nd it, fearing that he partook of the fanaticism which
had led the missionaries to the destruction of so many records of the
nation, deceived him as to its purport, and gave him an explanation
which imported to the scroll the character of a harmless history.

The one exception is the last or thirteenth chief. Cogolludo appends to
this the name of an Indian who probably did fall a victim to his
friendship to the Spaniards. This name, as a sort of guarantee for the
rest of his story, the native scribe inserted in place of the genuine
one. The peculiarity of the figure is that it has an arrow or dagger
driven into its eye. Not only is this mentioned by Cogolludo's
informant, but it is represented in the paintings in both the "Books of
Chilan Balam" above noted, and also, by a fortunate coincidence, in one
of the calendar-pages of the "_Codex Troano_," plate xxiii., in a
remarkable cartouche, which, from a wholly independent course of
reasoning, was some time since identified by my esteemed correspondent,
Professor Cyrus Thomas, of Illinois, as a cartouche of one of the _ahau
katuns_, and probably of the last of them. It gives me much pleasure to
add such conclusive proof of the sagacity of his supposition.[15-*]

[Illustration]

[Illustration: SIGNS OF THE DAYS.

The first column on the right is from Landa. The second is from the
"_Codex Troano_." The remaining four are from the Book of Chilan Balam
of Kaua.]

There is other evidence to show that the engraving in Cogolludo is a
relic of the purest ancient Maya symbolism,--one of the most interesting
which have been preserved to us; but to enter upon its explanation in
this connection would be too far from my present topic.

A favorite theme with the writers of the "Books of Chilan Balam" was the
cure of diseases. Bishop Landa explains the "_chilanes_" as "sorcerers
and doctors," and adds that one of their prominent duties was to
diagnose diseases and point out their appropriate remedies.[18-*] As we
might expect, therefore, considerable prominence is given to the
description of symptoms and suggestions for their alleviation. Bleeding
and the administration of preparations of native plants are the usual
prescriptions; but there are others which have probably been borrowed
from some domestic medicine-book of European origin.

The late Don Pio Perez gave a great deal of attention to collecting
these native recipes, and his manuscripts were carefully examined by Dr.
Be