house, and to examine every part of it, piece by piece, to see if by chance he might find the idol hidden in some hole.  Before setting about this task, his glance fell upon a cane prop—­old, weather-beaten, and stained by smoke—­which from a joist of the house, supported the ridge-pole of the roof:  this is the mode of construction used for strengthening the houses.  I do not know what he saw in that prop, but he immediately ordered it to be cut down and its contents to be examined.  This time, “he who was more powerful than all others” was overcome; for, being found like all the rest, and the gold being removed for the service of the church, this idol went, with the others, into the fire.

The demon was so insulted and hurt at this trick that, not being able to wreak any other vengeance, he began (accompanied by many others) the following night to torment the poor Catolona with visions and cruel threats.  Already undeceived as to the weakness of her idol, she sought for conversion, and, hating the demon, begged for mercy.  With the help of a cross which was given her as a defense, although the terror continued, the threats were not put in execution; and finally the demon abandoned her as she had him.  On one of the feast-days, all their errors were publicly refuted in the church, and the priestesses remained convinced, repentant and reconciled—­by the authority of the ordinary, as I have stated.  They all betook themselves to a place where, removed from temptations, they could not relapse into their evil ways [bolver al bomito].  They were placed in charge of devout and Christian persons, in whose company they lead Christian and exemplary lives.  The people were so thoroughly undeceived by this event that for several days they not only brought in their idols, garments, vessels, and other belongings of their ancestors, so that not a trace of that lineage remained; but there was the utmost religious fervor, and a great number of general confessions, by means of which their consciences were purified.  Into many good souls there entered such fear and awe, and such distrust and scrupulosity regarding this evil, that the, hearing of these general and oft-repeated confessions (made even by those who had no share in it) lasted months, and even years.  I can affirm, as one who has seen it all and touched it with my very hands, that of this wound which the devil tried to inflict upon that tender part, the entire body of that mission and encomienda not only remained sound, through the great mercy of God, but much stronger than ever before, as will be seen in the rest of this narrative.  But as a conclusion to this incident I must not neglect what befell Don Francisco Amandao, chief of that village—­an aged man, of excellent judgment, and a devoted friend of ours.  Upon the occasion of a certain illness, he allowed himself to be persuaded to make a similar sacrifice to the devil, induced by the suggestion that he should at least give half of his body to the anito to see if he could heal it.  That half of his body at once became paralyzed, so that he could not move it at all, and thus he lived several years, giving public testimony of his infidelity.  In great repentance for his sin he came to die a Christian death, at the time when the above events took place.