30 VOYAGE TO THE 



Those who were taken to the mission were imme- 

 diately converted, and were daily taught by the neo- 

 phytes to repeat the Lord's prayer and certain hymns 

 in the Spanish language. I happened to visit the mis- 

 sion about this time, and saw these unfortunate beings 

 under tuition ; they were clothed in blankets, and 

 arranged in a row before a blind Indian, who under- 

 stood their dialect, and was assisted by an alcalde to 

 keep order. Their tutor began by desiring them to 

 kneel, informing them that he was going to teach 

 them the names of the persons composing the Tri- 

 nity, and that they were to repeat in Spanish what he 

 dictated. 



The neophytes being thus arranged, the speaker be- 

 gan, " Santissima Trinidada, Dios, Jesu Cristo, Espi- 

 ritu Santo" — pausing between each name, to listen if 

 the simple Indians, who had never spoken a Spanish 

 word before, pronounced it correctly, or any thing near 

 the mark. After they had repeated these names satis- 

 factorily, their blind tutor, after a pause added, " San- 

 tos" — and recapitulated the names of a great many 

 saints, which finished the morning's tuition. I did 

 not attend the next schooling to hear what was the 

 ensuing task, but saw them arranged on their knees, 

 repeating Spanish words as before. 



They did not appear to me to pay much attention 

 to what was going forward, and I observed to the 

 padre that I thought their teachers had an arduous 

 task ; but he said they had never found any difficulty ; 

 that the Indians were accustomed to change their 

 own gods, and that their conversion was in a measure 

 habitual to them. I could not help smiling at this 

 reason of the padre, but have no doubt it was very 

 true; and that the party I saw would feel as little 



