The fifth was called Chayim-há, the House of Knives,[114] in which there were only sharp, pointed knives, silent or grating against each other in the house.
There were many places of torture in Xibalba,[115] but Hun-Hunahpú and Vucub-Hunahpú did not enter them. We only mention the names of these houses of punishment.
When Hun-Hunahpú and Vucub-Hunahpú came before Hun-Camé and Vucub-Camé, they said: "Where are my cigars? Where are my sticks of fat pine which I gave you last night?"
"They are all gone, Sir."
"Well. Today shall be the end of your days. Now you shall die. You shall be destroyed, we will break you into pieces and here your faces will stay hidden. You shall be sacrificed," said Hun-Camé and Vucub-Camé.
They sacrificed them immediately and buried them in the Pucbal-Chah, as it was called.[116] Before burying them,[117] they cut off the head of Hun-Hunahpú and buried the older brother together with the younger brother.
"Take the head and put it in that tree which is Planted on the road," said Hun-Camé and Vucub-Camé. And having put the head in the tree, instantly the tree, which had never borne fruit before the head of Hun-Hunahpú was placed among its branches, was covered with fruit. And this calabash tree, it is said, is the one which we now call the head of Hun-Hunahpú.
Hun-Camé and Vucub-Camé looked in amazement at the fruit on the tree. The round fruit was everywhere; but they did not recognize the head of Hun-Hunahpú; it was exactly like the other fruit of the calabash tree. So it seemed to all of the people of Xibalba when they came to look at it.
According to their judgment, the tree was miraculous, because of what had instantly occurred when they put Hun-Hunahpú's head among its branches. And the Lords of Xibalba said:
"Let no one come to pick this fruit.[118] Let no one come and sit under this tree!" they said, and so the Lords of Xibalba resolved to keep everybody away.
The head of Hun-Hunahpú did not appear again[119] because it had become one and the same as the fruit of the gourd tree. Nevertheless, a girl heard the wonderful story. Now we shall tell about her arrival.
[114] Chay, obsidian, glassy substance, black volcanic stone, the "stone of lightning" of the peasants; from it the Indians selected small sharp pieces which they used as knives, razors, and arrow points.
[115] Quii nabec u tihobal Xibalba. Ximénez thus interprets this sentence, and this is its logical meaning.
[116] Ta x-e puz cut, x-e muc cut chi Pucbal-Chah u bi. Ximénez (Historia de la Provincia de San Vicente de Chiapa y Guatemala) translates this name as "the place where the ashes are dumped." Brasseur de Bourbourg translates it "the ash-pan." It seems evident that there is an error in transcription here and that the name of this place must have been Puzbal-Chah, that is, the place of sacrifice of the ball game. Puzbal is "place of sacrifice," according to Basseta, and chah is the game of ball. Raynaud also gives this last interpretation.
[117] X-e muc vi, a phrase in the original, which is missing in the text which Brasseur de Bourbourg publishes.
[118] Ma qo ma chupuvic ri u vach. Brasseur de Bourbourg does not translate this sentence, although it is present in the original, as well as in the text which he publishes.
[119] Ma cu calah chiri u holom Hunhun-Ahpu.
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