[Illustration:  AT WORK; MEASURING]

[Illustration:  AT WORK; BUST MAKING]

After an uneasy night, I awoke about five o’clock.  Just as I was thinking of calling my companions, I felt a faint trembling, which rapidly increased to a heavy shaking, of the house in which we slept.  There was a moment’s pause, and then a second shaking, which began stronger than the other, but which lasted about the same time.  It was the most serious earthquake shock we ever experienced in Mexico.  Had the house been made of brick and plaster, considerable damage might have been done.  Everyone was wide awake in an instant.  The whole town was in excitement.  The church-bell was rung and the people flocked out into the street.  The shock passed at exactly 5:20, and, in other towns, notably in Oaxaca, it did considerable damage.

Two days before, we had sent word to the authorities at Cuquila, that we should breakfast with them on our way back to Tlaxiaco, and ordered them to be ready for our coming.  This was the opportunity which had been promised them for redeeming themselves and avoiding complaint to their jefe.  Arriving at the town at 9:40, we were met at the roadside by some of the officials, who led us at once to the town-house.  Here the whole town government was gathered to greet us; politely each one, stepping forward, removed his hat and kissed my hand; they then invited us to sit down at the table and breakfast,—­whereupon eggs, chicken, tortillas and frijoles—­the best the town could supply—­were set before us.  The whole government sat by, looking on as we ate.

Immediately after breakfast, in accordance with our order previously sent, we were taken to see a potter at work.  Cuquila is famous for two lines of manufacture, pottery and woolen garments.  The pottery here made is skillfully shaped into wonderfully large vessels of different forms.  The product goes throughout this whole district, and even down to the Pacific coast, a hundred miles distant.  Along the roads it is a common thing to meet parties of three or four men carrying great loads of water-jars, large bowls, etc., for sale or trade.  While we were inspecting the potter’s work, a slight shock of earthquake, almost too gentle to be noticed, passed through the place.

At Cuquila, we found that we should not meet Senor Cordova at Tlaxiaco.  He had passed through the town the night before, on his way to Juxtlahuaca, with a band of soldiers to assist his neighboring jefe in maintaining order.

Leaving our Cuquila reprobates in friendly and gentle mood, we started for Tlaxiaco, where we arrived at half-past two.  Something after four o’clock, we heard a violent ringing of the church-bell and saw the people flocking out onto the streets; looking up at the church-tower, although we did not feel the shock, we saw that the whole church was being violently shaken, and that the ringing bells, which we had heard, were not moved by human hands.  This third shock of the day was more strongly felt in other districts, than with us.  In the City of Mexico, three hundred miles away, it was the most severe of the day.