and especially by a heart which was superior even to her grace and her mind. It was impossible to see her without loving her, and the love which she inspired might he avowed to her for vanity came not near that pure soul, and the feeling to which she gave birth had in it so much of her own nature, that it became a virtue in the person by whom it was felt.

Angelina frequently retired to solitude and to rural scenes. Availing herself of the liberty which is enjoy ed in the colonies, she went out every evening, with a single servant, to contemplate the beauties of nature, to breathe the perfume of the flowers, to listen to the song of the birds, and to admire the setting sun. These were her only pleasures; they were sufficient to satisfy her mild, candid, tender, and peaceable mind, which was always ready to feel what was good, always slow to crave for what was better.

In her rural walks she had frequently observed a young man, who, at the same hour, never failed to visit the same spot, to kneel and remain a long time there, and then to return to the city. Angelina, who had but little curiosity, avoided meeting with him; but, one evening that she was returning rather later than usual, a monstrous serpent, of that species which is denominated the Hunter, and is so common in Paraguay, raised all at once his head from among the tall grass, and, with frightful hisses, darted towards Angelina. Angelina shrieked; her terrified domestic took flight; she herself fled as fast as she was able: but the serpent pursued her, gained ground, and was upon the point of reaching her, when Camira appeared, holding in his hand one of those springes which the Peruvians use with such wonderful address.* He threw the slip knot over the head of the reptile, and, running with great rapidity, he dragged after him the strangled monster.

Angelina had fainted. Camira assisted her, restored her to life, supported her trembling steps to the

With this sort of springe, which is made of leather, the Peruvians, called Guazes, strangle bulls and tigers. Florian. The use of the springe, which is named the lazo, is not confined to one tribe. It is common in many parts of South America.

house of her uncle, blushing received her thanks, and quitted her with a kind of emotion which he had never before experienced.

Camira hastened to Maldonado to relate to him what had occurred. The pleasure which it gave to the good father, the interest which he took in the fate of Angelina, and all that he said of her virtues, and of her amiable qualities, increased the perturbation of Camira. He listened, pensive and absent, and did not sleep during the night. In the morning the first thing he did was to ask the jesuit, with rather an embarrassed manner, whether it would not be proper for them both to pay a visit to the governor, to enquire respecting the health of his niece. Maldonado got ready, and they immediately went there. Pedreras received them with grateful politeness, set them at ease as to the health of Angelina, and kept them the whole of the day. The young Guarani saw the beautiful Spaniard, had the liberty of conversing with her, and breathed through all his senses the burning love which consumed him.

The history of Alcaipa, and the praises which the benevolent jesuit delighted to give to his son, were the subjects of conversation. Angelina listened attentively, though her eyes were downcast; a more glowing colour tinged her cheeks, and a secret emotion made her heart palpitate. She understood, from the narrative of Maldonado, why Camira went so often to kneel near the river. This piety, this filial love, doubled her regard for her amiable deliverer. She was pleased that it was he who had freed her from such imminent danger; she thought herself happy to be obliged to love this young man: but she was so confused that she did not dare to fix her eyes upon him.

A short time, a very few visits, were sufficient to make the young lovers know all the extent of their feelings, and to make them know too, without saying it, that their love was mutual. Angelina kept the secret which her eyes had betrayed; but the candid Guarani confided every thing to the jesuit. He described, in the most ardent language, the passion which filled all his soul, he repeated to him a thou

sand times that death alone could extinguish it; that there was nothing he was not ready to attempt to render himself worthy of the hand of Angelina, and he concluded by asking his aid to procure for him this happiness.

Maldonado listened to him sorrowfully. "O my son!" said he to him, "how you grieve me! how many woes you are preparing for yourself! You, who are acquainted with our manners, our customs, our respect for birth, our fondness for riches, can you imagine that the governor of Paraguay will consent to give his niece to a foreigner, an unknown being, who has nothing in the world, and who intends, after my death, to go and live among his brother savages? I have not, my son, combated that contempt which you entertain of the vain idols which corrupted men have made for themselves; I respected it in your heart; but, my dear Camira, when we pretend to raise ourselves above the weaknesses of human nature, we must begin by renouncing love, for that alone is able to render us dependent upon all the prejudices of men, and all the caprices of fortune. I pity you, my child; no advice, no remedy can be of use to you; it is hope of which you stand in need; and my tenderness would in vain endeavour to deceive itself, that, for a little while, it might deceive you. I can see but one way of succeeding. The avarice of the governor would induce him to forget your humble birth, if we could give him plenty of gold; but neither you nor I have any, and-"

