leased 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 re