TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIAS. 
171 
times spading up the ground, sometimes splitting rock with 
a crowbar, sometimes turning water into the trenches, and 
at others leading the beasts and cattle, which he has procured 
for his mission, to pasture and to water. By his own ex¬ 
ample he teaches them to throw off their natural sloth, to feed 
themselves and live like rational beings. But this great ex¬ 
ample does not suffice to wean them from a love of the woods, 
and a listless and starving inaction. A thousand times they 
try his patience, by coming late to mass and to work, and by 
running away and jeering him, and sometimes threatening and 
forming combinations to take his life. All this the old man 
bears with unwearied patience, kindness, and holy fortitude. 
In the evening the Padre leads them again to their devotions. 
At this time the rosary is prayed over, and the catechism ex¬ 
plained ; and this service is followed by the distribution of 
some provisions. 
At first these Indians jest and jeer at the service, and mock 
at what he says. This the Padre bears patiently, till he finds 
forbearance increases the evil, and then makes a very dan¬ 
gerous attempt to suppress it. An Indian in high repute 
among his fellows for physical strength, stands near him 
during service, and mocks at all that he does. The other In¬ 
dians, regarding bodily strength as the only quality of great¬ 
ness, are vastly pleased that their champion seems the superior 
of the Padre. Ugarte perceives by their bearing, that he is 
losing their confidence. He therefore seizes the savage, in 
the midst of his profanity, by the hair of his head, and swings 
him to and fro, with determined violence, till he begs for quar¬ 
ter. This so frightens the tribe that they afterwards behave 
with strict decorum when engaged in religious duties. The 
work of building the mission edifices, however, goes on slowly. 
The Padre, careful not to weary his Indians with labor, at fre¬ 
quent intervals instructs their stupid minds in the best methods 
of performing their tasks, and most especially, in the know¬ 
ledge of their Maker. In succeeding years he enjoys the 
pleasure of seeing his neophytes w T ell instructed in the doc- 
