549 



Every mission has at least two interpreters 

 (lenguarazes) . They are Indians, a little less 

 stupid than the rest, by whose means the mis- 

 sionaries of the Oroonoko, who now very rarely 

 ,give themselves the trouble of studying the 

 idioms of the country, communicate with the 

 neophytes. These interpreters attended us in 

 all our herborizations ; but they rather under- 

 stand than speak Castilian. With their indolent 

 indifference, they answer us by chance, but al- 

 ways with an officious smile ; " Yes, Father, no, 

 Father," to every question addressed to them. 



The vexation that arises from such conversa- 

 tion continued for months may easily be con- 

 ceived, when you wish to be enlightened upon 

 objects in which you take the most lively inte- 

 rest. We were often forced to employ several 

 interpreters at a time, and several successive 

 translators, in order to communicate with the 

 natives *, 



* To form a just idea of the perplexity of these communi- 

 cations by interpreters,, we may recollect, that, in the expedi- 

 tion of Lewis and Clarke to the river Columbia, in order to 

 converse with the Chopunnish Indians, Captain Lewis ad- 

 dressed one of his men in English; that man translated the 

 question into French to Chaboneau ; Chaboneau translated it 

 to his Indian wife in Minnetaree; the woman translated it 

 into Shoshonee to a prisoner; and the prisoner translated it 

 into Chopunnish. It may be feared, that the sense of the 

 question was a little altered by five [four] successive trans- 

 lations. 



