PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 29 



" It was now four o'clock, and the alf^rez, seeing 

 that the Gentiles, who were in ambush, received little 

 injury, disposed every thing for the retreat of the 

 troops, and having burnt the rancheria, and seen some 

 dead bodies, he retreated three quarters of a league, 

 and encamped for the night. On the 24th the troops 

 divided into two parties, one charged with booty 

 and prisoners amounting to forty-four souls, mostly 

 women. 



" The other party went with the veteran Sanchez to 

 the rancheria, to reconnoitre the dead bodies of which 

 he counted forty-one men, women, and children. They 

 met with an old woman there, the only one that was 

 left alive, who was in so miserable a state that thev 

 showed their compassion by taking no account of her. 

 The alferez then set out in search of the cannon that 

 had been abandoned by the first expedition. The 

 whole of the troop afterwards retreated, and arrived 

 at the mission of San Jos^ on the night of the 27th." 



This truly ludicrous account of an expedition of 

 such trifling importance might appear to require an 

 apology for its insertion, but it conveys so good an 

 idea of the opposition to be expected by any power 

 which might think proper to land upon the coast of 

 California, that its omission might fairly be considered 

 a neglect. 



The prisoners they had captured were immediately 

 enrolled in the list of the mission, except a nice little 

 boy, whose mother was shot while running away with 

 him in her arms, and he was sent to the presidio, and 

 was, I heard, given to the alferez as a reward for his 

 services. The poor little orphan had received a slight 

 wound in his forehead ; he wept bitterly at first, and 

 refused to eat, but in time became reconciled to his 

 fate. 



