32 NOTES OF A BOTANIST chap. 
being rather deaf and understanding scarcely any- 
thing of Spanish, he fancied that every one whom 
he saw laugh was ridiculing him. A few days after 
we got here an old Indian, who officiates as sacristan 
to the Padre, was conversing with other Indians in 
the square, when my man went up to him, seized 
him by the neck, and with his right fist broke his 
mouth in. On the following day, when we were at 
dinner with the Padre, where was also a Portuguese 
who had travelled along with us nearly all the way 
from Nauta, the latter was telling some tale about 
the students at Coimbra which set us a-laughing ; 
my man thought the laugh was directed against him, 
got up from table and challenged the Portuguese 
to fight him with his fists. Attempts at explanation 
only infuriated him more, and seizing a pickaxe he 
aimed a blow with it at the Portuguese, which I 
happily averted by lifting up the handle. The 
Portuguese then, at the Padre's request, entered an 
inner room and fastened himself in, the other still 
attempting to burst open the door in order to wreak 
his vengeance. It was, of course, quite impossible 
for me to excuse or palliate such conduct as this to 
the good Padre, who had treated us most kindly, and 
as it is equally impossible for me to follow my 
pursuits without keeping on good terms with all, my 
separation from such a companion became impera- 
tive. I do not trouble you with a detail of the 
reason I had for concluding that he contemplated 
violence towards myself, and which for several days 
had induced me to sleep always with a revolver 
under my pillow. Suffice to say that with much 
trouble and no small sacrifice on my part we 
succeeded in getting him sent off. I paid him 
