V 



342 A VOYAGE TO Book VI. 



ning. And indeed fo many ftories are told on this 

 head, that one is at a lofs what to believe. "Without 

 giving credit to, 'or abfolutely rejecting all that is re- 

 ported, leaving every one to the free decifion of his 

 own judgement, I fhali only relate the mod received 

 opinion here. The town of Caloto, the territory of 

 which contains a great number of Indians, of a nation 

 . called Paezes, was formerly very large; but thofe 

 Indians fuddenly affauking it, foon forced their way 

 in, fet fire to the houfes, and mafiacred the inhabi- 

 tants : among the flain was the prieft of the parifh, 

 who was particularly the objedl of their rage, as 

 preaching the gofpel, with which they were fenfible 

 their favage manner of living did not agree, expofing 

 the folly and v/ickednefs of their idolatry, and laying 

 before them the turpitude of their vices. Even the 

 bell of the church could not efcape their rancour, as 

 by its found it reminded them of their duty to come 

 and receive divine inftrudlion. After many fruitlefs 

 endeavours to break it, they thought they could do 

 nothing better than to bury it under ground, that, by 

 the fight of it, they might never be put in mind of 

 the precepts of the gofpel, which tended to abridge 

 them of their liberty. On the news of their revolt, 

 the Spaniards in the neighbourhood of Caloto armed ; 

 and, having taken a fmart revenge of the infurgents 

 in a battle, they rebuilt the town, and having taken 

 up the bell, they placed it in the fteeple of the new 

 church fmce which the inhabitants, to their great 

 joy and aftonifhment, obferved, that, when a tempeft 

 appeared brooding in the air, the tolling of the bell 

 difperfed it ; and if the weather did not every where 

 grow clear and fair, at lead the tempefi: difcharged it- 

 felf in fome other part. The news of this miracle 

 fpreading every where, great folicitations were made 

 for procuring pieces of it to make clappers for httle 

 bells, in order to enjoy the benefit of its virtue, w^hich 

 in a country where tempefts are both fo dreadful and 



frequent. 



