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ANNUAL REPORT 1920 AND 1921 



factory, so, accompanied by the geJlant Lieutenant Ortiz, I went to the hotel 

 and turned over my precious documents. I was informed that I could have 

 them back at three o'clock. It takes a long time to examine a passport in Latin 

 America, — it was then about nine in the morning. 



That afternoon at the specified hour I presented myself at the Chief's desk 

 and asked if I might be permitted to receive my passports. "No," said he, 

 "you are under arrest. I have learned certain things about your past, and have 

 telegraphed Quito that you have been captured, and I am awaiting instructions." 



Ladies and gentlemen of the California Avocado Association, I ask you 

 was this not a bit disconcerting, just when I was on the eve of locating a valua- 

 ble avocado? 



The Chief would not tell me just what he knew about my past. I tried 

 to recall something that I had done, something very wicked and horrible which 

 would justify these proceedings, but I could not; so I simply telegraphed our 

 Minister in Quito that I was held on suspicion, and begged him to aid me if 

 he could. That night at about ten o'clock I received an answer which said: 



"Your telegram received and matter presented to Minister of the Interior 

 tonight." 



With this in my possession, I slept peacefully, and when, in the morning, 

 I presented myself to the Chief the matter was quickly cleared up: it appeared 

 that they were on the lookout for a German who had stolen some money from 

 Bogota and had started for Ecuador; and since my passport bore the vise of the 

 Ecuadorian Legation in that city, and since it was evident I was a foreigner 

 (the Chief did not distinguish between the different brands: Germans and 

 Americans were one to him) he immediately jumped at the conclusion that he 

 had made a big catch. No doubt he already had visions of a congratulatory 

 telegram from his superiors in Quito, when my message from the American min- 

 ister arrived to dispel them. 



So we started for the North. In Ibarra I had made the acquaintance of 

 a splendid young fellow, Jose Felix Tamayo, and he offered to take me to his 

 hacienda, which was not far from San Vicente. I went very gladly: but 

 while I was up at his place it began to rain, and the roads, I well knew, would 

 soon be in terrible shape. So I started down to San Vicente, and found it 

 already bad going. My horse fell beneath me, and I thought it safer to get off 

 and walk. After an hour of nasty work, I came to a ranch house. Here I 

 stopped to inquire the distance to San Vicente, and to eisk if the road in 

 that direction was as bad as the one over which I had just come. The man 

 laughed. "Caramba!" he said, "that road you have been traveling is a good 

 one. Wait until you see the gullies and mud-holes ahead." Encouraging, 

 wasn't it? But fortunately, the man had lied. The road was not bad, and I 

 reached San Vicente at sundown. 



Here I found plenty of avocados : a few of them West Indians, many Mex- 

 icans, and two or three which looked like hybrids between the two races. I 

 spent two days examining the trees, and finally picked out five varieties which 

 looked promising. After cutting budwood of these, I started for Ibarra, and 

 at a small town on the road I sent a telegram to Quito asking when the next mail 

 would leave for the States. 



Upon reaching Ibarra I found a reply to this telegram, advising me that 

 the mail would leave on Sunday afternoon. It was then Friday evening. I wais 

 frantic. With good animals, and by riding steadily, I could not reach Quito in 

 less than 20 hours, and I had yet to find the animals. In vain did I search 



