i cut the connection and tried again, but nothing. again, and still nothing. my hands were trembling. i'd just lost contact with the outside world. i was completely isolated in the middle of nowhere. how convenient. alex goddard let me tell a couple of people i was physically okay, and then he blocked the line. i exhaled settled into the padded chair next to the computers, and tried to think. david, david why wouldn't you listen? he was so excited he'd completely ignored my distress signal. nobody was going to come and help me get out of here. i gazed around the room, wondering what to do next. was there another phone, a radio, a box of flares, for godsake? that was when i spotted the outlines of another door--why hadn't i noticed it sooner?--this one steel, there on the left. alex goddard might walk in any second now, but i had to try to learn everything i could as fast as i could. what was going on besides what was going on? alert for any new sounds from outside, i quickly went over and tried the knob. it was locked tight. figured. now i really wanted to know what was in there. when i glanced around the office, i noticed a ring of keys on the desk. could he have forgotten them? more important, would i blow everything if he caught me snooping? in spite of his attempt at a cool veneer, he might go ballistic. i made a snap decision. take the chance and give them a try. my hands were so moist i had trouble holding the slippery keys, but finally i managed to shove in the first one. it went in, but nothing would turn. come on. i managed to wiggle the next one in, my hand trembling now, but again the knob wouldn't budge. footsteps outside marched up to the door and i stopped breathing, but then they moved on. hurry. i was rapidly losing hope when the fifth one slipped in and the knob turned. yes! taking a deep breath and working on a story in case alex goddard walked in, i clicked the lock and eased the door inward just enough to look inside. hello, what's this? the space was a fully equipped medical research lab. the lights were off, but like the office, it was illuminated by the glow of several crt screens stationed above a long lab bench. there also was a large machine, probably a gas chromatograph, with its own screen, flanked by rows of test tubes. finally, there was a large electronic microscope complete with video screen. one non-medical thing stood out, though: there in the middle of the workbench was a two-foot-high bronze dancing shiva presiding over whatever was going on. it was breath-takingly beautiful. so . . . what was the lord of the dance giving his blessing to? time to try and find out. now clanking noises were filtering in from out in the hall, along with the pounding of heavy boots, and my pulse jumped again. was the army coming to drag me away? just go in. do it. the crt screens were attached to black metal containers, their doors closed, that all were connected to a power supply, doubtless to maintain some temperature. it looked like goddard was incubating something in a carefully controlled environment. the whole arrangement was very carefully organized and laid out. finally i noticed a row of large steel jugs, six in all, near the back and covered with a sheet of black plastic, thin like a wrap. what could they be? some kind of special gas for use in the lab? voices in spanish drifted in from the hallway. a woman and a man were arguing about something. okay, get out of here. come back and check this out when nobody's around. i stepped back into the office, clicked off the thumb latch on the door so it wouldn't lock, and closed it. i realized i was pouring sweat. what next? well, see if the phone's working again and try calling the camino real and see if steve's come back there for some reason, maybe a change in plans. it would be a long shot, but still . . . my hand was shaking as i opened up the phone case. thank god, the diodes were all quiet. maybe . . . the steel door i'd closed only moments before swung open and alex goddard walked through. did he realize i'd left it unlocked? how did he get in there? was there another door? he'd changed clothes and was wearing a pale blue surgical gown. i shut the phone case, as though just finishing with it. could he tell i'd turned myself into a nervous wreck? i tried to smile and look normal, but my shirt was soaking. "ah, i see you're finished," he said, not seeming to notice. "good. as i said, i've got an in-vitro procedure scheduled now for one of the couples here in the village. you're welcome to observe. it might help you decide what you want to do in your own case." he was moving across the room. "you can watch on the closed circuit." he reached up and snapped on a monitor bolted to the wall in the corner. "oh, just one small word of forewarning." he was turning back. "down here i've made certain . . . cosmetic changes in the procedure to keep patients' anxiety levels as low as possible. it wouldn't be appropriate in your case, but . . . well, you'll see." before i had time to wonder what he meant, he disappeared back through the steel door with a reassuring smile. chapter twenty-three the monitor's picture was in color, but the predominant hue was brown. where was this? the or had to be somewhere in the clinic, but still . . . the space looked flawlessly sterile, obviously an operating theater, but it was certainly like none other on earth. the walls were not white or pale blue; they had the shade of stone and were decorated with maya picture writing and bas-reliefs. it was as though a sacred chapel had been converted into a surgery. i guessed this was what he meant by "cosmetic changes." a door was visible on the right side of the screen, and moments later alex goddard strode through, coming in from the hallway. so, it must be right next door. god, the place looked ancient and haunted. i watched as he walked over to a basin and scrubbed his hands, then donned a white surgical mask. next he flipped various switches on the walls. finally he put on a second mask that glistened like some green crystalline material. what was that for? then it hit me. a "jade" mask . . . that was something sarah had mentioned in her ramblings. so she must have seen this too. which meant. . . not everything she described was just some drug-induced hallucination. the mask part was very real. . . . now marcelina was rolling a steel operating table, bearing a dark-haired maya woman, through the doorway. the patient looked like all the others down in baalum, except that she had a strange expression on her face. she appeared to be tense and very afraid, as her eyes kept darting around the room, then to the "jade" mask alex goddard was wearing--most likely papier-mache covered with shiny green granules. when she was in position, he walked to the corner and flipped another switch, whereupon there started the deep droning of a chant, probably from speakers in the walls, that sounded like kekchi maya. he bent over her and said something in the same language, after which marcelina placed a rubber mask over her nose and mouth. her eyes still frightened, the patient uttered a few words, perhaps a final prayer, then inhaled deeply. as her eyelids fluttered, he turned and opened what appeared to be some kind of stone tableau, covered by its own bas-relief. it was, i finally realized, merely painted fiberglass--that was what the whole room was--and inside were crt monitors designed to display various vital life functions. as marcelina helped him, he began attaching sensors to the patient's body. when the woman's eyes had fully closed, he removed his green mask and tossed it into a box. it's all fake. the room, everything. just like _baalum_. but now he's got sarah's mind caught in his thrall. i've got to make her understand nothing here is real. marcelina was carefully watching the screens, her apprehension obvious as she fiddled uncertainly with the knobs. "oxygen steady." her voice was small and uneasy. "ekg stable." he immediately stripped away the sheet that had been covering the patient. beneath it was an open-sided gown colored in brilliant stripes of red and blue. he pulled it back with absent precision, then turned to marcelina. "shave her and scrub her." with the woman now under sedation, marcelina put on her own surgical garb: she pulled a blue plastic cap over her hair, then secured a white or mask over her face. while she was finishing the preparations, he turned and walked to the far side of the room, where he abruptly seemed to disappear through the wall. what . . . there must be a panel there, a camouflaged door. he was gone for a moment, then reappeared carrying a long metal tube that looked to be emitting white vapor. he next opened yet another ersatz stone cabinet to reveal a microscope with a crt screen above it. he took out three glass ampules from the tube--frozen embryos, undoubtedly--and placed them in a container. when he switched on the microscope, its crt screen showed him whatever he needed to know. interesting. in surgery, he was coldly efficient, no "human touch." here he was the "scientist" alex goddard. next, marcelina activated an ultrasound scanner and began running the wand over the woman's stomach. the screen above the table showed her uterus and her fallopian tubes with flickering clarity. he'd been readying the embryos, and now he walked over and carefully inserted a needle into the woman's abdomen--ouch--his eyes on the ultrasound scan, which indicated the precise location of the needle's tip. i watched as the screen showed the needle on its way to its destination, a thin, hard line amidst the pulsing gray mass of her uterus. seconds later all three embryos had been implanted with such flawless precision it was scary. did i want to undergo this deeply invasive procedure at the hands of alex goddard? the very thought left a dull ache in my stomach. while marcelina bandaged her and began preparing her for return to wherever she'd been, he turned off the systems, then closed their "stone" cabinets. i thought back to some of the "hallucinations" sarah had poured out. she'd mentioned the green mask, and she'd also relived some sinister event that seemed to her like disappearing down a long white tunnel. was that her own anesthesia? did he perform an in vitro on her too? i jumped as i heard the "bump, thump, bump" sound of the operating table being rolled out of the or and back down the hall. for some reason i thought of the sound of fate knocking on the door, like death coming to take don giovanni. did alex goddard have plans to take me, only with drugs and medical sleight of hand? it wasn't going to happen. i switched off the monitor and turned to stare at the computers. why were they here in this "place of miracles"? what did they hold? maybe that was where i should be. . . . that was the moment when the heavy office door swung open and marcelina appeared. "your room is ready now." her english was heavily accented but sure. "he sent me to show you. and i can wash any of your things if you like." my room? whoa! since when had i checked in? "marcelina, we need to talk. what happened to sarah the last time she was here? was she operated on like that woman just now?" i also planned to ask her about all the bizarre trappings surrounding the procedure. why was the woman so sucked in by his phony mardi gras mysticism? had sarah fallen for it too? "sara was one of the special ones. you are surely blessed too. you resemble her a lot." she looked at me, affection in her dark eyes, then turned and headed out the door. "but come, let me take you up." of course i resembled her; she was my cousin. but so what? i didn't like the odd way she'd said it. and what about my question? watching her walk away, clearly nervous, i realized this was the moment i'd been dreading--when i had to make a decision about how far to play along with alex goddard. steve couldn't be reached, yet, but i still might be able to handle the situation on my own. the first thing to do was to get down to sarah and talk some sense into her. then i had to arrange for a way to get us both out. so . . . probably the best way to accomplish that was to go along with my own medical charade for a few more hours, to give me time to scout the scene and come up with a plan. a room would be a base to operate from. still, i was feeling plenty of trepidation as we ascended the marble steps to the second floor, which had a long, carpeted hallway with doors along each side. then, when we started down the hall, i caught the sound of a baby crying. "what's this floor for?" i remembered alex goddard had claimed it was to provide a postpartum bonding period, but i wanted to confirm that with my own eyes. "this is the recovery ward and nursery. here, let me show you." she paused and pushed open the door nearest us. i looked in to see a mayan woman resting on a high hospital bed and wearing a white shift, with an ornate wicker cradle, wide and deep, next to her. marcelina smiled and said something to her that sounded like an apology for the intrusion. the room was lit only by candles, but i did make out how oddly the woman stared at me, as though she was seeing a spirit. why was that? because i was a _gringa _here in the middle of the forest? but it seemed something more. "the birth of a child is a sacred thing for us." marcelina was discreetly closing the door again. "when a woman carries a child she will take walks to the _milpas_, to the river, to the orchards, just so her little one can be in its world. then, after her baby is born, our tradition holds that she should be alone with it for a week and a day. so their life's breath can become one." i could sense her heart was deeply entwined with the people here at baalum. "marcelina, how long have--?" "well, what do you think?" said a voice. i looked around to see alex goddard coming up the stairs behind us. and my anger welled up again. everything about him was just too . . . manipulating. he'd changed back to his black sweatshirt and jeans and was carrying a tray. the costume event was over. in an instant marcelina slipped quietly around him and headed back down the stairs, almost like a rabbit startled by a fox. he smiled and moved past me. "all those trappings just now, the fake green mask." i decided to challenge him head-on. start forcing him to show his hand. "what's--?" "merely a little harmless theater." he looked back. "the forest maya like to think they're being ministered to by a shaman." then he indicated i should follow him. "by the way, in case you do get hungry, i brought you something you can have in your room if you like. then you can make yourself at home and rest a bit." hold on. i was being given the illusion of freedom, but in reality i was nothing more than his prisoner. "that room next to your office. the steel door. what's in--?" "that's the heart of _baalum_." pride in his voice. "the real reason i'm here." "you mean drug research?" he nodded. "did you know the central american rain forest easily contains a hundred thousand plant species? over half of all pharmaceutical drugs are derived from plants, yet less than one percent of those here have been tested for pharmacological potential. still, the old shamans and midwives all know of herbs they claim can cure everything from menstrual cramps to cancer." he smiled. "they also know which ones have powerful contraceptive properties, which is particularly helpful in my primary study, fertility and fetal viability. i take the specimens they bring and perform a rough screening in the lab to determine if they're actually pharmacologically active. if they do test positive, i then examine their effect on the blastocyst, the early form of embryonic cell formed just after fertilization, to see whether they affect cell division and viability and . . . the miscarriage rate here is very low, so some of these plants . . ." his voice trailed off as he pushed open the door of a suite at the end of the hall. it had a stone floor, a simple bed, and through the slatted windows the light of midday filtered through, along with the birdcalls of the rain forest. any other time and place, i'd have felt like i was staying at a rustic nature retreat. but this wasn't some other time and place. and what about steve? where was he? maybe he was somewhere worse. thinking about him, i was startled to hear myself say . . . "incidentally, i found out the man i've been trying to have a baby with didn't show up at his hotel in belize last night. he was driving there from guatemala city. i'm very worried. i keep hearing about how people get 'disappeared' in this country. he's--" "could his name be steve abrams?" goddard turned back, still holding the tray. it was a moment that stopped my heart. for a second i wasn't even able to speak. "how . . . did you know?" i finally managed to say. "i never mentioned--" "that's the name they gave me. i received a call this morning from guatemala city. from colonel ramos's office, in fact. as you might suppose, he's well aware you're here, and he said you were seen dining night before last at a downtown restaurant with a man by that name. they think he's in the country because of you, and they're trying to locate him." i felt the life go entirely out of me. my god what was going on? steve was now the subject of a manhunt in a police state. did he even know? "i told them you were here for purely medical reasons." he sighed with frustration. "and that they were being irrationally paranoid but . . ." "so they don't actually know where he is, right?" i was still trying to breathe. "as of this morning. if they did they wouldn't have called up here." he walked over and set the tray down on a rustic table next to the bed. "i wouldn't worry too much about it. he's committed no crime. they just want to make sure you realize your presence has not gone unnoticed." dear god. what had i dragged steve into? if they found him, what would they do? i could only pray he was deft enough to elude them. if anybody could . . . then i looked at the tray. an empty syringe was there. also, there was a large bowl containing some kind of soup. i was finally growing ravenous, but still . . . "what's this for?" i indicated the syringe. "i just need to take a little blood for some tests. don't worry, it won't hurt a bit." hold on. how far do i have to play along to stay in his chess game? then i glanced down again at the tray. "and what's in that bowl?" "right now diet is crucial, so i've had marcelina prepare you a healthy broth of soy extract and buckwheat and rainforest herbs that--" "what kind of rainforest herbs exactly?" i was starving, but no way in hell-- "medicinal ones. part of your program of wholeness." he turned, with that faraway look of his, and opened the window slats. beyond them i could see foliage, now alive with flocks of multicolored birds. the forest was in full cry. "you know, so many drugs are waiting to be discovered up here." he was gazing out. "beyond this window is a giant pharmacy, but if it goes like the rest of the peten, it'll soon be bulldozed to make way for more cattle ranches." he came back and picked up the syringe. that was when i noticed it didn't seem to be entirely empty. it appeared to contain traces of a yellow substance, though maybe i was imagining. . . . "look, about the blood test. i don't think--" "consider it a free medical screening." he firmly gripped my arm as he plunged the needle into a vein. seconds later he was capping off the syringe, red with my blood. "i'm running a batch of tests this afternoon, so one more sample won't make any difference." while he swabbed my arm with alcohol, i looked down again at the bowl of broth he'd brought. forget about it. i'd find something in the kitchen later. "i want to go down and see sarah." get started immediately. push and maybe i could catch him off guard. "i'm very worried about her." "of course." he nodded. "whenever you wish." "i was thinking, as soon as possible." "then i'll send marcelina to take you, the minute she's finished downstairs. but i assumed you might want to at least unpack first." with that he disappeared as quietly as he'd come. i walked over and stared out at the birds flitting past the slatted window, feeling my hopes go up. the colors and the freedom. i wanted to be one of them, to take sarah and just fly away. . . . then, feeling vaguely drowsy, i settled myself down on the edge of the bed. the next thing i knew, though, the chaotic music of the birds had begun to sound amplified as though they were swirling down a long, echoing hallway. in spite of myself, i felt my consciousness begin to drift. shit, that needle he just slammed into my arm. it wasn't to take blood you idiot. you suspected that, but he was too fast. shit. shit. shit. don't let him do it. stay awake. but now the tunnel was growing. i pulled myself up and staggered in slow motion to the door and tried it, but it seemed to be locked. i couldn't really tell, though, because the tunnel was swallowing me. no! i banged my head against the door, hoping the pain would bring me back, but the room just swirled even more. the tunnel. now it was all around me, shadowy and dim. i thought i glimpsed sarah at the end of it, wearing a white shift, beckoning me, but when i reached out for her, to take us away, all i could touch was empty mist. chapter twenty-four i'm on a bed, in a dreamscape room enveloped in pastel fog, watching a melania butterfly the size of a man pump his massive orange and black wings above me. his voice is mellifluous, hypnotic, and i feel the soft wind of his wings against my face, cooling, scented, enveloping. it is the softness of eternal peace. "your body is a realm of fertility," he is saying, his tones echoing in the shadowy haze around me, sonorous and caring. "you are special." then, iridescent blues and purples shimmering off his wings, his face evolves into the orange and black mask of a jaguar. "you are one of the special ones. together we will create life." did he say "special"? marcelina said i was . . . like sarah . . . now his eyes are boring in and i'm thinking of the chinese . . . am i human, dreaming i'm a butterfly, or am i a butterfly dreaming i'm human? as he moves over me, the rest of his butterfly form disappears and he's become a lithe jaguar whose lips are touching mine. the sheet over me melts into my skin as the soft spotted fur of his underbelly presses onto me. and his face has turned even more feline and sensuous, with dark eyes that look directly through me. i can feel his whiskers against me as he sniffs down my body, then explores my groin with his probing tongue. before i realize what's happening, his thighs press against mine and he knowingly insinuates himself into me. it all happens so naturally and effortlessly i scarcely . . . i see only an intense twitch of his animal ears, erect and directed toward me, as he enfolds me completely, his hot male breath urgent. as he grinds his thighs against mine, he emits growls, low in his throat, then nips lightly and lovingly at my cheek, his pale fangs benign and delicious. i cling to him, bathed in sweat, falling into him, wanting him, but now . . . he's changing. . . . my god. no! he's . . . his face is becoming a jade mask with eyes that burn a fiery red, a spirit of evil. he's plunging something deep into me, metal, cold and cutting. far inside, reaching, while my mind fights through the waves of pain that course down my lower body. i struggle back, but my arms just pass through empty air. stop. the eyes, the hard metal . . . time turns fluid, minutes are hours, lost, and i don't know . . . finally---it could be years later--he growls one last time and the room begins fading to darkness. then a blessed numbness washes over me. he's gone. . . . and i dream i am dead. sometime, probably hours later, i sensed my consciousness gradually returning. around me the room was still dark and, remembering the "dream," i came fully awake with a start, my heart pounding. what had . . . it done to me? i was shivering, with a piercing, pointed ache in my groin. i needed air. i rose up unsteadily and reached out, and realized i was in a hospital bed with metal bars along one side. what! how did i come to be in this? then i began remembering. i was at _baalum_, in alex goddard's ninos del mundo clinic. and i'd been trying to get sarah and take her home. instead, i'd passed out and then . . . an attack, some unspeakably evil . . . get out of here. now. i settled my feet onto the floor with a surge of determination, and that was when i sensed i was in a different place from where i'd . . . where--! i gazed around in the dark, then reached out and felt something on a table beside the bed. it was a clay bowl full of wax. what . . . a candle. and next to it i touched a plain book of matches. my hand was trembling from the pain in my groin, but i managed to light the candle, a flickering glow. my wristwatch was lying nearby on the table. someone must have taken it off and placed it there. i picked it up and held it by the candle, and for a moment i was confused by the seconds ticking off. then i realized the time was . . . how could that be! it read : a.m. had i been out for hours? i gasped, then raised the candle and gazed around. the walls were brown stone--or maybe they just looked like stone. yes, now i recognized it. i was in the fiberglass-walled operating room i'd seen on alex goddard's closed-circuit monitor. what was i doing in here? my arm brushed against the table and i felt an odd sensation. glancing down, i realized there was a band-aid on the inside of my left wrist. what was that about? earlier he'd taken blood from my right arm, but then he'd just swabbed it, so why this bandage? and what in hell was i doing in an operating room? i hadn't agreed to any procedures. did he come back for a second--? or . . . that was what he'd done. he'd injected me with an iv drug. the bizarre vision i'd had was his cover for some perverse invasion of my body. my god, i'd been unconscious since yesterday afternoon. during all that time, what could he have done to me? i was fist-clenching furious. looking around the "operating room," i wanted to rip the place apart. when i tried to stand, i realized my groin was tender and sore as hell, all across my panty-line, only somewhere deep, deep inside, in my reproductive . . . it was like after he'd given me those shots up at quetzal manor. i checked and saw no red needle-punctures this time, but the pain was much worse. that sick butterfly-jaguar dream was no dream. i'd been raped by . . . the bastard. i pushed aside the pain, edged across to the door, and tested it. unlocked. good. go find the sob right now. tear his head off. i pulled back the door, took a deep breath, and checked out the hallway. whoa! how did they get here? in the dim light i made out two uniformed army privates down at the end near the slatted windows, dozing in folding metal chairs, their ak- 's propped against the plaster wall. why were they here? just a cool, breezy place to hang out? or were they in place to guard me? the breeze was causing the candle's flame to cast flickering shadows across the hall, so i quickly re-closed the door. now what? i was trembling as i returned the candle bowl to the table and sat down on the bed. soldiers with guns were outside my room at five in the morning. in the farthest end of guatemala. what was i going to do? i gazed around at the "stone" walls and tried to think. my mind still felt clouded from whatever drug he'd given me, but it was beginning to . . . wait. i saw alex goddard come into this very room with embryos from the lab, which is connected by the steel door to his office. . . . where there was a phone. time to call the embassy, get some help to get the hell out of here. i sat there thinking. all right. i'd need to wait an hour or so--now i'd get some low-level flunkie stuck with the graveyard shift--but there was something i was damned well going to do immediately. with the lab right next door, i could try to find out why goddard had just performed medical rape on me. there had to be some connection. according to him, the lab was for "plant research." but if that was all he was doing, why was the army here? right outside my door? i felt a pump of adrenaline that made me forget all about my pain. before i got the hell out of _baalum_, i was going to know what he was really up to here. god, i feel miserable. i really hurt. all the more reason . . . i took the candle, stood up, and moved to the opposite wall to begin looking for an opening in the fiberglass "stone." it appeared to have been made from impressions from the room atop the pyramid, rows and rows of those little cartoon-face glyphs, mixed in with bas-reliefs, but there had to be a door somewhere. i'd seen him walk right through it. as i ran my hand along the surface, i was struck by how their hardness felt like stone. but it couldn't be. what was i looking for? there certainly were no doorknobs. i came across a hard crack, next to the bas-relief of a feather-festooned warrior, but as i slid my hand down, it ended and again there was more rough "stone." solid. damn. i stood back and studied the wall with my candle. he'd come in from the left, which would be about . . . i moved over and started again. this time my fingernail caught in a crevice that ran directly down to the floor. then i discovered another, about two and a half feet farther along. it had to be the door. i felt along the side, wondering how to open it, till i noticed that one of the little "stone" glyphs gave way when i pressed it. when i put my hand against it harder and rotated it, the panel clicked backward, then swung inward. yes! and there it was: the lab, crt screens above the incubators, gas chromatograph in the corner. this, according to him, was where he tested the rainforest plants the shamans and midwives brought in. but what about what he'd just done to _me_? i was still worried about the army guys outside, but i walked in, trying to be as quiet as i could. the first thing i did was head for the row of black boxes above the bench. those, i assumed, were being used to maintain a micro-environment for incubating plant specimens. and sure enough, the dimly lit windows revealed rows and rows of petri dishes. they were clear, with circular indentations in the center. . . . but wait a minute. those weren't just any old lab dishes. and no plant extracts were in them either, just clear liquid. that was odd, very fishy. i stood there puzzling, and then i remembered seeing pictures of lab dishes like these being used for artificially fertilized embryos. at the beginning, freshly extracted human ova are placed in an incubator for several hours, afloat in a medium that replicates the inside of a female fallopian tube, to mature them in preparation for fertilization. goddard had said something about tests on the blastocyst, the first cellular material created after fertilization. so was he using actual fetuses? my god. i felt like i was starting to know, or guess, a lot more than he wanted me to. my thoughts were churning as i looked up and studied the video screens above the boxes. it took a moment, but then i figured out the petri dishes and their chemicals had been placed in the incubators between : p.m. and : p.m. last evening. what--? i started counting. they were in racks, stacked, in sets of four by four. let's see. five in this incubator, five in the next, five in the . . . there were over two hundred dishes in all! impossible. i looked down at them again, feeling a chill. nothing seemed to be in them yet, at least as far as i could tell, but then human eggs are microscopic. so if ova were . . . when he supposedly was doing that _in vitro _on the mayan woman, was he actually extracting eggs? get serious. that was not where they came from. by then i was well along the kubler-ross scale, past denial and closing in on anger, but still . . . so many! how could they all-- i turned and examined the row of plastic-covered jugs at the back of the lab, lined up, six in all. now i had to know what was in them. i was still shaky, but i steadied myself, walked over, pulled back the plastic, and touched one. it was deathly cold, sweating in the moist air. when i flipped open its frisbee-sized top, i saw a faint wisp of vapor emerge into the twilight of the room . . . then it dawned on me. of course. they were cryo-storage containers. he'd need them to preserve fertilized eggs, embryos. i lifted off the inside cover and placed it carefully onto the bench, where it immediately turned white, steaming with mist. then i noticed a tiny metal rod hooked over the side of the opening. when i pulled it up, it turned out to be attached to a porous metal cylinder containing rows of glass tubes. what's . . .? feeling like i was deep in a medical fourth dimension, i took out one of the freezing tubes. it was notched and marked with a code labeled along the side: "bl - la," "bl - lb," "bl- lc," and so it went, all the way to "g." but nothing was there. i began checking the other tubes. they all were empty too. so why was he freezing empty containers? go with the simple answer. he's getting them ready for new embryos. i slid the rod back into the cryo-tank, then walked over and hoisted myself onto the lab bench next to the dancing shiva, creator and destroyer. and when i did, i again felt a stab of pain in my groin. the bastard. i was shaking, in the early stages of shock. more than anything, i just wanted to find him and kill him. . . . i thought i heard a scraping noise somewhere outside, in the hall, and i froze. was he about to come in and check on his "experiments"? then i realized it was just the building, his house of horrors, creaking from the wind. i took one final look at the incubators, and all the pain came back. the whole thing was too much for my body to take in. i sat there trying to muster my strength. don't stop now. keep going. i got back onto my feet. the phone. use the telephone. find steve, alert the embassy, then get sarah. do it now, while you still can. i was holding my breath as i walked over and pushed open the door to the office and looked in. it was empty and dark. good. i headed straight for the black case of the magellan world phone. when i picked up the handset and switched it on, the diodes went through their techno-dance of greens and yellows and then stabilized giving me a dial tone. thank you, merciful god. i decided to start off by calling the hotel in belize again, on the long shot that steve had managed to get the hell out of guatemala. baby, please be there. my watch said the time was five-twenty in the morning, but he once told me they manned the desk around the clock. no problem getting through, though the connection had a lot of static. but then came the news i'd been dreading: no steve abrams. "he still not come back, mon." where was he? i wanted to scream, but i was determined to keep a grip. all right, try the camino real and hope you can get somebody awake who speaks english. maybe he went back. please, god. i had the number memorized, so i plugged it in, and i recognized the voice of the guy who picked up, the owner's son, who was trying his best to learn english. "hi, this is morgan james. remember me? i'm just calling to see if there's a steve abrams staying there now?" "hey, _que pasa_, senora james. very early, yes? _momento_." there was a pause as he checked. come on, steve, be there. please, please be somewhere. then the voice came back: "no, nobody by that name stays here." "okay . . . _gracias_." shit. it was like a pit had opened somewhere deep in my stomach. i replaced the handset, feeling grateful that at least the phone still worked, my last link to sanity. my next call was going to be to the embassy, but i couldn't risk using up my opening shot with the graveyard shift. maybe by a.m. somebody with authority to do something would be there. just a few more minutes. now what? i felt the aching soreness in my groin again, along with a wave of nausea. i had to do something, anything, just to keep going, to beat back an anxiety attack. that was when i turned and stared at the computers, the little ducks drifting across the screens. all right, you know what he's doing; now it's time to try and find out why. the real why. there must be records of what he's up to stored there. what else would he have them for? "clang, clang, clang." a noise erupted from somewhere outside the window. in spite of myself, i jumped. then i realized it was just the odd call of some forest bird. god, i wasn't cut out for this. now my head was hurting, stabs of pain, but i rubbed at my temples and sat down at the first terminal. i'm a mac fan, hate windows, so i had to start out by experimenting. in the movies people always know how to do this, but i had to go with trial and error, error compounding error. after endless false starts that elicited utility screens i couldn't get rid of, i finally brought up an index of files, which included a long list of names. alkaloids cardiac glycosides phenolics saponins terpenoids biology --which i hated--was coming back. plant-extract categories. looks like he actually is doing research on the flora here. but . . . still, what does he need my ova for? i scrolled on. scientific terms that meant nothing. then, toward the end of the alphabetical list, i came to the word quetzal. what was that? i clicked on it and--lo and behold--up came a short list of names. six in all, organized by dates about a year apart, and each a woman. my god. first i assumed they were patients from quetzal manor who'd come here for fertility treatment, though each was indicated "terminated" at the end, whatever that meant. but as i scanned down, i didn't want to see what i was seeing. the name next to the last was s. crenshaw. she'd been "terminated" too. the bottom was m. james. but i hadn't been "terminated." not yet. i slumped back in the chair, trying to breathe. how much more of this horror could i handle? finally i leaned forward again and with a trembling hand clicked on s. crenshaw. a lot of data popped up, including three important dates. the first was exactly three weeks after the one in her passport, the guatemalan entry visa. the second was ten months ago, the third eight months ago. after each was a number: , followed by , and finally . the count of her extracted ova. kill him. just kill him. a lot of medical terminology i couldn't interpret followed each number, but the note at the end required no degree. "blastocyst material from embryos after third extraction shows % decrease in cellular viability. no longer usable." my god, had he made her permanently sterile? while that obscenity was sinking in, i went back and clicked on my own name. the date was today, the number was . he'd just taken of my ova. i stared at the screen and felt faint. no medical analysis had yet been entered, but it didn't matter. i stared at the screen, feeling numb, for a full minute before clicking back to sarah's page. yes, i was right. the last date was just six weeks before she was found in a coma, down the river from here. . . . no more mystery. he'd been using her eggs to create embryos, and they'd finally stopped working. not "special" anymore. so her "program" had been "terminated." in the river. my stomach was churning, bile in my throat, and i thought i was going to throw up. i took a deep breath, slowly, and stopped myself. before i got sarah and we got the hell out of _baalum_, i was going to smash everything in this lab. it all had just come together. those shots of "muscle relaxant" he gave me up at quetzal manor, they had to be a cocktail of his "proprietary" ovulation drugs. then, with my ovaries ripening, he'd lured me here using sarah. he knew i'd come after her. next he'd "arranged" with alan dupre to fly me here. finally, a sedative, and he'd harvested of my ova, which he now had out there in those incubators. . . . but what about proof? to show the world. morning sounds were building up outside, so i was less worried whether the two soldiers in the hallway were still asleep or not. truthfully, i was so wired i no longer cared. i clicked on a printer and began zipping off the files of each woman he'd violated, all six. disgust flowed through me like a torrent. heart of darkness. "the horror, the horror." alex goddard had used sarah in the most unspeakable way possible, then tried to have her murdered. probably he'd just turned her over to colonel ramos. the same thing must have happened to those other women. all "disappeared" somewhere in guatemala. but who would know? one thing i knew. i was next. . . . the printer was old and loud, but thankfully it was fast. four minutes later i had what i'd need to nail the criminal. when i got out of here, somebody would have to believe me. while i was stacking the printouts, i resolved to call the embassy right then, the hour be damned. i was sweating like a gazelle when the lion is closing in. alex goddard had just performed primal, surgical rape on me, and now the army was right outside. i had to get the embassy. and that was when i realized i didn't have the number. but it had to be in a phone book somewhere. a quick look around the office didn't turn up one. i considered ringing the camino real again, to ask them to look up the number, but then i had an inspired thought. steve had said alan dupre's number was easy to remember because it promoted his business. what was it? i couldn't remember. then it came back: -mayan, the six-digit number they used in guatemala city. call the sleazebag and ask him who can get me out of here. he's supposed to know everybody. dawn was bringing more and more forest-morning songs through the thin slats of the windows. i walked over and pushed them open, running my fingers out into the air. it felt cool, the touch of freedom, and i thought for a moment about bursting through to escape. just get sarah now. instead, i walked back to the phone, clenching my fists, and dialed alan dupre's number, praying and hoping it was where he lived. steve had called him late in the evening, so it probably was. i'd thought i never wanted to speak to him again, but now . . . god, let him be there. the phone, however, just rang and rang and rang. come on. damn. it rang and rang some more. then finally-- "who the fuck is this? we don't open till nine." the first sound of his voice brought a wave of relief, but then his cocky attitude made me livid all over again. "it's morgan james, you shit. why did you leave me stranded up here? you have no idea what--" "oh, you . . ." he paused for a cigarette cough. "you made me walk all the way downstairs just to bust my chops. what the--?" "talk to me, you prick." i still intended to strangle him. "i need your help. you owe me. you have no idea what--" "hey, lady, you didn't possibly believe taking off in that fucking hurricane was my . . . let's just say i was acting under duress. i all but didn't get back." "well, you can start making up for that right now by springing me the hell out of here." so, somebody had put him up to it, just like i'd thought all along. but who? "i want you to look up the number for the american embassy. and tell me the name of somebody there who--" "jesus, you truly don't get the picture, do you?" he paused for another early-morning reefer hack. "i 'get' that you--" "missy, it was a high official at that very establishment 'suggested' i fly you up there. why the hell else would i do it, for chrissake? you know i'm not a citizen of this fun house. said party noted that if i didn't, he could make a few phone calls about my residency status, my pilot's license . . . let's just say it was an offer i didn't see fit to take issue with." "oh, my god." i felt like a knife had just plunged into my back. "was his name barry morton? please tell me." "taking the fifth on that one," he said coughing again. "but you've got primal instincts." i heard a noise outside and sank lower in the chair. what was i going to do now? "listen, do you have any idea where steve is? they're looking--" "no shit, madame sherlock. i had a long, deeply uninspiring interrogation by a couple of upscale assholes who showed up here in an army jeep. they wanted to know where the fuck he was, when i'd supped with him last. let me inform you, love, you got my old heartstrings buddy in some decided doo-doo." "i feel guilty enough about that as is, so stop." in spite of all alex goddard had done, i felt horrible about steve, like a self-involved witch. "but do you know where he is now?" "haven't the foggiest fucking idea, never heard of the jerk. shit, hang on." the line went silent, and i could feel my pulse pounding. outside the office door, i heard footsteps approaching down the hall. please, god, please. but then they passed by, terminating where the two soldiers had been dozing. next i heard the tones of a solid dressing-down in profane spanish. "_tu heres un pedaso de mierda!"_ then came a familiar voice from the receiver. i couldn't believe it. "morgy, why in hell did you let alan take you up there by yourself?" his tone had a sadness, and a deserved pique, that cut me to the core. i think i stopped breathing. "oh, baby, thank god you're . . ." i was expecting the door to burst open any moment. men with ak- 's. "do you know the army's looking for--?" "you're completely nuts. i got halfway to belize and called the motel to see how you were doing, and they told me you'd taken off with this asshole. so i turned around and drove back here. it was after midnight and the army thugs had just left. morgy, i'm coming to get you. soon as the gas stations open. i know a back road to mexico. we've got to get out of this fucking country immediately." "don't try to drive up. it's too dangerous. can you get alan to fly you? sarah's here and she's been turned into a space cadet. i don't know how i'm going to pry her away." i stopped to try to assemble my thoughts. "he's got soldiers watching me. i've got to smuggle her out somehow." i couldn't bring myself to tell him what was really going on. "let me talk to dupre a second. the fucker. i can't believe he did this to you. but maybe we can come up with something. otherwise, i may just kill him with my bare hands." i heard a cough, which told me alan had been listening in on an extension. it teed me off, but then--he did have to be in on this. shit. the idea of relying on alan dupre for anything . . . "well, do it fast. i broke into alex goddard's office to use this phone and . . . just hurry." "you got it." now the sound of firm, officer-like boot steps stormed past the door, headed out this time, after which the two young soldiers began berating each other in high-pitched spanish. "_hace falta tener cojones!_" "_hijo de tu chingada madre!_" more and more light was creeping through the slatted windows. a glance at my watch showed the time to be six sharp, but the embassy was no longer an option. "listen," steve said coming back on, "there's some rain due for tonight, but he says he thinks we can try. he claims there's a clearing about a quarter of a mile down a gravel road that goes south. with the rain as cover, maybe we can put down just after dark. think you can find a way to get sarah and meet us?" "i'm not even sure she can walk, at least not far, but we'll be there." i was flashing on her back in the square, proclaiming her happiness. would i have to drag her out, carry her on my back? well, i would. "there's some kind of 'ceremony' on for tomorrow morning. the army's going to be here in double strength because of it, but maybe it'll make for some confusion that'll help. still, she's--" "damn, this is going to be big-time dicey." "honey, let me tell you as much as i can about the layout of this place. just in case." which i did. the main problem was, i didn't know exactly where sarah was. "is there anybody there who could help you?" he asked when i'd finished. "i'm not hopeful." i paused. "listen, can you get your hands on a gun or guns?" "what are you . . . don't even think about it! that's the best way to guarantee we all get killed. i'm not taking on the guatemalan armed forces. and you're not either. we've got to keep this very low-tech. the dark and the rain, that's what we use. they don't shoot back." at that moment i wanted nothing more than to shoot alex goddard. i'd have done it if i'd had the chance. happily. but i knew steve was right. "okay, look, what time?" "we'll try to set down about, say--" there was a crackle as the yellow diodes on the phone erupted in a high-pitched whistle, cutting the connection. no! my god, had somebody been listening in? so when exactly was he coming? around dark? that would probably be about eight o'clock. or maybe nine . . . i was closing the phone case when i heard a sound from outside, as though someone had passed the door, then come back to listen. all right. get going. i gathered the printouts, then headed back through the laboratory, where i took a long, last look at the petri dishes being incubated. should i just dump them now? but then he'd know for sure that i knew. the time would come, and soon. as i eased myself back into the fake-stone or and closed the door, the dawn outside was steeped in forest sounds, clacks and whistles and chirps. that was good, because i needed some stray noise to mask what i was going to do next. take control. chapter twenty-five i began by feeling along the fake-stone walls to find where the crevices were, the doors that enclosed the medical instruments. somewhere, i was sure, there was a cabinet that held a complete set of surgical equipment. when i found the first crevice, i gave the wall on either side a push and, sure enough, the panel was spring-loaded. good. the side on the right of the crevice popped open to reveal the microscope goddard had used. but nothing else was there. i moved on down the wall testing for cabinets, trying to remember what marcelina had done when alex goddard told her to prep the mayan woman. one after another the panels snapped open till . . . yes, this was the one i wanted. hallelujah. the third drawer held the scalpels. i took out the largest i could find, heavy and steel, then wedged it into the metal sliding mechanism and snapped off the tip. perfect. i felt like i was holding the key to my escape as i carefully reclosed all the panels. since there were no windows in the or room, i slipped back through the lab--it had now become a haunted place of monstrous obscenity to me--and checked out the office. it was still deserted, but now the hazy light of early day was mingling with the sounds of nature seeping through the slatted window. as i walked over to it, the cool, moist morning air once again felt like freedom. how long did i have before the clinic started stirring? i'd originally planned to try to unscrew some of the slats, but that turned out to be unnecessary. the strips of wood were held in with crude, rusty clamps, and one by one i began prying them out with the blunted scalpel. i figured five slats should give me enough space to squeeze through, and i'd already removed three when i heard a frustrated voice in spanish just down the hail. uh-oh. "_tengo que mear que mis dientes flotan!_" it was followed by the sound of boots headed toward the office. i ducked down behind a desk, holding my breath, but then the footsteps marched past, headed for the front door of the clinic. that was when i finally processed what he'd said: "i've got to piss so bad my teeth are floating." so where was he headed? moments later i knew. i heard the noise of someone kicking their way through the underbrush till they were right next to the window, followed by the sound of a zipper. my god, i thought, he's right here. will he spot the missing slats? i bit my lip as i listened to a member of the guatemalan armed forces vigorously urinate upon the north wall of alex goddard's clinic. well, i told myself, that's probably what they think of him. i'd like to do the same. then came a confirming re-zip, after which the sound of slashing boots faded back into the distance. if he'd noticed the window i'd just burgled, it hadn't alerted his curiosity. moments later i heard his heavy footsteps returning up the hall. jesus, two minutes more and i'd have been out there. i was trembling, but i managed to finish prying out the last two slats. i then pushed all five out onto the ground, hoping the clatter would be lost in forest music, and climbed through after them, trying to be as quiet as i could. i ended up going out headfirst and collapsing onto the ground in an unceremonious crumple. thirty seconds later, though, the slats were wedged roughly back into place, and i'd discarded the broken scalpel in the jungle underbrush. yes! now the cool air of freedom was all around me. my first small step. how long before alex goddard discovers i'm missing? will i have time to find sarah, bring her to her senses, and hide her from him? a lot would depend on what kind of physical and mental shape she was in. as i passed around the parking lot, gray clouds were thickening overhead and i noticed that half a dozen new olive-green jeeps were parked there. the army was arriving in force, getting ready for god knows what. i took one look at them and felt my breath start coming in bursts. steve, we're going to need our own kind of miracle. how are we going to get out of here? i skirted the edges of the lot and reached the trail leading down into the village. and i was trying to quell my pulse. what was down there? with the dense rain forest arching over me, i felt as though i was entering a domain of maya dreamtime where the past lived again, only with a sinister twist. the air in the dark groves was thick with the buzzing of insects, harbingers of the coming rainstorm, but before long i caught a glimmer of daylight ahead. soon i emerged into a wide arbor that, after another hundred feet, opened onto the central plaza and the pyramid. now . . . it was daylight, but it also was . . . the sight took my breath away. what was going on? a milling horde of men was gathered in the square, and resinous torches were flaming on each of the pyramid's tiers of steps. a lot of drinking from clay jugs was getting under way, and the men were in the process of painting their faces, stripes of black and white, with dark circles around their eyes. some also were applying rows of red-and-green-colored seeds to their cheeks with white glue. the bizarreness of the scene rippled through me like the shards of a dysfunctional dream. jesus! alex goddard had said the ceremony got "frenzied," and now i was beginning to realize. . . . what were they getting ready to do? had i been wrong in thinking the classical maya never got around to ripping out hearts? did that explain the half-dozen young army privates loitering there at the far side, rifles slung over their shoulders? i melted back into the trees and studied the geometry of the plaza, reconsidering my situation. i needed to find some way to get around it and onto the cobblestone pathway at the far side, which led into the village. finally i decided i could skirt the periphery if i was careful not to advertise my presence. dawn had come and gone and the quick light of tropical day was arriving, but everybody appeared to be pre-occupied with their nightmarish preparations. thank god it worked. i weaved in and among the trees and in five minutes i'd reached the central pathway, now deserted. still barely letting myself breathe, i turned back and gazed up at the pyramid. i had no idea what was next, but i decided it would be my signpost, to help me keep my bearings as i moved through the confusing, tree-shrouded huts of _baalum_. except for the men in the square, the village now seemed deserted, though a pack of brown dogs, curious and annoying, had spotted me and now circled around to sniff. don't bark, damn it. that was when i saw marcelina, in her white shift, striding through the crowd of drinking men like an alpha lioness parting a posturing pride. my god. my heart stopped for a moment. does alex goddard already know i've fled and has he sent her to lure me back? no way. i clenched my fists and kicked at the surly, long-tailed mutts, still circling and nuzzling. as she came closer, i saw she was smiling and carrying a brown wicker basket. what. . . "i've brought you something," she announced as she walked up, her dark eyes oddly kind. "you must be starving by now." "how did you know i was down here?" looking at her earnest mayan face, i suddenly wondered if she could have any idea what alex goddard had done to sarah, and to me? "you were gone from your room," she declared, settling the basket onto the walkway and beginning to open it. "where else would you be?" when i looked, i saw it had a sealed container of yogurt, a banana, and two eggs, presumably hard-boiled--traditional "safe" food for gringos in third world places. "i'd been planning to bring you down today," she went on. "they all want to meet you." was she coming to look after me? the more i examined her, the more i began to suspect something else was going on. would she help me get sarah out and away from alex goddard? "i want to find sarah," i said. why not start out with the truth? "does he . . . dr. goddard know i'm here?" "he's not here now," she said, her eyes shifting down. "he left for guatemala city early this morning. i think to meet with the army. on business. . . ." yes. his big humvee hadn't been in the clinic's parking lot when i went by. why hadn't i noticed that? for the first time i felt the odds were tipping. now was going to be the perfect time to get sarah. yes. yes. yes. "if you want to see her, i can take you," marcelina offered, replacing the lid on the basket. yes, perfect. i wanted to hug her. "then let's go right now" and while i was at it, i was determined to get through to this woman somehow, to enlist her help. as we headed down the central walkway of the village, we passed the rows of compounds where i'd seen the women that first morning. none was in evidence now, and the gardens were empty, as though the entire settlement had been evacuated. it felt very strange. and what about those bizarre proceedings now under way in the square? was that going to interfere with getting sarah out? "marcelina." i pointed back toward the milling plaza. "what's that all about? the drinking and the--?" "it's begun," she answered, both simple and vague. "they're getting ready." i didn't like the way she said it. her tone seemed to imply i was involved somehow. "ready for--?" "the ceremony. they like to drink a tree-bark liquor we call _balche_. it's very strong and rancid." she smiled and touched me. "take my advice and avoid it." "i plan to." why did she think i'd even be offered it? as we hurried along, two women abruptly appeared on a porch, bowed, and greeted us. marcelina waved back, then went over and spoke earnestly with them for a moment. finally she turned and motioned for me. "they've invited you in." something about the easy way it all just "happened" felt as though they'd been expecting me. had marcelina's trip down to the village been part of a setup, wittingly or unwittingly? "i told them we could only stay for a minute," she went on. i sensed she was reluctant, but felt we had no choice. the last thing i wanted to do was this. "marcelina, can't you tell them we'll come back later?" "it's . . . it's important." she was beckoning for me. "please." well, i thought, this could give me the time i need, the personal moment, to get through to her. even after i locate sarah, spiriting her out isn't going to be simple. i've got to make marcelina understand what's really going on, then get her to help us. as we headed through the yard, the women smiled, then politely led us under the thatch overhang and into the hut. they both were short and maya-sturdy, with white shifts and broad faces, and they exuded a confident intensity in their bearing, a powerful sense of self-knowledge. i tried a phrase in spanish, but they just stared at me as though they'd never heard the language. then i remembered my first attempt to ask about sarah. the women hadn't understood me then either. or had they? the room they ushered us into had no windows, but there was cool, shadowy morning light filtering through the upright wooden slats of the walls, laying dim stripes across the earthen floor. a cooking fire smoldered in a central hearth, and from the smoke-blackened roof beams dangled dried gourds, bundles of tobacco, netted bags of onions and squash, and several leaf-wrapped blocks of salt. the room smelled of ancient smoke, sweet and pungent. they immediately produced a calabash bowl with a gray liquid inside, pronouncing the word _atole _as they urged it on me, smiling expectantly. "it's our special drink," marcelina explained. she seemed to be wary, watching me closely as they handed it over. "it's how we welcome an honored guest." i wasn't sure how politic i ought to be. third world food . . . "marcelina," i said, taking the bowl and trying to smile. "i'm not really--" "you must have a little," she whispered back. "it would be very rude. . . ." well, i thought, just a taste. i tried it and realized it was a dense gruel of cornmeal and honey-water, like a lukewarm gluey porridge, though with a bitter after-jolt. but i choked it down and tried to look pleased. marcelina urged me to have more--i took another small sip--and then they produced corn dumplings wrapped in large leaves, together with a pile of fiery chiles and a bowl of squash, corn, and beans, all mixed together. after one bite, though, marcelina reached out and--her eyes downcast--whisked the bowls away, passing them back to the women. she said something to them, then turned to me. "eating too much would be as rude as not eating at all." that was a cultural norm i didn't remember, and i suspected she'd just changed her mind about the wisdom of my eating local food. i smiled at the women and used some of my so-so spanish to offer them thanks. "_muchas gracias_." i nodded toward the bowls. "_esta es muy delicioso_." they beamed as though they understood me. who could say? but they'd been intensely interested in watching me eat, even more than marcelina. work on her. now. "marcelina." i turned to her, only vaguely noticing she hadn't had a bite. "do you understand why dr. goddard moved me down to the operating room yesterday? there in the clinic? what did he tell you?" "he said it was for special tests." her voice was gentle through the gloom. "you were very . . . sleepy. you must have been very, very tired. but he told me something in your blood work was unusual, so he had me bring you down for a pelvic exam. i gave you a sedative"--she was pointing at the band-aid still on my arm--"the way we always do. but then he said you were fine." "do you realize he did things to my body i didn't agree to?" i studied her trusting mayan face and tried to get a sense of how much she knew about what was going on. that was when i first became sure of an increasing disquiet in her eyes, as she kept glancing away. why was she so uncomfortable talking about alex goddard? "and i think he did some of those same things to sarah." "dr. goddard tried to help her in many ways when she was here before." marcelina's tone had become odd and distant. "now he wants to help you too." yes, there was definitely something uneasy in her eyes. "before he came here," she went on, trying to look at me, "_baalum _was just a poor, simple village. many children died of diseases. so i left and went to guatemala city to study. to become a public-health nurse. then after he came here, i moved back to help him with his clinic, the children." she was trying to make a case for him, and i noticed she'd avoided the actual question. "now _baalum _has become a special place," she said finally. "a place of miracles. and if a woman from outside comes, she can be part of that. when sara was here before, i started teaching her to speak our language, and the others did too. she truly wanted to be part of his miracles. sometimes we don't understand how they happen, but he has great medical powers." one thing's for sure, i thought. he's got plenty of power over the people here, including you. the whole place has been brainwashed. i looked her over and realized she'd just gone on mental autopilot. she wants to be loyal to him, and she can't let herself believe there's something rotten in the "special" paradise of _baalum_. "listen," i said, getting up, "i need to go see sarah right now. her father's been in the hospital, and he's not well. i spoke with him yesterday, and he's very worried about her. i know dr. goddard is treating her, but it's better if i just take her home immediately." more and more i was beginning to suspect this detour for the two women had been a diversion, an attempt to stall. marcelina had set it up. maybe she wanted to tell me something, and she didn't have the nerve to do it point-blank. "families are very important," she said, sounding sincere. "we'll go now." she spoke to the women briefly, an animated benediction that seemed to leave her even more disturbed. as we headed out and on down the path, i again wondered what was really happening. when we reached the end of the long "street," the arched arbors still above us, she stopped in front of an odd stone building unlike any of the others and pointed. "this is where she likes to be," she said quietly. "except for the pyramid, it's the most sacred place in baalum." the doorway was a stone arch about five feet high and pointed at the top like a tiny gothic cathedral. "what . . . is this?" i felt as though i was about to enter something from the temple of doom. "it was once the royal bath," she explained. "in ancient times heated rocks were brought in, with spring water from a sacred _cenote_." we walked through the portal and entered a room whose roof was a stone latticework that let the gray daylight just filter through. the space was vast, with carved and colored glyphs all around the walls, while the air was filled with clouds of incense from pots along the floor. it felt like a smoky pagan church. at the far end was a large stone platform, and in the dappled, hazy light i could see it was embossed along its sides with carved and painted classical scenes and glyphs, glistening little red and green and blue pictures of faces and figures. my eyes finally started adjusting to the shadows, and i realized the platform had been fitted with a covering across the top, a jaguar skin over bundled straw, and a tiny form was lying on it, wearing a white shift. . . . dear god. "morgy, i've been so hoping you'd come," sarah said, rising up and holding out her hands. then she slid her feet around onto the rough stone floor and managed to steady herself. her shift was wrinkled now, but she still was wearing the brown slippers and the braided leather waist-cinch. she appeared sleepy, though her eyes were sparkling and she seemed to have more strength than she'd had when i first saw her out in the square. i looked at her and weighed the chances she could walk. possibly. but i'd carry her if i had to. "sar, honey, we're going home now," i said, finally finding my voice. she didn't respond at first, just turned to caress the decorated sides of the platform. "i've been wanting to show you this, morgy. it tells my story." her voice sounded as if it were coming from a long way off, as though through a dense haze. "please, we don't have time for stories." was she hearing me at all? "let's just--" "see," she went on, ignoring me as she pointed down, "that's the cosmic monster, that one there with maize sprouting out of his forehead. and that man next to him with a flint knife is my father, letting blood from his penis. he's the king. and that one there is me, lady jaguar. he gave my name to this place." she paused to reverently touch the carved stone. "look, i've just stuck a stingray spine through my tongue and put my blood in the _copal_ censer there." "sar, please--" "here, see it?" she was pointing to a section at the very end. "that's the two-headed vision serpent up above me. he's the god kukulkan . . . or something. i've made him come to me by giving him my blood. i'm--" "sar, what in heaven's name is going on with you?" i grabbed her and in spite of myself, shook her. jesus! the whole scene left me in shock. she was sinking back deeper into her fantasy world. was she taking the drug again, i wondered and fantasizing she was some dead mayan princess? please, god no. that was when i saw marcelina walk over to a shelf along the wall and lift down another clay-pot incense burner, along with a small white brick. what--? "oh, yes!" sarah exclaimed moving quickly over to her. "let's do it for morgy." marcelina nodded warily and handed her the white brick, then turned to me. "she likes to do incense. it always calms her. this is _copal_, what the shamans use." i watched while sarah shakily began crumbling pieces of the sticky substance into the pot. my god i thought, she's truly, truly lost it. next she inserted dry tinder and began trying to knock sparks into it with a piece of hard black jade and a flint. but she was too weak, and finally marcelina had to take the flint and do it for her. then, as the gray smoke started billowing out, marcelina began a long chant, shrill and strangely melodic. i felt a chill creep down my back. when she finished she turned her dark eyes on me sadly, waiting. "what were you saying?" i asked finally, sensing she wanted me to. "i was singing from the popol vuh." then she translated. _holy earth, giver of life, help us in our struggle against the god of the house of darkness. _ wait a minute. what's she saying? "who's the god of the house of darkness?" could she be talking about alex goddard? "i didn't want to do it," she blurted out, reaching out to me, her eyes even sadder. "but he said you're the new special one. we had to." what the hell was she talking about? had to what? did it have something to do with my "visit" to the women in the hut? "please stay here with us," she pleaded as she took my hand. "don't go." stay? don't even think about it. i had sarah halfway to freedom. while the army was still getting its act together, we could lose ourselves someplace in the forest where nobody would find us, and when steve got here tonight . . . "sar, come on, it's time." i pulled away from marcelina and slipped my arm around her. "nothing here is what you think it is." "are we leaving?" she asked, her eyes blank. "yes, honey, we're leaving. this very minute." the dense forest was all about us, and i'd just carry her into it if i had to. in the coming storm, nobody was going to find . . . that's when i noticed i was beginning to have gastric rumblings. damn. never, ever eat "native" food, no matter what the social pressure. that damned "visit" . . . when i turned to ask marcelina if she would help me get sarah outside, i noticed she'd been joined by the two women, both still in their white shifts, who'd just fed me the sickly sweet _atole_. and more women were behind them, all staring at me, expectant, as though wondering what i would do. maybe it was my imagination, or the dizziness that was abruptly growing around me, but it also seemed they'd painted their faces with streaks of white, designs like the men in the square were putting on. "she's going to be all right," marcelina was saying. "but we have to get you back now. you'll need your strength." i needed it then. my stomach had really begun to gyrate, and my vision had started growing colored. i noticed i was sweating, even though the day was cooling down. actually, i felt as though i was about to pass out. what had those women fed me? it was finally dawning on me that marcelina's fearfulness back in the hut had nothing to do with betraying alex goddard. it was because she knew she was betraying me. well, damn her, i'm not going to let alex goddard win, no matter what. "marcelina, please help me. i've got to get sarah out of here. now. i don't know what poison drug he's giving her, but he's driving her insane." "we'll take care of her," she said. but i could barely make out the words. they echoed bouncing around in my head. "i'm really getting dizzy." i glanced over again at the women standing by the door. "please tell me what they--?" "the elixir," she said. "for tomorrow at sunup. that's when you'll see his real power." i'd begun experiencing white spots before my eyes--and for some reason i had a vision of the army jeeps parked up the hill. i didn't know how the two were connected but in my jumbled thoughts they seemed to be. just get sarah and get out into the air. walk, don't think, and you can do it. . . . i pulled her next to me and struggled toward the door, the women studying us, unmoving. "morgy, i've missed you so much," sarah was saying, slipping her arms around my neck to help herself walk. "i'm . . . i'm ready to go home." "i've missed you too." i think my heart was bursting as i urged her on through the stone portico. at last. had something clicked that freed her from alex goddard? maybe her mind was finally becoming her own. when we got outside, the skies were growing ever more foreboding, storm clouds looming. steve had been right about the coming rain, but now it seemed the perfect cover for us to just get out. i took a deep breath of the misty air and forced myself to start helping sarah up the cobblestone path. "sar, you can walk, i know you can. be strong. for both of us. i'm . . ." i felt myself sinking slowly to the cold stones of the walkway, the hard abrasion against my knees, sarah tumbling forward as i pulled her down on top of me, marcelina's arms around me trying to hold me up. it was the last real sensation i would remember. chapter twenty-six sarah was hovering around me, a sylphlike presence, as i watched myself drift up the steps of the pyramid there in the square, my senses waxing and waning like the waves on a distant ocean shore. there seemed to be rain, or fog, or smoke, but it had a luminous, purple cast one moment, a day-glo orange the next. in fact, all the colors were swirling and changing, shimmering from hue to hue. a pack of howler monkeys was cavorting up and down the steps on my left, like circus harlequins in electric red-and-blue suits, doing pratfalls and huffing as they flew through the air and tumbled one over another. sarah was floating silently beside me, but where was steve? had he come? were we escaping? no. i sensed his face drifting across my sight like a cartoon cloud before dissolving into nothingness. he wasn't here. i was having the eeriest dream i'd ever had. when i reached the stone-paved platform at the pinnacle, i felt alex goddard clasp my arm and turn me around to face the plaza below. "they are waiting," he said, pointing toward the hazy square. i looked down, and at first i couldn't see anything except rain and smoke, but then slowly a crowd materialized. the scattering of men i'd seen earlier had become an undulating sea of upturned faces painted with stripes and swirling circles of blue and white and red, a torch-lit garden of brilliant blossoms. they all were looking up at us, at sarah and me. next he held out a mirror whose reflecting surface was a polished silver metal. "behold yourself, morgan. as befits a royal one, a special one, your nose has been built up with clay and pierced with lustrous blue feathers and a giant topaz. your front teeth have been filed to a point and inlaid with jewels, your royal skull has been shaped back and flattened." i gazed into the mirror and gasped. i was monstrous, a halloween harpy. then he moved over to a waist-high censer stationed there on the edge of the platform and began adding balls of sticky white _copal_ resin, together with bark and grasses, which he ignited by the quick friction of a fire stick spun by a bow. finally he turned to me and held out his hands. "now we will make a miracle, the miracle of _baalum_." heavy smoke from the censer was pouring out into the rainy sky as we started a stiff _pas de deux_, the strains of a clay flute drifting around us. was it the "ceremony"? was i dreaming it? as the incense billowed, our maya dreamtime dance became ever more intense, and then a faint form began to writhe up out of the haze between us, an undulating serpent the deep color of jade. as alex goddard wrapped his arms around it, it began to form into two dark heads, then pirouette above us. finally, as the two-headed specter opened its mouths and gazed down on the platform, sarah stepped toward it and held out her arms. "sar, no!" i screamed to her to get back, but as i did, the . . . thing reached down and swallowed her in flames. it was the vision-serpent come to receive her. "sarah . . ." "can you get up now?" said a voice, cutting through the haze that enveloped my consciousness. at first i thought it was more of the dream, but then someone was touching me and i opened my eyes to see marcelina standing beside the bed i was in, dressed in white and holding a candle. for a moment i thought i was still atop the rainy pyramid but then i felt the moistness of the sheets and realized the storm id been dreaming of was being blown in through the slats of the windows. i was shivering. "marcelina, where's sarah?" the nightmare had seemed so real, and now i was hallucinating, having flashes of colors i didn't want to see. "i just had the most horrible dream. i was on the pyramid and there was smoke, rain and some kind of ghastly--" "it's the elixir. from the toad. it makes you dream dreams of the old ones." she took my hand. "she's resting now. he gave her something to calm her." more drugs, i thought angrily. then i caught the "he." alex goddard must be back. everything had gone wrong. "i've got to get her and--" "not now," marcelina went on, helping me up. "come. i want to show you the true miracle of _baalum_. now is the time you should know." the upstairs hallway was dimly illuminated by rows of lights along the floor as she led me forward. there also was total silence, except for the occasional whimper of a baby in one of the rooms. where was she taking me? when she stopped in front of the third door from the end of the hall, i tried to get my mental bearings. i was still hallucinating; in control of only half my mind to the point where i wasn't sure i could find my hand in front of my face. but then she tapped on the door and when she heard a voice inside, something in the kekchi dialect, she gently pushed it open. when we moved inside, the room was dark and there was no sound, except a gasp from the bed when the woman realized i was a gringo. the dim slant of illumination from the doorway revealed a small night lamp just above the head of her bed, and marcelina reached for it. as the light came on, a pale glow filling the room, i noticed the woman was staring at me, her eyes wide and frightened. "she's afraid you've come for her child," marcelina whispered, pointing toward the bassinet. "she knows we have to give him back." the woman was pure maya, a powerful visage straight off that upright stele in the square. i walked over and took her hand, hoping to calm her fears. then i lifted her hand to my cheek and realized my face was moist with tears. i held it there for a long moment, till the alarm in her eyes diminished. her newborn infant was sleeping quietly in a crib right next to her, on the opposite side from the table. when i looked closely at him, i finally understood everything. i laid her hand back onto the bed and walked around. while the woman watched, i pulled away the stripped red and green coverlet and lifted out her groggy little boy, tender and vulnerable. he made a baby's protest as i cradled him, then began sleepily probing my left breast, making me feel sad i had no milk. "it's okay," i whispered, first to him and then to his mother. "_esta bien_." "_tz'ac tzotz_," the woman said, pointing at him. i could feel her deep, maternal love. "his name?" i asked in english, before i thought. when marcelina translated, the woman smiled and nodded. then the blond-haired tz'ac tzotz started to sniffle, so i kissed him gently, turned, and took the woman's hand again. there was nothing else i could do. tz'ac tzotz was sarah incarnate. this was no hallucination. he had her special blue eyes and her steep cheeks, her high brow. i was holding her child. "they are sent from kukulkan," marcelina was saying, "the white god of the plumed serpent. then there's the ceremony on the pyramid and they go back." the woman was staring at me, seemingly awestruck. then she pointed at tz'ac tzotz and at me, saying something to marcelina. finally the woman bowed her head to me with great reverence. "she says he looks so much like you," marcelina explained. "you are surely the special one. the new bride." i was still speechless, but then i noticed the baby had a little silver jaguar amulet tied around his wrist with a silken string, and on the back--as on kevin's and rachel's--were rows of lines and dots. it finally dawned on me. they were digits, written in the archaic maya script. what could they be, maybe his birthday? no, i realized, that was far too simplistic. this was the original bar code; it was his _baalum _"serial number." for a long moment it felt as if time had stopped. sarah, and now me--we'd been lured here to provide the life force for mayan surrogate mothers. this whole elaborate recreation wasn't about rainforest drugs and research into fertility; it was just a cover to use the bodies of these intensely believing native americans. alex goddard had perpetrated the greatest systematic exploitation of another race since slavery. the difference was, he'd found a way to get them to give themselves willingly. _baalum_ was definitely a place of miracles. there could scarcely be another isolated spot on earth where he could find this many sincere, trusting people with powerful beliefs he could prostitute. and all of it hidden deep in an ancient rainforest. but i had to be sure. i turned around, leaving marcelina to watch in confusion, and marched out into the hall and into the next room. the maya mother there cried out in shock as i unceremoniously strode over to her crib and checked. her baby was the same. sarah stamped all over him. my god. when i went back, marcelina was still trying to calm tz'ac tzotz's mother with her bedside manner. as i stood looking at them, the extent of what was going on finally settled in. all those new babies at quetzal manor, even kevin and rachel--they all looked alike because they all were from the same woman. the one who was here before sarah. and now hers were ready. i was going to be next. the new "bride." those fresh petri dishes down in the lab . . . my god, why didn't i destroy them when i had the chance? so whose sperm would he use? of course. it would be from the man alan dupre was going to deliver to him. "marcelina, don't you realize what's happening?" i wanted to pound some sense into her. they didn't have to let him do this to them. "i know that with miracles must come sadness," she said, reaching to touch tz'ac tzotz's tiny brow. "we all understand that." "it's not a miracle. it's science, don't you realize? _ciencia_. he's using you." "we know he does many things that are magic. he makes powerful medicines from the plants we bring him, and when women want to bear a child--" "no, marcelina." i felt my heart go out to her, and to all the others. "it's black magic. it's all a lie." the first thing to do was go down to the laboratory and dump every last one of my petri dishes into the sink, ova and all. destroy the nest, then call steve and warn him. . . . i glanced at my watch. no! the time was : a.m. he was coming at nine o'clock last night. . . . i was standing there in horror, unnatural colors flitting across my vision, when i heard . . . "it's almost morning." i jumped as alex goddard walked into the room, dressed in white, hair falling around his shoulders. he took tz'ac tzotz from his crib, checked the number on his amulet, and then absently put him back. next he examined me, his eyes brimming with concern. "how're you feeling?" he placed his hand on my brow. when i looked around for marcelina, i realized she'd vanished. "where's steve?" i felt the bottom dropping out of my world, my whole body trembling. "if you've harmed so much as a hair on his head, i'll--" "he's here," he said quietly. "i want to see him." dear god, what had i done? i wanted to die. "he's been given something to help him rest. are you sure you want to disturb him?" "i told you i want to see him." i could barely get out the words. "now." "if you insist. he's just downstairs." we slowly walked down the marble steps, my mind flooding with more and more hallucinations. when we reached the first floor, he opened the door of a room adjacent to his office. i realized the window slats were open, sending a rush of moist air across my face. then he motioned me forward and clicked on the bedside light. steve was there on the bed, comatose. i walked over and lifted his upper torso, then cradled his head in my arms. baby, i love you. please forgive me. please. his eyes were firmly shut and he didn't stir in the slightest. he was in a deathlike stupor, and there were large bruises on his face and a bandage across his nose. then his bed shift fell open and i noticed another bandage on his groin. "you've already done it!" i whirled back, ready to kill the bastard. "as i said, he was injected with a mild sedative." he had walked over and started taking steve's pulse. "given the . . . condition he was in, i decided to go with the simplest procedure possible. after he was brought in, i made a small incision in the _vas deferens _and extracted a substantial quantity of motile sperm." he was turning down the lights. "don't worry. i've performed the procedure before. the last was a swedish tourist who was in a car accident up by lake atitlan and then lay in a coma in guatemala city for weeks on end." i listened to him, my mind racing. i'd thought kevin and rachel looked nordic, big and blond. that swede must have been their father. "those ova of mine you took, the way you stole sarah's, and all the other women you've brought here--you don't use them for research." "i have ample leftover embryonic material here for that." he started helping me onto the bed next to steve. now his face was undulating through my vision, as though i were seeing it in a wavy mirror. "please understand, it's very expensive to run a laboratory up here. but the good i'm doing--" "you're a criminal." i remembered the frightened eyes of the women upstairs and felt myself seething with anger. "no! i am, in my special way, giving them back a small part of what they had taken away by people exactly like us. i'm providing them proof, living proof, their truths are still powerful." he strolled over to the window and looked out. "the women come to me for my blessing whenever they hope to bear a child. they know that if they wish, i can cause their first child to be a descendant of their white deity kukulkan. for them it is a sacred event." "they believe that?" it was sickening. i felt a knot growing in my stomach, even as my hallucinations flashed ever bolder, bright rainbows that flitted about the room, then wound themselves around me. "a great philosopher once said, all religions are true.' who are we to judge?" he paused. "let me try and explain something. those patterns you see the women weaving on the fabrics down in baalum, those patterns are actually just like the designs on that thousand-year-old pyramid. but though that pyramid had been buried and lost to them for so many years, they still made the designs all those years, because those symbols are a road map of their unseen world. not the forest here where we are now, but their real world, where the gods dwell who rule the lightning bolts, the germination of corn." he was at the door, preparing to leave, but he paused. "they also understand the . . . special infants who come are miracles that must be returned. they receive but they also must give. now they wish you to be part of that." with that he closed the door with a swing of his long hair, a slam followed by a hard click. chapter twenty-seven as i watched him depart, hallucinations swirling through my brain like furious fireworks, i had a bizarre thought. in an ancient rainforest all things are still possible. the old fairy tales we grew up with mostly took place in a deep wood where evil could lurk unfettered. today, though, the earth's forests no longer symbolize the unknowable dark within us. nowadays, the ogres of our nightmares descend from outer space or even from our inner selves, places we can't physically know or subdue. here, though, at this very moment, steve and sarah and i were marooned in a thousand-year-old forest where horror still lived. i got off the bed and steadied myself, breathing deeply, forcing my brain to clear. steve was wearing a shift, but his clothes were hanging from a hook on the door. for a long moment i just stared at the bruises on his face. "god, baby, what did he do to you?" no answer. "come on, love. please wake up." he didn't move, but his breathing was normal, not labored. i immediately decided i'd slap him around if i had to, anything to get him going and able to walk. "honey, wake up. please." i pulled his feet out of the bed and slid them around and onto the linoleum floor. i didn't know what kind of sedative he'd been injected with, but if i had to shake him out of it, fine. this was no time for half measures. "come _on_." i pulled him to his feet and dragged him across the floor to the slatted window at the rear of the room, where the predawn sounds of the forest beyond filled the air, mingled with the rain. what i needed was a gallon of black coffee, but the wet breeze would have to do. it took ten minutes of working on him, with me barely able to hold a grasp on my own reality, but then his eyelids began to flutter. i kept talking to him, pleading and badgering, and when he finally started coming around, i began to walk him back and forth in front of the window. steve, i thought, i'm so sorry, so terribly sorry i dragged you into this. "can i please lie down?" his timorous voice startled me, but it gave me a burst of hope. come _on_. "baby, just walk a little more. try to get the blood flowing and flush the damned chemicals out of your brain." "morgy, are you okay?" his eyes had finally started to focus. and the first thing he asked about was _me_. i impulsively hugged him. "i'm going to be." i pulled back and examined him. "you know where you are?" he grinned with only half his face, and i could tell even that hurt. then he stared around the room. "tell you one thing," he said, "this ain't kansas anymore. last thing i remember is, alan and i were setting down. then out of nowhere, your colonel ramos and about twenty kid soldiers with ak- 's were all over us." he groaned. "they took me and then he told dupre to get back in the chopper and disappear. i think that son of a bitch tipped ramos off we were coming. then ramos worked me over and gave me an injection. about five minutes later i passed out. it's the last thing i remember." ramos. was he going to kill us both, now that alex goddard had gotten everything he wanted? i thought about it and decided this was not the moment to share that possibility with steve. instead i turned him around and lifted up his head. "are you really awake?" i loved this poor, beat-up man. more than anything, i just wanted to hold him. "i'm not . . . but i'd damned well better be." he tried unsteadily, to straighten up. "morgy, before he put me away, that ramos bastard was talking about me, and you, in the past tense. like we'd already been 'disappeared.' he didn't know i speak spanish. what the hell's going on?" i wasn't sure how to tell him. but i was getting that super energy god gives you when you realize life is no longer a game. we had to get focused. "baby, where's your passport?" i asked. he looked around then pointed to his battered camera bag in the corner. "it's in there. or was. central america. never leave home without it." he grimaced then lightly pushed me away and stood by himself. "jesus, do you know what they're doing? you were right all along. they're selling kids in the states. that ramos prick is running the operation, not to mention alex goddard's slice of the action. and somebody at the american embassy here is handling all the paperwork, so they can grease everything through the ins. but i still don't understand how it is we're--" "honey, i know exactly what's happening." i'd long since figured out that alex goddard and colonel ramos were working hand in glove. but i still couldn't bring myself to tell him how he and i were going to be used. it was just too sick. "listen, not long from now i think i'm supposed to be taken down there to the village for some kind of rite, as part of this whole disgusting operation, and then after that he's going to use . . . you don't want to hear. we've--" "you know, ramos and a bunch of g- thugs are here to take away a batch of little kids," he rambled on, not seeming to hear anything i was saying. he was off in his own world, trying to sort out things in his head. "but what i can't figure is, how can they just take children from here and nobody tries to stop them? are these _indigena_ so terrified--?" "listen, please." now my hallucinations were returning in spite of all i could do, trails of light that glimmered off all the objects in the room, and i didn't know how much longer i'd be coherent. i'd have to talk fast. "we've got to get sarah before daylight. she's down in the village. i tried to get her out of there yesterday, but--" "is she okay?" he stared at me and his eyes cleared for a moment. "i mean, is she able to--?" "no, she's not okay. she's hallucinating worse than ever. i'm sure he's giving her more drugs. really heavy stuff." "so how--?" "hopefully, we're going right this minute. there's a river. but if that doesn't work out, there's something i can do to buy us a month's time. alex goddard's got a laboratory here, just down the hall, in back of his office. it's the evil center of this place. so if i can get in there and dump all his petri dishes, his in-vitro culture mediums . . . baby, it's all so disgusting. but i'm going to take care of it." i was starting to have real trouble just stringing words together into sentences. my hallucinations were still growing, the loud whispers of light, but i did manage to tell him how i thought we could get sarah and elude the army, if we did it before sunup, though my plan probably came out pretty jumbled. yet i felt that if we did it together, we could take care of each other. . . . then, with my remaining strength, i launched into action. "let me check the hall. i just want to shut down his lab. call it . . . call it insurance. five minutes, and then we'll be out of here." it also would be a kind of justice, to even the score for what he'd done to sarah and to me. i leaned steve back against the wall, then walked slowly across the tile floor to the door and tested it. surprise, surprise, it was locked. i again tried the knob, an old one, then again, but it wouldn't budge, just wiggled slightly. he'd locked us in. now what? then i remembered the time steve and i were in a similar situation. when we got locked in my room at the oloffson in port-au-prince, he'd just taken his swiss army knife and unscrewed the knob, then clicked it open. he'd made it look like a piece of cake, but he had a way of doing that. he was barely conscious, so this time i'd have to do it myself. i glanced around at his bag. "is your swiss still in there?" "i think . . ." his mind seemed to be wandering. then he gave a weak thumbs-up. i went over and zipped it open. be there, i prayed. we really could use a break. i rummaged through telephoto lenses and film canisters and underwear. then i found it, zipped inside a water-repellent baggie and stuck in a side pouch. i snapped it open and went to work, him watching me, his head nodding as he struggled to stay conscious. the main difference between this time and haiti was, here i didn't know what was on the other side and i was having hallucinations of multicolored snakes. "you're doing great," he said finally, seeming to come a bit more alive. and i was. out with the screws, off with the knob, in with the small blade, and click. maybe we just think men's mechanical skills are genetically hard-wired. maybe it's all a secret plot to elicit awe. i closed the knife and shoved it back into his bag, then turned to him. "honey, i'm just going to be a second. while i'm gone, practice walking." "be careful, please." he gave a cautionary wave. "they don't want us leaving here alive." "just get ready." i quietly pulled back the door and peered out into the dark hallway. it was empty, abandoned, no snakes, with only a light breeze flowing through. when i stepped out, the fresh air hit my face and i had a moment of intensity that made me realize what i really wanted to do, first and foremost, was see tz'ac tzotz one last time. a last farewell to one of sarah's children. stupid, yes, a private folly of the heart, but i had to do it. i was halfway down the hall, experiencing flashes of color before my eyes, when i heard a voice. "they're all praying for you. it's almost time." i turned back, startled, barely able to see. finally i made out marcelina, in her white shift. we were standing a few feet from the stairs, where i wanted to go, and i was tripping, my reality almost gone. i think she knew that, because she reached out to help me stand. "marcelina, where's sarah?" i grasped her hand, which helped me to keep my balance. "is she still down there in that . . . place?" "she's been so looking forward to the ceremony. she wants them to bring her--" "you don't know where she is?" i realized nothing was going to go the way i'd hoped it would. "they all love her. they're taking good care of her." "well, i love her too. and i have to get her. now." i was whispering to her, trying to save my strength. "marcelina, promise me you'll stop all this. it's so horrible. so sad." "it's our life," she whispered back, then turned her face away. i didn't know what else to say, and i was terrified alex goddard might materialize, so without another word, i pulled away and started up the steps. when i reached the top of the stairs, the hallway was lighted by the string of bulbs along the floor, and i made my way as fast as i could to my room at the end. i pulled my passport out of my bag, along with a charge card, slipped them both into my pants pocket, and headed back down the hall. when i got to the door of the room where tz'ac tzotz and his mother were, i gave it a gentle push and peered in, but the glow from the lamp above the bed showed it and the crib were both empty. . . . no! they must have already taken the children. next they'd be coming for me. i realized i'd been a fool not to head straight for the lab. i should have just gone-- the room went completely dark, together with the hallway, a pitch-black that felt like a liquid washing over me. the main power, somewhere, had abruptly died, or been deliberately shut off. then i heard a thunder of footsteps pounding up the steps, hard boots on the marble. i made a dash, hoping to slip past them in the dark hall. i'd reached the top of the stairs when i felt a hand brush against my face, then a grip circle around my biceps. somebody had been too quick. i brought my elbow around hoping to catch him in the face, bring him down, but instead it slammed against something metal, which clattered onto the floor. "_chingado_!" came a muffled voice. i drew back and swung, and this time my arm scraped hard against the flesh of a face and the bastard staggered backward his grip loosening. i twisted away and dropped to the floor to begin searching for what had fallen. surely it was a pistol. the marble was cold against my bare arms as i swept my hands across the floor. then i ran my fingers down the edge of the stair. and there it was, on the first step. my left hand closed around the cold barrel of an automatic. i shifted it to my right, grasping the plastic grip, not entirely sure what i should do with it. but at least i had a gun. i'd never actually held a real one before, but it was heavy and i assumed it was ready to fire. i was halfway down the first set of stairs, on my way to the landing, when i felt an arm slip around my neck. i ducked and twisted away, stumbling down the last three or four steps, and landed on my feet, staggering back against the wall to regain my balance. all i knew was, the next steps loomed somewhere to my right. just a few more feet . . . but he was there again, moving between me and the final stairs. get around him, i told myself, but at that moment he grabbed me at the waist. dancing in the dark, but the swirl had no music and no swing, just a quick, dizzying pirouette. i aimed the pistol as close as i could to his face and pulled the hard metal trigger. "_mierda!_" blinding light, a face lost in the burst of flame, stars filling my head. the fiery explosion tongued out past his ear like a brilliant sword of reds and yellows, sending a round off into space. the noise left a ringing in my ears and multicolored hues stuttering across my eyes. it hit me who i'd just seen. it was ramos. with a gun! shit. the flash of my pistol had given me the advantage for a second, since i knew it was coming, and with that edge i swung an elbow across his chin, then kneed him in the groin. it should have been enough to bring him down, but instead he merely sank to one knee and redoubled his grip. hey, i thought, maybe i know something he doesn't. how to take a fall. i'd seen enough movie stunts to know what you're supposed to do. it'd be risky, but i knew i wasn't going to win a wrestling match. i opened up with the automatic, firing everywhere again and again and again, getting off five rounds in a crescendo of light and sound, like a huge firecracker in my hand, enough to illuminate the stairwell like a strobe and catch him off guard. in that fleeting moment i slipped a foot behind his ankle and shoved. i think i yelled as i felt myself being pulled forward. then i realized he was wearing a heavy bracelet that had tangled in my hair. i'd been planning to roll down the remaining stairs, protecting my head, and let him bounce, but the pull of his bracelet ruined it. i felt myself being swept into empty space, my gun flying away. then something glanced off my face, the wooden banister of the stair, which had mysteriously come up to meet me. i turned and felt his body beneath mine, arms flailing, a soft landing, till we rolled and i was beneath him again. i struck out, a right fist, and he fell away, his bracelet disentangling as he tumbled farther down the stairs. then i rose and tried to take a step, but it wasn't there. in the pitch dark the angle was wrong, off by just inches, and as i toppled forward into empty space i reached out, taking a handful of dark air. finally i felt something clenching my wrist, and the next thing i knew i was being swung around. i twisted sideways one last time, but then my head hit the wall. the hard marble caught me just above the ear, and i saw the darkness of the space grow brilliantly light, then transmute to vibrant colors. or maybe the hall lights had come back on. i only know i felt a set of arms encircle me. "come," alex goddard was saying as he lifted me up. "they're ready." chapter twenty-eight when we reached the parking lot, several more army thugs were waiting, grown-ups now, khaki shirts and dense mustaches, the regulation g- sunglasses even though it was still dark, with mm automatics in holsters at their belt. i took one look at them and i think i blacked out. steve and i were about to "disappear," and possibly sarah too. probably in another hour or two. my tattered mind finally just slipped away. soon afterward, i sensed myself being transported in a large vehicle, and after that i was being carried, up, up, as though i were floating into the coming dawn. when i regained consciousness, i realized i was standing in a rainstorm near a small stone building. a dozen army men were huddled inside, shielding their cigarettes from the blowing rain while they guarded a row of olive-green bassinets. around me, censers were spewing _copal_ smoke into the soggy air. i became aware of the cooling sensation of the fresh rain across my face, and wondered if it might clear some of the toad venom (surely that was what it was) from my brain. maybe it was working. instead of seeing vivid colors everywhere, i was abruptly experiencing a hyper acute clarity of every sensation. the stones beneath my bare feet were becoming so articulated, i felt as though i could number every granule, every crystal, every atom. the paintings and carvings on the lintel above the door to the stone room--i recognized it as where i'd spent the first night--sparkled, leapt out at me. "stand there on the edge of the platform," alex goddard commanded, urging me forward. it was only then i realized we'd come up the back steps of the pyramid, where the g- men had parked their black land rovers, unnoticed and ready. looking down at the crowd of people gathered in the square, i realized they couldn't really see much of what was going on atop the pyramid. to them it was just a cloud of _copal_ smoke and foggy rain. although the sun was starting to brighten the east, the only real light still came from the torches stationed around the plaza. then like a ghost materializing out of the mist, marcelina moved up the steep front steps, leading a line of maya mothers from the clinic--i counted twelve--each carrying her newborn, the "special" baby she would give back to kukulkan, perhaps the way abraham of the old testament offered up his son isaac in sacrifice to jehovah. it was a sight i shall never forget, the sadness but also the unmistakable reverence in their eyes. i wanted to yell at them to run, to take sarah's votive babies and disappear into the forest, but i didn't have the words. next the women arrayed themselves in a line across the front of the pyramid, facing not the crowd below, but toward alex goddard and me. then, holding out a jade-handled obsidian knife, he walked down the line, allowing each woman to touch her forehead against its flint blade. i assumed each one believed it was the instrument that would take her child's life, ceremonially sending it back to the maya otherworld whence it came. had he drugged them too, i fleetingly wondered, hypnotized them or given them some potion to prevent them from comprehending what was really going on? i kept remembering . . . a hundred other insane episodes of immortal yearning leading to a mass "transport" to some other "plane." this, i thought, must be what it was like in the jungles of jonestown that death-filled morning. and alex goddard was their "jim jones," the spiritual leader of the moral travesty he'd imposed upon the lost village of baalum. i was going to stop it, somehow. by god, i was. i stared at the women and felt so sad at the sight of the hand-woven blankets they held their babies in, primary greens and reds and blues lovingly woven into shimmering patterns that mirrored the symbols across the sides of the stone room. their faces, especially their eyes, were transcendent in a kind of chiaroscuro of darkest blacks and purest whites, as though all their humanity had been caught by their blankets and shawls, surely created for this ultimate moment. and the mother of tz'ac tzotz was there, carrying him, the baby i'd so wanted to hold one last time. next alex goddard emerged from the stone room bearing a basket filled with sheets of white bark-paper. he approached tz'ac tzotz's mother, then took a wide section of the paper and secured it around her face with a silk cord, covering her vision. down the line, one after another, he carefully blindfolded the women, while they stood passively, some crying--from joy or sorrow, i could not tell. finally, at the last, he also covered marcelina's face. so she's not supposed to know what's really happening. nobody's supposed to know except him, and me. and, of course, ramos and the g- secret police and whoever else is in on this crime. but, secretly, she does know. the god of the house of darkness. when he finished, he put down the basket, then turned to me. "stand at the front edge of the platform and lift your hands in benediction. they all want to see you, the new bride." i took a couple of steps, then looked back to see him adding more _copal_ to the main censer, sending a fresh cloud of smoke billowing out into the rain. as the incense poured around us, the army thugs who'd been loitering at the back of the stone room began coming forward, each carrying one of the bassinets. they set them down on the stones, ready to start taking the children. my outraged mind flashed on ghirlandajo's "massacre of the innocents." here, though, sarah's children weren't being stabbed to death; they were being--kidnapped and stolen. revulsion pierced through me as though i'd been hit by a jagged shaft of lightning, but instead of being knocked down, i was energized. or maybe the final effects of the toad venom were giving me a spurt of adrenaline. letting his criminal charade continue one second longer became unbearable. what would happen to me, i didn't know, but i couldn't let it go on. "no," i yelled, startling myself by the sound of my own voice. "in god's name, stop." the rain was growing more intense, and i was soaked and bleary-eyed, but before i could think i found myself stalking over to tz'ac tzotz's mother, shouting at her. the next thing i knew i was ripping the paper from her frightened eyes. i hugged her as best i could, then yelled back at marcelina. "tell them all to take off their blindfolds. this is obscene." then i went on autopilot, shutting out everything around me--the rain, the perilous sides of the pyramid, the pistol-carrying g- thugs, even alex goddard. the way i remember it now, it all took place in slow motion, like some underwater dream sequence, but surely it was just the opposite. anyway, i do know i snapped. i started shouting again, and with the g- hoods momentarily frozen, i started flinging the still-empty bassinets down the steep side of the pyramid, where they just bounced away into the rain. as i watched them disappearing, one after another, i felt marvelously emboldened. i would throw one and watch it go flying, and then i would throw another. yes, damn it, yes! i wanted to show anybody with two eyes that it was all a sham. once they realized what was really happening, surely they would rise up and drive alex goddard from their home. for a moment it seemed to be working. a stunned silence was slowly spreading over the square, while everybody around me was paralyzed, like waxworks. maybe it's the same way you're temporarily caught off guard when a stranger on the street goes berserk. by the time i'd flung away the last bassinet, the women had all removed their blindfolds and were staring at me, dumbfounded. finally, tz'ac tzotz's mother whispered something to marcelina, and she turned to me. "she wants to know why you're angry. you're the bride. they only want to please you." angry? i was terrified, but also fighting mad. "marcelina, this is all a ghastly lie." i'd finished throwing and i was moving to the next stage. get control. could he risk killing me in front of all these people? "tell them to take their babies and hide in the forest." that was when i heard a cry that pierced through the rain and across the square beyond, and i turned back to see alex goddard shoving toward me. he's coming to murder me, since i've exposed him. but i wouldn't let it happen without a fight. i clenched my fists, waiting, feeling my adrenaline surge. instead, though, he just brushed past me, headed toward the edge of the platform. at first i didn't know why, but he was intent on something off in the mist, his open hands thrust up at the rainy skies. that was when i heard the guatemalan army hoods yelling curses. "_vete ala chingada!_" they also were staring off to the south, in the same direction. hadn't they noticed i'd just dismantled their sick pageant? i wanted a reaction that would drive home the truth to marcelina, to the mothers, to everyone. "damn it, look at me," i yelled, first at him and then at the g- thugs. "_mira!_" but their focus still was on something beyond the square. finally i turned, following their gaze, and for a second i too forgot all about everything else. an intense red glow was illuminating the morning sky from the direction of the clinic, a vibrant electric rose weaving its hues in the mist. then i saw spewing spikes of flame, orange and yellow, dancing over the top of the clinic. there was a finality about it that momentarily took my breath away. then it hit me. steve's in there. it was a horror that, in my initial shock, i couldn't actually process, the thought just hovering in the recesses of my brain defying me to accept it. then alex goddard turned back, shouting at the army men in rapid spanish--i recognized the word for fire--that galvanized them to action. they snapped out of their mental paralysis and headed down the pyramid, toward two land rovers parked at the back. next he turned around and fixed his gaze on me. at last he knew / knew he was capable of unspeakable evil, and i knew he knew i would do everything in my power to stop him. "all my records." his voice sounded as though it was coming from another world, and it held a sadness that touched even me. "you have no idea what's been lost." he was distraught, but also obsessed. with his wild mane of hair, he did, finally, look like shiva the destroyer. he stalked over and seized the obsidian knife, then turned toward me. i looked for something to defend myself with. the bassinets, which i might have used as a shield were gone. i only had my bare hands. i had to get away from him, get down the pyramid and find sarah and steve. but as i started toward the front steps, the women were all clustered there, blocking my way. then, for no reason i could understand the mother of tz'ac tzotz stepped out of the group and handed me her baby, saying something in kekchi maya and reaching to touch my cheek. i was so startled i took the bundle that was sarah's child. but then i thought, no! alex goddard will just kill him too. "she said he must not harm you," marcelina whispered moving beside me. "you are the special one. she wants you to give her child back to kukulkan." she still believes, i realized. they all do. holding tz'ac tzotz, my eyes fixed on alex goddard, i'd entirely failed to notice a new presence on the pyramid a ghostlike waif in a white shift who now stood silently in the doorway of the stone room. sarah! marcelina had said she'd wanted to come for the ceremony. she was being helped to stand by the two maya women who'd fed me the _atole_. somehow, she'd gotten them to bring her. "morgy, are you there?" sarah asked gazing up at the rainy skies, the downpour soaking her blond hair, her eyes unblinking. at that moment, i felt we'd joined become one person--me the dogged rational half who'd just gone over the line, her the spiritual part that needed to float, to fly free. "i wanted to be with--" "sar, get back," i yelled and started to go to her, but there wasn't time. now alex goddard was moving toward me holding the knife, as though tracking a prey, oblivious to sarah, to everything. he'd concentrated all his hatred on me and me alone, and i hated him back as much. death hovered between us, waiting to see whom to take. but then the woman who had borne tz'ac tzotz said something in kekchi maya, pointing back at me and her child, and lunged at him. they collided together in the rain and next she slid down, first seizing his leg, then losing her grip and slipping onto the stones, her long black hair askew in the hovering smoke. she's trying to save me, i realized. why--? then i saw sarah pull away from the women supporting her and slowly move across the platform. "morgy . . ." she was walking in the direction of alex goddard, but then she stumbled over the fallen woman's leg and her hand went down as she sprawled across her. she must have touched something, because she recoiled backward, and only then did i notice the flare of a torch glinting off the obsidian knife now protruding from the woman's chest. sarah rose up, her eyes full of anger, and awkwardly flung her arms, searching. i could feel the passion that had been pent up all those months she lay in the coma, feeding her madness. she managed to catch hold of alex goddard's arm, and they began an awkward minuet, neither realizing how close they were to the stone platform's edge. i stood mesmerized a moment, then dashed toward them, but only in time to watch them vanish into the rain and haze. it was as though there had been some sleight of hand. one second they were there and the next they weren't. at first i thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but then i realized it was real. they were gone. "_sarah!_" i reached the side in time to see them land on the first tier of stones below. she'd fallen near the edge, but she was solid and safe. alex goddard, however, hit with one foot on and one foot off, and the result was he slid away, then vanished into the dark rain. it's her final act of self-destruction. she's joined me in my rage, but we've both been spared. that's the miracle of _baalum_. "sar, don't move." i finally found my voice. i was still holding tz'ac tzotz, who'd begun to shriek, his blue eyes flooded with fear. now several village men from the square were running, shouting, up the slippery steps. their faces looked like they'd been painted at one time, but now the rain had washed most of it away. while i yelled down to sarah, again begging her not to move, marcelina was asking them something, and their answers were tumbling out. finally i turned to look at her, the screaming tz'ac tzotz still in my arms. "no one knows where he is," she was saying as she looked down over the side. "he's gone into the forest." "good." i pulled tz'ac tzotz to me and kissed him, trying to tell him to calm down. it wasn't working. "marcelina, here, please hold him. i've got to get down to sarah." she took him. then i walked over to where his mother lay bleeding on the stones. the woman wasn't moving, the obsidian knife still protruding from her chest. she'd saved me, but now death had taken her. there was nothing anyone could do. i was trembling, but i turned and began easing myself over the side of the stone platform and onto the first tier of the pyramid. "sar, don't move." i inched my way across to her. "just stay still." the rain was pouring again, but the electric bloom of sparks and flames from the direction of the clinic was unabated. it would be completely gutted. was steve awake enough to get out? he'd seemed alert when i left him. "morgy, is that you?" she was holding out her fingers. "i can't see you. where are--?" "i'm here, sar. right here." i reached down and took her hand, which was deathly cold. "come on. let me help you get up." carefully, leaning against the wet stones of the side of the pyramid, i gradually pulled her to her feet and away from the treacherous edge. then it hit me what she'd said. "sar, what do you mean, you can't see me?" "i'm okay. it's just . . ." she was gripping my hand now, and then she brushed against the stone side of the pyramid and put out her other hand to cling to it. "morgy, i took it again. to go to their sacred place. but sometimes you can only see visions and then after a while everything goes blank." that bastard. alex goddard had given her the drug again. now she was lost in a world of colored lights, a place i'd just traveled through myself. she probably had no idea she'd just pushed him off the pyramid and into the dark. "your hand feels so soft," she was saying. "you're like warm honey." "sar, try to walk. we're going to turn a corner and then we'll be at the back of the pyramid. next we'll come to some steps, and then we're going down." as i inched our way along, scarcely able to keep our footing because of the rain, i wondered again about steve. please, god, let him be all right. when we finally got to the steps, marcelina was there, standing expectantly, holding tz'ac tzotz. he was still crying, intermittent sobs. "he belongs to you now," she said, holding him out for me. "it's what she wished. "what--?" i took him before i realized what i was doing. as i cradled him, gazing down at his tender little face, i realized he truly was sarah all over again. and i was so glad she couldn't see him. never, i thought, she must never, ever know. i finally forced myself to place him back into marcelina's arms. "you've got no idea how much i want him, but i can't. let one of these women give him her milk, have a twin for her own child." for that wrenching moment i'd held the very baby my heart longed for. but he was the last one on earth i could have. just go, take sarah and find steve and go as far from _baalum_ as you can, before you lose your compass and do something terribly selfish. "marcelina," i said, reaching to hug her, "tell them these 'sacred' children are all from his _medico_. look up 'in vitro' in your dictionary. that's all it is." she hugged me back, though i wasn't sure whether she understood. then i asked her to take sarah's hand for a moment while i went back up the steps to the platform. i felt a primal anger as i took one last look at the women alex goddard had wronged, now clustered around the body of tz'ac tzotz's mother. then i bade them a silent farewell, turned, and walked, holding my tears, back through the stone room. the rear of the pyramid was deserted, the steps slippery and dangerous, but it was our way out. i began leading sarah down, step by treacherous step. everything had happened so fast i'd barely had time to think about steve. those flames, my god. it was finally sinking in, truly hitting me. had he gotten out in time? then the slimy rio tigre, now swelling from the rain, came into view. i stared at it a second before i noticed the three young army recruits leaning against the trunk of a giant cebia tree next to the trail, their rifles covered in plastic against the rain. when they saw us, they stiffened, shifted their weapons, and glanced up at the top of the pyramid, as though seeking orders. neither group had any idea why the other was there. sarah and i were an unforeseen contingency they hadn't been briefed on. what are they going to do? they have no idea what just happened. "morgy," sarah said, gazing blankly at the sky, "the colors are so beautiful. can we--?" "shhh, we'll talk in a minute." i smiled and nodded and began walking past the young privates, holding my breath. then a spectral form emerged out of the rain just behind them. it took me a moment to recognize who it was. i was hoping it might be steve, but instead it was a man dressed in white, now covered with mud, and holding a knife, not obsidian this time but long and steel. his eyes were glazed, and i wasn't sure if he even knew exactly where he was. why had he come down to the river? had he known i'd come here, too? for a moment we just stood staring at each other, while the army privates began edging up the hill, as though not wanting to witness what surely was coming next. "why don't you put an end to all the evil?" i yelled at him finally, trying to project through the rain. "just stop it right now." "_baalum_ was my life's work," he said. then he looked down at the knife a moment, as though unsure what it was. finally he turned and flung it in the direction of the river. "it could have been beautiful," i said back. thank god the knife was gone. but what would he do next? "but now--" "no," he said staring directly at me, his eyes seeming to plead. "it is. it will be again. to make a place like _baalum _is to coin the riches of god. i want you to stay. to be part of it. together, we . . ." but whatever else he said was lost in the cloudburst that abruptly swept over the embankment. in an instant it was a torrent, the last outpouring of the storm, powerful and unrelenting. nature had unleashed its worst, as though kukulkan was rendering his final judgment. "morgy, i'm falling," sarah screamed. the ground she and i had been standing on began turning to liquid as though it were a custard melting in the tropical heat. as we began slipping down the embankment toward him, i gripped her arm with my left hand and reached up to seize a low-lying branch of the cebia with my right. then, under the weight of the water, all the soil beneath us gave way, tons of wet riverbank that abruptly buckled outward. alex goddard made no sound as the mass of earth lifted him backward toward the river. his sullied garb of white blended into the gray sludge of mud and rain, then faded to darkness as the embankment dissolved into the swirling rio tigre. "sar, hold on. please hold on." i felt my grasp of the tree slipping, but now the mud slide had begun to stabilize. i managed to cling to the limb for a few seconds more, the bark cutting into my fingers, and then my hold slipped away, sending us both spiraling downward till we were temporarily snagged by the cebia's newly exposed undergrowth. i still had her hand though just barely, but the torrent of rain and mud was subsiding, and finally we collapsed together into the gnarled network of roots. after a moment's rest, i managed to crawl out and pull her up. "come on, sar. try and walk." together we stumbled and slid down the last incline before the river's edge, then turned upstream along the bank. after about fifty yards, sure enough, the native _cayucos_, the hollowed-out mahogany canoes i'd told steve about, were still there just as i'd seen them that first morning, bobbing and straining at their moorings. in the rain i couldn't tell how usable they were, but i figured going downriver was the only way we'd ever be able to get out. we'd have to flee the way sarah had that first time. for a moment i thought they all were empty--dear god, no--but then i realized there was a drenched figure in the last one in the row. when i recognized who it was, i think i completely lost it; all the horror of the last two days swallowed me up. i grabbed sarah and hugged her for dear life, feeling the tears coursing down my cheeks. i literally couldn't help myself. "they were tied up here just like you said." steve wiped the rain from his eyes, then reached to take my hand. his bandaged nose was bleeding again, and he looked like he'd just been half killed. "i told those little army _chicos_ i was a big amigo of _el doctor _and they saluted and showed me where these were tied up." "thank god you're okay. what happened? did--?" "ramos, the son of a bitch. he came in and ... i guess it was time to finish me off. but i wasn't as drugged out as he thought." he was staring at sarah, clearly relieved but asking no questions. "i brought along his nine-millimeter"--he indicated the silver automatic in his belt--"in case we run into problems." i wanted to kiss him, but i was still too shaken up. instead i focused on helping sarah in without capsizing everything. after i'd settled her, i pulled myself over the side and reached for a paddle. "if we go with the current," i said, "we'll get to the usumacinta. hopefully the flooding will help push us downstream." "honestly, i didn't think the fire would get away from me like it did." he shoved off amidst the swirling debris. "jesus. i heard them taking you away, and i assumed you didn't get to mess up his lab. so i figured there was one way . . . i just threw around some ether and pitched a match. the place was empty, so . . ." i looked around at the roiling waters, snakes and crocodiles lurking, and felt a lifetime of determination. was alex goddard still alive? i no longer cared. . . . sunrise was breaking through the last of the rain, laying dancing shadows on the water as we rowed for midstream. someday, i knew, what was real about _baalum _and what i'd dreamed here might well merge together, the way they had for sarah. but for now, true daylight never looked better. chapter twenty-nine we got picked up by a ragged crew of mexican fishermen just before dark. aside from being sunburned to medium rare, we were physically okay. the fresh air and sunshine did a lot to bring sarah back, though she did have lapses of non-rationality, and once tried to dive over the side of their fishing cutter. they dropped us off at the tourist site of yaxchitan, a mayan ruin on the western bank of the mighty usumacinta, where we joined an american day-tour on its way back to san cristobal de las casas. there we caught a prop flight to cancun, and then american airlines to new york. we had no luggage, but i flew us first-class, and i still have the mastercard slip to prove it. as things turned out, though, returning sarah to normalcy--or me, for that matter--was another struggle entirely. for me, time, after that rainy morning in the peten, became an essence that flowed around me as though i were aswim in the ether of interstellar space, pondering the conjunction of good and evil. i suffered flashbacks, late-night reveries of forests and children that must have been like those sarah struggled to bury. for weeks after that, i had a lot of trouble remembering meetings, returning phone calls, giving david an honest day's editing. for her own part, sarah just seemed to drift at first, to the point i sometimes wondered if she realized she was back at lou's loft. then abruptly, one day she snapped into her old self and started sending for re-registration materials from columbia. i really needed to talk with her about our mutual nightmare, but she seemed to have erased all memories of _baalum_, except for occasional mumbles in kekchi maya. perhaps that was best, i consoled myself. maybe it was wise for us all just to let the ghosts of that faraway place lie sleeping. as for lou, i told him as little as i could about what happened to her there. he hadn't returned to work, had mainly stayed at his soho place to be near her, as though he was fearful she might be snatched away from him once more. frankly, i think all his enforced closeness was starting to grate on her nerves, though i dared not hint such a thing to him. in the meantime, steve returned to belize to wrap up his photo essay, and david submitted a (very) rough cut of _baby love _to the selection committee at sundance (our hoped-for distribution deal with orion was, alas, in temporary turnaround pending yet another management shuffle). we did, however, squeeze an advance from lifetime that lowered the heat with nicky russo. nevertheless, the story of how alex goddard touched all our lives still wasn't over. it was two months after we got back to the city that my dark dance with the man who thought he was shiva, creator and destroyer, had its final pirouette, as though his ghost had returned from his rain-forest redoubt for one last sorcerer's turn. truthfully, it all transpired so fast i could scarcely take it in, but here's the rough outline of what happened. i was working late that thursday evening in the editing room at applecore, around seven o'clock. and i was feeling particularly out of sorts, including a headache and stomach pains from the leftover pizza i'd microwaved to keep me going. i was re-cutting some new real-life interviews i'd filmed to replace those of carly and paula. (children of light had gone defunct, by the way, the phone at quetzal manor disconnected, but i didn't need any more excitement in my life of the colonel ramos variety. the replacement interviews weren't nearly as bubbly and full of exuberance, but they were actually much truer to the realities of adoption.) anyway, i listened to my stomach, and decided it was high time to toss in the towel. i got my things, locked up, and then i ran into david on the elevator, coming down from the floor above. "how's it going?" he asked, ostentatiously checking his watch, an approving gleam in his eyes. i was glad he wanted to let me know he'd noticed i was logging long hours. then he looked at me again. "hey, you feeling okay?" "i've been better," i said, thinking how nice it was that he cared. "could be a couple of aspirin and a good night's sleep are called for." "so now you're a doctor?" he said, following me into the lobby, "providing self-diagnosis--?" "david, give me a break. i just happen to feel a little off today, okay? it doesn't mean i'm at death's door." "yeah, well, the way you look you coulda fooled me." he headed down the street, toward the avenue. then he called back over his shoulder. "i don't want to see you in tomorrow unless you look like you might live through the day. i pay for your health insurance. use it, for god's sake." after i found a cab, i began to think he might be right. this was no typical down day. so i decided i'd stop at the duane reade on my corner and talk to the pharmacist. the second-shift man was on, a gray-haired portly old guy who knew more about drugs than most doctors. the tag on his jacket said "bernd" and that's all anybody ever knew of his name. i sometimes called him "dr. bernd" by way of banter, but nothing i could do would ever make him smile. the place was nearly empty and the pharmacy at the rear, with its spectral fluorescent lighting, looked like an out-take from a low-budget wes craven movie. bernd, who was in back puttering, came out and looked me over. i know it sounds naive, but i trusted him more than i trust half the young, overworked interns you get at an emergency room these days. i poured out my symptoms, including the story about how i'd been given fertility drugs and toad venom. was it all coming back to haunt me, the dark hand of alex goddard? he began by asking me some very perceptive questions, about things that had been puzzling me but i'd sort of managed to dismiss. finally, he walked around the counter and lifted a small, shrink-wrapped box off a rack. "try this," he said handing it over, "and then come back tomorrow. maybe it's not such a big deal." you're kidding, i thought, looking at the box. i got home, collapsed onto the couch, and opened it. believe it or not, i actually had to read the instructions. i did what they said, checked the time, and then decided to run a hot bath. i filled the tub, dumped in some bubble-bath, put the cordless on the toilet seat, and splashed in. it felt so good i wanted to dissolve. then i reached for the phone. the clock above the sink read eight-thirty, and i figured rightly, that steve would be back at his hotel in belize city. sure enough i got him on the first try. "honey, you sitting down?" i said. "i'm lying down. you wouldn't believe my day." "you 're not going to believe what i just heard from the pharmacist at the corner. remember i told you i've been feeling strange, and some things were a little behind schedule? well, guess what. we're about to find out something. we can't be together, but we can share it over a satellite." "you mean . . ." "i'm doing the test right now. you know, you take the stick out of the glass holder and if it's turned pink. . . ." he was speechless for a long moment. finally he just said, "wow." i checked the clock again, then reached for the test tube. this, i realized, is the most incredible moment in any woman's life. is your world going to go on being the same, or is it never, ever going to be the same again? when i pulled out the stick, it was a bright, beautiful pink. "steve. i love you. it's--" "max." he didn't realize it, but his voice had just gone up an octave. "what?" "that's my dad's middle name. i want to name him max. it's an old family tradition." "and what if it's a girl? don't say maxine or i'll divorce you before you even make an honest woman of me." "nope. if it's a girl, then you get to pick." i couldn't believe i was finally having this conversation. it was something i'd dreamed of for years. it then got too maudlin to repeat. he was coming home in eleven days, and we planned the celebration. dinner at le cirque and then an evening at cafe carlyle. for a couple of would-be new york sophisticates, that was about as fancy-schmancy as this town gets. i was crying tears of triumph by the time we hung up. by then it was late enough i figured arlene would be home from her exercise class, so i decided to call her and break the happy news once more. who i really wanted to call was betsy, on the coast, but i knew she'd still be driving home from her temp job. arlene would have to do. telling her would be the equivalent of sending an urgent e-mail to the entire office, but i wanted everybody to know. two birds with one stone. i looked down at my body, all the curves and soft skin, and tried to think about the miracle of a baby finally growing inside it, life recreating itself. god! arlene was going to break my mood, but for some reason i had to call her. if only to bring me back to reality. i reached over and clicked open the cordless again. i was punching in her number when something made me pause. it was a nagging thought that i'd managed to repress for a while. finally, though, it wouldn't stay down any more. there was something i had to check out. i slowly put down the handset, climbed out of the tub, dried off, then plodded into the bedroom to dig out my private calendar, which had long since become a record of everything relevant to my and steve's baby project. it was buried at the bottom of the desk's second drawer, in amongst old bank statements. it was also, figuratively, covered by two months of dust, since that was how long it'd been since i'd bothered with it. i guess my attitude had been, what's the point? i placed it on the desk, trying not to get it wet. then i wrapped the towel more firmly around me, switched on the desk lamp, and sat down. i think i was also holding my breath. i counted all the days twice, but there was no mistaking. the night steve and i had spent so gloriously together in the camino real wasn't a fertile time. not even close. i suppose that by then i'd become so despairing of ever getting pregnant, i hadn't even given it any thought. it was enough just to see him and hold him. i just sat there for a long time staring at the white page, unable to move, random thoughts coming too fast to contain inside my tangled brain. finally, though, i managed to get up and numbly put the calendar away. order, i needed order. i then worked my way into the kitchen to fix myself something. i had a glass of water, then pulled down a bottle of red label and poured myself half a tumbler. okay, somewhere down deep i knew it was the worst possible thing i could do, but i wasn't thinking, just going on autopilot and dismay. i drank off a shot of the foul-tasting scotch, then realized how thoughtless that was and dumped the rest into the sink. next, i moved into the living room and put on a raga, "malkauns," concert volume, the one where the first note goes straight to your heart. finally i collapsed onto the couch, the room now gloriously alive with all the spirituality and sensuality of the raga, notes piling on exquisite notes. for a while i just lay there numbly, enveloped in its lush eroticism. . . . eventually i started to think. alex goddard had planned to take from me, but had he also given? had his "proprietary" ovulation drugs . . . causing all those hundreds of eggs to mature simultaneously . . . inadvertently let me get pregnant? then i had a dismaying counter-thought. could he have done an _in vitro_ while i was under sedation, when he harvested my ova? the ultimate link to _baalum_. was my baby sarah's too? one of those last frozen embryos in his . . .? then i leaned back and closed my eyes. no, surely not. this baby was steve's and mine. ours. had to be. his unintended, beautiful, ironic gift. surely . . . uh-uh. go for a second take. embrace life. be molly bloom and shout it. yes! _yes_! * * * books by thomas hoover nonfiction zen culture the zen experience fiction the moghul caribbee wall street _samurai_ (the _samurai_ strategy) project daedalus project cyclops life blood syndrome all free as e-books at www.thomashoover.info university of kansas publications museum of natural history volume , no. , pp. - , pls. - , figs. october , a review of the middle american tree frogs of the genus ptychohyla by william e. duellman university of kansas lawrence university of kansas publications, museum of natural history editors: e. raymond hall, chairman, henry s. fitch, theodore h. eaton, jr. volume , no. , pp. - , pls. - , figs. published october , university of kansas lawrence, kansas printed by jean m. neibarger, state printer topeka, kansas [union label] - a review of the middle american tree frogs of the genus ptychohyla by william e. duellman contents page introduction acknowledgments materials and methods analysis of data external morphology color and pattern osteology tadpoles breeding call systematic accounts _ptychohyla_ taylor, key to adults key to tadpoles _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group _ptychohyla euthysanota_ _ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota_ (kellogg) _ptychohyla euthysanota macrotympanum_ (tanner) _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ (ahl) _ptychohyla spinipollex_ (schmidt) _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ stuart _ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae_ duellman _ptychohyla ignicolor_ duellman distribution and ecology geographic distribution of the species habitat preference interspecific competition reproduction and development phylogeny of ptychohyla _ptychohyla_ as a natural assemblage generic relationships interspecific relationships literature cited introduction probably no ecological group of hylid frogs (some _hyla_ plus _plectrohyla_ and _ptychohyla_) in middle america is so poorly known as those species that live in the cloud forests on steep mountain slopes and breed in cascading mountain streams. during the last half of the nineteenth century most of the species of hylids living in the lowlands of southern méxico and northern central america were named and described. despite the extensive collecting by salvin and godman, nelson and goldman, and the various expeditions of the _mission scientifique_, no members of the genus _ptychohyla_ were obtained until , when in the mountains of el salvador ruben a. stirton found a small tree frog that subsequently was described and named _hyla euthysanota_ by kellogg ( ). until recently frogs of this genus were known from few specimens and in the literature by nearly as many names. although i first collected _ptychohyla_ in , it was not until that special efforts were made to obtain specimens of this genus. the summer of was spent in southern méxico and guatemala, where every accessible stream in the cloud forests was searched for tree frogs, especially _ptychohyla_ and _plectrohyla_. similar, but less extensive, investigations were carried out in and . the result of this field work is a rather large collection of _ptychohyla_ representing all of the known species, plus tape recordings of the breeding calls and tadpoles of all of the species. previously, i have discussed the nomenclature of one of the species (duellman, ) and have described two new species (duellman, ). in the latter paper i made reference to a future account (this one) that would deal with the systematics and biology of the entire genus. although i have series of specimens, tadpoles, osteological preparations, and recordings of breeding calls, thereby having a wide array of data at my disposal, much still remains to be learned about these frogs, especially about various aspects of their life histories. even the validity of the genus is open to question; this problem is discussed at length in the section beyond entitled "_ptychohyla_ as a natural assemblage." acknowledgments i am indebted to the following persons for permitting me to examine specimens in their care: miguel alvarez del toro, museo zoología de tuxtla gutierrez, méxico (mztg); charles m. bogert and richard g. zweifel, american museum of natural history (amnh); doris m. cochran, united states national museum (usnm); norman hartweg and charles f. walker, university of michigan museum of zoology (ummz); robert f. inger, chicago natural history museum (cnhm); hobart m. smith, university of illinois museum of natural history (uimnh); heinz wermuth, zoologisches museum berlin (zmb); and ernest e. williams, museum of comparative zoology (mcz). the abbreviations following names of institutions will be used throughout the text; the museum of natural history at the university of kansas is abbreviated ku. throughout my work on these frogs i have profited from discussions with l. c. stuart, who has made many valuable suggestions and with his characteristic generosity has placed at my disposal his extensive collections of tadpoles from guatemala. for his aid i am indeed grateful. i am grateful to thomas e. moore for tapes of breeding calls of two species. my own field work was made more enjoyable and profitable through the assistance of dale l. hoyt, craig e. nelson, jerome b. tulecke, and john wellman, all of whom spent many hours in often unsuccessful attempts to collect specimens and record breeding calls of _ptychohyla_. i am indebted to many residents of méxico, guatemala, and el salvador for permission to work on their land and for providing shelter, food, and guides. i am especially grateful to mr. and mrs. horatio kelly of "colegio linda vista" at pueblo nuevo solistahuacán, chiapas, for a pleasant stay at their school; jordi juliá z. of the comisión del papaloapan, ciudad alemán, veracruz, for arranging for field work in northern oaxaca in ; walter hannstein and lothar menzel for the use of facilities at finca la paz, guatemala, in ; alan hempstead for the use of facilities at finca los alpes, guatemala in and ; and julio aguirre c. of the instituto tropical de investigaciones científicas, san salvador, el salvador, for providing comfortable working quarters and transportation and guides to the mountains in northern el salvador. without the cheerful efforts of jorge a. ibarra, director of the museo nacional de historia natural in guatemala, my field work would have been greatly restricted during politically precarious times in that country. permits to collect in méxico were furnished by the late luis macías arellano of the dirección general de caza. each of these individuals has my profound thanks for his indispensable aid. field work on hylid frogs in middle america has been supported by the national science foundation, grant nsf-g , and this is the th publication on the results of study of the material from america. materials and methods during the course of this study i have examined frogs that i assign to the genus _ptychohyla_, plus lots of tadpoles and skeletal preparations. furthermore, i have examined all of the type specimens. i have studied each of the species and subspecies in the field and have examined from seven (_p. euthysanota macrotympanum_) to (_p. spinipollex_) living individuals of each species. measurements given in the analysis of data and in the descriptions of the species are those described by duellman ( ). in the descriptions of living colors the capitalized names are from ridgway ( ). all interpretations of osteological characters are based on specimens cleared in potassium hydroxide and stained with alizarin red. recordings of the breeding calls were made with a magnemite portable tape-recorder; audiospectrographs were made on a vibralyzer (kay electric company) using normal pattern and wide bandwidth. analysis of data data that are used to arrive at a systematic arrangement of the species of _ptychohyla_ are analyzed and discussed below for the values inherent in the analysis. these data are of some value also in the recognition of species and subspecies but if employed for that purpose the data must be used in combination with the keys and the diagnoses of the individual species and subspecies. external morphology each of the external morphological characters used in the systematic treatment of _ptychohyla_, as well as the nature of the tongue, is discussed below. size and proportions.--comparisons of size and certain proportions are given in table . frogs of this genus are small; the largest specimen examined is a female of _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ having a snout-vent length of . mm. the species comprising the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group are smaller; the largest specimen examined is a female of _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ having a snout-vent length of . mm. an analysis of the various measurements and proportions shows few constant differences. _ptychohyla ignicolor_ differs from all of the other species in having the head slightly wider than long and the tympanum noticeably less than half the size of eye. _ptychohyla spinipollex_ has a relatively narrow interorbital distance, approximately equal to the width of the eyelid, whereas in all of the other species that distance is much more than the width of the eyelid. snout.--all species have a blunt snout. in _p. leonhardschultzei_ and _p. ignicolor_ the snout is nearly square in lateral profile; in _p. schmidtorum_ the snout is slightly rounded above and below, and in the other species it is rounded above. _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ and _p. spinipollex_ have a vertical fleshy rostral keel on the snout; in these species, because of this keel, the snout in dorsal profile is pointed. the nostrils are slightly protuberant in all species, and in _p. schmidtorum_ the internarial region is slightly depressed. hand.--the species in the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group have a vestige of web between the first and second fingers; the other fingers are about one-third webbed. breeding males have a cluster of horny nuptial spines on the thumb. the spines are largest in _p. spinipollex_ (fig. ) and vary in number from to (average . ) on each thumb. in the other species of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group the spines are smaller and usually more numerous; the numbers of spines on each thumb (means in parentheses) in members of this group are: _p. euthysanota euthysanota_, - ( . ); _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_, - ( . ); _p. leonhardschultzei_, - ( . ). the species in the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group have no web between the first and second fingers and only a vestige of web between the other fingers. furthermore, these species lack nuptial spines in breeding males. like the usual horny excrescences on the thumbs of many species of frogs, the horny spines on the thumbs of members of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group are seasonal in development. table .--variation in certain characters in the species of ptychohyla. (means are in parentheses below the ranges.) key to table columns a) number of specimens b) maximum snout-vent length c) tibia length/snout-vent length d) tympanum/eye e) vomerine teeth ==================+========+======+=======+=========+=========+======= species | sex | a | b | c | d | e ------------------+--------+------+-----------------+----------------- | | | | | | _p. euthysanota | [male] | | . | . - . | . - . | - euthysanota_ | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | |[female]| | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _p. euthysanota | [male] | | . | . - . | . - . | - macrotympanum_| | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | |[female]| | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _p. leonhard | [male] | | . | . - . | . - . | - schultzei_ | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | |[female]| | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _p. spinipollex_ | [male] | | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | |[female]| | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _p. schmidtorum | [male] | | . | . - . | . - . | - schmidtorum_ | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | |[female]| | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _p. schmidtorum | [male] | | . | . - . | . - . | - chamulae_ | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | |[female]| | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) | | | | | | _p. ignicolor_ | [male] | | . | . - . | . - . | - | | | | ( . ) | ( . ) | ( . ) ------------------+--------+------+-------+---------+---------+------- [illustration: fig. . palmar views of right hands of (a) _ptychohyla spinipollex_ (ku ) and (b) _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ (ku ).] many workers have used the presence of a bifid subarticular tubercle beneath the fourth finger as a diagnostic character of certain species of hylids. examination of the subarticular tubercles in _ptychohyla_ reveals considerable intraspecific variation. bifid tubercles beneath the fourth finger are found in all species except _p. ignicolor_, which is known from only two specimens. in _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ nearly per cent and in _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ about per cent of the specimens have a bifid tubercle beneath the fourth finger on one or both hands. all specimens of _p. leonhardschultzei_ have either a bifid or double tubercle beneath the fourth finger, and some have a bifid distal tubercle beneath the third finger. feet.--members of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group have a weak tarsal fold, whereas in the species comprising the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group the tarsal fold is absent. webbing on the foot extends to the discs of the third and fifth toes and to the base of the penultimate phalanx of the fourth toe, except in _p. ignicolor_, which has less webbing. ventrolateral glands.--breeding males develop thickened, pigmented glandular areas on the sides of the body. in living specimens of _p. schmidtorum_ and _p. ignicolor_ the glands are not readily visible, but in preservative they show as distinctive orange-colored areas. these glands are most distinct in _p. euthysanota_; in many specimens of this species the glands are elevated above the surrounding skin. the extent of the glands is variable (fig. ); probably this variability is due to different degrees of development in individual frogs rather than to interspecific differences. all _ptychohyla ignicolor_ and some _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ have a small, round glandular area on the chin; to my knowledge this does not occur in the other species. superficial examination of microscopic preparations of the glands reveals no histological differences between species. the glands occupy most of the thickened area and have narrow ducts leading to the exterior. detailed studies of the histology will be reported elsewhere. since the glands are developed only in breeding males, it is surmised that the glands are associated with some phase of the breeding activity. [illustration: fig. . normal extent of ventrolateral glands in (a) _ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota_ (ku ), (b) _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ (ku ), and (c) _ptychohyla ignicolor_ (ummz ).] tongue.--the shape of the tongue varies intraspecifically. usually the tongue is ovoid; in some specimens it is barely notched posteriorly, whereas in others it is deeply notched, making the tongue cordiform. deeply notched cordiform tongues are found in _p. leonhardschultzei_ and _p. schmidtorum_; with the exception of these two species, some individuals of all species have emarginate tongues. some individuals of all species have tongues that are shallowly notched posteriorly. color and pattern the dorsum in living frogs of the genus _ptychohyla_ is primarily yellowish or reddish brown, except in _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ and _p. ignicolor_ in which it is green. usually there are some darker blotches or reticulations on the dorsum. the venter usually is white; in _p. ignicolor_ it is yellow. the venter is spotted in all members of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group; the species, arranged from least to most spotting ventrally, are: _p. euthysanota euthysanota_, _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_, _p. leonhardschultzei_, and _p. spinipollex_. the last two species also have bold dark spots on the flanks. _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ lacks spots on the venter, whereas _p. ignicolor_ has small dark flecks ventrally. _ptychohyla euthysanota_ and _p. schmidtorum_ have white stripes on the upper lips and on the flanks. all species have some form of a pale stripe above the anus and usually rather distinct white or pale stripes along the ventrolateral edges of the tarsi and forearms. there are no bright or boldly marked flash-colors (colors that are revealed only when the hind limbs are extended), except in _p. ignicolor_, which has bright red flash-colors in the groin and on the thighs. in life the iris varies from several different shades of bronze color to deep red in _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_. the degree of metachrosis is moderate. usually any change of color in life consists only of change in the intensity of color. at times when the over-all coloration is darkened some markings are obscured. osteology the following description of the skull, hyoid, sternum, and prepollex is based on a male specimen of _p. spinipollex_ (ku ) that has been cleared and stained. the broad, flat skull (fig. ) has a large frontoparietal fontanelle. the ethmoid is large and has a flange laterally. the nasals are of moderate size and in broad contact with the ethmoid, but are separated from one another medially. the anterior half of the maxillary bears a thin, high flange. the anterior process of the squamosal is short and widely separated from the maxillary. the quadratojugal is a small spine-shaped element projecting anteriorly from the ventral base of the quadrate; the quadratojugal does not articulate with the maxillary. [illustration: fig. . dorsal aspect of skull of _ptychohyla spinipollex_ (ku ). arrow indicates reduced quadratojugal.] the posteromedian part of the hyoid plate is calcified; from this plate the long bony, posterior cornua (thyrohyales) extend posterolaterally. the omosternum is calcified, widest anteriorly, and has a convex anterior edge. the calcified xiphisternum is roughly bell-shaped having short lateral processes anteriorly and a deep notch posteriorly. the swollen thumb is supported by a dorsoventrally flattened spine that does not extrude through the skin. variation.--in general, the skull varies little. usually the quadratojugal is present only as a short element attached to the quadrate, but in one specimen of _p. spinipollex_ the quadratojugal articulates with the maxillary and forms a complete quadratojugal-maxillary arch on each side of the skull. one specimen of _p. leonhardschultzei_ has a complete arch on one side and an incomplete arch on the other. only _p. spinipollex_ has lateral processes anteriorly on the xiphisternum; in the other species the xiphisternum is deeply bell-shaped. _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ and _p. ignicolor_ have slightly longer premaxillaries than the other species. the longer premaxillary is reflected in the larger number of teeth on the bone-- to (average ) in four specimens of _p. schmidtorum_ and teeth in one _p. ignicolor_, as compared with to (average . ) in seven specimens of the other species. the number of maxillary teeth in the various species are: _p. euthysanota euthysanota_, ; _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_, ; _p. leonhardschultzei_, and ; _p. spinipollex_, and ; _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_, and ; _p. schmidtorum chamulae_, and ; _p. ignicolor_, . the teeth on the premaxillary and anterior part of the maxillary are long, pointed, and terminally curved backwards. posteriorly on the maxillary the teeth become progressively shorter and blunter. variation in number of vomerine teeth is shown in table . [illustration: fig. . tadpoles of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group: (a) _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ (ku ), (b) _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ (ku ), (c) _p. leonhardschultzei_ (ku ), and (d) _p. spinipollex_ (ku ).] tadpoles tadpoles of the genus _ptychohyla_ are adapted to live in mountain streams. the bodies are streamlined, and the tails are long and have low fins (figs. and ). the mouths are large and directed ventrally. tadpoles of the two groups of species have strikingly different mouthparts. [illustration: fig. . tadpoles of (a) _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ (ku ), (b) _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ (ku ), and (c) _p. ignicolor_ (ku ).] lips of tadpoles of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group (fig. a-d) are folded laterally; there are / or sometimes / tooth-rows. a lateral "wing" projects on either side of the upper beak. the beaks have blunt, peglike serrations. lips of tadpoles of the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group (fig. e-g) are greatly expanded and form a funnel-shaped disc; there are / short tooth-rows. there is no lateral projection or "wing" on either side of the upper beak. the beaks have long, pointed serrations. [illustration: fig. . mouthparts of tadpoles of _ptychohyla_: (a) _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ (ku ), (b) _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ (ku ), (c) _p. leonhardschultzei_ (ku ), (d) _p. spinipollex_ (ku ), (e) _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ (ku ), (f) _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ (ku ), and (g) _p. ignicolor_ (ku ). × .] variation in certain structural details and in coloration is discussed for each species and subspecies in the systematic accounts that follow. sizes, proportions, and numbers of tooth-rows are tabulated in table . table .--comparison of certain larval characters in the species of ptychohyla. (means are in parentheses below the ranges.) ==============================+=========+=======+============+========== | number |maximum| head length| species | of | total |------------|tooth-rows |specimens| length|total length| ------------------------------+---------+-------+------------+---------- _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ | | . | . - . | / | | | ( . ) | _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_| | . | . - . | / | | | ( . ) | _p. leonhardschultzei_ | | . | . - . | / | | | ( . ) | _p. spinipollex_ | | . | . - . | / | | | ( . ) | _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ | | . | . - . | / | | | ( . ) | _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ | | . | . - . | / | | | ( . ) | _p. ignicolor_ | | . | . - . | / | | | ( . ) | ------------------------------+---------+-------+------------+---------- evidence on the pattern of development of tooth-rows indicates that the inner rows develop first. a small tadpole of _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ has six lower rows and three fully developed upper rows and only the beginning of the first (outer) upper row. a small tadpole of _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ has four upper rows and five lower rows. in a small tadpole of _p. leonhardschultzei_ the three upper and four lower tooth-rows are well developed; the first upper and fifth lower rows are beginning to develop, and the sixth lower row is absent. in small tadpoles of _p. spinipollex_, the sixth lower row is poorly developed, and the seventh row is absent; large individuals normally have seven lower rows. a small tadpole of _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ has / tooth-rows. breeding call breeding calls of all species and subspecies of _ptychohyla_ were recorded in the field. obtaining series of calls of _ptychohyla_ is difficult because these frogs call mostly from vegetation along roaring mountain streams and only by locating a calling frog some distance from the water or along a quiet stretch of the stream can good recordings be obtained. for example, four individuals of _p. spinipollex_ were recorded, but only one recording was sufficiently free of background noise to be analyzed. analysis of breeding calls supports the division of the genus _ptychohyla_ into two groups of species. the call of each member of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group consists of a single long note, whereas the call of species in the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group consists of a series of short notes. since no differences were found between the calls of subspecies of any given species, the following discussion of breeding calls pertains to species. these calls are described briefly below and at greater length in the systematic accounts farther on. audiospectrographs of the breeding calls are shown in plate , and comparisons of the characteristics of the calls are given in table . [illustration: plate audiospectrographs of the breeding calls of the five species of _ptychohyla_: (a) _p. spinipollex_ (ku tape no. ), (b) _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ (ku tape no. ), (c) _p. leonhardschultzei_ (ummz tape no. ), (d) _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ (ku tape no. ), (e) _p. ignicolor_ (ummz tape no. ).] table .--comparison of the breeding calls of ptychohyla -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------+----+--------+-----------+---------+---------+----------- | | notes | duration | pulses |frequency| dominant species |num-|per call| of note | per | range | frequency | ber| group | (seconds) | second | (cps) | (cps) ----------------+----+--------+-----------+---------+---------+----------- _p. spinipollex_| | | . | | - | | | | | | | _p. euthysanota_| | | . | . | - | | | | (. -. ) | ( - )| |( - ) | | | | | | _p. leonhard- | | | . | | - | schultzei_| | | (. -. ) | ( - ) | |( - ) | | | | | | _p. schmidtorum_| | . [a] | . | | - | | | ( - ) |(. -. )| ( - )| |( - ) | | | | | | _p. ignicolor_ | | [a] | . | | - | | |( - ) |(. -. )|( - )| |( - ) ----------------+----+--------+-----------+---------+---------+----------- [footnote a: only an analysis of the long series of calls is given here; see text for explanation.] _p. spinipollex_ (pl. a).--one long note is repeated at intervals of seconds to four minutes and has an average dominant frequency of cycles per second. _p. euthysanota_ (pl. b).--one long note is repeated six to nine times at intervals of . to . seconds and has an average dominant frequency of cycles per second. _p. leonhardschultzei_ (pl. c).--one long note is repeated once after to seconds and has an average dominant frequency of cycles per second. _p. schmidtorum_ (pl. d).--the complete call consists of one short series of notes alternating with two long series. numbers of notes per series in one individual having a typical call were - - - - - . the average dominant frequency of notes in the short and long series alike is cycles per second. _p. ignicolor_ (pl. e).--the complete call consists of a short series of notes alternating with a long series. in one complete recording the numbers of notes in these series were - - - . the notes in the short series have an average dominant frequency of cycles per second, whereas the notes in the long series have an average dominant frequency of cycles per second. the four series of notes were given in one minute and seconds. systematic accounts the museum catalogue numbers of the specimens examined, together with the localities from which they came, are listed at the end of the account of each subspecies or monotypic species. the localities that are represented by symbols on the distribution map (fig. ) are in roman type; those that are not represented on the map, because overlapping of symbols would have occurred, are in italic type. =ptychohyla= taylor, _ptychohyla_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , may , . type, _ptychohyla adipoventris_ taylor, [= _hyla leonhardschultzei_ (ahl), ]. _diagnosis._--small hylids having stream-adapted tadpoles and differing from other hylid genera in having large ventrolateral glands in breeding males. _composition._--five species, two of which are made up of two subspecies, arranged in two groups of species on the basis of morphological characters of adults and tadpoles and on the basis of breeding calls. _distribution._--moderate elevations from southern guerrero and northern oaxaca, méxico, to northern el salvador and central honduras. key to adults . a weak tarsal fold; outer fingers one-third webbed; males having spiny nuptial tuberosities; color in life tan or brown with blotches or reticulations, never green; iris bronze color _p. euthysanota_ group-- no tarsal fold; outer fingers having only vestige of web; males lacking nuptial tuberosities; color in life green or brown; iris red or golden color _p. schmidtorum_ group-- . chest, throat, and flanks usually having brown or black spots; no distinct white stripe on upper lip or on flanks; a faint white line usually present above anal opening; a rostral keel chest, throat, and flanks usually unspotted; distinct white line on upper lip and on flank present or not; white line above anal opening faint or well defined; no rostral keel . interorbital region much wider than eyelid; spots on throat and chest black; spots only occasionally present on belly; flanks marbled with black and white; nuptial spines small, as many as on one thumb _p. leonhardschultzei_ interorbital region about as wide as eyelid; spots on chest and throat brown or black; spots usually present on belly; flanks having round brown or black spots; nuptial spines moderate in size, conical, seldom more than on one thumb _p. spinipollex_ . a distinct, broad, white lateral stripe usually present; usually a distinct white line above anal opening; a distinct white stripe on upper lip _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ no white lateral stripe; a faint white stripe above anal opening; no distinct white stripe on upper lip _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ . a distinct, broad, lateral stripe; a white stripe on upper lip expanded to form a large spot below eye; hidden surfaces of thighs and webs of feet not red in life; internarial region slightly depressed; diameter of tympanum greater than one-half diameter of eye no lateral white stripe; no stripe on upper lip; in life dorsum green, hidden surfaces of thighs and webs of feet orange tan to bright red, and eye golden color; internarial region flat; diameter of tympanum less than one-half diameter of eye _p. ignicolor_ . webs of feet and posterior surfaces of thighs pale cream color; dorsum in life reddish brown; iris bright red _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ webs of feet and posterior surfaces of thighs pale brown; dorsum in life green; iris reddish bronze color _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ key to tadpoles . lips greatly expanded forming a funnel-shaped mouth; tooth-rows / _p. schmidtorum_ group-- lips folded laterally, not forming a funnel-shaped mouth; tooth-rows / or more _p. euthysanota_ group-- . belly and mouth mottled; tail cream color heavily blotched with brown belly dark gray; tail cream color with dense brown flecking, giving brown appearance _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ . belly cream color with brown mottling; no large tubercle at each end of first lower tooth-row _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ belly grayish green with brown mottling; a large tubercle at each end of first lower tooth-row _p. ignicolor_ . tooth-rows / ; cream-colored crescent-shaped mark on posterior part of body bordered posteriorly by large brown mark tooth-rows usually / (sometimes / ); cream-colored crescent-shaped mark on posterior part of body usually indistinct, not bordered posteriorly by large brown mark _p. spinipollex_ . caudal musculature uniformly flecked with brown; lower tooth-rows - about equal in length to upper rows _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ caudal musculature having brown square blotches dorsally on anterior one-half of tail; lower tooth-rows - usually slightly shorter than upper rows . dorsal caudal blotches well defined and extending onto sides of tail; moderately large brown flecks on caudal fin; eye in life pale reddish brown _p. leonhardschultzei_ dorsal caudal blotches faint, not extending onto sides of tail; small brown flecks on caudal fin; eye in life silvery bronze _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group three species in group; adults having moderate amount of webbing between fingers, and tarsal fold; breeding males having spinous, horny, nuptial tuberosities on pollex; mouths of tadpoles having lateral folds in lips and / or / tooth-rows; breeding call consisting of one long note. =ptychohyla euthysanota= _diagnosis._--rostral keel absent; nuptial spines in males small; interorbital region much wider than eyelid. [illustration: plate _ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota_ (ku ). × .] =ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota= (kellogg) _hyla euthysanota_ kellogg, proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , june , [holotype.--usnm from los esemiles, depto. chalatenango, el salvador; ruben a. stirton collector]. mertens, senckenbergiana, : - , june , ; abhand. senckenbergische naturf. gesell., : , december , . stuart, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , august , . _hyla rozellae_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , pl. , fig. , may , [holotype.--usnm from salto de agua, chiapas, méxico; hobart m. and rozella smith collectors]. taylor and smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . stuart, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , august , . _ptychohyla bogerti_ taylor, amer. mus. novitates, : - , fig. , december , [holotype.--amnh from río grande, oaxaca, méxico; thomas macdougall collector]. stuart, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , august , . _ptychohyla euthysanota_, duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , april , . _diagnosis._--dorsum tan to reddish brown; venter white; rarely flecked with brown or black; a white stripe on upper lip, on flank, and usually above anus. _description._--the following description is based on ku from finca la paz, depto. san marcos, guatemala (pl. ). adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, . per cent; foot length, . mm.; head length, . mm.; head length/snout-vent length, . per cent; head width, . mm.; head width/snout-vent length, . per cent; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm.; tympanum/eye, . per cent. snout in lateral profile nearly square, slightly rounded above, and in dorsal profile bluntly rounded; canthus pronounced; loreal region moderately concave; lips thick, rounded, and slightly flaring; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; top of head flat; interorbital distance, . mm., and approximately a third broader than width of eyelid, . mm. moderately heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum to point above insertion of forelimb, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum round, its diameter slightly more than its distance from eye. forearm moderately robust, having distinct dermal fold on wrist; dermal fold, but no row of tubercles along ventrolateral surface of forearm; pollex only slightly enlarged, bearing triangular shaped patch of small horn-covered spines ( on right, on left); second and fourth fingers equal in length; subarticular tubercles round, distal one on fourth finger bifid; discs moderate in size, that of third finger equal to diameter of tympanum; no web between first and second fingers; other fingers one-third webbed. heels broadly overlap when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation reaches to middle of eye; low rounded tarsal fold; inner metatarsal tubercle large, elliptical, and flat; outer metatarsal tubercle small and round; low dermal fold from heel to disc of fifth toe; subarticular tubercles round; length of digits from shortest to longest - - - - ; third and fifth toes webbed to base of disc; fourth toe webbed to proximal end of penultimate phalanx; thin dermal fold from inner metatarsal tubercle to disc of first toe; disc smaller than on fingers. anal opening at the level of the upper edge of thighs; anal flap short; anal opening bordered above by thin transverse dermal fold and laterally by heavy dermal fold. skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of forelimbs and shanks smooth; that of throat, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular. ventrolateral glands moderately developed, not reaching axilla or groin and broadly separated midventrally. tongue ovoid, emarginate, and only slightly free posteriorly; vomerine teeth - , situated on small triangular elevations between ovoid inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along inner posterior edge of each mandibular ramus. dorsal ground-color of head, body, and limbs dull reddish brown with irregular dark brown reticulations on head and body and dark brown transverse bands on limbs; dorsal surfaces of first and second fingers and webbing on hand cream color; dorsal surfaces of third and fourth fingers dull brown; anterior surfaces of thighs dull creamy yellow; posterior surfaces of thighs dull brown; tarsi and toes tan with brown flecks; webbing of feet brown; faint creamy white stripe along lateral edges of tarsi and forearms; thin white line along edge of upper lip; distinct white stripe above and beside anal opening; axilla white; throat, chest, belly, and ventral surfaces of forelimbs creamy white; flanks white, separated from pale venter by a row of partly connected dark brown spots; ventral surfaces of thighs dull creamy yellow; feet grayish brown; ventrolateral glands pale grayish brown; small brown flecks on periphery of chin. in life the dorsal ground-color was pale reddish brown (orange-cinnamon); dorsal reticulations dark brown (chocolate); dorsal surfaces of first and second fingers and webbing on hands creamy tan (light pinkish cinnamon); posterior surfaces of thighs reddish brown (vinaceous-tawny); webbing of feet gray (deep mouse gray); throat and belly grayish white (pale gull gray); ventral surfaces of hind limbs creamy white (marguerite yellow); spots on flanks dark brown (warm sepia); iris reddish bronze (apricot orange). _variation._--no geographic variation in structural characters is discernible; variation in size and proportions is given in table . of adults examined, seven have the tongue shallowly notched posteriorly; in the others the tongue is emarginate. twenty specimens have a bifid subarticular tubercle beneath the fourth finger; in the others there are no bifid tubercles. the coloration described above is typical of the specimens available from finca la paz. the living coloration at night, when the frogs were collected, was somewhat darker than the living colors described above, which were recorded for the frogs the morning after collection, at which time one individual had a pale reddish brown dorsum (orange-cinnamon) with dull olive green (deep grape green) reticulations on the back and transverse bands on the limbs; the dorsal surfaces of the first and second fingers and the discs on the third and fourth fingers were orange (mikado orange). more than half of the specimens from finca la paz agree in all essential characters with the description given above. the distinctness of the white stripe on the upper lip is variable; in two individuals the stripe is barely discernible. likewise, in some individuals the white stripe on the flanks is not distinct, either because there are few or no brown spots separating the stripe from the pale venter, or because the ventrolateral gland has diffused the pale color on the flanks. there is some noticeable variation in dorsal coloration, either through a greater or lesser development of dark pigment. one specimen (ku ) is grayish tan above with dark brown markings; the posterior surfaces of the thighs are dull grayish yellow; the first and second fingers and the webbing on the hands are pale yellowish gray; the belly and throat are dusty white; the flecks on the throat are gray; the ventral surfaces of the feet are grayish brown. dark individuals, such as ku have a uniform dark brownish black dorsum; the belly is cream; the first and second fingers and the webbing on the hands are dull creamy tan; the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the feet are dark brown. in ku there is a heavy suffusion of brown on the throat and flanks. two specimens have scattered white flecks on the dorsum. the reddish brown dorsal ground-color with dark brown reticulations on the head and body and dark brown transverse bands on the limbs seems to be rather constant throughout the range of the subspecies. likewise, the presence of the white stripe on the upper lip and the white stripe around the anal opening are present on most specimens. in breeding males having well-developed ventrolateral glands the lateral white stripe often is obliterated. _description of tadpole._--the following description is based on ku from finca la paz, depto. san marcos, guatemala (figs. a and a). no limb buds; total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body length/total length, . per cent. body moderately depressed, slightly wider than deep, ovoid in dorsal profile; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils slightly protuberant and directed anteriorly, closer to eye than snout; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. caudal fin low, rounded posteriorly; depth of caudal musculature about one-half greatest depth of caudal fin; musculature extends nearly to tip of tail. mouth large; lips having deep lateral folds; two complete rows of papillae on lips; five to six rows of papillae laterally. beaks moderately developed, bearing peglike serrations; slender lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows / ; upper rows subequal in length, second longest; fourth row interrupted medially; lower rows complete; lower rows - equal in length to upper rows; fifth lower row somewhat shorter; sixth lower row short. body brown above; tip of snout cream color; grayish cream color below; caudal musculature creamy tan; caudal fin transparent; cream-colored crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body and anterior part of caudal musculature, bordered posteriorly by dark brown blotch; scattered brown flecks on caudal musculature and posterior part of caudal fin. eye bronze color in life. _variation._--the variation in size and proportions is given in table . in some specimens the first upper tooth-row is irregular, sometimes broken, and often shorter than other upper tooth-rows. usually the fourth upper and first lower, and sometimes the sixth lower, tooth-rows are interrupted medially. one specimen has a short, irregular, seventh lower tooth-row; all others have six. the cream-colored crescent-shaped mark usually is distinct. the brown blotch posterior to this mark is variously shaped ranging from a narrow vertical bar to a triangular blotch. brown flecks seldom are present on the anterior part of the ventral caudal fin. _comparisons._--aside from the characters given in the diagnosis, _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ can be distinguished from both _p. spinipollex_ and _p. leonhardschultzei_ by the absence of bold black and white marbling on the flanks; furthermore, from the former it can be distinguished by having more and smaller horny nuptial spines and from the latter by having the snout, in lateral profile, rounded above and not acutely angulate. _ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota_ differs from _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ by normally having a darker dorsal color, broader stripe on upper lip, and a distinct lateral stripe. occurring sympatrically with _ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota_ are several species of _plectrohyla_, all of which differ in having a bony prepollex, rather rugose skin on the dorsum, and more squat bodies. other sympatric species are _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_, which lacks a tarsal fold and nuptial spines and has a red eye in life, _hyla salvadorensis_, which has a green dorsum and lacks spinous nuptial tuberosities, and _hyla sumichrasti_, a small yellow frog usually lacking vomerine teeth. _life history._--this subspecies breeds in clear, swift mountain streams. males call from stems and leaves of plants at the edge of, or overhanging, the streams. the breeding call consists of a soft "wraack," repeated at intervals of three to four seconds. each note has a duration of . to . seconds and has to pulses per second; the dominant frequency falls between and cycles per second. tadpoles in various stages of development were found at finca la paz, guatemala, in late july. this indicates that there is either extreme differential growth, or, more probably, an extended breeding season. a tadpole having a body length of . mm. and a total length of . mm. has a short median first upper tooth-row; lower tooth-rows - are only two-thirds as long as lower rows and . two recently metamorphosed young have snout-vent lengths of . and . mm.; they are colored like the adults. _remarks._--the type specimen of _hyla euthysanota_ kellogg ( : ) is a female; therefore, when taylor ( ) proposed the name _ptychohyla_ for hylids having ventrolateral glands in breeding males, he was unaware that _hyla euthysanota_ was a member of this group. in his description of _hyla rozellae_, taylor ( ) did not compare his specimens with _hyla euthysanota_, but instead placed _h. rozellae_ with _h. loquax_ and _h. rickardsi_. the type series of _h. rozellae_ consists of one large adult female and several metamorphosing young. taylor ( : ) based the description of _ptychohyla bogerti_ on two males and compared these specimens with _p. adipoventris_ taylor [= _p. leonhardschultzei_ (ahl)]. thus, in a period of years the females of this species were given two names and the male another. stuart ( : ) suggested that _hyla euthysanota_ and _hyla rozellae_ were _ptychohyla_. now that sufficient specimens are available from throughout the range it is possible to determine that the various named populations are conspecific. _distribution._--this subspecies inhabits cloud forests at elevations of to meters on the pacific slopes of the sierra madre from extreme eastern oaxaca and western chiapas, méxico, through guatemala to northern el salvador; probably it occurs also in southwestern honduras. aside from the specimens listed below, three in the frankfurt museum from depto. santa ana, el salvador ( , hacienda san josé; , hacienda los planes; , miramundo) are listed by mertens ( : ). _specimens examined._--mexico: _chiapas: cascarada, km. w of cíltapec_, ummz - ; cerro ovando, ummz - ; chicomuselo, ummz - ; finca juárez, km. n of escuintla, usnm - ; _las nubes, cerro ovando_, usnm - ; salto de agua, usnm - . _oaxaca_: cerro pecho blanco, uimnh ; between la gloria and cerro azul, uimnh - ; río grande, amnh - ; santo tomás tecpan, uimnh . guatemala: _san marcos_: finca la paz, km. w of la reforma, ku - , (skeleton), - (tadpoles), ( young), mcz , ummz , - (tadpoles); finca pirineos, río samalá, cnhm . _santa rosa_: finca la gloria, ummz (tadpoles), (tadpoles). _sololá_: finca santo tomás, ummz (tadpoles); olas de mocá, near mocá, cnhm . el salvador: _chalatenango_: los esemiles, usnm . _santa ana_: miramundo, cnhm . [illustration: plate _ptychohyla euthysanota macrotympanum_ (ku ). × .] =ptychohyla euthysanota macrotympanum= (tanner) _hyla macrotympanum_ tanner, great basin nat., : - , july , [holotype.--amnh (formerly byu ) from miles east of chiapa de corzo, chiapas, méxico; robert bohlman collector]. _ptychohyla macrotympanum_, duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , april , . _diagnosis._--dorsum usually pale tan; venter white with scattered brown or black flecks; a thin white stripe on upper lip and another above anal opening; no distinct white stripe on flanks. _description._--the following description is based on ku from linda vista, chiapas, méxico (pl. ). adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, . per cent; foot length, . mm.; head length, . mm.; head length/snout-vent length, . per cent; head width, . mm.; head width/snout-vent length, . per cent; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm.; tympanum/eye, . per cent. snout in lateral profile nearly square, slightly rounded above, and in dorsal profile bluntly rounded; canthus pronounced; loreal region concave; lips thick, rounded, and slightly flaring; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; top of head flat; interorbital distance, . mm., and approximately a fourth broader than width of eyelid, . mm. a moderately heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum to point above insertion of forelimb, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum round, its diameter equal to its distance from eye. forearm moderately robust, having a distinct dermal fold on wrist; dermal fold, but no row of tubercles along ventrolateral surface of forearm; pollex only slightly enlarged, bearing triangular patch of small horn covered spines ( on right, on left); fourth finger slightly longer than second; subarticular tubercles round, none bifid; discs moderate in size, that of third finger equal to diameter of tympanum; vestige of web between first and second fingers; other fingers one-third webbed. heels broadly overlap when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation reaches to middle of eye; weak tarsal fold on distal two-thirds of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle large, elliptical, and flat; outer metatarsal tubercle small and round; no dermal fold from heel to disc of fifth toe; subarticular tubercles round; length of digits from shortest to longest - - - - ; third toe webbed to base of disc; fifth toe webbed to middle of penultimate phalanx; fourth toe webbed to proximal end of penultimate phalanx; no fold of skin from inner metatarsal tubercle to base of disc on first toe; discs much smaller than on fingers. anal opening near upper edge of thighs; short anal flap bordered above by thin dermal fold; small tubercles and heavy dermal fold lateral to anal opening. skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of fore limbs and shanks smooth; that of throat, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular. ventrolateral glands weakly developed, not reaching axilla or groin and broadly separated midventrally. tongue ovoid, shallowly notched posteriorly, and barely free behind; vomerine teeth - , situated on small triangular elevations between ovoid inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along inner posterior edge of each mandibular ramus. dorsal ground-color of head, body, and limbs pale pinkish tan with the greatest part of head and body covered by large gray interconnected blotches; black flecks over most of dorsum; grayish brown transverse bands on shanks; dorsal surfaces of first and second fingers pale grayish yellow; dorsal surfaces of third and fourth fingers and webbing on hand pale grayish tan; anterior surfaces of thighs pale flesh-color; posterior surfaces of thighs pale grayish yellow; dorsal surfaces of tarsi and toes pale grayish tan with black flecks; webbing of feet pale gray; faint creamy white stripes along ventrolateral edges of tarsi and forearms; a very thin white line along edge of upper lip; a narrow grayish white stripe above anal opening; axilla gray; throat, chest, belly, and ventral surfaces of forelimbs pale grayish white; ventral surfaces of hind limbs cream color; flanks gray flecked with brown; ventral surfaces of feet grayish tan; ventrolateral glands pinkish tan; anterior one-half of chin flecked with brown. in life the dorsum was pale tan (pinkish buff); the dark markings on dorsum dull brown (tawny-olive); tarsi pale tan (pale pinkish buff); flanks pinkish tan (pale cinnamon-pink); iris coppery bronze (capucine orange). _variation._--the few specimens from a limited geographic region preclude any analysis of geographic variation. all specimens, except the one described above, have the fifth toe webbed to the base of the disc. many individuals have a bifid subarticular tubercle beneath the fourth finger. the shape of the posterior edge of the tongue varies from nearly straight and shallowly notched to bluntly rounded and emarginate. two females (ku - ) have more pointed snouts in dorsal profile than do males. some specimens, such as ku , are notably darker than the specimen described above; in dark specimens the dorsum is brown with dark brown markings; all fingers and the webbing on the hand are brown. the tarsi and feet are like those in the specimen described above, but the posterior surfaces of the thighs are yellowish tan heavily suffused with brown; the venter is cream color. in life ku had a brown (verona brown) dorsum with dark brown (chocolate) markings. ku is slightly darker than ku and has scattered small white flecks on the dorsum. all specimens have the thin white line on the upper lip, but in some individuals it is indistinct. the grayish white line above the anus is present in all specimens. _description of tadpole._--the following description is based on ku from río hondo, . kilometers south of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán, chiapas, méxico (figs. b and b). no limb buds; total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body length/total length, . per cent. body moderately depressed, slightly wider than deep, ovoid in dorsal profile; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils slightly protuberant and directed anteriorly, somewhat closer to eye than snout; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. caudal fin low, acutely rounded posteriorly; depth of caudal musculature slightly more than one-half greatest depth of caudal fin; caudal musculature extending nearly to tip of tail. mouth large; lips having deep lateral folds; two complete rows of papillae on lips; five or six rows of papillae laterally. beaks moderately developed, bearing small peglike serrations; moderately wide lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows / ; upper rows subequal in length; fourth row interrupted medially; length of lower rows - subequal to upper rows; fifth and sixth lower rows decreasing in length; first lower row interrupted medially. body brown above; tip of snout cream color; venter creamy white; caudal musculature creamy tan; caudal fin transparent; cream-colored crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body and anterior part of caudal musculature, bordered posterodorsally by dark brown blotch; four dark brown blotches on dorsum of anterior part of caudal musculature; scattered brown flecks on caudal musculature and fin; eye silvery bronze in life. _variation._--the variation in size and proportions is given in table . all specimens have / tooth-rows; in some the first lower row is interrupted medially. specimens from jacaltenango and two kilometers west of san pedro necta, depto. huehuetenango, guatemala, have weakly developed sixth lower tooth-rows. the cream-colored crescent-shaped mark is distinct in all specimens; the dorsal blotches on the anterior part of the caudal musculature are narrow and do not extend far onto the sides of the tail. the blotches are most distinct in small tadpoles and sometimes indistinct in large ones. _comparisons._--_ptychohyla euthysanota macrotympanum_ can be distinguished from both _p. spinipollex_ and _p. leonhardschultzei_ by the absence of bold black and white marbling on the flanks, as well as by the characters given in the diagnosis; furthermore, from the former it differs in having more and smaller horny nuptial tuberosities and from the latter by having the snout, in lateral profile, rounded above instead of angulate. _ptychohyla euthysanota macrotympanum_ differs from _p. e. euthysanota_ by normally having a paler dorsum, narrower stripe on upper lip, and no distinct lateral stripe. _ptychohyla euthysanota macrotympanum_ occurs sympatrically with _plectrohyla guatemalensis_ and _p. matudai matudai_. each of the last two has a bony prepollex, rather rugose skin on the dorsum, and more squat body. other sympatric species are _hyla walkeri_, which has a green dorsum with brown markings and a rather pointed snout, and _hyla sumichrasti_, a small yellow frog usually lacking vomerine teeth. _life history._--this species breeds in clear mountain streams in mixed pine and broad-leafed forest. males call from trees and bushes along the streams. the breeding call consists of a soft "wraack," repeated three to nine times with intervals of . to . seconds between notes. each note has a duration of . to . second, and a rate of to pulses per second; the dominant frequency falls between and cycles per second (pl. b). the call is indistinguishable from that of _p. e. euthysanota_. tadpoles in various stages of development were found in the río hondo, chiapas, on june , . the smallest tadpole has a total length of . mm.; in this individual the sixth lower tooth row has barely started to develop. a metamorphosing frog taken at the same time has a snout-vent length of . mm., a short remnant of the tail, and the mouth and tongue developed, whereas another individual having a snout-vent length of . mm. and a tail . mm. in length still has larval teeth. three completely metamorphosed juveniles collected by l. c. stuart at jacaltenango, guatemala, on june and , , have snout-vent lengths of . , . , and . mm. _remarks._--tanner ( : ) based the description of _hyla macrotympanum_ on a single female, which, of course, lacked the characters diagnostic of _ptychohyla_. on the basis of general external characters tanner suggested that _hyla macrotympanum_ was related to _h. miotympanum_, from which it differed in having a larger tympanum and a bifid subarticular tubercle beneath the fourth finger. the collection of additional females, together with males of the species, has shown that _hyla macrotympanum_ is a _ptychohyla_. intergradation between _ptychohyla euthysanota_ and _p. macrotympanum_ has not been demonstrated. currently their ranges are separated by the dry valleys of the río grijalva and río cuilco. the similarity in structure of the adults and tadpoles and the indistinguishable breeding calls are the basis for considering the two populations subspecies. _distribution._--this species occurs in mixed pine and broad-leafed forests at elevations of to meters on the southern slopes of the chiapan highlands and sierra de cuchumatanes, in guatemala. these forests are on the south facing slopes north of the valleys of the río grijalva and río cuilco. _specimens examined._--mexico: _chiapas_: km. ne of chiapa de corzo, tcwc ; km. e of chiapa de corzo, amnh ; linda vista, km. nw of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán, ku - , (skeleton); _río hondo, . km. s of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán_, ku - , - , - (tadpoles); san fernando, mztg , ; tonina (ruins), ku . guatemala: _huehuetenango_: jacaltenango, ummz (tadpoles); . km. e of jacaltenango, ummz - ; km. s of jacaltenango, ummz ; km. w of san pedro necta, ummz (tadpoles). [illustration: plate _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ (ku ). × .] =ptychohyla leonhardschultzei= (ahl) _hyla leonhard-schultzei_ ahl, zool. anz., : - , fig. , april , [holotype.--zmb from malinaltepec, guerrero, méxico; leonhard schultze collector]. smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . _hyla godmani_, ahl, zool. anz., : , april , . _hyla pinorum_ taylor, proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , pl. , fig. , april , [holotype.--uimnh from agua del obispo, guerrero, méxico; edward h. taylor collector]. smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . _ptychohyla adipoventris_ taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , may , [holotype.--uimnh from agua del obispo, guerrero, méxico; edward t. taylor collector]. smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , june , . taylor, amer. mus. novitates, : , december , . stuart, proc. biol. soc. washington, : , august , . _hyla milleri_ shannon, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : - , figs. b, a-c, may , [holotype.--usnm from san lucas camotlán, oaxaca, méxico; walter s. miller collector]. _ptychohyla leonhard-schultzei_, duellman, herpetologica, : - , figs. - , september , ; univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , april , . _diagnosis._--rostral keel present; snout in lateral profile not rounded above; interorbital region much broader than eyelid; distal subarticular tubercle beneath fourth finger bifid or double; no white stripe on edge of upper lip; flanks white with black spots. _description._--the following description is based on ku from vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico (pl. ). adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, . per cent; foot length, . mm.; head length, . mm.; head length/snout-vent length, . per cent; head width, . mm.; head width/snout-vent length, . per cent; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm.; tympanum/eye, . per cent. snout in lateral profile square, not rounded above, and in dorsal profile rounded with pointed tip resulting from vertical rostral keel; canthus pronounced; loreal region barely concave; lips thick, rounded, and barely flaring; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; top of head flat; interorbital distance, . mm., and approximately a fifth broader than width of eyelid, . mm. a moderately heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum and curving ventrad to anterior edge of insertion of forelimb, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum round, its diameter equal to its distance from eye. forearm moderately robust, having distinct dermal fold on wrist; row of small, low, rounded tubercles along ventrolateral surface of forearm; pollex only slightly enlarged, bearing triangular patch of small horn-covered spines ( on right, on left); second finger noticeably shorter than fourth; subarticular tubercles round, distal ones on third and fourth toes bifid; discs moderate in size, that of third finger slightly larger than diameter of tympanum; no web between first and second fingers; other fingers one-third webbed. heels broadly overlap when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation reaches to middle of eye; a low rounded tarsal fold on distal half of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle elevated, flat, and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle at base of fourth toe, round; row of low, sometimes indistinct, tubercles from heel to base of fifth toe; subarticular tubercles round; length of digits from shortest to longest - - - - , third and fifth being about equal in length; third and fifth toes webbed to base of disc; fourth toe webbed to base of penultimate phalanx; discs of toes much smaller than on fingers. anal opening near dorsal surface of thighs; short anal flap; opening bordered laterally by heavy dermal fold and ventrolaterally by large tubercles. skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of forelimbs and shanks smooth; that of throat, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular. ventrolateral glands moderately developed, reaching axilla but not to groin and broadly separated midventrally. tongue cordiform, shallowly notched behind and barely free posteriorly; vomerine teeth - , situated on transverse elevations between ovoid inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along inner posterior edge of each mandibular ramus. dorsal ground-color of head, body, and limbs pale tan with large interconnected dark brown blotches on head and body and broad dark brown transverse bands on limbs; dorsal surfaces of first and second fingers and of webbing of hands pale brown; dorsal surfaces of third and fourth fingers dark brown; anterior surfaces of thighs flesh-color; posterior surfaces of thighs brown; dorsal surfaces of tarsi and feet dark brown; narrow white stripe along ventrolateral edges of forearms and tarsi; a faint creamy white stripe above anal opening; axilla white; flanks creamy white, boldly spotted with black; throat and chest white; ventral surfaces of tarsi and feet dark brown; other ventral surfaces dusty cream color; large brown spots on chin and anterior part of abdomen. in life the dorsum was reddish brown (orange-cinnamon) with dark brown (chocolate) blotches; first and second fingers and webbing on hand pale reddish brown (cinnamon); webbing on feet dark brown (clove brown); flanks pale creamy white (pale olive buff) with dark brown (bone brown) spots; iris reddish bronze (apricot orange). _variation._--no noticeable geographic variation is apparent in the few available specimens; variations in proportions are given in table . the distal subarticular tubercle of the fourth finger is either bifid or double in all specimens; that on the third finger usually is bifid, sometimes single. the vertical rostral keel is prominent in all freshly preserved specimens; in some older specimens it is indistinct. the tongue always is notched posteriorly; in some individuals the notch is shallow; in others it is deep. some specimens are paler and less boldly marked than the specimen described above. all specimens from agua del obispo and some specimens from the northern slopes of the sierra madre oriental in oaxaca have a pale tan dorsum with brown markings. in most individuals the white color in the axilla extends onto the posterior edge of the upper arm. the creamy white color of the flanks is constant and usually extends slightly dorsad in the inguinal region. the white stripe above, and sometimes continuing down beside, the anal opening varies from a thin indistinct line or row of flecks to a distinct continuous stripe. two specimens have dark brown spots on the belly; in the others the spots are confined to the flanks and throat. _description of tadpole._--the following description is based on ku from . kilometers south of yetla, oaxaca, méxico (figs. c and c). no limb buds; total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body length/total length, . per cent; body slightly depressed, barely wider than deep, ovoid in dorsal profile; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils barely protuberant and directed anterolaterally, about midway between snout and eye; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. caudal fin low, bluntly rounded posteriorly; greatest depth of caudal musculature about one-half depth of caudal fin; musculature extends nearly to tip of tail. mouth large; lips having deep lateral folds; two complete rows of papillae on lips; five to seven rows of papillae laterally; beaks moderately developed, bearing short peglike serrations; moderately wide lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows / ; upper rows subequal in length; fourth row interrupted medially; length of lower rows - equal to upper rows; fifth and sixth lower rows shorter; first lower row interrupted medially. body brown above; tip of snout brown; venter creamy gray; caudal musculature creamy tan; caudal fin transparent; cream-colored crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body; dark brown flecks on caudal musculature and all except anterior two-thirds of ventral caudal fin; large brown square blotches on dorsum of caudal fin; eye reddish brown in life. _variation._--the variation in size and proportions is given in table . with the exception of one specimen having a short, broken, seventh tooth-row, all specimens have / tooth-rows that are like those described above. in some specimens the brown blotches on the dorsum of the caudal musculature are fused and marked with cream-colored flecks. _comparisons._--_ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ differs from all other members of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group in having a square snout, and further differs from _p. spinipollex_ in more numerous and smaller nuptial spines and in transverse, instead of posteromedially slanting, vomerine processes between the inner nares. _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ differs from _p. euthysanota_ in having a rostral keel and in having white flanks boldly spotted with black. all small hylids that are sympatric with _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ are either yellow (_hyla dendroscarta_ and _h. melanomma_) or green (_hyla erythromma_, which has a red eye, _hyla hazelae_, which has a black line on the canthus, and _ptychohyla ignicolor_, which has red flash colors on the thighs). _life history._--this frog has been found along streams in cloud forests and in pine-oak forest. males call from vegetation along the stream or from rocks in and at the edge of the stream. the call is a single, long, soft "wraack," repeated at intervals of anywhere from several seconds to three or four minutes. each note has a duration of . to . of a second and a rate of to pulses per second; the dominant frequency falls between and cycles per second (pl. c). tadpoles were found in several streams in northern oaxaca. a tadpole having a total length of . mm. has three upper and four lower tooth-rows well developed; the fourth upper and fifth lower rows are weakly present, and the sixth lower row has not started to develop. two metamorphosed young have snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. _remarks._--four specific names have been applied to this species. ahl ( : ) based his description of _hyla leonhardschultzei_ on a small, poorly preserved female. taylor ( : ) proposed the generic name _ptychohyla_ for a species (named therein as _p. adipoventris_) of hylid having ventrolateral glands and horn-covered nuptial spines. obviously, taylor was unaware that _hyla leonhardschultzei_ was the same species. earlier taylor ( : ) described _hyla pinorum_. the types of all of these species came from the pacific slopes of the sierra del sur in guerrero. examination of the types and other available specimens shows that they are representatives of a single species. the type of _hyla pinorum_ is an immature male having a snout-vent length of . mm. all of these specimens have the square snout and black and white flanks characteristic of _ptychohyla leonhard-schultzei_. although shannon ( : ) based his description of _hyla milleri_ on a male having well-developed ventrolateral glands, he overlooked the presence of these glands in his description and discussion of relationships. the acquisition of more specimens from northern oaxaca has shown that _hyla milleri_ is the same as _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_. _distribution._--this species is known from pine-oak forest and cloud forest on the pacific slopes of the sierra madre del sur in guerrero and oaxaca and from the atlantic slopes of the sierra madre oriental in northern oaxaca. specimens have been collected at elevations between and meters. probably the species occurs in humid forests at similar elevations around the eastern end of the mexican highlands in oaxaca. _specimens examined._--mexico: _guerrero_: agua del obispo, cnhm - , , , mcz , uimnh , , usnm ; malinaltepec, zmb , . _oaxaca_: . km. n of la soledad, ku ; san lucas camotlán, uimnh , usnm - ; vista hermosa, ku - , , (tadpoles), , - (tadpoles), ummz ; km. s of yetla, ku (tadpoles); _ . km. s of yetla_, ku , - (tadpoles), (tadpoles), ( young), (skeleton), ummz - , (tadpoles); km. s of yetla, ku (tadpoles). [illustration: plate _ptychohyla spinipollex_ (ku ). × .] =ptychohyla spinipollex= (schmidt) _hyla euthysanota_, dunn and emlen, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , march , . _hyla spinipollex_ schmidt, proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , may , [holotype.