Fred observed that the logs were square instead of round, and asked why it was.
"There are two reasons for it," was the reply. "The first object is to reduce the weight as much as possible without injury to the wood, and hence the workman 'square' the logs roughly as soon as they have been divided into lengths. In the second place, the squaring makes them less liable to roll while upon the rough carts by which they are brought through the forests to the rivers, where they are floated down to the places of shipment. The cutting and hauling are done in the dry season, and the work is timed so that it will be completed when the rainy season sets in. Then the rivers swell and the logs are floated; the system is in many respects analogous to lumbering operations in Maine, Minnesota, and other Northern States of America."
After leaving the Coatzacoalcos River, the steamer headed for Frontera, at the mouth of the river Tabasco, but she did not remain long enough for our friends to go on shore, much to the disappointment of Frank and Fred. They were consoled by a fellow-passenger, who told them that the place was hot and unhealthy, and they would run the risk of taking the fever by passing no more than a few hours on land. Another consideration was that the anchorage was six miles from town, and the fare to the shore was four dollars each way—at least that was what the boatmen demanded.
TRAVELLING IN TABASCO.
The Tabasco is a river of considerable size, and navigable for quite a distance inland by small steamers. The capital of the State of Tabasco is San Juan Bautista, about fifty miles from the mouth of the river. By continuing up the stream the traveller can reach a point whence an overland journey will bring him to the ruins of Palenque, one of the archæological wonders of the western continent.
"We didn't care much for the modern part of Tabasco," said Fred, "as it would not have been much unlike what we have already seen, but we did want ever and ever so much to go to Palenque. We have read the descriptions of the ruins by Stephens, who visited them in 1839-40, and by Charnay, who went there in 1882. Both gentlemen agree that they are wonderful to look at, even from the point of view of an ordinary traveller.
