The last portion of this section is formed by the two middle columns of
hieroglyphs on page 69. They bear an extraordinary resemblance to those
discussed under page 61 even in regard to the fact that each column
contains 18 signs. Besides, the upper 10 lines, _i.e._, the upper 20 signs,
are exactly alike on the two pages, aside from slight variations, and
differ only in so far as the passage on page 69 is written on blue ground
and the one on page 61 on white.
But also the lower part, with eight signs in each column, shows many points
in common with page 61. Here as there the whole is divided into several
groups.
With the four signs 11ab and 12ab, which formed the first group there, I
can compose only the two signs 11ab here. In the cross 11a, as on pages 24
and 58 of the Manuscript, I see the sign for 20 with the prefixed 5 making
25. In 11b we find the sign for 18,980 days, which we have already met with
several times. Hence 11ab would have the value of 25 × 18,980 = 474,500
days, as on page 61 the corresponding four signs seemed to form 421,940.
And as the number there was 1156 × 365, so on page 69 we have 1300 × 365.
I believe there is a disarrangement in what follows, inasmuch as I assume
that the two signs 12b and 13a ought to be placed _before_ and not _after_
12a. Assuming that the two little crosses on either side of the 1 are
meaningless, we should assign the value of 61 to the 3 Chuen, 1 Kin. Here,
in the first place, the intention seems to be to establish some connection
with the two days VII Kan and IV Ik specified with their numbers on page
63, column 3, as well as with the days most important there, III Chicchan
and XIII Akbal, _i.e._, a connection with the previous section of the four
serpents in general; for the interval from VII Kan to III Chicchan, as well
as that between IV Ik and XIII Akbal is 61 and on pages 70-73 the two most
important days, IV Eb and IX Ix, are 122 days apart, and 122 is the second
multiple of 61. I can now put the 144,000 of 12a in the place of the 13a.
Then, secondly, the four signs from 13a to 14b in the one section are
exactly like those in the other section, and therefore need not be
discussed here. Only 15ab differs from the signs in the other passages
inasmuch as on page 69 we find 4 × 20 + 4 × 1. The last 4 agrees even
better than it does there with the distance from IV Ahau to the day Kan
with which the serpent numeral begins.
Nothing on page 69 corresponds to the signs in 16ab and 17ab of page 61. On
the contrary, the initial date of the serpent IX Kan 12 Kayab, which on
page 61 does not appear until 18ab is set down in 16ab. On the other hand
on page 69 the four signs 17ab and 18ab are added, 17a being a sign as yet
unknown with 13 as a superfix. I feel inclined, though with many
misgivings, to treat 17ab like 5a and b of page 61 and to assign to them
the value of an Ahau-Katun of 113,880 days. For then they would denote the
13th Ahau-Katun, which extends from the day 1,366,560 (page 24) to
1,480,440 and which contains the two large numbers on page 70, left, top,
while the two lower numbers in the first and second columns of that page
belong to the 12th Ahau-Katun, and the two in the third and fourth belong
to the 14th Ahau-Katun. The 13th would be the present and the 12th and 14th
the past and future; but all this could only be confirmed by further
research. At all events, the signs for beginning in 17b and for end in 18a
refer to past and future. Unfortunately, 18b is entirely effaced.