--mcz from the mountains behind ceiba, depto. atlantidad, honduras; raymond e. stadelman collector]. stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , figs. - , june , ; contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , , , , may, ; proc. biol. soc. washington, : , august , . _ptychohyla spinipollex_, stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , november, . duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , april , . _diagnosis._--rostral keel present; snout in lateral profile rounded above; eyelid nearly as wide as interorbital region; flanks white with brown spots; belly spotted; nuptial spines pointed and moderate in size. _description._--the following description is based on ku from finca los alpes, depto. alta verapaz, guatemala (pl. ). adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, . per cent; foot length, . mm.; head length, . mm.; head length/snout-vent length, . per cent; head width, . mm.; head width/snout-vent length, . per cent; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm.; tympanum/eye, . per cent. snout in lateral profile nearly square, slightly rounded above, and in dorsal profile rounded with a pointed tip resulting from vertical rostral keel; canthus pronounced; loreal region barely concave; lips thick, rounded, and barely flaring; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; top of head flat; interorbital distance, . mm., about equal to width of eyelid, . mm. a heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum to point above insertion of forearm, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum round, its diameter equal to its distance from eye. forearm moderately robust, having faint dermal fold on wrist; row of low, rounded tubercles along ventrolateral edge of forearm; pollex only slightly enlarged, bearing triangular patch of moderate-sized, pointed, horn-covered spines ( on right, on left); second finger noticeably shorter than fourth; subarticular tubercles round, distal one on fourth finger bifid; discs of fingers of moderate size, that of third finger slightly smaller than diameter of tympanum; vestigial web between first and second fingers; other fingers one-third webbed. heels broadly overlapping when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation reaches to middle of eye; distinct, but low, tarsal fold extending length of tarsus; inner metatarsal tubercle elevated, flat, and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small and round, near base of fourth toe; row of low indistinct tubercles from heel to base of fifth toe; subarticular tubercles round; length of toes from shortest to longest - - - - , the third and fifth being about equal in length; third and fifth toes webbed to base of disc; fourth toe webbed to base of penultimate phalanx; discs of toes slightly smaller than those on fingers. anal opening near upper edge of thighs; opening bordered laterally by moderately heavy dermal folds and ventrolaterally by tubercles. skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of forelimbs and shanks smooth; that of throat, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular. ventrolateral glands barely evident. tongue ovoid, barely notched behind and slightly free posteriorly; vomerine teeth - , situated on v-shaped elevations between round inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along inner posterior edge of each mandibular ramus. dorsal ground-color of head, body, and limbs grayish tan with dark brown reticulations on head and body and dark brown transverse bars or spots on limbs; first and second fingers cream color; third and fourth fingers and webbing on hands pale grayish brown; anterior surfaces of thighs reddish tan; posterior surfaces of thighs yellowish tan; tarsi and toes pale grayish tan with brown flecks; webbing on foot pale brown; faint white stripe along ventrolateral edges of tarsi and forearms; narrow white line above and beside anal opening; no white stripe on edge of upper lip; axilla pale flesh-color; throat, chest, and ventral surfaces of limbs pale creamy gray; belly white with scattered brown flecks; flanks grayish white with dark brown flecks; ventral surfaces of tarsi dark brown; ventrolateral glands grayish tan. in life the dorsal ground-color of the head, body, fore limbs, and thighs was yellowish tan (pinkish buff); dorsal surfaces of shanks and tarsi pale yellowish tan (pale pinkish buff); markings on head and back brown (snuff brown) to dark brown (chocolate); dark bands on limbs brown (tawny-olive); first and second fingers creamy tan (light pinkish cinnamon); posterior surfaces of thighs creamy tan (light pinkish cinnamon); third and fourth fingers and webbing on hand grayish brown (avellaneous); webbing on feet dark brown (olive brown); axilla pale pink (hydrangea pink); flanks buff (cream-buff) becoming yellow (lemon chrome) in groin; spots on flanks dark brown (clove brown); iris dull grayish bronze (orange-citrine). _variation._--the distal subarticular tubercle beneath the fourth finger is bifid in about two-thirds of the specimens; in the rest it is round. the posterior edge of the tongue varies from being emarginate to shallowly notched. in most specimens the row of tubercles along the outer edge of the tarsus is made up of discrete tubercles, but in some individuals the tubercles form a nearly continuous dermal fold. most specimens have the vomerine teeth situated on v-shaped elevations, but in some individuals the elevations are more nearly transversely situated between the inner nares. all specimens from finca los alpes, guatemala, have dark brown spots and flecks on the venter. some individuals have only a few flecks on the throat and a few large spots on the flanks, as does ku . other specimens, such as ku , have dense spotting over the entire venter. the color of the dorsum varies from pale tan to dark brown with darker brown markings; the white line above the anus is present in all specimens, but in some it is indistinct. ku and have a dark brown dorsum with large pale tan, square blotches; in life the blotches were pale tan (pinkish buff); the rest of the dorsum was dark brown (sayal brown). ku is dark brown with many small white flecks on the dorsum; in life the dorsum was deep olive brown (dark olive). aside from the differences mentioned above, all specimens from guatemala are similar in coloration. three specimens from honduras (mcz and ummz - ) have unspotted white venters. mcz , the holotype of _p. spinipollex_, lacks a white stripe above the anal opening, whereas the stripe is indistinct in ummz - . _description of tadpole._--the following description is based on ku from fina los alpes, depto. alta verapaz, guatemala (figs. d and d). no limb buds; total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body length/total length, . per cent. body rounded, not depressed, as wide as deep, ovoid in dorsal profile; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils barely protuberant and directed anterolaterally, somewhat closer to eye than snout; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. caudal fin low, bluntly rounded posteriorly; greatest depth of caudal musculature about one-half depth of caudal fin; musculature extends nearly to tip of tail. mouth large; lips having deep lateral folds; two complete rows of papillae on lips; six or seven rows of papillae laterally; beaks moderately developed, bearing fine blunt serrations; slender lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows / ; upper rows subequal in length; fourth row interrupted medially; lower rows - equal in length to upper rows; lower rows - decreasing in length; first lower row interrupted medially. top of head and tip of snout brown; venter creamy gray; caudal musculature tan; caudal fin transparent; faint cream-colored, narrow, crescent-shaped mark on posterior edge of body, not bordered posteriorly by dark brown mark; brown flecks scattered on caudal musculature and caudal fin; only a few flecks on anterior half of ventral caudal fin; eye bronze-color in life. _variation._--the variation in size and proportions as compared with tadpoles of other species is given in table . of the tadpoles of this species that i have examined, have only six lower tooth-rows, although in some of these specimens a faint ridge for a seventh row is present. in those specimens having seven lower rows, the seventh often is broken. there is considerable variation in coloration. none has a distinct cream-colored, crescent-shaped mark bordered posteriorly by a dark brown bar or triangle, as in the other species in the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group. most specimens have a rather indistinct crescent; some have no crescent. in a few specimens there is a weakly outlined dark mark posterior to the crescent. some specimens in a series of tadpoles from kilometers north of morazán, baja verapaz, guatemala, have faint dorsal blotches on the dorsal musculature, much like those in tadpoles of _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_. _comparisons._--_ptychohyla spinipollex_ differs from all other species in the genus by having moderate-sized, instead of small, pointed nuptial spines; also it has fewer spines than the other species (see discussion of this character in analysis of data). the nearly equal interorbital breadth and width of the upper eyelid also is diagnostic of this species. other hylids sympatric with _ptychohyla spinipollex_ include three species of _plectrohyla_, each of which has a bony prepollex, heavy body, and rugose skin on the dorsum. the only other sympatric hylid that could be confused with _ptychohyla spinipollex_ is _hyla bromeliacea_, which has a round snout and yellowish tan dorsum not marked with dark brown. _life history._--at finca los alpes, guatemala, in july, , and in august, , calling males were found on bushes and trees along cascading mountain streams. the breeding call consists of a soft "wraack," repeated at intervals of seconds to four minutes. each note has a duration of about . of a second and a rate of pulses per second. the dominant frequency is cycles per second (pl. a). tadpoles have been found in cascading mountain streams. two metamorphosed young have snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. _remarks._--there is little doubt that all of the specimens herein referred to _ptychohyla spinipollex_ are conspecific. however, the three specimens from honduras, including the type of _ptychohyla spinipollex_, differ from guatemalan specimens in lacking all dark spotting on the venter. additional specimens from honduras and eastern guatemala may show that two subspecies are recognizable, in which case the nominal subspecies will be the population in honduras. _distribution._--this species lives in cloud forests at elevations of to meters on the atlantic side of the guatemalan highlands from the sierra de cuchumatanes in western guatemala eastward to central honduras. _specimens examined._--guatemala: _alta verapaz_: finca chichén, ummz (tadpoles); finca los alpes, ku - , (skeleton), (tadpoles), - , , (tadpoles), - (skeletons), mcz - , ummz , ( ), (tadpoles); la primavera, ummz (tadpoles); panzamalá, ummz (tadpoles). _baja verapaz_: km. n of morazán, ku (tadpoles); _santa elena_, ummz , ( ). _huehuetenango_: km. e of barillas, ummz - (tadpoles). _progreso_: finca bucaral, ummz ( ), (tadpoles), s- (skeleton). honduras: _atlantidad_: mountains behind ceiba, mcz . _morazán_: cerro uyuca, ummz - . the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group two species in group; adults having only vestige of web between fingers and lacking tarsal fold; pollex of breeding males lacking spinous, horny, nuptial tuberosities; mouth of tadpole greatly expanded, funnel-shaped, lacking lateral folds, and having / tooth-rows; breeding call consisting of series of short notes. =ptychohyla schmidtorum= _diagnosis._--diameter of tympanum more than half of diameter of eye; internarial region depressed; toes three-fourths webbed; no red flash-colors on thighs. [illustration: plate _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ (ku ). × .] =ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum= stuart _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ stuart, proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , august , [holotype.--cnhm from el porvenir ( kilometers air-line west of san marcos), depto. san marcos, guatemala; karl p. schmidt collector]. duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : , , april , . _diagnosis._--vomerine teeth - ; dorsum dark brown; white spot below eye; eye red in life. _description._--the following description is based on ku from finca la paz, depto. san marcos, guatemala (pl. ). adult male having snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, . per cent; foot length, . mm.; head length, . mm.; head length/snout-vent length, . per cent; head width, . mm.; head width/snout-vent length, . per cent; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm.; tympanum/eye, . per cent. snout in lateral profile nearly square, slightly rounded above and below, and in dorsal profile bluntly squared; canthus pronounced; loreal region concave; lips thick, rounded, and flaring; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; internarial region depressed; top of head flat; interorbital distance, . mm., much greater than width of eyelid, . mm. thin dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum to insertion of forelimb, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum round, its diameter equal to its distance from eye. forearm slender, lacking distinct dermal fold on wrist; row of low rounded tubercles along ventrolateral edge of forearm; pollex slightly enlarged; no nuptial spines; second and fourth fingers about equal in length; subarticular tubercles small and round, distal one beneath fourth finger bifid; discs small, that of third finger noticeably smaller than tympanum; no web between first and second fingers; vestige of web between other fingers. heels overlap when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation reaches to middle of eye; no tarsal fold; inner metatarsal tubercle large, flat, and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small, ovoid, slightly more distal than inner; subarticular tubercles round; length of digits from shortest to longest - - - - ; third and fifth toes webbed to base of discs; fourth toe webbed to base of penultimate phalanx; discs of toes smaller than on fingers. anal opening directed posteriorly at upper edge of thighs; no anal flap; pair of large tubercles below anal opening and smaller tubercles farther below. skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of forelimbs and shanks smooth; that of belly and ventral surfaces of thighs granular. ventrolateral glands well developed, reaching axilla and groin and narrowly separated on chest. tongue ovoid, emarginate posteriorly, and only slightly free behind; vomerine teeth - , situated on small triangular elevations between ovid inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along inner posterior edge of each mandibular ramus. dorsum of head, body, and limbs reddish brown with indistinct, irregular darker brown markings on body and dark brown transverse bands or spots on limbs; first and second fingers creamy white; third and fourth fingers brown; dorsal surfaces of tarsi and third, fourth, and fifth toes tan with brown spots; first and second toes and webbing on feet creamy tan; enamel-white stripe along edge of upper lip continuing over, and on posterior edge of, forearm to groin, expanded to form spot below eye; belly white, unspotted; ventrolateral glands pale brown; ventral surfaces of hind limbs and anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs cream color; enamel-white stripe on heel; creamy white stripe along ventrolateral edges of tarsi and forearms. in life dorsum reddish brown (terra cotta) with dark brown (burnt umber) markings; first and second fingers and first and second toes orange-yellow (light orange-yellow); posterior surfaces of thighs pale reddish tan (ochraceous-salmon); webbing on feet yellowish tan (deep colonial buff); belly white; iris red (nopal red). _variation._--little variation in structural characters was observed. all but five specimens have bifid subarticular tubercles beneath the fourth finger. three specimens have cordiform tongues, and in four others the tongue is ovoid and shallowly notched behind; all other specimens have an emarginate ovoid tongue. some individuals when active at night had a pale brown (ochraceous-tawny) dorsum with dull olive green (dark olive buff) markings. otherwise there was no noticeable variation in color. _description of tadpole._--the following description is based on ku from finca la paz, depto. san marcos, guatemala (figs. a and e). small hind limbs; total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body length/total length, . per cent. body only slightly depressed, nearly as deep as wide, in dorsal profile ovoid, widest just posterior to eyes; in lateral profile snout rounded; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils barely protuberant, directed anteriorly, somewhat closer to eye than snout; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. tail long and slender; caudal fin low and rounded posteriorly; depth of caudal musculature one-half greatest depth of caudal fin; musculature not extending to tip of tail. mouth large; thin fleshy lips greatly expanded and forming large funnel-shaped disc; width of mouth two-thirds greatest width of body; outer edge of lips having one row of small papillae; inner surfaces of mouth smooth; scattered large papillae forming one nearly complete row around teeth; other large papillae laterally; beaks moderately developed, bearing long, pointed denticulations; no lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows / , all short; second and third upper rows subequal in length; first upper row shorter; first and third upper rows interrupted medially; first lower row interrupted medially, equal in length to second and third upper rows; second lower row slightly shorter; third lower row shortest. body mottled brown and creamy gray above and below; mouth colored like body; caudal musculature creamy tan; caudal fin transparent; dark brown streak mid-laterally on anterior third of caudal musculature; rest of tail and all of caudal fin heavily flecked with brown; eye red in life. _variation._--the third upper tooth-row is interrupted in all specimens; in some individuals the first upper and first lower rows are complete. the variation in size and proportions is given in table . the dark brown lateral streak on the anterior part of the caudal musculature is distinct on most specimens; the only other variation in coloration is in the amount of brown flecking on the caudal musculature and fin. _comparisons._--_ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ differs from _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ as stated in the diagnosis and in having pale creamy tan, as opposed to dark brown, webbing on the feet; and from _p. ignicolor_ in having a depressed, as opposed to a flat, internarial region. tadpoles of _p. s. schmidtorum_ have a mottled appearance, as opposed to the more uniform brown color of _p. s. chamulae_. _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ and several species of _plectrohyla_ are sympatric. all species of the latter genus have a bony prepollex, rugose skin on the dorsum, and heavy body; also sympatric is _ptychohyla e. euthysanota_, which has a tarsal fold and in breeding males spinous nuptial tuberosities. _life history._--this species breeds in clear mountain streams where males call from vegetation along the stream. the call consists of series of short notes, three to nine notes per series, sounding like "raa-raa-raa." the duration of each note is approximately . of a second, and has a rate of to pulses per second; the dominant frequency is about cycles per second. the call is almost indistinguishable from that of _ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae_. tadpoles and metamorphosing young were found at finca la paz, guatemala, in late july, . two young lacking tails but not having completely developed mouths have snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. l. c. stuart collected four metamorphosing young at finca la paz on may , . by may the frogs were completely metamorphosed, at which time they had snout-vent lengths of . to . (average . ) mm. _remarks._--there is no doubt that this frog is most closely related to _ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae_, even though the ranges of the two subspecies are separated by the interior depression of chiapas. since at least at finca la paz, guatemala, _p. s. schmidtorum_ occurs with _p. e. euthysanota_, it is surprising that the former species has not been found at more localities along the pacific slopes on northern central america. at finca la paz in july, , _p. s. schmidtorum_ was more abundant than _p. e. euthysanota_. _distribution._--this species is known only from a limited area at elevations between and meters on the pacific slopes of the sierra madre in extreme eastern chiapas and western guatemala. _specimens examined._--mexico: _chiapas_: finca irlandia, ummz - . guatemala: _san marcos_: el porvenir, cnhm , , , ummz ; finca la paz, km. w of la reforma, ku - , - (skeletons), ( young), (tadpoles), ( young), mcz - , ummz - (tadpoles). [illustration: plate _ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae_ (ku ). × .] =ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae= duellman _ptychohyla chamulae_ duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , pl. , fig. , april , [holotype.--ku from . kilometers south of rayón mescalapa, chiapas, méxico; william e. duellman collector]. _diagnosis._--vomerine teeth - ; dorsum bright green; white lateral stripe; eye reddish bronze in life. _description._--the following description is based on ku from . kilometers south of rayón mescalapa, chiapas, méxico (pl. ). adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, . per cent; foot length, . mm.; head length, . mm.; head length/snout-vent length, . per cent; head width, . mm.; head width/snout-vent length, . per cent; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm.; tympanum/eye, . per cent. snout in lateral profile nearly square, slightly rounded above and below, and in dorsal profile blunt, almost square; canthus pronounced; loreal region concave; lips thick, rounded and flaring; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; internarial region slightly depressed; top of head flat; interorbital distance, . mm., much greater than width of eyelid, . mm. thin dermal fold, from posterior corner of eye above tympanum to insertion of fore limb, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum nearly round, its diameter equal to its distance from eye. forearm slender, lacking distinct fold on wrist; row of low, rounded tubercles on ventrolateral surface of forearm; pollex slightly enlarged, without nuptial spines; second and fourth fingers equal in length; subarticular tubercles round, that under fourth finger bifid; discs small, that of third finger noticeably smaller than tympanum; no web between first and second fingers; vestige of web between other fingers. heels overlapping when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation reaches to middle of eye; no tarsal fold; inner metatarsal tubercle large, flat, and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle small, elliptical, slightly more distal than inner; subarticular tubercles round; length of digits from shortest to longest - - - - ; third and fifth toes webbed to base of disc; fourth toe webbed to base of penultimate phalanx; discs smaller on toes than on fingers. anal opening directed posteriorly at upper edge of thighs; no anal flap; pair of large tubercles below anal opening. skin of dorsum and of ventral surfaces of forelimbs and shanks smooth; that of throat, belly, and ventral surfaces of thighs granular. ventrolateral glands well developed, not reaching axilla or groin and broadly separated midventrally. tongue cordiform, shallowly notched behind and only slightly free posteriorly; vomerine teeth - , situated on small triangular elevations between ovoid inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along inner posterior edge of each mandibular ramus. dorsum of head, body and limbs reddish brown with dark purplish brown markings on back and shanks; first finger creamy tan; other fingers pale brown; dorsal surfaces of tarsi, third, fourth, and fifth toes dull tan with brown spots; first and second toes creamy tan; webbing on feet brown; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs tan; faint creamy white stripe along ventrolateral edges of tarsi and forearms; enamel-white stripe on heel; axilla and groin gray; enamel-white stripe on edge of upper lip, continuing onto proximal upper surfaces of forelimb and on flanks to groin, widened under eye to form large spot, and bordered below on flanks by dark brown stripe; white stripe above and white spots below anal opening; throat and chest white; belly and ventral surfaces of limbs cream color; brown dash on either side of chin and brown spot on throat near angle of jaws; few brown flecks on belly; ventrolateral glands orange-tan; ventral surfaces of tarsi and feet brown. in life, dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs bright green (shamrock green); first and second fingers pale orange (apricot yellow); stripe on upper lip and spot below eye enamel-white; stripe on flanks silvery white, bordered below by brown (saccardo's umber) brown; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs yellowish brown (old gold); webbing of feet dull brown (brownish olive); belly deep yellow (amber yellow); iris reddish bronze (english red). _variation._--tubercles beneath the fourth fingers are bifid in specimens and rounded in all others. the tongue is emarginate in specimens and cordiform in all others. in most specimens the white stripe on the upper lip continues onto the flanks and to the groin; in five specimens the stripe terminates above the forearm, and in three it terminates at mid-flank. the lateral stripe is absent in two specimens. all specimens were uniform green above when found at night; later some changed to pale green (light oriental green) on the dorsum with irregular yellowish tan (naples yellow) blotches. most males have brown flecks on the throat and ventrolateral gland, but some specimens are immaculate below, and one has dark brown mottling on the throat. several males have a round, orange-tan glandular area on the chin, as does _p. ignicolor_. _description of tadpole._--the following description is based on ku from . kilometers south of rayón mescalapa, chiapas, méxico (figs. b and f). hind limbs small; total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body length/total length, . per cent. body barely depressed, only slightly wider than deep, widest just posterior to eyes; in dorsal profile ovoid; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils barely protuberant, directed anterodorsally, slightly closer to eye than snout; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. tail long and slender; caudal fin low, rounded posteriorly; depth of caudal musculature one-half greatest depth of caudal fin; musculature not extending to tip of tail. mouth large; thin fleshy lips greatly expanded and forming funnel-shaped disc; outer edge of lips having one row of small papillae; inner surfaces of mouth smooth; scattered large papillae forming nearly one complete row around teeth; other papillae laterally; beaks moderately developed, bearing long, pointed denticulations; no lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows / , all short; second and third upper rows subequal in length; first upper row shorter; first and third upper rows interrupted medially; first lower row interrupted medially, equal in length to second and third upper rows; second lower row slightly shorter; third lower row shortest. body dark brown above and dark gray below; fleshy part of mouth creamy gray mottled with dark brown; caudal musculature pale tan with heavy suffusion of brown flecks; caudal fin transparent with brown spots; dark brown streak mid-laterally on anterior one-fifth of caudal musculature, bordered below by cream-colored spot; eye brown in life. _variation._--the third upper tooth-row is interrupted in all specimens, but in some individuals the first upper row and first lower row are complete. the only noted variation in color is the intensity of brown pigmentation on the caudal musculature, which in most specimens is sufficiently dense to make the tail look brown. in some specimens the mid-lateral streak is indistinct, and the pale spot below the streak is absent. _comparisons._--aside from the characters listed in the diagnosis, _ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae_ differs from _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ by having dark brown webbing on the feet, instead of pale creamy tan webbing, and in having in life a yellow venter, instead of a white venter. _ptychohyla ignicolor_ also is green in life, but has red flash-colors on the thighs, red webbing on the feet, and lacks the white lateral stripe diagnostic of _p. schmidtorum chamulae_. _plectrohyla matudai matudai_ and _p. guatemalensis_ are sympatric with _ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae_. each of the first two has a bony prepollex, rugose skin on the dorsum, and heavy body. also living with _ptychohyla chamulae_ are _hyla chaneque_, a large species having a tuberculate dorsum and webbed fingers, and _hyla bivocata_, a small yellow species having a broad, flat head, small indistinct tympanum, and an axillary membrane. _life history._--calling males were found on leaves of herbs and bushes by cascading streams in cloud forest. the call consists of series of short notes, three to nine notes per series, sounding like "raa-raa-raa." the duration of each note is . to . of a second, and has a rate of to pulses per second. the dominant frequency falls between and cycles per second (pl. d). the call is almost indistinguishable from that of _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_. tadpoles were found in the cascading streams; the smallest tadpole has a total length of . mm. and has only / tooth-rows. at a stream . kilometers south of rayón mescalapa, chiapas, metamorphosing young were found on june and august , . each of two completely metamorphosed young has a snout-vent length of . mm. another having a snout-vent length of . mm. has a tail stub mm. long and a completely metamorphosed mouth. two others have snout-vent lengths of . and . mm. and tail lengths of . and . mm. respectively; in these the mouth parts are incompletely metamorphosed. _remarks._--duellman ( : ) described _ptychohyla chamulae_ and stated that it probably was most closely related to _p. schmidtorum_. further study has revealed additional resemblance in morphological and behavioral details. it is concluded that the two populations are more realistically treated as subspecies than as species. the geographic ranges, as now known, are disjunct. _ptychohyla schmidtorum chamulae_ inhabits cloud forest on the atlantic slopes of the chiapan highlands, whereas _p. s. schmidtorum_ lives in cloud forest on the pacific slopes of the sierra madre in chiapas and guatemala. between their known geographic ranges are the pine clad sierra madre and chiapan highlands, and intervening sub-humid grijalva valley. _distribution._--this species is known only from elevations between and meters on the atlantic slopes of the chiapan highlands; it is to be expected in cloud forests on the northern slopes of the sierra de cuchumatanes in guatemala. _specimens examined._--mexico: _chiapas: km. n of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán_, ummz ( ); _ . km. n of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán_, ummz ( ); _ km. n of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán_, ummz - , ( ), ( ); _ . km. n of pueblo nuevo solistahuacán_, ummz ( ); _ . km. s of rayón mescalapa_, ku , (tadpoles); _ . km. s of rayón mescalapa_, ku - , (tadpole), - , (skeleton). [illustration: plate _ptychohyla ignicolor_ (ummz ). × .] =ptychohyla ignicolor= duellman _ptychohyla ignicolor_ duellman, uni. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , pl. , fig. , april , [holotype.--ummz from kilometers south of vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico; thomas e. moore collector]. _diagnosis._--diameter of tympanum less than one-half diameter of eye; internarial region flat; - vomerine teeth; toes one-half webbed; no white spot below eye; no lateral white stripe; in life dorsum green; groin and thighs having bright red flash-colors. _description._--the following description is based on ummz from kilometers south of vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico (pl. ). adult male having a snout-vent length of . mm.; tibia length, . mm.; tibia length/snout-vent length, . per cent; foot length, . mm.; head length, . mm.; head length/snout-vent length, . per cent; head width, . mm.; head width/snout-vent length, . per cent; diameter of eye, . mm.; diameter of tympanum, . mm.; tympanum/eye, . per cent. snout in lateral profile square, and in dorsal profile rounded; canthus pronounced; loreal region slightly concave; lips moderately flaring; top of head flat; nostrils protuberant; internarial distance, . mm.; internarial region flat; interorbital distance, . mm., much broader than width of eyelid, . mm. a heavy dermal fold from posterior corner of eye above tympanum to insertion of forelimb, covering upper edge of tympanum; tympanum elliptical, its greatest diameter equal to its distance from eye. forearm moderately robust having distinct dermal fold on wrist; pollex moderately enlarged without nuptial spines; second and fourth fingers equal in length; subarticular tubercles round, none is bifid; discs on fingers moderate in size, that on third finger slightly larger than tympanum; no web between first and second fingers; vestige of web between other fingers. heels overlap when hind limbs adpressed; tibiotarsal articulation extends to anterior corner of eye; no tarsal fold; inner metatarsal tubercle large, flat, and elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle near inner one and triangular in shape; subarticular tubercles round; length of digits from shortest to longest - - - - ; third toe webbed to proximal end of penultimate phalanx; fourth toe webbed to distal part of antepenultimate phalanx; fifth toe webbed to middle of penultimate phalanx; discs on toes smaller than on fingers. anal opening directed posteriorly at upper edge of thighs; no anal flap; pair of large tubercles below anal opening; small tubercles ventral and lateral to these. skin of dorsum and ventral surfaces of limbs smooth; that of throat and belly granular. ventrolateral glands noticeably thickened, extending from axilla nearly to groin and only narrowly separated midventrally on chest; skin of anterior part of chin thickened and glandular. tongue cordiform, shallowly notched behind and only slightly free posteriorly; vomerine teeth - , situated on rounded elevations between somewhat larger, round inner nares; openings to vocal sac large, one situated along posterior margin of each mandibular ramus. dorsal ground-color of head, body, and limbs dull brown with dark brown reticulations on head and body and dark brown transverse bands or spots on limbs; first and second fingers cream color; third and fourth fingers dull tan; anterior surfaces of thighs pale brown; posterior surfaces of thighs cream color with heavy suffusion of brown; dorsal surfaces of tarsi and third, fourth, and fifth toes dull brown with dark brown spots; first and second toes creamy white; webbing on foot brown; axilla and groin cream color; flanks brown; no white stripes on edge of upper lip or on flank; faint, barely discernible tan streak above anal opening; faint creamy tan line on ventrolateral edges of tarsi; throat, belly, ventral surfaces of limbs, inner edges of tarsi, and first toes cream color; outer ventral surfaces of tarsi and other toes brown; chest and throat spotted with brown; ventrolateral and chin glands orange-brown. in life the dorsum was uniform green (cosse green) becoming paler green (bright green-yellow) on flanks, later changing to paler green (javel green) on dorsum with irregular darker green (lettuce green) markings and greenish yellow (green-yellow) on flanks; anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs, ventral surfaces of shanks, anterior surfaces of tarsi, and upper proximal surfaces of first, second, and third toes red (coral red); venter pale creamy yellow (sulfur yellow); iris pale golden color (aniline yellow). _variation._--of specimens, six have a cordiform tongue; the others have an emarginate tongue. five specimens have round subarticular tubercles beneath the fourth fingers; six specimens have a bifid tubercle on one hand, and two specimens have bifid tubercles on both hands. a round gland is present on the chin of all specimens; in some the gland is barely visible, but in others it is large and distinct. in two specimens the ventrolateral glands are weakly developed; in the others the glands are well developed and orange-tan. the white anal stripe varies from a thin line to a series of white flecks. dark brown or black flecks are present on the throat, chest, and flanks of all specimens. in some the flecks are small and widely scattered; in others the flecks are larger and more numerous. all specimens were pale green above when calling at night; later they changed to dull green with darker green reticulations. the flash-colors on the thighs and in the groin vary from red to orange-red or brownish red. _description of tadpole._--the following description is based on ku from vista hermosa, oaxaca, méxico (figs. c and g). hind limbs small; total length, . mm.; body length, . mm.; body length/total length, . per cent. body moderately depressed, only slightly wider than deep, in dorsal profile ovoid, widest just posterior to eyes; in lateral profile snout rounded; mouth directed ventrally; eyes small, directed dorsolaterally; nostrils barely protuberant, directed anteriorly, somewhat closer to eye than snout; spiracle sinistral and posteroventrad to eye; anal tube dextral. tail long and slender; caudal fin low and rounded posteriorly; depth of caudal musculature about one-half greatest depth of caudal fin; musculature not extending to tip of tail. mouth large; thin fleshy lips greatly expanded and forming large funnel-shaped disc; width of mouth about two-thirds greatest width of body; outer edge of lips having one row of small papillae; inner surface of mouth smooth; scattered large papillae forming one nearly complete row around teeth; other papillae laterally; one large papilla just above each end of first lower tooth-row; beaks moderately developed bearing long, pointed denticulations; no lateral projections on upper beak; tooth-rows / , all short; second and third upper rows subequal in length; first upper row shorter; first lower row equal in length to second and third upper rows; second lower row slightly shorter; third lower row shortest. body creamy gray with dark brown flecks above and below; mouth colored like body; caudal musculature creamy tan; caudal fin transparent; dark brown streak on anterior third of caudal musculature; rest of tail and all of caudal fin, except anterior two-thirds of ventral fin, heavily flecked with brown; iris silvery bronze color in life. _variation._--the only other known tadpole, which was collected with the individual described above, differs in having only two upper tooth-rows. the first upper tooth-row seems not to have developed. _comparisons._--from _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ and _p. s. schmidtorum_, _p. ignicolor_ differs as follows: tympanum smaller; snout more nearly square; less webbing on toes; internarial region flat instead of depressed; white lateral stripes lacking. _ptychohyla ignicolor_ and several small and moderate sized hylids are sympatric. from _p. ignicolor_ these hylids can be distinguished as follows: _hyla dendroscarta_ has a round snout and yellow dorsum; _hyla erythromma_ has a round snout, green dorsum, white flanks, and a red eye; _hyla hazelae_ has a tarsal fold, green dorsum, and a black line on the canthus; and _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ has a tarsal fold, brown dorsum, black and white flanks, and horny nuptial spines in breeding males. _life history._--at vista hermosa, oaxaca, males were calling on vegetation above small streams on march , , and on june , ; males were found on vegetation overhanging a stream kilometers south of vista hermosa on june and july , . the call consists of a series of short notes, three to thirteen notes per series, sounding like "raa-raa-raa." the duration of each note is about . of a second and has a rate of to pulses per second. the dominant frequency of notes in short series is about cycles per second, whereas the dominant frequency of notes in long series is about cycles per second (pl. e). on june , , two tadpoles of this species were found in a quiet pool in a spring-fed rivulet at vista hermosa, oaxaca. females are unknown. _remarks._--the absence of a tarsal fold and of nuptial spines in breeding males, the nature of the breeding call, and the form of tadpole are characters that place _ptychohyla ignicolor_ in the _p. schmidtorum_-group. _distribution._--this species is known from only two localities at elevations of and meters in the cloud forest on the northern (atlantic) slopes of the sierra madre oriental in northern oaxaca. _specimens examined._--mexico: _oaxaca: vista hermosa_, ku , (tadpoles), ummz ; km. s of vista hermosa, ku - , (skeleton), ummz , ( ). distribution and ecology geographic distribution of the species the distribution of species of _ptychohyla_ reflects the distribution of cloud forest in southern méxico and northern central america. the frogs are restricted to mountainous areas, usually at elevations higher than meters above sea level. _ptychohyla_ does not range to great heights in the mountains, where west of the isthmus of tehuantepec the mountain streams are inhabited by frogs of the _hyla bistincta_ group, and in chiapas and guatemala by species of _plectrohyla_. frogs of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group have a greater combined geographic range than the species comprising the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group (fig. ). no two species in the same group are sympatric, but members of different groups are sympatric in at least parts of their ranges. apparently _p. leonhardschultzei_ ranges around the southern edge of the mexican highlands, where the species occurs on both atlantic and pacific slopes; as can be seen from the distribution map, there are many gaps in the known range of this species. the range of _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ is along the pacific slopes of the sierra madre in chiapas, guatemala, and el salvador, whereas that of _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ is along the southern interior slopes of the central highlands of chiapas and the sierra de cuchumatanes in guatemala. _ptychohyla spinipollex_ occurs on the wet atlantic slopes of the guatemalan and honduranean highlands; the range of the species in honduras is poorly known. [illustration: fig. . map showing locality records for the species and subspecies of _ptychohyla_.] the frogs of the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group have more restricted geographic ranges than members of the former group. _ptychohyla schmidtorum schmidtorum_ occurs on the pacific slopes of the sierra madre in chiapas and guatemala, where it occurs with _p. euthysanota euthysanota_; _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ is known from only two localities on the atlantic slopes of the central highlands of chiapas, where it occurs close to, but as now known not with, _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_. on the atlantic slopes of the sierra madre oriental in northern oaxaca _p. ignicolor_ occurs with _p. leonhardschultzei_. in the sierra de los tuxtlas in southern veracruz and in the cloud forests along the eastern slopes of the sierra madre oriental northward to nuevo león, _hyla miotympanum_ seems to be the ecological replacement of _ptychohyla_. on the pacific slopes north of guerrero, méxico, humid forests in which there are cascading mountain streams are absent; consequently, no _ptychohyla_ are known from that region. in the mountains of el salvador _ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota_ occurs sympatrically with another small stream-breeding hylid, _hyla salvadorensis_. to the south of honduras the highlands diminish into the lowlands of nicaragua, where habitat suitable for _ptychohyla_ apparently does not exist. in the mountains of costa rica and panamá, the habitats occupied by _ptychohyla_ in northern central america are filled by a variety of stream-breeding _hyla_, such as _hyla legleri_, _h. rivularis_, _h. rufioculis_, _h. alleei_, and _h. uranochroa_. although members of the genus _ptychohyla_ occur in the southern part of the mexican highlands to the west of the isthmus of tehuantepec, the greater distribution and differentiation in the genus is in the chiapan-guatemalan highlands. in this respect _ptychohyla_ is a counterpart of _plectrohyla_. habitat preference frogs of the genus _ptychohyla_ are ecologically associated with mountain streams at elevations between and meters; in the geographic region where these frogs occur the vegetation between those elevations consists of cloud forest or pine-oak forest. in some places the frogs have been found in a mixture of oak and semi-deciduous scrub forest. at vista hermosa, oaxaca, _p. leonhardschultzei_ and _p. ignicolor_ were found in cloud forest, whereas at agua del obispo, guerrero, the former species was found in pine-oak forest. _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ is known only from cloud forest; _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ and _p. spinipollex_ generally are found in cloud forest, but in some places they live in pine-oak forest. _ptychohyla euthysanota macrotympanum_ has been found in pine-oak forest and in a mixture of oak and semi-deciduous scrub forest. with the possible exception of the members of the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group, which has been found only in cloud forest, it seems as though the type of vegetation is not the controlling factor in the ecological distribution of these frogs. _ptychohyla_ has been found only where there are clear, cascading streams overhung by vegetation, on which adults and young perch at night, or even by day. the presence of these streams, in which the tadpoles live, seems to be an important factor in the distribution of _ptychohyla_. as has been shown previously, the tadpoles of _ptychohyla_ are adapted for existence in torrential streams, where the water is cool, and the amount of oxygen is high. clearly these tadpoles are unsuited for life in ponds or sluggish streams in the lowlands, where the temperature of the water is high, a layer of silt on the bottom is deep, and the amount of oxygen is low. the tadpoles cling to rocks on the bottom of the streams; there they move slowly across the rocks, apparently feeding on the thin covering of algae. tadpoles were not observed on rocks having a thick covering of algae or moss. the tadpoles were observed to swim against the current in torrential streams, in which no fishes were found. therefore, it seems as though the presence of the stream-habitat for the tadpoles is a significant factor in the ecological distribution of the species of _ptychohyla_. interspecific competition at localities where two species of _ptychohyla_ occur sympatrically (_p. ignicolor_ and _p. leonhardschultzei_ at vista hermosa, oaxaca, and _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ and _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ at finca la paz, depto. san marcos, guatemala) effort was made to determine what, if any, ecological interspecific relationships existed. although adults of the sympatric species were found on adjacent leaves or branches of bushes overhanging the streams at both localities, segregation at the time of breeding seems to be maintained by the notably different breeding calls in sympatric species (see discussion of breeding calls). thus, as has been shown by blair ( ), fouquette ( ), and others working on a variety of pond-breeding frogs and toads, the breeding call in _ptychohyla_ acts as an important reproductive isolating mechanism. at no locality were _ptychohyla_ and associated species of hylids found so abundantly as were species of pond-breeding hylids in the lowlands. apparently reproductive activity is not concentrated in a short breeding season, and it is highly doubtful if the populations of these frogs are as large as those of the lowland pond-breeders. the continual humid conditions and abundance of insect food throughout the year in the cloud forest are perhaps indicative of little interspecific competition among adults of _ptychohyla_ and other sympatric hylids. at finca la paz, guatemala, tadpoles of two species of _ptychohyla_ were ecologically segregated. the tadpoles of _p. euthysanota euthysanota_ were found in riffles in the streams, whereas those of _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ were found in slower water, chiefly in small pools in the streams. at vista hermosa, oaxaca, tadpoles of _p. leonhardschultzei_ were found in riffles, and tadpoles of the sympatric _p. ignicolor_ were found in a small pool in a stream. similar ecological relationships were observed for several species of costa rican hylids. throughout the range of _ptychohyla_ east of the isthmus of tehuantepec, members of the genus occur with species of _plectrohyla_, all of which are larger than _ptychohyla_, and all of which have tadpoles that live in torrential streams. tadpoles of _ptychohyla spinipollex_ have been found in streams inhabited by the tadpoles of _plectrohyla guatemalensis_ and _p. quecchi_; tadpoles of _ptychohyla euthysanota euthysanota_ and _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ were found in streams inhabited by tadpoles of _plectrohyla guatemalensis_, _p. matudai_, and _p. sagorum_. in some streams great numbers of tadpoles occur. the habitat is rather restricted, and the food supply is limited. consequently, interspecific competition among the various species of hylids whose tadpoles live in the torrential streams probably is highest during the larval stage. unfortunately, this aspect of salientian population ecology has received no intensive study. reproduction and development since the cloud forests inhabited by _ptychohyla_ are daily bathed in clouds and have a fairly evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year, the frogs living in these forests are active throughout the year. at least some of the species evidently have a long breeding season, for i found calling males of _p. leonhardschultzei_ in february, march, and august, and found tadpoles in february, march, june, and august. tadpoles of the various species have been obtained throughout much of the year, as follows: _p. euthysanota euthysanota_, february, march, may, and july; _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_, march, june, and august; _p. spinipollex_, february, march, april, june, july, and august; _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_, march, may, june, july, and august; _p. schmidtorum chamulae_, june and august; _p. ignicolor_, june. i suspect that this temporal distribution more accurately reflects the seasonal activities of collectors than of the frogs. calling frogs usually are on vegetation adjacent to or overhanging streams; some calling males of _p. spinipollex_ were on rocks in or by streams. clasping pairs of _p. euthysanota_ and _p. schmidtorum_ were observed on vegetation by streams. despite intensive search, no eggs were found. it is doubtful if _ptychohyla_ deposit eggs on vegetation overhanging streams, as do centrolenids and _phyllomedusa_, for egg-clutches of these frogs are easily found. possibly the eggs are laid separately on vegetation above the stream, in which case they could be overlooked easily. in streams where _ptychohyla_ and other hylid tadpoles occur, empty egg capsules have been found on the lee sides of rocks, but there is no way to determine which species laid the eggs. numbers of eggs were counted in gravid females; the largest eggs have diameters ranging from . to . mm. the smaller species, comprising the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group, have fewer eggs than do the larger species. numbers of eggs found in females of the various species are: _p. euthysanota euthysanota_, ; _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_, , ; _p. leonhardschultzei_, ; _p. spinipollex_, , , ; _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_, , , ; _p. schmidtorum chamulae_, , , . duration of the larval stage is unknown. metamorphosing young have been found from may through august. from two to six completely metamorphosed young are available for each of the species, except for _p. ignicolor_ of which none is available. the smallest young frog is a _p. euthysanota_ having a snout-vent length of . mm.; the largest young frog is a _p. schmidtorum schmidtorum_ having a snout-vent length of . mm. phylogeny of ptychohyla the preceding data on morphology, life histories, and behavior form the basis for the following interpretation of the phylogeny of _ptychohyla_. additional data are needed to support some of the ideas discussed below; many of the data that are available for _ptychohyla_ are lacking for other, possibly related, hylids. the family hylidae is composed of several hundred species, and most of the species are poorly known. consequently, any attempt to place _ptychohyla_ in the over-all scheme of hylid phylogeny would be premature at this time. but, as between the five species of two species-groups here recognized as constituting the genus _ptychohyla_, some estimate of relationships can be made. first, it is necessary to determine the validity of the genus itself. ptychohyla as a natural assemblage as stated in the diagnosis of the genus, the only character that sets this group of species apart from other hylids is the presence of ventrolateral glands in the breeding males. to many systematists the thought of being able to identify to genus only breeding males is sufficiently disturbing to cause them to view with disfavor the recognition of the genus. nonetheless, the question is raised: do the five species herein placed in the genus _ptychohyla_ constitute a natural assemblage? if the genus is considered to be more than a category of convenience, that is to say, a group of related species having a common origin, the primary problem is to determine whether or not the five species form a phylogenetic unit. the species of _ptychohyla_ are divided into two groups on the basis of external morphology, breeding calls, and tadpoles. the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group seems to be a natural group composed of three species, all of which are more closely related to one another than to any other hylid. likewise, the species comprising the _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ group seem to represent a natural unit. if the presence of ventrolateral glands in breeding males is ignored, a student of salientian systematics might derive the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group from a hylid stock containing _hyla miotympanum_ and _hyla mixomaculata_. likewise, _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ could be placed with _hyla uranochroa_ and related species in costa rica. nonetheless, the fact remains that all of the species assigned to the genus _ptychohyla_ have ventrolateral glands in the breeding males; furthermore, ventrolateral glands are unknown in other hylids. if the _p. schmidtorum_ group and the _p. euthysanota_ group each evolved from separate hylid stocks, then the ventrolateral glands must have developed independently in both groups. that ventrolateral glands developed independently in five species of frogs in southern méxico and northern central america and not in any of the other approximately species of hylids in the world is untenable. it is more logical to assume that the development of the glands took place only once in a stock of hylids that gave rise to the five species herein recognized as members of the genus _ptychohyla_. generic relationships the affinities of _ptychohyla_ apparently are not with any of the other groups that have been generically separated from _hyla_. of the daughter genera in middle america only _plectrohyla_ has stream-adapted tadpoles, but these large frogs are not closely related to _ptychohyla_. stuart ( : ) suggested that certain montane species of _hyla_ in lower central america and _hyla salvadorensis_ in el salvador may be related to _ptychohyla_ or even congeneric. i have had experience with most of these species in the field and believe that stuart was correct in his suggestion of relationships. the species concerned are four red-eyed stream-breeding _hyla_ in costa rica--_h. alleei_, _h. legleri_, _h. rufioculis_, and _h. uranochroa_, plus _hyla salvadorensis_ in the mountains of el salvador. morphologically all of the species are similar; _hyla uranochroa_, _h. legleri_, and _h. rufioculis_ have a lateral white stripe that is expanded to form a spot beneath the eye, as in _ptychohyla schmidtorum_. the tadpoles of _hyla rufioculis_ and _h. uranochroa_ have large funnel-shaped mouths and long slender tails like those of _ptychohyla schmidtorum_. lips of the tadpoles of _h. legleri_ and _h. salvadorensis_ are folded laterally, in this respect resembling those of the _ptychohyla euthysanota_ group. i do not know the tadpoles and the breeding call of _hyla alleei_. the breeding calls of _hyla rufioculis_ and _h. uranochroa_ consist of high melodious notes; the calls of _h. legleri_ and _h. salvadorensis_ consist of series of short notes that have the general characteristics of the call of _ptychohyla schmidtorum_. affinities of the genus _ptychohyla_ seem to me to be with the red-eyed species forming the _hyla uranochroa_ group in costa rica. all of the species in the _hyla uranochroa_ group have large frontoparietal fontanelles, rather small ethmoids, and small nasals that are not in contact with one another or with the ethmoid. some species have a complete quadratojugal-maxillary arch; others do not. assuming that the parental stock that gave rise both to the _hyla uranochroa_ group and to _ptychohyla_ was widespread in central america at a time of cooler, more humid conditions, it is possible that with subsequent warming temperatures and seasonal rainfall in the lowlands the parental stock was restricted to the costa rican highlands, where the _hyla uranochroa_ group developed, and to the chiapas-guatemala highlands, where _ptychohyla_ evolved. interspecific relationships _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ is thought to resemble more closely the parental stock of the genus than does any other species of _ptychohyla_ now extant. this parental stock is discussed above in the account of the generic relationships. _ptychohyla schmidtorum_ has a red eye, white lateral stripe, frontoparietal fontanelle, funnel-shaped mouth in tadpoles, and lacks nuptial spines; in all of these characters it resembles members of the _hyla uranochroa_ group. probably during times of glaciation during the pleistocene, when climates in méxico and central america were depressed, the _ptychohyla_ stock was more widespread than it is now. subsequent elevation of climatic zones during interglacial periods would have isolated populations as they are today in regions of cloud forests. thus, through geographic isolation populations could have differentiated and evolved into the present species. climatic fluctuation in the pleistocene must have been of sufficient magnitude to permit the spread of cool, moist forests containing _ptychohyla_ across the isthmus of tehuantepec into the mountains of oaxaca. because of its small nuptial spines, small triangular vomers, coloration, and absence of a rostral keel, _ptychohyla euthysanota_, more than any of the other species in the _p. euthysanota_ group, resembles _p. schmidtorum_. at the present time _p. euthysanota_ and _p. schmidtorum_ are sympatric. as i have mentioned previously, ecological segregation and interspecific competition probably is highly developed in the tadpoles of _ptychohyla_. if this ecological segregation resulted from intraspecific competition in a stock of _ptychohyla_, possibly _p. euthysanota_ and _p. schmidtorum_ differentiated sympatrically in this way. specific identity is maintained, at least in part, by different breeding calls in males. _ptychohyla spinipollex_ and _p. leonhardschultzei_ seem to be more closely related to one another than either is to _p. euthysanota_. probably a stock of _p. euthysanota_ was isolated on the atlantic slopes of northern central america from _p. euthysanota_ on the southern slopes. the frogs on the atlantic slopes differentiated and spread into the mountains of oaxaca, where through isolation by the barrier of the isthmus of tehuantepec they developed into _p. leonhardschultzei_, while the stock on the northern slopes of central america evolved into _p. spinipollex_. subsequent to the differentiation of _p. leonhardschultzei_ and _p. spinipollex_ from _p. euthysanota_ and during a time of cooler more equable climate than exists now, _p. euthysanota_ and _p. schmidtorum_ invaded the central highlands of chiapas. subsequent climatic changes isolated populations of each in the central highlands, where _p. euthysanota macrotympanum_ and _p. schmidtorum chamulae_ evolved. _ptychohyla ignicolor_ probably represents stock of _p. schmidtorum_ that crossed the isthmus of tehuantepec and became isolated in oaxaca on the western side of the isthmus. literature cited ahl, e. . Über eine sammlung von reptilien und amphibien aus mexiko, zool. anz., : - , april . blair, w. f. . call difference as an isolation mechanism in southwestern toads (genus _bufo_). texas jour. sci., : - , march. duellman, w. e. . the frogs of the hylid genus _phrynohyas_ fitzinger, . misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , pls. - , february . . synonymy, variation, and distribution of _ptychohyla leonhardschultzei_ ahl. studies of american hylid frogs, iv. herpetologica, : - , september . . descriptions of two species of frogs, genus ptychohyla. studies of american hylid frogs, v. univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., : - , pl. , april . fouquette, m. j. . isolating mechanisms in three sympatric treefrogs in the canal zone. evolution, : - , december. kellogg, r. . an apparently new _hyla_ from el salvador. proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , june . mertens, r. . die amphibien und reptilien von el salvador. senckenbergischen naturf. gesell., : - , pls. - , december . ridgway, r. . color standards and color nomenclature. washington, d. c., pp., pls. shannon, f. a. . notes on a herpetological collection from oaxaca and other localities in mexico. proc. u. s. nat. mus., : - , may . stuart, l. c. . descriptions of some new amphibians and reptiles from guatemala. proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , august . tanner, w. w. . notes on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from southern mexico, with a description of a new _hyla_. great basin nat., : - , july . taylor, e. h. . new species of hylid frogs from mexico with comments on the rare _hyla bistincta_ cope. proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , pls. - , april . . new tailless amphibia from mexico. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , may . . a new genus and species of mexican frogs. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , june . . new or unusual mexican amphibians. amer. mus. novitates, : - , december . _transmitted december , ._ university of kansas publications museum of natural history institutional libraries interested in publications exchange may obtain this series by addressing the exchange librarian, university of kansas library, lawrence, kansas. copies for individuals, persons working in a particular field of study, may be obtained by addressing instead the museum of natural history, university of kansas, lawrence, kansas. there is no provision for sale of this series by the university library, which meets institutional requests, or by the museum of natural history, which meets the requests of individuals. nevertheless, when individuals request copies from the museum, cents should be included, for each separate number that is pages or more in length, for the purpose of defraying the costs of wrapping and mailing. * an asterisk designates those numbers of which the museum's supply (not the library's supply) is exhausted. numbers published to date, in this series, are as follows: vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . *vol. . (complete) mammals of washington. by walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text. april , . vol. . * . the avifauna of micronesia, its origin, evolution, and distribution. by rollin h. baker. pp. - , figures in text. june , . * . a quantitative study of the nocturnal migration of birds. by george h. lowery, jr. pp. - , figures in text. june , . . phylogeny of the waxwings and allied birds. by m. dale arvey. pp. - , figures in text, tables. october , . * . birds from the state of veracruz, mexico. by george h. lowery, jr., and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text, tables. october , . index. pp. - . *vol. . (complete) american weasels. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , plates, figures in text. december , . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . *vol. . (complete) mammals of utah, _taxonomy and distribution_. by stephen d. durrant. pp. - , figures in text, tables. august , . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . * . speciation of the wandering shrew. by james s. findley. pp. - , figures in text. december , . . additional records and extension of ranges of mammals from utah. by stephen d. durrant, m. raymond lee, and richard m. hansen. pp. - . december , . . a new long-eared myotis (myotis evotis) from northeastern mexico. by rollin h. baker and howard j. stains. pp. - . december , . . subspeciation in the meadow mouse, microtus pennsylvanicus, in wyoming. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . the condylarth genus ellipsodon. by robert w. wilson. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . additional remains of the multituberculate genus eucosmodon. by robert w. wilson. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . mammals of coahulia, mexico. by rollin h. baker. pp. - , figures in text. june , . . comments on the taxonomic status of apodemus peninsulae, with description of a new subspecies from north china. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - , figure in text, table. august , . . extensions of known ranges of mexican bats. by sydney anderson. pp. - . august , . . a new bat (genus leptonycteris) from coahulia. by howard j. stains. pp. - . january , . . a new species of pocket gopher (genus pappogeomys) from jalisco, mexico. by robert j. russell. pp. - . january , . . geographic variation in the pocket gopher, thomomys bottae, in colorado. by phillip m. youngman. pp. - , figures in text. february , . . new bog lemming (genus synaptomys) from nebraska. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - . may , . . pleistocene bats from san josecito cave, nuevo león, méxico. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - . december , . . new subspecies of the rodent baiomys from central america. by robert l. packard. pp. - . december , . . mammals of the grand mesa, colorado. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figure in text, may , . . distribution, variation, and relationships of the montane vole, microtus montanus. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figures in text, tables. august , . . conspecificity of two pocket mice, perognathus goldmani and p. artus. by e. raymond hall and marilyn bailey ogilvie. pp. - , map. january , . . records of harvest mice, reithrodontomys, from central america, with description of a new subspecies from nicaragua. by sydney anderson and j. knox jones, jr. pp. - . january , . . small carnivores from san josecito cave (pleistocene), nuevo león, méxico. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , figure in text. january , . . pleistocene pocket gophers from san josecito cave, nuevo león, méxico. by robert j. russell. pp. - , figure in text. january , . . review of the insectivores of korea. by j. knox jones, jr., and david h. johnson. pp. - . february , . . speciation and evolution of the pygmy mice, genus baimoys. by robert l. packard. pp. - , plates, figures in text. june , . index. pp. - vol. . . studies of birds killed in nocturnal migration. by harrison b. tordoff and robert m. mengel. pp. - , figures in text, tables. september , . . comparative breeding behavior of ammospiza caudacuta and a. maritima. by glen e. woolfenden. pp. - , plates, figure. december , . . the forest habitat of the university of kansas natural history reservation. by henry s. fitch and ronald r. mcgregor. pp. - , plates, figures in text, tables. december , . . aspects of reproduction and development in the prairie vole (microtus ochrogaster). by henry s. fitch. pp. - , figures in text, tables. december , . . birds found on the arctic slope of northern alaska. by james w. bee. pp. - , plates - , figure in text. march , . * . the wood rats of colorado: distribution and ecology. by robert b. finley, jr. pp. - , plates, figures in text, tables. november , . . home ranges and movements of the eastern cottontail in kansas. by donald w. janes. pp. - , plates, figures in text. may , . . natural history of the salamander, aneides hardyi. by richard f. johnston and gerhard a. schad. pp. - . october , . . a new subspecies of lizard, cnemidophorus sacki, from michoacán, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . a taxonomic study of the middle american snake, pituophis deppei. by william e. duellman. pp. - , plate, figure in text. may , . index. pp. - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . . functional morphology of three bats: sumops, myotis, macrotus. by terry a. vaughan. pp. - , plates, figures in text. july , . * . the ancestry of modern amphibia: a review of the evidence. by theodore h. eaton, jr. pp. - , figures in text. july , . . the baculum in microtine rodents. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figures in text. february , . * . a new order of fishlike amphibia from the pennsylvanian of kansas. by theodore h. eaton, jr., and peggy lou stewart. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . natural history of the bell vireo. by jon c. barlow. pp. - , figures in text. march , . . two new pelycosaurs from the lower permian of oklahoma. by richard c. fox. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . vertebrates from the barrier island of tamaulipas, méxico. by robert k. selander, richard f. johnston, b. j. wilks, and gerald g. raun. pp. - , pls. - . june , . . teeth of edestid sharks. by theodore h. eaton, jr. pp. - , figures in text. october , . more numbers will appear in volume . vol. . . five natural hybrid combinations in minnows (cyprinidae). by frank b. cross and w. l. minckley. pp. - . june , . . a distributional study of the amphibians of the isthmus of tehuantepec, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. august , . . a new subspecies of the slider turtle (pseudemys scripta) from coahulia, méxico. by john m. legler. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. august , . . autecology of the copperhead. by henry s. fitch. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. november , . . occurrence of the garter snake, thamnophis sirtalis, in the great plains and rocky mountains. by henry s. fitch and t. paul maslin. pp. - , figures in text. february , . . fishes of the wakarusa river in kansas. by james e. deacon and artie l. metcalf. pp. - , figure in text. february , . . geographic variation in the north american cyprinid fish, hybopsis gracilis. by leonard j. olund and frank b. cross. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. february , . . descriptions of two species of frogs, genus ptychohyla; studies of american hylid frogs, v. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pl. , figures in text. april , . . fish populations, following a drought, in the neosho and marais des cygnes rivers of kansas. by james everett deacon. pp. - , pls. - , figs. august , . . recent soft-shelled turtles of north america (family trionychidae). by robert g. webb. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text, february , . index. pp. - . vol. . . neotropical bats from western méxico. by sydney anderson. pp. - . october , . . geographic variation in the harvest mouse. reithrodontomys megalotis, on the central great plains and in adjacent regions. by j. knox jones, jr., and b. mursaloglu. pp. - , figure in text. july , . . mammals of mesa verde national park, colorado. by sydney anderson. pp. - , pls. and , figures in text. july , . . a new subspecies of the black myotis (bat) from eastern mexico. by e. raymond hall and ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . north american yellow bats, "dasypterus," and a list of the named kinds of the genus lasiurus gray. by e. raymond hall and j. knox jones, jr. pp. - , figures in text. december , . . natural history of the brush mouse (peromyscus boylii) in kansas with description of a new subspecies. by charles a. long. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . taxonomic status of some mice of the peromyscus boylii group in eastern mexico, with description of a new subspecies. by ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . a new subspecies of ground squirrel (spermophilus spilosoma) from tamaulipas, mexico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - . march , . . taxonomic status of the free-tailed bat, tadarida yucatanica miller. by j. knox jones, jr., and ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. march , . . a new doglike carnivore, genus cynaretus, from the clarendonian pliocene, of texas. by e. raymond hall and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text. april , . . a new subspecies of wood rat (neotoma) from northeastern mexico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - . april , . . noteworthy mammals from sinaloa, mexico. by j. knox jones, jr., ticul alvarez, and m. raymond lee. pp. - , figure in text. may , . . a new bat (myotis) from mexico. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , figure in text. may , . . the mammals of veracruz. by e. raymond hall and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures. may , . . the recent mammals of tamaulipas, méxico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - , figures in text. may , . more numbers will appear in volume . vol. . . the amphibians and reptiles of michoacán, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. december , . . some reptiles and amphibians from korea. by robert g. webb, j. knox jones, jr., and george w. byers. pp. - . january , . . a new species of frog (genus tomodactylus) from western méxico. by robert g. webb. pp. - , figure in text. march , . . type specimens of amphibians and reptiles in the museum of natural history, the university of kansas. by william e. duellman and barbara berg. pp. - . october , . . amphibians and reptiles of the rainforests of southern el petén, guatemala. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. october , . . a revision of snakes of the genus conophis (family colubridae, from middle america). by john wellman. pp. - , figures in text. october , . . a review of the middle american tree frogs of the genus ptychohyla. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. october , . more numbers will appear in volume . * * * * * * * transcriber's notes. this file was derived from scanned images. with the exception of the list of typographical errors that were corrected below, the original text is presented. in the original, the plates were grouped together between pages and . here the illustration: block which contains the text associated with the plates were moved just above the text in their respective systematic account listing. the plate text contain the notation "× " after the caption to let the reader know that the image was enlarged by a factor of two. typographical errors corrected: several minor typographical corrections were made (missing periods, commas, misspelling of 'and', etc.); but are not indicated here. more substantial changes are listed below: references to the plate (audiograms): pl. a, pl. b, etc.=> pl. a, pl. b, etc. page , paragraph : know => known page , paragraph : zoolegy => zoology page , paragraph : speces => species page , paragraph : excresences => excrescences page , paragraph : xiphisterum => xiphisternum page , paragraph : with => width page , paragraph : leonhard-schultzei => leonhardschultzei to match remaining report text page , paragraph : skelton => skeleton publication list vol. , no. .: decriptions => descriptions the harlequin opal a romance by fergus hume _author of "the island of fantasy," "aladdin in london," etc._ volume i once a realm of indian glory, famed in aztec song and story, fabled by tradition hoary as an earthly paradise; now a land of love romances, serenades, bolero dances, looks of scorn, adoring glances, under burning tropic skies. london w. h. allen & co., limited , waterloo place, s.w. wyman and sons, limited, london and redhill. proem. the stone had its birth in the nurturing earth. its home in the heart of the main, from the coraline caves it was tossed by the waves on the breast of an aureate plain; and the spirits who dwell in the nethermost hell stored fire in its bosom of white; the sylphs of the air made it gracious and fair with the blue of the firmament's height. the dull gnomes i ween, gave it glittering sheen. till yellow as gold it became: the nymphs of the sea made the opal to be a beacon of emerald flame. the many tints glow, they come and they go at bidding of spirits abhorr'd, when one ray is bright, in the bosom of white, its hue tells the fate of its lord. for yellow hints wealth, and blue meaneth health, while green forbodes passing of gloom, but beware of the red, 'tis an omen of dread, portending disaster and doom. transcriber's note: minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed. words printed in italics are noted with underscores: _italics_. the cover of this ebook was created by the transcriber and is hereby placed in the public domain. index. chap. page i.--chums ii.--the devil stone iii.--"the bohemian" iv.--in the track of columbus v.--don miguel is communicative vi.--chalchuih tlatonac vii.--dolores viii.--viva el republica ix.--the call to arms x.--padre ignatius xi.--the drama of little things xii.--a strange disappearance the harlequin opal. chapter i. chums. long years have passed since last we met, and left their marks of teen and fret; no longer faces plump and smooth, proclaim the halcyon days of youth. but haggard looks and tresses white betray the ardour of the fight; the same old friends: we meet once more-- but not the merry boys of yore. "it is a great mistake," said sir philip cassim, looking doubtfully at the piece of paper lying on his desk; "then we were foolish boys, now we are--i trust sensible men. certainly it is a great mistake." the piece of paper was yellow with age, a trifle grimy, and so worn with constant foldings, that it was wonderful the four quarters had not long since parted company, as had the four friends, each of whom carried a similar piece in his pocket-book. often in his wanderings had sir philip pondered over that untidy boyish scribble setting forth the foolish promise, which he now, half regretfully, characterised as "a great mistake." "bedford grammar school, "_ th july, ._ "if we live and are in good health, we promise faithfully to meet at philip's house, in portman square, london, on the twenty-fourth day of july, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine, at seven o'clock in the evening. "(signed) "philip winthorp cassim, john duval, peter paul grench, timothy terence patrick fletcher." "that is quite fifteen years ago," said cassim, smoothing the frail paper with tender fingers; "now it is the twenty-fourth day of july in the year eighty-nine. six o'clock! i wonder if any of them will turn up. jack is an engineer, building railways and bridges in china. peter, as a respectable physician, doses invalids in devonshire. special correspondent tim, the stormy petrel of war, wires lies to london newspapers. i--i am a mere idler, given to wanderings among the tombs of dead civilisations. peter may come. it means only a short railway journey to him; but jack and tim are probably thousands of miles away. still, as i came from the guinea coast to meet them, they certainly ought not to miss the appointment. this is the day, the place, the hour, and i have prepared the fatted calf, of which they will partake--if they turn up. pshaw! i am a fool to think they will come. they have, no doubt, quite forgotten this boyish freak. perhaps it is best so. it is a great mistake to arrange a meeting fifteen years ahead. father time is too fond of strange surprises." rising from his chair, he paced slowly to and fro with folded arms, and bent head, the droop of this latter being somewhat dejected. the idea that he was about to meet his old schoolfellows rendered him pensive, and a trifle regretful. many years had passed since those halcyon days of youth, and, oh, the difference between now and then! he could hardly avoid speculating on their certain mutation. had the wand of time changed those merry lads into staid men? would jack still be ambitious as of yore? tim's jokes were famous in the old days; but now, perchance, he found life too serious for jesting. then peter's butterflies! how often they had laughed at his entomological craze. now, doubtless, he was more taken up with pills and patients. and himself,--he had out-lived his youthful enthusiasms, more's the pity. no wonder he felt pensive at the thought of such changes. retrospection is a saddening faculty. cassim grew weary of these pessimistic fancies, and pausing in front of the fireplace, surveyed himself long and critically in the mirror. it reflected a dark, handsome face, reddened by the saltness of wind and wave, boldly cut features, and melancholy eyes. those eyes of philip's were somewhat misleading, as they suggested a poetic nature, steeped in sentimentalism, whereas he was a remarkably matter-of-fact young man, inclined to scoff at the romantic tendencies of his fellow-creatures. by no means expansive or apt to unbosom himself to his friends, this reticence, in conjunction with his romantic appearance, entirely deceived the world as to his true character. his byronism lay in looks, rather than in actions. "thirty is by no means old," mused sir philip, absently stroking his moustache, "if anything, it errs on the side of youth, yet i look close on a hundred. dark people never do wear well. tim is five years older than i, peter past thirty-three, but it's probable they look younger than i do. as to jack--well, jack is an infant of twenty-eight summers, and i suspect has altered but little. they would hardly recognise me. possibly i shall have considerable difficulty in recognising them." he resumed his walk and his soliloquy, reverting therein to his first idea. "this meeting is a mistake. beyond the fact that we were at school together, we have nothing in common about which to converse. different lives, different ideas. we will simply bore one another. perhaps they are married. peter was just the kind of boy who would grow into a domesticated man. jack was romantic, and has probably been captured by a pretty face. tim! i'm not so sure about tim. i fancy he is still a bachelor like myself!" it was his own fault that such was the case, as many a maiden would have gladly married sir philip and his kentish acres. the baronet, however, with but little predisposition to matrimony, fought shy of the marriage ring, and preferred his yacht to all the beauties in christendom. on rare occasions, he showed himself in belgravia drawing-rooms, but in the main loved the masculine seclusion of his club, and the lurching deck of _the bohemian_. it may be that some of his remote ancestors had intermarried with the romany, and thus introduced a strain of wandering blood into the family; but certain it was that sir philip cassim, in place of being a steady-going country squire, was an irreclaimable arab in the matter of vagrancy. cases of atavism occur in the most respectable families. his nomadic instincts lured him into the dark places of the earth, and, as a rule, he preferred these to the more civilised portions. humanity in the rough is more interesting than humanity veneered with culture, and in seeking such primevalism, sir philip explored many of those barbaric lands which gird our comfortable civilisation. peru he knew better than piccadilly; st. james's street was unknown territory to him compared with his knowledge of japan, and if his yacht was not skirting the treacherous new zealand coast, she was certainly battling with the giant billows off the horn. hating conventionalism, and the _leges non scriptæ_ of london society, this vagabond by predilection rarely dwelt in the portman square family mansion. when he did pay a visit to town, he usually camped out--so to speak, in a club bedroom, and before his friends knew of his whereabouts, would flit away without warning, and be next heard of at pernambuco, or somewhere about madagascar. on this special occasion, however, he occupied his town house for the purpose of keeping the appointment made with his three friends fifteen years before on the banks of the ouse. on this account, and to avoid the trouble of hiring servants for the few days of his stay, he brought his stewards up from the yacht. these, accustomed to such emergencies, owing to sir philip's whimsical mode of life, speedily rendered a few rooms habitable, and prepared the dinner, which was to celebrate the re-union of the quartette. it seemed strange that cassim should take all this trouble to fulfil a boyish promise, but as he was a man who did not make friends easily, and moreover was beginning to weary of solitary wanderings, he greatly inclined to a renewal of these youthful friendships. besides, he cherished a kindly memory of his old school-fellows, and looked forward with genuine pleasure to meeting them again. yet, as his latter reason savoured of sentimentalism, he would not admit of its existence even to himself--it clashed with his convictions that life was not worth living. despite the fact that he was a cosmopolitan, philip's nature, impressionable in the extreme, was deeply tinged with the prevailing pessimism of the day. he professed that facile disbelief in everything and in everyone, which is so easy to acquire, so difficult to relinquish. human nature he mistrusted, friendship he scoffed at, and was always on his guard against those with whom he came in contact. thus living entirely within, and for himself, the real geniality of his disposition became encrusted with the barnacles of a selfish philosophy. this _noli me tangere_ creed isolated him from his fellow-creatures--with the result that while he possessed many acquaintances he had no real friends. thus he created his own misery, he inflicted his own punishment. adopting as his motto the saying of the oxford fine gentleman, "nothing's new! nothing's true, and no matter," cassim schooled himself to suppress all outward signs of feeling, and passed through life with a pretended indifference to the things of this world. pretended! because he really felt deeply and suffered acutely, though pride forbade his showing aught of such mental disturbances to those around him. perhaps, in seeing so much of the world, he had early exhausted all emotion; but he certainly surveyed everything from dan to beersheba with calm indifference. the real man was a genial, kind-hearted creature; the false, a frigidly cold person who accepted all things with ostentatious stoicism. he was by no means popular with men, as they greatly resented his reserve and haughty demeanour; but women professed to find him charming. probably they, with the subtle instinct of their sex, saw below the mask of feigned cynicism, and judged him by what he was, not by what he appeared to be. certainly he never laid himself out to gain their good opinion. he rarely troubled to make himself agreeable; he was not a marrying man (than which there can be no worse crime in a woman's eyes), and led a solitary, vagrant existence; yet, in spite of such social disqualifications, women were his best friends, and defended him loyally from the clumsy sneers of his own sex. assuredly he should have married, if only out of gratitude for such championship; but he preferred a single life, and in the main eschewed female society. withal he was not inclined to undervalue either his personal appearance or his mental capacity. no mean classical scholar, he seldom passed a day without dipping into the charming pages of horace or catullus. of the two he preferred the veronese, who with heine and poe formed his favourite trio of poets, from which names it can be seen that sir philip had a taste for the fantastic in literature. he was conversant with three or four modern languages, and was especially familiar with the noble tongue of castille. a man who can read "don quixote" in the original is somewhat of a rarity in england. those of philip's acquaintances who could induce him to talk literature and art formed an excellent opinion of his abilities. moreover, he was unique in one respect. he had circumnavigated the globe, yet had refrained from writing a book of travel. as to his personal appearance, it was as smart and spruce as that of his yacht. only those who know how a crack yacht is cherished by her owner can thoroughly understand this comparison. in spite of his solitary existence, philip was always careful of the outward man, and this attention to his toilet was a notable trait of his character. yet he was by no means effeminate, foppish, or finical. to sum up, he was a well-dressed, well-bred, cultured englishman--who had all the qualities--mental, personal, and physical--fitting him to shine with no mean lustre in society, yet he preferred to live the life of a nautical hermit--if such a thing be possible. walking constantly to and fro, he glanced every now and then at the clock, the large hand of which was close on seven. given that all three guests were within a measurable distance of the rendezvous, he began to calculate, from what he knew of their idiosyncrasies, which one of them would be the first to arrive. "i am certain it will be peter," decided cassim, after due reflection; "neat, orderly, punctual peter, who never missed a lesson, and never came late to class. tim is careless! jack is whimsical! if anyone arrives, it will be dr. peter paul grench. and," he added, as the bell rang, "here he is." his prognostication proved to be correct, for in a few minutes the door of the study opened to admit a precise little gentleman, in whom philip had no difficulty in recognising his quondam schoolfellow. it was a trifle larger peter--it was peter in evening dress, twirling a pince-nez--peter with mutton-chop whiskers and a bald head; but it was undeniably peter paul grench, of bedford grammar school. "'the child,'" quoth philip, advancing to meet his guest, "'is father to the man.' it is just on seven, and you, peter, keep your fifteen-year-old appointment to the minute. i am delighted to see you." "i am sure the feeling is reciprocal," responded dr. grench, primly, as he grasped the baronet's hand; "it is indeed a pleasure to meet an old schoolfellow after these many years." peter spoke in a johnsonian manner, but his words were genuine enough and under the influence of this natural emotion, for the moment he forgot his primness. after a time, however, habit asserted its influence over nature, and grench resumed his buckram civilities, while philip, also recovering himself, relapsed into his usual nonchalant manners. "so you kept this appointment, after all," said cassim, as they settled themselves for a confidential conversation; "i thought it possible you might have forgotten about it." "by no means," answered grench, producing a piece of paper similar to that of philip's. "i have often looked at this, and always intended, unless prevented by disease or death, to meet my old schoolfellows as agreed. here we are, my dear friend; but tim and jack?" "may be at the other end of the world, for all i know," responded the baronet, carelessly. "special correspondents and engineers are the wandering jews of to-day. still, as i came from the guinea coast for this appointment, they will surely not grudge a lengthy journey for a similar purpose." "tim is in london," said peter, unexpectedly. "ah!" remarked philip, manifesting but little surprise, "you have seen him, then?" "no! since we parted at bedford i have seen none of you; but i have heard of all three." "nothing good of me, i am afraid," said cassim, with that amiable belief in his fellow-creatures which made them love him so. "nothing bad, at all events," answered peter, serenely. "you are constantly travelling; you are still a bachelor; you open your heart to no one, and judge the world as though you were not its denizen." "which last remark is stolen from la rochefoucauld. yes! your description is accurate if not original. however, let us not talk of philip cassim. i am terribly tired of him. what about jack and tim?" "of jack i know nothing, save that he was last heard of in india. tim, however, wrote to me the other day saying _he_ intended to keep this appointment. concerning his life, he volunteered no information." "so like tim! his private correspondence was always unsatisfactory. i like his newspaper letters however; the descriptions are so bright and vivid--plenty of gunpowder and adventure. certainly tim makes an excellent war correspondent. i wonder if he still has that strong brogue." "surely not. when he came to bedford, he was fresh from ireland; but now that he has been travelling so much, he must have lost his pronounced irishisms." "i'm not so sure of that," said philip, with a smile, "tim is irish of the irish. i believe he loves his brogue. you can't educate the race nature out of a man. believe me, my dear peter, tim will be as noisy and as warm-hearted as of yore. i am very fond of tim." "yet i should think tim, such as you describe him, would be the last person to suit a fastidious individual such as yourself." "come now, peter, i am not quite so hypercritical as all that. besides, tim, with all his noise and brogue, is a thorough gentleman. it is your veneered person i object to. however, tim may have changed. meanwhile what about yourself?" "like canning's knife-grinder, i have no story to tell. when i left bedford i went to cambridge--afterwards came to london. passed my examinations, walked the hospitals, took my degree, and hearing that a doctor was wanted down at barnstaple, i went there. for some years i practised with more or less success. then i retired to give----" "retired!" interrupted philip, in surprise. "have you made your fortune?" "by no means. country doctors never make fortunes. no! i inherit five hundred a year from my father, and as there is no necessity for me to physic people for a livelihood, i devote myself----" "to sticking pins through unoffending butterflies!" "now, how did you guess that?" asked the little doctor, in mild surprise. "easily enough. you had a butterfly and beetle mania at school. if i remember rightly, we rolled you in nettles to cure you of entomology. boys don't relish scientific urchins. so you are still at it. but five hundred a year and beetles. peter, you are not ambitious." "no," assented grench, simply; "i am not at all ambitious. my entomology gives me great pleasure, or why should i not enjoy myself in my own way? ah, philip, you do not know what true enjoyment is." "certainly not--if it's butterflies." "to see one of the callidryas species for the first time is indeed a pleasure," said peter, beaming with scientific rapture. "then the papilios, the hesperidæ and the red timitis----" "oh, oh!" yawned philip, stretching himself, "how dry it sounds." "dry!" echoed peter, indignantly; "the most fascinating pursuit in the world." philip looked kindly at the little man who appeared to be so satisfied with his simple pleasures. "decidedly, peter, you are a happy person. come with me on a cruise, and i will introduce you to the paradise of butterflies. tropical america, peter, where the insects are like flying flowers. green butterflies, purple beetles, gilded moths----" "oh!" cried peter, opening his eyes with delight, "i should like to go to south america. i would find a peculiar species there, the heliconidæ. why, philip, if only----" "hark! there's the bell," exclaimed cassim, rising with alacrity, rather thankful to escape peter's lecture. "is it jack or tim?" "tim," said peter, promptly, "no one else would ring so violently." "where did ye say they were?" cried a hearty irish voice half way up the stairs. "that settles it," remarked philip, comically, as he opened the door; "no two persons can possess such a strong brogue." and tim it was. tim, large and burly, roaring like a bull of bashan, who hurled himself into the room, and flung himself on philip's neck. "my dear friend! my dear boy!" he thundered, squeezing cassim in his athletic embrace, "it's glad i am to see you." "gently, tim, gently," gasped philip, helpless in the hug of this bear; "don't crush me to a jelly." "and peter!" exclaimed tim, releasing the baronet to pounce on the doctor, "you fat little man, how splendid you look." warned by the fate of philip, the doctor skilfully evaded the embrace of the giant, and tim was only able to demonstrate his affection by a handgrip. he threw all his soul into this latter, and peter's face wrinkled up like a monkey's with pain. it was like a fly struggling with an elephant, and philip, thoroughly roused from his ordinary placidity, laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks. "as soon as you've quite done murdering us, tim," he said, placing a chair between himself and his too demonstrative friend, "perhaps you'll give your hat and coat to the servant." tim, who had rushed upstairs without pause, meekly delivered the articles in question to the servant, who stood grinning at the door. looking on this respectful grin as a liberty, philip frowned at the poor man, who thereupon vanished, while tim, overcome by his late exertions, fell so heavily into a chair that the room rocked. "phew!" he said, wiping his heated brow, "it's hot. i am, anyhow." "that's scarcely to be wondered at," returned cassim dryly, "considering the enthusiasm of your greeting." "and why not?" retorted tim, with the broadest of brogues; "am i not glad to see you both?" "of course; and we are glad to see you," said peter, examining his crushed hand; "but you needn't maim us for life." tim roared with laughter in the most unfeeling manner, and cassim, with a smile, placed his hand on the giant's shoulder. "the same noisy tim as of old," he said kindly; "you were a large boy, tim, and now you are a large man. i wouldn't have recognised you, though, save for the brogue. it's as strong as ever." "that's true, anyhow," acknowledged fletcher placing his huge paw on philip's slender hand as it rested on his shoulder. "wasn't i but one term at the school, and that didn't turn it into cockney speaking. besides, i've been to cork since." "to freshen up the accent, i suppose," said grench, with the air of a man who has made a cutting remark; "but a special correspondent should know more than one language." "especially if the language is irish," finished cassim, mischievously. "get along with you," replied tim, with a twinkle in his eye; "why, it's a polyglot i am, french, italian, spanish, and a touch of arabic. i can tell lies in any one of them. so here you are, lads. where's jack?" "lord knows!" "he was in south america when i heard last; but i'll go bail he'll turn up soon. what is the time?" "half-past seven," rejoined peter, consulting an eminently respectable watch of the family physician species. tim took out his piece of paper from a pocket-book commensurate to his size, and smoothed it carefully with his huge hand. "seven's the hour, and jack's late. i never knew him early yet." "well, you were not renowned for punctuality at school, tim!" "true for you, philip, and many's the hearing i've had for that same. but this is a special occasion, and jack should be punctual. confound him." "oh, he'll be here shortly," said cassim, shrugging his shoulders. "we have plenty to talk about until he arrives. how are you, tim? but i needn't ask, you look like the giant goribuster." "six foot five in my stockings," replied tim, complacently; "and a good thing it is for me that same. special corresponding isn't knocking about the world in a gentleman's yacht, sir." "or collecting butterflies," added philip, with a sly smile at peter. "are you at that rubbish still, peter?" "of course i am," answered peter, in mild surprise; "in fact, since my father left me five hundred a year, i've devoted myself entirely to entomology." "and to eating!" said tim, with a grin. "why, peter, you've a paunch like a priest." "oh, really!" began peter, scandalised; but his further protestations were drowned in the laughter of philip, on hearing which tim nodded approvingly. "come now, my dear friend, that's better. you are more like a christian than when i last saw you." "at bedford?" inquired philip, still smiling. "no! in london--no less. didn't i see you at the theatre six months ago, looking for all the world as if you were attending your own funeral?" "why didn't you speak to me?" "you looked so supercilious and stand-off-the-grass like that i couldn't bring myself to it at all." "you idiot!" said philip, colouring with vexation. "you know i am always glad to see you." "is that a chinese invitation, philip?" "no; i assure you, tim. don't think me such a prig. why, i came all the way from the guinea coast just to meet you." "it's a fine boy you are," said tim, stretching out his huge hand; "it's only joking i am. if you didn't recognise an old friend, it's thrashing you i'd be, as once i did at school." "if i remember rightly, it was you who had the worst of that little encounter," retorted philip, gripping tim's hand strongly. "it was a draw," said peter, suddenly; "i remember the fight quite well. but we can talk of these things again. i want to know what tim is doing." "and this is fame," grunted tim, nodding his head. "haven't you seen my letters about the soudan war to _the morning planet_, and my account of the transvaal ructions? am i not a special correspondent, you ignorant little person?" "oh yes, yes; i know all that," replied peter, impatiently; "but tell us about your life." "isn't that my life, sir? when i left school, i went to ireland and became a reporter. then i was taken up by a paper in london, and went to the soudan--afterwards to burmah, where i was nearly drowned in the irriwaddy. they know me in algiers and morocco. now i've just returned from burmah, where i parted with my dear friend, pho sa. he's in glory now--rest his soul! they hanged him for being a dacoit, poor devil." "you seem to have been all over the world, tim," said philip, when the irishman stopped for breath, "it's queer i never knocked up against you." "why, you never stayed one day in one place. that boat of yours is a kind of flying dutchman." "not a bit of it; she has doubled the cape lots of times. i was just trying to persuade peter to take a cruise with me." "i am seriously thinking of the advisability of doing so," observed peter, judiciously selecting his words. "are you, indeed, mr. lindley murray. well, if philip asks me, i'll come too." "will you really, tim?" asked philip, eagerly. "of course i will. there's no war on at present, and i'm not busy. if those squabbling south american republics don't come to blows again, i'll be free for six months, more or less." "then come with me, by all means." "i tell you what," observed peter, who had been thinking; "jack, if he turns up at all, will have travelled home from south america. let us take him back in philip's yacht." "that's not a bad idea anyhow," from tim, patting peter's head, a familiarity much resented by the family physician. "you've got brains under this bald spot." "i am quite agreeable, provided jack turns up," said sir philip, yawning; "but it is now eight o'clock, and i'm hungry. it's no use waiting any longer for jack, so i vote we have dinner." "he'll arrive in the middle of it," said grench, as cassim touched the bell. "jack was never in time, or tim either." "don't be taking away my character, you mosquito," cried tim, playfully, "or i'll put you on the top of the bookcase there. it's a mighty little chap you are, peter!" "well, we can't all be giants!" retorted peter, resentfully. "i'm tall enough for what i want to do." "collecting butterflies! you don't know the value of time, sir. come along with me to the dining-room." and, in spite of peter's struggles, he picked him up like a baby, and carried him as far as the study door. indeed, he would have carried him into the dining-room had not the presence of the servant restrained him. tim had no idea of the dignity of the medical profession. the servant intimated that dinner was ready, so the three friends sat down to the meal rather regretting that jack was not present to complete the quartette. just as they finished their soup the servant announced-- "mr. duval!" simultaneously the three sprang up from the table, and on looking towards the door beheld a tall young fellow, arrayed in tweeds, standing on the threshold. "jack!" they cried, rushing towards him with unbounded delight. "jack duval!" "my dear boys," said jack, his voice shaking with emotion; "my dear old friends." chapter ii. the devil stone. spirits dwelling in the zone of the changeful devil stone, pray ye say what destiny is prepared by fate for me. doth the doubtful future hold poverty or mickle gold, fortune's smile, or fortune's frown, beggar's staff, or monarch's crown? shall i wed, or live alone, spirits of the devil stone? see the colours come and go, thus foreboding joy and woe; burns the red, the blue is seen, yellow glows and flames the green, like a rainbow in the sky, mingle tints capriciously, till the writhing of the hues, sense and brain and eye confuse, prophet priest can read alone omens of the devil stone. having finished dinner, they repaired to the library, and there made themselves comfortable with coffee and tobacco. emotion at meeting one another after the lapse of so many years had by no means deprived them of their appetites, and they all did full justice to the excellent fare provided by philip's cook. so busy were they in this respect that during the meal conversation waxed somewhat desultory, and it was not until comfortably seated in the library that they found time for a thoroughly exhaustive confabulation. for this purpose the quartette drew their chairs close together, and proceeded to incense the goddess nicotina, of whom they were all devotees save peter. he said that tobacco was bad for the nerves, especially when in the guise of cigarettes, which last shaft was aimed at philip, who particularly affected those evil little dainties abhorred by dr. grench. jack and tim, to mark their contempt for peter's counter-blast, produced well-coloured meerschaum pipes, which had circumnavigated the globe in their pockets. whereat peter, despairing of making proselytes, held his tongue and busied himself with his coffee--very weak coffee, with plenty of milk and no sugar. "what an old woman you have become, peter," said cassim, watching all this caution with languid interest. "you have positively no redeeming vices. but you won't live any the longer for such self-denial. tim, there, with his strong coffee and stronger tobacco, will live to bury you." "tim suffers from liver!" observed peter, serenely making a side attack. "what!" roared tim, indignantly, "is it me you mean? why, i never had a touch of liver in my life." "you'll have it shortly, then," retorted peter, with a pitying smile. "i'm a doctor, you know, peter, and i can see at a glance that you are a mass of disease." all this time jack had spoken very little. he alone of the party was not seated, but leaned against the mantelpiece, pipe in mouth, with a far-away look in his eyes. while tim and peter wrangled over the ailments of the former, philip, lying back luxuriously in his chair, surveyed his old schoolfellow thoughtfully through a veil of smoke. he saw a greater change in jack than in the other two. in truth, duval was well worth looking at, for, without being the ideal greek god of romance, he was undeniably a handsome young man. tim had the advantage of him in height and size, but jack's lean frame and iron muscles would carry him successfully through greater hardships than could the irishman's uncultivated strength. jack could last for days in the saddle; he could sustain existence on the smallest quantity of food compatible with actual life; he could endure all disagreeables incidental to a pioneer existence with philosophical resignation, and altogether presented an excellent type of the anglo-saxon race in its colonising capacity. certainly the special correspondent had, in the interests of his profession, undergone considerable hardships with fair success; but tim was too fond of pampering his body when among the fleshpots of egypt, whereas jack, constantly in the van of civilisation subjugating wildernesses, had no time to relapse into luxurious living. the spirit was willing enough, but the flesh had no chance of indulging. his face, bronzed by tropic suns, his curly yellow locks, his jauntily curled moustache, and a certain reckless gleam in his blue eyes, made him look like one of those dare-devil, elizabethan seamen who thrashed the dons on the spanish main. man of action as he was, fertile in expedients, and constantly on the alert for possible dangers, jack duval was eminently fitted for the profession which he had chosen, and could only endure existence in the desert places of the world. this huge london, with its sombre skies, its hurrying crowds, its etiquette of civilisation, was by no means to his taste, and already he was looking forward with relief to the time when he would once more be on his way to the vivid, careless, dangerous life of the frontier. philip admired his friend's masculine thoroughness, and could not help comparing himself disadvantageously with the young engineer. yet cassim was no weakling of the boudoir; he also had sailed stormy seas, had dared the unknown where nature fights doggedly with man for the preservation of her virgin solitudes. still, withal, jack was a finer man than he was. what were his luxurious travels, his antarctic explorations, in comparison with the actual hardships undergone by this dauntless pioneer of civilisation? jack was one who did some good in the world; but as for himself--well, philip did not care about pursuing the idea to its bitter end, as the sequence could hardly prove satisfactory to his self-love. he irritably threw away his cigarette, moved restlessly in his chair, and finally expressed himself in words. "why do you come here, jack, and make us feel like wastrels? a few hours ago and i rather prided myself on myself; but now you make me feel idle, and lazy, and selfish, and effeminate. it's too bad of you, jack." brains were not duval's strong point, and, unable to understand the meaning of this outburst, he simply stared in vague astonishment at sir philip. tim and the doctor, pausing in their conversation, pricked up their ears, while cassim, paying no attention to this sudden enlargement of his audience, went on speaking, half peevishly, half good-humouredly. "i am the enervated type of an effete civilisation. you, my friend, are the lusty young savage to whom the shaping of the future is given. you are walt whitman's tan-faced man, the incarnation of the dominating anglo-saxon race, ever pushing forward into fresh worlds. as compared with mine, your primæval life is absolutely perfect. the sybarite quails before the clear glance of the child of nature. take me with you into the wilderness, john duval. teach me how to emulate the last of the mohicans. make me as resourceful as robinson crusoe. i am a prematurely old man, jack, and i wish to be a child once more." "what the deuce are you driving at, philip?" asked practical jack. "it's from a book he's writing," suggested tim, with a laugh. "melancholia," hinted peter, who was nothing if not medicinal. philip laughed and lighted a fresh cigarette. duval ran his hand through his curly locks, pulled hard at his pipe, and delivered himself bluntly. "i suppose all that balderdash means that you are tired of london." "very much so." "why, you never stay two days in london," said peter, in astonishment. "neither do i. don't i tell you i'm tired of it? be quiet, peter; i can see that jack is on the verge of being delivered of a great idea." "upon my word, that's cute of you, philip," exclaimed jack, admiringly. "yes, i have a scheme to propound, for the carrying out which i need your assistance--in fact, the assistance of all three." "this promises to be an interesting conversation," said cassim, in an animated tone. "proceed, john duval, engineer. what is it you wish us to do?" "i had better begin at the beginning, gentlemen all." "that's generally considered the best way," observed peter, with mild sarcasm. "be quiet! you small pill-box. let jack speak." "as i told you at dinner," said jack, placing his elbows backward on the mantelshelf, "i have been all over the world since i last saw your three faces. china, peru, new zealand, india, turkey--i know all those places, and many others. i have made money; i have lost money; i have had ups and downs; but everywhere i can safely say i've had a good time." "same here," murmured tim, refilling his pipe. "at present i am in central america," pursued jack, taking no notice of the interpolation, "under engagement as a railway engineer to the republic of cholacaca." "cholacaca?" echoed tim, loudly; "isn't it there the row's to take place?" "why, what do you know about it, tim?" "a special correspondent knows a lot of things," returned fletcher, sagely. "go on with the music, my boy. i'll tell you something when you've ended." jack looked hard at tim and hesitated, but philip, curled up luxuriously in his big chair, asked him to proceed. "you're going to tell an arabian night story, jack." "well, it sounds like one." "good! i love romance. it's something about buried cities, and aztecs, and treasure, and the god huitzilopochtli." "oh, bosh! you've been reading prescott." "it seems to me," observed peter, plaintively, "that with all these interruptions we'll never hear the story." "the first that speaks will be crushed," announced tim, glaring around. "if you please, mr. duval, it's waiting we are." jack laughed, and resumed his story. "while i was at tlatonac--that is the capital of the republic--i became mixed up in certain events, political and otherwise. i found i could do nothing i wanted to without assistance; so, as i suddenly remembered our promise to meet here this year, i came straight to london. in fact, i was in such a hurry to find out if you three had remembered the appointment, that i left my luggage at the railway station, and came on by a hansom to portman square. this is the reason i am not in evening dress." "oh, deuce take your evening dress," said philip, irritably; "you might have come in a bathing-towel, for all i cared. i didn't want to see your clothes. i wanted to see you. go on with the story of the buried city." "how do you know my story is about a buried city?" "i never heard a romance of central america that wasn't." "you'll hear one now, then. this isn't about a city--it's concerning a stone." "a stone?" echoed his three listeners. "yes. an opal. a harlequin opal." "and what is a harlequin opal, jack?" "tim, i'm astonished at your ignorance. a special correspondent should know all things. a harlequin opal is one containing all the colours of the rainbow, and a few extra ones besides." "well, jack, and this special opal?" "it's one of the most magnificent jewels in the world." "have you seen it?" jack drew a long breath. "yes; once. great scott, what a gem! you fellows can't conceive its beauty. it is as large as a guinea-hen's egg. milky white, and shooting rays of blue and green, and red and yellow like fireworks. it belonged to montezuma." "i thought those everlasting aztecs would come in," said philip smiling. "well, jack, and what about this stone?" "ah, that's a long story." "what of that? the night's young, and the liquor's plentiful." "i don't mind sitting up all night, if the story is interesting. start at once jack, and don't keep us any longer in suspense. i hate wire-drawn agonies." "a year ago i was pottering about at zacatecas, over a wretched little railway that wasn't worth bothering about. being hard up, i went in for it in default of something better; but meanwhile kept my eyes open to see what i could drop into. after some months, i heard that the republic of cholacaca was about to open up the country with railways, so i thought i'd go there to get a job." "where is cholacaca?" "down yucatan way--not far from guatemala." "oh, i know; looks on to campeche bay." "no; on the other side of the neck. washed by the carribean sea." "i must get you to show it to me on the map," said philip, finding his geographical knowledge at fault. "i have an idea of its whereabouts, but not of its precise locality. meanwhile let us continue your adventures." "when i heard of this prospect at tlatonac," continued jack, without further preamble, "i left zacatecas for mexico, stayed a few days in the capital, to make inquiries about the republic. these proving satisfactory, i went on to vera cruz, and, fortunately, found a coasting-vessel which took me on to cholacaca. considering the ship, i got to my destination pretty sharp. i didn't know a soul in the town when i arrived; but, after a few days, began to pick up a few acquaintances. among these was don miguel maraquando, a wealthy old estanciero. he has great influence in cholacaca, being a member of the junta, and is regarded by many people as the future president of the republic." "that is if don hypolito stands out," said tim, softly. "have you heard----" began jack, when the journalist cut him short. "i've heard many things, my boy. later on i'll tell you all i know." "you seem to be pretty well acquainted with what's going on in cholacaca," said jack, after a few moments' reflection; "but i'll tell my story first, and you can tell yours afterwards. don miguel became a great friend of mine, and i saw a good deal of him while i stayed at tlatonac. he is greatly in favour of this railway, which is to be made from the capital to acauhtzin, a distance of some three hundred and fifty miles. don hypolito xuarez, the leader of the oposidores, objected to the scheme on the ground that it was utterly unnecessary to run a railway to acauhtzin when ships could take goods there by water." "and isn't the man right?" said tim, indignantly; "what's the use of running a railway along the seacoast?" "we'll argue that question later on," replied jack, dryly; "i have my own ideas on the subject, and, as an engineer, i know what i'm talking about. don hypolito's objection sounds all right, i have no doubt; but if you look into the matter you will see he hasn't a leg to stand on. besides, he's only objecting to the railway out of sheer cussedness, because maraquando won't let him marry doña dolores." "ah, ah!" observed philip, who had been listening to the story with great attention, "i was waiting for the inevitable woman to appear on the scene. and who is doña dolores?" "she is maraquando's ward," replied jack, colouring a little. "with whom you are in love?" "i didn't say that philip." "no; but you looked it." peter chuckled, whereat duval turned on him crossly. "i wish you would stop making such a row, peter; i can't hear myself speak." "well, what about doña dolores?" persisted philip, maliciously. "doña dolores," repeated jack, calmly, "is the woman whom i hope to make my wife." at this startling announcement there was a dead silence. "i congratulate you, jack," said cassim, gravely, after a momentary pause. "i hope you will ask us all to your wedding. but what has this story of politics, railways, and love to do with the harlequin opal?" "everything. listen. don hypolito is an ambitious man who wants to become dictator of cholacaca, and rule that republic as dr. francia did paraguay. now, the easiest way in which he can obtain his desire is by marrying dolores." "what! is she the heiress of the republic?" "no; but she is the lawful owner of the chalchuih tlatonac." "what, in heaven's name, is that?" "it means 'the shining precious stone,' in the toltec tongue." "the deuce!" murmured philip, in an amused tone; "we have got past the aztecs." "i suppose this shining precious stone is the harlequin opal?" said peter, inquiringly. "precisely. this celebrated stone is hundreds of years old. tradition says it was the property of quetzalcoatl." "that's the mexican god of the air," said philip who knew all sorts of stray facts. "yes. you've read that in prescott." "no, i didn't. bancroft is my authority. but how did it come into the possession of your doña dolores?" "oh, she is a direct descendant of montezuma." "an aztec princess. jack, you are making a royal match." "i'm afraid there is very little royalty about dolores," replied jack, laughing; "but, as regards this stone. quetzalcoatl gave it to huitzilopochtli." "lord! what names." "when cortez conquered mexico, he found the stone adorning the statue of the war god in his famous teocalli in the city of the aztecs. one of the spanish adventurers stole it, and afterwards married a daughter of montezuma. when she found out that he had the opal, she stole it from him, and went off down south, where she delivered it to some native priest in one of those central american forests." "where it remains still?" "by no means. this woman had a son by the spaniard, a mestizo, as they call this mixture of indian and spanish blood. he, i believe, claimed the stone as his property whereon the high priest of huitzilopochtli proposed to sacrifice him. not being a religious man, he disliked the idea, and ran away, taking the stone with him. he reached the coast, and married a native woman. there they set up a temple on their own account to the god of war, and round it, as time went on, grew a settlement, which was called after the opal 'chalchuih tlatonac.' then the spaniards came and conquered the town, which they rechristened puebla de nuestra señora de la concepcion; but the name didn't catch on, and it is now known by its old indian name of tlatonac. of course there are a good many spaniards there still; descendants of the conquistadores; but the majority of the population are indians." "and what became of the opal?" "well, as the spaniards tried to get hold of it, the indians took it inland to one of their forest retreats. the descendants of montezuma, however, are still supposed to be its guardians, and, when one owner dies, the opal is brought secretly to tlatonac, and shown to the new possessor; then it is taken back to its forest sanctuary." "where did you see it?" asked philip, curiously. "that's the whole point of the story," answered jack, thoughtfully. "the son of montezuma's daughter married a native woman, as i told you; their son, however, married a spanish lady, and so the race was continued. off and on, they married indian and spaniard. this mixing of race isn't good, from a philoprogenitive point of view, and dolores is the last descendant of the original owner of the opal. therefore, she is its guardian, and that is the reason don hypolito wants to marry her." "he wishes to obtain the stone as a wedding dowry?" "yes. this chalchuih tlatonac is an object of superstitious veneration to the indians. they are supposed to be converted; but they all more or less cling to their old beliefs. in one of these mysterious forests stands a temple to huitzilopochtli, and there a good many of them go in secret to consult the opal. how they consult it i don't know, unless by its changing colours. now, if hypolito marries dolores, through her he might seize the stone. if he becomes its possessor, he could do what he pleased with the indian population. as they greatly outnumber the spanish element, he would use them to raise himself to the dictatorship of cholacaca." "then he doesn't love the girl?" "not a bit," replied jack, viciously; "all he wants is to marry her, and thus gain possession of the devil stone. besides, apart from the use it would be to him, from a superstitious point of view, he would like to obtain the stone for its own sake. it is a magnificent gem." "has he seen it also?" "yes; at the same time as i did. dolores' father died, and she became the ward of her uncle don miguel. i was a good deal about the house, and naturally enough fell in love with her." "jack! jack!" "you'll fall in love with her, yourself, philip, when you see her; she's an angel." "of course. you say that because you are in love with her. does she return your love?" "yes; she is as fond of me as i am of her." "and what does don miguel, the proud hidalgo, say?" "he says nothing, because he knows nothing," said jack, promptly; "we haven't told him yet. however, when dolores and myself found out we loved one another, she told me all about this chalchuih tlatonac, and how she expected it was to be shown to her, according to custom. a few nights afterwards the priest arrived secretly, and showed her the stone. while she was holding it up, i entered the room suddenly with don hypolito. we saw the opal flashing like a rainbow in her hand. by heaven, boys, i never saw such splendour in my life. we only had a glimpse of it, for as soon as the old priest saw us he snatched it out of her hand and bolted. i followed, but lost him, so the opal went back to the forest temple; and lord only knows where that is." "doesn't doña dolores know?" "no; nobody knows except the priests. they meet the worshippers on the verge of the forest and blindfold them before leading them to the shrine." "and how did don hypolito find out dolores was the guardian of the opal?" asked peter, after a pause. "oh, the story is common property. but the opal isn't of much value to dolores. she is called its guardian, but has nothing to do with it. now i suppose she'll never see it again." "it's a queer story anyhow," observed tim, reflectively; "i would like to see that jewel." "that's what i've come to see you all about," said jack, excitedly. "i want you all to come with me to cholacaca, and help me to marry dolores, and get the devil stone." the three remained silent, and a shade of disappointment passed over duval's face. "of course, if you fellows don't care, i----" "wait a moment, jack," interrupted philip, slowly. "don't jump to conclusions. you want us to go to central america?" "yes." "and upset don hypolito's little plans?" "exactly." "speaking for myself," said philip, quietly, "there is nothing i should like better. i am with you, jack. but peter----" "oh, i'll come too," said the doctor, serenely, "if it's only to collect butterflies. while i'm on the spot, i may as well help. there's sure to be fighting, and i can attend to the wounded. you can depend upon me, jack; i'll be your family physician, and physic the lot of you." "bravo!" cried jack, his face lighting up as he grasped a hand of each. "and what do you say, tim?" "your story is queer," remarked tim, solemnly; "but mine is queerer. i'll go with the greatest of pleasure, jack; but it so happens i'm going out to the same place for _the morning planet_." "what?" "it's a coincidence, anyhow, jack. i told you i knew about don hypolito." "you did." "have you seen the evening papers?" "no; i was too excited at the idea of meeting you fellows to bother about reading." "you are an ignorant person. while you've been fast in coming here, the telegraph's been faster. from all accounts, there's going to be a shindy in cholacaca." "dolores!" gasped jack, turning pale. "oh, you needn't be distressful," said fletcher, hastily; "there's nothing much up as yet. i saw the telegram myself this morning. don hypolito has left tlatonac, and gone to that other town--what d'ye call it? 'tis on the tip of my tongue." "acauhtzin." "yes, that's the name. 'tis said he's trying to stir up a row; but there's no news of any consequence, at all!" "you've been ordered to the front, then, tim?" said philip, quickly. "you've hit it, my boy! i was in the office this morning, and the editor called me in. 'd'ye want a trip?' says he. 'i don't mind,' says i. 'there's going to be trouble again in south america,' says he. 'what!' says i, 'are the peruvians at it again?' 'no,' says he, 'it's cholacaca.' 'and where's that?' says i. 'it's more nor i know,' says he. 'find out on the map, and hold yourself in readiness to go.' so i left him at once, and looked up the map; found out all i could about the place, and at any minute i'm expecting to be sent off." "jove! how curious," said jack, reflectively. "i didn't expect don hypolito to cause trouble quite so soon; but i saw things were shaping that way. it's strange, tim, that you should be going to the very place i wish you to go to. but philip and peter won't like to come now." "it doesn't make the slightest difference to me," said philip, coolly. "in fact, like xeres, i'm longing for a new pleasure. i've never been in a war, and should like the novelty of the thing. as to peter! he's coming to resume his profession on the battle-field." "but what about my butterflies?" remonstrated peter, who did not exactly relish the idea of being put in the forefront of the battle. he objected to the role of uriah. "oh, you can do all that sort of thing between times. the main thing is to get the better of don hypolito, and help jack." "very well, philip," said the little man meekly. "i'll come." "but your practice," hesitated jack, not liking to be selfish. "why, the poor little man hasn't got one," laughed tim, digging peter in the ribs. "hasn't he killed his patients long ago, and is now starving on five hundred a year, poor soul." "it's very kind of you all!" said duval, looking at his three friends. "but i feel that i'm leading you into trouble." "not me," declared tim, stoutly, "'tis the _morning planet's_ to blame, if i peg out." "and i want some excitement," said philip, gaily; "and peter wants butterflies; don't you, doctor? we're all free agents in the matter, jack, and will go with pleasure." "how strange," said peter, pensively; "we little thought at bedford that----" "peter, don't be sentimental," interrupted the baronet, jumping up. "we little thought our meeting would bring us good luck, if that is what you mean. i'm delighted at this new conquest of mexico." "we must start at once, philip." "my dear jack, we shall start the day after to-morrow, in my yacht. she's lying down at yarmouth, in the isle of wight, and is ready to get steam up at a minute's notice." "is she a fast boat?" "fast!" echoed philip, indignant at the imputation; "she's the fastest steam-yacht afloat. wait till she clears the channel, then you'll see what a clean pair of heels she can show." "the quicker the better. i don't want to arrive at tlatonac and find dolores missing." "you won't find a hair of her head touched. you shall marry her, jack, and inherit the harlequin opal, and go and be priest to huitzilopochtli, if you like. now have a glass of wine." tim, who was always handy when liquor was about, had already filled the glasses and solemnly handed them to his friends. "to the health," said tim, standing up huge and burly, "of the future mrs. duval." the toast was drunk with acclamation. chapter iii. "the bohemian." come, lads, and send the capstan round, oh, rio! rio! our good old barkey's outward bound, oh, rio! rio! so, shipmates, all look sharp and spry, to poll and nancy say good-bye, and tell them, if they pipe their eye, we're bound for rio grande. the old man drank his grog and swore, oh, rio! rio! he'd stay no longer slack ashore, oh, rio! rio! "come, tumble up, my lads," sez he, "an' weigh the anchor speedily, in twenty days the cross we'll see, we're bound for rio grande." "what do you think of her?" asked philip, with justifiable pride. "she's as near perfection as can be," replied jack, enthusiastically; "no two opinions about that, old fellow." _the bohemian_ was a superbly modelled craft, and well deserved their admiration as she lay in yarmouth harbour, isle of wight. schooner rigged fore and aft, she was close on two hundred tons yacht measurement, and one of the smartest vessels of her kind in british waters. putting aside her speed when the screw was spinning, she was renowned for her sailing capabilities. with all sails set, and a fair wind, she could smoke through the water at the rate of fifteen knots an hour. thanks to her owner's wandering proclivities, she was well known in every civilised port, and a good many savage anchorages had also seen her graceful form glide into their smooth waters. some said that her engines were too powerful for her frame; and, indeed, when all her furnaces were going, the boat quivered from stem to stern at every rise and fall of the cranks. philip, however, rarely used the full power of her screw, as it was quite unnecessary; but when she did fire up to the extent of her furnace accommodation, her speed was something wonderful. sometimes the baronet used the screw, more often the sails; and, with her white wings spread like summer clouds, _the bohemian_, leaning to leeward rode the surges like a venus of the foam. taper masts, splendid spars, cotton-white cloths, she looked a thing of beauty as she swirled through the sea in a smother of foam. she was the pride of philip's heart, and whether becalmed in the doldrums or seething through troubled waters in the heel of the trade, was well worthy of her owner's admiration. jack was scarcely less enthusiastic. he knew more of the land than of the sea, and this was the first time he had ever had the opportunity of inspecting a crack yacht. it was impossible not to admire her milk-white decks, her well-polished brasses, and the general spruceness of her whole appearance. philip attended thoroughly well to her wants, and despite her frequent voyagings in stormy seas, she always looked as though she had just left dry dock. when the screw thrashed the water into silver froth, and the black smoke poured from the wide funnel, _the bohemian_ knew what was expected of her, and put her heart into her work. in such a craft it was impossible that a voyage could be otherwise than pleasant, and jack looked forward to having a thoroughly jolly run to yucatan with his old schoolfellows. as has before been stated, they were at yarmouth. not that land-and-water norfolk puddle, but the quaint little seaport in the isle of wight. it was famous enough in the old days, and in the reign of our second charles, the governor of the island made it his head-quarters. now his old residence is turned into an hotel, and in comparison with cowes and ryde, this once populous town is a mere village. with its narrow streets, and antique houses, and indolent townsfolk, it has an old-world air, and is still affected by some yachtsmen at the time when the solent is full of graceful boats. philip was very fond of this out-of-the-way seaport, and generally left _the bohemian_ in its harbour when he wished to run up to town. after that famous dinner, the four friends separated in order to prepare for the voyage. as they had only one clear day in which to do all things, there was little time to be lost. peter started for barnstaple by the early train, in order to arrange his affairs, and, to save time, philip agreed to pick him up at plymouth. the special correspondent went straight to his chief, and told him of his desire to start for cholacaca at once; so, as it seemed pretty certain that the difference between don hypolito and the government would culminate in a civil war, tim duly received his orders. now he was flying round town collecting needful articles for his campaign, and was expected down by the early train. on his part, jack had absolutely nothing to do in london. he already possessed all necessaries, and had neither the money nor the inclination to buy things he did not want. indeed, leaving the bulk of his belongings in tlatonac, he had arrived in england with but a single portmanteau, which had been left at the station. philip carried the homeless wanderer to his club, and put him up for the night, and next day they took themselves and the solitary portmanteau down to yarmouth, where they soon made themselves comfortable on board the yacht. all things being thus arranged, they only waited tim's arrival to leave for plymouth, from whence, after taking peter on board, _the bohemian_ could bear away westward in the track of columbus. with all his indolence philip was no dilettante yachtsman, to leave everything to his sailing master, and thoroughly believed in looking after things himself. after displaying the beauties of his boat to jack, he busied himself with seeing about stores, and making sure that all was in order for the voyage. while the baronet was thus engaged, jack wandered over the yacht in a musing sort of fashion, thinking not so much of the scene around him as of dolores and of the possible events now happening at tlatonac. he had good reason to mistrust don hypolito knowing as he did how treacherous and cruel was the nature of that would-be dictator. half indian, half spanish, this mestizo possessed the worst traits of both races, and, once his passions were aroused, would stop at nothing to accomplish his desire. it was true that it was principally on account of the opal that he desired to marry doña dolores; but he was also in love with her beauty, and adored her in a sensual, brutish fashion, which made jack grind his teeth and clench his hands at the very thought. yet he was undeniably a clever man, and skilled in diplomatic intrigue; therefore it might be that his revolt against the established government of cholacaca would end in his assuming the dictatorship. in such an event, he would certainly force dolores to become his wife; and against his power the englishman would be able to do nothing. still, as he had now the aid of his three friends, duval hoped, if it came to the worst, to escape with dolores and the opal in philip's yacht. once on the open sea, and they could laugh at xuarez and his threats. the engines of _the bohemian_ were not meant for show. what jack feared was that don hypolito might have resorted to strong measures, and carried off dolores with him to acauhtzin. hitherto there had been no suspicion that he intended to revolt; so, lulled by a sense of false security, dolores might have permitted herself to be kidnapped, in which case jack hardly knew what to do. still, it might be that nothing had happened save the withdrawal of xuarez to acauhtzin, and duval fervently hoped that he and his friends might arrive at tlatonac before the out-break of hostilities. provided he started fair with xuarez in the game, jack hoped to come off winner--dolores, the opal, and the republic, being the stakes. "if we start to-morrow, it will not be long before we reach chalacaca," thought jack, as he leaned over the taffrail looking absently at the dull-hued water. "once there, and i will be able to protect dolores. if the worst comes, there is always philip's yacht, and as to marriage, i am sure maraquando would rather see his niece married to me than to that xuarez half-bred." "in a brown study, jack?" said cassim's voice, behind him. "i won't give a penny for your thoughts, for they are worth more." "how do you know that?" "because you are thinking of doña dolores." "it's a true bill," replied jack, with an ingenuous blush. "i was hoping she had not been carried off to acauhtzin by that scoundrel xuarez." "oh, your friend don hypolito! not a bit of it. if all you say is correct, he is in too serious a position, at present, to hamper himself with a woman. don't worry, fond lover. _the bohemian_ will take us to central america in less than no time, and if there's going to be a row, we'll be there to see its genesis." "i hope and trust so," said duval, gloomily; "but i'm not so hopeful as you are." "i hopeful! my dear lad, i'm the most pessimistic person in existence; but at this moment i look at things from a common-sense point of view. if xuarez intends business, he has withdrawn to acauhtzin to make his plans. to do so, he requires time. if he had kidnapped doña dolores, things would be brought to a head before his plans were ripe. therefore he has not kidnapped her. q.e.d. so come ashore, and don't talk nonsense." "have you finished your business?" asked jack, following sir philip into his boat. "yes, everything is right. as soon as tim arrives, we shall start for plymouth, to pick up peter. i wish tim would come down to-night; but i suppose even a special correspondent must have time to collect his traps." "what is your reason for going ashore?" "in the first place, i wish to send a wire to my lawyer, as to my destination; and, in the second, i desire to stretch my legs. let us have as much dry land as we can get. it will be nothing but sea for the next week or so." "have you been long ashore, this time?" asked duval, as they went up to the telegraph-office. "only five or six days. i came from the guinea coast, i tell you, to keep this appointment. i didn't then know it would result in a central american expedition." "i hope you are not regretting your determination?" "my dear jack, i am delighted. i have not yet seen a war, so it will be something new. now then, messrs. bradshaw and co.," he added, poising his pen over the telegraph form, "i had better tell you where i am to be found. how do you spell tlatonac, jack?" "t-l-a-t-o-n-a-c," spelt jack, slowly; "but why don't you write your lawyer a letter, instead of sending an unsatisfactory telegram." "i have nothing to write about," replied philip, signing his name with a flourish; "all they need know is where i am in case of my possible death, so as to make things right for the next-of-kin. they have no letters to forward. i always carry plenty of money, so i never bother my head about them, beyond giving my bare address." "don't they object to such unbusiness-like habits?" "they did at first, but finding objections of no use, have quite given up such preachings. don't trouble any more about them, but let us take a walk. 'you take a walk, but you drink tea,' saith samuel johnson." "i don't see the connection," said jack, soberly. "neither do i; but what matters. 'dulce est desipere in loco.' there is a bit of dictionary latin for your delectation." "peter said you were a misanthrope, philip; but i don't think so myself." "peter is a ---- collector of butterflies," retorted philip, gaily. "i _was_ a misanthrope; man delighted me not, nor woman neither; but now i have met the friends of my youth, i feel much better. the friends we make in life are never as dear as those we make at school. since leaving bedford i have made none. i have lived for my yacht and in my yacht. now that i have you, and tim, and peter, i feel that i am rapidly losing the character for timonism. like mr. bunthorne, i am a reformed character." "who is mr. bunthorne? a friend of yours?" "jack, jack! you are a sad barbarian. it is a character in one of gilbert and sullivan's operas. but you have lived so long among savages that you don't know him; in fact, i don't believe you know who gilbert and sullivan are." "oh yes, i do. i'm not so ignorant as all that." "there is balm in gilead then," said cassim, satirically. "jack, when you marry dolores, and realise the opal, you must return to civilisation. i can't let the friend of my youth dwell among the tombs any longer." "i am very happy among the tombs." "i know you are. you would be happy anywhere," rejoined philip, enviously. "would i were as easily contented. tell me how to be happy, jack." "get married," returned jack, promptly. "married!" echoed cassim, as though the idea were a new revelation; "that is a serious question, jack, which needs serious discussion. let us sit down on this soft turf, my friend, and you shall give your opinions regarding matrimony. you don't know anything about it as yet; but that is a mere detail." by this time, owing to their rapid walking, they had left yarmouth far behind, and having turned off the high-road, were now strolling across a field yellow with gorse. in a few minutes they arrived at a land-slip where the earth fell suddenly down to the beach. the brow of this was covered with soft grass, starred with primroses, and philip threw himself down thereon with a sigh of content. jack more soberly seated himself by the side of his friend, and for a few moments they remained silent, gazing at the scene. below was the rent and torn earth, on either side a scanty fringe of trees, and in front the blue sea stretching far away towards the dim line of the hampshire coast. a gentle wind was blowing, the perfume of the wild flowers came delicately on its wings, and they could hear the waves lapping on the beach below, while occasionally a bird piped in the near boughs. it was very cool, pastoral and pleasant, grateful enough to jack's eyes, weary of the burning skies, and the gorgeous efflorescence of the tropics. ah me! how often we sigh for green and misty england in the lands of the sun. "'there is no land like england,'" quoted jack, absently smelling a pale primrose. "ah! there is no doubt it is the most delightful country in the whole world. i have been all over the planet, so i ought to know." "and yet you propose to leave the land you profess to love," said philip, rolling himself over so as to catch his friend's eye. "jack, you are inconsistent." "i must earn my bread and butter. everyone isn't born like you, with a silver spoon in his mouth. if i can't find employment in england, i must go abroad. besides, there is always dolores." "of course," assented philip, gravely, "there is always dolores. is she pretty, jack?" "pretty!" echoed duval, with huge disdain; "if there is one adjective that does _not_ describe dolores it is 'pretty.' she's an angel." "such a vague description. fra angelica, burne jones, gustave doré, all paint angels differently." "oh, i don't mind being more minute, if you care to listen. but i do not wish to bore you with my love affairs." "i like to be bored with love affairs--when they are those of jack duval." jack smiled thankfully. he was eager to talk of dolores to philip; but being somewhat sensitive to ridicule, hesitated as to whether he should do so. as a rule, a man's friends do not care about listening to a lover's ravings. women are the most sympathetic in such a case; but as jack had no female friend in whom to confide, he had either to hold his tongue or tell philip. philip, he thought, would not care for descriptions of the beloved one, so he kept silent; but now that he had been warmly requested to be as explicit as he pleased, he eagerly hastened to unbosom himself. at that moment, jack thought philip an angel of sympathy. "dolores," he began slowly, fixing his eyes seaward, "is rather tall, with a charming figure. her hair is purple black, her face oval, and her complexion inclined to be darkish. she has teeth like pearls, and a mouth like cupid's bow. her eyes--well, her eyes," said jack, enthusiastically, "are like those velvety dark pansies when the dew lies on them." "that's the first original epithet you've used, jack. teeth of pearl, and cupid's bow for a mouth are old similes. dew on pansies is distinctly good." "oh, if you are going to laugh----" began jack, angrily, when cassim hastened to disclaim any such discourtesy. "i'm not laughing, my dear lad. i am only complimenting you on your ingenuity. i know exactly what kind of a woman dolores is. she is like de musset's marquise--half fiend, half angel." "i never heard of her," interrupted duval, bluntly, as he produced a gold oval from his pocket; "but, to save further description, look at this picture. it was done for me by a spanish fellow at tlatonac." philip surveyed the portrait in the locket long and earnestly. "has dolores a temper, jack?" "rather!" replied jack, laconically; "but what do you think of her?" "she has an exquisite face, and, judging from her mouth, a fiery temper. i don't wonder you are in love with her, jack. i hope she'll make you a good wife." "you seem rather doubtful on that point," said jack, half annoyed, as he restored the locket to his waistcoat pocket. "no; but to tell you the truth, i'm doubtful of the advisability of mixed marriages in the matter of race. it may be all very well for the offspring, who, as a rule, are clever; but the husband and wife, having different trainings, do not as a rule hit it off. race-nature again, my friend." "oh, as to that," rejoined jack, equably, "i have lived so long in mexico and south america that i am half spanish in my habits, and so can suit myself to dolores. besides, when we are married, we will stay in spanish america; it will be more advisable than coming to england." "yes; i agree with you there," said philip, lazily; "in fact, i think the indolent creole life of south america would suit me also. i also must find an indian-spanish spouse. and that reminds me, jack, that we sat down to discuss my marriage prospects, whereas we've done nothing but talk about yours." "well, suppose you marry doña eulalia?" "what, have you found me a spouse already?" cried cassim, sitting up, with a ringing laugh. "and who, is doña eulalia?" "the cousin of dolores, and the daughter of don miguel." "is she as beautiful as her cousin? but there, i needn't ask that. of course, in your eyes, no one is so perfect as dolores. well, i will consider the matter when i see eulalia. it is too important a step to take without due consideration." "what nonsense you talk, philip." "why shouldn't i talk nonsense? between you and me, jack, i grow weary at times of very sensible people. we won't discuss how that remark applies to you. tell me how many more members there are of the maraquando family." "only a son, don rafael." "and what does the young hidalgo?" "he is in the cholacacan navy. a very jolly young fellow of twenty-five. we are great friends. then there is a doña serafina." "another beauty?" "according to her own idea, very much so," replied jack, dryly. "she is the old man's sister, and acts as duenna to dolores and eulalia." "ah, an old maid. good! we will marry her to peter, and they can collect butterflies together." "oh, doña serafina would marry anyone; but why to peter?" "i don't know. peter looks as if he needed a wife; so, as he won't choose one for himself, i must do so for him. oh," yawned philip, rising reluctantly to his feet, "what a pleasant talk we have had. i suppose it's time we returned to the boat? come, john, i'll race you to the road." nothing loth, jack accepted the challenge at once, and, though philip ran like a deer, succeeded in beating him easily. "whew!" gasped cassim, leaning breathless against a fence which verged on the high-road. "you're one too many for me, jack. i thought i was a good runner, but you can beat me." "you're out of training. too much flesh. too soft muscles." "well, i'll soon right all that at cholacaca, when we run from the enemy. constant life on a yacht isn't a good thing to develop a fellow's running powers." they jumped lightly over the fence, and walked soberly towards yarmouth in the gathering dusk. the sun was setting, and there was a glory over sea and land somewhat tempered by the twilight. the friends strolled comfortably along, still talking. indeed, since their meeting they had done little else but talk, more especially philip, who was not like the same man. his reserve seemed to have melted away like dew before the sun of duval's geniality, and he was more like the merry boy of old than the haughty, distrustful man of the present. the reason of this lay in the fact that he felt he could thoroughly trust jack, and it was a great comfort to him that there was at least one man in the world to whom he could open his heart unreservedly. secretly, he was much astonished at the pleasure he found in this friendship, and by no means displeased, for while in jack's company the world seemed a goodly place in which to dwell. yet duval was decidedly a commonplace young man, smart enough at his business, yet by no means distinguished for intellectuality; withal, so warm-hearted and simple-natured, that philip surrendered himself entirely to the influence of this pleasant friendship. "you are doing me no end of good, jack," he said as they walked through the town. "before you came, i was gradually becoming a fossil; now i am renewing my youth." "i am very glad to hear it," replied jack simply. "but indeed, philip, so far as i can see, you seem to be as jolly as a sandboy." "i wasn't a week ago. it's the sunshine of your happy geniality, jack. i will stay with you until the cure is complete. then i will see you safely married to dolores; present you with the opal stone, as a dowry, and then----" "and then!" repeated jack, as his friend paused. "then i will take up the old discontented life again." "i won't let you do that," said duval, slipping his arm within that of philip's. "no. i will cure you, as you say, and then you will marry eulalia." "humph! that's doubtful." "i'm not so sure about that, _mi amigo_. meanwhile, i'm hungry, so let us go on board and have dinner." "oh, bathos," laughed philip, but offered no opposition to so sensible a suggestion. they sat up late that night talking of many things, but principally about dolores and tlatonac. jack gave his friend a vivid description of the cholacacan capital, and of the life therein, all of which was highly appreciated by philip. the baronet's taste in existence, as in literature, leaned towards the dreamy and fantastical, so the languorous life of spanish america in sleepy towns, amid the dilapidated pomp of former splendours, appealed greatly to the imaginative side of his nature. hitherto his visits to these out-of-the-way places had been limited to a few days ashore, while his yacht was anchored in the harbour; but this time he determined to take jack for his guide, and live the life of these strange people. it was a dream of the orient in a new world. the arabian nights in the west. next morning they were up early in order to greet tim, who duly arrived in a state of great excitement. he was delighted to be once more on the war-path, especially as he was to go through the campaign in the company of his old school-fellows. the business of putting his luggage on board took but little time, as tim did not believe in special correspondents travelling with much impedimenta. "you could have brought more luggage, if you had liked," said philip, when they inspected tim's modest kit. "more! haven't i got all i want," retorted tim, indignantly. "what would i be stuffing up the boat with rags for. a tooth-brush and a clean collar is all i require." "hardly, if this is going to be a lengthy campaign," replied philip, dryly. "i expect, before the end of the voyage, you'll be wearing peter's clothes." peter was so small, and tim so large, that the idea struck the latter as wonderfully ludicrous, and he sat down to laugh which he continued to do until the screw began to beat the water. then he went on deck to superintend the departure. in due time they arrived at plymouth without accident, where they found peter waiting with as much luggage as a bride would take on her honeymoon. it proved to be mostly articles for capturing butterflies, and cases for preserving them much to the disgust of philip, who hated his yacht to be overloaded with such _débris_. with that painful candour which prevailed between them, he told peter that he would only take half; but the meek doctor waxed indignant, and refused to go without all these, what he called, "necessaries." so, in the end, philip had to give in. then _the bohemian_ turned her prow westward, and dipping her nose in the salt brine, followed in the track of columbus. chapter iv. in the track of columbus. spread sails, out oars, the galley's beak points westward where the sunset dies. the fabled land of gold we seek, which glows beneath the tropic skies,-- a jewelled land of paradise; the waters round our prow are curled, white foam bells streak their turquoise blue, we leave behind the ancient world, to seek the new. spread sails, out oars, a path of gold streams from the sinking sun at eve, as those bold mariners of old, again romances wild we weave, of splendours we would fain believe; yon path leads on to fairyland, which glows within the sunset's heart, we anguish for that magic strand, and so depart. notwithstanding the notoriety of the atlantic ocean for storms, _the bohemian_ met with little or no bad weather during her voyage to cholacaca. blue skies, blue seas and fair winds, it was an ideal cruise, and had it not been necessary to reach tlatonac with as little delay as possible, philip would willingly have prolonged this ocean tramping for an indefinite period. jack, however, was anxious to see dolores; the special correspondent looked forward eagerly to the fierce delights of possible battles, and peter hankered after the insect tribes of central america; so, in deference to their wishes, philip made his yacht act well up to her reputation as a fast boat. _the bohemian_ did not belie her fame, and made a bee-line straight for her destination. ignoring lisbon, where boats generally touch on their way to south america, the yacht held on straight for the azores, passed them in the night, and continued her course to cuba, from whence she could drop down to tlatonac in a few days. she touched at havana, which was a trifle out of her course, at the express request of jack, who had a few commissions to fulfil for dolores; otherwise her nearest point of call would have been kingston, in the island of jamaica. truly there are worse lots in the world than a lotus-eating existence on board a crack yacht, and none of the four friends found the voyage too long or too dull. peter attended to his entomological traps; tim, obeying his journalistic instincts, made notes of daily events for future use; and philip, in conjunction with his sailing master, attended to the navigation of the boat. the only idle person on board was jack duval, who did nothing but eat, sleep, drink, and think of dolores, save when he amused himself by worrying his busier companions. thanks to the powerful engines of _the bohemian_ and the uniform speed at which they were kept the whole time, the voyage to the carribean sea was accomplished in a wonderfully short period. occasionally, when the bearings of the engines became heated by constant friction, the screw was stopped and the sails were set, when the yacht, leaning slightly to one side, swirled through the waters under a cloud of canvas. they depended chiefly on steam power, however, and it was rarely that the drum of the screw ceased resounding through the vessel as she held on steadily westward in the eye of the sunset. all four friends had plenty to do and plenty to talk about, so managed to get through the days in a sufficiently pleasant fashion. after dinner, which was the principal event of the twenty-four hours, they sat on deck chatting in the warm tropic nights, or else stayed in the saloon listening to philip's piano playing and jack's singing. tim also sang in a pleasant tenor voice, and often favoured the company with a varied selection of ditties, ranging from pathetic irish melodies to the latest music-hall songs of the day. peter was the most unmusical member of the party, and, save talking, did little else to amuse his friends. it is true that he offered to give them a lecture on "lepidopterous moths," but the offer was promptly refused on the score that it would be dull. peter could not understand such an adjective being applied to so interesting a subject. it was at one of these symposiums that jack gave them a description of the political situation in cholacaca, information peculiarly acceptable to tim, who was anxious to be thoroughly acquainted with the local affairs of the country. on reaching tlatonac, he wrote a capital article embodying jack's information, and sent it off at once to _the morning planet_, in whose columns it duly appeared, and gave the british public an excellent idea of don hypolito's reasons for rebelling against the established government of the republic. tim's articles were brutally plain and untempered by style. the night was warm and cloudless. westward the faint after-glow of the sunset; and in the east, the slender crescent of the moon, low down on the horizon. overhead the constellations large and mellow burned like lamps in the purple sky, and mirrored their flashing points in the deep, so that the yacht cut her way through a glittering sea of planetary splendours. the sails were all furled, and a light breeze made humming noises in the taut hemp of the rigging. from the wide mouth of the funnel floated a faint trail of smoke, and the steady screw, with monotonous repetition, throbbed like a beating heart. the water hissing like serpents, streamed past the black sides of the boat, and at the prow the white foam boiled like a witch's cauldron, as she rose and fell on the heaving plain. it was all wonderfully charming, and the voyagers seated on deck felt it to be so. after a time conversation ceased, and they remained silent, drinking in the beauty of the night and the infinite magic of the sea. peter, unromantic peter, was the first to break the charm with a commonplace remark. "i hope we shall get fresh milk in cuba; i'm tired of this swiss stuff." "the heathen!" cried tim, in a disgusted tone; "he thinks of nothing but his fat little paunch. can't you admire the works of nature, you little dunderhead." "well, i _do_ want fresh milk," urged peter, obstinately. "you have no eye for beauty, peter," said jack, gravely; "look at the grandeur of the scene around you." "it's very pretty." "pretty!" cried philip, laughing. "i once heard a young lady call the hallelujah chorus pretty. you must be a relation of that young lady, peter." "of all the adjectives in the english language," said duval, with mock solemnity, "the one i most detest is 'pretty.'" "especially when it is applied to a certain damsel, whereof we wot," interjected philip, mischievously; whereat jack blushed and the others laughed. "if peter is so enthusiastic over all this," said tim, waving his hand to indicate the same, "what will he say when he sees doña serafina." "bother doña serafina," retorted the doctor, growing red. "i wish you fellows would stop roasting me on the subject." "she isn't a subject, peter, but an object. forty-five, and as plain as tim there!" "is it me you mean, jack. why, i'm not bad looking, at all. i've had that same on the best female authority. we can't all be heathen gods, like you and philip." "i object to be compared to a heathen god," said the baronet, lighting a fresh cigarette. "there is ugly vulcan as well as beautiful apollo. your compliment reads both ways, tim." "oh, the vanity of the creature. but i'm not going to pass compliments, sir. no, it's my intention to request mister duval to deliver a speech." "what about?" asked jack, considerably taken aback at this cool request. "on the politics of cholacaca. i dursn't neglect my business, lads, and the first letter i have to send to my chief is a report of the cause of this shindy." "the information will be useful to us all," said philip, settling himself more comfortably in his chair; "we will then know which side to take, don miguel's or don hypolito's. go on, jack, and you, peter, hold your tongue; interrupt, and i'll give orders for your removal overboard." the doctor grinned and expressed his desire to know all that jack had to say on the subject; whereat duval, without wasting any time, plunged at once into the middle of the subject. "it's a difficult task," he said, rubbing his chin in some perplexity; "but first you must know the geography of cholacaca. it has more depth than breadth, being a strip of country lying south of yucatan, about four hundred miles long and two hundred broad. tlatonac, the chief town, is in the south, and acauhtzin, the second city, in the north, about three hundred miles intervening. there are other towns of more or less importance in the interior; but the most of cholacaca consists of dense forests inhabited by indians and dotted with buried cities." "one of which contains the temple of the harlequin opal, i suppose," said philip, leisurely. "yes; i have an idea that the temple of the opal is not very far from tlatonac; but of this i am not sure. well, to proceed. the country is very mountainous, and there are comparatively few roads. i am engaged by the government to construct a railway to acauhtzin." "how far have you constructed?" "fifty miles, or thereabouts, and now that this war is on the tapis, i expect the works will have to be abandoned. failing this railway, the only way to get to the second capital is by water. so, you see, communication between the two towns is not so perfect as it might be." "and thus offers good opportunities to don hypolito to make things nasty for the government." "there's no doubt of that, provided don hypolito can secure the allegiance of the navy." "the navy!" said peter, in surprise. "you don't mean to say, jack, that cholacaca has a navy?" "a very good one, as south american navies go. they have three war-ships, named respectively, _the columbus_, _the cortes_, and _the pizarro_, all first-class vessels. the government has also sent to england for two torpedo-boats, which are expected out shortly." "then, if don hypolito commands the navy, he can do what he likes." "not exactly. tlatonac is well fortified, and the war-ships would have to keep well out of the range of the guns." "any army worth mentioning?" "yes; a capital army for this part of the world. mostly mestizos, you know; and, if needs be, i dare say the government can secure the forest indians as their allies. fools if they do. no wise man trusts an indian. that holds good of governments also, i take it." "judging from your opal story," said philip, reflectively, "it seems to me that this indian business depends on the stone." "no doubt. if don hypolito secures dolores and her opal, the indians, out of sheer superstition, will side with him against the government. in that case, they are too near tlatonac to be pleasant." "and what are the plans of this don, if you please," asked tim, who was scribbling shorthand notes in his pocket-book. "hum! you'll have to ask xuarez about those, and then he won't tell you. so far as i can judge, he will win over the navy to his side, establish his head-quarters at acauhtzin, and make things unpleasant all round. with the navy of three, he can blockade tlatonac." "what about the torpedo-boats?" "they, no doubt, are on their way out from england. if the war-ships can stop them, they certainly will." "torpedo-boats are unpleasant things to handle." "yes; i don't suppose the war-ships will try force. those in charge of the two torpedo-boats won't know of the disaffection of the navy; so possibly their commander will be decoyed on board the ships, and the rebels can place their own men in charge of the torpederas." "in that case," said philip, after a pause, "it would be as well to use this yacht to warn them before they enter the harbour." "my dear philip, if you tried on that game, the rebels would send a war-ship after you, and _the bohemian_ would be knocked to bits." "not if she gets a start. i'll back her speed against the whole cholacacan navy. when _the bohemian_ has all her furnaces going, she is like a streak of greased lightning." "but, after all," said peter, yawning, "i don't see why we need anticipate evil. don hypolito may _not_ have rebelled, and the navy may still be loyal to the government." "what!" cried tim, sticking his chin in the air, "d'ye think i've come all these miles to see a flash in the pan. if don hypolito doesn't revolt, i shall consider myself deceived. i want war--blood red war, and plenty of it." "barbaric wretch!" said philip, indolently. "war wasn't invented to fill the empty columns of your paper during the silly season. not that i would mind a war myself." "you'll see all that and more," remarked jack, confidently. "xuarez is bent on becoming dictator of the republic, and as president gomez won't care about being kicked out, it will be a case of war to the knife." "what kind of a man is xuarez?" "he's like napoleon: a wonderful man, i can tell you. you can see from his face that he was born to command. if he gains the day, he won't be content with playing at dictator. not he! he'll make himself emperor, establish his capital in the neck of the isthmus of panama, and conquer south america. he won't attempt the north further than mexico, in case the u.s. government might make it hot for him. the yankees object to foreign domination. some people are so particular." "the new world is not the place for empires," said philip, decisively. "monarchs are at a discount in the americas. maximilian failed; iturbide failed; dom pedro had to leave brazil. no; montezuma was the last of the american emperors--there will never be another." "don't prophesy till you know, philip. don hypolito is as cunning as the devil, and as clever." "i don't care how clever he is. no one can depend on the half-baked lot that form the population of spanish america. you have to form a nation before you can construct an empire." "there's some truth in that." "still, if xuarez appeals to their superstition through this opal," said peter, mildly, "there will be----" "that only counts with the indians. the mestizos and the descendants of the spaniards won't be led by such child's play." "what about the church?" jack flicked a spot of dust off his coat. "the church has that much power in cholacaca now," he said slowly, "it's effete; it's worn out. the age of the inquisition is past." "if don hypolito does get to be lord-lieutenant," asked tim, inquiringly, "what will he do for the downtrodden country?" "according to his own showing--everything. don't i tell you he wishes to found a monarchy. but when he's got the upper hand, i question whether he'll do much, save what chimes in with his own personal ambition. besides, cholacaca is going ahead now quite as much as is good for it." "that refers to the railway, jack." "partly, and to other things also. this railway will open up a lot of valuable country. it will run through from end to end. from janjalla in the south to acauhtzin in the north. then lines will branch off here and there to the sea-coast on one side, to the mountains on the other. thus the whole country will be a network of railways, bringing the population and towns within trading distance of one another." "all of which visions are to be realised by jack," said peter, with mock sarcasm. "yes, realised by jack," assented the engineer, good-humouredly. "if don hypolito gets beaten, and things go on as now, i will have plenty of work." "much virtue in 'if,'" quoted philip, smiling. "it is certainly difficult to foresee the end. still, gomez has the army." "and don hypolito has the navy. it's pretty even, i think." "the combat will be decided by us four," said tim, conceitedly, "and we'll fight on the side of jack's choosing." "then we will assist the government. i don't want to help xuarez to marry dolores, and get the harlequin opal." "it's my opinion that the war has nothing to do with the harlequin opal," said peter, decisively. "if the indians have got it, the indians will keep it." "unless i'm within stealing distance of it," replied jack, promptly. "no; whatever comes and goes, i'm determined to get that opal. it belongs to dolores." "and dolores belongs to you. you are an unselfish person, jack." duval laughed good-humouredly at philip's mild protestation, and began to talk of other things. tim went down to the saloon to arrange his notes; peter turned in, and the symposium broke up without further conversation. this is only a sample of the many talks they had on the subject of cholacaca. the information supplied by jack was useful, as it showed his three companions plainly how matters stood. on their arrival at tlatonac, they were thus well acquainted with the causes of the war, and could follow future developments with great interest. and when this last conversation took place, tlatonac was not far off. after leaving havana, where they only stayed a few hours for a run ashore, the yacht dropped down towards the bay of honduras, and drew steadily towards their destination. the nearer they came, the more excited did jack become at the prospect of seeing dolores once more. as a rule, the young engineer was a steady, cool-headed fellow; but this love had upset his brain, and he was as love-sick and inconsequent as any raw lad. amused at this spectacle, philip did his best to restrain jack's impatience, and kept the engines at full speed, so that the lover might the sooner arrive within kissing distance of his beloved. within the circle of the indian isles the heat grew almost unbearable. blue sea, blue sky, and the burning eye of the sun grilling them constantly during the day. when the west flared red with his setting, and the waters heaved in billows of crimson, they were glad to welcome the cool night with serene moon and chilly, gleaming stars. the pitch bubbled sluggishly in the seams of the deck, the brasses burnt like fire when touched by an incautious hand, and the very air was tremulous with the heat. in vain, with linen suits, solar topees, and constant keeping in the shade, they endeavoured to find coolness; the sun found them out, and baked them with his fierce rays till they were half dead with exhaustion. the heat did not brown them as is customary in more temperate climes, but simply squeezed all the life out of their poor bodies, until they waxed so indolent that did they nothing but lie about in shady corners all day, longing for the night. even peter abandoned his entomology; so, from such sacrifice, must the intense heat be judged. tim was a perfect god-send in those glowing days of heat and thirst. he was skilful at preparing drinks, and concocted beverages which enabled them to hold out during twelve hours of incessant sun glare. occasionally they passed an island covered with masses of palms, cacti, and aloes, and sometimes a distant ship arose and fell against the line of the horizon; but they were too indolent to trouble about such trifles. it was nothing but eternal sunshine and eternal heat. but all things must come to an end, and so did this voyage. "to-morrow," said philip, thankfully, as he broiled in the shade. "to-morrow we will sight british honduras. then tlatonac won't be far off." "perhaps it will be worse on shore than at sea," sighed peter, mopping his bald head with a red-silk pockethandkerchief. "why, if----" "for heaven's sake, peter, throw that handkerchief overboard," cried jack, irritably; "the very colour makes me hot." "but it's silk!" "i don't care what it is. it's red, and that's enough for me." "don't lose your temper, jack!" said tim, soothingly. "vamos a tomar las once." this spanish phrase, meaning, "let us go and take the eleven," was introduced by jack, and referred to "aguardiente" (brandy), which has eleven letters. it was in constant use, and when the familiar sound struck on their ears, philip and peter lifted their heads anxiously. it is but fair to state, however, that in the sense in which the saying was used on board the yacht, it referred to lemon squash, which also has that number of letters. "i'll take one, if you prepare it." "carambo!" said tim, viciously. "i won't. brew one for yourself. i'm not a bar tender." "tim's getting up his spanish for the ladies," murmured philip, lazily. "if he greets them with carambo, he'll be slung out of tlatonac," retorted jack, who frequently indulged in american slang. "oh, i also know how to make love in spanish," said the irishman, bluntly. "el hombre prevenido nunca fue vencido." "oh, shut up!" "what does that mean?" asked peter, who was profoundly ignorant of the castillian tongue. "it means, 'the prepared man is never conquered,' you ignorant creature. peter, you'll have to learn spanish, if only to flirt with old serafina." peter deliberately arose from his chair, and walked down to the saloon. "that's peter's way of remonstrating," said jack, smiling. "it's hot here; we had better follow his example." they did, and in a remarkably short space of time were fast asleep. the siesta had also been introduced by jack with such success that they slept all day and sat up all night, when it was cool. it was the only way they had of making life bearable. the next morning they were within sight of tlatonac. a long low line of sand appeared in the distance, topped here and there with a slender palm. as they drew nearer, they saw the frowning walls of the forts rising above the waters, and beyond, on a hill, the red-roofed houses of the city. above all, the slender towers and high dome of the cathedral. "hullo!" said jack, noting the absence of the war-ships. "no navy! this looks ominous." "do you think war has begun?" asked peter, turning round in dismay. "lord knows! it looks like it." "well, at all events, the war-ships can't hurt us now," said philip; "we are under the guns of the forts." from the central part of the forts a long wharf shot into the blue waters. the bay was covered with boats; intensely green vegetation clothed the shores, and the white walls of the forts glistening like silver in the blazing sunlight. and this was tlatonac. "a most exposed situation," said philip, thinking of the war. "if the war-ships start shelling those red roofs, there won't be much of them left." he addressed jack; but that young man did not reply. he was thinking of dolores. philip turned towards peter; but the doctor's mental eye was fixed on clouds of gorgeous butterflies. tim! "i'd like to see a naval combat in this bay," said tim, gravely, "with war-ships and torpedoes." "three monomaniacs," said philip, rising. "war, butterflies, and dolores. we'd better go ashore now, lads. i'm tired of those three subjects." chapter v. don miguel is communicative. why, look you, señor, thus the matter stands: when one is in a country dangerous, and night is round him everywhere--'tis wise to venture nothing till the morning's light, lest, in the dark, some hidden pitfall lurk. thus stands our fortune. traitors full of guile are in our midst--yet, keeping quiet their plans, would gull us into false security. we know not where to strike--for here, and here, danger may lurk, and yet we dare not strike. the house of don miguel maraquando was situate on one side of the plaza de los hombres ilustres, opposite to the cathedral, and near the calle otumba. like the generality of mexican mansions, it was built in the hispano-moriscan fashion--a style of architecture peculiarly adapted to this equatorial climate. walls of massive stone, impenetrable to heat, surrounded a patio paved with variegated tiles and brilliant with tropical flowers. from this patio doors opened into the various rooms of the house, while above were ranges of sleeping-chambers fronted by a light iron-railed balcony running round all four sides of the courtyard. the roof--generally called the azotea--was flat, and in many houses is used for family gatherings in the warm nights or during a temperate day. in this case, however, the maraquando family made use of the patio, where the heat, particularly at noon, was not so great. it was a charming spot, cool, bright and airy, with plenty of brilliant-blossomed flowers standing round the sides in red, porous jars, and vividly green creepers which twisted round the squat pillars and clambered to the sunlight by the ladder of the balconies. an old aztec sacrificial stone carved with ugly gods occupied the centre of the court, and here and there appeared misshapen statues of the same grotesque deities. a light awning, gaily striped with red and white, made the patio shady, and beneath this were cane chairs for the accommodation of the lazy, and small tables on which to place refreshments. it was a veritable castle of indolence, grateful to day-dreamers, and, as such, peculiarly acceptable to the cholacacans, who are the least industrious people on this planet. outside, the mansion, with its massive doors and iron rejas, presented a gloomy and forbidding appearance, more like a prison than a dwelling house. on entering the door, however, and passing through the dim zaguan, the internal cheerfulness of the patio was accentuated by the dullness without. indeed, the sudden emergence into the light was somewhat bewildering, as with blue sky above and flower-decorated patio below, it was some time before the eye became accustomed to the blinding brilliance of the whole. graceful architecture, hideous idols, the splendour of floral treasures, and silver glitter of the walls, the patio was a most charming spot, and eminently calculated to make life in this tropical zone remarkably pleasant. into this city paradise, created by the hand of man, jack introduced his friends, and formally presented them to don miguel, jefe politico of tlatonac, who, having been informed of their arrival, awaited them in his patio according to the etiquette of the country. he was tall and lean and dry, with a most astonishing resemblance to don quixote as delineated by the pencil of doré. for coolness, he wore a white linen suit, and shaded his austere face with a broad-brimed sombrero, which latter he removed with infinite grace on the appearance of the englishman. "welcome, gentlemen, to tlatonac," he said majestically, in spanish; "my house and all therein is at your disposal." after this hospitable greeting, he insisted that they should seat themselves in order to partake of some light refreshment. they had the greatest difficulty in assuring him that they were not hungry; as, indeed, they had just finished breakfast before leaving the yacht. ultimately, in order not to offend their courteous host, they accepted some pulque, the national beverage of mexico, and were sorry for the concession. jack was used to the drink, and professed to like it; but the others pronounced it beastly. those who have tried pulque for the first time will heartily endorse this opinion. "oh, oh!" spluttered peter, trying to conceal his distaste from their host; "it's like bad butter-milk." "what would i not give for a glass of whisky! 'tis pig-wash, this same." "it is certainly not the milk of paradise," said philip, in disgust. don miguel had retired for a moment in search of cigars for the party, so they could express themselves freely to jack. they took full advantage of the opportunity. "the mexicans say the angels in heaven prefer it to wine," said jack, who had finished his glass with great gusto. "they have a proverb: "'lo beben, los angeles en vez de vino.'" "i can't say much for the angels' taste, then," retorted philip, crossly. "nastier stuff i never drank. raki is bad enough, but it's nectar compared with pulque." jack laughed heartily at the wry faces made by his friends, and comforted them after the manner of job's acquaintances. "you'll have to drink it, however. don miguel will be offended if you do not." they all promptly poured the liquor into some of the flower-bearing jars which happened, fortunately enough, to be handy. "there," said peter, triumphantly; "he'll think we have finished it." "i'll bring a pocket-pistol next time," said tim, gloomily. "i'll be having the cholera with this stuff." "hush! here is don miguel." their host returned with a good supply of cigars, which proved to be more acceptable than the pulque. maraquando expressed great surprise that peter did not smoke. "what does he say?" asked peter, woefully ignorant of spanish. "that you ought to smoke." peter shook his head in disgust. "tell don miguel tobacco is slow poison." maraquando laughed when this was translated to him. "it must be very slow, señor," he said, smiling. "i have smoked for forty years, and yet the poison has not overtaken me as yet." all laughed at this speech save peter, who could not appreciate jokes in the tongue of castille. indeed, he began to find his ignorance of spanish somewhat annoying, as his friends, who acted as interpreters, played tricks on him. he became proficient in the tongue when doña serafina took him in hand; but that was many weeks later. all this time jack was wondering why dolores did not appear to welcome him back. as it was not etiquette to ask directly for the ladies of the family, he made the inquiry in a roundabout way. "your family i trust are well, señor?" "they are in excellent health, i thank you, señor juan. at present i have but my daughter with me. doña serafina and dolores are staying for a few days at my estancio." this was bad news for jack; but as don miguel's eyes were fixed inquiringly on his face, he was forced to dissemble his sorrow. "and don rafael?" "is at present with his ship at acauhtzin." "what! with don hypolito?" the expression on maraquando's face changed, and he seemed about to burst out into a furious speech; but, out of courtesy, restrained himself for the present. "we will talk of this again," he said, gravely. "i am sure you do not care about our politics." "indeed we do," replied jack, emphatically. "this gentleman"--indicating tim--"is a special correspondent, sent here by a great english paper, to report on your war." "our war!" echoed the spaniard, with some surprise. "how do you know there is to be a war?" "the telegrams to europe say as much!" interposed tim, speaking in spanish. "telegrams sent by don hypolito, i have no doubt," responded maraquando, grimly. "there will be no war, gentlemen." "_carambo! sacré!_ damn!" ejaculated tim, who swore fluently in all three languages. "i have been tricked, then?" "wait a moment, señor corresponsal. you will have plenty to write about; i will tell you some astonishing news shortly. meanwhile, i must present you to my daughter, doña eulalia." the girl who appeared at this moment caused them all to rise to their feet, and assuredly a more beautiful vision could not be seen anywhere. she was a little sparkling brunette, all eyes and smiles (as tim afterwards phrased it), and when she beheld jack, came forward eagerly to greet him with outstretched hands. "señor juan," she said, in a deliciously sweet voice, "you have returned. ah, how sorry dol--doña serafina will be that she is not here to greet you." she gave a side glance at her father on pronouncing the name of doña serafina; and, by that diplomatic substitution, philip guessed that she was in the secret of the lovers. "i trust doña serafina will return soon, señora," said jack, significantly, after exchanging courtesies. "i am anxious to see doña serafina." eulalia put her black fan up to hide the smile on her lips, and intimated that she expected her aunt back on the morrow. nothing was said of dolores; but jack was not so dull a lover as not to know that, in this case, the lesser serafina included the greater dolores. meanwhile, neither tim nor philip could keep their eyes off this spanish beauty, and don miguel graciously presented them to his daughter. as for peter, he was examining an ugly clay god at the other end of the court, which showed that he had no eye for beauty. "at your feet, lady," said philip, in his best castillian. "my hands for your kisses, señor," she responded, coquettishly, whereat the baronet felt a strange feeling about the region of his heart. "oh, lord, lord!" he muttered, as tim was executing court bows to the lady. "great heaven! this cannot be love at first sight. it must be the pulque." he caught jack's eye at this moment, and saw a derisive smile on that young man's lips, whereat he smiled also, as if to intimate that he thought but little of the dainty beauty. jack knew better, however. then peter was torn away from his aztec deity, and presented in due form, making use, at the introduction, of all the spanish of which he was master. "bueno! bueno!" quoth peter, in perplexity, when philip came to his rescue. "say 'a los pies de usted,' señora," he whispered quickly. "i can't remember all that," protested the doctor. "try." "a los pres ud worsted!" doña eulalia put up her fan at the sound of peter's spanish; but understanding the drift of his remark, replied gravely enough: "bése usted los manos, señor." "what's that, philip?" "my hands for your kisses, señor." "will i have to kiss them?" asked peter, in dismay. "no; it's only a matter of form." at this assurance, the doctor was much relieved, and not feeling any profound interest in a dialogue carried on completely in a foreign tongue, returned to his examination of the aztec gods. maraquando was already deep in conversation with jack and tim, so philip had doña eulalia all to himself, and made good use of this solitude of two. he was glad he knew spanish. 