Supposititious Reviews, Part 2 [pp. 392-397]

SUPPOSITITIOUS REVIEWS.
ART. VI.-SUPPOSITITIOJUS REVIEWS.
TIERRA DE GUERRA.-BY J. M. LEGARE.
IT was not long before the grey light crept down the side of the
barranca, where we left our adventurers, and as soon as objects close at
hand were distinguishable, the pair resumed their journey, being desirous of avoiding the observation of the Chaxul Indians. They found an
indistinct path at the bottom of the barranca, and pursued it without
hindrance other than that encountered in the rank tropical vegetation,
until sunrise, when the termination of the chasm was reached, the
ground having shown a gradual rise to the level above for a mile or
more back. A dense forest now surrounded them on every side, from
the interior of which were heard the screams of monkeys, gambolling
among the tree-tops; everything else was still, and the light so obscured
it was difficult to distinguish the trail which had evidently been long
unused, and obliged them often to employ their mach6tes in clearing a
passage through the vines and vigorous plants of a year's growth.
After walking a mile, however, the wood became more open, and that
they were approaching the neighborhood of one of the wild tribes was
manifested by the junction of several well-worn paths branching out in
various directions; our travellers chose the middle one, and had not
proceeded far when the sounds of falling water and of voices simultaneously struck on their ears. A thicket intervened, stealing noiselessly
up to which, they parted the branches, and saw a few yards off an old
woman and girl, filling a couple of large callabashes from a spring;
the path crossed this opening which was enclosed on all the other sides
by a wall of shrubs and creepers, and drawing from their packs some
gay ribbons, Eustace and Don Lucas quietly entered the glade. The
girl, who was standing erect with the callabash poised on her shoulder,
first caught sight of the strangers, and dashing the water down with a
shriek, bounded towards the wood with the untamed grace of a deer;
the nah-attambil (old woman) was equally alarmed at their appearance,
but her retreat being less nimble, allowed Lucas time to adroitly catch
her by throwing a double ribbon over her neck and retaining the ends.
"Why, what is the matter, hach-nah?" (mother) they said, " Are we
Adhuanchacob (giants) or u'nicob (men)-look?"
Hearing herself spoken to in Maya, the withered hag ceased the
hideous outcry she had raised, and stared at her captors with mouth
agape; whereupon they hung a string of beads over each shoulder, and
giving the ribbon another turn about her neck, released her from durance. She was highly pleased at this, and clutching her treasures
mumbled something and set off after the tchoupal (child) at a round trot;
her new friends were not to be got rid of, however, and Lucas catching
up the calabash she had left followed close at her heels. She had not
far to go, for the girl, it seemed, finding she was not pursued-true to
the instinct of her sex, whether in petticoats or out of them-was retracing her steps to get a peep at'h-omonob (the strangers) when they
met her. Now that her first terror was past, and she perceived the
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