;8 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 



three previous days were all silent. Two men ran 

 by my house to hide in the sugar-canes on the hill- 

 side, but so terrified were they that they could not 

 reply a word to my inquiries. I got my breakfast, 

 and about noon walked into the town to see if I 

 could make out what had happened. The hot sun 

 beat down into the streets, in which no living thing 

 was to be seen save a few lazy dogs and pigs lying 

 under the projecting eaves, and the houses were 

 all closed as if some inmate had died. I walked 

 on and on till I came to the house of Don Ignacio 

 Morey, who I knew had gone down to the Amazon 

 some weeks previously ; but I found his wife and 

 trembling children, naturally full of anxiety. From 

 them, however, I learnt that it was probably no 

 recruiting force, but a revolutionary one, that had 

 arrived. I returned to my house, and shortly after- 

 wards news was brought me that the insurgents 

 had sacked the Commandant's house, not leaving 

 therein so much as a cup, and that they were pre- 

 paring to sack other houses. I loaded my six- 

 shooter and my double-barrelled "Nock," and 

 prepared to defend my house ; but at this junc- 

 ture a report reached the insurgents that a mes- 

 senger had arrived from Colonel Ortiz, to warn the 

 local authorities of what had occurred ; and, armed 

 with bayonets, they proceeded to search the houses 

 where they supposed he might be hidden, but with- 

 out finding him. Then, fearing on the one hand 

 the arrival of Colonel Ortiz in their pursuit, and on 

 the other that news of their uprising should reach 

 Moyobamba before them, they began to prepare 

 for departing, and at nightfall started for Moyo- 

 bamba five days' journey away at the least where 



