Then follows an account of the pride and evil-doing of Sipacua, and how he destroyed the "cuatrocientos muchachos" (four hundred young men); and the Chronicle continues:

"Then follows how Sipacua was conquered and killed; how another time he was overcome by the youths Hunahpu and Xbalanque: to them he appeared contemptible because he had killed the four hundred youths. And Sipacua was alone fishing and hunting crabs on the river banks; this was his every-day diet. Days he spent seeking his food, while at night he moved mountains. Then Hunahpu and Xbalanque made an image of a crab. They made the large claws of the crab of a leaf which grows on the trees and is called ec, and the little ones of other smaller leaves called pahac; and the shell and claws they made of flat stones. And they made it and placed it in a cave under a hill called Meaban, where he was conquered. Then they went along and met Sipacua by the rivulet, and asked him where he was going. And Sipacua replied,

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"I am not going anywhere; I am only looking for something to eat.

"And they asked him, 'What is your food?'

"Only fishes and crabs, and I have found none; and since the day before yesterday I have not eaten, and now I cannot bear my hunger.'

"Then said they: There is a crab below in the gulch ; in truth it is very large: would you might eat that! We wanted to catch it, but it bit us, and we were in terror of it, or else we would have caught it.'

"Have pity on me and take me where it is,' said Sipacua.

"We do not wish to,' said they; but go, you cannot lose your way. Go up stream, turn to the right, and you will be in front of it under a great hill; it is making a noise and making hovol: you will go straight to it,' said Hunahpu and Xbalanque.

"O miserable me! if perchance you had not found it,' said Sipacua. I will go and show you where there are plenty of birds; you will shoot them with the blow-gun. I alone know where they are, and in return for them I will go under the rock.'

"And shall you truly be able to catch it? Do not make us return for no purpose; because we tried to catch it, and could not, because we crawled in on our bellies and it bit us; and so by a trifle we could not catch it. So it will be well for you to go in pursuit tail-end first.'

"It is well,' said Sipacua.

"And then they went with him to the gulch, and the crab was lying on his side, and his shell was very brightcolored; and here under the valley was the secret of the youths. Hurrah!' said Sipacua, joyfully; and he wished to eat it, for he was dying with hunger. And he tried to enter lying down; but the crab rose up, and he at once retreated. And the youths said to him,

"Did n't you catch it?'

"I did n't catch it, I just missed it; but as it has gone up high, it will be well for me to enter head first.'

"And immediately he crawled in head first; and when he had got in all but his knees, the mountain toppled down and fell quietly down upon his breast, and he returned no more. And Sipacua became stone. And thus was Sipacua conquered by the youths Hunahpu and Xbalanque; and they tell that in ancient times it was he who made

the mountains, this elder son of Vucub-caquix. Under the mountain which is called Meaban he was overcome, and only by a miracle was he conquered; and now will we tell of the other who was puffed up with pride.

"The third fellow who was arrogant, the second son of Vucub-caquix, who was called Cabracan, used to say, 'I am the one who destroys mountains.'

"And so it came to pass that Hunahpu and Xbalanque declared that they would put an end to Cabracan. Then Huracan, Chipa-caculha, and Raxa-caculha spoke unto Hunahpu and Xbalanque, saying that the second son of Vucub-caquix must be destroyed also.

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and it seems good to us Is not your greatness, O

"This have I commanded, because he does evil upon the earth; because he makes himself very great, and this ought not so to be. Arise now, and seek him towards the sunrise.' So spoke Huracan to the two youths. "It is well,' they replied, to risk. There is no danger. Heart of Heaven, above all?' Thus spoke the two youths in reply to Huracan, and at the very time Cabracan was shaking the mountains. Hardly had he shaken them a little, kicking with his feet on the ground (then he was breaking the mountains great and small), when the two youths met him and asked,

"Where are you going, boy?'

"I am not going anywhere,' he replied; 'I am only here shaking the mountains, and I shall always be shaking them.'

"Then said Cabracan to Hunahpu and Xbalanque, 'What do you come here for? I don't recognize you, nor do I know what you are here for. What are your names?'

"We have no name,' replied they; we are only hunters with the blow-gun, and we catch birds with bird-lime. We are poor and have nothing, and we are tramping over the mountains great and small. Here in the East we see a great mountain, and its sweet odor is very pleasant. And it is so lofty that it overtops all the other mountains. So we have not been able, it is so high, to catch a single bird. So if it be true that you overturn mountains,' said Hunahpu and Xbalanque, then you will aid us.'

"It certainly is true,' said Cabracan.

'Have you seen

this mountain of which you speak? Where is it? I will look at it, and I will topple it down. Where did you see it?'

"There,' said they, it is, where the sun rises.'

"Very well,' said Cabracan, let us go; and it will be strange if we don't get some birds between us. One will go on the right hand, the other on the left. We will take our blow-guns, and if there is a bird we'll shoot him.'

"So they went on happily, shooting birds (and it should be said that when they shot, it was not with balls of clay, but only with a puff of breath did they knock down the birds), and Cabracan went on astonished. Then the youths made a fire and set about cooking the birds in the fire; and one bird they anointed with tizate, white earth they put on it. This we will give him,' said they, when desire is strong upon him, smelling its savor. This our bird shall conquer him, for in conquering him he must fall to the ground; and in the ground must he be buried (wise is the Creator!) before human beings are brought to light.' So spoke the two youths, and to themselves

they said it. Great desire had Cabracan in his heart to eat of it. Then they turned the bird on the fire and seasoned it. Now it was brown, and the fat of the birds ran out, and the savor was delectable; so Cabracan was most eager to eat them, and his mouth watered, and the saliva dropped from it, because of the delicious smell the birds gave out. And then he asked them,

"What is this your food? Truly it is an appetizing odor I smell; give me a bit.'

"He spoke, and then was given a bird to Cabracan for his destruction; and he quickly finished the bird. And then they went on, and came to the birthplace of the sun, where was that great mountain. But Cabracan was now sickened, and he had no strength in his hands and feet, because of that earth which they had put on the bird he ate; and now he could no longer do anything to the mountains, nor could he overturn them. So the youths tied his hands behind him, and likewise tied his feet together, and threw him on the ground and buried him. So was Cabracan conquered by Hunahpu and Xbalanque alone. It is not possible to tell the feats these youths did here on earth.”

The author of the "Popul Vuh," however, goes on to tell of some of the wonders they did in Xibalbay, which Ximenes considers hell, and my readers would find the story very amusing; but I have translated perhaps enough to show the ideas of the Quichés ten centuries ago.

The Quiché kings had removed their capital from Izmachi to Gumarcah, afterwards called Utatlan, not far from the modern Spanish town of Santa Cruz del Quiché; and it was the poor remains of this city,