'tis a pleasant language in which to talk gay nonsense. on her side, eulalia had no strong objection to the company of this eccentric american--all foreigners are americans with the cholacacans--and though he was a heretic, yet he spoke spanish beautifully, and had no lack of pretty sayings at his command. doña eulalia would have flirted with a lepero in default of anything better; and as don felipe was a most desirable young man from every point of view, she lost no time in making herself agreeable. philip, the cynic, enjoyed it greatly, thereby proving that a considerable portion of his misogamy was humbug. with the hour comes the eternal feminine. this was the hour--eulalia the woman. it flashed across philip's mind at that moment that he was playing with fire. confident in his own imperviousness to fire, he went on playing. then he burnt himself, and great was his outcry. "i always understood," said cassim to his charming companion, "that cholacacan ladies were shut up like nuns." "a great many of them are, señor," replied eulalia, demurely; "but my father is more liberal in his ideas. he delights in presenting us to his friends." "how charming--for the friends." "and how delightful--for us poor women. i assure you, señor, that i would not care to be shut up at all; neither would my cousin dolores!" "i have heard of doña dolores from jack!" eulalia flashed a glance at him from her glorious dark eyes, bit the top of her fan, and made an irrelevant observation. "my cousin admires fair people." "and don juan is fair. oh, never fear, señora, i know all." "all what, don filipe?" "all about fair people!" replied philip, skilfully, "though, for my part, i prefer dark ladies." this last remark was too much even for the audacious coquetry of eulalia, and she, glancing uneasily at her father, turned the conversation with a dexterity begotten by long practice. "my aunt, doña serafina, is dark. she is our duenna, you know. i am sure you will find her very charming." "oh, certainly, señora, on your recommendation i----" "and tlatonac is charming, also," interposed the lady, smartly. "do you stay long here, señor?" "that depends on--shall we say--señor duval." his intention was to hint dolores; but doña eulalia evidently thought the acquaintanceship was becoming too intimate, and entrenched herself behind her fan and a smile. "rather does it depend on don hypolito." "ah! is there, then, to be a war?" "i do not know, señor. my father thinks it likely. if there is, of course you will go?" "no! why should i? tlatonac has many attractions for me." "my father will show you all over it to-morrow," rejoined eulalia, with a mischievous smile. she knew quite well what he meant, but was not going to betray such knowledge at such an early period of her acquaintance. the proprieties must be observed--even in cholacaca. mrs. grundy is not indigenous to britain only. she flourished at tlatonac under the name of doña serafina. "you came in a steamer, did you not, señor?" "yes; in my yacht, _the bohemian_." "your vessel, señor?" "yes." eulalia opened her eyes. this americano must be very rich to own the boat she had seen steaming into the harbour. but, then, all americanos were rich; though not all so nice as this one. "you must do me the honour of coming on board, señora," said philip, eagerly. then, seeing her draw back in alarm at this audacious proposal, "of course, with don miguel and doña serafina. likewise your cousin. my friend don juan is anxious to see doña dolores." "hush, señor!" said eulalia, quickly, glancing towards her father; "it is a secret. do not speak of it now; but let us talk to the señor yonder with the spectacles." "he cannot talk spanish." "oh yes, he can, señor, i heard him." she burst out into a merry laugh, and went towards peter, followed by the reluctant cassim. philip was getting on excellently well, and rather resented the introduction of a third person into the conversation, even though it was but harmless peter. that gentleman would much rather have been left alone to potter about the patio by himself; but doña eulalia, who saw his embarrassment, wickedly made him attempt spanish, much to his discomfiture. philip translated his compliments to eulalia, whereon she smiled so graciously on the little man that the baronet grew restless, and peter began to think there were other things in the world besides butterflies. meanwhile don miguel was having an interesting conversation with tim and jack concerning the state of affairs prevalent at tlatonac. he was much flattered at the idea that a "gran'-diario" of england should take such an interest in central american politics, and paid tim, as the señor corresponsal, such attention, that jack began to wish he were in the irishman's shoes. he would then have a better chance of dolores. as for tim he discoursed blandly, quite unaware of the honours being showered on him, and when his spanish failed, took refuge in french; when that gave out, he supplied his wants with italian, so that his conversation savoured of the tower of babel and the confusion of tongues. however, with jack's assistance, he managed to get along capitally, and gained a good deal of useful information from the jefe politico. don miguel himself was most eloquent on the subject, and particularly rabid against xuarez, whom he seemed to hate as only a spaniard can hate. dr. johnson liked a good hater. he should have met don miguel. "don hypolito is a dangerous man, gentlemen," he said, with cold malignity; "he wishes to become president of the republic." "and why should he not become president?" asked tim, calmly. "because he would use his position to destroy the constitution of cholacaca. we have not forgotten iturbide and dr. francia. cholacaca shall never lie at the mercy of a tyrant, as did mexico and paraguay. no, gentlemen. it was not for such an end that we threw off the yoke of spain. republicans we are, republicans we remain. if don hypolito succeeds, he will find tlatonac in ruins." "i don't think that will stop him, señor," said jack, lightly. "if he ruins the old tlatonac, he can build up a new one." "not with peons and indians," retorted maraquando, fiercely. "we, señor, are spaniards, and will submit to the tyranny of no man, much less this mestizo of a xuarez." "what do you propose to do, don miguel?" "the junta has already decided that. don hypolito is to be arrested, brought here for trial, and banished from the country." "i don't see how you are going to capture him at acauhtzin. it is the headquarters of his party." maraquando smiled grimly, and waved his hand contemptuously. "xuarez has no party. a few unimportant estancieros believe in him, certainly; but the whole population of tlatonac is in favour of the government." "but not the whole population of cholacaca," said duval, significantly. "that is no matter. the government hold tlatonac, and, therefore, has all the power in its own hands. acauhtzin! a mere village, whose adherence can do xuarez no good." "but if it comes to war?" "it will not come to war, señor corresponsal. the fleet have gone to acauhtzin to arrest xuarez, and bring him here for trial." "they won't do that easily." don miguel laughed in a saturnine sort of manner, and pulled his moustache savagely. "and why not, señor?" said he slowly. "i think three war-ships, manned by brave men, are more than sufficient to arrest one traitor." "that's so," replied jack, dropping into americanese, "if you can trust their crews." "my son, don rafael, commands _the pizarro_," he said, gravely. "the government can trust him and his crew, if no others." "'one swallow doesn't make a summer,' don miguel. that's an english proverb." "and a very true one. where did you hear that our navy was not to be trusted, don juan?" "here, and yonder!" said jack, waving his hand all round the compass. "i hear this and that, señor, and think over things. the general opinion, i find, is that there will be a civil war." "it needs no prophet to tell that. and afterwards?" "señor, it is said the army will support the junta, but the navy will strike for xuarez." "if i thought so!" growled maraquando, savagely, under his breath. "if i--but no, señor, you are mistaken. my son, don rafael, is in the navy, and many of the officers are his personal friends. he only consorts with men of honour, señor. i swear that there is no fear of the navy revolting. in a few days, our three ships will come back with don hypolito." jack shrugged his shoulders. he was a youth of few words, and saw no reason to waste breath on such obstinacy. all the same, he held to his opinion. don rafael or no don rafael, the three war-ships and their crews were not to be trusted. in spite of his refusal to believe in such treachery, it seemed as though don miguel also had his doubts on the subject. "i will see the president about this you speak of, señor. it is as well that all things should be guarded against." "there is one other thing that should be guarded against," said jack, gravely. "doña serafina and your niece are some distance from the city, at your estancia. as there may be a war, the country will not be safe. i suggest that you, señor, should ride out and escort them back." "i am afraid i cannot leave the city at this juncture." "then let me go, señor," said jack, eagerly. "in any event, i will have to see the railway works; they are near your estancia, you know. let me ride over to-morrow, and i will bring them back with me." "it is too much honour, señor," replied maraquando politely. "still, if you can spare the time----" "oh, that will be all right, señor. it is settled, then, i will go to-morrow." "i am your debtor, don juan, and accept the offer with a thousand thanks. but your friends----" "oh, we will look round tlatonac," said tim, putting up his pocket-book, wherein he had been making notes; "and if you will but introduce me to the president, señor maraquando, i shall take it as a favour. it will be useful to me in my letters to europe." "i am at your service, señor corresponsal. his excellency will have much pleasure in receiving you, i am sure. bueno!" "that settles you, tim," said duval, in english "philip can go with you, unless he prefers to remain with doña eulalia. but peter?" "oh, send him after butterflies!" duval thought this a good idea, and, turning to don miguel, explained how anxious peter was in pursuit of insects. could don miguel send him beyond the city in charge of some one, to hunt for beetles? maraquando reflected for a moment, and thought that he could do so. there was an indian named cocom, who would attend to don pedro. unfortunately, he spoke no english. "never mind," said jack, easily, "when my friend is hunting the wily butterfly, he speaks to no one. all i desire is that he should have a guide, so that he be not lost." "bueno! i will see that cocom goes with don pedro to-morrow." jack called peter from his interesting conversation with eulalia, and explained matters. the doctor was quite agreeable, and wanted to go at once to the yacht, in order to get his paraphernalia ashore. this ardent desire, however, was not gratified at the moment, as they could scarcely take leave of their courteous host in so cavalier a fashion. "by the way, jack," said philip, at this moment, "are we to stay on board the yacht during our stay here?" "by no means. we will go to my house." "what! are you a landed proprietor, jack?" "i have a rough kind of diggings, but it's big enough for the lot of us. don miguel," he added, turning to their host, "i must now take my leave, with my friends, as we want to see about our house." "my house is at the disposal of your friends, señor." "a thousand thanks. i kiss your hands, señor miguel; but for the present we will stay at my residence in the calle huascar." it not being etiquette to press the invitation, don miguel gravely bowed, and wished them good-bye for the present. he had to go to a meeting of the junta in order to confer about the fleet which had remained away from tlatonac a long time. "and it will remain a longer time," said jack, as they emerged on to the street. "the navy is going to revolt to don hypolito." "i believe that's true, but the old chap doesn't think so. he'll have his eyes open soon, or my name's not tim. where's philip?" "saying good-bye to doña eulalia," replied jack, smiling. "ah, by the way, here he is! well, sir philip cassim, baronet, i see you are stabbed by a wench's black eye!" "a little harmless conversation," protested philip, guiltily; "don't make a mountain out of a mole-hill, jack. i can take care of my heart; but your charming brunette friend has fascinated peter." "i don't see how that can be," said the doctor, dryly, "seeing i couldn't understand a word she was saying." "the language of the eye, peter. you must learn that. it is more interesting than butterflies." "so you seem to think." "jack," said tim, suddenly, "before we go to your cabin, take us to the telegraph-office, if there is one here." "of course there is one here. you want to wire to your editor?" "not yet! i want to arrange matters with the officials. there's going to be trouble here in a week, anyhow." "so soon as that?" said philip, starting. he had not heard the conversation with don miguel. "aye, and sooner," replied duval, prophetically. "gather ye rosebuds while ye may, philip; for, as sure as i stand here, news is now on its way to tlatonac of the loss of the navy." "in that case," said the baronet, quietly, "it was a good thing i brought all those arms with me. you'll have to learn how to shoot, peter." "butterflies and beetles," said peter, absently. he was thinking of the morrow's sport. chapter vi. chalchuih tlatonac. this is a country of magic; for, lo! in the heat of the noontide, silent and lone is the city, no footfall is heard in the highways, only the grasshopper shrilling, the tinkle of water clear gushing, and rarely the sigh of the breezes, that stir the white dust on the pavements. magic! no magic but custom; for this is the time of siesta; when sinks the sun, then the city will waken to love and to laughter; lightly the gay senoritas will dance in the cold-shining moonbeams, flirt fan, flash eyes, and beckon, to lovers who long for their kisses, then will the castanets rattle, the little feet dance the bolero, and serenades sigh at the windows, in scorning of jealous duennas. magic is not of the noonday; when glimmers the amorous twilight, then is the time of enchantment, of love, and of passionate lovers. cocom was completely ignorant of his real age. he might have been a hundred, and he certainly looked as though he had completed his century. long ago he had left off counting the flying years and meditating on the mutability of human life. in fact, he had changed so little that it is doubtful whether he believed in mutability at all. wrinkled he was, it is true, and slightly bent, but his black eyes twinkled with the fire of youth, and he enjoyed his meals. these things argue juvenility, and, as cocom possessed them, he evidently knew the secret of immortality. perhaps he had found that fountain of youth spoken of by ponce de leon. if so, it had affected his soul not his body. he looked like methuselah. yet he was wonderfully active considering his years, and undertook to introduce peter to the butterflies of central america. arrayed in his white cotton drawers and shirt, with his pink zarape gracefully draped over his bent shoulders, he smoked a long black cigar, and waited the orders of the "americanos" in stolid silence. peter was affectionately handling his butterfly-net, tim was finishing his breakfast, and jack, in a smart riding-dress, was slashing his high boots with his whip, impatient to get away. they were looking at cocom, who had just arrived, and waiting for philip, who, as usual, was late for breakfast. "he looks too old to be of much use," said the doctor, disconsolately; "why couldn't don miguel send me a man instead of a mummy?" "perhaps the mummy is well up in entomology!" "he ought to be that same!" cried tim, with his mouth full; "he's had plenty of time to learn, anyhow. ask the old cocoanut his age, jack." "don't you take liberties with his name, tim. cocom was a king of mayapan; and this, i presume, is his descendant." "royalty out at elbows!" said peter, blandly. "it's a king, is it?" remarked tim, staring at the indian. "he looks a mighty second-hand sort of article. i should be a king myself. wasn't one of my ancestors king of cork?" "good morning, gentlemen," said philip, entering at this moment; "where did you pick up methuselah?" "this is cocom, my guide," said the doctor, proudly introducing cocom, who removed his sombrero with a graceful sweep. "oh, you are going to hunt the ferocious beetle, are you not? what is he, jack? an aztec?" "no; a descendant of the mayas." "a dethroned king--no less." "you know the country round here, cocom?" said philip, taking no notice of tim's joke. "yes, señor americano; all! all!" replied cocom, with grave dignity. "don pedro will be safe with me." "you can show him butterflies?" "señor, i can show him butterflies, ants, beetles, wasps; all the señor desires to behold." "that being so, peter, you had better get away," said jack, impatiently. "i want to be off, and must see you started first; you can't be trusted to run the show on your own account." "i'm quite ready. good-bye, boys; i will see you this afternoon." "not me," said duval, brusquely; "i'm off to maraquando's estancia." "take care of the sun, peter," warned philip, kindly; "your head isn't over strong." peter indignantly repudiated this imputation on his cranium, and forthwith followed cocom out of the house, gleefully looking forward to a pleasant day. his ideas of pleasure were singularly limited. "he's quite safe, isn't he, jack?" said philip anxiously. "i don't want peter to get into trouble." "oh, cocom will look after him. i know the old man well. he is devoted to don miguel, who once saved his life. cocom will sit on a bank and watch peter gasping after butterflies. the exercise will do the doctor's liver good." "you are off yourself now, i suppose?" "yes, i've been waiting for you. really, philip, you are the laziest man i know." "this house that jack built is the castle of indolence," explained philip, sitting down to table. "go, my friend, and kiss dolores for me!" "i'll do nothing of the sort. i'll kiss her for my own sake! adios caballeros." "when will you return, jack?" "to-morrow! meanwhile don miguel will look after you both. take care of yourselves." "con dios va usted mi amigo!" said cassim, graciously. "now go away, and let me eat my breakfast." jack departed, and tim went to the window to see him ride down the street. "he is a fine boy," he said, returning to the breakfast-table. "doña dolores ought to be proud of having such a lover." "i have no doubt she is, tim. it is to be hoped the course of true love will run smooth with jack; but what with don hypolito and the harlequin opal i have my doubts. what are your plans, timothy?" "it's writing i'll be, all day!" "nonsense. come and see tlatonac." "i can't. isn't my chief waiting a letter from me?" "such industry! tim, you make me feel ashamed of myself." "the devil i do. then you write my letter, philip and i'll flirt with doña eulalia. i'm a white-headed boy with the female sex." "no, thank you. it's not a fair exchange." "ah, she's a dark-eyed colleen, philip. you have lost your heart there." "no," said philip, a trifle doubtfully. "i have seen too many pretty faces to be captured at first sight by a new one. i have other things to think of besides marriage." "you have, but you won't," retorted tim, ungrammatically. "now get away with you, and leave me to my writing." "i'll be back in two hours." "if you are not, i'll come and look you up at the don's. make love to doña eulalia while you can, philip, for it's mighty little time you'll have when the row starts. "do ye hear the cannon's rattle? do ye smell the smoke av battle, whin the irish bhoys are ridin' down the inimy so bould? do ye see the bullets flyin'? and your faithful patrick dyin', wid ne'er a sowl beside him dear, to kiss his forehead cowld?" tim, with that sudden transition from mirth to melancholy so characteristic of the celtic race, threw so much pathos into the last two lines that philip could not trust himself to reply, and went hastily out of the room. he drew a long breath of relief when he found himself in the hot sunshine, for that unexpected note of sorrow from jovial tim touched him more nearly than he cared to confess. in spite of his cold demeanour and reserve, philip was of a very emotional nature, and that melancholy strain had reached his heart. he was by no means prone to superstition, but at that moment a sudden question stirred his self-complacency. never before had he heard tim sing so pathetically, and the unexpectedness of the thing startled him. it seemed to hint at future sorrows. poor tim! "confound that banshee song," he said, with a shiver, as he strolled along towards the calle otumba; "it makes me think of death and the grave. these irishmen take one at a disadvantage. i won't shake off the feeling the whole day." he forgot all about it, however, when he reached maraquando's house, for in the patio he found eulalia, who greeted him with a brilliant smile. the charm of her society banished the melancholy engendered by tim's pessimism, and, chatting gaily to this strongly vitalised being, who restlessly flashed round the court like a humming-bird, he recovered his usual spirits. there is more in juxtaposition than people think. "and where are your friends, don felipe?" asked eulalia, standing on tip-toe to pluck a gorgeous tropical blossom. "allow me to get you that flower, señora," replied philip, eagerly. "my friends," he added, as he presented her with the bud, "are variously employed. don pedro is out after butterflies with cocom. señor corresponsal is writing for his 'diario,' and don juan----" "i know where don juan is, señor. yes; my father told me of his kindness. he will bring back from the estancia doña serafina." "and doña dolores?" eulalia flung open her fan with a coquettish gesture, and raising it to her face, looked over the top of it at philip. "you know, then, señor, what you know." "assuredly," replied the baronet, tickled at this delicate way of putting it. "i know that my friend wishes to marry your cousin." "ay de mi. it can never be." "he is not rich enough." "he is not a spaniard. my father will never consent. and then," she dropped her voice, and looked round fearfully. "the chalchuih tlatonac!" "i know about that also. but it has nothing to do with this marriage." "it has everything to do with it. the indians look on my cousin as one of themselves, and, if she married an americano, she would leave the country. then there would be no guardian of the stone, and their god would be angry." "is your cousin, then, to marry as they please?" "she must marry one of her own people. an indian or a mestizo." "but suppose she does not?" "the indians will carry her to their forest temple, and keep her there in captivity." "impossible! how could they seize her in tlatonac?" doña eulalia nodded her head wisely. "you do not know how strong are the indians, señor. they are everywhere. if they want dolores at their temple, they will be sure to capture her if they choose." "by force?" "no, by stratagem! they could take her away at any moment, and none of us would see her again." "but what does don hypolito say to all this?" eulalia spread out her little hands with a look of disgust. "don hypolito wants to marry dolores because of the chalchuih tlatonac! he is a mestizo; so the indians would not mind such a marriage. but she hates him, and loves don juan. let your friend beware, señor." "of whom! of don hypolito?" "yes; and of the indians. it is much feared that don hypolito is no good catholic--that he has been to the forest temple and seen--oh," she broke off with a shudder. "i do not know what he has seen. but he hates don juan, and, if he captures him, will put him to death. señor----" at this moment, before she could say more, don miguel entered the patio. whereupon eulalia whirled away like a black-and-amber bird. philip looked after her for a second, thinking how graceful she was, then turned to greet don miguel. that gentleman was as lean and dry and as solemn as ever. how he ever came to be the parent of this fairy of midnight, philip could not quite understand. but doubtless she took after her mother--the female side of a family generally does, in looks. "i was just conversing with doña eulalia," said philip, responding to maraquando's stately greeting "your daughter, señor." "she is yours also, señor," was miguel's startling reply. "egad! i wish she was mine," thought cassim, who knew this spanish formula too well to be astonished. "by the way, señor, my friend don pedro thanks you for sending cocom," he added politely. "don pedro is welcome a thousand times to my poor services. and where is the señor correspoñsal?" "writing for his diario." "bueno, señor. and don juan?" "he is now on his way to your estancia." "i am his servant, for such kindness," said maraquando, gravely. "will you take some pulque, señor felipe?" "i thank you, no," replied philip, remembering his former experience of the drink. "if not troubling you too much, i would like to see tlatonac." "i am at your service, señor. shall we depart at once?" philip signified his acquiescence, though he would rather have stayed in the cool patio, and flirted with doña eulalia. he knew, however, that spanish fathers are not the most amiable parents in the world, and resent too much attention being paid by foreigners to their womankind; therefore he took leave of the young lady and departed with don miguel. before philip parted from that gentleman, he had explored the city thoroughly, and was quite worn out. the jefe politico was a most conscientious cicerone. he took philip to every building of any note, and gave him a minute history of all events connected therewith, from the earliest period to the present time. fortunately, tlatonac was not very old, or he would have gone on for a week without stopping. as it was, he took nearly all day in directing philip's attention to dates, aztec idols, ruins of teocallis, sites of palaces, to battle-fields, and many other things too numerous to mention. this information was accurate but wearisome, and philip felt it to be so. maraquando was prescott and bancroft rolled into one, as regards knowledge of history, and, having found a willing listener, took full advantage of the opportunity. cassim was too polite to object, but he heartily wished that don miguel would hold his tongue. the most pathetic part of the whole affair was that the poor man thought he was amusing his guest. tlatonac is built partly on the seashore and partly on a hill. within the walls of the forts frowning over the waters are the dwellings of the flat portion inhabited by peons and leperos, with a sprinkling of low-caste mestizos. from thence the houses rise up to the top of the hill, which is crowned by the cathedral in the plaza de los hombres ilustres. this is the heart of tlatonac, the aristocratic quarter, and commands a splendid view of the surrounding country. the plaza was a very large square, fenced in on three sides by the houses of the cholacacan aristocracy, on the fourth by the great cathedral. in the centre was the zocalo, a green oasis of verdure laid out in winding walks and brilliant flower-beds. herein the aristocracy took their walks when the band played in the cool of the evening, using it as a kind of alameda, wherein to meet their friends and gossip. it was indeed a charming spot, and its green arcades afforded a grateful shade from the hot sun which blazed down on the white stones of the square outside. on leaving the zocalo, they entered the church dedicated to nuestra señora de la concepcion, which once gave its name to the town now more generally known by its indian appellation of tlatonac. "the cathedral, señor," said don miguel, as they stood beneath the glory of the great cupola, "is built on the site of a famous teocalli." "that dedicated to the chalchuih tlatonac?" "to the false god huitzilopochtli, señor," corrected the spaniard, gravely. "i see you know the story. yes, it was here that the son of montezuma's daughter came with the shining precious stone which gives its name to the city. he worshipped his barbaric deities after the fashion of his mother, and built here a teocalli to the war-god, wherein was preserved the devil stone. many years after, when the conquistadores--our ancestors, señor--arrived, the then possessor of the opal fled with it into the impenetrable forests, and thus the jewel was lost to the crown of spain. the conquistadores pulled down the teocalli and built thereon this church to the glory of our lady, at the command of fray medina, who afterwards became the first bishop of tlatonac. is it not beautiful, señor? and all for the glory of god and the true cross." it was indeed a beautiful old church, mellowed into restful beauty by the lapse of years. the floor was of marquetry, hued like a dim rainbow owing to the different coloured woods. slender porphyry pillars sprang from the floor to the groined ceiling in two long rows, and at the far end, under a firmament of sun and stars and silver moons, with ascending saints and wide-winged angels, arose the glory of the great altar, sparkling in the dusky atmosphere like a vast jewel. before it burned a silver lamp like a red star. tapestries, richly worked, depended between the pillars, gorgeous brocades were here, faded silken draperies there, and everywhere faces of saint, angel, cherubim, and seraphim. gilt crosses, pictures of the virgin, statues of the virgin, side altars laden with flowers, silver railings, steps of puebla marble, like alabaster, and throughout a dim religious light as the rays of the sun pierced the painted windows. the fumes of incense permeated the building; there was a sound of muttered prayers, and here and there a dark figure prostrate before a shrine or kneeling at the confessional. all this magnificence was toned down by time to delicate hues, which blended the one with the other and made a harmonious whole. dingy and old as it was, the whole edifice was redolent of sacred associations, and it required some imagination to conceive that where now reigned this quiet and holy beauty once arose a heathen temple, where the victims shrieked on the altar of a fierce deity. religion did not seem very flourishing in cholacaca, for on this day in the cathedral there were few worshippers--no priests. "we have few priests now, señor," explained don miguel, gravely, as they left the great building. "the jesuits were once powerful in cholacaca, but they were expelled some years ago. the priests _would_ meddle with politics, and when the church clashes with the government, well, señor--one must go to the wall." "so the jesuits went?" "yes. they were unwilling to go, for cholacaca is one of the richest mission fields. not that i think they have done much good, for though the indians are outwardly converted, yet i know for certain that they still secretly worship huitzilopochtli and the chalchuih tlatonac." "what makes you think so, don miguel?" "little things! the straws which show the wind's course. on the summit of some of these ruined teocallis beyond the walls, i have often seen fresh wreaths of flowers. nay, in my own patio, before those statues of coatlicue, quetzalcoatli, and teoyamiqui, i have found offerings of flowers and fruit. 'tis also said, señor," pursued maraquando, dropping his voice, "that in the hidden temple of the opal the indians still sacrifice human victims to the war-god. but this may be false." "very probably! i cannot conceive such horrors," replied philip, with a shudder; "but, as regards priests, there are still some here, i presume?" "assuredly; but not of the society of jesus--save one. yes, padre ignatius is still here. he was, and is, so beloved by all that the president had not the heart to banish him. so he yet works for the faith in our midst." "i should like to meet father ignatius?" "you shall do so, señor. he is a great friend of mine, and the confessor of my children. often does he come to my poor house. but let us walk on, señor. there are many things to see. el palacio nacional, where dwells his excellency; the market place, and the alameda. we are proud of our alameda, señor." thus talked on don miguel, and, amused by the novelty of the scene, philip stared round him with great pleasure. they passed the pulquerias, which are the public-houses of tlatonac, saw the palacio nacional, a huge stone building, above which flaunted the yellow flag of the republic, with its device of a white stone, darting rays of red, yellow, green, and blue, in allusion to the opal, explored the prison, which held a fine collection of ruffians, and ultimately arrived at the market place. it was the prettiest sight in tlatonac, and philip was sorry he had not the power to transfer the scene with all its varied hues and picturesque figures to paper. a square, little less large than the great plaza, surrounded on all sides by gaily tinted houses. reds, greens, yellows, pinks, the plaza was girdled by a perfect rainbow, and under the gay awnings before these sat the dealers and their wares. here were tropical fruits from the tierras calientes, comprising oranges, bananas, pineapples, melons, peaches, and an infinite variety of others, all piled in picturesque confusion on the stalls. as to flowers, the whole place was a mass of blossom, from gorgeous red cactus buds to modest bunches of violets. owing to the geography of mexico and central america, the products of both temperate and tropical zones can be found flourishing at one and the same time. hence the violets, which philip had scarcely expected to see. they put him in mind of english woods--of the day when in the isle of wight, jack told him about dolores. "yes, the indians are fond of flowers," said don miguel, when philip expressed his surprise at the profusion of blossoms. "it is a taste they inherit from their ancestors. the aztecs, you know, were famous for floriculture. we love flowers just as passionately; and, go where you will in tlatonac, you will find blooming gardens gay with flowers." "it is a graceful taste, and one which the climate enables you to gratify to the full." "without doubt, señor. we possess three climates in which flourish different products of nature. tlatonac is in the tierra calienti, or hot country. higher up, on the table-lands it is less tropical, and is called the tierra templada, while the snow-clad mountain peaks, where flourish pine trees, oaks, and hemlocks, is known by the name of the tierra fria. thus, you see, in our country we possess all the climates of the world." "a rare advantage. central america is a favoured country." "in all save its rulers," sighed maraquando, regretfully. "nor is its population what it should be. i tell you, señor, this land should be the most powerful in the world. it is the most favoured spot on earth--the garden of paradise; but what with our incessant civil wars, our incompetent governors, and, of late, the tyranny of the church, the whole continent is demoralised. ah, if we but had the man who could weld all our foolish republics into one great nation! then, indeed, would we be the glory of the earth." "don hypolito xuarez evidently looks upon himself as that man." "don hypolito!" echoed maraquando, scornfully. "no, señor; he has the instincts of a tyrant. he would grind down the people as the conquistadores did their ancestors. were he pure minded and noble in his ambition, i--even i, miguel maraquando--would support him. i would lay aside all prejudices to aid him to make our country great. but i know the man, don felipe. he is a half-bred, a treacherous scoundrel, who wants to be the santa anna of the republic. let him beware of iturbide's fate!" "at all events, he intends to become emperor," persisted philip, calmly. "no! the junta has decided that he is to be banished from cholacaca. already the fleet is a acauhtzin to arrest him, and to-morrow we send up a special message that he is to be brought to tlatonac at once." "suppose he refuses to come?" "he will be brought by force." "always provided the fleet do not support his cause." "you, too, señor," said maraquando, thoughtfully; "so said don juan last night. it may be so, and yet i hope, for the sake of the country, that the affair may be ended at once. i believe the navy will continue faithful. my own son, don rafael, is in command of one ship; yet i mistrust xuarez and his oily tongue. yes, señor, i have thought much since don juan and the señor corresponsãl spoke to me last night. i have conferred with his excellency, the president. therefore have we decided to send up a message to-morrow, ordering the return of the fleet with or without xuarez. it does not do to trust him." "you have another man-of-war, then, to go to acauhtzin." "no; we have a small steamer. but she is quick, and will go there and return in no time." "that is if she is permitted to do so," thought philip; but he did not say this aloud, lest don miguel should grow angry. "still, even if the fleet does revolt, we will have the torpederas," said the jefe, cheerfully. "they are now on their way from england. his excellency received a telegram yesterday." "if you have the torpederas, you can do a good deal," replied philip, lighting a cigarette: "and if there is a war, don miguel, my yacht is at the service of the government." "a thousand, thousand thanks, señor!" said miguel, smiling gratefully; "but i hope and trust there will be no occasion for us to ask you to make such a sacrifice. however, we shall soon know--in three days at the most. if the fleet are true to us, they will bring back don hypolito. if not, we shall know what steps to take to defend tlatonac from being bombarded." "by the way, señor," said cassim, thoughtfully, "you have a telegraph-station here. in which direction do the wires run?" "why do you ask, señor?" "because the señor corresponsãl wishes constant communication with england, should there be a war. now, if the wires go north to acauhtzin, they can be cut by don hypolito." "that is true, don felipe. fortunately they do _not_ run north. no; the wires run south to janjalla which town will certainly remain faithful to the government. from thence all messages can with ease be transmitted to england." philip was pleased at this, as he saw that tim would be enabled to transmit messages to england with the greatest ease, and thus cover himself with glory. they conversed for a few minutes on the subject, and then left the market for the alameda. it was a most delightful promenade. high trees on either side, whose branches formed a green arcade above the heads of the promenaders. beds of roses in profusion--brilliant tropical plants, bronze statues, marble statues, and plenty of pleasantly situated seats. one portion was reserved for those who chose to walk, another for horses and their riders. hither came all the aristocracy of the city, when they grew weary of the zocala of the plaza de los hombres ilustres, and on this day the alameda was crowded. in a gaily decorated bandstand, an excellent company of musicians played bright music, mostly airs from comic operas, and philip was amused to hear offenbachian frivolities sounding in this spot. they seemed out of place. the musicians had no sense of the fitness of things. they should have played boleros fandangos--the national music of spain--instead of which they jingled the trashy airs of minor musicians. the alameda was thronged by a motley crowd, presenting more varied features than are to be seen in any other part of the world. indian women squatting at the corners selling fruit and pulque, beautiful señoritas with black mantillas and eloquent fans, gay young cavaliers dashing along on spirited horses, in all the bravery of the national costume, and not seldom a sour-looking duenna, jealously watching her charge. occasionally a priest in shovel-hat and black cassock--but these were very rare. the army was also represented by a number of gaily-dressed officers who smoked cigarettes, smiled at the señoritas, and clanked their huge spurs ostentatiously together. it was a gay scene, and philip admired it greatly. "i have never seen such a mixed crowd anywhere," he said, lightly, "save in the strada reale in valetta." "well!" said maraquando, after a pause, "and what do you think of tlatonac?" "it is a terrestrial paradise," replied philip, "and hypolito is the serpent." chapter vii. dolores. your eyes are dark as midnight skies, and bright as midnight stars, their glance is full of love's romance, when no hate loving mars. oh let those eyes look down on me, oh let those glances wander free, and i will take those stars to be my guides for life, across the ocean of wild strife, dolores! my heart those looks have rent apart, and now 'tis torn in twain; oh take that broken heart, and make with kiss it whole again; oh lightly from thy lattice bend, give but a smile, and it will mend, then love will love be till we end our life of tears, for some sweet life in yonder spheres, dolores! the next day jack came back with dolores and doña serafina. he was puffed up with exceeding pride at his good fortune, for it is not every young man in central america who gets a chance of talking unreservedly with the girl of his heart. the cholacacans treat their women folk as do the turks: shut them up from the insolent glances of other men, and only let them feel their power over the susceptible hearts of cavaliers at the yearly carnival. jack never did approve of these orientalisms, even in his days of heart-wholeness, and now that his future hinged on the smile of dolores, he disapproved of such shuttings up more than ever. fortunately don miguel was not a turk, and gave his womenfolk greater freedom than was usual in tlatonac. dolores and her cousin were not unused to masculine society, and doña serafina was the most good-natured of duennas. consequently they saw a good deal of the creature man, and were correspondingly grateful for the seeing. still, even in cholacaca it is going too far to let a young unmarried fellow ride for many miles beside the caleza of two unmarried ladies. so far as doña serafina was concerned, it did not matter. she was old enough, and ugly enough, to be above suspicion; but dolores--ah, ah!--the scandal-mongers of tlatonac opened their black eyes, and whispered behind their black fans, when they heard of don miguel's folly, of the señor americano's audacity. as a rule, don miguel, proud as lucifer, would not have permitted jack to escort his sister and niece in this way; but the prospect of a war had played havoc with social observances. don rafael was away, don miguel could not leave the capital, and the ladies certainly could not return by themselves, over bad roads infested by indians. thus, the affair admitted of some excuse, and don miguel was grateful to jack for performing what should have been his duty. he did not know that the gratitude was all on the other side, and that duval would have given years of his life for the pleasant journey, obtained with so little difficulty. if he had known--well, don miguel was not the most amiable of men, so there would probably have been trouble. as it was, however, the proud spaniard knew nothing, not even as much as did the gossips of tlatonac; so jack duly arrived with his fair charges, and was duly thanked for his trouble by the grateful maraquando. fate was somewhat ironical in dealing with the matter. that journey was a glimpse of paradise to jack, for he had dolores all to himself. doña serafina, being asleep, did not count. a peon, with a long cigar, who was as stupid as a stone idol, drove the caleza containing the two ladies. doña serafina, overcome by her own stoutness, and the intense heat, slept heavily, and jack, riding close to the carriage, flirted with dolores. there was only one inconvenience about this arrangement--the lovers could not kiss one another. it was a long way from the estancia, but jack wished it was longer, so delightful was his conversation with dolores. she sat in the caleza flirting her big fan, and cooing like a dove, when her lover said something unusually passionate. sometimes she sent a flash of her dark eyes through the veil of her mantilla, and then jack felt queer sensations about the region of the heart. a pleasant situation, yet tantalising, since it was all the "thou art so near and yet so far" business, with no caresses or kisses. when the journey came to an end, they were both half glad, half sorry; the former on account of their inability to come to close quarters, the latter, because they well knew they would not again get such a chance of unwatched courting. eulalia, who guessed all this pleasantness, received her cousin with a significant smile, and took her off to talk over the matter in the solitude of the bedroom they shared together. don miguel seized on his sleepy sister in order to extract from her a trustworthy report as to how things were at the estancia, and jack departed to his own house, to announce his arrival and that of dolores. it was late in the afternoon, for the journey, commencing at dawn, had lasted till close on four o'clock, and jack found his three friends enjoying their siestas. he woke them up, and began to talk dolores. when he had talked himself hoarse, and peter asleep, quoth philip-- "what about the railway works?" "i haven't been near them," said jack, innocently; whereat tim and philip laughed so heartily that they made him blush, and awoke peter. "what are you talking about?" asked peter sleepily. "jack's love affairs," replied philip, laughing. "and by the same token we'll soon be talking of your own," said tim, cruelly. "if you only knew the way he's been carrying on with the black-eyed colleen, jack!" "nonsense," retorted cassim, reddening; "i walked about tlatonac with don miguel yesterday." "you flirted with eulalia last night, anyhow." "don't be jealous, tim. it's a low-minded vice." "oh, so that is the way the wind blows, philip," said jack, stretching himself. "i knew you would fall in love with eulalia. now, it's no use protesting. i know the signs of love, because i've been through the mill myself." "two days' acquaintance, and you say i love the girl! try again, jack." "not i! time counts for naught in a love affair. i fell in love with dolores in two minutes!" "ah, that's the way with us all," said tim, reflectively. "when i was in burmah, there was a girl in mandalay----" "tim, we don't want any of your immoral stories. you'll shock peter--confound him, he's asleep again, like the fat boy in pickwick. well, gentlemen both, i am about to follow the doctor's example. i've been riding all day, and feel baked." "how long do you intend to sleep, jack?" "an hour or so. then we'll have something to eat, and go off to maraquando's to see the ladies. we must introduce peter to his future wife." "begad, i may fall in love with doña serafina myself!" "it's possible, if you are an admirer of the antique," retorted jack, and went off to his bedroom for a few hours' sleep. even lovers require rest, and bucketing about on a half-broken horse for the best part of the day under a grilling sun was calculated to knock up even so tough a subject as jack. "faith!" remarked tim, when jack's long legs vanished through the doorway, "if old serafina smiles on peter, and those girls flirt with you and jack, i'll be left out in the cold. another injustice to ireland." "come to the alameda to-morrow, and pick out a señorita to be your own private property." "what! and get a knife in my ribs. i'm more than seven, philip. why, there was once a girl in cape town who had a boer for a sweetheart----" "and you took the girl, and the boer didn't like it. i know that story, tim. it's a chestnut. you told it in that book of sketches you wrote. go on with your work; i'm sleepy." "ow--ow!" yawned tim, lazily. "i'd like to sleep myself, but that i have to write up this interview with gomez. did i tell you about it, philip?" "yes; you've told me three times, and given three different versions. keep the fourth for _the morning planet_." "but the president said----" "i know all about that," muttered philip, crossly. "what you said--what he said--what maraquando said--and how you all lied against one another. do let us sleep, tim. first jack, then you. upon my--upon my word--upon--on!" and philip went off into a deep slumber. "i hope the interview with gomez won't have the same effect on my readers," said tim, blankly to himself, "or it's the sack i'll be getting. come on with ye! 'there will be no war', said the president. that's a lie, anyhow; but he said it, so down it goes. oh, my immortal soul, it's a liar i am." then he began scratching the paper with a bad pen, and there was peace in the land. that night they duly arrived at maraquando's house in order to ask how politics were progressing. this was the excuse given by three of them; but it was false, as tim well knew. he alone took an interest in politics. even peter had ceased to care about don hypolito, and the opal stone, and the possible war. he--under orders from jack and philip, who wanted the girls to themselves--made himself agreeable to doña serafina. unaccustomed, by reason of her plain looks, to such attentions, she enjoyed the novelty of the thing, and thought this fat little americano delightful. it is true that their conversation was mostly pantomimic; but as the doctor knew a few words of spanish, and serafina had learnt a trifle of english from jack, filtered through dolores, they managed between them to come to a hazy understanding as to what they were talking about. never till that moment did philip feel the infinite charm of that languorous creole life, so full of dreams and idleness. sitting beside eulalia in the warm gloom, he listened to her sparkling conversation, and stared vaguely at the beauty of the scene around him. in the patio all was moonlight and midnight--that is as regards the shadows, for the hour was yet early. here and there in the violet sky trembled a star with mellow lustre, and the keen, cold shafts of moonlight, piercing the dusk, smote the flowers and tessellated pavement with silver rays. pools of white light lay on the floor welling into the shadow even to the little feet of eulalia. the court wore that unfamiliar look, so mysterious, so weird, which only comes with the night and the pale moon. and then--surely that was music--the trembling note of a guitar sounding from the shadowy corner in which jack and dolores were ensconced. in the glimmering light philip could see the grotesque gestures of serafina and the doctor, as they pantomimed to one another on the azotea, and the red tip of miguel's cigar, as he strolled up and down on the flat roof talking seriously with tim. through the warm air, heavy with the perfume of flowers, floated the contralto voice of dolores. the song was in spanish, and that noble tongue sounded rich and full over the sweeping music of the guitar. as translated afterwards by philip (who dabbled in poetry), the words ran thus: in spain! ah, yes, in spain! when day was fading, i heard you serenading, while shed the moon her silver rain, the nightingale your song was aiding, my tresses dark i then was braiding, when to my chamber upward springing there came the burden of your singing, nor was that singing vain in spain--dear spain. from spain! yes, far from spain, we two now wander; and here as yonder a hopeless love for me you feign. alas! of others thou art fonder, and i, forsaken, sit and ponder. yet once again your voice is ringing, i hear the burden of that singing. alas! i fled in vain from spain--dear spain. they applauded the song and the singer, jack looking across to philip as much as to say, "isn't she an angel?" if philip thought so, he did not say so, being busy with eulalia. they were talking chinese metaphysics, a pleasant subject to discuss with a pretty girl well up in the intricacies thereof. as to jack and his angel! "querida!" murmured dolores, slipping her hand into that of her lover's under cover of the darkness; "how lonely has my heart been without thee." "angelito," replied jack, who was an adept at saying pretty things in spanish; "i left behind my heart when i departed, and it has drawn me back to your side." "alas! how long will we be together, juan? i am afraid of this war; should don hypolito conquer!" here she paused and slightly shuddered. "he shall not conquer, cara. what can he do with a few adherents against the power of the government?" "still, the indians----" "you are afraid they will join with him. to what end? xuarez cannot restore the worship of the chalchuih tlatonac." "juan!" said dolores, anxiously, "it is not of xuarez i am so much afraid as of the indians. if there is a war, they may carry me off." "carry you off!" repeated jack, in a puzzled tone of voice. "why, how could they do that? and for what reason?" "they could do it easily by some subtle device; bolts and bars and walled towns are nothing to them when they set their hearts on anything. and they would carry me away because i am the guardian of the chalchuih tlatonac." "who told you all this?" "cocom." "but he does not worship the opal or the old gods. he is a devout catholic." "so says padre ignatius; but i think he is one of those who go to the forest sanctuary. he knows much." "and says nothing. it is death for him to betray the secrets of that aztec worship." "listen, juan, alma de mi alma. the life of cocom was saved by my uncle miguel, and with him gratitude is more powerful than religion. he told me while you were away, that the opal has prophesied war, and on that account the indians are alarmed for me. should there be no guardian of the opal, huitzilopochtli will be angry, and lest i should be killed in the war as soon as the revolt takes place, the indians will carry me for safety into the heart of the country--into those trackless forest depths more profound than the sea." "they shall never do so while i am at hand," said jack, fiercely; "but i don't believe this story of cocom's. you cannot be in such danger." "i am afraid it is true; besides, that is not the only danger--don hypolito!" "what of him?" "he wishes to marry me, juan." duval laughed softly, and pressed the little hand, that lay within his own. "you talk ancient history, querida; i thought we settled that i was to be the favoured one." "it is true! ah, yes, thee alone do i love," whispered dolores, tenderly; "but when you departed, juan, he came to me, this don hypolito, and spoke of love." "confound his impudence!" muttered jack, in english. "what say you, juan? oh, it was terrible! he said, if i became not his wife, that he would plunge the country into war. i did not believe that he could do so or would dare to do so. i refused. then he spoke of my love for you, and swore to kill you." "he'll have to catch me first, dolores." "'there will be war,' said this terrible one, 'and i will tear down the walls of tlatonac to seize you. this americano will i slay and give his body to the dogs.'" "all idle talk, mi cara," said duval, scornfully; "i can protect myself and you. what more did he say?" "little more; but it was the same kind of talk. when he departed, i spoke to my uncle; but don hypolito had by that time gone to acauhtzin." "was don miguel angry?" "very angry! but he could do nothing. don hypolito was far away on the waters." "and will return with fire and blood," said jack, gloomily; "but never fear, dolores. my friends and myself will protect you from this insolent one. if we are conquered, we shall fly to my own land in the vessel of don felipe!" "but what of eulalia?" "ah!" replied her lover, waggishly; "i think you can trust don felipe to look after eulalia." "do you think there will be a war, juan?" "it looks like it. however, we shall know for certain when the messenger comes back from acauhtzin." "yes; my uncle told me the boat had gone up to-day to bid the fleet return." "a wild-goose chase only," thought jack, but held his peace, lest he should alarm dolores. fearful of attracting her uncle's attention by speaking too much to jack, the spanish beauty crossed over to where philip and eulalia were sitting. "señor felipe!" said dolores, gaily, "wherefore do you laugh?" "it is at don pedro and my good aunt," replied eulalia, before philip could speak. "behold them, dolores, making signs like wooden puppets." dolores turned her eyes towards the couple leaning over the azotea railing, and began to laugh also. then jack came over and demanded to be informed of the joke. he was speedily informed of the performance going on above; so that the two actors had quite an audience, although they knew it not. indeed the affair was sufficiently grotesque. it was like a game of dumb crambo, as peter acted a word, and the old lady tried to guess his meaning. for instance, wishing to tell her how he captured butterflies, peter wagged his hands in the air to indicate the flight of insects, then struck at a phantom beetle with an imaginary net. "pajaros!" guessed doña serafina, wrongly. peter did not know this was the spanish for 'birds,' and thought she had caught his meaning. the lady thought so too, and was delighted with her own perspicuity. "bueno, señor! you catch birds! to eat?" she imitated eating, whereon peter shook his head though he was not quite sure if the cholacacans did not eat beetles. foreigners had so many queer customs. seeing peter misunderstood, doña serafina skipped lightly across the azotea, flapping her arms, and singing. then she turned towards the doctor, and nodded encouragingly. "birds!" she said, confidently. "you eat them?" now peter knew that 'comida' meant eating; but quite certain that doña serafina did not devour beetles, set himself to work to show her what he really meant. he ran after imaginary butterflies round the azotea, and, in his ardour, bumped up against tim. "what the devil are you after?" said tim, displeased at his conversation with maraquando being interrupted. "why can't you behave yourself, you ill-conducted little person." "do they eat beetles, here?" asked tim, eagerly. "beetles! they'd be thin, if they did," said tim, drily. "i don't know. do you eat beetles, señor?" he added, turning to don miguel. the spaniard made a gesture of disgust, and looked inquiringly at his sister. "los pajaros," explained doña serafina, smiling. "oh, 'tis birds she's talking about!" "birds!" replied the doctor, blankly. "i thought i showed her butterflies. this way," and he began hovering round again. tim roared. "they'll think you have gone out of what little mind you possess, peter!" "ah, pobrecito," said serafina, when the meaning of the pantomime was explained, "i thought he was playing at a flying bird." "you'll never make your salt as an actor, peter," jeered tim, as they all laughed over the mistake. "i'd better call up philip and jack to keep you straight. jack, come up here, and bring philip with you." "all right," replied jack, from the depths below, where they had been watching the performance with much amusement; "we are coming." the quartette soon made their appearance in the azotea, where peter's mistake was explained. "do it again, peter," entreated philip, laughing; "you have no idea how funny you look flopping about!" "i shan't," growled the doctor, ruffled. "why can't they talk english?" "doña dolores can talk a little," said jack, proudly "señorita talk to my friend in his own tongue." "it is a nice day," repeated doña dolores, slowly; "'ow do you do?" "quite well, thank you," replied peter, politely; whereat his friends laughed again in the most unfeeling manner. "oh, you can laugh," said peter, indignantly; "but if i was in love with a girl, i would teach her some better words than about the weather, and how do you do!" "i have done so," replied jack, quietly; "but those words are for private use." at this moment dolores, laughing behind her fan, was speaking to doña serafina, who thereupon advanced towards peter. "i can speak to the americano," she announced to the company; then, fixing peter with her eye, said, with a tremendous effort, "darling!" "oh!" said the modest peter, taken aback, "she said, 'darling'!" "darling!" repeated serafina, who was evidently quite ignorant of the meaning. "that's one of the words for private use, eh, jack?" laughed philip, quite exhausted with merriment. "a very good word. i must teach it to doña eulalia." "it's too bad of you, doña dolores," said jack, reproachfully; whereat dolores laughed again at the success of her jest. "did the señor have good sport with cocom," asked don miguel, somewhat bewildered at all this laughter, the cause of which, ignorant as he was of english, he could not understand. "did you have a good time, peter," translated tim, fluently, "with the beetles." "oh, splendid! tell him splendid. i captured some papilionidae! and a beautiful little glow-worm. one of the elateridae species, and----" "i can't translate all that jargon, you fat little humming-bird! he had good sport, señor," he added, suddenly turning to don miguel. "bueno!" replied the spaniard, gravely, "it is well." it was no use trying to carry on a common conversation, as the party invariably split up into pairs. dolores and eulalia were already chatting confidentially to their admirers. doña serafina began to make more signs to peter, with the further addition of a parrot-cry of "darling," and tim found himself once more alone with don miguel. "i have written out my interview with the president," he said slowly; "and it goes to england to-morrow. would you like to see it first, señor?" "if it so pleases you, señor correspoñsal." "good! then i shall bring it with me to-morrow morning. has that steamer gone to acauhtzin yet?" "this afternoon it departed, señor. it will return in two days with the fleet." "i hope so, don miguel, but i am not very certain," replied tim, significantly. "his excellency gomez does not seem very sure of the fleet's fidelity either." "there are many rumours in tlatonac," said maraquando, impatiently. "all lies spread by the opposidores--by xuarez and his gang. i fear the people are becoming alarmed. the army, too, talk of war. therefore, to set all these matters at rest, to-morrow evening his excellency the president will address the tlatonacians at the alameda." "why at the alameda?" "because most of them will be assembled there at the twilight hour, señor. it is to be a public speech to inspire our people with confidence in the government, else would the meeting be held in the great hall of the palacio nacional." "i would like to hear don franciso gomez speak, so i and my friends will be at the alameda." "you will come with me, señor correspoñsal," said miguel, politely; "my daughter, niece, and sister are also coming." "the more the merrier! it will be quite a party, señor." "it is a serious position we are in," said maraquando, gravely; "and i trust the word of his excellency will show the tlatonacians that there is nothing to be feared from don hypolito." at this moment doña serafina, who had swooped down on her charges, appeared to say good night. both dolores and eulalia were unwilling to retire so early, but their aunt was adamant, and they knew that nothing could change her resolution, particularly as she had grown weary of fraternising with peter. "bueno noche tenga, vm," said doña serafina, politely, and her salutation was echoed by the young ladies in her wake. "con dios va usted, señora," replied tim, kissing the old lady's extended hand, after which they withdrew. dolores managed to flash a tender glance at jack as they descended into the patio, and philip, leaning over the balustrade of the azotea caught a significant wave of eulalia's fan, which meant a good deal. cassim knew all those minute but eloquent signs of love. shortly afterwards they also took their leave after refusing maraquando's hospitable offer of pulque. "no, sir," said tim, as they went off to their own mansion; "not while there is good whisky to be had." "but pulque isn't bad," protested jack, more for the sake of saying something than because he thought so. "well, drink it yourself, jack, and leave us the crather!" "talking about 'crathers,'" said philip, mimicking tim's brogue, "what do you think of doña serafina, peter?" "a nice old lady, but not beautiful. i would rather be with doña eulalia." "would you, indeed?" retorted cassim, indignantly. "as if she would understand those idiotic signs you make." "they are quite intelligible to----" "be quiet, boys!" said tim, as they stopped at the door of jack's house, "you'll get plenty of fighting without starting it now. there's going to be a home rule meeting to-morrow." "where, tim?" "in the alameda, no less. his excellency the lord lieutenant is to speak to the crowd." "he'll tell a lot of lies, i expect," said jack, sagely. "well, he can say what he jolly well pleases. i'll lay any odds that before the week's out war will be proclaimed." he was a truer prophet than he thought. chapter viii. viva el republica. no king have we with golden crown, to tread the sovereign people down; all men are equal in our sight-- the ruler ranks but with the clown. our symbol is the opal bright, which darts its rays of rainbow light, prophetic of all coming things, of blessing, war, disaster, blight. red glow abroad the opal flings, to us the curse of war it brings; and evil days there soon shall be, beneath the war-god's dreaded wings. yet knowing what we soon shall see, we'll boldly face this misery, and fight, though dark our fortunes frown, for life, and home, and liberty. padre ignatius always said that his flock were true and devout catholics, who believed in what they ought to believe. strictly speaking, the flock of padre ignatius was limited to the congregation of a little adobe church on the outskirts of the town, but his large heart included the whole population of tlatonac in that ecclesiastical appellation. everyone knew the padre and everyone loved him, jesuit though he was. for fifty years had he laboured in the vineyard of tlatonac, but when his fellow-labourers were banished, the government had not the heart to bid him go. so he stayed on, the only representative of his order in all cholacaca, and prayed and preached and did charitable works, as had been his custom these many years past. with his thin, worn face, rusty cassock, slouch hat, and kindly smile, padre ignatius, wonderfully straight considering his seventy years, attended to the spiritual wants of his people, and said they were devout catholics. he always over-estimated human nature, did the padre. so far as the padre saw, this might have been the case, and nobody having the heart to undeceive him, he grew to believe that these half-civilised savages were christians to the bone; but there was no doubt that nine out of every ten in his flock were very black sheep indeed. they would kneel before the gaudy shrine of the adobe chapel, and say an ave for every bead of the rosary, but at one time or another every worshipper was missing, each in his or her turn. they had been to the forest for this thing, for that thing; they had been working on the railway fifty miles inland, or fishing some distance up the coast. such were the excuses they gave, and padre ignatius, simple-hearted soul, believed them, never dreaming that they had been assisting in the worship of the chalchuih tlatonac in the hidden temple of huitzilopochtli. the belief in the devil stone was universal throughout cholacaca. not only did the immediate flock of padre ignatius revere it as a symbol of the war-god, but every person in the republic who had indian blood in his or her veins firmly believed that the shining precious stone exercised a power over the lives and fortunes of all. nor was such veneration to be wondered at, considering how closely the history of the great gem was interwoven with that of the country. the shrine of the opal had stood where now arose the cathedral; the indian appellation of the jewel had given its name to the town; and the picture representation of the gem itself was displayed on the yellow standard of the republic. hardly any event since the foundation of the city could be mentioned with which the harlequin opal was not connected in some way. it was still adored in the forest temple by thousands of worshippers, and, unknown as it was to the padres, there were few peons, leperos, or mestizos who had not seen the gem flash on the altar of the god. cholacacans of pure spanish blood, alone refrained from actual worship of the devil stone, and even these were more or less tinctured with the superstition. it is impossible to escape the influence of an all-prevailing idea, particularly in a country not quite veneered by civilisation. on this special evening, when president gomez was to address the populace, and assure them that there would be no war, the alameda presented an unusually lively appearance. it had been duly notified that his excellency would make a speech on the forthcoming crisis, hence the alameda was crowded with people anxious to hear the official opinion of the affair. the worst of it was, had gomez but known it, that the public mind was already made up. there was to be war, and that speedily, for a rumour had gone forth from the sanctuary of the opal that the gem was burning redly as a beacon fire. everyone believed that this foreboded war, and gomez, hoping to assure the tlatonacians of peace, might as well have held his tongue. they would not believe him as the opal stone had prophesied a contrary opinion. but beyond an idle whisper or so, gomez did not know this thing, therefore he came to the alameda and spoke encouragingly to the people. from all quarters of the town came the inhabitants to the alameda, and the vast promenade presented a singularly gay appearance. the national costumes of spanish america were wonderfully picturesque, and what with the background of green trees, sparkling fountains, brilliant flower-beds, and, over all, the violet tints of the twilight, philip found the scene sufficiently charming. he was walking beside jack, in default of eulalia, who, in company with dolores, marched demurely beside doña serafina. this was a public place, the eyes of tlatonac gossips were sharp, their tongues were bitter, so it behoved discreet young ladies, as these, to keep their admirers at a distance. in the patio it was quite different. tim had gone off with don miguel, to attach himself to the personal staff of the president, and take shorthand notes of the speech. it had been the intention of peter to follow his irish friend, but, unfortunately, he lost him in the crowd, and therefore returned to the side of philip, who caught sight of him at once. "where's tim?" asked the baronet, quickly; "gone off with don miguel?" "yes; to the palacio nacional." "i thought you were going?" "i lost sight of them." "an excuse, peter," interposed jack, with a twinkle in his eye. "you remained behind to look at the señoritas." peter indignantly repudiated the idea. "his heart is true to his poll," said philip, soothingly; "thereby meaning doña serafina. darling!" philip mimicked the old lady's pronunciation of the word, and jack laughed; not so peter. "how you do go on about doña serafina?" he said fretfully. "after all, she is not so very ugly, though she may not have the thirty points of perfection." "eh, peter, i didn't know you were learned in such gallantries; and what are the thirty points of perfection?" the doctor was about to reply, when cocom, wrapped in his zarape, passed slowly by, and took off his sombrero to the party. "a dios, señores," said cocom, gravely. "our indian friend," remarked jack, with a smile. "ven aca cocom! have you come to hear the assurance of peace." "there will be no peace, señor juan. i am old--very old, and i can see into the future. it is war i see--the war of acauhtzin." "ah! is that your own prophecy or that of the chalchuih tlatonac." "i know nothing of the chalchuih tlatonac, don juan," replied cocom, who always assumed the role of a devout catholic; "but i hear many things. ah, yes, i hear that the chalchuih tlatonac is glowing as a red star." "and that means war!" "it means war, señor, and war there will be. the chalchuih tlatonac never deceives. con dios va usted señor." "humph!" said jack, thoughtfully, as cocom walked slowly away; "so that is the temper of the people, is it? the opal says war. in that case it is no use gomez saying peace, for they will not believe him." during this conversation with the indian, philip had gone on with peter, so as to keep the ladies in sight. jack pushed his way through the crowd and found them seated near the bandstand, from whence the president was to deliver his speech. as yet, his excellency had not arrived, and the band were playing music of a lively description, principally national airs, as gomez wished to arouse the patriotism of the tlatonacians. the throng of people round the bandstand was increasing every moment. it was composed of all sorts and conditions of men and women, from delicate señoritas, draped in lace mantillas, to brown-faced indian women, with fat babies on their backs; gay young hidalgos, in silver-buttoned buckskin breeches, white ruffled shirts, and short jackets, and smart military men in the picturesque green uniform of the republic. all the men had cigarettes, all the women fans, and there was an incessant chatter of voices as both sexes engaged in animated conversation on the burning subject of the hour. here and there moved the neveros with their stock of ice-creams, grateful to thirsty people on that sultry night, the serenos keeping order among the indians with their short staves, and many water-carriers with their leather clothes and crocks. above the murmur of conversation arose the cries of these perambulating traders. "tortillas de cuajuda," "bocadillo de coco," and all the thousand and one calls announcing the quality of their goods. many of the ladies were driving in carriages, and beside them rode caballeros, mounted on spirited horses, exchanging glances with those whom they loved. the air of the alameda was full of intrigue and subtle understandings. the wave of a fan, the glance of a dark eye, the dropping of a handkerchief, the removal of a sombrero, all the mute signs which pass between lovers who dare not speak, and everywhere the jealous watching of husbands, the keen eyes of vigilant duennas. "it is very like the puerta del sol in madrid," said philip in a low whisper, as he stood beside eulalia; "the same crowd, the same brilliance, the same hot night and tropic sky. upon my word, there is but little difference between the old spain and the new." "ah!" sighed eulalia, adjusting her mantilla; "how delightful it must be in madrid!" "not more delightful than here, señorita. at least, i think so--now." eulalia cast an anxious glance at her duenna, and made a covert sign behind her fan for him to be silent. "speak to my aunt, don felipe!" "i would rather speak to you," hinted philip, with a grimace. "can young ladies speak to whom they please in your country?" "i should rather think so. in my country the ladies are quite as independent as the gentlemen, if not more so." "oh, oh! el viento que corre es algo fresquito." "the wind which blows is a little fresh," translated philip to himself; "i suppose that is the spanish for 'i don't believe you.' but it is true, señorita," he added quickly, in her own tongue; "you will see it for yourself some day." "i fear not. there is no chance of my leaving tlatonac." "who knows?" replied philip, with a meaning glance. eulalia cast down her eyes in pretty confusion. decidedly this americano was delightful, and remarkably handsome; but then he said such dreadful things. if doña serafina heard them--eulalia turned cold at the idea of what that vigorous lady would say. "bueno!" chattered the duenna at this moment; "they are playing the 'fandango of the opal!'" this was a local piece of music much in favour with the tlatonacians, and was supposed to represent the indian sacred dance before the shrine of the gem. as the first note struck their ears, the crowd applauded loudly; for it was, so to speak, the national anthem of cholacaca. before the band-stand was a clear space of ground, and, inspired by the music, two mestizos, man and woman, sprang into the open, and began to dance the fandango. the onlookers were delighted, and applauded vehemently. they were both handsome young people, dressed in the national costume, the girl looking especially picturesque with her amber-coloured short skirt, her gracefully draped mantilla, and enormous black fan. the young fellow had castanets, which clicked sharply to the rhythm of the music, as they whirled round one another like bacchantes. the adoration of the opal, the reading of the omen, the foretelling of successful love, all were represented marvellously in wonderful pantomime. then the dancers flung themselves wildly about, with waving arms and mad gestures, wrought up to a frenzy by the inspiriting music. indeed, the audience caught the contagion, and began to sing the words of the opal song-- breathe not a word while the future divining, true speaks the stone as the star seers above, green as the ocean the opal is shining, green is prophetic of hope and of love. kneel at the shrine while the future discerning, see how the crimson ray strengthens and glows; red as the sunset the opal is burning, red is prophetic of death to our foes. at this moment, the carriage of the president, escorted by a troop of cavalry, arrived at the band-stand. the soldiers, in light green uniforms, with high buff boots, scarlet waistbands, and brown sombreros, looked particularly picturesque, but the short figure of the president, arrayed in plain evening dress, appeared rather out of place amid all this military finery. the only token of his excellency's rank was a broad yellow silk ribbon, embroidered with the opal, which he wore across his breast. miguel maraquando and tim were in the carriage with the president, and the irishman recognised his friends with a wave of his hand. "tim is in high society," said peter, with a grin. "we will have to call him don tim after this." "we'll call you 'donkey' after this, if you make such idiotic remarks," replied jack, severely. "be quiet, doctor, and listen to the speechifying." the president was received with acclamation by those in the alameda, which showed that tlatonac was well disposed towards the established government. it is true that one or two friends of xuarez attempted to get up a counter demonstration; but the moment they began hissing and shouting for don hypolito, the serenos pounced down and marched them off in disgrace. his excellency, attended by don miguel and several other members of the junta, came forward, hat in hand, to the front of the band-stand, and, after the musicians had stopped playing the "fandango," began to speak. gomez was a fat little man, of no very striking looks; but when he commenced speaking, his face glowed with enthusiasm, and his rich, powerful voice reached everyone clearly. the man was a born orator, and, as the noble tongue of castille rolled sonorously from his mouth, he held his mixed audience spell-bound. the listeners did not believe in his assurances, but they were fascinated by his oratory. it was a sight not easily forgotten. the warm twilight, the brilliant equatorial vegetation, the equally brilliant and picturesque crowd, swaying restlessly to and fro; far beyond, through a gap in the trees, in the violet atmosphere, the snow-clad summit of xicotencatl, the largest of cholacacan volcanoes, and everywhere the vague languor of the tropics. gomez, a black figure against the glittering background of uniforms, spoke long and eloquently. he assured them that there would be no war. don hypolito xuarez had no supporters; the junta was about to banish him from the country; the prosperity of cholacaca was fully assured; it was to be a great nation; he said many other pleasant things, which flattered, but deceived not the tlatonacians. "yes, señores," thundered the president, smiting his breast, "i, who stand here--even, i, francisco gomez, the representative of the republic of cholacaca--tell you that our land still rests, and shall rest under the olive tree of peace. we banish don hypolito xuarez--we banish all traitors who would crush the sovereign people. the rulers of cholacaca, elected by the nation, are strong and wise. they have foreseen this tempest, and by them it will be averted. believe not, my fellow-countrymen, the lying rumours of the streets! i tell you the future is fair. there will be no war!" at this moment he paused to wipe his brow, and then, as if to give the lie to his assertion, in the dead silence which followed, was heard the distant boom of a cannon. astonished at the unfamiliar sound, the tlatonacians looked at one another in horror. gomez paused, handkerchief in hand, with a look of wonderment on his face. no one spoke, no one moved, it was as though the whole of that assemblage had been stricken into stone by some powerful spell. in the distance sounded a second boom, dull and menacing, there was a faint roar far away as of many voices. it came nearer and nearer, and those in the alameda began to add their voices to the din. was the city being shelled by the revolting war-ships; had don hypolito surprised the inland walls with an army of indians. terror was on the faces of all--the clamour in the distance came nearer, waxed louder. a cloud of dust at the bend of the avenue, and down the central walk, spurring his horse to its full speed, dashed a dishevelled rider. the horse stopped dead in front of the band-stand, scattering the people hither and thither like wind-driven chaff; a young man in naval uniform flung himself to the ground, and ran up to the astonished president. "your excellency, the fleet have revolted to don hypolito xuarez! he is entrenched in the rebel town of acauhtzin. i alone have escaped, and bring you news that he has proclaimed war against the republic!" a roar of rage went up to the sky. "the opal! the prophecy of the chalchuih tlatonac!" cried the multitude. "viva el republica! death to the traitor xuarez!" gomez was listening to the messenger, who talked volubly. then the president turned towards the people, and, by a gesture of his hand, enjoined silence. the roar at once sank to a low murmur. "what don rafael maraquando says is true," said gomez, loudly. "this traitor, xuarez, has seduced the allegiance of the fleet--of acauhtzin. the republic must prepare for war----" he could speak no further, for his voice was drowned in the savage roaring of the multitude. everyone seemed to have gone mad. the crowd of people heaved round the band-stand like a stormy sea. a thousand voices cursed the traitor xuarez, lauded the republic, and repeated the prophecy of the harlequin opal. the whole throng was demoralised by the news. "war! war! to acauhtzin!" roared the throats of the mob. "death to xuarez! viva el republica! viva libertad!" gomez made a sign to the band, which at once burst out into the fandango of the opal. a thousand voices began singing the words, a thousand people began to dance wildly. ladies waved their handkerchiefs, men shouted and embraced one another, and amid the roar of the mob and the blare of the band, don francisco gomez entered his carriage and drove away escorted by the cavalry. tim fought his way through the crowd down from the band-stand, and reached the maraquando part, where he found the three ladies, more excited than frightened, standing for safety in the circle formed by the five men. two of the men were embracing--don miguel and his son. "it's a great day for cholacaca," cried tim, excitedly. "i wouldn't have missed it for a fortune. viva el republica! ah, peter, my boy, this is better than the butterflies." "my son! my son, how did you escape?" said don miguel, throwing his arms round rafael's neck. "i will tell you all at the house, my father," replied the young man. "let us go now with the ladies to our home. señores," he added, turning to the englishmen, "you will come, too, i trust?" it was no easy matter to get through the crowd, but ultimately the five men managed to push a path to a caleza for the ladies, placed them therein, and when it drove off, hastened themselves to the casa maraquando. the whole city was in commotion. in the plaza de los hombres ilustres a crowd had collected to salute the great yellow standard of the republic, which streamed from the tower of the palacio nacional. "the opal! the opal! the prophecy of the tlatonac chalchuih," roared the crowd, stamping and yelling. "they will believe in that stone more than ever now," whispered philip to jack, as they entered the zaguan of maraquando's house. "what do you think of it, jack?" "oh, it's easy to prophesy when you know," retorted jack, scornfully. "of course, xuarez told the indians he was going to revolt, and the priests of the temple have used the information to advertise the stone. of course it grew red, and prophesied war under the circumstances. that is all the magic about the affair." in the patio the ladies were waiting for them in a state of great excitement, and welcomed don rafael as one returned from the dead. he embraced his sister, cousin, and aunt; which privilege was rather envied by the four friends, as regards the first two, and was then formally introduced to the englishmen. his eye flashed as he saluted tim and heard his vocation. "you will have plenty to write about, señor correspoñsal," he said, fiercely; "there will be a war, and a bitter war too. i have barely escaped with my life from acauhtzin." "tell me all about it, señor," said tim, taking out his pocket-book; "and the news will go off to london to-night." "a thousand regrets, señor correspoñsal, that i cannot give you a detailed account at present, but i am worn out. i have not slept for days!" "pobrecito," cried the ladies, in a commiserating tone. "i will, at all events, tell you shortly," resumed rafael, without taking any notice of the interruption. "i commanded _the pizarro_, and went up to acauhtzin to arrest xuarez, according to the order of the government. as he refused to surrender, and as the town had declared in his favour, i thought we would have to bombard it. but think, señores, think. when i came back to my ship, i was arrested by my own crew, by my own officers. seduced by the oily tongue of xuarez, they had revolted. in vain i implored! i entreated! i threatened! i commanded! they refused to obey any other than the traitor xuarez. the other ships behaved in the same way. all the officers who, like myself, were known to be true to the government, were arrested and thrown into prison, i among the number." "ay de mi," cried serafina, in tears, "what an indignity!" don rafael was choking with rage, and forgot his manners. "carambo!" he swore roundly, "behold me, gentlemen. look at my uniform! thus was it insulted by the rebels of acauhtzin, whose houses, i hope, with the blessing of god, to burn over their heads. i swear it!" he wrenched a crucifix from his breast, and kissed it passionately. it was a striking scene: the dim light, the worn-out young fellow in the ragged uniform, and his figure black against the lights in the patio, passionately kissing the symbol of his faith. "how did you escape, my son," said maraquando, whose eyes were flashing with hatred and wrath. "there was a man--one of my sailors, to whom i had shown favour--he was made one of the prison guards, and, out of kindness, assisted me to escape; but he was too fearful to help any of the others. in the darkness of night, i cut through my prison bars with a file he had given me. i climbed down the wall by a rope, and, when on the ground, found him, waiting me. he hurried me down to the water's edge, and placed me in a boat with food for a few days. i rowed out in the darkness, past the ships, and luckily managed to escape their vigilance. then i hoisted the sail, and, as there was a fair wind, by dawn i was far down the coast. i need not tell you all my adventures, how i suffered, how i starved, how i thirsted--cursed, cursed, xuarez!" he stamped with rage up and down the patio while the ladies exclaimed indignantly at the treatment to which he had been subjected. then he resumed his story hurriedly, evidently wishing to get it over-- "this morning, i fortunately fell in with the steamer sent up by the government, which picked me up. i told the captain all, and he returned at once with the news, arriving at tlatonac some time ago. i ordered him to fire those guns announcing my arrival, and hearing his excellency was addressing a meeting at the alameda, jumped on a horse and rode here. the rest you know." "good!" said tim, who had been busily taking notes, "i'm off to the telegraph-office, señores. good night." tim went off, and the others were not long in following his example. overcome by fatigue, don rafael had fallen, half-fainting, in a chair, and the ladies were attending to him; so, seeing they were rather in the way, jack and his friends, saying good night, left the house. the city was still heaving with excitement. bands of men went past dancing and singing. the bells clashed loudly from every tower, and every now and then a rocket scattered crimson fire in the sky. war was proclaimed! the whole of tlatonac was in a state of frenzy, and there would be no sleep for anyone that night. "we're in for it now," said jack, jubilantly, "hear the war-song!" a band of young men with torches tramped steadily towards the square, singing the national anthem of tlatonac. philip caught the last two lines roared triumphantly as they disappeared in the distance: red as the sunset the opal is burning, red is prophetic of death to our foes. chapter ix. the call to arms. ta ra ra! ta ra ra! the trumpets are blowing, and thrice hath their brazen notes pealed. to battle! to battle the soldiers are going, to conquer or die on the field. on, soldiers! brave soldiers, who venture your lives you fight for your country and sweethearts and wives. ta ra ra! ta ra ra! the drums roll like thunder, and women's tears falling like rain. for lovers! for lovers are parted asunder, till victory crowns the campaign. on, soldiers! brave soldiers go forth to the fray, and close with the foe in their battle array. ta ra ra! ta ra ra! the banners are flying, and horses prance proudly along, for women! for women are bitterly crying, as passes the red-coated throng. on, soldiers! brave soldiers! soon homeward you'll ride, encircled with bay leaves and greeted with pride. at this eventful moment of its history, cholacaca woke from its slumber of years, as did the sleeping beauty from her century sleep. no more the lethargic life, the indolent enjoyments, the languorous dreamings in an enchanted city. a sharp breath of war from the north swept away the sedative atmosphere; the thunder of the cannon roused tlatonac to unexampled excitement. rebellion and preparation for invasion at acauhtzin, indignation and preparation for defence, for punishment in the capital of the republic. in these days of alarm and danger, the city resembled one vast camp, and the descendants of the conquistadores, the posterity of the mayas, proved themselves to be not unworthy of their glorious traditions, both spanish and indian. it was a turning-point in the history of the republic. the two persons most desirous for the speedy commencement of this fratricidal war were tim and don rafael: the former as he wished information for his journal, the latter because he was burning to revenge the insults and indignities to which he had been subjected by the rebels at acauhtzin. jack was rather dismayed at the near prospect of hostilities, fearing lest harm should result therefrom to dolores at the hands of don hypolito, or those of the forest indians. for their part, philip and peter assumed a neutral position, the one from indolence, the other because he was entomologically engaged. what was the hunting of men compared with the hunting of butterflies, the capture of rebels with the capture of rare beetles? no, peter preferred science to war. the loss of the fleet was a great blow to the strength of the government, as it, comparatively speaking, placed the capital at the mercy of the rebel, xuarez. communication between the two places was only possible by water, owing to the roughness and savagery of the interior, so the government were unable to march their troops to acauhtzin, and nip the rebellion in the bud. on the other hand, as soon as xuarez had completed his plans, he would doubtless come south with his ships and bombard tlatonac from the sea. most of the city being built on the hill, topped by the vast fabric of the cathedral, offered considerable advantages to the besiegers, and as their vessels would keep well out of the range of the forts, it would be difficult to silence their guns. from this point of view the outlook was certainly not encouraging, but the junta did its best by every possible means to guard against possible contingencies. the army was drawn up in the plaza de san jago, and reviewed by the president in person. he made a brilliant speech, reminded the troops of their glorious predecessors, who had thrown off the yoke of spain, implored them not to disgrace the flag of the opal, and promised them a speedy victory over these audacious rebels if they would but be true to their leaders. the troops received this patriotic oration with acclamation, cheered the brave little man at the conclusion of his address, uncovered to salute the flag of cholacaca, and swore, one and all, to leave no rebel alive in acauhtzin or elsewhere. it was a scene of tremendous excitement, and patriotism was at fever-heat in tlatonac the whole of the day. the great banner of the republic, only seen on special feast-days, was on this occasion brought forth from the treasury by order of gomez and displayed to the troops. it was truly a gorgeous flag. composed of yellow silk, covered with featherwork, after the manner of the aztecs, it glittered in the sunlight like a vast jewel. the sacred stone in the centre was represented by a cluster of real opals from queretaro, and the red, green, blue, and yellow rays therefrom were composed of ruby, emerald, turquoise and topaz stones. it was the sacred ensign of cholacaca, the palladium of the republic, and in the estimation of the inhabitants was held to be as sacred as the holy standard of the osmanli. when its splendours streamed in the warm air, with flash of feather and glitter of jewel, a shout arose from soldiers and civilians alike which might have been heard at acauhtzin. with that flag waving over them the tlatonacians could not think of anything but victory. "it is like the standard of harold at the battle of hastings," said philip, looking at the splendid flag. "it is to be hoped it will not bring gomez such bad luck." "not a bit of it, my boy," replied tim, who was busy with his inevitable note-book. "we're going to be the death and glory lads this time, anyhow." "you quite identify yourself with the government, i see, tim," remarked peter, who was standing by the caleza of doña serafina. "what!" shouted tim, playfully, "have we a traitor here? away with ye, peter, or i'll stick a pin in you, like one of those butterflies you're so fond of impaling. don't i come of a fighting family myself." "is the señor correspoñsal angry?" asked dolores of jack, in alarm. "no, señorita; he is patriotic. his nation always make a noise when they grow patriotic. sing the 'wearing of the green,' tim," he added, in english. "by st. patrick! 'tis the 'opal fandango' i'll have to learn, sir. be quiet, jack. the troops are marching past the saluting-point." the great standard was waving over the heads of the presidential staff, near which were the maraquando party and their friends. don miguel himself was with his excellency, mounted on a fiery steed, which he managed with the consummate ease of a practised rider. the band was playing the "march of zuloaga," in allusion to the hero who had founded the republic. to its stirring strains the troops marched past, saluting gomez and his officers as each regiment came abreast of the flag. the plaza de san jago, a vast clear space used for the parade-ground of the cholacacan army, was quite filled with the troops, as there could not have been less than two thousand present. this was not the full power of the army, for janjalla, chichimec, puebla de los naranjos, and many of the inland towns, were garrisoned with troops. already messages had been sent to the commandants of these outlying garrisons to march with their full strength of men to the capital, but as yet they had not arrived, and the two thousand soldiers present in the great plaza represented all the men at the immediate disposal of the government. it was a splendid sight to see these soldiers marching past the saluting-point, as, with few exceptions, they were a fine body of men. the uniforms were gaudy, and somewhat fantastical, and each regiment had its special flag and appellation. there was the regimiento de los pajaros, whose banner, like that of the republic, was composed of humming-bird's feathers; the regimiento de zuloaga, who marched under the pictured face of the founder of cholacaca; the regimiento de fray medina, bearing the pennant of the church, embroidered with the cathedral of which that monk was the builder; and many others, all looking ready and fit for work in the field. the eyes of the president flashed with enthusiasm as file after file of men ranged past and the inspiriting music of the "zuloaga march" added not a little to the patriotism of his feelings. "xuarez is already conquered," he said to maraquando, who rode beside him. "he can oppose no troops to ours." "with the exception of the regimiento de huitzilopochtli, which is at present at acauhtzin and has doubtless embraced his cause." "true, señor, and he also will stir up the indians!" "i do not care for the indians," replied maraquando, quietly, "they cannot stand against troops armed as ours. if he attacks tlatonac by land he will be beaten, but xuarez is too crafty to venture so rashly. he has the fleet, and will blockade the city." "let him do so," retorted gomez, in a fiery tone; "we do not depend on foreign countries for our food. he cannot starve us out." "true enough; but while he has the fleet he can prolong the war to an indefinite period. unless we can march our troops to acauhtzin, and crush him at his head-quarters, there is no way of bringing the rebellion to a conclusion." "and we have no ships! carambo! it is unfortunate. but no matter. the republic is rich; she has money! we will send for ships of war, for guns, for engineers, and sooner or later will invest acauhtzin. then xuarez will meet with the fate he deserves." at this moment the crack cavalry regiment of cholacaca passed proudly by, with waving plumes and prancing horses. deprived of his ship by xuarez, don rafael had asked for and obtained a commission in this corps, and was now riding at the head of his men with his brother officers. accustomed from childhood, like all american spaniards, to horses, he had no difficulty in exchanging the deck for the saddle, and looked a gallant figure as he dashed past on his fiery mustang. "egad, jack, we must enlist also, like don rafael," said philip, gaily, as they saw the young man gallop past. "doña dolores," he added, turning to her, "we are going to become soldiers." "in the regimiento de las señoritas!" exclaimed doña eulalia, clapping her hands. "what, señorita! a regiment of women?" "oh no!" interposed doña serafina, with a fascinating smile; "it is a corps raised in the last war by the ladies of tlatonac. see! here come the valiant ones." "foot soldiers!" said jack, in disgust, as the regiment filed past; "no, doña serafina. nothing less than a cavalry corps will suit us." "but can don pedro ride, señor?" "what's that about me?" asked peter, overhearing his name. "doña serafina wants you to enlist," explained philip, maliciously. "no," replied peter, firmly; "i will physic the soldiers, and cut off their legs and arms; but i am a man of peace, and i will not enlist." "you little duffer!" said tim, reverting to his school-boy phraseology, "we'll make you doctor of the regiment. i'd like to enlist myself, but the editor would never hear of such a thing. it's my walking ticket i'd be getting if i did." "well, philip and myself shall enlist," observed jack, brightly. "you, peter, shall attend to us when we are wounded, and tim shall cover us with glory in the columns of _the morning planet_. he shall be the bard to celebrate our deeds." this scheme was explained to the ladies and found much favour in their sight. in fact, the whole female population of tlatonac was seized with a violent attack of "scarlet fever," and no one who was not a soldier found any favour in their eyes. "you will be as valiant as the cid," said dolores, looking tenderly at jack from behind her black fan. "with you to smile on me, i can scarcely be a coward," he replied, in a low tone so as not to reach the vigilant ears of the duenna. "i will ask his excellency for a commission in your cousin's regiment." "and you also, don felipe," said eulalia, vivaciously. "el regimiento del caballeros is the finest in the army. you would look so well in the uniform." she flashed a bewitching look at philip, which sent that young man's blood spinning through his veins. he had quite given up fighting against his fate, and was fathoms deep in love. doña eulalia could use her eyes with great effect, and philip had now surrendered at discretion. it is only fair to say that the victress took no undue advantage of her conquest. indeed, philip did not know yet if she returned his love. eulalia was a born coquette, and he was terribly afraid lest she should be only amusing herself. this enlistment in the army might clinch the matter, and induce her to smile on his suit. "for your sake, i will play the bear," he whispered, alluding to a foolish custom of the cholacacans whereby a young man walks up and down in front of the window of his beloved like a bear. "no; i do not care for you to play the bear, señor. fight in the regiment of my brother, and when you return victorious--well, who knows?" philip looked, eulalia smiled significantly. they thoroughly understood one another, in spite of doña serafina and the restrictions of cholacacan courtship. eyes can speak as eloquently as can tongues, and are quite as intelligible--to the initiated. "kismet!" muttered philip, as he went off the parade-ground with the ladies and his friends; "it is, written." "what is written?" asked peter, who was always overhearing what was not meant for his ears. "your marriage to doña serafina," laughed philip, promptly; whereat the doctor shook his head. "a man can't marry his grandmother." philip said no more; but returned to the side of doña eulalia, who had placed herself as far away from her duenna as was possible. this precaution was scarcely needed, as doña serafina had eyes for no one but peter. she had not yet given up all hope of marriage, even at the mature age of five and forty. peter was young and innocent; therefore doña serafina selected him as her victim, and under the guise of teaching him spanish, strove to entangle him in her elderly meshes. her eyes were still brilliant, and long experience had taught her how to use them. it was so much waste time as regards peter. he was so impossible. on leaving the plaza de san jago, the troops marched to their several quarters in the forts, and his excellency the president went to inspect the defences of the city. tlatonac was completely girdled by strong stone walls, and defended by heavy metal cannon, so that in the event of a sortie, particularly by a horde of naked indians such as xuarez's force would be, there was but little doubt that the invaders could be easily repulsed with great slaughter. as regards a land attack from the interior, this was well enough, but if xuarez bombarded the town there was no doubt that he could speedily reduce tlatonac to a heap of ruins. gomez trusted to the impassable forests between the capital and acauhtzin to protect him from an inland invasion, and as the sea-forts were defended by heavy guns, hoped to cripple the ships of the enemy before they could do much harm. the forts defending the coast were therefore the most important in his eyes, and, after examining the interior defences, he rode down to the sea front to inspect the preparations for keeping the ships of xuarez beyond bombarding distance of the town. thanks to english engineers, and a lavish outlay of money, the forts were superb pieces of workmanship; and their lofty walls frowning over the bay, with the muzzles of guns protruding from their embrasures, promised a difficult task to the invaders. between the two principal forts was the gate of the town, which opened into a low stretch of land covered with fishing-huts, through which a road ran down to the wharf. _the bohemian_ was lying close under the guns of the city, so that in the event of their being discharged, she would sustain no damage; and as his excellency rode out of the city gate, his eyes rested admiringly on the beautiful little craft. only momentarily, however, for at that instant a cry burst from the lips of his aide-de-camp; and gomez looked seaward. "_the pizarro!_" he cried in surprise. it was indeed the old ship of don rafael, which was steaming slowly southward, a white flag fluttering at her mainmast head. rafael uttered an ejaculation of rage, and gomez turned his horse to ride back into the city, not knowing with what intentions the war-ship had come. "one moment, señor," said tim, catching the president's horse by the bridle; "the vessel has a white flag, so she has come with a message from acauhtzin." "por dios, we do not treat with rebels, señor correspoñsal." "do not be rash, excelencia. it is as well to know all these dogs have to say. see! they are lowering a boat." this was indeed the case. a quarter of a mile from the shore, _the pizarro_ cast anchor, fired three guns with blank cartridge, and then the boat already lowered was seen pulling straight for the wharf. "bueno! señor correspoñsal," said gormez, sorely against his will; "let it be as you say. we will wait here for their leader. but i am sorely tempted to order the forts to open fire on that boat." "a mistake, excelencia," interposed maraquando at this moment; "we are civilised people, and must observe the rules of war. besides," he added significantly, letting his eyes rest on tim, "have we not here the correspoñsal? and all we do he will write off to england." "bueno!" said the president again; "we will wait." the thunder of the cannon had brought a tremendous crowd to the walls, and down on to the beach. from the presidential staff up to the gate, was one black mass of people, heaving with excitement. all kinds of rumours were flying from lip to lip. _the pizarro_ had come to bombard the town, and her consorts were now on their way for the same purpose. the vessel had returned to its allegiance, and had brought xuarez to tlatonac for punishment. all were disturbed, startled, puzzled, and watched with lynx eyes the little boat with the white flag at its stern now drawing steadily near to the wharf. "what's up now, tim?" asked philip, pushing his way through the crowd. "a message from don hypolito, no less," replied fletcher, without turning round. "see! he is standing up in the boat. be jove! it's a priest." "it must be padre ignatius," cried jack, who had a remarkably keen sight. "he went up to acauhtzin, on some church business, a week or so ago. shovel-hat, white hair! carambo! it _is_ padre ignatius!" the name of the priest speedily became known, and the crowd cheered, for the padre was well known in tlatonac. gomez swore. "carrajo! he sends the padre to make terms!" "terms with those dogs!" cried don rafael, stamping his foot. "excelencia, i would hang them all." "como, no!" muttered the president, his fingers closing viciously on the bridle-rein; "but we will hear what the padre has to say." by this time the boat had reached the wharf, and padre ignatius, nimble as a young man, sprang up the wooden steps leading from the water. the moment he was out of the boat it turned seaward again, and before the onlookers could recover from their surprise, the oars were flashing in and out of the waves as it sped back to the war-ship. a roar of rage burst from the lips of all. "por dios!" swore maraquando, livid with wrath, "they have only landed the padre, and now take themselves out of danger. order the forts to open fire, excelencia!" gomez had only to throw up his hand and the cannon would vomit fire. knowing this, jack stepped up impulsively to the president. "be not hasty, señor, i beg of you. see, the padre carries a white flag! he brings a message from xuarez! first hear what it is, and then decide." his excellency moved uneasily in his saddle, and bit his nether lip. he would dearly have liked to have pounded the rebel war-ship into matchwood for her insolent daring in thus defying the government of cholacaca, but he could not but see that such an extreme measure would be impolitic. therefore he restrained his rage, and waited the approach of the padre, who was now near at hand. gomez, a true son of the church, uncovered as the priest paused before him. the padre raised his hand in token of benediction, and the staff also uncovered. with the atheistical opinions now prevalent in cholacaca they would not have done this for any priest save padre ignatius, who was much beloved by rich and poor. as for tim, he had his note-book out, and a greedy little pencil, ready to take down every word of the forthcoming conversation. "vaya usted con dios excelencia!" said the padre, gravely. "i come from acauhtzin--from don hypolito xuarez, with a message to the junta." "a message to the junta from rebels, reverend father?" "it is my duty to prevent this fratricidal war, if possible," replied ignatius, mildly. "i have spoken with xuarez, and have persuaded him to send me hither with a message of peace." "and that message?" "cannot be spoken here, my son. let us go to the palacio nacional!" "by all means, my father. will you not ride thither. one of my officers will give you his horse." three or four of the officers at once dismounted, and begged padre ignatius to mount; but he refused their offers gently with a wave of his hand. "no, my children. i will walk thither. ride on, excelencia i will be with you soon." "but _the pizarro_, padre!" "will lie off there till my message is delivered and the answer given. if the terms are accepted, one gun will be the sign; if refused, two guns, and the war-ship will return to the north." "ah!" said gomez, with a meaning smile, as he turned his horse's head towards the gate, "they are afraid to trust themselves in the lion's mouth." chapter x. padre ignatius. with cross in hand, the pious father goes from camp to camp on heaven's errand bent; soothing the wretched, overborne with woes, and to the weary bringing sweet content. oh, gentle soul, too kind for this rude earth, what virtues doth thy being comprehend; thou shouldst have lived in times of peaceful mirth, when war was not, and man ne'er lacked a friend. of what avail those peaceful words of thine, when for the battle armies are arrayed; what use thy mission of good will divine, when to the foe war's standard is displayed. the drums are beaten, trumpets shrill resound, two gifts alone thou canst bestow on all; salute with smiles all those with honour crowned, and for the dead a single tear let fall. tim was ubiquitous. he seemed neither to eat nor sleep, but, note-book in hand, followed the president about everywhere, with the idea of gathering material for his letters to _the morning planet_. from the plaza de san jago he had gone down to the sea gate of tlatonac, where the meeting with padre ignatius took place, and from thence returned to the palacio nacional, at the heels of gomez. in view of the message from xuarez, the junta had been hastily convened, and now the great hall of the palace was crowded with deputies waiting to hear the words of the padre. owing to the influence of don miguel, which was supreme in tlatonac, jack and philip were admitted to the meeting, and they, in company with tim, who was present by virtue of his office, watched the scene with great interest. it is not every day that one has the chance of seeing the naked machinery of the government. in this vast chamber was the motive force which kept the machine going. now, the governmental machine was out of order, and padre ignatius, as a moral engineer, was trying to put it right again. he advocated delicate handling of the suasive kind. gomez, rough work, in the manner of blows, and brute strength. as to xuarez--well, he was the wheel which had put the engine out of gear; and, until that wheel was forced back into its proper position, or taken out of the cholacacan machine altogether, there was but little chance of the reversion to the old smooth running. this is a parable to illustrate the importance of that hastily convened meeting. tim was the only one of the four friends who understood the matter thoroughly. don francisco gomez took his place in the presidential chair, which stood beneath a gorgeous yellow satin canopy of anything but republican simplicity. the opal arms of cholacaca were above this drapery, the seat of power below; and therein sat president gomez, with a fierce light in his eyes, and an ominous tightening of his lips. he was in a critical position, and he knew it. the ship of the republic was among the breakers, and he, as helmsman, had to steer her into open sea again. with a disorderly crew, this was no easy task. the members of the junta took their seats in silence. they were like a class of schoolboys before their master, and, as gomez cast his eyes over their ranks, he could pick out here and there the men whom he knew would be troublesome. to understand his difficulty, it is necessary to explain the exact position of politics in cholacaca. tim was doing this in a low, rapid voice to philip, pending the appearance of padre ignatius. jack listened to the explanation with interest, and every now and then threw in a word of enlightenment. "as in england," said tim, speaking in philip's ear, "there are two political parties, broadly speaking. the liberals and conservatives. these, again, are sub-divided into smaller parties. on the conservative side, there is the party now in power, the aristocratic party, who believe in electing one of their own order as president, and think the common people should have nothing to do with politics." "that is the party of don miguel and the president?" "yes; their political programme is to govern on oligarchical principles. cholacaca and its loaves and fishes, for the aristocrats only. that is one party. the other is the clericales, who would govern through the church, and place the supreme power of the republic in the hands of priests. since the expulsion of the jesuits, however, this party is defunct, and a good thing, too. i'm a true son of the church," added tim, relapsing into his brogue; "but i don't believe in the priests meddling with politics." "then there is a third party," said, jack, taking up the explanation; "what we may term the liberal-conservative party, if such a thing be possible. they believe in aristocratic government, with the consent of the people. that is, the people can elect as president one of the aristocrats, but not one of themselves." "and what about the liberals?" asked philip, deeply interested. "oh, one party of the liberals want democracy--pure unadulterated republicanism. a second party desire military rule, which would be nothing more or less than despotism, supported by a standing army under the thumbs of a few martinets in power. then there is a free lance party, where each individual desires the loaves and fishes for himself." "then the party of don xuarez?" "is not here," said tim, waving his hand towards some empty seats; "they have all gone to acauhtzin, and are now regarded as rebels by the government. they desire a kind of civil despotism as opposed to the military party--a dictator with supreme power, who can act as he damn well please." "seven political parties!" observed cassim, derisively. "if too many cooks spoil the broth, too many political parties will certainly spoil cholacaca. but they all seem to be afraid of one another. don xuarez has at least the courage of his opinions." "that is because his party is now strong enough to show fight. the others are all split up into small bodies, who quarrel among themselves and disagree with the president." "i presume they will all oppose don hypolito." "naturally. they are dogs in the manger; they can't get the supreme power of cholacaca themselves, and won't let xuarez have it. i wonder what proposition the padre brings from acauhtzin." "hush! here he is." padre ignatius, in his rusty black cassock, advanced, holding his shovel-hat clasped to his breast. pausing in front of the president, where he could command the attention of all, he cast up his eyes to heaven, as if seeking for strength to sustain him in his difficult task of reconciling the factions which threatened to involve cholacaca in civil war. with his pale, refined face, his silver locks, and tall, slender figure, he looked a remarkably striking personage, and put philip in mind of a picture he had once seen of las casas, the great indian missionary. when he paused and thus sought inspiration in silent prayer, gomez struck a silver bell on the desk before him. instantly there was a dead silence, the murmur of voices was stilled, and every eye was turned towards the gentle priest. "my children," said padre ignatius, in a weak voice, which gathered strength as he proceeded, "some weeks ago i went to acauhtzin on the business of our holy church. there i found don hypolito xuarez, who was not then in arms against the junta. i knew, however, that he was a restless spirit, and, observing signs of dissatisfaction in the town, dreaded lest he should fan these embers of discontent into the flame of civil war. to don hypolito did i speak, but he disclaimed any intention of doing aught to break the peace of the republic. in this, my children, he spoke falsely." a sullen murmur ran through the chamber. "noting these signs of discontent, i did not return to tlatonac, but waited to see if aught should occur. nothing took place till the arrival of the fleet to arrest xuarez. ah, my children, that was a fatal mistake. it roused him from discontented quietness into a state of open rebellion. he convened a meeting in the market-place of acauhtzin, he told the populace he was to be arrested as a traitor, and called on them to stand by him in his peril. what promises he made use of i can hardly tell you, they were many and false; but those of the town believed him, and swore to assist his cause. the officers and crews of the fleet had already been tampered with by xuarez before he left tlatonac, and to a man they all went over on his side on hearing that acauhtzin had done so." "not all! not all, my father," cried don rafael, springing up from where he sat by maraquando; "there are many who still remain faithful to the junta--i among the number. we were cast into prison, and, by a miracle, i escaped, to bring the news to tlatonac. i am free; but my friends--my faithful friends--are in the prison of acauhtzin." padre ignatius looked sadly at the young man. "they were faithful when you escaped," he said, gently. "they were in prison my son; but now they are free, and have joined the rebels!" "carrajo!" swore don rafael, stamping with rage. "the traitors! the dogs! canalla! i spit on them." "i call the señor to order!" cried gomez, for the sake of formality, though his sympathies were with those of the young man. "i ask the pardon of his excellency, and that of this honourable assembly," replied rafael, sitting down; "but my friends to be traitors! por dios! if i meet with them, i will show no mercy." "reverend father," said the president, when the young man had resumed his seat, "all that you have said is the way in which xuarez has revolted. tell us of his message!" "i went to don hypolito, when i heard these things," said the padre, slowly. "i went to him, señores, and prayed him not to plunge the country into civil war. at first he refused to listen to me, saying he was strong enough to crush the republic to the dust!" "carambo! carrajo! canalla!" cried a hundred voices, and many of the members sprang to their feet to speak. a babel of voices ensued; but at length, by repeated ringing of his bell, the president secured silence for a few minutes, and padre ignatius went on with his speech. "don hypolito said he had the aid of acauhtzin; of the regimiento de huitzilopochtli, of the fleet, and, if needs be, could secure the help of the forest indians!" "the opal! the chalchuih tlatonac!" "yes!" cried the priest, emphatically; "by making use of that unholy stone! xuarez is no true son of the church, my children. he is a heretic, an idolater! he told me plainly that he worshipped and believed in the opal of huitzilopochtli, and would make use of the superstition it engendered among the indians, to further his own ends." another roar of wrath arose from the assemblage which the president was quite unable to quiet. padre ignatius lifted his thin hand in token of entreaty, and the tumult ceased. "i need not say what he said to me, what i said to him; but i forced him to make an offer to the junta, which, if accepted, will suspend all hostility. i implore you, señores, to accept this offer, and avert this fratricidal war!" "the offer! the message!" "as you know, señores, the presidency is held for four years, and that he who has been our ruler cannot be re-elected! his excellency, don francisco gomez, has now held this honourable office for three years and a half. in six months it becomes vacant, and don hypolito xuarez offers, if you make him president of cholacaca, to return to his allegiance." "never!" cried maraquando, springing to his feet, amid a deafening cheering. "what! elect xuarez for our president--place the supreme power in his hands? give to ourselves a dictator who will rob us of our liberties! never! never! never!" "no, francia! no iturbide! no, santa anna!" yelled the excited members. gomez called the assemblage to order. "are these the only terms on which xuarez will return to his allegiance?" he asked the priest. "the only terms. if they are accepted, fire one gun, and _the pizarro_ will steam to acauhtzin to tell xuarez that the war will not take place. two guns, and then, oh, my children, the vessel will go northward to bring desolation upon us. there will be war--red war; brother will be arrayed against brother; our towns will be laid in ashes; our peaceful community will struggle in deadly strife. i urge you, implore you, to accept this offer and avert disaster!" "there will be war!" sang out some man in the crowd. "the opal is red!" "the opal is red! the opal is red!" "are you catholics?" cried padre ignatius, his voice ringing forth like a trumpet. "are you sons of the church or children of the devil? that stone is the work of satan! obey it, and you will bring ruin on yourselves, on your families, on your country. in the name of this sacred symbol," he thundered, holding up the cross, "i command you to put this evil from your hearts. the devil stone speaks war the holy cross commands peace. obey it at the peril of your souls--of your salvation. i say peace! peace! peace! in the name of the church--peace! at your peril--war!" the whole man was transfigured as he stood intrepidly facing the furious assemblage with the uplifted cross. there was no fear in his eyes, there was no trembling of the hand which upheld the symbol of christianity. he was no longer padre ignatius, the gentle priest whom they knew. it was a priest, the representative of the awful power of rome, with the thunders of the vatican at his back, with salvation in this world, and in the next at his will, holding their souls in the hollow of his hand. "richelieu," murmured philip, softly. for a moment the assemblage was awed. many were atheists who believed in nothing; some idolaters, who trusted in the devil stone, all were superstitious, and they quailed before that frail old man who faced them so dauntlessly. suddenly, as it were, the influence passed away, the devil-stone conquered the cross. "war! war!" yelled the deputies, springing to their feet. "no priests! no jesuits! to the vote! to the vote!" gomez arose to his feet. "señores," he cried, loudly, "i respect the padre for his effort to avert the war. his mission is to bring peace, and he has striven to do so. but it cannot be. the cholacacan republic cannot yield to the insolent demands of xuarez. we choose our rulers freely, without coercion. in six months i surrender my office and will you permit don hypolito xuarez, traitor and scoundrel, to profane this chair? no, señores; a thousand times no! we know the nature of this man who aspires to play the part of a tyrant. place him in this seat of power, and he will break every law of our glorious constitution. will that liberty which was won by the blood of our fathers, by the heroism of zuloaga, be trodden under foot at the bidding of this man? he comes, not to implore you to elect him supreme magistrate of the republic. he comes with an army at his back, and commands you--i say commands you--to make him dictator!" "war! war! down with xuarez!" "who is this traitor, to dare our power? he has the fleet, it is true--traitors that they are!--but we have the army. we have money. we can buy a new fleet. our soldiers shall break up his power. let us hurl back in his face this insolent defiance, and sweep away xuarez and his partisans in torrents of blood!" "war! war! the opal burns red." "yes, the opal burns red. and our hearts burn with indignation at the insolence of this man. i swear," cried the president, drawing his sword. "i swear, by my sword, by the chalchuih tlatonac, that i shall not sheath this weapon till it has exterminated these traitors, and purified the republic. hear me, god!" "hear us, god!" and a myriad swords flashed in the air. "will i put the offer of the traitor xuarez to the vote?" "no, no! war! war!" ignatius tried to speak, but he saw that the junta was unanimous in proclaiming war. his cross fell from his nerveless hands; his head sunk on his breast. "holy mary, have mercy on these misguided men." he passed out of the hall in dejected silence, and after him swept a whirlwind of men, headed by the president. outside the palacio nacional, a crowd of people were waiting to hear the decision of the junta. standing on the marble steps of the palace, don francisco caused the standard of the republic to be unfurled, and waved his bare sword in the air. "in the name of the junta! in the name of the free people of the great republic of cholacaca, i proclaim war against the traitor xuarez!" "war! war! war!" yelled the mob, frantically. "the opal burns red! war! war!" then, with one accord, the rabble dashed down to the sea-gate of the city. "what are they going there for, tim?" asked philip, as they were borne along by the living torrent. "to hear the cannon answer xuarez, if i mistake not. holy virgin! what devils these are when their blood is up!" from the plaza de los hombres ilustres the crowd rolled down the steep of the calle otumba, passed into the calle mayor, and in a few minutes the city was vomiting hundreds of infuriated men out of her gates on to the beach and wharf. far away on the azure sea lay the vast bulk of _the pizarro_, with the flag of the republic floating at her main-mast, in conjunction with the white pennant of peace. the crowd held their breath, and throughout the vast assemblage there was not a sound. the waves lapping on the beach could alone be heard, and each man in that mighty congregation held his breath. "one gun for 'yes!' two guns for 'no!'" muttered jack, in tim's ear. at that instant a puff of smoke broke from an embrasure of the rear fort, and a gun thundered out its defiance to xuarez. in another minute, before the echo of the first died away, a second gun from the other fort roared out in the still air, and there was an answering roar from the crowd below. the flag of peace! the flag of the opal were suddenly lowered from the mast of _the pizarro_, and up went a fierce red banner, foretelling war and disaster. the mob yelled with rage, the guns of _the pizarro_ sent forth an insolent defiance, and in a few minutes, with the smoke pouring black and thick from her funnels, the great vessel stood out to sea. the war of cholacaca had commenced. chapter xi. the drama of little things. many things happen! they are the daily events of our lives, we note them with idle indifference. the lover kisses his dear one, she sighs on his throbbing bosom, he springs on his waiting horse, and waving his hand at parting, thinks that the morrow for certain, will bring her again to his kisses, alas! he knows not that fate is capricious! that never again will the dear one respond to his welcome caresses! "good-bye for an hour!" ah, sorrow. that good-bye means "farewell for ever." and yet they know not this future, and so, parting happy, go east and west gladly, to anguish apart till they perish. "quiere a fumar, juan," said dolores, holding out a small case to jack, with a coquettish smile. "campeacheanos!" replied her lover, selecting one carefully, "these are for men only. i hope you don't smoke these, mi cara." "no! i but use cigarros de papel. this case belongs to my cousin, don rafael. now it is yours." "what will don rafael say?" "say! why, nothing, of course. he made me a present of the campeacheanos." "oh, did he?" exclaimed jack, suspiciously. "you seem to be fond of your cousin, dolores!" "naturally! it is my duty," replied dolores, demurely, and dropped her eyes. "oh!" said duval, briefly, and busied himself in lighting a cigarette. it was late in the afternoon, and they were on the azotea of maraquando's house alone, save for the presence of doña serafina; but she was asleep, and, therefore, did not trouble them. as before stated, the casa maraquando was on the summit of the hill, and from the roof they could look down into the valley below. ring after ring of houses encompassed the rise, and on the flat, trending towards the sea, street, and house, and plaza, and wall, were laid out as in a map. to the left, the vast space of the parade-ground; to the right, the crowded quarter of the peons, a mass of huddled huts, red-roofed, white-walled, and between the two the broad street leading from the foot of the hill down to the sea-gate. on the parade-ground companies of soldiers were manoeuvring. here and there the bright colours of uniforms could be seen in the streets. sometimes a distant trumpet rang out shrilly, or the muffled thunder of drums came faintly to their ears. within the walls of the city all was bustle and military pomp, the place was one vast camp. beyond, the white line of the walls and the infinite stretch of azure sea glittering in the sunshine. peter, in company with cocom, had gone outside the inland walls for a final butterfly hunt before the outbreak of war, when, in view of the suburbs being deserted, he would have to abandon his favourite pursuit. down in the plaza de san jago, sir philip cassim was assisting don rafael to drill his men, and tim was, as usual, haunting the telegraph-office and the palacio nacional. he spent all his time between these two places, collecting news, and despatching messages. only jack was idle; jack, who, decked out in the gaudy uniform of the regimient de los caballeros, set on the azotea flirting with dolores and smoking innumerable cigarettes. with masculine vanity, he had come there especially to show himself to the lady of his heart, in his new uniform, and, finding doña serafina asleep, had waited to speak to dolores for a few minutes before joining philip in the plaza below. the few minutes had, by this time, lengthened into half-an-hour. without doubt jack looked remarkably handsome in his uniform, and dolores acknowledged this to herself as she glanced at him from behind the safe shelter of her fan. he was as fine as a humming-bird, and tinted like a rainbow. the mexican dress became him admirably, and in that brilliant climate the bright colours did not look too pronounced. the uniform consisted of calzoneros of dark green velvet split from the thigh downward, slashed with braid, set with rows of silver buttons, and filled with the calzoncillos of white muslin. a short, tight-fitting jacket of yellow cloth embroidered with gold, over a full white shirt, puffing out at the hips, open sleeves, a scarlet-silk sash round the waist sustaining a brace of pistols and a spanish knife. finally, boots of tanned leather with heavy spurs hanging with little bells. over all his finery, jack wore a picturesque zarape of dark blue, and a sombrero of the same colour encircled with a broad band of gold. in this picturesque costume, his fine figure was seen to its best advantage; but jack was already regretting his plain english riding-suit of unadorned grey. at present, however, he was not thinking of his fine feathers, or of the two men waiting for him in the plaza de san jago, but of the last remark of dolores. jack had no reason to be jealous of don rafael, as he, to all appearances, cared more for war than for women; yet, because dolores admitted that she liked her cousin, this foolish young man began to sulk. the girl watched him with great amusement for a few minutes, and then made a malicious remark in reference to his uniform. "pajaro precoso!" "oh, i am a precious bird, am i?" said jack, ungraciously; "but not precious to you, dolores. don rafael----" "is my cousin--nothing more." "i don't like cousins," muttered duval, obstinately, keeping his eyes away from her face, whereat dolores rapped him smartly on the fingers with her closed fan. "i will eat all the cousins of your killing, juan. turn your face to me, child that you are. santissima! what a cross face! señor caballero, you are jealous!" "yes," admitted jack, reluctantly. dolores glanced at her aunt, to make sure that she was asleep, then bending towards this foolish lover, kissed him on the cheek. "are you jealous now, querido?" "no," answered jack, returning the kiss with interest; "i am a fool not to trust you thoroughly." "you are! hush! enough! my aunt may awake." "not she! so you love me only, dolores? and don rafael----" "is betrothed to a lady of acauhtzin." "oh, dolores!" sighed jack, much relieved, and kissed her again. in fact, he would have saluted her several times, had not dolores spread her fan between their two faces as a shield. "no, no! doña serafina may awaken, and then--'dios de mi alma,' what would my uncle say?" "he must know sooner or later." "wait till the war is over, querido. till don hypolito is slain, and you return covered with glory. then my uncle can refuse you nothing." "bueno! i will wait. and, after all, dolores, i am not quite a foreigner. i have dwelt so long in mexico that i know all your manners and customs. now i have even assumed the dress of cholacaca, so i am quite one of your own people." "and a heretic!" "ah! padre ignatius has been talking to you?" "no, querido; my aunt----" "oh, never mind your aunt. if i mistake not, she admires a heretic herself." "el hombrecillo!" "if by the little man you mean don pedro, yes. but oh, my soul, do not let such things as this separate us. you love me, dolores? you will be true to me?" "i swear it!" cried the girl, throwing herself on his breast; "i swear it--by the opal!" "no, no! not that. you surely don't believe in the devil stone?" "am i a child to believe?" laughed dolores, scornfully. "no; i am a true daughter of the church; but i believe this opal to be mine, and if i can get it i will do so." "we will both try and obtain it, though i am afraid there is but little chance of doing so. we know not where is the temple." "cocom knows." "yes; but cocom will not tell. but enough of the opal. we will talk of it again. meanwhile, tell me to whom is rafael engaged? he has told me nothing about it." "no; he has told no one save me, lest it should reach the ears of my uncle, and thus anger him. the lady my cousin loves is doña carmencita de tejada----" "what!" ejaculated jack, in surprise. "the daughter of xuarez's right-hand man?" "yes, the daughter of don josé de tejada, the rebel. so, you see, he does not let his father know of his love, for don miguel would never consent to his son becoming the husband of a traitor's child." "true, true. poor rafael! the course of his love does not seem likely to run smooth. still, when the war is over, he may be more fortunate." "ah! the war," said doña dolores, sadly. "this terrible war. how i tremble to think of what is before us. should don hypolito conquer----" she covered her face with her hands, shuddering violently. "don hypolito will not conquer," replied jack, soothingly taking her to his breast. "we will humble him to the dust before three months are ended. besides, if the worst comes, we can fly to europe." "ay, de mi. may it not come to that." "amen!" said duval, solemnly; and they remained clasped in each others arms, with hearts too full for speech. suddenly they heard the sound of a prolonged yawn, and had just time to separate before doña serafina caught them in that close embrace. fortunately, they had been hidden by an angle of the azotea wall, so the good lady, who had just awakened, and was still bemused with sleep, saw nothing. when she was thoroughly awake, however, she espied jack in all the bravery of his uniform, and came forward with a light step and an exclamation of delight. "el regimiento de los caballeros!" she exclaimed, admiringly. "santissima! how the uniform does become you, don juan. i do so admire handsome americanos," added the lady, languidly. dolores laughed at this naïve confession, but jack, modest jack, blushed through the tan of his skin. "really, doña serafina, i am much obliged, i kiss your hands," he answered, confusedly. "i have just arrived"--he had been there half an hour--"just arrived, señora, and i had not the heart to disturb you." "has the child spoken?" said doña serafina, waving her fan towards dolores, who stood with downcast eyes, inwardly convulsed, outwardly demure. "oh yes; a little. she has not the brilliant tongue of her aunt," replied jack, artfully. "pobrecita! she is young; she is a kitten. she will yet improve. i was the same at her age." "the deuce you were," thought jack, with secret apprehension, surveying her portly form. "i hope dolores won't be the same at your age." "and don pedro?" asked the duenna, languidly. "will lay his heart at your feet this evening, señora." "it is his don juan," responded the lady, graciously. it was a mere figure of speech; but jack was secretly amused to think how alarmed peter would be hearing of such an offer. "oh, this war, señor americano; this terrible war! how i fear it." "do not be afraid, señora. we will protect you." "oh yes; i am sure of that. but my nephew, señor? don rafael! he is much angered." "at the war?" "santissima, no! at his ship, which still sails up and down in front of tlatonac. what does it mean, señor?" jack turned in the direction indicated by her fan, and saw a large ship far out on the wrinkled sea. "is that _the pizarro_? i did not know," he said in some perplexity. "i understood she had departed to acauhtzin." "my cousin says it is _the pizarro_," interposed dolores at this moment; "and we know not why she stays." "i notice she keeps well out of the range of the fort guns," muttered jack, anxiously. "hum! it is curious. perhaps she is sent by don hypolito to carry off doña dolores." the old lady made a gesture to avert the evil eye. "say not such things, señor. that terrible man! he might carry me off even here." "so he might, señora," replied jack, trying to be serious. "i would advise yourself and the young ladies to keep within doors." "if don hypolito can carry us off from the middle of tlatonac, he is cleverer than i think," said dolores, contemptuously; "but what can be the reason of _the pizarro_ thus guarding the town?" "i have it!" cried jack, suddenly enlightened. "she is watching for the arrival of the torpedo-boats. yes, that is her game. she wishes to meet them before they know of the revolt, and thus seduce them to the cause of xuarez!" "impossible, señor!" exclaimed both ladies at once. "it is true! i am sure of it," responded jack, hurriedly. "i must speak to don rafael about this. 'adios, señoritas! con dios vayan ustedes.'" the young engineer kissed the hands of both ladies, and clattered down the steps on his way to the patio. just as he was passing through the zaguan, he heard a light foot hasten after him, and before he reached the door, dolores was in his arms. "i left my aunt on the azotea," she said, breathlessly. "one kiss, querido, before you go! there;--and there! oh, my soul! be careful of yourself. i go, at vespers, to pray for you at the shrine of our lady." "angel! such prayers will be my safeguard in all dangers!" "padre ignatius has promised me a sacred relic which preserves the wearer from harm. he gives it to me this evening. i will bring it to you. to-night you will be here?" "yes, at the eighth hour. adios, angelito!" they embraced hurriedly, and dolores returned to the azotea to explain her sudden absence to doña serafina as best she could; while jack, filled with joy at these proofs of her love, gaily danced down the street on his way to the plaza de san jago, where philip waited him. everywhere soldiers, everywhere the beating of drums, the shrilling of trumpets, the waving of flags, and oftentimes the martial strains of the "opal fandango." the city of tlatonac had awakened from its sleep of years, and in every street, in every house, activity prevailed. it was not a city; it was a camp. the inhabitants, almost to a man, had become soldiers, and flattered by the women, dressed in gaudy uniforms, excited by frequent draughts of aguardiente, they fancied themselves invincible. every evening fireworks were let off in the principal squares, bands of soldiers marched nightly through the streets, singing the national song of the opal; and at times the enthusiasm arose to such a pitch that the whole city was convulsed with a delirium of joy. in the opinion of tlatonac, the rebel xuarez was already conquered. "i hope this enthusiasm is not born of dutch courage," said jack to himself, as he elbowed his way through an excited throng; "but it seems too violent to last. these howling wretches see xuarez in chains, pleading for his life; but they don't see the events which are bound to occur before such a thing takes place." "abajo los oposidores! viva el republica! mueran a xuarez!" "shout away, mis amigos," muttered duval, grimly; "we'll see if you'll shout as loudly when the bombs are cracking over the city. if _the pizarro_ sent one now, i guess you'd not be so lively." in the plaza de san jago, soldiers were being drilled. a fine body of men was el regimient de los caballeros, and a gallant show they made as they wheeled their horses into line. philip, arrayed in the same style as jack, was reining his steed beside colonel garibay, the commander of the troop, and on the other side of him rode don rafael, late a captain in the navy, now a captain on land. don rafael, a handsome, dark-eyed young man, full of fiery earnestness, and not unlike his sister in appearance, though lacking her softer feminine grace, had taken a great fancy to philip, with whom he had become very intimate. jack duval he knew of old, and liked immensely; but cassim's character was more in accordance with his own, therefore they were comrades by the rule of like drawing to like. colonel garibay was greatly gratified that these two young americanos had joined his troop as volunteers, and made things as pleasant for them as he possibly could. he commanded one of the crack regiments of the cholacacan army, and was determined that it should not belie its reputation in the coming war. hitherto it had but reaped laurels in frontier wars against the indians; but now it was for the first time to combat with a civilised foe, and would have a good opportunity of showing to the world of what stuff its men were made. the regiment deployed into thin lines, massed into compact columns, charged at the gallop, retired in good order, and proved themselves in all the complicated evolutions of a cavalry corps to be thoroughly disciplined soldiers. in the burning sun, with the grey dust whirling up in clouds from the restless feet of the horses, the columns expanded and contracted like the glittering lengths of a snake, and at every sound of the bugle the lines changed their position with the utmost military precision. for three hours garibay kept his troop hard at work. at length even his insatiable soul was satisfied at their state of efficiency, and to the stirring strains of the "zuloaga march" the men filed off the ground. in other parts of the plaza infantry regiments were drilling and, after a time, these also dispersed, so that by the hour of sundown the great square was almost deserted, save for scattered groups of soldiers discussing the coming war. jack, in company with philip and the colonel, went off to the quarters of the latter in the sea-fort, and there they proceeded to make themselves comfortable. "i am pleased with my children, señores," said garibay, thoughtfully; "but i would i commanded foot instead of horse." "wherefore so, don rodrigo?" "for this reason, señor felipe. our country is so mountainous that, save on the plains, there is but little use for cavalry. the seat of the war will be at acauhtzin, and there the land is all mountains. consequently the infantry will be of most service up yonder. if, however, the enemy come south to tlatonac and janjalla, our cavalry can meet them in the open plains surrounding these towns." "don hypolito will certainly come south," said jack, sagely. "he will not wait for the republic to send troops up to acauhtzin, but embark his troops on the war-ships, and try his fortunes down in this direction. besides, xuarez knows that the republic has no transports for the troops." "no war-ships, señor," replied the colonel, gravely, "that is true. but by order of his excellency, all merchant-vessels of a certain tonnage have been seized in the port of tlatonac, and requisitioned for the service of transporting troops to acauhtzin." "the deuce! and what say the owners to such high-handed proceedings?" "the owners have been paid. so, you see, we can embark our men on these ships, and sail north to----" "to be knocked to pieces by the war-ships," finished philip, coolly. "señor, you forget the torpederas will be here soon." "that is if _the pizarro_ will let them pass her," said duval, meaningly. "i see she is cruising constantly up and down." "do you think, don juan, she is waiting for the arrival of the torpederas?" asked the colonel, anxiously. "i am sure of it, colonel. don miguel informed me that the torpedo-boats had started from england. xuarez, who has his spies in england, also knows this, and sent _the pizarro_ south with a twofold object: to dictate terms to the republic, and intercept the torpederas." "he failed in the first, however," observed philip, hopefully. "true! but he may not fail in the second." "one moment, señores," said the colonel, earnestly, "_the pizarro_ dare not stop the torpedo-boats--they could sink her in no time. she has no defence against them--no nets, for those were left at tlatonac when the fleet went north." "all the more reason that xuarez should capture the torpedo-boats," retorted jack, hotly. "_the pizarro_ will not try force, mi colonel! no; the torpederas left england before war was proclaimed; therefore, those in charge know nothing of the disaffection of the fleet, of the rebellion of xuarez. if they meet _the pizarro_, they will stop when she signals; their commanders will go on board in blissful ignorance, and be either seduced to the cause of xuarez, or retained as prisoners of war. in either case, the torpederas, taken by surprise, will be captured, and accompany _the pizarro_ to the north." "true! what you say is true, señor! santissima! what ill-fortune!" "the torpederas must be warned!" exclaimed philip, quickly. "i will speak to his excellency, and offer the services of my yacht to the republic. if my offer is accepted, i will get steam up on _the bohemian_, and stand out to sea at once. cruise up and down till i see the torpederas, and then warn them of their danger." "yes, and be chased all the time by _the pizarro_." "she can't catch _the bohemian_. i'd back my boat against the combined speed of the whole rebel navy. it is the only chance of saving the torpedo-boats from the clutches of xuarez." "what a pity my railway is not finished," said jack, regretfully; "then we could have ran up the whole army to acauhtzin without trouble. as it is, the only passage is by sea, and i am afraid the war-ships render that impossible." "how far have you got with the line, jack?" "only fifty miles. it stops in the centre of a dense forest, so it is worse than useless--to xuarez as to ourselves." at this moment don rafael entered, in a state of great excitement. "ola, señores," he said, gaily; "i have just come from the presence of his excellency and my father; it is the intention of the junta to send an embassy to acauhtzin." "to treat with xuarez?" "carajo! no!" retorted the young man fiercely; "to promise freedom to the rebels, if they lay down their arms and deliver up xuarez for punishment." colonel garibay shook his head. "they won't do that, mi amigo! if i know anything of don hypolito." "it is true that he has great influence over them," said rafael, thoughtfully; "but the power of the opposidores is as nothing before that of the junta; if they are wise, they will lay down their arms." "they are not wise, however," said jack, dryly; "and they won't lay down their arms. and how does the embassy propose to get to acauhtzin?" "it is said that señor felipe has offered his ship to the junta," said rafael, bowing courteously to the baronet; "and the junta have decided to accept that grand offer with a thousand thanks." "bueno!" cried philip, heartily. "i am glad _the bohemian_ will be of some service. yes, don rafael, my yacht is at the disposal of the government. but tell me, señor, who goes north with the embassy?" "yourself, señor felipe, if you will come; my father and myself, with a company of soldiers." "why yourself, don rafael?" the young hidalgo blushed, and rolled a cigarette with pretended indifference. "i! oh, i wish to hurl defiance in the teeth of xuarez." philip had received a hint of don rafael's passion and as jack was busily talking with garibay, approached the captain with a smile. "is that all?" he whispered, smiling. don rafael looked at him steadily, and then caught his hand with a sudden passion of friendship. "no, mi amigo. i wish to see doña carmencita, and, if possible, carry her south." "will she come, rafael?" "yes, she loves me; her father is cruel to her; she will come, if you will permit it." "señor, my ship and all i have is at your disposal." "a thousand thanks, don felipe," said rafael, cordially pressing his friend's hand; "i will take advantage of your kindness. not a word to my father, señor. he knows nothing as yet; i will tell him all at acauhtzin." "i will be silent." "gracias mi amigo. i will give you my help in the like case." "it will certainly be needed some day," replied philip, significantly. "but not as yet. ah, señor, you do not then know what it is to love." "don't i?" thought philip, and saw before him, as in a dream, the fair face of doña eulalia. it was now late, so, after they had dined with garibay, the two englishmen, at the invitation of don rafael, went to the casa maraquando. when they arrived, to their surprise, all was in confusion. the servants were running aimlessly about, doña serafina and eulalia were in tears, and don miguel was cursing loud and deep. "what is the matter?" asked the young men in alarm. "dolores is lost!" chapter xii. a strange disappearance. shepherds kind! my love hath left me, therefore am i filled with woe; of my heart hath she bereft me; thievish nymph! why didst thou so? ah, well-a-day! true love is a jewel! why hence away? oh, my chloe cruel. tell the damsel, should ye meet her, that, alas! no heart have i, for her love i would entreat her; fickle maid, why didst thou fly? ah, well-a-day! true love is a jewel! why hence away? oh, my chloe cruel. prythee shepherds, her discover, i her face again would see; still am i her longing lover; sweet coquette, return to me! ah, well-a-day! true love is a jewel! why hence away? oh, my chloe cruel. dolores lost! jack's thoughts immediately became busy with don hypolito, and the forest indians. could it be that she had been carried off by one of these, and if so, by which of the two? it was now nine o'clock, and jack had left her on the roof of the azotea at four. it seemed impossible that in so short a period the girl could have utterly disappeared. at the same time, by the strict social observances of tlatonac, dolores should have returned from her visit to the cathedral before dark, and as she had not done so, there seemed to be reasonable ground for apprehension. such excitement reigned in the house that it was some time before either jack or philip could extract the reasons for such belief from the alarmed inmates. as poor duval was terribly upset at the thought that dolores was lost, philip took affairs into his own hands with great promptitude, and proceeded to cross-examine the maid who had last seen her. this damsel, by name marina, was of pure indian extraction, and cunning past all knowing. at the present time, however, owing to the reproaches of doña serafina, and the scoldings of don miguel, she was reduced to a kind of moral pulp, not having even sufficient energy to lie according to custom. philip spoke to don miguel as to the advisability of extracting information from this girl; and at once marina was brought before him. she was terribly afraid of the señor americano, who looked so stern and evidently thought philip was about to order her immediate execution. "marina!" asked philip, slowly, in spanish, "where did you last see the señorita?" "santissima! señor americano!" replied the frightened poblana, clasping her hands, "it was in the great church. the señorita was kneeling at the shrine of our lady, and--and----" "go on," said philip, seeing she hesitated. "por dios, señor, i thought no harm; but i saw pepe at the door of the church, and he beckoned to me." "who is pepe?" "hechicera!" broke in doña serafina, wildly, "that good-for-nothing pepe is your lover. and you went to him, ladroncilla? eh, yes! you left the señorita. oh, wicked one! oh, child of satan!" "but for a moment, i swear! por todos santos! it was not long. when i returned to the shrine, doña dolores was gone. i thought she had departed to see padre ignatius, and i waited. a long time i waited, señor americano, but she came not. then i believed she had returned to the casa, and i was afraid of being punished, so i did not come back here till late! she is not here! ay de mi! and i know not where is the poor angel! madre de dios! what misfortune!" there was nothing more to be got out of the terrified girl, as she but repeated this story over and over again. she had gone with dolores to the cathedral, had spoken to pepe, and then lost sight of her mistress. inquiries were made for pepe, who was a zambo, that is, the offspring of an indian and an african. to all accounts, he inherited the worst vices of both races, and was an idle, drunken vagabond, who had been frequently punished by don miguel for thieving. it was possible that, out of revenge, the zambo might have decoyed dolores beyond the walls, and there surrendered her to the indians. maraquando thought that this might be the case. "no!" said jack, when this explanation was suggested, "dolores was afraid of the indians, and would not believe any message brought by such a man. but she told me to-day that she wished to see padre ignatius. perhaps he was not in the cathedral, and she went to his chapel beyond the walls. once there, and all things are possible." "it might be so," cried don miguel, sadly. "i have sent out men to ride everywhere beyond the walls, and try to discover traces. they will certainly go to the chapel, and ask the padre if my poor child has been there!" "ay di mi! what sorrow," cried eulalia, whose pretty face was disfigured by tears; "if dolores is with the indians, they will sacrifice her to the chalchuih tlatonac." "not so, hermanita!" cried rafael, hastily, "she is the guardian of the opal! they would not dare to do this! if she is with the indians, her life is safe. but don hypolito!" "carrai!" exclaimed his father, fiercely, "what of that false one?" "he swore to carry off dolores, and make her his wife. this demonio of a pepe was once in the household of xuarez. he may be in his pay now, and have decoyed my cousin down to the sea-beach, beyond the gate." "but how could he take her from thence?" asked philip, in perplexity. "carrambo, señor! do you forget that _the pizarro_ has been cruising before tlatonac for days past. it was not to watch the torpederas coming, as we thought. by san jago, it was to capture and carry off dolores." "that cannot be!" said jack, in despair. "_the pizarro_ would not dare to come under the guns of the fort!" "she could do so in the darkness." "but the search lights." "they are at present useless," cried don miguel striking his breast with his hand; "the electric apparatus is out of repair, and the engineers are now attending to it. what misfortune! dios! it may be as rafael says. pepe decoyed dolores to the beach, and from thence she could be taken to the war-ship." jack was horrified at this possibility. it was not very probable that such a thing had happened; still, it might have taken place. if it were so, dolores would be now on board _the pizarro_, steaming north to acauhtzin--to xuarez, whom she hated and feared. he was about to speak his mind on the subject when tim, in a great flurry, arrived with peter. "what is all this about?" cried tim, rushing up to jack. "is doña dolores missing?" philip drew him away from jack, who was too overwhelmed to answer questions, and hurriedly explained all that had occurred. the irishman scratched his head, but could suggest nothing save that they should search the country. a sudden idea struck philip. "peter!" he said quickly, turning towards the doctor, "what time did you return from your beetle hunting?" "about sunset." "and cocom?" "left me as soon as we entered the town, in order to pray at the cathedral. he has done the same thing regularly every time we have returned to tlatonac." "cocom!" cried jack, jumping to his feet at the mention of the name, "why, philip, do you think he decoyed dolores away?" "who knows! she is either with the indians or with xuarez. cocom or pepe, as emissaries of don hypolito, may have carried her off." the foregoing had been spoken in english, and, ignorant of the language, rafael could only understand the names. he glanced eagerly from one to the other, and spoke quickly. "cocom! pepe! what is this, señor felipe?" whereat philip began to explain, but was interrupted by the entrance of padre ignatius. the good priest looked much disturbed, and raised his hand to bless those in the room. doña serafina and eulalia flung themselves at his feet, and were so overwhelmed with grief that they had to be taken away. when they had gone, padre ignatius turned to the men. "my sons, i hear evil news. is it true that doña dolores is missing?" "yes; do you know where she is?" asked jack, imploringly, laying his hand on the rusty sleeve of the priest. "alas! no," replied the padre, shaking his head; "all the afternoon did i wait for her in the cathedral, but she came not!" "she did not go to your own church, my father?" questioned rafael, eagerly. "no, my son. i though she might have done so, and repaired thither. but the sacristan tells me no one has been to the shrine this day. the messengers you sent out to seek for the poor lady came to the chapel to ask me if i had seen her, and it was then that i first heard of your great loss." "think you the indians have her?" asked philip, anxiously. "alas! who knows, señor? the idolaters have been worshipping the devil stone greatly of late, and it may be that they have carried off doña dolores to assist in the ceremonies." "not to sacrifice her?" "santissima virgen! no, señor," rejoined the padre, hastily. "the idolaters look on her as the guardian of the stone, as one under the protection of the god himself. if they have carried her off," added the priest, emphatically, "her life is safe, and her honour. but my son, don hypolito?" "do you think----?" "i know nothing, my son. but there is one pepe." "the zambo? yes, padre." "he hired a boat this afternoon from one of the fishers, saying he was about to go up the coast to see his mother. i heard of that by chance, my children. when it was told to me that pepe had been seen hanging about the doors of the cathedral, i went from my chapel to the sea-port at once, and there i find that the boat and pepe are both gone." "carajo!" swore rafael, giving voice to the general opinion, "he has carried dolores off to _the pizarro_. ladron!" "it may not be so," said philip, thoughtfully; "cocom is also missing. doña dolores may have gone with him." "i don't believe it," said peter, angrily. "cocom is a good fellow, and devoted to doña dolores. he would not harm a hair of her head." "it's a queer business," cried tim, in perplexity; "'tis either cocom or pepe. i am certain it is the last of them. _the pizarro_ wasn't cruising up and down for nothing." "the torpedo-boats----" "to the devil with them! hasn't xuarez his spies in england as well as the junta? he knows the torpedo-boats are not due here for at least a fortnight, so why should he waste time in searching for them now? by all the saints," shouted tim, raising his enormous fist, and crashing it down on the table, "'tis don hypolito who has the poor girl." there was nothing more to be said in the matter as the opinions of everyone were divided. don rafael, philip, and peter believed that dolores had been carried off by don hypolito, as also did padre ignatius; while don miguel, tim, and jack were equally confident that she was in the power of the forest indians. the englishmen went back to their house, and, as nothing could be done till morning, philip spent most of the night trying to comfort jack, who refused to go to bed, and walked up and down the sitting-room till close on dawn. at last the baronet persuaded him to lie down and have some rest, but he only slept fitfully. at dawn he was on his feet again, and away to the house of maraquando, to hear if any news had arrived concerning dolores. "my poor jack, you will kill yourself," said philip anxiously looking at the young man's haggard face. "no i won't," retorted jack, grimly, "i'll hold out until i find dolores. and find her i will, whether she is in that d--d temple, or with the cursed don hypolito." "if she is with don hypolito," said philip, as he hurried along beside his friend, "we can go up to acauhtzin in my yacht, and demand her to be given up; but if the indians have her, i am afraid we shall never see her. no one knows where the temple is." "i don't care if it is in the moon," cried duval, doggedly. "i'll hunt those infernal indians out and make them pay for this. of two evils i choose the least, and i trust and believe she is with those opal-stone fanatics rather than at acauhtzin." "don hypolito----" "he is a devil!" rejoined jack, fiercely. "if she is with him, god help her! and god help him!" added the young man, in a low voice of concentrated hatred, "if i get my fingers on his throat." philip heartily endorsed this opinion; but, afraid of adding to jack's worry, kept his thoughts to himself. they speedily arrived at casa maraquando, and found rafael on the azotea, looking seaward with a marine telescope. he turned round sharply as he heard their footsteps, and pointed due east. "she is gone," he said, with a gesture of despair. "dolores?" said jack, whose brain only held one idea. "yes; and _the pizarro_!" "in that case, i am afraid doña dolores has been carried off by don hypolito," observed philip, taking the glass from rafael. "no doubt that cursed zambo induced her to go down to the sea-gate on some pretext, and then took her off to the war-ship, which stood in to land under cover of darkness." "have you heard anything?" asked jack, paying no attention to this speech, but turning to don rafael. "of dolores, nothing. all the messengers sent out have returned without tidings. it is stated that the chalchuih tlatonac is burning red, and thus proclaiming war. to propitiate the god, some great feast is to take place; but whether dolores has been seized by the indians and carried to their temple to assist at the ceremony i do not know. not a single trace of her can be found." "and cocom?" "cocom has disappeared--so has pepe and marina?" "marina?" cried jack, starting. "yes; but that is not the worst. my father, as a member of the junta, had plans of the fortifications to tlatonac. these have been stolen----" "stolen?" interrupted philip, who had been vainly sweeping the horizon in search of _the pizarro_; "and by marina." "so my father thinks. my belief of last night is true, señores. that ladron pepe is a spy in the service of hypolito. he seduced marina into stealing the plans from my father's room, and now they have gone off together in that boat to _the pizarro_." "impossible, rafael," replied cassim, decisively. "doña dolores was missing while marina was in this house. she was still here when padre ignatius came with the news that pepe and the boat were gone. doubtless she has stolen the plans; but she could not have escaped as you say." "that is a mere detail," said jack, hastily. "marina is an indian, and knows the whole country round for miles. after stealing the plans, she doubtless slipped out of the country gate and travelled up the coast. there a boat from _the pizarro_ could pick her up." "where is don miguel?" "my father was summoned before dawn to a special meeting of the junta. i believe the assemblage has been sitting all night to deliberate on what is to be done." "oh, my poor dolores," groaned jack, covering his face with his hands; "where are you now?" "she is on board _the pizarro_, i doubt not, don juan," said rafael, approaching the young english-man, "i feel sure this is the case. but courage, mi amigo, we will save your dear one yet." "my dear one!" stammered duval, in some perplexity. don rafael slipped his arm within that of jack's, and smiled kindly. "oh, i know all, juan. dolores told me of your love when i returned from acauhtzin." "and you are not angry?" "eh! mi amigo! why should i be angry? it is true you are an americano--a heretic! but do i not know what love is myself? this makes me kind to you, and when the war is over, i will do all in my power to aid you with my father." "gracias rafael!" rejoined duval, wringing his friend's hand with intense gratitude; "but first we must rescue dolores from the indians." "i tell you she is not with the indians, jack," said philip, who had been at the other end of the terrace and just returned within earshot; "she is on board _the pizarro_." "i think so also, juan. if so, we will chase the war-ship in the vessel of don felipe." "but i have given her to the junta, for political, purposes." "bueno! that is so. but when my father returns from the palacio nacional, i am certain he will request you, in the name of the republic, to start for acauhtzin before noon." "in order to demand the surrender of xuarez," said jack, clenching his fist; "those rebels will not do that; but if dolores is there, i will save them the trouble of answering, by man-handling don hypolito till he'll be fit for nothing but his bed." "dos pajaros al un golpe," replied rafael, significantly. "dolores and xuarez being the birds, you, mi amigo, the stone. ah!" he added, as the bell in the cathedral tower chimed the hour, "there is eight o'clock. i think it will be as well, señores, to have something to eat." "i couldn't eat a thing," said jack, abruptly, as they descended the staircase to the patio. "that is wrong, juan. you will need all your strength to regain dolores." "where are the ladies?" asked philip, anxious to see doña eulalia. "they are not yet up, don felipe! nor do i wish to disturb them, for they are worn out with sorrow." on hearing this, philip agreed that it would be better to let them rest, and accepting rafael's invitation, they sat down to a hastily spread meal. in the middle of it, don miguel, followed closely by the ubiquitous tim, entered the patio. "buenos dias, señores," said maraquando, as the young men arose from their meal. "i have news." "of doña dolores, señor?" "yes, don felipe. sad news! alas! there is no doubt of it. she is on board _the pizarro_." "how is this, my father?" asked rafael, as jack resumed his seat with a visage of despair. "a fishing-boat came into the port late last night, and the men reported that they had passed a skiff containing a man and a veiled woman, making for _the pizarro_." "dolores!" sighed jack, sadly; "but then, señor maraquando," he added, with reviving hope, "it might have been marina." "no, señor. marina was here when padre ignatius told us the boat was taken. i fear it is true. my poor niece has been decoyed away by that accursed zambo, and carried to the war-ship. now she is on her way to acauhtzin--to the rebel xuarez." "cheer up, old fellow!" cried tim, thumping jack on the shoulder, with a heavy but kindly fist. "we'll have the colleen back soon. we're all going to fight the rebels this day." "what's that, tim? _the bohemian_----" "hold on, jack! don miguel is speaking; he'll tell you all!" "señor felipe," said maraquando, removing his sombrero with suave courtesy; "in the name of the republic of cholacaca, i have to thank you for the offer of your ship, and to inform you that the junta gladly accepts your aid with a thousand thousand thanks." "the pleasure is mine, señor," said philip, courteously. "the junta, don felipe," resumed don miguel gravely, "desire to know if you can leave tlatonac by noon." "certainly, señor. by noon _the bohemian_ will steam northward. are you to be of the party, señor?" "i regret to say i am not, señor. his excellency is pleased to consider that i will be more useful by his side. the message to xuarez will be delivered by don alonzo cebrian, the intendante of the province of xicotencatl. he will be accompanied by colonel garibay, my son don rafael, captain velez and about twenty soldiers. can your vessel hold such a company, señor." "oh yes. if they don't mind a little discomfort, don miguel. _the bohemian_ is rather small for such a number." "fortunately, the voyage will not take long," added jack, thankfully. "with myself and you, philip, the number tots up to twenty-six passengers." "twenty-seven, jack," interposed tim, quickly "i'm not going to miss the fun." "but your business, tim," remonstrated philip, in alarm, afraid lest fletcher's fighting propensities should cause trouble at acauhtzin. "well, isn't this my business, sir? interview with the rebel leader! it's a fine article i'll get out of that same, philip." "right you are, tim. i'll be glad of your company. but peter?" "we'll leave him behind, to look after the ladies." "don miguel," said jack, who had been thinking deeply, "is the boat of señor felipe to sail under the english or the cholacacan flag?" "under the flag of the opal, señor." "in that case, señor, a few shots will send her to the bottom, as she approaches tlatonac. don hypolito will suspect treachery and fire on the ship." "he dare not fire on the opal banner, señor." "i wouldn't trust him. he's a scoundrel," retorted jack, savagely. "besides, war is proclaimed, and xuarez won't want any messages of peace." "señor maraquando," said philip, gravely, "i think it will be best to approach acauhtzin under the english flag. when don alonzo delivers the message of the junta, we can hoist the opal banner." "i will speak to his excellency on the subject, don felipe," replied maraquando, a trifle haughtily, feeling rather nettled at the implied hint of the opal banner being treated with disrespect. "meanwhile, you will be ready to start at noon." "yes, señor; at noon precisely." "bueno! his excellency and the junta will be at the sea-gate to see you depart." after this, the three englishmen bowed, and departed to get themselves ready for the journey to acauhtzin. "i say, philip! you rather put the old gentleman's back up!" "oh, confound it. i don't want _the bohemian_ split up into matchwood. xuarez will fire on the opal flag; but he'll think twice before he insults the union jack." "let him try," said tim, grimly; "and if i'm not kicking my heels at the bottom of the sea, i'll wire to london about the insult, and bring the british navy like hornets about his ears. come, john, my boy! wake up! we're going to bring back your darling." "that is if we can get her from xuarez," said jack gloomily; "but i'm terribly afraid. if any harm has happened to her, i'll kill him. by gad, i'll choke the life out of him." "i'll help you, jack," said philip, earnestly, for his blood boiled at the thought of dolores in the grasp of xuarez; "but i think you'll find dolores can look after herself. besides, xuarez will be too much afraid of his allies, the indians, to harm her." "you must change those fine feathers, boys," said tim, suddenly. "and why?" "because it will never do to let don hypolito know you're in this shindy. afterwards it doesn't matter; but, with the union jack flying, you can't dress as cholacacan soldiers." "tim is right," said jack, after a pause; "we will change our clothes." "but not our intentions, jack," said philip, anxious to keep up his friends' spirits. "dolores or war!" "no," cried duval, with intense earnestness; "with me it is 'dolores or death!'" end of vol. i. the harlequin opal a romance by fergus hume _author of "the island of fantasy," "aladdin in london," etc._ volume ii once a realm of indian glory, famed in aztec song and story, fabled by tradition hoary as an earthly paradise; now a land of love romances, serenades, bolero dances, looks of scorn, adoring glances, under burning tropic skies. london w. h. allen & co., limited , waterloo place, s.w. wyman and sons, limited, london and redhill. proem. the stone had its birth in the nurturing earth, its home in the heart of the main, from the coraline caves it was tossed by the waves on the breast of an aureate plain; and the spirits who dwell in the nethermost hell stored fire in its bosom of white; the sylphs of the air made it gracious and fair with the blue of the firmament's height. the dull gnomes i ween, gave it glittering sheen, till yellow as gold it became; the nymphs of the sea made the opal to be a beacon of emerald flame. the many tints glow, they come and they go at bidding of spirits abhorr'd, when one ray is bright, in the bosom of white, its hue tells the fate of its lord. for yellow hints wealth, and blue meaneth health, while green forbodes passing of gloom, but beware of the red, 'tis an omen of dread, portending disaster and doom. transcriber's note: minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed. words printed in italics are noted with underscores: _italics_. the cover of this ebook was created by the transcriber and is hereby placed in the public domain. index. chap. page i.--away to the north ii.--acauhtzin iii.--don hypolito xuarez iv.--rivals v.--in shadowland vi.--the shrine of the opal vii.--an unexpected meeting viii.--an indian festival ix.--the fugitives x.--fortune turns her wheel xi.--away to the front xii.--a naval engagement--new style xiii.--without the walls the harlequin opal. chapter i. away to the north. oh, leave the south, the languid south, its cloudless skies, its weary calms; the land of heat, and glare, and drouth, where aloes bloom, and spring the palms. there water is the best of alms, to cool the ever-parched mouth; oh, with the breezes bearing balms, fly northward from the languid south. oh, seek the bitter northern skies, where falls the snow, and blows the sleet; 'mid which the stormy sea-bird cries, and circles on its pinions fleet. on rocky shores the surges beat, and icebergs crystalline arise, life thrills our veins with tropic heat, beneath the bitter northern skies. once more _the bohemian_ was breasting the warm waves of the pacific, and seemed to rejoice in her freedom like a sentient thing, as she plunged north-ward to acauhtzin. the smoke poured black from her wide-mouthed funnel, the blades of her propeller, lashing the waters to foam, left behind her a long trail of white, and her sharp nose dipped and fell in the salt brine with every pulsation of the pistons. beneath the folds of the union jack, streaming in the wind, were gathered the englishmen and the cholacacans, all light-hearted and hopeful, despite the undoubted peril of their mission. it was no light task to beard xuarez in his stronghold, to assert the authority of the republic in the teeth of his army. the mission was a valiant one, but foolhardy, and tim, if no one else, looked for anything but a peaceful termination to the voyage. the distance to acauhtzin was something over three hundred miles, and as _the bohemian_ was swirling along at the rate of seventeen knots an hour, it was hoped she would reach her destination in fifteen hours or thereabouts. owing to one thing and another, the yacht had not left tlatonac till close on four o'clock in the afternoon; so, making all allowance for possible accidents and stoppages, at the rate she was going, philip calculated that he would fetch the northern capital about dawn. he did not wish to venture too near the port in the darkness, as the war-ships were protecting the town, and not seeing the english ensign, might open fire on his yacht, under the impression that she was an enemy. with this idea the engines were slowed down during the voyage, and _the bohemian_ was timed to enter the port some time before noon of the next day. owing to the number of people on board (twenty-six souls, in addition to the crew), it was somewhat difficult to provide all with accommodation. fortunately, however, the nights were warm and rainless, so the soldiers made themselves comfortable on deck, and slept soundly enough, wrapped in their military cloaks. the sailing-master of _the bohemian_, a tough old salt, by name simon benker, growled a good deal at the way in which his spotless decks were being spoiled, but philip managed to smooth him down by representing the seriousness of the situation. benker submitted with but ill grace. the yacht was the pride of his life, the darling of his heart, and he had no great love for the inhabitants of cholacaca. however, sir philip was master, and gave the soldiers permission to camp out on deck, so benker was forced to acquiesce in the arrangement. the ambassadors, in company with the three englishmen, took up their quarters in the state-room and cabins. as there were not enough bunks, some of them had to sleep in the saloon, so the younger members of the party gave up the sleeping-berths to the elders, and did their best to make shift in a rough-and-ready fashion. as they sat up late, however, and got up early, this inconvenienced them but little, and the utmost good humour prevailed above and below during the voyage. the crew, with the exception of benker, fraternised with the soldiers, and their masters entertained the spanish hidalgos; so, despite all inconveniences, things went off capitally. even jack plucked up his spirits now that he was on his way to rescue dolores, and philip's excellent brand of champagne had a wonderful effect of keeping the temperament of all up to what tim called, "concert pitch." don alonzo cebrian was a pompous old man, whose every second word was, "i, the intendante." he was as proud as lucifer, and never alluded to the rebels save by the opprobrious names of canalla, ladrons, demonios, all of which terms were echoed regularly by captain velez. this young gentleman, a good-looking spendthrift, with a rather scampish reputation, played the part of echo to please the intendante, whose daughter he wished to marry for her dowry. the lady was plain, but her father was rich; so captain velez was quite willing to sacrifice his good looks and bachelor freedom on the altar of matrimony, provided he was well paid for doing so. don rafael was in the highest of spirits at the prospect of seeing doña carmencita, and kept things going by the liveliness of his sallies, while colonel garibay smoked endless cigarettes and spoke but little. after an excellent dinner, which was done full justice to by the hungry spaniards, they all went on deck, and sat down to smoke and talk. first and foremost, they all paid sir philip handsome compliments about the beauty and speed of _the bohemian_, and then drifted gradually into the one subject of the hour--the war with xuarez--the embassy to xuarez--the certainty of punishing xuarez. "begad! philip," whispered tim, who was smoking a villainous black clay pipe, "it's all xuarez and nothing else. is he the only man the opposidores have?" "so it appears," replied philip, leaning back in his chair; "the whole row seems to hinge on xuarez. is that not your opinion, don rafael?" "what is that, mi amigo? i do not understand english." "that xuarez is the only capable man on the side of the opposidores?" "ladrons!" interrupted don alonzo, with stately spite. "i, the intendante, think otherwise. xuarez is clever; but, señores, no one is so clever as tejada! canalla!" "canalla!" echoed velez, removing his cigarette, "no one is so clever as tejada!" "don josé is being deceived by xuarez," said rafael, ruffled at this allusion to his proposed father-in-law; "he is a pompous old fool, and, if he is wise, will leave acauhtzin with his family, and place himself under the protection of the republic." "he won't do that," replied garibay, decisively; "he is of too much service to xuarez. the opposidores have but little wealth, and tejada is a rich man." "well, no matter, señores. i, the intendante, will arrest them both, and carry them in chains to the junta." "i am afraid that will be more difficult than you imagine, señor," said rafael, dryly. "xuarez is adored by the townspeople of acauhtzin. he has a passably good army, the friendship of the indians, who are being urged on to war by that prophetic opal, and a capital fleet. with all these at his command, he would be a fool to yield at the mere reading of a decree. no. this war will be a long one--a difficult one--and it is doubtful if, in the end, don hypolito will not conquer." garibay frowned, and looked sternly at the young man. "are your sympathies with the opposidores, señor?" "by no means. i see in xuarez a possible tyrant, an unscrupulous scoundrel; but i am not so blinded as to overlook his talents. already he has scored heavily against us. the securing of the fleet, the gaining of acauhtzin to his interest, and all without a blow. believe me, colonel, i speak truly when i say xuarez is a foe to be dreaded." "he will not dare to defy the decree of the republic," said the intendante, pompously. "when i read this," added don alonzo, tapping his breast pocket, where lay the official paper, "he will yield." "certainly!" echoed velez, parrot-like, "he will yield. carambo! he dare not defy don alonzo!" "do you think xuarez is a second montezuma, to yield in the presence of his army, señores," cried rafael, vehemently. "i tell you no! were he alone, he would resist arrest. how much more so, then, when supported by the devotion of hundreds. i am a true subject of the republic; i hate, dread, and scorn don hypolito. but i do not despise him. he will be the napoleon of cholacaca. let the republic beware!" "ah! bah!" said colonel garibay, while don alonzo snorted with indignation. "xuarez may be a clever man; but he is no general. why, he does not even make the first move!" "no; he bides his time. when he does move, tlatonac will hear of it." "you mean, he will bombard the city?" "yes, and no! i will explain. excuse me one moment, señores. i go for a map of the country." don rafael ran down to the cabin; and during his absence the intendante and captain velez scoffed at the idea that xuarez would be a dangerous enemy. they had a duet in a braggadocio vein. "he will yield, señores, when i read this decree." "the troops of tlatonac alone can crush him," added velez, confidently. "we will swallow these rebels at a mouthful. i, the intendante, say so." "the war will be a mere military promenade!" said his echo. "so said the french at the outbreak of the franco-prussian war," interjected philip, grimly, "but they made a mistake. what is your opinion, colonel?" "i agree with don rafael," replied garibay, slowly "i am by no means inclined to undervalue our opponent. xuarez is as cunning as satan, and as ambitious. his first moves in this war have resulted to his own advantage; therefore i am not so confident of a speedy termination to this campaign as are these gentlemen. fire-crackers, such as reading a decree will not frighten a man like xuarez!" "then you think this journey useless?" asked jack, who was of much the same opinion himself. "absolutely, señors. i believe we are on the eve of a terrible struggle, and to whom will result the advantage i know not." "if all the junta were as faint-hearted as yourself and don rafael, we would yield without a blow," said the intendante, bitterly. "without a blow," from velez, in the same tone! "carambo!" "you are wrong, señor," cried the colonel, with fiery earnestness, "i am not faint-hearted. i will fight against xuarez to the last. but is it wise to scoff at this man as you are doing? i tell you he is a master-spirit, such as rises once in a century, and, as such, is all-powerful, even against the great power of the republic. he is one of those men who change the destinies of nations. a napoleon, a garibaldi, a washington. from my soul, señores, i trust we shall win, and save the republic; but it is as well to look on both sides of the question. blind security is not wise. por todos santos, señores," cried garibay, rising to his feet in his excitement, "see how this man has already succeeded. acauhtzin, the most important town next to the capital, is in his hands, our fleet has gone over entirely to his side; and have you forgotten the treachery of marina and pepe. a full plan of the fortifications of tlatonac is before him. if he can do this much, he can do more. till the end, i shall support the republic, and resist a possible dictator; but do not sneer at xuarez! i tell you he is a great man!" this was an unexampled outburst for the ordinarily calm colonel, and he sank back in his chair with a look of agitation on his usually impassive face. the intendante and velez were for the moment impressed; yet, soon recovering their obstinate belief in the invulnerability of the republic, would have replied, but that at this moment don rafael made his appearance with a small map. "your pardon, señores, that i have been so long!" apologised rafael, sitting down promptly, and spreading out the map on his own and philip's knees. "look, now, mis amigos, and i will tell you how this campaign will be conducted!" "how do you know, señor? are you in the confidence of xuarez?" "i am a gentleman, no traitor!" replied rafael, haughtily, to the insulting question of the intendante. "i know something of don hypolito's plans, because he spoke of them to don josé de tejada. before the revolt of the fleet, i was a visitor at the house of that gentleman, and so learned much. had don josé known that i would remain true to the republic, he would have been more cautious. as it was, he spoke sufficiently clearly to let me understand the broad outlines of the campaign as designed by xuarez." "bueno!" said the intendante, politely, "i ask your pardon, don rafael. and this plan." "behold!" said rafael, tracing with his finger the various points; "here is acauhtzin--there tlatonac!--and at the extreme south you see janjalla! this last town will be attacked first." "and the reason?" "carrai! can you not see, señor garibay? between tlatonac and acauhtzin are nothing but mountains--no roads, no open spaces. all giant hills, terrible precipices, a few paths made by indians, and inhospitable deserts, where the land happens to be flat for a few miles. how then can xuarez convey his army to the capital in that direction?" "true, true! and most of his soldiers are dragoons." "certainly, he could attack tlatonac with indians who are used to their rugged country; but savages, as xuarez well knows, can do little or nothing against trained troops. in conjunction with his own army, they can do something; but, alone, they are almost useless. bueno! you see he, will not attack from the north." "but why attack janjalla instead of tlatonac?" asked tim, who was anxiously following this discussion, pencil and note-book in hand. "look to the south," replied don rafael, promptly. "no mountains between janjalla and tlatonac--nothing but rich plains--broad spaces on which armies can manoeuvre. now, if xuarez conveys his troops by the war-ships south to janjalla, he can bombard and perhaps take that city." "i, the intendante, deny that!" "impossible to take janjalla," echoed velez, nodding his head wisely. rafael shrugged his shoulders. it was next to impossible to argue with these obstinate people who would only look at one side of the question. "we will grant that janjalla falls into the power of xuarez," said garibay, impatiently; "and afterwards?" "afterwards," resumed the young man, "xuarez will garrison the town, and concentrate all his troops there." "thus leaving acauhtzin open to attack," said jack, satirically. "by no means. the war-ships will prevent our troops getting to that town. we cannot get to it by land, and the sea will be blockaded by the rebel fleet." "unless the torpederas----" "true! unless the torpederas arrive," replied rafael significantly; "but it is doubtful as to whether the junta or xuarez will get them. however, i am only supposing all these things being in favour of the opposidores." "bueno! we will look at the matter from don hypolito's point of view," said philip, quietly. "his troops are concentrated at janjalla. between that town and tlatonac are open plains--and," added philip, dryly, "the armies of the republic!" "certainly. but let us presume, for the sake of argument, that xuarez makes three simultaneous attacks. with his regular army on the plains, with the indians from the north on tlatonac--and from the sea by a bombardment from the war-ships." "dios!" muttered garibay, biting his fingers; "that man is a general." "the troops of the republic will conquer everywhere," said don alonzo, gravely. "everywhere!" repeated his umbra. "it is to be hoped so, señores," said tim, significantly, "the republic will need all the help she can get to defend herself in three places at once." "in my opinion," observed rafael, calmly, "there is only one way to end the war." "and that is?" "by a naval victory. the junta must secure the torpederas. we must have more war-ships, and cripple don hypolito's power on the sea. then he will be unable to convey his troops to janjalla--unable to bombard tlatonac, and remain shut up in acauhtzin, where we can crush him at our leisure." garibay disagreed with this view of the matter, and accused rafael of looking solely at the matter from a naval point of view. a hot discussion ensued, in which every possible attack, repulse, strategy, and battle, was talked over far into the night. philip and jack grew weary of this incessant argument, and slipped down to the saloon, where they chatted about dolores. overhead they heard the hot-tempered spaniards arguing fiercely, and several times thought they would come to blows so warm grew the discussion. "egad, jack! i'm glad this voyage ends to-morrow," said philip, as they turned in, "or they will certainly murder one another." a grunt was jack's unsatisfactory reply. he was, almost asleep, and already dreaming of rescuing dolores from the clutches of don hypolito. after a time, those on deck grew tired of such unprofitable talk, and one by one came down to snatch a few hours' sleep. in the space of fifteen minutes everyone was snoring, and the yacht flew northward with her cargo of sleeping men. benker was in charge of the wheel, and as he had been in these waters years before, knew every inch of the coast. keeping the boat about a mile from the shore, he headed her straight for acauhtzin, which was many miles away, in the curve of the land where it stretched eastward into the carribean sea. it was a perfectly calm night. stars and moon, a placid sea, and the yacht swirling through the liquid plain with a slight roll. to the right, the infinite expanse of the waters heaving against the horizon; to the left, the long, low line of the coast, with its dim masses of foliage, and here and there a snow-clad mountain peak. benker twirled the wheel, chewed his quid, and looked every now and then in disgust at the sleeping forms of the soldiers encumbering the white decks of the yacht. moonlight and starlight, the throb of the screw, the singing of the wind through the rigging, and the hiss of the waves seething past; it was wonderfully beautiful. the boat sped onward like a shadow amid a world of shadows, and the most prosaic soul would have been touched by the profound beauty of this watery world. not so simon benker. he was used to it all, and regarded nothing but his work and the soldiers. then the east began to palpitate with the coming dawn. lines of dim light low down on the horizon--yellow bands which melted to pale green, and flushed to delicate rose colours. higher and higher the coming day dyed the sky in opaline hues, the stars fled westward, the wan moon paling before this fierce splendour, hid her face behind a bank of clouds. the dark world of waters became tinged with rainbow hues, then one thick yellow shaft of light smote the zenith with heavy brilliance. ray after ray shot out like the spokes of a wheel, and suddenly the intolerable glory of the sun leaped from the nether world. "yonder," said jack to philip, who had come on deck to see the sunrise, "yonder, my boy, is the harlequin opal!" "if it is as brilliant and as many-tinted as that," replied the baronet, staring at the gorgeous sky and sea, "it must, indeed, be a wonderful gem. benker, how is she going?" "you have no soul," said duval, turning away. "i am going down to have a tub." he thereupon vanished again, was shortly followed by philip, after he had satisfied himself that _the bohemian_ had done good work during the hours of darkness. afterwards they awoke their sleeping companions, and had breakfast, when the spaniards were introduced to several english dishes, of which they approved greatly. the heavens were now a pale turquoise blue, the sun mounting towards the zenith was already beginning to burn hotly, and all were assembled on deck impatiently waiting to catch sight of their destination. here and there on the green shore, amid the forests they could see indian settlements, and at times light canoes skimmed the surface of the waves. towards eleven o'clock a white spot appeared on the land straight ahead. don rafael, who was standing by philip, touched the young man's arm. "acauhtzin!" he said, cheerfully; "we will be there in the hour." philip looked at his watch. "we left tlatonac at four yesterday. we will reach acauhtzin at twelve to-day. three hundred miles in twenty hours. that is not bad for slow steaming. had i kept her at full speed, she would have done it in fifteen!" tim, who had his glass up, gave an exclamation of surprise. "what is it, tim?" "three war-ships are lying in the harbour." "i thought as much," replied philip, calmly; "we will have to run the blockade." tim pointed upward to the union jack. "if they fire on that," he said slowly, "xuarez is not the clever man i take him to be. what do you say, jack?" "say!" repeated jack, who was looking ahead with clenched fists, "that one of those three ships is _the pizarro_, and that dolores is on board." chapter ii. acauhtzin. here, where mingle rocks and sands, phantom-like the city stands, looming vague and ghostly pale, through the dawning's misty veil. day and night, and night and day, at the foot of ramparts grey; just a stone-throw up the shore ever-hungry surges roar, as they would rejoice to tear from her heights that city fair, where, engirt by forests green, proud she sits, a laurelled queen; dim the mighty fabric gleams, as thought-built in magic dreams, 'tis some palace city hoary, famed in song for golden glory, which, at dawn, will fade away, in the traitor light of day. the city of acauhtzin was not unlike the capital in appearance, though it differed from tlatonac in being built on a projecting point of land, instead of on a hill. on either side were mountains, partially enclosing a deep basin, wherein the war-ships were anchored, and on a tongue of rock jutting into the centre of this pool the city was built. the walls white and glistening, arose sheer from the rocky cliffs and above them only a few steeples and towers could be seen. the walls encompassing the tongue of rock formed a kind of citadel, and then ran along the inshore for some distance on each side, terminating in well-defended forts. at the back of the city arose a high mountain, clothed with green forests, from amidst which a mighty peak of snow shot up grandly into the blue sky. philip saw all this when the yacht was some distance away, and at once pronounced his opinion of the place. "it is like valetta," he said, handing the glass to jack. "the city is built, on a tongue of land, the walls rise in the same precipitous fashion, and there are harbours on either side. were it not for that mighty peak, and the mountains to right and left, it would be the valetta of the old world." on the flag-tower of the principal fort floated the banner of the insurgent leader, the same in all respects as that of the republic, save that the colour was red instead of yellow. the harlequin opal was so interwoven with the history and superstitions of the cholacacans that xuarez could not afford to dispense with so powerful a symbol, and on the crimson ground of the flag gleamed the representation of the stone, shooting its myriad rays. at the entrance of the harbour were anchored two heavily armed war-ships, which don rafael recognised as _the cortes_ and _the columbus_. his own vessel, _the pizarro_, lay further in to the shore, almost across the gate which pierced the wall of the great fort, and gave admission to the city. with the union jack flying at her masthead _the bohemian_ steamed boldly into the harbour between the threatening bulk of the two men-of-war. through their glasses, those on board the yacht could see there was much excitement at her unexpected appearance both on the ships and on shore. a crowd of people poured out of the gate like a swarm of bees, as _the bohemian_, slowing down her engines, swung gracefully to anchor beside _the pizarro_. just as she cleared the war-ships at the entrance, a puff of smoke broke from the black sides of _the cortes_, whereat tim uttered an exclamation of rage. "it's insulting the flag they are!" "no. blank cartridge," replied philip, shrewdly; "they are saluting the union jack. don hypolito evidently wants to stand well with england. see, they are dipping their flags." the three war-ships lowered their pennants for a moment, in salutation to the english flag, and then ran them up again to the masthead. philip had by this time brought _the bohemian_ directly under the guns of the forts; so that, in any event, she would be safe. the forts could not depress their guns sufficiently to damage her, and the war-ships would not dare to fire lest they should injure the ramparts of the town. making everything safe by this artful manoeuvre philip, with the sanction of don alonzo, hauled down the union jack, to hoist the republican banner. at first the forts thought the english ship was responding to their salute, and several guns thundered a welcome to the stranger, while the crowd on the shore cheered lustily. all these greetings, however, were changed to cries of anger when the yellow banner of tlatonac flew up to the masthead of _the bohemian_. without doubt, had the yacht been outside, the war-ships would have opened fire on this audacious vessel, to make her pay for such insolence; but philip, being safe under the walls of the fort, could fly the flag with impunity. the crowd on the beach and wharf roared with rage, as they saw the hated ensign, and recognised the fact that by this audacious piece of strategy a band of their enemies had gained admission into the very heart of their harbour. had those on shore been able to get on board _the bohemian_ it would have gone ill with philip and his friends; but, fortunately, the yacht had cast anchor some distance away, by the side of _the pizarro_. the crew of the war-ship lined the side of their vessel to look at the daring intruder, and seeing this, don rafael, suppressing all outward signs of rage, swore fluently to himself as he recognised the renegades. in a remarkably short space of time, a boat with the rebel flag hanging over its stern pulled out from the shore, and in a few minutes came alongside _the bohemian_. a ladder was thrown over at once, and there stepped on deck don josé de tejada, accompanied by a few officers. he recognised don alonzo and his friends at once, for they had been intimates of his before the outbreak of this fratricidal war. "don rafael! don alonzo," said tejada, in astonishment. "what is the meaning of this, señores? and how have you the hardihood to display the flag of tlatonac under the guns of acauhtzin?" "i, the intendante, with these gentlemen, have come hither on a mission to don hypolito xuarez from the junta of cholacaca." "oh, you would make peace. the junta fears the result of an appeal to arms." "carajo, no!" cried garibay, clapping his hand to his sword. "the junta fears nothing; much less the rebel xuarez." "beware, señor," said tejada, as several of his officers muttered angrily; "i cannot protect you, if thus you speak of our honoured president." "president!" cried rafael, in a rage. "yes; the president of cholacaca." "don francisco gomez is president?" "by the will of the aristocrats," said don josé fiercely; "but don hypolito xuarez is president by the will of the people." "enough of this," exclaimed the intendante, waving his hand; "we are here under a flag of truce. even you, señor, must respect that. we will deliver our message to xuarez, and depart unharmed." "that is as don hypolito wills it." "your pardon, señor," interposed philip, taking off his yachting cap; "this is an english vessel, and as such you dare not seize her." "i recognise no vessel as english under those colours," said tejada, fiercely, pointing to the opal banner. "bueno! i will endeavour to remove your prejudice." in another moment philip had given orders to benker, and the union jack was flying at the other masthead. "you must respect our neutrality now, señor." don josé bit his lip, and turning to one of his officers, gave an order. the soldier bowed, dropped over the side of the yacht, and went ashore in the boat. "i have sent to tell don hypolito that an embassy has come from tlatonac," said tejada, addressing the intendante with marked coldness; "in ten or fifteen minutes you shall know his decision." "he must receive us, señor." "no doubt; but the question is, will he let you depart?" "by the law of nations, which recognises the white flag, he must let us go as we came, unharmed." "had you not sailed under the english ensign, you would not have got into the harbour so easily. this boat would be now sunk by the guns of _the cortes_." "i thought as much," said philip, easily; "therefore i flew a flag which even you had to respect." "and may i ask, señores," sneered don josé, with elaborate politeness, "under which flag you sail? the english, the opal, or the white?" "under the white," replied garibay, promptly. "good! then lower those two banners, and run up the white flag." "i'll see you hanged first!" retorted philip, bluntly. "this is an english vessel, and i defy you to touch it or the flag." tejada blushed red with rage, for he knew that xuarez, anxious to stand well in his quarrel with the great nations of europe, would not dare to insult the union jack. in fact, seeing that the deputation had arrived in an english vessel, tejada was well assured in his own mind that it would be received and sent away with the utmost courtesy, let their message from the junta be galling as it might be. xuarez was no barbarian, and in any case would have treated a flag of truce with honour, but the presence of these english gentlemen, of this english ship, put the matter beyond all doubt. under these circumstances, tejada was unable to reply to sir philip; but suppressing his wrath with a great effort, bowed politely and turned away. as he did so, don rafael sprang forward, as also did jack, both eager to learn if dolores was in the town. "i will speak, amigo," said rafael, hurriedly to jack. "i know don josé, as my private friend, though public enemy; he will answer me." "your servant, señor!" remarked tejada, stiffly, finding himself face to face with don rafael. "señor," said the young man, taking off his sombrero with ceremonious politeness, "we are enemies because we follow different leaders; but i implore you, by the friendship which once existed between us, to answer a question i would ask." "surely, señor! you were ever welcome at my table, in time of peace. as you say, we are now enemies; but god forbid that this unhappy war should banish all courtesies between gentlemen. what question do you wish to put, señor? it shall be answered." "is my cousin--is doña dolores at acauhtzin?" tejada started, and seemed much surprised. "no, señor maraquando, she is not here. why ask me such a strange question?" "not here!" cried jack, who also knew tejada well; "but she must be here, señor tejada; she has been carried off from tlatonac, taken on board yonder vessel,"--pointing to _the pizarro_--"and is now in acauhtzin with don hypolito." "i swear to you, señor duval, that you wrong us. you wrong don hypolito," replied don josé, earnestly. "i am aware that our leader loves doña dolores, and desires to marry her, but he would not carry her off so basely. no, señor," continued tejada, proudly; "we are men of honour, we do not make war on women. when don hypolito conquers, he will ask for the honour of doña dolores' hand in due form. she is not here, i swear." "great heavens!" cried jack, in despair. "can this be true?" "don josé," said rafael, eagerly, "i know you to be a man of honour. i do not doubt your word; but i feel sure that my cousin is here." "señor!" "i do not say that you know, or are deceiving me," went on rafael, rapidly. "but look you, don josé. there is a zambo called pepe, who acted as a spy for your party at tlatonac. the other night he decoyed my cousin from the cathedral on board _the pizarro_. a fisherman saw pepe rowing to the war-ship, with a female in his boat." "bueno! that is so," interrupted tejada, bluntly; "but the woman was a poblana--one marina." "marina!" cried duval, savagely. "then i have been tricked. we have all been wrong! doña dolores must be with the indians." "i trust, señor, your fears are groundless; but if doña dolores is with the indians, she will be quite safe. they reverence her as the guardian of the chalchuih tlatonac." "does don hypolito know anything about the indians?" asked rafael, hurriedly. "that question, señor, i am not at liberty to answer." rafael cast one swift and penetrating glance at the impassive face of the old man, and turned away with a suppressed oath. "carrai!" he muttered, fiercely, to philip, who stood by, a silent spectator. "i believe xuarez is in league with the indians, and has made them carry her off. if she is not here, she is at that hidden temple; but, in either case, don hypolito is mixed up with the case." "in my humble opinion, she is at acauhtzin," said philip, quietly. "don josé does not know all the black dealings of xuarez's heart. cheer up, my dear jack, we will soon see don hypolito, and wring the truth from him." jack muttered something indistinctly, and turned away, whereon philip, taking him kindly by the arm, led him down to the saloon, with the intention of giving him such consolation as he was able. "if she is here, xuarez must know," said philip, earnestly; "and if he knows, he will not be able to deceive me. i can read most faces, and it will be strange indeed if don hypolito's is the first to baffle me." "don josé denies everything." "yes; because don josé knows nothing. that old man is a pompous old ass, like the intendante. many things could take place under his nose without his being any the wiser. drink this glass of wine, my dear lad, and keep up your spirits. we will find dolores yet." duval was so overcome by the loss of dolores that he submitted to philip's orders like a child, and obediently drank the wine poured out for him. in most emergencies, jack would have been ready to act at once with a cool head, and iron nerve; but dolores was very dear to him, and her loss had rendered him useless for the moment--in other words, the shock had paralysed his will. after philip had succeeded in putting some heart into the poor fellow, he insisted on his coming on deck, and they ascended thereto just in time to see the return of the officer sent by tejada to don hypolito. the messenger walked straight up to don josé, and gave the reply of xuarez, on hearing which, tejada turned towards the waiting intendante. "his excellency don hypolito xuarez will see you at his palace." don alonzo almost choked with rage at hearing these terms applied to a rebel like xuarez, but managed to bow with tolerably good grace. he moved towards the side of the yacht, and scrambled down into the boat in a somewhat ungraceful fashion for an ambassador. colonel garibay, don rafael, and the englishmen followed, together with tejada and his staff. tim, who had been fraternising with the rebels, showed his note-book to jack, filled with shorthand notes. "i've got no end of information," he said gleefully; "and when i get back to tlatonac, it goes to the _morning planet_ straight." "that is if we ever do get back," said jack, gloomily. "of course we will, you pessimist; and, what's more, we'll take back doña dolores with us." "do you think she is here, then, after all?" asked duval, with reviving hope. tim winked in a vulgar fashion. "a word in your ear, jack," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the pompous tejada. "that old man's a liar. the pretty colleen is here, and don josé knows it? but she's not with don hypolito." "then where do you think she is?" "with rafael's sweetheart, no less; the old man's daughter." "doña carmencita?" "you've hit it." jack would have questioned tim further, so as to learn his grounds for such a belief, but just then the boat touched the stone steps of the wharf. the embassy stepped ashore, and waited till the soldiers of tlatonac arrived. don alonzo, with a due regard for the dignity of the republic, refused to move until his bodyguard came on shore. in a few minutes, the soldiers landed, under the command of captain velez, and thus escorted, the ambassador of the republic moved slowly forward, beneath the mighty arch which led into the heart of the rebel capital. "we've got in, señor," whispered rafael to philip with sudden doubt; "but i hope we shall be able to get out." philip pointed back to the union jack, which could be seen in the distance at the yacht's masthead. "while that flag is there i have no fear, don rafael." chapter iii. don hypolito xuarez. a visionary? wherefore not? all men who change the world are dreamers in their youth. thought comes before fulfilment!--in the earth, the hidden seedling hints the future flower! so is it with this man! for years his brain hath dallied with a thousand fantasies, which had no being save within himself. but now his dreams take shape!