native Californians . . . ." According to Revere, the staple at Garcia's was 

 tortillas and "beefsteaks broiled on the coals,--called carne asado." 



Garcia's house was well-appointed with European finery, perhaps with 

 treasures of the wrecked ship and others: 



The long, low, one-storied house, with its spreading 

 eaves, was profusely illuminated with the best wax- 

 candles in bronze or plated candelabra of artistic 

 patterns, adorned with artificial flowers of every hue; 

 while the rugged walls were concealed with framed 

 engravings: and beneath them was arranged elegant 

 furniture in buhl and marquetrie, on which stood 

 crowds of bottles, from which the company regaled 

 themselves with unlimited champagne, and the 

 delicate wines of the Rhine and Burgundy . . . . 21 



Garcia treated Revere to a party not to be forgotten, complete with 

 "exhibitions of skill with the lasso" and a duel between a bear and a bull. Early 

 on, "the rancheros, who had brought their guitars and fiddles strapped on their 

 backs, soon struck up merry tunes; and the light-hearted Spanish girls and their 

 cavaliers danced thejarabe, the waltz, and other national dances, all night long; 

 while the elders sat about amusing themselves with monte and euchre." 22 



Under the Mexican government of California, Garcia prospered. His 

 herds were large and continued to grow; his family lived around him on his 

 large domain where he ruled as a grand patriarch; he was also on good terms 

 with most of his neighbors. 



When at home on the rancho, Garcia treated his visitors with generous 

 hospitality, including Lieutenant Revere, who stopped at Garcia's again in 1847. 

 Revere and a party of sixteen soldiers had been riding hard in pursuit of a band 

 of Mexican outlaws who also had found their way to Garcia's but had fled 

 hurriedly at the soldiers' arrival, leaving behind their hats, a freshly 

 slaughtered bullock, and twenty-four good horses which had been stolen from 

 neighboring ranches. Evidently the open house provided by Garcia precluded 

 turning away travelers, no matter what kind of character their appearance 

 suggested. 



21 Revere, Joseph W., Keel and Saddle. A Retrospect of Forty Years of Military and Naval 

 Service. Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, 1872. pp. 184-185. 



22 Ibid.. pp. 184-185. 



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