Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1893-08-07
SENOTES In YUCATAN.
NATURAL WELLS WHICH ARE so I'M
PORTANT TO THE COUNTRY.

A visit TO the Plantation of Father Fable
Ancona-The Hidden senote-How an
Indian Woman Tried TO Hide Her Peo-
Piles seoret-Under a Sacred Tree.
Among the thousands Of persons who |
| have visited Florida some have been inter |
ested in the subterranean currents and ba- |
sins Of water inhabited by blind fish of the |
genus Silurus. They live in darkness, and |
the inaction Of the visual organ, If it ever
existed, has ended in its suppression. Dame |
Nature is a great economist, generally with
| holding or withdrawing what Is not strictly
necessary TO her subjects.
As Florida stretches out. forming one
! jaw of the Mexican gulf, which we venture
to liken TO a big mouth, so the southern or
lower jaw is formed by another peninsula,
famous for its ruins Here, too, we find
/ those same subterranean currents and ba-
/ sins, much more numerous; also enormous
| natural wells open to the surface Of the
earth. Such sources Of water greatly in
crease the value Of land, there being no
rivers worth mentioning in any part of the
| country.
In land where hospitality is an unwrit-
ten law, inns are regarded as unnecessary.
Strangers are rare objects in the interior,
and friends are ever welcome among their
acquaintance. The convent doors stand
open to all strangers worthy of considera-
ton, as these buildings are now the dwell
ing place of only the priest and his serv-
ants. Mexico's Indian president Benito
Juarez, enacted laws in 1861 forbidding any
religious body to dwell in community.
1t was while enjoying the hospitality Of
the Rev. Father Pablo AnconR that we
learned the story of a famous senote (the
name given to all subterranean water
sources) on his plantation, for the father
was land owner and did not scorn to Guilt
vate his property Had he not done some
thing Of the sort TO replenish his ever open
purse his generous hospitality must soon
have come TO an end, most of his parishion-
ers being poor, and he seldom insisting on
his fees. Don Pablo showed us his planta-
ton with its gardens of flowers, fruits and
vegetables, in which he took pride.
He pointed out for our particular admit
ration some truly enormous cabbages. We
preferred the oranges, which for our benefit
he pulled from the richly laden trees. They
were warmed through with the sun and
the sweetest we have ever tasted. The
greater part Of the ground was monopolized
by hemp plant. About $50 bales were piled
up in one room, representing some 5000.
Don Pablo took US through the engine
house, and then asked if we would like to
know the story of his senote, which had
been the making of the estate. Weenjoyed
hearing him tell it in his own way;
Near the engine house stood mound
: built by the ancients From 1t drew a
supply Of nicely hewn stones. It appeared
to me that there had been rooms connected
with it. and this made me believe there
must be water not far of. I declared my
, intention Of having the whole pile Of ma
/ 10. hat MA ofrIH find
One Of my Indians, a young man, became
. quite excited, imploring me to do nothing
Of the sort because the mound had spirit
keepers-dwarfish creatures that were Of
ten SEEN laughed at him, vowing shat If
, his dwarfs lived under the mound we
. would take a good look at them. So had
the mound destroyed but the fellow who
had tried to dissuade me would not help in
b., the work. He said could whip him If ]
liked, but as for taking part in the destruc-
tion he would not.
"This made me suspect that he knew
!. something about the spot aud that be
, must have learned it from his aged grand
: mother, with whom he lived. I went to
. see her, pretending TO know that a hidden
" senote existed, simply asking her TO tell
me its exact whereabouts. She would say
nothing. 1 insisted, threatening to deny
q her absolution when her last hour should
come so she could not enter heaven. The
poor old thing cried, begging for pity
Finally between threats and coaXing
D. wrung the truth from her.
Is "She said: My father was the only one Of
II our family TO survive a general massacre
was his only child. All the family Sc
crets were confded TO me. This part Of tn,
Ia land which you call yours and much NOR,
la besides really belongs TO me and mine. i
1 divulge secrets concerning it, forfeit the
IN right, and when we come TO live here AGAR
(they believe in reincarnation) we shall moi
be able 20 obtain the land. Because YOU
, are my confessor l tell you, though yoI
n must not repeat it,
he .She stopped there, and I had to do NOR
it coaxing and talking about the next world
till at last, being very infrm, she grew
tired and consented TO indicate the spot Of
L, condition that three aged women should
presented to the spirit of the senote. The
were to be the first to enter. Iassented
p She declared that the water was under
r ceiba tree. Clinging TO a last hopeof keeT
ing her secret, she pretended not to know
~ Just which one.
I. 1.-The ceiba was sacred IN Central Amer
lea as the DO tree is in Ceylon. Looking a
them attentively, l found a tree more beau
tiful and vigorous than the others Thi
II | led me 10 suppose lual bhe water was Ds
- meath It. Sure enough, when the tree wa
felled and removed we came upon hew
stones and mortar. In their thirst for Oh
- Hfe giving fluid the roots had penetrate
~ deep, twining about the stones and holdin
- to them like wise. We separated hew
from unhewn stones, using some Of tf
former to build a stairway down to the WI
ter 80 feet below the surface
1.-THE stones in the senote and noun
lie showed that the people had demolishe
lie their own dwelling place TO fill up Il
re cave, thus depriving their enemies of watt
ey and shelter In the mound we found veI
re siuaIl dwarfs Observation-Disclosures clay III
la uras that j regarded as toys, so gave thel
away to the children of the workmen. III
I'm poor old dame who so boldly laid claim
of my estate is dead. Her hidden senote HI
facilitated the work here to such an eXtel
Die that it is a veritable fount of gold. NE
ow York Tribune.
he
Origin Of Famous Saying.
nd Euclid who is sometimes called q