--with purpose firm, he aids their due fulfilment, till therefrom new heavens and earth are formed, and ancient things crashing to ruin, as foundations serve whereon to build earth's future destinies. there was no doubt that don hypolito laid due stress on ceremonial observances as necessary to consolidate his pretensions. on the ground that gomez had broken the constitutional rules by which he held his position, xuarez proclaimed himself saviour and president of the cholacacan republic. not being in possession of tlatonac, he constituted acauhtzin his capital for the time being, and there assumed all the airs of a ruler. he called himself by the title of president, his personal staff and intimate friends constituted a kind of revolutionary junta, and the building in which this illegal assemblage met for conference was dignified with the name of the palacio nacional. in all respects the machinery of the lawful government was copied at acauhtzin, and that town was regarded by the opposidores as the true capital of the country until such time as xuarez should enforce his pretensions by marching in triumph into the head city of the republic. as in the middle ages two popes ruled--the one at rome, the other at avignon--so the allegiance of cholacaca was claimed by two presidents: gomez at tlatonac, xuarez at acauhtzin. the extraordinary man who avowed himself the saviour of type country possessed in a marked degree that power of dominating all with whom he came in contact by the personal charm of his manner. this dæmonic influence is a peculiar characteristic of all great men, without which they could not hope to accomplish their missions. napoleon changed the map of europe, mahomet created a religion, cæsar consolidated the roman empire, luther tore half the civilised world from the grip of ecclesiastical rome. these great events sprang in the first instance from the strong personality of the men who accomplished them, hence the performance of what appear to be miracles. don hypolito xuarez, son of a spanish adventurer and an indian woman, possessed this dæmonic influence, and gifted with such power, arose from obscurity to the full glory of supreme power. nowhere was his authority more noticeable than in acauhtzin. years before a political adventurer, he had been accepted by the people of that town as their deputy to the junta. acauhtzin, always jealous of the superiority of tlatonac, was desirous that the seat of government should be transferred thither from the city of the opal. this ambition was fostered by the crafty xuarez, who saw therein a safe way of gaining the love of the northern capital. after he had accused gomez in the junta of breaking the rules of the constitution, he came northward to claim the protection of his constituents, a protection which was freely accorded to one who had their interests so much at heart. cunning don hypolito saw his position and how he could better it. casting all his fortunes on one bold stroke, he assembled the townspeople in the great plaza, and harangued them with all his marvellous powers of oratory. gomez had tampered with the sacred constitution of cholacaca. gomez was therefore unworthy to occupy the presidential chair. one man alone could save the country, that man was himself. let them throw in their fortunes with his, and resort to arms to inforce his elevation to the supreme power. then he would transfer the seat of government from tlatonac to acauhtzin, and the northern port would become the greatest city in central america. dazzled by this vision, the townspeople elected don hypolito president with enthusiasm, and vowed to stand by him to the end. that end they never for a moment doubted would be victory over the established government, and the transference of the seat of power from tlatonac to acauhtzin. they firmly believed in don hypolito as the man of the future, and when, by a skilful stroke of diplomacy, he secured the support of the regimiento de huitzilopochtli and of the fleet, his triumph was complete. he who could do so much could do more! the admiring townsfolk swore by the brilliant adventurer, and when the message carried by don alonzo arrived at the northern capital, the crafty mestizo was the idol of the populace. the ironical part of the whole affair was that he had no intention of fulfiling any promises made to his trusting constituents. jack, owing to his long residence in tlatonac, was already acquainted with xuarez, but both tim and philip were exceedingly curious to behold this man, of whom they had heard so much, and who seemed to hold the destinies of the republic in the hollow of his hand. in the great hall of the palacio nacional (so called) they beheld him for the first time, waiting to receive the emissaries of the government. surrounded by a brilliant throng of officers, he alone was plainly dressed, no uniform, no gaudy tints, no decorations, yet his personality raised him high above those by whom he was encircled. the supporters of xuarez were mediocrites; xuarez himself was a great man. the revolutionary leader was small of stature, ungraceful in appearance; his legs were short, his body was long, so that he rather waddled than walked. at first sight this ungainly figure, this ungraceful gait, was apt to bring a smile to the lips of the onlooker, but that smile faded before the grand countenance surmounting the misshapen frame. it was as though the head of a greek statue had been, by mistake, joined on to the body of a polynesian idol; the first was so noble, the latter so grotesque. a roman head, such as tradition ascribes to the cæsars, a napoleonic face, calm, powerful, terrible as the impassive countenance of the sphinx. broad forehead, prominent nose, large eyes, full of fire and determination; no beard or moustache to hide the contour of the cheeks, the strong curve of the mouth, a skin of marble whiteness, and the whole surmounted by masses of waving hair, dark as the eyes beneath. such faces are seen on the coins of the cæsars, on the painted walls of egyptian tombs, on the carven walls of assyrian palaces. they belong alone to kings, to heroes, to conquerors. nature marks her great men thus. when such faces of terrible calm appear at intervals of centuries, mankind trembles, they recognise the scourges of god, destined to whelm the world in waves of blood. philip came to see xuarez--he looked, and lo! napoleon. "the struggle is unequal," he whispered to jack, as don alonzo unrolled his papers. "yes," replied duval, in the same tone. "his force is too weak to stand against the power of the junta." philip smiled scornfully. "what can the junta do against that face?" he said, contemptuously. "there stands the greatest man in cholacaca." "d----n him," muttered the engineer, fiercely, "he has carried off dolores." "silence, boys," growled tim, in a voice of subdued thunder, "the don's speaking." the intendante was not a particularly brave man, and hardly liked the position in which he now found himself. his mission had appeared to be great and grand and glorious at tlatonac! but now it assumed quite a different complexion. to utter threats against the rebel xuarez, when in the society of friends, was one thing; to order the followers of the revolutionary president to give him up to punishment, in the middle of his army, was another. don alonzo cebrian hummed and hawed, and cleared his throat, to get down a nasty lump which impeded his speech. don hypolito saw his confusion, but said nothing, he did not even smile, but sat serenely in his chair, impenetrable as the sphinx. at last the intendante screwed up his courage and delivered the decree of the junta--sufficiently badly, it is true--still, he delivered it. "as the legally qualified representative of the junta of cholacaca, in congress assembled, i hereby order those in arms against the republic to surrender to the government, and to deliver up for punishment the body of the rebel, hypolito xuarez, for----" he did not finish his sentence. a low murmur of rage arose from the supporters of the rebel leader, and, half-drawing their swords, they looked towards xuarez for authority to cut down the daring man who had thus insulted him in the midst of his army. don alonzo turned pale at the sight of the half-bared weapons, and shrank back among his friends; but xuarez, leaning his chin on his hand, stared steadily before him and waited. seeing this impassive demeanour, which he was not clever enough to know was more dangerous than an outburst of rage, don alonzo regained his spirits. a more unfitted diplomatist than cebrian could scarcely have been chosen. "i need not speak at any great length," he said, rapidly. "the orders of his excellency francisco gomez are that the town of acauhtzin surrender to the government, deliver up the rebel xuarez for punishment, and submit to the clemency of the junta. if this is done at once, the junta will be lenient; if not, the opal standard will be unfurled, and all the inhabitants of acauhtzin will be treated as rebels. this is the decree of don francisco gomez on the part of the junta of cholacaca, delivered by myself the intendante of xicotencatl." then, cebrian, having delivered his message sufficiently badly, rolled up his papers with the air of a man who has done his duty, and waited the reply of the rebel leader. all those on the side of xuarez frowned heavily, but made no demonstration of wrath at the insolence of the message. they waited to hear don hypolito speak. the mestizo arose to his feet, and addressed himself, not to the emissaries of the republic, but to his own supporters. "señores," he said, in a singularly mellow and powerful voice, "you hear the decree of the so-called junta of cholacaca. lest you should mistake the purport of the message delivered by don alonzo cebrian, i will repeat it shortly. you are to lay down your arms, surrender my body to the junta, and trust to the tender mercies of your rivals of tlatonac for judgment. these are the conditions, which, if not accepted, will bring on us the thunderbolts of war from a government who have not a navy, and scarce an army. your answer?" hitherto he had spoken in a low tone, clear and distinct, but distinguished by no oratorical fire. at the last words, however, his voice rang through the hall like thunder, and he repeated them with emphasis. "your answer, señores?" "no! no! no! viva xuarez! viva el gefe! abaja, gomez!" don hypolito listened to those fierce responses with a smile of pleasure on his usually immobile face, and when the clamour died away, arose slowly to his feet. facing the messengers of the republic, he addressed them sharply, laconically. "you hear, señores. go!" "you refuse!" said don alonzo, scarcely able to believe his ears. "i refuse to surrender myself to your tyrants. the people of acauhtzin refuse to lay down their arms. between myself and the illegal junta now sitting at tlatonac, there is no friendship, no trust, no faith. they proclaim me a rebel! i, hypolito xuarez, proclaim war!" he flung up his hand with a fiery gesture, and as he did so a hundred swords flashed from their scabbards. "war!" cried those in the hall. "war! viva xuarez!" don alonzo tore the message of the republic in twain, and cast the pieces at the foot of the dais whereon xuarez was seated. "so be it!" he cried, turning his back, "war!" "hold!" said xuarez, in a voice of thunder. "you came, señores, under the protection of the english flag. you go with the opal banner flying at your masthead. such a precaution was useless. i am not a barbarian to fire on a flag of truce; but you--you, señores, are cowards to thus distrust an honourable foe." before the intendante could speak, philip sprang forward, and faced the speaker. "the fault, señor, if fault it be, is mine. the vessel in which we came is english, and, therefore, flies the english flag. in the port, i hoisted the opal banner, to show that these gentlemen were on board, and had come on a mission from the junta." "an excellent explanation!" sneered hypolito, frowning; "but untrue!" "señor!" "untrue, i say! you thought i would fire on your ship! you looked on me as a barbaric foe! you mistrusted me!" "and who would not?" said jack's deep voice savagely, "who would not mistrust one who makes war on women?" "be quiet, jack." "i do not understand you, señor duval," said xuarez, who knew the young engineer quite well. "explain!" "doña dolores, the niece of don miguel maraquando, has been kidnapped from tlatonac! i accuse you of carrying her off." "i deny it, señor! it is false," cried the rebel leader, a flush reddening the marble whiteness of his face. "doña dolores is not in acauhtzin." "she may not be here, señor, but you know where she is!" "i do not, señor! you have no proof of what you say." "pepe, the zambo, a spy in your pay, carried off a woman from tlatonac," cried rafael, stepping forward. "that woman was my cousin, dolores." xuarez started, and spoke rapidly to one of his officers, who thereupon left the room. "ah! you know much, señor," he resumed, scornfully; "but you are wrong; the zambo was my spy----" "carambo!" "i repeat he was my spy in tlatonac," said xuarez, coolly; "and he left the city with a plan of your fortifications." "por todos santos," roared garibay, fiercely, clapping his hand on his sword. "call on whom you like, señor commandante! i have no reason to hide this from you or from the junta, else would i have kept silent. i know when to hold my tongue, señores; i know when to speak! i speak now! go back and tell your president that i have a full plan of tlatonac in my possession, and that i will use it to take your city, and level its walls to the ground." "if you can do so!" said garibay, tauntingly. "if i can do so. as you say," replied xuarez, suddenly recognising that this controversy was unworthy of his rank; "we need say no more on that subject. ha!" he added, as the officers, with a man and a woman, entered the hall, "here is pepe! and here, señores, is the woman he carried off." the woman threw back her rebozo. "marina!" cried jack, in despair. "you see, señores," said don hypolito, serenely, "i am not the base one you think me to be." "i'm not so sure of that," muttered tim, under his breath. "but this, señores, is outside the question. you came to me with a message from the junta. i have answered that message. go! go, and carry back to tlatonac my defiance and that of acauhtzin. sail away under your opal flag, caballeros, and i promise you my guns will respect your vessel. adios. go!" he pointed imperiously down the hall to where the great doors stood wide open, and, headed by don alonzo, the deputation retired. rafael was biting his lips with rage, and garibay was swearing under his breath. the exit was scarcely dignified or worthy of the greatness of the republic. "i never felt so mean in my life," whispered philip to tim. "what a beast the man is!" "and you said he was a great man!" "so he is. but even great men are human. xuarez is not perfect; but i believe he is honourable as regards rules of warfare. we can leave the harbour in safety." "i doubt that, my boy," said tim, significantly; "the man's a liar!" "what!" said jack, overhearing this; "do you think that dolores----?" "i think that he knows where she is." "then i'll stay here till he gives her up." "you'll stay here a long time, then. she is not in acauhtzin." "then where is she?" "it's more nor i know." they were marching down the street on their way to the sea-gate, surrounded by their own soldiers and a troop of the regimiento de huitzilopochtli. around this living barrier raged the populace, who had heard of the message sent by the republic, demanding the surrender of xuarez, and were mad with anger. to give up the idol of their hearts--the man on whom the glorious future of acauhtzin depended! it was an insult! if they could have got at the emissaries, they would have torn them to pieces; but, fortunately, the line of soldiers prevented this. don alonzo was pale with terror, but rafael and garibay swore loudly at the rebel crowd. the three englishmen smiled scornfully and marched serenely along, not heeding the savage howling of the mob, which recognised them as foreigners. "abajo los americanos! mueran los yankies!" "we would have rather a hard time out there," said philip, as tim, his huge frame shaking with anger, ranged alongside of him. "keep together boys. where's jack?" "behind, with don rafael. don't trouble, philip; jack duval has his six-shooter on him." "good! i hope i am not a coward," said the baronet, serenely, as a clod of earth hit him on the shoulder; "but i will be glad when we are safe on board _the bohemian_." "so will i. this is like donnybrook fair. but we're nearly outside the town. glory be to the saints!" as they approached the gate, the fury of the mob increased, and it took all the strength of the soldiers, tramping shoulder to shoulder, to prevent them breaking through and falling on the emissaries of the junta. at the gate, however, a soldier stumbled and fell, whereon, through the gap thus formed, a torrent of men rushed, shouting wildly. the escort fought bravely, and the rebel soldiers did their best to save the ambassadors. it would be a disgrace to acauhtzin to let the mob have their will. inch by inch they fought their way down to the sea-shore, surrounded by the howling multitude. philip knocked down a man who tried to snatch his watch-chain, and tim, head and shoulders above the torrent of humanity, whacked every head he saw heartily with his heavy stick. "when you see a head, hit it." that was tim's rule of warfare. he picked it up at donnybrook fair, and applied it practically in his present predicament. at the water's edge they were hurried into several boats, and amid a shower of stones and mud, managed to get on board the yacht. as soon as all were on deck, benker, without waiting for instructions, started the boat. philip stood at the side of the ship and shook his fist at the shore. "you scoundrels!" he raged, fiercely. "you dishonourable wretches." "and xuarez is a great man," scoffed tim, wiping the blood from his face. "well," retorted philip, viciously, "he's not responsible for this mob." "when we return," swore rafael, who stood near him, "we will level those walls with the sand." by this time the yacht had passed out of the harbour, and was steaming between the two war-ships. don alonzo began to recover his courage. "thanks to the holy virgin, we are all safe, señores," he said, in a trembling voice. "the junta will bitterly resent this insult shown to the intendante of xicotencatl." philip looked around with an alarmed expression of countenance. "where's jack?" "jack!" cried tim, in a stentorian voice. there was no answer. "señor juan was with me," said rafael, quickly, "but i lost him from my side outside the gate." "he must be down below," said philip, greatly disturbed, and went off to the cabin. in a few moments he reappeared. "he is not there. my god! can he be lost?" the yacht was searched thoroughly, but no trace of jack duval could be found. philip wanted to put back and rescue his friend, who had been evidently left ashore. "impossible, señor!" cried don alonzo, in alarm; "it is dangerous." "i do not care. do you think i am going to leave my dear friend to be torn to pieces by these savages?" raged philip, stamping his foot. "the soldiers will protect him," said garibay, who was terribly upset at the discovery of their loss. he was very fond of jack. "did they protect us?" said tim, who was quite beside himself with grief and rage. "turn her head back, philip." don rafael, tim, and the baronet were all in favour of doing this, but don alonzo and garibay said it would be madness. by this time they were beyond the range of the fort guns, and in safety; but notwithstanding the remonstrances of the terrified intendante, philip altered the course of the boat, and started back to the harbour. "i will save jack, if i die for it," he said, fiercely. just as _the bohemian_ approached the warships, a puff of smoke burst from the sides of both, and two balls ricochetted across the waves. "not blank cartridge this time," muttered tim, grimly, "the dirty cowards, to fire on an unarmed boat. and the forts!" one! two! three! four! a perfect cannonade thundered from the forts, and one of the spars of the boat was carried away. the warships repeated their fire, and, against his will, philip was forced to stop the engines. it was no use running into a hornet's nest. another quarter of a mile, nay less, and _the bohemian_ would be smashed to pieces. the engines were reversed, and philip shook his fist wildly at the town. "first dolores! then jack! oh, cursed, cursed town!" chapter iv. rivals. i this side! you that side!--a woman between us, you love her!--i love her!--each fain would caress her. by paul, i will never surrender this venus, for i in my arms would for ever possess her. you say that she loves you! a lie!--for she told me her heart had no caring for love or for lover. let her but a moment behold you! behold me! and he whom she chooses we'll quickly discover. well, say!--we'll suppose it!--to you she is tender! and goes with you thither; while i remain lonely, think you that this woman i thus would surrender? nay! she shall remain with me! mine to be only. why, you are my captive! but though i can slay you! give over this folly--you'll find me a true man! nay more, you are free, honoured, wealthy--what say you? what madman refuse you!--then lose life and woman. jack recovered his senses in complete darkness. he put his hand to his head and heard the clank of a fetter, felt the cold iron clasp his wrist. he moved his legs, more chains, and the unexpected discovery that he was lying on straw. not a ray of light anywhere to be seen. on all sides darkness, the darkness of egypt. rolling heavily to one side with a groan of pain forced from him by his aching head, he felt the cold chill of a stone floor. straw, chains, stones, darkness! what did it all mean? he tried to think, but his head was confused, stunned as with a blow. it was a blow! for at the back of his cranium he felt a wound, his fingers were moist with his own blood. slowly, slowly, his scattered senses came back to him, and he strove to recall all that had taken place since he had left the palacio nacional. yes! he had gone down the street with the rest of his friends. rafael had walked by his side, philip and tim had marched on in front. then the howling mob on all sides dashing itself against the lines of soldiers. a dragoon had fallen by the sea-gate just as they were on the verge of safety--the mob rushed in through the gap--then he remembered fighting desperately--a blow on the head--a cowardly blow delivered from behind, and he remembered no more. remembrance ceased with that blow, it revived again here in darkness, with him lying on a straw bed chained like a prisoner. a prisoner! jack saw his position in a moment--he was in prison, at the mercy of his rival, of the lover of dolores, of don hypolito xuarez, rebel and traitor. "great heaven," moaned jack, as the horrors of his situation slowly dawned on his confused brain, "this must all have been designed by that scoundrel, xuarez. his promises that we should go unscathed were all lies. philip! tim! poor rafael! where are they now? perhaps in this accursed prison." it was so dark that he was afraid to move lest he should fall into danger. at length he put out his hand cautiously, and, kneeling forward, felt all round his bed. the straw was simply thrown on the floor in a heap, and on three sides he found nothing but the pavement, on the fourth the massive stones of the wall. unexpectedly his hand touched a crock of water, and drawing this towards him, he found it full, much to his delight, as, owing to his wound, he was consumed with a burning thirst. after taking a good draught, he sat back on his straw to think of what he should do next. jack was always cool in time of danger. the obstacles which would have appalled other men only sharpened his wits, and as his brain was now clearer, he set himself to work to think over the situation. before doing this, however, he soaked his handkerchief in the little water remaining at the bottom of the crock, and bound it round his head. the cool cloth somewhat assuaged the throbbing of his wound and thus quieted his heated brain. on leaving tlatonac, jack and his friends had doffed their fine uniforms as likely to compromise them in the eyes of xuarez, and reassumed their european garb. he was, therefore, dressed in a norfolk jacket, with trousers of rough blue serge, these latter being tucked into high riding-boots of untanned leather. the pith helmet he had worn had evidently been knocked off in the struggle at the sea-gate, as his head was bare; but, on feeling his pockets, he found everything else was safe. money, knife, keys, they were all there; but his revolver was gone, a loss which he much regretted. the first thing he did was to remove his fetters, which he managed with some difficulty and the assistance of his knife. luckily they were only of light steel, and had evidently been put on more through the malignity of xuarez than because they prevented his escape. indeed, it was a useless precaution, for, even now that they were removed, he knew not where he was, and in which direction to turn for egress. with his knife he managed to bend back the links of one chain so that it parted, leaving the steel ring still on the wrist; but, with considerable pain to his hand, he managed to slip it through the other. as regards the rings round his ankles, jack was unusually powerful, and, in spite of his wound, with the strength of despair, managed to wrench the locks of the chains asunder. the steel chains were old and badly made, else he would not have freed himself so easily; but as it was, after half-an-hour's hard work, he managed to get rid of the chains, and stood up with no manacles on him, save the steel ring on his left wrist, with a few links dangling therefrom. free so far, he next placed his head against the rough damp stones of the wall, and cautiously moved round his cell. a few steps from his bed brought him against another wall, at right angles to the former. following this, he soon arrived at the other side of the prison, and felt his way along the opposite wall. towards the end of this, he stumbled over a flight of squat, stone steps, projecting into the prison, and by careful touching, managed to ascertain that those led up to a low door of wood, clasped with iron. beyond, a short space, and another wall, at right angles, and so back to his straw bed, on which he resumed his seat. "fifteen by twenty," muttered jack, taking another drink of water, "and steps leading down from the door. damp walls too. i guess this cage is in the basement of one of the forts, or below the palacio nacional. that cursed xuarez! one of his men stunned me in that fight with a foul blow, and they then clapped me in here. i wonder what he intends to do with me. he knows i love dolores, and am his rival; so i expect he'll make things pretty hot for me, if he can. well, at all events, my life is safe, for what with philip and tim to stand by me, he dare not kill me." then a sudden dread entered his mind regarding philip and the war correspondent. "if they should be killed in that row, or clapped in prison also! no, i don't believe that. putting philip out of the question, xuarez is too cunning to hurt a war correspondent of a great english paper. he wants to stand well with the world in this struggle, and would not dare to risk the outcry of anything happening to tim. i expect they all got back safely to the yacht. xuarez could afford to let them go with his defiance to tlatonac. he only wanted me because i am his rival in the affections of dolores. the question is, has he got her in his power also? he says 'no,' but the man's a liar, whom it is impossible to believe. hang this wound." it was burning with heat, and taking off the bandage, he dipped it into the dregs of water remaining. then he bound it over the wound again, and took out his watch, which luckily had not been stolen, as it was safely stowed inside his norfolk jacket. with his fingers, he delicately felt the hands. "six o'clock!" he said, somewhat startled; "and we left the palace at three. i've been three hours in this cursed hole. it must be still light, or, rather, twilight; so, as it is here as dark as pitch, this cell must be built far down. hang them! do they intend to starve me?" he felt vainly for the traditional loaf of bread, which always accompanies the pitcher of water in prisons, but, to his dismay, could find none. this pointed to one of two things. either xuarez intended to starve him to death, or would visit him shortly with a meal. he would not dare to do the former, as jack, feeling sure his friends had escaped, knew the outcry of these against the rebel leader would be great, did he carry his hatred so far; and as to the latter, the young man hopefully waited, in the hope that his gaoler would soon arrive. "he won't come himself, i suppose," said jack, throwing himself down on his straw; "some soldiers will come and escort me to the upper world. hang it! if the man isn't a thorough blackguard, he'll let me have a meal and a doctor. my head is aching like, to split. even a candle would be acceptable in this infernal gloom." clearly there was nothing for it but to wait till some one entered the cell. jack was too wise to waste his time in kicking at the door, or exhaust his strength in shouting for help. he was in the power of xuarez, and it depended on future events as to how matters would turn out. of one thing jack felt confident, and that was that even if philip and the others reached the yacht in safety they could do nothing. "i guess xuarez brought the guns to bear on _the bohemian_, and ordered philip to clear out. he could do nothing against that order, so i expect the boat is by this time on her way back to tlatonac with the news of my capture or death. i'll have to wait here until the junta captures the town, and lord only knows when that will be. i wouldn't mind so much if i only knew of the whereabouts of dolores." thus talking to himself, in order to keep up his spirits, this unfortunate young man sat for some considerable time, waiting with philosophic resignation the turn of events. by means of his watch, he calculated that it was close on eight o'clock before he was disturbed. then he heard the sound of a bolt slipping out of its socket, the door of his cell opened, and a man appeared. a man draped in a long black cloak, flung spanish fashion over his left shoulder, and wearing a broad-leaved sombrero which effectually concealed his features. he carried a lantern which illuminated the cell with a sufficiently feeble light, but it was comforting to jack, after the intense darkness of the previous hours, and enabled him to see whom was his visitor. the stranger closed the door of the cell, descended the steps, and advanced towards jack, swinging the lantern to and fro so as to flash the light into every corner of the small room. that squat figure, that ungraceful walk; jack recognised him at once. notwithstanding the sombrero, the long cloak, the silence observed by the man, his prisoner at once saluted him by name. "so this is how you keep your prisoners, don hypolito xuarez?" xuarez started at being thus recognised so speedily, but restraining his speech, flashed the lantern up and down jack's tall figure as he leaned against the wall, and started again. "carambo! you are free! the chains----" "are there, señor!" the rebel leader looked first at the broken chains afterwards at jack, and seemed to regard his prisoner as a kind of samson. he had a profound respect for physical strength, for physical beauty; and the splendid frame of the young englishman, in conjunction with this evidence of his muscles, inspired don hypolito with great admiration. "bueno, señor duval!" he said, in the frank tone of a man who cherishes no animosity, "you are a difficult person to deal with. you have broken your chains! had i not arrived thus opportunely, you might by this time have broken out of prison." "it's not impossible, señor," replied jack, coolly. "you may be certain i would not have sat down much longer doing nothing. but now----" "you are thinking of making use of my presence here to facilitate your escape. is it not so, mi amigo? if you are wise, do not try. you may knock me down--i am but a dwarf beside you! you may steal these keys, this lantern; but you know not the palace, you know not the guards, and, above all, even if you did get free, you could not escape from acauhtzin. no, mi amigo! here you are! here you stay, unless you agree to my conditions." "conditions!" echoed jack, scornfully. "i think i can guess what those conditions are, señor xuarez." "bueno! then i can save my breath," replied don hypolito, setting down the lantern. "if you know the conditions of your release, you also know whether to accept them or not! speak plainly, mi amigo!" "don hypolito," observed jack, not answering this question directly, "i do not know whether to regard you as a knave or a fool. you must be the former, else you had not betrayed me and my friends. you are the latter, or you would not ask me to agree to certain conditions which you know are quite impossible--with me?" "you have the great merit, señor duval, of candour. i admire it as a virtue, but it can be carried too far. i do not like being called knave or fool, as i deserve neither name." "is that so? good! i say you are both! however, i am open to argument; so let me hear your side of the question." don hypolito laughed quietly, and eyed his rival with increased respect. "i wish you were on my side, don juan. a man such as you would be invaluable to me." "i thank you for your good opinion, señor; but i am not on your side, neither am i likely to be. i support the established government of cholacaca." "you are a--but no," said xuarez, checking himself with a sardonic smile; "we have no time to discuss politics. all are against me now, but when i am seated in the presidential chair, the world will be in my favour. to-day, señor, i am an adventurer. to-morrow i will be a conqueror. success is everything in the eyes of the world. however, we need not talk of these things which do not interest you. i notice you have not yet asked after your friends." "why should i, don hypolito?" replied jack, determined to show no signs of anxiety in the presence of this man. "i know that my friends are safe, and are at present on their way to tlatonac." "it is true, but how did you guess this much, don juan?" "from what i know of your character." "pardon me, señor, no one knows my character," said xuarez, quietly. "not your real character, perhaps, but the character by which you choose to be known to the world." the nonchalance of the young englishman somewhat puzzled xuarez. here was a man talking quietly with one whom he had every reason to hate and dread. wounded as he was, incarcerated in a gloomy cell; in doubt as to the safety of his friends, the whereabouts of his sweetheart--jack had yet sufficient pluck to conceal his real feelings, and play a part which entirely deceived even so acute an observer of human nature as don hypolito. he saw that jack was purposely holding himself back instead of giving way to his righteous indignation, but while admiring the self-restraint of the young man, he was doubtful as to the meaning of such diplomatic conduct. experience had taught don hypolito that the only way to fathom the feelings of others was to make them talk freely, listen attentively, and draw conclusions from chance observations. this method he now applied to jack, and asked him to proceed in a grave tone of voice, all the time keeping his ears open to find out the underlying meaning of this impassive demeanour. he discovered nothing, because there was nothing to discover. jack spoke truthfully and bluntly, giving voice to his real feelings, and xuarez, accustomed to double dealing, to double meaning, was for once in his life utterly at fault. "you have started this war, señor," said jack with painful candour, "entirely for your own ends. the excuse you make is that gomez has broken the constitution of cholacaca. this is false, as you know well. however, it is a good excuse upon which to work out your aims. in this war you wish the civilised world to be on your side--to look upon you as a great man, fitted to be the saviour of cholacaca from a tyrannical government. to this end you dare not act violently towards any representative nation of the civilised world. england is a representative nation, and you to-day saluted her flag. you respected the ambassadors from the junta because they were accompanied by englishmen, because they came here on an english ship. one of those men whom you thus respected is the war correspondent of a london paper, and you wished him of write home to his journal narrating the courtesy of don hypolito xuarez, and thus interesting our nation's feelings in your favour. the attack made by the mob was, i firmly believe, made without your sanction. you wished the embassy to depart in safety, and they so departed. one man, however, you desired to detain, because he was your rival in the affections of a woman. that man is myself! so you made use of the riot to have me knocked down in the fight, and taken here to prison. now that you think i am worn out with wounds, thirst, and imprisonment, you come to offer me my liberty on two conditions. first, that i surrender all right to the hand of doña dolores. second, that i leave cholacaca for ever. these, señor xuarez, are your motives in acting as you have done, dictated, as i said before, not, perhaps, by your real character, but by the noble character in which you wish to appear to the world." don hypolito listened to this long speech with rapt attention, and could not help admiring the way in which the young man had fathomed his motives. when jack ended, he raised his head and proceeded to lie--uselessly, as it afterwards proved--still he lied. "in a great measure, what you say is correct, don juan. i do wish to stand well with the nations, of europe, because i believe my cause to be a just one. gomez was elected president by the aristocrats, not by the people. i believe in democracy. he governs so as to throw the whole power of the state into the hands of those who would take away the liberties of the people, won so gloriously by zuloaga. you say i have begun this war from a personal ambition. that may be so. i wish to be dictator--supreme dictator of the republic, and to raise her to her rightful position as a power in the world. these, señor, are political and personal questions. they need not be discussed. what you say about the embassy is true. had the boat of señor felipe entered the harbour under the opal flag, i would have ordered the fort guns to sink her for such audacity. she however carried the english ensign. i respected that ensign; i received the deputation; i heard the insolent demand of the junta, and gave my answer. they were free to depart without hindrance from me. the outbreak of the mob was solely due to the message sent. i did not create the riot. i did not make use of the tumult to get you into my power. but when in the mêlée you were stunned, my soldiers carried you off to the palacio nacional. i saw an opportunity of gaining my ends by thus having you in my power, and so put you in this prison. now i come to make my terms. accept them, and you are free. refuse, and a terrible fate will befall you!" "to remain in prison here, i suppose?" said jack, contemptuously. "no; worse!" "what, would you kill me?" "i will not harm a hair of your head. what your fate will be i refuse to tell you; but if you are a wise man you will accept my offer of freedom." "and accept your conditions also. the conditions being those i have stated?" "precisely! you have rare penetration, don juan! my conditions are as you have guessed. give up doña dolores! leave cholacaca, and you are free." "i refuse." "think well, señor," said xuarez, coldly. "i am not a man to threaten in vain. your fate will be a terrible one." "i quite believe you capable of any enormity, don hypolito," retorted jack, with a curling lip; "but why waste any more time over the matter? i refuse!" "on what grounds?" "on what grounds?" reiterated jack, in a haughty tone. "simply that it does not suit my convenience either to give up doña dolores or to leave cholacaca at your bidding." xuarez was nettled at jack's elaborately insulting manner; but he did not lose his temper. he was too clever a man to do that. with a sudden change of front, he took a hint from card-players, and tried to force jack's hand. "you love doña dolores?" "that is not a question for you to ask." "pardon me, señor; i also love doña dolores, therefore i am interested in your reply." "are you?" said jack, facing his questioner sharply; "then you shall have it. i do love doña dolores; and, what is more, she returns that love. one person only will she marry, and that person is myself, john duval!" "you will never marry her!" exclaimed xuarez, vehemently. "she is mine!--mine! before a month is gone, she becomes my wife!" "ah!" sneered jack, with a world of meaning in his tone, "i knew you lied when you said she was not in acauhtzin." "carrai!" cried don hypolito, who was beginning to lose his temper; "i did not lie. she is not in acauhtzin. she is----" "where?" asked duval, impetuously. "in a place you will never discover, señor. not that it matters much, for, in any case, you will not marry her. no! you are reserved for a worse fate!--a fate which will bitterly punish you for daring to be my rival." "i am not a child, to be frightened of big words," said jack, scornfully, though his heart quailed at the deadly menace of the mestizo's tones. "my friends know i am in acauhtzin. they will come back for me." "they have already tried to do so," retorted xuarez, triumphantly. "when they left the harbour, i suppose they discovered you were left behind. the boat returned; but a few shot from the forts, and the war-ships made her retreat, and when i last saw her she was steaming full speed for tlatonac." "yes? i knew as much. to bring back an army to level acauhtzin to the ground. to capture you! to rescue me!" "no one can rescue you!" replied xuarez, in a sombre tone. "your only chance of escape is to give up doña dolores!" "to you! to you!" cried jack, fiercely. "you who love her not for herself, but because she is the guardian of the opal stone! ah, yes, señor xuarez! i know well what you design. you wish to marry dolores--to secure the opal stone, to gain over the indians to your cause. all ambition; there is no love. i tell you, señor, such a thing can never be. dolores would sooner die than give herself up to a villain like yourself. you will never possess dolores--you will never be master of the chalchuih tlatonac! turn your ambitions to other things, don hypolito. dolores is not for you!" don hypolito sprang to his feet with a cry of rage. hitherto he had restrained himself in a most admirable manner; but now the insulting speeches of his prisoner proved too much for even his well-trained temper. a torrent of passion swept away all his reserve, and he burst out into a furious speech. "dolores _is_ for me! she will be mine in another week or so. she is the guardian of the opal, and that also will be mine. when i am possessed of the devil stone, the indians will flock round my standard. i have the fleet, i have an army, i will have the indians, too, my allies, guided by the devil stone. that, also, will be mine, and dolores with it. i will become dictator of cholacaca. i will raise her to a pinnacle of power. she will rule the south--nay, the north also. mexico, venezuela, nicaragua, guatemala, they will all be mine. in the north, the united states; in the south, the empire of the opal, with myself as ruler. it is a grand----" "dream!" interrupted jack, faintly, for the pain of his wound was telling on his frame. "it is a dream! a dream!" "it is no dream! or, if a dream, it will soon turn out a reality. and you--you low-born englishman, would dare to bar my way to this fame. lie there, señor, and wait my commands. you will die, and by a death which will break even your spirit. you will die and be forgotten, while i, hypolito xuarez, will reconstruct on this continent the empire of montezuma!" he spoke to deaf ears, for, overcome by fatigue and pain, duval had fainted. xuarez bent over him, and held the lantern to his face. it was deadly pale, and the eyes were closed. "i do not want him to die," muttered the remorseless mestizo, going towards the door. "i shall send a doctor to look after his wound. he shall be made whole again, but only to perish in tortures. not for you, don juan, is dolores; not for you the opal, but death and dishonour. you fall! i rise! my star quenches yours in its burning splendour." in another moment he had quitted the prison, leaving his rival stretched out in the darkness, to all appearances lifeless and lost. chapter v. in shadowland. weary body, aching brain, tortured mind, and heavy soul, fourfold being, one existence! life with troublous insistence, to ye brings but constant dole, ceaseless weeping, endless pain; yet is all this sorrow vain when the waves of slumber roll over body, over soul. in such slumber should ye list, hence flies the spirit to attain that far land of dreams and stories, misty realms of airy glories, where the body hath no being, nor the eyes an earthly seeing and the mind makes no resistance to events which overleap nature's laws, which bind existence; from our sphere the spirit fleeing dwells but in the realm of sleep. after that extraordinary interview with don hypolito in the prison, jack ceased to take any interest in earthly matters, and went for a space into shadow-land. he was not dead, but delirious. as a captive balloon is anchored to earth, so jack's soul had flown into the realms of dream, yet was held to his body by a small amount of life. yet curiously enough he retained a dull impression of earthly events. all things actually done to his body coloured his dreams and decided his visions. as the fancies of the sleepers are determined by external actions, so as through a veil the wounded man faintly perceived the every-day life going on around his inert body. through the chain extending from body to soul which held the latter captive to earth passed the thrills hinting at corporeal-existence, and these dominating his spirituality whirled him hither and thither, according as they happened. we in health feel in slumber the power of the unseen world guiding our every action; this man, in sickness dwelt, spiritually speaking, in the world of shadows, whereof we have no knowledge, and therefrom felt rather than saw the happening of earthly events which coloured his ghostly being. oh those dreams, those visions apocalyptical, what agonies, what ecstacies, what feelings did they not beget? now of earth, now of heaven, frequently of hell. years afterwards, jack remembering portions of these fantasies, would shudder and turn pale at the mere thought of having endured them. wild as the visions of ezekiel, gorgeous as the arabian nights, hideous as de quincey's dreamings, delicate and spiritual as the songs of aeriel, those chimeras, at once terrible and fascinating, racked his spiritual being with the pangs of pleasure and pain. as thus:-- ... darkness! the infinite darkness of chaos, before the light-creating word was spoken by the deity. ages and ages and ages of gloom, of horror, of thick opacity. no light, no glimmer, no glow to break this all-pervading blackness. no earth beneath, no sky above, nothing but clinging gloom on all sides. so chill, so freezing--surely hell were not more terrible.... ha! a burst of light penetrating the gloom. the word is spoken, the light is here.... day divides itself from night ... from the womb of the darkness springs the faint radiance of dawn. then the sun, the glorious sun, rises like a god to conquer the foul fiends of shadow. see how his arrows fly, golden and swift, from his never-empty bow ... east, west, north, south ... and the glory of light spreads over all creation.... i am borne along on the wings of a mighty wind blown from the gates of the dawn ... faster and faster and faster.... i swim through the crystalline air.... i poise myself like a bird in the opaline glories of a whirling sphere.... in the heart of the rainbow ... still no earth ... but air and the coruscation of infinite colours--red and yellow and green and blue.... they swirl in circles, they shoot on all sides from a spot of brilliance as the spokes of a wheel.... they range themselves in lines of ever-changing hues ... and now i am blown resistlessly onward by that mighty wind.... the sea! gloom once more! i can see nothing but darkness, yet penetrated by faint gleams of light.... the wash of many waves break on my ears.... overhead a sky veiled in clouds, beneath the black breast of ocean, heaving restlessly in white lines of foam.... i smell the salt brine of the ocean.... the keen wind lashes my face as with a whip.... ho! yeo, ho!... the sailors are at work.... hark! the throb of a heart. beat! beat! beat! beat! it is the beating of the propeller blades now striking the water ... i am in the engine-room ... the pistons slide silently in and out of the cylinders.... now the giant cranks rise and fall with monotonous motion ... and yon gleaming steel shaft, revolving rapidly, turns the screw in the dark waters without ... the hiss of escaping steam ... the whirling of wheels ... the sudden burst of red flame from the furnace ... i am carried across the ocean ... whither? earth! at last the land.... mother of all things, i salute thee ... this bleak beach on which dash the waves ... the soft odour of the wind sways the trees on yonder promontory.... i hear the measured dip of oars ... the grating of the boat's keel on the stones.... ha! i am in the hands of demons ... their eyes glare as they lift me from boat to litter.... the curtains are dropped, and i feel the swing and sway of the litter being carried up steep heights.... this is a primeval forest ... green as the sea ... scarcely so restless ... the warm wind stirs the giant branches ... what crowded hues ... and lo! the flash of brilliant flowers ... the odour of spices.... brilliant birds flit from branch to branch like flying gems.... i hear the singing of choirs invisible ... the birds!... yes, birds only.... garlands of flowers trail from the trees ... beneath their shadow the grass is crowded with blossoms ... wherever i step a flower springs to being ... those pools of still water blue as turquoise ... the indian conjurer!... i see him hiding amid the frondage ... look!... the saurian!... oh, the frightful monster.... preadamite!... begotten in chaos slime.... trees! trees! trees without end.... the earth is one vast forest, and i alone wander therein.... snow!... a vast expanse of snow ... for miles and leagues.... no! it is salt lying in thin flakes on the brown earth ... the surface glitters in the moonlight as if it were ice.... far and wide whirl thin white pillars of salt in the grip of the wind.... lot's wife! ha! ha! nay, no woman do i see, but salt on all hands ... like snow ... and moon freezing crystals.... the forest again ... more trees ... birds ... odours.... hark! a song ... 'tis the dancing-girls who sing ... i heard them call ... i see them shake their anklets of gold ... the cymbals crash ... the trinkets shine. can you not hear the roll of the serpent-skin drums?... oh, this interminable avenue of stone gods ... on either side the faces of solemn sphinxes.... i am in egypt ... i go up to offer sacrifice to the god thoth ... lines of sphinxes ... statues of kings with their hands placed on their knees ... then this great flight of steps.... up, and up and up.... are we going to heaven?... i will bow down to my god.... horror! huitzilopochtli.... this is not my god.... i sacrifice to thoth.... to isis.... ah, you would make of me the victim.... oh, foul priest, knife in hand ... the stone of the sacrifice ... you raise the obsidian knife ... again the chant of the priests ... the light clash of the dancing-girls' anklets ... drums ... cymbals and death.... i am in the tomb ... yes; fold my hands on my breast, for i have done with life ... straight and white i lie, with cerements swathing my form ... this is a king's tomb ... these walls are painted with many colours ... yonder are gods and kings and heroes walking in long files ... here they sacrifice to their god ... there they lead captive trains of prisoners.... a splendid tomb, but the roof crushes me down ... oh, heaven! can those pillars, those caryatides support the cyclopean architecture?... it will fall and crush me, like samson.... yes, i thirst! i am dead, but i thirst.... dives in hell ... give me.... ... what! a woman's face?... i have seen that face before ... those dark eyes, that smiling mouth ... it is thou! dolores! oh, my heart's best love, i again find you,--in the tomb?... we have done with life ... then we were divided; but death, more merciful, has joined us again.... place your cool white hand on my brow ... it burns ... it burns.... no, no! do not leave me ... oh, i see you fade in the darkness like a vision ... and this phantom which rises between us?... oh, xuarez! liar! thief! murderer!... thus do i slay thee!... so weak; so weary; i know nothing ... where am i?... what am i?... whither have my visions fled?... i am dead! not in hell, nor heaven ... but where? i know not ... i am dead ... you, dolores ... you, xuarez ... you all, dreams.... i lie here dead and still ... in my ear the chant of a slave.... could i only turn my head ... ah! the slave rises ... he bends over me.... cocom!... "yes, señor, it is cocom," said a well-known voice, as a gentle hand skilfully adjusted the bandages. "cocom!" repeated jack, in a weak voice. "am i dead? do i dream? am i dead?" "no, señor juan. you were nearly dead, and for days you have dreamed of many things. now you are better, and will live." "still on earth?" "yes, don juan. still do you live, thanks be to the gods. teoyamiqui has not yet brought you to her kingdom. now, lie you still, señor. so! drink this, and speak not; you are so weak." jack raised his head from the pillow, and greedily drank the contents of the cup held to his lips by cocom. then he closed his eyes, and fell into a refreshing sleep, while the old indian sat quietly by the side of the couch, muttering some strange old song of a forgotten civilisation. now and then a form would glide into the room and look at jack sleeping in the bed, so still, so deathlike. sometimes a man, more often a woman, and ever beside the couch sat the stolid cocom, watching the face of his patient with intense interest. how long he slept thus jack did not know, but when he woke from a refreshing slumber all his delirium had departed. he felt weak, truly, but clear-headed and calm in his mind. opening his eyes, he listened vaguely to the murmuring song of his attendant, and thought over the events which had preceded his illness. the entry into acauhtzin; the dismissal of the deputation at the palacio nacional; the fight at the sea-gate; the interview in prison with don hypolito; and then utter blankness. he remembered fainting in the cell at acauhtzin, and now he had wakened--where? with an effort he raised his head and looked round him. in his delirium he had thought he was in a tomb, and truly the room wherein he now found himself was not unlike one of those strange egyptian sepulchres, houses of the dead, wherein the highest art of that sombre civilisation was displayed. this low roof, formed of titanic masses of stone; these heavy walls, gaudy with mural paintings, representing gods, kings, heroes strange sacrifices, and mystical ceremonies; all were redolent of the land of the nile. through a narrow slit in the wall filtered a pale light; skins of jaguar and puma carpeted the stone floor; rich coverlets of featherwork lay over the couch, and the entrance was draped with gaudy tapestries, dyed with confused tints, hinting at barbaric art. jack, for the moment, thought he was indeed in egypt, when, suddenly, at the side of the room he saw the hideous image of huitzilopochtli, and heard the monotonous chant of his watcher. then, his true situation came vividly to his mind; this was a room in some indian dwelling, yonder was the fierce god of the aztecs, and by his bedside knelt cocom. "where am i?" asked the young man, raising himself on his elbow, and looking at the indian with a puzzled expression of countenance. "in good hands, señor," was the evasive answer. "yes, yes! i know that. but am i still in acauhtzin?" "no. you are many miles from acauhtzin." "but i was there last night." cocom shook his head, and, producing a cigarette, lighted it carefully, blew some smoke through his nostrils, and looked steadily at jack with his melancholy eyes. "you were there five days ago, señor." "what do you mean, cocom?" "ah! the señor forgets that he has been ill. for five days he has been in the land of everlasting darkness. cocom has watched many hours by this couch and listened to the crying of the señor. you have seen visions and heard voices, don juan. on the borders of teoyamiqui's land have you been, yet not within her kingdom. but cocom knows many things, and by his art has cheated the goddess of one americano. you are out of danger now, señor, and i, cocom, have cured you." "mucha gracias!" murmured jack, patting the indian on the shoulder with a weak hand; "but tell me where i am now." "where does your memory fail, don juan?" jack passed his hand across his brow. the confusion of his brain had departed. his senses were clear now, and he could recall everything up to a certain point. "i remember the embassy from tlatonac to acauhtzin--the fight at the sea-gate. there i was struck down, and recovered my senses in prison. with don hypolito i held a long conversation, and, i suppose, fainted with his voice still in my ears. i wake here at a place you tell me is far from acauhtzin, and find you by my side--you, cocom, whom i supposed to be at tlatonac!" "listen, don juan," said cocom, with great deliberation. "i will tell you many things that have taken place since your soul was in the realm of shadows. when you became insensible at acauhtzin, a doctor was sent to attend to you by don hypolito. that doctor did what he could for you, but thought you would die as your soul was not within your body. wildly did you cry, don juan, and many strange things did you say. then, by the order of don hypolito, you were carried away on board a war-ship down the coast. at a certain point your body was taken ashore in a boat, and there delivered to certain people, who expected your coming. having been placed on a litter, you were carried through the forest, across the salt desert, and again through the forest till you were placed on that bed. for two days have you tossed and turned, and cried, and fought. but now you are well, don juan--you will live; thanks be to the gods." jack listened to all this as in a dream. the explanation fitted in with those vague visions which had haunted his delirious brain. the darkness--that was the cell at acauhtzin; the light came when he was carried on board the war-ship. then the sea-vision, the landing on the coast--that mirage of a tropical forest--the snowy plains of salt, and the climbing of many steps up to an antique temple. a sudden thrill shot through his enfeebled frame as he recalled the vision of the sacrifice, he recollected cocom's last words referring to the gods, he glanced terrified at the frightful image of huitzilopochtli, and turning slowly towards the indian, repeated his often-asked question, the answer to which he already guessed. "what is this place?" cocom arose to his feet, drew himself up to his full height, and pointed majestically towards the idol. "the temple of huitzilopochtli! the shrine of the chalchuih tlatonac." "god!" cried jack, in despair, as he recognised his position. "i am lost!" he saw his peril at a glance. the threats of don hypolito regarding a frightful death were not mere words. with devilish ingenuity he had secured the death of his rival, with no possible chance of the truth becoming known. jack saw that xuarez had preserved his life, had delivered him to the indians, to the end that he might be offered up on the altar of the war-god, as a sacrifice to the opal. no wonder his usually brave heart quailed at the prospect of such horrors. captive to remorseless savages, in the heart of an impenetrable forest, there was no chance of a rescue by his friends. he was weak, unarmed, unfriended, in the power of a fanatic race; there was no help for it--he must die. "cocom," whispered jack, clutching the indian's arm, "why have i been brought here--why did don hypolito deliver me to the indians? is it for--for----" his dry lips refused to form the horrible word; but cocom, without the least emotion, supplied it. "for sacrifice! yes, don juan; you are to be offered to the god." "horrible! when?" "in three weeks. at the termination of the great cycle." "what do you mean?" asked jack, with a shudder. "our time," explained cocom, with stolid apathy, "is divided into cycles of fifty-two years. this have we received from our aztec ancestors. at the end of a cycle the sun will die out in the heavens, and the earth end, if the new fire is not lighted on the altars of the gods. when the last day of the cycle comes, you, don juan, will be bound on the stone of sacrifice, your heart will be taken out as an offering to the great gods, and on your breast will the new fire be lighted. then will the sun rise again, and a new cycle begin for the earth. the gods will be appeased, and mankind will be saved." jack had read of this terrible superstition in the fascinating pages of prescott, but he never expected that he would one day take an active part in such a ceremony. with the hope of despair he endeavoured to evade his doom. "but the body of a white man will not please the gods. why not sacrifice as your ancestors did, on the hill of the star?" "hitherto, señor, that has been done. now, however, the gods have spoken through the opal, and it is willed that a white man alone can avert the end of time. a white man must be sacrificed, and you are chosen." jack shuddered, and hid his face in his hands. "surely, señor, you are not afraid!" "afraid!" echoed jack, uncovering his face, with a frown. "no, cocom; an englishman is never afraid of death. but to come in such a form as this--oh, horrible! horrible!" cocom could not understand this alarm. like all indians, he regarded death with stoical resignation, and would have been perfectly willing himself to have been offered on the altar of sacrifice, seeing such a death would admit him at once into the paradise of the sun. but he was very old, and therefore useless. the gods demanded a man, handsome, young, in the flower of his age, and therefore was it certain that jack would be acceptable to the bloodthirsty huitzilopochtli. "did don hypolito know this when he delivered me to your friends?" "it was for that purpose he delivered you, señor." "oh, fiend! devil!" cried jack, trying to rise in his bed. "i wish i had my fingers round his throat!" "lie quiet, señor," said cocom, forcing him back. "you will make yourself ill again." "why should i not, seeing i am only reserved for this frightful death?" "that is as it may be, señor," observed cocom, significantly. "what do you mean?" asked duval, with sudden hope. "hush!" replied the old man, laying his finger on his lips, and glancing apprehensively around. "in this temple the very walls have ears." "you can save me?" "perhaps. i know not." "but----" cocom bent over jack on the pretence of arranging the bed-clothes, and brought his lips close to the young man's ear. "say not a word, señor. if the priests suspect me, you are lost. i come hither as my fathers came before me, but i worship not the devil-stone. i am a true catholic, señor. the priests wanted a victim, and asked me to betray to them don pedro, when he was with me beyond the walls. then i refused, and said i could not do so. the end of the cycle approaches, and the priests were alarmed, so they sent to don hypolito, and promised to make all the indians help him in his war, if he procured them a white man for a victim to the gods. don hypolito promised, and two days ago sent you." "the fiends!" "hush! i am a medicine-man, placed here by the priests to cure you; but they think i wish to see you sacrificed. i do not. i will save you." "oh, cocom, i thank you." "are you mad, señor?" whispered the indian, thrusting him hurriedly back; "eyes may be on us now. the walls of this room are pierced with secret eye-places." jack recognised the wisdom of this reasoning, and sank back on his couch. it was just as well he did so, for at that very moment the drapery of the door was swept aside, and a man entered the room. he was a majestic-looking personage, much taller than the average indian. indeed, he was as huge as tim himself, but not so bulky. he wore a long white robe, falling to his feet, over this a mantle of gaudy leather-work. on his head was set a fresh chaplet of flowers, on his breast burned the red glimmer of a small opal. advancing into the middle of the room, he swung a small incense-burner before jack, throwing therein some odoriferous gum, which made a thick, perfumed smoke. after this, he cast some flowers on the couch, and muttered a few words with uplifted hands, finally ending the ceremony by falling on his knees. "what does this mean?" asked jack of cocom, who stood reverently on one side, observing all this mummery. "hush, señor! he adores you as a god." "devil take him and his worship," muttered jack, crossly, in english. then the priest spoke in the indian tongue, and cocom translated his speech to jack. "is my lord better in health?" asked the priest. "tell him i am; but i don't care about being preserved for sacrifice." "speak not so, don juan," said cocom, in spanish, with a look of alarm; "you are not supposed to know anything of that. i told you on the peril of my life." "then tell him whatever lies you please!" said duval, viciously, and, rolling over, turned his back on the priest. "a bad sign!" murmured the priest, looking anxiously at cocom. "is my lord angered?" "nay," replied cocom, in the indian tongue; "my lord is much improved in health, oh, ixtlilxochitl; but as with all who are ill at ease, he is fretful and wanting in courtesy." "it is true," replied ixtlilxochitl, reverently. "the sick are ever foolish. see that thou make him strong, cocom, for the gods accept naught but blooming health." "oh, my sacred lord; he will be cured in two days from now. cocom knows of magic herbs whereby the favourite of huitzilopochtli can be made whole. let ixtlilxochitl be content, my lord will be pure and strong for the sacrifice." "it is well," said the priest, rising from his knees. "i will leave my lord to his sleep; but will he not vouchsafe one glance at his servant?" instructed by cocom, jack was forced to turn round and smile at the priest, who knelt down to receive this mark of favour. then he adored jack with more incense and flowers, after which he withdrew with reverent genuflections. "the old fiend!" muttered jack, when the drapery had again veiled the door. "i should like to have sent a boot at his head." "hush, my lord juan." "carrai! why should i? that devil-monkey does not understand spanish." "no, señor. still, it is wiser to risk nothing." "you are quite right, cocom. i place myself entirely in your hands. save me, and i promise you i shall not forget you." "cocom will save you, for the sake of don miguel," said the old man, proudly; "and for the sake of the lady dolores." "dolores!" repeated jack, eagerly. "do you know where she is?" "i know nothing at present," replied cocom, with a meaning glance. "possess your soul in patience, don juan; all will yet be well. don hypolito desires to kill you, and wed doña dolores. he shall do neither. santissima virgen, i swear it. be silent! no words, my lord. rest now, and sleep. you will need all your strength." "for the sacrifice?" "nay, señor, for escape!" chapter vi. the shrine of the opal. lord of the humming-bird's foot! behold thy worshippers rising and falling in adoration before thee, as rise and fall the restless waves of the far-reaching ocean. these thousands gathered from the ends of the earth, are thine, and thine only. we see thine image bedecked with jewels, shine like the sun at his rising before thee, the stone, whereon the favoured one yields up his life for thy glory. smoking hearts dost thou love, the savour of blood, the carnage of battle. for thou art god of war, death alone is the way to thy favour. spins before thee that precious stone by which thou tellest thy wishes, that shining, precious stone, which now burns red as the blood of thine altars, crimson it gleams, hinting war! war is the fate of the future! oh, mighty one! lord of the humming-bird's foot! we pray thee give order, that the red war light melt soon to the azure of peace, then will fresh victims be thine, and happiness ours, shout, ye people! ask peace from the lord of the humming-bird's foot. in two days, jack was comparatively well, and able to move about without much trouble. this almost miraculous cure was effected by cocom through the medium of some medicinal herbs, the curative powers of which were known to him alone. out of these he made two decoctions, one for internal, the other for external application. with the latter he bathed the wound on jack's head, and made him drink quantities of the former every two hours. the effect was wonderfully rapid, and jack soon found himself gaining strength. in the hands of a european doctor, he would probably have been laid up for weeks; but the rude medicine of the indian set him on his legs in no time. the wound on his head gave him no trouble, and healed with great quickness; a fact which jack put down as much to his healthy blood, and simple living, as to cocom's physicing. with renewed health and strength came a stronger desire to escape from the horrible fate which waited him in a few weeks. when he went out, however, and explored the strange city, in the centre of which stood the shrine of the opal, jack saw plainly that it would be madness to attempt flight without the assistance of cocom. the indians apparently knew this, for, treated by them more as a guest than a prisoner, he was permitted to wander freely round the neighbourhood. still, did he venture too far in the direction of the belt of timber surrounding the city, he was always followed by two or more native guards; these, when he once more returned to the city, quietly left him. from this espionage he plainly saw that his roaming was restricted, but not in such a measure as to cause him any unpleasant feeling. as regards the behaviour of the indians, jack had nothing to complain of. indeed, they could scarcely have been more deferential. regarded as a kind of deity, his appearance was the signal for the most slavish adulation. the indians, of whom there were a goodly number in the vicinity, threw themselves on their faces before him, as he walked abroad, attended by cocom. if he seated himself, they strewed flowers at his feet, and swung censers, fragrant with copal, until he was almost hidden by white wreaths of perfumed smoke. this popularity was not unpleasant; but, as jack knew it was but a prelude to the sacrificial stone, he was anything but gratified at thus being continually reminded of the dangerous position in which he stood. on recovering his health, jack found cocom much more reticent than when he was acting as doctor. several times had he been on the point of making some important communication, but always stopped short and refused to speak further. jack supposed this caution was on account of the priests, who, despite the deference of their demeanour, kept a close watch on his actions, and on those of cocom. the high priest, ixtlilxochitl, was a mild-looking old man, who treated jack in a most courteous manner, and frequently expressed his pleasure that the white lord had so soon recovered his health. such inquiries would have been much more acceptable had not the recipient known that they were but the outcome of ixtlilxochitl's desire that he should be in good condition for the sacrifice. it was no pleasant thing for duval to know that these courtesies came from an old gentleman who was anxiously looking forward to taking his life. under these circumstances, jack did not wonder that cocom was cautious, and though for the moment the attitude of the old indian appeared anything but friendly, jack quite relied on him to aid his escape. he was anxious to escape from this buried city, where he was threatened with so terrible a fate; he was longing to return to tlatonac for the purpose of reassuring his friends, who he knew would be terribly put out by his disappearance at acauhtzin; and, above all, he was anxious to be free so as to search for dolores. in jack's opinion she was at acauhtzin, as a man so vile as don hypolito could no longer be believed. if she was not in the power of the rebel leader, she would have been with the indians. yet here was jack in the very heart of this aboriginal civilisation, in the stronghold of the opal, yet he neither saw her nor heard anything of her. he questioned cocom, but that wily old man replied that he knew nothing, and as don hypolito had admitted that he knew where she was, jack felt sure that the poor girl was held a prisoner by the mestizo at acauhtzin. he was therefore anxious to escape, and get back to tlatonac, for the purpose of urging on the war with all possible speed, so that the northern capital should be invested within a reasonable time, and dolores rescued from her terrible position. consequently, escape was his one aim; but he saw plainly that without assistance it would be impossible to leave this city of the opal, buried as it was in the savage solitudes of primeval forests. that this famous opal shrine was in cholacaca he knew perfectly well, but as he had been brought hither in an unconscious state, he was quite at a loss to lay his finger on the precise locality. cholacaca, east to west, was two hundred miles from mountains to sea, so the city of the opal could not be situated out of this radius. it might be fifty, a hundred, a hundred and fifty miles from the sea, and jack, knowing by his pocket-compass in which direction to go, calculated that if he marched due east he could not fail to reach the coast. once there, and he could soon pick up a canoe or some light boat, in which he could get in due time to tlatonac. but to start for the coast without knowing the geography of the country was sheer madness, and jack stamped his foot with rage as he thought of the miles of trackless forest which lay between him and freedom. to push one's way through a virgin forest is difficult in any case, but to make the attempt without arms, companions, food, and guides was quite an impossibility. that there was some secret way to the coast was plain, as the indians came hither to this shrine from tlatonac; but that way was known only to the priests. within a certain distance, every new-comer was blinded with a bandage, and this was taken off in the square, before the principal teocalli. the worshippers were conducted into the forests with the same precautions; so, unless he could bribe a priest to show him the secret way, jack foresaw absolutely no chance of gaining his freedom. it was a buried city, but not a ruined city, for here the aboriginal civilisation flourished greatly, as it had done before the coming of the spaniards, to anahuac. situated in a hollow cup, on all sides arose verdant forests of bright green, clothing the base of great mountains, which showed their serrated peaks above the vegetation. on three sides the city was shut in by these giant barriers, but towards the west opened a rugged cañon, through which flowed a noisy stream. a road ran along the west side of this freak of nature, cut out of the solid rock, so narrow as to allow only three men to walk abreast. above and below were the cliffs, thousands of feet in height and depth. no foe could enter the city by that pass, which led into the great mountains of the interior continent; but no foe would wish to enter, for this city was holy ground, the mecca of the aborigines, and had preserved its inviolability from an invasion for centuries. "it was built by the toltecs, señor," said cocom, who acted as jack's cicerone. "ages ago, you must know, this race came hither from the north. it was they who built the great cities of yucatan in the dark past. uxmal, aké, chichen-itza. they reared them all. a glorious race were my ancestors, señor." "but you are not a descendant of the toltecs, cocom?" "no, señor, i am a maya. my ancestors ruled at mayapan. see," added the indian, plucking a yellow flower sprouting out from a crevice close at hand, "this is the plant cocom--my name, señor, and that of the great kings who ruled yucatan. the mayas also built great cities, but toltecs or mayas, don juan, what does it matter? i am a poor indian crushed under the heel of the white man." "you say the toltecs built this city also?" "surely, don juan. they came and they went; no one knows whither they went. we are born, señor, but we know not from whence we come. we die, but we know not whither we go. so with the toltecs. they came, they went, and we know nothing more. but they left their cities behind them, señor, to show how great they were. in their wanderings--i speak from the traditions of the priests--in their wanderings, señor, they came to this place, through yonder cañon--up the gorge, i think, for then there was no river, no road. here they lost their leader, and built this city to commemorate his greatness. it is so called after him--totatzine." "oh, that was his name, no doubt." "quien sabe! no; i do not know what his name was. totatzine is a nahua word, meaning 'our great father.' he was their father and leader, so they called this place totatzine. it is a monument to his memory." "it is a holy city!" "for ages, señor, it has been sacred," replied cocom, seriously. "here it was that the god tezcatlipoca had his shrine, but when the guardians of the opal stone fled hither, the worship of the chalchuih tlatonac became the great religion here. now the soul of the universe is forgotten, and huitzilopochtli alone is adored with his devil-stone." "who is the soul of the universe?" "tezcatlipoca! it is strange, señor, that the name of this god means 'the shining mirror,' while the chalchuih tlatonac means 'the shining precious stone,' so you see the religion has changed but little." "do you not adore the old gods, cocom?" the indian looked fearfully around, as though he deemed his answer, though delivered in spanish, would be overheard and understood by some lurking priest. "no, señor juan," he whispered at length. "i believe the opal can prophesy because it is inhabited by devils, as we are told by the good padre, but i worship the holy one and his virgin mother. i am a catholic, señor, but once i was an adorer of huitzilopochtli, and it is hard to break away, señor, from the habits of youth. i came then--i come now, and though i am looked upon as one devoted to the old gods, yet do i follow the faith of the good padre!" "i am glad of that, cocom. otherwise you would not help me to escape." "true. the holy virgin has you in her care, don juan. i am, assuredly, the only catholic here in this city of the devil-stone, and i am your friend. you will i aid to escape." "when?" "hush! my lord. behold, ixtlilxochitli is at hand." the suave priest passed them slowly, and bent his head with abject deference as jack looked at him. he made as though he would have stopped, but duval waved his hand to intimate that he did not wish to be disturbed. ixtlilxochitli made a second genuflection, and resumed his way. it was wonderful to see how these bloodthirsty idolators obeyed the slightest wish of their proposed victim. "he thinks we are plotting," hinted jack, looking after the old man with anything but an amiable expression. "no. he trusts me too much. besides, he would not care if he did guess we were plotting, señor, thinking, as he does, that i know not the secret way." "and you do know it?" cocom looked around and saw nobody. then he turned towards jack, and nodded significantly. "yes, señor, i do know it." "bueno! and when----?" "another time, don juan. we have already spoken too long. let us resume our examination of the sacred city. it is not wise to be incautious. folly is loud of speech, but wisdom is silent." jack acquiesced in this view of the matter, and they walked on. he was greatly interested in all he saw around him, as it is not given to everyone to view a great aboriginal civilisation in its full glory. but for the horrible fear he had of failing to escape, and thus run the risk of being sacrificed to the war-god, he would have been quite fascinated by this extraordinary place. always a bit of an archæologist, he viewed with enthusiasm these giant palaces, these massive temples--works of a great race, still as fresh under the blue tropic sky of to-day as when they were first reared in the dim past. when europe was a land of savages, this city was built; it rose in its splendour while greece was in her glory and rome was not. back, many ages back before christ; before david, perchance before abraham, these superb edifices rested majestically in this smiling valley. still were they inhabited, still were they the home of a race, of a religion--the seat of a barbaric civilisation, the oracle of a faith, as they had been in their pristine glory. the empire of montezuma had fallen in mexico, the incas were now but a name in peru, gone were the toltecs, scattered the mayas, yet the buried city of totatzine, safe in the midst of primeval forests, endured still, and would endure until that fatal day, which would surely come, when the aboriginal race would silently retreat before the conquering forces of civilisation. here was the last stronghold of the old gods, driven from the table-lands of anahuac; here smoked anew those altars overturned by the conquistadores; here shrieked the victim on the terrible stone of sacrifice; and here was the shrine of the famous opal, the chalchuih tlatonac, the very mention of which thrilled the hearts of all far and wide with superstitious dread. the sacred city was admirably situated for all purposes. nothing could be more beautiful than this majestic work of man, set like a jewel within the green circle of the forest-clad mountains. its health was assured by its being fortunately placed in the genial climate of the tierra templada. a vast wall built across the huge rift of the cañon protected it from foes in the west, and the peaks, the impenetrable forests, formed a barrier against the outside world on all other sides. its inviolability depended upon its remaining hidden in the shadow of the forests; and in this isolated valley none would guess the secret of its existence. it was veritably a buried city, secluded from the prying gaze of mankind, and was probably the only one of its kind in the world. beautiful, healthy, well defended, closely hidden, this strange town was the pride of the barbaric tribes of central america--their mecca, their jerusalem; the altar of their ancient faith, the city of the shining precious stone. this was the true city of the opal, and not tlatonac, for here in the central shrine flashed the great gem on the altar of the war-god. the paths of all savage men converged to this place, and from here welled forth the influence of the old gods which frustrated the efforts of the padres to christianise the tribes of central america. down the eastern peaks fell a mighty torrent, which swept irresistibly across the flat plain, and emerged from the valley through the cañon on the west. on either side of this stream was the city built, and three bridges of massive stone connected the one town with the other. that on the right bank of the stream was the city of the priests, while to the left lay the city of commerce, of dwellings, of daily life. in the sacerdotal town a large square surrounded the vast mound whereon was built the teocalli of the chalchuih tlatonac, and from this square streets radiated--to the stream, to the mountains, to the wall, like the spokes of a vast wheel. a similar square, with radiating streets, formed the plan of the other town, save that the palace of the cacique occupied the place of the teocalli. both towns were crowded with indians, but the sacerdotal portion was principally filled with pilgrims, come to worship at the shrine of the opal, while the settled population lived on the other side of the stream. there were large caravansaries round the teocalli, for the accommodation of the visitors who came from all parts of central america; and totatzine derived its wealth, its splendour, its very existence, from the constant crowds pouring in through the secret way to worship the old gods. the entrance to that way was supposed to be in the shrine itself, but none knew the exact place save the priests of huitzilopochtli, and these jealously preserved the secret on which depended their power. accompanied by the faithful cocom, who, notwithstanding his advanced age, could bear a great deal of fatigue, jack explored the two cities, meeting everywhere with the greatest deference from the populace. unpleasant as was his position, he almost forgot his peril, in contemplating the wonderful buildings around him. the architecture of the houses was similar to that of ancient egypt. long ranges of squat pillars, decorated with vivid hues, mural paintings, religious and warlike in character, massive walls of reddish stone, sloping inward as they gained height, colossal flights of steps leading up to cyclopean door-ways, and everywhere the grotesque images of the aztec gods. from the flat roofs of the houses arose truncated towers, carved rudely with all the hideous forms of an obscure mythology. from these one could see the vast expanse of the city, the interminable lines of the terraces falling one below the other to the narrow streets, the great squares crowded with people, dominated by teocalli, by palace, and far off the sombre length of the wall stretching across the cañon, while beyond this barrier the winding cliffs of the gulch shut out all view of the world beyond. all was vague, awesome, terrible; the city wore a menacing aspect, even in the cheerful sunlight, and the confused murmur rising upward from the streets, seemed like the lamentations of countless victims, the moaning of countless generations, tortured, terrified, blinded by the blood-stained deities of anahuac. "if the señor so pleases, we will go to the teocalli," said cocom, after they had quite exhausted the commercial portion of the city, "and there behold the opal." "i should like to see it, above all things," replied jack, remembering his first glimpse of the gem; "but i thought the priests would not let me enter the temple." "you can go anywhere, don juan. remember, in the eyes of the priests, of the people, you are a deity." "a poor deity, seeing i am but preserved for that cursed altar. where will they kill me, cocom--that is, if they get the chance?" "on the sacrificial stone in front of the teocalli. your heart will be taken out, and then, when the sacred fire is kindled, your body will be hurled down the steps of the pyramid." "a very pleasant little programme," said duval, grimly; "it is a pity it should not be carried out; but as i propose to run away i guess it will be hamlet with the dane left out. bueno, cocom! let us view the shambles." the indian assented, and, having crossed over the bridge, they walked up the straight, narrow street which led to the central square. such people as they passed immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, and in some cases suffered jack to walk over them. the young engineer felt inclined to kick them so enraged did he feel at being thus perpetually reminded of his probable fate; but as such conduct would scarcely be politic, he managed, though with difficulty, to restrain himself. soon they emerged from the street between two colossal carved idols of appalling ugliness, and the square lay open before them. like a vast mountain arose the huge mound with five successive stages, and up to the truncated summit, from the base, stretched a broad flight of sixty steps. wide and shallow was this staircase, with huge stone masks scowling on each step. these dæmonic countenances were crowned with twisted serpents, and had protruding tongues symbolical of life and light. "look like pantomime ogres," thought the irreverent jack, contemplating these horrors. "i say, cocom," he said in spanish, "what are these heads meant to represent?" "they are god stars throwing their light over the earth, señor. the projecting tongues represent them doing so." "bueno! i never should have thought putting out one's tongue meant such a lot. come, cocom, let us ascend the steps." "one moment, don juan!" said cocom, in a low voice, as jack put his foot on the lower step, "i have a reason for taking you up here." "to see the opal?" "yes; and to see something else. connected with your escape, señor. we can talk freely in the teocalli; for now it is noon, and no priest is in the temple." "good! we will have it all to ourselves. but i wonder at them leaving the opal unguarded." "santissima! it is quite safe, don juan! no one would steal the opal. even if anyone did he could not get out of the town, and if he did get out of the town he would be killed before he reached the coast." "i see! superstition is a greater safeguard than bolts or bars." "promise me, señor, you will not cry out at that which i am going to show you," said the indian, disregarding jack's remark. "i don't know what you are going to show me, but i promise you i'll keep silent." "bueno, señor juan! let us go!" he ascended the steps slowly, followed by jack, who was much puzzled to know the reason of this warning. cocom, however, had proved himself to be a true friend, so duval trusted him implicitly, and was quite satisfied that the indian did not speak without cause. up those interminable steps they went, till jack thought they would never reach the summit, and, being still weak from illness, had to pause three or four times during the ascent. at last they arrived at the top, and cocom, making jack sit down to rest himself, went into the temple. during the absence of the old man, his patient amused himself in examining the teocalli, and admiring the splendid view outspread before him. far below he could see the dual city like a map, intersected by the stream which cut it clean in two. the streets, running at right angles, made it look like a chess-board, and on both sides of the river were the great gaps of the squares. the surrounding green of the forests, the grey worn peaks sharply defined against the blue sky, the reddish-coloured city in the hollow, all made up an inexpressibly beautiful picture. he could see the figures of men, women, and animals moving like ants through the squares, bright-coloured dots of crawling life. to his ear came the hoarse roar of the river dashing on its rocky bed, the confused hum of voices, the faint cries of merchants, the thin songs of women seated on the distant flat roofs. hither ascended the mingled murmur, as though the busy city exhaled a huge sigh of sorrow and fear in the ear of their god, whose burdens were so heavy upon them. then he turned to view the teocalli, which he found not unworthy of his regard. indeed, the whole pyramid aroused his admiration. this vast mound of earth, faced with a coating of adobe and covered with silvery cement, was a feat of engineering which at the first sight appeared somewhat startling, seeing it was the work of a barbaric race. jack was a civil engineer, and learned in mechanics; but it puzzled him to think how this great mass had been built up. what armies of men must have been employed in its construction! what architectural skill was needed! how completely were the four sides covered with the smooth cement! this mound, a mere mole-hill compared with the great artificial hills of quemada, cholula, or palanque, was as marvellous a work of man as the pyramids of egypt, and as mysterious. the teocalli itself was a structure of red stone, consisting of two truncated towers, joined together by a flat-roofed building, in the centre of which was a wide low doorway, the sides of which inclined inward till they nearly touched at the lintel. the whole of this façade was elaborately carved with convoluted serpents, mastodon heads, and frequently bizarre emblems intermingled with representations of the moon and stars. birds, fishes, bows, arrows, and blazing suns were also carved with wonderful skill out of this dull-hued stone, and directly over the door itself flamed a painted opal, darting rays of divers hues. as all these arabesques were gaudily coloured, the effect may be imagined, and jack's eyes ached as this grotesque confusion of crude tints blazed in the strong sunlight. in front of the teocalli, to the left, was a large serpent-skin drum, used for summoning the devotees of the god; but jack did not look so much at this as at an object which he viewed with horrified repugnance. this was a huge block of jasper, slanting and polished, on which many unhappy beings had been slain, on which he himself was destined to suffer. only by a strong effort did he keep his eyes for a moment on this couch of death, and then averted them with a shudder. rising from his seat, he walked towards the door of the temple, and was met at the entrance by cocom. the indian threw a glance down the staircase, to see that no one was ascending, and then stood on one side to let jack pass into the shrine. "you can enter now, señor, and speak with safety." it was some time before jack's eyes became accustomed to the gloom, for the shrine was only lighted from the door. in this vast apartment twilight prevailed, and showed but dimly the flash of jewels, the glitter of gold and silver. the sides were encrusted with stucco, carved with figures of aztec deities, which formed the court to the terrible war-god. teoyamiqui, the goddess of death, was there, with her skirt of platted snakes; teotl, the supreme deity of anahuac; tlacatecolotl, his enemy, the spirit of evil; quetzalcoatl, tlaloc, centeotl, and many other gods of that terrible hierarchy. masks formed of turquoise stones hung on the walls, here and there were small altars, on which burned scented gums, and, at the end of the hall, under a canopy of richly carved and gilded wood, sat the terrible one, the war-god huitzilopochtli. his image was scarcely human, but seemed to be simply a block of wood distorted into hideous shapes. in one hand he grasped a bow, in the other a sheaf of arrows, delicate humming-bird feathers adorned his left foot, and his waist was encircled by a serpent formed of precious stones, emeralds, turquoises, pearls, all glittering dimly in the pale twilight. behind the god spread a sheet of solid gold, carved with the attributes of his deity, and in front of him appeared a grotesquely carved altar, on which rested a red object. jack, holding his nose, for the stench of the slaughterhouse was terrible, advanced to see what it was. he started back, with an exclamation of horror. it was a bleeding human heart! as he started back, a blue flare seemed to strike across his eyes. he looked up, and, lo! the harlequin opal. depending from the roof by a gold thread, the great jewel twisted slowly round in front of the altar, the height of a man from the ground. with every revolution the colours changed, like those of a chameleon. now would radiate a bright green flame, then a blue ray would flash like a streak of lightning through the gloom; at times the whole stone shone yellow as the sun, and oftentimes a fierce tongue of red would dart from its breast. all these changes were caused by the constant twirling of the cord by which it was suspended, and even in the half light the splendid gem scattered its tints on all sides with the utmost brilliance. fascinated by the magnificent jewel, jack stepped forward to examine it closely; but, just as he laid his finger on it, he heard a voice-- "beware!" it was a woman's voice. he turned in alarm, and saw a woman standing near the doorway. the light fell full on her face, and jack rushed forward, with a loud cry of joy, to clasp her in his arms. it was doña dolores! chapter vii. an unexpected meeting. time is fond of strange surprises, ne'er we know what is before us; acting as stern fate advises, time is fond of strange surprises. empires fall, a nation rises, those who hated, now adore us. time is fond of strange surprises, ne'er we know what is before us. it was dolores! the lost dolores, for whom he had sought so long, so vainly. she lay on his breast, sobbing as though her heart would break, and jack was so overcome with emotion that he could not speak. cocom, with true delicacy, had withdrawn, and they were alone in the temple. for some moments they could neither speak nor move, but remained locked in one another's arms, silently, passionately, grateful for the meeting. behind them, the slowly revolving opal flashed out a thin streak of blue. it was an omen of peace, of love. jack, as was natural, first recovered himself, and did all in his power to quieten the hysterical emotion of dolores. the poor girl looked ill and haggard, as well she might, seeing how much she had suffered during the last fortnight. torn from her home, from her friends, her kindred, her lover, entombed in the sepulchre of a vast forest, with no hope of ever being released, she had abandoned herself to despair. the unexpected appearance of jack was too much for her overstrained nerves, and she utterly broke down. duval placed her on a stone near the doorway of the shrine, and, kneeling at her feet, strove to calm her agitation. he was having but ill success, when cocom appeared in the doorway, and seeing at a glance what was the matter with the girl, at once produced one of those mysterious medicines he constantly carried about with him. "let the señorita drink of this," he said, thrusting a small bottle into jack's hand. "cocom will watch at the staircase that none ascend. but be speedy, señor. ixtlilxochitli remains not long away from the opal." when the indian withdrew, jack forced dolores to take some of the drink prescribed. the effect was magical, for in a few minutes her sobs ceased, she became composed, and her eyes brightened with joy as she looked at her lover. jack was still in his serge shooting-suit, high boots and all; while dolores, in amber skirt, lace mantilla, and dainty shoes, looked as though she were arrayed for a ball. the indians had evidently treated her with great tenderness, and save for her haggard looks, she looked little different from what she did at tlatonac. in their european dresses, they were out of keeping in that savage house of worship. a strange scene, truly. the blood-stained deity, the fantastic figures of the gods, the twirling opal, flashing sparks of light, and at the door these most unhappy lovers, oblivious to all save themselves. "querido!" sighed dolores, looking fondly in jack's face; "how like an angel do you appear to me. i thought never to see you again; but now you are here, and i am happy. tell of the dear ones, juanito, of eulalia and rafael. how does my dear uncle, my aunt?" "i have not seen them for over a week, cara," replied jack, kissing her; "they were much disturbed at your disappearance. we all thought that you had been carried off to acauhtzin, and with don felipe and your brother i went up there to demand you from the base one." "i know all of this, mi amigo," said dolores, quickly. "ah! do not look so astonished. cocom is our friend; cocom told me all. of marina departing with pepe in _the pizarro_, of your journey to acauhtzin, and how you were betrayed to the priests by don hypolito." "you know my story, dolores, but i do not know yours. tell me how it was that you were carried off. i at first suspected the indians, but afterwards deemed pepe had taken you to xuarez. i suspected him wrongly, it seems." "no, juan!" cried the girl, her eyes flashing with anger; "all this misery was contrived by don hypolito. he told ixtlilxochitli that----" "what!" interrupted jack, in astonishment; "does xuarez know the priest? has he been here? is he a worshipper of that devil stone?" "as to that i am not certain, but he has been here frequently, and held long conversations with ixtlilxochitli. don hypolito, you know, says he is a mestizo. it is false; he is a pure indian. his parents dwelt here as worshippers of the old gods, and it was in totatzine that he was born. afterwards, when he became a man, he grew weary of this buried city, and went forth to seek his fortune. he prospered, as you know, and now says he has spanish blood in his veins, to gain favour with my own people. but his heart is indian; he is a friend of ixtlilxochitli; he comes here frequently. i said, querido, that i was not certain that he worshipped the devil stone. i am wrong; i think he does. through him does that opal counsel war; and you were delivered to the priests to be the victim of the cycle." "and in return for this handsome gift of my life, what does don hypolito get?" "can you not guess? ixtlilxochitli, anxious to see the ruler of cholacaca one who is a believer in the old gods, has promised to make the indians fight for him. he can do this by means of the opal's prophecies. the priest thinks that if don hypolito becomes president, he will restore the worship of huitzilopochtli." "ridiculous!" "it is not. yet ixtlilxochitli, who is a clever man, is completely deceived by don hypolito, and believes that this will be so." "now i see how xuarez came to the sacred city," said jack, reflectively; "but you say it was he who carried you off?" "by means of the indians, yes. listen, juanito. the last time don hypolito was here, he told ixtlilxochitli that he desired to marry me; also, that if i were not carried off from tlatonac, and placed for safety in the opal shrine, that i would probably marry you. as you can guess, it would never do to let the guardian of the opal marry a white man, so, as desired by don hypolito, i was decoyed from tlatonac, and carried to this frightful place." "how were you decoyed?" "by means of your friend, don pedro." "by pedro!" cried jack, in surprise. "why, what had he to do with your kidnapping?" "he had nothing actually to do with it. but his name was used in this way. listen, mi cara; it is the strangest of tales." jack nodded and settled himself to listen, whereon doña dolores began her story at once, as every moment was precious. "when you left me on that day, juanito, i went to the cathedral, in order to pray for you, and to obtain from padre ignatius the holy relic for your protection. with marina did i kneel before the shrine of the virgin, and waited for the padre, but he did not appear." "nevertheless, he was in the cathedral all the time waiting for you in the sacristy." "that is strange," observed dolores, in some perplexity, "for i grew weary of waiting, and sent marina to seek padre ignatius in the sacristy. as she did not return, i presumed that she could not find him, and had perhaps gone to look for him in his own church." "she went neither to sacristy nor to church," explained jack, hastily; "she saw pepe at the door of the cathedral, as she went to seek the good father, and departed with the zambo. then she was afraid of being punished by you, and did not return to the casa maraquando until late, when we found you were missing. i expect it was fear that made her run off to acauhtzin with pepe." "very probably; yes, juan, it was as you say. she did not go for the padre, and he, waiting in the sacristy, expected me to meet him there. i, on my part, thinking marina would return every moment, remained before the shrine. then i felt a hand touch my shoulder, and turned round expecting to see marina. it was a dwarf indian, called t'ho, who gave me a message from--as i thought--cocom and don pedro." "but it was not cocom who betrayed you, dolores?" "no, indeed. but through the craft of ixtlilxochitli, his name was made use of as a decoy. this indian, t'ho, did not speak, but gave me an object message." "dios! what is that?" "do you not know, juanito? and yet you have dwelt so long in cholacaca. an object message is one the meaning of which is read by certain things delivered. for instance, querido, in this case, t'ho gave me a yellow flower and several objects cut in bark, including an arrow, a pair of spectacles, and a round coloured red. now can you understand?" "the yellow flower meant cocom! is that not so? he told me to-day his name was from such a flower." "yes, that is right--the spectacles?" "eh, dolores! the spectacles! oh, i know; peter wears spectacles." "you're right, mi amigo," replied dolores, smiling at his discovery, "and the arrow was a hint to be swift--the rough piece of bark, coloured scarlet, showed that some one was wounded." "wait a moment, dolores," interposed duval, hastily; "i can read the message now. it came presumably from cocom, and read, 'come quickly, don pedro is wounded.'" dolores clapped her hands. "santissima madre! you have guessed rightly. that was the message. at once i obeyed it, for i thought poor don pedro might be dying." "it was kind of you, dolores, but terribly rash." "i did not think it would be far away from the gates, and suspected no evil. besides, i had been kind to t'ho, and did not dream he would betray me." "which he did?" "yes, base criminal, he did. i followed him from the church just as the sun was setting. he led me through the streets out of the town by the puerta de la culebra. no one recognised me, as i veiled my face in my mantilla. t'ho guided me past the chapel of padre ignatius to the open country----" "how rash of you!" ejaculated jack, reproachfully, "how terribly rash!" "yes, it was rash, juanito! but do not be angry, querido. i did it for the sake of don pedro, whom i thought was wounded." "well! and what happened after that?" said duval, kissing her, to show he was not cross. "dios!" replied dolores, tapping her mouth with her closed fan; "i hardly remember! i was asking t'ho where lay the poor señor americano, when a cloth was flung over my head, and i was borne swiftly away. with the shock, i suppose i must have fainted, for on recovering my senses i found myself in an open boat going up the coast. i tried to cry out, but was so weak that i could make no sound. only indians were in the boat, and one of them held a cup of wine to my lips. it was, i think, drugged, as i then lost all consciousness, and awoke to find myself in totatzine!" "and all this was planned by don hypolito?" "yes, and executed by ixtlilxochitli. i have been kindly treated since i have been here, and have a house yonder, across the square, all to myself, with attendants. the high priest told me i had been carried off so that no harm might happen to me, as guardian of the opal, during the war. he also informed me that it was the desire of the god that i should wed with don hypolito." "confound his impudence," muttered jack, in his native tongue. "and what did you reply, dolores?" "i said i would never wed with the traitor xuarez; that my heart was given to another, to don juan, the americano. ixtlilxochitli was terribly angry when he heard this, and swore that never would the guardian of the opal be permitted to wed a white man. 'but i have no fear,' said this base one, 'for don hypolito, the true worshipper of the sacred opal, will aid us to secure this evil americano, and sacrifice him to the gods.'" "and don hypolito succeeded," said jack, with a shudder. "the wretch! he had made up his mind to seize me from the moment i set foot in acauhtzin. oh, if i can only escape, how dearly will i make him pay for all this treachery." at this moment cocom darted in at the door. "señor, the priest, ixtlilxochitli, is climbing the steps. hide yourself, lady. you must not be seen with my lord." "why not?" asked jack, as they arose to their feet. "can you ask, after what i have told you?" whispered dolores, hurriedly. "the priest knows i love you, and if we were seen together you would be detained in prison until the day of the sacrifice. not even your character of a god could save you from that. cocom contrived our meeting here, and the priests suspect nothing. trust to cocom! he will tell you our plans of escape. adios! i must hide!" "when will i see you again, angelito?" said jack, kissing her hurriedly. "to-morrow night, in the secret way. adios!" she ran rapidly towards the shrine, and vanished behind the image of the war-god, while jack followed cocom out on to the vast platform of the pyramid. midway on the steps they saw the old high priest, painfully climbing upward. "will he not find doña dolores in there, cocom, and thus guess we have met?" "no, señor. he but comes to see that the sacred fire burns. that the opal yet spins before the god. if the fire should go out, or the opal stand still, great calamities would befall the city. only does the opal pause when it prophesies." "how is it managed?" "santissima! señor, i know not. but come, let us go down. ixtlilxochitli will just look at the fire, and then descend, after which the doña dolores can come down and regain her palace without being seen." "is the shrine thus frequently left alone?" "yes, señor. save at festivals, it is deserted. but a priest climbs to the temple every five hours, to see that the sacred fire burns. but see, ixtlilxochitli is near us. be cautious, my lord." when jack paused on his downward way, the priest coming up at once knelt on the steps to show his reverence. "tell the old fool to get up," said jack, angrily, being weary of such mummery. "my lord bids you rise, ixtlilxochitli!" translated cocom, more politely. the priest arose, with his hands folded across his breast, and, with downcast eyes, addressed cocom. "has my lord seen the holy shrine, and the thrice sacred chalchuih tlatonac?" "yes; my lord has been graciously pleased to look at these things." "it is well! my lord should know well the sacred shrine, so that on the great day he be prepared to act his part, as saviour of the city, with dignity." "deuce take your dignity!" cried jack, in a rage when this polite speech was translated. "i say cocom, cannot we knock this old reprobate down the steps; he wouldn't get up again in a hurry." "nay, nay, señor! such a course would not be wise," replied cocom, hastily thinking that jack was about to carry his threat into execution. "what says my lord?" asked ixtlilxochitli blandly. "that he will not keep you longer from the sacred offices of the god." "it is well! see that my lord has all things, cocom. the city is his, and we are his, for on his sacrifice to the holy gods does the existence of totatzine depend." cocom did not deem it politic to translate this speech to jack, fearing lest the young man should thereupon carry out his threat, and kick the old priest down the steps. already he was so exasperated at being perpetually reminded of his awful position, that it would take but little more to make him kill this bland, servile priest--to punish at least one of his enemies before he was slain himself. many men would have been paralysed by the thought of the sacrificial stone, but peril only the more firmly braced jack's nerves, and relying, as he did, on cocom's help, and his own energy, he was determined to escape from totatzine in some way or another. the meeting with dolores had inspired him with fresh energies; and, after leaving ixtlilxochitli climbing the steps, he hurried cocom to the palace where he was living, with the idea of hearing what plan of escape the indian had conceived. now that duval had seen dolores, the reserve hitherto maintained by cocom entirely vanished, and he professed himself eager to explain his designs. with instinctive caution, however, he refused to converse in the lower room, where jack habitually slept fearing lest they should be overheard. it is true they constantly spoke the spanish tongue, of which the priestly spies were woefully ignorant; but ixtlilxochitli was quite crafty enough to employ a coast indian as an eavesdropper; therefore it was wise to put any such possibility of betrayal beyond all doubt. with this intent, they ascended to the flat roof of the palace; but, even here, cocom felt doubtful of being absolutely safe. in the end, they climbed the mirador, the sole tower of the palace, where it was quite impossible that they could be either seen or heard from below. crouching on his hunkers below the low wall of the tower platform, cocom gravely took out some cigarettes, wrapped in maize-husks, and presented them to jack, who was lying full-length against the opposite parapet. in a few minutes they were smoking, and talking earnestly. "the priests, señor," said cocom, wrapping his zarape round his thin shoulders, "the priests say that the entrance to the secret way is in the shrine itself on the summit of yonder teocalli. that is a lie!" "then where is it, cocom?" "three bridges are there over the stream, don juan. the largest and oldest bridge is that central one, which leads straight to the square of the sacrifice. señor, below that bridge is the secret way!" "how do you know, cocom? were you not blindfolded when you were brought here?" "yes, señor; but i smelt water. the priests blind the eyes, and close the ears, so that the way be not seen, nor the voice of the torrent heard; but i, señor, have come by the hidden way many times. it is there. i examined it secretly one night at the peril of my life." "and you found out you were correct?" said jack, anxiously. "absolutely, señor. under the bridge the torrent has worn a deep channel; at the very bottom the path runs eastward, and is concealed by a stone wall made to look like the natural cliff of the stream. you go up that path which leads to the foot of the waterfall, then along a passage which leads upward to the thickest part of the forest. leaving this passage, you ascend steps, which lead to a narrow gorge, cut in the top of the mountain--deep, very deep, señor, is the pass; no one can see the city therefrom. in the centre of the pass is a circular space, whence ten passages, cut from the solid rock, lead everywhere. go by eight of these passages, and you fall over cliffs, for the path ends abruptly. they are death-traps. of the other two passages, one leads to the sacred city, the other to the forests beyond the mountains. in this circular place do the priests blindfold the worshippers. those who go out can reach that place, those who come in the same; but, unless guided, they would go astray into the death-traps. therefore are they blindfolded by the priests, and led forward in safety." "what a horrible idea," said duval, shuddering; "but how am i to know the right passage?" "there is a carving of the opal, throwing rays, cut at the entrance of the passage. that is the right one. go through that, and you come on to a broad platform on the other side of the mountain. steps lead down from thence to the valley into a broad way built of old by the toltecs. this road ends suddenly in a wilderness of trees. then you guide yourself to the coast by red marks on the trunks of trees--the opal, painted crimson, is the sign. follow those, and you come to the sea-shore." "how far is it from here to the sea-shore?" "fifty miles, señor." "fifty miles!" groaned jack, in dismay. "however can dolores manage to do that? and then the perils from incoming indians!" "listen, señor. oftentimes the priests send forth penitents who have on them a vow of silence. i will procure dresses for my lord and doña dolores. you shall be disguised as indians under the vow of silence. should you meet anyone, make a sign thus, and they will permit you to pass without question. as to the length of the way, i will give you provisions, and you must travel to the coast as best you can. it will take many days, but what of that? you will be free." "suppose we are pursued?" "no, señor; i have a plan. beyond the great wall of the west is the narrow path of the cañon. when you and doña dolores depart, i will take your clothes through the gate, which is always open, and strew some of them on the narrow path. i will let fall some blood of an animal down the side of the cliff. below rushes the torrent, white and fearful. when the priests find out you are gone they will not search the secret way, not thinking that it is known to anyone but themselves. no, don juan, they will go beyond the wall, to the narrow path, and there they will find your clothes, and those of doña dolores. they will then think that you have fallen into the torrent, and so all search will cease." "that's a capital idea, cocom! your ingenuity is wonderful. but when myself and doña dolores come to the coast, what shall we do?" "wait there, señor, in a cave i will describe to you, until i come. i will have to remain behind so as to avert suspicion. yes; i will tear my hair when you have gone, and say that you have fled by the way of the cañon; the priests will search, and think you have fallen into the torrent. the next day, they will thrust me from the sacred city for having not guarded you well. i will then come down to the coast, to the cave. once there, señor, and we shall soon contrive some plan to get back to tlatonac." "but the priests might kill you, cocom!" "have no fear of that, señor; i am old, my sacrifice would not be acceptable to the gods. and again, señor, i have secrets of herbs known only to myself, which the priests fain would learn. should they threaten my life, i will tell them my secrets and go free." "you can never return to totatzine?" "what matter," replied cocom, indifferently. "i am very old. soon i will die. when i get again to tlatonac i will worship the virgin, and die in my corner. who will care? the old have no friends!" "you will have a friend in me, cocom," said jack, shaking the hand of the old indian. "i promise you that neither myself nor doña dolores will forget this service. by the way, when do we make this attempt?" "to-morrow night, señor." "bueno! but why to-morrow night?" "at dawn, señor, to-morrow, there will be a sacrifice to the god, and a man will die. the priests will ask you be present so as to sanctify the ceremony." "a kind of rehearsal, i suppose," said jack, grimly. "go on, cocom." "afterwards there will be a great festival. all day it will continue, till sunset. it may be," continued cocom, artfully, "that the priests and the people will drink much; if so, it will be the better for us. in any case, don juan, all will be weary, and sleep well at sunset. then i will disguise you and doña dolores as indians, and lead you to the secret way. by dawn you will be far down beyond the mountains. travel all night, señor, so as to reach the central forests before dawn. for it may be that the priests will look from the platform down the road of the toltecs, and there see you far off. but this, i think, will not be. the whole city will sleep heavily, exhausted by the festival, and when they waken, you, señor, will have escaped." "god grant this scheme may succeed!" said duval, rising to his feet. "i can never thank you sufficiently for this, cocom." "bueno! you are the friend of don miguel, who saved my life. be happy, señor; i will not fail to rescue you from the stone of huitzilopochtli. and now, señor juan, we must go down, else will the priests be suspicious of these long talks between us." "there is only one thing i would like to do before i leave totatzine," remarked duval, as they went down to his room. "and that, señor?" "is to break the neck of ixtlilxochitli by throwing him down those steps." cocom laughed softly. it was a rare thing for this melancholy indian to do, but he did not love ixtlilxochitli, and the idea amused him greatly. "come," said duval, tapping his friend on the back, "let us go and take the eleven. we must drink success to our scheme in a flask of aguardiente." chapter viii. an indian festival. the sacred drums of serpents' skins send forth their muffled roar afar; before the shrine the opal spins, a changing star! that flashes rays of rainbow light from out its breast of cloudy white, rebuking sins which mar! oh, see the maidens forward bound, to swing and sway in dances wild, loose locks with fragrant chaplets crowned, their glances mild! exchanged for looks, whose frantic fires the sacred god himself inspires, who thrice hath frowned, and smiled. the victim! see the victim pure! approaches to the stone to die; but for a space his pangs endure, and then on high his soul mounts upward to the sun, for ever with that orb to run, of pleasure sure for aye. that evening, jack received an invitation from ixtlilxochitli to be present at dawn next morning on the summit of the teocalli, to take part in a religious ceremony of peculiar solemnity. the god huitzilopochtli was to be asked if it was his will that the indian tribes should array their ranks in battle on the side of don hypolito xuarez? through the opal was the answer to be given. if it gleamed red the god desired war, if blue there was to be peace in the land. seeing the bloodthirsty character of the deity, and the secret understanding between his high priest and xuarez, there was but little doubt in the mind of jack as to what the answer would be. still, as he was anxious to know how the prophecies were given, and not averse to seeing a unique religious ceremony, he accepted the invitation of ixtlilxochitli with avidity. for many days, messages had been sent far and wide, calling on the indians to repair to the sacred city, and assist at the festival. the town was filled to overflowing, and all the caravansaries in the square of the sacrifice were crowded. owing to the depth of the valley, the ceremony could not take place precisely at dawn, as it was some time before the sun rose above the peaks of the surrounding mountains. his presence was indispensable to the ceremony, as the heart of the victim had to be held up by the officiating priest for the benediction of his rays. jack rather shrank from witnessing this horrible rite, particularly as, unless he succeeded in effecting his escape, he would probably be forced to take part in the same function; but curiosity triumphed over repugnance, and he looked forward eagerly to beholding this extraordinary spectacle. in the grey light of dawn he was awakened by the thunder of the serpent-skin drums, which for some hours roared continuously. springing out of bed, he hastily put on his clothes, and had just finished dressing when cocom entered the room. the old indian was arrayed in white cotton garments, with a chaplet of flowers on his grey locks. he had another wreath, of red blossoms, which he held out for jack's acceptance--an offer which that young man promptly refused. red was the emblem of a dedicated victim, and jack, knowing this, objected to being thus distinguished. "carrajo! no, mi amigo," he said, vigorously, "i am not going to be decked out as a victim yet." "ixtlilxochitli will be angry, señor." "he can be as angry as the devil, for all i care. i don't intend taking any part in this infernal idol worship. don't they look on me as a god, cocom?" "yes, my lord; you are supposed to be the visible representative of tezcatlipoca, the soul of the universe." "bueno! well, the soul of the universe is going to have his own way. what is the use of being tez--what's-his-name, if you can't do as you please? besides, i wear european clothes, and wreaths don't go with this rig-out." "as you please, don juan. still, it is not wise to anger the priests." "i'll take the risk, cocom. by the way, i trust doña dolores will not be present at this butchery to-day." "no, señor! she intends to sleep many hours." "poor girl, she needs rest, seeing we shall be walking all night. i will rest this afternoon myself, cocom." "it would be wise, señor." "you have everything prepared?" "assuredly, señor. you will find nothing wanting." "bueno! now let us go to the teocalli." the immense area of the square of sacrifice was densely packed with indians, mostly men, as the ceremonies of the war-god were pre-eminently of a masculine character. a few women were to be seen; but, as a rule, they preferred the gentler worship of tezcatlipoca, and left the fierce adoration of huitzilopochtli to the rulers and warriors. these pilgrims were one and all arrayed in white-cotton robes similar to that of cocom, and, like him, bore wreaths of flowers on their locks. many of the most opulent were draped in mantles of gorgeous feather work, and adorned their persons with collars, earrings, girdles, and bracelets of gold set with rough gems. the summit of the teocalli was unoccupied, as the priests in their sable vestments were waiting for the victim at the foot of the great staircase. a constant thunder of drums, and shrilling of discordant trumpets, added to the wild character of the scene. jack had no sooner made his appearance than the multitude, recognising the sacred victim of the cycle, parted to let him pass through. an immense wave of movement swept across this sea of white garments, and all flung themselves on their faces, not even daring to look at the august presence of the incarnate deity. attended by cocom, jack passed up the avenue, opened by religious awe in this living mass, and ultimately gained the steps of the teocalli. here they saw ixtlilxochitli, who waved his hand to intimate that they had better ascend the staircase, which they did, without further remark. seated on the parapet surrounding the platform of the pyramid, jack looked down on the throng of people whose dark faces were turned upwards to the shrine of the opal, and shuddered involuntarily, as he thought of the fanaticism which had drawn this concourse together. devoutly did he pray that cocom's scheme might be successful, as it was terrible to think that in the presence of such savages he should be slaughtered by those wild-looking priests. the morning was slightly chilly, as the valley was yet in the shadow; but, beyond the rim of the mountains, jack could see the rays of the rising sun shooting up in the roseate sky. he trembled and held his breath as a single trumpet bellowed below, and leaning over the parapet, saw that the procession of priests were now escorting the victim up the stair-case. cocom manifested no emotion, he was but half civilised, after all, and the horror of the coming deed did not strike him as particularly awful. men must die sometime, was cocom's philosophic view of the matter, and as well might death take place on the sacrificial stone as in any other way. jack felt his flesh creep at the idea of what he would soon behold; but cocom, with folded arms, stood like a statue of bronze, silent, indifferent, unmoved. up the staircase climbed that ghastly procession. the victim, a handsome young indian, tall and slender, seemed indifferent to his fate, and bore his part in the ceremony with becoming dignity. as he ascended the height, one by one he threw away his ornaments and rich robes. his chaplet of flowers, his bracelets, earrings, girdles, his mantle of feather work, his cotton robe of white, they were all strewed on the steps like wreckage, and when he arrived at the summit of the teocalli, he was completely naked. with his splendid muscular development, his immobile face, his absolute repose, standing nude by the jasper stone of sacrifice, he looked like a magnificent bronze statue, and jack could not but admire the stoical resignation with which he met his death. ixtlilxochitli vanished through the open door of the shrine, and the sable-clad priests, looking like demons in their religious frenzy, held up their arms to the east. a wild, barbaric chant flowed from their mouths, weird and ear-piercing, rising and falling like the waves of the sea. they chanted long lines of invocation to the sun, and were answered by a confused roar from the multitude below. so fierce, so savage was the music, that jack shuddered and closed his eyes with horror. the victim made no sign. then the high priest, clad in scarlet robes, and holding a knife of itzli in his hand, came forth from the presence of the god, and made a sign to the officiating priests. the rim of the sun was just seen above the heights when five priests darted forward, and, seizing the impassive victim, flung him on the altar stone. an appealing cry to huitzilopochtli arose from the worshippers, the drums rolled, the trumpets bellowed, and ixtlilxochitli rapidly opening the breast of the young man, tore out his heart. the multitude prostrated themselves humbly, an immense sigh exhaled upward from a thousand breasts, and after holding the bleeding heart to the sun, now full in sight, the high-priest flung it at the feet of the idol. jack felt sick with horror at the consummation of this tragedy, and closed his eyes for a moment. when he opened them again, the dead body of the victim was rolling down the steps of the teocalli, to plunge into the sea of white boiling in the square. "horrible!" he muttered to cocom; "these priests are devils." "hush, señor!" replied the indian in a low voice; "be cautious. now they consult the opal." wiping the perspiration from his forehead, duval, leaning on the arm of cocom, entered the shrine which was crowded with priests. they all made way for him respectfully, and, as the great drum outside commenced to roll out its thunder, knelt in the presence of the deity. even cocom bowed before the god, and jack was the only one standing. a small fire of coals burned on the altar, and thereon ixtlilxochitli flung priceless gums, storax, copal, and odorous resins. a rich perfume spread through the temple, and a thick cloud of white smoke rolled upward, veiling the hideous face of the war-god, hiding the now rapidly revolving opal. a chant arose, sad and melancholy as the sweeping of the wind through trees, supplicating and sorrowful--an appeal to the terrible deity who had been thus propitiated with blood, with the heart of a man. a thin shaft of sunlight entering the temple through some unseen opening, smote the great gem with fierce fire, causing it to glitter with blinding splendour. every eye was fixed on the opal, which continued spinning incessantly, darting its rays of red and blue, and yellow, and green. jack, at a glance, saw how the miracle was done. the priests cunningly twisted the gold string attached to the roof, and as it slowly unwound itself the great gem revolved. whether they left the colour it was to show when still, to chance, jack did not know, but they must have had some trick to make it pause when they chose, for he felt certain the red side of the stone would ultimately reveal itself. in the semi-darkness he kept his gaze on the jewel, twirling in the yellow glare, and heard, as in a dream, the roar of the throng far below waiting the announcement of the god's will. the teocalli was as an island in the midst of a sea, and against its huge base these living waves beat without intermission. at first the opal spun rapidly, throwing out sparks of coloured fire, then it gradually slowed down as the string unwound itself. slower and slower it twisted, sparkling a ray of emerald green, a dazzling shaft of blue, or a glory of golden haze. at last the motion was hardly perceptible, and the worshippers held their breaths in reverential awe. it moved slightly, it paused, it began to revolve slowly backward, and then, with a slow oscillation, hung motionless from the roof. from out its white breast shot a fierce glare of violent crimson. the will of the god was war! amid a dead silence ixtlilxochitli stalked forth to the verge of the staircase, now wearing only his black garments, and held up his scarlet mantle as a sign that the opal was red. a frantic shout of delight roared upward to the sky, and the multitude below broke into a frenzy of joy. the religious ceremonies were at an end, the festival had commenced. "por el amor de dios, let me go back to my room," whispered jack, in the ear of cocom. "if i stay here, i will assuredly smash that idol and kick old ixtlilxochitli down the steps." unwilling to risk such a scandal, cocom hurried his charge out of the temple at once. ixtlilxochitli came forward as jack departed, evidently expecting to be congratulated on a successful performance, but the young engineer, with a gesture of repugnance, turned his back on the old villain, and sprang down the steps of the teocalli. the high-priest looked grave. this dissatisfaction of the visible deity was a bad omen. "this place is a hell upon earth," cried jack, throwing himself down on his couch. "how many victims do they sacrifice to that infernal deity, cocom?" the old man counted on his fingers. "señor, about one hundred in the year, more or less." "how terrible!" "yes, don juan, more were offered up in the old days. it is said by the priests that at the dedication of the great teocalli in mexico seventy thousand victims were offered to huitzilopochtli." "butchery! i tell you what, cocom, if i get safely back, and this war is concluded in favour of the junta, i will get don francisco gomez to send an army to stop this sort of thing." cocom smiled scornfully. "nay, señor; no army could reach the city of totatzine. it is hidden, and the secret way is but narrow, as you shall see. besides, don juan, i would not aid an army to come hither. the city is sacred." "but you do not believe in this devil-worship?" "no, señor. still, it was the religion of my fathers. i do not wish it destroyed." jack saw that his proposition was distasteful to the old indian, so did not make further remark, fearful of raising anger in cocom's breast. if this one friend refused to assist them, neither himself nor dolores could hope to escape. therefore jack was wise and held his peace. shortly afterwards he intimated his desire to sleep in order to prepare for the fatigue of the midnight journey, so cocom left him, and departed to make all arrangements for the escape. all day long the festival continued. even through the massive walls of his room jack could hear the shrieks and yells of the worshippers as they maddened themselves with pulque and aguardiente. once he had the curiosity to ascend to the flat roof and look down on the square. it was filled with a mass of frenzied human beings, who danced and sang, and bellowed wildly. some cut themselves with knives, others climbing up to the summit of the teocalli flung themselves headlong down the staircase. great fires were lighted in the square, and rings of indians, men and women, danced round them, singing frantically. everywhere the priests, long-haired, sable-robed, inciting worshippers to fresh frenzies, constantly the wild piping of barbaric music, the rumbling of drums. it was a horrible sight, this madness of the multitude, and after a glance or so jack descended to his bedroom to think over the future. he was anxious to regain tlatonac and see his friends once more. philip and peter, and tim, would be grieving for his loss; but they, no doubt, thought that he was at acauhtzin and not pent up in this city of devildom. jack knew well that philip would never have turned _the bohemian's_ nose south unless he had been compelled to do so. against the heavy guns of ships and forts the bravest man could do nothing, and the yacht had been forced to retreat. doubtless philip had steamed direct to tlatonac, and insisted on an army being sent to acauhtzin to release his friend and dolores. but this could not be; as jack felt sure there were no transports to take the soldiers northward by sea, and the inland route was impossible. how had the war gone? had the torpederas arrived? or had don hypolito sent the war-ships filled with soldiers southward to attack janjalla, and from thence forced his way overland to the capital? the campaign would probably be conducted as theorised by don rafael. xuarez would first capture janjalla, march his troops northward across the plains to effect a conjunction with the indians before the walls of tlatonac, and then bring his war-ships up to the capital. in this way the city would be assaulted on both sides: bombarded by the war-ships, and stormed by the regular troops of the opposidores and the indian tribes. "i must escape," thought duval, as he restlessly tossed and turned on his couch. "this last order of the opal will send an indian army to the walls of tlatonac. i know all or most of the plans of xuarez and when i tell them to don francisco he may be able to thwart them. it is now two weeks since i was taken by that infernal don hypolito, and we cannot regain tlatonac for at least another five or six days, if, indeed then. three weeks is a long time, and many events may have happened. i hope those fellows are all right. once i get back, we shall manage to baffle xuarez in some way." these thoughts were not conducive to slumber, but during the afternoon he managed to obtain a few hours of sleep. the herbal medicines of cocom had completely restored him to health, and he now felt strong enough to undergo the hardships of the journey to the coast. dolores, however, was delicate, and jack dreaded to think how she would suffer. still, it was a case of life or death, so it was best to make the attempt. anything was better than the certainty of a horrible death for one, constant imprisonment for the other. at whatever cost, they must escape. "it's a case of pike's peak, or bust," said jack recalling the favourite expression of an american comrade. "i hope to the lord we won't bust, this trip." towards sunset cocom came to wake him for the great attempt. he brought a very gratifying report as to the state of the population, who were all either drunk or worn out with religious frenzy. the priests were scarcely better, and in three hours not a soul in the sacred city would be capable of observation or movement. it is true that in the commercial half of the town across the torrent, many people might be on the alert; but fortunately the entrance to the secret way was on the sacerdotal side of the bridge, so that the two lovers could escape unseen. jack was delighted to hear that things promised so well, and proceeded under the supervision of cocom to disguise himself as an indian. it was not a particularly agreeable task, for he had to strip to the buff, and sponge himself from head to foot with a liquid so as to darken his skin. he was also forced to sacrifice his moustache, as the central american indians have no hair on their faces. jack sorely rebelled against this demand, but recognising that there was no help for it, he shaved himself clean as directed, stained his face, dyed his hair, and at length stood out a very athletic young indian. being thus physically perfect, he assumed sandals of hide, short white cotton drawers, a loose cotton shirt, an ample scarlet woollen mantle, and a crown of peacock's feathers. cocom also adorned him with a plentitude of bracelets and jingling ornaments. thus arrayed, jack was supposed to be a penitent under a vow of silence, travelling to the coast with his sister. "i hope, cocom, there won't be any rain," he said, as he followed the indian out of the room; "it might wash the dye off." "no fear! no rain," replied the indian, confidently; "the staining will hold, señor. now, not a word! it is dangerous." so long had the perfecting of the disguise taken that it was now considerably after eight o'clock, and the moon was shining brilliantly in the sky. guided by the old man, jack stepped lightly across the square, which was cumbered with human bodies in all kinds of positions. some sleeping heavily from exhaustion, others from intoxication, the whole of the immense area looked like a battle-field strewn with dead men. in the midst arose the huge mound of the teocalli, menacing, formidable. not a sound broke the stillness, save the sigh of some sleeper, or the restless turning of another. under the clear sky lay the field of the dead, and as jack stepped gently across the prostrate bodies he could not help shuddering. remembering cocom's caution, however, he uttered no sound, but followed the indian towards the bridge. here, in the shadow of the wall, they found dolores stained as was her lover, and fantastically tricked out in savage finery. when she saw jack's tall form with the nodding plumes on his head, she could not restrain an exclamation of surprise, but in another moment was clasped in his arms. "peace, dear one," whispered jack, fondly kissing her; "keep your heart brave. we must not wait a moment. alas! querida, i feel doubtful that you will bear the fatigues of the mountains." "fear not, juanito!" she answered, hastily drying her tears; "the virgin will sustain and protect us in the wilderness. with thee by my side, i have no fear." cocom, impatient of this delay, made a clucking noise with his tongue, so they at once sprang towards him. he guided them a little distance past the bridge towards the left, and paused before a high wall, pierced by a dozen or more gateways, with massive doors, grotesquely carved. by some trick, known only to himself, the old man opened the valves of one door, and motioned them to enter. on doing so, they found themselves in an immense oblong court-yard, decorated round the walls with nothing but huge statues of the god huitzilopochtli. cocom had closed the outside door, and standing in the open court, the fugitives could see no mode of ingress or egress. the moon shining brightly made all things as clear as day, and all around, at intervals of a yard, arose the mighty images, between which was but smooth wall. it was a trap out of which no one could hope to emerge. "the worshippers, señor," explained cocom, in a low voice, "are admitted into this court from the secret way on the right. when the court is full, their bandages are removed, and no one can tell how he entered, or how he can go out. this confuses all, and then the bandages are replaced, and they are thrust out of those many doors on to the street, and guided to the great square. when they see, they behold but the great teocalli, and cannot tell the way by which they came. neither can the dwellers in totatzine, for none are admitted to this court." "and the secret way?" asked jack, anxiously. "is behind one of those statues, señor." both jack and dolores looked blankly at the long line of hideous images against the opposite wall. one statue was as like the other as two peas, and it was absolutely impossible to tell which one concealed the entrance. jack turned to cocom, and shook his head. "if my life depended on it, i could not tell." "eh, señor, your life does depend on it," said cocom, grimly, enjoying his little joke. "behold!" he walked slowly forward, and to all appearance chose a statue at random. touching a spring in the protuberant stomach of the idol, the massive image swung outward, revealing a dark passage. the two lovers ran forward, but were stopped by cocom. "that passage, señor, ends with a precipice," he said, with emphasis; "if you went down there, you would fall into the torrent." "a misleading way," said duval, shrinking back with a shudder at the horrible imagination of the idea. "are there others?" "this, and this, and this," replied cocom, causing several statues to swing out of their places. "all passages you see, don juan; all snares for the unwary. let me put the images back again. so! now, señor, observe. this image of huitzilopochtli has a representation of the opal in its forehead. that is the mark of the way throughout. see!" the statue swung round, and cocom, stepping boldly into the yawning cavity disclosed, beckoned to them to follow. with the terrified dolores on his arm, jack did so, and they found themselves at the top of a flight of damp-looking steps. once inside, and cocom, pressing the spring, restored the image to its proper position; then, taking jack's hand, led him down the staircase. clasping dolores tightly, he cautiously descended into the pitchy gloom. they seemed to be proceeding into the bowels of the earth. down, and down, and still down, until the hoarse roar of the torrent struck their ears, and emerging into a darkness little less dense than that in the passage, they found themselves on a rocky ledge, below the huge structure of the bridge, almost on a level with the water. at their feet swirled and foamed the flood, raging over sharp-pointed rocks. to the right, a path led upward in a gentle slope; to the left, a similar path descended. cocom pointed to this latter. "another trap, señor," he said, grimly, "ending in the cañon. take that path, and you would die. follow this one to the right, and it will lead you to the great platform beyond the mountains. from thence you can descend by the great way, and when in the forest, track your path by the scarlet sign of the opal. always the opal, señor. go nowhere but where that sign points." "i will remember," replied jack, confidently. "take this wallet, señor. it contains food for some days, and cacao leaves, and strong drink. it will last until you reach the cave whereof i told you. wait there for me, and i will come shortly. remember always the rule of silence--that you are both penitents--the sign thus--lip and forehead. now go, señor. i depart to scatter your clothes on the narrow way, and spread a false report of your death in the torrent, while escaping. in four days, señor, expect me at the cave. adios, lady of the precious stone, and you, señor." he sprang backward into the darkness up the stair, and left the lovers standing in that gloomy inferno, with the torrent roaring below, the huge masonry of the bridge high above, and, to the right, that perilous way which they must tread to reach safety. duval expected dolores to give way at thus finding herself in such danger, but, to his surprise, she was brave, and gay, and strong. "come, querido," she said, cheerfully, "let us go at once. we must reach the forests before dawn, if possible." "it will exhaust you terribly, angelito!" "probably. still, i must keep up, if only for your sake! come, querido! let us depart." they moved simultaneously towards the right. oh, that interminable passage, long and narrow and always ascending. they thought it would never end; but at length it terminated at the foot of the waterfall. down from a great height thundered great masses of water, smashing to foam in the basin below. the spray, rising fine and mist-like, was damp on their faces. they could not hear themselves speak, owing to the roar. jack grasped the hand of dolores to give her courage, and turned off abruptly to the right where they entered a passage cut out of the solid rock. still gently sloping upward, the path lead them out into a vast clearing, girdled on all sides by great trees. the moon shone bright as day; and across the grass ran an indistinct track. following this, they found a great flight of steps leading upward under the boughs of mighty trees--pine, and oak, and hemlock, throwing their giant branches across, and almost shutting out the moonlight sky. the staircase was crumbled and old, but wonderfully built of great blocks of stone. jack could not restrain his admiration at this titanic work. "how did they do it?" he said to dolores, as they painfully climbed up the superb stair; "they must have known a lot about engineering, those toltecs. to swing these blocks into their places must have taken derricks and complicated machinery. a wonderful work; a wonderful race. how philip would enjoy this!" "i think señor felipe would rather be where he is--in tlatonac," replied dolores, wearily. "i would i were in the casa maraquando." "cheer up, my heart! we will be there in a few days. will i carry you, cara?" "dios, no! you are already laden!" "but you are as light as a feather." "eh, juanito. you would not find that after carrying me for an hour or so. no; i am still able to walk. i am stronger than you think." they steadily climbed up the staircase, and at length entered the narrow gorge described by cocom. here jack made the girl sit down and drink some wine, which did her so much good that in a few minutes she declared herself ready to resume the journey. thus fortified, they entered the gorge, and, cautiously following its windings, at length emerged suddenly into a circular space. so unexpectedly did they enter that, as passages opened out in all directions, they could not tell by which way they had come. this pit--for it was little else, hewn out of the rock--was fifty or sixty feet in depth, and must have represented years of toil. on all sides, innumerable passages darted out like rays, and it was this thought that caused jack to exclaim-- "it is like the opal, dolores. this space is the stone, those passages the rays; so it serves a double purpose--to mislead the runaway, and yet be a symbol of the chalchuih tlatonac." fortune favoured the fugitives, for the moon, directly overhead, sent down her full glory into the pit. had they arrived later, they would probably have had to wait till dawn, as the blackness would have been too intense to permit them to find the true outlet. but the moonlight, by happy chance, was so strong that, after carefully examining the sides of several entrances, jack at length hit on the sign. a huge crimson blot, with scarlet rays, blazed on a passage to the right. "here we are, dolores," cried duval, joyfully, "this is the right way; but we must be careful, and not risk a snare; one can never tell what these infernal indians are up to." with great caution they entered the tunnel indicated by the sign, and feeling every step before them, for the whole place was intensely dark, moved onward at a snail's pace. the tunnel wound hither and thither, until they felt quite bewildered. for a time the passage was level, but after a series of turnings it began to slope gently downwards, and so continued to the entrance. "i hope to heaven there are no branch tunnels," said jack, anxiously, "we could easily go off the main track in this gloom." "i am sure there are no side tunnels," replied dolores, decisively; "even the priests could not find their way through this place otherwise than with one way. if there were other tunnels, they would lose themselves, and that they would not care to risk." "well, let us move on. at all events, the tunnel is getting straighter," remarked jack, hopefully. "i wish cocom had given us a torch." "what is that yonder?" cried dolores, pressing his arm. "a gleam of light." "bueno! it is the exit. come, dolores, and say no word, lest, when we emerge on to the platform, there should be indians waiting there. remember our vow of silence." encouraged by this sign of deliverance, they hurried rapidly forward, quite certain that the ground was safe, and in a few minutes stepped out of the tunnel's mouth on to a mighty platform, half way down the mountain. jack cast a swift glance to right and left, but the area of masonry was quite bare. they were the only human beings thereon. he turned to speak to dolores, and found her staring motionless at the magnificent scene before her. the platform, jack guessed, was fully a quarter of a mile in length, and enormously wide. it had first been hewn out of the living rock, and then faced with masonry, flagged with stones. here was adopted the same device for misleading strangers as had been done in the court of the gods, at the entrance from totatzine. the whole face of the cliff, at the back of the terrace, was perforated with tunnels, and now that they had moved to the verge of the platform neither of them could tell which tunnel they had come out of. saving one, all those passages led to death and destruction. only one was safe, and that the tunnel distinguished by the opal sign. no one, ignorant of that sign, could have escaped death. "i don't wonder totatzine remains hidden," said jack, thoughtfully. "the whole of that path is a mass of danger and snares. now, however, we shall have a clearer way." turning towards the east, they beheld a vast stair-case sloping downward to a broad road, at the sides of which were giant images of the gods. in the pale moonlight they looked like demons, so frightful were their aspects. in long lines, like pillars, they stretched away eastward, into the forests, ending in dim obscurity. on either side, dense foliage; away in the distance, a sea of green trees. there was nothing but trackless woods and this great road, piercing into the emerald profundity like a wedge. behind, arose tall red cliffs, crowned with ancient trees, tunnelled with black cavities. from thence spread out the platform with its huge blocks of stone, its walls covered with hieroglyphics, statues of fierce gods, and vast piles of truncated towers. below, the forests, the roadway, the staircase. "what a terrible place, dolores," said jack, drawing a long breath. "it is like the abode of demons. come! it is now after midnight, and the moon will soon be setting. while we have the light, let us try to reach the end of yonder avenue." "one moment, juan," replied dolores, drawing forth something from her bosom. "while cocom was with you, i went up to the shrine of huitzilopochtli and took in--this." between her fingers, in the pale moonlight, it flashed faintly with weak sparks of many coloured fire. jack bounded forward. "the harlequin opal!" he exclaimed, delighted. "you have taken the harlequin opal." chapter ix. the fugitives. the sun goes down, the twilight wanes, with reddened spurs and hanging reins, we urge our steeds across the plains. for you and i are flying far, from those who would our loving mar, and prison you with bolt and bar. sigh not, dear one, look not so white, my castle stands on yonder height, we'll reach it e'er the morning's light. the future's joy this night is born, i wed thee in the early morn, and laugh my rivals twain to scorn. it was fifty miles from totatzine to the coast. dolores being a woman, and weak, jack, owing to illness, not being quite so strong as usual, they found it difficult to do more on an average than two miles an hour. to make up for slow walking they stretched out their pedestrianism to twelve hours between dawn and eve, thus reaching the sea-shore in two days. they arrived at the cave spoken of by cocom, which was a harbour of refuge to them in their sore distress, completely worn out, body and soul and garments. still they felt a certain amount of comfort in three consolations: first, they had escaped from totatzine with their lives. secondly, the wallet was not yet exhausted of meat and drink, so that they were in no danger of starvation. thirdly, cocom, always supposing he would hoodwink the priests as to his share in their escape, would arrive within twelve hours or thereabouts. thus fortified with food and hope, they stayed thankfully in the cave and waited the arrival of the old indian. as to the journey from platform to cave, that had been a horrible dream, a nightmare of hardship, of weariness, of many pangs. starting from the terrace shortly after midnight, they had traversed the avenue in three hours. it was five miles in length, and proceeding at the rate of two miles every sixty minutes, it can be easily seen that they could gain the shelter of the forest long before dawn. the great road ended abruptly amid a confused heap of ruins, forest trees, tangled undergrowth. doubtless, in the old time it had continued even to the coast, but time and the indians had obliterated all traces of its magnificence five miles down. the former did this because it is his invariable custom to so treat all human works, which set themselves up as enduring for ever; the latter played havoc with the relics of their ancestors' magnificence, so as to hide the city of totatzine from the eyes of the white destroyers, who had trodden out of existence those same ancestors. nature had also done her share in the work of destruction, and sent a wave of green trees across the straight line of cause-way. therefore, the road which began so proudly at the foot of the great staircase ended suddenly, after five miles, in the tangled wilderness. the journey from totatzine to this point had been long and arduous. the moon had set behind the hills so that it was now dark, and to explore an unknown forest in such gloom would have been foolish, therefore jack insisted that they should take some rest. in the midst of an old palace he constructed a bed for dolores with the aid of his and her own cloak, and after seeing her safely bestowed therein, lay down at the entrance so as to act as a sleeping sentinel if such a thing be possible. nothing particular occurred, however, and when they awoke the sun was already high in the heavens. then they made a frugal breakfast and resumed their journey. the way being no longer clearly defined, their progress was necessarily slow from this point. to the right, on the trunk of a tree, appeared the sign of a scarlet opal as before pictured on the rocks, so to the right they went, and at once, even at these few steps from the causeway, found themselves in the heart of a wild, tropical forest. there was something terrible to these two civilised beings about the primeval savagery of this vegetation and exuberant foliage. dense, tangled, almost impenetrable, it reminded jack of the wood grown by fairy power round the palace of the sleeping beauty. that forest, however was to keep lovers out; this, alas! served to keep these lovers in. it lay between them and the coast, quite thirty-five miles of wild growth, and at times dolores almost despaired of breaking through the barrier. not so jack, he was hopeful of ultimate success being strengthened in his faith by the constant appearance of the opal sign. on every side of them rose giant trees of hoary age, their trunks seemingly supporting the verdant roof above-head. at times, so dense were the leaves that sky and sun and kindly light were shut out entirely, and they moved through a translucent twilight of tremulous green. from trunks and boughs depended lianas like ropes binding the forest giants together, or, dropping to the ground, formed a ladder up which climbed the most exquisite flowers. splendid tree-ferns drooped their gigantic fronds on high, springing thickly from tall pillars, rough, brown, and hairy. below, the ground was thick with brilliant blossoms, which seized every chance offered by rock, liana, and trunk to climb upward to that light excluded by the sea of foliage overhead. at every step the forest changed its appearance, as though it were an enchanted wood. here, all was savagery and gloom; step forward, and lo! a wide and sunny glade. one moment, and they were surrounded by moss-covered rocks; the next, and a noble avenue of palms opened a vista before them. pools of water sparkled here and there; babbling brooks winding capriciously in and out in wayward circles; at times, the sudden gleam of a waterfall, threading downwards in white streaks from a giant rock; and again, the miasma of a swamp, black and evil-looking, in whose waters rolled the trunks of fallen trees. everywhere flowers bursting into bloom; everywhere new leaves swelling into being; everywhere the exuberant life of a tropic climate. the atmosphere was warm and damp, a clammy air permeated the woods, and the whole place was one vast hothouse, where fecundation went on unceasingly. throughout, a rich perfume pervaded the air, heavy, sickly, and languorous. fortunately, jack's sight had been rendered keen by his profession, else it would have been difficult to have discerned the sign, on trunk of tree, or mossy rock. scarlet is a noticeable colour, and had the opal sign been the only red hue in the forest, there would have been no difficulty in the matter. but everywhere scarlet flowers made fire of the intense emerald of foliage and grass. dazzling masses of crimson verbena glared fiercely in the dim gloom, vermilion blossoms burned like lamps in the dense brushwood, wreaths of ruddy leaves made streaks like veins overhead, and the ground blazed with the pinks and carmines and purples of an infinite variety of blossoms. it was difficult to pick out the red-opal sign amid this constant repetition of the same tints; but jack, by careful observation, managed to do so, being guided at times by a well-defined path. indeed, often he was tempted to ignore the sign, and go only by the path; but, as numerous branches led off from the omphalos of the great road, he was afraid of going astray, so kept his reckoning by the opal alone. for two days they travelled through this zone of verdure, and at length, by the salt smell in the air, became aware that they were nearing the ocean. at times they met indians, gaudily dressed, with painted faces, and deadly looking weapons; but these, on observing the scarlet mantles of the pair, and receiving the sign on lips and forehead, stepped aside to let them pass. they recognised that these travellers were proceeding eastward by the will of the god, under the vow of silence. superstition, stronger than greed or cruelty, protected them from the savages of the wilderness. the journey was not dull, in spite of their anxiety and dread of being followed. on every side the forest was full of life, and dolores was delighted to see the constant flashing of humming-birds, green, red and yellow glories, which darted through the still air like flying gems. once they saw the yellow hide of a jaguar, black spotted, sleek, and terrible. jack had nothing but a knife, given to him by cocom, and regretted that he had not his revolver with him. a knife was but a poor weapon to do battle with such a terrible foe. to their relief, however, the animal only eyed them for a few minutes in startled surprise, and then slunk away among the undergrowth. other perils from wild animals they had none. sometimes the whole air would be alive with butterflies. purple, yellow spotted, azure striped, they fluttered everywhere. one would have thought the flowers were alive, and flew from stem to stem. peter, as jack thought, would have been in his element. this forest was the true paradise of butterflies. but they had no time to admire all this skill and fecundity of nature. resolutely following the opal sign, they pushed onward through the forest. they saw on all sides the puzzle monkey trees, with their sharp spikes; ombù trees, whose shade is so dense; aloes, whose branches spread outward like the seven-stemmed candlestick of the revelation; palms, mangoes, wild fig trees; cactus, burning with fleshy scarlet blossoms, and shallow lagunas, swampy pools of water, filled with sedges and rushes and slimy weeds. the din was constant. monkeys swung themselves from bough to bough overhead, chattered without ceasing; parrots, gay plumaged, harsh voiced, shrieked discordantly in their ears; the roaring of jaguars and pumas sounded faint in the distance, like muffled thunder; and ever rasped the stridulation of restless grasshoppers, unseen but noisy. such a wealth of invention, such overpowering luxuriance, wore out the senses, wearied the soul. both jack and dolores were glad when the sharp, salt smell of the sea struck knife-like through the enervating atmosphere. they had been travelling since dawn, and now, at noon, on the third day of their departure from totatzine, they beheld the great waste of waters, flashing like a mirror in the sun. jack should have greeted it as did the hellens of epaminondas, with a joyful cry of "thalatta! thalatta!" but he had forgotten his greek, and was too weary to feel poetic. at this stage of their journey, they met with many indians, who here landed in order to proceed to the shrine of the opal. dolores was much afraid of their secret being discovered, and even jack was somewhat doubtful of the efficacy of the vow of silence; but, in this case, as in others, fanaticism proved their safeguard, for they passed unharmed, even unspoken to, through the mass of savages. on arriving at the verge of the sea, jack at once sought out the cave described by cocom; and, leading dolores thereto, for a short space of time, they were in safety. from this point, as jack had learned in totatzine, the city of tlatonac was distant about twenty miles down the coast, and as there were plenty of canoes drawn up on the beach, it would have been easy for them to have proceeded at once on their journey. gratitude to cocom, however, prevented this, and they remained that night in the cave in order to await his arrival. the hiding-place was a natural cavern of wide extent, and, after making dolores as comfortable as he could, jack retired to the entrance, and kept guard, lest they should be surprised by some wandering savage. throughout this perilous journey, nothing could exceed the tenderness and chivalry with which duval behaved towards dolores. he was tireless in his efforts to spare her all fatigues, in keeping up her spirits, in guarding her from all the annoyances consequent on travelling ill-provided through a dense forest. dolores said nothing at the time, but took silent note of all this courtesy, and over and over again breathed a thankful prayer that the man whom she loved had proved himself so noble in the hour of danger. it was a disagreeable position to a girl brought up as she had been in strict observance of etiquette; but jack came triumphantly through the ordeal, and gained rather than lost in her eyes by the nobility of his character, by the rare delicacy of his behaviour. the only thing that duval feared was that the loss of the opal might cause the priests to mistrust cocom's story, and send out word far and wide that the sacred gem had been torn from the temple. it was true that they had gained a twelve hours' start, but, owing to the delicacy of dolores' constitution, they had travelled very slowly to the coast, and at any moment messengers with news of the theft might arrive on the scene. in such an event, all the indians on the coast would be examined as to whether a man and woman had passed seaward in company. owing to their clothes being scattered in the gorge, the priests (supposing they did not trust these signs of death) would know they were disguised as indians, therefore the dresses would avail them but little. neither would the vow of silence be of much use, as in this crisis they would be questioned as to whom they were, to what tribe did they belong, and as neither of them could speak a word of indian, the situation would become serious. the only hope, therefore, that they had of safety was of the arrival of cocom without delay. if he arrived next morning, all would be well, if not, jack discussed the advisability of taking a canoe, and proceeding at once to tlatonac. at dawn next morning they were both eating a hurried meal in the cave, and talking over the advisability of making a retreat while it was yet time. "as soon as they find out the opal is missing, the whole country will rise in arms," said jack, emphatically; "and every indian will be questioned closely, both within and without the town." "but the news won't reach the coast for some time, juan." "i question very much if it has not reached the coast now," replied jack, a trifle drily. "from the end of that road are many other paths to the coast, so swift messengers might have passed us in that way. let us hope, however, that this is not the case, and that cocom will be the first to bring the news that the opal is lost." "cocom will guess that i have taken the opal!" "doubtless; and the question is whether he will permit you to take it to tlatonac." "but why not, juanito? i am the guardian of the opal. it is mine." "querida, you are wrong. it is the property of huitzilopochtli. you are only its guardian--a mere honorary position that does not entail possession of the stone. its proper place, according to the indian's superstition, is in the shrine of totatzine." "but cocom is a christian. he will not care about my taking it." "dios! i am not so sure of that, dolores. cocom, by his own profession, was brought up an idolater, and old habits cling. it is true that he was converted by the good padre, and i have no doubt his catholicism is very fair--for an indian. but if he does not worship the war-god, he at least believes in the prophetic quotations of the opal; and, thus believing, may resent it being taken from the shrine." "then i will say nothing about it." "useless, angelito! cocom knows that no other person than ourselves would dare to steal the chalchuih tlatonac. i was with him all the time, so he will know it cannot be me. naturally enough, he will think it is you." "and therefore betray us?" "no, i do not think he will do that. after all his trouble, it would be foolish of him to now play the traitor, for then his concurrence in our escape would become known, and get him into bad odour with the priests. but it is possible that he might insist on your leaving the opal behind, to be sent back to totatzine." "no," cried dolores, decisively; "i will rather throw it into the sea. now that the gem is away from the shrine, those horrid priests may stop sacrificing men to the idol. besides," she added, naïvely "it is mine." "ah! that is an all-sufficient reason," replied duval, smiling. "like all women, querida, you are fond of gems, and do not like to part with this one." "it is very beautiful," sighed dolores, taking the stone from her breast. "see how it glitters, juanito. ah! what is that?" a long, shrill whistle sounded outside the cave. "cocom!" cried jack, starting to his feet. "hide the opal for the present, dolores." it was indeed cocom who entered. cocom looking much older than usual, and quite worn out with his long journey from totatzine. he saluted them gravely, and wrapping himself in his zarape crouched on the floor of the cave, with his eyes intently fixed on them both. the expression of his face was as usual, and jack was quite unable to decide whether he approved of or resented the rape of the shining precious stone. "you look tired, cocom," said jack, passing him a flask of aguardiente. "take a drink of this. it will do you good." the old man greedily seized the flask, and drained it to the bottom. as it was more than half full jack fully expected to see him fall helplessly intoxicated on the floor. but cocom's head was seasoned to strong drink, and it only made him look younger, as though the aguardiente were a draught from the fountain of youth. "have you it, señorita?" he asked, fixing his beady eyes on dolores. "yes," replied dolores, off her guard. "that is, i----" "bueno!" said cocom, nodding his head. "you have the opal. i am content." jack drew a long breath of relief. cocom's sympathy with the idolatry of his youth was not evidently strong enough to stir him into protest against the gem being stolen. or perhaps he deemed that dolores had more right to it than huitzilopochtli. at all events, he did not seem ill-pleased that she was now in possession of the celebrated stone. "what say the priests, cocom?" he asked anxiously. "they are in despair, señor, over the loss of the sacred stone." "do they know who has taken it?" cocom pointed one copper-coloured finger at dolores. "they knew that the chalchuih tlatonac is with the guardian; but they think that the guardian and you, señor, are at the bottom of the cañon--in the bed of the torrent." "then your ruse was successful?" "yes, señor! i strewed the clothes on the narrow path, and in the dawn awoke the town with my cries. ixtlilxochitli, with his priests, came to inquire the trouble. i told them that you, señor, had escaped. they, not guessing you had gone by the secret way, thought you had fled alone by the cañon. the narrow way was examined, your clothes were found, the blood on the cliffs, the clothes of doña dolores. then they knew she had fled with you, and deemed both had fallen in the darkness over the cliff into the torrent." "and the chalchuih tlatonac?" asked dolores, breathlessly. "they discovered that loss on returning to the teocalli for the morning sacrifice. all the priests were in despair, and ixtlilxochitli, knowing you had taken the sacred gem, señor, burnt a lock of your hair to----" "a lock of my hair!" interrupted jack, in surprise; "how did they get that?" "some of your hair was cut off when you were ill, and preserved in the temple." "and why did they burn it?" "because, by doing so, they devote your soul to tlacatecolotl, the evil one." "oh, the aztec devil," replied duval, carelessly. "much good that will do them. i should have thought it wiser for them to look for the stone." "they are looking for it, señor, and for your body--in the bed of the torrent." "i'm afraid they will be disappointed with the result of their search. so they think we are dead?" "yes, señor. you are safe from pursuit; but i am not." "what do you mean?" cocom withdrew his left arm from the fold of his zarape. the hand was cut off, and nothing remained but the stump of the wrist, seared with hot-iron. a hideous object. dolores cried out, and hid her face in her hands with a shudder. jack at once understood why cocom had acquiesced so calmly in the theft of the opal. "behold, señor!" said the old man, shaking the mutilated wrist at jack, with a look of hatred; "this was my punishment for suffering you to escape. my hand was cut off before huitzilopochtli, and burned with red-hot iron. then i was shut up in prison, to wait till the god's will was known." "my poor cocom!" cried jack, much distressed, "how you have suffered for aiding us. thank heaven you have escaped!" "yes, señor. ixtlilxochitli did not think i could leave the city; but in the night i got out of the window of my prison, and followed you down the secret way. with all my strength i followed, but i feel sure that the hounds of the priests are on my track." "but as ixtlilxochitli knows you are not aware of the secret way, he----" "señor," interrupted cocom, vehemently, "he must know it now. after the discovery of the cañon, guards were placed there. i have left the city. one other way only could i have gone--the secret way. believe me, señor, the indians are not far behind." "dios!" cried dolores, in terror, "we will be discovered!" "not so, señorita! on my way hither, i met a friend coming from tlatonac to the shrine. he told me that the boat of the americano had gone some days since to acauhtzin, to demand the release of don juan. she returns to-day, and will pass this point at noon. there is a canoe below, señor! let us depart in that canoe, and meet the steamer." jack sprang to his feet, with a shout, at this prospect of deliverance. "philip's yacht," he cried, joyfully; "good! we will do as you say, at once, cocom, and cut across the line of her passage. she will be sure to pick us up." "not now, señor! at noon!" jack went to the entrance of the cave, and looked at the altitude of the sun. "it wants two hours to noon. in one hour we will start." "bueno!" replied cocom, stolidly, "let us hope the hounds of ixtlilxochitli will not find us. once we see the boat of the señor americano, and we are safe, if not----" cocom shook his head to intimate he had grave doubts of what would be their fate in such an event, and took another drink of aguardiente. jack knew that in returning philip would keep the yacht close to the shore, in order to avoid the war-ships of xuarez, which generally kept a long way to seaward. he, therefore, took up his station at the mouth of the cave, and watched the northern horizon for the first trail of smoke from the yacht's funnel. as in most tropical countries, towards the middle of the day all sounds of life ceased, and nature took her siesta. in the hush, the three people in the cave heard far away a wild cry. cocom sprang to his feet, and hurried to the entrance to lay his hand on jack's arm. "ixtlilxochitli's hounds! let us get away at once. quick, señor! we will start now." "and be safe," cried jack, excitedly, pointing towards the horizon; "yonder is the yacht!" there was a speck on the horizon, but they had no time to look at it. the cries of the indians sounded nearer and nearer. guided by cocom, they left the cave and rushed down a steep road to the beach. hastily selecting a large canoe, cocom sprang in. jack lifted dolores over the gunwale, and stepping in himself, pushed quickly off. just as they got her afloat, a crowd of indians burst out of the woods, and made for the beach. with keen eyes they had distinguished cocom as the fugitive whom they were after, and fearful of losing their prey, poured down in a tumultuous mass. a shower of arrows fell around them, but luckily did no damage, save one which grazed jack's cheek. in another moment, they were in deep water, paddling quickly from the shore. the indians at once seized the remaining boats, of which there were about a dozen, and hurriedly embarked. impelled by powerful arms, these boats shot out after the fugitives with great rapidity. jack turned his head to look for the yacht. she was steaming southward with great speed. with the strength of despair, jack paddled, and so did dolores. cocom was but little use with his mutilated hand, but stood up in the bow cursing their pursuers fluently in the indian tongue. from the start, they had gained considerably on their pursuers, and fortunately an accident happened, by which three of the canoes, coming into collision, were overturned. the screams and cries of those struggling in the water caused their comrades to pause, and during a few minutes jack succeeded in placing a longer distance between himself and his pursuers. _the bohemian_ was so near that he could see the union jack flying at her masthead, the foam swirling from her bows. with wild yells to encourage one another, the remaining canoes started again; but, their folly in keeping close together in a mass, impeded their own speed. a good distance stretched between the pursuers and pursued. cocom stood swearing fluently, dolores prayed loudly in spanish, but jack, with teeth set hard, paddled as though the devil were after him. to lose all when within sight of safety, it would be too terrible; and as he forced the boat along, he kept glancing over his shoulder to look at the course of the yacht. she was standing closer in to shore, and the canoe would cut across her trail in ten minutes or thereabouts. those on board had evidently seen a boat was being chased by the indians, for the sound of a gun broke on their ears. "hurrah!" yelled jack, joyfully. "philip sees us. come on, you cursed wretches, i'll escape you yet." dolores flung down her paddle with a cry. she was completely worn out, and could do no more. jack did what he could, but the indians rapidly gained on them. a second gun announced that the yacht was close at hand. so were the indians now within bow shot. already some were fitting the arrows to the strings. an idea struck jack which promised to be their salvation. "dolores, the opal! the opal! hold it up. they dare not fire then." she caught his meaning at once, and as the nearest boat drew on, sprang to her feet and held up the great gem. it flashed and sparkled in the sun, and a cry of wonder burst from the lips of their pursuers. the foremost warriors dropped their bows. they recognised the chalchuih tlatonac, and superstition, stronger than anything else in their natures, paralysed their arms. "señor, the boat!" cried cocom, joyfully. jack turned his head. _the bohemian_ was less, much less, than a quarter of a mile away. seeing this, the indians, while forebearing to shoot, made redoubled efforts to catch them before the yacht came up, and thus recover the sacred gem. one boat came within two lengths, when jack, thinking to dodge and gain time, turned his light craft off to the right. in another two minutes a ball ricochetted across the waves and smashed the foremost boat to pieces. awestruck at this unexpected event, the others stopped paddling, and in a few minutes the canoe was safe under the bows of the yacht. philip, peter, and rafael were looking over the side at the--as they thought--indians. "philip! philip!" "why! god! it's jack!" "dolores! take dolores on board first," murmured jack; then, overcome by all he had passed through, fell back in a faint. chapter x. fortune turns her wheel. frown, fortune, frown, for i am much cast down, and tears do melancholy make my face; in sable gown, with sad yew-wreath as crown, i rail at you, oh, fortune, most untrue, for that to me, you show not any grace; oh, la! fa! la! la! my lady fortune, hear my sigh, be kinder to my love and i. smile, fortune, smile, for i am gay awhile, and laughter lurks about these lips again; now i beguile my days with cheerful wile, for from the throng, of shepherds gay and strong, my love hath chosen me to be her swain; oh, la! fa! la! la! my lady fortune hear my cry, how happy are my love and i. "baron munchausen!" said philip, addressing jack, with mock solemnity, "this story of thine passeth the comprehension of man. 'tis a most rare history, and, were i the commander of the faithful, i would have it written in letters of gold on purple parchment." it was some hours after their rescue by philip, and _the bohemian_ was just entering the harbour of tlatonac. dolores was sound asleep in peter's cabin; and jack, now transformed to a civilised being, by washing and clothing, was seated in the state-room, narrating his adventures to an attentive audience of three. as for cocom, he was squatting on the floor with a cigarette in his mouth, grunting approval of jack's story--which he told in spanish, for the benefit of rafael, and modestly receiving the encomiums lavished on him by the listeners. philip and don rafael frequently interrupted him with exclamations of surprise; but peter, less skilful in understanding the castilian tongue, had to keep his attention fixed on every word that fell from jack's lips. under the tutorship of doña serafina, the little doctor had made wonderful progress, and now understood the spanish language fairly well. it was at the conclusion of this most extraordinary story that philip addressed jack as "baron munchausen." "por todos santos!" exclaimed rafael, admiringly, following philip's example, "it is wonderful. mi amigo! i can never thank you sufficiently for all you have done for my cousin. but, perchance," added the young captain, with a twinkle in his eye, "dolores has already thanked you herself." "dolores will thank me when we arrive at tlatonac," retorted jack, sipping his wine. "our circumstances were too perilous, rafael, to admit of fine compliments." "don miguel will be pleased!" remarked peter, in fair spanish. "he will be more than pleased, don pedro," cried rafael, seizing jack's hand. "my friend, for this you have done, i feel sure my father will grant you the desire of your heart." "santissima! let dolores marry an americano?" "and why not, señor? you have saved her life." "assuredly! but cocom saved mine, rafael!" "for that cocom shall pass the rest of his days in peace and comfort," said philip, looking gratefully at the indian. cocom shook his head with mournful composure. "the days of cocom are numbered, señores. the doña dolores showed the opal to the hounds of ixtlilxochitli. by that they knew that the victim of the cycle, that the guardian of the chalchuih tlatonac still live, and have stolen the sacred stone. cocom aided them to discover the secret way, and ixtlilxochitli will never forgive that betrayal. i am lost, señores. i shall die." "es verdad!" exclaimed rafael, earnestly, "doubtless the indians of totatzine will try and kill you, cocom. but in tlatonac, under the protection of the opal flag, you are safe!" "no, señor maraquando! i shall die," repeated cocom, stolidly. "not you!" interposed jack, patting the old man on the head. "i shall look after you, my friend. you saved my life; i shall save yours. a fair exchange! hark! a gun!" "it is from the fort," said philip, hastily rising, "we are now in the harbour. come on deck, jack. we shall be on shore in another twenty minutes." they at once went up, and jack took off his hat with a reverential expression, when he saw the silvery walls of tlatonac once more glisten over the blue waters. "thank god, who has preserved us through many perils!" "amen!" said philip's deep voice, behind him "oh, jack," he added, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, with deep emotion, "if you only knew what agonies we have undergone, thinking of your fate. when we found you were missing, i wished to go back, at any risk, and headed the yacht for the harbour of acauhtzin. but that cursed xuarez turned his guns on us, and, as _the bohemian_ would have been smashed to pieces, we were forced to retreat. what a cur i felt then." "you could not help it," said jack, patting philip's back, kindly. "in an attempt to rescue me, you would only have lost your own lives." "i did what i could, jack. at once i came back to tlatonac, and implored don francisco to send an army to acauhtzin to your rescue. but it was impossible--the torpederas had not arrived, and there were only some merchant-ships to take men north-ward. defended, as acauhtzin was, by the war-ships, such an attempt would have been foolhardy. we were forced to remain inactive at tlatonac, not knowing if you were dead or alive." "and then the war broke out?" "as i told you; don hypolito, with his war-ship, is now besieging janjalla. tim, garibay, general gigedo, and half the army, are there defending it. tim wanted to remain and search for you; but i insisted on his going, and told him i would take _the bohemian_ up to acauhtzin, under the union jack, to make inquiries." "it was lucky you did that," said jack, with a grim smile, "or those indians would have killed or recaptured us for sure." "we did not know it was you," interposed peter, who had been listening,--they were conversing in english. "i saw you first, and thought it was only a canoe of indians being chased by others. philip thought he would help the supposed indians, and fired those guns." "peter nearly fainted when we saw who the indians were," laughed philip, slipping his arm within that of jack's. "however, 'all's well that ends well;' and here you are, safe and sound with dolores." "and with the opal!" "good! i never thought you would have got that stone, jack. your luck holds, old fellow. the possession of the opal will give confidence to tlatonac. will it not, rafael?" "what say you, señor felipe?" "the opal! its possession will inspire confidence." "of a certainty, mi amigo. our men will fight like devils, now they know the fortune of the chalchuih tlatonac is on the side of the junta. in the same way, don hypolito's soldiers will lose heart." "if they lose the war, that is all i care about. i would like to see that fiend of a xuarez punished," said jack, savagely. "by the way, philip, i suppose you got no satisfaction at acauhtzin this trip?" "no; the forts opened fire, and would not let me enter the harbour. luckily, the war-ships were all south, as i knew, or we would have been smashed up." "the war-ships are bombarding janjalla, you told me." "yes; we hope, however, that it will hold out till the torpederas go south." "have they arrived?" "yonder." philip pointed to the left, and there, under the walls of the fort, lay two long black objects, with stumpy black funnels. more than this, a large ship of some two thousand five hundred tons was anchored close at hand. jack was astonished to see the change in the port since he had last beheld tlatonac. then it was quiet and peaceful-looking, now, what with ships and the two torpedo-boats, black wasps of the ocean, as they were, lying under the walls, the walls themselves spotted with the muzzles of heavy guns, the glitter of arms and uniforms outside the sea-gate, and the blaring of distant trumpets, the roll of drums, the aspect was of the most warlike character. he glanced at the spiteful-looking torpedo-boats, and turning towards philip, mutely demanded an explanation. "you see cholacaca is in the thick of it," said the baronet, gaily. "you have been away close on three weeks, and during that time neither don hypolito nor the junta have been idle. the former has sent his troops and war-ships to janjalla, and the latter is busy fixing up the torpederas to have a fight with _the pizarro_ and her consorts down south." "but that ship?" "_the iturbide_. she is a cuban mail steamer requisitioned by the junta, and turned into an armed cruiser for this war. with her and the torpederas, don hypolito's fleet won't have such a pleasant time as they think." "does don rafael command _the iturbide?_" "i, mi amigo!" cried rafael, overhearing this question. "not i. yonder torpedo-boat is under my charge, and in that, don juan, you must come with me." "when do you go south?" "the day after to-morrow. at the same time regiments march by land to gigedo, at janjalla. oh, the game has begun, juan, and the opal burns red!" "it will now burn whatever colour we like," retorted jack, shrugging his shoulders. "i saw the way those priests managed the trick. it was----" "tim can tell us all that in the patio of casa maraquando," interrupted philip, hastily. "see, the anchor is down, so we had better go ashore at once, and relieve the minds of don miguel and the ladies." "cocom is already over the side," said peter, pointing to a small canoe skimming the waves. "you will receive an ovation on your way through the city." "greatness is thrust upon me," laughed jack, who was wonderfully lighthearted now that they were safe, "where is doña dolores?" "just coming on deck." the girl still wore her indian dress, as philip, being a bachelor, had no feminine gear on board. she had, however, washed the paint from her face, and looked wonderfully bright and charming in her savage toilette. "pocahontas!" said philip, in jack's ear, as she approached. "lucky man. i would i were captain john smith." "what about eulalia?" "oh, i can tell you about eulalia," murmured dr. grench, a trifle maliciously. "you'll do nothing of the sort, peter," said philip, sharply. "i will tell jack all about it myself. you stick to your beetles and doña serafina." "doña serafina!" cried dolores, overhearing the name. "oh, señor felipe, how i do wish to see my dear aunt." "in a few minutes, señorita. see, the boat is waiting. we will all go on shore at once." "there seems to be a row on shore," remarked jack, as they climbed down the side of the yacht. "dios!" exclaimed rafael, laughing. "cocom has told them all. the news is passing from mouth to mouth. soon it will be all over the city. harken to the cries, mis amigos." "vive el americano! el opalo! dios lo pague, doña dolores!" "a shout for one, a shout for all," observed jack, philosophically. "they should also shout, 'god reward cocom!' for without him we would not be here." they were welcomed on shore by a frantic crowd. the cholacacans have all the vivacity and impulsiveness of southern nature. nothing do they love so much as a public demonstration; therefore, on this occasion they gave full rein to their enthusiasm. in their eyes, jack was a hero, dolores a heroine, and, accordingly, they were almost stunned with vociferous applause. the fact that the opal, that sacred gem, so inextricably interwoven with the traditions of the republic, was now in the city itself, wrought them up to a pitch of frenzy. with the chalchuih tlatonac in their midst, they could not fail to conquer the rebels; it was the palladium of the republic, the genius of tlatonac, and by it would they be enabled to overwhelm their enemies. the superstitious belief they had in the jewel was almost terrible. it glittered on the banners of cholacaca, it coloured the whole patriotic feelings of the inhabitants. the opal meant victory to its possessors, and, lo! they held it safely in the capital. up to the sea-gate the lovers passed, surrounded by their friends. on either side the vast crowd heaved like a great sea. constant cries saluted jack, dolores, the opal; and to show the public that cocom had spoken truly, duval whispered a few words to his companion. in a moment she had drawn forth the gem from her breast, and held it up in full sight of the populace. the tumult sank to a dead stillness, as if by magic, and everyone drew a deep breath of awe and admiration as the splendid jewel flashed its lightnings in the sun. a crimson beam flared forth, owing to the position in which it was held by dolores. it burned in her fingers like a red-hot coal. the crowd, in their superstition, took it as a sign from heaven, and burst out into frenzied cries. "guerra! guerra! el opalo! guerra! abajo los rebeledes!" then some excited person began chanting the national song of the opal. in a moment the mob caught at the idea, and the great body of sound thundered to the sky. kneel at the shrine while the future discerning, see how the crimson ray strengthens and glows; red as the sunset the opal is burning, red is prophetic of death to our foes. "i feel like a victorious general," said jack, smiling at all this enthusiasm. "what a pity tim isn't here," remarked peter, whose usually meek eyes were flashing like stars behind his spectacles; "he does so like a row." "he'll be having plenty where he is," said philip, grimly; "but look at that fellow going to do the raleigh business with his zarape." by this time they had passed into the calle otumba, and a frantic young spaniard, rushing forward, flung his cloak on the ground for dolores to walk across. the idea pleased the people, and in a few moments the whole way up to the casa maraquando was spread with zarapes. then flowers were flung before them in profusion. "the primrose path of dalliance," quoth philip, laughing. "i hope these excited people won't throw their bodies next for us to walk over. don't be afraid, doña dolores. you have your guard of honour to protect you." indeed, this frenzied demonstration rather scared the girl. all the colour faded out of her face, and slipping the opal into her bosom, she shrank terrified against her lover. jack took her arm within his own and his touch gave her more confidence; but what with the singing, shouting, cloak-flinging, flower throwing, and what not, they both felt quite worn out, and were not at all sorry to at length arrive at the door of the casa maraquando. the news of their arrival had preceded them, as a matter of course, and don miguel, with outstretched arms, was waiting in the gateway to receive them. dolores, with a cry of delight, flung herself on the breast of her uncle, who at once carried her into the patio. then the rest of the party followed, and the doors were shut against the mob, which still remained in the street, terribly excited. after a time, the tumult quietened down like a sea after a storm, and the throng streamed into the plaza de los hombres ilustres to organise a demonstration to the honour and glory of the chalchuih tlatonac and its guardian. in the patio, dolores was received with noisy demonstrations by doña serafina, and with joyful tears by eulalia. it was some time, however, before don miguel could part from his niece, for he held her to his breast, calling upon all the saints to shower blessings on her head. never had the stately spaniard been so moved, and when he delivered his niece over to the tender embraces of serafina and eulalia, he turned towards jack, with tears in his eyes. "señor juan," he said, in a voice of emotion, grasping the young man's hand, "i can never repay you for what you have done. from this moment you may command the services, and the lives of myself and those dear to me." he could say no more, but, with a wave of his hand, walked to the other end of the court to conceal his emotion. jack was scarcely less moved, and as for dolores, she was being overwhelmed by her cousin and aunt. "dear one," chattered the old lady, noisily; "now that thou art safe, i vow twenty candles to the virgin, who has thus watched over thee, and to san juan, who is the patron saint of your preserver." "i, also!" cried eulalia, who had in some mysterious way become possessed of the history. "i vow a jewel to san felipe, for it was his namesake who preserved them from the indians." jack and philip were much gratified by these marks of attention; but peter, being left out in the cold, was inclined to be cross. "they might vow a candle or so to san pedro," he grumbled, "seeing the whole church of rome is under his care." "offer him some beetles, peter," said jack, in the little doctor's ear; but the suggestion was not received favourably by the entomologist. having wept and cried over dolores to their hearts' content, the ladies proceeded to lead her away to resume her own dress; but before doing so, both aunt and niece flung themselves on jack's neck, and embraced him with fervour. duval did not mind a kiss from eulalia, but he objected to the aunt. nevertheless, as he had to take the bitter with the sweet, he passively submitted to be made much of. "caro, señor! you are an angel from heaven," cried serafina, with fervour. "as valiant as the cid," said eulalia, kissing jack's bronzed cheek. "we will pray for you to the saints." "your face shall be in my soul!" this last remark came from eulalia, whereat philip winced. seeing this, jack brought the duet to a speedy end. "i am your servant, señoritas! what i have done is nothing, and thanks are rather due to cocom than to me." "but without you, don juan, cocom could not have saved dolores." "and without the boat of señor felipe," added eulalia, glancing at the baronet, "none of the three would be here." philip made a polite gesture of dissent, though in his heart he was glad that eulalia inclined so kindly towards him. then jack kissed the hands of the ladies in a most gallant fashion, and they, after removing dolores once more from the arms of don miguel, whither she had flown, led her out of the patio. this being done, while waiting for the evening meal, don miguel demanded from jack an account of his adventures, a request which was at once seconded by philip, rafael, and peter, who protested that they could listen to a dozen repetitions of his hairbreadth escapes. thus adjured, jack, with as much suppression of himself as possible, narrated the events which had taken place from the earliest period of his capture by xuarez down to the present time when he was rescued by philip. frequently the story was interrupted by ejaculations from his auditors, and by the time the story was finished they were all furious with don hypolito, particularly señor maraquando. "to think, señor," he cried, indignantly, "that i have touched the hand of that man. carambo! to give up a white man to the cursed altar of huitzilopochtli. it is infamous! it is unheard of!" "but you forget, señor, he is a pure-blooded indian." "i ever thought so," said rafael, sagely. "there were many ways about xuarez, my father, that were not those of a spaniard." "indian or no indian," growled philip, clenching his fist, "if i get within striking distance of the scoundrel, i won't leave a whole bone in his body." "nor will i," said the meek peter, fiercely, "fancy him wanting to lay jack out on a jasper stone like a corpse on a dissecting-table." "be quiet, you chamber of horrors," said the baronet, angrily, "don't mention such a thing." "there is one great good gained out of much evil," observed don miguel, reflectively; "the possession of the opal strengthens us greatly against xuarez." "how so?" asked philip, curiously. "because this priest, ixtlilxochitli, will not be able to manage the indians for him without the stone." "i am afraid, señor, the mischief is done," said jack, gravely, "the opal declared war, and now the indians will join don hypolito." "it's a pity we can't get up a counter prophecy, and make the opal declare peace," remarked philip, quietly; "then the indians would take no part in the war." "i fancy that is impossible," said miguel, shaking his head. "i would it could be so. if the indians would only keep quiet, xuarez would find great difficulty in accomplishing his plans. should janjalla fall, and xuarez concentrate his own men and the indians before tlatonac, it will be hard to beat them back." "janjalla will not fall," cried rafael, in a fiery tone; "there are brave men defending it. they will hold out till reinforced. the regiments march southward to-morrow, the torpederas and _the iturbide_ go the next day; and between the two we shall conquer these rebels." "we will try, at all events, my son," said maraquando, smiling at the young man's enthusiasm; "but, meanwhile, it is best to look on both sides of the question." "with the opal stone in tlatonac, we cannot fail," declared jack. "you have seen it, señor maraquando?" "not yet. dolores was too agitated to show it to me." "here is my cousin," said rafael, rising to his feet. "she brings the opal with her." before he finished the sentence, dolores, now arrayed in her european dress, entered the patio, followed by doña serafina and eulalia uttering cries of admiration. in her hand she carried the harlequin opal, which glittered faintly in the dim light. "see, uncle!" cried dolores, placing the gem in maraquando's hand, "i give you the luck of tlatonac." "so this is the famous stone?" said miguel, gazing at the wonderful play of colours, "i do not wonder it is held sacred. so beautiful a jewel i have never yet beheld." "there, señor maraquando, i disagree with you," observed jack, in a nervous voice; "there is a jewel still more beautiful in my eyes--dolores!" don miguel started and stared in amazement at the young couple, who were now standing hand in hand before him. he could not understand the meaning of either the attitude or speech. "my brother," whispered serafina, seizing the situation with feminine quickness, "it is love!" "yes," said jack, firmly, "it is love. i have worshipped your niece these many months, señor maraquando, but i dared not to tell you of that love, seeing i was an englishman, a heretic. now, however, if i have done anything to deserve your gratitude, i ask you, in the presence of my friends, to give your consent to the marriage of dolores and myself." don miguel was silent for a few moments, and then turned slowly towards his niece. "do you love don juan, dolores?" she raised her head and looked not at her questioner, but at jack. "yes," she replied simply, "i have loved him this long time." "señor," said maraquando, with great dignity, "it is true you are not of our race; but during the time i have known you i have seen nothing in you but what i admire and respect. in rescuing my niece from the shrine of the opal at totatzine, you have acted like a chivalrous gentleman. to your marriage i gladly give my consent. take dolores as your wife, señor, and with her this." he held out for jack's acceptance the harlequin opal. chapter xi. away to the front. one kiss! 'tis our last one; the horses await, and swift through the midnight i ride to my fate. 