Untitled - The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

32 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP.
being rather deaf and understanding scarcely anything
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 imperative.
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