Soon after sunset an event occurred which proved that a disturbance had taken place in the interior of the earth. We were sitting inside the precincts when we were alarmed by, what was to me, a quite unknown rumbling sound amongst the adjacent mountains. At first I thought that it was caused by distant thunder reverberating amongst the valleys, but it was soon evident that the sounds were of an entirely different character. The Padre, who was listening attentively to the noise, said, after a few moments’ pause, that it was a “Temblor” or trembling of the earth below, and that it was quite different from a “Terra Moto” or earthquake, as it never caused any harm, although it was considered to be a warning. According to my map, the nearest crater was the Volcan de Tacara, fourteen leagues away in a south-easterly direction. The deep sounds rolled like thunder beneath the massive ranges of the Sierra Madre. When living amongst these mountains, and hearing these intimations of great volcanic movements below the surface of the ground, it can be understood how it came to pass that the superstitious and fanatical Indians living in these regions believed that the earth beneath them was peopled by evil demons capable of doing injury, who required to be propitiated, and that when seeing the expression of their anger in the fire, smoke and ashes issuing from the craters, thought it necessary to appease them by offering them their daughters. It is probable that the sacrifices known to have taken place to the volcanoes near Atitlan and Quezaltenango were also customary throughout the long range of volcanoes in this part of Central America. When talking about the present customs of the Indians living in these sierras, the Padre said that the ancient rule of young men serving for a certain time the parents of the girl they wished to marry had ceased, and that now it was usual for an Indian to make up his mind on the subject, and then to begin his courtship by giving presents of maize, fowls, or clothing to the parents.[73] Finally he proposes to take the girl in marriage, and if they consent, he pays for her according to his means, generally about two dollars, but sometimes as much as eight dollars. Upon the morning of our departure from Jacaltenango, whilst I was engaged in superintending the saddling of the mule and the various preparations for the day’s journey, which from the neglected state of the road was expected to be long and fatiguing, I observed Padre Robles walking rapidly backwards and forwards in front of the convent, evidently in a state of much anxiety and alarm.