174 LIFE IN THEFARWEST. 



were brought and' piled in the sala, ready for use. The padre 

 exhorted, the women screamed, the men grew pale and nervous, 

 and thronged within the walls. Don Antonio, the fiery Andaluz, 

 alone remained outside, flourishing his whetted saber, and roaring 

 to the padre, who stood on the roof with lighted match, by the 

 side of his formidable cannon, not to be affrighted.. " That he, 

 the Trueba, was there, with his Tizona, ready to defeat the devil 

 himself should he come on." 



He was deaf to the entreaties of the priest to enter. 



" Siempre en el frente — Ever in the van," he said, "was the 

 war cry of the Truebas." 



But now a cloud of dust was seen approaching from the plain, 

 and presently a score of horsemen dashed headlong toward the 

 Mission. " El enemigo," shouted Fray Augustin ; and without 

 waiting to aim, he clapped his match to the touch-hole of the 

 gun, harmlessly pointed to the sky, and crying out " In el nombre 

 de Dios" — in God's name — as he did so, was instantly knocked 

 over and over by the recoil of the piece, then was as instantly 

 seized by some of the Indian garrison, and forced through the 

 trap-door into the building ; while the horsemen (who were his 

 own scouts) galloped up with the intelligence that the enemy was 

 at hand, and in overwhelming force. 



Thereupon the men were all mounted, and formed in a body 

 before the building, to the amonnt of more than fifty, well armed 

 with guns or bows and arrows. Here the gallant Don harangued 

 them, and infusing into their hearts a little of his own courage, 

 they eagerly demanded to be led against the enemy. Fray Au- 

 gustin re-appeared on the roof, gave them his blessing, advised 

 them to give no quarter, and, with slight misgivings, saw them 

 ride off to the conflict. 



About a mile from the Mission, t-he plain gradually ascended to 

 a ridge of moderate elevation, on which was a growth of dwarf 

 oak and ilex. To this point the eyes of the remaining inmates of 



