76 SCENES IN THE PACIFIC . 
Mr. Graham suggest anything of the kind. I said that he 
had expressed a determination to represent to the governor 
the shameful treatment of Mr. Higgins; and the outrage 
upon the foreigners while they were burying their country¬ 
men at Santa Barbara; and particularly the monstrous deed 
of digging him up after burial, and leaving his corpse naked 
above ground. I confessed I had offered to go with him to 
the governor for that purpose. 
“The interpreter then asked why I fired on the people at 
Graham’s distillery. I answered that I did it in self-defence. 
He inquired how that could be. I told him, as it was impos¬ 
sible for me in the night time to see those who made the as¬ 
sault on the distillery, I could not know whether they were 
the authorized agents of the government, or robbers whom it 
was my duty to resist. My life was at stake, and I fought 
for it, as they would have done under like circumstances. It 
was next asked w T hy I did not seek redress from the govern¬ 
ment, if I supposed them robbers. I said that I had no time 
to do so between their attempts to kill me and my ow r n neces¬ 
sary acts to prevent them ; and that if I had had opportunity 
I had no assurance, under the circumstances, that govern¬ 
ment would protect me. This last answer was translated with 
some embellishments; and the interpreterinformed me it was 
considered highly insulting to the governor. I answered that 
no insult was intended, but that I was under oath, and could 
not vary from the truth. I was then asked why I fled to 
Santa Cruz. My reply was that I had lost all confidence in 
the justice of the government, and flew to the wilderness 
for protection. At this the alcalde was greatly incensed, or¬ 
dered my answers to be feduced to writing, and commanded 
me to affix my name to them, together with the additions 
which their desire for an excuse to destroy me induced them 
to append. I stated that I did not suppose myself obliged 
to place my signature to an instrument written in a lan¬ 
guage which I could not read. I signed it with swords 
over my head. What the paper contained I never knew. 
