ations. We slept there, though it was
very early when we reached there, for fear of the scarcity of water,
which we had already experienced. But in the morning we had occasion in
a short time to be vexed at so much water, since at a short distance we
fell in with a stream more annoying than if it had been filled with
water, though the water which it carried was sufficient to drench us,
since we were not able to pass over it in all cases without going
through it. One has to cross this river in the space of a league very
nearly fifty times, so that it not only annoyed us by wetting us so
much more, but because at each turn we lost the track or footprints
which we were following; so that we were delayed enough in passing the
said turns of the river.

"After a great storm they say fair weather follows, but the contrary
happened to us, since, trusting in the abundance of water, we neither
drank, since it was in the morning, nor did we carry it with us,
supposing that we should find it at each step, but what happened
to us was to meet with a great multitude of very rough ascents and
descents,--all hills and very high mountains of limestone, which
extended over a space of four leagues, so that, besides the path in
itself being so rough, thirst was troublesome enough. We found
ourselves in the midst of this anguish when of a sudden we came on a
descent as rough and steep as it was long and dangerous; for, though we
had no load to carry, we had to make use of the trees so as not to
slip, since if we slipped, there was no place to stop till we reached
the bottom, where we saw a horrible lime cavern which we supposed would
hold water. But it was not so."

Approaching the Itzas. "From the top then of this hill, which I speak
of, there was discovered a great range of low hills, of such a kind
that it not only appeared another country, since even from the top of
the trees we did not discover the land beyond or the part on the other
side of this height. We thought that we doubtless were in another new
territory and near the Ytza nation, to which we were going. At a
distance of half a league from this descent, we came across a great
spring of water, which was able with its force to turn many mills, and
howsoever great the pleasure was which we felt at seeing it, just as
much disgust did the taste of it cause us, since it sprang from the
brow of a very high hill or steep rock, but it was all mixed with lime,
and was of a lead and su