"Gold?" exclaimed Camira eagerly, throwing at the same time his arms round the neck of the old man. Let us rejoice, my father; for it only depends upon me to procure it. The mountains in which I dwelt are full of it; I know the roads which lead to the places where it can be found. I will go and collect as much gold as you think proper; you shall offer it to the governor; for such a contemptible price, he will give me the most beautiful, the most virtuous, the most amiable being in the universe; and thus the fatal love of this metal, which has caused so many crimes in the new world, will at least make two persons happy.

The good jesuit, whose heart always leaped at the very sound of the words making happy, participated in the joy of his son. Early on the morrow, he paid a visit to Pedreras: but knowing the character of the person whom he wished to win over, he thought that he should not be blameable to make use of a little address. He began to talk of the difficulty of finding for Angelina an establishment suitable to her birth; he gently hinted that, by sacrificing this last point, she would find suitors who would think themselves happy to lay a splendid fortune at her feet, and even to purchase from her uncle the honour of his alliance; and seeing that this beginning did not shock Pedreras, he concluded by proposing his pupil with a hundred thousand ducats.

It was not easy to beguile Pedreras. Long experience had rendered him suspicious and shrewd. While he listened to Maldonado, he reflected that Camira was a native of the country of the Guaranis, in which gold-mines were said to be common; he was convinced that his riches could come only from that quarter: and, without manifesting any repugnance togive his niece to this new Christian, he replied, "Father, my mind is occupied solely with the interests of Spain. I have no wish to increase my fortune, but I have an ardent wish to be useful to my country. In the attainment of this wish, your pupil can be of service to me. Let him discover to me a gold mine, and I will bestow on him my niece."

This speech rendered Maldonado thoughtful. He, however, made Pedreras repeat his promise; and then, certain that he would not break his word, he returned with the answer to the young Guarani.

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When Camira heard it, his head dropped upon his breast, and the tears started into his eyes. Ah! my father," he exclaimed, “I shall never possess Angelina! To discover to the governor the gold mines which he requires, I must betray to him the passes of which the Spaniards yet remain in ignorance, and that ignorance is the only security of my brethren. I should then be the fugitive, the traitor, who conducted into the midst of my nation, its enemies and its executioners! No, my father! you would hate me,

you would despise your son. And how could I live when I was no longer possessed of your esteem."

Maldonado embraced him, and strained him for a long while closely to his bosom, approving his noble resolution, and confirming him in the steady principle of sacrificing always his dearest interests, and his warmest passions, to the most painful of duties. "The passions, my son," said he, have at length an end, interests change, but virtue never changes. In all times, in all places, she is careful to recompence the being who suffers for her; she consoles him, she re-animates him, she makes him enjoy sweet recollections, invests him with a holy respect, accompanies him beyond the grave, and seats herself on his tomb, where the name which she causes to be venerated, blessed by all feeling hearts, still calls forth the tears of tenderness, of regret, and of admiration.'

The unhappy Camira sighed while he listened to the Jesuit. Irrevocably resolved, however, not to obtain his mistress by betraying his countrymen, he promised, and he hoped, that he would cure himself of his passion. From that moment he avoided a meeting with Angelina as carefully as he had before sought one; he never went from home; he employed all his time in studying, and he thought that by occupying his mind he should succeed in diverting from its object the attention of his heart. Angelina could not imagine the reason of this astonishing change. She was at first alarmed by it; she waited impatiently for an opportunity to have an explanation of it from Camira; but, finding that he no longer came to her uncle's house, that she never saw him in her walks, not even at the grave of Alcaipa, vexation and anger succeeded to sadness. She believed that she was no longer loved; she resolved no longer to love; and chance having, one festival day, placed her near Camira at church, she affected not to turn her eyes towards the unfortunate Guarani during the whole of the service, and even not to see that he was close to her; and she quitted the church without taking the slightest notice of him. This was a painful effort for the mild and tender Angelina; but she believed that, after this victory over herself, nothing would be im