'tis life for thy lover, or death it may be, but living or dying, my thought is for thee. who knows when my arms shall enfold thee again the future hides ever its joy and its pain. i leave thee for battle, my dear one, my bride, and on, through the darkness, i ride, and i ride. light hand on the bridle, light heart in my breast, a bunch of your ribbons flaunt gay on my crest. i go not in sorrow, but hasten with glee, to fight for my country, my honour, and thee. soon wilt thou in triumph behold me, my sweet, return with my laurels to cast at thy feet. i dream of a future with thee by my side, as on, through the darkness, i ride, and i ride. jack's position was now similar to that of tantalus. love was within his reach, yet he dared not to grasp it, for on the next day he was to depart with don rafael for janjalla, in the torpedera _montezuma_. peter had also been invited to visit the seat of war, and although a man of peace, decided to go, as he was anxious about tim. that redoubtable warrior was at janjalla, with general gigedo, busily engaged in wiring sensational accounts of the siege to _the morning planet_. tim was particularly anxious that janjalla should not fall into the hands of don hypolito, as it was the spot whence started the telegraph-wires for the south. if xuarez captured the town, the forces of the junta would be driven back to tlatonac, and as likely as not the wires would be cut by the rebels, therefore tim would be unable to transmit news to england. as it was, he made good use of his time, and took full possession of the telegraph-office in janjalla. as to philip, he decided to march by land with the regimiento de los caballeros, of which corps he was now an officer. colonel garibay, the commander of the regiment, was already at janjalla, having been sent there by president gomez on a special message to general gigedo. the regiment was, therefore, under the command of captain velez, who was a great admirer of philip, and made much of him. altogether reinforcements amounting to close on a thousand men were now on their way south, to assist general gigedo in holding janjalla, and the torpederas, in company with the armed cruiser _iturbide_, were to proceed there by sea, in order to destroy, if possible, the three ships of the enemy now bombarding the town. there was no doubt that the war had begun badly for the junta, but this was the fault of president gomez. a more obstinate man never existed, and having made up his mind that xuarez would attack tlatonac without delay, he had foolishly withdrawn the garrison from janjalla, puebla de los naranjos, chichimec, and other towns, for the protection of the capital. it was in vain that don miguel, warned by his son, represented that it was more than probable xuarez would attack janjalla first, in order to concentrate his troops in the south, and so march them across the plains to tlatonac. the president refused to take this view of the matter, and by the withdrawal of the garrisons, left the whole of southern cholacaca in an unprotected condition. the effect of this policy was most disastrous. warned by his spies that but a feeble defence could be offered by janjalla, don hypolito sent southward, without delay, transports filled with troops, and a convoy of the three war-ships. he hoped to capture and garrison janjalla with his own men before the junta became aware of his design, and thus secure an important town as the basis of his operations. at acauhtzin he was hemmed in by mountains, unable to march his troops overland to the capital; but in the south, between janjalla and tlatonac were vast alluvial plains, over which he could lead his army. it was his intention to effect a conjunction with the forest indians before the walls of the opal city, and having ordered his war-ships to bombard it by sea, thus attack the capital on two sides at once. between two fires, he deemed that the city would speedily yield. becoming aware that the war-ships had gone south, don francisco speedily saw how foolishly he had acted, and ordered five hundred men to at once proceed to janjalla, to defend it against the rebels. he sent back the troops to garrison the inland towns, and thus hoped to stretch a barrier between the rebels and the capital. the whole danger lay in the south, for as yet the indians were quiet, and no rising was apprehended on their part, though jack was doubtful as to the advisability of trusting to appearances. he quite believed that the campaign would be conducted by xuarez, as had been prophesied by don rafael, and could not help deploring that such an incompetent man as gomez was at the head of affairs. "if he would only leave things alone, and not interfere," he said to philip, on the eve of departure. "his generals know more about warfare than he does. the man's an ass." "i'm with you there," replied philip, heartily; "he has made a muddle of things already. who but an ass would send only five hundred men to janjalla, when it is about to be bombarded by three men-of-war, and attacked by two thousand rebel troops? even this reinforcement is not strong enough. sending his troops southward in these dribblets will end in their being cut to pieces. i would not be surprised if even now xuarez was in possession of janjalla, and, with such a basis for operations, he will make it hot for the republic." "what do you think ought to have been done?" "i was speaking to colonel garibay, and we both came to the same conclusion. don francisco ought to have taken the warning of rafael, and concentrated most of the troops at janjalla. the capital is well defended by its forts, and can look after itself. janjalla, on the other hand, is in no fit state of defence to resist the heavy guns of three ships pounding at its walls. as i take it, the great aim should be to prevent don hypolito from getting a footing in the south by capturing janjalla. then he would have nothing but the sea and acauhtzin for a field of operations. in the north, owing to the mountains, he can do nothing, and now we have the torpederas, he cannot have it all his own way at sea." "well, and supposing he captures janjalla?" philip shrugged his shoulders. "the result is plain enough. instead of mountains between this and tlatonac, he has nothing but plains on which he can manoeuvre his troops. he will either capture the intervening towns or seduce them to his cause. then he will arrive at tlatonac, and while he is besieging it from the inland, his fleet will bombard it from the sea." "that is if the torpederas don't sink his ships." "of course! i am talking of the campaign from don hypolito's point of view. but one thing is certain. if he captures janjalla, this war may be prolonged for months. think of the ruin that will mean to the country." philip spoke truly. hitherto cholacaca had enjoyed immunity from the horrors of war. from the year , when under the leadership of zuloaga, the republic had thrown off the yoke of spain, there had been peace for a period of forty-five years. those fratricidal wars which constantly convulsed the communities of south america were not to be found in the history of cholacaca. the republic kept well within her borders, was at peace with her neighbours, and under the rule of wise rulers, devoted herself to improving her material condition. it was true that a greater part of the country consisted of wild forests filled with unconquered indians, but the cholacacans had always been able to keep these savages at bay. the coast-line of the north, the immense alluvial plains of the south, were thoroughly civilised, and covered with thriving towns. the two secondary capitals, janjalla in the south, acauhtzin in the north, looked up to and respected their powerful sister city, tlatonac, who held her seat in the central portion of the sea-board. yet it must be admitted that they bore a grudge against her, as nearly all the commerce of the country poured into her walls, from thence to be distributed over the civilised world. why should tlatonac be the capital when they were each equally suited for the post? they had rich countries behind them, they exported goods far and wide, they had their municipal institutions, their walls, ramparts, palaces, and magnificent churches. why, therefore, should they be forced to send their ships to the port of tlatonac, there to pay toll and custom duties? the junta had constituted tlatonac the starting-point of all vessels, and according to law, ships from the north and south were forced, both in going and coming, to report themselves at the capital. by this means tlatonac dominated her sister cities, and held them firmly under her thumb. the reason that tlatonac was chosen to be the capital by zuloaga was very plain. it was situated in the centre of the coast-line, and thus commanded equally the north and the south. it had been the shrine of the opal, and the traditions of that stone closely interwoven with the history of the country. greatest reason of all, the harbour was the finest in cholacaca. moreover, roads from most of the inland towns diverged to the capital, thus rendering communication easy; while janjalla, environed by swamps, and acauhtzin girdled by forests, were more or less shut off from the heart of the country. when inland traders could transport their goods to tlatonac at half the cost they could take them to either of the other two towns, it was not likely, from a commercial point of view, that they would ever forsake the capital. under the circumstances, it can well be seen that gomez had good reason to doubt the fidelity of janjalla. the northern town had, through jealousy of tlatonac, sided with the rebels, and it was just possible that the southern city might follow suit. the only thing in favour of janjalla remaining faithful was that while both towns were jealous of the capital, they were equally jealous of one another. the populace of janjalla knew well that if xuarez conquered that he would transfer the seat of government to acauhtzin out of gratitude for its help, and would certainly not assist a cause calculated to elevate a rival city. the republic was very wealthy. she exported tobacco, coffee, cacao, cotton, rice, maize, and cattle. her plains were covered with grain, her mountains were rich in ores, and her population extremely industrious. with the exception of the area covered by the forests, the whole country was cultivated, and now the formation of a railway through the forests, up to acauhtzin promised the opening up of the northern lands. already fifty miles of railway had pierced the enormous belt of timber lying between acauhtzin and the capital. from the main line, branches were to extend to the different towns, so as to connect them with the seat of government. unfortunately, all this promise of prosperity was now interrupted by the war. there was no doubt that don hypolito was a source of infinite trouble to the country. this indian coming from the sacred city of totatzine, was now revenging himself on the descendants of the conquistadores, for their treatment of his ancestors. he had no genuine cause for dissatisfaction, as at the time when he raised the standard of revolt, the country was thoroughly prosperous. the wealth gained by the exports of the republic was used by her presidents to open up the interior of the continent, and to supply tlatonac with all the refinements of civilisation. the army was well drilled, well clothed, well armed. the walls of the city were built on the most approved system of engineering science, the principal squares were lighted by electricity, millions had been expended on drainage, in the formation of interior roads, in the construction of the proposed railway to acauhtzin. the republic had even formed the nucleus of a navy, and had already three war-ships in hand, and two torpederas coming, when the war broke out. now the war-ships had revolted to xuarez, the northern capital was bound to his cause, and this ambitious indian, assuming the name and race of a spaniard, had plunged the country into what promised to be a disastrous war. the effect was ruinous. business was at a standstill, exports were stopped, the capital was declared in a state of siege, and the whole country resounded with the tramp of armies, the clash of arms, the thunder of cannon. industry was paralysed, and many of the country-people crowding to the capital, rendered food dear. to avoid the horrors of famine and ruin which threatened the republic, it was absolutely necessary that xuarez should be crushed at once. president gomez was no warrior certainly, but he was a judicious ruler--in time of peace. he saw at once the terrible calamities likely to ensue should the war be prolonged, and already regretted his folly in not taking the advice of don miguel. so far as was possible, he repaired his mistakes. a thousand men were sent to the relief of janjalla by land, and _the iturbide_, in company with the torpederas, left for the seat of war by sea. if the reinforcements could succour janjalla in time, if the torpederas could sink the rebel ships, then there would be some hope of the war being brought to a speedy conclusion. but as it was, the whole danger lay in the probability of don hypolito capturing janjalla, from whence he could threaten the capital and intervening towns. jack was very anxious that philip should come with him in _the montezuma_, but the baronet was obstinately set on going with his regiment. "i shall be in janjalla before you, jack; for between you and the town lie the war-ships, while we have but to march across those easy plains in safety." "yes, if the indians don't stop you." "nonsense; there is no chance of that." "i am not so certain, philip. don hypolito has his spies, as you know; and when he hears that reinforcements are advancing southward, he will probably send word to ixtlilxochitli to have them intercepted. as you know, the plains are fringed to the west by the forests, so the indians could break out from thence, and perhaps exterminate the troops." "what! exterminate a thousand soldiers, armed with rifles? impossible!" "well, it does seem impossible. however, as you won't come with me, go as you please. we shall meet at janjalla." "of course. i shall see you from the walls being chased, by _the pizarro_ and _the cortes_." they were talking in the patio of the casa maraquando, and philip was tricked out in all the bravery of his uniform. he looked remarkably handsome and eulalia sighed as she thought he was about to leave her. all coquetry had been laid aside, and she had confessed that she was deeply in love with the americano. philip fully returned her affection, and intended, on returning from janjalla, to ask don miguel to permit them to be married on the same day as jack and dolores. turning away from jack, he caught sight of eulalia's pensive face, and heard her plaintive little sigh. in an instant he was by her side. "querida," he whispered tenderly, "you must not be sad. i go forth to bring home laurels to lay at your feet." "i would rather you were at my feet, felipe," sobbed eulalia. "this horrid war! i am sure you will be killed, and then i shall die. oh yes, mi alma, i shall assuredly die." they were standing in a secluded corner of the patio. neither don miguel or serafina were in sight, so philip, taking advantage of the situation, kissed eulalia once, twice, thrice. it was true jack and dolores were not far off, but they were too busy with each other to take much notice. eulalia sobbed on philip's breast, vowed she would die if he left her, told him to march forth and be a hero at once, commanded him to remain at tlatonac, ordered him to depart for janjalla, and thus contradicting herself every moment, smiled and wept in turns. finally, she produced a little gold cross. "this is for thee, my own one," she whispered slipping it into his hand. "it has been blessed by padre ignatius. nought can hurt thee while the sacred thing is on thy heart." philip kissed the cross, kissed eulalia, and swore he would never part with it throughout the campaign. in the middle of their tender leave-taking, a trumpet pealed forth in the plaza de los hombres ilustres. it was the signal for departure. "i must go! farewell, my dear one. watch from the azotea, and let your face be the last thing i behold in tlatonac." "adios, mi alma," murmured eulalia, and embraced him fondly, after which, philip, turning hastily away, shook hands with jack, and kissed the hands of dolores and serafina, the latter of whom had just entered the patio. "adieu, dear ladies. good-bye, jack. take care of yourself, and don't be carried off to any more indian cities. we meet at philippi. adios!" with a wave of his hand he was gone, and jack escorted the ladies to the azotea to watch the regiments departing. the plaza was crowded with soldiers and women, the latter taking tearful leave of those marching to the front. president gomez, attended by a brilliant staff, among whom jack saw don miguel and his son, made a speech full of fire and patriotism, which caused the utmost enthusiasm. then the banners of the different regiments were unfurled, the bands began to play the march of zuloaga, and the soldiers began to file out of the square by the calle otumba. regiment after regiment marched past, through streets wreathed with flowers, amid tears, cheers, and wavings of handkerchiefs. the house-tops were crowded with ladies looking down on the troops. they made a gallant show as they tramped along with waving plumes and glittering arms. the cavalry soldiers came first, and those on the azotea of the casa maraquando saw sir philip riding by the side of captain velez, at the head of the regimiento de los caballeros. the banners streamed in the air, the horses champed their bits, and proudly pawed the earth, and, one vast rainbow of hues, this splendid body of men moved majestically past. philip was riding with his drawn sword sloping over his shoulder, and as he passed the casa maraquando, looked up, and saluted the ladies. eulalia hastily snatching a bunch of jasmine from her breast, let it drop when he was directly underneath. the baronet dexterously caught it, and pressing a kiss on the blossoms, fastened them in his jacket. in another minute or so, he disappeared round the corner of the street on the way to the puerta de la culebra, from whence the troops marched southward to janjalla. after the disappearance of philip, eulalia took no further interest in the proceedings of the day, and retired to her room, followed by dolores, who strove to console her. jack not caring for the sole companionship of doña serafina, excused himself on the plea that he wanted to ride after the troops and give philip a message to tim. doña serafina graciously permitted him to depart, and he dashed out of the house, flung himself on his horse, which was waiting at the door, and was about to ride towards the puerta de la culebra when don rafael came riding at full speed out of the plaza! the young man seemed much excited, and in his headlong rush knocked down two or three people, so crowded was the street. never heeding their cries, he raced past jack, waving his hand. "to _the montezuma_, mi amigo! news of the war-ships." anxious to know what fresh event had taken place, and fearful that janjalla had fallen, jack spurred his horse after rafael, and at a break-neck speed they clattered down the street to the sea-gate scattering the crowd in every direction. outside the sea-gate, rafael headed to the left, where the torpedera _montezuma_ was lying, and jumping off his horse, threw the reins to a peon, and called a boat. jack followed his example, and in a few moments they were pulling for the torpedo-vessel. "carambo mi amigo!" said jack, breathlessly, "you ride like the devil. what is the matter now?" "his excellency has just received news that two of the war-ships have returned to acauhtzin." "what! have they given up the siege?" "no. they are acting as convoy to the transports. xuarez is sending more troops south, and, knowing that our torpederas are not ready, thinks that _the pizarro_, single-handed, is sufficient to blockade janjalla." "then he has landed his other troops?" said jack, as they sprang on board _the montezuma_. "the ship guns have evidently silenced the forts, and permitted the rebels to get on shore." "precisely! but what matter? reinforcements are now on their way by land, and we, my friend, will start to-morrow by sea to smash up _the pizarro_." "will the torpederas be ready?" "they must be ready!" cried rafael, stamping his foot. "we may never get such another chance. if we can only sink _the pizarro_, it will dishearten the troops of xuarez now besieging janjalla, and they can be easily defeated." "if we can manage that, it will be a sad blow to don hypolito!" "dios! so i should think," replied rafael, laughing gaily. "he will come south with more troops, and find janjalla occupied by us, and his way barred by two torpederas and _the iturbide_. then _the pizarro's_ loss won't please him. carajo! no." "bueno! but you forget _the pizarro_ has search-lights, torpedo-netting----" "not the last, mi amigo!" interrupted rafael quickly. "i told you before, the netting was left behind in tlatonac when the war-ships left for acauhtzin. as to the search-lights, she can keep them on _the iturbide_ or on the other torpedera. then, my friend, _the montezuma_ will make things unpleasant for her." "it's a mere chance, rafael!" "quien sabe!" retorted the young man, shrugging his shoulders; "all warfare is mere chance. come and look over the boat." as the fittings of the torpederas were somewhat complicated, engineers had been sent out from england in charge, and these, being paid heavily by the junta, remained to manoeuvre the boats. among them jack discovered a scotchman, from aberdeen, with whom he struck up a friendship. this gentleman, whose clan was mackenzie, showed them all over the boat, and spoke in terms of great affection of the whitehead torpedoes. "eh, mon!" he observed to jack, as they surveyed those triumphs of modern warfare, "jouist gie her a shove, an' she'll smash the hail boatie to bits--into sma' bits." "that is if the ship you propose to smash doesn't bring her heavy guns to bear on this boat." "hoots! hoots! mon. _the montyzumy_ can gang her ain gait. nineteen knots an hour! ma certie, it wud tack a braw gun to catch the likes o' her." when they returned on deck from their inspection of the ship, a note was brought to rafael, from captain pedraza, of _the iturbide_, requesting his presence on board. they dropped into a boat, and were speedily clambering up the giant sides of the cruiser. being conducted to the state-room, they found captain pedraza, surrounded by his officers, reading a message from the president. "ola mis amigos!" cried the captain, gaily, "you are just in time. señor juan, i am your servant. don rafael, we leave tlatonac for janjalla to-morrow afternoon." "why in the afternoon?" "carambo. so as to reach janjalla at night. _the pizarro_ is lying there in the harbour, and, under cover of darkness, we may be able to sink her either with our guns or by means of torpedoes." "will the torpederas be ready?" asked jack, for the second time. "you may be certain of that," said rafael, significantly. "i will guarantee that _the montezuma_ will be able to start at the appointed time." "and i can say the same of _the zuloaga_," observed a slim man, in whom jack recognised the commander of the other torpedo-boat. "i think, señor, it can be looked on as certain that all three can depart." after this a babel of talk ensued concerning the chances of surprising _the pizarro_. some proposed one place, some another, and amid all the excitement, jack, growing weary of the arguing, slipped out of the saloon, and went ashore, so as to have as much time as possible with dolores before departure. he strolled along the sea-shore, and met cocom just outside the sea-gate. the old man saluted him gravely-- "señor," he said, mysteriously approaching jack; "beware of ixtlilxochitli." "what do you mean, cocom?" asked duval, rather startled. "the indians, señor, are now on the war-path--to the south," added cocom, significantly. "great heaven!" ejaculated the young man, horror-struck. "they intend to surprise the reinforcements." "that is so, señor. but i, cocom, have sent runners after them to warn the señors." "bueno! cocom, you are the safeguard of cholacaca!" "not i, señor; but the chalchuih tlatonac!" "oh, i haven't much belief in that." "don juan!" said cocom, significantly; "the indians obeyed the stone implicitly--it is sacred. what it speaks they do. red is burned and war was proclaimed. but, señor, if it flamed blue, then would the indians be at peace." before jack could say a word, cocom mysteriously slipped away, leaving the young man sorely puzzled as to his meaning. "that confounded opal," he said, as he resumed his way towards the casa maraquando, "it meets one at every turn. they say opals are unlucky, and certainly the chalchuih tlatonac has not brought much luck to us as yet." chapter xii. a naval engagement--new style. "wot! fightin'?" said the sailor man to me (he was wooden-legged and close on eighty-three). "why, bless 'ee, sir, who knows what fightin' are, when iron pots is classed as men-of-war, and kittles sail the sea without a spar? such wessels were not seen at trafalgar." "old nelson!" said the sailor man to me (he was lying like a hatter, i could see). "i was with him when the frenchies' line we broke, with our wooden ships and sailors' hearts of oak, and the great three-decker's cannon's voice awoke, every minute as they thundered thro' the smoke." "oh, blow it!" said the sailor man to me (his language, i admit, was rather free), "now you sends a black torpedo, and it seeks to hit a wessel sideways--then she leaks, and sinks while every sailor prays and shrieks, wot fightin'--why, it's murder! yah! the sneaks." on leaving cocom, jack at once went to don miguel and informed him of the indian rising. maraquando thought but little of the affair, as it was unlikely unarmed savages would dare to attack a force of one thousand soldiers. besides, the journey to janjalla was through a civilised and cultivated country, and an indian raid was improbable. nevertheless, at jack's urgent request, he spoke to president gomez about the matter, and though his excellency took the same view as did maraquando, yet he sent on messengers to overtake the reinforcements and inform them of their possible danger. the next day at three o'clock the vessels were to leave for janjalla, but when the hour came it was found that the torpederas were far from ready. it is true _the iturbide_ was in a state of efficiency, and could have left tlatonac at the appointed time, but the complicated engines of _the montezuma_ and _the zuloaga_ were somewhat out of gear. though the engineers worked day and night to get everything in order, yet it was not until three days had elapsed that the squadron was ready to start. this delay made rafael feel very uneasy lest the consorts of _the pizarro_ should return south before they could sink her by the torpedoes. he reckoned out the matter with jack. "dios, mi amigo! three days have gone since _the cortes_ and _the columbus_ passed tlatonac with the transports to the north. it is three hundred miles to acauhtzin, and those boats steam at the rate of twelve knots an hour----" "true," interrupted jack, significantly; "but the transports do not." "that is so, juan. let us reckon accordingly. steaming at the rate of twelve knots, the war-ships would probably reach acauhtzin in twenty-five hours. allowing for the slowness of the transports say thirty hours. in twenty-four hours they will be able to take in troops, provisions, horses and guns. that makes fifty-four hours. steaming south to tlatonac thirty hours. eighty-four hours. to janjalla from here it is a hundred miles--say twelve hours. in all ninety-six hours. divide by twenty-four, that is exactly four days." "at that rate, the rebel ships cannot possibly reach janjalla before to-morrow midnight. when do we leave here?" "about three o'clock," said rafael, glancing at his watch. "the torpederas can knock out eighteen knots, but the full speed of _the iturbide_ is fifteen. we will reckon at that, so by leaving here at three can reach janjalla long before midnight." "bueno! we shall have a clear twenty-four hours in which to sink _the pizarro_." "twelve," contradicted rafael, captiously, "we must attack in the darkness. the less risk the better." "i don't see that it makes much difference," retorted jack, grimly, "if _the pizarro_ can fight two torpedo boats and an armed cruiser she is a mighty clever ship. i look upon _the pizarro_ as lost." "so do i, juan," replied rafael, with a sad expression flitting across his face, "she was my ship, you know. i am sorry that it falls to my lot to sink her." "perhaps she will surrender." "not while she is commanded by de galvez. he was my first lieutenant, and is as obstinate as the devil. dios! there is noon. we have not much time in which to make our adieux. go up and see dolores, mi amigo, but return by two o'clock." jack gladly took advantage of the permission and had a long interview with dolores, who wept bitterly at the idea of parting with him again. she was already low-spirited, through having comforted eulalia, and now that her own lover was going away broke down entirely. "promise me you will take the greatest care of yourself, querido." "my dearest, i will ask rafael to wrap me in cotton wool. but, indeed, cara, you need not fear. i will be as safe on board _the montezuma_ as in tlatonac." "but you will be gone many days." "a week at the most. if we succeed in sinking _the pizarro_ we will steam north to meet the other war-ships, and try our luck with them." "i will pray for you, juanito, and i will look after the beetles of don pedro." jack burst out laughing at the incongruity of such coupling. "has don pedro asked you to look after that rubbish!" "yes, juanito! i am to take the very greatest care. they are precious." "in the doctor's eyes they are more precious than the opal. by the way, where is peter?" "he has said farewell, and departed with my uncle. would i could come down to the boat, querido. but i dare not." "i never knew such particular people as the tlatonacians," muttered jack, somewhat vexed. "well, angelito, we must say good-bye here." "will you take the opal for good fortune, juan?" "i? take the opal? my dear dolores, i would be frightened out of my life at carrying such a treasure with me. no! no! you keep the opal with yourself, and yourself in tlatonac. then will the good fortune of the city be assured. but i will take this ring." "turquoise! rubies! pearls!" said dolores, drawing it off her finger. "it was my mother's, querido. now it is yours." "a thousand thousand thanks, alma de mi alma!" replied jack, slipping it on his little finger, "it will remind me ever of you. rubies for your lips, pearls for your teeth, and--and----" "ah! and what for turquoise?" said dolores, seeing he was rather nonplussed, "for my eyes?" "no, those are black! well, we will say turquoise for peace. the blue ray of the opal means peace. and now, good-bye, my dearest--my own one!" "adios, juanito. my soul! my heart!" jack, not trusting himself to speak further, kissed her passionately, and hastily left the house. fortunately, he met no one, much to his gratification, as he was too agitated to say a word. he went to his house, and put all his necessaries together, then, in company with peter, went on board _the montezuma_. at three o'clock the forts saluted the squadron, and _the iturbide_, followed by the torpederas, stood out to sea. the crowd on the beach watched the vessels until they were mere specks on the horizon, and then retreated within the walls, with loudly expressed hopes that they would return with the rebel ship in tow. the tlatonacians expected much more than they were ever likely to obtain. the three vessels stood out about ten miles from the coast, and steamed southward at no great speed, as pedraza did not wish to fetch janjalla until darkness had set in. as two warships and the transports had gone to acauhtzin, it was probable that _the pizarro_ would be the only vessel left in the harbour, and vigilant watch would be kept on board, lest the torpederas should come on her unawares. the rebel commander knew perfectly well that the torpederas had arrived, and would soon be in chase of his ships; but he did not expect that they would be able to attack while the other war-ships were away. still, it was probable _the pizarro_ would make good use of her search-lights, and pedraza, wishing to come to close quarters unexpectedly, had to exercise the greatest care as they drew near the harbour. towards nine o'clock they were off the coast of janjalla, and intense excitement prevailed on board all three vessels. the plan of attack had been settled at a general counsel on board _the iturbide_ before they left tlatonac, and it was arranged as follows. _the iturbide_ was to steam silently into the harbour of janjalla, followed by he torpederas, and come to close quarters with _the pizarro_, if possible. should she be discovered by the search-light of the latter, she was then to steam boldly ahead, and concentrate the attention of the rebels on herself. _the pizarro_, thus being busy with the cruiser, would not notice the torpederas, which could then steal silently within five hundred yards, and launch a whitehead or so. the result would be obvious. the torpederas, with twin screws and powerful engines, manoeuvred with wonderful rapidity, darting here and there in the darkness like black sharks. both were armed with hotchkiss guns and four whitehead torpedo-tubes, while their strong search-lights protected them against the unexpected approach of an enemy. painted a dark colour to escape notice, they could steal silently within striking distance of a vessel, and sink her with one of their deadly explosives. the only chance of safety for _the pizarro_ lay in her sighting them at a considerable distance, and keeping them at bay with her heavy guns; but as she would be fully taken up with _the iturbide_, this would be difficult for her to do. worst of all, she had no defence against the rapid darting torpederas, as the nets had been left behind in tlatonac, when she deserted to the rebel xuarez. as to the cruiser, she was a handsome vessel, with a spar deck, and filled with bow chasers and gatling guns. she carried a crew of ninety men including officers, and also two hundred soldiers, who had embarked at tlatonac to be landed, if possible, at janjalla. fifteen knots was her usual speed; but, if necessary, she could stand to seventeen. this was the fleet of the junta, and now manoeuvred ten miles from the town of janjalla, waiting the signal to pounce down on the unsuspecting _pizarro_. fortunately the night was cloudy and dark. at intervals the moon, emerging from behind heavy clouds, cast a pale light over the scene. it was far down in the west, and would soon drop behind the low-lying shore, so pedraza, who wanted complete darkness for his project, waited until her disappearance before he gave the signal to steam into the harbour. all lights were extinguished on the vessel, so as to avoid attracting the attention of the enemy, but, if necessary, the search-lights could blaze forth in an instant. the torpederas were to attack the warship, one on the port, the other on the starboard side. it was now close upon midnight, and as the moon showed but half her orb above the shore, all waited the signal in breathless silence. "what is to be done if we sink _the pizarro_?" asked jack, as he stood by rafael, watching for the signal from _the iturbide_. "quien sabe!" replied maraquando, shrugging his shoulders, "i expect we will wait in the harbour till daylight, and then see if we can land our troops." "there won't be much chance of that, my comandante," said duval, drily; "between us and janjalla two thousand rebel troops lie encamped. we cannot break through that barrier." "you forget, mi amigo, there are close on a thousand troops of the junta in the town. by this time the reinforcements must have reached their destination, so that will make two thousand. if they attack the rebels from janjalla, and we land our two hundred men under cover of _the iturbide's_ guns, who knows but what we may not be able to crush these scoundrels before their warships and transports arrive from acauhtzin." "bueno! always presuming that the reinforcements have arrived safely. i fear the indians." "carambo! surely a thousand well-armed soldiers are a match for a horde of naked savages. the reinforcements are safe in janjalla by now. i am sure of it. believe me, don juan, we shall exterminate the rebels." "first we shall have to exterminate _the pizarro_, and----" "hold!" interrupted rafael joyfully, "the signal." a rocket shot up from _the iturbide_ and scattered its fires in the dark air. the moon had entirely disappeared, and an intense gloom prevailed over land and sea. hardly had the rocket's trail of fire disappeared when _the iturbide's_ screw began to spin and followed by the torpederas she moved cautiously towards the harbour at half speed. at the end of an hour all three vessels were within sight of the town. through the gloom sparkled the lights of janjalla, and between them and the incoming vessels lay the huge bulk of _the pizarro_, the glare of her search-lights shooting up into the dark like two gigantic swords of pale flame. _the iturbide_ was leading by three hundred yards, and crept cautiously forward so as to pounce on her prey unawares. whether the noise of her screw reached the ears of those on board _the pizarro_, or that they marked her coming through the darkness, it is impossible to say, but just as she steamed within eight hundred yards, the search-lights swept round like the spokes of a wheel and in a moment their glare revealed her whereabouts. in the radiance she stood out like a phantom ship, and seeing that he was discovered, pedraza cracking on all steam, swept past _the pizarro_ in a wide circle. a heavy fire was at once opened by the rebels and they doubtless deemed that this foe was not alone, for keeping one light on the cruiser, they swept the sea with the other in search of her possible companions. those on board _the iturbide_ could hear the yell of mingled rage and terror, as the light struck the low bulk of _the zuloaga_ darting through the water, evil looking and venomous. a broadside was poured on the torpedera, now left unprotected by _the iturbide_ which was circling to the left in the inner part of the bay. owing to the dexterity of _the zuloaga's_ manoeuvring, none of the heavy guns could hit her. she skimmed the grey waves at full speed like a swallow, and the search light of _the pizarro_ was much put to in following her. it was like a dancer in the theatre followed by the lime light. one moment the torpedera would be swallowed up in the gloom, the next moment the darting ray of the electric light would stab through the darkness and pick her out. the other ray followed _the iturbide_, which kept steaming slowly backwards and forwards on the port side, firing her armstrongs whenever she got a fair chance. _the zuloaga_ sent off a bow torpedo, but it passed harmlessly under the stern of _the pizarro_ without doing any damage. nevertheless, the crew of the rebel ship seemed much alarmed, as well they might be, seeing that a single torpedo striking them amidships would sink their iron ship in a few minutes. foolishly enough, it never occurred to de galevez to sweep the starboard with his lights, and he was quite unaware that a second torpedo-vessel was stealing up in the darkness. indeed, what with following _the iturbide_ and _the zuloaga_ with his search-lights, de galevez had enough to do, and kept the torpedo boat at bay with his heavy guns. occasionally a shot from _the iturbide_ would pass through the rigging of the rebel ship, but no damage was done, and de galevez's great desire was to keep at a distance the wasp-like torpedo which circled round rapidly, everywhere trying to plant its sting. while this drama was taking place on the port side, _the montezuma_, on seeing _the iturbide_ was discovered, moved up on the starboard at a distance of four hundred yards. when abreast of _the pizarro_ she slowed down her engines and crept up within pistol range. had it not been for the incessant firing of the guns, those on board _the pizarro_ would surely have become aware of their danger. as it was, they thought themselves safe while they kept _the zuloaga_ at a distance. a tremendous broadside was directed at that torpedera and at _the iturbide_. it was her last discharge, for the next moment she was struck amidships by a torpedo from _the montezuma_. there was a cry of frenzied fear, and the search lights flashed round to starboard only to see _the montezuma_ slipping back into the gloom. three minutes afterwards _the pizarro_ sank. the vessels of the junta at once flashed their electric rays on the spot, and where a moment before had been a magnificent vessel, now saw nothing but a wide expanse of cold black sea dotted with drowning men. boats were lowered by _the iturbide_ and a few soldiers and sailors were rescued, but so suddenly had _the pizarro_ gone down that, with the exception of half a dozen survivors, the whole crew, officers, and soldiers, in all three hundred men, were drowned. it would be impossible to describe the joy on board the loyalist ships at this successful termination of the contest. rafael and jack went on board _the iturbide_ to receive the congratulations of pedraza for their success, and the officers of _the zuloaga_ also hastened to participate in the general joy. the large state-room of the cruiser was one mass of excited men, drinking champagne, and wildly embracing one another. this victory would surely damp the enthusiasm of the rebels, and raise that of the loyalists to fever pitch. don hypolito had now but two ships of war, and these could not surely stand before the valour of _the iturbide_, with her two torpedo-vessels. the _vivas_ were deafening, and rafael, as commander of the boat which had sunk _the pizarro_, was nearly stifled by the embraces of his brother officers. as soon as the excitement had somewhat subsided, all went on deck, and _the iturbide_ stood in to the shore with the idea of seeing how matters stood in the rebel camp. flying the opal flag, lest the forts should open fire on one of their own vessels, the cruiser turned her lights on to the beach, and saw that it was lined with the rebel forces, all under arms. the noise of the firing and the flashing of the lights had attracted the attention of those on shore, and fearing that an attack was contemplated by the enemy, those rebels encamped in front of janjalla were now on the alert. no one could understand the reason of this sea-fight, as it seemed quite impossible that the torpederas could have arrived from tlatonac in so short a period. the general in command of the troops of xuarez did not know what to think, and had to wait till dawn before he could make up his mind what course to pursue. as the lights of _the iturbide_ struck the distant town, a long line of walls, surmounted by a crowd, leaped out of the darkness. the search-lights from the forts were flashed on to the ships, and those in janjalla recognising the opal flag, cheered vociferously. they saw three boats, each flying the ensign of tlatonac, and no _pizarro_. then they guessed what had occurred, and were glad accordingly. the rebel soldiers on the beach stamped and swore with rage as they saw their loss, but being without boats could do nothing save parade under arms till dawn, so as to be prepared against a possible attack by the victorious loyalists. "bueno!" cried captain pedraza, who had his night glass up. "there is one good thing, mis amigos, the opal flag still flies over the town, so as yet it holds out." "what is next to be done, comandante?" asked jack, who was standing near with rafael. "we must wait till dawn, señor americano, and then find out if the reinforcements have arrived at janjalla. afterwards we will steam back to tlatonac, and if possible meet the _cortes_ and _columbus_ coming back. in any event, we must go to tlatonac to report this victory to the junta." "shall you land these two hundred troops?" "caranto! why not?" "because the camp of the enemy lies between the town and ourselves. two hundred men cannot do much against two thousand." "true, señor. if it is impossible, we will not attempt it. but at dawn, i will signal to general gigedo to make a sally from the gates down to the shore; our men will land, and effect a conjunction, and so with small loss they ought to get into the town. especially under cover of our guns, and those of the forts." "i don't see what use that will be, pedraza," interrupted rafael, bluntly. "caro, señor! his excellency ordered this to be done, so it must be done." "rather a useless task, i think," said jack, dryly. "however, i am not sorry, as i wish to get into the town myself. but you, señor comandante, what will you do?" "wait till these troops are safe with gigedo, and also ascertain if the reinforcements have arrived. then i shall sail north." "you won't wait for the warships and transports?" "carajo! what use? we shall find those on our way to tlatonac." after this conversation, rafael and jack returned on board _the montezuma_, the former slightly gloomy in spite of the victory so unexpectedly achieved. "caro, juan!" he said, reflectively; "if we lose this war, it will be through don francisco gomez. he is a good politician, but a bad general. what use is there to sacrifice two hundred men to-morrow?" "it's rather like the charge of the light brigade, certainly," replied jack, with a smile; "as foolhardy and as brave." "what is that, mi amigo?" whereupon jack related the glorious charge to rafael, and thereby stirred up the excitable spaniard to fiery enthusiasm. "oh, what men are the english," he cried, stamping his foot. "it is a story worthy of the cid. but this to-morrow, my friend--it is rare! it is brave! and, like your story, there is no good to be gained." "perhaps gomez wants to frighten the rebels by showing them how dauntless are his men." "dios! that is not wise. the sinking of _the pizarro_ will frighten them without risking two hundred lives. however, as it is ordered, it must be done. but you, don juan! will you go?" "assuredly, mi amigo. i wish to see the señor correspondent and felipe." "but you will be killed." "that is as it may be. but no, rafael. i did not escape the perils of totatzine to fall in a skirmish before the walls of janjalla. but see, mi amigo, it is nearly dawn, let us snatch a few hours' sleep." "bueno!" replied rafael, leading the way to his cabin; "but first we must call our friends together, and toast our victory once more." it was done accordingly. chapter xiii. without the walls. walls of stone like mountains rise, grey against the morning skies; still the royal banner flies, watched with hate by rebels' eyes. and around the ramparts grey, in the mists an army lies. set in battle's wild array, at the dawning of the day, traitors to their sovereign they, who would loyal subjects slay. hold this city as a slave, under democratic sway. cannons thunder, banners wave, as come on the foemen brave, 'neath these walls to find a grave; yet this city shall we save, never let it be the prize of the coward, fool, and knave. shortly after dawn, jack went on deck, to have a thorough examination of the coast-line. the situation of janjalla was peculiar. to the right a shallow river meandered seaward through low-lying, swampy ground, discharging itself sluggishly by several mouths. a desolate plain stretched for leagues on the left to the base of distant mountains, and between swamp and plain the city appeared built on a rocky height. directly in front of the walls the sandy ground fell rapidly towards the sea, on the extreme verge of which was a compact mass of huts forming a kind of sea-port. the wharf shot out suddenly from this miniature town. it lay along the hollow of the beach, and above it, in the near distance, rose the grey walls of janjalla from the rocky cliffs. above these, the domes of churches, the towers of houses, and, highest of all, the expanse of bluish sky grey with the chill mists of morning. in the beach hollow, the army of xuarez was encamped, partly in the houses, partly in the tents which whitely dotted the desolate shore. owing to the rapid fall of the ground from the ramparts, the invaders were quite safe from the cannon of the forts. these could defend the town against the attack of ships, but were unable to be depressed sufficiently to command the spot where the rebels were encamped, thus, in the very jaws of danger, lay the besiegers in comparative safety. jack, surveying all this through a telescope, was astonished to see that the engineers who had constructed the defences had been so foolish as to leave this debatable ground between rampart and sea. perhaps they deemed that the cannon would not permit ships to approach near enough for the disembarking of hostile troops, but they seemed to have forgotten that the heavy guns of a man-of-war could silence the forts. this, perhaps, had not been done, as the cannon on the ramparts still defended the city; but there was no doubt in jack's mind that don hypolito had landed his troops under cover of a heavy fire from his three ships directed at the forts. once encamped on shore, and the besiegers could bid defiance to the lines of cannon, whose balls passed harmlessly over their heads. "ola, señor juan," said rafael's gay voice behind him, "you are up early." "good morning, mi amigo," replied jack, turning with a smile. "i have been up at least half an hour, examining the town." "a place forsaken of god, is it not? dios! to think that some fools would have this to be the capital of cholacaca. swamps there, sandy plains yonder. holy mary! how can it compare with tlatonac?" "it is the first time i have been so far south, and i don't think much of either country or town." "oh, the situation is good for defence." "i'm not so sure of that, rafael. it is true that the city is built on a rocky height, and well defended by swamp and desert; but look how safely enemies can lie under the walls." "eh! what would you, juan? the muzzles of the guns cannot be depressed sufficiently to sweep the beach." "then why didn't the engineers build two forts right and left, in order to command the intervening ground?" "dios! and thus knock each other to pieces." "true. well, then, have one fort. see, mi amigo. on the right, that wide swamp is a sufficient protection against the approach of an enemy; but had i constructed the defences of the town, i would have run an arm of forts between the desert and that sea-fort. thus a double line of cannon would have commanded the beach, and even if an enemy did succeed in landing in face of the fire of the town forts, they could not have encamped there as they have done." "that is true, juan," replied rafael, who now had the telescope to his eye. "but it is now too late to deplore the lack of defences. the rebels have landed, and are safely bestowed within stone-throw of the city. look at the number of them, and all on the alert. santissima! they won't feel very happy this morning, now that they see _the pizarro_ is lost." "surely," said jack, taking no notice of this last remark, "surely pedraza does not intend to land two hundred men directly in front of the town?" "it is foolish, i admit," answered rafael, shrugging his shoulders; "but what with a sally of our troops from the town, and the guns of our boats playing on the beach, it may be managed." "i doubt it. two hundred men may land under cover of our fire; but, believe me, rafael, fifty will not break through that living barrier and enter the town." "i grant that. as i said last night, it is a useless waste of life, and his excellency must have surely forgotten the situation of janjalla when he gave such a rash command. but what else can be done, save obey his order?" "obey it, by all means, but not in the way commanded." "what do you mean?" jack was sweeping the shore right and left with the telescope, and did not reply for a few minutes. at length he spoke, indicating the several points he mentioned, with his hand. "behold, mi amigo," he said, pointing towards the desert, "to land there would be foolish, as the enemy could march along to defend that point while the boats pulled in. the same with the central position. it is madness to land in the teeth of two thousand men. but look to the right. why not land the troops up the coast, and let the swamp lie between them and the enemy?" "bueno!" replied rafael, seizing the idea at once. "but how do you propose to enter the city?" "ah, that i can't say, not knowing the geography of the place." "i have a map below. come with me, juan, and we will invent some plan, then go on board _the iturbide_ to interview pedraza. i am with you in trying to prevent this sacrifice of two hundred men by landing them in the jaws of danger." they went down to the cabin, and rafael, after hunting about for a few minutes, found a map of the southern portion of cholacaca. he spread it out on the table, and they began to examine it at once. "here!" said jack, drawing his finger along the paper; "here is janjalla, here the swamp and river, beyond is a kind of rolling prairie. if we land the troops here, we can march them parallel to the river, into the interior country." "that is so, mi amigo! but, you see, the river is ever between the troops and the city. if the enemy see our men marching on this side, they can march on the other, and so keep our men from entering the city." "not if pedraza signals to the forts. you forget that the rebels are only safe so long as they keep in the hollow of the beach. if they march up on the right, they expose themselves to a heavy fire. consequently, the forts can keep them in check, and our troops, marching along on the right bank of the stream, can surely find some ford by which to cross, and then gain the inland gate of janjalla by a detour." "como, no!" exclaimed rafael, in a lively tone rolling up the map. "it is not at all a bad idea. let us board _the iturbide_, and explain your plan to the comandante." "who commands the expedition?" asked jack, as he hastily snatched up a brace of revolvers and a heavy cloak. "don sebastian de ahumada. he is a great friend of mine. in fact," added rafael, laughing, "he is a cousin of doña carmencita de tajada." "my poor rafael, your suit does not progress much in that quarter." "not with don josé, perhaps; but i am content to wait till the war is ended, so far as my angel is concerned. she will be true to me, as i to her. by the way, mi amigo, know you that don josé is now governor of acauhtzin, in the absence of don hypolito?" "no, i did not know it. is don hypolito yonder?" "not now. he was on board _the cortes_, and has gone back to acauhtzin, but will doubtless come south again, to personally conduct the war." "i should like to get a shot at him," said jack, grimly; "the brute. i shall never forgive him for his treachery. well, who knows?-- perhaps a recruit may chance to shoot great general bonaparte." "what say you?" asked rafael, puzzled at those lines, which were recited in english. "nothing, nothing. a something to relieve my feelings. is that boat never going to be ready?" "it is ready now," said the young man, gaily; "in with you, mi amigo! row to _the iturbide_ benito! so--give way, men!" the oars dipped into the water as the sun arose in the east, and the boat shot away from _the montezuma_ over a flood of gold. rafael was in great spirits, and chatted gaily all the time; but jack, thinking of the peril of the proposed expedition, was graver. besides, he was anxious about the safety of philip and tim. "by the way," said rafael, suddenly, "don pedro did not return with us last night." "no; pedraza asked him to sleep on board _the iturbide_. see, there he is, looking over the bulwarks. i can tell him by the flash of the sun on his spectacles!" "dios! how strange! will don pedro go with you into the town?" "certainly not," replied jack, decisively; "it is too risky! take him back with you to tlatonac." "assuredly! my aunt would never forgive me if harm came to don pedro." rafael laughed heartily at the idea, for this undutiful nephew was much amused at the flirtation between peter and serafina. "she will marry him, juan! i am sure of it." "then we will have four weddings when the war is over, rafael." "four weddings. por todos santos! what mean you?" "myself and dolores. yourself and doña carmencita. pedro and your aunt, and señor felipe and doña eulalia!" "eh, mi amigo!" cried rafael, in a lively tone, "does my sister favour that cavalier? dios! what says my father?" "he does not know anything yet. but as he has consented to receive one heretic into his family, he can surely stretch a point, and receive two." "como, no! but it may be! who knows? ah! here we are at _the iturbide_. come, juan!" they climbed up the side of the cruiser, and were received by captain pedraza and peter. "buenos dias de dios á ustedes, señores," said pedraza, greeting them heartily. "i am glad to see you both, as i wish to land these troops at once. señor pedro desires to go also." "what nonsense, peter," said jack, in english, turning to his friend; "it is too dangerous. you stay on board, and go back to tlatonac." "i shall not!" returned the doctor, indignantly; "you are going, so why should not i? besides, i wish to see tim, and to be certain that philip has arrived safely." "i don't want you killed, peter," protested jack. "i won't be killed any more than you will be, jack. it's not a bit of use your talking, i'm going with you. i have my medicine-chest with me." "oh, well, obstinacy! have it your own way," replied duval, touched by this proof of peter's friendship; "but tim will pitch at me for bringing you into danger." "tim will be glad enough to have a doctor at hand. why, jack, i should have been at totatzine to cure you." "cocom was good at a pinch." "a quack!" muttered peter, scornfully. he could not forgive cocom having cured jack so rapidly. it was a case of professional jealousy. "señor duval," said pedraza, approaching jack, "don rafael tells me you and he have hit on a plan to land the troops without danger." jack signified that they had some such idea in their heads, and in company with pedraza, they went below to look at the map. don sebastian followed them, and after a long discussion, the comandante decided to accept the suggestion. _the iturbide_ raised her anchor, and steamed a short distance up the coast, so as to land the troops beyond the swamp. signals having been made to the torpederas, they remained in their former position, before the town. when the rebels saw _the iturbide_ moving northward, they shouted with joy, thinking that she was about to leave the harbour; but their delight was turned into rage as they saw boat after boat drop from her sides, and, laden with troops, make for the shore. numbers ran along the beach, to the verge of the swamp, but here their progress was stayed, as it was impossible for them to cross the quagmire. they could only remain quiet, and gesticulate with anger, though many fired their guns, and two cannon were brought along the shore in the hope of doing some damage. as yet they were safe, from the forts being too much in the hollow; but when pedraza saw the cannon brought up, he opened fire with his armstrongs, and signalled to the torpederas. these steamed abreast of the swamp at once, and did considerable damage with their rapid-firing hotchkiss guns. under cover of this cannonade, the whole of the troops were duly landed, in admirable order, with the utmost celerity, and then jack, peter, and don sebastian prepared to go on shore. pedraza gave de ahumada sealed orders for gigedo from the president, and rafael occupied himself in saying farewell to his english friends. "you have your revolvers, mis amigos?" he said anxiously; "and swords? good! cloaks? ah, that is well. have, also, these flasks of aguardiente; you will need sustenance. the march to the inland-gate may be a long one. adios." "adios," replied jack, dropping over the side. "give my love to dolores, when you return to tlatonac." "i shall not fail. and, don pedro, have you any message?" "si, señor," replied peter, in his hesitating spanish. "doña dolores. escarabajos." "beetles!" echoed rafael, in great astonishment. "what does he mean by beetles?" his curiosity was not gratified, for already the boat was making rapidly for the shore, and jack, standing up in the stern, was waving his adieux to all on board. by this time the sun was far above the horizon, and already the heat was becoming unpleasantly great. don sebastian at once formed his men into marching order, and the little company proceeded along the bank of the river, towards the interior of the country. before them spread a kind of rolling downs, with undulating hills, sparsely covered with vegetation. here and there patches of yellow sand streaked with fine white dust. on one side stretched the illimitable plains, and on the other the ground marshy and treacherous, sank imperceptibly into the bed of the slow-flowing river. beyond this, an interval of firm land for some considerable distance, and then the rocky shelf on which janjalla was built. in front the stream meandered in an erratic manner inland; away in the extreme distance appeared the dim line of forest, above which arose the snowy cone of xicotencatl. over all arched the cloudless blue sky, with the sun flaming hotly in the east. the rebels had been considerably cut up by the incessant firing of the ships, and had wisely fallen back into their camp. when, however, they saw the loyalists moving inland, along the bank of the stream, a troop of cavalry, some hundreds strong, galloped towards the swamp to intercept them, if possible. the cruiser and the torpederas were still in their former position, and as the cavalry turned the fatal corner, to make for the inner country, they opened a heavy cannonade. considerable damage was inflicted particularly by the hotchkiss guns, and numbers of riders were soon struggling on the ground with their wounded horses. in a few minutes, however, the troop, nothing dismayed, escaped beyond the line of fire, and galloped parallel with the loyalists, between swamp and walls. this defile proved to be a perfect death-trap. for those within the town, having observed the landing of the reinforcements, and the chase by the enemy, opened fire from the forts, and shattered the compact mass of horses and men as they steadily galloped along. at length, however, they had to cease their fire, as the rebels artfully kept abreast of the loyalists, and at times the balls swept across the swamp, and played havoc with the soldiers of don sebastian. the only thing to be done, therefore, was to let the cavalry go free, and trust to a hand-to-hand combat when on the sandy plains at the back of the town. both the ships and the forts, however, were determined that no more of the enemy should join in the pursuit, for a heavy cannonade was kept up as another troop tried to follow, and effectually held them back. "bueno!" said don sebastian, when he saw this. "we have but to deal with those abreast of us; no more can follow." "cavalry against infantry, mi amigo! it is unequal, particularly if we try to cross the river." "perhaps those in the town will come to our assistance," suggested peter, who was trudging along manfully. "it is probable," replied de ahumada, when this remark was translated into good spanish by jack. "see, we are now nearly at the end of the town. yonder is the land-gate. if we remain here, assistance may come, and while the cavalry are defending themselves against our friends, we may be able to cross the river." "yes; that is if the cavalry don't get reinforced by their own men coming round the other side of the town." "dios!" exclaimed don sebastian, grimly, "reinforcements certainly can come that way, but they will be forced to make a wide detour in order to keep out of range of the fort-guns. by the time they come up we may be inside the walls." "i fervently trust so, señor," replied duval, who, though no coward, did not relish the idea of engaging two hundred infantry with double the number of cavalry. the city was enclosed by walls of a considerable height, was shaped in a triangular fashion, the base being towards the ocean, and the land-gate at the acute angle inland. they had now walked some distance past the gate on the other side of the river, and a wide sheet of water rolled between them and their enemies. on all sides spread the sandy plain, and the walls of the city rose suddenly from the flat surface in a most unexpected fashion. on the left bank halted the cavalry of the enemy, prepared to dispute their crossing, and don sebastian was sorely puzzled as to what was the best course to pursue. "it is madness to cross in the face of that, don juan." "well, if we don't cross at once they will be reinforced from the other side, and then it will be worse." "look, jack, look!" cried peter at this moment, "the gates are open!" just as he spoke a body of cavalry debouched from the city, and came rapidly towards the rebels. they at once turned to meet this new danger, and thus their attention was drawn off the infantry, upon seeing which don sebastian waited a few minutes until the opposing forces clashed together, and then gave the order to cross the river. "must we strip?" asked peter, ruefully, looking at the three hundred yards of water before him. "strip! no, man!" said jack, laughing, "unless you want to enter janjalla naked. you can swim. at least you could at bedford." "of course i can swim," said peter, testily; "but i hate getting my clothes wet." "oh, hang your clothes! the river is slow-flowing, so it is easy to get across. see! the advance files are in already. in with you!" peter did not need any second admonition, but waded into the water beside jack and don sebastian. the cavalry, which otherwise would have shot them down as they swam across, were fully occupied with the loyalist regiment from janjalla. already in the extreme distance dark masses might be seen rapidly moving along. they were the reinforcements for the rebels making a detour on the other side of the city. there was not a moment to be lost. in a remarkably short space of time the whole of the infantry had crossed, and were now standing high and dry on the other bank. not even giving them time to shake the water from their clothes, don sebastian made them kneel and open fire on the rebels in the rear. fortunately each man had piled his musket and ammunition on his head while swimming, so their arms were in excellent condition, and their cartridges unwetted. a fusillade burst from the line, and wrought considerable damage in the ranks of the enemy. taken thus between two fires, the rebels found themselves in exceedingly hot water, but trusting that their comrades would soon reach them, turned and tried to ride down the infantry. the soldiers immediately sprung to their feet and scattered widely, firing into the troop whenever they got a chance. fresh troops of loyalist cavalry poured out of the gates and made for the scene of action. what with being pretty nearly equally matched with the cavalry, and exposed to the galling fire of the infantry, the rebels began to lose heart, and, breaking into disorderly masses, spread over the plain. the gates of the city were distant a quarter of a mile, and seeing that the reinforcements of the enemy were close at hand, don sebastian shouted to his men to close up and make for the shelter of the walls. seeing this the rebel reinforcements, darting between the moving loyalists and the gates, tried to cut them off, but were met in their turn by the mounted troops from janjalla. the plain was strewn with dead and dying, and the incessant cracking of rifles, the yells of the combatants, and the thick clouds of pungent smoke added to the horrors of the skirmish. a huge trooper rode straight at peter, and rolled him in the dust, but jack being close at hand shot the horse with his revolver, and pulled his friend out of harm's way. by this time they were near the gates, and peter being somewhat stunned by his knock-down, was dragged along rapidly by jack, who wanted to get him into shelter as speedily as possible. it was now dangerous for the infantry to fire, as friend and foe were blended in an inextricable mass; so, forming line as speedily as possible, they ran for the gate, and at length reached it in safety. seeing that they were now out of danger, the cavalry of janjalla began to retreat towards the portal. to the left of the town, great masses of reinforcements were moving up, and it would have been madness to have opposed them with the small force of loyalists outside. the cavalry galloped back, and as by this time the infantry had fled inside the walls, the gates were closed at once. "jack! jack! peter!" cried a well-known voice, as tim, grimy with gunpowder and smoke, plunged down the street towards the gate. "are you safe?" "quite safe. but why the deuce are these men coming back? why don't they pour out and exterminate those devils?" "what!" yelled tim, throwing up his arms in surprise. "why they can't be spared. there's but seven hundred men here!" "seven hundred!" cried jack, seized with a sudden qualm of fear. "but the reinforcements--the thousand men?" "no reinforcements have arrived, jack." "and philip?" "philip!" said tim, in alarm. "was he with the reinforcements? god be gracious to me. not a man has arrived. when did they leave tlatonac?" "four days ago." "four days! one hundred miles!" the three friends, amid the tumult around them, with the enemy thundering at the gate, looked at one another in silent dread. then jack took off his sombrero. "poor philip!" he said, solemnly. "i was afraid of those indians. oh, my poor friend!" end of vol. ii. generously made available by the google books library project (https://books.google.com) note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original map. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h.zip) images of the original pages are available through the google books library project. see https://books.google.com/books?id=ir naaaaqaaj&hl=en [illustration: map of the caribbean sea] the west indies and the spanish main. by anthony trollope, author of "barchester towers," "doctor thorne," "the bertrams," etc. london: chapman & hall, , piccadilly. . [the right of translation is reserved.] london: printed by william clowes and sons, stamford street contents. chapter i.--introductory ii.--jamaica--town iii.--jamaica--country iv.--jamaica--black men v.--jamaica--coloured men vi.--jamaica--white men vii.--jamaica--sugar viii.--jamaica--emperor soulouque ix.--jamaica--government x.--cuba xi.--the passage of the windward islands xii.--british guiana xiii.--barbados xiv.--trinidad xv.--st. thomas xvi.--new granada, and the isthmus of panamá xvii.--central america. panamá to san josé xviii.--central america. costa rica--san josé xix.--central america. costa rica--mount irazu xx.--central america. san josé to greytown xxi.--central america. railways, canals, and transit xxii.--the bermudas xxiii.--conclusion the west indies and the spanish main. chapter i. introductory. i am beginning to write this book on board the brig ----, trading between kingston, in jamaica, and cien fuegos, on the southern coast of cuba. at the present moment there is not a puff of wind, neither land breeze nor sea breeze; the sails are flapping idly against the masts; there is not motion enough to give us the command of the rudder; the tropical sun is shining through upon my head into the miserable hole which they have deluded me into thinking was a cabin. the marine people--the captain and his satellites--are bound to provide me; and all that they have provided is yams, salt pork, biscuit, and bad coffee. i should be starved but for the small ham--would that it had been a large one--which i thoughtfully purchased in kingston; and had not a kind medical friend, as he grasped me by the hand at port royal, stuffed a box of sardines into my pocket. he suggested two boxes. would that i had taken them! it is now the th january, , and if i do not reach cien fuegos by the th, all this misery will have been in vain. i might as well in such case have gone to st. thomas, and spared myself these experiences of the merchant navy. let it be understood by all men that in these latitudes the respectable, comfortable, well-to-do route from every place to every other place is viâ the little danish island of st. thomas. from demerara to the isthmus of panamá, you go by st. thomas. from panamá to jamaica and honduras, you go by st. thomas. from honduras and jamaica to cuba and mexico, you go by st. thomas. from cuba to the bahamas, you go by st. thomas--or did when this was written. the royal mail steam packet company dispense all their branches from that favoured spot. but i was ambitious of a quicker transit and a less beaten path, and here i am lying under the lee of the land, in a dirty, hot, motionless tub, expiating my folly. we shall never make cien fuegos by the th, and then it will be eight days more before i can reach the havana. may god forgive me all my evil thoughts! motionless, i said; i wish she were. progressless should have been my word. she rolls about in a nauseous manner, disturbing the two sardines which i have economically eaten, till i begin to fear that my friend's generosity will become altogether futile. to which result greatly tends the stench left behind it by the cargo of salt fish with which the brig was freighted when she left st. john, new brunswick, for these ports. "we brought but a very small quantity," the skipper says. if so, that very small quantity was stowed above and below the very bunk which has been given up to me as a sleeping-place. ugh! "we are very poor," said the blue-nosed skipper when he got me on board. "well; poverty is no disgrace," said i, as one does when cheering a poor man. "we are very poor indeed; i cannot even offer you a cigar." my cigar-case was immediately out of my pocket. after all, cigars are but as coals going to newcastle when one intends to be in cuba in four days. "we are very poor indeed, sir," said the blue-nosed skipper again when i brought out my solitary bottle of brandy--for i must acknowledge to a bottle of brandy as well as to the small ham. "we have not a drop of spirits of any kind on board." then i altered my mind, and began to feel that poverty was a disgrace. what business had this man to lure me into his stinking boat, telling me that he would take me to cien fuegos, and feed me on the way, when he had not a mouthful to eat, or a drop to drink, and could not raise a puff of wind to fill his sails? "sir," said i, "brandy is dangerous in these latitudes, unless it be taken medicinally; as for myself, i take no other kind of physic." i think that poverty on shipboard is a disgrace, and should not be encouraged. should i ever be on shore again, my views may become more charitable. oh, for the good ship 'atrato,' which i used to abuse with such objurgations because the steward did not come at my very first call; because the claret was only half iced; because we were forced to close our little whist at p.m., the serjeant-at-arms at that hour inexorably extinguishing all the lights! how rancorous were our tongues! "this comes of monopoly," said a stern and eloquent neighbour at the dinner-table, holding up to sight a somewhat withered apple. "and dis," said a grinning frenchman from martinique with a curse, exhibiting a rotten walnut--"dis, dis! they give me dis for my moneys--for my thirty-five pounds!" and glancing round with angry eye, he dropped the walnut on to his plate. apples! and walnuts!! what would i give for the 'atrato' now; for my berth, then thought so small; for its awning; for a bottle of its soda water; for one cut from one of all its legs of mutton; for two hours of its steam movement! and yet it is only now that i am learning to forgive that withered apple and that ill-iced claret. having said so much about my present position, i shall be glad to be allowed to say a few words about my present person. there now exists an opportunity for doing so, as i have before me the spanish passport, for which i paid sixteen shillings in kingston the day before i left it. it is simply signed pedro badan. but it is headed don pedro badan calderon de la barca, which sounds to me very much as though i were to call myself mr. anthony trollope ben jonson. to this will be answered that such might have been my name. but then i should not have signed myself anthony trollope. the gentleman, however, has doubtless been right according to his spanish lights; and the name sounds very grand, especially as there is added to it two lines declaring how that don pedro badan is a caballero. he was as dignified a personage as a spanish don should be, and seemed somewhat particular about the sixteen shillings, as spanish and other dons generally are. he has informed me as to my "talla," that it is alta. i rather like the old man on the whole. never before this have i obtained in a passport any more dignified description of my body than robust. i certainly like the word "alta." then my eyes are azure. this he did not find out by the unassisted guidance of personal inspection. "ojos, blue," he suggested to me, trying to look through my spectacles. not understanding "ojos," i said "yes." my "cejas" are "castañas," and so is my cabello also. castañas must be chestnut, surely--cejas may mean eyebrows--cabello is certainly hair. now any but a spaniard would have declared that as to hair, i was bald; and as to eyebrows, nothing in particular. my colour is sano. there is great comfort in that. i like the word sano. "mens sana in corpore sano." what has a man to wish for but that? i thank thee once more, don pedro badan calderon de la barca. but then comes the mystery. if i have any personal vanity, it is wrapped up in my beard. it is a fine, manly article of dandyism, that wears well in all climates, and does not cost much, even when new. well, what has the don said of my beard? it is poblada. i would give five shillings for the loan of a spanish dictionary at this moment. poblada! well, my first effort, if ever i do reach cuba, shall be made with reference to that word. oh; we are getting into the trade-winds, are we? let Æolus be thanked at last. i should be glad to get into a monsoon or a simoom at the present moment, if there be monsoons and simooms in these parts. yes; it comes rippling down upon us with a sweet, cool, airy breeze; the sails flap rather more loudly, as though they had some life in them, and then fill themselves with a grateful motion. our three or four sailors rise from the deck where they have been snoring, and begin to stretch themselves. "you may put her about," says the skipper; for be it known that for some hours past her head has been lying back towards port royal. "we shall make fine track now, sir," he says, turning to me. "and be at cien fuegos on the th?" i demanded. "perhaps, sir; perhaps. we've lost twenty-four hours, sir, doing nothing, you know." oh, wretched man that i am! the conveyance from cien fuegos to the havana is but once a week. the sails are still flopping against the yard. it is now noon on the th of january, and neither captain, mate, crew, nor the one solitary passenger have the least idea when the good brig ---- will reach the port of cien fuegos; not even whether she will reach it at all. since that time we have had wind enough in all conscience--lovely breezes as the mate called them. but we have oversailed our mark; and by how much no man on board this vessel can tell. neither the captain nor the mate were ever in cien fuegos before; and i begin to doubt whether they ever will be there. no one knows where we are. an old stove has, it seems, been stowed away right under the compass, giving a false bias to the needle, so that our only guide guides us wrong. there is not a telescope on board. i very much doubt the skipper's power of taking an observation, though he certainly goes through the form of holding a machine like a brazen spider up to his eye about midday. my brandy and cigars are done; and altogether we are none of us jolly. flap, flap, flap! roll, roll, roll! the time passes in this way very tediously. and then there has come upon us all a feeling not expressed, though seen in the face of all, of utter want of confidence in our master. there is none of the excitement of danger, for the land is within a mile of us; none of the exhaustion of work, for there is nothing to do. of pork and biscuits and water there is, i believe, plenty. there is nothing tragic to be made out of it. but comic misery wears one quite as deeply as that of a sterner sort. it is hardly credible that men should be sent about a job for which they are so little capable, and as to which want of experience must be so expensive! here we are, beating up the coast of cuba against the prevailing wind, knowing nothing of the points which should guide us, and looking out for a harbour without a sea-glass to assist our eyes. when we reach port, be it cien fuegos or any other, the first thing we must do will be to ask the name of it! it is incredible to myself that i should have found my way into such circumstances. i have been unable not to recount my present immediate troubles, they press with such weight upon my spirits; but i have yet to commence my journeyings at their beginning. hitherto i have but told under what circumstances i began the actual work of writing. on the th of november, , i left the port of southampton in the good ship 'atrato.' my purposed business, o cherished reader! was not that of writing these pages for thy delectation; but the accomplishment of certain affairs of state, of import grave or trifling as the case may be, with which neither thou nor i shall have further concern in these pages. so much it may be well that i should say, in order that my apparently purposeless wanderings may be understood to have had some method in them. and in the good ship 'atrato' i reached that emporium of travellers, st. thomas, on the nd of december. we had awfully bad weather, of course, and the ship did wonders. when men write their travels, the weather has always been bad, and the ship has always done wonders. we thought ourselves very uncomfortable--i, for one, now know better--and abused the company, and the captain, and the purser, and the purveyor, and the stewards every day at breakfast and dinner; not always with the eloquence of the frenchman and his walnut, but very frequently with quite equal energy. but at the end of our journey we were all smiles, and so was the captain. he was tender to the ladies and cordial to the gentlemen; and we, each in our kind, reciprocated his attention. on the whole, o my readers! if you are going to the west indies, you may do worse than go in the 'atrato.' but do not think too much of your withered apples. i landed at st. thomas, where we lay for some hours; and as i put my foot on the tropical soil for the first time, a lady handed me a rose, saying, "that's for love, dear." i took it, and said that it should be for love. she was beautifully, nay, elegantly dressed. her broad-brimmed hat was as graceful as are those of ryde or brighton. the well-starched skirts of her muslin dress gave to her upright figure that look of easily compressible bulk, which, let 'punch' do what it will, has become so sightly to our eyes. pink gloves were on her hands. "that's for love, dear." yes, it shall be for love; for thee and thine, if i can find that thou deservest it. what was it to me that she was as black as my boot, or that she had come to look after the ship's washing? i shall probably have a word or two to say about st. thomas; but not now. it is a niggery-hispano-dano-yankee-doodle place; in which, perhaps, the yankee-doodle element, declaring itself in nasal twang and sherry cobblers, seems to be of the strongest flavour; as undoubtedly will be the case in many of these parts as years go on revolving. that nasal twang will sound as the bocca romana in coming fashionable western circles; those sherry cobblers will be the falernian drink of a people masters of half the world. i dined at the hotel, but should have got a better dinner on board the 'atrato,' in spite of the withered apples. from st. thomas we went to kingston, jamaica, in the 'derwent.' we were now separated from the large host of spaniards who had come with us, going to peru, the spanish main, mexico, cuba, or porto rico; and, to tell the truth, we were not broken-hearted on the occasion. spaniards are bad fellow-travellers; the spaniard, at least, of the western hemisphere. they seize the meats upon the table somewhat greedily; their ablutions are not plentiful; and their timidity makes them cumbersome. that they are very lions when facing an enemy on terra firma, i do not doubt. history, i believe, tells so much for them. but half a gale of wind lays them prostrate, at all hours except feeding-time. we had no spaniards in the 'derwent,' but a happy jovial little crew of englishmen and englishwomen--or of english subjects rather, for the majority of them belonged to jamaica. the bad weather was at an end, and all our nautical troubles nearly over; so we ate and drank and smoked and danced, and swore mutual friendship, till the officer of the board of health visited us as we rounded the point at port royal, and again ruffled our tempers by delaying us for some thirty minutes under a broiling sun. kingston harbour is a large lagune, formed by a long narrow bank of sand which runs out into the sea, commencing some three or four miles above the town of kingston, and continuing parallel with the coast on which kingston is built till it reaches a point some five or six miles below kingston. this sandbank is called "the palisades," and the point or end of it is port royal. this is the seat of naval supremacy for jamaica, and, as far as england is concerned, for the surrounding islands and territories. and here lies our flag-ship; and here we maintain a commodore, a dock-yard, a naval hospital, a pile of invalided anchors, and all the usual adjuncts of such an establishment. some years ago--i am not good at dates, but say seventy, if you will--port royal was destroyed by an earthquake. those who are geographically inclined should be made to understand that the communication between port royal and kingston, as, indeed, between port royal and any other part of the island, is by water. it is, i believe, on record that hardy subs, and hardier mids, have ridden along the palisades, and not died from sun-stroke in the effort. but the chances are much against them. the ordinary ingress and egress is by water. the ferry boats usually take about an hour, and the charge is a shilling. the writer of these pages, however, has been two hours and a quarter in the transit. chapter ii. jamaica--town. were it arranged by fate that my future residence should be in jamaica, i should certainly prefer the life of a country mouse. the town mice, in my mind, have but a bad time of it. of all towns that i ever saw, kingston is perhaps, on the whole, the least alluring, and is the more absolutely without any point of attraction for the stranger than any other. it is built down close to the sea--or rather, on the lagune which forms the harbour, has a southern aspect, and is hot even in winter. i have seen the thermometer considerably above eighty in the shade in december, and the mornings are peculiarly hot, so that there is no time at which exercise can be taken with comfort. at about a.m., a sea breeze springs up, which makes it somewhat cooler than it is two hours earlier--that is, cooler in the houses. the sea breeze, however, is not of a nature to soften the heat of the sun, or to make it even safe to walk far at that hour. then, in the evening, there is no twilight, and when the sun is down it is dark. the stranger will not find it agreeable to walk much about kingston in the dark. indeed, the residents in the town, and in the neighbourhood of the town, never walk. men, even young men, whose homes are some mile or half-mile distant from their offices, ride or drive to their work as systematically as a man who lives at watford takes the railway. kingston, on a map--for there is a map even of kingston--looks admirably well. the streets all run in parallels. there is a fine large square, plenty of public buildings, and almost a plethora of places of worship. everything is named with propriety, and there could be no nicer town anywhere. but this word of promise to the ear is strangely broken when the performance is brought to the test. more than half the streets are not filled with houses. those which are so filled, and those which are not, have an equally rugged, disreputable, and bankrupt appearance. the houses are mostly of wood, and are unpainted, disjointed, and going to ruin. those which are built with brick not unfrequently appear as though the mortar had been diligently picked out from the interstices. but the disgrace of jamaica is the causeway of the streets themselves. there never was so odious a place in which to move. there is no pathway or trottoir to the streets, though there is very generally some such--i cannot call it accommodation--before each individual house. but as these are all broken from each other by steps up and down, as they are of different levels, and sometimes terminate abruptly without any steps, they cannot be used by the public. one is driven, therefore, into the middle of the street. but the street is neither paved nor macadamized, nor prepared for traffic in any way. in dry weather it is a bed of sand, and in wet weather it is a watercourse. down the middle of this the unfortunate pedestrian has to wade, with a tropical sun on his head; and this he must do in a town which, from its position, is hotter than almost any other in the west indies. it is no wonder that there should be but little walking. but the stranger does not find himself naturally in possession of a horse and carriage. he may have a saddle-horse for eight shillings; but that is expensive as well as dilatory if he merely wishes to call at the post-office, or buy a pair of gloves. there are articles which they call omnibuses, and which ply cheap enough, and carry men to any part of the town for sixpence; that is, they will do so if you can find them. they do not run from any given point to any other, but meander about through the slush and sand, and are as difficult to catch as the musquitoes. the city of havana, in cuba, is lighted at night by oil-lamps. the little town of cien fuegos, in the same island, is lighted by gas. but kingston is not lighted at all! we all know that jamaica is not thriving as once it throve, and that one can hardly expect to find there all the energy of a prosperous people. but still i think that something might be done to redeem this town from its utter disgrace. kingston itself is not without wealth. if what one hears on such subjects contains any indications towards the truth, those in trade there are still doing well. there is a mayor, and there are aldermen. all the paraphernalia for carrying on municipal improvements are ready. if the inhabitants have about themselves any pride in their locality, let them, in the name of common decency, prepare some sort of causeway in the streets; with some drainage arrangement, by which rain may run off into the sea without lingering for hours in every corner of the town. nothing could be easier, for there is a fall towards the shore through the whole place. as it is now, kingston is a disgrace to the country that owns it. one is peculiarly struck also by the ugliness of the buildings--those buildings, that is, which partake in any degree of a public character--the churches and places of worship, the public offices, and such like. we have no right, perhaps, to expect good taste so far away from any school in which good taste is taught; and it may, perhaps, be said by some that we have sins enough of our own at home to induce us to be silent on this head. but it is singular that any man who could put bricks and stones and timber together should put them together in such hideous forms as those which are to be seen here. i never met a wider and a kinder hospitality than i did in jamaica, but i neither ate nor drank in any house in kingston except my hotel, nor, as far as i can remember, did i enter any house except in the way of business. and yet i was there--necessarily there, unfortunately--for some considerable time. the fact is, that hardly any europeans, or even white creoles, live in the town. they have country seats, pens as they call them, at some little distance. they hate the town, and it is no wonder they should do so. that which tends in part to the desolation of kingston--or rather, to put the proposition in a juster form, which prevents kingston from enjoying those advantages which would naturally attach to the metropolis of the island--is this: the seat of government is not there, but at spanish town. then our naval establishment is at port royal. when a city is in itself thriving, populous, and of great commercial importance, it may be very well to make it wholly independent of the government. new york, probably, might be no whit improved were the national congress to be held there; nor amsterdam, perhaps, if the hague were abandoned; but it would be a great thing for kingston if spanish town were deserted. the governor lives at the latter place, as do also those satellites or moons who revolve round the larger luminary--the secretaries, namely, and executive officers. these in jamaica are now so reduced in size that they could not perhaps do much for any city; but they would do a little, and to kingston any little would be acceptable. then the legislative council and the house of assembly sit at spanish town, and the members--at any rate of the latter body--are obliged to live there during some three months of the year, not generally in very comfortable lodgings. respectable residents in the island, who would pay some attention to the governor if he lived at the principal town, find it impossible to undergo the nuisance of visiting spanish town, and in this way go neither to the one nor the other, unless when passing through kingston on their biennial or triennial visits to the old country. and those visits to spanish town are indeed a nuisance. in saying this, i reflect in no way on the governor or the governor's people. were gabriel governor of jamaica, with only five thousand pounds a year, and had he a dozen angels with him as secretaries and aides-de-camp, mortal men would not go to them at spanish town after they had once seen of what feathers their wings were made. it is like the city of the dead. there are long streets there in which no human inhabitant is ever seen. in others a silent old negro woman may be sitting at an open door, or a child playing, solitary, in the dust. the governor's house--king's house as it is called--stands on one side of a square; opposite is the house of the assembly; on the left, as you come out from the governor's, are the executive offices and house of the council, and on the right some other public buildings. the place would have some pretension about it did it not seem to be stricken with an eternal death. all the walls are of a dismal dirty yellow, and a stranger cannot but think that the colour is owing to the dreadfully prevailing disease of the country. in this square there are no sounds; men and women never frequent it; nothing enters it but sunbeams--and such sunbeams! the glare from those walls seems to forbid that men and women should come there. the parched, dusty, deserted streets are all hot and perfectly without shade. the crafty italians have built their narrow streets so that the sun can hardly enter them, except when he is in the mid heaven; but there has been no such craft at spanish town. the houses are very low, and when there is any sun in the heavens it can enter those streets; and in those heavens there is always a burning, broiling sun. but the place is not wholly deserted. there is here the most frightfully hideous race of pigs that ever made a man ashamed to own himself a bacon-eating biped. i have never done much in pigs myself, but i believe that pigly grace consists in plumpness and comparative shortness--in shortness, above all, of the face and nose. the spanish town pigs are never plump. they are the very ghosts of swine, consisting entirely of bones and bristles. their backs are long, their ribs are long, their legs are long, but, above all, their heads and noses are hideously long. these brutes prowl about in the sun, and glare at the unfrequent strangers with their starved eyes, as though doubting themselves whether, by some little exertion, they might not become beasts of prey. the necessity which exists for white men going to spanish town to see the governor results, i do not doubt, in some deaths every year. i will describe the first time i was thus punished. spanish town is thirteen miles from kingston, and the journey is accomplished by railway in somewhat under an hour. the trains run about every four hours. on my arrival a public vehicle took me from the station up to king's house, and everything seemed to be very convenient. the streets, certainly, were rather dead, and the place hot; but i was under cover, and the desolation did not seem to affect me. when i was landed on the steps of the government-house, the first idea of my coming sorrows flitted across my mind. "where shall i call for you?" said the driver; "the train goes at a quarter past four." it was then one: and where was he to call for me? and what was i to do with myself for three hours? "here," i said; "on these steps." what other place could i name? i knew no other place in spanish town. the governor was all that was obliging--as governors now-a-days always are--and made an appointment for me to come again on the following day, to see some one or say something, who or which could not be seen or said on that occasion. thus some twenty minutes were exhausted, and there remained two hours and fifty minutes more upon my hands. how i wished that the big man's big men had not been so rapidly courteous--that they had kept me waiting for some hour or so, to teach me that i was among big people, as used to be done in the good old times! in such event, i should at any rate have had a seat, though a hard one, and shelter from the sun. but not a moment's grace had been afforded me. at the end of twenty minutes i found myself again standing on those glaring steps. what should i do? where should i go? looking all around me, i did not see as much life as would serve to open a door if i asked for shelter. i stood upon those desolate steps till the perspiration ran down my face with the labour of standing. where was i to go? what was i to do? "inhospitalem caucasum!" i exclaimed, as i slowly made my way down into the square. when an englishman has nothing to do, and a certain time to wait, his one resource is to walk about. a frenchman sits down and lights a cigar, an italian goes to sleep, a german meditates, an american invents some new position for his limbs as far as possible asunder from that intended for them by nature, but an englishman always takes a walk. i had nothing to do. even under the full fury of the sun walking is better than standing still. i would take a walk. i moved slowly round the square, and by the time that i had reached an opposite corner all my clothes were wet through. on i went, however, down one dead street and up another. i saw no one but the pigs, and almost envied them their fleshlessness. i turned another corner, and i came upon the square again. that seemed to me to be the lowest depth of all that fiery pandemonium, and with a quickened step i passed through but a corner of it. but the sun blazed even fiercer and fiercer. should i go back and ask for a seat, if it were but on a bench in the government scullery, among the female negroes? something i must do, or there would soon be an end of me. there must be some inn in the place, if i could only find it. i was not absolutely in the midst of the great sahara. there were houses on each side of me, though they were all closed. i looked at my watch, and found that ten minutes had passed by since i had been on my legs. i thought i had wandered for an hour. and now i saw an old woman--the first human creature i had seen since i left the light of the governor's face; the shade i should say, meaning to speak of it in the most complimentary terms. "madam," said i, "is there an inn here; and if so, where may it be?" "inn!" repeated the ancient negress, looking at me in a startled way. "me know noting, massa;" and so she passed on. inns in jamaica are called lodging-houses, or else taverns; but i did not find this out till afterwards. and then i saw a man walking quickly with a basket across the street, some way in advance of me. if i did not run i should miss him; so i did run; and i hallooed also. i shall never forget the exertion. "is there a public-house," i exclaimed, feverishly, "in this ---- place?" i forget the exact word which should fill up the blank, but i think it was "blessed." "pubberlic-house, massa, in dis d----m place," said the grinning negro, repeating my words after me, only that i know _he_ used the offensive phrase which i have designated. "pubberlic-house! what dat?" and then he adjusted his basket on his head, and proceeded to walk on. by this time i was half blind, and my head reeled through the effects of the sun. but i could not allow myself to perish there, in the middle of spanish town, without an effort. it behoved me as a man to do something to save my life. so i stopped the fellow, and at last succeeded in making him understand that i would give him sixpence if he would conduct me to some house of public entertainment. "oh, de vellington tavern," said he; and taking me to a corner three yards from where we stood, he showed me the sign-board. "and now de two quatties," he said. i knew nothing of quatties then, but i gave him the sixpence, and in a few minutes i found myself within the "wellington." it was a miserable hole, but it did afford me shelter. indeed, it would not have been so miserable had i known at first, as i did some few minutes before i left, that there was a better room up stairs. but the people of the house could not suppose but what every one knew the "wellington;" and thought, doubtless, that i preferred remaining below in the dirt. i was over two hours in this place, and even that was not pleasant. when i went up into the fashionable room above, i found there, among others, a negro of exceeding blackness. i do not know that i ever saw skin so purely black. he was talking eagerly with his friends, and after a while i heard him say, in a voice of considerable dignity, "i shall bring forward a motion on de subject in de house to-morrow." so that i had not fallen into bad society. but even under these circumstances two hours spent in a tavern without a book, without any necessity for eating or drinking, is not pleasant; and i trust that when i next visit jamaica i may find the seat of government moved to kingston. the governor would do kingston some good; and it is on the cards that kingston might return the compliment. the inns in kingston rejoice in the grand name of halls. not that you ask which is the best hall, or inquire at what hall your friend is staying; but such is the title given to the individual house. one is the date-tree hall, another blundle's hall, a third barkly hall, and so on. i took up my abode at blundle hall, and found that the landlady in whose custody i had placed myself was a sister of good mrs. seacole. "my sister wanted to go to india," said my landlady, "with the army, you know. but queen victoria would not let her; her life was too precious." so that mrs. seacole is a prophet, even in her own country. much cannot be said for the west indian hotels in general. by far the best that i met was at cien fuegos, in cuba. this one, kept by mrs. seacole's sister, was not worse, if not much better, than the average. it was clean, and reasonable as to its charges. i used to wish that the patriotic lady who kept it could be induced to abandon the idea that beefsteaks and onions, and bread and cheese and beer composed the only diet proper for an englishman. but it is to be remarked all through the island that the people are fond of english dishes, and that they despise, or affect to despise, their own productions. they will give you ox-tail soup when turtle would be much cheaper. roast beef and beefsteaks are found at almost every meal. an immense deal of beer is consumed. when yams, avocado pears, the mountain cabbage, plaintains, and twenty other delicious vegetables may be had for the gathering, people will insist on eating bad english potatoes; and the desire for english pickles is quite a passion. this is one phase of that love for england which is so predominant a characteristic of the white inhabitants of the west indies. at the inns, as at the private houses, the household servants are almost always black. the manners of these people are to a stranger very strange. they are not absolutely uncivil, except on occasions; but they have an easy, free, patronizing air. if you find fault with them, they insist on having the last word, and are generally successful. they do not appear to be greedy of money; rarely ask for it, and express but little thankfulness when they get it. at home, in england, one is apt to think that an extra shilling will go a long way with boots and chambermaid, and produce hotter water, more copious towels, and quicker attendance than is ordinary. but in the west indies a similar result does not follow in a similar degree. and in the west indies it is absolutely necessary that these people should be treated with dignity; and it is not always very easy to reach the proper point of dignity. they like familiarity, but are singularly averse to ridicule; and though they wish to be on good terms with you, they do not choose that these shall be reached without the proper degree of antecedent ceremony. "halloo, old fellow! how about that bath?" i said one morning to a lad who had been commissioned to see a bath filled for me. he was cleaning boots at the time, and went on with his employment, sedulously, as though he had not heard a word. but he was over sedulous, and i saw that he heard me. "i say, how about that bath?" i continued. but he did not move a muscle. "put down those boots, sir," i said, going up to him; "and go and do as i bid you." "who you call fellor? you speak to a gen'lman gen'lmanly, and den he fill de bath." "james," said i, "might i trouble you to leave those boots, and see the bath filled for me?" and i bowed to him. "'es, sir," he answered, returning my bow; "go at once." and so he did, perfectly satisfied. had he imagined, however, that i was quizzing him, in all probability he would not have gone at all. there will be those who will say that i had received a good lesson; and perhaps i had. but it would be rather cumbersome if we were forced to treat our juvenile servants at home in this manner--or even those who are not juvenile. i must say this for the servants, that i never knew them to steal anything, or heard of their doing so from any one else. if any one deserves to be robbed, i deserve it; for i leave my keys and my money everywhere, and seldom find time to lock my portmanteau. but my carelessness was not punished in jamaica. and this i think is the character of the people as regards absolute personal property--personal property that has been housed and garnered--that has, as it were, been made the possessor's very own. there can be no more diligent thieves than they are in appropriating to themselves the fruits of the earth while they are still on the trees. they will not understand that this is stealing. nor can much be said for their honesty in dealing. there is a great difference between cheating and stealing in the minds of many men, whether they be black or white. there are good shops in kingston, and i believe that men in trade are making money there. i cannot tell on what principle prices range themselves as compared with those in england. some things are considerably cheaper than with us, and some much, very much dearer. a pair of excellent duck trousers, if i may be excused for alluding to them, cost me eighteen shillings when made to order. whereas, a pair of evening white gloves could not be had under four-and-sixpence. that, at least, was the price charged, though i am bound to own that the shop-boy considerately returned me sixpence, discount for ready money. the men in the shops are generally of the coloured race, and they are also extremely free and easy in their manners. from them this is more disagreeable than from the negroes. "four-and-sixpence for white gloves!" i said; "is not that high?" "not at all, sir; by no means. we consider it rather cheap. but in kingston, sir, you must not think about little economies." and he leered at me in a very nauseous manner as he tied his parcel. however, i ought to forgive him, for did he not return to me sixpence discount, unasked? there are various places of worship in kingston, and the negroes are fond of attending them. but they love best that class of religion which allows them to hear the most of their own voices. they are therefore fond of baptists; and fonder of the wesleyans than of the church of england. many also are roman catholics. their singing-classes are constantly to be heard as one walks through the streets. no religion is worth anything to them which does not offer the allurement of some excitement. very little excitement is to be found in the church-of-england kingston parish church. the church itself, with its rickety pews, and creaking doors, and wretched seats made purposely so as to render genuflexion impossible, and the sleepy, droning, somnolent service are exactly what was so common in england twenty years since; but which are common no longer, thanks to certain much-abused clerical gentlemen. not but that it may still be found in england if diligently sought for. but i must not finish my notice on the town of kingston without a word of allusion to my enemies, the musquitoes. let no european attempt to sleep there at any time of the year without musquito-curtains. if he do, it will only be an attempt; which will probably end in madness and fever before morning. nor will musquito-curtains suffice unless they are brushed out with no ordinary care, and then tucked in; and unless, also, the would-be-sleeper, after having cunningly crept into his bed at the smallest available aperture, carefully pins up that aperture. your kingston musquito is the craftiest of insects, and the most deadly. chapter iii. jamaica--country. i have spoken in disparaging terms of the chief town in jamaica, but i can atone for this by speaking in very high terms of the country. in that island one would certainly prefer the life of the country mouse. there is scenery in jamaica which almost equals that of switzerland and the tyrol; and there is also, which is more essential, a temperature among the mountains in which a european can live comfortably. i travelled over the greater part of the island, and was very much pleased with it. the drawbacks on such a tour are the expensiveness of locomotion, the want of hotels, and the badness of the roads. as to cost, the tourist always consoles himself by reflecting that he is going to take the expensive journey once, and once only. the badness of the roads forms an additional excitement; and the want of hotels is cured, as it probably has been caused, by the hospitality of the gentry. and they are very hospitable--and hospitable, too, under adverse circumstances. in olden times, when nobody anywhere was so rich as a jamaica planter, it was not surprising that he should be always glad to see his own friends and his friends' friends, and their friends. such visits dissipated the ennui of his own life, and the expense was not appreciable--or, at any rate, not undesirable. an open house was his usual rule of life. but matters are much altered with him now. if he be a planter of the olden days, he will have passed through fire and water in his endeavours to maintain his position. if, as is more frequently the case, he be a man of new date on his estate, he will probably have established himself with a small capital; and he also will have to struggle. but, nevertheless, the hospitality is maintained, perhaps not on the olden scale, yet on a scale that by no means requires to be enlarged. "it is rather hard on us," said a young planter to me, with whom i was on terms of sufficient intimacy to discuss such matters--"we send word to the people at home that we are very poor. they won't quite believe us, so they send out somebody to see. the somebody comes, a pleasant-mannered fellow, and we kill our little fatted calf for him; probably it is only a ewe lamb. we bring out our bottle or two of the best, that has been put by for a gala day, and so we make his heart glad. he goes home, and what does he say of us? these jamaica planters are princes--the best fellows living; i liked them amazingly. but as for their poverty, don't believe a word of it. they swim in claret, and usually bathe in champagne. now that is hard, seeing that our common fare is salt fish and rum and water." i advised him in future to receive such inquirers with his ordinary fare only. "yes," said he, "and then we should get it on the other cheek. we should be abused for our stinginess. no jamaica man could stand that." it is of course known that the sugar-cane is the chief production of jamaica; but one may travel for days in the island and only see a cane piece here and there. by far the greater portion of the island is covered with wild wood and jungle--what is there called bush. through this, on an occasional favourable spot, and very frequently on the roadsides, one sees the gardens or provision-grounds of the negroes. these are spots of land cultivated by them, for which they either pay rent, or on which, as is quite as common, they have squatted without payment of any rent. these provision-grounds are very picturesque. they are not filled, as a peasant's garden in england or in ireland is filled, with potatoes and cabbages, or other vegetables similarly uninteresting in their growth; but contain cocoa-trees, breadfruit-trees, oranges, mangoes, limes, plantains, jack fruit, sour-sop, avocado pears, and a score of others, all of which are luxuriant trees, some of considerable size, and all of them of great beauty. the breadfruit-tree and the mango are especially lovely, and i know nothing prettier than a grove of oranges in jamaica. in addition to this, they always have the yam, which is with the negro somewhat as the potato is with the irishman; only that the irishman has nothing else, whereas the negro generally has either fish or meat, and has also a score of other fruits besides the yam. the yam, too, is picturesque in its growth. as with the potato, the root alone is eaten, but the upper part is fostered and cared for as a creeper, so that the ground may be unencumbered by its thick tendrils. support is provided for it as for grapes or peas. then one sees also in these provision-grounds patches of coffee and arrowroot, and occasionally also patches of sugar-cane. a man wishing to see the main features of the whole island, and proceeding from kingston as his head-quarters, must take two distinct tours, one to the east and the other to the west. the former may be best done on horseback, as the roads are, one may say, non-existent for a considerable portion of the way, and sometimes almost worse than non-existent in other places. one of the most remarkable characteristics of jamaica is the copiousness of its rivers. it is said that its original name, xaymaca, signifies a country of streams; and it certainly is not undeserved. this copiousness, though it adds to the beauty, as no doubt it does also to its salubrity and fertility, adds something too to the difficulty of locomotion. bridges have not been built, or, sad to say, have been allowed to go to destruction. one hears that this river or that river is "down," whereby it is signified that the waters are swollen; and some of the rivers when so down are certainly not easy of passage. such impediments are more frequent in the east than elsewhere, and on this account travelling on horseback is the safest as well as the most expeditious means of transit. i found four horses to be necessary, one for the groom, one for my clothes, and two for myself. a lighter weight might have done with three. an englishman feels some bashfulness in riding up to a stranger's door with such a cortége, and bearing as an introduction a message from somebody else, to say that you are to be entertained. but i always found that such a message was a sufficient passport. "it is our way," one gentleman said to me, in answer to my apology. "when four or five come in for dinner after ten o'clock at night, we do think it hard, seeing that meat won't keep in this country." hotels, as an institution, are, on the whole, a comfortable arrangement. one prefers, perhaps, ordering one's dinner to asking for it; and many men delight in the wide capability of finding fault which an inn affords. but they are very hostile to the spirit of hospitality. the time will soon come when the backwoodsman will have his tariff for public accommodation, and an arab will charge you a fixed price for his pipe and cup of coffee in the desert. but that era has not yet been reached in jamaica. crossing the same river four-and-twenty times is tedious; especially if this is done in heavy rain, when the road is a narrow track through thickly-wooded ravines, and when an open umbrella is absolutely necessary. but so often had we to cross the waag-water in our route from kingston to the northern shore. it was here that i first saw the full effect of tropical vegetation, and i shall never forget it. perhaps the most graceful of all the woodland productions is the bamboo. it grows either in clusters, like clumps of trees in an english park, or, as is more usual when found in its indigenous state, in long rows by the riversides. the trunk of the bamboo is a huge hollow cane, bearing no leaves except at its head. one such cane alone would be uninteresting enough. but their great height, the peculiarly graceful curve of their growth, and the excessive thickness of the drooping foliage of hundreds of them clustered together produce an effect which nothing can surpass. the cotton-tree is almost as beautiful when standing alone. the trunk of this tree grows to a magnificent height, and with magnificent proportions: it is frequently straight; and those which are most beautiful throw out no branches till they have reached a height greater than that of any ordinary tree with us. nature, in order to sustain so large a mass, supplies it with huge spurs at the foot, which act as buttresses for its support, connecting the roots immediately with the trunk as much as twenty feet above the ground. i measured more than one, which, including the buttresses, were over thirty feet in circumference. then from its head the branches break forth in most luxurious profusion, covering an enormous extent of ground with their shade. but the most striking peculiarity of these trees consists in the parasite plants by which they are enveloped, and which hang from their branches down to the ground with tendrils of wonderful strength. these parasites are of various kinds, the fig being the most obdurate with its embraces. it frequently may be seen that the original tree has departed wholly from sight, and i should imagine almost wholly from existence; and then the very name is changed, and the cotton-tree is called a fig-tree. in others the process of destruction may be observed, and the interior trunk may be seen to be stayed in its growth and stunted in its measure by the creepers which surround it. this pernicious embrace the natives describe as "the scotchman hugging the creole." the metaphor is sufficiently satirical upon our northern friends, who are supposed not to have thriven badly in their visits to the western islands. but it often happens that the tree has reached its full growth before the parasites have fallen on it, and then, in place of being strangled, it is adorned. every branch is covered with a wondrous growth--with plants of a thousand colours and a thousand sorts. some droop with long and graceful tendrils from the boughs, and so touch the ground; while others hang in a ball of leaves and flowers, which swing for years, apparently without changing their position. the growth of these parasite plants must be slow, though it is so very rich. a gentleman with whom i was staying, and in whose grounds i saw by far the most lovely tree of this description that met my sight, assured me that he had watched it closely for more than twenty years, and that he could trace no difference in the size or arrangement of the parasite plants by which it was surrounded. we went across the island to a little village called annotta bay, traversing the waag-water twenty-four times, as i have said; and from thence, through the parishes of metcalf and st. george, to port antonio. "fuit ilium et ingens gloria." this may certainly be said of port antonio and the adjacent district. it was once a military station, and the empty barracks, standing so beautifully over the sea, on an extreme point of land, are now waiting till time shall reduce them to ruin. the place is utterly desolate, though not yet broken up in its desolation, as such buildings quickly become when left wholly untenanted. a rusty cannon or two still stand at the embrasures, watching the entrance to the fort; and among the grass we found a few metal balls, the last remains of the last ordnance supplies. but port antonio was once a goodly town, and the country round it, the parish of portland, is as fertile as any in the island. but now there is hardly a sugar estate in the whole parish. it is given up to the growth of yams, cocoas, and plantains. it has become a provision-ground for negroes, and the palmy days of the town are of course gone. nevertheless, there was a decent little inn at port antonio, which will always be memorable to me on account of the love sorrows of a young maiden whom i chanced to meet there. the meeting was in this wise:-- i was sitting in the parlour of the inn, after dinner, when a young lady walked in, dressed altogether in white. and she was well dressed, and not without the ordinary decoration of crinoline and ribbons. she was of the coloured race; and her jet black, crisp, yet wavy hair was brushed back in a becoming fashion. whence she came or who she was i did not know, and never learnt. that she was familiar in the house i presumed from her moving the books and little ornaments on the table, and arranging the cups and shells upon a shelf. "heigh-ho!" she ejaculated, when i had watched her for about a minute. i hardly knew how to accost her, for i object to the word miss, as standing alone; and yet it was necessary that i should accost her. "ah, well: heigh-ho!" she repeated. it was easy to perceive that she had a grief to tell. "lady," said i--i felt that the address was somewhat stilted, but in the lack of any introduction i knew not how else to begin--"lady, i fear that you are in sorrow?" "sorrow enough!" said she. "i'se in de deepest sorrow. heigh-ho me! well, de world will end some day," and turning her face full upon me, she crossed her hands. i was seated on a sofa, and she came and sat beside me, crossing her hands upon her lap, and looking away to the opposite wall. i am not a very young man; and my friends have told me that i show strongly that steady married appearance of a paterfamilias which is so apt to lend assurance to maiden timidity. "it will end some day for us all," i replied. "but with you, it has hardly yet had its beginning." "'tis a very bad world, and sooner over de better. to be treated so's enough to break any girl's heart; it is! my heart's clean broke, i know dat." and as she put both her long, thin dark hands to her side, i saw that she had not forgotten her rings. "it is love then that ails you?" "no!" she said this very sharply, turning full round upon me, and fixing her large black eyes upon mine. "no, i don't love him one bit; not now, and never again. no, not if he were down dere begging." and she stamped her little foot upon the ground as though she had an imaginary neck beneath her heel. "but you did love him?" "yes." she spoke very softly now, and shook her head gently. "i did love him--oh, so much! he was so handsome, so nice! i shall never see such a man again: such eyes; such a mouth! and then his nose! he was a jew, you know." i had not known it before, and received the information perhaps with some little start of surprise. "served me right; didn't it? and i'se a baptist, you know. they'd have read me out, i know dat. but i didn't seem to mind it den." and then she gently struck one hand with the other, as she smiled sweetly in my face. the trick is customary with the coloured women in the west indies when they have entered upon a nice familiar, pleasant bit of chat. at this period i felt myself to be sufficiently intimate with her to ask her name. "josephine; dat's my name. d'you like dat name?" "it's as pretty as its owner--nearly." "pretty! no; i'se not pretty. if i was pretty, he'd not have left me so. he used to call me feeny." "what! the jew did." i thought it might be well to detract from the merit of the lost admirer. "a girl like you should have a christian lover." "dat's what dey all says." "of course they do: you ought to be glad it's over." "i ain't tho'; not a bit; tho' i do hate him so. oh, i hate him; i hate him! i hate him worse dan poison." and again her little foot went to work. i must confess that it was a pretty foot; and as for her waist, i never saw one better turned, or more deftly clothed. her little foot went to work upon the floor, and then clenching her small right hand, she held it up before my face as though to show me that she knew how to menace. i took her hand in mine, and told her that those fingers had not been made for threats. "you are a christian," said i, "and should forgive." "i'se a baptist," she replied; "and in course i does forgive him: i does forgive him; but--! he'll be wretched in this life, i know; and she--she'll be wretcheder; and when he dies--oh-h-h-h!" in that prolonged expression there was a curse as deep as any that ernulphus ever gave. alas! such is the forgiveness of too many a christian! "as for me, i wouldn't demean myself to touch de hem of her garment! poor fellow! what a life he'll have; for she's a virgo with a vengeance." this at the moment astonished me; but from the whole tenor of the lady's speech i was at once convinced that no satirical allusion was intended. in the hurry of her fluttering thoughts she had merely omitted the letter "a." it was her rival's temper, not her virtue, that she doubted. "the jew is going to be married then?" "he told her so; but p'raps he'll jilt her too, you know." it was easy to see that the idea was not an unpleasant one. "and then he'll come back to you?" "yes, yes; and i'll spit at him;" and in the fury of her mind she absolutely did perform the operation. "i wish he would; i'd sit so, and listen to him;" and she crossed her hands and assumed an air of dignified quiescence which well became her. "i'd listen every word he say; just so. every word till he done; and i'd smile"--and she did smile--"and den when he offer me his hand"--and she put out her own--"i'd spit at him, and leave him so." and rising majestically from her seat she stalked out of the room. as she fully closed the door behind her, i thought that the interview was over, and that i should see no more of my fair friend; but in this i was mistaken. the door was soon reopened, and she again seated herself on the sofa beside me. "your heart would permit of your doing that?" said i; "and he with such a beautiful nose?" "yes; it would. i'd 'spise myself to take him now, if he was ever so beautiful. but i'se sure of this, i'll never love no oder man--never again. he did dance so genteelly." "a baptist dance!" i exclaimed. "well; it wasn't de ting, was it? and i knew i'd be read out; oh, but it was so nice! i'll never have no more dancing now. i've just taken up with a class now, you know, since he's gone." "taken up with a class?" "yes; i teaches the nigger children; and i has a card for the minister. i got four dollars last week, and you must give me something." now i hate baptists--as she did her lover--like poison; and even under such pressure as this i could not bring myself to aid in their support. "you very stingy man! caspar isaacs"--he was her lost lover--"gave me a dollar." "but perhaps you gave him a kiss." "perhaps i did," said she. "but you may be quite sure of this, quite; i'll never give him anoder," and she again slapped one hand upon the other, and compressed her lips, and gently shook her head as she made the declaration, "i'll never give him anoder kiss--dat's sure as fate." i had nothing further to say, and began to feel that i ought not to detain the lady longer. we sat together, however, silent for a while, and then she arose and spoke to me standing. "i'se in a reg'lar difficulty now, however; and it's just about that i am come to ask you." "well, josephine, anything that i can do to help you--" "'tain't much; i only want your advice. i'se going to kingston, you see." "ah, you'll find another lover there." "it's not for dat den, for i don't want none; but i'se going anyways, 'cause i live dere." "oh, you live at kingston?" "course i does. and i'se no ways to go but just in de droger"--the west indian coasting vessels are so called. "don't you like going in the droger?" i asked. "oh, yes; i likes it well enough." "are you sea-sick?" "oh, no." "then what's the harm of the droger?" "why, you see"--and she turned away her face and looked towards the window--"why you see, isaacs is the captain of her, and 'twill be so odd like." "you could not possibly have a better opportunity for recovering all that you have lost." "you tink so?" "certainly." "den you know noting about it. i will never recover noting of him, never. bah! but i tell you what i'll do. i'll pay him my pound for my passage; and den it'll be a purely 'mercial transaction." on this point i agreed with her, and then she offered me her hand with the view of bidding me farewell. "good-bye, josephine," i said; "perhaps you would be happier with a christian husband." "p'raps i would; p'raps better with none at all. but i don't tink i'll ever be happy no more. 'tis so dull: good-bye." were i a girl, i doubt whether i also would not sooner dance with a jew than pray with a baptist. "good-bye, josephine." i pressed her hand, and so she went, and i never saw nor heard more of her. there was not about my josephine all the pathos of maria; nor can i tell my story as sterne told his. but josephine in her sorrow was i think more true to human nature than maria. it may perhaps be possible that sterne embellished his facts. i, at any rate, have not done that. i had another adventure at port antonio. about two o'clock in the morning there was an earthquake, and we were all nearly shaken out of our beds. some one rushed into my room, declaring that not a stone would be left standing of port royal. there were two distinct blows, separated by some seconds, and a loud noise was heard. i cannot say that i was frightened, as i had not time to realize the fact of the earthquake before it was all over. no harm was done, i believe, anywhere, beyond the disseverance of a little plaster from the walls. the largest expanse of unbroken cane-fields in jamaica is at the extreme south-east, in the parish of st. george's in the east. here i saw a plain of about four thousand acres under canes. it looked to be prosperous; but i was told by the planter with whom i was staying that the land had lately been deluged with water; that the canes were covered with mud; and that the crops would be very short. poor jamaica! it seems as though all the elements are in league against her. i was not sorry to return to kingston from this trip, for i was tired of the saddle. in jamaica everybody rides, but nobody seems to get much beyond a walk. now to me there is no pace on horseback so wearying as an unbroken walk. i did goad my horse into trotting, but it was clear that the animal was not used to it. shortly afterwards i went to the west. the distances here were longer, but the journey was made on wheels, and was not so fatiguing. moreover, i stayed some little time with a friend in one of the distant parishes of the island. the scenery during the whole expedition was very grand. the road goes through spanish town, and then divides itself, one road going westward by the northern coast, and the other by that to the south. i went by the former, and began my journey by the bog or bogue walk, a road through a magnificent ravine, and then over mount diabolo. the devil assumes to himself all the finest scenery in all countries. of a delicious mountain tarn he makes his punch-bowl; he loves to leap from crag to crag over the wildest ravines; he builds picturesque bridges in most impassable sites; and makes roads over mountains at gradients not to be attempted by the wildest engineer. the road over mount diabolo is very fine, and the view back to kingston very grand. from thence i went down into the parish of st. anns, on the northern side. they all speak of st. anns as being the most fertile district in the island. the inhabitants are addicted to grazing rather than sugarmaking, and thrive in that pursuit very well. but all jamaica is suited for a grazing-ground, and all the west indies should be the market for their cattle. on the northern coast there are two towns, falmouth and montego bay, both of which are, at any rate in appearance, more prosperous than kingston. i cannot say that the streets are alive with trade; but they do not appear to be so neglected, desolate, and wretched as the metropolis or the seat of government. they have jails and hospitals, mayors and magistrates, and are, except in atmosphere, very like small country towns in england. the two furthermost parishes of jamaica are hanover and westmoreland, and i stayed for a short time with a gentleman who lives on the borders of the two. i certainly was never in a more lovely country. he was a sugar planter; but the canes and sugar, which, after all, are ugly and by no means savoury appurtenances, were located somewhere out of sight. as far as i myself might know, from what i saw, my host's ordinary occupations were exactly those of a country gentleman in england. he fished and shot, and looked after his estate, and acted as a magistrate; and over and above this, was somewhat particular about his dinner, and the ornamentation of the land immediately round his house. i do not know that fate can give a man a pleasanter life. if, however, he did at unseen moments inspect his cane-holes, and employ himself among the sugar hogsheads and rum puncheons, it must be acknowledged that he had a serious drawback on his happiness. country life in jamaica certainly has its attractions. the day is generally begun at six o'clock, when a cup of coffee is brought in by a sable minister. i believe it is customary to take this in bed, or rather on the bed; for in jamaica one's connection with one's bed does not amount to getting into it. one gets within the musquito net, and then plunges about with a loose sheet, which is sometimes on and sometimes off. with the cup of coffee comes a small modicum of dry toast. after that the toilet progresses, not at a rapid pace. a tub of cold water and dilettante dressing will do something more than kill an hour, so that it is half-past seven or eight before one leaves one's room. when one first arrives in the west indies, one hears much of early morning exercise, especially for ladies; and for ladies, early morning exercise is the only exercise possible. but it appeared to me that i heard more of it than i saw. and even as regards early travelling, the eager promise was generally broken. an assumed start at five a.m. usually meant seven; and one at six, half-past eight. this, however, is the time of day at which the sugar grower is presumed to look at his canes, and the grazier to inspect his kine. at this hour--eight o'clock, that is--the men ride, and _sometimes_ also the ladies. and when the latter ceremony does take place, there is no pleasanter hour in all the four-and-twenty. at ten or half-past ten the nation sits down to breakfast; not to a meal, my dear mrs. jones, consisting of tea and bread and butter, with two eggs for the master of the family and one for the mistress; but a stout, solid banquet, consisting of fish, beefsteaks--a breakfast is not a breakfast in the west indies without beefsteaks and onions, nor is a dinner so to be called without bread and cheese and beer--potatoes, yams, plaintains, eggs, and half a dozen "tinned" productions, namely, meats sent from england in tin cases. though they have every delicacy which the world can give them of native production, all these are as nothing, unless they also have something from england. then there are tea and chocolate upon the table, and on the sideboard beer and wine, rum and brandy. 'tis so that they breakfast at rural quarters in jamaica. then comes the day. ladies may not subject their fair skin to the outrages of a tropical sun, and therefore, unless on very special occasions, they do not go out between breakfast and dinner. that they occupy themselves well during the while, charity feels convinced. sarcasm, however, says that they do not sin from over energy. for my own part, i do not care a doit for sarcasm. when their lords reappear, they are always found smiling, well-dressed, and pretty; and then after dinner they have but one sin--there is but one drawback--they will go to bed at o'clock. but by the men during the day it did not seem to me that the sun was much regarded, or that it need be much regarded. one cannot and certainly should not walk much; and no one does walk. a horse is there as a matter of course, and one walks upon that; not a great beast sixteen hands high, requiring all manner of levers between its jaws, capricoling and prancing about, and giving a man a deal of work merely to keep his seat and look stately; but a canny little quiet brute, fed chiefly on grass, patient of the sun, and not inclined to be troublesome. with such legs under him, and at a distance of some twenty miles from the coast, a man may get about in jamaica pretty nearly as well as he can in england. i saw various grazing farms--pens they are here called--while i was in this part of the country; and i could not but fancy that grazing should in jamaica be the natural and most beneficial pursuit of the proprietor, as on the other side of the atlantic it certainly is in ireland. i never saw grass to equal the guinea grass in some of the parishes; and at knockalva i looked at hereford cattle which i have rarely, if ever, seen beaten at any agricultural show in england. at present the island does not altogether supply itself with meat; but it might do so, and supply, moreover, nearly the whole of the remaining west indies. proprietors of land say that the sea transit is too costly. of course it is at present; the trade not yet existing; for indeed, at present there is no means of such transit. but screw steamers now always appear quickly enough wherever freight offers itself; and if the cattle were there, they would soon find their way down to the windward islands. but i am running away from my day. the inspection of a pen or two, perhaps occasionally of the sugar works when they are about, soon wears through the hours, and at five preparations commence for the six o'clock dinner. the dressing again is a dilettante process, even for the least dandified of mankind. it is astonishing how much men think, and must think, of their clothes when within the tropics. dressing is necessarily done slowly, or else one gets heated quicker than one has cooled down. and then one's clothes always want airing, and the supply of clean linen is necessarily copious, or, at any rate, should be so. let no man think that he can dress for dinner in ten minutes because he is accustomed to do so in england. he cannot brush his hair, or pull on his boots, or fasten his buttons at the same pace he does at home. he dries his face very leisurely, and sits down gravely to rest before he draws on his black pantaloons. dressing for dinner, however, is _de rigeur_ in the west indies. if a black coat, &c., could be laid aside anywhere as barbaric, and light loose clothing adopted, this should be done here. the soldiers, at least the privates, are already dressed as zouaves; and children and negroes are hardly dressed at all. but the visitor, victim of tropical fashionable society, must appear in black clothing, because black clothing is the thing in england. "the governor won't see you in that coat," was said to me once on my way to spanish town, "even on a morning." the governor did see me, and as far as i could observe did not know whether or no i had on any coat. such, however, is the feeling of the place. but we shall never get to dinner. this again is a matter of considerable importance, as, indeed, where is it not? while in england we are all writing letters to the 'times,' to ascertain how closely we can copy the vices of apicius on eight hundred pounds a year, and complaining because in our perverse stupidity we cannot pamper our palates with sufficient variety, it is not open to us to say a word against the luxuries of a west indian table. we have reached the days when a man not only eats his best, but complains bitterly and publicly because he cannot eat better; when we sigh out loud because no horace will teach us where the sweetest cabbage grows; how best to souse our living poultry, so that their fibres when cooked may not offend our teeth. these lessons of horace are accounted among his satires. but what of that? that which was satire to augustine rome shall be simple homely teaching to the subject of victoria with his thousand a year. but the cook in the jamaica country house is a person of importance, and i am inclined to think that the lady whom i have accused of idleness does during those vacant interlunar hours occasionally peer into her kitchen. the results at any rate are good--sufficiently so to break the hearts of some of our miserable eight hundred a year men at home. after dinner no wine is taken--none, at least, beyond one glass with the ladies, and, if you choose it, one after they are gone. before dinner, as i should have mentioned before, a glass of bitters is as much _de rigeur_ as the black coat. i know how this will disgust many a kindly friend in dear good old thickly-prejudiced native england. yes, ma'am, bitters! no, not gin and bitters, such as the cabmen take at the gin-palaces; not gin and bitters at all, unless you specially request it; but sherry and bitters; and a very pretty habit it is for a warm country. if you don't drink your wine after dinner, why not take it before? i have no doubt that it is the more wholesome habit of the two. not that i recommend, even in the warmest climate, a second bitter, or a third. there are spots in the west indies where men take third bitters, and long bitters, in which the bitter time begins when the soda water and brandy time ends--in which the latter commences when the breakfast beer-bottles disappear. there are such places, but they must not be named by me in characters plainly legible. to kiss and tell is very criminal, as the whole world knows. but while on the subject of bitters, i must say this: let no man ever allow himself to take a long bitter such as men make at ----. it is beyond the power of man to stop at one. a long bitter duly swiggled is your true west indian syren. and then men and women saunter out on the verandah, or perhaps, if it be starlight or moonlight, into the garden. oh, what stars they are, those in that western tropical world! how beautiful a woman looks by their light, how sweet the air smells, how gloriously legible are the constellations of the heavens! and then one sips a cup of coffee, and there is a little chat, the lightest of the light, and a little music, light enough also, and at nine one retires to one's light slumbers. it is a pleasant life for a short time, though the flavour of the _dolce far niente_ is somewhat too prevalent for saxon energies fresh from europe. such are the ordinary evenings of society; but there are occasions when no complaint can be made of lack of energy. the soul of a jamaica lady revels in a dance. dancing is popular in england--is popular almost everywhere, but in jamaica it is the elixir of life; the medea's cauldron, which makes old people young; the cup of circe, which neither man nor woman can withstand. look at that lady who has been content to sit still and look beautiful for the last two hours; let but the sound of a polka meet her and she will awake to life as lively, to motion as energetic, as that of a scotch sportsman on the th of august. it is singular how the most listless girl who seems to trail through her long days almost without moving her limbs, will continue to waltz and polk and rush up and down a galopade from ten till five; and then think the hours all too short! and it is not the girls only, and the boys--begging their pardon--who rave for dancing. steady matrons of five-and-forty are just as anxious, and grave senators, whose years are past naming. see that gentleman with the bald head and grizzled beard, how sedulously he is making up his card! "madam, the fourth polka," he says to the stout lady in the turban and the yellow slip, who could not move yesterday because of her rheumatism. "i'm full up to the fifth," she replies, looking at the ms. hanging from her side; "but shall be so happy for the sixth, or perhaps the second schottische." and then, after a little grave conference, the matter is settled between them. "i hope you dance quick dances," a lady said to me. "quick!" i replied in my ignorance; "has not one to go by the music in jamaica?" "oh, you goose! don't you know what quick dances are? i never dance anything but quick dances, quadrilles are so deadly dull." i could not but be amused at this new theory as to the quick and the dead--new at least to me, though, alas! i found myself tabooed from all the joys of the night by this invidious distinction. in the west indies, polkas and the like are quick dances; quadrilles and their counterparts are simply dead. a lady shows you no compliment by giving you her hand for the latter; in that you have merely to amuse her by conversation. flirting, as any practitioner knows, is spoilt by much talking. many words make the amusement either absurd or serious, and either alternative is to be avoided. and thus i soon became used to quick dances and long drinks--that is, in my vocabulary. "will you have a long drink or a short one?" it sounds odd, but is very expressive. a long drink is taken from a tumbler, a short one from a wine-glass. the whole extent of the choice thus becomes intelligible. many things are necessary, and many changes must be made before jamaica can again enjoy all her former prosperity. i do not know whether the total abolition of the growth of sugar be not one of them. but this i do know, that whatever be their produce, they must have roads on which to carry it before they can grow rich. the roads through the greater part of the island are very bad indeed; and those along the southern coast, through the parishes of st. elizabeth, manchester, and clarendon, are by no means among the best. i returned to kingston by this route, and shall never forget some of my difficulties. on the whole, the south-western portion of the island is by no means equal to the northern. i took a third expedition up to newcastle, where are placed the barracks for our white troops, to the blue mountain peak, and to various gentlemen's houses in these localities. for grandeur of scenery this is the finest part of the island. the mountains are far too abrupt, and the land too much broken for those lovely park-like landscapes of which the parishes of westmoreland and hanover are full, and of which stuttlestone, the property of lord howard de walden, is perhaps the most beautiful specimen. but nothing can be grander, either in colour or grouping, than the ravines of the blue mountain ranges of hills. perhaps the finest view in the island is from raymond lodge, a house high up among the mountains, in which--so local rumour says--'tom cringle's log' was written. to reach these regions a man must be an equestrian--as must also a woman. no lady lives there so old but what she is to be seen on horseback, nor any child so young. babies are carried up there on pillows, and whole families on ponies. 'tis here that bishops and generals love to dwell, that their daughters may have rosy cheeks, and their sons stalwart limbs. and they are right. children that are brought up among these mountains, though they live but twelve or eighteen miles from their young friends down at kingston, cannot be taken as belonging to the same race. i can imagine no more healthy climate than the mountains round newcastle. i shall not soon forget my ride to newcastle. two ladies accompanied me and my excellent friend who was pioneering me through the country; and they were kind enough to show us the way over all the break-neck passes in the country. to them and to their horses, these were like easy highroads; but to me,--! it was manifestly a disappointment to them that my heart did not faint visibly within me. i have hunted in carmarthenshire, and a man who has done that ought to be able to ride anywhere; but in riding over some of these razorback crags, my heart, though it did not faint visibly, did almost do so invisibly. however, we got safely to newcastle, and our fair friends returned over the same route with no other escort than that of a black groom. in spite of the crags the ride was not unpleasant. one would almost enlist as a full private in one of her majesty's regiments of the line if one were sure of being quartered for ever at newcastle--at newcastle, jamaica, i mean. other newcastles of which i wot have by no means equal attraction. this place also is accessible only by foot or on horseback; and is therefore singularly situated for a barrack. but yet it consists now of a goodly village, in which live colonels, and majors, and chaplains, and surgeons, and purveyors, all in a state of bliss--as it were in a second eden. it is a military paradise, in which war is spoken of, and dinners and dancing abound. if good air and fine scenery be dear to the heart of the british soldier, he ought to be happy at newcastle. nevertheless, i prefer the views from raymond lodge to any that newcastle can afford. and now i have a mournful story to tell. did any man ever know of any good befalling him from going up a mountain; always excepting albert smith, who, we are told, has realized half a million by going up mont blanc? if a man can go up his mountains in piccadilly, it may be all very well; in so doing he perhaps may see the sun rise, and be able to watch nature in her wildest vagaries. but as for the true ascent--the nasty, damp, dirty, slippery, boot-destroying, shin-breaking, veritable mountain! let me recommend my friends to let it alone, unless they have a gift for making half a million in piccadilly. i have tried many a mountain in a small way, and never found one to answer. i hereby protest that i will never try another. however, i did go up the blue mountain peak, which ascends--so i was told--to the respectable height of , feet above the sea level. to enable me to do this, i provided myself with a companion, and he provided me with five negroes, a supply of beef, bread, and water, some wine and brandy, and what appeared to me to be about ten gallons of rum; for we were to spend the night on the blue mountain peak, in order that the rising sun might be rightly worshipped. for some considerable distance we rode, till we came indeed to the highest inhabited house in the island. this is the property of a coffee-planter who lives there, and who divides his time and energies between the growth of coffee and the entertainment of visitors to the mountain. so hospitable an old gentleman, or one so droll in speech, or singular in his mode of living, i shall probably never meet again. his tales as to the fate of other travellers made me tremble for what might some day be told of my own adventures. he feeds you gallantly, sends you on your way with a god-speed, and then hands you down to derision with the wickedest mockery. he is the gibing spirit of the mountain, and i would at any rate recommend no ladies to trust themselves to his courtesies. here we entered and called for the best of everything--beer, brandy, coffee, ringtailed doves, salt fish, fat fowls, english potatoes, hot pickles, and worcester sauce. "what, c----, no worcester sauce! gammon; make the fellow go and look for it." 'tis thus hospitality is claimed in jamaica; and in process of time the worcester sauce was forthcoming. it must be remembered that every article of food has to be carried up to this place on mules' backs, over the tops of mountains for twenty or thirty miles. when we had breakfasted and drunk and smoked, and promised our host that he should have the pleasure of feeding us again on the morrow, we proceeded on our way. the five negroes each had loads on their heads and cutlasses in their hands. we ourselves travelled without other burdens than our own big sticks. i have nothing remarkable to tell of the ascent. we soon got into a cloud, and never got out of it. but that is a matter of course. we were soon wet through up to our middles, but that is a matter of course also. we came to various dreadful passages, which broke our toes and our nails and our hats, the worst of which was called jacob's ladder--also a matter of course. every now and then we regaled the negroes with rum, and the more rum we gave them the more they wanted. and every now and then we regaled ourselves with brandy and water, and the oftener we regaled ourselves the more we required to be regaled. all which things are matters of course. and so we arrived at the blue mountain peak. our first two objects were to construct a hut and collect wood for firing. as for any enjoyment from the position, that, for that evening, was quite out of the question. we were wet through and through, and could hardly see twenty yards before us on any side. so we set the men to work to produce such mitigation of our evil position as was possible. we did build a hut, and we did make a fire; and we did administer more rum to the negroes, without which they refused to work at all. when a black man knows that you want him, he is apt to become very impudent, especially when backed by rum; and at such times they altogether forget, or at any rate disregard, the punishment that may follow in the shape of curtailed gratuities. slowly and mournfully we dried ourselves at the fire; or rather did not dry ourselves, but scorched our clothes and burnt our boots in a vain endeavour to do so. it is a singular fact, but one which experience has fully taught me, that when a man is thoroughly wet he may burn his trousers off his legs and his shoes off his feet, and yet they will not be dry--nor will he. mournfully we turned ourselves before the fire--slowly, like badly-roasted joints of meat; and the result was exactly that: we were badly roasted--roasted and raw at the same time. and then we crept into our hut, and made one of these wretched repasts in which the collops of food slip down and get sat upon; in which the salt is blown away and the bread saturated in beer; in which one gnaws one's food as adam probably did, but as men need not do now, far removed as they are from adam's discomforts. a man may cheerfully go without his dinner and feed like a beast when he gains anything by it; but when he gains nothing, and has his boots scorched off his feet into the bargain, it is hard then for him to be cheerful. i was bound to be jolly, as my companion had come there merely for my sake; but how it came to pass that he did not become sulky, that was the miracle. as it was, i know full well that he wished me--safe in england. having looked to our fire and smoked a sad cigar, we put ourselves to bed in our hut. the operation consisted in huddling on all the clothes we had. but even with this the cold prevented us from sleeping. the chill damp air penetrated through two shirts, two coats, two pairs of trousers. it was impossible to believe that we were in the tropics. and then the men got drunk and refused to cut more firewood, and disputes began which lasted all night; and all was cold, damp, comfortless, wretched, and endless. and so the morning came. that it was morning our watches told us, and also a dull dawning of muddy light through the constant mist; but as for sunrise--! the sun may rise for those who get up decently from their beds in the plains below, but there is no sunrising on helvellyn, or righi, or the blue mountain peak. nothing rises there; but mists and clouds are for ever falling. and then we packed up our wretched traps, and again descended. while coming up some quips and cranks had passed between us and our sable followers; but now all was silent as grim death. we were thinking of our sore hands and bruised feet; were mindful of the dirt which clogged us, and the damp which enveloped us; were mindful also a little of our spoilt raiment, and ill-requited labours. our wit did not flow freely as we descended. a second breakfast with the man of the mountain, and a glorious bath in a huge tank somewhat restored us, and as we regained our horses the miseries of our expedition were over. my friend fervently and loudly declared that no spirit of hospitality, no courtesy to a stranger, no human eloquence should again tempt him to ascend the blue mountains; and i cordially advised him to keep his resolution. i made no vows aloud, but i may here protest that any such vows were unnecessary. i afterwards visited another seat, flamstead, which, as regards scenery, has rival claims to those of raymond lodge. the views from flamstead were certainly very beautiful; but on the whole i preferred my first love. chapter iv. jamaica--black men. to an englishman who has never lived in a slave country, or in a country in which slavery once prevailed, the negro population is of course the most striking feature of the west indies. but the eye soon becomes accustomed to the black skin and the thick lip, and the ear to the broken patois which is the nearest approach to english which the ordinary negro ever makes. when one has been a week among them, the novelty is all gone. it is only by an exercise of memory and intellect that one is enabled to think of them as a strange race. but how strange is the race of creole negroes--of negroes, that is, born out of africa! they have no country of their own, yet have they not hitherto any country of their adoption; for, whether as slaves in cuba, or as free labourers in the british isles, they are in each case a servile people in a foreign land. they have no language of their own, nor have they as yet any language of their adoption; for they speak their broken english as uneducated foreigners always speak a foreign language. they have no idea of country, and no pride of race; for even among themselves, the word "nigger" conveys their worst term of reproach. they have no religion of their own, and can hardly as yet be said to have, as a people, a religion by adoption; and yet there is no race which has more strongly developed its own physical aptitudes and inaptitudes, its own habits, its own tastes, and its own faults. the west indian negro knows nothing of africa except that it is a term of reproach. if african immigrants are put to work on the same estate with him, he will not eat with them, or drink with them, or walk with them. he will hardly work beside them, and regards himself as a creature immeasurably the superior of the new comer. but yet he has made no approach to the civilization of his white fellow-creature, whom he imitates as a monkey does a man. physically he is capable of the hardest bodily work, and that probably with less bodily pain than men of any other race; but he is idle, unambitious as to worldly position, sensual, and content with little. intellectually, he is apparently capable of but little sustained effort; but, singularly enough, here he is ambitious. he burns to be regarded as a scholar, puzzles himself with fine words, addicts himself to religion for the sake of appearance, and delights in aping the little graces of civilization. he despises himself thoroughly, and would probably be content to starve for a month if he could appear as a white man for a day; but yet he delights in signs of respect paid to him, black man as he is, and is always thinking of his own dignity. if you want to win his heart for an hour, call him a gentleman; but if you want to reduce him to a despairing obedience, tell him that he is a filthy nigger, assure him that his father and mother had tails like monkeys, and forbid him to think that he can have a soul like a white man. among the west indies one may frequently see either course adopted towards them by their unreasoning ascendant masters. i do not think that education has as yet done much for the black man in the western world. he can always observe, and often read; but he can seldom reason. i do not mean to assert that he is absolutely without mental power, as a calf is. he does draw conclusions, but he carries them only a short way. i think that he seldom understands the purpose of industry, the object of truth, or the results of honesty. he is not always idle, perhaps not always false, certainly not always a thief; but his motives are the fear of immediate punishment, or hopes of immediate reward. he fears that and hopes that only. certain virtues he copies, because they are the virtues of a white man. the white man is the god present to his eye, and he believes in him--believes in him with a qualified faith, and imitates him with a qualified constancy. and thus i am led to say, and i say it with sorrow enough, that i distrust the negro's religion. what i mean is this: that in my opinion they rarely take in and digest the great and simple doctrines of christianity, that they should love and fear the lord their god, and love their neighbours as themselves. those who differ from me--and the number will comprise the whole clergy of these western realms, and very many beside the clergy--will ask, among other questions, whether these simple doctrines are obeyed in england much better than they are in jamaica. i would reply that i am not speaking of obedience. the opinion which i venture to give is, that the very first meaning of the terms does not often reach the negro's mind, not even the minds of those among them who are enthusiastically religious. to them religious exercises are in themselves the good thing desirable. they sing their psalms, and believe, probably, that good will result; but they do not connect their psalms with the practice of any virtue. they say their prayers; but, having said them, have no idea that they should therefore forgive offences. they hear the commandments and delight in the responses; but those commandments are not in their hearts connected with abstinence from adultery or calumny. they delight to go to church or meeting; they are energetic in singing psalms; they are constant in the responses; and, which is saying much more for them, they are wonderfully expert at scripture texts; but--and i say it with grief of heart, and with much trembling also at the reproaches which i shall have to endure--i doubt whether religion does often reach their minds. as i greatly fear being misunderstood on this subject, i must explain that i by no means think that religious teaching has been inoperative for good among the negroes. were i to express such an opinion, i should be putting them on the same footing with the slaves in cuba, who are left wholly without such teaching, and who, in consequence, are much nearer the brute creation than their more fortunate brethren. to have learnt the precepts of christianity--even though they be not learnt faithfully--softens the heart and expels its ferocity. that theft is esteemed a sin; that men and women should live together under certain laws; that blood should not be shed in anger; that an oath should be true; that there is one god the father who made us, and one redeemer who would willingly save us--these doctrines the negro in a general way has learnt, and in them he has a sort of belief. he has so far progressed that by them he judges of the conduct of others. what he lacks is a connecting link between these doctrines and himself--an appreciation of the fact that these doctrines are intended for his own guidance. but, though he himself wants the link, circumstances have in some measure produced it as he judges others, so he fears the judgment of others; and in this manner christianity has prevailed with him. in many respects the negro's phase of humanity differs much from that which is common to us, and which has been produced by our admixture of blood and our present extent of civilization. they are more passionate than the white men, but rarely vindictive, as we are. the smallest injury excites their eager wrath, but no injury produces sustained hatred. in the same way, they are seldom grateful, though often very thankful. they are covetous of notice as is a child or a dog; but they have little idea of earning continual respect. they best love him who is most unlike themselves, and they despise the coloured man who approaches them in breed. when they have once recognized a man as their master, they will be faithful to him; but the more they fear that master, the more they will respect him. they have no care for to-morrow, but they delight in being gaudy for to-day. their crimes are those of momentary impulse, as are also their virtues. they fear death; but if they can lie in the sun without pain for the hour they will hardly drag themselves to the hospital, though their disease be mortal. they love their offspring, but in their rage will ill use them fearfully. they are proud of them when they are praised, but will sell their daughter's virtue for a dollar. they are greedy of food, but generally indifferent as to its quality. they rejoice in finery, and have in many cases begun to understand the benefit of comparative cleanliness; but they are rarely tidy. a little makes them happy, and nothing makes them permanently wretched. on the whole, they laugh and sing and sleep through life; and if life were all, they would not have so bad a time of it. these, i think, are the qualities of the negro. many of them are in their way good; but are they not such as we have generally seen in the lower spheres of life? much of this is strongly opposed to the idea of the creole negro which has lately become prevalent in england. he has been praised for his piety, and especially praised for his consistent gratitude to his benefactors and faithful adherence to his master's interests. on such subjects our greatest difficulty is perhaps that of avoiding an opinion formed by exceptional cases. that there are and have been pious negroes i do not doubt. that many are strongly tinctured with the language and outward bearing of piety i am well aware. i know that they love the bible--love it as the roman catholic girl loves the doll of a madonna which she dresses with muslin and ribbons. in a certain sense this is piety, and such piety they often possess. and i do not deny their family attachments; but it is the attachment of a dog. we have all had dogs whom we have well used, and have prided ourselves on their fidelity. we have seen them to be wretched when they lose us for a moment, and have smiled at their joy when they again discover us. we have noted their patience as they wait for food from the hand they know will feed them. we have seen with delight how their love for us glistens in their eyes. we trust them with our children as the safest playmates, and teach them in mocking sport the tricks of humanity. in return for this, the dear brutes give us all their hearts, but it is not given in gratitude; and they abstain with all their power from injury and offence, but they do not abstain from judgment. let his master ill use his dog ever so cruelly, yet the animal has no anger against him when the pain is over. let a stranger save him from such ill usage, and he has no thankfulness after the moment. affection and fidelity are things of custom with him. i know how deep will be the indignation i shall draw upon my head by this picture of a fellow-creature and a fellow-christian. man's philanthropy would wish to look on all men as walking in a quick path towards the perfection of civilization. and men are not happy in their good efforts unless they themselves can see their effects. they are not content to fight for the well-being of a race, and to think that the victory shall not come till the victors shall for centuries have been mingled with the dust. the friend of the negro, when he puts his shoulder to the wheel, and tries to rescue his black brother from the degradation of an inferior species, hopes to see his client rise up at once with all the glories of civilization round his head. "there; behold my work; how good it is!" that is the reward to which he looks. but what if the work be not as yet good? what if it be god's pleasure that more time be required before the work be good--good in our finite sense of the word--in our sense, which requires the show of an immediate effect? after all, what we should desire first, and chiefly--is it not the truth? it will avail nothing to humanity to call a man a civilized christian if the name be not deserved. philanthropy will gain little but self-flattery and gratification of its vanity by applying to those whom it would serve a euphemistic but false nomenclature. god, for his own purposes--purposes which are already becoming more and more intelligible to his creatures--has created men of inferior and superior race. individually, the state of an esquimaux is grievous to an educated mind: but the educated man, taking the world collectively, knows that it is good that the esquimaux should be, should have been made such as he is; knows also, that that state admits of improvement; but should know also that such cannot be done by the stroke of a wand--by a speech in exeter hall--by the mere sounds of gospel truth, beautiful as those sounds are. we are always in such a hurry; although, as regards the progress of races, history so plainly tells us how vain such hurry is! at thirty, a man devotes himself to proselytizing a people; and if the people be not proselytized when he has reached forty, he retires in disgust. in early life we have aspirations for the freedom of an ill-used nation; but in middle life we abandon our protégé to tyranny and the infernal gods. the process has been too long. the nation should have arisen free, at once, upon the instant. it is hard for man to work without hope of seeing that for which he labours. but to return to our sable friends. the first desire of a man in a state of civilization is for property. greed and covetousness are no doubt vices; but they are the vices which have grown from cognate virtues. without a desire for property, man could make no progress. but the negro has no such desire; no desire strong enough to induce him to labour for that which he wants. in order that he may eat to-day and be clothed to-morrow, he will work a little; as for anything beyond that, he is content to lie in the sun. emancipation and the last change in the sugar duties have made land only too plentiful in jamaica, and enormous tracts have been thrown out of cultivation as unprofitable. and it is also only too fertile. the negro, consequently, has had unbounded facility of squatting, and has availed himself of it freely. to recede from civilization and become again savage--as savage as the laws of the community will permit--has been to his taste. i believe that he would altogether retrograde if left to himself. i shall now be asked, having said so much, whether i think that emancipation was wrong. by no means. i think that emancipation was clearly right; but i think that we expected far too great and far too quick a result from emancipation. these people are a servile race, fitted by nature for the hardest physical work, and apparently at present fitted for little else. some thirty years since they were in a state when such work was their lot; but their tasks were exacted from them in a condition of bondage abhorrent to the feelings of the age, and opposed to the religion which we practised. for us, thinking as we did, slavery was a sin. from that sin we have cleansed ourselves. but the mere fact of doing so has not freed us from our difficulties. nor was it to be expected that it should. the discontinuance of a sin is always the commencement of a struggle. few, probably, will think that providence has permitted so great an exodus as that which has taken place from africa to the west without having wise results in view. we may fairly believe that it has been a part of the creator's scheme for the population and cultivation of the earth; a part of that scheme which sent asiatic hordes into europe, and formed, by the admixture of nations, that race to which it is our pride to belong. but that admixture of blood has taken tens of centuries. why should we think that providence should work more rapidly now in these latter ages? no englishman, no anglo-saxon, could be what he now is but for that portion of wild and savage energy which has come to him from his vandal forefathers. may it not then be fair to suppose that a time shall come when a race will inhabit those lovely islands, fitted by nature for their burning sun, in whose blood shall be mixed some portion of northern energy, and which shall owe its physical powers to african progenitors,--a race that shall be no more ashamed of the name of negro than we are of the name of saxon? but, in the mean time, what are we to do with our friend, lying as he now is at his ease under the cotton-tree, and declining to work after ten o'clock in the morning? "no, tankee, massa, me tired now; me no want more money." or perhaps it is, "no; workee no more; money no 'nuff; workee no pay." these are the answers which the suppliant planter receives when at ten o'clock he begs his negro neighbours to go a second time into the cane-fields and earn a second shilling, or implores them to work for him more than four days a week, or solicits them at christmas-time to put up with a short ten days' holiday. his canes are ripe, and his mill should be about; or else they are foul with weeds, and the hogsheads will be very short if they be not cleansed. he is anxious enough, for all his world depends upon it. but what does the negro care? "no; me no more workee now." the busher (overseer; elide the o and change v into b, and the word will gradually explain itself)--the busher, who remembers slavery and former happy days, d----s him for a lazy nigger, and threatens him with coming starvation, and perhaps with returning monkeydom. "no, massa; no starve now; god send plenty yam. no more monkey now, massa." the black man is not in the least angry, though the busher is. and as for the canes, they remain covered with dirt, and the return of the estate is but one hundred and thirty hogsheads instead of one hundred and ninety. let the english farmer think of that; and in realizing the full story, he must imagine that the plenteous food alluded to has been grown on his own ground, and probably planted at his own expense. the busher was wrong to curse the man, and wrong to threaten him with the monkey's tail; but it must be admitted that the position is trying to the temper. and who can blame the black man? he is free to work, or free to let it alone. he can live without work and roll in the sun, and suck oranges and eat bread-fruit; ay, and ride a horse perhaps, and wear a white waistcoat and plaited shirt on sundays. why should he care for the busher? i will not dig cane-holes for half a crown a day; and why should i expect him to do so? i can live without it; so can he. but, nevertheless, it would be very well if we could so contrive that he should not live without work. it is clearly not nature's intention that he should be exempted from the general lot of adam's children. we would not have our friend a slave; but we would fain force him to give the world a fair day's work for his fair day's provender if we knew how to do so without making him a slave. the fact i take it is, that there are too many good things in jamaica for the number who have to enjoy them. if the competitors were more in number, more trouble would be necessary in their acquirement. and now, just at this moment, philanthropy is again busy in england protecting the jamaica negro. he is a man and a brother, and shall we not regard him? certainly, my philanthropic friend, let us regard him well. he _is_ a man; and, if you will, a brother; but he is the very idlest brother with which a hardworking workman was ever cursed, intent only on getting his mess of pottage without giving anything in return. his petitions about the labour market, my excellently-soft-hearted friend, and his desire to be protected from undue competition are--. oh, my friend, i cannot tell you how utterly they are--gammon. he is now eating his yam without work, and in that privilege he is anxious to be maintained. and you, are you willing to assist him in his views? the negro slave was ill treated--ill treated, at any rate, in that he was a slave; and therefore, by that reaction which prevails in all human matters, it is now thought necessary to wrap him up in cotton and put him under a glass case. the wind must not blow on him too roughly, and the rose-leaves on which he sleeps should not be ruffled. he has been a slave; therefore now let him be a sybarite. his father did an ample share of work; therefore let the son be made free from his portion in the primeval curse. the friends of the negro, if they do not actually use such arguments, endeavour to carry out such a theory. but one feels that the joke has almost been carried too far when one is told that it is necessary to protect the labour market in jamaica, and save the negro from the dangers of competition. no immigration of labourers into that happy country should be allowed, lest the rate of wages be lowered, and the unfortunate labourer be made more dependent on his master! but if the unfortunate labourers could be made to work, say four days a week, and on an average eight hours a day, would not that in itself be an advantage? in our happy england, men are not slaves; but the competition of the labour market forces upon them long days of continual labour. in our own country, ten hours of toil, repeated six days a week, for the majority of us will barely produce the necessaries of life. it is quite right that we should love the negroes; but i cannot understand that we ought to love them better than ourselves. but with the most sensible of those who are now endeavouring to prevent immigration into jamaica the argument has been, not the protection of the jamaica negro, but the probability of ill usage to the immigrating african. in the first place, it is impossible not to observe the absurdity of acting on petitions from the negroes of jamaica on such a pretence as this. does any one truly imagine that the black men in jamaica are so anxious for the welfare of their cousins in africa, that they feel themselves bound to come forward and express their anxiety to the english houses of parliament? of course nobody believes it. of course it is perfectly understood that those petitions are got up by far other persons, and with by far other views; and that not one negro in fifty of those who sign them understands anything whatever about the matter, or has any wish or any solicitude on such a subject. lord brougham mentions it as a matter of congratulation, that so large a proportion of the signatures should be written by the subscribers themselves--that there should be so few marksmen; but is it a matter of congratulation that this power of signing their names should be used for so false a purpose? and then comes the question as to these immigrants themselves. though it is not natural to suppose that their future fellow-labourers in jamaica should be very anxious about them, such anxiety on the part of others is natural. in the first place, it is for the government to look to them; and then, lest the government should neglect its duty, it is for such men as lord brougham to look to the government. that lord brougham should to the last be anxious for the welfare of the african is what all men would expect and all desire; but we would not wish to confide even to him the power of absolutely consummating the ruin of the jamaica planter. is it the fact that labourers immigrating to the west indies have been ill treated, whether they be portuguese from madeira, coolies from india, africans from the western coast, or chinese? in jamaica, unfortunately, their number is as yet but scanty, but in british guiana they are numerous. i think i may venture to say that no labourers in any country are so cared for, so closely protected, so certainly saved from the usual wants and sorrows incident to the labouring classes. and this is equally so in jamaica as far as the system has gone. what would be the usage of the african introduced by voluntary contribution may be seen in the usage of him who has been brought into the country from captured slave-ships. their clothing, their food, their house accommodation, their hospital treatment, their amount of work and obligatory period of working with one master--all these matters are under government surveillance; and the planter who has allotted to him the privilege of employing such labour becomes almost as much subject to government inspection as though his estate were government property. it is said that an obligatory period of labour amounts to slavery, even though the contract shall have been entered into by the labourer of his own free will. i will not take on myself to deny this, as i might find it difficult to define the term slavery; but if this be so, english apprentices are slaves, and so are indentured clerks; so are hired agricultural servants in many parts of england and wales; and so, certainly, are all our soldiers and sailors. but in the ordinary acceptation of the word slavery, that acceptation which comes home to us all, whether we can define it or no, men subject to such contracts are not slaves. there is much that is prepossessing in the ordinary good humour of the negro; and much also that is picturesque in his tastes. i soon learned to think the women pretty, in spite of their twisted locks of wool; and to like the ring of their laughter, though it is not exactly silver-sounding. they are very rarely surly when spoken to; and their replies, though they seldom are absolutely witty, contain, either in the sound or in the sense, something that amounts to drollery. the unpractised ear has great difficulty in understanding them, and i have sometimes thought that this indistinctness has created the fun which i have seemed to relish. the tone and look are humorous; and the words, which are hardly heard, and are not understood, get credit for humour also. nothing about them is more astonishing than the dress of the women. it is impossible to deny to them considerable taste and great power of adaptation. in england, among our housemaids and even haymakers, crinoline, false flowers, long waists, and flowing sleeves have become common; but they do not wear their finery as though they were at home in it. there is generally with them, when in their sunday best, something of the hog in armour. with the negro woman there is nothing of this. in the first place she is never shame-faced. then she has very frequently a good figure, and having it, she knows how to make the best of it. she has a natural skill in dress, and will be seen with a boddice fitted to her as though it had been made and laced in paris. their costumes on fête days and sundays are perfectly marvellous. they are by no means contented with coloured calicoes; but shine in muslin and light silks at heaven only knows how much a yard. they wear their dresses of an enormous fulness. one may see of a sunday evening three ladies occupying a whole street by the breadth of their garments, who on the preceding day were scrubbing pots and carrying weights about the town on their heads. and they will walk in full-dress too as though they had been used to go in such attire from their youth up. they rejoice most in white--in white muslin with coloured sashes; in light-brown boots, pink gloves, parasols, and broad-brimmed straw hats with deep veils and glittering bugles. the hat and the veil, however, are mistakes. if the negro woman thoroughly understood effect, she would wear no head-dress but the coloured handkerchief, which is hers by right of national custom. some of their efforts after dignity of costume are ineffably ludicrous. one sunday evening, far away in the country, as i was riding with a gentleman, the proprietor of the estate around us, i saw a young girl walking home from church. she was arrayed from head to foot in virgin white. her gloves were on, and her parasol was up. her hat also was white, and so was the lace, and so were the bugles which adorned it. she walked with a stately dignity that was worthy of such a costume, and worthy also of higher grandeur; for behind her walked an attendant nymph, carrying the beauty's prayer-book--on her head. a negro woman carries every burden on her head, from a tub of water weighing a hundredweight down to a bottle of physic. when we came up to her, she turned towards us and curtsied. she curtsied, for she recognized her 'massa;' but she curtsied with great dignity, for she recognized also her own finery. the girl behind with the prayer-book made the ordinary obeisance, crooking her leg up at the knee, and then standing upright quicker than thought. "who on earth is that princess?" said i. "they are two sisters who both work at my mill," said my friend. "next sunday they will change places. polly will have the parasol and the hat, and jenny will carry the prayer-book on her head behind her." i was in a shoemaker's shop at st. thomas, buying a pair of boots, when a negro entered quickly and in a loud voice said he wanted a pair of pumps. he was a labouring man fresh from his labour. he had on an old hat--what in ireland men would call a caubeen; he was in his shirt-sleeves, and was barefooted. as the only shopman was looking for my boots, he was not attended to at the moment. "want a pair of pumps--directerly," he roared out in a very dictatorial voice. "sit down for a moment," said the shopman, "and i will attend to you." he did sit down, but did so in the oddest fashion. he dropped himself suddenly into a chair, and at the same moment rapidly raised his legs from the ground; and as he did so fastened his hands across them just below his knees, so as to keep his feet suspended from his arms. this he contrived to do in such a manner that the moment his body reached the chair his feet left the ground. i looked on in amazement, thinking he was mad. "give i a bit of carpet," he screamed out; still holding up his feet, but with much difficulty. "yes, yes," said the shopman, still searching for the boots. "give i a bit of carpet directerly," he again exclaimed. the seat of the chair was very narrow, and the back was straight, and the position was not easy, as my reader will ascertain if he attempt it. he was half-choked with anger and discomfort. the shopman gave him the bit of carpet. most men and women will remember that such bits of carpet are common in shoemakers' shops. they are supplied, i believe, in order that they who are delicate should not soil their stockings on the floor. the gentleman in search of the pumps had seen that people of dignity were supplied with such luxuries, and resolved to have his value for his money; but as he had on neither shoes nor stockings, the little bit of carpet was hardly necessary for his material comfort. chapter v. jamaica--coloured men. if in speaking of the negroes i have been in danger of offending my friends at home, i shall be certain in speaking of the coloured men to offend my friends in jamaica. on this subject, though i have sympathy with them, i have no agreement. they look on themselves as the ascendant race. i look upon those of colour as being so, or at any rate as about to become so. in speaking of my friends in jamaica, it is not unnatural that i should allude to the pure-blooded europeans, or european creoles--to those in whose veins there is no admixture of african blood. "similia similibus." a man from choice will live with those who are of his own habits and his own way of thinking. but as regards jamaica, i believe that the light of their star is waning, that their ascendency is over--in short, that their work, if not done, is on the decline. ascendency is a disagreeable word to apply to any two different races whose fate it may be to live together in the same land. it has been felt to be so in ireland, when used either with reference to the saxon protestant or celtic roman catholic; and it is so with reference to those of various shades of colour in jamaica. but nevertheless it is the true word. when two rivers come together, the waters of which do not mix, the one stream will be the stronger--will over-power the other--will become ascendant and so it is with people and nations. it may not be pretty-spoken to talk about ascendency; but sometimes pretty speaking will not answer a man's purpose. it is almost unnecessary to explain that by coloured men i mean those who are of a mixed race--of a breed mixed, be it in what proportion it may, between the white european and the black african. speaking of jamaica, i might almost say between the anglo-saxon and the african; for there remains, i take it, but a small tinge of spanish blood. of the old indian blood there is, i imagine, hardly a vestige. both the white men and the black dislike their coloured neighbours. it is useless to deny that as a rule such is the case. the white men now, at this very day, dislike them more in jamaica than they do in other parts of the west indies, because they are constantly driven to meet them, and are more afraid of them. in jamaica one does come in contact with coloured men. they are to be met at the governor's table; they sit in the house of assembly; they cannot be refused admittance to state parties, or even to large assemblies; they have forced themselves forward, and must be recognized as being in the van. individuals decry them--will not have them within their doors--affect to despise them. but in effect the coloured men of jamaica cannot be despised much longer. it will be said that we have been wrong if we have ever despised these coloured people, or indeed, if we have ever despised the negroes, or any other race. i can hardly think that anything so natural can be very wrong. those who are educated and civilized and powerful will always, in one sense, despise those who are not; and the most educated and civilized and most powerful will despise those who are less so. euphuists may proclaim against such a doctrine; but experience, i think, teaches us that it is true. if the coloured people in the west indies can overtop contempt, it is because they are acquiring education, civilization, and power. in jamaica they are, i hope, in a way to do this. my theory--for i acknowledge to a theory--is this: that providence has sent white men and black men to these regions in order that from them may spring a race fitted by intellect for civilization; and fitted also by physical organization for tropical labour. the negro in his primitive state is not, i think, fitted for the former; and the european white creole is certainly not fitted for the latter. to all such rules there are of course exceptions. in porto rico, for instance, one of the two remaining spanish colonies in the west indies, the peons, or free peasant labourers, are of mixed spanish and indian blood, without, i believe, any negro element. and there are occasional negroes whose mental condition would certainly tend to disprove the former of the two foregoing propositions, were it not that in such matters exceptional cases prove and disprove nothing. englishmen as a rule are stouter than frenchmen. were a french falstaff and an english slender brought into a room together, the above position would be not a whit disproved. it is probable also that the future race who shall inhabit these islands may have other elements than the two already named. there will soon be here--in the teeth of our friends of the anti-slavery society--thousands from china and hindostan. the chinese and the coolies--immigrants from india are always called coolies--greatly excel the negro in intelligence, and partake, though in a limited degree, of the negro's physical abilities in a hot climate. and thus the blood of asia will be mixed with that of africa; and the necessary compound will, by god's infinite wisdom and power, be formed for these latitudes, as it has been formed for the colder regions in which the anglo-saxon preserves his energy, and works. i know it will be said that there have been no signs of a mixture of breed between the negro and the coolie, and the negro and the chinese. the instances hitherto are, i am aware, but rare; but then the immigration of these classes is as yet but recent; and custom is necessary, and a language commonly understood, and habits, which the similitude of position will also make common, before such races will amalgamate. that they will amalgamate if brought together, all history teaches us. the anglo-saxon and the negro have done so, and in two hundred years have produced a population which is said to amount to a fifth of that of the whole island of jamaica, and which probably amounts to much more. two hundred years with us is a long time; but it is not so in the world's history. from to a.d. is a vast lapse of years; but how little is the lapse from the year to the year , dating from the creation of the world; or rather, how small appears such lapse to us! in how many pages is its history written? and yet god's races were spreading themselves over the earth then as now. men are in such a hurry. they can hardly believe that that will come to pass of which they have evidence that it will not come to pass in their own days. but then comes the question, whether the mulatto is more capable of being educated than the negro, and more able to work under a hot sun than the englishman; whether he does not rather lose the physical power of the one, and the intellectual power of the other. there are those in jamaica who have known them long, and who think that as a race they have deteriorated both in mind and body. i am not prepared to deny this. they probably have deteriorated in mind and body; and nevertheless my theory may be right. nay, i will go further and say that such deterioration on both sides is necessary to the correctness of my theory. in what compound are we to look for the full strength of each component part? should punch be as strong as brandy, or as sweet as sugar? neither the one nor the other. but in order to be good and efficient punch, it should partake duly of the strength of the spirit and of the sweetness of the saccharine--according to the skill and will of the gnostic fabricator, who in mixing knows his own purposes. so has it even been also in the admixture of races. the same amount of physical power is not required for all climates, nor the same amount of mental energy. but the mulatto, though he has deteriorated from the black man in one respect, and from the white in another, does also excel the black man in one respect, and also excel the white in another. as a rule, he cannot work as a negro can. he could not probably endure to labour in the cane-fields for sixteen hours out of the twenty-four, as is done by the cuban slave; but he can work safely under a tropical sun, and can in the day go through a fair day's work. he is not liable to yellow fever, as is the white man, and enjoys as valid a protection from the effects of heat as the heat of these regions requires. nor, as far as we yet know, have galileos, shakespeares, or napoleons been produced among the mulattos. few may probably have been produced who are able even to form an accurate judgment as to the genius of such men as these. but that the mulatto race partakes largely of the intelligence and ambition of their white forefathers, it is i think useless, and moreover wicked, to deny; wicked, because the denial arises from an unjust desire to close against them the door of promotion. let any stranger go through the shops and stores of kingston, and see how many of them are either owned or worked by men of colour; let him go into the house of assembly, and see how large a proportion of their debates is carried on by men of colour. i don't think much of the parliamentary excellence of these debates, as i shall have to explain by-and-by; but the coloured men at any rate hold their own against their white colleagues. how large a portion of the public service is carried on by them; how well they thrive, though the prejudices of both white and black are so strong against them! i just now spoke of these coloured men as mulattos. i did so because i was then anxious to refer to the exact and equal division of black and white blood. of course it is understood that the mulatto, technically so called, is the child of parents one of whom is all white and the other all black; and to judge exactly of the mixed race, one should judge, probably, from such an equal division. but no such distinction can be effectually maintained in speaking, or even in thinking of these people. the various gradations of coloured blood range from all but perfect white to all but perfect black; and the dispositions and capabilities are equally various. in the lower orders, among those who are nearest to the african stock, no attempts i imagine are made to preserve an exact line. one is at first inclined to think that the slightest infusion of white blood may be traced in the complexion and hair, and heard in the voice; but when the matter is closely regarded one often finds it difficult to express an opinion even to oneself. colour is frequently not the safest guide. to an inquirer really endeavouring to separate the races--should so thankless a task ever be attempted--the speech, i think, and the intelligence would afford the sources of information on which most reliance could be placed. but the distinction between the white and the coloured men is much more closely looked into. and those are the unfortunate among the latter who are tempted, by the closeness of their relationship to europe, to deny their african parentage. many do, if not by lip, at any rate by deed, stoutly make such denial; not by lip, for the subject is much too sore for speech, but by every wile by which a white quadroon can seek to deny his ancestry! such denial is never allowed. the crisp hair, the sallow skin, the known family history, the thick lip of the old remembered granddam, a certain languor in the eye; all or some, or perhaps but one of these tells the tale. but the tale is told, and the life-struggle is made always, and always in vain. this evil--for it is an evil--arises mainly from the white man's jealousy. he who seeks to pass for other than he is makes a low attempt; all attempts at falsehood must of necessity be low. but i doubt whether such energy of repudiation be not equally low. why not allow the claim; or seem to allow it, if practicable? "white art thou, my friend? be a white man if thou wilt, or rather if thou canst. all we require of thee is that there remains no negro ignorance, no negro cunning, no negro apathy of brain. forbear those vain attempts to wash out that hair of thine, and make it lank and damp. we will not regard at all, that little wave in thy locks; not even that lisp in thy tongue. but struggle, my friend, to be open in thy speech. any wave there we cannot but regard. speak out the thought that is in thee; for if thy thoughts lisp negrowards, our verdict must be against thee." is it not thus that we should accept their little efforts? but we do not accept them so. in lieu thereof, we admit no claim that can by any evidence be rejected; and, worse than that, we impute the stigma of black blood where there is no evidence to support such imputation. "a nice fellow, jones; eh? very intelligent, and well mannered," some stranger says, who knows nothing of jones's antecedents. "yes, indeed," answers smith, of jamaica; "a very decent sort of fellow. they do say that he's coloured; of course you know that." the next time you see jones, you observe him closely, and can find no trace of the ethiop. but should he presently descant on purity of blood, and the insupportable impudence of the coloured people, then, and not till then, you would begin to doubt. but these are evils which beset merely the point of juncture between the two races. with nine-tenths of those of mixed breed no attempts at concealment are by any means possible; and by them, of course, no such attempts are made. they take their lot as it is, and i think that on the whole they make the most of it. they of course are jealous of the assumed ascendency of the white men, and affect to show, sometimes not in the most efficacious manner, that they are his equal in external graces as in internal capacities. they are imperious to the black men, and determined on that side to exhibit and use their superiority. at this we can hardly be surprised. if we cannot set them a better lesson than we do, we can hardly expect the benefit which should arise from better teaching. but the great point to be settled is this: whether this race of mulattos, quadroons, mustes, and what not, are capable of managing matters for themselves; of undertaking the higher walks of life; of living, in short, as an independent people with a proper share of masterdom; and not necessarily as a servile people, as hewers of wood and drawers of water? if not, it will fare badly for jamaica, and will probably also fare badly in coming years for the rest of the west indies. whether other immigration be allowed or no, of one kind of immigration the supply into jamaica is becoming less and less. few european white men now turn thither in quest of fortune. few anglo-saxon adventurers now seek her shores as the future home of their adoption. the white man has been there, and has left his mark. the creole children of these europeans of course remain, but their numbers are no longer increased by new comers. but i think there is no doubt that they are fit--these coloured people, to undertake the higher as well as lower paths of human labour. indeed, they do undertake them, and thrive well in them now, much to the disgust of the so-esteemed ascendant class. they do make money, and enjoy it. they practise as statesmen, as lawyers, and as doctors in the colony; and, though they have not as yet shone brightly as divines in our english church, such deficiency may be attributed more to the jealousy of the parsons of that church than to their own incapacity. there are, they say, seventy thousand coloured people in the island, and not more than fifteen thousand white people. as the former increase in intelligence, it is not to be supposed that they will submit to the latter. nor are they at all inclined to submission. but they have still an up-hill battle before them. they are by no means humble in their gait, and their want of meekness sets their white neighbours against them. they are always proclaiming by their voice and look that they are as good as the white man; but they are always showing by their voice and look, also, that they know that this is a false boast. and then they are by no means popular with the negro. a negro, as a rule, will not serve a mulatto when he can serve a european or a white creole. he thinks that the mulatto is too near akin to himself to be worthy of any respect. in his passion he calls him a nigger--and protests that he is not, and never will be like buckra man. the negroes complain that the coloured men are sly and cunning; that they cannot be trusted as masters; that they tyrannize, bully, and deceive; in short, that they have their own negro faults. there may, doubtless, be some truth in this. they have still a portion of their lesson to learn; perhaps the greater portion. i affirm merely that the lesson is being learned. a race of people with its good and ill qualities is not formed in a couple of centuries. and if it be fated that the anglo-saxon race in these islands is to yield place to another people, and to abandon its ground, having done its appointed work, surely such a decree should be no cause of sorrow. to have done their appointed work, and done it well,--should not this be enough for any men? but there are they who protest that such ideas as these with reference to this semi-african people are unpatriotic; are unworthy of an englishman, who should foster the ascendency of his own race and his own country. such men will have it as an axiom, that when an englishman has been master once, he should be master always: that his dominion should not give way to strange hands, or his ascendency yield itself to strange races. it is unpatriotic, forsooth, to suggest that these tawny children of the sun should get the better of their british lords, and rule the roast themselves! even were it so--should it even be granted that such an idea is unpatriotic, one would then be driven back to ask whether patriotism be a virtue. it is at any rate a virtue in consequence only of the finite aspirations of mankind. to love the universe which god has made, were man capable of such love, would be a loftier attribute than any feeling for one's own country. the gentile was as dear as the jew; the samaritans as much prized as they of galilee, or as the children of judah. the present position and prospects of the children of great britain are sufficiently noble, and sufficiently extended. one need not begrudge to others their limited share in the population and government of the world's welfare. while so large a part of north america and australia remain still savage--waiting the white man's foot--waiting, in fact, for the foot of the englishman, there can be no reason why we should doom our children to swelter and grow pale within the tropics. a certain work has been ours to do there, a certain amount of remaining work it is still probably our lot to complete. but when that is done; when civilization, commerce, and education shall have been spread; when sufficient of our blood shall have been infused into the veins of those children of the sun; then, i think, we may be ready, without stain to our patriotism, to take off our hats and bid farewell to the west indies. and be it remembered that i am here speaking of the general ascendancy, not of the political power of these coloured races. it may be that after all we shall still have to send out some white governor with a white aide-de-camp and a white private secretary--some three or four unfortunate white men to support the dignity of the throne of queen victoria's great-grandchild's grandchild. such may be, or may not be. to my thinking, it would be more for our honour that it should not be so. if the honour, glory, and well-being of the child be dear to the parents, great britain should surely be more proud of the united states than of any of her colonies. we britishers have a noble mission. the word i know is unpopular, for it has been foully misused; but it is in itself a good word, and none other will supply its place. we have a noble mission, but we are never content with it. it is not enough for us to beget nations, civilize countries, and instruct in truth and knowledge the dominant races of the coming ages. all this will not suffice unless also we can maintain a king over them! what is it to us, or even to them, who may be their king or ruler--or, to speak with a nearer approach to sense, from what source they be governed--so long as they be happy, prosperous, and good? and yet there are men mad enough to regret the united states! many men are mad enough to look forward with anything but composure to the inevitable, happily inevitable day, when australia shall follow in the same path. we have risen so high that we may almost boast to have placed ourselves above national glory. the welfare of the coming world is now the proper care of the anglo-saxon race. the coloured people, i have said, have made their way into society in jamaica. that is, they have made a certain degree of impression on the millstone; which will therefore soon be perforated through and through, and then crumble to pieces like pumice-stone. nay, they have been or are judges, attorneys-general, prime ministers, leaders of the opposition, and what not. the men have so far made their way. the difficulty now is with the women. and in high questions of society here is always the stumbling-block. all manners of men can get themselves into a room together without difficulty, and can behave themselves with moderate forbearance to each other when in it. but there are points on which ladies are harder than steel, stiffer than their brocaded silks, more obdurate than whalebone. "he wishes me to meet mrs. so-and-so," a lady said to me, speaking of her husband, "because mr. so-and-so is a very respectable good sort of man. i have no objection whatever to mr. so-and-so; but if i begin with her, i know there will be no end." "probably not," i said; "when you once commence, you will doubtless have to go on--in the good path." i confess that the last words were said _sotto voce_. on that occasion the courage was wanting in me to speak out my mind. the lady was very pretty, and i could not endure to be among the unfavoured ones. "that is just what i have said to mr. ----; but he never thinks about such things; he is so very imprudent. if i ask mrs. so-and-so here, how can i keep out mrs. such-a-one? they are both very respectable, no doubt; but what were their grandmothers?" ah! if we were to think of their grandmothers, it would doubtless be a dark subject. but what, o lady, of their grandchildren? that may be the most important, and also most interesting side from whence to view the family. "these people marry now," another lady said to me--a lady not old exactly, but old enough to allude to such a subject; and in the tone of her voice i thought i could catch an idea that she conceived them in doing so to be trenching on the privileges of their superiors. "but their mothers and grandmothers never thought of looking to that at all. are we to associate with the children of such women, and teach our daughters that vice is not to be shunned?" ah! dear lady--not old, but sufficiently old--this statement of yours is only too true. their mothers and grandmothers did not think much of matrimony--had but little opportunity of thinking much of it. but with whom did the fault chiefly lie? these very people of whom we are speaking, would they not be your cousins but for the lack of matrimony? your uncle, your father, your cousins, your grandfather, nay, your very brother, are they not the true criminals in this matter--they who have lived in this unhallowed state with women of a lower race? for the sinners themselves of either sex i would not ask _your_ pardon; but you might forgive the children's children. the life of coloured women in jamaica some years since was certainly too often immoral. they themselves were frequently illegitimate, and they were not unwilling that their children should be so also. to such a one it was preferable to be a white man's mistress than the wife of such as herself; and it did not bring on them the same disgrace, this kind of life, as it does on women in england, or even, i may say, on women in europe, nor the same bitter punishment. their master, though he might be stern enough and a tyrant, as the owner of slaves living on his own little principality might probably be, was kinder to her than to the other females around her, and in a rough sort of way was true to her. he did not turn her out of the house, and she found it to be promotion to be the mother of his children and the upper servant in his establishment. and in those days, days still so near to us, the coloured woman was a slave herself, unless specially manumitted either in her own generation or in that immediately above her. it is from such alliances as these that the coloured race of jamaica has sprung. but all this, if one cannot already boast that it is changed, is quickly changing. matrimony is in vogue, and the coloured women know their rights, and are inclined to claim them. of course among them, as among us at home, and among all people, there are various ranks. there are but few white labourers in jamaica, and but few negroes who are not labourers. but the coloured people are to be found in all ranks, from that of the prime minister--for they have a prime minister in jamaica--down to the worker in the cane-fields. among their women many are now highly educated, for they send their children to english schools. perhaps if i were to say fashionably educated, i might be more strictly correct they love dearly to shine; to run over the piano with quick and loud fingers; to dance with skill, which they all do, for they have good figures and correct ears; to know and display the little tricks and graces of english ladies--such tricks and graces as are to be learned between fifteen and seventeen at ealing, clapham, and homsey. but the coloured girls of a class below these--perhaps i should say two classes below them--are the most amusing specimens of jamaica ladies. i endeavoured to introduce my readers to one at port antonio. they cannot be called pretty, for the upper part of the face almost always recedes; but they have good figures and well-turned limbs. they are singularly free from _mauvaise honte_, and yet they are not impertinent or ill-mannered. they are gracious enough with the pale faces when treated graciously, but they can show a very high spirit if they fancy that any slight is shown to them. they delight to talk contemptuously of niggers. those people are dirty niggers, and nasty niggers, and mere niggers. i have heard this done by one whom i had absolutely taken for a negro, and who was not using loud abusive language, but gently speaking of an inferior class. with these, as indeed with coloured people of a higher grade, the great difficulty is with their language. they cannot acquire the natural english pronunciation. as far as i remember, i have never heard but two negroes who spoke unbroken english; and the lower classes of the coloured people, though they are not equally deficient, are still very incapable of plain english articulation. the "th" is to them, as to foreigners, an insuperable difficulty. even josephine, it may be remembered, was hardly perfect in this respect. chapter vi. jamaica--white men. it seems to us natural that white men should hold ascendency over those who are black or coloured. although we have emancipated our own slaves, and done so much to abolish slavery elsewhere, nevertheless we regard the negro as born to be a servant. we do not realize it to ourselves that it is his right to share with us the high places of the world, and that it should be an affair of individual merit whether we wait on his beck or he on ours. we have never yet brought ourselves so to think, and probably never shall. they still are to us a servile race. philanthropical abolitionists will no doubt deny the truth of this; but i have no doubt that the conviction is strong with them--could they analyze their own convictions--as it is with others. where white men and black men are together, the white will order and the black will obey, with an obedience more or less implicit according to the terms on which they stand. when those terms are slavery, the white men order with austerity, and the black obey with alacrity. but such terms have been found to be prejudicial to both. each is brutalized by the contact. the black man becomes brutal and passive as a beast of burden; the white man becomes brutal and ferocious as a beast of prey. but there are various other terms on which they may stand as servants and masters. there are those well-understood terms which regulate employment in england and elsewhere, under which the poor man's time is his money, and the rich man's capital his certain means of obtaining labour. as far as we can see, these terms, if properly carried out, are the best which human wisdom can devise for the employment and maintenance of mankind. here in england they are not always properly carried out. at an occasional spot or two things will run rusty for a while. there are strikes, and there are occasional gluts of labour, very distressing to the poor man; and occasional gluts of the thing laboured, very embarrassing to the rich man. but on the whole, seeing that after all the arrangement is only human, here in england it does work pretty well. we intended, no doubt, when we emancipated our slaves in jamaica, that the affair should work in the same way there. but the terms there at present are as far removed from the english system as they are from the cuban, and are almost as abhorrent to justice as slavery itself--as abhorrent to justice, though certainly not so abhorrent to mercy and humanity. what would a farmer say in england if his ploughman declined to work, and protested that he preferred going to his master's granary and feeding himself and his children on his master's corn? "measter, noa; i beez a-tired thick day, and dunna mind to do no wark!" then the poorhouse, my friend, the poorhouse! and hardly that; starvation first, and nakedness, and all manner of misery. in point of fact, our friend the ploughman must go and work, even though his o'erlaboured bones be tired, as no doubt they often are. he knows it, and does it, and in his way is not discontented. and is not this god's ordinance? his ordinance in england and elsewhere, but not so, apparently, in jamaica. there we had a devil's ordinance in those days of slavery; and having rid ourselves of that, we have still a devil's ordinance of another sort. it is not perhaps very easy for men to change devil's work into heavenly work at once. the ordinance that at present we have existing there is that _far niente_ one of lying in the sun and eating yams--"of eating, not your own yams, you lazy, do-nothing, thieving darkee; but my yams; mine, who am being ruined, root and branch, stock and barrel, house and homestead, wife and bairns, because you won't come and work for me when i offer you due wages; you thieving, do-nothing, lazy nigger." "hush!" will say my angry philanthropist. "for the sake of humanity, hush! will coarse abuse and the calling of names avail anything? is he not a man and a brother?" no, my angry philanthropist; while he will not work and will only steal, he is neither the one nor the other, in my estimation. as for his being a brother, that we may say is--fudge; and i will call no professional idler a man. but the abuse above given is not intended to be looked on as coming out of my own mouth, and i am not, therefore, to be held responsible for the wording of it. it is inserted there--with small inverted commas, as you see--to show the language with which our angry white friends in jamaica speak of the extraordinary condition in which they have found themselves placed. slowly--with delay that has been awfully ruinous--they now bethink themselves of immigration--immigration from the coast of africa, immigration from china, coolie immigrants from hindostan. when trinidad and guiana have helped themselves, then jamaica bestirs itself. and what then? then the negroes bestir themselves. "for heaven's sake let us be looked to! are we not to be protected from competition? if labourers be brought here, will not these white people again cultivate their grounds? shall we not be driven from our squatting patches? shall we not starve; or, almost worse than that, shall we not again fall under adam's curse? shall we not again be slaves, in reality, if not in name? shall we not have to work?" the negro's idea of emancipation was and is emancipation not from slavery but from work. to lie in the sun and eat breadfruit and yams is his idea of being free. such freedom as that has not been intended for man in this world; and i say that jamaica, as it now exists, is still under a devil's ordinance. one cannot wonder that the white man here should be vituperative in his wrath. first came emancipation. he bore that with manful courage; for it must be remembered that even in that he had much to bear. the price he got for his slave was nothing as compared with that slave's actual value. and slavery to him was not repugnant as it is to you and me. one's trade is never repugnant to one's feelings. but so much he did bear with manly courage. he could no longer make slave-grown sugar, but he would not at any rate be compelled to compete with those who could. the protective duties would save him there. then free trade became the fashion, and protective duties on sugar were abolished. i beg it may not be thought that i am an advocate for such protection. the west indians were, i think, thrown over in a scurvy manner, because they were thrown over by their professed friends. but that was, we all know, the way with sir robert peel. well, free trade in sugar became the law of the land, and then the jamaica planter found the burden too heavy for his back. the money which had flown in so freely came in such small driblets that he could make no improvement. portions of his estate went out of cultivation, and then the negro who should have tilled the remainder squatted on it, and said, "no, massa, me no workee to-day." and now, to complete the business, now that jamaica is at length looking in earnest for immigration--for it has long been looking for immigration with listless dis-earnest--the planter is told that the labour of the black man must be protected. if he be vituperative, who can wonder at it? to speak the truth, he is somewhat vituperative. the white planter of jamaica is sore and vituperative and unconvinced. he feels that he has been ill used, and forced to go to the wall; and that now he is there, he is meanly spoken of, as though he were a bore and a nuisance--as one of whom the colonial office would gladly rid itself if it knew how. in his heart of hearts there dwells a feeling that after all slavery was not so vile an institution--that that devil as well as some others has been painted too black. in those old days the work was done, the sugar was made, the workmen were comfortably housed and fed, and perhaps on his father's estate were kindly treated. at any rate, such is his present memory. the money came in, things went on pleasantly, and he cannot remember that anybody was unhappy. but now--! can it be wondered at that in his heart of hearts he should still have a sort of yearning after slavery? in one sense, at any rate, he has been ill used. the turn in the wheel of fortune has gone against him, as it went against the hand-loom weavers when machinery became the fashion. circumstances rather than his own fault have brought him low. well-disciplined energy in all the periods of his adversity might perhaps have saved him, as it has saved others; but there has been more against him than against others. as regards him himself, the old-fashioned jamaica planter, the pure blooded white owner of the soil, i think that his day in jamaica is done. the glory, i fear, has departed from his house. the hand-loom weavers have been swept into infinite space, and their children now poke the engine fires, or piece threads standing in a factory. the children of the old jamaica planter must also push their fortunes elsewhere. it is a thousand pities, for he was, i may still say is, the prince of planters--the true aristocrat of the west indies. he is essentially different as a man from the somewhat purse-proud barbadian, whose estate of two hundred acres has perhaps changed hands half a dozen times in the last fifty years, or the thoroughly mercantile sugar manufacturer of guiana. he has so many of the characteristics of an english country gentleman that he does not strike an englishman as a strange being. he has his pedigree, and his family house, and his domain around him. he shoots and fishes, and some few years since, in the good days, he even kept a pack of hounds. he is in the commission of the peace, and as such has much to do. a planter in demerara may also be a magistrate,--probably is so; but the fact does not come forward as a prominent part of his life's history. in jamaica too there is scope for a country gentleman. they have their counties and their parishes; in barbados they have nothing but their sugar estates. they have county society, local balls, and local race-meetings. they have local politics, local quarrels, and strong old-fashioned local friendships. in all these things one feels oneself to be much nearer to england in jamaica than in any other of the west indian islands. all this is beyond measure pleasant, and it is a thousand pities that it should not last. i fear, however, that it will not last--that, indeed, it is not now lasting. that dear lady's unwillingness to obey her lord's behests, when he asked her to call on her brown neighbour, nay, the very fact of that lord's request, both go to prove that this is so. the lady felt that her neighbour was cutting the very ground from under her feet. the lord knew "that old times were changed, old manners gone." the game was almost up when he found himself compelled to make such a request. at present, when the old planter sits on the magisterial bench, a coloured man sits beside him; one probably on each side of him. at road sessions he cannot carry out his little project because the coloured men out-vote him. there is a vacancy for his parish in the house of assembly. the old planter scorns the house of assembly, and will have nothing to do with it. a coloured man is therefore chosen, and votes away the white man's taxes; and then things worse and worse arise. not only coloured men get into office, but black men also. what is our old aristocratic planter to do with a negro churchwarden on one side, and a negro coroner on another? "fancy what our state is," a young planter said to me; "i dare not die, for fear i should be sat upon by a black man!" i know that it will be thought by many, and probably said by some, that these are distinctions to which we ought not to allude. but without alluding to them in one's own mind it is impossible to understand the state of the country; and without alluding to them in speech it is impossible to explain the state of the country. the fact is, that in jamaica, at the present day, the coloured people do stand on strong ground, and that they do not so stand with the goodwill of the old aristocracy of the country. they have forced their way up, and now loudly protest that they intend to keep it. i think that they will keep it, and that on the whole it will be well for us anglo-saxons to have created a race capable of living and working in the climate without inconvenience. it is singular, however, how little all this is understood in england. there it is conceived that white men and coloured men, white ladies and coloured ladies, meet together and amalgamate without any difference. the duchess of this and lord that are very happy to have at their tables some intelligent dark gentleman, or even a well-dressed negro, though he may not perhaps be very intelligent. there is some little excitement in it, some change from the common; and perhaps also an easy opportunity of practising on a small scale those philanthropic views which they preach with so much eloquence. when one hobnobs over a glass of champagne with a dark gentleman, he is in some sort a man and a brother. but the duchess and the lord think that because the dark gentleman is to their taste, he must necessarily be as much to the taste of the neighbours among whom he has been born and bred; of those who have been accustomed to see him from his childhood. there never was a greater mistake. a coloured man may be a fine prophet in london; but he will be no prophet in jamaica, which is his own country; no prophet at any rate among his white neighbours. i knew a case in which a very intelligent--nay, i believe, a highly-educated young coloured gentleman, was sent out by certain excellent philanthropic big-wigs to fill an official situation in jamaica. he was a stranger to jamaica, never having been there before. now, when he was so sent out, the home big-wigs alluded to, intimated to certain other big-wigs in jamaica that their dark protégé would be a great acquisition to the society of the place. i mention this to show the ignorance of those london big-wigs, not as to the capability of the young gentleman, which probably was not over-rated, but as to the manners and life of the place. i imagine that the gentleman has hardly once found himself in that society which it was supposed he would adorn. the time, however, will probably come when he and others of the same class will have sufficient society of their own. i have said elsewhere that the coloured people in jamaica have made their way into society; and in what i now say i may seem to contradict myself. into what may perhaps be termed public society they have made their way. those who have seen the details of colonial life will know that there is a public society to which people are admitted or not admitted, according to their acknowledged rights. governor's parties, public balls, and certain meetings which are semi-official and semi-social, are of this nature. a governor in jamaica would, i imagine, not conceive himself to have the power of excluding coloured people from his table, even if he wished it. but in barbados i doubt whether a governor could, if he wished it, do the reverse. so far coloured people in jamaica have made their footing good; and they are gradually advancing beyond this. but not the less as a rule are they disliked by the old white aristocracy of the country; in a strong degree by the planters themselves, but in a much stronger by the planters' wives. so much for my theory as to the races of men in jamaica, and as to the social condition of the white and coloured people with reference to each other. now i would say a word or two respecting the white man as he himself is, without reference either to his neighbour or to his prospects. a better fellow cannot be found anywhere than a gentleman of jamaica, or one with whom it is easier to live on pleasant terms. he is generally hospitable, affable, and generous; easy to know, and pleasant when known; not given perhaps to much deep erudition, but capable of talking with ease on most subjects of conversation; fond of society, and of pleasure, if you choose to call it so; but not generally addicted to low pleasures. he is often witty, and has a sharp side to his tongue if occasion be given him to use it. he is not generally, i think, a hard-working man. had he been so, the country perhaps would not have been in its present condition. but he is bright and clever, and in spite of all that he has gone through, he is at all times good-humoured. no men are fonder of the country to which they belong, or prouder of the name of great britain than these jamaicans. it has been our policy--and, as regards our larger colonies, the policy i have no doubt has been beneficial--to leave our dependencies very much to themselves; to interfere in the way of governing as little as might be; and to withdraw as much as possible from any participation in their internal concerns. this policy is anything but popular with the white aristocracy of jamaica. they would fain, if it were possible, dispense altogether with their legislature, and be governed altogether from home. in spite of what they have suffered, they are still willing to trust the statesmen of england, but are most unwilling to trust the statesmen of jamaica. nothing is more peculiar than the way in which the word "home" is used in jamaica, and indeed all through the west indies, with the white people, it always signifies england, even though the person using the word has never been there. i could never trace the use of the word in jamaica as applied by white men or white women to the home in which they lived, not even though that home had been the dwelling of their fathers as well as of themselves. the word "home" with them is sacred, and means something holier than a habitation in the tropics. it refers always to the old country. in this respect, as in so many others, an englishman differs greatly from a frenchman. though our english, as a rule, are much more given to colonize than they are; though we spread ourselves over the face of the globe, while they have established comparatively but few settlements in the outer world; nevertheless, when we leave our country, we almost always do so with some idea, be it ever so vague, that we shall return to it again, and again make it our home. but the frenchman divests himself of any such idea. he also loves france, or at any rate loves paris; but his object is to carry his paris with him; to make a paris for himself, whether it be in a sugar island among the antilles, or in a trading town upon the levant. and in some respects the frenchman is the wiser man. he never looks behind him with regret. he does his best to make his new house comfortable. the spot on which he fixes is his home, and so he calls it, and so regards it. but with an englishman in the west indies--even with an english creole--england is always his home. if the people in jamaica have any prejudice, it is on the subject of heat. i suppose they have a general idea that their island is hotter than england; but they never reduce this to an individual idea respecting their own habitation. "come and dine with me," a man says to you; "i can give you a cool bed." the invitation at first sounded strange to me, but i soon got used to it; i soon even liked it, though i found too often that the promise was not kept. how could it be kept while the quicksilver was standing at eighty-five in the shade? and each man boasts that his house is ten degrees cooler than that of his neighbours; and each man, if you contest the point, has a reason to prove why it must be so. but a stranger, at any rate round kingston, is apt to put the matter in a different light. one place may be hotter than another, but cool is a word which he never uses. on the whole, i think that the heat of kingston, jamaica, is more oppressive than that of any other place among the british west indies. when one gets down to the spanish coast, then, indeed, one can look back even to kingston with regret. chapter vii. jamaica--sugar. that jamaica was a land of wealth, rivalling the east in its means of riches, nay, excelling it as a market for capital, as a place in which money might be turned; and that it now is a spot on the earth almost more poverty-stricken than any other--so much is known almost to all men. that this change was brought about by the manumission of the slaves, which was completed in , of that also the english world is generally aware. and there probably the usual knowledge about jamaica ends. and we may also say that the solicitude of englishmen at large goes no further. the families who are connected with jamaica by ties of interest are becoming fewer and fewer. property has been abandoned as good for nothing, and nearly forgotten; or has been sold for what wretched trifle it would fetch; or left to an overseer, who is hardly expected to send home proceeds--is merely ordered imperatively to apply for no subsidies. fathers no longer send their younger sons to make their fortunes there. young english girls no longer come out as brides. dukes and earls do not now govern the rich gem of the west, spending their tens of thousands in royal magnificence, and laying by other tens of thousands for home consumption. in lieu of this, some governor by profession, unfortunate for the moment, takes jamaica with a groan, as a stepping-stone to some better barataria--new zealand perhaps, or frazer river; and by strict economy tries to save the price of his silver forks. equerries, aides-de-camp, and private secretaries no longer flaunt it about spanish town. the flaunting about spanish town is now of a dull sort. ichabod! the glory of that house is gone. the palmy days of that island are over. those who are failing and falling in the world excite but little interest; and so it is at present with jamaica. from time to time we hear that properties which used to bring five thousand pounds a year are not now worth five hundred pounds in fee simple. we hear it, thank our stars that we have not been brought up in the jamaica line, and there's an end of it. if we have young friends whom we wish to send forth into the world, we search the maps with them at our elbows; but we put our hands over the west indies--over the first fruits of the courage and skill of columbus--as a spot tabooed by providence. nay, if we could, we would fain forget jamaica altogether. but there it is; a spot on the earth not to be lost sight of or forgotten altogether, let us wish it ever so much. it belongs to us, and must be in some sort thought of and managed, and, if possible, governed. though the utter sinking of jamaica under the sea might not be regarded as a misfortune, it is not to be thought of that it should belong to others than britain. how should we look at the english politician who would propose to sell it to the united states; or beg spain to take it as an appendage to cuba? it is one of the few sores in our huge and healthy carcase; and the sore has been now running so long, that we have almost given over asking whether it be curable. this at any rate is certain--it will not sink into the sea, but will remain there, inhabited, if not by white men, then by coloured men or black; and must unfortunately be governed by us english. we have indulged our antipathy to cruelty by abolishing slavery. we have made the peculiar institution an impossibility under the british crown. but in doing so we overthrew one particular interest; and, alas! we overthrew also, and necessarily so, the holders of that interest. as for the twenty millions which we gave to the slave-owners, it was at best but as though we had put down awls and lasts by act of parliament, and, giving the shoemakers the price of their tools, told them they might make shoes as they best could without them; failing any such possibility, that they might live on the price of their lost articles. well; the shoemakers did their best, and continued their trade in shoes under much difficulty. but then we have had another antipathy to indulge, and have indulged it--our antipathy to protection. we have abolished the duty on slave-grown sugar; and the shoemakers who have no awls and lasts have to compete sadly with their happy neighbours, possessed of these useful shoemaking utensils. make no more shoes, but make something in lieu of shoes, we say to them. the world wants not shoes only--make hats. give up your sugar, and bring forth produce that does not require slave labour. could the men of jamaica with one voice speak out such words as the experience of the world might teach them, they would probably answer thus:--"yes; in two hundred years or so we will do so. so long it will take to alter the settled trade and habit of a community. in the mean time, for ourselves, our living selves, our late luxurious homes, our idle, softly-nurtured creole wives, our children coming and to come--for ourselves--what immediate compensation do you intend to offer us, mr. bull?" mr. bull, with sufficient anger at such importunity; with sufficient remembrance of his late twenty millions of pounds sterling; with some plain allusions to that payment, buttons up his breeches-pocket and growls angrily. abolition of slavery is good, and free trade is good. such little insight as a plain man may have into the affairs around him seems to me to suffice for the expression of such opinion. nor will i presume to say that those who proposed either the one law or the other were premature. to get a good law passed and out of hand is always desirable. there are from day to day so many new impediments! but the law having been passed, we should think somewhat of the sufferers. planters in jamaica assert that when the abolition of slavery was hurried on by the termination of the apprentice system before the time first stipulated, they were promised by the government at home that their interests should be protected by high duties on slave-grown sugar. that such pledge was ever absolutely made, i do not credit. but that, if made, it could be worth anything, no man looking to the history of england could imagine. what minister can pledge his successors? in jamaica it is said that the pledge was given and broken by the same man--by sir robert peel. but when did sir robert peel's pledge in one year bind even his own conduct in the next? the fact perhaps is this, that no one interest can ever be allowed to stand in the way of national progress. we could not stop machinery for the sake of the hand-loom weavers. the poor hand-loom weavers felt themselves aggrieved; knew that the very bread was taken from their mouths, their hard-earned cup from their lips. they felt, poor weavers! that they could not take themselves in middle life to poking fires and greasing wheels. time, the eater of things, has now pretty well eaten the hand-loom weavers--them and their miseries. must it not be so also with the jamaica planters? in the mean time the sight, as regards the white man, is a sad one to see; and almost the sadder in that the last three or four years have been in a slight degree prosperous to the jamaica sugar-grower; so that this question of producing sugar in that island at a rate that will pay for itself is not quite answered. the drowning man still clings by a rope's end, though it be but by half an inch, and that held between his teeth. let go, thou unhappy one, and drown thyself out of the way! is it not thus that great britain, speaking to him from the high places in exeter hall, shouts to him in his death struggles? are englishmen in general aware that half the sugar estates in jamaica, and i believe more than half the coffee plantations, have gone back into a state of bush?