16                             Reminiscences of
the path at the edge of the wood and reached the settle-
ment. There I found about fifteen grown children un-
baptized, and I remained a few days to teach my cate-
chumens. During one of my instructions there came a
young man on horseback. "Are you the Priest?" he
said: "My father, hearing that a Priest was around
here, sent me to ask you to come quick to see a negro
woman, who is dying three miles from here." I went
and saw a big stout woman suffering with the colic. I
administered forty drops of laudanum to her and she
became well in ten minutes. The women there said it
was a miracle. "Yes," said I, "it is a miracle wrought
by the laudanum." The master of that woman asked
me how much I wanted for my trouble. " Nothing sir,"
said I; he then offered me a ten dollar gold piece for my
traveling expenses, as I had saved his housekeeper: a
slave, whom he would not have given for four thousand
dollars. I took the money as I needed it very much,
since the purchase of my mustang had made- a big hole
in my purse. I then returned to my catechumens. A
married man had just arrived from his place seven
miles distant. He wished to be baptized, for he had
been born of Catholic parents and wished to follow their
religion. I told him that he would be obliged to come
to catechism with the children. He came from his place
and returned every day for five days. Then he was
baptized and married, for his first marriage by the
squire was null and void. A short time afterwards, the
poor man was accidentally drowned while crossing a
bayou. One day I met a young Creole, near a bayou,
and as we were riding along together he saw a young
alligator about three feet long. My companion alight-
ed, rushed upon the ugly beast, stamped his heel upon
its head and crushed it to death. Further on, we cap-
tured a beautiful turtle, weighing at least fifteen pounds,