e
superior rose up, and gave the signal for resuming our journey. The
horses were soon ready, and the superior's mule being brought up to the
palanquin, he rose up, and one of his attendants was lifting up his robe
for the superior to resume it, when my eye detected the head of a snake
just showing itself out of the side-pocket of the robe in which he
carried his breviary and his handkerchief. I knew the snake well, for
we often found them in the Sierra de Espinhaco, and some two or three of
the slaves had lost their lives by their bite, which was so fatal, that
they died in less than five minutes afterwards. The superior had his
handkerchief in his hand, and would have undoubtedly put it in his
pocket before he mounted his mule, and if so would certainly have been
bitten, and lost his life. As the superior was fastening his robe at
the throat, I darted forward, seized it, threw it on the ground, and
commenced stamping upon it with all my force, much to the surprise of
the whole party. Some of them thought me mad, and others, who were
horrified at such treatment of the holy garment, called out, "Heretico
maldetto!" which, Madam, you must know, means, accursed heretic. Having
felt the snake (which is very short, but very thick in the body, with a
head like a toad) several times moving under my feet, and then moving no
more, I then stepped off the garment, and turning it over I lifted it up
by the skirt, so that the dead snake rolled out of the pocket.

"I thank the God whom we all worship, and the Son of God, who died for
us all, whether Catholic or Heretic," cried I, "that I have been the
means of preserving the holy father."

I had knelt down as I thus prayed, and the superior, perceiving the
danger that he had been in, did the same, and silently returned his
thanks; at his example all the rest went down on their knees.

"Yes," said the superior; "would to God that instead of reviling each
other all denominations of Christians would join in thus bruising the
head of the serpent which seeks our spiritual death."

He then rose and said:

"My son, I thank thee for the kind service thou hast performed."

I then explained to the superior the deadly nature of the animal, and my
fear that he would have put his handkerchief in the pocket of his robe
before I had time to prevent him, and begged him to excuse my seeming
abruptness.

"There needs no apology for saving a man's life," replied he,
smiling.--"Come, let