--that all this land, rich with the richest produce only some thirty years since, has now fallen back into wilderness?--that the world has hereabouts so retrograded?--that chaos and darkness have reswallowed so vast an extent of the most bountiful land that civilization had ever mastered, and that too beneath the british government? and of those who are now growing canes in jamaica a great portion are gentlemen who have lately bought their estates for the value of the copper in the sugar-boilers, and of the metal in the rum-stills. if to this has been added anything like a fair value for wheels in the machinery, the estate has not been badly sold. some estates there are, and they are not many, which are still worked by the agents--attorneys is the proper word--of rich proprietors in england; of men so rich that they have been able to bear the continual drain of properties that for years have been always losing--of men who have had wealth and spirit to endure this. it is hardly necessary to say that they are few; and that many whose spirit has been high, but wealth insufficient, have gone grievously to the wall in the attempt. and there are still some who, living on the spot, have hitherto pulled through it all; who have watched houses falling and the wilderness progressing, and have still stuck to their homes and their work; men whose properties for ten years, counting from the discontinuance of protection, have gradually grown less and less beneath their eyes, till utter want has been close to them. and yet they have held on. in the good times they may have made five hundred hogsheads of sugar every year. it has come to that with them that in some years they have made but thirty. but they have made that thirty and still held on. all honour at least to them! for their sake, if for that of no others, we would be tempted to pray that these few years of their prosperity may be prolonged and grow somewhat fatter. the exported produce of jamaica consists chiefly of sugar and rum. the article next in importance is coffee. then they export also logwood, arrowroot, pimento, and ginger; but not in quantities to make them of much national value. mahogany is also cut here, and fustic. but sugar and rum are still the staples of the island. now all the world knows that rum and sugar are made from the same plant. and yet every one will tell you that the cane can hardly be got to thrive in jamaica without slave labour; will tell you, also, that the land of jamaica is so generous that it will give forth many of the most wonderful fruits of the world, almost without labour. putting these two things together, would not any simple man advise them to abandon sugar? ah! he would be very simple if he were to do so with a voice that could make itself well heard, and should dare to do so in jamaica. men there are generally tolerant of opinion on most matters, and submit to be talked to on their own shortcomings and colonial mismanagement with a decent grace. you may advise them to do this, and counsel them to do that, referring to their own immediate concerns, without receiving that rebuke which your interference might probably deserve. but do not try their complaisance too far. do not advise them to give over making sugar. if you give such advice in a voice loud enough to be heard, the island will soon be too hot to hold you. sugar is loved there, whether wisely loved or not. if not wisely, then too well. when i hear a jamaica planter talking of sugar, i cannot but think of burns, and his muse that had made him poor and kept him so. and the planter is just as ready to give up his canes as the poet was to abandon his song. the production of sugar and the necessary concomitant production of rum--for in jamaica the two do necessarily go together--is not, one would say, an alluring occupation. i do not here intend to indulge my readers with a detailed description of the whole progress, from the planting or ratooning of the cane till the sugar and the rum are shipped. books there are, no doubt, much wiser than mine in which the whole process is developed. but i would wish this much to be understood, that the sugar planter, as things at present are, must attend to and be master of, and practically carry out three several trades. he must be an agriculturist, and grow his cane; and like all agriculturists must take his crop from the ground and have it ready for use; as the wheat grower does in england, and the cotton grower in america. but then he must also be a manufacturer, and that in a branch of manufacture which requires complicated machinery. the wheat grower does not grind his wheat and make it into bread. nor does the cotton grower fabricate calico. but the grower of canes must make sugar. he must have his boiling-houses and trash-houses; his water power and his steam power; he must dabble in machinery, and, in fact, be a manchester manufacturer as well as a kent farmer. and then, over and beyond this, he must be a distiller. the sugar leaves him fit for your puddings, and the rum fit for your punch--always excepting the slight article of adulteration which you are good enough to add afterwards yourselves. such a complication of trades would not be thought very alluring to a gentleman farmer in england. and yet the jamaica proprietor holds faithfully by his sugar-canes. it has been said that sugar is an article which for its proper production requires slave labour. that this is absolutely so is certainly not the fact, for very good sugar is made in jamaica without it. that thousands of pounds could be made with slaves where only hundreds are made--or, as the case may be, are lost--without it, i do not doubt. the complaint generally resolves itself to this, that free labour in jamaica cannot be commanded; that it cannot be had always, and up to a certain given quantity at a certain moment; that labour is scarce, and therefore high priced, and that labour being high priced, a negro can live on half a day's wages, and will not therefore work the whole day--will not always work any part of the day at all, seeing that his yams, his breadfruit, and his plantains are ready to his hands. but the slaves!--oh! those were the good times! i have in another chapter said a few words about the negroes as at present existing in jamaica, i also shall say a few words as to slavery elsewhere; and i will endeavour not to repeat myself. this much, however, is at least clear to all men, that you cannot eat your cake and have it. you cannot abolish slavery to the infinite good of your souls, your minds, and intellects, and yet retain it for the good of your pockets. seeing that these men are free, it is worse than useless to begrudge them the use of their freedom. if i have means to lie in the sun and meditate idle, why, o my worthy taskmaster! should you expect me to pull out at thy behest long reels of cotton, long reels of law jargon, long reels of official verbosity, long reels of gossamer literature--why, indeed? not having means so to lie, i do pull out the reels, taking such wages as i can get, and am thankful. but my friend and brother over there, my skin-polished, shining, oil-fat negro, is a richer man than i. he lies under his mango-tree, and eats the luscious fruit in the sun; he sends his black urchin up for a breadfruit, and behold the family table is spread. he pierces a cocoa-nut, and, lo! there is his beverage. he lies on the grass surrounded by oranges, bananas, and pine-apples. oh, my hard taskmaster of the sugar-mill, is he not better off than thou? why should he work at thy order? "no, massa, me weak in me belly; me no workee to-day; me no like workee just 'em little moment." yes, sambo has learned to have his own way; though hardly learned to claim his right without lying. that this is all bad--bad nearly as bad can be--bad perhaps as anything short of slavery, all men will allow. it will be quite as bad in the long run for the negro as for the white man--worse, indeed; for the white man will by degrees wash his hands of the whole concern. but as matters are, one cannot wonder that the black man will not work. the question stands thus: cannot he be made to do so? can it not be contrived that he shall be free, free as is the englishman, and yet compelled, as is the englishman, to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow? i utterly disbelieve in statistics as a science, and am never myself guided by any long-winded statement of figures from a chancellor of the exchequer or such like big-wig. to my mind it is an hallucination. such statements are "ignes fatui." figures, when they go beyond six in number, represent to me not facts, but dreams, or sometimes worse than dreams. i have therefore no right myself to offer statistics to the reader. but it was stated in the census taken in that there were sixteen thousand white people in the island, and about three hundred thousand blacks. there were also about seventy thousand coloured people. putting aside for the moment the latter as a middle class, and regarding the black as the free servants of the white, one would say that labour should not be so deficient but what, if your free servants don't work; unfortunately know how to live without working? the political question that presses upon me in viewing jamaica, is certainly this--will the growth of sugar pay in jamaica, or will it not? i have already stated my conviction that a change is now taking place in the very blood and nature of the men who are destined to be the dominant classes in these western tropical latitudes. that the white man, the white englishman, or white english creole, will ever again be a thoroughly successful sugar grower in jamaica i do not believe. that the brown man may be so is very probable; but great changes must first be made in the countries around him. while the "peculiar institution" exists in cuba, brazil, porto rico, and the southern states, it cannot, i think, come to pass. a plentiful crop in cuba may in any year bring sugar to a price which will give no return whatever to the jamaica grower. a spare crop in jamaica itself will have the same result; and there are many causes for spare crops; drought, for instance, and floods, and abounding rats, and want of capital to renew and manure the plants. at present the trade will only give in good years a fair profit to those who have purchased their land almost for nothing. a trade that cannot stand many misfortunes can hardly exist prosperously. this trade has stood very many; but i doubt whether it can stand more. the "peculiar institution," however, will not live for ever. the time must come when abolition will be popular even in louisiana. and when it is law there, it will be the law in cuba also. if that day shall have arrived before the last sugar-mill in the island shall have been stopped, jamaica may then compete with other free countries. the world will not do without sugar, let it be produced by slaves or free men. but though a man may venture to foretell the abolition of slavery in the states, and yet call himself no prophet, he must be a wiser man than i who can foretell the time. it will hardly be to-morrow; nor yet the next day. it will scarcely come so that we may see it. before it does come it may easily be that the last sugar-mill in poor jamaica will in truth have stopped. chapter viii. jamaica--emperor soulouque. we all remember the day when mr. smith landed at newhaven and took up his abode quietly at the inn there. poor mr. smith! in the ripeness of time he has betaken himself a stage further on his long journey, travelling now probably without disguise, either that of a citizen king or of a citizen smith. and now, following his illustrious example, the ex-emperor soulouque has sought the safety always to be found on english territories by sovereigns out of place. in january, , his highness landed at kingston, jamaica, having made his town of port au prince and his kingdom of hayti somewhat too hot to hold him. all the world probably knows that king soulouque is a black man. one blacker never endured the meridian heat of a tropical sun. the island, which was christened hispaniola by columbus, has resumed its ancient name of hayti. it is, however, divided into two kingdoms--two republics one may now say. that to the east is generally called st. domingo, having borrowed the name given by columbus to a town. this is by far the larger, but at the same time the poorer division of the island. that to the west is now called hayti, and over this territory soulouque reigned as emperor. he reigned as emperor, and was so styled, having been elected as president; in which little change in his state he has been imitated by a neighbour of ours with a success almost equal to his own. for some dozen years the success of soulouque was very considerable. he has had a dominion which has been almost despotic; and has, so rumour says, invested some three or four hundred thousand pounds in european funds. in this latter point his imitator has, i fear, hardly equalled him. but a higher ambition fired the bosom of soulouque, and he sighed after the territories of his neighbours--not generously to bestow them on other kings, but that he might keep them on his own behoof. soulouque desired to be emperor of the whole island, and he sounded his trumpet and prepared his arms. he called together his army, and put on the boots of bombastes. he put on the boots of bombastes and bade his men meet him--at the barleymow or elsewhere. but it seems that his men were slow in coming to the rendezvous. nothing that soulouque could say, nothing that he could do, no admonitions through his sternest government ministers, no reading of the mutiny act by his commanders and generals, would induce them actually to make an assault at arms. then soulouque was angry, and in his anger he maltreated his army. he put his men into pits, and kept them there without food; left them to be eaten by vermin--to be fed upon while they could not feed; and played, upon the whole, such a melodrama of autocratic tricks and fantasies as might have done honour to a white nero. then at last black human nature could endure no more, and soulouque, dreading a pit for his own majesty, was forced to run. in one respect he was more fortunate than mr. smith. in his dire necessity an english troop-ship was found to be at hand. the 'melbourne' was steaming home from jamaica, and the officer in command having been appealed to for assistance, consented to return to kingston with the royal suite. this she did, and on the nd of january, soulouque, with his wife and daughter, his prime minister, and certain coal-black maids of honour, was landed at the quays. when under the ægis of british protection, the ex-emperor was of course safe. but he had not exactly chosen a bed of roses for himself in coming to jamaica. it might be probable that a bed of roses was not easily to be found at the moment. at kingston there were collected many haytians, who had either been banished by soulouque in the plenitude of his power, or had run from him as he was now running from his subjects. there were many whose brothers and fathers had been destroyed in hayti, whose friends had perished under the hands of the tyrant's executioner, for whom pits would have been prepared had they not vanished speedily. these refugees had sought safety also in jamaica, and for them a day of triumph had now arrived. they were not the men to allow an opportunity for triumph to pass without enjoying it. these were mostly brown men--men of a mixed race; men, and indeed women also. with soulouque and his government such had found no favour. he had been glad to welcome white residents in his kingdom, and of course had rejoiced in having black men as his subjects. but of the coloured people he had endeavoured in every way to rid himself. he had done so to a great extent, and many of them were now ready to welcome him at kingston. kingston does not rejoice in public equipages of much pretensions; nor are there to be hired many carriages fit for the conveyance of royalty, even in its decadence. two small, wretched vehicles were however procured, such as ply in the streets there, and carry passengers to the spanish town railway at sixpence a head. in one of these sat soulouque and his wife, with a british officer on the box beside the driver, and with two black policemen hanging behind. in another, similarly guarded, were packed the countess olive--that being the name of the ex-emperor's daughter--and her attendants. and thus travelling by different streets they made their way to their hotel. one would certainly have wished, in despite of those wretched pits, that they had been allowed to do so without annoyance; but such was not the case. the banished haytians had it not in their philosophy to abstain from triumphing on a fallen enemy. they surrounded the carriages with a dusky cloud, and received the fugitives with howls of self-congratulation at their abasement. nor was this all. when the royal party was duly lodged at the date-tree tavern, the ex-haytians lodged themselves opposite. there they held a dignity ball in token of their joy; and for three days maintained their position in order that poor soulouque might witness their rejoicings. "they have said a mass over him, the wretched being!" said the landlady of my hotel to me, triumphantly. "said a mass over him?" "yes, the black nigger--king, indeed! said a mass over him 'cause he's down. thank god for that! and pray god keep him so. him king indeed, the black nigger!" all which could not have been comfortable for poor soulouque. the royal party had endeavoured in the first instance to take up their quarters at this lady's hotel, or lodging-house, as they are usually called. but the patriotic sister of mrs. seacole would listen to no such proposition. "i won't keep a house for black men," she said to me. "as for kings, i would despise myself to have a black king. as for that black beast and his black women--bah!" now this was certainly magnanimous, for soulouque would have been prepared to pay well for his accommodation. but the ordinary contempt which the coloured people have for negroes was heightened in this case by the presumption of black royalty--perhaps also by loyalty. "queen victoria is my king," said mrs. seacole's sister. i must confess that i endeavoured to excite her loyalty rather than her compassion. a few friends were to dine with me that day; and where would have been my turtle soup had soulouque and his suite taken possession of the house? the deposed tyrant, when he left hayti, published a short manifesto, in which he set forth that he, faustin the first, having been elected by the free suffrages of his fellow countrymen, had endeavoured to govern them well, actuated by a pure love of his country; that he had remained at his post as long as his doing so had been pleasing to his countrymen; but that now, having discovered by sure symptoms that his countrymen desired to see him no longer on the throne, he voluntarily and immediately abdicated his seat. from henceforth he could only wish well to the prosperity of hayti. free suffrages of his people! ah, me! such farces strike us but as farces when hayti and such like lands are concerned. but when they come nearer to us they are very sad. soulouque is a stout, hale man, apparently of sixty-five or sixty-eight years of age. it is difficult to judge of the expression of a black man's face unless it be very plainly seen; but it appeared to me to be by no means repulsive. he has been, i believe, some twelve years emperor of hayti, and as he has escaped with wealth he cannot be said to have been unfortunate. chapter ix. jamaica--the government. queen, lords, and commons, with the full paraphernalia of triple readings, adjournments of the house, and counting out, prevails in jamaica as it does in great britain. by this it will be understood that there is a governor, representing the crown, whose sanction or veto is of course given, as regards important measures, in accordance with instructions from the colonial office. the governor has an executive committee, which tallies with our cabinet. it consists at present of three members, one of whom belongs to the upper house and two to the lower. the governor may appoint a fourth member if it so please him. these gentlemen are paid for their services, and preside over different departments, as do our secretaries of state, &c. and there is a most honourable privy council, just as we have at home. of this latter, the members may or may not support the governor, seeing that they are elected for life. the house of lords is represented by the legislative council. this quasi-peerage is of course not hereditary, but the members sit for life, and are nominated by the governor. they are seventeen in number. the legislative council can of course put a veto on any bill. the house of assembly stands in the place of the house of commons. it consists of forty-seven members, two being elected by nineteen parishes, and three each by three other parishes, those, namely, which contain the towns of kingston, spanish town, and port royal. in one respect this house of commons falls short of the privileges and powers of our house at home. it cannot suggest money bills. no honourable member can make a proposition that so much a year shall be paid for such a purpose. the government did not wish to be driven to exercise the invidious power of putting repeated vetos on repeated suggestions for semi-public expenditure; and therefore this power has been taken away. but any honourable member can bring before the house a motion to the effect that the governor be recommended himself to propose, by one of the executive committee, such or such a money bill; and then if the governor decline, the house can refuse to pass his supplies, and can play the "red devil" with his excellency. so that it seems to come pretty nearly to the same thing. at home in england, crown, lords, and commons really seem to do very well. some may think that the system wants a little shove this way, some the other. reform may, or may not be, more or less needed. but on the whole we are governed honestly, liberally, and successfully; with at least a greater share of honesty, liberality, and success than has fallen to the lot of most other people. each of the three estates enjoys the respect of the people at large, and a seat, either among the lords or the commons, is an object of high ambition. the system may therefore be said to be successful. but it does not follow that because it answers in england it should answer in jamaica; that institutions which suit the country which is perhaps in the whole world the furthest advanced in civilization, wealth, and public honesty, should suit equally well an island which is unfortunately very far from being advanced in those good qualities; whose civilization, as regards the bulk of the population, is hardly above that of savages, whose wealth has vanished, and of whose public honesty--i will say nothing. of that i myself will say nothing, but the jamaicans speak of it in terms which are not flattering to their own land. i do not think that the system does answer in jamaica. in the first place, it must be remembered that it is carried on there in a manner very different from that exercised in our other west-indian colonies. in jamaica any man may vote who pays either tax or rent; but by a late law he must put in his claim to vote on a ten shilling stamp. there are in round numbers three hundred thousand blacks, seventy thousand coloured people, and fifteen thousand white; it may therefore easily be seen in what hands the power of electing must rest. now in barbados no coloured man votes at all. a coloured man or negro is doubtless qualified to vote if he own a freehold; but then, care is taken that such shall not own freeholds. in trinidad, the legislative power is almost entirely in the hands of the crown. in guiana, which i look upon as the best governed of them all, this is very much the case. it is not that i would begrudge the black man the right of voting because he is black, or that i would say that he is and must be unfit to vote, or unfit even to sit in a house of assembly; but the amalgamation as at present existing is bad. the objects sought after by a free and open representation of the people are not gained unless those men are as a rule returned who are most respected in the commonwealth, so that the body of which they are the units may be respected also. this object is not achieved in jamaica, and consequently the house of assembly is not respected. it does not contain the men of most weight and condition in the island, and is contemptuously spoken of even in jamaica itself, and even by its own members. some there are, some few, who have gotten themselves to be elected, in order that things which are already bad may not, if such can be avoided, become worse. they, no doubt, are they who best do their duty by the country in which their lot lies. but, for the most part, those who should represent jamaica will not condescend to take part in the debates, nor will they solicit the votes of the negroes. it would appear from these observations as though i thought that the absolute ascendency of the white man should still be maintained in jamaica. by no means. let him be ascendant who can--in jamaica or elsewhere--who honestly can. i doubt whether such ascendency, the ascendency of europeans and white creoles, can be longer maintained in this island. it is not even now maintained; and for that reason chiefly i hold that this system of lords and commons is not compatible with the present genius of the place. let coloured men fill the public offices, and enjoy the sweets of official pickings. i would by no means wish to interfere with any good things which fortune may be giving them in this respect. but i think there would be greater probability of their advancing in their new profession honestly and usefully, if they could be made to look more to the colonial office at home, and less to the native legislature. at home, no member of the house of commons can hold a government contract. the members of the house of assembly in jamaica have no such prejudicial embargo attached to the honour of their seats. they can hold the government contracts; and it is astonishing how many of them are in their hands. the great point which strikes a stranger is this, that the house of assembly is not respected in the island. jamaicans themselves have no confidence in it. if the white men could be polled, the majority i think would prefer to be rid of it altogether, and to be governed, as trinidad is governed, by a governor with a council; of course with due power of reference to the colonial office. let any man fancy what england would be if the house of commons were ludicrous in the eyes of englishmen; if men ridiculed or were ashamed of all their debates. such is the case as regards the jamaica house of commons. in truth, there is not room for a machinery so complicated in this island. the handful of white men can no longer have it all their own way; and as for the negroes--let any warmest advocate of the "man and brother" position say whether he has come across three or four of the class who are fit to enact laws for their own guidance and the guidance of others. it pains me to write words which may seem to be opposed to humanity and a wide philanthropy; but a spade is a spade, and it is worse than useless to say that it is something else. the proof of the truth of what i say with reference to this system of lords and commons is to be found in the eating of the pudding. it may not perhaps be fair to adduce the prosperity of barbados, and to compare it with the adversity of jamaica, seeing that local circumstances were advantageous to barbados at the times of emancipation and equalization of the sugar duties. barbados was always able to command a plentiful supply of labour. but it is quite fair to compare jamaica with guiana or trinidad. in both these colonies the negro was as well able to shirk his work as in jamaica. and in these two colonies the negro did shirk his work, just as he did in jamaica; and does still to a great extent. the limits of these colonies are as extensive as jamaica is, and the negro can squat. they are as fertile as jamaica is, and the negro can procure his food almost without trouble. but not the less is it a fact that the exportation of sugar from guiana and trinidad now exceeds the amount exported in the time of slavery, while the exportation from jamaica is almost as nothing. but in trinidad and guiana they have no house of commons, with mr. speaker, three readings, motions for adjournment, and unlimited powers of speech. in those colonies the governments--acting with such assistance as was necessary--have succeeded in getting foreign labour. in jamaica they have as yet but succeeded in talking about it. in guiana and trinidad they make much sugar, and boast loudly of making more. in jamaica they make but very little, and have not self-confidence enough left with them to make any boast whatsoever. with all the love that an englishman should have for a popular parliamentary representation, i cannot think it adapted to a small colony, even were that colony not from circumstances so peculiarly ill fitted for it as is jamaica. in canada and australia it is no doubt very well; the spirit of a fresh and energetic people struggling on into the world's eminence will produce men fit for debating, men who can stand on their legs without making a house of legislature ridiculous. but what could lords and commons do in malta, or in jersey? what would they do in the scilly islands? what have they been doing in the ionian islands? and, alas! what have they done in jamaica? her roads are almost impassable, her bridges are broken down, her coffee plantations have gone back to bush, her sugar estates have been sold for the value of the sugar-boilers. kingston as a town is the most deplorable that man ever visited, unless it be that spanish town is worse. and yet they have lords and commons with all but unlimited powers of making motions! it has availed them nothing, and i fear will avail them nothing. this i know may be said, that be the lords and commons there for good or evil, they are to be moved neither by men nor gods. it is i imagine true, that no power known to the british empire could deprive jamaica of her constitution. it has had some kind of a house of assembly since the time of charles ii.; nay, i believe, since the days of cromwell; which by successive doctoring has grown to be such a parody, as it now is, on our home mode of doing business. how all this may now be altered and brought back to reason, perhaps no man can say. probably it cannot be altered till some further smash shall come; but it is not on that account the less objectionable. the house of assembly and the chamber of the legislative council are both situated in the same square with the governor's mansion in spanish town. the desolateness of this place i have attempted to describe elsewhere, and yet, when i was there, parliament was sitting! what must the place be during the nine months when parliament does not sit? they are yellow buildings, erected at considerable expense, and not without some pretence. but nevertheless, they are ugly--ugly from their colour, ugly from the heat, and ugly from a certain heaviness which seems natural to them and to the place. the house itself in which the forty-seven members sit is comfortable enough, and not badly adapted for its purposes. the speaker sits at one end all in full fig, with a clerk at the table below; opposite to him, two-thirds down the room, a low bar, about four feet high, runs across it. as far as this the public are always admitted; and when any subject of special interest is under discussion twelve or fifteen persons may be seen there assembled. then there is a side room opening from the house, into which members take their friends. indeed it is, i believe, generally open to any one wearing a decent coat. there is the bellamy of the establishment, in which honourable members take such refreshment as the warmth of the debate may render necessary. their tastes seemed to me to be simple, and to addict themselves chiefly to rum and water. i was throwing away my cigar as i entered the precincts of the house. "oh, you can smoke," said my friend to me; "only, when you stand at the doorway, don't let the speaker's eye catch the light; but it won't much matter." so i walked on, and stood at the side door, smoking my cigar indeed, but conscious that i was desecrating the place. i saw five or six coloured gentlemen in the house, and two negroes--sitting in the house as members. as far as the two latter men were concerned, i could not but be gratified to see them in the fair enjoyment of the objects of a fair ambition. had they not by efforts of their own made themselves greatly superior to others of their race, they would not have been there. i say this, fearing that it may be thought that i begrudge a black man such a position. i begrudge the black men nothing that they can honestly lay hands on; but i think that we shall benefit neither them nor ourselves by attempting with a false philanthropy to make them out to be other than they are. the subject under debate was a railway bill. the railway system is not very extended in the island; but there is a railway, and the talk was of prolonging it. indeed, the house i believe had on some previous occasion decided that it should be prolonged, and the present fight was as to some particular detail. what that detail was i did not learn, for the business being performed was a continual series of motions for adjournment carried on by a victorious minority of three. it was clear that the conquered majority of--say thirty--was very angry. for some reason, appertaining probably to the tactics of the house, these thirty were exceedingly anxious to have some special point carried and put out of the way that night, but the three were inexorable. two of the three spoke continually, and ended every speech with a motion for adjournment. and then there was a disagreement among the thirty. some declared all this to be "bosh," proposed to leave the house without any adjournment, play whist, and let the three victors enjoy their barren triumph. others, made of sterner stuff, would not thus give way. one after another they made impetuous little speeches, then two at a time, and at last three. they thumped the table, and called each other pretty names, walked about furiously, and devoted the three victors to the infernal gods. and then one of the black gentlemen arose, and made a calm, deliberate little oration. the words he spoke were about the wisest which were spoken that night, and yet they were not very wise. he offered to the house a few platitudes on the general benefit of railways, which would have applied to any railway under the sun, saying that eggs and fowls would be taken to market; and then he sat down. on his behalf i must declare that there were no other words of such wisdom spoken that night. but this relief lasted only for three minutes. after a while two members coming to the door declared that it was becoming unbearable, and carried me away to play whist. "my place is close by," said one, "and if the row becomes hot we shall hear it. it is dreadful to stay there with such an object, and with the certainty of missing one's object after all." as i was inclined to agree with him, i went away and played whist. but soon a storm of voices reached our ears round the card-table. "they are hard at it now," said one honourable member. "that's so-and-so, by the screech." the yell might have been heard at kingston, and no doubt was. "by heavens they are at it," said another. "ha, ha, ha! a nice house of assembly, isn't it?" "will they pitch into one another?" i asked, thinking of scenes of which i had read of in another country; and thinking also, i must confess, that an absolute bodily scrimmage on the floor of the house might be worth seeing. "they don't often do that," said my friend. "they trust chiefly to their voices; but there's no knowing." the temptation was too much for me, so i threw down my cards and rushed back to the assembly. when i arrived the louder portion of the noise was being made by one gentleman who was walking round and round the chamber, swearing in a loud voice that he would resign the very moment the speaker was seated in the chair; for at that time the house was in committee. the louder portion of the noise, i say, for two other honourable members were speaking, and the rest were discussing the matter in small parties. "shameful, abominable, scandalous, rascally!" shouted the angry gentleman over and over again, as he paced round and round the chamber. "i'll not sit in such a house; no man should sit in such a house. by g----, i'll resign as soon as i see the speaker in that chair. sir, come and have a drink of rum and water." in his angry wanderings his steps had brought him to the door at which i was standing, and these last words were addressed to me. "come and have a drink of rum and water," and he seized me with a hospitable violence by the arm. i did not dare to deny so angry a legislator, and i drank the rum and water. then i returned to my cards. it may be said that nearly the same thing does sometimes occur in our own house of commons--always omitting the threats of resignation and the drink. with us at home a small minority may impede the business of the house by adjournments, and members sometimes become loud and angry. but in jamaica the storm raged in so small a teapot! the railway extension was to be but for a mile or two, and i fear would hardly benefit more than the eggs and fowls for which the dark gentleman pleaded. in heading this chapter i have spoken of the government, and it may be objected to me that in writing it i have written only of the legislature, and not at all of the mode of governing. but in truth the mode of government depends entirely on the mode of legislature. as regards the governor himself and his ministers, i do not doubt that they do their best; but i think that their best might be much better if their hands were not so closely tied by this teapot system of queen, lords, and commons. chapter x. cuba. cuba is the largest and the most westerly of the west indian islands. it is in the shape of a half-moon, and with one of its horns nearly lies across the mouth of the gulf of mexico. it belongs to the spanish crown, of which it is by far the most splendid appendage. so much for facts--geographical and historical. the journey from kingston to cien fuegos, of which i have said somewhat in my first chapter, was not completed under better auspices than those which witnessed its commencement. that perfidious bark, built in the eclipse, was bad to the last, and my voyage took nine days instead of three. my humble stock of provisions had long been all gone, and my patience was nearly at as low an ebb. then, as a finale, the cuban pilot who took us in hand as we entered the port, ran us on shore just under the spanish fort, and there left us. from this position it was impossible to escape, though the shore lay close to us, inasmuch as it is an offence of the gravest nature to land in those ports without the ceremony of a visit from the medical officer; and no medical officer would come to us there. and then two of our small crew had been taken sick, and we had before us in our mind's eye all the pleasures of quarantine. a man, and especially an author, is thankful for calamities if they be of a tragic dye. it would be as good as a small fortune to be left for three days without food or water, or to run for one's life before a black storm on unknown seas in a small boat. but we had no such luck as this. there was plenty of food, though it was not very palatable; and the peril of our position cannot be insisted on, as we might have thrown a baby on shore from the vessel, let alone a biscuit. we did what we could to get up a catastrophe among the sharks, by bathing off the ship's sides. but even this was in vain. one small shark we did see. but in lieu of it eating us, we ate it. in spite of the popular prejudice, i have to declare that it was delicious. but at last i did find myself in the hotel at cien fuegos. and here i must say a word in praise of the civility of the spanish authorities of that town--and, indeed, of those gentlemen generally wherever i chanced to meet them. they welcome you with easy courtesy; offer you coffee or beer; assure you at parting that their whole house is at your disposal; and then load you--at least they so loaded me--with cigars. "my friend," said the captain of the port, holding in his hand a huge parcel of these articles, each about seven inches long--"i wish i could do you a service. it would make me happy for ever if i could truly serve you." "señor, the service you have done me is inestimable in allowing me to make the acquaintance of don ----." "but at least accept these few cigars;" and then he pressed the bundle into my hand, and pressed his own hand over mine. "smoke one daily after dinner; and when you procure any that are better, do a fastidious old smoker the great kindness to inform him where they are to be found." this treasure to which his fancy alluded, but in the existence of which he will never believe, i have not yet discovered. cien fuegos is a small new town on the southern coast of cuba, created by the sugar trade, and devoted, of course, to commerce. it is clean, prosperous, and quickly increasing. its streets are lighted with gas, while those in the havana still depend upon oil-lamps. it has its opera, its governor's house, its alaméda, its military and public hospital, its market-place, and railway station; and unless the engineers deceive themselves, it will in time have its well. it has also that institution which in the eyes of travellers ranks so much above all others, a good and clean inn. my first object after landing was to see a slave sugar estate. i had been told in jamaica that to effect this required some little management; that the owners of the slaves were not usually willing to allow strangers to see them at work; and that the manufacture of sugar in cuba was as a rule kept sacred from profane eyes. but i found no such difficulty. i made my request to an english merchant at cien fuegos, and he gave me a letter of introduction to the proprietor of an estate some fifteen miles from the town; and by their joint courtesy i saw all that i wished. on this property, which consisted altogether of eighteen hundred acres--the greater portion of which was not yet under cultivation--there were six hundred acres of cane pieces. the average year's produce was eighteen hundred hogsheads, or three hogsheads to the acre. the hogshead was intended to represent a ton of sugar when it reached the market, but judging from all that i could learn it usually fell short of it by more than a hundredweight. the value of such a hogshead at cien fuegos was about twenty-five pounds. there were one hundred and fifty negro men on the estate, the average cash value of each man being three hundred and fifty pounds; most of the men had their wives. in stating this it must not be supposed that either i or my informant insist much on the validity of their marriage ceremony; any such ceremony was probably of rare occurrence. during the crop time, at which period my visit was made, and which lasts generally from november till may, the negroes sleep during six hours out of the twenty-four, have two for their meals, and work for sixteen! no difference is made on sunday. their food is very plentiful, and of a good and strong description. they are sleek and fat and large, like well-preserved brewers' horses; and with reference to them, as also with reference to the brewers' horses, it has probably been ascertained what amount of work may be exacted so as to give the greatest profit. during the remainder of the year the labour of the negroes averages twelve hours a day, and one day of rest in the week is usually allowed to them. i was of course anxious to see what was the nature of the coercive measures used with them. but in this respect my curiosity was not indulged. i can only say that i saw none, and saw the mark and signs of none. no doubt the whip is in use, but i did not see it. the gentleman whose estate i visited had no notice of our coming, and there was no appearance of anything being hidden from us. i could not, however, bring myself to inquire of him as to their punishment. the slaves throughout the island are always as a rule baptized. those who are employed in the town and as household servants appear to be educated in compliance with, at any rate the outward doctrines of, the roman catholic church. but with the great mass of the negroes--those who work on the sugar-canes--all attention to religion ends with their baptism. they have the advantage, whatever it may be, of that ceremony in infancy; and from that time forth they are treated as the beasts of the stall. from all that i could hear, as well as from what i could see, i have reason to think that, regarding them as beasts, they are well treated. their hours of labour are certainly very long--so long as to appear almost impossible to a european workman. but under the system, such as it is, the men do not apparently lose their health, though, no doubt, they become prematurely old, and as a rule die early. the property is too valuable to be neglected or ill used. the object of course is to make that property pay; and therefore a present healthy condition is cared for, but long life is not regarded. it is exactly the same with horses in this country. when all has been said that can be said in favour of the slave-owner in cuba, it comes to this--that he treats his slaves as beasts of burden, and so treating them, does it skilfully and with prudence. the point which most shocks an englishman is the absence of all religion, the ignoring of the black man's soul. but this, perhaps, may be taken as an excuse, that the white men here ignore their own souls also. the roman catholic worship seems to be at a lower ebb in cuba than almost any country in which i have seen it. it is singular that no priest should even make any effort on the subject with regard to the negroes; but i am assured that such is the fact. they do not wish to do so; nor will they allow of any one asking them to make the experiment. one would think that had there been any truth or any courage in them, they would have declared the inutility of baptism, and have proclaimed that negroes have no souls. but there is no truth in them; neither is there any courage. the works at the cuban sugar estate were very different from those i had seen at jamaica. they were on a much larger scale, in much better order, overlooked by a larger proportion of white men, with a greater amount of skilled labour. the evidences of capital were very plain in cuba; whereas, the want of it was frequently equally plain in our own island. not that the planters in cuba are as a rule themselves very rich men. the estates are deeply mortgaged to the different merchants at the different ports, as are those in jamaica to the merchants of kingston. these merchants in cuba are generally americans, englishmen, germans, spaniards from the american republics--anything but cubans; and the slave-owners are but the go-betweens, who secure the profits of the slave-trade for the merchants. my friend at the estate invited us to a late breakfast after having shown me what i came to see. "you have taken me so unawares," said he, "that we cannot offer you much except a welcome." well, it was not much--for cuba perhaps. a delicious soup, made partly of eggs, a bottle of excellent claret, a paté de foie gras, some game deliciously dressed, and half a dozen kinds of vegetables; that was all. i had seen nothing among the slaves which in any way interfered with my appetite, or with the cup of coffee and cigar which came after the little nothings above mentioned. we then went down to the railway station. it was a peculiar station i was told, and the tickets could not be paid for till we reached cien fuegos. but, lo! on arriving at cien fuegos there was nothing more to pay. "it has all been done," said some one to me. if one was but convinced that those sleek, fat, smiling bipeds were but two legged beasts of burden, and nothing more, all would have been well at the estate which we visited. all cuba was of course full of the late message from the president of the united states, which at the time of my visit was some two months old there. the purport of what mr. buchanan said regarding cuba may perhaps be expressed as follows:--"circumstances and destiny absolutely require that the united states should be the masters of that island. that we should take it by filibustering or violence is not in accordance with our national genius. it will suit our character and honesty much better that we should obtain it by purchase. let us therefore offer a fair price for it. if a fair price be refused, that of course will be a casus belli. spain will then have injured us, and we may declare war. under these circumstances we should probably obtain the place without purchase; but let us hope better things." this is what the president has said, either in plain words or by inference equally plain. it may easily be conceived with what feeling such an announcement has been received by spain and those who hold spanish authority in cuba. there is an outspoken insolence in the threat, which, by a first-class power, would itself have been considered a cause for war. but spain is not a first-class power, and like the other weak ones of the earth must either perish or live by adhering to and obeying those who will protect her. though too ignoble to be strong, she has been too proud to be obedient. and as a matter of course she will go to the wall. a scrupulous man who feels that he would fain regulate his course in politics by the same line as that used for his ordinary life, cannot but feel angry at the loud tone of america's audacious threat. but even such a one knows that that threat will sooner or later be carried out, and that humanity will benefit by its accomplishment. perhaps it may be said that scrupulous men should have but little dealing in state policy. the plea under which mr. buchanan proposes to quarrel with spain, if she will not sell that which america wishes to buy, is the plea under which ahab quarrelled with naboth. a man is, individually, disgusted that a president of the united states should have made such an utterance. but looking at the question in a broader point of view, in one which regards future ages rather than the present time, one can hardly refrain from rejoicing at any event which will tend to bring about that which in itself is so desirable. we reprobate the name of filibuster, and have a holy horror of the trade. and it is perhaps fortunate that with us the age of individual filibustering is well-nigh gone by. but it may be fair for us to consider whether we have not in our younger days done as much in this line as have the americans--whether clive, for instance, was not a filibuster--or warren hastings. have we not annexed, and maintained, and encroached; protected, and assumed, and taken possession in the east--doing it all of course for the good of humanity? and why should we begrudge the same career to america? that we do begrudge it is certain. that she purchased california and took texas went at first against the grain with us; and englishmen, as a rule, would wish to maintain cuba in the possession of spain. but what englishman who thinks about it will doubt that california and texas have thriven since they were annexed, as they never could have thriven while forming part of the mexican empire--or can doubt that cuba, if delivered up to the states, would gain infinitely by such a change of masters? filibustering, called by that or some other name, is the destiny of a great portion of that race to which we englishmen and americans belong. it would be a bad profession probably for a scrupulous man. with the unscrupulous man, what stumbling-blocks there may be between his deeds and his conscience is for his consideration and for god's judgment. but it will hardly suit us as a nation to be loud against it. by what other process have poor and weak races been compelled to give way to those who have power and energy? and who have displaced so many of the poor and weak, and spread abroad so vast an energy, such an extent of power as we of england? the truth may perhaps be this:--that a filibuster needs expect no good word from his fellow-mortals till he has proved his claim to it by success. from such information as i could obtain, i am of opinion that the cubans themselves would be glad enough to see the transfer well effected. how, indeed, can it be otherwise? at present they have no national privilege except that of undergoing taxation. every office is held by a spaniard. every soldier in the island--and they say that there are twenty-five thousand--must be a spaniard. the ships of war are commanded and manned by spaniards. all that is shown before their eyes of brilliancy and power and high place is purely spanish. no cuban has any voice in his own country. he can never have the consolation of thinking that his tyrant is his countryman, or reflect that under altered circumstances it might possibly have been his fortune to tyrannize. what love can he have for spain? he cannot even have the poor pride of being slave to a great lord. he is the lacquey of a reduced gentleman, and lives on the vails of those who despise his master. of course the transfer would be grateful to him. but no cuban will himself do anything to bring it about. to wish is one thing; to act is another. a man standing behind his counter may feel that his hand is restricted on every side, and his taxes alone unrestricted; but he must have other than hispano-creole blood in his veins if he do more than stand and feel. indeed, wishing is too strong a word to be fairly applicable to his state of mind. he would be glad that cuba should be american; but he would prefer that he himself should lie in a dormant state while the dangerous transfer is going on. i have ventured to say that humanity would certainly be benefited by such a transfer. we, when we think of cuba, think of it almost entirely as a slave country. and, indeed, in this light, and in this light only, is it peculiar, being the solitary land into which slaves are now systematically imported out of africa. into that great question of guarding the slave coast it would be futile here to enter; but this i believe is acknowledged, that if the cuban market be closed against the trade, the trade must perish of exhaustion. at present slaves are brought into cuba in spite of us; and as we all know, can be brought in under the american stars and stripes. but no one accuses the american government of systematically favouring an importation of africans into their own states. when cuba becomes one of them the trade will cease. the obstacle to that trade which is created by our vessels of war on the coast of africa may, or may not, be worth the cost. but no man who looks into the subject will presume to say that we can be as efficacious there as the americans would be if they were the owners of the present slave-market. i do not know whether it be sufficiently understood in england, that though slavery is an institution of the united states, the slave-trade, as commonly understood under that denomination, is as illegal there as in england. that slavery itself would be continued in cuba under the americans--continued for a while--is of course certain. so is it in louisiana and the carolinas. but the horrors of the middle passage, the kidnapping of negroes, the african wars which are waged for the sake of prisoners, would of necessity come to an end. but this slave-trade is as opposed to the laws of spain and its colonies as it is to those of the united states or of great britain. this is true; and were the law carried out in cuba as well as it is in the united states, an englishman would feel disinclined to look on with calmness at the violent dismemberment of the spanish empire. but in cuba the law is broken systematically. the captain-general in cuba will allow no african to be imported into the island--except for a consideration. it is said that the present captain-general receives only a gold doubloon, or about three pounds twelve shillings, on every head of wool so brought in; and he has therefore the reputation of being a very moderate man. o'donnel required twice as large a bribe. valdez would take nothing, and he is spoken of as the foolish governor. even he, though he would take no bribe, was not allowed to throw obstacles in the way of the slave-trade. that such a bribe is usually demanded, and as a matter of course paid, is as well known--ay, much better known, than any other of the island port duties. the fact is so notorious to all men, that it is almost as absurd to insist on it as it would be to urge that the income of the queen of england is paid from the taxes. it is known to every one, and among others is known to the government of spain. under these circumstances, who can feel sympathy with her, or wish that she should retain her colony? does she not daily show that she is unfit to hold it? there must be some stage in misgovernment which will justify the interference of bystanding nations, in the name of humanity. that rule in life which forbids a man to come between a husband and his wife is a good rule. but nevertheless, who can stand by quiescent and see a brute half murder the poor woman whom he should protect? and in other ways, and through causes also, humanity would be benefited by such a transfer. we in england are not very fond of a republic. we would hardly exchange our throne for a president's chair, or even dispense at present with our house of peers or our bench of bishops. but we can see that men thrive under the stars and stripes; whereas they pine beneath the red and yellow flag of spain. this, it may be said, is attributable to the race of the men rather than to the government. but the race will be improved by the infusion of new blood. let the world say what chance there is of such improvement in the spanish government. the trade of the country is falling into the hands of foreigners--into those principally of americans from the states. the havana will soon become as much american as new orleans. it requires but little of the spirit of prophecy to foretell that the spanish rule will not be long obeyed by such people. on the whole i cannot see how englishmen can refrain from sympathizing with the desire of the united states to become possessed of this fertile island. as far as we ourselves are concerned, it would be infinitely for our benefit. we can trade with the united states when we can hardly do so with spain. moreover, if jamaica, and the smaller british islands can ever again hold up their heads against cuba as sugar-producing colonies, it will be when the slave-trade has been abolished. till such time it can never be. and then where are our professions for the amelioration, and especially for the christianity of the human race? i have said what is the religious education of the slaves in cuba. i may also say that in this island no place of protestant worship exists, or is possible. the roman catholic religion is alone allowed, and that is at its very lowest point. "the old women of both sexes go to mass," a spaniard told me; "and the girls when their clothes are new." but above all things it behoves us to rid ourselves of the jealousy which i fear we too often feel towards american pretension. "jonathan is getting bumptious," we are apt to say; "he ought to have--" this and that other punishment, according to the taste of the offended englishman. jonathan is becoming bumptious, no doubt. young men of genius, when they succeed in life at comparatively early years, are generally afflicted more or less with this disease. but one is not inclined to throw aside as useless, the intellect, energy, and genius of youth because it is not accompanied by modesty, grace, and self-denial. do we not, in regard to all our friends, take the good that we find in them, aware that in the very best there will be some deficiency to forgive? that young barrister who is so bright, so energetic, so useful, is perhaps _soi-disant_ more than a little. one cannot deny it. but age will cure that. have we a right to expect that he should be perfect? and are the americans the first bumptious people on record? has no other nation assumed itself to be in advance of the world; to be the apostle of progress, the fountain of liberty, the rock-spring of manly work? if the americans were not bumptious, how unlike would they be to the parent that bore them! the world is wide enough for us and for our offspring, and we may be well content that we have it nearly all between us. let them fulfil their destiny in the west, while we do so in the east. it may be that there also we may establish another child who in due time shall also run alone, shall also boast somewhat loudly of its own doings. it is a proud reflection that we alone, of all people, have such children; a proud reflection, and a joyous one; though the weaning of the baby will always be in some respects painful to the mother. nowhere have i met a kinder hospitality than i did at cien fuegos, whether from spaniards, frenchmen, americans, or englishmen; for at cien fuegos there are men of all these countries. but i must specify my friend mr. �---. why should such a man be shut up for life at such an outlandish place? full of wit, singing an excellent song, telling a story better, i think, than any other man to whom i have ever listened, speaking four or five languages fluently, pleasant in manner, hospitable in heart, a thorough good fellow at all points, why should he bury himself at cien fuegos? "auri sacra fames." it is the presumable reason for all such burials. english reader, shouldst thou find thyself at cien fuegos in thy travels, it will not take thee long to discover my friend �---. he is there known to every one. it will only concern thee to see that thou art worthy of his acquaintance. from cien fuegos i went to the havana, the metropolis, as all the world knows, of cuba. our route lay by steamer to batavano, and thence by railway. the communication round cuba--that is from port to port--is not ill arranged or ill conducted. the boats are american built, and engineered by englishmen or americans. breakfast and dinner are given on board, and the cost is included in the sum paid for the fare. the provisions are plentiful, and not bad, if oil can be avoided. as everything is done to foster spain, spanish wine is always used, and spanish ware, and, above all things, spanish oil. now spain does not send her best oil to her colonies. i heard great complaint made of the fares charged on board these boats. the fares when compared with those charged in america doubtless are high; but i do not know that any one has a right to expect that he shall travel as cheaply in cuba as in the states. i had heard much of the extravagant charges made for all kinds of accommodation in cuba; at hotels, in the shops, for travelling, for chance work, and the general wants of a stranger. i found these statements to be much exaggerated. railway travelling by the first class is about ½_d._ a mile, which is about _d._ a mile more than in england. at hotels the charge is two and a half or three dollars a day. the former sum is the more general. this includes a cup of coffee in the morning, a very serious meal at nine o'clock together with fairly good catalan wine, dinner at four with another cup of coffee and more wine _ad libitum_, bed, and attendance. indeed, a man may go out of his hotel, without inconvenience, paying nothing beyond the regular daily charge. extras are dear. i, for instance, having in my ignorance asked for a bottle of champagne, paid for it seventeen shillings. a friend dining with one also, or breakfasting, is an expensive affair. the two together cost considerably more than one's own total daily payment. thus, as one pays at an hotel whether one's dinner be eaten or no, it becomes almost an insane expense for friends at different hotels to invite each other. but let it not be supposed that i speak in praise of the hotels at the havana. far be it from me to do so. i only say that they are not dear. i found it impossible to command the luxury of a bedroom to myself. it was not the custom of the country they told me. if i chose to pay five dollars a day, just double the usual price, i could be indulged as soon--as circumstances would admit of it; which was intended to signify that they would be happy to charge me for the second bed as soon as the time should come that they had no one else on whom to levy the rate. and the dirt of that bedroom! i had been unable to get into either of the hotels at the havana to which i had been recommended, every corner in each having been appropriated. in my grief at the dirt of my abode, and at the too near vicinity of my spanish neighbour--the fellow-occupant of my chamber was from spain--i complained somewhat bitterly to an american acquaintance, who had as i thought been more lucky in his inn. "one companion!" said he; "why, i have three; one walks about all night in a bed-gown, a second snores, and the other is dying!" a friend of mine, an english officer, was at another house. he also was one of four; and it so occurred that he lost thirty pounds out of his sac de nuit. on the whole i may consider myself to have been lucky. labour generally is dear, a workman getting a dollar or four shillings and twopence, where in england a man might earn perhaps half a crown. a porter therefore for whom sixpence might suffice in england will require a shilling. a volante--i shall have a word to say about volantes by-and-by--for any distance within the walls costs eightpence. outside the walls the price seems to be unconscionably higher. omnibuses which run over two miles charge some fraction over sixpence for each journey. i find that a pair of boots cost me twenty-five shillings. in london they would cost about the same. those procured in cuba, however, were worth nothing, which certainly makes a difference. meat is eightpence the english pound. bread is somewhat dearer than in england, but not much. house rent may be taken as being nearly four times as high as it is in any decent but not fashionable part of london, and the wages of house servants are twice as high as they are with us. the high prices in the havana are such therefore as to affect the resident rather than the stranger. one article, however, is very costly; but as it concerns a luxury not much in general use among the inhabitants this is not surprising. if a man will have his linen washed he will be made to pay for it. there is nothing attractive about the town of havana; nothing whatever to my mind, if we except the harbour. the streets are narrow, dirty, and foul. in this respect there is certainly much difference between those within and without the wall. the latter are wider, more airy, and less vile. but even in them there is nothing to justify the praises with which the havana is generally mentioned in the west indies. it excels in population, size, and no doubt in wealth any other city there; but this does not imply a great eulogium. the three principal public buildings are the opera house, the cathedral, and the palace of the captain-general. the former has been nearly knocked down by an explosion of gas, and is now closed. i believe it to be an admirable model for a second-rate house. the cathedral is as devoid of beauty, both externally and internally, as such an edifice can be made. to describe such a building would be an absurd waste of time and patience. we all know what is a large roman catholic church, built in the worst taste, and by a combination of the lowest attributes of gothic and latin architecture. the palace, having been built for a residence, does not appear so utterly vile, though it is the child of some similar father. it occupies one side of a public square or pláza, and from its position has a moderately-imposing effect. of pictures in the havana there are none of which mention should be made. but the glory of the havana is the paseo--the glory so called. this is the public drive and fashionable lounge of the town--the hyde park, the bois de boulogne, the cascine, the corso, the alaméda. it is for their hour on the paseo that the ladies dress themselves, and the gentlemen prepare their jewelry. it consists of a road running outside a portion of the wall, of the extent perhaps of half a mile, and ornamented with seats and avenues of trees, as are the boulevards at paris. if it is to be compared with any other resort of the kind in the west indies, it certainly must be owned there is nothing like it; but a european on first seeing it cannot understand why it is so eulogized. indeed, it is probable that if he first goes thither alone, as was the case with me, he will pass over it, seeking for some other paseo. but then the glory of the paseo consists in its volantes. as one boasts that one has swum in a gondola, so will one boast of having sat in a volante. it is the pride of cuban girls to appear on the paseo in these carriages on the afternoons of holidays and sundays; and there is certainly enough of the picturesque about the vehicle to make it worthy of some description. it is the most singular of carriages, and its construction is such as to give a flat contradiction to all an englishman's preconceived notions respecting the power of horses. the volante is made to hold two sitters, though there is sometimes a low middle seat which affords accommodation to a third lady. we will commence the description from behind. there are two very huge wheels, rough, strong, high, thick, and of considerable weight. the axles generally are not capped, but the nave shines with coarse polished metal. supported on the axletree, and swinging forward from it on springs, is the body of a cabriolet such as ordinary cabriolets used to be, with the seat, however, somewhat lower, and with much more room for the feet. the back of this is open, and generally a curtain hangs down over the open space. a metal bar, which is polished so as to look like silver, runs across the footboard and supports the feet. the body, it must be understood, swings forward from these high wheels, so that the whole of the weight, instead of being supported, hangs from it. then there are a pair of shafts, which, counting from the back of the carriage to the front where they touch the horse at the saddle, are about fourteen feet in length. they do not go beyond the saddle, or the tug depending from the saddle in which they hang. from this immense length it comes to pass that there is a wide interval, exceeding six feet, between the carriage and the horse's tail; and it follows also, from the construction of the machine, that a large portion of the weight must rest on the horse's back. in addition to this, the unfortunate horse has ordinarily to bear the weight of a rider. for with a volante your servant rides, and does not drive you. with the fashionable world on the paseo a second horse is used--what we should call an outrider--and the servant sits on this. but as regards those which ply in the town, there is but one horse. how animals can work beneath such a yoke was to me unintelligible. the great point in the volante of fashion is the servant's dress. he is always a negro, and generally a large negro. he wears a huge pair--not of boots, for they have no feet to them--of galligaskins i may call them, made of thick stiff leather, but so as to fit the leg exactly. the top of them comes some nine inches above the knee, so that when one of these men is seen seated at his ease, the point of his boot nearly touches his chin. they are fastened down the sides with metal fastenings, and at the bottom there is a huge spur. the usual dress of these men, over and above their boots, consists of white breeches, red jackets ornamented with gold lace, and broad-brimmed straw hats. nothing can be more awkward, and nothing more barbaric than the whole affair; but nevertheless there is about it a barbaric splendour, which has its effect. the great length of the equipage, and the distance of the horse from his work, is what chiefly strikes an englishman. the carriage usually holds, when on the paseo, two or three ladies. their great object evidently has been to expand their dresses, so that they may group well together, and with a good result as regards colour. it must be confessed that in this respect they are generally successful. they wear no head-dress when in their carriages, and indeed may generally be seen out of doors with their hair uncovered. though they are of spanish descent, the mantilla is unknown here. nor could i trace much similarity to spanish manner in other particulars. the ladies do not walk like spanish women--at least not like the women of andalusia, with whom one would presume them to have had the nearest connection. the walk of the andalusian women surpasses that of any other, while the cuban lady is not graceful in her gait. neither can they boast the brilliantly dangerous beauty of seville. in cuba they have good eyes, but rarely good faces. the forehead and the chin too generally recede, leaving the nose with a prominence that is not agreeable. but as my gallantry has not prevented me from speaking in this uncourteous manner of their appearance, my honesty bids me add, that what they lack in beauty they make up in morals, as compared with their cousins in europe. for travelling _en garçon_ i should probably prefer the south of spain. but were i doomed to look for domesticity in either clime--and god forbid that such a doom should be mine!--i might perhaps prefer a cuban mother for my children. but the volante is held as very precious by the cuban ladies. the volante itself i mean--the actual vehicle. it is not intrusted, as coaches are with us, to the dusty mercies of a coach-house. it is ordinarily kept in the hall, and you pass it by as you enter the house; but it is by no means uncommon to see it in the dining-room. as the rooms are large and usually not full of furniture, it does not look amiss there. the amusements of the cubans are not very varied, and are innocent in their nature; for the gambling as carried on there i regard rather as a business than an amusement they greatly love dancing, and have dances of their own and music of their own, which are peculiar, and difficult to a stranger. their tunes are striking, and very pretty. they are fond of music generally, and maintain a fairly good opera company at the havana. in the pláza there--the square, namely, in front of the captain-general's house--a military band plays from eight to nine every evening. the place is then thronged with people, but by far the majority of them are men. it is the custom at all the towns in cuba for the family, when at home, to pass their evening seated near the large low open window of their drawing-rooms; and as these windows almost always look into the streets, the whole internal arrangement is seen by every one who passes. these windows are always protected by iron bars, as though they were the windows of a prison; in other respects they are completely open. four chairs are to be seen ranged in a row, and four more opposite to them, running from the window into the room, and placed close together. between these is generally laid a small piece of carpet. the majority of these chairs are made to rock; for the creole lady always rocks herself. i have watched them going through the accustomed motion with their bodies, even when seated on chairs with stern immovable legs. this is the usual evening living-place of the family; and i never yet saw an occupant of one of these chairs with a book in her hand, or in his. i asked an englishman, a resident in the havana, whether he had ever done so. "a book!" he answered; "why, the girls can't read, in your sense of the word reading." the young men, and many of those who are no longer young, spend their evenings, and apparently a large portion of their days, in eating ices and playing billiards. the accommodation in the havana for these amusements is on a very large scale. the harbour at the havana is an interesting sight. it is in the first place very picturesque, which to the ordinary visitor is the most important feature. but it is also commodious, large, and safe. it is approached between two forts. that to the westward, which is the principal defence, is called the morro. here also stands the lighthouse. no englishman omits to hear, as he enters the harbour, that these forts were taken by the english in albemarle's time. now, it seems to me, they might very easily be taken by any one who chose to spend on them the necessary amount of gunpowder. but then i know nothing about forts. this special one of the morro i did take; not by gunpowder, but by stratagem. i was informed that no one was allowed to see it since the open defiance of the island contained in the last message of the united states' president. but i was also informed--whisperingly, in the ear � that a request to see the lighthouse would be granted, and that as i was not an american the fort should follow. it resulted in a little black boy taking me over the whole edifice--an impudent little black boy, who filled his pockets with stones and pelted the sentries. the view of the harbour from the lighthouse is very good, quite worth the trouble of the visit. the fort itself i did not understand, but a young english officer, who was with me, pooh-poohed it as a thing of nothing. but then young english officers pooh-pooh everything. here again i must add that nothing can exceed the courtesy of all spanish officials. if they could only possess honesty and energy as well as courtesy! by far the most interesting spot in the havana is the quay, to which the vessels are fastened end-ways, the bow usually lying against the quay. in other places the side of the vessel is, i believe, brought to the wharf. here there are signs of true life. one cannot but think how those quays would be extended, and that life increased, if the place were in the hands of other people. i have said that i regarded gambling in cuba, not as an amusement, but an occupation. the public lotteries offer the daily means to every one for gratifying this passion. they are maintained by the government, and afford a profit, i am told, of something over a million dollars per annum. in all public places tickets are hawked about. one may buy a whole ticket, half, a quarter, an eighth, or a sixteenth. it is done without any disguise or shame, and the institution seemed, i must say, to be as popular with the europeans living there as with the natives. in the eyes of an englishman new from great britain, with his prejudices still thick upon him, this great national feature loses some of its nobility and grandeur. this, together with the bribery, which is so universal, shows what is the spirit of the country. for a government supported by the profits of a gambling-hell, and for a governor enriched by bribes on slaves illegally imported, what englishman can feel sympathy? i would fain hope that there is no such sympathy felt in england. i have been answered, when expressing indignation at the system, by a request that i would first look at home; and have been so answered by englishmen. "how can you blame the captain-general," they have said, "when the same thing is done by the french and english consuls through the islands?" that the french and english consuls do take bribes to wink at the importation of slaves, i cannot and do not believe. but cæsar's wife should not even be suspected. i found it difficult to learn what is exactly the present population of cuba. i believe it to be about , , , and of this number about , are slaves. there are many chinese now in the island, employed as household servants, or on railways, or about the sugar-works. many are also kept at work on the cane-pieces, though it seems that for this labour they have hardly sufficient strength. these unfortunate deluded creatures receive, i fear, very little better treatment than the slaves. my best wish for the island is that it may speedily be reckoned among the annexations of the united states. chapter xi. the passage of the windward islands. in the good old days, when men called things by their proper names, those islands which run down in a string from north to south, from the virgin islands to the mouth of the orinoco river, were called the windward islands--the windward or caribbean islands. they were also called the lesser antilles. the leeward islands were, and properly speaking are, another cluster lying across the coast of venezuela, of which curaçoa is the chief. oruba and margarita also belong to this lot, among which, england, i believe, never owned any.* [*the greater antilles are cuba, jamaica, hayti, and porto rico, though i am not quite sure whether porto rico does not more properly belong to the virgin islands. the scattered assemblage to the north of the greater antilles are the bahamas, at one of the least considerable of which, san salvador, columbus first landed. those now named, i believe, comprise all the west india islands.] but now-a-days we britishers are not content to let the dutch and others keep a separate name for themselves; we have, therefore, divided the lesser antilles, of which the greater number belong to ourselves, and call the northern portion of these the leeward islands. among them antigua is the chief, and is the residence of a governor supreme in this division. after leaving st. thomas the first island seen of any note is st. christopher, commonly known as st. kitts, and nevis is close to it. both these colonies are prospering fairly. sugar is exported, now i am told in increasing, though still not in great quantities, and the appearance of the cultivation is good. looking up the side of the hills one sees the sugar-canes apparently in cleanly order, and they have an air of substantial comfort. of course the times are not so bright as in the fine old days previous to emancipation; but nevertheless matters have been on the mend, and people are again beginning to get along. on the journey from nevis to antigua, montserrat is sighted, and a singular island-rock called the redonda is seen very plainly. montserrat, i am told, is not prospering so well as st. kitts or nevis. these islands are not so beautiful, not so greenly beautiful, as are those further south to which we shall soon come. the mountains of nevis are certainly fine as they are seen from the sea, but they are not, or do not seem to be covered with that delicious tropical growth which is so lovely in jamaica and trinidad, and, indeed, in many of the smaller islands. antigua is the next, going southward. this was, and perhaps is, an island of some importance. it is said to have been the first of the west indian colonies which itself advocated the abolition of slavery, and to have been the only one which adopted complete emancipation at once, without any intermediate system of apprenticeship. antigua has its own bishop, whose diocese includes also such of the virgin islands as belong to us, and the adjacent islands of st. kitts, nevis, and montserrat. neither is antigua remarkable for its beauty. it is approached, however, by an excellent and picturesque harbour, called english harbour, which in former days was much used by the british navy; indeed, i believe it was at one time the head-quarters of a naval station. premising, in the first place, that i know very little about harbours, i would say that nothing could be more secure than that. whether or no it may be easy for sailing vessels to get in and out with certain winds, that, indeed, may be doubtful. st. john's, the capital of antigua, is twelve miles from english harbour. i was in the island only three or four hours, and did not visit it. i am told that it is a good town--or city, i should rather say, now that it has its own bishop. in all these islands they have queen, lords, and commons in one shape or another. it may, however, be hoped, and i believe trusted, that, for the benefit of the communities, matters chiefly rest in the hands of the first of the three powers. the other members of the legislature, if they have in them anything of wisdom to say, have doubtless an opportunity of saying it--perhaps also an opportunity when they have nothing of wisdom. let us trust, however, that such opportunities are limited. after leaving antigua we come to the french island of guadaloupe, and then passing dominica, of which i will say a word just now, to martinique, which is also french. and here we are among the rich green wild beauties of these thrice beautiful caribbean islands. the mountain grouping of both these islands is very fine, and the hills are covered up to their summits with growth of the greenest. at both these islands one is struck with the great superiority of the french west indian towns to those which belong to us. that in guadaloupe is called basseterre, and the capital of martinique is st. pierre. these towns offer remarkable contrasts to roseau and port castries, the chief towns in the adjacent english islands of dominica and st. lucia. at the french ports one is landed at excellently contrived little piers, with proper apparatus for lighting, and well-kept steps. the quays are shaded by trees, the streets are neat and in good order, and the shops show that ordinary trade is thriving. there are water conduits with clear streams through the towns, and every thing is ship-shape. i must tell a very different tale when i come to speak of dominica and st. lucia. the reason for this is, i think, well given in a useful guide to the west indies, published some years since, under the direction of the royal mail steam-packet company. speaking of st. pierre, in martinique, the author says: "the streets are neat, regular, and cleanly. the houses are high, and have more the air of european houses than those of the english colonies. some of the streets have an avenue of trees, which overshadow the footpath, and on either side are deep gutters, down which the water flows. there are five booksellers houses, and the fashions are well displayed in other shops. the french colonists, whether creoles* or french, consider the west indies as their country. they cast no wistful looks towards france. they marry, educate, and build in and for the west indies, and for the west indies alone. in our colonies it is different. they are considered more as temporary lodging-places, to be deserted as soon as the occupiers have made money enough by molasses and sugar to return _home_." [*it should be understood that a creole is a person born in the west indies, of a race not indigenous to the islands. there may be white creoles, coloured creoles, or black creoles. people talk of creole horses and creole poultry; those namely which have not been themselves imported, but which have been bred from imported stock. the meaning of the word creole is, i think, sometimes misunderstood.] all this is quite true. there is something very cheering to an english heart in that sound, and reference to the word home--in that great disinclination to the idea of life-long banishment. but nevertheless, the effect as shown in these islands is not satisfactory to the _amour propre_ of an englishman. and it is not only in the outward appearance of things that the french islands excel those belonging to england which i have specially named. dominica and st. lucia export annually about , hogsheads of sugar each. martinique exports about , hogsheads. martinique is certainly rather larger than either of the other two, but size has little or nothing to do with it. it is anything rather than want of fitting soil which makes the produce of sugar so inconsiderable in dominica and st. lucia. these french islands were first discovered by the spaniards; but since that time they, as well as the two english islands above named, have passed backwards and forwards between the english and french, till it was settled in that martinique and guadaloupe should belong to france, and dominica and st. lucia, with some others, to england. it certainly seems that france knew how to take care of herself in the arrangement. there is another little island belonging to france, at the back of guadaloupe to the westward, called marie-galante; but i believe it is but of little value. to my mind, dominica, as seen from the sea, is by far the most picturesque of all these islands. indeed, it would be difficult to beat it either in colour or grouping. it fills one with an ardent desire to be off and rambling among those green mountains--as if one could ramble through such wild, bush country, or ramble at all with the thermometer at . but when one has only to think of such things without any idea of doing them, neither the bushes nor the thermometer are considered. one is landed at dominica on a beach. if the water be quiet, one gets out dryshod by means of a strong jump; if the surf be high, one wades through it; if it be very high, one is of course upset. the same things happen at jacmel, in hayti; but then englishmen look on the haytians as an uncivilized, barbarous race. seeing that dominica lies just between martinique and guadaloupe, the difference between the english beach and surf and the french piers is the more remarkable. and then, the perils of the surf being passed, one walks into the town of roseau. it is impossible to conceive a more distressing sight. every house is in a state of decadence. there are no shops that can properly be so called; the people wander about chattering, idle and listless; the streets are covered with thick, rank grass; there is no sign either of money made or of money making. everything seems to speak of desolation, apathy, and ruin. there is nothing, even in jamaica, so sad to look at as the town of roseau. the greater part of the population are french in manner, religion, and language, and one would be so glad to attribute to that fact this wretched look of apathetic poverty--if it were only possible. but we cannot do that after visiting martinique and guadaloupe. it might be said that a french people will not thrive under british rule. but if so, what of trinidad? this look of misery has been attributed to a great fire which occurred some eighty years since; but when due industry has been at work great fires have usually produced improved towns. now eighty years have afforded ample time for such improvement if it were forthcoming. alas! it would seem that it is not forthcoming. it must, however, be stated in fairness that dominica produces more coffee than sugar, and that the coffee estates have latterly been the most thriving. singularly enough, her best customer has been the neighbouring french island of martinique, in which some disease has latterly attacked the coffee plants. we then reach st. lucia, which is also very lovely as seen from the sea. this, too, is an island french in its language, manners, and religion; perhaps more entirely so than any other of the islands belonging to ourselves. the laws even are still french, and the people are, i believe, blessed (?) with no lords and commons. if i understand the matter rightly, st. lucia is held as a colony or possession conquered from the french, and is governed, therefore, by a quasi-military governor, with the aid of a council. it is, however, in some measure dependent on the governor of barbados, who is again one of your supreme governors. there has, i believe, been some recent change which i do not pretend to understand. if these changes be not completed, and if it would not be presumptuous in me to offer a word of advice, i would say that in the present state of the island, with a negro-gallic population who do little or nothing, it might be as well to have as much as possible of the queen, and as little as possible of the lords and commons. to the outward physical eye, st. lucia is not so triste as dominica. there is good landing there, and the little town of castries, though anything but prosperous in itself, is prosperous in appearance as compared with roseau. st. lucia is peculiarly celebrated for its snakes. one cannot walk ten yards off the road--so one is told--without being bitten. and if one be bitten, death is certain--except by the interposition of a single individual of the island, who will cure the sufferer--for a consideration. such, at least, is the report made on this matter. the first question one should ask on going there is as to the whereabouts and usual terms of that worthy and useful practitioner. there is, i believe, a great deal that is remarkable to attract the visitor among the mountains and valleys of st. lucia. and then in the usual course, running down the island, one goes to that british advanced post, barbados--barbados, that lies out to windward, guarding the other islands as it were! barbados, that is and ever was entirely british! barbados, that makes money, and is in all respects so respectable a little island! king george need not have feared at all; nor yet need queen victoria. if anything goes wrong in england--napoleon coming there, not to kiss her majesty this time, but to make himself less agreeable--let her majesty come to barbados, and she will be safe! i have said that jamaica never boasts, and have on that account complained of her. let such complaint be far from me when i speak of barbados. but shall i not write a distinct chapter as to this most respectable little island--an island that pays its way? st. vincent is the next in our course, and this, too, is green and pretty, and tempting to look at. here also the french have been in possession but comparatively for a short time. in settling this island, the chief difficulty the english had was with the old native indians, who more than once endeavoured to turn out their british masters. the contest ended in their being effectually turned out by those british masters, who expelled them all bodily to the island of ruatan, in the bay of honduras; where their descendants are now giving the anglo-american diplomatists so much trouble in deciding whose subjects they truly are. may we not say that, having got rid of them out of st. vincent, we can afford to get rid of them altogether? kingston is the capital here. it looks much better than either roseau or castries, though by no means equal to basseterre or st. pierre. this island is said to be healthy, having in this respect a much better reputation than its neighbour st. lucia, and as far as i could learn it is progressing--progressing slowly, but progressing--in spite even of the burden of queens, lords, and commons. the lords and commons are no doubt considerably modified by official influence. and then the traveller runs down the grenadines, a petty cluster of islands lying between st. vincent and grenada, of which becquia and cariacou are the chief. they have no direct connection with the mail steamers, but are, i believe, under the governor of barbados. they are very pretty, though not, as a rule, very productive. of one of them i was told that the population were all females. what a paradise of houris, if it were but possible to find a good mahommedan in these degenerate days! grenada will be the last upon the list; for i did not visit or even see tobago, and of trinidad i have ventured to write a separate chapter, in spite of the shortness of my visit. grenada is also very lovely, and is, i think, the head-quarters of the world for fruit. the finest mangoes i ever ate i found there; and i think the finest oranges and pine apples. the town of st. georges, the capital, must at one time have been a place of considerable importance, and even now it has a very different appearance from those that i have just mentioned. it is more like a goodly english town than any other that i saw in any of the smaller british islands. it is well built, though built up and down steep hills, and contains large and comfortable houses. the market-place also looks like a market-place, and there are shops in it, in which trade is apparently carried on and money made. indeed, grenada was once a prince among these smaller islands, having other islands under it, with a governor supreme, instead of tributary. it was fertile also, and productive--in every way of importance. but now here, as in so many other spots among the west indies, we are driven to exclaim, ichabod! the glory of our grenada has departed, as has the glory of its great namesake in the old world. the houses, though so goodly, are but as so many alhambras, whose tenants now are by no means great in the world's esteem. all the hotels in the west indies are, as i have said, or shall say in some other place, kept by ladies of colour; in the most part by ladies who are no longer very young. they are generally called familiarly by their double name. betsy austen, for instance; and caroline lee. i went to the house of some such lady in st. georges, and she told me a woful tale of her miseries. she was kitty something, i think--soon, apparently, to become kitty of another world. "an hotel," she said. "no; she kept no hotel now-a-days--what use was there for an hotel in st. georges? she kept a lodging-house; though, for the matter of that, no lodgers ever came nigh her. that little granddaughter of hers sometimes sold a bottle of ginger beer; that was all." it must be hard for living eyes to see one's trade die off in that way. there is a feminine accomplishment so much in vogue among the ladies of the west indies, one practised there with a success so specially brilliant, as to make it deserving of special notice. this art is one not wholly confined to ladies, although, as in the case with music, dancing, and cookery, it is to be looked for chiefly among the female sex. men, indeed, do practise it in england, the west indies, and elsewhere; and as thalberg and soyer are greatest among pianists and cooks, so perhaps are the greatest adepts in this art to be found among the male practitioners;--elsewhere, that is, than in the west indies. there are to be found ladies never equalled in this art by any effort of manhood. i speak of the science of flirting. and be it understood that here among these happy islands no idea of impropriety--perhaps remembering some of our starched people at home, i should say criminality--is attached to the pursuit. young ladies flirt, as they dance and play, or eat and drink, quite as a matter of course. there is no undutiful, unfilial idea of waiting till mamma's back be turned; no uncomfortable fear of papa; no longing for secluded corners, so that the world should not see. the doing of anything that one is ashamed of is bad. but as regards flirting, there is no such doing in the west indies. girls flirt not only with the utmost skill, but with the utmost innocence also. fanny grey, with her twelve admirers, required no retired corners, no place apart from father, mother, brothers, or sisters. she would perform with all the world around her as some other girl would sing, conscious that in singing she would neither disgrace herself nor her masters. it may be said that the practice of this accomplishment will often interfere with the course of true love. perhaps so, but i doubt whether it does not as often assist it. it seemed to me that young ladies do not hang on hand in the west indies. marriages are made up there with apparently great satisfaction on both sides; and then the flirting is laid aside--put by, at any rate, till the days of widowhood, should such evil days come. the flirting is as innocent as it is open, and is confined to ladies without husbands. it is confined to ladies without husbands, but the victims are not bachelors alone. no position, or age, or state of health secures a man from being drawn, now into one and now into another circean circle, in which he is whirled about, sometimes in a most ridiculous manner, jostled amongst a dozen neighbours, left without power to get out or to plunge further in, pulled back by a skirt at any attempt to escape, repulsed in the front at every struggle made to fight his way through. rolling about in these charybdis pools are, perhaps, oftenest to be seen certain wearers of red coats; wretches girt with tight sashes, and with gilding on their legs and backs. to and fro they go, bumping against each other without serious injury, but apparently in great discomfort. and then there are black-coated strugglers, with white neck-ties, very valiant in their first efforts, but often to be seen in deep grief, with heads thoroughly submersed. and you may see gray-haired sufferers with short necks, making little useless puffs, puffs which would be so impotent were not circe merciful to those short-necked gray-haired sufferers. if there were, as perhaps there should be, a college in the west indies, with fellowships and professorships,--established with the view of rewarding proficiency in this science--fanny grey should certainly be elected warden, or principal, or provost of that college. her wondrous skill deserves more than mere praise, more than such slight glory as my ephemeral pages can give her. pretty, laughing, brilliant, clever fanny grey! whose cheeks ever were so pink, whose teeth so white, whose eyes so bright, whose curling locks so raven black! and then who ever smiled as she smiled? or frowned as she can frown? sharply go those brows together, and down beneath the gurgling pool sinks the head of the red-coated wretch, while with momentary joy up pops the head of another, who is received with a momentary smile. yes; oh my reader! it is too true, i also have been in that pool, making, indeed, no wilful struggles, attempting no leander feat of swimming, sucked in as my steps unconsciously strayed too near the dangerous margin; sucked in and then buffeted about, not altogether unmercifully when my inaptitude for such struggling was discovered. yes; i have found myself choking in those charybdis waters, have glanced into the circe cave. i have been seen in my insane struggles. but what shame of that? all around me, from the old patriarch dean of the island to the last subaltern fresh from chatham, were there as well as i. chapter xii. british guiana. when i settle out of england, and take to the colonies for good and all, british guiana shall be the land of my adoption. if i call it demerara perhaps i shall be better understood. at home there are prejudices against it i know. they say that it is a low, swampy, muddy strip of alluvial soil, infested with rattlesnakes, gallinippers, and musquitoes as big as turkey-cocks; that yellow fever rages there perennially; that the heat is unendurable; that society there is as stagnant as its waters; that men always die as soon as they reach it; and when they live are such wretched creatures that life is a misfortune. calumny reports it to have been ruined by the abolition of slavery; milk of human kindness would forbid the further exportation of europeans to this white man's grave; and philanthropy, for the good of mankind, would wish to have it drowned beneath its own rivers. there never was a land so ill spoken of--and never one that deserved it so little. all the above calumnies i contradict; and as i lived there for a fortnight--would it could have been a month!--i expect to be believed. if there were but a snug secretaryship vacant there--and these things in demerara are very snug--how i would invoke the goddess of patronage; how i would nibble round the officials of the colonial office; how i would stir up my friends' friends to write little notes to their friends! for demerara is the elysium of the tropics--the west indian happy valley of rasselas--the one true and actual utopia of the caribbean seas--the transatlantic eden. the men in demerara are never angry, and the women are never cross. life flows along on a perpetual stream of love, smiles, champagne, and small-talk. everybody has enough of everything. the only persons who do not thrive are the doctors; and for them, as the country affords them so little to do, the local government no doubt provides liberal pensions. the form of government is a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. the governor is the father of his people, and the governor's wife the mother. the colony forms itself into a large family, which gathers itself together peaceably under parental wings. they have no noisy sessions of parliament as in jamaica, no money squabbles as in barbados. a clean bill of health, a surplus in the colonial treasury, a rich soil, a thriving trade, and a happy people--these are the blessings which attend the fortunate man who has cast his lot on this prosperous shore. such is demerara as it is made to appear to a stranger. that custom which prevails there, of sending to all new comers a deputation with invitations to dinner for the period of his sojourn, is an excellent institution. it saves a deal of trouble in letters of introduction, economizes one's time, and puts one at once on the most-favoured-nation footing. some may fancy that they could do better as to the bestowal of their evenings by individual diplomacy; but the matter is so well arranged in demerara that such people would certainly find themselves in the wrong. if there be a deficiency in georgetown--it is hardly necessary to explain that georgetown is the capital of the province of demerara, and that demerara is the centre province in the colony of british guiana; or that there are three provinces, berbice, demerara, and essequibo, so called from the names of the three great rivers of the country--but if there be a deficiency in georgetown, it is in respect to cabs. the town is extensive, as will by-and-by be explained; and though i would not so far militate against the feelings of the people as to say that the weather is ever hot--i should be ungrateful as well as incredulous were i to do so--nevertheless, about noonday one's inclination for walking becomes subdued. cabs would certainly be an addition to the luxuries of the place. but even these are not so essential as might at the first sight appear, for an invitation to dinner always includes an offer of the host's carriage. without a carriage no one dreams of dragging on existence in british guiana. in england one would as soon think of living in a house without a fireplace, or sleeping in a bed without a blanket. for those who wander abroad in quest of mountain scenery it must be admitted that this colony has not much attraction. the country certainly is flat. by this i mean to intimate, that go where you will, travel thereabouts as far as you may, the eye meets no rising ground. everything stands on the same level. but then, what is the use of mountains? you can grow no sugar on them, even with ever so many coolies. they are big, brown, valueless things, cumbering the face of the creation; very well for autumn idlers when they get to switzerland, but utterly useless in a colony which has to count its prosperity by the number of its hogsheads. jamaica has mountains, and look at jamaica! yes; demerara is flat; and berbice is flat; and so is essequibo. the whole of this land is formed by the mud which has been brought down by these great rivers and by others. the corentyne is the most easterly, separating our colony from dutch guiana, or surinam. then comes the berbice. the next, counting only the larger rivers, is the demerara. then, more to the west, the essequibo, and running into that the mazarony and the cuyuni; and then, north-west along the coast, the pomeroon; and lastly of our own rivers, the guiana, though i doubt whether for absolute purposes of colonization we have ever gone so far as this. and beyond that are rolled in slow but turbid volume the huge waters of the orinoco. on its shores we make no claim. though the delta of the orinoco is still called guiana, it belongs to the republic of venezuela. these are our boundaries along the south american shore, which hereabouts, as all men know, looks northward, with an easterly slant towards the atlantic. between us and our dutch friends on the right hand the limits are clear enough. on the left hand, matters are not quite so clear with the venezuelians. but to the rear! to the rear there is an eternity of sugar capability in mud running back to unknown mountains, the wildernesses of brazil, the river negro, and the tributaries of the amazon--an eternity of sugar capability, to which england's colony can lay claim if only she could manage so much as the surveying of it. "sugar!" said an enterprising demerara planter to me. "are you talking of sugar? give me my heart's desire in coolies, and i will make you a million of hogsheads of sugar without stirring from the colony!" now, the world's supply, some twelve years ago, was about a million hogsheads. it has since increased maybe by a tenth. what a land, then, is this of british guiana, flowing with milk and honey--with sugar and rum! a million hogsheads can be made there, if we only had the coolies. i state this on the credit of my excellent enterprising friend. but then the coolies! guiana is an enormous extent of flat mud, the alluvial deposit of those mighty rivers which for so many years have been scraping together earth in those wild unknown upland countries, and bringing it down conveniently to the sea-board, so that the world might have sugar to its tea. i really think my friend was right. there is no limit to the fertility and extent of this region. the only limit is in labour. the present culture only skirts the sea-board and the riversides. you will hardly find an estate--i do not think that you can find one--that has not a water frontage. this land formerly belonged to the dutch, and by them was divided out into portions which on a map have about them a euclidical appearance. let a b c d be a right-angled parallelogram, of which the sides a b and c d are three times the length of the other sides a c and b d. 'tis thus you would describe a demerara property, and the q. e. d. would have reference to the relative quantities of sugar, molasses, and rum producible therefrom. but these strips of land, though they are thus marked out on the maps with four exact lines, are presumed to run back to any extent that the owner may choose to occupy. he starts from the water, and is bounded on each side; but backwards! backwards he may cultivate canes up to the very andes, if only he could get coolies. oh, ye soft-hearted, philanthropic gentry of the anti-slavery society, only think of that; a million hogsheads of sugar--and you like cheap sugar yourselves--if you will only be quiet, or talk on subjects that you understand! the whole of this extent of mud, beyond the present very limited sugar-growing limits, is covered by timber. one is apt to think of an american forest as being as magnificent in its individual trees as it is huge in its extent of surface. but i doubt much whether this is generally the case. there are forest giants no doubt; but indigenous primeval wood is, i take it, for the most part a disagreeable, scrubby, bushy, sloppy, unequal, inconvenient sort of affair, to walk through which a man should be either an alligator or a monkey, and to make much way he should have a touch of both. there be no forest glades there in which uncivilized indian lovers walk at ease, with their arms round each other's naked waists; no soft grass beneath the well-trimmed trunk on which to lie and meditate poetical. but musquitoes abound there; and grass flies, which locate themselves beneath the toe-nails; and marabunters, a villanous species of wasp; and gallinippers, the grandfathers of musquitoes; and from thence up to the xagua and the boa constrictor all nature is against a cool comfortable ramble in the woods. but i must say a word about georgetown, and a word also about new amsterdam, before i describe the peculiarities of a sugar estate in guiana. a traveller's first thought is about his hotel; and i must confess, much as i love georgetown--and i do love georgetown--that i ought to have coupled the hotel with the cabs, and complained of a joint deficiency. the clarendon--the name at any rate is good--is a poor affair; but poor as it is, it is the best. it is a ricket, ruined, tumble-down, wooden house, into which at first one absolutely dreads to enter, lest the steps should fail and let one through into unutterable abysses below. all the houses in georgetown are made of wood, and therefore require a good deal of repair and paint. and all the houses seem to receive this care except the hotel. ah, mrs. lenny, mrs. lenny! before long you and your guests will fall prostrate, and be found buried beneath a pile of dust and a colony of cockroaches! and yet it goes against my heart to abuse the inn, for the people were so very civil. i shall never forget that big black chambermaid; how she used to curtsy to me when she came into my room in the morning with a huge tub of water on her head! that such a weight should be put on her poor black skull--a weight which i could not lift--used to rend my heart with anguish. but that, so weighted, she should think that manners demanded a curtsy! poor, courteous, overburdened maiden! "don't, sally; don't. don't curtsy," i would cry. "yes, massa," she would reply, and curtsy again, oh, so painfully! the tub of water was of such vast proportions! it was big enough--big enough for me to wash in! this house, as i have said, was all in ruins, and among other ruined things was my bedroom-door lock. the door could not be closed within, except by the use of a bolt; and without the bolt would swing wide open to the winds, exposing my arrangements to the public, and disturbing the neighbourhood by its jarring. in spite of the inconvenient difficulty of ingress i was forced to bolt it. at six every morning came sally with the tub, knocking gently at the door--knocking gently at the door with that ponderous tub upon her skull! what could a man do when so appealed to but rush quickly from beneath his musquito curtains to her rescue? so it was always with me. but having loosed the bolt, time did not suffice to enable me to take my position again beneath the curtain. a jump into bed i might have managed--but then, the musquito curtain! so, under those circumstances, finding myself at the door in my deshabille, i could only open it, and then stand sheltered behind it, as behind a bulwark, while sally deposited her burden. but, no. she curtsied, first at the bed; and seeing that i was not there, turned her head and tub slowly round the room, till she perceived my whereabouts. then gently, but firmly, drawing away the door till i stood before her plainly discovered in my night-dress, she curtsied again. she knew better than to enter a room without due salutation to the guest--even with a tub of water on her head. poor sally! was i not dressed from my chin downwards, and was not that enough for her? "honi soit qui mal y pense." after that, how can i say ought against the hotel? and when i complained loudly of the holes in the curtain, the musquitoes having driven me to very madness, did not they set to work, sunday as it was, and make me a new curtain? certainly without avail--for they so hung it that the musquitoes entered worse than ever. but the intention was no less good. and that waiter, david; was he not for good-nature the pink of waiters? "david, this house will tumble down! i know it will--before i leave it. the stairs shook terribly as i came up." "oh no, massa," and david laughed benignly. "it no tumble down last week, and derefore it no tumble down next." it did last my time, and therefore i will say no more. georgetown to my eyes is a prepossessing city, flat as the country round it is, and deficient as it is--as are all the west indies--in anything like architectural pretension. the streets are wide and airy. the houses, all built of wood, stand separately, each a little off the road; and though much has not been done in the way of their gardens--for till the great coming influx of coolies all labour is engaged in making sugar--yet there is generally something green attached to each of them. down the centre of every street runs a wide dyke. of these dykes i must say something further when i come to speak again of the sugar doings; for their importance in these provinces cannot well be overrated. the houses themselves are generally without a hall. by that i mean that you walk directly into some sitting-room. this, indeed, is general through the west indies; and now that i bethink me of the fact, i may mention that a friend of mine in jamaica has no door whatsoever to his house. all ingress and egress is by the windows. my bedroom had no door, only a window that opened. the sitting-rooms in georgetown open through to each other, so that the wind, let it come which way it will, may blow through the whole house. for though it is never absolutely hot in guiana--as i have before mentioned--nevertheless, a current of air is comfortable. one soon learns to know the difference of windward and leeward when living in british guiana. the houses are generally of three stories; but the two upper only are used by the family. outer steps lead up from the little front garden, generally into a verandah, and in this verandah a great portion of their life is led. it is cooler than the inner rooms. not that i mean to say that any rooms in demerara are ever hot. we all know the fine burst with which scott opens a certain canto in one of his poems:-- breathes there the man, with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, this is my own, my native land? * * * if such there breathe, go, mark him well. at any rate, there breathes no such man in this pleasant colony. a people so happily satisfied with their own position i never saw elsewhere, except at barbados. and how could they fail to be satisfied, looking at their advantages? a million hogsheads of sugar to be made when the coolies come! they do not, the most of them, appeal to the land as being that of their nativity, but they love it no less as that of their adoption. "look at me," says one; "i have been thirty years without leaving it, and have never had a headache." i look and see a remarkably hale man, of forty i should say, but he says fifty. "that's nothing," says another, who certainly may be somewhat stricken in years: "i have been here five-and-fifty years, and was never ill but once, when i was foolish enough to go to england. ugh! i shall never forget it. why, sir, there was frost in october!" "yes," i said, "and snow in may sometimes. it is not all sunshine with us, whatever it may be with you." "not that we have too much sunshine," interposed a lady. "you don't think we have, do you?" "not in the least. who could ask more, madam, than to bask in such sunshine as yours from year's end to year's end?" "and is commerce tolerably flourishing?" i asked of a gentleman in trade. "flourishing, sir! if you want to make money, here's your ground. why, sir, here, in this wretched little street, there has been more money turned in the last ten years than--than--than--" and he rummaged among the half-crowns in his breeches-pocket for a simile, as though not a few of the profits spoken of had found their way thither. "do you ever find it dull here?" i asked of a lady--perhaps not with very good taste--for we englishmen have sometimes an idea that there is perhaps a little sameness about life in a small colony. "dull! no. what should make us dull? we have a great deal more to amuse us than most of you have at home." this perhaps might be true of many of us. "we have dances, and dinner-parties, and private theatricals. and then mrs. ----!" now mrs. ---- was the governor' wife, and all eulogiums on society in georgetown always ended with a eulogium upon her. i went over the hospital with the doctor there; for even in demerara they require a hospital for the negroes. "and what is the prevailing disease of the colony?" i asked him. "dropsy with the black men," he answered; "and brandy with the white." "you don't think much of yellow fever?" i asked him. "no; very little. it comes once in six or seven years; and like influenza or cholera at home, it requires its victims. what is that to consumption, whose visits with you are constant, who daily demands its hecatombs? we don't like yellow fever, certainly; but yellow fever is not half so bad a fellow as the brandy bottle." should this meet the eye of any reader in this colony who needs medical advice, he may thus get it, of a very good quality, and without fee. on the subject of brandy i say nothing myself, seeing how wrong it is to kiss and tell. excepting as regards yellow fever, i do not imagine that demerara is peculiarly unhealthy. and as regards yellow fever, i am inclined to think that his satanic majesty has in this instance been painted too black. there are many at home--in england--who believe that yellow fever rages every year in some of these colonies, and that half the white population of the towns is swept off by it every august. as far as i can learn it is hardly more fatal at one time of the year than at another. it returns at intervals, but by no means regularly or annually. sometimes it will hang on for sixteen or eighteen months at a time, and then it will disappear for five or six years. those seem to be most subject to it who have been out in the west indies for a year or so: after that, persons are not so liable to it. sailors, and men whose work keeps them about the sea-board and wharves, seem to be in the greatest danger. white soldiers also, when quartered in unhealthy places, have suffered greatly. they who are thoroughly acclimatized are seldom attacked; and there seems to be an idea that the white creoles are nearly safe. i believe that there are instances in which coloured people and even negroes have been attacked by yellow fever. but such cases are very rare. cholera is the negroes' scourge. nor do i think that this fever rages more furiously in demerara than among the islands. it has been very bad in its bad times at kingston, jamaica, at trinidad, at barbados, among the shipping at st. thomas, and nowhere worse than at the havana. the true secret of its fatality i take to be this:--that the medical world has not yet settled what is the proper mode of medical treatment. there are, i believe, still two systems, each directly opposite to the other; but in the west indies they call them the french system and the english. in a few years, no doubt, the matter will be better understood. from georgetown, demerara, to new amsterdam, berbice, men travel either by steamer along the coast, or by a mail phaeton. the former goes once a week to berbice and back, and the latter three times. i went by the mail phaeton and returned by the steamer. and here, considering the prosperity of the colony, the well-being and comfort of all men and women in it, the go-ahead principles of the place, and the coming million hogsheads of sugar--the millennium of a west indian colony--considering all these great existing characteristics of guiana, i must say that i think the governor ought to look to the mail phaeton. it was a woful affair, crumbling to pieces along the road in the saddest manner; very heart-rending to the poor fellow who had to drive it, and body-rending to some of the five passengers who were tossed to and fro as every fresh fragment deserted the parent vehicle with a jerk. and then, when we had to send the axle to be mended, that staying in the road for two hours and a half among the musquitoes! ohe! ohe! ugh! ugh! it grieves me to mention this, seeing that rose colour was so clearly the prevailing tint in all matters belonging to guiana. and i would have forgiven it had the phaeton simply broken down on the road. all sublunar phaetons are subject to such accidents. why else should they have been named after him of the heavens who first suffered from such mishaps? but this phaeton had broken down before it commenced its journey. it started on a system of ropes, bandages, and patches which were disgraceful to such a colony and such a governor; and i should intromit a clear duty, were i to allow it to escape the gibbet. but we did reach new amsterdam not more than five hours after time. i have but very little to say of the road, except this: that there is ample scope for sugar and ample room for coolies. every now and then we came upon negro villages. all villages in this country must be negro villages, one would say, except the few poor remaining huts of the indians, which are not encountered on the white man's path. true; but by a negro village i mean a site which is now the freehold possession of negroes, having been purchased by them since the days of emancipation, with their own money, and for their own purposes; so that they might be in all respects free; free to live in idleness, or to do such work as an estated man may choose to do for himself, his wife, his children, and his property. there are many such villages in guiana, and i was told that when the arrangements for the purchases were made the dollars were subscribed by the negroes so quickly and in such quantities that they were taken to the banks in wheelbarrows. at any rate, the result has been that tracts of ground have been bought by these people and are now owned by them in fee simple. it is grievous to me to find myself driven to differ on such points as these from men with whose views i have up to this period generally agreed. but i feel myself bound to say that the freeholding negroes in guiana do not appear to me to answer. in the first place it seems that they have found great difficulty in dividing the land among themselves. in all such combined actions some persons must be selected as trustworthy; and those who have been so selected have not been worthy of the trust. and then the combined action has ceased with the purchase of the land, whereas, to have produced good it should have gone much further. combined draining would have been essential; combined working has been all but necessary; combined building should have been adopted. but the negroes, the purchase once made, would combine no further. they could not understand that unless they worked together at draining, each man's own spot of ground would be a swamp. each would work a little for himself; but none would work for the community. a negro village therefore is not a picturesque object. they are very easily known. the cottages, or houses--for some of them have aspired to strong, stable, two-storied slated houses--stand in extreme disorder, one here and another there, just as individual caprice may have placed them. there seems to have been no attempt at streets or lines of buildings, and certainly not at regularity in building. then there are no roads, and hardly a path to each habitation. as the ground is not drained, in wet weather the whole place is half drowned. most of the inhabitants will probably have made some sort of dyke for the immediate preservation of their own dwellings; but as those dykes are not cut with any common purpose, they become little more than overflowing ponds, among which the negro children crawl and scrape in the mud; and are either drowned, or escape drowning, as providence may direct. the spaces between the buildings are covered with no verdure; they are mere mud patches, and are cracked in dry weather, wet, slippery, and filthy in the rainy seasons. the plantation grounds of these people are outside the village, and afford, i am told, cause for constant quarrelling. they do, however, also afford means of support for the greater part of the year, so that the negroes can live, some without work and some by working one or two days in the week. it may perhaps be difficult to explain why a man should be expected to work if he can live on his own property without working, and enjoy such comforts as he desires. and it may be equally difficult to explain why complaint should be made as to the wretchedness of any men who do not themselves feel that their own state is wretched. but, nevertheless, on seeing what there is here to be seen, it is impossible to withstand the instinctive conviction that a village of freeholding negroes is a failure; and that the community has not been served by the process, either as regards themselves or as regards the country. late at night we did reach new amsterdam, and crossed the broad berbice after dark in a little ferryboat which seemed to be perilously near the water. at ten o'clock i found myself at the hotel, and pronounce it to be, without hesitation, the best inn, not only in that colony, but in any of these western colonies belonging to great britain. it is kept by a negro, one mr. paris brittain, of whom i was informed that he was once a slave. "o, si sic omnes!" but as regards my experience, he is merely the exception which proves the rule. i am glad, however, to say a good word for the energies and ambition of one of the race, and shall be glad if i can obtain for mr. paris brittain an innkeeper's immortality. his deserts are so much the greater in that his scope for displaying them is so very limited. no man can walk along the broad strand street of new amsterdam, and then up into its parallel street, so back towards the starting-point, and down again to the sea, without thinking of knickerbocker and rip van winkle. the dutchman who built new amsterdam and made it once a thriving town must be still sleeping, as the new york dutchman once slept, waiting the time when an irruption from paramaribo and surinam shall again restore the place to its old possessors. at present life certainly stagnates at new amsterdam. three persons in the street constitute a crowd, and five collected for any purpose would form a goodly club. but the place is clean and orderly, and the houses are good and in good repair. they stand, as do the houses in georgetown, separately, each surrounded by its own garden or yard, and are built with reference to the wished-for breeze from the windows. the estates up the berbice river, and the canje creek which runs into it, are, i believe, as productive as those on the coast, or on the demerara or essequibo rivers, and are as well cultivated; but their owners no longer ship their sugars from new amsterdam. the bar across the berbice river is objectionable, and the trade of georgetown has absorbed the business of the colony. in olden times berbice and demerara were blessed each with its own governor, and the two towns stood each on its own bottom as two capitals. but those halcyon days--halcyon for berbice--are gone; and rip van winkle, with all his brethren, is asleep. i should have said, in speaking of my journey from demerara to berbice, that the first fifteen miles were performed by railway. the colony would have fair ground of complaint against me were i to omit to notice that it has so far progressed in civilization as to own a railway. as far as i could learn, the shares do not at present stand at a high premium. from berbice i returned in a coasting steamer. it was a sleepy, dull, hot journey, without subject of deep interest. i can only remember of it that they gave us an excellent luncheon on board, and luncheons at such times are very valuable in breaking the tedium of the day. and now a word as to the million hogsheads of sugar and as to the necessary coolies. guiana has some reason to be proud, seeing that at present it beats all the neighbouring british colonies in the quantity of sugar produced. i believe that it also beats them all as to the quantity of rum, though jamaica still stands first as to the quality. in round numbers the sugar exported from guiana may be stated at seventy thousand hogsheads. barbados exports about fifty thousand, trinidad and jamaica under forty thousand. no other british west indian colony gives fifteen thousand; but guadaloupe and martinique, two french islands, produce, one over fifty thousand and the other nearly seventy thousand hogsheads. in order to make this measurement intelligible, i may explain that a hogshead is generally said to contain a ton weight of sugar, but that, when reaching the market, it very rarely does come up to that weight. i do not give this information as statistically correct, but as being sufficiently so to guide the ideas of a man only ordinarily anxious to be acquainted in an ordinary manner with what is going on in the west indies. i would not, therefore, recommend any member of parliament to quote the above figures in the house. some twelve years ago the whole produce of sugar in the west indies, including guiana and excluding the spanish islands, was , hogsheads. the amount which i have above recapitulated, in which the smaller islands have been altogether omitted, exceeds , . it may therefore be taken as a fact that, on the whole, the evil days have come to their worst, and that the tables are turned. it must however be admitted that the above figures tell more for french than for english prosperity. in these countries sugar and labour are almost synonymous; at any rate, they are convertible substances. in none of the colonies named, except barbados, is the amount of sugar produced limited by any other law than the amount of labour to be obtained, and in none of them, with that one exception, can any prosperity be hoped for, excepting by means of immigrating labour. what i mean to state is this: that the extent of native work which can be obtained by the planters and land-owners at terms which would enable them to grow their produce and bring it to the market does not in any of these colonies suffice for success. it can be worth no man's while to lay out his capital in jamaica, in trinidad, or in guiana, unless he has reasonable hope that labouring men will be brought into those countries. the great west indian question is now this: is there reasonable ground for such hope? the anti-slavery society tells us that we ought to have no such hope--that it is simply hoping for a return of slavery; that black or coloured labourers brought from other lands to the west indies cannot be regarded as free men; that labourers so brought will surely be ill-used; and that the native negro labourer requires protection. as to that question of the return to slavery i have already said what few words i have to offer. in one sense, no dependent man working for wages can be free. he must abide by the terms of his contract. but in the usually accepted sense of the word freedom, the coolie or chinaman immigrating to the west indies is free. as to the charge of ill usage, it appears to me that these men could not be treated with more tenderness, unless they were put separately, each under his own glass case, with a piece of velvet on which to lie. in england we know of no such treatment for field labourers. on their arrival in demerara they are distributed among the planters by the governor, to each planter according to his application, his means of providing for them, and his willingness and ability to pay the cost of the immigration by yearly instalments. they are sent to no estate till a government officer shall have reported that there are houses for them to occupy. there must be a hospital for them on the estate, and a regular doctor with a sufficient salary. the rate of their wages is stipulated, and their hours of work. though the contract is for five years, they can leave the estate at the end of the first three, transferring their services to any other master, and at the end of the five years they are entitled to a free passage home. if there be no hardship in all this to the immigrating coolie, it may, perhaps, be thought that there is hardship to the planter who receives him. he is placed very much at the mercy of the governor, who, having the power of giving or refusing coolies, becomes despotic. and then, when this stranger from hindostan has been taught something of his work, he can himself select another master, so that one planter may bribe away the labourers of another. this, however, is checked to a certain degree by a regulation which requires the bribing interloper to pay a portion of the expense of immigration. as to the native negro requiring protection--protection, that is, against competitive labour--the idea is too absurd to require any argument to refute it. as it at present is, the competition having been established, and being now in existence to a certain small extent, these happy negro gentlemen will not work on an average more than three days a week, nor for above six hours a day. i saw a gang of ten or twelve negro girls in a cane-piece, lying idle on the ground, waiting to commence their week's labour. it was tuesday morning. on the monday they had of course not come near the field. on the morning of my visit they were lying with their hoes beside them, meditating whether or no they would measure out their work. the planter was with me, and they instantly attacked him. "no, massa; we no workey; money no nuff," said one. "four bits no pay! no pay at all!" said another. "five bits, massa, and we gin morrow 'arly." it is hardly necessary to say that the gentleman refused to bargain with them. "they'll measure their work to-morrow," said he; "on thursday they will begin, and on friday they will finish for the week." "but will they not look elsewhere for other work?" i asked. "of course they will," he said; "occupy a whole day in looking for it; but others cannot pay better than i do, and the end will be as i tell you." poor young ladies! it will certainly be cruel to subject them to the evil of competition in their labour. in guiana the bull has been taken by the horns, as in jamaica it unfortunately has not; and the first main difficulties of immigration have, i think, been overcome. for some years past, both from india and from china, labourers have been brought in freely, and during the last twelve months the number has been very considerable. the women also are coming now as well as the men, and they have learned to husband their means and put money together. such an affair as this--the regular exodus, that is, of a people to another land--has always progressed with great rapidity when it has been once established. the difficulty is to make a beginning. it is natural enough that men should hesitate to trust themselves to a future of which they know nothing; and as natural that they should hasten to do so when they have heard of the good things which providence has in store for them. it required that some few should come out and prosper, and return with signs of prosperity. this has now been done, and as regards guiana it will not, i imagine, be long before negro labour is, if not displaced, made, at any rate, of secondary consequence in the colony. as far as the workmen are concerned, the million hogsheads will, i think, become a possibility, though not perhaps in the days of my energetic hopeful friend. both the coolies and the chinamen have aptitude in putting money together; and when a man has this aptitude he will work as long as good wages are to be earned. "crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa, &c." we teach our children this lesson, intending them to understand that it is pretty nearly the worst of all "amors," and we go on with the "irritamenta malorum" till we come to the "spernere fortior." it is all, however, of no use. "naturam expellas furcâ;" but the result is still the same. nature knows what she is about. the love of money is a good and useful love. what would the world now be without it? or is it even possible to conceive of a world progressing without such a love? show me ten men without it, and i will show you nine who lack zeal for improvement. money, like other loved objects--women, for instance--should be sought for with honour, won with a clean conscience, and used with a free hand. provided it be so guided, the love of money is no ignoble passion. the negroes, as a class, have not this aptitude, consequently they lie in the sun and eat yams, and give no profitable assistance towards that saccharine millennium. "spernere fortior!" that big black woman would so say, she who is not contented with four bits, if her education had progressed so far. and as she said it, how she would turn up her african nose, and what contempt she would express with her broad eyes! doubtless she does so express herself among her negro friends in some nigger patois--"pernere forshaw." if so, her philosophy does but little to assist the world, or herself. there is another race of men, and of women too, who have been and now are of the greatest benefit to this colony, and with them the "spernere fortior" is by no means a favourite doctrine. there are the portuguese who have come to demerara from madeira. i believe that they are not to be found in any of the islands; but here, in guiana, they are in great numbers, and thrive wonderfully. at almost every corner of two streets in georgetown is to be seen a small shop; and those shops are, i think without exception, kept by portuguese. nevertheless they all reached the demerara river in absolute poverty, intending to live on the wages of field labour, and certainly prepared to do their work like men. as a rule, they are a steady, industrious class, and have proved themselves to be good citizens. in the future amalgamation of races, which will take place here as elsewhere in the tropics, the portugee-madeira element will not be the least efficient. i saw the works on three or four sugar estates in demerara, and though i am neither a sugar grower nor a mechanic, i am able to say that the machinery and material of this colony much exceed anything i have seen in any of our own west indian islands; and in the point of machinery, equals what i saw in cuba. everything is done on a much larger scale, and in a more proficient manner than at--barbados, we will say. i instance barbados because the planters there play so excellent a melody on their own trumpets. in that island not one planter in five, not one i believe in fifteen, has any steam appliance on his estate. they trust to the wind for their motive power, as did their great-great-grandfather. but there is steam on every estate in guiana. the vacuum pan and the centrifugal machine for extracting the molasses are known only by name in barbados, whereas they are common appliances in demerara. there two hundred hogsheads is a considerable produce for one planter. here they make eight hundred hogsheads, a thousand, and twelve hundred. a barbados man will reply to this that the thing to be looked to is the profit, or what he will call the clearance. the sugar-consuming world, however, will know nothing about this, will hear nothing of individual profits. but it will recognize the fact that the demerara sugar is of a better quality than that which comes from barbados, and will believe that the merchant or planter who does not use the latest appliances of science, whether it be in manufacture or agriculture, will before long go to the wall. looking over a sugar estate and sugar works is an exciting amusement certainly, but nevertheless it palls upon one at last. i got quite into the way of doing it; and used to taste the sugars and examine the crystals; make comparisons and pronounce, i must confess as regards barbados, a good deal of adverse criticism. but this was merely to elicit the true tone of barbadian eloquence, the long-drawn nasal fecundity of speech which comes forth so fluently when their old windmills are attacked. but the amusement, as i have said, does pall upon one. in spite of the difference of the machinery, the filtering-bags and centrifugals in one, the gadsden pans in another, and the simple oscillators in a third--(the barbados estate stands for the third)--one does get weary of walking up to a sugar battery, and looking at the various heated caldrons, watching till even the inexperienced eye perceives that the dirty liquor has become brown sugar, as it runs down from a dipper into a cooling vat. i wonder whether i could make the process in any simple way intelligible; or whether in doing so i should afford gratification to a single individual? were i myself reading such a book of travels, i should certainly skip such description. reader, do thou do likewise. nevertheless, it shall not exceed three or four pages. the cane must first be cut. as regards a planted cane, that is the first crop from the plant--(for there are such things as ratoons, of which a word or two will be found elsewhere)--as regards the planted cane, the cutting, i believe, takes place after about fourteen months' growth. the next process is that of the mill; the juice, that is, has to be squeezed out of it. the cane should not lie above two days before it is squeezed. it is better to send it to the mill the day after it is cut, or the hour after; in fact, as soon indeed as may be. in demerara they are brought to the mill by water always; in barbados, by carts and mules; in jamaica, by waggons and oxen; so also in cuba. the mill consists of three rollers, which act upon each other like cogwheels. the canes are passed between two, an outside one, say, and a centre one; and the refuse stalk, or trash (so called in jamaica), or magass (so called in barbados and demerara), comes out between the same centre one and the other outside roller. the juice meanwhile is strained down to a cistern or receptacle below. these rollers are quite close, so that it would seem to be impossible that the cane should go through; but it does go through with great ease, if the mill be good and powerful; but frequently with great difficulty, if the mill be bad and not powerful; for which latter alternative vide barbados. the canes give from sixty to seventy per cent. of juice. sometimes less than sixty, not often over seventy. the juice, which is then of a dirty-yellow colour, and apparently about the substance of milk, is brought from the mill through a pipe into the first vat, in which it is tempered. this is done with lime, and the object is to remedy the natural acidity of the juice. in this first vat it is warmed, but not more than warmed. it then runs from these vats into boilers, or at any rate into receptacles in which it is boiled. these in barbados are called taches. at each of these a man stands with a long skimmer, skimmering the juice as it were, and scraping off certain skum which comes to the top. there are from three to seven of these taches, and below them, last of all, is the boiler, the veritable receptacle in which the juice becomes sugar. in the taches, especially the first of them, the liquor becomes dark green in colour. as it gets nearer the boiler it is thicker and more clouded, and begins to assume its well-known tawny hue. over the last boiler stands the man who makes the sugar. it is for him to know what heat to apply and how long to apply it. the liquor now ceases to be juice and becomes sugar. this is evident to the eye and nose, for though the stuff in the boiler is of course still liquid, it looks like boiled melted sugar, and the savour is the savour of sugar. when the time has come, and the boiling is boiled, a machine suspended from on high, and called a dipper, is let down into the caldron. it nearly fits the caldron, being, as it were, in itself a smaller caldron going into the other. the sugar naturally runs over the side of this and fills it, some little ingenuity being exercised in the arrangement. the dipper, full of sugar, is then drawn up on high. at the bottom of it is a valve, so that on the pulling of a rope, the hot liquid runs out. this dipper is worked like a crane, and is made to swing itself from over the boiler to a position in which the sugar runs from it through a wooden trough to the flat open vats in which it is cooled. but at this part of the manufacture there are various different methods. according to that which is least advanced the sugar is simply cooled in the vat, then put into buckets in a half-solid state, and thrown out of the buckets into the hogsheads. according to the more advanced method it runs from the dipper down through filtering bags, is then pumped into a huge vacuum pan, a utensil like a kettle-drum turned topsy-turvy, a kettle-drum that is large enough to hold six tons of sugar. then it is reheated, and then put into open round boxes called centrifugals, the sides of which are made of metal pierced like gauze. these are whisked round and round by steam-power at an enormous rate, and the molasses flies out through the gauze, leaving the sugar dry and nearly white. it is then fit to go into the hogshead, and fit also to be shipped away. but in the simpler process, the molasses drains from the sugar in the hogshead. to facilitate this, as the sugar is put into the cask, reeds are stuck through it, which communicate with holes at the bottom, so that there may be channels through which the molasses may run. the hogsheads stand upon beams lying a foot apart from each other, and below is a dark abyss into which the molasses falls. i never could divest myself of the idea that the negro children occasionally fall through also, and are then smothered and so distilled into rum. there are various other processes, intermediate between the highly-civilized vacuum pan and the simple cooling, with which i will not trouble my reader. nor will i go into the further mystery of rum-making. that the rum is made from the molasses every one knows; and from the negro children, as i suspect. the process of sugar-making is very rapid if the appliances be good. a planter in demerara assured me that he had cut his canes in the morning, and had the sugar in georgetown in the afternoon. fudge! however, was the remark made by another planter to whom i repeated this. whether it was fudge or not i do not know; but it was clearly possible that such should be the case. the manufacture is one which does not require any delay. in demerara an acre of canes will on an average give over a ton and a half of sugar. but an acre of cane ground will not give a crop once in twelve months. two crops in three years may perhaps be the average. so much for the manufacture of sugar. i hope my account may not be criticised by those who are learned in the art, as it is only intended for those who are utterly unlearned. but if looking over sugar-works be at last fatiguing, what shall i say to that labour of "going aback," which guiana planters exact from their visitors. going aback in guiana means walking from the house and manufactory back to the fields where the canes grow. i have described the shape of a demerara estate. the house generally stands not far from the water frontage, so that the main growth of the sugar is behind. this going aback generally takes place before breakfast. but the breakfast is taken at eleven; and a demerara sun is in all its glory for three hours before that. remember, also, that there are no trees in these fields, no grass, no wild flowers, no meandering paths. everything is straight, and open, and ugly; and everything has a tendency to sugar, and no other tendency whatever, unless it be to rum. sugar-canes is the only growth. so that a walk aback, except to a very close inquirer, is not delightful. it must however be confessed that the subsequent breakfast makes up for a deal of misery. there is no such breakfast going as that of a guiana planter. talk of scotland! pooh! but one has to think of that doctor's dictum--"the prevalent disease, sir? brandy!" it seems, however, to me to show itself more generally in the shape of champagne. there is one other peculiar characteristic of landed property in this colony which i must mention. all the carriage is by water, not only from the works to the town, but from the fields to the works, and even from field to field. the whole country is intersected by drains, which are necessary to carry off the surface waters; there is no natural fall of water, or next to none, and but for its drains and sluices the land would be flooded in wet weather. parallel to these drains are canals; there being, as nearly as i could learn, one canal between each two drains. these different dykes are to a stranger similar in appearance, but their uses are always kept distinct. nor do these canals run only between wide fields, or at a considerable distance from each other. they pierce every portion of land, so that the canes when cut have never to be carried above a few yards. the expense of keeping them in order is very great, but the labour of making them must have been immense. it was done by the dutch. one may almost question whether any other race would have had the patience necessary for such a work. i was told on one estate that there were no less than sixty-three miles of these cuttings to be kept in order. but the gentleman who told me was he to whom the other gentleman alluded, when he used our old friend, mr. burchell's exclamation. there can be no doubt but that these guiana planters know each other. on the whole, i must express my conviction that this is a fine colony, and will become of very great importance. our great thunderer the other day spoke of the governance of a sugar island as a duty below a man's notice; as being almost worthy of contempt. we cannot all be gods and forge thunderbolts. but we all wish to consume sugar; and if we can do in one of our colonies without slaves what cuba is doing with slaves, the work i think will not be contemptible, nor the land contemptible in which it is done. i do look to see our free cuba in guiana, and even have my hopes as to that million of hogsheads. i have said, in speaking of jamaica, that i thought the negro had hardly yet shown himself capable of understanding the teaching of the christian religion. as regards guiana, what i heard on this matter i heard chiefly from clergymen of the church of england; and though they would of course not agree with me--for it is not natural that a man should doubt the efficacy of his own teaching--nevertheless, what i gathered from them strengthens my former opinions. i do think that the guiana negro is in this respect somewhat superior to his brother in jamaica. he is more intelligent, and comes nearer to our idea of a thoughtful being. but still even here it seems to me that he never connects his religion with his life; never reflects that his religion should bear upon his conduct. here, as in the islands, the negroes much prefer to belong to a baptist congregation, or to a so-called wesleyan body. that excitement is there allowed to them which is denied in our church. they sing and halloa and scream, and have revivals. they talk of their "dear brothers" and "dear sisters," and in their ecstatic howlings get some fun for their money. i doubt also whether those disagreeable questions as to conduct are put by the baptists which they usually have to undergo from our clergymen. "so-called wesleyans," i say, because the practice of their worship here is widely removed from the sober gravity of the wesleyan churches in england. i have said that the form of government in guiana was a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. the governor, it must be understood, has not absolute authority. there is a combined house, with a power of voting, by whom he is controlled--at any rate in financial matters. but of those votes he commands many as governor, and as long as he will supply coolies quick enough--and coolies mean sugar--he may command them all. "we are not particular to a shade," the planters wisely say to him, "in what way we are governed. if you have any fads of your own about this or about that, by all means indulge them. even if you want a little more money, in god's name take it. but the business of a man's life is sugar: there's the land; the capital shall be forthcoming, whether begged, borrowed, or stolen;--do you supply the labour. give us coolies enough, and we will stick at nothing. we are an ambitious colony. there looms before us a great future--a million hogsheads of sugar!" the form of government here is somewhat singular. there are two houses--lords and commons--but not acting separately as ours do. the upper house is the court of policy. this consists of five official members, whose votes may therefore be presumed to be at the service of the governor, and of five elected members. the governor himself, sitting in this court, has the casting vote. but he also has something to say to the election of the other five. they are chosen by a body of men called kiezers--probably dutch for choosers. there is a college of kiezers, elected for life by the tax-payers, whose main privilege appears to be that of electing these members of the court of policy. but on every occasion they send up two names, and the governor selects one; so that he can always keep out any one man who may be peculiarly disagreeable to him. this court of policy acts, i think, when acting by itself, more as a privy council to the governor than as a legislative body. then there are six financial representatives; two from berbice, one from town and one from country; two from demerara, one from town and one from country; and two from essequibo, both from the country, there being no town. these are elected by the tax-payers. they are assembled for purposes of taxation only, as far as i understood; and even as regards this they are joined with the court of policy, and thus form what is called the combined court. the crown, therefore, has very little to tie its hands; and i think that i am justified in describing the government as a mild despotism, tempered by sugar. so much for british guiana. i cannot end this crude epitome of crude views respecting the colony without saying that i never met a pleasanter set of people than i found there, or ever passed my hours much more joyously. chapter xiii. barbados. barbados is a very respectable little island, and it makes a great deal of sugar. it is not picturesquely beautiful, as are almost all the other antilles, and therefore has but few attractions for strangers. but this very absence of scenic beauty has saved it from the fate of its neighbours. a country that is broken into landscapes, that boasts of its mountains, woods, and waterfalls, that is regarded for its wild loveliness, is seldom propitious to agriculture. a portion of the surface in all such regions defies the improving farmer. but, beyond this, such ground under the tropics offers every inducement to the negro squatter. in jamaica, dominica, st. lucia, and grenada, the negro, when emancipated, could squat and make himself happy; but in barbados there was not an inch for him. when emancipation came there was no squatting ground for the poor barbadian. he had still to work and make sugar--work quite as hard as he had done while yet a slave. he had to do that or to starve. consequently, labour has been abundant in this island, and in this island only; and in all the west indian troubles it has kept its head above water, and made sugar respectably--not, indeed, showing much sugar genius, or going ahead in the way of improvements, but paying twenty shillings in the pound, supporting itself, and earning its bread decently by the sweat of its brow. the pity is that the barbadians themselves should think so much of their own achievements. the story runs, that when europe was convulsed by revolutions and wars--when continental sovereigns were flying hither and thither, and there was so strong a rumour that napoleon was going to eat us--the great napoleon i mean--that then, i say, the barbadians sent word over to poor king george the third, bidding him fear nothing. if england could not protect him, barbados would. let him come to them, if things looked really blue on his side of the channel it was a fine, spirited message, but perhaps a little self glorious. that, i should say, is the character of the island in general. as to its appearance, it is, as i have said, totally different from any of the other islands, and to an english eye much less attractive in its character. but for the heat its appearance would not strike with any surprise an englishman accustomed to an ordinary but ugly agricultural country. it has not the thick tropical foliage which is so abundant in the other islands, nor the wild, grassy dells. happily for the barbadians every inch of it will produce canes; and, to the credit of the barbadians, every inch of it does so. a barbadian has a right to be proud of this, but it does not make the island interesting. it is the waste land of the world that makes it picturesque. but there is not a rood of waste land in barbados. it certainly is not the country for a gipsy immigration. indeed, i doubt whether there is even room for a picnic. the island is something over twenty miles long, and something over twelve broad. the roads are excellent, but so white that they sadly hurt the eye of a stranger. the authorities have been very particular about their milestones, and the inhabitants talk much about their journeys. i found myself constantly being impressed with ideas of distance, till i was impelled to suggest a rather extended system of railroads--a proposition which was taken in very good part. i was informed that the population was larger than that of china, but my informant of course meant by the square foot. he could hardly have counted by the square mile in barbados. and thus i was irresistibly made to think of the frog that would blow itself out and look as large as an ox. bridgetown, the metropolis of the island, is much like a second or third rate english town. it has none of the general peculiarities of the west indies, except the heat. the streets are narrow, irregular, and crooked, so that at first a stranger is apt to miss his way. they all, however, converge at trafalgar square, a spot which, in barbados, is presumed to compete with the open space at charing cross bearing the same name. they have this resemblance, that each contains a statue of nelson. the barbadian trafalgar square contains also a tree, which is more than can be said for its namesake. it can make also this boast, that no attempt has been made within it which has failed so grievously as our picture gallery. in saying this, however, i speak of the building only--by no means of the pictures. there are good shops in bridgetown--good, respectable, well-to-do shops, that sell everything, from a candle down to a coffin, including wedding-rings, corals, and widows' caps. but they are hot, fusty, crowded places, as are such places in third-rate english towns. but then the question of heat here is of such vital moment! a purchase of a pair of gloves in barbados drives one at once into the ice-house. and here it may be well to explain this very peculiar, delightful, but too dangerous west indian institution. by-the-by, i do not know that there was any ice-house in kingston, jamaica. if there be one there, my friends were peculiarly backward, for i certainly was not made acquainted with it. but everywhere else--at demerara, trinidad, barbados, and st. thomas--i was duly introduced to the ice-house. there is something cool and mild in the name, which makes one fancy that ladies would delight to frequent it. but, alas! a west indian ice house is but a drinking-shop--a place where one goes to liquor, as the americans call it, without the knowledge of the feminine creation. it is a drinking-shop, at which the draughts are all cool, are all iced, but at which, alas! they are also all strong. the brandy, i fear, is as essential as the ice. a man may, it is true, drink iced soda-water without any concomitant, or he may simply have a few drops of raspberry vinegar to flavour it. no doubt many an easy-tempered wife so imagines. but if so, i fear that they are deceived. now the ice-house in bridgetown seemed to me to be peculiarly well attended. i look upon this as the effect of the white streets and the fusty shops. barbados claims, i believe--but then it claims everything--to have a lower thermometer than any other west indian island--to be, in fact, cooler than any of her sisters. as far as the thermometer goes, it may be possible; but as regards the human body, it is not the fact. let any man walk from his hotel to morning church and back, and then judge. there is a mystery about hotels in the british west indies. they are always kept by fat, middle-aged coloured ladies, who have no husbands. i never found an exception except at berbice, where my friend paris brittain keeps open doors in the city of the sleepers. these ladies are generally called miss so-and-so; miss jenny this, or miss jessy that; but they invariably seemed to have a knowledge of the world, especially of the male hotel-frequenting world, hardly compatible with a retiring maiden state of life. i only mention this. i cannot solve the riddle. "davus sum, non oedipus." but it did strike me as singular that the profession should always be in the hands of these ladies, and that they should never get husbands. as a rule, there is not much to be said against these hotels, though they will not come up to the ideas of a traveller who has been used to the inns of switzerland. the table is always plentifully supplied, and the viands generally good. of that at barbados i can make no complaint, except this; that the people over the way kept a gray parrot which never ceased screaming day or night. i was deep in my jamaica theory of races, and this wretched bird nearly drove me wild. "can anything be done to stop it, james?" "no, massa." "nothing? wouldn't they hang a cloth over it for a shilling?" "no, massa; him only make him scream de more to speak to him." i took this as final, though whether the "him" was the man or the parrot, i did not know. but such a bird i never heard before, and the street was no more than twelve feet broad. he was, in fact, just under my window. thrice had i to put aside my theory of races. otherwise than on this score, miss caroline lee's hotel at barbados is very fair. and as for hot pickles--she is the very queen of them. whether or no my informant was right in saying that the population of barbados is more dense than that of china, i cannot say; but undoubtedly it is very great; and hence, as the negroes cannot get their living without working, has come the prosperity of the island. the inhabitants are, i believe, very nearly , in number. this is a greater population than that of the whole of guiana. the consequence is, that the cane-pieces are cultivated very closely, and that all is done that manual labour can do. the negroes here differ much, i think, from those in the other islands, not only in manner, but even in form and physiognomy. they are of heavier build, broader in the face, and higher in the forehead. they are also certainly less good-humoured, and more inclined to insolence; so that if anything be gained in intelligence it is lost in conduct. on the whole, i do think that the barbados negroes are more intelligent than others that i have met. it is probable that this may come from more continual occupation. but if the black people differ from their brethren of the other islands, so certainly do the white people. one soon learns to know a--bim. that is the name in which they themselves delight, and therefore, though there is a sound of slang about it, i give it here. one certainly soon learns to know a bim. the most peculiar distinction is in his voice. there is always a nasal twang about it, but quite distinct from the nasality of a yankee. the yankee's word rings sharp through his nose; not so that of the first-class bim. there is a soft drawl about it, and the sound is seldom completely formed. the effect on the ear is the same as that on the hand when a man gives you his to shake, and instead of shaking yours, holds his own still. when a man does so to me i always wish to kick him. i had never any wish to kick the barbadian, more especially as they are all stout men; but i cannot but think that if he were well shaken a more perfect ring would come out of him. the bims, as i have said, are generally stout fellows. as a rule they are larger and fairer than other west indian creoles, less delicate in their limbs, and more clumsy in their gait. the male graces are not much studied in barbados. but it is not only by their form or voice that you may know them--not only by the voice, but by the words. no people ever praised themselves so constantly; no set of men were ever so assured that they and their occupations are the main pegs on which the world hangs. their general law to men would be this: "thou shalt make sugar in the sweat of thy brow, and make it as it is made in barbados." any deviation from that law would be a deviation from the highest duty of man. of many of his sister colonies a barbadian can speak with temper. when jamaica is mentioned philanthropic compassion lights up his face, and he tells you how much he feels for the poor wretches there who call themselves planters. st. lucia also he pities, and grenada; and of st. vincent he has some hope. their little efforts he says are praiseworthy; only, alas! they are so little! he does not think much of antigua; and turns up his nose at nevis and st. kitts, which in a small way are doing a fair stroke of business. the french islands he does not love, but that is probably patriotism: as the french islands are successful sugar growers such patriotism is natural. but do not speak to him of trinadad; that subject is very sore. and as for guiana--! one knows what to expect if one holds a red rag up to a bull. praise guiana sugar-making in bridgetown, and you will be holding up a red rag to a dozen bulls, no one of which will refuse the challenge. and thus you may always know a bim. when i have met four or five together, i have not dared to try this experiment, for they are wrathy men, and have rough sides to their tongues; but i have so encountered two at a time. "yes," i have said; "the superiority of barbados cannot be doubted. we all grant that. but which colony is second in the race?" "it is impossible to say," said a. "they are none of them well circumstanced." "none of them have got any labour," said b. "they can't make returns," said a. "just look at their clearances," said b; "and then look at ours." "jamaica sugar is paying now," i remarked. "jamaica, sir, has been destroyed root and branch," said a, well pleased; for they delight to talk of jamaica. "and no one can lament it more than i do," said b. "jamaica is a fine island, only utterly ruined." "magnificent! such scenery!" i replied. "but it can't make sugar," said b. "what of trinidad?" i asked. "trinidad, sir, is a fine wild island; and perhaps some day we may get our coal there." "but demerara makes a little sugar," i ventured to remark. "it makes deuced little money, i know," said a. "every inch of it is mortgaged," said b. "but their steam-engines," said i. "look at their clearances," said a. "they have none," said b. "at any rate, they have got beyond windmills," i remarked, with considerable courage. "because they have got no wind," said a. "a low bank of mud below the sea-level," said b. "but a fine country for sugar," said i. "they don't know what sugar is," said a. "look at their vacuum pans," said i. "all my eye," said b. "and their filtering-bags," said i. "filtering-bags be d----," said a. "centrifugal machines," said i, now nearly exhausted. "we've tried them, and abandoned them long ago," said b, only now coming well on to the fight. "their sugar is nearly white," said i; "and yours is a dirty brown." "their sugar don't pay," said a, "and ours does." "look at the price of our land," said b. "yes, and the extent of it," said i. "our clearances, sir! the clearances, sir, are the thing," said a. "the year's income," said b. "a hogshead to the acre," said i; "and that only got from guano." this was my last shot at them. they both came at me open-mouthed together, and i confess that i retired, vanquished, from the field. it is certainly the fact that they do make their sugar in a very old-fashioned way in barbados, using wind-mills instead of steam, and that you see less here of the improved machinery for the manufacture than in demerara, or cuba, or trinidad, or even in jamaica. the great answer given to objections is that the old system pays best. it may perhaps do so for the present moment, though i should doubt even that. but i am certain that it cannot continue to do so. no trade, and no agriculture can afford to dispense with the improvements of science. i found some here who acknowledged that the mere produce of the cane from the land had been pressed too far by means of guano. a great crop is thus procured, but it appears that the soil is injured, and that the sugar is injured also. the canes, moreover, will not ratoon as they used to do, and as they still do in other parts of the west indies. the cane is planted, and when ripe is cut. if allowed, another cane will grow from the same plant, and that is a ratoon; and again a third will grow, giving a third crop from the same plant; and in many soils a fourth; and in some few many more; and one hears of canes ratooning for twenty years. if the same amount and quality of sugar be produced, of course the system of ratooning must be by far the cheapest and most profitable. in i believe most of our colonies the second crop is as good as the first, and i understand that it used to be so in barbados. but it is not so now. the ratoon almost always looks poor, and the second ratoons appear to be hardly worth cutting. i believe that this is so much the case that many barbados planters now look to get but one crop only from each planting. this falling off in the real fertility of the soil is i think owing to the use of artificial manure, such as guano. there is a system all through these sugar-growing countries of burning the magass, or trash; this is the stalk of the cane, or remnant of the stalk after it comes through the mill. what would be said of an english agriculturist who burnt his straw? it is i believe one of the soundest laws of agriculture that the refuse of the crop should return to the ground which gave it. to this it will be answered that the english agriculturist is not called on by the necessity of his position to burn his straw. he has not to boil his wheat, nor yet his beef and mutton; whereas the barbados farmer is obliged to boil his crop. at the present moment the barbados farmer is under this obligation; but he is not obliged to do it with the refuse produce of his fields. he cannot perhaps use coals immediately under his boilers, but he can heat them with steam which comes pretty much to the same thing. all this applies not to barbados only, but to guiana, jamaica, and the other islands also. at all of them the magass or trash is burnt. but at none of them is manure so much needed as at barbados. they cannot there take into cultivation new fresh virgin soil when they wish it, as they can in guiana. and then one is tempted to ask the question, whether every owner of land is obliged to undertake all the complete duties which now are joined together at a sugar estate? it certainly is the case, that no single individual could successfully set himself against the system. but i do not see why a collection of individuals should not do so. a farmer in england does not grow the wheat, then grind it, and then make the bread. the growing is enough for him. then comes the miller, and the baker. but on a sugar estate, one and the same man grows the cane, makes the sugar, and distils the rum; thus altogether opposing the salutary principle of the division of labour. i cannot see why the grower should not sell his canes to a sugar manufacturer. there can, i believe, be no doubt of this, that sugar can be made better and cheaper in large quantities than in small. but the clearance, sir; that is the question. how would this affect the clearance? the sugar manufacturer would want his profit. of course he would, as do the miller and the baker. they complain greatly at barbados, as they do indeed elsewhere, that they are compelled to make bad sugar by the differential duty. the duty on good sugar is so much higher than that on bad sugar, that the bad or coarse sugar pays them best. this is the excuse they give for not making a finer article, and i believe that the excuse is true. i made one or two excursions in the island, and was allowed the privilege of attending an agricultural breakfast, at which there were some twenty or thirty planters. it seems that a certain number of gentlemen living in the same locality had formed themselves into a society, with the object of inspecting each other's estates. a committee of three was named in each case by the president; and this committee, after surveying the estate in question, and looking at the works and stock, drew up a paper, either laudatory or the reverse, which paper was afterwards read to the society. these readings took place after the breakfast, and the breakfast was held monthly. to the planter probably the reading of the documents was the main object. it may not be surprising that i gave the preference to the breakfast, which of its kind was good. but this was not the only breakfast of the sort at which i was allowed to be a guest. the society has always its one great monthly breakfast; but the absolute inspection gives occasions for further breakfasts. i was also at one of these, and assisted in inspecting the estate. there were, however, too many barbadians present to permit of my producing my individual views respecting the guiana improvements. the report is made at the time of the inspection, but it is read in public at the monthly meeting. the effect no doubt is good, and the publicity of the approval or disapproval stimulates the planter. but i was amused with the true barbadian firmness with which the gentlemen criticised declared that they would not the less take their own way, and declined to follow the advice offered to them in the report. i heard two such reports read, and in both cases this occurred. all this took place at hookleton cliff, which the barbadians regard as the finest point for scenery in the island. the breakfast i own was good, and the discourse useful and argumentative. but as regards the scenery, there is little to be said for it, considering that i had seen jamaica, and was going to see trinidad. even in barbados, numerous as are the negroes, they certainly live an easier life than that of an english labourer, earn their money with more facility, and are more independent of their masters. a gentleman having one hundred and fifty families living on his property would not expect to obtain from them the labour of above ninety men at the usual rate of pay, and that for not more than five days a week. they live in great comfort, and in some things are beyond measure extravagant. "do you observe," said a lady to me, "that the women when they walk never hold up their dresses?" "i certainly have," i answered. "probably they are but ill shod, and do not care to show their feet." "not at all. their feet have nothing to do with it. but they think it economical to hold up their petticoats. it betokens a stingy, saving disposition, and they prefer to show that they do not regard a few yards of muslin more or less." this is perfectly true of them. as the shopman in jamaica said to me--in this part of the world we must never think of little economies. the very negroes are ashamed to do so. of the coloured people i saw nothing, except that the shops are generally attended by them. they seemed not to be so numerous as they are elsewhere, and are, i think, never met with in the society of white people. in no instance did i meet one, and i am told that in barbados there is a very rigid adherence to this rule. indeed, one never seems to have the alternative of seeing them; whereas in jamaica one has not the alternative of avoiding them. as regards myself, i would much rather have been thrown among them. i think that in all probability the white settlers in barbados have kept themselves more distinct from the negro race, and have not at any time been themselves so burdened with coloured children as is the case elsewhere. if this be so, they certainly deserve credit for their prudence. here also there is a king, lords, and commons, or a governor, a council, and an assembly. the council consists of twelve, and are either chosen by the crown, or enjoy their seat by virtue of office held by appointment from the crown. the governor in person sits in the council. the assembly consists of twenty-two, who are annually elected by the parishes. none but white men do vote at these elections, though no doubt a black man could vote, if a black man were allowed to obtain a freehold. of course, therefore, none but white men can be elected. how it is decided whether a man be white or not, that i did not hear. the greater part of the legislative business of the island is done by committees, who are chosen from these bodies. here, as elsewhere through the west indies, one meets with unbounded hospitality. a man who dines out on monday will receive probably three invitations for tuesday, and six for wednesday. and they entertain very well. that haunch of mutton and turkey which are now the bugbear of the english dinner-giver do not seem to trouble the minds or haunt the tables of west indian hosts. and after all, barbados--little england as it delights to call itself--is and should be respected among islands. it owes no man anything, pays its own way, and never makes a poor mouth. let us say what we will, self-respect is a fine quality, and the barbadians certainly enjoy that. it is a very fine quality, and generally leads to respect from others. they who have nothing to say for themselves will seldom find others to say much for them. i therefore repeat what i said at first. barbados is a very respectable little island, and considering the limited extent of its acreage, it does make a great deal of sugar. chapter xiv. trinidad. no scenery can be more picturesque than that afforded by the entrance to port of spain, the chief town in the island of trinidad. trinidad, as all men doubtless know, is the southernmost of the west indian islands, and lies across the delta of the orinoco river. the western portion of the island is so placed that it nearly reaches with two horns two different parts of the mainland of venezuela, one of the south american republics. and thus a bay is formed closed in between the island and the mainland, somewhat as is the gulf of mexico by the island of cuba; only that the proportions here are much less in size. this enclosed sea is called the gulf of paria. the two chief towns, i believe i may say the two only towns in trinidad are situated in this bay. that which is the larger, and the seat of government, is called the port of spain, and lies near to the northern horn. san fernando, the other, which is surrounded by the finest sugar districts of the island, and which therefore devotes its best energies to the export of that article, is on the other side of the bay and near the other horn. the passages into the enclosed sea on either side are called the bocas, or mouths. those nearest to the delta of the orinoco are the serpent's mouths. the ordinary approach from england or the other islands is by the more northern entrance. here there are three passages, of which the middle is the largest one, the boca grande. that between the mainland and a small island is used by the steamers in fine weather, and is by far the prettiest. through this, the boca di mona, or monkey's mouth, we approached port of spain. these northern entrances are called the dragon's mouths. what may be the nautical difference between the mouth of a dragon and that of a serpent i did not learn. on the mainland, that is the land of the main island, the coast is precipitous, but clothed to the very top with the thickest and most magnificent foliage. with an opera-glass one can distinctly see the trees coming forth from the sides of the rocks as though no soil were necessary for them, and not even a shelf of stone needed for their support and these are not shrubs, but forest trees, with grand spreading branches, huge trunks, and brilliant coloured foliage. the small island on the other side is almost equally wooded, but is less precipitous. here, however, there are open glades, and grassy enclosures, which tempt one to wish that it was one's lot to lie there in the green shade and eat bananas and mangoes. this little island in the good old days, regretted by not a few, when planters were planters, and slaves were slaves, produced cotton up to its very hill-tops. now i believe it yields nothing but the grass for a few cattle. our steamer as she got well into the boca drew near to the shore of the large island, and as we passed along we had a succession of lovely scenes. soft-green smiling nooks made themselves visible below the rocks, the very spots for picnics. one could not but long to be there with straw hats and crinoline, pigeon pies and champagne baskets. there was one narrow shady valley, into which a creek of the sea ran up, that must have been made for such purposes, either for that, or for the less noisy joys of some paul of trinidad with his creole virginia. as we steamed on a little further we came to a whaling establishment. ideas of whaling establishments naturally connect themselves with icebergs and the north pole. but it seems that there are races of whales as there are of men, proper to the tropics as well as to the poles; and some of the former here render up their oily tributes. from the look of the place i should not say that the trade was flourishing. the whaling huts are very picturesque, but do not say much for the commercial enterprise of the proprietors. from them we went on through many smaller islands to port of spain. this is a large town, excellently well laid out, with the streets running all at right angles to each other, as is now so common in new towns. the spaces have been prepared for a much larger population than that now existing, so that it is at present straggling, unfilled, and full of gaps. but the time will come, and that before long, when it will be the best town in the british west indies. there is at present in port of spain a degree of commercial enterprise quite unlike the sleepiness of jamaica or the apathy of the smaller islands. i have now before me at the present moment of writing a debate which took place in the house of commons the other day--it is only the other day as i now write--on a motion made by mr. buxton for a committee to inquire into the british west indies; and though somewhat afraid of being tedious on the subject of immigration to these parts, i will say a few words as to this motion in as far as it affects not only trinidad, but all those colonies. of all subjects this is the one that is of real importance to the west indies; and it may be expected that the sugar colonies will or will not prosper, as that subject is or is not understood by its rulers. i think i may assume that the intended purport of mr. buxton's motion was to throw impediments in the way of the immigration of coolies into jamaica; and that in making it he was acting as the parliamentary mouthpiece of the anti-slavery society. the legislature of jamaica has at length passed a law with the object of promoting this immigration, as it has been promoted at the mauritius and in a lesser degree in british guiana and trinidad; but the anti-slavery society have wished to induce the crown to use its authority and abstain from sanctioning this law, urging that it will be injurious to the interests of the negro labourers. the "peculiar institution" of slavery is, i imagine, quite as little likely to find friends in england now as it was when the question of its abolition was so hotly pressed some thirty years since. and god forbid that i should use either the strength or the weakness of my pen in saying a word in favour of a system so abhorrent to the feelings of a christian englishman. but may we not say that that giant has been killed? is it not the case that the anti-slavery society has done its work?