Page:The Rambler in Mexico.djvu/83

was a jeweller, and did not fail to use his sand box. In returning an answer, his knowing friend, to his great surprise, bantered him with his great riches, seeing that he dried the very ink on his paper with gold dust! This opened the simple padre's eyes. He sent for his Indian friends, and without divulging his newly acquired knowledge, begged them to get him more of the fine bright sand. They, nothing doubting, did so. The demon of avarice began to whisper into the old man's ear, and warm the blood of his heart. He begged for more, and received it—and then more—till they had furnished him with several pounds weight. All entreaty that they would show him the locality where this bright dust was gathered, was resisted with calmness and steadiness for a long time. Alternate cajoling and menace were employed with equally bad success. At length, wearied out, they told him that, as they loved him, and saw he was disturbed in mind, they would yield to his desire and show him the spot, on the condition that he would submit to be led to and from the place blindfold. To this he greedily consented, and was in course of time taken upon their shoulders and carried, whither he knew not, by many devious ways, up and down mountain and barranca, for many hours, into the recesses of the cordillera, and there, in a cave through which a stream issued from the breast of the mountain, they set him down and unbound him. They there showed him quantities of the gold dust intermingled with large lumps of virgin ore, while their spokesman addressed him, saying: "Father, we have brought you here at your urgent request, because you so much desired it, and because we loved you; take now what you want to carry away with you—let it be as much as you can carry, for here you must never hope to come again; you will never persuade us more!" The padre seemingly acquiesced, and after disposing as much of the precious metal about his person as he could contrive to carry, he submitted to be blindfolded, and was again taken in the arms of the Indians to be transported home. The tradition goes on to relate how the good curé, upon whom the cursed lust of gold had now seized, thought to