have excellent dispositions; and whenever any
good habit or civilized custom is taught to them, they do not fail
to practice it--which is no small pleasure and comfort for those
who teach them. In the church they conduct themselves devoutly and
reverently, kneeling on both knees with hands clasped across their
breasts. They attend baptismal services, at the conclusion of which
they embrace the newly-baptized and, kneeling, recite with these
a "Salve," as a token of thanksgiving. A pestilence, attended by
pains in the stomach and head, had attacked this people, and was so
fatal that entire villages of the island were being depopulated. But
our Christians, in the ardor of their faith, took holy water as a
medicine and were healed, so that not one of them died. An instance
of this occurred, which I shall relate. An infidel woman was reduced
by this sickness to such a pass that they did not expect her to live
throughout the night. They summoned the father, and representing
to him the woman's danger, besought him urgently to baptize her at
once. The father did not think that such haste was necessary, or,
at least, that the sick woman was entirely prepared for holy baptism,
and so contented himself with repeating to her some of the catechism
appropriate to the occasion, to wait until morning came. As a further
kindness, in order to cure her body, he asked her if she believed
that the holy water, by virtue of Almighty God, our Creator, could
heal the sick. Upon her answering "Yes," he gave her some to drink,
and with that left her. In the morning they came to tell him that
she whom they had regarded as half dead was already healed. A little
girl had been reduced by the same disease to the last extremity,
and they were already bewailing her as dead; the father hastened to
the spot and grieving lest she should die without the sacraments,
asked for holy water, that he might give her a possible remedy for
body as well as soul. Seeing that the child was unable to drink it,
he asked those who were present if they believed that God our Lord,
and not their idols, could by means of that water give health to the
sick one, and all answered "Yes." The water was then applied to that
part where they said the child felt the greatest pain; and, consoling
her parents with good hopes, he left her; and within a few hours they
sent to tell him that the child was well. Accordingly, they use this
holy medicine frequently in all their sicknesses, an