--has done its work at any rate as regards the british west indies? what should we have said of the anti-corn-law league, had it chosen to sit in permanence after the repeal of the obnoxious tax, with the view of regulating the fixed price of bread? such is the attempt now being made by the anti-slavery society with reference to the west indian negroes. if any men are free, these men are so. they have been left without the slightest constraint or bond over them. in the sense in which they are free, no english labourer is free. in england a man cannot select whether he will work or whether he will let it alone. he, the poor englishman, has that freedom which god seems to have intended as good for man; but work he must. if he do not do so willingly, compulsion is in some sort brought to bear upon him. he is not free to be idle; and i presume that no english philanthropists will go so far as to wish to endow him with that freedom. but that is the freedom which the negro has in jamaica, which he still has in many parts of trinidad, and which the anti-slavery society is so anxious to secure for him. it--but no; i will give the society no monopoly of such honour. we, we englishmen, have made our negroes free. if by further efforts we can do anything towards making other black men free--if we can assist in driving slavery from the earth, in god's name let us still be doing. here may be scope enough for an anti-slavery society. but i maintain that these men are going beyond their mark--that they are minding other than their own business, in attempting to interfere with the labour of the west indian colonies. gentlemen in the west indies see at once that the society is discussing matters which it has not studied, and that interests of the utmost importance to them are being played with in the dark. mr. buxton grounded his motion on these two pleas:--firstly, that the distress of the west indian planters had been brought about by their own apathy and indiscretion. and secondly, that that distress was in course of relief, would quickly be relieved, without any further special measures for its mitigation. i think that he was substantially wrong in both these allegations. that there were apathetic and indiscreet planters--that there were absentees whose property was not sufficient to entitle them to the luxury of living away from it, may doubtless have been true. but the tremendous distress which came upon these colonies fell on them in too sure a manner, with too sudden a blow, to leave any doubt as to its cause. slavery was first abolished, and the protective duty on slave-grown sugar was then withdrawn. the second measure brought down almost to nothing the property of the most industrious as well as that of the most idle of the planters. except in barbados, where the nature of the soil made labour compulsory, where the negro could no more be idle and exist than the poor man can do in england, it became impossible to produce sugar with a profit on which the grower could live. it was not only the small men who fell, or they who may be supposed to have been hitherto living on an income raised to an unjustly high pitch. ask the gladstone family what proceeds have come from their jamaica property since the protective duty was abolished. let lord howard de walden say how he has fared. mr. buxton has drawn a parallel between the state of ireland at and after the famine and that of the west indies at and after the fall in the price of sugar, of which i can by no means admit the truth. in the one case, that of ireland, the blow instantly effected the remedy. a tribe of pauper landlords had grown up by slow degrees who, by their poverty, their numbers, their rapacity, and their idleness, had eaten up and laid waste the fairest parts of the country. then came the potato rot, bringing after it pestilence, famine, and the encumbered estates court; and lo! in three years the air was cleared, the cloud had passed away, and ireland was again prosperous. land bought at fifteen pounds the acre was worth thirty before three crops had been taken from it. the absentees to whom mr. buxton alludes were comparatively little affected. they were rich men whose backs were broad enough to bear the burden for a while, and they stood their ground. it is not their property which as a rule has changed hands, but that of the small, grasping, profit-rent landlords whose lives had been passed in exacting the last farthing of rent from the cottiers. when no farthing of rent could any longer be exacted, they went to the wall at once. there was nothing like this in the case of the west indies. indiscretion and extravagance there may have been. these are vices which will always be more or less found among men living with the thermometer at eighty in the shade. but in these colonies, long and painful efforts were made, year after year, to bear against the weight which had fallen on them. in the west indies the blow came from man, and it was withstood on the whole manfully. in ireland the blow came from god, and submission to it was instantaneous. mr. buxton then argues that everything in the west indies is already righting itself, and that therefore nothing further need be done. the facts of the case exactly refute this allegation. the four chief of these colonies are barbados, british guiana, trinidad, and jamaica. in barbados, as has been explained, there was no distress, and of course no relief has been necessary. in british guiana and trinidad very special measures have been taken. immigration of coolies to a great extent has been brought about--to so great an extent that the tide of human beings across the two oceans will now run on in an increasing current. but in jamaica little or nothing has yet been done. and in jamaica, the fairest, the most extensive, the most attractive of them all; in jamaica, of all the islands on god's earth the one most favoured by beauty, fertility, and natural gifts; in jamaica the earth can hardly be made to yield its natural produce. all this was excellently answered by sir edward lytton, who, whatever may have been his general merits as a secretary of state, seems at any rate to have understood this matter. he disposed altogether of the absurdly erroneous allegations which had been made as to the mortality of these immigrants on their passage. as is too usual in such cases arguments had been drawn from one or two specially unhealthy trips. ninety-nine ships ride safe to port, while the hundredth unfortunately comes to grief. but we cannot on that account afford to dispense with the navigation of the seas. sir edward showed that the coolies themselves--for the anti-slavery society is as anxious to prevent this immigration on behalf of the coolies, who in their own country can hardly earn twopence a day, as it is on the part of the negroes, who could with ease, though they won't, earn two shillings a day--he showed that these coolies, after having lived for a few years on plenty in these colonies, return to their own country with that which is for them great wealth. and he showed also that the present system--present as regards trinidad, and proposed as regards jamaica--of indenturing the immigrant on his first arrival is the only one to which we can safely trust for the good usage of the labourer. for the present this is clearly the case. when the coolies are as numerous in these islands as the negroes--and that time will come--such rules and restrictions will no doubt be withdrawn. and when these different people have learned to mix their blood--which in time will also come--then mankind will hear no more of a lack of labour, and the fertility of these islands will cease to be their greatest curse. i feel that i owe an apology to my reader for introducing him to an old, forgotten, and perhaps dull debate. in england the question is one not generally of great interest. but here, in the west indies, it is vital. the negro will never work unless compelled to do so; that is, the negro who can boast of pure unmixed african blood. he is as strong as a bull, hardy as a mule, docile as a dog when conscious of a master--a salamander as regards heat. he can work without pain and without annoyance. but he will never work as long as he can eat and sleep without it. place the coolie or chinaman alongside of him, and he must work in his own defence. if he do not, he will gradually cease to have an existence. we are now speaking more especially of trinidad. it is a large island, great portions of which are but very imperfectly known; of which but comparatively a very small part has been cultivated. during the last eight or ten years, ten or twelve thousand immigrants, chiefly coolies from madras and calcutta, have been brought into trinidad, forming now above an eighth part of its entire population; and the consequence has been that in two years, from , namely, to , its imports were increased by one-third, and its exports by two-thirds! in other words, it produced, with its coolies, three hogsheads of sugar, where without them it only produced one. the difference is of course that between absolute distress and absolute prosperity. such having hitherto been the result of immigration into trinidad, such also having been the result in british guiana, it does appear singular that men should congregate in exeter hall with the view of preventing similar immigration into jamaica! this would be altogether unintelligible were it not that similar causes have produced similar effects in so many other cases. men cannot have enough of a good thing. exactly the same process has taken place with reference to criminals in england. some few years since we ill used them, stowed them away in unwholesome holes, gave them bad food for their bodies and none for their minds, and did our best to send them devilwards rather than godwards. philanthropists have now remedied this, and we are very much obliged to them. but the philanthropists will not be content unless they be allowed to pack all their criminals up in lavender. they must be treated not only as men, but much better than men of their own class who are not criminal. in this matter of the negroes, the good thing is negro-protection, and our friends cannot have enough of that. the negroes in being slaves were ill used; and now it is not enough that they should all be made free, but each should be put upon his own soft couch, with rose-leaves on which to lie. now your sybarite negro, when closely looked at, is not a pleasing object. distance may doubtless lend enchantment to the view. as my sojourn in trinidad did not amount to two entire days, i do not feel myself qualified to give a detailed description of the whole island. very few, i imagine, are so qualified, for much of it is unknown; there is a great want of roads, and a large proportion of it has, i believe, never been properly surveyed. immediately round port of spain the country is magnificent, and the views from the town itself are very lovely. exactly behind the town, presuming the sea to be the front, is the savanah, a large enclosed, park-like piece of common, the race-course and hyde park of trinidad. i was told that the drive round it was three english miles in length; but if it be so much, the little pony which took me that drive in a hired buggy must have been a fast trotter. on the further side of this lives the governor of the island, immediately under the hills. when i was there the governor's real house was being repaired, and the great man was living in a cottage hard by. were i that great man i should be tempted to wish that my great house might always be under repair, for i never saw a more perfect specimen of a pretty spacious cottage, opening as a cottage should do on all sides and in every direction, with a great complexity as to doors and windows, and a delicious facility of losing one's way. and then the necessary freedom from boredom, etiquette, and governor's grandeur, so hated by governors themselves, which must necessarily be brought about by such a residence! i could almost wish to be a governor myself, if i might be allowed to live in such a cottage. on the other side of the savanah nearest to the town, and directly opposite to those lovely hills, are a lot of villa residences, and it would be impossible, i imagine, to find a more lovely site in which to fix one's house. with the savanah for a foreground, the rising gardens behind the governor's house in the middle distance, and a panorama of magnificent hills in the back of the picture, it is hardly within the compass of a man's eye and imagination to add anything to the scene. i had promised to call on major ----, who was then, and perhaps is still, in command of the detachment of white troops in trinidad, and i found him and his young wife living in this spot. "and yet you abuse trinidad," i said, pointing to the view. "oh! people can't live altogether upon views," she answered; "and besides, we have to go back to the barracks. the yellow fever is over now." the only place at which i came across any vestiges of the yellow fever was at trinidad. there it had been making dreadful havoc, and chiefly among the white soldiers. my visit was in march, and the virulence of the disease was then just over. it had been raging, therefore, not in the summer but during the winter months. indeed, as far as i could learn, summer and winter had very little to do with the matter. the yellow fever pays its visit in some sort periodically, though its periods are by no means understood. but it pays them at any time of the year that may suit itself. at this time a part of the savanah was covered with tents, to which the soldiers had been moved out of their barracks. the barracks are lower down, near the shore, at a place called st. james, and the locality is said to be wretchedly unhealthy. at any rate, the men were stricken with fever there, and the proportion of them that died was very great. i believe, indeed, that hardly any recovered of those on whom the fever fell with any violence. they were then removed into these tents, and matters began to mend. they were now about to return to their barracks, and were, i was told, as unwilling to do so as my fair friend was to leave her pretty house. if it be necessary to send white troops to the west indies--and i take it for granted that it is necessary--care at any rate should be taken to select for their barracks sites as healthy as may be found. it certainly seems that this has not been done at trinidad. they are placed very low, and with hills immediately around them. the good effect produced by removing them to the savanah--a very inconsiderable distance; not, as i think, much exceeding a mile--proves what may be done by choosing a healthy situation. but why should not the men be taken up to the mountains, as has been done with the white soldiers in jamaica? there they are placed in barracks some three or four thousand feet above the sea, and are perfectly healthy. this cannot be done in barbados, for there are no mountains to which to take them. but in trinidad it may be done, quite as easily, and indeed at a lesser distance, and therefore with less cost for conveyance, than in jamaica. at the first glance one would be inclined to say that white troops would not be necessary in the west indies, as we have regiments of black soldiers, negroes dressed in zouave costume, specially trained for the service; but it seems that there is great difficulty in getting these regiments filled. why should a negro enlist any more than work? are there not white men enough--men and brothers--to do the somewhat disagreeable work of soldiering for him? consequently, except in barbados, it is difficult to get recruits. some men have been procured from the coast of africa, but our philanthropy is interfering even with this supply. then the recruiting officers enlisted coolies, and these men made excellent soldiers; but when interfered with or punished, they had a nasty habit of committing suicide, a habit which it was quite possible the negro soldier might himself assume; and therefore no more coolies are to be enlisted. under such circumstances white men must, i presume, do the work. a shilling a day is an object to them, and they are slow to blow out their own brains; but they should not be barracked in swamps, or made to live in an air more pestilential than necessary. my hostess, the lady to whom i have alluded, had been attacked most virulently by the yellow fever, and i had heard in the other islands that she was dead. her case had indeed been given up as hopeless. on the morning after my arrival i took a ride of some sixteen miles through the country before breakfast, and the same lady accompanied me. "we must start very early," she said; "so as to avoid the heat. i will have coffee at half-past four, and we will be on horseback at five." i have had something to say as to early hours in the west indies before, and hardly credited this. a morning start at five usually means half-past seven, and six o'clock is a generic term for moving before nine. so i meekly asked whether half-past four meant half-past four. "no," said the husband. "yes," said the wife. so i went away declaring that i would present myself at the house at any rate not after five. and so i did, according to my own very excellent watch, which had been set the day before by the ship's chronometer. i rode up to the door two minutes before five, perfectly certain that i should have the pleasure of watching the sun's early manoeuvres for at least an hour. but, alas! my friend had been waiting for me in her riding-habit for more than that time. our watches were frightfully at variance. it was perfectly clear to me that the trinidadians do not take the sun for their guide as to time. but in such a plight as was then mine, a man cannot go into his evidence and his justification. my only plea was for mercy; and i hereby take it on myself to say that i do not know that i ever kept any lady waiting before--except my wife. at five to the moment--by my watch--we started, and i certainly never rode for three hours through more lovely scenery. at first, also, it was deliciously cool, and as our road lay entirely through woods, it was in every way delightful. we went back into the hills, and returned again towards the sea-shore over a break in one of the spurs of the mountain called the saddle; from whence we had a distant view into the island, as fine as any view i ever saw without the adjunct of water. i should imagine that a tour through the whole of trinidad would richly repay the trouble, though, indeed, it would be troublesome. the tourist must take his own provisions, unless, indeed, he provided himself by means of his gun, and must take also his bed. the musquitoes, too, are very vexatious in trinidad, though i hardly think that they come up in venom to their brethren in british guiana. the first portion of our ride was delightful; but on our return we came down upon a hot, dusty road, and then the loss of that hour in the morning was deeply felt. i think that up to that time i had never encountered such heat, and certainly had never met with a more disagreeable, troublesome amount of dust, all which would have been avoided had i inquired over-night into the circumstances of the trinidad watches. but the lady said never a word, and so heaped coals of fire on my head in addition to the consuming flames of that ever-to-be-remembered sun. as trinidad is an english colony, one's first idea is that the people speak english; and one's second idea, when that other one as to the english has fallen to the ground, is that they should speak spanish, seeing that the name of the place is spanish. but the fact is that they all speak french; and, out of the town, but few of the natives speak anything else. whether a parisian would admit this may be doubted; but he would have to acknowledge that it was a french patois. and the religion is roman catholic. the island of course did belong to france, and in manners, habits, language, and religion is still french. there is a roman catholic archbishop resident in trinidad, who is, i believe, at present an italian. we pay him, i have been told, some salary, which he declines to take for his own use, but applies to purposes of charity. there is a roman catholic cathedral in port of spain, and a very ugly building it is. the form of government also is different from that, or rather those, which have been adopted in the other west indian colonies, such as jamaica, barbados, and british guiana. as this was a conquered colony, the people of the island are not allowed to have so potent a voice in their own management. they have no house of commons or legislative assembly, but take such rules or laws as may be necessary for their guidance direct from the crown. the governor, however, is assisted by a council, in which sit the chief executive officers in the island. that the fact of the colony having been conquered need preclude it from the benefit (?) of self-government, one does not clearly see. but one does see clearly enough, that as they are french in language and habits, and roman catholic in religion, they would make even a worse hash of it than the jamaicans do in jamaica. and it is devoutly to be hoped, for the island's sake, that it may be long before it is endowed with a constitution. it would be impossible now-a-days to commence a legislature in the system of electing which all but white men should be excluded from voting. nor would there be white men enough to carry on an election. and may providence defend my friends there from such an assembly as would be returned by french negroes and hybrid mulattoes! a scientific survey has just been completed of this island, with reference to its mineral productions, and the result has been to show that it contains a very large quantity of coal. i was fortunate enough to meet one of the gentlemen by whom this was done, and he was kind enough to put into my hand a paper showing the exact result of their investigation. but, unfortunately, the paper was so learned, and i was so ignorant, that i could not understand one word of it. the whole matter also was explained to me verbally, but not in language adapted to my child-like simplicity. so i am not able to say whether the coal be good or bad--whether it would make a nice, hot, crackling, christmas fire, or fly away in slaty flakes and dirty dust. it is a pity that science cannot be made to recognize the depth of unscientific ignorance. there is also here in trinidad a great pitch lake, of which all the world has heard, and out of which that indefatigable old hero, lord dundonald, tried hard to make wax candles and oil for burning. the oil and candles, indeed, he did make, but not, i fear, the money which should have been consequent upon their fabrication. i have no doubt, however, that in time we shall all have our wax candles from thence; for lord dundonald is one of those men who are born to do great deeds of which others shall reap the advantages. one of these days his name will be duly honoured, for his conquests as well as for his candles. and so i speedily took my departure, and threaded my way back again through the bocas, in that most horrid of all steam-vessels, the 'prince.' chapter xv. st. thomas. all persons travelling in the west indies have so much to do with the island of st. thomas, that i must devote a short chapter to it. my circumstances with reference to it were such that i was compelled to remain there a longer time, putting all my visits together, than in any other of the islands except jamaica. the place belongs to the danes, who possess also the larger and much more valuable island of santa cruz, as they do also the small island of st. martin. these all lie among the virgin islands, and are considered as belonging to that thick cluster. as st. thomas at present exists, it is of considerable importance. it is an emporium, not only for many of the islands, but for many also of the places on the coast of south and central america. guiana, venezuela, and new granada, deal there largely. it is a depôt for cigars, light dresses, brandy, boots, and eau de cologne. many men therefore of many nations go thither to make money, and they do make it. these are men, generally not of the tenderest class, or who have probably been nursed in much early refinement. few men will select st. thomas as a place of residence from mere unbiassed choice and love of the locale. a wine merchant in london, doing a good trade there, would hardly give up that business with the object of personally opening an establishment in this island: nor would a well-to-do milliner leave paris with the same object. men who settle at st. thomas have most probably roughed it elsewhere unsuccessfully. these st. thomas tradesmen do make money i believe, and it is certainly due to them that they should do so. things ought not, if possible, to be all bad with any man; and i cannot imagine what good can accrue to a man at st. thomas if it be not the good of amassing money. it is one of the hottest and one of the most unhealthy spots among all these hot and unhealthy regions. i do not know whether i should not be justified in saying that of all such spots it is the most hot and the most unhealthy. i have said in a previous chapter that the people one meets there may be described as an hispano-dano-niggery-yankee-doodle population. in this i referred not only to the settlers, but to those also who are constantly passing through it. in the shops and stores, and at the hotels, one meets the same mixture. the spanish element is of course strong, for venezuela, new granada, central america, and mexico are all spanish, as also is cuba. the people of these lands speak spanish, and hereabouts are called spaniards. to the danes the island belongs. the soldiers, officials, and custom-house people are danes. they do not, however, mix much with their customers. they affect, i believe, to say that the island is overrun and destroyed by these strange comers, and that they would as lief be without such visitors. if they are altogether indifferent to money making, such may be the case. the labouring people are all black--if these blacks can be called a labouring people. they do coal the vessels at about a dollar a day each--that is, when they are so circumstanced as to require a dollar. as to the american element, that is by no means the slightest or most retiring. dollars are going there, and therefore it is of course natural that americans should be going also. i saw the other day a map, "the united states as they now are, and in prospective;" and it included all these places--mexico, central america, cuba, st. domingo, and even poor jamaica. it may be that the man who made the map understood the destiny of his country; at any rate, he understood the tastes of his countrymen. all these people are assembled together at st. thomas, because st. thomas is the meeting-place and central depôt of the west indian steam-packets. that reason can be given easily enough; but why st. thomas should be the meeting-place of these packets,--i do not know who can give me the reason for that arrangement. tortola and virgin gorda, two of the virgin islands, both belong to ourselves, and are situated equally well for the required purpose as is st. thomas. i am told also, that at any rate one, probably at both, good harbour accommodation is to be found. it is certain that in other respects they are preferable. they are not unhealthy, as is st. thomas; and, as i have said above, they belong to ourselves. my own opinion is that jamaica should be the head-quarters of these packets; but the question is one which will not probably be interesting to the reader of these pages. "they cannot understand at home why we dislike the inter-colonial work so much," said the captain of one of the steam-ships to me. by inter-colonial work he meant the different branch services from st. thomas. "they do not comprehend at home what it is for a man to be burying one young officer after another; to have them sent out, and then to see them mown down in that accursed hole of a harbour by yellow fever. such a work is not a very pleasant one." indeed this was true. the life cannot be a very pleasant one. these captains themselves and their senior officers are doubtless acclimated. the yellow fever may reach them, but their chance of escape is tolerably good; but the young lads who join the service, and who do so at an early age, have at the first commencement of their career to make st. thomas their residence, as far as they have any residence. they live of course on board their ships; but the peculiarity of st. thomas is this; that the harbour is ten times more fatal than the town. it is that hole, up by the coaling wharves, which sends so many english lads to the grave. if this be so, this alone, i think, constitutes a strong reason why st. thomas should not be so favoured. these vessels now form a considerable fleet, and some of them spend nearly a third of their time at this place. the number of englishmen so collected and endangered is sufficient to warrant us in regarding this as a great drawback on any utility which the island may have--if such utility there be. but we must give even the devil his due. seen from the water st. thomas is very pretty. it is not so much the scenery of the island that pleases as the aspect of the town itself. it stands on three hills or mounts, with higher hills, green to their summit, rising behind them. each mount is topped by a pleasant, cleanly edifice, and pretty-looking houses stretch down the sides to the water's edge. the buildings do look pretty and nice, and as though chance had arranged them for a picture. indeed, as seen from the harbour, the town looks like a panorama exquisitely painted. the air is thin and transparent, and every line shows itself clearly. as so seen the town of st. thomas is certainly attractive. but it is like the dead sea fruit; all the charm is gone when it is tasted. land there, and the beauty vanishes. the hotel at st. thomas is quite a thing of itself. there is no fair ground for complaint as regards the accommodation, considering where one is, and that people do not visit st. thomas for pleasure; but the people that one meets there form as strange a collection as may perhaps be found anywhere. in the first place, all languages seem alike to them. one hears english, french, german, and spanish spoken all around one, and apparently it is indifferent which. the waiters seem to speak them all. the most of these guests i take it--certainly a large proportion of them--are residents of the place, who board at the inn. i have been there for a week at a time, and it seemed that all then around me were so. there were ladies among them, who always came punctually to their meals, and went through the long course of breakfast and long course of dinner with admirable perseverance. i never saw eating to equal that eating. when i was there the house was always full; but the landlord told me that he found it very hard to make money, and i can believe it. a hot climate, it is generally thought, interferes with the appetite, affects the gastric juices with lassitude, gives to the stomach some of the apathy of the body, and lessens at any rate the consumption of animal food. that charge cannot be made against the air of st. thomas. to whatever sudden changes the health may be subject, no lingering disinclination for food affects it. men eat there as though it were the only solace of their life, and women also. probably it is so. they never talk at meals. a man and his wife may interchange a word or two as to the dishes; or men coming from the same store may whisper a syllable as to their culinary desires; but in an ordinary way there is no talking. i myself generally am not a mute person at my meals; and having dined at sundry tables d'hôte, have got over in a great degree that disinclination to speak to my neighbour which is attributed--i believe wrongly--to englishmen. but at st. thomas i took it into my head to wait till i was spoken to, and for a week i sat, twice daily, between the same persons without receiving or speaking a single word. i shall not soon forget the stout lady who sat opposite to me, and who was married to a little hooked-nosed jew, who always accompanied her. soup, fish, and then meat is the ordinary rule at such banquets; but here the fashion is for the guests, having curried favour with the waiters, to get their plates of food brought in and put round before them in little circles; so that a man while taking his soup may contemplate his fish and his roast beef, his wing of fowl, his allotment of salad, his peas and potatoes, his pudding, pie, and custard, and whatever other good things a benevolent and well-fee'd waiter may be able to collect for him. this somewhat crowds the table, and occasionally it becomes necessary for the guest to guard his treasures with an eagle's eye;--hers also with an eagle's eye, and sometimes with an eagle's talon. this stout lady was great on such occasions. "a bit of that," she would exclaim, with head half turned round, as a man would pass behind her with a dish, while she was in the very act of unloading within her throat a whole knifeful charged to the hilt. the efforts which at first affected me as almost ridiculous advanced to the sublime as dinner went on. there was no shirking, no half measures, no slackened pace as the breath became short. the work was daily done to the final half-pound of cheese. cheese and jelly, guava jelly, were always eaten together. this i found to be the general fashion of st. thomas. some men dipped their cheese in jelly; some ate a bit of jelly and then a bit of cheese; some topped up with jelly and some topped up with cheese, all having it on their plates together. but this lady--she must have spent years in acquiring the exercise--had a knack of involving her cheese in jelly, covering up by a rapid twirl of her knife a bit about an inch thick, so that no cheesy surface should touch her palate, and then depositing the parcel, oh, ever so far down, without dropping above a globule or two of the covering on her bosom. her lord, the israelite, used to fight hard too; but the battle was always over with him long before the lady showed even a sign of distress. he was one of those flashy weedy animals that make good running for a few yards and are then choked off. she was game up to the winning-post. there were many animals running at those races, but she might have given all the others the odds of a pound of solid food, and yet have beaten them. but then, to see her rise from the table! well; pace and extra weight together will distress the best horse that ever was shod! over and above this i found nothing of any general interest at st. thomas. chapter xvi. new granada, and the isthmus of panamÁ. it is probably known to all that new granada is the most northern of the republics of south america; or it should rather be said that it is the state nearest to the isthmus, of which indeed it comprehends a considerable portion; the territory of the gulf of darien and the district of panamá all being within the limits of new granada. it was, however, but the other day that new granada formed only a part of the republic of columbia, the republic of which bolivar was the hero. as the inhabitants of central america found it necessary to break up their state into different republics, so also did the people of columbia. the heroes and patriots of caracas and quito could not consent to be governed from bogotá; and therefore three states were formed out of one. they are new granada, with its capital of bogotá; venezuela, with its capital of caracas, lying exactly to the east of new granada; and ecuador--the state, that is, of equator--lying to the south of new granada, having its seaport at guayaquil on the pacific, with quito, its chief city, exactly on the line. the district of columbia was one of the grandest appanages of the spanish throne when the appanages of the spanish throne were grand indeed. the town and port of cartagena, on the atlantic, were admirably fortified, as was also panamá on the pacific. its interior cities were populous, flourishing, and, for that age, fairly civilized. now the whole country has received the boon of utopian freedom; and the mind loses itself in contemplating to what lowest pitch of human degradation the people will gradually fall. civilization here is retrograding. men are becoming more ignorant than their fathers, are learning to read less, to know less, to have fewer aspirations of a high order; to care less for truth and justice, to have more and more of the contentment of a brute,--that contentment which comes from a full belly and untaxed sinews; or even from an empty belly, so long as the sinews be left idle. to what this will tend a prophet in these days can hardly see; or rather none less than a prophet can pretend to see. that those lands which the spaniards have occupied, and to a great extent made spanish, should have no higher destiny than that which they have already accomplished, i can hardly bring myself to think. that their unlimited fertility and magnificent rivers should be given for nothing; that their power of producing all that man wants should be intended for no use, i cannot believe. at present, however, it would seem that providence has abandoned it. it is making no progress. land that was cultivated is receding from cultivation; cities that were populous are falling into ruins; and men are going back into animals, under the influence of unlimited liberty and universal suffrage. in emancipation from slavery was finally established in new granada; and so far, doubtless, a good deed was done. but it was established at the same time that every man, emancipated slave or other, let him be an industrial occupier of land, or idle occupier of nothing, should have an equal vote in electing presidents and members of the federal congress, and members of the congress of the different states; that, in short, all men should be equal for all state purposes. and the result, as may be supposed, is not gratifying. as far as i am able to judge, a negro has not generally those gifts of god which enable one man to exercise rule and masterdom over his fellow-men. i myself should object strongly to be represented, say in the city of london, by any black man that i ever saw. "the unfortunate nigger gone masterless," whom carlyle so tenderly commiserates, has not strong ideas of the duties even of self-government, much less of the government of others. universal suffrage in such hands can hardly lead to good results. let him at any rate have first saved some sixty pounds in a savings-bank, or made himself undoubted owner--an easy thing in new granada--of a forty-shilling freehold! not that pure-blooded negroes are common through the whole of new granada. at panamá and the adjacent districts they are so; but in the other parts of the republic they are, i believe, few in number. at santa martha, where i first landed, i saw few, if any. and yet the trace of the negroes, the woolly hair and flat nose, were common enough, mixed always with indian blood, and of course to a great extent with spanish blood also. this santa martha is a wretched village--a city it is there called--at which we, with intense cruelty, maintain a british consul, and a british post-office. there is a cathedral there of the old spanish order, with the choir removed from the altar down towards the western door; and there is, i was informed, a bishop. but neither bishop nor cathedral were in any way remarkable. there is there a governor of the province, some small tradesman, who seemed to exercise very few governing functions. it may almost be said that no trade exists in the place, which seemed indeed to be nearly dead. a few black or nearly black children run about the streets in a state almost of nudity; and there are shops, from the extremities of which, as i was told, crinoline and hats laden with bugles may be extracted. "every one of my predecessors here died of fever," said the consul to me, in a tone of triumph. what could a man say to him on so terribly mortal a subject? "and my wife has been down in fever thirteen times!" heavens, what a life! that is, as long as it is life. i rode some four or five miles into the country to visit the house in which bolivar died. it is a deserted little country villa or chateau, called san pedro, standing in a farm-yard, and now containing no other furniture than a marble bust of the dictator, with a few wretchedly coloured french prints with cracked glass plates. the bust is not a bad one, and seems to have a solemn and sad meaning in its melancholy face, standing there in its solitary niche in the very room in which the would-be liberator died. for bolivar had grand ideas of freedom, though doubtless he had grand ideas also of personal power and pre-eminence; as has been the case with most of those who have moved or professed to move in the vanguard of liberty. to free mankind from all injurious thraldom is the aspiration of such men; but who ever thought that obedience to himself was a thraldom that could be injurious? and here in this house, on the th december, , bolivar died, broken-hearted, owing his shelter to charity, and relieved in his last wants by the hands of strangers to his country. when the breath was out of him and he was well dead, so that on such a matter he himself could probably have no strong wish in any direction, they took away his body, of course with all honour, to the district that gave him birth, and that could afford to be proud of him now that he was dead;--into venezuela and reburied him at caracas. but dying poverty and funeral honours have been the fate of great men in other countries besides columbia. "and why did you come to visit such a region as this?" asked bolivar, when dying, of a frenchman to whom in his last days he was indebted for much. "for freedom," said the frenchman. "for freedom!" said bolivar. "then let me tell you that you have missed your mark altogether; you could hardly have turned in a worse direction." our ride from santa martha to the house had been altogether between bushes, among which we saw but small signs of cultivation. round the house i saw none. on my return i learnt that the place was the property of a rich man who possessed a large estate in its vicinity. "but will nothing grow there?" i asked. "grow there! yes; anything would grow there. some years since the whole district was covered with sugar-canes." but since the emancipation in it had become impossible to procure labour; men could not be got to work; and so bush had grown up, and the earth gave none of her increase; except indeed where half-caste indians squatted here and there, and made provision grounds. i then went on to cartagena. this is a much better town than santa martha, though even this is in its decadence. it was once a flourishing city, great in commerce and strong in war. it was taken by the english, not however without signal reverses on our part, and by the special valour--so the story goes--of certain sailors who dragged a single gun to the summit of a high abrupt hill called the "papa," which commands the town. if the thermometer stood in those days as high at cartagena as it does now, pretty nearly through the whole of the year, those sailors ought to have had the victoria cross. but these deeds were done long years ago, in the time of drake and his followers; and victoria crosses were then chiefly kept for the officers. the harbour at cartagena is singularly circumstanced. there are two entrances to it, one some ten miles from the city and the other close to it. this nearer aperture was blocked up by the spaniards, who sank ships across the mouth; and it has never been used or usable since. the present entrance is very strongly fortified. the fortifications are still there, bristling down to the water's edge; or they would bristle, were it not that all the guns have been sold for the value of the brass metal. cartagena was hotter even than santa martha; but the place is by no means so desolate and death-like. the shops there are open to the streets, as shops are in other towns. men and women may occasionally be seen about the square; and there is a trade,--in poultry if in nothing else. there is a cathedral here also, and i presume a bishop. the former is built after the spanish fashion, and boasts a so-called handsome, large, marble pulpit. that it is large and marble, i confess; but i venture to question its claims to the other epithet. there are pictures also in the cathedral; of spirits in a state of torture certainly; and if i rightly remember of beatified spirits also. but in such pictures the agonies of the damned always excite more attention and a keener remembrance than the ecstasies of the blest. i cannot say that the artist had come up either to the spirit of fra angelico, or to the strength of orcagna. at cartagena i encountered a family of native ladies and gentlemen, who were journeying from bogotá to peru. looking at the map, one would say that the route from bogotá to buena-ventura on the pacific was both easy and short. the distance as the crow flies--the condor i should perhaps more properly say--would not be much over two hundred miles. and yet this family, of whom one was an old woman, had come down to cartagena, having been twenty days on the road, having from thence a long sea journey to the isthmus, thence the passage over it to panamá, and then the journey down the pacific! the fact of course is that there are no means of transit in the country except on certain tracks, very few in number; and that even on these all motion is very difficult. bogotá is about three hundred and seventy miles from cartagena, and the journey can hardly be made in less than fourteen days. from cartagena i went on to the isthmus; the isthmus of panamá, as it is called by all the world, though the american town of aspinwall will gradually become the name best known in connexion with the passage between the two oceans. this passage is now made by a railway which has been opened by an american company between the town of aspinwall, or colon, as it is called in england, and the city of panamá. colon is the local name for this place, which also bears the denomination of navy bay in the language of sailors. but our friends from yankee-land like to carry things with a high hand, and to have a nomenclature of their own. here, as their energy and their money and their habits are undoubtedly in the ascendant, they will probably be successful; and the place will be called aspinwall in spite of the disgust of the new granadians, and the propriety of the english, who choose to adhere to the names of the existing government of the country. a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and colon or aspinwall will be equally vile however you may call it. it is a wretched, unhealthy, miserably situated but thriving little american town, created by and for the railway and the passenger traffic which comes here both from southampton and new york. that from new york is of course immensely the greatest, for this is at present the main route to san francisco and california. i visited the place three times, for i passed over the isthmus on my way to costa rica, and on my return from that country i went again to panamá, and of course back to colon. i can say nothing in its favour. my only dealing there was with a washerwoman, and i wish i could place before my readers a picture of my linen in the condition in which it came back from that artist's hands. i confess that i sat down and shed bitter tears. in these localities there are but two luxuries of life, iced soda-water and clean shirts. and now i was debarred from any true enjoyment of the latter for more than a fortnight. the panamá railway is certainly a great fact, as men now-a-days say when anything of importance is accomplished. the necessity of some means of passing the isthmus, and the question as to the best means, has been debated since, i may say, the days of cortes. men have foreseen that it would become a necessity to the world that there should be some such transit, and every conceivable point of the isthmus has, at some period or by some nation, been selected as the best for the purpose. this railway is certainly the first that can be regarded as a properly organized means of travelling; and it may be doubted whether it will not remain as the best, if not the only permanent mode of transit. very great difficulty was experienced in erecting this line. in the first place, it was necessary that terms should be made with the government of the country through which the line should pass, and to effect this it was expedient to hold out great inducements. among the chief of these is an understanding that the whole line shall become the absolute property of the new granadian government when it shall have been opened for forty-nine years. but who can tell what government will prevail in new granada in forty-nine years? it is not impossible that the whole district may then be an outlying territory belonging to the united states. at any rate, i should imagine that it is very far from the intention of the american company to adhere with rigid strictness to this part of the bargain. who knows what may occur between this and the end of the century? and when these terms were made there was great difficulty in obtaining labour. the road had to be cut through one continuous forest, and for the greater part of the way along the course of the chagres river. nothing could be more unhealthy than such work, and in consequence the men died very rapidly. the high rate of wages enticed many irishmen here, but most of them found their graves amidst the works. chinese were tried, but they were quite inefficacious for such labour, and when distressed had a habit of hanging themselves. the most useful men were to be got from the coast round cartagena, but they were enticed thither only by very high pay. the whole road lies through trees and bushes of thick tropical growth, and is in this way pretty and interesting. but there is nothing wonderful in the scenery, unless to one who has never before witnessed tropical forest scenery. the growth here is so quick that the strip of ground closely adjacent to the line, some twenty yards perhaps on each side, has to be cleared of timber and foliage every six months. if left for twelve months the whole would be covered with thick bushes, twelve feet high. at intervals of four and a half miles there are large wooden houses--pretty-looking houses they are, built with much taste,--in each of which a superintendent with a certain number of labourers resides. these men are supplied with provisions and all necessaries by the company. for there are no villages here in which workmen can live, no shops from which they can supply themselves, no labour which can be hired as it may be wanted. from this it may be imagined that the line is maintained at a great cost. but, nevertheless, it already pays a dividend of twelve and a half per cent. so much at least is acknowledged; but those who pretend to understand the matter declare that the real profit accruing to the shareholders is hardly less than five-and-twenty per cent. the sum charged for the passage is extremely high, being twenty-five dollars, or five pounds for a single ticket. the distance is under fifty miles. and there is no class but the one. everybody passing over the isthmus, if he pay his fare, must pay twenty-five dollars. steerage passengers from new york to san francisco are at present booked through for fifty dollars. this includes their food on the two sea voyages, which are on an average of about eleven days each. and yet out of this fifty dollars twenty-five are paid to the railway for this conveyance over fifty miles! the charge for luggage, too, is commensurately high. the ordinary kit of a travelling englishman--a portmanteau, bag, desk, and hat-box--would cost two pounds ten shillings over and above his own fare. but at the same time, nothing can be more liberal than the general management of the line. on passengers journeying from new york to california, or from southampton to chili and peru, their demand no doubt is very high. but to men of all classes, merely travelling from aspinwall to panamá for pleasure--or, apparently, on business, if travelling only between those two places,--free tickets are given almost without restriction. one train goes each way daily, and as a rule most of the passengers are carried free, except on those days when packets have arrived at either terminus. on my first passage over i paid my fare, for i went across with other passengers out of the mail packet. but on my return the superintendent not only gave me a ticket, but asked me whether i wanted others for any friends. the line is a single line throughout. panamá has doubtless become a place of importance to englishmen and americans, and its name is very familiar to our ears. but nevertheless it is a place whose glory has passed away. it was a large spanish town, strongly fortified, with some thirty thousand inhabitants. now its fortifications are mostly gone, its churches are tumbling to the ground, its old houses have so tumbled, and its old spanish population has vanished. it is still the chief city of a state, and a congress sits there. there is a governor and a judge, and there are elections; but were it not for the passengers of the isthmus there would soon be but little left of the city of panamá. here the negro race abounds, and among the common people the negro traits are stronger and more marked than those either of the indians or spaniards. of spanish blood among the natives of the surrounding country there seems to be but little. the negroes here are of course free, free to vote for their own governors, and make their own laws; and consequently they are often very troublesome, the country people attacking those in the town, and so on. "and is justice ultimately done on the offenders?" i asked. "well, sir; perhaps not justice. but some notice is taken; and the matter is smoothed over." such was the answer. there is a spanish cathedral here also, in which i heard a very sweet-toned organ, and one magnificent tenor voice. the old church buildings still standing here are not without pretence, and are interesting from the dark tawny colour of the stone, if from no other cause. i should guess them to be some two centuries old. their style in many respects resembles that which is so generally odious to an englishman's eye and ear, under the title of renaissance. it is probably an offshoot of that which is called plateresque in the south of spain. during the whole time that i was at panamá the thermometer stood at something above ninety. in calcutta i believe it is often as high as one hundred and ten, so that i have no right to speak of the extreme heat. but, nevertheless, panamá is supposed to be one of the hottest places in the western world; and i was assured, while there, that weather so continuously hot for the twenty-four hours had not been known during the last nine years. the rainy season should have commenced by this time--the early part of may. but it had not done so; and it appeared that when the rain is late, that is the hottest period of the whole year. the heat made me uncomfortable, but never made me ill. i lost all pleasure in eating, and indeed in everything else. i used to feel a craving for my food, but no appetite when it came. i was lethargic, as though from repletion, when i did eat, and was always glad when my watch would allow me to go to bed. but yet i was never ill. the country round the town is pretty, and very well adapted for riding. there are large open savanahs which stretch away for miles and miles, and which are kept as grazing-farms for cattle. these are not flat and plain, but are broken into undulations, and covered here and there with forest bushes. the horses here are taught to pace, that is, move with the two off legs together and then with the two near legs. the motion is exceedingly gentle, and well fitted for this hot climate, in which the rougher work of trotting would be almost too much for the energies of debilitated mankind. the same pace is common in cuba, costa rica, and other spanish countries in the west. off from panamá, a few miles distant in the western ocean, there are various picturesque islands. on two of these are the depôts of two great steam-packet companies, that belonging to the americans which carries on the trade to california, and an english company whose vessels run down the pacific to peru and chili. i visited toboga, in which are the head-quarters of the latter. here i found a small english maritime colony, with a little town of their own, composed of captains, doctors, engineers, officers, artificers, and sailors, living together on the company's wages, and as regards the upper classes, at tables provided by the company. but i saw there no women of any description. i beg therefore to suggest to the company that their servants would probably be much more comfortable if the institution partook less of the monastic order. if, as is probable, this becomes one of the high-roads to australia, then another large ship company will have to fix its quarters here. chapter xvii. central america--panamÁ to san josÉ. i had intended to embark at panamá in the american steam-ship 'columbus' for the coast of central america. in that case i should have gone to san juan del sur, a port in nicaragua, and made my way from thence across the lake, down the river san juan to san juan del norte, now called greytown, on the atlantic. but i learnt that the means of transit through nicaragua had been so utterly destroyed--as i shall by-and-by explain--that i should encounter great delay in getting across the lake; and as i found that one of our men-of-war steamers, the 'vixen,' was immediately about to start from panamá to punta-arenas, on the coast of costa rica, i changed my mind, and resolved on riding through costa rica to greytown. and accordingly i did ride through costa rica. my first work was to make petition for a passage in the 'vixen,' which was accorded to me without difficulty. but even had i failed here, i should have adhered to the same plan. the more i heard of costa rica, the more i was convinced that that republic was better worth a visit than nicaragua. at this time i had in my hands a pamphlet written by m. belly, a frenchman, who is, or says that he is, going to make a ship canal from the atlantic to the pacific. according to him the only paradise now left on earth is in this republic of costa rica. so i shipped myself on board the 'vixen.' i had never before been on the waters of the pacific. now when one premeditates one's travels, sitting by the domestic fireside, one is apt to think that all those advancing steps into new worlds will be taken with some little awe, some feeling of amazement at finding oneself in very truth so far distant from hyde park corner. the pacific! i was absolutely there, on the ocean in which lie the sandwich islands, queen pomare, and the cannibals! but no; i had no such feeling. my only solicitude was whether my clean shirts would last me on to the capital of costa rica. and in travelling these are the things which really occupy the mind. where shall i sleep? is there anything to eat? can i have my clothes washed? at panamá i did have my clothes washed in a very short space of time; but i had to pay a shilling apiece for them all round. in all these ports, in new granada, central america, and even throughout the west indies, the luxury which is the most expensive in proportion to its cost in europe is the washing of clothes--the most expensive, as it is also the most essential. but i must not omit to say that before shipping myself in the 'vixen' i called on the officers on board the united states frigate 'merrimac,' and was shown over that vessel. i am not a very good judge of ships, and can only say that the officers were extremely civil, the sherry very good, and the guns very large. they were coaling, the captain told me, and he professed to be very much ashamed of the dirt. had i not been told so i should not have known that the ship was dirty. the 'merrimac,' though rated only as a frigate, having guns on one covered deck only, is one of their largest men-of-war, and has been regarded by them, and by us, as a show vessel. but according to their own account, she fails altogether as a steamer. the greatest pace her engines will give is seven knots an hour; and this is felt to be so insufficient for the wants of the present time, that it is intended to take them out of her and replace them by a new set as soon as an opportunity will allow. this will be done, although the vessel and the engines are new. i mention this, not as reflecting in any way disgracefully on the dockyard from whence she came; but to show that our admiralty is not the only one which may have to chop and change its vessels after they are built. we hear much--too much perhaps--of the misfortunes which attend our own navy; but of the misfortunes of other navies we hear very little. it is a pity that we cannot have some record of all the blunders committed at cherbourg. the 'merrimac' carries the flag of flag-officer long, on whom also we called. he is a fine old gentleman, with a magnificent head and forehead, looking i should say much more like an english nobleman than a yankee sailor. flag-officer long! who will explain to us why the americans of the united states should persist in calling their senior naval officers by so awkward an appellation, seeing that the well-known and well-sounding title of admiral is very much at their disposal? when i returned to the shore from the 'merrimac' i had half an hour to pack before i again started for the 'vixen.' as it would be necessary that i should return to panamá, and as whatever luggage i now took with me would have to be carried through the whole of costa rica on mules' backs, it became expedient that i should leave the greater part of my kit behind me. then came the painful task of selection, to be carried out with the thermometer at ninety, and to be completed in thirty minutes! to go or not to go had to be asked and answered as to every shirt and pair of trousers. oh, those weary clothes! if a man could travel as a dog, how delightful it would be to keep moving from year's end to year's end! we steamed up the coast for two days quietly, placidly, and steadily. i cannot say that the trip was a pleasant one, remembering how intense was the heat. on one occasion we stopped for practice-shooting, and it behoved me of course to mount the paddle-box and see what was going on. this was at eleven in the morning, and though it did not last for above an hour, i was brought almost to fainting by the power of the sun. punta-arenas--sandy point--is a small town and harbour situated in costa rica, near the top of the bay of nicoya, the sail up the bay is very pretty, through almost endless woods stretching away from the shores to the hills. there is, however, nothing majestic or grand about the scenery here. there are no andes in sight, no stupendous mountains such as one might expect to see after coming so far to see them. it is all pretty quiet and ordinary; and on the whole perhaps superior to the views from the sea at herne bay. the captain of the 'vixen' had decided on going up to san josé with me, as at the last moment did also the master, san josé being the capital of costa rica. our first object therefore was to hire a guide and mules, which, with the assistance of the acting english consul, we soon found. for even at punta-arenas the english flag flies, and a distressed british subject can claim protection. it is a small village lying along a creek of the sea, inside the sandy point from whence it is named. considerable business is done here in the exportation of coffee, which is the staple produce of costa rica. it is sent chiefly to england; but it seemed to me that the money-making inhabitants of punta-arenas were mostly americans; men who either had been to california or who had got so far on their road thither and then changed their minds. it is a hot, dusty, unattractive spot, with a yankee inn, at which men may "liquor," and a tram railroad running for twelve miles into the country. it abounds in oysters and beer, on which we dined before we started on our journey. i was thus for the first time in central america. this continent, if it may be so called, comprises the five republics of guatemala, honduras, san salvador, nicaragua, and costa rica. when this country first broke away from spanish rule in , it was for a while content to exist as one state, under the name of the republic of guatemala; as it had been known for nearly three hundred years as a spanish province under the same denomination--that of guatemala. after a hard tussle with mexico, which endeavoured to devour it, and which forty years ago was more prone to annex than to be annexed, this republic sat itself fairly going, with the city of guatemala for its capital. but the energies and ambition of the different races comprised among the two million inhabitants of central america would not allow them to be governed except each in its own province. some ten years since, therefore, the five states broke asunder. each claimed to be sovereign and independent. each chose its own president and had its own capital; and consequently, as might be expected, no part of the district in question has been able to enjoy those natural advantages with which providence has certainly endowed it. to these states must be added, in counting up the countries of central america, british honduras, consisting of belize and the adjacent district, and the mosquito coast which so lately was under british protection; and which is--. but here i must be silent, or i may possibly trench upon diplomatic subjects still unsettled. my visit was solely to costa rica, which has in some respects done better than its neighbours. but this has been owing to the circumstances of its soil and climate rather than to those of its government, which seems to me to be as bad as any can be which deserves that name. in costa rica there certainly is a government, and a very despotic one it is. i am not much given to the sins of dandyism, but i must own i was not a little proud of my costume as i left punta-arenas. we had been told that according to the weather our ride would be either dusty or muddy in no ordinary degree, and that any clothes which we might wear during the journey would be utterly useless as soon as the journey was over. consequently we purchased for ourselves, in an american store, short canvas smock-frocks, which would not come below the saddle, and coarse holland trousers. what class of men may usually wear these garments in costa rica i cannot say; but in england i have seen navvies look exactly as my naval friends looked; and i flatter myself that my appearance was quite equal to theirs. i had procured at panamá a light straw hat, with an amazing brim, and had covered the whole with white calico. i have before said that my beard had become "poblada," so that on the whole i was rather gratified than otherwise when i was assured by the storekeeper that we should certainly be taken for three filibusters. now the name of filibuster means something serious in those localities, as i shall in a few pages have to explain. we started on our journey by railroad, for there is a tramway that runs for twelve miles through the forest. we were dragged along on this by an excellent mule, till our course was suddenly impeded by a tree which had fallen across the road. but in course of time this was removed, and in something less than three hours we found ourselves at a saw-mill in the middle of the forest. the first thing that met my view on stepping out of the truck was a solitary englishman seated on a half-sawn log of wood. those who remember hood's whims and oddities may bear in mind a heart-rending picture of the last man. only that the times do not agree, i should have said that this poor fellow must have sat for the picture. he was undeniably an english labourer. no man of any other nation would have had that face, or worn those clothes, or kicked his feet about in that same awkward, melancholy humour. he was, he said, in charge of the saw-mill, having been induced to come out into that country for three years. according to him, it was a wretched, miserable place. "no man," he said, "ever found himself in worse diggings." he earned a dollar and a half a day, and with that he could hardly buy shoes and have his clothes washed. "why did he not go home?" i asked. "oh, he had come for three years, and he'd stay his three years out--if so be he didn't die." the saw-mill was not paying, he said; and never would pay. so that on the whole his account of costa rica was not encouraging. we had been recommended to stay the first night at a place called esparza, where there is a decent inn. but before we left punta-arenas we learnt that don juan rafael mora, the president of the republic, was coming down the same road with a large retinue of followers to inaugurate the commencement of the works of the canal. he would be on his way to meet his brother-president of the next republic, nicaragua, at san juan del sur; and at a spot some little distance from thence this great work was to be begun at once. he and his party were to sleep at esparza. therefore we decided on going on further before we halted; and in truth at that place we did meet don juan and his retinue. as both costa rica and nicaragua are chiefly of importance to the eastern and western worlds, as being the district in which the isthmus between the two americas may be most advantageously pierced by a canal--if it be ever so pierced--this subject naturally intrudes itself into all matters concerning these countries. till the opening of the panamá railway the transit of passengers through nicaragua was immense. at present the railway has it all its own way. but the subject, connected as it has been with that of filibustering, mingles itself so completely with all interests in costa rica, that nothing of its present doings or politics can be well understood till something is understood on this canal subject. sooner or later i must write a chapter on it; and it would almost be well if the reader would be pleased to take it out of its turn and get through it at once. the chapter, however, cannot well be brought in till these, recording my travels in costa rica, are completed. don juan mora and his retinue had arrived some hours before us, and had nearly filled the little hotel. this was kept by a frenchman, and as far as provisions and beer were concerned seemed to be well kept. our requirements did not go beyond these. on entering the public sitting-room a melodiously rich irish brogue at once greeted my ears, and i saw seated at the table, joyous in a semi-military uniform, the o'gorman mahon, great as in bygone unemancipated days, when with head erect and stentorian voice he would make himself audible to half the county clare. the head was still as erect, and the brogue as unexceptionable. he speedily introduced us to a brother-workman in the same mission, the prince polignac. with the president himself i had not the honour of making acquaintance, for he speaks only spanish, and my tether in that language is unfortunately very short. but the captain of the 'vixen' was presented to him. he seemed to be a courteous little gentleman, though rather flustered by the magnitude of the work on which he was engaged. there was something singular in the amalgamation of the three men who had thus got themselves together in this place to do honour to the coming canal. the president of the republic, prince polignac, and the o'gorman mahon! i could not but think of the heterogeneous heroes of the 'groves of blarney.' "there were nicodemus, and polyphemus, oliver cromwell, and leslie foster."* [*i am not quoting the words rightly i fear; but the selection in the true song is miscellaneous in the same degree.] "and now, boys, ate a bit of what's going, and take a dhrop of dhrink," said the o'gorman, patting us on the shoulders with kind patronage. we did as we were bid, ate and drank, paid the bill, and went our way rejoicing. that night, or the next morning rather, at about a.m., we reached a wayside inn called san mateo, and there rested for five or six hours. that we should obtain any such accommodation along the road astonished me, and of such as we got we were very glad. but it must not be supposed that it was of a very excellent quality. we found three bedsteads in the front room into which the door of the house opened. on these were no mattresses, not even a palliasse. they consisted of flat boards sloping away a little towards the feet, with some hard substance prepared for a pillow. in the morning we got a cup of coffee without milk. for these luxuries and for pasturage for the mules we paid about ten shillings a head. indeed, everything of this kind in costa rica is excessively dear. our next day's journey was a very long one, and to my companions very fatiguing, for they had not latterly been so much on horseback as had been the case with myself. our first stage before breakfast was of some five hours' duration, and from the never-ending questions put to the guide as to the number of remaining leagues, it seemed to be eternal. the weather also was hot, for we had not yet got into the high lands; and a continued seat of five hours on a mule, under a burning sun, is not refreshing to a man who is not accustomed to such exercise; and especially is not so when he is unaccustomed to the half-trotting, half-pacing steps of the beast. the spaniard sits in the saddle without moving, and generally has his saddle well stuffed and padded, and then covered with a pillion. an englishman disdains so soft a seat, and endeavours to rise in his stirrup at every step of the mule, as he would on a trotting horse at home. in these hispano-american countries this always provokes the ridicule of the guide, who does not hesitate to tell the poor wretch who is suffering in his pillory that he does not know how to ride. with some of us the pillory was very bad, and i feared for a time that we should hardly have been able to mount again after breakfast. the place at which we were is called atenas, and i must say in praise of this modern athens, and of the three modern athenian girls who waited on us, that their coffee, eggs, and grilled fowl were very good. the houses of these people are exceedingly dirty, their modes of living comfortless and slovenly in the extreme. but there seems to be no lack of food, and the food is by no means of a bad description. along this road from punta-arenas to san jose we found it always supplied in large quantities and fairly cooked. the prices demanded for it were generally high. but then all prices are high; and it seems that, even among the poorer classes, small sums of money are not valued as with us. there is no copper coin. half a rial, equal to about threepence, is the smallest piece in use. a handful of rials hardly seems to go further, or to be thought more of, than a handful of pence with us; and a dollar, eight rials, ranks hardly higher in estimation than a shilling does in england. at last, by the gradual use of the coffee and eggs, and by the application, external and internal, of a limited amount of brandy, the outward and the inward men were recruited; and we once more found ourselves on the backs of our mules, prepared for another stage of equal duration. these evils always lessen as we become more accustomed to them, so that when we reached a place called assumption, at which we were to rest for the night, we all gallantly informed the muleteer that we were prepared to do another stage. "not so the mules," said the muleteer; and as his words were law, we prepared to spend the night at assumption. our road hitherto had been rising nearly the whole way, and had been generally through a picturesque country. we ascended one long severe hill, severe that is as a road, though to a professed climber of mountains it would be as nothing. from the summit of this hill we had a magnificent view down to the pacific, again, at a sort of fortress through which we passed, and which must have been first placed there by the old spaniards to guard the hill-passes, we found a very lovely landscape looking down into the valley. here some show of a demand was made for passports; but we had none to exhibit, and no opposition was made to our progress. except at these two places, the scenery, which was always more or less, pretty, was never remarkable. and even at the two points named there was nothing to equal the mountain scenery of many countries in europe. what struck me most was the constant traffic on the road or track over which we passed. i believe i may call it a road, for the produce of the country is brought down over it in bullock carts; and i think that in south wales i have taken a gig over one very much of the same description. but it is extremely rude; and only fit for solid wooden wheels--circles, in fact, of timber--such as are used, and for the patient, slow step of the bullocks. but during the morning and evening hours the strings of these bullock carts were incessant. they travel from four till ten, then rest till three or four, and again proceed for four or five hours in the cool of the evening. they are all laden with coffee, and the idea they give is, that the growth of that article in costa rica must be much more than sufficient to supply the whole world. for miles and miles we met them, almost without any interval. coffee, coffee, coffee; coffee, coffee, coffee! it is grown in large quantities, i believe, only in the high lands of san josé; and all that is exported is sent down to punta-arenas, though by travelling this route it must either pass across the isthmus railway at a vast cost, or else be carried round the horn. at present half goes one way and half the other. but not a grain is carried, as it should all be carried, direct to the atlantic. when i come to speak of the road from san josé to greytown, the reason for this will be understood. the bivouacs made on the roadside by the bullock drivers for their night and noon accommodation are very picturesque when seen filled by the animals. a piece of flat ground is selected by the roadside, about half an acre in size, and close to a river or some running water. into this one or two hundred bullocks are taken, and then released from their carts. but they are kept yoked together to prevent their straying. here they are fed exclusively on sugar-canes, which the men carry with them, and buy along the road. the drovers patiently cut the canes up with their knives, and the beasts patiently munch them. neither the men nor the animals roar, as they would with us, or squabble for the use of the water-course, or curse their own ill luck or the good luck of their neighbours. drivers and driven are alike orderly, patient, and slow, spending their lives in taking coffee down to punta-arenas, and in cutting and munching thousands of sugar-canes. we passed some of those establishments by moonlight, and they looked like large crowded fairs full of low small booths. the men, however, do not put up tents, but sleep out in their carts. they told me that the soil in costa rica was very favourable to the sugar-cane, and i looked out to see some sugar among the coffee. but not a hogshead came that way. we saw patches of the cane growing by the roadside; but no more was produced than what sufficed for the use of the proprietor himself, and for such sale as the traffic on the road afforded. indeed, i found that they do not make sugar, so called, in costa rica, but import what they use. the article fabricated is called by them "dulce." it comes from their hands in ugly round brown lumps, of the consistency of brick, looking, in truth, much more like a large brickbat than any possible saccharine arrangement. nevertheless, the canes are fairly good, and the juice as sweet as that produced in first-rate sugar-growing soils. it seemed that the only use made of this "dulce," excepting that of sweetening the coffee of the peasants, is for distillation. a spirit is made from it at san josé, called by the generic name of aguardiente; and this doubtless would give considerable impulse to the growth of sugar-canes but for a little law made on the subject by the present president of the republic. the president himself is a cane-grower, and by this law it is enacted that the only person in costa rica entitled to supply the distillery with dulce shall be don juan mora. now, don juan mora is the president. before i left the country i came across an american who was desirous of settling there with the view of producing cocoa. "well," said i, "and what do you think of it?" "why, i like the diggings," said he; "and guess i could make things fix well enough. but suppose the president should choose to grow all the cocoa as well as all the gin! where would my cacao-plants be then?" at a discount, undoubtedly. these are the effects on a country of despotism in a small way. on my way into san josé i got off my mule to look at an old peasant making dulce, or in other words grinding his sugar-canes by the roadside. it was done in the most primitive manner. one bullock turned the mill, which consisted of three vertical wooden rollers. the juice trickled into a little cistern; and as soon as the old man found that he had enough, he baled it out and boiled it down. and yet i imagine that as good sugar may be made in costa rica as in british guiana. but who will put his capital into a country in which the president can pass any law he pleases on his own behalf? in the neighbourhood of san josé we began to come across the coffee plantations. they certainly give the best existing proof of the fertility and progress of the country. i had seen coffee plantations in jamaica, but there they are beautifully picturesque, placed like hanging gardens on the steep mountain-sides. some of these seem to be almost inaccessible, and the plant always has the appearance of being a hardy mountain shrub. but here in costa rica it is grown on the plain. the secret, i presume, is that a certain temperature is necessary, and that this is afforded by a certain altitude from the sea. in jamaica this altitude is only to be found among the mountains, but it is attained in costa rica on the high plains of the interior. and then we jogged slowly into san josé on the third day after our departure from punta-arenas. slowly, sorely, and with minds much preoccupied, we jogged into san josé. on leaving the saw-mill at the end of the tramway my two friends had galloped gallantly away into the forest, as though a brave heart and a sharp pair of spurs would have sufficed to carry them right through to their journey's end. but the muleteer with his pony and the baggage-mule then lingered far behind. his heart was not so brave, nor were his spurs apparently so sharp. the luggage, too, was slipping every ten minutes, for i unfortunately had a portmanteau, of which no muleteer could ever make anything. it has been condemned in holy land, in jamaica, in costa rica, wherever it has had to be fixed upon any animal's back. on this occasion it nearly broke both the heart of the muleteer and the back of the mule. but things were changed as we crept into san josé. the muleteer was all life, and led the way, driving before him the pack-mule, now at length reconciled to his load. and then, at straggling intervals, our jibes all silenced, our showy canters all done, rising wearily in our stirrups at every step, shifting from side to side to ease the galls "that patient merit of the unworthy takes"--for our merit had been very patient, and our saddles very unworthy--we jogged into san josé. chapter xviii. central america. costa rica--san josÉ. all travellers when entering unknown towns for the first time have felt that intense interest on the subject of hotel accommodation which pervaded our hearts as we followed our guide through the streets. we had been told that there were two inns in the town, and that we were to go to the hotel san josé. and accordingly we went to it. it was quite evident that the landlord at first had some little doubt as to the propriety of admitting us; and but for our guide, whom he knew, we should have had to explain at some length who we were. but under his auspices we were taken in without much question. the spaniards themselves are not in their own country at all famous for their inns. no european nation has probably advanced so slowly towards civilization in this respect as spain has done. and therefore, as these costa ricans are spanish by descent and language, and as the country itself is so far removed from european civilization, we did not expect much. had we fallen into the hands of spaniards we should probably have received less even than we expected. but as it was we found ourselves in a comfortable second-class little german inn. it was german in everything; its light-haired landlord, frequently to be seen with a beer tankard in hand; its tidy landlady, tidy at any rate in the evening, if not always so in the morning; its early hours, its cookery, its drink, and i think i may fairly add, its prices. on entering the first town i had visited in central america, i had of course looked about me for strange sights. that men should be found with their heads under their shoulders, or even living in holes burrowed in the ground, i had not ventured to hope. but when a man has travelled all the way to costa rica, he does expect something strange. he does not look to find everything as tame and flat and uninteresting as though he were riding into a sleepy little borough town in wiltshire. we cannot cross from dover to ostend without finding at once that we are among a set of people foreign to ourselves. the first glance of the eye shows this in the architecture of the houses, and the costume of the people. we find the same cause for excitement in france, switzerland, and italy; and when we get as far as the tyrol, we come upon a genus of mankind so essentially differing from our own as to make us feel that we have travelled indeed. but there is little more interest to be found in entering san josé than in driving through the little wiltshire town above alluded to. the houses are comfortable enough. they are built with very ordinary doors and windows, of one or two stories according to the wealth of the owners, and are decently clean outside, though apparently rather dirty within. the streets are broad and straight, being all at right angles to each other, and though not very well paved, are not rough enough to elicit admiration. there is a square, the pláza, in which stands the cathedral, the barracks, and a few of the best houses in the town. there is a large and tolerably well-arranged market-place. there is a really handsome set of public buildings, and there are two moderately good hotels. what more can a man rationally want if he travel for business? and if he travel for pleasure how can he possibly find less? it so happened that at the time of my visit to costa rica sir william ouseley was staying at san josé with his family. he had been sent, as all the world that knows anything doubtless knows very well, as minister extraordinary from our court to the governments of central america, with the view of settling some of those tough diplomatic questions as to the rights of transit and occupation of territory, respecting which such world-famous clayton-bulwer treaties and cass-yrrisari treaties have been made and talked of. he had been in nicaragua, making no doubt an equally famous ouseley-something treaty, and was now engaged on similar business in the capital of costa rica. of the nature of this august work,--for such work must be very august,--i know nothing. i only hope that he may have at least as much success as those who went before him. but to me it was a great stroke of luck to find so pleasant and hospitable a family in so outlandish a place as san josé. and indeed, though i have given praise to the hotel, i have given it with very little personal warrant as regards my knowledge either of the kitchen or cellar. my kitchen and cellar were beneath the british flag at the corner of the pláza, and i had reason to be satisfied with them in every respect. and i had abundant reason to be greatly gratified. for not only was there at san josé a minister extraordinary, but also, attached to the mission, there was an extra-ordinary secretary of legation, a very prince of good fellows. at home he would be a denizen of the foreign office, and denizens of the foreign office are swells at home. but at san josé, where he rode on a mule, and wore a straw hat, and slept in a linendraper's shop, he was as pleasant a companion as a man would wish to meet on the western, or indeed on any other side of the atlantic. i shall never forget the hours i spent in that linendraper's shop. the rooms over the shop, over that shop and over two or three others, were occupied by sir w. ouseley and his family. there was a chemist's establishment there, and another in the possession, i think, of a hatter. they had been left to pursue their business in peace; but my friend the secretary, finding no rooms sufficiently secluded for himself in the upper mansion, had managed to expel the haberdasher, and had located himself not altogether uncomfortably, among the counters. those who have spent two or three weeks in some foreign town in which they have no ordinary pursuits, know what it is to have--or perhaps, more unlucky, know what it is to be without--some pleasant accustomed haunt, in which they can pretend to read, while in truth the hours are passed in talking, with some few short intervals devoted to contemplation and tobacco. such to me was the shop of the expelled linendraper at san josé. in it, judiciously suspended among the counters, hung a panamá grass hammock, in which it was the custom of my diplomatic friend to lie at length and meditate his despatches. such at least had been his custom before my arrival. what became of his despatches during the period of my stay, it pains me to think; for in that hammock i had soon located myself, and i fear that my presence was not found to be a salutary incentive to composition. the scenery round san josé is certainly striking, but not sufficiently so to enable one to rave about it. i cannot justly go into an ecstasy and sing of pelion or ossa; nor can i talk of deep ravines to which the via mala is as nothing. there is a range of hills, respectably broken into prettinesses, running nearly round the town, though much closer to it on the southern than on the other sides. two little rivers run by it, which here and there fall into romantic pools, or pools which would be romantic if they were not so very distant from home; if having travelled so far, one did not expect so very much. there are nice walks too, and pretty rides; only the mules do not like fast trotting when the weight upon them is heavy. about a mile and a half from the town, there is a savanah, so-called, or large square park, the hyde park of san josé; and it would be difficult to imagine a more pleasant place for a gallop. it is quite large enough for a race-course, and is open to everybody. some part of the mountain range as seen from here is really beautiful. the valley of san josé, as it is called, is four thousand five hundred feet above the sea; and consequently, though within the tropics, and only ten degrees north of the line, the climate is good, and the heat, i believe, never excessive. i was there in april, and at that time, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, and that only on some days, there was nothing like tropical heat. within ten days of my leaving san josé i heard natives at panamá complaining of the heat as being altogether unendurable. but up there, on that high plateau, the sun had no strength that was inconvenient even to an englishman. indeed, no climate can, i imagine, be more favourable to fertility and to man's comfort at the same time than that of the interior of costa rica. the sugar-cane comes to maturity much quicker than in demerara or cuba. there it should be cut in about thirteen or fourteen months from the time it is planted; in nicaragua and costa rica it comes to perfection in nine or ten. the ground without manure will afford two crops of corn in a year. coffee grows in great perfection, and gives a very heavy crop. the soil is all volcanic, or, i should perhaps more properly say, has been the produce of volcanoes, and is indescribably fertile. and all this has been given without that intensity of heat which in those southern regions generally accompanies tropical fertility, and which makes hard work fatal to a white man; while it creates lethargy and idleness, and neutralizes gifts which would otherwise be regarded as the fairest which god has bestowed on his creatures. in speaking thus, i refer to the central parts of costa rica only, to those which lie some thousand feet above the level of the sea. along the sea-shores, both of the atlantic and pacific, the heat is as great, and the climate as unwholesome as in new granada or the west indies. it would be difficult to find a place worse circumstanced in this respect than punta-arenas. but though the valley or plateau of san josé, and the interior of the country generally is thus favourably situated, i cannot say that the nation is prosperous. it seems to be god's will that highly-fertile countries should not really prosper. man's energy is brought to its highest point by the presence of obstacles to be overcome, by the existence of difficulties which are all but insuperable. and therefore a scotch farm will give a greater value in produce than an equal amount of land in costa rica. when nature does so much, man will do next to nothing! those who seem to do best in this country, both in trade and agriculture, are germans. most of those who are carrying on business on a large scale are foreigners,--that is, not spanish by descent. there are english here, and americans, and french, but i think the germans are the most wedded to the country. the finest coffee properties are in the hands of foreigners, as also are the plantations of canes, and saw-mills for the preparation of timber. but they have a very uphill task. labour is extremely scarce, and very dear. the people are not idle as the negroes are, and they love to earn and put by money; but they are very few in number; they have land of their own, and are materially well off. in the neighbourhood of san josé, a man's labour is worth a dollar a day, and even at that price it is not always to be had. it seems to be the fact that in all countries in which slavery has existed and has been abolished, this subject of labour offers the great difficulty in the way of improvement. labour becomes unpopular, and is regarded as being in some sort degrading. men will not reconcile it with their idea of freedom. they wish to work on their own land, if they work at all; and to be their own masters; to grow their own crops, be they ever so small; and to sit beneath their own vine, be the shade ever so limited. there are those who will delight to think that such has been the effect of emancipation; who will argue,--and they have strong arguments on their side,--that god's will with reference to his creatures is best carried out by such an order of things. i can only say that the material result has not hitherto been good. as far as we at present see, the struggle has produced idleness and sensuality, rather than prosperity and civilization. it is hardly fair to preach this doctrine, especially with regard to costa rica, for the people are not idle. that, at least, is not specially their character. they are a humdrum, contented, quiet, orderly race of men; fond of money, but by no means fond of risking it; living well as regards sufficiency of food and raiment, but still living very close; anxious to effect small savings, and politically contented if the security of those savings can be insured to them. they seem to be little desirous, even among the upper classes, or what we would call the tradespeople, of education, either religious or profane; they have no enthusiasm, no ardent desires, no aspirations. if only they could be allowed to sell their dulce to the maker of aguardiente,--if they might be permitted to get their little profit out of the manufacture of gin! that, at present, is the one grievance that affects them, but even that they bear easily. it will perhaps be considered my duty to express an opinion whether or no they are an honest people. in one respect, certainly. they steal nothing; at any rate, make no great thefts. no one is attacked on the roads; no life is in danger from violence; houses are not broken open. nay, a traveller's purse left upon a table is, i believe, safe; nor will his open portmanteau be rifled. but when you come to deal with them, the matter is different. then their conscience becomes elastic; and as the trial is a fair one between man and man, they will do their best to cheat you. if they lie to you, cannot you lie to them? and is it not reasonable to suppose that you do do so? if they, by the aid of law, can get to the windy side of you, is not that merely their success in opposition to your attempt--for of course you do attempt--to get to the windy side of them? and then bribes are in great vogue. justice is generally to be bought; and when that is in the market, trade in other respects is not generally conducted in the most honest manner. thus, on the whole, i cannot take upon myself to say that they are altogether an honest people. but they have that kind of honesty which is most essential to the man who travels in a wild country. they do not knock out the traveller's brains, or cut his throat for the sake of what he has in his pocket. generally speaking, the inhabitants of costa rica are of course spanish by descent, but here, as in all these countries, the blood is very much mixed: pure spanish blood is now, i take it, quite an exception. this is seen more in the physiognomy than in the colour, and is specially to be noticed in the hair. there is a mixture of three races, the spanish, the native indian, and the negro; but the traces of the latter are comparatively light and few. negroes, men and women, absolutely black, and of african birth or descent, are very rare; and though traces of the thick lip and the woolly hair are to be seen--to be seen in the streets and market-places--they do not by any means form a staple of the existing race. the mixture is of spanish and of indian blood, in which the spanish no doubt much preponderates. the general colour is that of a white man, but of one who is very swarthy. occasionally this becomes so marked that the observer at once pronounces the man or woman to be coloured. but it is the colouring of the indian, and not of the negro; the hue is rich, and to a certain extent bright, and the lines of the face are not flattened and blunted. the hair also is altogether human, and in no wise sheepish. i do not think that the inhabitants of costa rica have much to boast of in the way of personal beauty. indeed, the descendant of the spaniard, out of his own country, seems to lose both the manly dignity and the female grace for which old spain is still so noted. some pretty girls i did see, but they could boast only the ordinary prettiness which is common to all young girls, and which our friends in france describe as being the special gift of the devil. i saw no fine, flaming, flashing eyes; no brilliant figures, such as one sees in seville around the altar-rails in the churches: no profiles opening upon me struck me with mute astonishment. the women were humdrum in their appearance, as the men are in their pursuits. they are addicted to crinoline, as is the nature of women in these ages; but so long as their petticoats stuck out, that seemed to be everything. in the churches they squat down on the ground, in lieu of kneeling, with their dresses and petticoats arranged around them, looking like huge turnips with cropped heads--like turnips that, by their persevering growth, had got half their roots above the ground. now women looking like turnips are not specially attractive. i was at san josé during passion week, and had therefore an opportunity of seeing the processions which are customary in roman catholic countries at that period. i certainly should not say that the costa ricans are especially a religious people. they are humdrum in this as in other respects, and have no enthusiasm either for or against the priesthood. free-thinking is not the national sin; nor is fanaticism. they are all roman catholics, most probably without an exception. their fathers and mothers were so before them, and it is a thing of course. there used to be a bishop of costa rica; indeed, they never were without one till the other day. but not long since the father of their church in some manner displeased the president: he had, i believe, taken it into his sacred head that he, as bishop, might make a second party in the state, and organize an opposition to the existing government; whereupon the president banished him, as the president can do to any one by his mere word, and since that time there has been no bishop. "and will they not get another?" i asked. "no; probably not; they don't want one. it will be so much money saved." looking at the matter in this light, there is often much to be said for the expediency of reducing one's establishment. "and who manages the church?" "it does not require much management. it goes on in the old way. when they want priests they get them from guatemala." if we could save all our bishoping, and get our priests as we want them from guatemala, or any other factory, how excellent would be the economy! the cathedral of san josé is a long, low building, with side aisles formed by very rickety-looking wooden pillars--in substance they are hardly more than poles--running from the ground to the roof. the building itself is mean enough, but the internal decorations are not badly arranged, and the general appearance is neat, orderly, and cool. we all know the usual manner in which wooden and waxen virgins are dressed and ornamented in such churches. there is as much of this here as elsewhere; but i have seen it done in worse taste both in france and italy. the façade of the church, fronting the pláza is hardly to be called a portion of the church; but is an adjunct to it, or rather the church has been fixed on to the façade, which is not without some architectural pretension. in new granada--columbia that was--the cathedrals are arranged as they are in old spain. the choir is not situated round the altar, or immediately in front of it, as is the custom in christian churches in, i believe, all other countries, but is erected far down the centre aisle, near the western entrance. this, however, was not the case in any church that i saw in costa rica. during the whole of passion week there was a considerable amount of religious activity, in the way of preaching and processions, which reached its acme on good friday. on that day the whole town was processioning from morning--which means four o'clock--till evening--which means two hours after sunset. they had three figures, or rather three characters,--for two of them appeared in more than one guise and form,--each larger than life; those, namely, of our saviour, the virgin, and st. john. these figures are made of wax, and the faces of some of them were excellently moulded. these are manufactured in guatemala--as the priests are; and the people there pride themselves on their manufacture, not without reason. the figures of our saviour and the virgin were in different dresses and attitudes, according to the period of the day which it was intended to represent; but the st. john was always represented in the dress of a bishop of the present age. the figures were supported on men's shoulders, and were carried backwards and forwards through every portion of the town, till at last, having been brought forth in the morning from the cathedral, they were allowed at night to rest in a rival, and certainly better built, though smaller church. i must notice one particularity in the church-going population of this country. the women occupy the nave and centre aisle, squatting on the ground, and looking, as i have said, like turnips; whereas the men never advance beyond the side aisles. the women of the higher classes--all those, indeed, who make any pretence to dress and finery--bring with them little bits of carpet, on which they squat; but there are none of those chairs with which churches on the continent are so commonly filled. it seemed that there is nothing that can be called society among the people of san josé. they do not go out to each other's homes, nor meet in public; they have neither tea-parties, nor dinner-parties, nor dancing-parties, nor card-parties. i was even assured--though i cannot say that the assurance reached my belief--that they never flirt! occasionally, on sundays, for instance, and on holidays, they put on their best clothes and call on each other. but even then there is no conversation among them; they sit stiffly on each other's sofas, and make remarks at intervals, like minute guns, about the weather. "but what _do_ they do?" i asked. "the men scrape money together, and when they have enough they build a house, big or little according to the amount that they have scraped: that satisfies the ambition of a costa rican. when he wishes to amuse himself, he goes to a cock-fight." "and the women?" "they get married early if their fathers can give them a few ounces"--the ounce is the old doubloon, worth here about three pounds eight shillings sterling--"and then they cook, and have children." "and if the ounces be wanting, and they don't get married?" "then they cook all the same, but do not have the children,--as a general rule." and so people vegetate in costa rica. and now i must say a word or two about the form of government in this country. it is a republic, of course, arranged on the model plan. a president is elected for a term of years,--in this case six. he has ministers who assist him in his government, and whom he appoints; and there is a house of congress, elected of course by the people, who make the laws. the president merely carries them out, and so utopia is realized. utopia might perhaps be realized in such republics, or at any rate the realization might not be so very distant as it is at present, were it not that in all of them the practice, by some accident, runs so far away from the theory. in costa rica, don juan rafael mora, familiarly called juanito, is now the president, having been not long since re-elected (?) for the third time. "we read in the 'gazette' on tuesday morning that the election had been carried on saturday, and that was all we knew about it." it is thus they elect a president in costa rica; no one knows anything about it, or troubles his head with the matter. if any one suggested a rival president, he would be banished. but such a thing is not thought of; no note is taken as to five years or six years. at some period that pleases him, the president says that he has been re-elected, and he is re-elected. who cares? why not juanito as well as any one else? only it is a pity he will not let us sell our dulce to the distillers! the president's salary is three thousand dollars a year; an income which for so high a position is moderate enough. but then a further sum of six thousand dollars is added to this for official entertainment. the official entertainments, however, are not numerous. i was informed that he usually gives one party every year. he himself still lives in his private house, and still keeps a shop, as he did before he was president. it must be remembered that there is no aristocracy in this country above the aristocracy of the shopkeepers. as far as i could learn, the congress is altogether a farce. there is a congress or collection of men sent up from different parts of the country, some ten or dozen of whom sit occasionally round a table in the great hall; but they neither debate, vote, nor offer opinions. some one man, duly instructed by the president, lets them know what law is to be made or altered, and the law is made or altered. should any member of congress make himself disagreeable, he would, as a matter of course, be banished; taken, that is, to punta-arenas, and there told to shift for himself. now this enforced journey to punta-arenas does not seem to be more popular among the costa ricans than a journey to siberia is among the russians. such is the model republic of central america,--admitted, i am told, to be the best administered of the cluster of republics there established. this, at any rate, may certainly be said for it--that life and property are safe. they are safe for the present, and will probably remain so, unless the filibusters make their way into the neighbouring state of nicaragua in greater numbers and with better leaders than they have hitherto had. and it must be told to the credit of the costa ricans, that it was by them and their efforts that the invasion of walker and the filibusters into central america was stopped and repelled. these enterprising gentlemen, the filibusters, landed on the coast of nicaragua, having come down from california. here they succeeded in getting possession of a large portion of the country, that portion being the most thickly populated and the richest; many of the towns they utterly destroyed, and among them granada, the capital. it seems that at this time the whole state of nicaragua was paralyzed, and unable to strike any blow in its own defence. having laid waste the upper or more northern country, walker came down south as far as rivas, a town still in nicaragua, but not far removed from the borders of costa rica. his intention, doubtless, was to take possession of costa rica, so that he might command the whole transit across the isthmus. but at rivas he was attacked by the soldiery of costa rica, under the command of a brother of don juan mora. this was in , and it seems that some three thousand costa ricans were taken as far as rivas. but few of them returned. they were attacked by cholera, and what with that, and want, and the intense heat, to which of course must be added what injuries the filibusters could do them, they were destroyed, and a remnant only returned. but in the different states of central america joined themselves in a league, with the object of expelling these filibusters. i do not know that either of the three northern states sent any men to rivas, and the weight of the struggle again fell upon costa rica. the costa ricans and nicaraguans together invested rivas, in which five hundred filibusters under walker for some time maintained themselves. these men were reduced to great straits, and might no doubt have been taken bodily. but the central americans also had their difficulties to contend with. they did not agree very well together, and they had but slender means of supporting themselves. it ended in a capitulation, under which walker and his associates were to walk out with their arms and all the honours of war; and by which, moreover, it was stipulated that the five hundred were to be sent back to america at the expense of the central american states. the states, thinking no doubt that it was good economy to build a golden bridge for a flying enemy, did so send them back; and in this manner for a while central america was freed from the locusts. such was the capitulation of rivas; a subject on which all costa ricans now take much pride to themselves. and indeed, honour is due to them in this matter, for they evinced a spirit in the business when their neighbours of nicaragua failed to do so. they soon determined that the filibusters would do them no good;--could indeed by no possibility do them anything but harm; consequently, they resolved to have the first blow, and they struck it manfully, though not so successfully as might have been wished. the total population of central america is, i believe, about two millions, while that of costa rica does not exceed two hundred thousand. of the five states, guatemala has by far the largest number of inhabitants; and indeed the town of guatemala may still be regarded as the capital of all the isthmus territories. they fabricate there not only priests and wax images, but doctors and lawyers, and all those expensive luxuries for the production of which the air of a capital is generally considered necessary. the president of guatemala is, they say, an indian, nearly of pure descent; his name is carrera. i have spoken of the army of costa rica. in point of accoutrement and outward show, they are on ordinary days somewhat like the troops that were not fit to march through coventry. they wear no regimentals, and are only to be known when on duty by a very rusty-looking gun. on sundays, however, and holidays they do wear a sort of uniform, consisting of a neat cap, and a little braiding upon their best clothes. this dress, such as it is, they are obliged to find for themselves. the clothing department, therefore, is not troublesome. these men are enrolled after the manner of our militia. the full number should be nine thousand, and is generally somewhat above six thousand. of this number five hundred are kept in barracks, the men taking it by turns, month by month. when in barracks they receive about one shilling and sixpence a day; at other times they have no pay. i cannot close my notice of san josé without speaking somewhat more specially of the range of public buildings. i am told that it was built by a german, or rather by two germans; the basement and the upper story being the work of different persons. be this as it may, it is a handsome building, and would not disgrace any european capital. there is in it a throne-room--in england, at least, we should call it a throne; on this the president sits when he receives ambassadors from foreign countries. the velvet and gilding were quite unexceptionable, and the whole is very imposing. the sitting of congress is held in the same chamber; but that, as i have explained, is not imposing. the chief produce of costa rica is coffee. those who love statistics may perhaps care to know that the average yearly export is something under a hundred thousand quintals; now a quintal weighs a hundred pounds, or rather, i believe, ninety-nine pounds exact. chapter xix. central america. costa rica--mount irazu. in the neighbourhood of san josé there is a volcanic mountain, the name of which is irazu. i was informed that it still smoked, though it had discontinued for the present the ejection of flames and lava. indeed, the whole country is full of such mountains. there is one, the monte blanco, the summit of which has never yet been reached--so rumour says in costa rica--far distant, enveloped among other mountains, and to be reached only through dense aboriginal forests, which still emits, and is always emitting fire and burning floods of molten stones. different excursions have been made with the object of ascending the monte blanco, but hitherto in vain. not long since it was attempted by a french baron, but he and his guide were for twenty days in the woods, and then returned, their provisions failing them. "you should ascend the monte blanco," said sir william ouseley to me. "you are a man at large, with nothing to do. it is just the work for you." this was sir william's satire on the lightness of my ordinary occupations. light as they might be, however, i had neither time nor courage for an undertaking such as that; so i determined to satisfy myself with the irazu. it happened, rather unfortunately for me, that at the moment of my arrival at san josé, a large party, consisting of sir william's family and others, were in the very act of visiting the mountain. those, therefore, who were anxious to see the sight, and willing to undergo the labour, thus had their opportunity; and it became impossible for me to make up a second party. one hope i had. the secretary of legation had not gone. official occupation, joined to a dislike of mud and rough stones, had kept him at home. perhaps i might prevail. the intensity of that work might give way before a week's unremitting labour, and that sybarite propensity might be overcome. but all my eloquence was of no avail. an absence of a day and a half only was required; and three were spent in proving that this could not be effected. the stones and mud too were becoming worse and worse, for the rainy season had commenced. in fact, the secretary of legation would not budge. "le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle," said the secretary of legation; whereupon he lighted another cigar, and took a turn in the grass hammock. now in my mind it must be a very bad game indeed that is not worth the candle; and almost any game is better than no game at all. i was thus in deep trouble, making up my mind to go alone, or rather alone with my guide;--for the due appreciation of which state of loneliness it must be borne in mind that, as i do not speak a word of spanish, i should have no possible means of communication with the guide,--when a low and mild voice fell upon my ear, offering me its proprietor as my companion. "i went up with sir william last week," said the mild voice; "and if you will permit me, i shall be happy to go with you. i should like to see it twice; and i live at cartago on the way." it was quite clear that the owner of the voice was sacrificing himself, and offering to repeat this troublesome journey merely out of good nature; but the service which he proposed to render me was too essential, and i could not afford to reject the offer. he lived in the country and spoke spanish, and was, moreover, a mild, kind-hearted little gentleman, very suitable as a companion, and not given too pertinaciously to a will of his own. now the secretary of legation would have driven me mad half a score of times during the journey. he would have deafened me with politics, and with such politics too! so that on the whole i knew myself to be well off with the mild voice. "you must go through cartago," said the mild voice, "and i live there. we will dine there at the inn to-morrow, and then do a portion of our work the same evening." it was so arranged. i was to be with him the next day at three, with a guide and two mules. on the next morning it rained provokingly. i ought to have started at twelve; but at that time it was pouring, and neither the guide nor the mules showed themselves. "you will never get there," said the secretary of legation, looking up to the murky clouds with a gleam of delight. "the game is never worth such a candle as that." "i shall get there most assuredly," said i, rather sulkily, "let the candle cost what it may." but still the mules did not come. men have no idea of time in any country that is or has been connected with spain. "yes, señor; you said twelve, and it is now only two! well, three. the day is long, señor; there is plenty of time. vaminos? since you are in such a hurry, shall we make a start of it?" at half-past two o'clock so spoke--not my guide, for, as will be seen by-and-by, he never spoke at all--but my guide's owner, who came accompanying the mules. in huge hurry, with sundry mute exclamations, uttered by my countenance since my tongue was unintelligible, and with appeals to my watch which should have broken the man's heart as i thrust it into his face, i clomb into my saddle. and then a poor-looking, shoeless creature, with a small straw hat tied on to his head by a handkerchief, with difficulty poised himself on the other beast "vamos," i exclaimed, and trotted down the street; for i knew that in that direction lay the road to cartago. "god be with you," said the secretary of legation. "the rainy season has set in permanently, i know; but perhaps you may have half an hour of sunshine now and again. i hope you will enjoy yourself." it was not raining when i started, and in fact did not rain again the whole afternoon. i trotted valiantly down the street, knowing my way so far; but at the bottom of the town the roads divided, and i waited for my guide. "go on first," said i, pointing along the road. but he did not understand me, and stood still. "go on," said i, getting behind his mule as though to drive him. but he merely stared, and shuffled himself to the other side of the road. "cartago," i shouted, meaning that he was to show me the way there. "si, señor," he replied; and backed himself into the ditch out of my way. he was certainly the stupidest man i ever met in my life, and i believe the secretary of legation had selected him on purpose. i was obliged to choose my own road out of two, and luckily chose the right one. had i gone wrong, i doubt whether the man would have had wit enough to put me right. i again trotted on; but in a quarter of an hour was obliged to wait, for my attendant was behind me, out of sight, and i felt myself bound to look after my traps, which were fastened to his mule. "come on," i shouted in good broad english as soon as i saw him. "why the mischief don't you come on?" and my voice was so pitched, that on this occasion i think he did understand something of what i meant. "co-o-ome along," i repeated, as he gently drew up to me. and i hit his mule sharply on the crupper with my stick. "spur him," i said; and i explained what i meant by sticking my own rowels into my own beast. whereupon the guide showed me that he had no spurs. now if there be one rule of life more strictly kept in costa rica than another, it is this, that no man ever mounts horse or mule without spurs. a man in england would as soon think of hunting without breeches. no muleteer was ever seen without them. and when a mule is hired, if the hirer have no saddle, he may chance to have to ride without one; but if he have no spurs, he will always be supplied. i took off one of my own, which, by-the-by, i had borrowed out of the secretary of legation's establishment, and offered it to the man, remembering the well-known doctrine of hudibras. he then showed me that one of his hands was tied up, and that he could not put the spur on. consequently i was driven to dismount myself, and to act equerry to this knight. thrice on the road i had to do so, for twice the spur slipped from off his naked foot. even with this i could not bring him on. it is four leagues, or about sixteen miles, from san josé to cartago, and with all my hastening we were three hours on the road. the way lay through a rich and finely-cultivated country. the whole of this is now called the valley of san josé, and consists, in truth, of a broad plateau, diversified by moderate hills and valleys, but all being at a considerable height; that is, from three to four thousand feet above the sea. the road also is fairly good; so good that a species of omnibus runs on it daily, there being some considerable traffic between the places; for cartago is the second town in the republic. cartago is now the second town, but not long since it was the capital. it was, however, destroyed by an earthquake; and though it has been rebuilt, it has never again taken its former position. its present population is said to be ten thousand; but this includes not only the suburbs, but the adjacent villages. the town covers a large tract of ground, which is divided into long, broad, parallel streets, with a large pláza in the middle; as though it had been expected that a fine utopian city would have sprung up. alas! there is nothing fine about it, and very little that is utopian. lingering near the hotel door, almost now in a state of despair, i met him of the mild voice. "yes; he had been waiting for three hours, certainly," he mildly said, as i spurred my beast up to the door. "now that i was come it was all right; and on the whole he rather liked waiting--that is, when it did not result in waiting for nothing." and then we sat down to dinner at the cartago hotel. this also was kept by a german, who after a little hesitation confessed that he had come to the country as a filibuster. "you have fallen on your legs pretty well," said i; for he had a comfortable house, and gave us a decent dinner. "yes," said he, rather dubiously; "but when i came to costa rica i intended to do better than this." he might, however, remember that not one in five hundred of them had done so well. and then another guide had to be found, for it was clear that the one i had brought with me was useless. and i had a visit to make; for my friend lived with a widow lady, who would be grieved, he said, if i passed through without seeing her. so i did call on her. i saw her again on my return through cartago, as i shall specify. with all these delays it was dark when we started. our plan was to ride up to an upland pasture farm at which visitors to the mountain generally stop, to sleep there for a few hours, and then to start between three and four so as to reach the top of the mountain by sunrise. now i perfectly well remember what i said with reference to sunrises from mountain-tops on the occasion of that disastrous visit to the blue mountain peak in jamaica; how i then swore that i would never do another mountain sunrise, having always failed lamentably in such attempts. i remember, and did remember this; and as far as the sunrise was concerned would certainly have had nothing to do with the irazu at five o'clock, a.m. but the volcano and the crater made the matter very different. they were my attractions; and as the mild voice suggested an early hour, it would not have become me to have hesitated. "start at four?" "certainly," i said. "the beds at the potrero"--such was the name they gave the place at which we stopped--"will not be soft enough to keep us sleeping." "no," said the mild voice, "they are not soft." and so we proceeded. our road was very rough, and very steep; and the night was very dark. it was rough at first, and then it became slippery, which was worse. i had no idea that earth could be so slippery. my mule, which was a very fine one, fell under me repeatedly, being altogether unable to keep her footing. on these occasions she usually scrambled up, with me still on her back. once, however, near the beginning of my difficulties, i thought to relieve her; and to do so i got off her. i soon found my mistake. i immediately slipped down on my hands and knees, and found it impossible to stand on my feet. i did not sink into the mud, but slipped off it--down, down, down, as if i were going back to cartago, all alone in the dark. it was with difficulty that i again mounted my beast; but when there, there i remained let her fall as she would. at eleven o'clock we reached the potrero. the house here was little more than a rancho or hut; one of those log farm buildings which settlers make when they first clear the timber from a part of their selected lots, intending to replace them in a year or two by such tidy little houses; but so rarely fulfilling their intentions. all through costa rica such ranchos are common. on the coffee plantations and in the more highly-cultivated part of the country, round the towns for instance, and along the road to punta-arenas, the farmers have a better class of residence. they inhabit long, low-built houses, with tiled roofs and a ground floor only, not at all unlike farmers' houses in ireland, only that there they are thatched or slated. away from such patches of cultivation, one seldom finds any house better than a log-built rancho. but the rancho had a door, and that door was fastened; so we knocked and hallooed--"dito," cried the guide; such being, i presume, the familiar sobriquet of his friend within. "dito," sang out my mild friend with all his small energy of voice. "dito," shouted i; and i think that my voice was the one which wakened the sleepers within. we were soon admitted into the hut, and found that we were by no means the first comers. as soon as a candle was lighted we saw that there were four bedsteads in the room, and that two of them were occupied. there were, however, two left for my friend and myself. and it appeared also that the occupiers were friends of my friend. they were german savants, one by profession an architect and the other a doctor, who had come up into the woods looking for birds, beasts, and botanical treasures, and had already been there some three or four days. they were amply supplied with provisions, and immediately offered us supper. the architect sat up in bed to welcome us, and the doctor got up to clear the two spare beds of his trappings. there is a luck in these things. i remember once clambering to the top of scafell-pike, in cumberland--if it chance to be in westmoreland i beg the county's pardon. i expected nothing more than men generally look for on the tops of mountains; but to my great surprise i found a tent. i ventured to look in, and there i saw two officers of the engineers, friends of my own, sharpening their knives preparatory to the dissection of a roast goose. and beside the goose stood a bottle of brandy. now i always looked on that as a direct dispensation of providence. walking down the mountain that same evening to whitehaven, i stopped at a small public-house on the side of enerdale, and called for some whisky and water. the article produced was not good, and so i said, appealing to an elderly gentleman in black, who sat by the hobside, very contemplative. "ah," said he; "you can't get good drink in these parts, sir; i know that so well that i generally bring a bottle of my own." i immediately opened a warm conversation with that gentleman. he was a clergyman of a neighbouring parish; and in a few minutes a magnum of port had made its appearance out of a neighbouring cupboard. that i thought was another dispensation of providence. it was odd that they should have come together; but the facts are as i state them. i did venture on a glass of brandy and water and a slight morsel of bread and meat, and then i prepared to throw myself on the bed immediately opposite to the doctor's. as i did so i saw something move inside the doctor's bed. "my wife is there," said the doctor, seeing the direction of my eyes. "oh!" said i; and i at once became very moderate in the slight change which i made in my toilet. we were to start at four, and at four precisely i woke. as my friend had said, there was little to tempt me to sleep. the great drawback to the comfort of these ranchos is the quantity of dirt which continually falls out of the roof into one's eyes. then the boards are hard of course, and of course, also, they are infested with vermin. they tell you indeed of scorpions and centipedes, of preternatural wasps, and musquitos as big as young ostriches; but i found none of these large-looming beasts of prey. of beasts of a smaller size i did find more than plenty. at four i was up, but my friend was very unwilling to stir. it was long before i could induce the mild voice to make itself heard in any way. at that time it was fine, but it was long before i could get the muleteer. when i had done so, and he had thrown their grass to the beasts, it began to rain--of course. "it rains like the d----" said i, very crossly. "does it?" said the mild voice from the bed. "i am so sorry;" and in half a second he was again in the land of dreams. the doctor snored; but from the furthest remote comer i could see the eye of the doctor's wife looking out at me. it was between six and seven when we started. at that time it was not raining, but the clouds looked as like rain as the secretary of legation could have desired. and the two germans were anything but consolatory in their prophecies. "you'll not see a stick or a stone," said the architect; "you'd better stop and breakfast with us." "it is very dangerous to be wet in the mountains, very dangerous," said the doctor. "it is a bad morning, certainly," pleaded the mild voice piteously. the doctor's wife said nothing, but i could see her eyes looking out at the weather. how on earth was she to get herself dressed, it occurred to me then, if we should postpone our journey and remain there? it ended in our starting just two hours after the prescribed time. the road up from the potrero is very steep almost the whole way to the summit, but it was not so muddy as that we had passed over on the preceding evening. for some little way there were patches of cultivation, the ground bearing sweet potatoes and indian corn. then we came into a tract of beautiful forest scenery. the land, though steep, was broken, and only partially covered with trees. the grass in patches was as good as in an english park, and the views through the open bits of the forest were very lovely. in four or five different places we found the ground sufficiently open for all the requirements of a picturesque country house, and no prettier site for such a house could well be found. this was by far the finest scenery that i had hitherto seen in costa rica; but even here there was a want of water. in ascending the mountain we saw some magnificent forest trees, generally of the kind called cotton-trees in jamaica. there were oaks also--so called there--very nearly approaching our holm-oak in colour and foliage, but much larger than that tree is with us. they were all more or less covered with parasite plants, and those parasites certainly add greatly to the beauty of the supporting trunk. by degrees we got into thick forest--forest i mean so thick that it affords no views. you see and feel the trees that are close to you, but see nothing else. and here the path became so steep that we were obliged to dismount and let the beasts clamber up by themselves; and the mist became very thick, so much so that we could hardly trace our path; and then the guide said that he thought he had lost his way. "people often do come out and go back again without ever reaching the crater at all, don't they?" said the mild voice. "very often," said the guide. "but we won't be such people," said i. "oh no!" said the mild voice. "not if we can help it." "and we will help it. allons; andiamos; vamos." the first word which an englishman learns in any language is that which signifies a determination to proceed. and we did proceed, turning now hither and now thither, groping about in the mist, till at last the wood was all left behind us, and we were out among long grass on a mountain-side. "and now," said the guide, "unless the mist clears i can't say which way we ought to go." the words were hardly out of his mouth when the mist did clear itself away altogether from one side of us. looking down to the left, we could see far away into the valleys beneath, over large forests, and across a lower range of hills, till the eye could reach the cultivated plateau below. but on the other side, looking up to a mountain higher still than that on which we stood, all was not only misty, but perfectly dark and inscrutable. the guide however now knew the spot. we were near the summit of irazu, and a further ride of a quarter of an hour took us there; and indeed here there was no difficulty in riding. the side of the hill was covered with grass, and not over steep. "there," said the mild voice, pointing to a broad, bushy, stumpy tree, "there is the place where lady ouseley breakfasted." and he looked at our modest havresack. "and we will breakfast there too," i answered. "but we will go down the crater first." "oh, yes; certainly," said the mild voice. "but perhaps--i don't know--i am not sure i can go exactly down into the crater." the crater of the volcano is not at the top of the mountain, or rather it is not at what is now the top of the mountain; so that at first one has to look down upon it. i doubt even whether the volcano has ever effected the absolute summit. i may as well state here that the height of the mountain on which we were now standing is supposed to be , feet above the sea-level. luckily for us, though the mist reached to us where we stood, everything to the left of us was clear, and we could look down, down into the crater as into a basin. everything was clear, so that we could count the different orifices, eight in number, of which two, however, had almost run themselves into one; and see, as far as it was possible to see, how the present formation of the volcano had been brought about. it was as though a very large excavation had been made on the side of a hill, commencing, indeed, not quite from the summit, but very near it, and leaving a vast hole--not deep in proportion to its surface--sloping down the mountain-side. this huge excavation, which i take to be the extent of the crater, for it has evidently been all formed by the irruption of volcanic matter, is divided into two parts, a broken fragment of a mountain now lying between them; and the smaller of these two has lost all volcanic appearance. it is a good deal covered with bush and scrubby forest trees, and seems to have no remaining connection with sulphur and brimstone. the other part, in which the crater now absolutely in use is situated, is a large hollow in the mountain-side, which might perhaps contain a farm of six hundred acres. not having been able to measure it, i know no other way of describing what appeared to me to be its size. but a great portion of this again has lost all its volcanic appendages; except, indeed, that lumps of lava are scattered over the whole of it, as they are, though more sparingly, over the mountain beyond. there is a ledge of rock running round the interior of this division of the excavation, half-way down it, like a row of seats in a roman amphitheatre, or an excrescence, if one can fancy such, half-way down a teacup. the ground above this ledge is of course more extensive than that below, as the hollow narrows towards the bottom. the present working mouth of the volcanic, and all those that have been working for many a long year--the eight in number of which i have spoken--lie at the bottom of this lowest hollow. this i should say might contain a farm of about two hundred acres. such was the form of the land on which we looked down. the descent from the top to the ledge was easy enough, and was made by myself and my friend with considerable rapidity. i started at a pace which convinced him that i should break my neck, and he followed, gallantly resolving to die with me. "you'll surely kill yourself, mr. trollope; you surely will," said the mild voice. and yet he never deserted me. "sir william got as far as this," said he, when we were on the ledge, but he got no further. "we will do better than sir william," said i. "we will go down into that hole where we see the sulphur." "into the very hole?" "yes. if we get to windward, i think we can get into the very hole. look at the huge column of white smoke; how it comes all in this direction! on the other side of the crater we should not feel it." the descent below the ledge into my smaller farm was not made so easily. it must be understood that our guide was left above with the mules. we should have brought two men, whereas we had only brought one; and had therefore to perform our climbing unassisted. i at first attempted it in a direct line, down from where we stood; but i soon found this to be impracticable, and was forced to reascend. the earth was so friable that it broke away from me at every motion that i made; and after having gone down a few feet i was glad enough to find myself again on the ledge. we then walked round considerably to the right, probably for more than a quarter of a mile, and there a little spur in the hillside--a buttress as it were to the ledge of which i have spoken--made the descent much easier, and i again tried. "do not you mind following me," i said to my companion, for i saw that he looked much aghast. "none of sir william's party went down there," he answered. "are you sure of that?" i asked. "quite sure," said the mild voice. "then what a triumph we will have over sir william!" and so saying i proceeded. "i think i'll come too," said the mild voice. "if i do break my neck nobody'll be much the worse;" and he did follow me. there was nothing very difficult in the clambering, but, unfortunately, just as we got to the bottom the mist came pouring down upon us, and i could not but bethink me that i should find it very difficult to make my way up again without seeing any of the landmarks. i could still see all below me, but i could see nothing that was above. it seemed as though the mist kept at our own level, and that we dragged it with us. we were soon in one of the eight small craters or mouths of which i have spoken. looking at them from above, they seemed to be nearly on a level, but it now appeared that one or two were considerably higher than the others. we were now in the one that was the highest on that side of the excavation. it was a shallow basin, or rather saucer, perhaps sixty yards in diameter, the bottom of which was composed of smooth light-coloured sandy clay. in dry weather it would partake almost of the nature of sand. many many years had certainly rolled by since this mouth had been eloquent with brimstone. the place at this time was very cold. my friend had brought a large shawl with him, with which over and over again he attempted to cover my shoulders. i, having meditated much on the matter, had left my cloak above. at the present moment i regretted it sorely; but, as matters turned out, it would have half smothered me before our walk was over. we had now nothing for it but to wait till the mist should go off. there was but one open mouth to this mountain--one veritable crater from which a column of smoke and sulphur did then actually issue, and this, though the smell of the brimstone was already oppressive, was at some little distance. gradually the mist did go off, or rather it shifted itself continually, now ascending far above us, and soon returning to our feet. we then advanced between two other mouths, and came to that which was nearest to the existing crater. here the aperture was of a very different kind. though no smoke issued from it, and though there was a small tree growing at the bottom of it,--showing, as i presume, that there had been no eruption from thence since the seed of that tree had fallen to the ground,--yet the sides of the crater were as sharp and steep as the walls of a house. into those which we had hitherto visited we could walk easily; into this no one could descend even a single foot, unless, indeed, he descended somewhat more than a foot so as to dash himself to pieces at the bottom. they were, when compared together, as the interior of a plate compared to that of a tea-caddy. now a traveller travelling in such realms would easily extricate himself from the plate, but the depths of the tea-caddy would offer him no hope. having walked round this mute volcano, we ascended to the side of the one which was now smoking, for the aperture to this was considerably higher than that of the last one mentioned. as we were then situated, the smoke was bearing towards us, and every moment it became more oppressive; but i saw, or thought i saw, that we could skirt round to the back of the crater, so as not to get its full volume upon us; and so i proceeded, he of the mild voice mildly expostulating, but always following me. but when we had ascended to the level of the hole the wind suddenly shifted, and the column of smoke dispersing enveloped us altogether. had it come upon us in all its thickest mass i doubt whether it would not have first stupefied and then choked us. as it was, we ran for it, and succeeded in running out of it. it affected me, i think, more powerfully than it did my companion, for he was the first to regain his speech. "sir william, at any rate, saw nothing like that," said he, coughing triumphantly. i hope that i may never feel or smell anything like it again. this smoke is emitted from the earth at the bottom of a deep hole very similar to that above described. the sides of it all round are so steep that it is impossible to make even an attempt to descend it. by holding each other's hands we could look over into it one at a time, and see the very jaws in the rock from which the stream of sulphur ascends. it comes out quite yellow, almost a dark yellow, but gradually blanches as it expands in its course. these jaws in the rock are not in the centre of the bottom of the pit, but in a sharp angle, as it were, so that the smoke comes up against one side or wall, and that side is perfectly encrusted with the sulphur. it was at the end of the orifice, exactly opposite to this, that we knelt down and looked over. the smoke when it struck upon us, immediately above this wall, was hot and thick and full of brimstone. the stench for a moment was very bad; but the effect went off at once, as soon as we were out of it. the mild voice grasped my hand very tightly as he crept to the edge and looked over. "ah!" he said, rejoicing greatly, "sir william never saw that, nor any of his party; i am so glad i came again with you. i wonder whether anybody ever was here before." hundreds doubtless have been, and thousands will be. nine out of every ten men in london, between the ages of fifteen and fifty, would think little of the trouble and less of the danger of getting there; but i could not interfere with the triumph of my friend, so i merely remarked that it certainly was a very singular place. and then we had to reascend. it was now past eleven o'clock, and as yet we had had no breakfast, for i cannot call that cup of coffee which we took at starting a breakfast, even though the german architect handed to each of us from out of his bed a hunch of beef and a crust of bread. luckily the air was clear for a while, so that we could see what we were about, and we began to climb up on the side opposite to that by which we had descended. and here i happened to mention that miss ouseley had commissioned me to get two bits of lava, one smooth and the other rough--unfortunately, for at once the mild voice declared that he had found two morsels which would exactly suit the lady's taste. i looked round, and, lo! there was my small friend with two huge stones, each weighing about twenty pounds, which, on the side of the mountain, he was endeavouring to pack under his arms. now, the mountain here was very steep and very friable; the burnt shingle slipped from under our feet at every step; and, to make matters worse, we were climbing in a slanting direction. "my dear fellow, it would kill you to carry those lumps to the top," i said; "do not think of it." but he persevered. "there were no lumps of lava such as those," he said, "to be found at the top. they were just what miss ouseley wanted. he thought he would be able to manage with them. they were not so very heavy, if only the ground did not slip so much." i said what i could, but it was of no avail, and he followed me slowly with his sore burden. i never knew the weather change with such rapidity. at this moment the sun was bright and very hot, and i could hardly bear my coat on my shoulders as i crept up that hill. how my little friend followed with his shawl and the lava rocks i cannot conceive. but, to own the truth, going down hill suits me better than going up. years and obesity tell upon the wind sooner than they do on the legs--so, at least, it is with me. now my mild friend hardly weighed fifteen ounces, while i--! and then, when we were again on the ridge, it began to rain most gloriously. hitherto we had had mist, but this was a regular down-pour of rain--such moisture as the secretary of legation had been praying for ever since we started. again and again the mild voice offered me the shawl, which, when i refused it, he wrapped round the lumps of lava, scorning to be drier than his companion. from the summit to the ledge we had come down fast enough, but the ascent was very different. i, at any rate, was very tired, and my friend was by no means as fresh as he had been. we were both in want of food, and our clothes were heavy with wet. he also still carried his lumps of lava. at last, all raining as it was, i sat down. how far we might still be from the top i could not see; but be it far or be it near, nature required rest. i threw myself on the ground, and the mild voice not unwillingly crouched down close to me. "now we can both have the shawl," said he, and he put it over our joint shoulders; that is, he put the shawl on mine while the fringe hung over his own. in half a minute we were both asleep, almost in each other's arms. men when they sleep thus on a mountain-side in the rain do not usually sleep long. forty winks is generally acknowledged. our nap may have amounted to eighty each, but i doubt whether it was more. we started together, rubbed our eyes, jumped to our feet, and prepared ourselves for work. but, alas! where was the lava? my impression is that in my sleep i must have kicked the stones and sent them rolling. at any rate, they were gone. dark and wet as it was, we both went down a yard or two, but it was in vain; nothing could be seen of them. the mild voice handed me the shawl, preparing to descend in their search; but this was too much. "you will only lose yourself," said i, laying hold of him, "and i shall have to look for your bones. besides, i want my breakfast! we will get other specimens above." "and perhaps they will be just as good," said he, cheerfully, when he found that he would not be allowed to have his way. "every bit," said i. and so we trudged on, and at last reached our mules. from this point men see, or think that they see, the two oceans--the atlantic and the pacific--and this sight to many is one of the main objects of the ascent. we saw neither the one ocean nor the other. we got back to the potrero about three, and found our german friends just sitting down to dinner. the architect was seated on his bed on one side of the table arranging the viands, while the doctor on the other scooped out the brains of a strange bird with a penknife. the latter operation he performed with a view of stuffing, not himself, but the animal. they pressed us to dine with them before we started, and we did so, though i must confess that the doctor's occupation rather set me against my food. "if it be not done at once," said he, apologizing, "it can't he done well;" and he scraped, and scraped, and wiped his knife against the edge of the little table on which the dishes were placed. what had become of the doctor's wife i do not know, but she was not at the potrero when we dined there. it was evening when we got into cartago, and very tired we were. my mind, however, was made up to go on to san josé that night, and ultimately i did so; but before starting, i was bound to repeat my visit to the english lady with whom my mild friend lived. mrs. x---- was, and i suppose is, the only englishwoman living in cartago, and with that sudden intimacy which springs up with more than tropical celerity in such places, she told me the singular history of her married life. the reader would not care that i should repeat it at length, for it would make this chapter too long. her husband had been engaged in mining operations, and she had come out to guatemala with him in search of gold. from thence, after a period of partial success, he was enticed away into costa rica. some speculation there, in which he or his partners were concerned, promised better than that other one in guatemala, and he went, leaving his young wife and children behind him. of course he was to return very soon, and of course he did not return at all. mrs. x---- was left with her children searching for gold herself. "every evening," she said, "i saw the earth washed myself, and took up with me to the house the gold that was found." what an occupation for a young englishwoman, the mother of three children! at this time she spoke no spanish, and had no one with her who spoke english. and then tidings came from her husband that he could not come to her, and she made up her mind to go to him. she had no money, the gold-washing having failed; her children were without shoes to their feet; she had no female companion; she had no attendant but one native man; and yet, starting from the middle of guatemala, she made her way to the coast, and thence by ship to costa rica. after that her husband became engaged in what, in those countries, is called "transit." now "transit" means the privilege of making money by transporting americans of the united states over the isthmus to and from california, and in most hands has led to fraud, filibustering, ruin, and destruction. mr. x----, like many others, was taken in, and according to his widow's account, the matter ended in a deputation being sent, from new york i think, to murder him. he was struck with a life-preserver in the streets of san josé, never fully recovered from the blow, and then died. he had become possessed of a small estate in the neighbourhood of cartago, on the proceeds of which the widow was now living. "and will you not return home?" i said. "yes; when i have got my rights. look here--" and she brought down a ledger, showing me that she had all manner of claims to all manner of shares in all manner of mines. "aurum irrepertum et sic melius situm!" as regards her, it certainly would have been so. for a coined sovereign, or five-dollar piece, i have the most profound respect. it is about the most faithful servant that a man can have in his employment, and should be held as by no means subject to those scurrilous attacks which a pharisaically moral world so often levels at its head. but of all objects of a man's ambition, uncoined gold, gold to be collected in sand, or picked up in nuggets, or washed out of earth, is, to my thinking, the most delusive and most dangerous! who knows, or has known, or ever seen, any man that has returned happy from the diggings, and now sits contented under his own fig-tree? my friend mrs. x---- was still hankering after the flesh-pots of egypt, the hidden gold of the central american mountains. she slapped her hands loudly together, for she was a woman of much energy, and declared that she would have her rights. when she had gotten her rights she would go home. alas! alas! poor lady! "and you," said i, to the mild voice, "will not you return?" "i suppose so," said he, "when mrs. x---- goes;" and he looked up to the widow as though confessing that he was bound to her service, and would not leave her; not that i think they had the slightest idea of joining their lots together as men and women do. he was too mild for that. i did ride back to san josé that night, and a most frightful journey i had of it. i resumed, of course, my speechless, useless, dolt of a guide--the man whom the secretary of legation had selected for me before i started. again i put my spur on his foot, and endeavoured to spirit him up to ride before me, so that i might know my way in the dark; but it was in vain; nothing would move him out of a walk, and i was obliged to leave him. and then it became frightfully dark--pitch dark as men say--dark so that i could not see my mule's ears. i had nothing for it but to trust to her; and soon found, by being taken down into the deep bed of a river and through deep water, that we had left the road by which i had before travelled. the beast did not live in san josé i knew, and i looked to be carried to some country rancho at which she would be at home. but in a time sufficiently short, i found myself in san josé. the creature had known a shorter cut than that usually taken. chapter xx. central america--san josÉ to greytown. my purpose was to go right through central america, from ocean to ocean, and to accomplish this it was necessary that i should now make my way down to the mouth of the san juan river--to san juan del norte as it was formerly called, or greytown, as it is now named by the english. this road, i was informed by all of whom i inquired, was very bad,--so bad as to be all but impracticable to english travellers. and then, just at that moment, an event occurred which added greatly to the ill name of this route. a few days before i reached san josé, a gentleman resident there had started for england with his wife, and they had decided upon going by the san juan. it seems that the lady had reached san josé, as all people do reach it, by panamá and punta-arenas, and had suffered on the route. at any rate, she had taken a dislike to it, and had resolved on returning by the san juan and the serapiqui rivers, a route which is called the serapiqui road. to do this it is necessary for the traveller to ride on mules for four, five, or six days, according to his or her capability. the serapiqui river is then reached, and from that point the further journey is made in canoes down the serapiqui river till it falls into the san juan, and then down that river to greytown. this gentleman with his wife reached the serapiqui in safety; though it seems that she suffered greatly on the road. but when once there, as she herself said, all her troubles were over. that weary work of supporting herself on her mule, through mud and thorns and thick bushes, of scrambling over precipices and through rivers, was done. she had been very despondent, even from before the time of her starting; but now, she said, she believed that she should live to see her mother again. she was seated in the narrow canoe, among cloaks and cushions, with her husband close to her, and the boat was pushed into the stream. almost in a moment, within two minutes of starting, not a hundred yards from the place where she had last trod, the canoe struck against a snag or upturned fragment of a tree and was overset. the lady was borne by the stream among the entangled branches of timber which clogged the river, and when her body was found life had been long extinct. this had happened on the very day that i reached san josé, and the news arrived two or three days afterwards. the wretched husband, too, made his way back to the town, finding himself unable to go on upon his journey alone, with such a burden on his back. what could he have said to his young wife's mother when she came to meet him at southampton, expecting to throw her arms round her daughter? i was again lucky in having a companion for my journey. a young lieutenant of the navy, fitzm---- by name, whose vessel was lying at greytown, had made his way up to san josé on a visit to the ouseleys, and was to return at the same time that i went down. he had indeed travelled up with the bereaved man who had lost his wife, having read the funeral service over the poor woman's grave on the lonely shores of the serapiqui. the road, he acknowledged, was bad, too bad, he thought, for any female; but not more than sufficiently so to make proper excitement for a man. he, at any rate, had come over it safely; but then he was twenty-four, and i forty-four; and so we started together from san josé, a crowd of friends accompanying us for the first mile or two. there was that secretary of legation prophesying that we should be smothered in the mud; there was the consul and the consul's brother; nor was female beauty wanting to wish us well on our road, and maybe to fling an old shoe after us for luck as we went upon our journey. we took four mules, that was one each for ourselves, and two for our baggage; we had two guides or muleteers, according to bargain, both of whom travelled on foot. the understanding was, that one mule lightly laden with provisions and a pair of slippers and tooth-brush should accompany us, one man also going with us; but that the heavy-laden mule should come along after us at its own pace. things, however, did not so turn out: on the first day both the men and both the mules lagged behind, and on one occasion we were obliged to wait above an hour for them; but after that we all kept in a string together, having picked up a third muleteer somewhere on the road. we had also with us a distressed british subject, who was intrusted to my tender mercies by the consul at san josé. he was not a good sample of a britisher; he had been a gold-finder in california, then a filibuster, after that a teacher of the piano in the country part of costa rica, and lastly an omnibus driver. he was to act as interpreter for us, which, however, he did not do with much honesty or zeal. our road at first lay through the towns of aredia and barba, the former of which is a pleasant-looking little village, where, however, we found great difficulty in getting anything to drink. up to this, and for a few leagues further, the road was very fair, and the land on each side of us was cultivated. we had started at eight a.m., and at about three in the afternoon there seemed to be great doubt as to where we should stop. the leading muleteer wished to take us to a house of a friend of his own, whereas the lieutenant and i resolved that the day's work had not been long enough. i take it that on the whole we were right, and the man gave in with sufficient good humour; but it ended in our passing the night in a miserable rancho. that at the potrero, on the road to the volcanic mountain, had been a palace to it. and here we got into the forest; we had hitherto been ascending the whole way from san josé, and had by degrees lost all appearance of tillage. still, however, there had been open spaces here and there cleared for cattle, and we had not as yet found ourselves absolutely enveloped by woods. this rancho was called buena-vista; and certainly the view from it was very pretty. it was pretty and extensive, as i have seen views in baden and parts of bavaria; but again there was nothing about which i could rave. i shall not readily forget the night in that rancho. we were, i presume, between seven and eight thousand feet above the sea-level; and at night, or rather early in the morning, the cold was very severe. fitzm---- and i shared the same bed; that is, we lay on the same boards, and did what we could to cover ourselves with the same blankets. in that country men commonly ride upon blankets, having them strapped over the saddles as pillions, and we had come so provided; but before the morning was over i heartily wished for a double allowance. we had brought with us a wallet of provisions, certainly not too well arranged by sir william ouseley's most reprehensible butler. travellers should never trust to butlers. our piece de résistance was a ham, and lo! it turned out to be a bad one. when the truth of this fact first dawned upon us it was in both our minds to go back and slay that butler: but there was still a piece of beef and some chickens, and there had been a few dozen of hard-boiled eggs. but fitzm---- would amuse himself with eating these all along the road: i always found when the ordinary feeding time came that they had not had the slightest effect upon his appetite. on the next morning we again ascended for about a couple of leagues, and as long as we did so the road was still good; the surface was hard, and the track was broad, and a horseman could wish nothing better. and then we reached the summit of the ridge over which we were passing; this we did at a place called desenganos, and from thence we looked down into vast valleys all running towards the atlantic. hitherto the fall of water had been into the pacific. at this place we found a vast shed, with numberless bins and troughs lying under it in great confusion. the facts, as far as i could learn, were thus: up to this point the government, that is don juan mora, or perhaps his predecessor, had succeeded in making a road fit for the transit of mule carts. this shed had also been built to afford shelter for the postmen and accommodation for the muleteers. but here don juan's efforts had been stopped; money probably had failed; and the great remainder of the undertaking will, i fear, be left undone for many a long year. and yet this, or some other road from the valley of san josé to the atlantic, would be the natural outlet of the country. at present the coffee grown in the central high lands is carried down to punta-arenas on the pacific, although it must cross the atlantic to reach its market; consequently, it is either taken round the horn, and its sale thus delayed for months, or it is transported across the isthmus by railway, at an enormous cost. they say there is a point at which the atlantic may be reached more easily than by the present route of the serapiqui river; nothing, however, has as yet been done in the matter. to make a road fit even for mule carts, by the course of the present track, would certainly be a work of enormous difficulty. and now our vexations commenced. we found that the path very soon narrowed, so much so that it was with difficulty we could keep our hats on our heads; and then the surface of the path became softer and softer, till our beasts were up to their knees in mud. all motion quicker than that of a walk became impossible; and even at this pace the struggles in the mud were both frequent and uncomfortable. hitherto we had talked fluently enough, but now we became very silent; we went on following, each at the other's tail, floundering in the mud, silent, filthy, and down in the mouth. "i tell you what it is," said fitzm---- at last, stopping on the road, for he had led the van, "i can't go any further without breakfast." we referred the matter to the guide, and found that careblanco, the place appointed for our next stage, was still two hours distant. "two hours! why, half an hour since you said it was only a league!" but what is the use of expostulating with a man who can't speak a word of english? so we got off our mules, and draped out our wallet among the bushes. our hard-boiled eggs were all gone, and it seemed as though the travelling did not add fresh delights to the cold beef; so we devoured another fowl, and washed it down with brandy and water. as we were so engaged three men passed us with heavy burdens on their backs. they were tall, thin, muscular fellows, with bare legs, and linen clothes,--one of them apparently of nearly pure indian blood. it was clear that the loads they carried were very weighty. they were borne high up on the back, and suspended by a band from the forehead, so that a great portion of the weight must have fallen on the muscles of the neck. this was the post; and as they had left san josé some eight hours after us, and had come by a longer route, so as to take in another town, they must have travelled at a very fast pace. it was our object to go down the serapiqui river in the same boat with the post. we had some doubt whether we should be able to get any other, seeing that the owner of one such canoe had been drowned, i believe in an endeavour to save the unfortunate lady of whom i have spoken; and any boat taken separately would be much more expensive. so, as quick as might be, we tied up our fragments and proceeded. it was after this that i really learned how all-powerful is the force of mud. we came at last to a track that was divided crossways by ridges, somewhat like the ridges of ploughed ground. each ridge was perhaps a foot and a half broad, and the mules invariably stepped between them, not on them. stepping on them they could not have held their feet. stepping between them they came at each step with their belly to the ground, so that the rider's feet and legs were trailing in the mud. the struggles of the poor brutes were dreadful. it seemed to me frequently impossible that my beast should extricate himself, laden as he was. but still he went on patiently, slowly, and continuously; splash, splash; slosh, slosh! every muscle of his body was working; and every muscle of my body was working also. for it is not very easy to sit upon a mule under such circumstances. the bushes were so close upon me that one hand was required to guard my face from the thorns; my knees were constantly in contact with the stumps of trees, and when my knees were free from such difficulties, my shins were sure to be in the wars. then the poor animal rolled so from side to side in his incredible struggles with the mud that it was frequently necessary to hold myself on by the pommel of the saddle. added to this, it was essentially necessary to keep some sort of guide upon the creature's steps, or one's legs would be absolutely broken. for the mule cares for himself only, and not for his rider. it is nothing to him if a man's knees be put out of joint against the stump of a tree. splash, splash, slosh, slosh! on we went in this way for hours, almost without speaking. on such occasions one is apt to become mentally cross, to feel that the world is too hard for one, that one's own especial troubles are much worse than those of one's neighbours, and that those neighbours are unfairly favoured. i could not help thinking it very unjust that i should be fifteen stone, while fitzm---- was only eight. and as for that distressed britisher, he weighed nothing at all. splash, splash, slosh, slosh! we were at it all day. at careblanco--the place of the _white-faced pigs_ i understood it to mean;--they say that there is a race of wild hogs with white faces which inhabit the woods hereabouts--we overtook the post, and kept close to them afterwards. this was a pasture farm in the very middle of the forest, a bit of cleared land on which some adventurer had settled himself and dared to live. the adventurer himself was not there, but he had a very pretty wife, with whom my friend the lieutenant seemed to have contracted an intimate acquaintance on his previous journey up to san josé. but at careblanco we only stopped two minutes, during which, however, it became necessary that the lieutenant should go into the rancho on the matter of some article of clothes which had been left behind on his previous journey; and then, again, on we went, slosh, slosh, splash, splash! my shins by this time were black and blue, and i held myself on to my mule chiefly by my spurs. our way was still through dense forest, and was always either up or down hill. and here we came across the grandest scenery that i met with in the western world; scenery which would admit of raving, if it were given to me to rave on such a subject. we were travelling for the most part along the side of a volcanic mountain, and every now and then the declivity would become so steep as to give us a full view down into the ravine below, with the prospect of the grand, steep, wooded hill on the other side, one huge forest stretching up the mountain for miles. at the bottom of the ravine one's eye would just catch a river, looking like a moving thread of silver wire. and yet, though the descent was so great, there would be no interruption to it. looking down over the thick forest trees which grew almost from the side of a precipice, the eye would reach the river some thousand feet below, and then ascend on the other side over a like unbroken expanse of foliage. of course we both declared that we had never seen anything to equal it. in moments of ecstasy one always does so declare. but there was a monotony about it, and a want of grouping which forbids me to place it on an equality with scenery really of the highest kind, with the mountains, for instance, round colico, with the head of the lake of the four cantons, or even with the views of the upper waters of killarney. and then, to speak the truth, we were too much engulfed in mud, too thoughtful as to the troubles of the road, to enjoy it thoroughly. "wonderful that; isn't it?" "yes, very wonderful; fine break; for heaven's sake do get on." that is the tone which men are apt to adopt under such circumstances. five or six pounds of thick mud clinging round one's boots and inside one's trousers do not add to one's enjoyment of scenery. mud, mud; mud, mud! at about five o'clock we splashed into another pasture farm in the middle of the forest, a place called san miguel, and there we rested for that night. here we found that our beef also must be thrown away, and that our bread was all gone. we had picked up some more hard-boiled eggs at ranchos on the road, but hard-boiled eggs to my companion were no more than grains of gravel to a barn-door fowl; they merely enabled him to enjoy his regular diet. at this place, however, we were able to purchase fowls--skinny old hens which were shot for us at a moment's warning. the price being, here and elsewhere along the road, a dollar a head. tea and candles a ministering angel had given to me at the moment of my departure from san josé. but for them we should have indeed been comfortless, thirsty, and in utter darkness. towards evening a man gets tired of brandy and water, when he has been drinking it since six in the morning. our washing was done under great difficulties, as in these districts neither nature nor art seems to have provided for such emergencies. in this place i got my head into a tin pot, and could hardly extricate it. but even inside the houses and ranchos everything seemed to turn into mud. the floor beneath one's feet became mud with the splashing of the water. the boards were begrimed with mud. we were offered coffee that was mud to the taste and touch. i felt that the blood in my veins was becoming muddy. and then we had another day exactly like the former, except that the ground was less steep, and the vistas of scenery less grand. the weather also was warmer, seeing that we were now on lower ground. monkeys chattered on the trees around us, and the little congo ape roared like a lion. macaws flew about, generally in pairs; and we saw white turkeys on the trees. up on the higher forests we had seen none of these animals. there are wild hogs also in these woods, and ounces. the ounce here is, i believe, properly styled the puma, though the people always call them lions. they grow to about the size of a newfoundland dog. the wild cat also is common here, the people styling them tigers. the xagua is, i take it, their proper name. none of these animals will, i believe, attack a man unless provoked or pressed in pursuit; and not even then if a way of escape be open to him. we again breakfasted at a forest clearing, paying a dollar each for tough old hens, and in the evening we came to a cacao plantation in the middle of the forest which had been laid out and settled by an american of the united states residing in central america. this place is not far from the serapiqui river, and is called padregal. it was here that the young lieutenant had read the funeral service over the body of that unfortunate lady. i went with him to visit the grave. it was a spot in the middle of a grass enclosure, fenced off rudely so as to guard it from beasts of prey. the funeral had taken place after dusk. it had been attended by some twelve or fourteen costa rican soldiers who are kept in a fort a little below, on the banks of the serapiqui. each of these men had held a torch. the husband was there, and another englishman who was travelling with him; as was also, i believe, the proprietor of the place. so attended, the body of the englishwoman was committed to its strange grave in a strange country. here we picked up another man, an american, who also had been looking for gold, and perhaps doing a turn as a filibuster. him too the world had used badly, and he was about to return with all his golden dreams unaccomplished. we had one more stage down to the spot at which we were to embark in the canoe--the spot at which the lady had been drowned--and this one we accomplished early in the morning. this place is called the muelle, and here there is a fort with a commandant and a small company of soldiers. the business of the commandant is to let no one up or down the river without a passport; and as a passport cannot be procured anywhere nearer than san josé, here may arise a great difficulty to travellers. we were duly provided, but our recently-picked-up american friend was not; and he was simply told that he would not be allowed to get into a boat on the river. "i never seed such a d----d country in my life," said the american. "they would not let me leave san josé till i paid every shilling i owed; and now that i have paid, i ain't no better off. i wish i hadn't paid a d----d cent." i advised him to try what some further operation in the way of payment would do, and with this view he retired with the commandant. in a minute or two they both returned, and the commandant said he would look at his instructions again. he did so, and declared that he now found it was compatible with his public duty to allow the american to pass. "but i shall not have a cent left to take me home," said the american to me. he was not a smart man, though he talked smart. for when the moment of departure came all the places in the boat were taken, and we left him standing on the shore. "well, i'm darned!" he said; and we neither heard nor saw more of him. that passage down the serapiqui was not without interest, though it was somewhat monotonous. here, for the first time in my life, i found my bulk and size to be of advantage to me. in the after part of the canoe sat the master boatman, the captain of the expedition, steering with a paddle. then came the mails and our luggage, and next to them i sat, having a seat to myself, being too weighty to share a bench with a neighbour. i therefore could lean back among the luggage; and with a cigar in my mouth, with a little wooden bicher of weak brandy and water beside me, i found that the position had its charms. on the next thwart sat, cheek by jowl, the lieutenant and the distressed britisher. unfortunately they had nothing on which to lean, and i sincerely pitied my friend, who, i fear, did not enjoy his position. but what could i do? any change in our arrangements would have upset the canoe. and then close in the bow of the boat sat the two natives paddling; and they did paddle without cessation all that day, and all the next till we reached greytown. the serapiqui is a fine river; very rapid, but not so much so as to make it dangerous, if care be taken to avoid the snags. there is not a house or hut on either side of it; but the forest comes down to the very brink. up in the huge trees the monkeys hung jabbering, shaking their ugly heads at the boat as it went down, or screaming in anger at this invasion of their territories. the macaws flew high over head, making their own music, and then there was the constant little splash of the paddle in the water. the boatmen spoke no word, but worked on always, pausing now and again for a moment to drink out of the hollow of their hands. and the sun became hotter and hotter as we neared the sea; and the musquitoes began to bite; and cigars were lit with greater frequency. 'tis thus that one goes down the waters of the serapiqui. about three we got into the san juan. this is the river by which the great lake of nicaragua empties itself into the sea; which has been the channel used by the transit companies who have passed from ocean to ocean through nicaragua; which has been so violently interfered with by filibusters, till all such transit has been banished from its waters; and which has now been selected by m. belly as the course for his impossible canal. it has seen dreadful scenes of cruelty, wrong, and bloodshed. now it runs along peaceably enough, in its broad, shallow, swift course, bearing on its margin here and there the rancho and provision-ground of some wild settler who has sought to overcome "the whips and scorns of time-- the oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely," by looking for bread and shelter on those sad, sunburnt, and solitary banks. we landed at one such place to dine, and at another to sleep, selecting in each place some better class of habitation. at neither place did we find the owner there, but persons left in charge of the place. at the first the man was a german; a singularly handsome and dirty individual, who never shaved or washed himself, and lived there, ever alone, on bananas and musk-melons. he gave us fruit to take into the boat with us, and when we parted we shook hands with him. out here every one always does shake hands with every one. but as i did so i tendered him a dollar. he had waited upon us, bringing water and plates; he had gathered fruit for us; and he was, after all, no more than the servant of the river squatter. but he let the dollar fall to the ground, and that with some anger in his face. the sum was made up of the small silver change of the country, and i felt rather little as i stooped under the hot sun to pick it up from out the mud of the garden. better that than seem to leave it there in anger. it is often hard for a traveller to know when he is wished to pay, and when he is wished not to pay. a poorer-looking individual in raiment and position than that german i have seldom seen; but he despised my dollar as though it had been dirt. we slept at the house of a greytown merchant, who had maintained an establishment up the river, originally with the view of supplying the wants of the american travellers passing in transit across the isthmus. the flat-bottom steamers which did some five or six years since ply upon the river used to take in wood here and stop for the night. and the passengers were wont to come on shore, and call for rum and brandy; and in this way much money was made. till after a time filibusters came instead of passengers; men who took all the wood that they could find there--hundreds of dollars' worth of sawn wood, and brandy also--took it away with them, saying that they would give compensation when they were established in the country, but made no present payment. and then it became tolerably clear that the time for making money in that locality had passed away. they came in great numbers on one such occasion, and stripped away everything they could find. sawn wood for their steam-boilers was especially desirable, and they took all that had been prepared for the usual wants of the river. having helped themselves to this, and such other chattels as were at the moment needed and at hand, they went on their way, grimly rejoicing. on the following day most of them returned; some without arms, some without legs, some even without heads; a wretched, wounded, mutilated, sore-struck body of filibusters. the boiler of their large steamer had burst, scattering destruction far and near. it was current among the filibusters that the logs of wood had been laden with gunpowder in order to effect this damage. it is more probable, that being filibusters, rough and ready as the phrase goes, they had not duly looked to their engineering properties. at any rate, they all returned. on the whole, these filibusters have suffered dire punishment for their sins. at any rate, the merchant under whose roof we slept received no payment for his wood. here we found two men living, not in such squalid misery as that independent german, but nevertheless sufficiently isolated from the world. one was an old swedish sailor, who seemed to speak every language under the sun, and to have been in every portion of the globe, whether under the sun or otherwise. at any rate, we could not induce him to own to not having been in any place. timbuctoo; yes, indeed, he had unfortunately been a captive there for three years. at mecca he had passed as an arab among the arabs, having made the great pilgrimage in company with many children of mahomet, wearing the green turban as a veritable child of mahomet himself. portsmouth he knew well, having had many a row about the head. we could not catch him tripping, though we put him through his facings to the best of our joint geographical knowledge. at present he was a poor gardener on the san juan river, having begun life as a lieutenant in the swedish navy. _he_ had seen too much of the world to refuse the dollar which was offered to him. on the next morning we reached greytown, following the san juan river down to that pleasant place. there is another passage out to the sea by the colorado, a branch river which, striking out from the san juan, runs into the ocean by a shorter channel. this also has been thought of as a course for the projected canal, preferable to that of the san juan. i believe them to be equally impracticable. the san juan river itself is so shallow that we were frequently on the ground even in our light canoe. and what shall i say of greytown? we have a consul-general there, or at least had one when these pages were written; a consul-general whose duty it is, or was, to have under his special care the king of mosquitia--as some people are pleased to call this coast--of the mosquito coast as it is generally styled. bluefields, further along the coast, is the chosen residence of this sable tyrant; but greytown is the capital of his dominions. now it is believed that, in deference to the feelings of the united states, and to the american reading of the clayton-bulwer treaty, and in deference, i may add, to a very sensible consideration that the matter is of no possible moment to ourselves, the protectorate of the mosquito coast is to be abandoned. what the king will do i cannot imagine; but it will be a happy day i should think for our consul when he is removed from greytown. of all the places in which i have ever put my foot, i think that is the most wretched. it is a small town, perhaps of two thousand inhabitants, though this on my part is a mere guess, at the mouth of the san juan, and surrounded on every side either by water or impassable forests. a walk of a mile in any direction would be impossible, unless along the beach of the sea; but this is of less importance, as the continual heat would prevent any one from thinking of such exercise. sundry americans live here, worshipping the almighty dollar as americans do, keeping liquor shops and warehouses; and with the americans, sundry englishmen and sundry germans. of the female population i saw nothing except some negro women, and one white, or rather red-faced owner of a rum shop. the native population are the mosquito indians; but it seems that they are hardly allowed to live in greytown. they are to be seen paddling about in their canoes, selling a few eggs and chickens, catching turtle, and not rarely getting drunk. they would seem from their colour and physiognomy to be a cross between the negro and the indian; and such i imagine to be the case. they have a language of their own, but those on the coast almost always speak english also. my gallant young friend, fitzm----, was in command of a small schooner inside the harbour of greytown. as the accommodation of the city itself was not inviting, i gladly took up my quarters under his flag until the english packet, which was then hourly expected, should be ready to carry me to colon and st. thomas. i can only say that if i was commander of that schooner i would lie outside the harbour, so as to be beyond the ill-usage of those frightful musquitoes. the country has been well named mosquitia. there was an american man-of-war and also an english man-of-war--sloops-of-war both i believe technically--lying off greytown; and we dined on board them both, on two consecutive days. of the american i will say, speaking in their praise, that i never ate such bacon and peas. it may be that the old hens up the serapiqui river had rendered me peculiarly susceptible to such delights; but nevertheless, i shall always think that there was something peculiar about the bacon and peas on board the american sloop-of-war 'st. louis.' and on the second day the steamer came in; the 'trent,' captain moir; we then dined on board of her, and on the same night she sailed for colon. and when shall i see that gallant young lieutenant again? putting aside his unjust, and i must say miraculous consumption of hard-boiled eggs, i could hardly wish for a better travelling companion. chapter xxi. central america--railways, canals, and transit. how best to get about this world which god has given us is certainly one of the most interesting subjects which men have to consider, and one of the most interesting works on which men can employ themselves. the child when born is first suckled, then fed with a spoon; in his next stage, his food is cut up for him, and he begins to help himself; for some years after that it is still carved under parental authority; and then at last he sits down to the full enjoyment of his own leg of mutton, under his own auspices. our development in travelling has been much of the same sort, and we are now perhaps beginning to use our own knife and fork, though we hardly yet understand the science of carving; or at any rate, can hardly bring our hands to the duly dexterous use of the necessary tools. we have at least got so far as this, that we perceive that the leg of mutton is to be cooked and carved. we are not to eat hunks of raw sheep cut off here and there. the meat to suit our palates should be put on a plate in the guise of a cleanly slice, cut to a certain thickness, and not exceeding a certain size. and we have also got so far as this, that we know that the world must be traversed by certain routes, prepared for us originally not by ourselves, but by the hand of god. we were great heroes when we first got round the cape of good hope, when we first crossed the atlantic, when we first doubled cape horn. we were then learning to pick up our crumbs with our earliest knives and forks, and there was considerable peril in the attempt. we have got beyond that now, and have perceived that we may traverse the world without going round it. the road from europe to asia is by egypt and the isthmus of suez, not by the cape of good hope. so also is the road from europe to the west of america, and from the east of america to asia by the isthmus of central america, and not by cape horn. we have found out this, and have, i presume, found out also that this was all laid out for us by the hands of the creator,--prepared exactly as the sheep have been prepared. it has been only necessary that we should learn to use the good things given us. that there are reasons why the way should not have been made absolutely open we may well suppose, though we cannot perhaps at present well understand. how currents of the sea might have run so as to have impeded rather than have assisted navigation, had the two americas been disjoined; how pernicious winds might have blown, and injurious waters have flowed, had the red sea opened into the mediterranean, we may imagine, though we cannot know. that the world's surface, as formed by god, is best for god's purposes, and therefore certainly best for man's purposes, that most of us must believe. but it is for us to carve the good things which are put before us, and to find out the best way in which they may be carved. we may, perhaps, fairly think that we have done much towards acquiring this knowledge, but we certainly know that there is more yet to be done. we have lines of railways from london to manchester; from calais across france and all the germanies to eastern europe; from the coast of maine, through the canadas, to the central territories of the united states; but there are no lines yet from new york to california, nor from the coast of the levant to bombay and calcutta. but perhaps the two greatest points which are at this moment being mooted, with reference to the carriage about the world of mankind and man's goods, concern the mode in which we may most advantageously pass across the isthmuses of suez and panama. these are the two land obstacles in the way of navigation, of direct water carriage round the earth's belt--obstacles as they appear to us, though in truth so probably locks formed by the almighty for the assistance of our navigation. for many years, it is impossible to say how many, but for some few centuries as regards panama, and for many centuries as regards suez, this necessity has been felt, and the minds of men in those elder days inclined naturally to canals. in the days of the old kings of egypt, antecedent to cleopatra, attempts were made to cut through the sands and shallow lakes from the eastern margin of the nile's delta to the red sea; and the idea of piercing central america in some point occurred to the spaniards immediately on their discovering the relative position of the two oceans. but in those days men were infants, not as yet trusted with the carving-knife. the work which unsuccessfully filled the brains of so many thoughtful men for so many years has now been done--at any rate to a degree. railways have been completed from alexandria on the mediterranean to suez on the red sea, and from panama on the pacific, to aspinwall or colon on the caribbean sea. these railways are now at work, and passengers are carried across with sufficient rapidity. the isthmus of suez, over which the line of railway runs for something over two hundred miles, creates a total delay to our indian mails and passengers of twenty-four hours only, and the lesser distance of the american isthmus is traversed in three hours. were rapidity here as necessary as it is in the other case--and it will doubtless become so--the conveyance from one sea to the other need not create a delay of above twelve hours. but not the less are many men--good and scientific men too--keenly impressed with the idea that the two isthmuses should be pierced with canals, although these railways are at work. all mankind has heard much of m. lesseps and his suez canal. on that matter i do not mean to say much here. i have a very strong opinion that such canal will not and cannot be made; that all the strength of the arguments adduced in the matter are hostile to it; and that steam navigation by land will and ought to be the means of transit through egypt. but that matter is a long way distant from our present subject. it is with reference to the transit over the other isthmus that i propose to say a few words. it is singular, or perhaps if rightly considered not singular, that both the railways have been constructed mainly by anglo-saxon science and energy, and under the pressure of anglo-saxon influence; while both the canal schemes most prevalent at the present day owe their repute to french eloquence and french enthusiasm. m. lesseps is the patron of the suez canal, and m. belly of that which is, or is not to be, constructed from san juan del norte, or greytown, to the shores of the pacific. there are three proposed methods of crossing the isthmus, that by railway, that by canal, and a third by the ordinary use of such ordinary means of conveyance as the land and the waters of the country afford. as regards railway passage, one line being now open and at work, has those nine points in its favour which possession gives. it does convey men and goods across with great rapidity, and is a reality, doing that which it pretends to do. its charges, however, are very high; and it would doubtless be well if competition, or fear of competition, could be made to lower them. five pound is charged for conveying a passenger less than fifty miles; no class of passengers can cross at a cheaper fare; and the rates charged for goods are as high in comparison. on the other side, it may be said that the project was one of great risk, that the line was from its circumstances very costly, having been made at an expense of about thirty-two thousand pounds a mile--i believe, however, that a considerable portion of the london and birmingham line was equally expensive--and that trains by which money can be made cannot run often, perhaps only six or seven times a month each way. it is, however, very desirous that the fares should be lowered, and the great profits accruing to the railway prove that this may be done. eventually they doubtless will be lowered. the only other line of railway which now seems to be spoken of as practicable for the passage of the isthmus is one the construction of which has been proposed across the republic of honduras, from a spot called port cortez, in the bay of honduras, on the northern or atlantic side, to some harbour to be chosen in the bay of fonseca, on the southern or pacific side. mr. squier, who was chargé d'affaires from the united states to central america, and whose work on the republics of central america is well known, strongly advocates this line, showing in the first place that from its position it would suit the traffic of the united states much better than that of panama; as undoubtedly it would, seeing that the transit from new york to california, viâ panama, must go down south as far as latitude ° north; whereas, by the proposed route through honduras it need not descend below lat. ° north, thus saving double that distance in the total run each way.