350 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
keeper of one of the Portuguese is the daughter 
of one of the principal Indians, and she had heard 
during the night her relatives talking over their 
plans, from which it seemed certain that a general 
massacre of the whites was resolved on, either for 
the night that was coming or for the night of the 
24th. I had been here a very short time and had 
had no quarrel with any one of my colour ; but I 
was accused of the crime of having a white skin 
and of being a foreigner, and as with my little 
stock of merchandise I found myself the richest 
merchant in San Carlos, pretty pickings were 
calculated on in the sacking of my house. Such 
being the case, I declared my readiness to join in 
any plan of defence that could be devised, and we 
agreed that the best way would be for all three 
to unite in a house which should be fortified as 
well as we were able and defended with all the 
arms we could raise. I had three guns, one of 
them double-barrelled, which I at once proceeded 
to put in order and load with ball. Unfortunately, 
one of the Portuguese a few days before had lent 
a double-barrelled gun, and a formidable blunder- 
buss had been disabled by giving salvos to the 
Comisario General on his recent visit ; still, we 
mustered altogether seven firearms, two swords, 
and cutlasses without end, and we were well sup- 
plied with ammunition. The day passed over with- 
out our being molested, save by parties of Indians 
coming occasionally to ask for rum — visits un- 
pleasant enough, for any man when drunk is 
disagreeable company, but a drunken Indian is 
the most annoying animal under the sun. I did 
not leave my house all day, but at the hour of 
