RAMBLES IN YUCATAN.
CHAPTER I.
Setting Out—Accommodations—Arrival at Sisal—Geographical and Political view of Yucatan—A Christening—Lady Smokers—Off for the Interior—Merida—A Feast-day—Christmas Eve—Christmas Day—Conclusion of a Feast—Holy Unction—Indian Character—Soldiers’ Return—Holy Days—Gaming.
The prospect of leaving one’s country for a season, affects different people in very different ways. To some, it suggests only the loss of friends, and the want of the conveniences which habit may have made to them the necessaries of life. By their formidable equipments, their groaning trunks, and systematic leave-takings, they intimate a foregone conclusion, that every nation except their own is peopled with Ishmaelites, whose hands are ever raised against the rest of mankind. There is another class, who have faith in man wherever he exists, and who rely upon the permanence of the laws of Nature; who do not imagine that a man is necessarily a cannibal or a troglodyte because born in a different degree of latitude, nor that water will refuse to run down hill at a foreigner’s request. Through their confidence in the uniformity of Nature’s laws, they feel it unnecessary to equip themselves for a campaign into chaos when they leave their native land, always presuming every corner of this planet, however remote from the illuminating centres of civilization, to be possessed of some of the elements of existence, such as air, fire, water, &c., which a traveller may spare himself the trouble of bringing from home in his trunk. With the latter class, kind reader, the author of the following notes deserves to be associated. He would require nothing but a valise to contain his outfit for a circumnavigation of the globe, and would include the moon in his circuit, if practicable, without materially enlarging his equipage, except, perhaps, by some device that would diminish the inconveniences of a rarefied atmosphere. This faith in the future, this trust in the resources which a mind of ordinary intelligence can always command under any sun and in any clime, sustained the writer in his determination, last fall, to visit some of the islands of the West India seas, almost without notice, and with scarcely more preparation than a domestic man would deem essential for an absence from home of a single week. The cork-legged merchant of Rotterdam did not commence his journeyings more unexpectedly to himself, nor less formidably panoplied against the emergencies of his unfortunate tour. To the writer’s unpreparedness, a term which, in such cases, usually signifies freedom from anxiety, he feels indebted for most of the pleasure which this excursion has afforded him; and he has only cause to regret the want of more elaborate preparation, inasmuch as it may have deprived these pages of a portion of their interest and value.
It was at the conclusion of the long and frightful season of epidemic disease, which caused many a desolated home in New Orleans to be hung with cypress during the summer of the year 1841, and on the 26th day of November, that I embarked from the Crescent city for Havana. My original intention had been, to visit the Windward Islands; but, not finding the facilities of intercommunication which I had anticipated, and excited by the curiosity of seeing a region of country of which but little is known to citizens of the United States, I was induced to change my contemplated route. Accordingly, after a detention of ten days in Cuba, where I had passed some of the happiest days of my youth, I resolved to embrace the first opportunity that presented itself to run down to the coast of Mexico. I was soon enabled to secure a passage on board of a Spanish brig bound to Sisal, of which I was prompt to avail myself.
Early on the morning of the 9th of December, we slipped by the Moro Castle with a fine breeze, and had but just effected a good offing when the vessel was suddenly hove to, much to our surprise and alarm, and without any apparent reason. Our alarms were soon dispelled, however, by the welcome intelligence, through the cabin-boy, that “breakfast was ready!” Our own countrymen are not indifferent to the “family comforts,” and the English relish still less any interruption at their meals; but with the Spaniard eating seems to have risen to the importance of a religious ceremony. Heaving to for breakfast, in a Yankee craft, would be looked at with astonishment by an American tar—we question if it would not cancel the ship’s insurance policy. Every country, however, has its customs, and this is one peculiar to the flag under which we were now sailing. The meal happily ended, the yards were squared away, and the brig quietly pursued her course.
The cabin formed a part of the hold, without berths, bulk-heads, tables, or chairs. Planks were laid down for our accommodation, upon which our mattresses were distributed, the cargo forming sides, which, as the vessel rolled, served to retain us in our places. There were eight Mexican fellow-passengers, perfect out-and-outers in the way of eating, sleeping, and smoking, which they seemed to consider the ends for which they lived and moved and had their being. The captain proved to be a right good sailor, and his vessel, which was dignified by the name of a packet, shall be suffered to pass without censure, as deserving a better fate than awaited Sodom, in having at least one good man on board in the person of her excellent commander. After eleven days of continually pleasant weather we arrived in sight of the port of Sisal, on the north-west coast of Yucatan, on the 20th of the month; and, as the bills of lading might conscientiously have testified, “in good order and well-conditioned.”
This coast presents a line of shore scarcely merging from the ocean, with no distinguishing highland to conduct the mariner to his destined port. The unpretending little town to which our course was directed, at this time, however, very innocently on its own part, loomed up from the horizon to an immense height, and it was not until we had approached very near the land that our false impressions were corrected.
We came to anchor about two miles from the shore, that being as near as it was deemed prudent for vessels of our burden to venture. A felucca, manned by three Indians, now boarded us, for the purpose of receiving the passengers. The place of landing was a long pier-head, loosely put together, composed of spiles and plank, the only one in the harbor where the imports and exports are received and shipped. When once fairly on terra firma, we all started under the escort of our worthy captain for a public house, followed by a retinue of Indians, that gave us for a time at least the consequential appearance of Eastern nabobs. This numerous troop belonged professionally to the class which in our Northern cities besiege the wharves upon the arrival of a steamboat, as hackmen, porters, dock loafers, &c., but in justice to the Indians be it observed, that they are much less clamorous and more civil than their more pretentious brethren of the North.
Early on the morning of our arrival, our baggage was sent to the custom-house; but the politeness of the gentlemen attached to that establishment made the examination a matter of mere form. This civility is acknowledged with the greater pleasure, in consequence of its having been accorded without solicitation, and contrary to our expectation.