464 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
which nine-tenths of the most heinous crimes are 
said to be committed in Venezuela — and when 
young she had not been ill-looking, but when out 
of temper (which for the most part occurred with- 
out any reason that I could possibly assign), her 
face put on a scowl which was almost demoniacal. 
I was already very ill and almost helpless, and 
nearly all I could do was to ask for what I wanted, 
yet my every slightest word or action was inter- 
preted as a complaint or an accusation against her. 
When I needed to send to the shops (of which 
there were two or three) for anything, her little 
grand-daughter was the only messenger I could 
procure, and as the child was unable to ask for 
more than the simplest thing, I used to give her a 
slip of paper with any desiderata written on it. 
These billets the old woman (who could neither 
read nor write, and had a mortal hatred of these 
acquirements) was sure could contain only com- 
plaints against herself. She did not say so to me, 
but she would converse for hours together with her 
daughters (two grown-up young women) on the 
subject in the next room, and never fail to v/ork 
herself up to a high pitch of indignation, and to 
mutter not a few curses against the foreigner. She 
was exceedingly fond of rum, and when, having 
ascertained this, I took care constantly to have a 
bottle on the table, her temper was a little mollified 
but still only very partially. 
[Here follows a very detailed account of the 
various symptoms of his long and dangerous illness, 
which I will briefly summarise. He had no medi- 
cine with him but quinine, and some ipecacuanha 
which he took to produce vomiting but without 
