CHAPTER VII 



THE Mission of San Fernando is situated 

 on a small river called Las Animas, a 

 branch of the Los Martires. The con- 

 vent is built at the neck of a large plain, at 

 the point of influx of the stream from the broken 

 spurs of the sierra. The savanna is covered with 

 luxuriant grass, kept down, however, by the count- 

 less herds of cattle which pasture on it. The 

 banks of the creek are covered with a lofty growth 

 of oak and poplar, which, near the Mission, have 

 been considerably thinned for the purpose of af- 

 fording fuel and building materials for the in- 

 creasing settlement. The convent stands in the 

 midst of a grove of fruit-trees, its rude tower and 

 cross peeping above them, and contrasting pic- 

 turesquely with the wildness of the surrounding 

 scenery. Gardens and orchards lie immediately 

 in front of the building, and a vineyard stretches 

 away to the upland ridge of the valley. The huts 

 of the Indians are scattered here and there, built 

 of stone and adobe, sometimes thatched with flags 

 and boughs, but comfortable enough. The con- 

 vent itself is a substantial building, of the style 

 of architecture characterizing monastic edifices 

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