32 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP. 



being rather deaf and understanding scarcely any- 

 thing of Spanish, he fancied that every one whom 

 he saw laugh was ridiculing him. A few days after 

 we got here an old Indian, who officiates as sacristan 

 to the Padre, was conversing with other Indians in 

 the square, when my man went up to him, seized 

 him by the neck, and with his right fist broke his 

 mouth in. On the following day, when we were at 

 dinner with the Padre, where was also a Portuguese 

 who had travelled along with us nearly all the way 

 from Nauta, the latter was telling some tale about 

 the students at Coimbra which set us a-laughing ; 

 my man thought the laugh was directed against him, 

 got up from table and challenged the Portuguese 

 to fight him with his fists. Attempts at explanation 

 only infuriated him more, and seizing a pickaxe he 

 aimed a blow with it at the Portuguese, which I 

 happily averted by lifting up the handle. The 

 Portuguese then, at the Padre's request, entered an 

 inner room and fastened himself in, the other still 

 attempting to burst open the door in order to wreak 

 his vengeance. It was, of course, quite impossible 

 for me to excuse or palliate such conduct as this to 

 the good Padre, who had treated us most kindly, and 

 as it is equally impossible for me to follow my 

 pursuits without keeping on good terms with all, my 

 separation from such a companion became impera- 

 tive. I do not trouble you with a detail of the 

 reason I had for concluding that he contemplated 

 violence towards myself, and which for several days 

 had induced me to sleep always with a revolver 

 under my pillow. Suffice to say that with much 

 trouble and no small sacrifice on my part we 

 succeeded in getting him sent off. I paid him 



