230 



POWER OF THE PRIEST. 



by the Indians ; heated till soft ; made into the shape of wide, thin bricks ; 

 and is worth sixty-two and a half cents the arroba. It is very indiffer- 

 ent. A better kind is made by mixing black wax with gum copal. 



Father Valdivia entertained us most kindly. His aguadiente gave 

 out ; and he occasionally regaled us with a glass of wine, bought for the 

 church in Loreto. It is a weak white wine. I suppose I could not 

 drink it at home, but here it seems very good. I find that this is the 

 case with a great many things. The green plantains, roasted, which 

 were at first an abomination to me, have now become a very good substi- 

 tute for bread ; and a roasted yucca is quite a treat. We have some 

 small red-headed pan fish that are very fine ; and, at my suggestion, the 

 padre had two or three fried, added to his usual evening cup of choco- 

 late. I looked forward to this meal with considerable pleasure. I do 

 not know if it arises from the fact of our seeing so few things that are 

 good to eat, or from the freshness of the cocoa, but chocolate, which I 

 could not touch before this, is now very palatable and refreshing. The 

 bean is simply toasted and pulverized, and the chocolate is made nearly 

 as we make coffee. 



After supper, we — that is, the padre, the governor general, Ijurra, and 

 I, provided with fans to keep off the musquitoes — light our cigars, stretch 

 ourselves at full length in a hammock, and pass an hour before bed-time 

 in agreeable conversation. The priest, in this country, has more power, 

 though it is by force of opinion, than the governor of the districts, or 

 even than the governor general. I saw an instance in Nauta, where 

 a man withstood Arebalo to his face, but yielded without a struggle, 

 though growlingly, to the mandate of the padre. In fact, Father Val- 

 divia, though half Indian, and exceedingly simple-minded, is a very 

 resolute and energetic person. On one occasion the governor of Pebas 

 succeeded in carrying off the Indians of that village to the Napo to 

 gather sarza, against the wish of the paclre, who wanted them to clear 

 the forest and build the new town. When the governor returned, the 

 priest told him that they two could not live together ; that one or the 

 other must resign his office and go away; and the man, knowing the 

 power and influence of the priest, retired from the contest and his post. 

 The padre had great opposition and trouble in forming his new settle- 

 ment. Even the women (wives of the white men) of Pebas came over 

 to laugh at and ridicule his work; but the good father called his Vara- 

 yos, had the ladies conducted to their canoes, and, with much ceremo- 

 nious politeness, directed them to be shoved off. 



We obtained from the Indians more of the poisonous milk of the 

 catao, and also the milk of the cow-tree. This they drink when fresh ; 



