The Spaniards had a regular battue there; killing deer, hares, and rabbits till they were tired.

This Penon may have been the Penon de los Banos which we are just passing, but was more probably a similar hill a little further off, of larger extent, now fortified and known as El Penon, the Hill.

Both were in those days complete islands at some distance from the shore.
Now that we are out of the canal, our Indians begin to pole us along, thrusting their long poles to the bottom of the shallow lake, and walking on two narrow planks which extend along the sides of the canoe from the prow to the middle point.

Four walk on each plank, each man throwing up his pole as he gets to the end, and running back up the middle to begin again at the prow.

The dexterity with which they swing the poles about, and keep them out of each other's way, is wonderful; and, as seen from our end of the canoe, looks like a kind of exaggerated quarter-staff playing, only nobody is ever hit.
The great peculiarity of the lake of Tezcuco is that it is a salt lake, containing much salt and carbonate of soda.