* mr. squier then goes on to prove that the country of honduras is in every way suited for the purposes of a railway; but here i am not sure that he carries me with him. the road would have to ascend nearly three thousand feet above the sea-level; and though it may be true that the grades themselves would not be more severe than many that are now to be found on railways in full work in other countries, nevertheless it must be felt that the overcoming such an altitude in such a country, and the working over it when overcome, would necessarily add greatly to the original cost of the line, and the subsequent cost of running. the panama line goes through a country comparatively level. then the distance across honduras is one hundred and fifty miles, and it is computed that the line would be two hundred miles: the length of the panama line is forty-seven or forty-eight miles. [*not that we may take all that mr. squier says on this subject as proved. his proposed route for the traffic of the united states is from the western coast of florida to the chosen port, port cortez, in honduras; and he attempts to show that this is pretty nearly the only possible passage in those seas free from hurricanes and danger. but this passage is right across the gulf of mexico, and vessels would have to stem the full force of the gulf-stream on their passage down from florida. in all such matters where a man becomes warm on a scheme he feels himself compelled to prove that the gods themselves have pointed out the plan as the only one fit for adoption, as the only one free from all evil and blessed with every advantage. we are always over-proving our points.] the enormous cost of the panama line arose from the difficulty of obtaining the necessary sort of labour. the natives would not work as they were wanted, and europeans died there; so that, at last, labour was imported from the coast of new granada. at the high level named as the summit of the honduras route, the climate would no doubt be comparatively mild, and labour easy to be borne; but near the coast of the bays, both of honduras and fonseca, the heat would be as great as at aspinwall and panama, and the effects probably the same. as regards our british traffic, the route by the isthmus of panama is the better situated of the two. looking at a map of the world--and it is necessary to take in the whole world, in order that the courses of british trade may be seen--it does not seem to be of much consequence, as regards distance, whether a bale of goods from london to sydney should pass the isthmus by honduras or panama; but in fact, even for this route, the former would labour under great disadvantages. a ship in making its way from honduras up to jamaica has to fight against the trade winds. on this account our mail steamer from belize to jamaica is timed only at four miles an hour, though the mail to honduras is timed at eight miles an hour. this would be the direct route from the terminus of the honduras line to europe, and matters would be made only worse if any other line were taken. but the track from panama to jamaica is subject to what sailors call a soldier's wind; even working to st. thomas, and thereby getting a stronger slant of the trade winds against them, our mail steamers can make eight or nine miles an hour. as regards our trade to chili and peru, it is clear that honduras is altogether out of our way; and as regards our coming trade to frazer river and vancouver's island, though the absolute distance, via honduras, would be something shorter, that benefit would be neutralized by the disadvantageous position of the bay of honduras as above explained. but the great advantage which the panama line enjoys is the fact of its being already made. _it has the nine points which possession gives it._ its forty-eight miles cost one million six hundred thousand pounds. it cannot be presumed that two hundred miles through honduras could be made for double that sum; and seeing that the honduras line would be in opposition to the other, and only be used if running at fares lower than those of its rival, i cannot see how it would pay, or where the money is to be procured. i am not aware that the absolute cost of the proposed line through honduras has been accurately computed. as regards the public interest, two lines would no doubt be better than one. competition is always beneficial to the consumer; but in this case, i do not expect to see the second line made in our days. that there will in future days be a dozen ways of commodiously crossing the isthmus--when we have thoroughly learned how best to carve our leg of mutton--i do not at all doubt. it may be as well to state here that england is bound by a treaty with honduras, made in , to assist in furthering the execution of this work by our countenance, aid, and protection, on condition that when made, we britishers are to have the full use of it; as much so, at least, as any other people or nation. and that, as i take it, is the sole and only meaning of all those treaties made on our behalf with central america, or in respect to central america--clayton-bulwer treaty, new ouseley treaty, and others; namely, that we, who are desirous of excluding no person from the benefits of this public world-road, are not ourselves to be excluded on any consideration whatever. and may we not boast that this is the only object looked for in all our treaties and diplomatic doings? is it not for that reason that we hold gibraltar, are jealous about egypt, and resolved to have perim in our power? is it not true that we would fain make all ways open to all men? that we would have them open to ourselves, certainly; but not closed against any human being? if that, and such like, be not what our diplomatists are doing, then i, for one, misunderstand their trade. so much for the two railways, and now as to the proposed canals. here no happy undertaking can boast of the joys of possession. no canal is as yet open carrying men and goods with, shall we say, twenty-five per cent. profit on the outlay. ah, that is an elysium which does not readily repeat itself. oh, thou thrice happy colonel totten, who hast constructed a railway resulting in such celestial beatitude! the name of canals projected across the isthmus has been legion, and the merits of them all have in their time been hotly pressed by their special advocates. that most to the north, which was the passage selected by cortes, and pressed by him on the spanish government, would pass through mexico. the line would be from the gulf of campechay, up the river coatzacoalcoz, to tehuantepec, on the pacific. this was advocated as lately as , but has now, i believe, been abandoned as impracticable. going south down the map, the next proposition of which i can find mention is for a canal from the head of the lake of dulce through the state of guatemala; the lake or gulf of dulce being at the head of the gulf of honduras. this also seems to have been abandoned. then we come to the proposed honduras railway, of which mention has been made. next below this we reach a cluster of canals, all going through the great inland lake of nicaragua. this scheme, or one of these schemes, has also been in existence since the times of the early spaniards; and has been adhered to with more or less pertinacity ever since. this lake of nicaragua was to be reached either direct by the river san juan, or by entering the river san juan from the ocean by the river colorado, which is in effect a branch of the san juan; the projected canal would thus ascend to the lake. from thence to the pacific various passages for egress have been suggested; at first it was intended, naturally, to get out at the nearest practicable point, that being probably at san juan del sur. they have san juans and san josés quite at pleasure about these countries. then came the grand plan of the present french emperor, bearing at least his name, and first published, i think, in ; this was a very grand plan, of course. the route of "transit" was to be right up the lake of nicaragua to its northern point; there the canal was to enter the river tipitapa, and come out again in the northern lake of managua; from thence it was to be taken out to the pacific at the port of realejo. this project included the building of an enormous city, which was to contain the wealth of the new world, and to be, as it were, a new constantinople between the two lakes; but the scheme has been abandoned as being too costly, too imperial. and now we have m. belly's scheme; his scheme and pamphlet of which i will say a few words just now, and therefore i pass on to the others. the line of the river chargres, and from thence to the town of panama--being very nearly the line of the present railway--was long contemplated with favour, but has now been abandoned as impracticable; as has also the line over the isthmus of darien, which was for a while thought to be the most feasible, as being the shortest. the lie of the land, however, and the nature of the obstacles to be overcome, have put this scheme altogether out of the question. next and last is the course of the river atrato, which runs into the gulf of darien, but which is, in fact, the first of the great rivers of south america; first, that is, counting them as commencing from the isthmus. it runs down from the andes parallel to the coast of the pacific, and is navigable for many miles. the necessary surveys, however, for connecting this river with the pacific have never yet been made; and even if this plan were practicable, the extremely low latitude at which the pacific ocean would be reached would make such a line bad for our trade, and quite out of the question for the chief portion of the american "transit." it appears, therefore, that there are insuperable objections to all these canal routes, unless it be to some route passing through the lake of nicaragua. by reference to a map of central america it will be seen that the waters of this lake, joined to those of the san juan river, comprise the breadth of nearly the whole isthmus, leaving a distance not exceeding twenty miles to be conquered by a canal. at first sight this appears to be very enticing, and m. belly has been enticed. he has been enticed, or at any rate writes as though this were the case; anything worded more eloquently, energetically, and grandiloquently, than his pamphlet in favour of this route i have not met, even among french pamphlets. m. felix belly describes himself as a "publiciste," and chevalier of the order of saint maurice and lazarus, and of the order of medjidie. as such he has made a convention with don thomas martinez, president of the republic of nicaragua, and with don juan rafael mora, president of the republic of costa rica, in accordance with which he, chevalier belly, is to cut a canal or water-route for ships through the territories of those potentates, obtaining thereby certain vast privileges, including the possession of no small portion of those territories, and the right of levying all manner of tolls on the world's commerce which is to pass through his canal. and the potentates above named are in return to receive from m. belly very considerable subsidies out of these tolls. they bind themselves, moreover, to permit no other traffic or transit through their country, securing to m. belly for ninety-nine years the monopoly of the job; and granting to him the great diplomatic privilege of constituting his canal, let it be here or there, the boundary of the realms of these two potentates. what strikes me with the greatest wonder on reading--not the pamphlet, for that is perhaps more wonderful in other respects--but the articles of the convention, is, that these three persons, the potentates aforesaid and the chevalier, should have among them the power of doing all this; or that they should even have had the power of agreeing to do all this; for really up to this period one seems hardly to have heard in england much about any one of them. that there should be presidents of these two republics is supposed, as there are also, doubtless, of san salvador and venezuela, and all the other western republics; but it is to be presumed that as presidents of republics they can have themselves no more power to give away a ninety-nine years' possession of their lands and waters than can any other citizen. mr. buchanan could hardly sell to any englishman, however enterprising, the right of making a railway from new york to san francisco. the convention does certainly bear two other signatures, which purport to be those of the ministers of foreign affairs attached to those two republics; but even this hardly seems to give us a sufficient guarantee of power. what if we should put our money into the canal, and future presidents should refuse to be bound by the agreement? but m. belly's name stands on his side alone. no foreign minister or aide-de-camp is necessary to back his signature. the two potentates having agreed to give the country, he will agree to make the canal--he, m. belly, publiciste and chevalier. it is to cost altogether, according to his account, , , francs--say, four million eight hundred thousand pounds sterling. of a company, chairman, and directors we hear nothing. we cannot find that the shares are in the market. probably they may be too valuable. on our own stock exchange the matter does not seem to be much known, nor do we perceive that it is quoted among french prices. nevertheless, m. belly has the four million eight hundred thousand pounds already in his breeches-pockets, and he will make the canal. i wonder whether he would drain london for us if we were to ask him. but wonderful as is the fact that these three gentlemen should be about to accomplish this magnificent undertaking for the world, the eloquence of the language in which the undertaking is described is perhaps more wonderful still. "on the first of may, , at rivas, in nicaragua, in the midst of a concourse of circumstances full of grandeur, a convention was signed which opens to civilization a new view and unlimited horizons. the hour has come for commencing with resolution this enterprise of cutting the isthmus of panama. ... the solution of the problem must be no longer retarded. it belongs to an epoch which has given to itself the mission of pulling down barriers and suppressing distances. it must be regarded, not as a private speculation, but as a creation of public interest--not as the work of this people or that party, but as springing from civilization itself." then m. belly goes on to say that this project, emanating from a man sympathetic with the cause and a witness of the heroism of central america, namely himself, possesses advantages--which of course could not attach to any scheme devised by a less godlike being. it may be seen that i have no great belief in the scheme of m. belly; neither have i in many other schemes of the present day emanating from englishmen, americans, and others. but it is not that disbelief, but my admiration for french eloquence which urges me to make the above translation. alas! i feel that i have lost so much of the gallic fragrance! the parisian aroma has escaped from the poor english words! is not this peculiar eloquence used in propagating all french projects for increased civilization? from the invention of a new constitution to that of a new shirt is it even wanting? we, with our stupid, unimaginative platitudes, know no better than to write up "eureka" when we think we have discovered anything; but a frenchman tells his countrymen that they need no longer be mortals; a new era has come; let them wear his slippers and they will walk as gods walk. how many new eras have there not been? who is not sick of the grandiloquence of french progress? "now--now we have taken the one great step. the dove at length may nestle with the kite, the lamb drink with the wolf. men may share their goods, certain that others will share with them. labour and wages, work and its reward, shall be systematized. now we have done it, and the world shall be happy." well; perhaps the french world is happy. it may be that the liberty which they have propagated, the equality which they enjoy, and the fraternity which they practise, is fit for them! but when has truly mighty work been heralded by magniloquence? did we have any grand words from old george stephenson, with his "vera awkward for the cou"? was there aught of the eloquent sententiousness of a french marshal about the lines of torres vedras? was luther apt to speak with great phraseology? if words ever convey to my ears a positive contradiction of the assertion which they affect to make, it is when they are grandly antithetical and magnificently verbose. if, in addition to this, they promise to mankind "new epochs, new views, and unlimited horizons," surely no further proof can be needed that they are vain, empty, and untrue. but the language in which this proposal for a canal is couched is hardly worth so much consideration--would be worth no consideration at all, did it not come before us now as an emblem of that which at this present time is the most pernicious point in the french character; a false boasting of truth and honesty, with little or no relish for true truth and true honesty. the present question is whether m. belly's canal scheme be feasible; and, if feasible, whether he has or can attain the means of carrying it out. in the first place, it has already come to pass that the convention signed with such unlimited horizons has proved to be powerless. it is an undoubted fact that it was agreed to by the two presidents; and as far as one of them is concerned, it is, i fear, a fact also that for the present he has sufficient power in his own territory to bind his countrymen, at any rate for a time, by his unsupported signature. don juan rafael mora, in costa rica, need care for no congress. if he were called dictator instead of president, the change would only be in the word. but this is not exactly so in nicaragua. there, it seems, the congress has refused to ratify the treaty as originally made. but they have, i believe, ratified another, in which m. belly's undertaking to make the canal is the same as before, but from which the enormous grant of land, and the stipulations as to the boundary line of the territories are excluded. in m. belly's pamphlet he publishes a letter which he has received from lord malmesbury, as secretary of state for foreign affairs--or rather a french translation of such a letter. it is this letter which appears to have given in central america the strongest guarantee that something is truly intended by m. belly's project. both in the pamphlet, and in the convention itself, repeated reference is made to the french government; but no document is given, nor even is any positive assertion made, that the government of the emperor in any way recognizes the scheme. but if this letter be true, and truly translated, lord malmesbury has done so to a certain extent. "and i am happy," says the letter, "to be able to assure you that the stipulations of the treaty made between great britain and the united states, commonly called the clayton-bulwer treaty, are in my opinion applicable to your project, if you put it in execution."* and then this letter, written to a private gentleman holding no official position, is signed by the secretary of state himself. m. belly holds no official position, but he is addressed in his translation of lord malmesbury's letter as "concessionnaire du canal de nicaragua." [*see note to page , th edition. i have not happened to meet with any earlier edition of the work.] such a letter from such a quarter has certainly been very useful to m. belly. in the minds of the presidents of the republics of central america it must have gone far to prove that england at any rate regards m. belly as no adventurer. there are many of the clauses of the convention to which i should have imagined that the english secretary of state for foreign affairs would not have given an assent, although he might not be called on to express dissent. in the th article it is stipulated that during the making of the canal--which if it were to be made at all would be protracted over many years--two french ships of war should lie in the lake of nicaragua; it having been stipulated by art. that no other ships of war should be admitted; thus giving to france a military occupation of the country. and by art. it is agreed that any political squabble relative to this convention should be referred to a tribunal of seven; two to be named by the company, and one each by france, england, the united states, nicaragua, and costa rica. it is, i imagine, hardly probable that the english government would send one member to such a tribunal, in which france would have three voices to her one, two of which voices would be wholly irresponsible. of course the letter does not bind lord malmesbury or any secretary for foreign affairs to the different articles of the convention; but if it be a genuine letter, i cannot but think it to have been imprudent.* [*m. belly speaks of his convention as having been adopted by france, england, and the united states. "adopted, as it already is, by the united states, by england, and by france, and as it soon will be by the contracting powers of the treaty of paris, it will become"--the saviour of the world, &c. &c. what basis there is for this statement, as regards france and the united states, i do not know. as regards england, i presume lord malmesbury's letter affords that basis.] the assistance of lord malmesbury has been obtained by the easy progress of addressing a letter to him. but to seduce the presidents of central america a greater effort has been made. they are told that they are the wisest of the earth's potentates. "carrera, of guatemala, though an indian and uneducated, is a man of natural genius, and has governed for fifteen years with a wisdom which has attracted to him the unanimous adherence of his colleagues." "don juan mora, of costa rica, the hero of rivas, has not had to spill a drop of blood in maintaining in his cities an order much more perfect than any to be found in europe. he is a man, 'hors de ligne,' altogether out of the common; and although he counts scarcely forty years, but few political examples of old europe can be compared to him." and as for general martinez, president of nicaragua, "since he has arrived at the direction of affairs there, he would have healed all the wounds of the country--had not the fatal influence of north american spirit paralyzed all his efforts." what wonder that presidents so spoken of should sign away their lands and waters? but presuming all political obstacles to be removed, and that as regards the possession of the land, and the right of making a canal through it, everything had been conceded, there remain two considerable difficulties. in the first place, the nature of the waters and land, which seems to prohibit the cutting of a canal, except at an expense much more enormous than any that has been ever named; and secondly, the amount of money to be collected, even if m. belly's figures be correct. he states that he can complete the work for four million eight hundred thousand pounds. from whence is that sum to be procured? as regards the first difficulty, i, from my own knowledge, can say nothing, not being an engineer, and having seen only a small portion of the projected route. i must therefore refer to m. belly's engineer, and those who hold views differing from m. belly. m. belly's engineer-in-chief is m. thomé de gamond, who, in the pamphlet above alluded to, puts forward his calculations, and sends in his demand for the work at four million eight hundred thousand pounds. the route is by the river san juan, a portion of which is so shallow that canoes in their course are frequently grounded when the waters are low, and other parts of which consist of rapids. it then goes through the lake, a channel through which must be dredged or cleared with gunpowder before it can carry deep-sea ships, and then out to the pacific by a canal which must be cut through the mountains. there is nothing in the mere sound of all this to make a man, who is ignorant on the subject as i and most men are, feel that the work could not be done for the sum named. but before investing cash in the plan, one would like to be sure of the engineer, and to know that he has made his surveys very accurately. now it appears that m. thomé de gamond has never set foot in central america; or, if he has done so now--and i do not know whether he has or has not--he never had done so when he drew out his project. nor, as it would appear, has he even done his work, trusting to the eyes and hands of others. as far as one can learn, no surveys whatsoever have been taken for this gigantic scheme. the engineer tells us that he has used marine charts and hydrographical drawings made by officers of various nations, which enable him to regard his own knowledge as sufficiently exact as far as shores and levels of the rivers, &c., are concerned; and that with reference to the track of his canal, he has taken into his service--"utilisé"--the works of various surveying engineers, among them colonel child, the american. they, to be sure, do leave him at a loss as to the interior plateau of the mosquito country, and some regions to the east and south of the lake--the canal must enter the lake by the south-east;--but this is a matter of no moment, seeing that all these countries are covered by virgin forests, and can therefore easily be arranged! gentlemen capitalists, will you on this showing take shares in the concern? the best real survey executed with reference to any kindred project was that made by colonel child, an officer of engineers belonging to the united states. i believe i may say this without hesitation; and it is to colonel child's survey that m. belly most frequently refers. but the facts, as stated by colonel child, prove the absolute absurdity of m. belly's plan. he was employed in by an american company, which, as it went to the considerable expense of having such work absolutely done, was no doubt in earnest in its intentions with reference to a canal. colonel child did not actually report against the canal. he explained what could be done for a certain sum of money, leaving it to others to decide whether, in effecting so much, that sum of money would be well laid out. he showed that a canal seventeen feet deep might be made--taking the course of the san juan and that of the lake, as suggested by m. belly--for a sum of thirty-one millions of dollars, or six million two hundred thousand pounds. but when the matter came to be considered by men versed in such concerns, it was seen that a canal with a depth of only seventeen feet of water would not admit of such vessels as those by which alone such a canal could be beneficially used. passengers, treasure, and light goods can easily be transhipped and carried across by railway. the canal, if made at all, must be made for the passage of large vessels built for heavy goods. for such vessels a canal must hold not less than twenty-five feet of water. it was calculated that a cutting of such depth would cost much more than double the sum needed for that intended to contain seventeen feet--more, that is, than twelve million four hundred thousand pounds. the matter was then abandoned, on the conviction that no ship canal made at such a cost could by any probability become remunerative. in point of time it could never compete with the railway. colonel child had calculated that a delay of two days would take place in the locks; and even as regards heavy goods, no extreme freight could be levied, as saving of expense with them would be of much greater object than saving of time. that this decision was reached on good grounds, and that the project, then, at any rate, was made bonâ fide there can, i believe, be no doubt. in opposition to such a decision, made on such grounds, and with no encouragement but that given by the calculations of an engineer who has himself made no surveys, i cannot think it likely that this new plan will ever be carried out the eloquence even of m. belly, backed by such arguments, will hardly collect four million eight hundred thousand pounds; and even if it did, the prudence of m, belly would hardly throw such an amount of treasure into the san juan river. as i have before said, there appears to have been no company formed. m. belly is the director, and he has a bureau of direction in the rue de provence. but though deficient as regards chairmen, directors, and shareholders, he is magnificently provided with high-sounding officials. then again there comes a blank. though the corps of officers was complete when i was in costa rica, at any rate as regards their names, the workmen had not arrived; not even the skilled labourers who were to come in detachments of forty-five by each mail packet. the mail packets came, but not the skilled labourers. shortly before my arrival at san josé, there appeared in the journal published in that town a list of officers to be employed by m. felix belly, the director-general "de la compañie del canal atlantico-pacifico." the first of these is don andres le vasseur, minister plenipotentiary, veteran officer of the guard imperial, commander of the legion of honour, and knight of the order of st. gregory. he is secretary-general of the direction. then there are other secretaries. in the first place, prince polignac, veteran officer of the cavalry of the cazadores in africa, &c. he at any rate is a fact! for did i not meet him and the o'gorman mahon--nicodemus and polyphemus--not "standing naked in the open air," but drinking brandy and water at the little inn at esparza? "arcades ambo!" the next secretary is don henrique le vasseur. he is dibujador fotografo, which i take to mean photographical artist; and then don andres l'heritier; he is the private secretary. we next come to the engineers. with reference to geology and mineralogy, m. belly has employed don josé durocher, whose titles, taken from the faculty of science at rennes, the legion of honour, &c., are too long to quote. don eugénio ponsard, who also is not without his titles, is the working engineer on these subjects. and then joined to them as adjutant-engineer is don henrique peudifer, whose name is also honoured with various adjuncts. the engineers who are to be intrusted with the surveys and works of the canals are named next. there are four such, to whom are joined five conductors of the works and eight special masters of the men. all these composed an expedition which left southampton on the th of february, ,--or which should so have left it, had they acted up to m. belly's promises. then by the packet of the nd of march, , there came--or at least there should have come, for we are told that they sailed--another expedition. i cannot afford to give all the names, but they are full-sounding and very honourable. among them there was a maker of bricks, who in his own country had been a chief of the works in the imperial manufactory of porcelain at sèvres. having enticed him from so high a position, it is to be hoped that m. belly will treat him well in central america. there are, or were, hydrographical engineers and agricultural engineers, master carpenters, and masters of various other specialties. i fear all these gentlemen came to grief on the road, for i think i may say that no such learned troops came through with the mail packets which left southampton on the days indicated. then by the following steamers there would, it is stated, be despatched in succession an inspector of telegraphs, an engineer for making gas, an engineer to be charged with the fabrication of the iron way, an agriculturist-in-chief, a scientific commission for geology, mineralogy, meteorology, and natural history in general. and attached to all the engineers will come--or now long since should have come--the conductors of works and special masters of men, who are joined with them in their operations. these are to consist principally of veteran soldiers of the engineers and the artillery. these gentlemen also must, i fear, have been cast away between southampton and st. thomas, if they left the former port by either of the two mail steamers following those two specially indicated. i think i may say positively that no such parties were forwarded from st. thomas. the general inspection of the works will be intrusted ultimately to a french and to an english engineer. the frenchman will of course be m. thomé de gamond. the englishman is to be "mr. locke, member of parliament." if, indeed, this latter assertion were true! but i think i may take upon myself to say that it is untrue. all the above certainly sounds very grand, especially when given at full length in the spanish language. out there, in central america, the list is effective. here, in england, we should like to see the list of the directors as well, and to have some idea how much money has been subscribed. mankind perhaps can trust m. belly for much, but not for everything. in the month of may don juan rafael mora, the president of costa rica, left his dominions and proceeded to rivas, in nicaragua, to assist at the inauguration of the opening of the works of the canal. when i and my companion met him at esparza, accompanied by nicodemus and polyphemus, he was making this journey. m. belly has already described in eloquent language how on a previous occasion this potentate condescended to leave his own kingdom and visit that of a neighbour; thus sacrificing individual rank for the benefit of humanity and civilization. he was willing to do this even once again. having borrowed a french man-of-war to carry him from punta-arenas, in his own territories, to st. juan del sur, in the territory of nicaragua, he started with his suite, of whom the prince and the o'gorman were such distinguished members. but, lo! when he arrived at rivas, a few miles up from san juan del sur--at rivas, where with gala holiday triumph the canal was to be inaugurated--the canal from whence were to come new views and unlimited horizons--lo! when he there arrived, no brother-president was there to meet him, no m. belly, attended by engineers-in-chief and brickmakers from sèvres, to do him honour. there was not even one french pupil from the polytechnic school to turn a sod with a silver spade. in lieu of this, some custom-house officer of nicaragua called upon poor don juan to pay the usual duty on bringing his portmanteau into rivas. other new views, and other unlimited horizons had, it seems, been dawning on m. belly. one of the first words of which a man has to learn the meaning on reaching these countries is "transit." central america can only be great in the world--as egypt can be only great--by being a passage between other parts of the world which are in themselves great. we englishmen all know crewe; crewe has become a town of considerable importance, as being a great railway junction. men must reach crewe and leave crewe continually, and the concourse there has rendered labour necessary; labourers of all sorts must live in houses, and require bakers and grocers to supply them. so crewe has grown up and grown important; and so will central america become important. aspinwall--colon, as we call it--has become a town in this way within the last ten years. "transit" in these parts means the trade of carrying people across central america; and a deal of "transit" has been done and money made by carrying people across nicaragua by way of the great lake. this has hitherto been effected by shallow-bottomed boats. i will say one word or so on the subject when i have done, as i very soon shall have done, with m. belly. now it is very generally thought that m. belly when he speaks of this canal means "transit." there can be no question but that a great carrying trade might be opened, much to the advantage of nicaragua, and to the advantage of costa rica also though not to the same extent. if all this canal grandiloquence would pave the way to "transit," might it not be well? what if another agreement could be made, giving to m. belly and his company the sole right of "transit" through nicaragua, till the grand canal should be completed--a very long lease; might not something be done in this way? but don juan mora there, don juan of costa rica, that man altogether "hors de ligne," grand as he is, need know nothing about this. let him, left quite in darkness as to this new view, these altered unlimited horizons, go to rivas if he will, and pay his custom dues. it may be that i have written at too great length, and with an energy disproportionate to the subject, on this matter of the nicaraguan canal scheme. i do not know that the english public generally, or at any rate that portion of it which may perhaps read my book, is very deeply interested in the subject. we hear now and then something of the clayton-bulwer treaty, and a word or two is said about the panama route to australia, but the subject is not generally interesting to us, as is that of the passage through egypt. we can reach australia by another and a shorter route; and as for vancouver's island and frazer river, they as yet are very young. but the matter will become of importance. and to a man in central america, let his visit to that country be ever so short, it becomes at once important. to me it was grievous to find a work so necessary to the world as this of opening a way over the isthmus, tampered with, and to a degree hindered by a scheme which i cannot but regard as unreal. but unreal as it may be, this project has reached dimensions which make it in some way worthy of notice. a french ship of war was sent to take the president mora and his suite on their unfortunate journey to rivas; and an english ship of war was sent to bring them back. the extension of such privileges to the president of a republic in central america may be very well; but men, seeing on what business this president was travelling, not unnaturally regarded the courtesy as an acknowledgment of the importance of m. belly's work. i do not wish to use hard names, but i cannot think that the project of which i have been speaking covers any true intention of making a canal. and such schemes, if not real, if not true in the outward bearings which they show to the world, go far to deter others which might be real. and now i will say nothing further about m. belly. as i have before stated, there was some few years since a considerable passenger traffic through central america by the route of the lake of nicaragua. this of course was in the hands of the americans, and the passengers were chiefly those going and coming between the eastern states and california. they came down to greytown, at the mouth of the san juan river, in steamers from new york, and i believe from various american ports, went up the san juan river in other steamers with flat bottoms prepared for those waters, across the lake in the same way, and then by a good road over the intervening neck of land between the lake and the pacific. of course the panama railway has done much to interfere with this. in the first place, a rival route has thus been opened; though i doubt whether it would be a quicker route from new york to california if the way by the lake were well organized. and then the company possessing the line of steamers running to aspinwall from new york has been able to buy off the line which would otherwise run to greytown. but this rivalship has not been the main cause of the total stoppage of the nicaraguan route. the filibusters came into that land and destroyed everything. they dropped down from california on realejo, leon, manaqua, granada, and all the western coast of nicaragua. then others came from the south-eastern states, from mobile and new orleans, and swarmed up the san juan river, devouring everything before them. there can be no doubt that walker's idea, in his attempt to possess himself of this country, was that he could thus become master of the passage across the isthmus. he saw, as so many others have seen, the importance of the locality in this point of view; and he probably felt that if he could make himself lord of the soil by his own exertions, and on his own bottom, his mother country, the united states, would not be slow to recognize him. "i," he would have said, "have procured for you the ownership of the road which is so desirable for you. pay me, by making me your lieutenant here, and protecting me in that position." the idea was not badly planned, but it was of course radically unjust. it was a contemplated filching of the road. and walker found, as all men do find, that he could not easily get good tools to do bad work. he tried the job with a very rough lot of tools; and now, though he has done much harm to others, he has done very little good to himself. i do not think that we shall hear much more of him. and among the worst of the injuries which he has done is this disturbance of the lake traffic. this route has been altogether abandoned. there, in the san juan river, is to be seen one old steamer with its bottom upwards, a relic of the filibusters and their destruction. all along the banks tales are told of their injustice and sufferings. how recklessly they robbed on their journey up the country, and how they returned back to greytown--those who did return, whose bones are not whitening the lake shores--wounded, maimed, and miserable. along the route traders were beginning to establish themselves, men prepared to provide the travellers with food and drink, and the boats with fuel for their steam. an end for the present has been put to all this. the weak governments of the country have been able to afford no protection to these men, and placed as they were, beyond the protection of england or the united states, they have been completely open to attack. the filibusters for a while have destroyed the transit through nicaragua; and it is hardly matter of surprise that the presidents of that and the neighbouring republics should catch at any scheme which proposes to give them back this advantage, especially when promise is made of the additional advantage of effectual protection. it is much to be desired, on all accounts, that this route should be again opened. here, i think, is to be found the best chance of establishing an immediate competition with the panama railway. for although such a route will not offer the comfort of the panama line, or, till it be well organized, the same rapidity, it would nevertheless draw to it a great portion of the traffic, and men and women going in numbers would be carried at cheaper rates; and these cheaper rates in nicaragua would probably at once lessen the fares now charged by the panama railway. competition would certainly be advantageous, and for the present i see no other opening for a competitive route. a railway along the banks of the san juan would, i fear, be too expensive. the distance is above one hundred and fifty miles, and the line would be very costly. but a line of rails from the lake to the pacific might be made comparatively at a small outlay, and would greatly add to the comfort and rapidity of the passage. to us englishmen it is a matter of indifference in whose hands the transit may be, so long as it is free, and open to all the world; so long as a difference of nationality creates no difference in the fares charged or in the facilities afforded. for our own purposes, i have no doubt the panama line is the best, and will be the route we shall use. but we should be delighted to see a second line opened. if mr. squier can accomplish his line through honduras, we will give him great honour, and acknowledge that he has done the world a service. in the mean time, we shall be very happy to see the lake transit re-established. chapter xxii. the bermudas. in may i returned from greytown and the waters of the san juan to st. thomas, spending a few days at aspinwall and panama on my journey, as i have before explained; and on this occasion, that of my fourth visit to st. thomas, i was happy enough to escape without any long stay there. my course now lay to the bermudas, to which islands a steamer runs once a month from that disagreeable little depôt of steam navigation. but as this boat is fitted to certain arrivals and despatches, not at st. thomas, but at halifax, and as we reached st. thomas late on the night of the day on which she should have sailed, and as my missing that vessel would have entailed on me another month's sojourn, and that a summer month, among those islands, it may be imagined that i was rather lively on entering the harbour;--keenly lively to ascertain whether the 'delta,' such is the name of the bermuda boat, was or was not gone on her mission. "i see her red funnel right across the harbour," said the chief officer, looking through infinite darkness. i disbelieved him, and accused him of hoaxing me. "look yourself," said he, handing me his glass. but all the glasses in the world won't turn darkness into light. i know not by what educational process the eyes of sailors become like those of cats. in this instance the chief officer had seen aright, and then, after a visit to the 'delta,' made at a.m., i went to bed a happy man. we started the next day at p.m., or rather i should say the same day, and i did no more than breakfast on shore. i then left that favoured island, i trust for the last time, an island which i believe may be called the white man's grave with quite as much truth as any place on the coast of africa. we steamed out, and i stood on the stern taking a last look at the three hills of the panorama. it is certainly a very pretty place seen from a moderate and safe distance, and seen as a picture. but it should be seen in that way, and in no other. we started, and i, at any rate, with joy. but my joy was not of long duration, for the 'delta' rolled hideously. screw boats--propellers as the americans call them with their wonted genteel propriety--always do roll, and have been invented with the view of making sea passages more disagreeable than they were. did any one of my readers ever have a berth allotted to him just over the screw? if so, he knows exactly the feeling of being brayed in a mortar. in four days we reached bermuda, and made our way into st. george's harbour. looking back at my fortnight's sojourn there it seems to me that there can be no place in the world as to which there can be less to be said than there is about this island,--sayings at least of the sort in which it is my nature to express itself. its geological formation is, i have no doubt, mysterious. it seems to be made of soft white stone, composed mostly of little shells; so soft, indeed, that you might cut bermuda up with a handsaw. and people are cutting bermuda up with handsaws. one little island, that on which the convicts are established, has been altogether so cut up already. when i visited it, two fat convicts were working away slowly at the last fragment. but i am no geologist, and can give no opinion favourable or otherwise as to that doctrine that these islands are the crater of an extinct volcano; only, if so, the seas in those days must have held a distance much more respectful than at present. every one of course knows that there are three hundred and sixty-five of these islands, all lying within twenty miles in length and three in breadth. they are surrounded too by reefs, or rocks hidden by water, which stretch out into the sea in some places for eight or ten miles, making the navigation very difficult; and, as it seemed to me, very perilous. nor am i prepared to say whether or no the bermudas was the scene of ariel's tricksy doings. they were first discovered in , by bermudez, a spaniard; and shakespere may have heard of them some indistinct surmises, sufficient to enable him to speak of the "still vexed bermoothes." if these be the veritable scenes of prospero's incantations, i will at any rate say this--that there are now to be found stronger traces of the breed of caliban than of that of ariel. strong, however, of neither; for though caliban did not relish working for his master more keenly than a bermudian of the present day, there was nevertheless about him a sort of energy which is altogether wanting in the existing islanders. a gentleman has lately written a book--i am told a very good book--called "bermuda as a colony, a fortress, and a prison." this book i am sure gives accurately all the information which research could collect as to these islands under the headings named. i made no research, and pretend only to state the results of cursory observation. as a fortress, no doubt it is very strong. i have no doubt on the matter, seeing that i am a patriotic englishman, and as such believe all english fortifications to be strong. it is, however, a matter on which the opinion of no civilian can be of weight, unless he have deeply studied the subject, in which case he so far ceases to be a civilian. everything looked very clean and apple-pie; a great many flags were flying on sundays and the queen's birthday; and all seemed to be ship-shape. of the importance to us of the position there can be no question. if it should ever come to pass that we should be driven to use an armed fleet in the western waters, bermuda will be as serviceable to us there, as malta is in the mediterranean. so much for the fortress. as to the prison i will say a word or two just now, seeing that it is in that light that the place was chiefly interesting to me. but first for the colony. snow is not prevalent in bermuda, at least not in the months of may and june; but the first look of the houses in each of its two small towns, and indeed all over the island, gives one the idea of a snow storm. every house is white, up from the ground to the very point of the roof. nothing is in so great demand as whitewash. they whitewash their houses incessantly, and always include the roofs. this becomes a nuisance, from the glare it occasions; and is at last painful to the eyes. they say there that it is cleanly and cheap, and no one can deny that cleanliness and economy are important domestic virtues. there are two towns, situated on different islands, called st. george and hamilton. the former is the head-quarters of the military; the latter of the governor. in speaking of the place as a fortress i should have said that it is the summer head-quarters of the admiral in command of the halifax station. the dock-yard, which is connected with the convict establishment, is at an island called ireland; but the residence of the admiral is not far from hamilton, on that which the bermudians call the "continent." i spent a week in each of these towns, and i can hardly say which i found the most triste. the island, or islands, as one must always say--using the plural number--have many gifts of nature to recommend them. they are extremely fertile. the land, with a very moderate amount of cultivation, will give two crops of ordinary potatoes, and one crop of sweet potatoes in the year. most fruits will grow here, both those of the tropics and of the more northern latitudes. oranges and lemons, peaches and strawberries, bananas and mulberries thrive, or _would_ thrive equally well, if they were even slightly encouraged to do so. no climate in the world probably is better adapted for beetroot, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. the place is so circumstanced geographically that it should be the early market-garden for new york--as to a certain small extent it is. new york cannot get her early potatoes--potatoes in may and june--from her own soil; but bermuda can give them to her in any quantity. arrowroot also grows here to perfection. the bermudians claim to say that their arrowroot is the best in the world; and i believe that none bears a higher price. then the land produces barley, oats, and indian corn; and not only produces them, but produces two, sometimes three crops a year. let the english farmer with his fallow field think of that. but with all their advantages bermuda is very poor. perhaps, i should add, that on the whole, she is contented with her poverty. and if so, why disturb such contentment? but, nevertheless, one cannot teach oneself not to be desirous of progress. one cannot but feel it sad to see people neglecting the good things which are under their feet. lemons and oranges there are now none in bermuda. the trees suffered a blight some year or two since, and no effort has been made to restore them. i saw no fruit of any description, though i am told i was there in the proper season, and heard much of the fruit that there used to be in former days. i saw no vegetables but potatoes and onions, and was told that as a rule the people are satisfied with them. i did not once encounter a piece of meat fit to be eaten, excepting when i dined on rations supplied by the convict establishment. the poultry was somewhat better than the meat, but yet of a very poor description. both bread and butter are bad; the latter quite uneatable. english people whom i met declared that they were unable to get anything to eat. the people, both white and black, seemed to be only half awake. the land is only half cultivated; and hardly half is tilled of that which might be tilled. the reason of this neglect, for i maintain that it is neglect, should however be explained. nearly all the islands are covered with small stunted bushy cedar trees. not cedars such as those of lebanon, not the cedar trees of central america, nor those to which we are accustomed in our gardens at home. in bermuda they are, as i have said, low bushy trees, much resembling stunted firs. but the wood, when it can be found large enough, is, they say, good for shipbuilding; and as shipbuilding has for years been a trade in these islands, the old owners of the property do not like to clear their land. this was all very well as long as the land had no special virtue--as long as a market, such as that afforded by new york, was wanting. but now that the market has been opened there can be no doubt--indeed, nobody does doubt--that if the land were cleared its money value would be greatly more than it now is. every one to whom i spoke admitted this, and complained of the backwardness of the island in improvements. but no one tries to remedy this now. they had a governor there some years ago who did much to cure this state of things, who did show them that money was to be made by producing potatoes and sending them out of the island. this was sir w. reid, the man of storms. he seems to have had some tolerably efficient idea of what a governor's duty should be in such a place as bermuda. to be helped first at every table, and to be called "your excellency," and then to receive some thousands a year for undergoing these duties is all very well; is very nice for a military gentleman in the decline of years. it is very well that england can so provide for a few of her old military gentlemen. but when the military gentlemen selected can do something else besides, it does make such a difference! sir w. reid did do much else; and if there could be found another sir w. reid or two to take their turns in bermuda for six years each, the scrubby bushes would give way, and the earth would bring forth her increase. the sleepiness of the people appeared to me the most prevailing characteristic of the place. there seemed to be no energy among the natives, no idea of going a-head, none of that principle of constant motion which is found so strongly developed among their great neighbours in the united states. to say that they live for eating and drinking would be to wrong them. they want the energy for the gratification of such vicious tastes. to live and die would seem to be enough for them. to live and die as their fathers and mothers did before them, in the same houses, using the same furniture, nurtured on the same food, and enjoying the same immunity from the dangers of excitement. i must confess that during the short period of my sojourn there, i myself was completely overtaken by the same sort of lassitude. i could not walk a mile without fatigue. i was always anxious to be supine, lying down whenever i could find a sofa; ever anxious for a rocking-chair, and solicitous for a quick arrival of the hour of bed, which used to be about half-past nine o'clock. indeed this feeling became so strong with me that i feared i was ill, and began to speculate as to the effects and pleasures of a low fever and a bermuda doctor. i was comforted, however, by an assurance that everybody was suffering in the same way. "when the south wind blows it is always so." "the south wind must be very prevalent then," i suggested. i was told that it was very prevalent. during the period of my visit it was all south wind. the weather was not hot--not hot at least to me who had just come up from panama, and the fiery furnace of aspinwall. but the air was damp and muggy and disagreeable. to me it was the most trying climate that i had encountered. they have had yellow fever there twice within the last eight years, and on both occasions it was very fatal. singularly enough on its latter coming the natives suffered much more than strangers. this is altogether opposed to the usual habits of the yellow fever, which is imagined to be ever cautious in sparing those who are indigenous to the land it visits. the working population here are almost all negroes. i should say that this is quite as much a rule here as in any of the west indies. of course there are coloured people--men and women of mixed breed; but they are not numerous as in jamaica; or, if so, they are so nearly akin to the negro as not to be observed. there are, i think, none of those all but white ladies and gentlemen whose position in life is so distressing. the negroes are well off; as a rule they can earn _s._ _d._ a day, from that to _s_. for exceptional jobs, men cannot be had under a dollar, or _s._ _d_. on these wages they can live well by working three days a week, and such appears to be their habit. it seems to me that no enfranchised negro entertains an idea of daily work. work to them is an exceptional circumstance, as to us may be a spell of fifteen or sixteen hours in the same day. we do such a thing occasionally for certain objects, and for certain objects they are willing to work occasionally. the population is about eleven thousand. that of the negroes and coloured people does not much exceed that of the whites. that of the females greatly exceeds that of the males, both among the white and coloured people. among the negroes i noticed this, that if not more active than their brethren in the west indies, they are at least more civil and less sullen in their manner. but then again, they are without the singular mixture of fun and vanity which makes the jamaica negro so amusing for a while. these islands are certainly very pretty; or i should perhaps say that the sea, which forms itself into bays and creeks by running in among them, is very pretty. the water is quite clear and transparent, there being little or no sand on those sides on which the ocean makes its entrance; and clear water is in itself so beautiful. then the singular way in which the land is broken up into narrow necks, islands, and promontories, running here and there in a capricious, half-mysterious manner, creating a desire for amphibiosity, necessarily creates beauty. but it is mostly the beauty of the sea, and not of the land. the islands are flat, or at any rate there is no considerable elevation in them. they are covered throughout with those scrubby little trees; and, although the trees are green, and therefore when seen from the sea give a freshness to the landscape, they are uninteresting and monotonous on shore. i must not forget the oleanders, which at the time of my visit were in full flower; which, for aught i know, may be in full flower during the whole year. they are so general through all the islands, and the trees themselves are so covered with the large straggling, but bright blossoms, as to give quite a character to the scenery. the bermudas might almost be called the oleander isles. the government consists of a governor, council, and house of assembly; king, lords, and commons again. twenty years ago i should thoroughly have approved of this; but now i am hardly sure whether a population of ten or twelve thousand individuals, of whom much more than half are women, and more than half the remainder are negroes, require so composite a constitution. would not a strict governor, with due reference to downing street, do almost as well? but then to make the change; that would be difficulty. "we have them pretty well in hand," a gentleman whispered to me who was in some shape connected with the governing powers. he was alluding, i imagine, to the house of assembly. well, that is a comfort. a good majority in the lower house is a comfort to all men--except the minority. there are nine parishes, each returning four members to this house of assembly. but though every parish requires four members, i observe that half a clergyman is enough for most of them. but then the clergymen must be paid. the council here consists chiefly of gentlemen holding government offices, or who are in some way connected with the government; so that the crown can probably contrive to manage its little affairs. if i remember rightly gibraltar and malta have no lords or commons. they are fortresses, and as such under military rule; and so is bermuda a fortress. independently of her purely military importance, her size and population is by no means equal to that of malta. the population of malta is chiefly native, and foreign to us;--and the population of bermuda is chiefly black. but then malta is a conquered colony, whereas bermuda was "settled" by britons, as the word goes. that makes all the difference. that such a little spot as bermuda would in real fact be better without a constitution of its own, if the change could only be managed, that i imagine will be the opinion of most men who have thought about the matter. and now for the convict establishment. i received great kindness and hospitality from the controller of it; but this, luckily, does not prevent my speaking freely on the matter. he had only just then newly arrived from england, had but now assumed his new duties, and was therefore neither responsible for anything that was amiss, or entitled to credit for what had been permanently established there on a good footing. my own impression is that of the latter there was very little. in these days our penal establishments, and gaol arrangements generally, are, certainly, matters of very vital importance to us. in olden times, and i include the last century and some part of this among olden times, we certainly did not manage these matters well. our main object then was to get rid of our ruffians; to punish them also, certainly; but, as a chief matter, to get rid of them. the idea of making use of them, present or future use, had hardly occurred to us; nor had we begun to reflect whether the roguery of coming years might not be somewhat lessened by curing the rogues--by making them not rogues. now-a-days, we are reflecting a good deal on this question. our position now has been all altered. circumstances have done much to alter it; we can no longer get rid of the worst class of criminals by sending them to botany bay. botany bay has assumed a will of its own, and won't have them at any price. but philanthropy has done more even than circumstances, very much more. we have the will, the determination as well as the wish, to do well by our rogues, even if we have not as yet found the way; and this is much. in this, as in everything else, the way will follow the will, sooner or later. but in the mean time we have been trying various experiments, with more or less success; forgiving men half their terms of punishment on good behaviour; giving them tickets of leave; crank-turning; solitary confinement; pietising--what may be called a system of gaol sanctity, perhaps the worst of all schemes, as being a direct advertisement for hypocrisy; work without result, the most distressing punishment going, one may say, next to that of no work at all; enforced idleness, which is horrible for human nature to contemplate; work with result, work which shall pay; good living, pound of beef, pound of bread, pound of potatoes, ounce of tea, glass of grog, pipe of tobacco, resulting in much fat, excellent if our prisoners were stalled oxen to be eaten; poor living, bread and water, which has its recommendations also, though it be so much opposed to the material humanity of the age; going to school, so that life if possible may be made to recommence; very good also, if life would recommence; corporal punishment, flogging of the body, horrible to think of, impossible to be looked at; spirit punishment, flogging of the soul, best of all if one could get at the soul so as to do it effectually. all these schemes are being tried; and as i believe that they are tried with an honest intent to arrive at that which is best, so also do i believe that we shall in time achieve that which is, if not heavenly best, at any rate terrestrially good;--shall at least get rid certainly of all that is hellishly bad. at present, however, we are still groping somewhat uncertainly. let us try for a moment to see what the bermuda groping has done. i do not in the least doubt that the intention here also has been good; the intention, that is, of those who have been responsible for the management of the establishment. but i do not think that the results have been happy. at bermuda there are in round numbers fifteen hundred convicts. as this establishment is one of penal servitude, of course it is to be presumed that those sent there are either hardened thieves, whose lives have been used to crime, or those who have committed heavy offences under the impulse of strong temptation. in dealing with such men i think we have three things to do. firstly, to rid ourselves of them from amongst us, as we do of other nuisances. this we should do by hanging them; this we did do when we sent them to botany bay; this we certainly do when we send them to bermuda. but this, i would say, is the lightest of the three duties. the second is with reference to the men themselves; to divest them, if by any means it may be possible, of their roguery; to divest them even of a little of their roguery, if so much as that can be done; to teach them that trite lesson, of honesty being the best policy,--so hard for men to learn when honesty has been, as it were, for many years past out of their sight, and even beyond their understanding. this is very important, but even this is not the most important. the third and most important object is the punishment of these men; their punishment, sharp, hard to bear, heavy to body and mind, disagreeable in all ways, to be avoided on account of its odiousness by all prudent men; their condign punishment, so that the world at large may know and see, and clearly acknowledge,--even the uneducated world,--that honesty is the best policy. that the first object is achieved, i have said. it is achieved as regards those fifteen hundred, and, as far as i know, at a moderate cost. useful work for such men is to be found at bermuda. we have dockyards there, and fortifications which cannot be made too strong and weather-tight. at such a place works may be done by convict labour which could not be done otherwise. whether the labour be economically used is another question; but at any rate the fifteen hundred rogues are disposed of, well out of the way of our pockets and shop windows. as to the second object, that of divesting these rogues of their roguery, the best way of doing that is the question as to which there is at the present moment so much doubt. as to what may be the best way i do not presume to give an opinion; but i do presume to doubt whether the best way has as yet been found at bermuda. the proofs at any rate were not there. shortly before my arrival a prisoner had been killed in a row. after that an attempt had been made to murder a warder. and during my stay there one prisoner was deliberately murdered by two others after a faction fight between a lot of irish and english, in which the warders were for some minutes quite unable to interfere. twenty-four men were carried to the hospital dangerously wounded, as to the life of some of whom the doctor almost despaired. this occurred on a day intervening between two visits which i made to the establishment. within a month of the same time three men had escaped, of whom two only were retaken; one had got clear away, probably to america. this tells little for the discipline, and very little for the moral training of the men. there is no wall round the prison. i must explain that the convicts are kept on two islands, those called boaz and ireland. at boaz is the parent establishment, at which live the controller, chaplains, doctors, and head officers. but here is the lesser number of prisoners, about six hundred. they live in ordinary prisons. the other nine hundred are kept in two hulks, old men-of-war moored by the breakwaters, at the dockyard establishment in ireland. it was in one of these that the murder was committed. the labour of these nine hundred men is devoted to the dockyard works. there is a bridge between the two islands over which runs a public road, and from this road there are ways equally public, as far as the eye goes, to all parts of the prison. a man has only to say that he is going to the chaplain's house, and he may pass all through the prison,--with spirits in his pocket if it so please him. that the prisoners should not be about without warders is no doubt a prison rule; but where everything is done by the prisoners, from the building of stores to the picking of weeds and lighting of lamps, how can any moderate number of warders see everything, even if they were inclined? there is nothing to prevent spirits being smuggled in after dark through the prison windows. and the men do get rum, and drunkenness is a common offence. prisoners may work outside prison walls; but i remember no other prison that is not within walls--that looks from open windows on to open roads, as is here the case. "and who shaves them?" i happened to ask one of the officers. "oh, every man has his own razor; and they have knives too, though it is not allowed." so these gentlemen who are always ready for faction fights, whose minds are as constantly engaged on the family question of irish _versus_ english, which means protestant against catholic, as were those of father tom maguire and mr. pope, are as well armed for their encounters as were those reverend gentlemen. the two murderers will i presume be tried, and if found guilty probably hanged; but the usual punishment for outbreaks of this kind seems to be, or to have been, flogging. a man would get some seventy lashes; the governor of the island would go down and see it done; and then the lacerated wretch would be locked up in idleness till his back would again admit of his bearing a shirt. "but they'll venture their skin," said the officer; "they don't mind that till it comes." "but do they mind being locked up alone?" i asked. he admitted this, but said that they had only six--i think six--cells, of which two or three were occupied by madmen; they had no other place for lunatics. solitary confinement is what these men do mind, what they do fear; but here there is not the power of inflicting that punishment. what a piece of work for a man to step down upon;--the amendment of the discipline of such a prison as this! think what the feeling among them will be when knives and razors are again taken from them, when their grog is first stopped, their liberty first controlled. they sleep together, a hundred or more within talking distance, in hammocks slung at arm's length from each other, so that one may excite ten, and ten fifty. is it fair to put warders among such men, so well able to act, so ill able to control their actions? "it is a sore task," said the controller who had fallen down new upon this bit of work; "it is dreadful to have to add misery to those who are already miserable." it is a very sore task; but at the moment i hardly sympathized with his humanity. so much for the bermuda practice of divesting these rogues of their roguery. and now a word as to the third question; the one question most important, as i regard it, of their punishment. are these men so punished as to deter others by the fear of similar treatment? i presume it may be taken for granted that the treatment, such as it is, does become known and the nature of it understood among those at home who are, or might be, on the path towards it. among the lower classes, from which these convicts do doubtless mostly come, the goods of life are chiefly reckoned as being food, clothing, warm shelter, and hours of idleness. it may seem harsh to say so thus plainly; but will any philanthropical lover of these lower classes deny the fact? i regard myself as a philanthropical lover of those classes, and as such i assert the fact; nay, i might go further and say that it is almost the same of some other classes. that many have knowledge of other good things, wife-love and children-love--heart-goods, if i may so call them; knowledge of mind-goods, and soul-goods also, i do not deny. that such knowledge is greatly on the increase i verily believe; but with most among us back and belly, or rather belly and back, are still supreme. on belly and back must punishment fall, when sinners such as these are to be punished. but with us--very often i fear elsewhere, but certainly at that establishment of which we are now speaking--there is no such punishment at all. in scale of dietary among subjects of our queen, i should say that honest irish labourers stand the lowest; they eat meat twice a year, potatoes and milk for six months, potatoes without milk for six, and fish occasionally if near the shore. then come honest english labourers; they generally have cheese, sometimes bacon. next above them we may probably rank the inhabitants of our workhouses; they have fresh meat perhaps three times a week. whom shall we name next? without being anxious to include every shade of english mankind, we may say soldiers, and above them sailors; then, perhaps, ordinary mechanics. there must be many another ascending step before we come to the bermuda convict, but it would be long to name them; but now let us see what the bermuda convict eats and drinks every day. he has a pound of meat; he has good meat too, lucky dog, while those wretched bermudians are tugging out their teeth against tough carcasses! he has a pound and three ounces of bread; the amount may be of questionable advantage, as he cannot eat it all; but he probably sells it for drink. he has a pound of fresh vegetables; he has tea and sugar; he has a glass of grog--exactly the same amount that a sailor has; and he has an allowance of tobacco-money, with permission to smoke at midday and evening, as he sits at his table or takes his noontide pleasant saunter. so much for belly. then as to back, under which i include a man's sinews. the convict begins the day by going to chapel at a quarter-past seven: his prayers do not take him long, for the chaplain on the occasion of my visit read small bits out of the prayer-book here and there, without any reference to church rule or convict-establishment reason. at half-past seven he goes to his work, if it does not happen to rain, in which case he sits till it ceases. he then works till five, with an hour and a half interval for his dinner, grog, and tobacco. he then has the evening for his supper and amusements. he thus works for eight hours, barring the rain, whereas in england a day labourer's average is about ten. as to the comparative hardness of their labour there will of course be no doubt. the man who must work for his wages will not get any wages unless he works hard. the convict will at any rate get his wages, and of course spares his sinews. as to clothes, they have, and should have exactly what is best suited to health. shoes when worn out are replaced. the straw hat is always decent, and just what one would wish to wear oneself in that climate. the jacket and trousers have the word "boaz" printed over them in rather ugly type; but one would get used to that. the flannel shirts, &c., are all that could be desired. their beds are hammocks like those of sailors, only not subject to be swung about by the winds, and not hung quite so closely as those of some sailors. did any of my readers ever see the beds of an irish cotters establishment in county cork? ah! or of some english cotter's establishments in dorsetshire, wiltshire, and somersetshire? the hospital arrangements and attendance are excellent as regards the men's comfort; though the ill-arrangement of the buildings is conspicuous, and must be conspicuous to all who see them. and then these men, when they take their departure, have the wages of their labour given to them,--so much as they have not spent either licitly in tobacco, or illicitly in extra grog. they will take home with them sixteen pounds, eighteen pounds, or twenty pounds. such is convict life in bermuda,--unless a man chance to get murdered in a faction fight. as to many of the comforts above enumerated, it will of course be seen that they are right. the clothes, the hospital arrangements, and sanitary provision are, and should be, better in a prison than they can, unfortunately, be at present among the poor who are not prisoners. but still they must be reckoned among the advantages which convicted crime enjoy. it seems to be a cruel task, that of lessening the comforts of men who are, at any rate, in truth not to be envied--are to be pitied rather, with such deep, deep pity! but the thing to look to, the one great object, is to diminish the number of those who must be sent to such places. will such back and belly arrangements as those i have described deter men from sin by the fear of its consequences? why should not those felons--for such they all are, i presume, till the term of their punishment be over--why should they sleep after five? why should their diet be more than strong health requires? why should their hours of work be light? why that drinking of spirits and smoking of tobacco among men whose term of life in that prison should be a term of suffering? why those long twelve hours of bed and rest, spent in each other's company, with noise, and singing, and jollity? let them eat together, work together, walk together if you will; but surely at night they should be separated! faction fights cannot take place unless the fighters have time and opportunity to arrange them. i cannot but think that there should be great changes in this establishment, and that gradually the punishment, which undoubtedly is intended, should be made to fall on the prisoners. "look at the prisoners' rations!" the soldiers say in bermuda when they complain of their own; and who can answer them? i cannot understand why the island governor should have authority in the prison. he from his profession can know little or nothing about prisons, and even for his own work,--or no work, is generally selected either from personal favour or from military motives, whereas the prison governor is selected, probably with much care, for his specialities in that line. and it must be as easy and as quick for the prison governor to correspond with the home office as for the island governor to correspond with the colonial office. there has undoubtedly been mischief done by the antagonism of different authorities. it would seem reasonable that all such establishments should be exclusively under the home office. chapter xxiii. conclusion. from bermuda i took a sailing vessel to new york, in company with a rather large assortment of potatoes and onions. i had declared during my unlucky voyage from kingston to cuba that no consideration should again tempt me to try a sailing vessel, but such declarations always go for nothing. a man in his misery thinks much of his misery; but as soon as he is out of it it is forgotten, or becomes matter for mirth. of even a voyage in a sailing vessel one may say that at some future time it will perhaps be pleasant to remember that also. and so i embarked myself along with the potatoes and onions on board the good ship 'henrietta.' indeed, there is no other way of getting from bermuda to new york; or of going anywhere from bermuda--except to halifax and st. thomas, to which places a steamer runs once a month. in going to cuba i had been becalmed, starved, shipwrecked, and very nearly quaranteened. in going to new york i encountered only the last misery. the doctor who boarded us stated that a vessel had come from bermuda with a sick man, and that we must remain where we were till he had learnt what was the sick man's ailment. our skipper, who knew the vessel in question, said that one of their crew had been drunk in bermuda for two or three days, and had not yet worked it off. but the doctor called again in the course of the day, and informed us that it was intermittent fever. so we were allowed to pass. it does seem strange that sailing vessels should be subjected to such annoyances. i hardly think that one of the mail steamers going into new york would be delayed because there was a case of intermittent fever on board another vessel from liverpool. it is not my purpose to give an englishman's ideas of the united states, or even of new york, at the fag end of a volume treating about the west indies. on the united states i should like to write a volume, seeing that the government and social life of the people there--of that people who are our children--afford the most interesting phenomena which we find as to the new world;--the best means of prophesying, if i may say so, what the world will next be, and what men will next do. there, at any rate, a new republic has become politically great and commercially active; whereas all other new republics have failed in those points, as in all others. but this cannot be attempted now. from new york i went by the hudson river to albany, and on by the new york central railway to niagara; and though i do not mean to make any endeavour to describe that latter place as such descriptions should be--and doubtless are and have been--written, i will say one or two words which may be of use to any one going thither. the route which i took from new york would be, i should think, the most probable route for englishmen. and as travellers will naturally go up the hudson river by day, and then on from albany by night train,* seeing that there is nothing to be seen at albany, and that these trains have excellent sleeping accommodation--a lady, or indeed a gentleman, should always take a double sleeping-berth, a single one costs half a dollar, and a double one a dollar. this outlay has nothing to do with the travelling ticket;--it will follow that he, she, or they will reach niagara at about a.m. [*it would be well, however, to visit trenton falls by the way, which i did not do. they are but a short distance from utica, a town on this line of railway.] in that case let them not go on to what is called the niagara falls station, but pass over at a station called the suspension bridge--very well known on the road--to the other or canada side of the water, and thence go to the clifton hotel. there can be no doubt as to this being the site at which tourists should stop. it is one of those cases in which to see is to be sure. but if the traveller be carried on to niagara falls station, he has a long and expensive journey to make back; and the united states side of the water will be antagonistic to him in doing so. the ticket from albany to niagara cost me six dollars; the carriage from niagara to the clifton hotel cost me five. it was better to pay the five than to remain where i was; but it would have been better still to have saved them. i mention this as passengers to the falls have no sort of intimation that they should get out at the suspension bridge; though they are all duly shaken out of their berths, and inquired of whether or not they be going west. nothing ever disappointed me less than the falls of niagara--but my raptures did not truly commence for the first half-day. their charms grow upon one like the conversation of a brilliant man. their depth and breadth and altitude, their music, colour, and brilliancy are not fully acknowledged at the first moment. it may be that my eye is slow; but i can never take in to its full enjoyment any view or any picture at the first glance. i found this to be especially the case at niagara. it was only by long gazing and long listening that i was able to appreciate the magnitude of that waste of waters. my book is now complete, and i am not going to "do the falls," but i must bid such of my readers as may go there to place themselves between the rocks and the waters of the horse-shoe fall after sunset--well after sunset; and there remain--say for half an hour. and let every man do this alone; or if fortune have kindly given him such a companion, with one who may leave him as good as alone. but such companions are rare. the spot to which i allude will easily make itself known to him, nor will he have any need of a guide. he will find it, of course, before the sun shall set. and, indeed, as to guides, let him eschew them, giving a twenty-five cent piece here and there, so that these men be not ruined for want of custom. into this spot i made my way, and stood there for an hour, dry enough. the spray did reach my coat, and the drops settled on my hair; but nevertheless, as a man not over delicate, i was dry enough. then i went up, and when there was enticed to put myself into a filthy oil-skin dress, hat, coat, and trousers, in order that i might be conducted under the falls. under the falls! well i had been under the falls; but still, wishing to see everything, i allowed myself to be caparisoned. a sable conductor took me exactly to the spot where i had been before. but he took me also ten yards further, during which little extra journey i became soaking wet through, in spite of the dirty oil-cloth. the ducking cost me sixty cents, or half a crown. but i must be allowed one word as to that visit after sunset; one word as to that which an obedient tourist will then see. in the spot to which i allude the visitor stands on a broad safe path, made of shingles, between the rock over which the water rushes and the rushing water. he will go in so far that the spray rising back from the bed of the torrent does not incommode him. with this exception, the further he can go the better; but here also circumstances will clearly show him the spot. unless the water be driven in by a very strong wind, five yards make the difference between a comparatively dry coat and an absolutely wet one. and then let him stand with his back to the entrance, thus hiding the last glimmer of the expiring day. so standing he will look up among the falling waters, or down into the deep misty pit, from which they reascend in almost as palpable a bulk. the rock will be at his right hand, high and hard, and dark and straight, like the wall of some huge cavern, such as children enter in their dreams. for the first five minutes he will be looking but at the waters of a cataract,--at the waters, indeed, of such a cataract as we know no other, and at their interior curves, which elsewhere we cannot see. but by-and-by all this will change. he will no longer be on a shingly path beneath a waterfall; but that feeling of a cavern wall will grow upon him, of a cavern deep, deep below roaring seas, in which the waves are there, though they do not enter in upon him; or rather not the waves, but the very bowels of the deep ocean. he will feel as though the floods surrounded him, coming and going with their wild sounds, and he will hardly recognize that though among them he is not in them. and they, as they fall with a continual roar, not hurting the ear, but musical withal, will seem to move as the vast ocean waters may perhaps move in their internal currents. he will lose the sense of one continued descent, and think that they are passing round him in their appointed courses. the broken spray that rises from the depth below, rises so strongly, so palpably, so rapidly, that the motion in every direction will seem equal. and then, as he looks on, strange colours will show themselves through the mist; the shades of gray will become green and blue, with ever and anon a flash of white; and then, when some gust of wind blows in with greater violence, the sea-girt cavern will become all dark and black. oh, my friend, let there be no one there to speak to thee then; no, not even a heart's brother. as you stand there speak only to the waters. so much for niagara. from thence, i went along lake ontario, and by the st. lawrence to montreal, being desirous of seeing the new tubular railway bridge which is being erected there over the st. lawrence close to that town. lake ontario is uninteresting, being altogether too large for scenery, and too foggy for sight-seeing if there were anything to see. the travelling accommodation, however, is excellent. the points of interest in the st. lawrence are the thousand islands, among which the steamer glides as soon as it enters the river; and the rapids, of which the most singularly rapid is the one the vessel descends as it nears montreal. both of these are very well, but they do not require to be raved about. the canadian towns at which one touches are interesting as being clean and large, and apparently prosperous;--also as being english, for we hardly reach the french part of canada till we get down to montreal. this tubular bridge over the st. lawrence, which will complete the whole trunk line of railway from portland on the coast of maine, through the two canadas, to the states of michigan and wisconsin, will certainly be one of the most wonderful works of scientific art in the world. it is to consist of different tubes, resting on piers placed in the river bed at intervals sufficient to provide for the free navigation of the water. some of these, including the centre and largest one, are already erected. this bridge will be over a mile and a half in length, and will cost the enormous sum of one million four hundred thousand pounds, being but two hundred thousand pounds short of the whole cost of the panama railway. i only wish that the shareholders may have as good a dividend. from montreal i went down lake champlain to saratoga springs, the great resort of new yorkers when the weather in the city becomes too hot for endurance. i was there late in june, but was very glad at that time to sit with my toes over a fire. the country about saratoga is by no means pretty. the waters, i do not doubt, are very healthy, and the hotels very good. it must, i should think, be a very dull place for persons who are not invalids. from saratoga i returned to new york, and from new york sailed for liverpool in the exceedingly good ship 'africa,' captain shannon. i have sailed in many vessels, but never in one that was more comfortable or better found. and on board this most comfortable of vessels i have now finished my book, as i began it on board that one, of all the most uncomfortable, which carried me from kingston in jamaica to cien fuegos in the island of cuba. transcriber's note typographical corrections are listed at the end of this version. the list of publications has been compiled after the article's text. * * * * * university of kansas publications museum of natural history volume , no. , pp. - , figs. october , a revision of snakes of the genus conophis (family colubridae, from middle america) by john wellman university of kansas lawrence university of kansas publications, museum of natural history editors: e. raymond hall, chairman, henry s. fitch, theodore h. eaton, jr. volume , no. , pp. - , figs. published october , university of kansas lawrence, kansas printed by jean m. neibarger. state printer topeka. kansas [illustration: union label] - a revision of snakes of the genus conophis (family colubridae, from middle america) by john wellman contents page introduction acknowledgments materials and methods genus conophis peters key to the species and subspecies analysis of characters scutellation size and proportions color pattern sexual dimorphism _c. lineatus_ _c. lineatus dunni_ _c. lineatus lineatus_ _c. lineatus concolor_ _c. nevermanni_ _c. pulcher_ _c. vittatus_ skull dentition vertebrae hemipenes food and feeding effect of poison taxonomic relationships and evolution summary literature cited introduction need for a comprehensive systematic review of the snakes of the genus _conophis_ was pointed out by stuart ( a, b). since these snakes appeared to be of zoogeographic importance in the central american region, i undertook the review as set forth on the following pages. acknowledgments for permission to examine specimens, and for information concerning specimens in their care, i am grateful to mr. l. c. battersby and miss alice g. c. grandison, british museum (natural history); mr. charles m. bogert and dr. richard g. zweifel, american museum of natural history; dr. doris m. cochran, united states national museum; prof. william b. davis, agricultural and mechanical college of texas; dr. josef eiselt, naturhistorisches museums, vienna; prof. norman hartweg and prof. laurence c. stuart, museum of zoology, university of michigan; dr. robert f. inger, chicago natural history museum; dr. alan e. leviton, california academy of sciences; mr. edmond v. malnate, academy of natural sciences, philadelphia; prof. george s. myers, stanford university natural history museum; mr. wilfred t. neill, ross allen's reptile institute; mr. neil d. richmond, carnegie museum; dr. william j. riemer, university of florida collections; prof. robert c. stebbins, museum of vertebrate zoology, university of california; prof. hobart m. smith, university of illinois natural history museum; and dr. ernest e. williams, museum of comparative zoology, harvard. prof. william e. duellman supplied invaluable information and guidance in my study. i am grateful to prof. e. raymond hall for use of facilities of the museum of natural history and editorial assistance. i thank prof. laurence c. stuart and prof. edward h. taylor for information and suggestions. my own field experience in middle america came as a result of assisting professor duellman in his own researches supported by a grant from the national science foundation (nsf-g ). for these things i am deeply grateful. specimens that i have seen alive were collected by field companions dale l. hoyt and jerome b. tulecke. finally, i am grateful to my wife, margaret l. wellman, for much help including typing much of the manuscript. materials and methods of the specimens of the genus _conophis_ available to me, representing most of those in museum collections, scale counts were made in the usual manner on . ventrals were counted following the system proposed by dowling ( : - ); the anal plate was not included. the anteroposterior position of the place where reduction occurs in the number of the dorsal rows of scales is designated by citing the number of the ventral scale directly beneath that place. measurements were taken to the nearest millimeter by means of a millimeter stick. body length is the distance from the tip of the snout to the posterior edge of the anal plate; tail length, from the latter point to the tip of the tail; and total length, the sum of the body plus tail. descriptions of color are based on preserved specimens. where descriptions of the color of living individuals are given, the data were taken from kodachrome slides made available to me by william e. duellman. due to the transient nature of the longitudinal dark stripes in these snakes, no standard terminology has been devised, except that the posterior continuations of the stripes which on the head pass through the eye are termed lateral stripes; the posterior continuations of the median stripe of the head are termed dorsolateral stripes. a paravertebral stripe is one that is present on the scale-row on either side of, but not including, the mid-dorsal (vertebral) scale-row. in order to reduce confusion in the discussion of variation, the numbers designating the rows of dorsal scales are written as st, nd, whereas the numbers designating the stripes are written as first, second. except in three dried skeletons, teeth were counted on dentigerous bones _in situ_. since teeth are often missing, the sockets were counted in order to obtain an accurate count. in accounts of the species and subspecies, the observed range of variation is followed by the mean in parentheses; in some instances the mean is followed by the standard deviation, also in parentheses. an example is - ( . ± . ). each synonymy includes all generic and specific combinations known to me that have been used for the genus, and, in addition, references to catalogues, checklists, and reports of collections. localities of occurrence that are not plotted on the distribution maps are recorded in italic type under specimens examined. in the list of specimens examined the localities and specimens are listed in the following order: countries in alphabetical order; states or departments in alphabetical order in each country; localities in alphabetical order in each state or department; museum numbers in numerical order after the abbreviations of names of museums. when more than one specimen bears a single catalogue number, the number of specimens is given in parentheses following the museum catalogue number. specimens for which data are given only as to country or to state or department are listed first after the name of that political unit under "no specific locality." the abbreviations for the museum collections are: amnh american museum of natural history ansp academy of natural sciences of philadelphia bmnh british museum (natural history) cas california academy of sciences cnhm chicago natural history museum era-wtn e. ross allen-wilfred t. neill, ross allen's reptile institute ku university of kansas museum of natural history mcz museum of comparative zoology, harvard mvz museum of vertebrate zoology, university of california nmw naturhistorisches museums wien, vienna su stanford university natural history museum tcwc texas cooperative wildlife collection, agricultural and mechanical college of texas uf university of florida collections uimnh university of illinois museum of natural history ummz university of michigan museum of zoology usnm united states national museum family colubridae subfamily xenodontinae genus =conophis= peters _tomodon_ (part) duméril, bibron and duméril, erpétologie générale, (pt. ): , february (pt. ): , february , (_lineatus_ and _vittatus_); salvin, proc. zool. soc. london, : , (_pulcher_). _psammophis_ (part), günther, catalogue of colubrine snakes in the collection of the british museum, london, : (_lineatus_). _conophis_ peters, monatsb. akad. wiss. berlin, : - , pl., fig. (_vittatus_); cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , december , (_lineatus concolor_); proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : - , february , (_lineatus concolor_); proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ser. , : , (_pulcher_); bocourt in duméril, bocourt and mocquard, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, : - , pl. , fig. , (_lineatus lineatus_); cope, proc. amer. philos. soc., : , october , ; hoffmann, klassen und ordnungen des thier-reichs. reptilien. bd. , : , ; cope, trans. amer. philos. soc., : , april , ; dunn, bull. antivenin inst. amer., ( ): , , april, ; copeia, no. : , december , (_nevermanni_). _tachymenis_ (in part), garman, bull. essex inst., : , january , (_vittatus_ and _lineatus_). _erythrolamprus_ (in part), ditmars, bull. antivenin inst. amer., ( ): - , june. _coniophanes_ (in part), wettstein, sitz. akad. wiss. wien, mathem-naturw. kl. : - , (_nevermanni_). _historical summary._--in duméril, bibron and duméril described and figured _tomodon lineatum_ from america. in peters described and figured as a new genus and species, _conophis vittatus_, based on a specimen that he had obtained from a dealer in hamburg. the provenance of this specimen is not known, for it was discovered aboard a ship near the mouth of the mississippi river. it was not until that cope included _lineatus_ in the genus _conophis_. cope ( ) proposed the name _conophis vittatus_ (_nec_ peters, ). later ( ) he changed its name to _conophis lineaticeps_. early uncertainty of the relationships of the species _lineatus_ caused günther ( ) to place it in the genus _psammophis_. with the exception of garman ( a and b) who placed _lineatus_ in the genus _tachymenis_, and wettstein ( ) who reported five specimens of _conophis nevermanni_ as _coniophanes i. imperialis_, all specimens reported after were placed in the genus _conophis_. the only previous attempt to review the systematics of this genus was made by smith ( ) who based his study primarily on specimens in the united states national museum. he examined only specimens, including none of one species (_nevermanni_). _description._--hemipenis slightly bifurcate having forked sulcus spermaticus, large spines near base, and smaller spines or papillae on flounces nearer apices; prediastemal maxillary teeth - , subequal in length, and followed by short diastema and one enlarged fang or two; fangs grooved, only one functional at any one time, unless snake is in process of shedding teeth; teeth - on palatine, to on pterygoid, to on dentary; teeth on dentary decreasing in size posteriorly; large parotid (venom) gland on either side of head in temporal region; head shields of basically unmodified colubrid type excepting decurved rostral; rostral concave below and therein modified for burrowing; internasals and prefrontals paired; nasals divided; loreal single; preocular one, rarely two; postoculars, two; supralabials, - , rd and th or th and th under eye; infralabials, - , usually or ; temporals, normally plus plus ; chin-shields subequal in length; ventrals, - , rounded and overlapping; caudals, - , paired and imbricate; anal divided; dorsal scales smooth and in rows at mid-body with no apical pits or keels; scale reduction normally involving fusion of rd and th rows, resulting in scale-rows near tail; tail length more than per cent of body length; maximum total length exceeding . meters; dorsal color pattern consisting of dark stripes, or no darkening, on paler ground-color; ventral surfaces immaculate pale yellowish or white, except on specimens having single lateral dark spots on some or all ventrals; pupil round; diurnal or crepuscular; feeding primarily on small lizards, sometimes on small mammals or other snakes. _distribution._--semi-arid regions of southern méxico and central america as far south as costa rica. key to the species and subspecies although many juveniles differ greatly in general coloration from the adults, both the juveniles and the adults of any species or subspecies can be identified from the following key; juveniles differ from adults in extent and intensity of dark pigmentation but not in rows of scales involved. . seven supralabials ( rd and th below orbit); to dark stripes along body eight supralabials ( th and th below orbit); unstriped or with more than dark stripes along body, or dark with or pale stripes . dark stripes involving no more than one longitudinal scale-row _c. lineatus lineatus_ (part), p. dark stripes involving at least two adjacent scale-rows _c. vittatus_, p. . supralabials having black borders above; head and body generally black with or white lines running length of body _c. nevermanni_, p. supralabials immaculate or having dark borders below; head and body usually pale with dark stripes, or without stripes . lateral dark stripe through eye involving upper half of second scale-row; dark stripe on paravertebral row, at least posteriorly _c. pulcher_, p. lateral dark stripe becoming indistinct on body, or restricted to th or rd and th rows anteriorly, not involving nd scale-row on anterior / of body (an auxiliary lateral stripe sometimes present involving nd row); no paravertebral stripes . stripes disappearing posteriorly (except for small spots of pigment on scale-row or ); st scale-row unpigmented _c. lineatus concolor_, p. stripes present posteriorly; st scale-row pigmented . lateral stripes narrow on nape, restricted to th scale-row on body _c. lineatus lineatus_ (part), p. lateral stripes involving rd and th rows, at least on nape _c. lineatus dunni_, p. analysis of characters characters showing inter-specific and intra-specific variation and that have a wide range of variation were analyzed statistically, when possible, in order to determine extent of variation. one character (see table ) was analyzed for sexual dimorphism, and for it the coefficient of difference is also given. the statistical terms and formulae have been adopted from mayr, linsley and usinger ( ). dorsal head shields varied individually and were of no taxonomic importance. osteological and hemipeneal characters did not show enough variation to be considered here. scutellation labials, dorsals, ventrals, and subcaudals were the most useful scales. _labials._--all species usually have eight supralabials except _c. vittatus_, which has seven. the only other population having a relatively high frequency of occurrence of seven supralabials is _c. l. lineatus_. in specimens having eight supralabials, the fourth and fifth enter the orbit; in specimens having seven supralabials, the third and fourth enter the orbit (the second and third are fused). usually there are ten infralabials, sometimes nine or eleven; specimens having seven supralabials usually have nine infralabials, sometimes eight, rarely ten. _dorsals._--although there is no variation in the number of rows of dorsal scales, there is some in the method of scale reduction. there are rows of dorsal scales from close behind the head to about midway on the body where two rows are lost, leaving rows from there to near the base of the tail. this reduction is accomplished by fusion of the scales of the rd and th rows or sometimes by the dropping out of the rd row. the place at which reduction occurs in number of dorsal scales in relation to the ventral (scale) directly below is highly variable and of little taxonomic importance (table ). table .--variation in the place of dosal scale reduction in conophis. key to columns ==================================== std. dev. = standard deviation std. err. = standard error coe. var. = coefficient of variation ==============+===========+========+=======+======+======+====== | number of | | | std. | std. | coe. taxon | specimens | range | mean | dev. | err. | var. --------------+-----------+--------+-------+------+------+------ _l. concolor_ | | - | . | . | . | . _l. dunni_ | | - | . | . | . | . _l. lineatus_ | | - | . | . | . | . _nevermanni_ | | - | . | . | . | . _pulcher_ | | - | . | . | . | . _vittatus_ | | - | . | . | . | . --------------+-----------+--------+-------+------+------+------ _ventrals._--the number of ventral scutes varies from - , and shows no significant variation in the means (table ). _subcaudals._--the number of subcaudal scutes varies from to . in some populations there is no overlap in the range of variation of males and females. the total variation and sexual dimorphism are analyzed in table . size and proportions although considerable variation in size is observable, little taxonomic use is made of size since sufficient series are not available to determine age classes. the subspecies attaining the largest size is _c. lineatus concolor_; all others are smaller and of about the same size and proportions. the longest specimen, a male of _c. l. concolor_, has a body length of mm., a tail length of mm., and a total length of mm. table .--variation in the number of ventrals in conophis. key to columns ==================================== std. dev. = standard deviation std. err. = standard error coe. var. = coefficient of variation ==============+===========+=========+=======+======+======+====== | number of | | | std. | std. | coe. taxon | specimens | range | mean | dev. | err. | var. --------------+-----------+---------+-------+------+------+------ _l. concolor_ | | - | . | . | . | . _l. dunni_ | | - | . | . | . | . _l. lineatus_ | | - | . | . | . | . _nevermanni_ | | - | . | . | . | . _pulcher_ | | - | . | . | . | . _vittatus_ | | - | . | . | . | . --------------+-----------+---------+-------+------+------+------ table .--sexual dimorphism as indicated by variation in the number of subcaudals in conophis. key to columns ==================================== num. spc. = number of specimens std. dev. = standard deviation std. err. = standard error coe. var. = coefficient of variation coe. dif. = coefficient of difference ====================+=====+====+=======+======+======+======+======+===== | |num.| | | std. | std. | coe. | coe. taxon | sex |spc.| range | mean | dev. | err. | var. | dif. --------------------+-----+----+-------+------+------+------+------+----- _lineatus concolor_ | [m] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | . | [f] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | _lineatus dunni_ | [m] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | . | [f] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | _lineatus lineatus_ | [m] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | . | [f] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | _nevermanni_ | [m] | | - | . | .... | .... | .... | | | | | | | | | .... | [f] | | - | . | .... | .... | .... | | | | | | | | | _pulcher_ | [m] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | . | [f] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | _vittatus_ | [m] | | - | . | . | . | . | | | | | | | | | . | [f] | | - | . | . | . | . | --------------------+-----+----+-------+------+------+------+------+----- color pattern this is the primary feature used to separate species and subspecies in this genus. the color pattern consists of three black or deep brown stripes on the dorsal part of the head, one mid-dorsally, and one on each side of the head passing through the eye. on the body, there are usually dark longitudinal stripes on a pale tan or white background. there may be as few as three in _vittatus_, and as many as in _l. dunni_; except that there is none in _c. l. concolor_. there are two pairs of primary dark stripes. the first is the body stripe that is the posterior extension of the stripe which on the head passes through the eye and is termed the lateral stripe. the other primary stripe is the posterior continuation of the mid-dorsal head stripe. usually it is split into two dorsolateral stripes on the body. stripes may be present on the scale-row to either side of the primary stripe. these stripes are usually dark brown or black and are the secondary stripes. finally, additional stripes may be present that are paler brown and bear no direct relationship to the primary stripes. these are auxiliary stripes. every stripe originates either as broad continuous stripe or as a row of spots or dashes, forming a discontinuous stripe, which in some specimens becomes continuous posteriorly. the stripes are usually black or deep brown, although auxiliary stripes are sometimes paler. the dorsal ground color is pale brown, tan, olive, or white; usually the ground color is palest ventrally and darkest dorsally. in some specimens of _conophis_ the lateral tips of the ventrals are spotted, one spot on each end of each ventral. otherwise, the ventrals are immaculate white. in some species there is considerable ontogenetic change in color pattern, although the juveniles bear the basic color characteristics of the adults. for example, juveniles of the sympatric species _c. lineatus dunni_ and _c. pulcher_ can be separated on the basis of which scale-rows are darkly pigmented. _c. l. dunni_ has eight stripes in juveniles and as many as in adults. juveniles show a greater contrast between the black stripes and the pale ground color than do adults. with increased age (size) the stripes in some populations become paler and are split; simultaneously the ground color becomes darker. sexual dimorphism sexual dimorphism is evident in all species and subspecies of _conophis_. differences always exist in the number of subcaudals and in the tail/body ratio; males have more subcaudals and relatively longer tails than do females (table ). otherwise, there is little sexual dimorphism in these snakes. males and females cannot be differentiated by any feature of coloration. formulation of a biological concept of the species as defined by mayr ( ) is difficult when most of the data primarily relied upon are from preserved specimens. nevertheless, a total view of variation was attempted so that differences within and between populations could be recognized. differences, between populations, that seem to be part of a continuous or internal cline (huxley, ) are not used for characterizing subspecies. [illustration: fig. . patterns of dorsal coloration at mid-body of adults of all species and subspecies of the genus _conophis_ except _c. lineatus concolor_. a. _c. lineatus dunni_ (ummz ) from santa rosa, guatemala. b. _c. lineatus dunni_ (ummz ) from . mi. n matagalpa, nicaragua. c. _c. lineatus dunni_ (ansp ) from "san jose," costa rica. d. _c. l. lineatus_ (ku ) from río blanco, km. wnw piedras negras, veracruz, méxico. e. _c. nevermanni_ (ansp ) "san jose," costa rica. f. _c. pulcher_ (uimnh ) from soconusco, chiapas, méxico. g. _c. vittatus_ (ku ) from atencingo, puebla, méxico. h. _c. vittatus_ (tcwc ) from mi. s colotlipa, guerrero, méxico. i. _c. vittatus_ (ummz ) from "vicinity of" salina cruz, oaxaca, méxico. approximately × / .] =conophis lineatus= (duméril, bibron and duméril) _tomodon lineatum_ (in part) duméril, bibron and duméril, Érpétologie genérale, (pt. ): - , february , . _diagnosis._--no dark pigmentation posterior to nape; lateral dark stripe anteriorly passing through eye and posteriorly involving th or rd and th scale-rows only; first scale-row darkly pigmented; no paravertebral dark stripe; six to thirteen (or no) dark stripes at mid-body; usually eight (sometimes seven) supralabials immaculate white or having dark ventral margins. _variation._--the variation in this species is discussed more completely in the descriptions of the subspecies. one hundred and seven specimens have to ( . ) ventrals. eighty-eight of these snakes having complete tails have to ( . ) subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from to ( . ) in of these. on specimens the reduction from to dorsal scale-rows takes place between ventrals and ( . ). sexual dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; there are, on the average, fewer subcaudals in females than in males of each subspecies. the largest specimen is a male _c. l. concolor_ (usnm ) from chichén itzá, yucatán, méxico, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. the smallest is a juvenile _c. l. dunni_ (mcz ) from tegucigalpa, honduras, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. the greatest variation is in coloration. dark color, or lack thereof, has been used to separate the subspecies of _c. lineatus_. the ground-color is pale brown, pale olive or white, either with no stripes on the body or with eight to thirteen dark stripes at mid-body. specimens having dark stripes on the body always have black or dark brown pigmentation on the first, th and th dorsal scale-rows. in some there is dark pigmentation on the nd, rd, th and th rows of scales. the stripes appear on the nape or farther posteriorly, usually on the anterior third of the body, either as a series of spots or dashes that form a continuous stripe farther posteriorly or as a continuous stripe. the ventrals usually have more or less conspicuous dark spots laterally on those specimens having dark stripes present on the dorsum; spots are absent on all specimens having no dorsal stripes and on some specimens having dorsal stripes. except for the dark lateral spots (when present) the ventrals are immaculate white. usually the dorsal ground-color is pale tan, especially on the striped forms. the ground-color is usually palest on the lower dorsal scale rows and darkest dorsally. three populations are separable as subspecies; one has no stripes on the body and occurs in the yucatán peninsula. the other two have stripes on the dorsum and vary clinally in coloration from the north (veracruz, méxico) to south (costa rica) (fig. ). reasons for separating these widespread, variable snakes into two subspecies are that they are discontinuous in distribution (the population in veracruz is disjunct from the one that extends from guatemala to costa rica), and that these populations have distinctly different color patterns. [illustration: fig. . selected locality records for the subspecies of _conophis lineatus_.] =conophis lineatus dunni= smith _psammophis lineatus_, günther, catalogue of colubrine snakes in the collection of the british museum, p. , . _conophis lineatus_, cope, rd ann. rept. peabody acad. sci., p. , ; proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , october , ; journ. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ser. , : , ; bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , ; günther, biologia centrali-americana, p. , march, ; boulenger, catalogue of the snakes in the british museum (natural history), : - , ; werner, arch. naturges., , abt. a, : , ; schmidt, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., : - , november , ; amaral, mem. inst. butantan, : , ; werner, zool. jahrb., : , ; stuart, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , june , ; dunn, copeia, no. : , december , . _conophis lineatus similis_ smith, journ. washington acad. sci., : - , march , (type.--united states national museum, no. ; type locality.--managua, nicaragua; _nec_ bocourt _in_ duméril, bibron and mocquard, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, : - , ); cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _conophis lineatus dunni_ smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus. : - , november , ; savage, trans. kansas acad. sci., : - , december , ; taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): , october , ; neill and allen, publ. res. div. ross allen's rept. inst., : , november , ; herpetologica, : - , fig. , september , . _conophis pulcher pulcher_, stuart, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , june , ; contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , may, ; contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , august, ; contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : - (part), march, . _conophis pulcher plagosus_, mertens, zool. anz., : , february, ; abhand. senken. naturw. gesell., : - , december , . _conophis lineatus nevermanni_, taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): - , fig. , october , . _type._--united states national museum, no. , obtained by lt. h. c. kellers. type locality: managua, nicaragua. there are also three paratypes; one a topotype (usnm ), one from "nicaragua" (usnm ), and one from esparta, costa rica (usnm ). _diagnosis._--lateral dark stripe anteriorly passing through eye and posteriorly involving rd and th scale-rows; st scale-row darkly pigmented; no paravertebral dark stripe, although vertebral row sometimes darkly pigmented; six to thirteen stripes at mid-body; eight supralabials immaculate or having dark ventral margins. _variation._--thirty-six specimens have to ( . ± . ) ventrals. thirty of these snakes having complete tails have to ( . ± . ) subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from to ( . ). in specimens the reduction from to dorsal scales takes place between ventrals and ( . ± . ). sexual dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; females have to ( . ), and males have to ( . ) subcaudals. the largest specimen (era-wtn bh- ) is a female from augustine, british honduras, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. a juvenile (mcz ) from tegucigalpa, honduras, has a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. the greatest variation is in coloration. the ground-color is pale brown or white with dark stripes of black or deep brown present dorsally and laterally. some specimens from costa rica have as many as dark stripes at mid-body (fig. , c). in these snakes the first row of dorsal scales bears a series of large, slightly elongated, dark spots; on the nd row a narrow dark brown stripe on the middle of the scales; on the rd a black stripe on the dorsal one-third to one-half of the scales; on the th and the th rows black stripes on the medial half of the scales of each row; on the th and th (vertebral) rows dark brown stripes on the medial third of the scales of each row. a specimen from guatemala (ummz ) shows the greatest reduction of stripes and dark pigmentation (fig. , a); it has only eight stripes at mid-body: on the first row of dorsal scales a discontinuous stripe is formed by a series of dashes; the rd row bears a series of small black spots near the base and tip of each scale; the th and th rows bear continuous black stripes on the medial third to fourth of the scales of each row; the th row has extremely small dark spots near the tips of some scales. the primary stripes, characteristic of the species _lineatus_, are those on the st, th and th rows of dorsal scales; these are the most prominent stripes. in some specimens these primary stripes begin as spots or dashes on the nape and become continuous stripes posteriorly; in others they are continuous for the length of the body. the stripe on the st row is most variable; usually it consists of only a discontinuous series of dashes for most of its length. the secondary stripes are those on the rd and th rows; of these, only the one on the rd scale-row is present on the nape. the stripe on the rd row in combination with the dark stripe on the th row is the posterior continuation of the dark stripe that on the head passes through the eye; this stripe is characteristic of _c. lineatus dunni_. both secondary stripes usually begin anteriorly as a series of spots or dashes and become continuous stripes posteriorly; occasionally near the base of the tail they fuse with the primary stripes on the th and th rows. in some specimens in costa rica indistinct stripes are present on the th (posteriorly the th) rows, and in some specimens in honduras, nicaragua, and costa rica similar indistinct stripes are present on the nd row. usually there are more or less conspicuous dark spots laterally on the ventrals, but in some specimens there are no spots. except for the dark lateral spots (when present) the ventrals are immaculate white. the dorsal ground-color is a pale brown or brownish white in preserved specimens on the st, nd, rd and th rows of scales where dark stripes or spots are not present. the ground-color of the dorsum between the th rows on each side is a somewhat darker shade of pale to medium brown. never is more than the lower one-third of each of the supralabials brown. in many specimens little or no brown is present on the lower margins of these scales. some of the specimens having brown on the supralabials also have dusky markings of tan or gray on the chin and infralabials. specimens from the northern part of the range (guatemala) less frequently have dark chins and supralabials than do specimens from the southern part of the range (costa rica). there is, nevertheless, at any one locality considerable variation in the amount of dark pigmentation present on the chin and supralabials, thereby indicating that the slight geographic trend in this character is not significant. probably the most common pattern of dorsal coloration consists of eight or ten dark stripes (fig. , b). in snakes having this pattern the stripes on the st, rd, th and th rows are always present and prominent, although those on the st and rd rows sometimes are present as discontinuous rows of dashes. the ground-color from the venter to the th row is usually pale brown, and that dorsally between the th rows on each side is usually a darker, medium brown. a series of spots or dashes or a continuous stripe is sometimes present on the th row of scales. snakes having a larger number of dark stripes and more dark pigmentation occur in the southern part of the range. there seems to be a cline from paler snakes having fewer stripes in the north to darker snakes in the south. [illustration: fig. . patterns of dorsal coloration at mid-body of juveniles of two sympatric species of _conophis_. a. _c. lineatus dunni_ (mcz ) from tegucigalpa, honduras. b. _c. pulcher_ (mcz ) from tegucigalpa, honduras. approximately × .] in juveniles, there are six or eight black stripes boldly contrasting with a white or pale tan ground-color (fig. , a). the first pair of stripes is on the st scale-row; the second pair, on the rd and th scale-rows; the third pair, on the th row; the fourth pair (when present), on the th row. ontogenetic change in coloration consists of the splitting of the second pair of dark stripes in the juvenile. additional stripes may form later on the nd and/or th rows of dorsal scales. _remarks._--savage ( : - ) stated that his specimen of _c. l. dunni_ (from honduras) resembled _l. lineatus_ in having secondary stripes on the nd and th rows and dark pigmentation throughout the length of the nd row. as can be seen from the preceding discussion of variation, a specimen having this color pattern is clearly within the observed range of variation of _l. dunni_. the specimen in no way represents an intergrade between _c. l. dunni_ and _l. lineatus_. a specimen in the british museum (natural history), catalogued in (no. . . . ), has the locality listed as "méxico." since this specimen is of _c. l. dunni_ and this subspecies occurs only south of méxico, the locality must be considered erroneous; possibly the locality as recorded referred only to the fact that the specimen came from tropical middle america. the absence of paravertebral stripes, the presence of a lateral dark stripe on the nape involving the rd and th rows of scales, and the darkly pigmented st scale-row, in combination with the characteristics of the genus, distinguish _c. l. dunni_ from all other snakes in méxico and central america. the only sympatric species of this genus, _c. pulcher_, differs in that it has paravertebral stripes (though never a vertebral dark stripe). _conophis pulcher_ has a lateral dark stripe that includes the upper half of the second scale-row on the anterior part of the body; stripes of _c. l. dunni_ never include more than the rd and th rows. even as juveniles the paravertebral row is not darkly pigmented in _c. l. dunni_ as it is in _c. pulcher_. _distribution._--semi-arid habitats from sea level to elevations of m. from the cuilco valley in western guatemala, el peten and british honduras southeastward to northeastern and southern honduras, western nicaragua and northwestern costa rica (fig. ). _specimens examined._--total of specimens, as follows: british honduras: _cayo district_: augustine, era-wtn bh- ; _mountain pine ridge, mi. e augustine_, era-wtn bh- . costa rica: _no specific locality_, amnh . "_cartago_," bmnh . . . . _puntarenas_: km. n barranca, ku ; esparta, usnm . "_san josé_," ansp , . el salvador: _morazan_: el divisadero, cnhm . _san miguel: san pedro_, mcz . guatemala: _el petén_: sojio (toocog), amnh , . _huehuetenango_: flood plain río cuilco, w of finca canibal, km. n tacaná, ummz . _santa rosa_: santa rosa, ummz . honduras: _no specific locality_, amnh , uf . _cortes: cofradía_, su ; _gracias_, cnhm ; _hacienda de santa ana, w san pedro sula_, cnhm ; san pedro sula, ummz ( ); _near san pedro sula_, mcz . _francisco morazan: potrero de melio, escuela agricola pan-americana_, mcz ; tegucigalpa, mcz , , - , , . mÉxico: _no specific locality_, bmnh . . . . nicaragua: _no specific locality_, ummz , usnm . _leon_: el polvón, mcz , . _managua_: managua, usnm - ; _ mi. sw managua_, ku ; _ mi. wnw managua_, ku ; _ mi. n sabana grande_, ku - . _matagalpa_: . mi. n matagalpa, ummz . =conophis lineatus lineatus= (duméril, bibron and duméril) _tomodon lineatum_ (in part) duméril, bibron and duméril, Érpétologie genérale, (pt. ): - , atlas, pl. , february , ; bocourt, journ. de zool., : - , . _tomodon lineatus_, jan, arch. zool. anat. fis., genoa, ( ): , march ; elenco sistematico degli ofidi. milano, p. , ; muller, reisen in den vereinigten staaten, canada, und méxico. bd. . beitrage zur geschichte, statistik, und zoologie von mexiko. : , ; jan and sordelli, iconographie generale des ophidiens, milano. liv. , pl. , fig. , december, ; liv. , pl. , fig. , november, . _tachymenis lineata_ (in part), garman, bull. essex inst., : , january , ; mem. mus. comp. zool., : - , july, . _conophis lineatus_, bocourt _in_ duméril, bocourt and mocquard, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, : - , pl. , fig. , ; cope, trans. amer. philos. soc., : , pl. , fig. , (hemipenis), april , ; boulenger, catalogue of the snakes in the british museum (natural history), : - (part), ; cope, ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , pp. - , , pl. , fig. , (hemipenis), ; amaral, mem. inst. butantan, : , ; mittleman, copeia, no. : , june , . _conophis lineatus lineatus_, smith, journ. washington acad. sci., : , march , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , november , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; shannon and smith, trans. kansas acad. sci., : , december , ; smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): , march , ; werler and smith, texas journ. sci. ( ): , december , ; fugler and dixon, herpetologica, : , december , . _type._--museum national d'histoire naturelle, paris, no. . type locality.--"méxico," restricted to veracruz, veracruz, méxico, by smith and taylor ( : ). little is known about the type specimen, and nothing, concerning its collector or the locality at which it was collected. smith ( : ) assumed that the specimen illustrated by bocourt in duméril, bocourt, and mocquard ( :pl. , fig. ) was the type of _c. l. lineatus_. i have also made this assumption concerning the identity of the type specimen of this species, especially because of the many inconsistencies appearing in the plate accompanying the description by duméril, bibron and duméril ( :pl. ), and by jan and sordelli ( :pl. ). neither show the nape nor a regular number of dorsal scales by which accurate determination of color pattern can be made and by means of which _c. l. dunni_ and _c. l. lineatus_ can be separated. _diagnosis._--lateral dark stripe anteriorly passing through eye and posteriorly involving fourth scale-row only; first scale-row darkly pigmented; no paravertebral stripe; no dark pigment on vertebral row; six or eight dark stripes at mid-body, secondary stripes often present posteriorly; usually eight (sometimes seven) supralabials immaculate or having dark ventral margins. _variation._--twenty-six specimens have to ( . ± . ) ventrals. twenty of these snakes having complete tails have to ( . ± . ) subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from to ( . ) in nineteen of these. in specimens the reduction from to dorsal scale-rows takes place between ventrals and ( . ± . ). sexual dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; nine females have to ( . ), and males have to ( . ) subcaudals. the largest specimen (amnh ) is a male from "méxico," having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. no small juveniles have been examined; the smallest specimen (amnh ) is a male from veracruz, méxico, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. the greatest variation is in coloration. in preserved specimens the ground-color is white, tannish-white, or often pale blue, with dark stripes of black or deep brown present dorsolaterally and laterally. secondary stripes of paler brown are sometimes present, but the pale browns have faded badly on many specimens. normally four black stripes are present at mid-body--a lateral pair on the th row of dorsal scales and a dorsolateral pair on the th row (fig. , d). the lateral pair is the posterior continuation of the stripe that on the head passes through the eye; it continues on the nape as a narrow stripe on the th row only. in a few specimens the lateral stripe broadens to include the upper third of the rd row posterior to the nape. in some specimens both the dorsolateral and lateral dark stripes are present on the nape as a row of elongated spots or dashes that become continuous stripes of even width one-third to one-half of the distance posteriorly along the body; in other specimens the stripes are continuous on the nape. posterior to the place of dorsal scale-reduction from to rows by the fusion of the rd and th rows, the lateral and dorsolateral stripes are moved downward by one row. in some specimens secondary black or dark brown stripes are present in the form of a series of dashes on the th and th rows; posterior to the place of scale reduction, these dashes are on the th and th rows. these dashes form a continuous stripe near the base of the tail. on the tail the secondary and primary stripes on adjacent rows sometimes fuse into a single broader stripe. usually the st row of dorsal scales is dark brown; in some specimens the brown on the st or th row has faded in preservative. a few specimens have small black spots on the moderate brown background of the st row; in others the st row is only a somewhat darker brown than the ground-color. the nd row sometimes is a medium brown, and appears to be an additional stripe. the ventrals usually have more or less conspicuous dark spots laterally; in some specimens there are no spots. except for the lateral spots (when present) the ventrals are immaculate white. the dorsal ground-color is pale brownish-white, white or pale blue between the th and th rows of dorsal scales and dorsally between the th rows on each side. stripes are never present on the uniformly pale colored th, th and vertebral scale-rows. usually there are eight supralabials on each side; however, seven of the specimens examined have seven supralabials on each side, and three others have seven on one side, and eight on the other. never is more than the lower third of the supralabials dark brown. in many specimens little or no brown is on the supralabials. there is little or no brown on the chin. variation in coloration and in number of supralabials appears to be of no geographic significance. although no juveniles have been collected, i expect that juveniles resemble adults in coloration. probably there would be a greater contrast between the dark stripes and the pale ground-color in juveniles. in life an adult from three miles northwest of lerdo de tejada, veracruz, méxico (ummz ), had black stripes on the th and th rows of dorsal scales, and black spots on a brown background on the st row. the nd row had a medial, pale to medium brown auxiliary stripe on a brownish-white background. posterior to the nape the rd row was medium brown. the area between the th and th rows and the dorsum between the th row of scales on each side was a pale brownish-white. posterior to the place of scale-reduction the primary stripes were displaced downward by one row to the rd and th rows and secondary stripes originated as elongated spots on the th and th rows. near the tail the secondary stripes were broad and continuous. the head was white or tannish-white with three dark brown or black stripes. _remarks._--in his diagnosis of _c. l. lineatus_, smith ( : ) states: "lateral dark stripe ... very narrow posterior to nape, extending along fourth scale row; posteriorly a stripe along third and eighth (farther posteriorly the seventh) scale rows; a narrow dark stripe along sixth scale row, continuous throughout length of body...." i fail to find a dark stripe on the th row throughout the length of the body. in all specimens that i have seen, there is a dark stripe on the th row anteriorly and on the th row posteriorly. in many specimens the stripes on the rd and th (posteriorly the th) scale-rows are absent or present so far posteriorly that the th row is never involved. the dark brown on the first scale-row and the presence of a lateral dark stripe on the th row of dorsal scales only, in combination with the characteristics of the genus, distinguish _c. l. lineatus_ from all other snakes in méxico. _distribution._--semi-arid habitats on the coastal plain of veracruz, méxico, from tecolutla to lerdo de tejada and piedras negras (fig. ). _specimens examined._--total of , as follows: mÉxico: _no specific locality_, amnh - , - , - , nmw . _veracruz: no specific locality_, amnh - , cas , nmw ; _ km. s alvarado_, ku ; _ mi. n alvarado_, uimnh ; mi. se boca del río, uimnh ; etiopa, mi. s tecolutla, uimnh ; _ca._ mi. e jalapa, amnh ; mi. nw lerdo de tejada, ummz - ; paso del macho, usnm ; río blanco, km. wnw piedras negras, ku ; veracruz, amnh , uf ; _w side veracruz_, amnh ; _ mi. w veracruz_, amnh , . =conophis lineatus concolor= cope _conophis vittatus_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : , december , (_nec_ peters, ; type.--united states national museum, no. ; type locality--"petén," guatemala); journ. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ser. , : , ; bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _conophis concolor_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : - , february , ; journ. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ser. , : , ; bocourt _in_ duméril, bocourt and mocquard, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, : , ; müller, verh. ges. basel, : , ; cope, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : ; ; ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , p. , ; schmidt and andrews, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., : , october , ; andrews, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., : , december , ; smith, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , october , ; taylor and smith, univ. kansas sci. bull., : , july , ; smith, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., : , january , ; cochran, bull. u. s. nat. mus., : , ; neill and allen, herpetologica, : - , fig. , april , . _conophis lineatus_ (in part), günther, biologica centrali-americana, p. , march, ; gaige _in_ pearse, _et al._ carnegie inst. washington publ., : , february , . _conophis lineaticeps_ cope, ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , pp. - , (substitute name for _conophis vittatus_ cope, , _nec_ peters, ). _conophis lineatus concolor_, smith, journ. washington acad. sci., : - , march , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , november , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): , march , . _types._--two in the united states national museum, no. (two specimens). type locality: "yucatán," restricted to chichén itzá, yucatán, méxico by smith and taylor ( : ). _diagnosis._--dark stripes either absent posterior to the nape, or present as a row of small spots on fourth or seventh scale-row; no dark stripe on first scale-row; eight supralabials having dark ventral margins. _variation._--forty-five specimens have to ( . ± . ) ventrals. thirty-eight of these snakes having complete tails have to ( . ± . ) subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from to ( . ). in specimens the reduction from to dorsal scales takes place between ventrals and ( . ± . ). sexual dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; females have to ( . ), and males have to ( . ) subcaudals. the longest specimen (usnm ) is a male from chichén itzá, yucatán, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm., and a total length of mm. a juvenile (amnh ) from chichén itzá, yucatán, has a body length of mm., a tail length of mm., and a total length of mm. the venter is immaculate white or pale yellow and the dorsum of the body is immaculate pale gray to pale olive. some specimens have small dark brown spots on the tips of the scales of the th or of the th row, but never on both. only on the nape are spots present on both the th and the th rows; these spots are the posterior continuations of the dark stripes on the head and on many specimens do not reach the nape. posterior to the place of scale reduction from to rows by the fusion of the rd and th rows of scales, the dark spots (when present) are on the rd or th row of scales. the coloration of juveniles is the same as that of adults. color in life is thought not too different from that of preserved specimens, for notes on the color of living individuals (neill and allen, : ) agree with what i have observed on preserved snakes. _remarks._--the specimen from "petén" (usnm, no. ) is the only specimen that has a controversial history. as can be seen from the synonymy of the species, the relationship of this specimen with the rest of the genus has been interpreted in several ways. smith ( : - ) stated that the above specimen was catalogued as being from el salvador; however, the locality was presumed by him to be el petén, guatemala, due to the presence in the bottle of a piece of paper inscribed "_conophis vittatus_, petén, j. m. dow." this specimen is the one mentioned by cope ( : , : , and : - ), and in the first paper is ascribed to guatemala. in this specimen was named _c. lineaticeps_ by cope who thought the specimen differed significantly from _c. concolor_ (cope, : - ). this specimen has the coloration normal for _c. l. concolor_ as far posteriorly as mid-body; beyond mid-body the dark lines, typical of _c. l. lineatus_ or of _c. l. dunni_, are present. it is likely that this specimen is an intergrade between _c. l. concolor_ and _c. l. dunni_, the other subspecies present in guatemala. the only specimen not from the yucatán peninsula is allegedly from patuca, honduras (usnm ). it was obtained in the 's. possibly more collecting will verify the presence of _c. l. concolor_ in northern honduras. this individual may be merely a genetically aberrant specimen from an area where normal specimens are _c. l. dunni_. neill and allen ( : - ) suggested that the specimen from patuca implies widely overlapping distributions for _c. l. dunni_ and _c. concolor_. the occurrence of _c. l. concolor_ in honduras needs to be verified before this assumption is made. there can, therefore, at present be no objection to the view that intergradation between the subspecies _c. l. dunni_ and _c. l. concolor_ could occur through a relatively broad area of el petén and british honduras. neill and allen ( : - ) further suggest that the present range of _c. l. dunni_ extends "presumably still farther northward toward the méxican state of veracruz where _c. l. lineatus_ exists." actually the presence of the subspecies _c. l. dunni_ and _c. l. lineatus_ as presently disjunct populations implies merely that they were presumably a continuous population at some time in the past. the characteristics of the genus in combination with the reduction of dark coloration posterior to the head distinguish this snake from all other snakes in méxico and central america. _distribution._--the yucatán peninsula: eastern campeche, all of yucatán, probably in quintana roo, and the northern third of british honduras. a record for northeastern honduras is questioned (fig. ). _specimens examined._--total of , as follows: british honduras: _belize district_: . mi. w, . mi. s belize, era-wtn bh- . guatemala: _el petén, no specific locality_, usnm . honduras: _colón_: patuca, usnm . mÉxico: _campeche_: champotón, ummz - ; encarnación, cnhm . _yucatán: no specific locality_, bmnh . . . ; chichén itzá, amnh , , cnhm - , - , - , - , , , mcz , , ummz , - , , usnm ; kantunil, cnhm , - , - , - ; _libré union_, cnhm , , - , ; mayapán, cnhm ; mérida, cnhm , , nmw ; progreso, cnhm ; tekom, cnhm ; yokdzonot, cnhm . =conophis nevermanni= dunn _coniophanes imperialis imperialis_, wettstein, sitz. akad. wiss. wien. mathem-naturw. kl., : - , . _conophis nevermanni_ dunn, copeia, no. : , december , ; smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , november , ; savage, trans. kansas acad. sci., : , december , ; taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): - , october , . _type._--academy of natural sciences of philadelphia, no. , obtained by emmet r. dunn from prof. manuel valerio. type locality: río poas de aserri (a few miles south of san josé), costa rica. _diagnosis._--head and body dark brown or black above with two or four white stripes along body; usually two white lines on head immediately above eye passing from canthus rosetralis posteriorly to connect with white stripe on th row of dorsal scales; eight supralabials with black margins above. _variation._--six specimens have to ( . ± . ) ventrals. five of these snakes having complete tails have to ( . ± . ) subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from to ( . ). in the six specimens the reduction from to dorsal scales takes place between ventrals and ( . ± . ). sexual dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; two females have and ( . ), and three males have to ( . ) subcaudals. the longest specimen (ansp ) is a female from san josé, costa rica, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. the dorsal coloration (fig. , e) varies from a black ground-color with two or four narrow white stripes to a dark brown ground-color with a series of black stripes and four white stripes. in the black specimens there are no dark stripes. the darkest specimen (nmw : ) has only two white stripes; these more or less continuous stripes are on the ventral third of the nd row of scales and occasionally on the dorsalmost part of the first scale-row. the venter is immaculate white except for black on the tips of the ventral scales. the dorsum above the nd scale-row is uniform black. there are no white stripes on the head. the palest specimen (nmw : ) has four dorsal white stripes; the lateral pair of these stripes is on the ventral half of the nd and the dorsal third of the st scale-rows; the dorsolateral pair is on the dorsal two-thirds of the th and the ventral third of the th rows of scales. this latter stripe is the posterior continuation of the white stripe on the head, which originates immediately posterior to the rostral scale and passes posteriorly along the canthus rostralis and along the lateral margin of the supraocular scale to the nape. posterior to the place of scale reduction, the dorsolateral white stripe is displaced ventrally one scale-row. except for black flecks or spots on the lateral margins of the ventrals, the venter is immaculate white. the dorsum above the lateral white stripes is brown and black; there is a pair of dorsolateral white stripes. the dorsal half of the nd, most of the rd, th and th rows of scales are black; the dorsal margin of the rd, both margins of the th, and the ventral margin of the th rows are paler brown. the dorsal two-thirds of the th, all but the dorsal most part of the th, and the middle two-thirds of the th scale-rows are black; the areas between are a medium brown. only six specimens are available on which to base a description of the variation in this species. furthermore, there are no juveniles, notes on the colors of living individuals, or photographs of this species. [illustration: fig. . selected locality records for _conophis pulcher_ and _conophis nevermanni_.] _remarks._--taylor ( : - ) hesitantly referred a specimen (ku ) from kilometers north of barranca, puntarenas province, costa rica, to _conophis lineatus nevermanni_. this specimen, a female, has ventrals and ventral scale-reduction taking place opposite the th ventral; both of these characters are well out of the range of _c. nevermanni_. furthermore, the ventral margins of the supralabials are brown, and the pale dorsal stripes are tan and too wide for _c. nevermanni_ (compare figs. , c and e). the specimen definitely is _c. lineatus dunni_, and corresponds well with another specimen from costa rica (ansp ). the dark brown or black dorsum with two or four white stripes and the presence of eight supralabials having dark brown dorsal margins, in combination with the characters of the genus, serve to distinguish _conophis nevermanni_ from other central american snakes. _distribution._--pacific coastal plain of northwestern costa rica and the meseta central of central costa rica (fig. ). _specimens examined._--total of six, as follows: costa rica: _guanacaste_: bebedero, río tenorio, nmw ( ). "_san josé_," ansp . =conophis pulcher= cope _tomodon lineatus_ (in part), salvin, proc. zool. soc. london, : , . _conophis pulcher_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ( ): , ; journ. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ser. , : , ; bocourt _in_ duméril, bocourt and mocquard, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, : - , pl. , fig. , ; ferrai-perez, proc. u. s. natl. mus., p. , september , ; cope, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , ; trans. amer. philos. soc., : , april , ; ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , p. , ; alvarez del toro, reptiles de chiapas, pp. - , . _tomodon pulcher_, bocourt, journ. de zool., p. , . _conophis pulcher_ var. _similis_ bocourt _in_ duméril, bocourt and mocquard, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, : - , pl. , fig. , [type.--museum national d'histoire naturelle, paris, no. ; type locality.--unknown, restricted to tonalá, chiapas, by smith and taylor ( : )]. _conophis lineatus_, günther, biologia centrali-americana, p. , march, ; boulenger, catalogue of the snakes in the british museum (natural history), : - , ; stuart, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , june , ; slevin, proc. california acad. sci. th ser., : , december , . _conophis pulcher pulcher_, smith, journ. washington acad. sci., : , march , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , november , ; stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : - (part), march, ; contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , november, ; cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _conophis pulcher plagosus_ smith, journ. washington acad. sci. : - , march , (type.--united states national museum, no. ; type locality: tonalá, chiapas); smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): , march , ; stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : - , march, ; cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _conophis pulcher similis_, smith, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , november , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : - , october , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): - , march , ; maldonado-koerdell, inst. mexicanos recursos nat. renov. pp. - , . _types._--three in the united states national museum, nos. ( specimens) and , obtained by henery hague. type locality: "petén," or "verapaz," guatemala. there is much doubt about localities for many of hague's specimens collected in the 's (stuart, : ). since _conophis pulcher_ is found predominantly in semi-arid environments, the types might have come from the semi-arid cahabón, negro, or salamá river basins--all places near the sugar plantation that hague managed at san jerónimo, baja verapaz. possibly the types were obtained from as far away as the motagua valley or the southeastern highlands of guatemala, both of which areas hague is known to have visited. _diagnosis._--paravertebral stripes present at least posteriorly (fig. , f); eight or ten stripes at mid-body; lateral dark stripe passing through eye anteriorly and including at least upper one-half of second scale-row from neck region posteriorly to place of scale reduction near mid-body; eight supralabials immaculate or having dark ventral margins. _variation._--twenty-six specimens have to ( . ± . ) ventrals. eighteen of these snakes with complete tails have to ( . ± . ) subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from to ( . ). in specimens the reduction from to dorsal scales takes place between ventrals and ( . ± . ). sexual dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; eleven females have to ( . ), and seven males have to ( . ) subcaudals. the longest specimen (amnh ) is a female from el zamarano, honduras, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. the smallest juvenile (mcz ) from tegucigalpa, honduras, has a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. the dorsal ground-color is pale brown or white; black or dark brown stripes are present dorsally and laterally. normally ten stripes are present at mid-body; the first pair on the first row of dorsal scales; the second pair on the upper half of nd and lower part of rd rows; the third pair on th row; the fourth pair on th and sometimes part of th rows; the fifth pair (paravertebral stripes) on the th row. posterior to the place of reduction from to rows by the fusion of the rd and th rows, the third, fourth and fifth pairs of stripes are displaced downward one row. sometimes the second and third pairs of stripes are fused resulting in only eight stripes at mid-body. on some specimens the fourth and fifth pairs of stripes are close together, but in none are they fused so as to result in a pattern of six stripes at mid-body. the paravertebral stripes begin anteriorly on the nape or at any point on the anterior one-third of the body and continue as discrete stripes onto the base of the tail. anteriorly these stripes are always broken into a series of dashes; posteriorly the stripes are continuous. in specimens in which the paravertebral stripes do not begin on the anterior-most part of the body, there is no paravertebral pigmentation anteriorly. in addition to the paravertebrals, the other dorsal dark stripes are variable. in some specimens the stripes are present anteriorly and gradually disappear near mid-body (the first dark stripe only on three specimens). in other specimens the stripes are present anteriorly as dashes and become continuous at mid-body; in others the stripes are continuous throughout. posteriorly continuous stripes are of uniform width; anteriorly sometimes they are wide on the tip of each scale and narrow on the base (fig. , f). the variation in continuity and width described above is found in all of the dorsal dark stripes. the ventrals usually have more or less conspicuous dark spots laterally; in some specimens there are no spots. except for the dark lateral spots, when present, the ventrals are immaculate white. usually the dorsal ground-color is a pale tan, especially between the first and second, and the third and fourth dark stripes. the areas between the second and third dark stripes and across the dorsum between the fourth stripes on each side are pale brown. in some specimens the dorsum between the paravertebral stripes is still paler brown. never is more than the lower third of the supralabials brown. many specimens have little brown, and others none. in most of those specimens having brown on the supralabials, the chin and infralabials are dusky tan or gray. there is little or no brown on the supralabials or the chin in the northern part of the range (chiapas), whereas the greatest amount of brown on the labials and chin is found on some specimens from the southern part of the range (honduras). since there is considerable variation in the amount of brown on the chin and labials of specimens from single localities, the slight geographic trend in this character seemingly is not significant. in juveniles six black or dark brown stripes boldly contrast with a white or pale tan ground-color. at mid-body the first pair of dark stripes is on the st scale row; the second pair on the rd and th rows; the third pair on the th, th and at least the lower half of the th rows (fig. , b). ontogenetic change in coloration consists of the splitting of the second and third pairs of dark stripes in the juvenile. the first stripe does not split. consequently adults have ten dark stripes. in life an adult from tonalá, chiapas, had black stripes. the ground-color below the second stripe, and between the third and fourth dark stripes was tan. the area between the second and third dark stripes was reddish-brown, as was the dorsum between the fourth pair of dark stripes, except that the th scale-row was paler. three excellent photographs of this species have been published under the name _conophis lineatus_ (ditmars, :pls. and ). _remarks._--smith ( : - ) described _c. pulcher plagosus_ from tonalá, chiapas, and characterized the subspecies by its having "( ) the ventrals completely unspotted; ( ) secondary lines on paravertebral rows not continuous posteriorly; ( ) all other lines on body also somewhat spotted in appearance; ( ) dusky markings on chin and supralabial border very dim (less distinct than in _p. pulcher_ or any member of the _lineatus_ series)." although all chiapan specimens lack ventral spots, specimens from guatemala have no spots, small spots, or large spots. even in specimens from tegucigalpa, honduras, the southernmost limit of the range, the spotting varies from a few inconspicuous spots to many large spots. paravertebral rows were continuous posteriorly in all specimens examined by me. likewise, all other stripes were continuous bands of uniform width posteriorly, having appeared anteriorly as rows of spots or dashes. the amount of brown on the chin and labials has been shown previously not to be geographically significant. the absence of characters of adequate significance to separate populations precludes the naming of subspecies in this species. mertens ( a: , and b: - ) designated three specimens from el salvador as _c. pulcher plagosus_. in the latter paper, mertens, on the basis of a description of a specimen of "_c. lineatus_" from divisadero, el salvador, given by schmidt ( : ), referred that specimen also to _c. pulcher plagosus_. i have examined this specimen and refer it to _c. lineatus dunni_. although i have not seen merten's specimens, on the basis of the excellent descriptions given by mertens ( b: - ), i refer the three salvadoranean specimens to _c. lineatus dunni_. the presence of paravertebral stripes in combination with the characteristics of the genus distinguish _conophis pulcher_ from all other snakes in southern méxico and central america. the only sympatric species of this genus, _c. lineatus dunni_, differs in that it lacks paravertebral stripes, although it may have a single vertebral stripe. _conophis lineatus dunni_ has lateral dark stripes that are present on the rd and th scale-rows, never on the anterior third of the body as in _c. pulcher_. even in juveniles the third pair of dark stripes includes the lower part of the th scale-row in _c. pulcher_, whereas the dorsal most dark stripe of _c. lineatus dunni_ never includes more than the lower part of the th scale-row. _distribution._--pacific coastal region of chiapas, méxico, southeastward into guatemala; southeastern highlands and the dry valley of central and eastern guatemala; caribbean lowlands of honduras southward to the region of tegucigalpa, honduras (fig. ). _specimens examined._--total of , as follows: guatemala: _no specific locality_, cnhm , nmw . _jutiapa_: hacienda mongoy, ummz . _el progreso_: el progreso, cas ; _el rancho_, ummz ; _san antonio_, cas . "peten," usnm ( ), . _sacatepequez_: dueñas, bmnh . . . , . . . - . _zacapa_: pepesca, amnh - . honduras: _no specific locality_, amnh . _cortes_: san pedro sula, cnhm - . _francisco morazan: el zamarano_, amnh ; tegucigalpa, mcz , - , , , . mÉxico: _chiapas_: _soconusco_, uimnh - ; tonalá, usnm . =conophis vittatus= peters _tomodon lineatum_ (in part), duméril, bibron and duméril, Érpétologie genérale, (pt. ): - , february , . _conophis vittatus_ peters, monatsb. akad. wiss. berlin, pp. - , pl., fig. , october, ; cope, proc. amer. philos. soc., : , ; bocourt _in_ duméril, bocourt and mocquard, mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale, : - , pl. , fig. , ; günther, biologia centrali-americana, p. , march, ; boulenger, catalogue of the snakes in the british museum (natural history), : - , ; cope, amer. nat., : , ; ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , pp. - , , ; gadow, proc. zool. soc. london, : , ; amaral, mem. inst. butantan, : , ; gadow, jorullo, p. , ; smith, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., : - , january , ; taylor and smith, univ. kansas sci. bull., : - , pl. , july , ; stuart, contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : , march, ; alvarez del toro, reptiles de chiapas, pp. - , . _conophis lineatus_ cope, proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ( ): , [_nec_ duméril, bibron and duméril, Érpétologie genérale, (pt. ): - , atlas, pl. , february , ; specimen from colima]; sumichrast, arch. sci. nat., p. , . _tomodon vittatus_, bocourt, journ. de zool., p. , . _conophis sumichrasti sumichrasti_ cope, journ. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ser. , : , (types.--united states national museum, nos. , ; type locality.--tehuantepec, méxico); bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , ; smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): , march , ; maldonado-koerdell, inst. mexicanos recursos nat. renov., p. , . _conophis sumichrasti viduus_ cope, journ. acad. nat. sci., philadelphia, ser. , : , (type.--united states national museum, no. ; type locality.--tehuantepec, méxico); bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , ; cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _conophis sumichrasti_, cope, proc. amer. philos. soc., : , august , ; sumichrast, bull. soc. zool. france, p. , ; cope, trans. amer. philos. soc., : , april , ; cochran, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , . _tachymenis lineata_ (in part), garman, mem. mus. comp. zool., : - , july, . _conophis vittatus sumichrasti_, cope, ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , p. , . _conophis vittatus videns_ cope, ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus., for , p. , (apparent _lapus_ for _viduus_). _conophis vittatus vittatus_, cope, ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , p. , ; smith, journ. washington acad. sci., : - , march , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , november , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; ann. carnegie mus., : , november , ; smith and taylor, bull. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; smith, rev. soc. mexicanos hist. nat., : , december, ; smith and taylor, univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): , march , ; davis and smith, herpetologica, : , january , ; maldonado-koerdell, inst. mexicanos recursos nat. renov., p. , ; peters, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , june , ; duellman, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , october , ; webb and fugler, herpetologica, : , march , ; duellman, occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : , march , ; zweifel, amer. mus. novitates, : , , june , ; duellman, univ. kansas publ. mus. nat. hist., ( ): - , december , . _conophis vittata_, gadow, proc. zool. soc. london, : , ; through southern méxico, p. , . _conophis viduus_, smith, zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., : , january , ; hartweg and oliver, misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , july , . _conophis vittatus viduus_, smith, journ. washington acad. sci., : - , march , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , november , ; proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; woodbury and woodbury, journ. washington acad. sci., ( ): , ; smith and taylor, proc. u. s. natl. mus., : , october , ; univ. kansas sci. bull., (pt. ): , march , ; werler and smith, texas journ. sci., : , fig. , december , ; maldonado-koerdell, inst. mexicanos recursos nat. renov., p. , ; davis and dixon, proc. biol. soc. washington, : - , july , . _conophis vittatus vittatus_ × _conophis vittatus viduus_, alvarez del toro and smith, herpetologica, : , march , . _type._--zoologisches museum berlin. type locality not given, for the specimen was purchased from a dealer in hamburg. the type locality was first restricted to "acapulco," guerrero, by smith ( : ), then to laguna coyuca, guerrero, méxico, by smith and taylor ( : ). _diagnosis._--three or four dorsal dark stripes, each involving two or more adjacent scale-rows; never having brown or black on the st scale-row; seven supralabials immaculate white or pale tannish-white. _variation._--one hundred seventy-one specimens have to ( . ± . ) ventrals. one hundred fifty-three of these having complete tails have to ( . ± . ) subcaudals; the number of ventrals plus subcaudals varies from to ( . ). in specimens the reduction from to dorsal scales takes place between ventrals and ( . ± . ). sexual dimorphism is evident in the number of subcaudals; females have to ( . ) and males have to ( . ) subcaudals. the longest specimen (amnh ) is a male from escurano, oaxaca, méxico, having a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. a juvenile (cnhm ) from tehuantepec, oaxaca, méxico, has a body length of mm., a tail length of mm. and a total length of mm. variation in coloration is of such magnitude that it has been used as the basis for recognition of subspecies. unfortunately, until this time, most specimens reported upon in the literature represented the two extremes of variation. after examining the coloration of specimens with respect to geographic distribution, i conclude that only one highly variable species is represented. specimens from the northern and western parts of the range (michoacán, colima, and durango) have the color pattern of _c. vittatus_ as described by peters ( : - ); these snakes have four narrow black stripes on a white or pale tan background, and an immaculate white venter. the lateral dark stripe, which on the head passes through the eye, is present on the dorsal half of the rd and the ventral half of the th scale-rows; the dorsolateral dark stripe, which passes along the middle of the head and splits on the nape, is present on the middle of the th scale-row. the other extreme in color pattern consists of three broad stripes; the two dorsolateral stripes are fused. this pattern is prevalent in specimens from the area around tehuantepec, oaxaca. the lateral stripes include the dorsal half to two-thirds of the nd, all of the rd and th, and half of the th scale-rows; the fused dorsolateral stripes sometimes cover all of the area dorsal to and including the dorsal third of the th scale-row. snakes from areas between tehuantepec and the margins of the distribution of this species are variously intermediate between the extremes described above. in some snakes from these areas the lateral stripes are broad and include either the dorsal half of the nd scale-row or the ventral half of the th scale-row, but not both on the same specimen. also, the dorsolateral stripes are broad and include most of the th and a part of the th scale-rows. many specimens from the area around tehuantepec, where the three-striped pattern is prevalent, have an intermediate pattern. some have white on the center of the th scale-row or lateral stripes that are not so broad as to include the rd and th and half of each of the nd and th scale-rows. the supralabials are immaculate white or pale tan, except that in some specimens the dorsalmost part of some supralabials are dark brown or black as they are included in the ventral boundary of the dark stripe that passes through the eye. there are no dusky markings on the chin or on any of the ventral scales. there is no ontogenetic change in color pattern; juveniles have the same coloration as adults from the same geographic area. color in life is not greatly different from that of preserved specimens. one specimen (ummz ) from . miles south of oaxaca, had in life black stripes, a pale yellowish tan dorsal ground-color and a pale off-white venter. an excellent photograph of this species appears in schmidt and inger ( : ) under the name _conophis lineatus_. _remarks._--i have been unable to find variation of geographic importance in scutellation in this species. a wide range of variation in the characters of scutellation is present in specimens from most localities; it shows no significant clinal or geographic trends. as i have stated previously, in the discussion of variation, coloration has been the feature primarily used by previous workers to distinguish two "subspecies" for this species; _c. vittatus vittatus_ having four black stripes and _c. vittatus viduus_ having three black stripes. most of the three-striped snakes occur in the vicinity of tehuantepec, oaxaca, whereas the four-striped snakes are found near the margins of the range of the species in durango, colima, michoacán, morelos and puebla. specimens that would have to be considered intergrades between the "subspecies" are found in michoacán, guerrero, oaxaca and chiapas. at the time the subspecies were proposed only specimens from tehuantepec or from marginal areas were known. utilizing the large number of specimens of this species presently available, geographic variation is found to be clinal, from those with three stripes from near tehuantepec, through several intermediate patterns present on specimens from single localities in guerrero, oaxaca and chiapas, to those with four dark stripes in areas farthest removed to the north and west from tehuantepec. since only coloration shows geographic variation, and since this variation represents a continuous cline, subspecies cannot be recognized for this species. the presence and position of the three or four dark stripes on the body and the absence of brown on the st scale-row or on the ventral scales, in combination with the generic characters, distinguish _conophis vittatus_ from all other méxican snakes. the only other snake that occurs in western méxico that has been confused with _c. vittatus_ is _coniophanes piceivittus taylori_, which has , instead of , scale-rows. _distribution._--semi-arid habitats on pacific slopes from extreme southern durango southeastward to tuxtla gutierrez, chiapas, and inland in the eastern balsas basin to morelos and western puebla (fig. ). [illustration: fig. . selected locality records for _conophis vittatus_.] _specimens examined._--total of , as follows: mÉxico: _no specific locality_, amnh - , su . _chiapas_: piedra parada, usnm . _pizo de oro_, uimnh . tuxtla gutierrez, parque madero, uimnh - , - . _colima: no specific locality_, mcz , usnm , - . mi. sw colima, amnh . s of manzanillo, amnh . _durango_: hacienda de gabriel, amnh . _guerrero: acahuizotla_, tcwc , . _ mi. w acahuizotla_, tcwc . mi. w acapulco, amnh . _ mi. e acapulco_, tcwc - . _ mi. s acapulco_, tcwc . _agua del obispo_, cnhm , tcwc . near chilpancingo, mvz , ummz - . _ mi. sw colotlipa_, tcwc - . _ mi. sw colotlipa_, tcwc . mi. s ixtapán de la sal, ku . _laguna coyuca_, cnhm , ummz . near la unión, amnh . _magueyes, laguna coyuca_, amnh . _playa encantada_, tcwc . mi. s tierra colorada, ku . near _xaltinanguis, km. _, cnhm . _michoacán_: coalcomán, ummz . _ / mi. se coalcomán_, ummz . _ mi. n. coalcomán_, ummz . _ mi. ne coalcomán_, ummz . puerta de la playa, ummz . mi. s tzitzio (by road), ummz . _morelos: km. nw axochiapan_, tcwc , uimnh , . mi. se cuernavaca, mvz . _huajintlán, km. _, cnhm . km. s puente de ixtla, km. , cnhm . _oaxaca: bisiliana_, amnh . _near caoba, foot of cerro arenal_, amnh . _cerro arenal_, amnh - . _cerro de laollaga_, uimnh . _cerro de san pedro_, uimnh . _cerro palma de oro_, uimnh . "_c. madrena, sto. t. quieri_," uimnh . near chivela, mcz . cinco cerros, uimnh . _dami liesa_, amnh , uimnh , . _escuranos_, amnh - , - . _finca santa teresa, km. nw tehuantepec_, ummz . _huilotepec_, amnh , uimnh . _between huilotepec and tehuantepec_, amnh , ummz - . _las tejas_, uimnh - . _mixtequilla_, uimnh , . _between mixtequilla mountains and tehuantepec_, ummz . _between niltepec and "carixxal,"_ amnh . . mi. se oaxaca, ummz . _quiengola_, uimnh . _between quiengola mountains and tehuantepec_, ummz . _rancho poso río, km. s tehuantepec_, uimnh - , - , ummz - . _rincón bamba_, cnhm - , uimnh . _salazar_, amnh . _vicinity of salina cruz_, ummz . _san gerónimo_, amnh , cnhm . _san lucas ixtepec_, uimnh . san juan lajarcia, uimnh . san mateo del mar, amnh . _san pablo_, uimnh . _santa maría (cerro de liesa)_, amnh . tapanatepec, mcz - . tehuantepec, amnh , - , - plus , - , , - , cnhm - , - , mcz , uimnh , , , , , - , ummz - , , usnm - , _ - leagues sse tehuantepec_, ummz - . tenango, uimnh - . between tlacolulita and tequisistlán, cnhm . _yerba santa_, uimnh - . puebla: atencingo, ku . skull in studying the osteology of the genus _conophis_, i have examined two complete skeletons (one _c. vittatus_ and one _c. lineatus_); two additional skulls of _c. vittatus_ and _c. lineatus_; and sets of dentigerous bones, representing all of the species. terminology of the skeletal elements is that of duellman ( ), parker ( ), radovanovic ( ) and szunyoghy ( ). the drawing of the right side of the skull of a specimen of _tomodon lineatus_ that appears in jan and sordelli ( :liv. , pl. , fig. ) is of little value due to its small size and lack of detail. the skull of _conophis_ is typical of a relatively unspecialized colubrid snake. skulls of _conophis lineatus concolor_ and _c. vittatus_ closely resemble each other. the following description is based primarily on the skull of _c. lineatus concolor_ (ummz s- ). the elements are discussed in the following order: nasal region, cranium and associated elements, maxillo-palatal-pterygoid arch, mandible, dentition, and vertebrae. [illustration: fig. . the skull, lacking dentigerous bones, of _conophis lineatus concolor_ (ummz s- ) showing (a) dorsal, (b) lateral, and (c) ventral views. × .] _nasal region._--the premaxillary is relatively heavy and has a concavity posteroventrally. the lateral processes slope downward, but remain fairly thick, and do not project far laterally. this shape (fig. ) tends to strengthen the nasal region; this anterior strengthening may be a reflection of the fossorial habits of these snakes. there are no posterior processes of the premaxillary; thus the line of fusion with the nasals and septo-maxillaries is broad. the nasal plate is more than twice as long as wide. the nasals are relatively flat above, although each curves slightly downward medially and fuses into the medial nasal septum; laterally each nasal is narrower and deflected downward, forming a small dorsal shield over the nasal cavity. the septo-maxillaries are closely associated with the vomers and form the cavity in which the organ of jacobson is situated. the broad medial part of the septo-maxillary forms the roof and anterior border of the cavity, whereas the anterior part of the vomer contains the main part of the capsule and forms the posterior and most of the lateral borders of the cavity. the vomer has a thin anterior ridge that gradually disappears before it reaches the border of the premaxillary. the vomer is approximately u-shaped, when viewed from below. it has no posterior process and does not articulate with the parasphenoid; there is a sizeable gap between the two bones. the septo-maxillary has a lateral process that terminally is directed slightly anteriorly. _cranium and associated elements._--the frontal is almost three times as long as it is wide; it is flat above with an emarginate dorsolateral margin that forms the upper limit of the optic capsule. ventrally the frontal is concave and forms the median limits of the optic cavity. farther ventrally the frontal joins with the parasphenoid, which at this place forms the ventral extent of the skull, and together with the basisphenoid forms the ventral part of the posterior three-fourths of the skull. in ventral aspect, the parasphenoid is a long, thin bone, slightly expanded anteriorly. it forms the anterior floor of the optic foramen; whereas the frontal forms the anterior roof of the same opening. the frontal and its septo-maxillary process surround the olfactory fenestra. the prefrontal articulates with the anterolateral process of the frontal. the posterior surface of the prefrontal forms the anterior wall of the orbit of the eye. the articulating surface upon which the median process of the maxillary bone rests is situated ventrally. the anterior dorsal surface of the prefrontal, together with the anterolateral edge of the frontal, extends slightly over the nasal cavity, affording some degree of protection for the contained organs and forming the posterior border of the cavity. a small nasal process also extends anteriorly from the ventrolateral surface of the prefrontal. the orbital-nasalis foramen is located in the anterior surface of the prefrontal. the parietals are fused into one large bone that forms the roof and sides of the middle part of the cranial cavity. from its suture with the frontal, the dorsal surface of the parietal is relatively flat in the area bounded laterally by the parietal crests, which extend posteromedially from the anterolateral corners of the bone and converge medially at a point near its posterior margin. a slight posterior extension of the parietal crests forms the supratemporal crest, which is present on the posterior part of the parietal and on the anterior part of the supraoccipital. the postfrontals are attached to the anterolateral processes of the parietal. together the anterior surfaces of these two bones form the posterior rim of the orbit of the eye. the postfrontal extends laterally and ventrally and has a terminal extension that projects anterolaterally. in an articulated skull the trans-palatine articulates with the ventrolateral articulating surface of the postfrontal. anteromedially, the parietal forms the roof and posterior margin of the optic foramen. the basisphenoid, which is fused with the parasphenoid, also forms a small part of the posteroventral margin of the optic foramen. the basisphenoid forms the floor of the middle part of the cranial cavity and the ventromedial down-pouching that contains the pituitary body. posterolateral to the parietal and dorsal to the posterior part of the basisphenoid is the prootic. laterally this bone is deeply emarginate; posteriorly it forms a large part of the otic notch, through which the columella passes. the columella is a long, thin bony rod that terminates posteriorly in cartilage. it is the cartilagenous part of the columella that connects with the external sound detecting mechanism. there are several foramina on the lateral surface of the prootic. on the anterolateral surface of the prootic, branches of the trigeminal nerve pass through three foramina whereas the facial nerve passes through the single posterior foramen near the otic notch. the squamosal is attached dorsoventrally to the posterior part of the parietal and to the lateral part of the prootic. at this place of attachment there is on the prootic a relatively heavy crest that forms a rather broad articulating base. the squamosal is long, flat, and curves slightly in a dorsal direction throughout its length; it becomes thinner and narrower posteriorly. the posterior third of the squamosal forms a broad base by means of which the squamosal articulates with the quadrate. the columella and the squamosal extend posteriorly beyond the limits of the braincase. posteriorly the skull consists of four bones: an unpaired median dorsal supraoccipital, an unpaired median ventral basioccipital and two lateral exoccipitals. the basioccipital does not have noticeable pterygoid processes, but is rather smooth ventrally and only slightly emarginate on its posterolateral margins. posteriorly, this bone forms the ventral part of the occipital condyle. the rest of the condyle, on each side, is formed by the exoccipitals. the exoccipitals also form part of the base to which the squamosal is attached. the exoccipitals extend around the sides of the foramen magnum and meet dorsally. each exoccipital also forms the posterior part of the otic notch, which traverses the exoccipital. the exoccipitals bear moderate occipital crests that extend posterolaterally across the supraoccipital as branches from the supratemporal crest. the supraoccipital also has a medial crest that extends a short distance posteriorly from the supratemporal crest onto the exoccipitals at their dorsal line of fusion. [illustration: fig. . the maxillo-palatal-pterygoid arch of _conophis lineatus concolor_ (ummz s- ) showing (a) dorsal, (b) lateral, and (c) ventral views. × . teeth shown by means of broken lines were represented only by their sockets.] _maxillo-palatal-pterygoid arch._--in an articulated skull, the anterior edge of the maxillary is immediately posterior to the lateral tip of the premaxillary (fig. ). the maxillary is curved moderately laterally and is not robust at its tip, but it becomes heavier about one-third of its length posteriorly. a dorsomedian process begins at about one-third of its distance from the anterior end; the prefrontal articulates with this process. the process is broad and almost flat, except that at its medial end, an elongate, rounded knob extends ventrally. the dorsomedian process of the maxillary extends toward, but does not meet, a lateral process from the palatine. the maxillary teeth are set in sockets on the ventral surface of the bone. just posterior to the level of the last prediastemal tooth is the median trans-palatine process that articulates with the anteromedian part of the trans-palatine. immediately posterior to this process, the maxillary narrows slightly; then it broadens to form an obliquely oriented knob. the posteroventral surface of the posterior knob of the maxillary bears one or two enlarged maxillary teeth. (these teeth are discussed further in the section on dentition.) the anterolateral part of the trans-palatine articulates with the dorsal surface of the posterior knob of the maxillary. toward the middle of its length, the trans-palatine narrows considerably; then it broadens again and articulates with the pterygoid. the palatine is slightly rounded at its anterior end, which extends anteriorly to the posterior margin of the vacuity containing jacobson's organ. the palatine extends posteriorly to the trans-palatine process of the maxilla, where the palatine articulates with the pterygoid. a posterior pterygoid process from the palatine projects posteromedially from the end of the palatine and overlaps the anterior end of the pterygoid. just less than one-half the distance from the anterior end of the palatine, there is a lateral process that curves ventrolaterally forming a blunt tip posteriorly. slightly more posteriorly and on the medial side of the palatine, is a medial sphenoid process, which is thin, rather broad, and curves ventromedially; ultimately it comes to lie near the anterior part of the parasphenoid. the palatine teeth are set in shallow sockets on the ventral edge of the bone. of the bones of the maxillo-palatal-pterygoid arch, those on the pterygoid extend farthest posteriorly. the pterygoid is broad medially and posteriorly, although pointed at its posterior tip. the trans-palatine articulates in a broad line at about one-third of the distance along the lateral margin of the pterygoid. immediately posterior to this articulation, there is a median ridge on the pterygoid; lateral to the pterygoid ridge is an abrupt hollow, the pterygoid groove. posteromedially, this groove becomes gradually more shallow and disappears. the dorsal surface of the pterygoid is rounded anteriorly and somewhat flattened posteriorly, whereas the ventral surface is gently rounded along its length, except that there is a high median crest. the pterygoid teeth are situated in shallow sockets along this crest. the teeth diminish in size posteriorly. [illustration: fig. . the left mandible and associated quadrate of _conophis lineatus concolor_ (ummz s- ) showing (a) lateral and (b) medial views. × . teeth shown by means of broken lines were represented only by their sockets.] _mandible._--the dentary (fig. ) is compressed laterally and rounded below. the teeth, which are longest about one-third of the way from the anterior end of the dentary, are set in sockets on the medial side of the bone. the posterior half of the dentary overlies the fused surangular-prearticular part of the articular. ventrally, the posterior part of the dentary underlies the splenial, which is set in a median trench within the dentary. near the common suture of the dentary and the splenial is the large inferior alveolar foramen; completely within the splenial and ventral to the inferior alveolar foramen is the anterior mylohyoid foramen. posterior to the splenial and also forming a part of the ventral surface of the mandible is the wedge-shaped angular, which lies directly beneath the fused surangular-prearticular. as has been implied, the articular, the surangular, and the prearticular are fused. the prearticular part of this bone forms a part of meckel's canal. in the surangular part, immediately posterior to the end of the dentary, is the large surangular foramen. lying in a longitudinal axis along the medial surface of the articular is a high crest, dorsal to which is a deep hollow. the lateral wall of the articular above this hollow is thin and rounded dorsally; the ventral surface is uniformly round and slightly curved dorsally, except that it ends with a short tympanic crest, which projects beyond the articulation with the quadrate. where the quadrate articulates with the dorsolateral surface of the posterior portion of the squamosal, the former is broad and has a high mid-lateral crest, which extends about one-third of the distance down the quadrate before disappearing. the columellar process (the place of fusion of the columella) is about two-thirds of the way down the medial surface of the quadrate. ventrally the quadrate has a narrow neck dorsal to its articulation with the articular. the articulation is formed by two lateral flanges of the quadrate that fit over a medial ridge formed by the articular. dentition teeth on the maxillary and pterygoid decrease in size posteriorly, whereas those of the dentary do likewise except for the first one or two that are usually slightly smaller than those immediately posterior. the palatine teeth are subequal in size. the enlarged, grooved teeth on the maxillary are in shallow sockets on the posteroventral surface of the posterior knob of the maxillary. these teeth point posteriorly. the grooves are deep and are situated anterolaterally. one or two enlarged grooved teeth are present on a given maxillary. there seems to be a correlation between the type of preservation, the age of the snake, and the number of grooved teeth. old (large) individuals always have only one grooved tooth that is rooted and functional, whereas some of the younger animals have two in place. usually replacement teeth are present in alcoholic specimens, but these unrooted teeth are lost in the preparation of dried skeletons. thus, it seems that in _conophis_ only one pair of grooved teeth is functional at any one time, although usually replacement teeth are present behind and beside the functional one. some specimens have one tooth in the medial socket on one side and one in the lateral socket on the other. replacement teeth on the maxillary and dentary are present in the buccal tissue on the medial side of the bones, whereas on the palatines and pterygoids, the replacement teeth are present laterally. apparently there are no significant differences in dentition among the members of the genus _conophis_. vertebrae the fiftieth vertebra of _conophis vittatus_ (ummz ) can be described as follows: the neural spine is elongate, thin and low; the posterior edge is sharply emarginate, and the anterior edge is only slightly emarginate. the zygosphene is thin dorsoventrally; in a ventral or dorsal view the zygosphene has a slightly concave anterior edge, the flat surface of which is oriented ventrolaterally. the centrum is elongate and triangular from below; it is widest at the paradiapophyses and narrowest at the short condylar neck. the condylus is directed posteriorly. the centrum, when viewed laterally, is slightly concave and has prominent subcentral ridges that extend from the median side of the paradiapophysial articular surfaces posteriorly to the neck of the condylus. the paradiapophysial articular surfaces are well developed and have two facets. the diapophysial surface is larger and more spherical than the parapophysial one. the parapophysial process projects beyond the parapophysial articular surface and is nearly even with the lip of the cotyle, which is slightly oval. the neural arch is slightly depressed; its width is somewhat less than the width of the cotyle. the articular surfaces of the postzygapophyses are oval and are directed posterolaterally. there is a strongly developed concave interzygapophysial ridge. a well-developed accessory spine extends laterally beyond the oval articular facets of the pre-zygapophysis and forms a slightly flattened, blunt spine. excellent drawings of the middle thoracic vertebra of _conophis lineatus dunni_ from honduras were published by auffenberg ( : ). hemipenes the hemipenes of _conophis_ are moderately caliculate, having spines covering the surface from the base to near the apex (fig. ). these spines are largest near the base and are reduced to small papillate projections near the apex. the apex terminates in a small disc having three to five laminae in _c. vittatus_ and one lamina in _c. lineatus concolor_. the sulcus is bifurcate; the fork is near the base and almost gives the appearance of two sulci on some specimens. distally the apices are widely separated, and the intervening space gives the hemipenis a slightly bilobed appearance in some species (especially _c. vittatus_) or a deeply bilobed appearance in others (especially _c. lineatus concolor_). [illustration: fig. . the everted left hemipenis of _conophis vittatus_ (ummz ). × .] the everted hemipenis reaches posteriorly to the eighth subcaudal scale. the sulcus bifurcates at the third subcaudal scale. the situation is similar _in situ_ (cope, :pl. , fig. ). there are no apparent hemipenial differences among the species of the genus _conophis_. as can be seen in the above description, the hemipenis of _c. vittatus_ is less bilobed and has a more pronounced disc at the apex than the others. the hemipenis of _c. lineatus concolor_ is most bilobed, but has the smallest apical disc. the other species and subspecies vary widely within these extremes. food and feeding _conophis_ eats mostly small lizards, especially _cnemidophorus_. in méxico _conophis_ occurs in semi-arid habitat where _cnemidophorus_ is common. a specimen each of _conophis vittatus_ and _c. lineatus lineatus_ were obtained while i was collecting _cnemidophorus_. the only record of _conophis_ having fed on a warm-blooded vertebrate was obtained in the course of this study, when i recovered from the stomach of a _conophis lineatus concolor_ (cnhm ) from chichén itzá, yucatán, a heteromyid rodent (_heteromys gaumeri_). ralph axtell (personal communication) observed _conophis_ actively searching for food at dusk. his observations were made near tehuantepec, oaxaca, and the snakes were seen to chase lizards of the genus _cnemidophorus_. near alvarado, veracruz, in the late afternoon, i watched a _conophis lineatus lineatus_ follow a lizard into a hole. mittleman ( : ) presents the only discussion of the mode of feeding of a captive specimen of _conophis lineatus_ ssp. when presented with a _thamnophis_ slightly smaller than itself, the _conophis_ struck, and within eight minutes immobilized the _thamnophis_. within one-half hour the _thamnophis_ was swallowed. three days later the _conophis_ ate another _thamnophis_, though still distended from its first meal; nine days later it ate a _storeria_. in the course of several months, the _conophis_ ate various toads and hylids and two more _storeria_. apparently members of the genus _conophis_ do not constrict their prey, but rely upon a combination of loss of blood and action of the venom to completely immobilize their prey. ditmars ( :pls. - ) showed three photographs of "_conophis lineatus_" (actually _conophis pulcher_) ingesting another snake, identified by him as a young _ophis (= xenodon) colubrinus_. effect of poison the rear fangs of these snakes are large for the size of the snake. various collectors have been bitten, and several reports of the effect of the poison have been published. the snakes are aggressive and bite constantly while being handled. a field companion, dale l. hoyt, was bitten on the forefinger by a specimen of _c. l. lineatus_ and immediately felt a burning sensation. the finger swelled, much as it would if stung by a wasp, but it returned to normal size in about twenty-four hours. ditmars ( :legend pl. ) reported immediate burning pain and a localized swelling, an inch in diameter and half an inch high, which lasted for several hours. mertens ( b: ) reported merely that the hand of the gardener at the instituto tropical in san salvador bled strongly for a full hour. edward h. taylor was bitten by a specimen of _conophis vittatus_ (taylor and smith, : ); pain and swelling lasted for some time. taylor (personal communication) is still troubled by damage incurred by that bite, which apparently resulted in mechanical damage to the second joint of the middle finger, for the joint swells when the finger is used or exercised. william e. duellman (personal communication) was bitten on the hand in july, . there was immediate pain and localized swelling, both of which disappeared several hours later. taxonomic relationships and evolution the genus _conophis_ is known only from the recent. except that _conophis_ belongs to the subfamily xenodontinae and probably is of new world origin, little is known about the relationships of the genus. auffenberg ( ) described a new genus and species of fossil colubrid snake from the miocene of montana as _dryinoides oxyrhachis_ and compared it with several recent genera. this specimen, of which there is a relatively complete skull and a series of vertebrae, seems most closely to resemble a specimen of _conophis lineatus dunni_ (uf ) from honduras, with which it was compared in basic osteology. the two genera could be related, for the progenitors of _conophis_ possibly inhabited much of north america in the miocene. another possibility is that the main stock of the xenodontines reached south america in earliest tertiary times, and that the formation of the panamanian and colombian seaways that separated south america and central america from the late paleocene to the middle of the pliocene left the _conophis_ stock isolated in middle america where members of the genus dispersed through semi-arid habitats. turning our attention now to the species within the genus, instead of the genus as a whole, _conophis vittatus_ is readily set apart from other members of the genus on the basis of the universal presence of seven supralabials. in basic coloration it also differs, having no stripe on the st scale-row, or spots on the venter, and a maximum of four broad stripes on the body. the other species appear to be more closely related; these make up the _c. lineatus_-group. _conophis nevermanni_ differs so much from the other species that it might be placed in a separate group. nevertheless, the basic striped pattern, which is masked by the increased melanism of many specimens, indicates that _nevermanni_ is more closely related to the _lineatus_-group than to _vittatus_. the _lineatus_-group, thus, consists of _pulcher_, _nevermanni_ and the three subspecies of _lineatus_. in this group the color pattern is characterized by the high frequency of ventral spotting, darkening of part of the supralabials, dark pigmentation on the st scale-row, and more than four dark stripes on the body of adults. _conophis lineatus concolor_, on which the dark pigmentation on the body apparently is secondarily lost, is an exception. if differences in color pattern be used as an indication of the relationships between the species and subspecies of the genus _conophis_, i would consider _c. vittatus_ the most divergent unit. the subspecies of _lineatus_ closely resemble one another and, as a unit, resemble _pulcher_ from which they differ primarily in the position of the dorsalmost stripes. _conophis nevermanni_ is more divergent than is _pulcher_ from the species _lineatus_, but probably is not so far removed from _lineatus_ as is _vittatus_. in the light of what has been pointed out immediately above with respect to resemblances of, and differences between, the species, an hypothesis to account for their formation and for their presence in the areas where they are today is the following: concurrent with climatic fluctuations in the late pliocene and pleistocene, the northernmost population differentiated into the species _vittatus_, and has subsequently spread north and west from the region of tehuantepec, méxico. during the same period _nevermanni_ became isolated in northern costa rica. the species _pulcher_ probably differentiated from the remaining _lineatus_ stock during the early pleistocene orogenic upheaval in guatemala. the _pulcher_ stock was isolated on the pacific coastal slopes of guatemala, while _lineatus_ moved through the subhumid corridor of northern middle america into méxico and southward toward costa rica (stuart, a). in the late pleistocene and recent, _pulcher_ moved back across the central guatemalan highlands occupying its present range in northern middle america. primarily because of the formation of unsuitable habitat (wet forest) that presently separates the geographic ranges of populations of _lineatus_, this species differentiated into three subspecies. summary the genus _conophis_ peters, , contains four species. three are monotypic and the fourth has three subspecies, making a total of six taxa. the genus is characterized by maxillary teeth of equal size followed by a diastema and two enlarged grooved fangs. the scales are smooth, in rows at mid-body, and nearer the tail. the anal is divided, apical pits are lacking, the head shields are normal for a colubrid, and the hemipenis is bilobed having many large basal spines. the six taxa are separated primarily on the basis of color pattern, but characters of scutellation, including numbers of dorsals, ventrals, caudals, and places of reduction of the number of dorsal scale-rows, were analyzed. snakes of this genus are distributed throughout semi-arid environments from southern méxico southward into costa rica. they feed upon lizards, primarily of the genus _cnemidophorus_; in addition they are known to eat small rodents and other snakes. _conophis_ is a member of the subfamily xenodontinae and, as presently understood, has no known living close relatives. a single specimen of _dryinoides_ from the miocene of montana has been compared with this genus. the genus _conophis_ is thought to have evolved in middle america. the present distribution and differentiation probably are primarily the result of climatic fluctuations in middle america, which produced the areas of subhumid environment where _conophis_ presently lives. literature cited auffenberg, w. . a new genus of colubrid snake from the upper miocene of north america. amer. mus. novitates, : - . february . cope, e. d. . contributions to the ophiology of lower california, méxico and central america. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : - . december . . fifth contribution to the herpetology of tropical america. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, : - . february . . ninth contribution to the herpetology of tropical america. proc. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, ( ): - . october . . on the batrachia and reptilia of costa rica. journ. acad. nat. sci. philadelphia, series , ( ): - , pls. . the classification of the ophidia. trans. amer. philos. soc., : - , pls. april . . the crocodilians, lizards, and snakes of north america. ann. rept. u. s. natl. mus. for , pp. - , pls. ditmars, r. l. . snakes of the world. new york, the macmillan company, . xi + pp., pls. dowling, h. g. . a proposed standard system of counting ventrals in snakes. british journ. herpetology, ( ): - , fig. . duellman, w. e. . a preliminary analysis of the herpetofauna of colima, mexico. occas. papers mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - , march . dumÉril, a. m. c., bibron, g., and dumÉril, a. h. a. . Érpétologie genérale, ou histoire naturelle des reptiles. paris, (pt. ):xii + . february . atlas, pp., pls. dumÉril, a. h. a., bocourt, m., and mocquard, f. - . mission scientifique au mexique et dans l'amerique centrale ... etudes sur les reptiles. paris, vol. :xiv + pp., pls. garman, s. a. the north american reptiles and batrachians. bull. essex inst., : - . january . b. the reptiles and batrachians of north america. mem. mus. comp. zool., ( ):xxxi + pp., pls. july. gÜnther, a. c. l. g. . catalogue of colubrine snakes in the collection of the british museum. london. xiv + pp. huxley, j. . evolution. the modern synthesis. london. pp. jan, g. and sordelli, f. . iconographie generale des ophidiens. milano. livr. , pls. - . december. . iconographie generale des ophidiens. milano. livr. , pls. - . november. mayr, e. . systematics and the origin of species. new york, x + pp., figs. mayr, e., linsley, e. g., and usinger, r. l. . methods and principles of systematic zoology. new york. ix + pp., figs. mertens, r. a. neues uber die reptilienfauna von el salvador. zool. anz., : - . february. b. die amphibien und reptilien von el salvador auf grund der reisen von r. mertens und a. zilch. abhand. senken. naturw. gesell., : , kart., taf. december . mittleman, m. b. . feeding habits of a central american opisthoglyph snake. copeia, no. : . june . neill, w. t. and allen, r. . further studies on the herpetology of british honduras. herpetologica, ( ): - . april . parker, w. k. . on the structure and development of the skull in the common snake (_tropidonotus natrix_). phil. trans. roy. soc. london, pt. : - , pp., pls. - . peters, w. . drei neue amerikanisches schlangen. monatsb. akad. wiss. berlin, : - , pl., fig. . october. radovanovic, m. . osteologie des schlangenkopfs. jenaische zeitschr. naturw., ( ): - . savage, j. m. . notes on the central american snake, _conophis lineatus dunni_ smith, with a record from honduras. trans. kansas acad. sci., : - . december . schmidt, k. p. . reptiles collected in salvador for the california institute of technology. zool. ser. field mus. nat. hist., ( ): - . november . schmidt, k. p. and inger, r. f. . living reptiles of the world. garden city, new york, hanover house. pp. smith, h. m. . notes on snakes of the genus _conophis_. journ. washington acad. sci., ( ): - . march . smith, h. m. and taylor, e. h. . type localities of méxican reptiles and amphibians. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . march . stuart, l. c. . the amphibians and reptiles of alta verapaz, guatemala. misc. publ. mus. zool. univ. michigan, : - . june . a. a description of a subhumid corridor across northern central america, with comments on its herpetofaunal indicators. contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : - pp., pls. march. b. herpetofauna of the southeast highlands of guatemala. contr. lab. vert. biol. univ. michigan, : - pp., pls. november. szunyoghy, j. . beitrage zur vergleichenden formenlehre des colubridenschadels, nebst einer kraniologischen synopsis der fossilen schlangen ungarns. acta zool., : - . taylor, e. h. . additions to the known herpetological fauna of costa rica with comments on other species. no. ii. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . october . taylor, e. h. and smith, h. m. . miscellaneous notes on mexican snakes. univ. kansas sci. bull., : - . july . wettstein, o. . ergibnisse der osterreichischen biologischen costa rica--expedition . die amphibia und reptilien. stiz. akad. wiss. wien, mathem-naturw. kl., abt. , bd. : - . _transmitted november , ._ - [] university of kansas publications museum of natural history institutional libraries interested in publications exchange may obtain this series by addressing the exchange librarian, university of kansas library, lawrence, kansas. copies for individuals, persons working in a particular field of study, may be obtained by addressing instead the museum of natural history, university of kansas, lawrence, kansas. there is no provision for sale of this series by the university library, which meets institutional requests, or by the museum of natural history, which meets the requests of individuals. however, when individuals request copies from the museum, cents should be included, for each separate number that is pages or more in length, for the purpose of defraying the costs of wrapping and mailing. * an asterisk designates those numbers of which the museum's supply (not the library's supply) is exhausted. numbers published to date, in this series, are as follows: vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . *vol. . (complete) mammals of washington. by walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text. april , . vol. . * . the avifauna of micronesia, its origin, evolution, and distribution. by rollin h. baker. pp. - , figures in text. june , . * . a quantitative study of the nocturnal migration of birds. by george h. lowery, jr. pp. - , figures in text. june , . . phylogeny of the waxwings and allied birds. by m. dale arvey. pp. - , , figures in text, tables. october . . * . birds from the state of veracruz, mexico. by george h. lowery, jr., and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text, tables. october , . index. pp. - . *vol. . (complete) american weasels. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , plates, figures in text. december , . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . *vol. . (complete) mammals of utah, taxonomy and distribution. by stephen d. durrant. pp. - , figures in text, tables. august , . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . * . speciation of the wandering shrew. by james s. findley. pp. - , figures in text. december , . . additional records and extension of ranges of mammals from utah. by stephen d. durrant, m. raymond lee, and richard m. hansen. pp. - . december , . . a new long-eared myotis (myotis evotis) from northeastern mexico. by rollin h. baker and howard j. stains. pp. - . december , . . subspeciation in the meadow mouse, microtus pennsylvanicus, in wyoming. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . the condylarth genus ellipsodon. by robert w. wilson. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . additional remains of the multituberculate genus eucosmodon. by robert w. wilson. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . mammals of coahulia, mexico. by rollin h. baker. pp. - , figures in text. june , . . comments on the taxonomic status of apodemus peninsulae, with description of a new subspecies from north china. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - , figure in text, table. august , . . extensions of known ranges of mexican bats. by sydney anderson. pp. - . august , . . a new bat (genus leptonycteris) from coahulia. by howard j. stains. pp. - . january , . . a new species of pocket gopher (genus pappogeomys) from jalisco, mexico. by robert j. russell. pp. - . january , . . geographic variation in the pocket gopher, thomomys bottae, in colorado. by phillip m. youngman. pp. - , figures in text. february , . . new bog lemming (genus synaptomys) from nebraska. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - . may , . . pleistocene bats from san josecito cave, nuevo león, méxico. by j. knox jones, jr. pp. - . december , . . new subspecies of the rodent baiomys from central america. by robert l. packard. pp. - . december , . . mammals of the grand mesa, colorado. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figure in text, may , . . distribution, variation, and relationships of the montane vole, microtus montanus. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figures in text, tables. august , . . conspecificity of two pocket mice, perognathus goldmani and p. artus. by e. raymond hall and marilyn bailey ogilvie. pp. - , map, january , . . records of harvest mice, reithrodontomys, from central america, with description of a new subspecies from nicaragua. by sydney anderson and j. knox jones, jr. pp. - . january , . . small carnivores from san josecito cave (pleistocene), nuevo león, méxico. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , figure in text. january , . . pleistocene pocket gophers from san josecito cave, nuevo león, méxico. by robert j. russell. pp. - , figure in text. january , . . review of the insectivores of korea. by j. knox jones, jr., and david h. johnson. pp. - . february , . . speciation and evolution of the pygmy mice, genus baimoys. by robert l. packard. pp. - , plates, figures in text. june , . index. pp. - vol. . . studies of birds killed in nocturnal migration. by harrison b. tordoff and robert m. mengel. pp. - , figures in text, tables. september , . . comparative breeding behavior of ammospiza caudacuta and a. maritima. by glen e. woolfenden. pp. - , plates, figure. december , . . the forest habitat of the university of kansas natural history reservation. by henry s. fitch and ronald r. mcgregor. pp. - , plates, figures in text, tables. december , . . aspects of reproduction and development in the prairie vole (microtus ochrogaster). by henry s. fitch. pp. - , figures in text, tables. december , . . birds found on the arctic slope of northern alaska. by james w. bee. pp. - , plates - , figure in text. march , . * . the wood rats of colorado: distribution and ecology. by robert b. finley, jr. pp. - , plates, figures in text, tables. november , . . home ranges and movements of the eastern cottontail in kansas. by donald w. janes. pp. - , plates, figures in text. may , . . natural history of the salamander, aneides hardyi. by richard f. johnston and gerhard a. schad. pp. - . october , . . a new subspecies of lizard, cnemidophorus sacki, from michoacán, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . a taxonomic study of the middle american snake, pituophis deppei. by william e. duellman. pp. - . plate, figure in text. may , . index. pp. - . vol. . nos. - and index. pp. - , - . vol. . . functional morphology of three bats: sumops, myotis, macrotus. by terry a. vaughan. pp. - , plates, figures in text. july , . * . the ancestry of modern amphibia: a review of the evidence. by theodore h. eaton, jr. pp. - , figures in text. july , . . the baculum in microtine rodents. by sydney anderson. pp. - , figures in text. february , . * . a new order of fishlike amphibia from the pennsylvanian of kansas. by theodore h. eaton, jr., and peggy lou stewart. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . natural history of the bell vireo. by jon c. barlow. pp. - , figures in text. march , . . two new pelycosaurs from the lower permian of oklahoma. by richard c. fox. pp. - , figures in text. may , . . vertebrates from the barrier island of tamaulipas, méxico. by robert k. selander, richard f. johnston, b. j. wilks, and gerald g. raun. pp. - , pls. - . june , . . teeth of edestid sharks. by theodore h. eaton, jr. pp. - , figures in text. october , . more numbers will appear in volume . vol. . . five natural hybrid combinations in minnows (cyprinidae). by frank b. cross and w. l. minckley. pp. - . june , . . a distributional study of the amphibians of the isthmus of tehuantepec, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. august , . . a new subspecies of the slider turtle (pseudemys scripta) from coahulia, méxico. by john m. legler. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. august , . . autecology of the copperhead. by henry s. fitch. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. november , . . occurrence of the garter snake, thamnophis sirtalis, in the great plains and rocky mountains. by henry s. fitch and t. paul maslin. pp. - , figures in text. february , . . fishes of the wakarusa river in kansas. by james e. deacon and artie l. metcalf. pp. - , figure in text. february , . . geographic variation in the north american cyprinid fish, hybopsis gracilis. by leonard j. olund and frank b. cross. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. february , . . descriptions of two species of frogs, genus ptychohyla; studies of american hylid frogs, v. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pl. , figures in text. april , . . fish populations, following a drought, in the neosho and marais des cygnes rivers of kansas. by james everett deacon. pp. - , pls. - , figs. august , . . recent soft-shelled turtles of north america (family trionychidae). by robert g. webb. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. february , . index. pp. - . vol. . . neotropical bats from western méxico. by sydney anderson. pp. - . october , . . geographic variation in the harvest mouse. reithrodontomys megalotis, on the central great plains and in adjacent regions. by j. knox jones, jr., and b. mursaloglu. pp. - , figure in text. july , . . mammals of mesa verde national park, colorado. by sydney anderson. pp. - , pls. and , figures in text. july , . . a new subspecies of the black myotis (bat) from eastern mexico. by e. raymond hall and ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . north american yellow bats, "dasypterus," and a list of the named kinds of the genus lasiurus gray. by e. raymond hall and j. knox jones, jr. pp. - , figures in text. december , . . natural history of the brush mouse (peromyscus boylii) in kansas with description of a new subspecies. by charles a. long. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . taxonomic status of some mice of the peromyscus boylii group in eastern mexico, with description of a new subspecies. by ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. december , . . a new subspecies of ground squirrel (spermophilus spilosoma) from tamaulipas, mexico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - . march , . . taxonomic status of the free-tailed bat, tadarida yucatanica miller. by j. knox jones, jr., and ticul alvarez. pp. - , figure in text. march , . . a new doglike carnivore, genus cynaretus, from the clarendonian pliocene, of texas. by e. raymond hall and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures in text. april , . . a new subspecies of wood rat (neotoma) from northeastern mexico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - . april , . . noteworthy mammals from sinaloa, mexico. by j. knox jones, jr., ticul alvarez, and m. raymond lee. pp. - , figure in text. may , . . a new bat (myotis) from mexico. by e. raymond hall. pp. - , figure in text. may , . . the mammals of veracruz. by e. raymond hall and walter w. dalquest. pp. - , figures. may , . . the recent mammals of tamaulipas, méxico. by ticul alvarez. pp. - , figures in text. may , . more numbers will appear in volume . vol. . . the amphibians and reptiles of michoacán, méxico. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. december , . . some reptiles and amphibians from korea. by robert g. webb, j. knox jones, jr., and george w. byers. pp. - . january , . . a new species of frog (genus tomodactylus) from western méxico. by robert g. webb. pp. - , figure in text. march , . . type specimens of amphibians and reptiles in the museum of natural history, the university of kansas. by william e. duellman and barbara berg. pp. - . october , . . amphibians and reptiles of the rainforests of southern el petén, guatemala. by william e. duellman. pp. - , pls. - , figures in text. october , . . a revision of snakes of the genus conophis (family colubridae, from middle america). by john wellman. pp. - , figures in text. october , . more numbers will appear in volume . transcriber's notes for consistancy, a number of word which had alternate spellings were altered to match the most prevalent version used. for example, where the word mexico was used in the body of the article, the more frequent spelling (méxico) was substituted. however, in the reference sections, the spelling was not altered as that may have been the spelling used by the article's author. all occurrances of Érpétologie genérale were correcteded to erpétologie générale (pp. , , , , and ). on page under _variation_ there appears to be a miscalculation: mm. + mm. = mm. not as in original text. typographical corrections page correction ===== =========================================== immaculaate => immaculate chacteristic => characteristic elevatons => elevations dumeril => duméril duméil => duméril tehauntepec => tehuantepec deleted repeated "oaxaca," primarly => primarily hertetofaunal => herpetofaunal i v. no. : pp. - => pp. - iii v. no. : decriptions => descriptions iii v. no. : anad => and iii v. no. : anad => and