o give up the practice, as one most dangerous to our souls. Now, it
is very evident to me that from the Bible alone do we know anything
about God, or how He desires men to live; and therefore, unless we read
the Bible, we must remain ignorant of Him and His will, or obtain the
knowledge second-hand from one who might make grievous mistakes in
interpreting it,--as Padre Bobo would most certainly do."

I suspected from this (what I afterwards found to be the case) that my
relatives were really Protestants, though they did not openly declare
themselves to be so; that their family had held these opinions from the
time when many of the noblest in Spain had espoused them. Their
ancestor had providentially escaped the doom which the horrible
Inquisition had inflicted on the greater number of those who had become
Protestants: having made his way to America with his wife, he had
settled in this then remote region; but dreading persecution, he had not
attempted to promulgate his opinions beyond his own family. My maternal
grandfather, when he married Donna Teresina Serrano, had, through her
instruction, become a Protestant. Thus, in the heart of South America,
those principles were cherished which, as was fondly hoped, would spread
around them when liberty should be established among the population.

I suspect it was owing to the machinations of the priests that the
Barawa Indians had proved so hostile to one whose wish and aim was
always to benefit them. That such was the case, Don Fernando could not
clearly ascertain; but it was known that Padre Bobo had made several
visits to the Indians, for the purpose, as he professed, of converting
them to Christianity. He had managed, indeed, to induce some of them to
allow him to baptise their children, but they remained as utterly
ignorant of the Truth as before. (What I have here mentioned, I heard
from my own family before Gerald and I set off to visit our friends.)
As is often the case in Spanish families of wealth, there were three
generations living in harmony together, and I was somewhat puzzled at
first to distinguish between my numerous relatives. Gerald, who knew
them all, helped me, but still I was frequently making mistakes. Among
them was a very beautiful girl, whom I at first took to be one of my
cousins, and whom I addressed accordingly; but after I had been there a
couple of days, she laughingly told me that, though she should be very
happy to be a relative, she