sh one--that I love to be of service to those who
need a woman's help. And wherever the need arises--on whatever distant
shore--I ask no greater or higher privilege than to minister to it.
After this explanation, I resume more freely the account of my labours
in Cruces.

It was scarcely surprising that the cholera should spread rapidly, for
fear is its powerful auxiliary, and the Cruces people bowed down
before the plague in slavish despair. The Americans and other
foreigners in the place showed a brave front, but the natives,
constitutionally cowardly, made not the feeblest show of resistance.
Beyond filling the poor church, and making the priests bring out into
the streets figures of tawdry dirty saints, supposed to possess some
miraculous influence which they never exerted, before which they
prostrated themselves, invoking their aid with passionate prayers and
cries, they did nothing. Very likely the saints would have got the
credit of helping them if they had helped themselves; but the poor
cowards never stirred a finger to clean out their close, reeking huts,
or rid the damp streets of the rotting accumulation of months. I think
their chief reliance was on "the yellow woman from Jamaica with the
cholera medicine." Nor was this surprising; for the Spanish doctor,
who was sent for from Panama, became nervous and frightened at the
horrors around him, and the people soon saw that he was not familiar
with the terrible disease he was called upon to do battle with, and
preferred trusting to one who was.

It must be understood that many of those who could afford to pay for
my services did so handsomely, but the great majority of my patients
had nothing better to give their doctress than thanks. The best part
of my practice lay amongst the American store and hotel keepers, the
worst among the native boatmen and muleteers. These latter died by
scores, and among them I saw some scenes of horror I would fain
forget, if it were possible. One terrible night, passed with some of
them, has often haunted me. I will endeavour to narrate it, and should
the reader be supposed to think it highly coloured and doubtful, I
will only tell him that, terrible as it seems, I saw almost as fearful
scenes on the Crimean peninsula among British men, a few thousand
miles only from comfort and plenty.

It was late in the evening when the largest mule-owner in Cruces came
to me and implored me to accompany him to his kraal, a short distance
fro