The name Tehuantepec means the mountain of man-eaters.  These man-eaters were not men, but tigers, or ocelots.  The story runs that long ago this mountain was infested with wild beasts who destroyed the people of the neighboring villages.  Fearing extermination, the people of the town decided to consult the Juaves, who were famous for their naguales, or witches.  The oldest and most skilled nagual of the tribe was employed.  Having performed his incantations, he told them they might expect immediate deliverance; that he had conjured a deliverer from the sea.  Soon there came forth from the water a gigantic turtle, who made his way slowly inland, until he reached the bottom of the hill, which was the home of the tigers.  The dangerous animals were just descending from the mountain in a double line, but the moment they caught sight of the mammoth sea-monster, their bodies froze with terror and they were turned to stone.  Terrified at the power of the creature he had conjured, the old nagual quickly made use of his most powerful incantation, with the result that the turtle also was transformed into stone.  The proof of the truth of the story we saw in the lines of stone tigers on the mountain side and the stone turtle at the foot of the hill, as we rode by.

The doctor suggested that it would be well to take a guide with us from San Blas as far as Huilotepec, as there were many side-roads before we reached that town, and that, from there, we would need no help.  We followed his suggestion.  The road was almost level.  It passed through a district covered with a dense growth of brush and thorny trees, except where the land had been plowed for planting corn.  In the early evening we saw many birds.  Flocks of parrots rose from the trees as we passed by; at one point Manuel shot a little eagle, which fell wounded to the ground.  Our guide concluded to carry it on alive.  All went well for some time, but at last, with no warning, the bird made a vicious dash, and with its claws tore through the trousers of the guide, making a great gash in his leg.  The man promptly decided it was better, on the whole, to carry it further dead than living.

The doctor turned back at sunset.  We reached Huilotepec something before eight, and found it a large pueblo with houses built of bamboo or cane.  Here we had a good supper, and dismissing our guide started out, by brilliant moonlight, for the last part of our journey.  Shortly beyond the town, the road turned, for a moment, into the river, and after passing for a few rods in the river-bed, struck up again onto the bank.  At this place we made a fatal blunder.  When the road went down into the river, supposing that we were about to ford, we kept straight across the stream.  Finding a road upon the other side we had no suspicion but what we were going well and travelled onward.  For a long time we found trails of varying degree of badness.  Sometimes the branches formed a complete tangle which,