utmost sorrow for their sins; and many received communion, with such devotion that to behold them inspired a like emotion.  I baptized about eighty, most of them infants, although there were a few adults.  We instituted the procession of children which, in our doctrinas, is wont to march through the streets.  We began, too, in the church to give instruction and ask questions, which so pleased them that the chiefs answered them, and were offended if we did not question them.

“During our stay several incidents occurred which I shall relate.  An Indian woman, wife of the governor of the village, and of high rank, lay sick.  One night her malady grew so violent that it left her without power of speech.  Believing her to be dead, they hastened to summon us late in the night.  When we arrived she was speechless and unconscious, and they were bewailing her as one dead.  It grieved me that the woman should die in that state; for she had been a Christian for some years, and yet had not attended confession (although she led a blameless life) because there was no priest who knew her language.  I was anxious that she should, if only by a sign, ask for confession, but she could not do even this.  We repeated the gospel to her, sprinkling her with holy water; and God, the Father of mercy, gave such efficacy to these means that we had not finished reciting the holy gospel when the woman regained consciousness and asked for confession, saying:  ‘Jesus, have mercy on me.’  Many people were present on this occasion, and we gave thanks to our Lord.  Within ten minutes the sick woman was as well as before her illness; accordingly, I would not confess her in her own house, but left her, directing her people to bring her to the church the next day.  This was done, and on the following day she confessed, to her great consolation.  Another woman, also of rank, was attacked by an illness so violent that she could not be held, and even dashed herself against the walls.  Finally, she was dying, and they hastily summoned us; we read to her the gospel, as usual, and gave her holy water.  Then with much difficulty, on account of the many persons who were in the house, I began to confess her before she should die.  But it was God’s pleasure that, just as she began to confess, her malady and the pains of death should be mitigated—­so fully that before her confession was concluded she was as well as before.  The next day she went to the church, and there, before many persons, she made known the mercy which our Lord had shown to her the night before.  Another woman was reduced by sickness to the point of death, so that she was speechless; her people hurriedly summoned us, saying that she was already dead, and we found her unconscious, and already lamented as dead.  We recited the holy gospel, and gave her holy water; and we had not yet finished the reading when the woman regained her senses and said ‘Jesus.’  She then made her confession, and even before we departed she had recovered health, and was offering thanks to our Lord.