would be called and searched for, to be found hidden away somewhere in
the plantation. Then she began to keep an eye on me, and when I was
observed stealing off she would secretly follow and watch me, standing
motionless among the tall weeds or under the trees by the half-hour,
staring at vacancy. This distressed her very much; then to her great
relief and joy she discovered that I was there with a motive which she
could understand and appreciate: that I was watching some living
thing, an insect perhaps, but oftener a bird--a pair of little scarlet
flycatchers building a nest of lichen on a peach tree, or some such
beautiful thing. And as she loved all living things herself she was
quite satisfied that I was not going queer in my head, for that was
what she had been fearing.

The strangeness of the streets was a little too much for me at the
start, and I remember that on first venturing out by myself a little
distance from home I got lost. In despair of ever finding my way back
I began to cry, hiding my face against a post at a street corner, and
was there soon surrounded by quite a number of passers-by; then a
policeman came up, with brass buttons on his blue coat and a sword at
his side, and taking me by the arm he asked me in a commanding voice
where I lived--the name of the street and the number of the house. I
couldn't tell him; then I began to get frightened on account of his
sword and big black moustache and loud rasping voice, and suddenly ran
away, and after running for about six or eight minutes found myself
back at home, to my surprise and joy.

The house where we stayed with English friends was near the front, or
what was then the front, that part of the city which faced the Plata
river, a river which was like the sea, with no visible shore beyond;
and like the sea it was tidal, and differed only in its colour, which