discover in his successor, the excellent Padre Piccolo, his equal in kindness and active benevolence. Padre Piccolo exerts in this new field all his well-tried energies. Besides his labors as a spiritual teacher, he travels into the interior several times in search of proper sites for new settlements, and discovers those places which are afterwards occupied by the missions of Guadaloupe, La Purissima Concepcion, and San Ignacio. In the year 1718 he surrenders his charge to Padre Sebastian de Sistiaga. This Padre digs trenches to convey the waters of the river over the fields, and in other ways improves the facilities for training those active and intelligent children of the desert to the habits of a better life. On the sixth of November, 1706, Padre Piccolo, three soldiers, and some Mulege Indians, with two asses bearing their provisions, journey westward towards the country of the North Cochimes, which is called Cada Kaaman, or Sedge Brook. It lies on the skirts of the mountains, thirty-five leagues, by the vales, from Santa Rosalia. On the third day he is met by a whole settlement of Indians, in a valley which, on a former visit, he has named Santa Aguida. These poor people express great joy at seeing the Padre again, and follow him to the neighboring rancherias, called Santa Lucia and Santa Nympha. In these places also he is greeted most kindly, and desired to remain. On the nineteenth of November he arrives at the head springs of the brook which waters the vale. Here he finds three considerable neighborhoods of savages, who welcome his coming with feastings, dances, and songs, in which those from Santa Lucia and Santa Nympha join with exceeding delight. He remains at this place until December, comforting and teaching them. A large arbor is built by the willing Indians, in which mass is celebrated. The neighboring villagers forsake their homes to attend upon the Padre's instructions. Fifty mothers eagerly offer their children in baptism. And now he departs, followed by a large crowd of people, who mourn that he leaves them; and pre ceded by others who shout their gladness among the parched hills, that he journeys towards their villages. They clear the path before him of stones and other obstacles; present him with strings of wild fruit to eat; and bring him water from the stream to drink. While these new missions are in progress, the old ones, at Loretto, San Xavier, and Londo, are slowly advancing in comfort and usefulness. Nor are the Padres in charge of them idle in making explorations for other establishments. In 1706 Jayme Bravo, in company with the Captain, seven soldiers, and some Indians, goes to San Juan Baptista Ligui, and having felicitated Padre Pedro Ugarte upon the happy beginning of his mission, passes along the shore towards the south. He has travelled a day and a half, when an Indian brings word that four of his soldiers are dying! Jayme Bravo and the Captain return, and find that one of them has found. a fire where some Indian fishermen have been roasting a species of fish called Botates, the liver of which contains a very active poison. This soldier communicates the news of food at hand to his fellows, and they hasten to devour it. A friendly Indian warns them not to eat. But the soldier who first discovered the fire replying, "None of your noise, Indian ; a Spaniard never dies," eats plentifully and gives to his companions. One of them chews and swallows a little; another chews, but does not swallow; the other merely handles and views the fish. Well would it have been if they had regarded the caution of the Indian: for in a very short time they are all seized with convulsive pains more or less violent, according to the use they have made of the fish. The first expires in half an hour. He is soon followed by the second! The third, who merely chewed the fish, remains insensible till the following morning! The man who only handled them is in a very bad condition for several days. This misfortune obliges the explorers to abandon their enterprise. They return to Ligui to bury the dead in the consecrated grounds of the mission, and send their sick to Loretto. CHAPTER XI. Padre Juan Ugarte and Jayme Bravo explore the Pacific Coast-Dearth -Thirst-PADRE SALVA TIERRA-A Tempest-Landing at LorettoSan Josef-Wrecked-PADRE SALVA TIERRA goes to the Rescue-Energy-Suffering-Die by Thousands-Wrecked-At Sea in a Longboat-The Limit of Despair-They toil on-The Guaycuros-Massacre-San Ignacio-PADRE SALVA TIERRA leaves California-Death of a Hero at Guadalaxara. MEANTIME Padre Juan Ugarte prepares to reconnoitre the coast of the Pacific. The chief of the Yaqui nation waits on him with forty of his warriors. The Captain, with twelve soldiers and some converts, is at his command for the same duty; the beasts and provisions for the journey are ready; and Padre Juan Ugarte and the layman Bravo, on the twenty-sixth of November, 1706, leave Loretto, with their troops and pack animals divided into three companies, on their wearisome way over the western mountains. Their march lies through the Mission of San Xavier and the Indian village called Santa Rosalia, and from that point passes over the dry and herbless waste of heights and vales to the sea. Here they meet several hundred Guaycuros, who are friendly to them. Thence they march southward many leagues, and find no water in all the distance except in little wells dug by the Indians. They then turn their course to the north. They march all day over burning sands, famishing with thirst, and halt at night near the channel of a dry rivulet. Thence they send men a few leagues farther up the shore, and others up and down the thirsty channel, in quest of water. They all return to camp without success. Next they disperse themselves in every direction to find a plat of low ground where they may dig wells, but find none. As a last resource, they now let loose their |