126 FRANCISCO PALOU'S LIFE OF CHAPTER XXIX The Arrival of the Siz Missionaries at San Diego and the Establishment of the Mission of San Gabriel. S has been said in Chapter XXVI, about the 7th of July of the year 1771 the packet-boat “San Antonio” sailed from the port of Monte- rey carrying the six Missionaries for the three Miggipns of the south, and the commander, Don Pedro Pages. After a week of sailing they arrived in the port of San Diego on the x4th, where they found the Fathers all right. ‘The two Missionaries who were to take charge of the Mission did so at once and the two friars who had asked for permission to retire left, one embarking on the same packet-boat and sailing on the 21st of the same month for San Blas, and the other joining an overland train which was leaving for Old California. As soon as the vessel had left, the establishing of the new Mission was undertaken, but the desertion of ten of the soldiers, just as they were about to start, made it necessary to delay until the men could be brought back again, as one of the Fathers went out to where they were and persuaded them to return, offering them pardon, Just as they were again about to start, on the 6th of August, others deserted, but in spite of this the captain decided that those destined for the Mission of San Gabriel should leave at once, and that he would later go with the party to found the Mission of San Buenaventura, On the date just mentioned, the Fathers, Fr. Pedro Cambon and Fr. Angel Somera, guarded by ten soldiers, left San Diego, accompanied also by the muleteers carrying the equipment. They traveled north- ward along the trail marked out by the Expedition. After going about forty leagues they arrived at the Rio de los Temblores [River of the Earthquakes] (as it had been named by the first Expedition) and just as they were in the act of deciding as to the location of the Mission, a great multitude of gentiles came up, all armed and under the direction of two captains who, with blood-curdling yells, tried to hinder the pro- ceedings, As the Fathers feared that a battle was imminent which would surely result in the death of not a few, one of them produced aPADRE FRAY JUNIPERO SERRA 127 canvas on which was painted the image of Our Lady of Sorrows and held itup in view of the barbarians. He had scarcely done this when they all, subdued by the vision of this beautiful image, threw down their bows and arrows and came running hastily forward. The two captains threw down at the feet of the Sovereign Queen the beads and trinkets which they wore about their necks, as a sign of their greatest respect and also to indicate that they wished to make peace with our company. They invited all the people from the surrounding villages who, in great num- bers, men, women and children, kept coming in to see the Most Holy Virgin, bringing with them loads of various grains which they left at the feet of Our Most Holy Lady, supposing that she needed them for food the same as the rest. Similar demonstrations had been made by the gentile women of the port of San Diego after the inhabitants of that region had been pacified. When the Fathers exhibited there another image of our Lady, the Virgin Mary with the Holy Child Jesus in her arms, as soon as it was made known in the surrounding ranches, they all came in to see it, and as they were not allowed to enter, being excluded by the stockade, they called to the Pathers and thrusting their full breasts between the poles sought to express in this vivid way their desire to give suck to that beautiful little child of which they had heard from the Fathers. ‘The sight of the image of Our Lady produced a wonderful change upon the gentiles surrounding the Mission of San Gabriel, and they came very often to visit the friars, seemingly not able to sufficiently express their joy that they should have come to live among them, and the desire to show their gratitude by their good will and their presents. ‘The Fathers proceeded to explore the whole wide plain and began the Mission in the place which they considered most suitable, using the same ceremonies which have been referred to in the founding of the other Missions. The first Mass was celebrated under a little shelter made of branches on the day of the Nativity of Our Lady, the 8th of September, and on the next day work was begun on the chapel which was to serve as a provisional church, and also a house for the Fathers and another for the troops, all made of poles and surrounded by a stockade as a pre- caution against possible attack. The greater part of the wood for the building was cut down and dragged in by the pagans themselves, who also helped in the construction of the houses, and for this reason the Fathers were encouraged to hope for a great success in the work, seeing128 FRANCISCO PALOU'S LIFE OF that from the very beginning there was no opposition to the gentle yoke of our Evangelical Law. At the time when the natives seemed to be most content their good disposition toward us was seriously upset by an outrage committed by one of the soldiers upon one of the head chiefs of the village, and what was worse, by committing a sin against God Our Lord. As the gentile chief naturally thought of taking vengeance for the outrage committed against himself and his wife, he gathered together all his neighbors from the near-by villages and inviting all of the warriors to arm themselves, he led them down to the place in the field where two of the soldiers of the Mission were pasturing and taking care of the horses, one of them being the evil-doer. As soon as these soldiers saw the armed band appreach- ing they put on their leather jackets as a defence against the arrows and prepared themselves for battle, as there was no way by which they could advise the captain of the guard, who, by the way, was ignorant of the deed committed by the soldier. The gentiles had no sooner come within bow-shot, when they began to let fly their arrows, aiming all of them against the offending soldier. The latter immediately aimed his gun at the Indian who seemed to him to be the boldest, presuming that he was the captain, and discharging his piece, killed him on the spot. As soon as the others saw the deadly force of this new weapon, whose effect they had never before experienced, and when they also saw that their arrows did no harm, they turned and fled, leaving the unhappy captain dead upon the ground. rom thi deed the Indians became very msc frightened. ‘A few days after the above incident the captain arrived with endl ae Fathers, bringing the equipment for the Mission of San Buenaventura, ' but fearing that the Indians might make some attempt to avenge the death of their chief, he decided to increase the guard of the San Gabriel Mission up to the number of sixteen soldiers. For this reason and because of the distrust he had for the rest of them in view of so many desertions, it became necessary to suspend the establishment of the Mission of San Buenaventura until the success of this one of San Gabriel could be assured, so that the two friars assigned to the former Mission remained here with their equipment until further orders were ‘ received. The commander then went on with his remaining soldiers to Monterey, taking with him the soldier who had killed the Indian in order that he might not serve as a means of provocation to the rest. ButPADRE FRAY JUNIPERO SERRA 129 it should be said that his unworthy conduct had been kept hidden both from the captain and from the Fathers up to this time. So we see that four Missionaries remained in charge of the station of San Gabriel, but as the two formerly assigned to the work here were taken sick they had to retire shortly after to Old California, and the two assigned to San Buenaventura remained in charge and continued with all possible kindness and tact to attract to the Mission the pagans who, little by little, came to forget the deed of the soldier and the death of their chief, and to bring in some of their children to be baptized. One of the first of these children was the son of the unfortunate chieftain whom the widow gladly gave to the Fathers for this purpose, and her example was followed by many others, so that the number of Christians began to increase. Two years after the founding of the Mission, on the occasion of my visit to it, they had baptized seventy-three, and at the time of the death of our, Venerable Father the number was rorg neophytes.