WELL… I HAVE TO THANK DR. BRESCIANI FOR HIS TOAST, OTHER THAN BY A CONVENTIONAL GESTURE. IN THE PRECARIOUS CONDITIONS IN WHICH WE TRAVEL, THE ONLY RECOURSE WE HAVE LEFT TO EXPRESS OUR AFFECTION IS THE WORD, AND IT IS BY TAKING IT THAT I WISH TO EXPRESS MY THANKS AND THOSE OF MY TRAVELLING COMPANION, TO ALL THE STAFF OF THE COLONY WHO, WITHOUT KNOWING US OR ALMOST WITHOUT KNOWING US, HAVE GIVEN US THIS WONDERFUL PROOF OF AFFECTION THAT THE HONOUR OF CELEBRATING OUR ANNIVERSARY MEANS FOR US, AS IF IT WERE THE CELEBRATION OF ONE OF YOU. BUT THERE IS MORE: IN A FEW DAYS’ TIME WE WILL LEAVE THE PERUVIAN TERRITORY AND THESE WORDS THEREFORE TAKE ON A DIFFERENT MEANING, THAT OF A GOODBYE, IN WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS ALL MY ARDOUR TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS WHOLE COUNTRY, WHO HAVE NOT STOPPED FILLING US WITH GIFTS SINCE OUR ARRIVAL IN TACNA.I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE ANOTHER POINT, A LITTLE ON THE MARGINS OF THE SUBJECT OF THIS TOAST: ALTHOUGH THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR PERSONALITIES PREVENT US FROM BEING THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THIS CAUSE, WE BELIEVE, MUCH MORE FIRMLY THAN BEFORE, THANKS TO OUR JOURNEY, THAT THE DIVISION OF AMERICA INTO UNCERTAIN AND ILLUSORY NATIONALITIES IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. WE ARE A SINGLE MéTIS RACE THAT, FROM MEXICO TO THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN, HAS SIGNIFICANT ETHNOGRAPHIC SIMILES. THAT IS WHY, TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM ANY NARROW PROVINCIALISM, I PROPOSE A TOAST TO PERU AND UNITED AMERICA.