law of the true God, as you shall hear when we come to Peten.'
At this, changing the conversation, the devil tried to use him as his
instrument for putting me in another greater temptation.

"It is a custom among them, that, on the day before killing any one or
sacrificing him, especially if he is a stranger to their town, to give
them something to eat, either the hot drink of barley and beans, which
they use, or another of _cacao_, which is what they offer them. I was
not ignorant of all these rites, through what history relates that they
had done on the two occasions on which priests of my holy religion had
gone there; although in one case did they kill the Padre Fray Diego
Delgado, through the fault of some Spaniards who followed him. When in
the same way the said King asked me if I was hungry, I, though I had
just eaten, realizing the situation, said 'Yes,' so that his wickedness
should not see any cowardice in me; and I asked him if they had
anything to eat, that they should give me some. At once he ordered that
all the canoes should halt, and made them give red peppers and herbs,
or _tamales_, which they brought on purpose to give us in the middle of
that lake. I ate it eagerly and asked him very pleasantly if there was
any more; to which he replied, 'Then it has tasted good to you?'
'Finely,' I told him, 'and I would eat more if there were any.' I said
this to him with some wit, at which they all laughed, but in a serious
way, and they gave another which I ate with the same pleasure, at which
they were all surprised,--at the sight of my coolness...."

The Landing at Tayasal; the Idol. "With this we continued our way to
Peten Ytza, which is situated in the middle of the said lake, as well
as in the midst also of other islands or _Petens_. On the shore of the
landing place is situated the house of the said petty King at the
distance of half a quarter of a league, in the middle of which, open to
the street, stands the fragment of a column, of round stone, the
circumference of each part of which is about three quarters of a yard
across and one quarter high. It is made of stones placed on top of each
other with mortar of lime and _cah cab_, which is usually used for that
purpose; and the middle is filled in with bitumen, so that it is like a
table, with a round pedestal, upon which and set in the foundation of
the said stone column, there stands out toward the West a stone mask,
very ill-formed, which, together with