PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STRAIT. 
365 
the night. On the 24th the troops divided into t^vo parties, one CHAP, 
charged Avith 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 they 
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 Jose on the night of the 27th.” 
This truly ludicrous account of an expedition of such trifling im- 
portance 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 recon- 
Nov. 
1826. 
ciled to his fate. 
Those who were taken to the mission were immediately converted, 
and were daily taught by the neophytes to repeat the Lord’s prayer and 
certain hymns in the Spanish language. I happened to visit the mis- 
sion about this time, and saw these unfortunate beings under tuition ; 
they were clothed in blankets, and arranged in a row before a blind 
Indian, who understood their dialect, and was assisted by an alcalde to 
keep order. Their tutor began by desiring them to kneel, informing 
them that he was going to teach them the names of the persons com- 
posing the Trinity, and that they were to repeat in Spanish what he 
dictated. 
J’he neophytes being thus arranged, the speaker began, “ Santfsima 
Trinidada, Di6s, Jesu Christo, Espi'ritu Santo” — pausing between each 
