314 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



decided to remove the inhabitants of San Nicolas 

 Island to the mainland, doubtless to better their con- 

 dition, as they were being decimated by warlike tribes 

 from the northwest, and to give them the consolation 

 of religion. 



The vessel sent out for them was a small schooner 

 named the Better Than Nothing, under the command of 

 Captain Sparks, an otter-hunter, who knew the Chan- 

 nel Islands well. The Better Than Nothing crew, and 

 doubtless Mexican soldiers from the mission, rounded 

 up the San Nicolanos, and the vessel was about to 

 sail, when a woman began to cry that she had left her 

 child, a baby, ashore in the hurry. There were several 

 versions of this. Some say that the skipper of the 

 Better Than Nothing deliberately sailed off; others that 

 it was blowing so hard that he was obliged to put out 

 to sea. I can well understand this, as a worse place 

 to land a boat, or to lie, does not exist than the 

 spit at San Nicolas. 



The poor woman protested that she must return, 

 but her language possibly was not understood, and as 

 the anchor was being lifted, and she realized that her 

 infant was to be deserted, she drew back and they left 

 without her. One story has it that she went aboard 

 the vessel and later leaped overboard. Be this as it 

 may, she was left — though she ran back, secured the 

 child, and hurried down to the beach, crying, "Mane- 

 quauna"; but they did not understand her, and sailed. 



There is no doubt that Captain Sparks intended to 

 return; but after the seven or eight San Nicolanos had 

 been landed at Santa Barbara, the schooner sailed for 

 San Francisco and was lost. Time went by, months 

 merged into years, and the lost woman of San Nicolas 



