REAL DEL MONTE. 77 



was a jeweller, and did not fail to use his sand box. In 

 returning an answer, his knowing friend, to his great sur* 

 prise, bantered him with his great riches, seeing that he 

 dried the very ink on his paper with gold dust ! This 

 opened the simple padre's eyes. He sent for his Indian 

 friends, and without divulging his newly acquired know- 

 ledge, begged them to get him more of the fine bright 

 sand. They, nothing doubting, did so. The demon of 

 avarice began to whisper into the old man's ear, and 

 warm the blood of his heart. He begged for more, and 

 received it — and then more— till they had furnished him 

 with several pounds weight. All entreaty that they would 

 show him the locality where this bright dust was gathered, 

 was resisted with calmness and steadiness for a long time* 

 Alternate cajoling and menace were employed with 

 equally bad success. At length, wearied out, they told 

 him that, as they loved him, and saw he was disturbed in 

 mind, they would yield to his desire and show him the 

 spot, on the condition that he would submit to be led to 

 and from the place blindfold. To this he greedily con- 

 sented, and was in course of time taken upon their shoul- 

 ders and carried, whither he knew not, by many devious 

 ways, up and down mountain and barranca, for many 

 hours, into the recesses of the cordillera, and there, in a 

 cave through which a stream issued from the breast of 

 the mountain, they set him down and unbound him. 

 They there showed him quantities of the gold dust inter- 

 mingled with large lumps of virgin ore, while their spokes- 

 man addressed him, saying : " Father, we have brought 

 you here at your urgent request, because you so much 

 desired it, and because we loved you ; take now what 

 you want to carry away with you— let it be as much as 

 you can carry, for here you must never hope to come 

 again ; you will never persuade us more !" The padre 

 seemingly acquiesced, and after disposing as much of the 

 precious metal about his person as he could contrive to 

 carry, he submitted to be blindfolded, and was again 

 taken in the arms of the Indians to be transported home. 

 The tradition goes on to relate how the good cure, upon 

 whom the cursed lust of gold had now seized, thought to 



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