66 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
uncle Guadaloupe Viejo, would have torn him from his ill- 
gotten elevation. 
Thus upper California became an independent state, and 
Alvarado its governor. The central government at Mexico 
was of course much shocked at such unpolished, ungloved 
impudence; threatened much, and at last in September, 
1837, induced Alvarado to buy a ship, send despatches to 
Mexico, and become El Gouhernador Constitutionel del Alta 
California , associated with his uncle Viejo, as Commandante 
General. After this adhesion to the Mexican Government, 
Alvarado became suspicious of the foreigners who had aided 
him in the “ Revolution,” and sought every means of an¬ 
noying them. They might depose him as they had done 
Echuandra. And if vengeance were always a certain conse¬ 
quent of injustice, he reasoned well. The vagabond had 
promised, in the day of his need, to bestow lands on those 
who had saved his neck and raised him to power. This he 
found convenient to forget. Like Spaniards of all ages and 
countries, after having been well served by his friends, he 
rewarded them with the most heartlsss ingratitude. 
Graham in particular was closely watched. A bold open- 
handed man, never concealing for an instant either his love 
or hatred, but with the frankness and generosity of those 
great souls, rough-hewn but majestically honest, who be¬ 
long to the valley States, he told the Governor his sins from 
time to time, and demanded in the authorative tone of an 
elder and affectionate brother, that he should redeem his 
pledges. The good old man did not remember that a Span¬ 
iard would have lost his nationality had he done so. A 
Spaniard tell the truth ! A Spaniard ever grateful for ser¬ 
vices rendered him ! He should have knocked at the tombs 
of Columbus and Cortes, and every other man who eve? 
served that contemptible race. He would have learned the 
truth, and gathered wisdom from it. He asked for justice 
and received what we shall presently see. 
Graham loved a horse. He had taken a fine gelding with 
