CROSSING THE BOLIVIAN HIGHLANDS 301 



the Rio Chimore. We expressed a desire to visit it, but 

 the intendente told us that such a move was impossible. 

 He said that the priest in charge of the mission was abso- 

 lute monarch of the territory under his control; that he 

 would permit no one to come near his retreat, and that this 

 mandate had never been disobeyed. Such statements 

 made the place seem of especial interest to us, and we were 

 eager to go there at almost any cost; we devised many 

 plans which we hoped would lead to an interview with the 

 priest, but all of them failed miserably; finally, however, 

 the opportunity came to us in an unlooked-for manner. A 

 misfortune to one person frequently comes in the guise of a 

 blessing to another, and so it happened in this instance. 

 As we were pursuing our work one afternoon in the open 

 corridor in front of our room, a long canoe drew up at the 

 river-bank, and the priest, followed by a dozen Indians, 

 stepped ashore and marched across the clearing to the in- 

 tendente^ quarters. We immediately recognized him as 

 Padre Fulgencio, the missionary of whose despotic rule we 

 had heard so much; but he did not even glance at us as he 

 passed. While debating upon some diplomatic move which 

 might serve as an excuse for an interview, for now or never 

 was the time to obtain the coveted permission, he suddenly 

 emerged from the house and came straight to us. A few 

 curt remarks were exchanged, and then he began to relate 

 his trouble. To make a long story short, he was suffering 

 from a severe toothache; it had kept him awake main- 

 nights, and at last he was forced to come out of his retreat 

 in search of a remedy. The intendente could do nothing 

 for him ; could we ? 



How I thanked my lucky star for a limited knowledge of 

 medicine! After an examination, conducted with much 

 formality, the trouble was pronounced curable. He sub- 

 mitted bravely to the injection of cocaine, and soon after 

 was relieved of the aching member. Tears rolled down his 

 cheeks as he expressed his gratitude, and then, taking note 

 of the work upon which we were engaged, he suddenly 



