TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIAS. 
187 
discover in his successor, the excellent Padre Piccolo, his 
equal in kindness and active benevolence. 
Padre Piccolo exerts in this new field all his well-tried en¬ 
ergies. Besides his labors as a spiritual teacher, he travels 
into the interior several times in search of proper sites for 
new settlements, and discovers those places which are after¬ 
wards occupied by the missions of Guadaloupe, La Purissima 
Concepcion, and San Ignacio. In the year 1718 he surren¬ 
ders his charge to Padre Sebastian de Sistiaga. This Padre 
digs trenches to convey the waters of the river over the 
fields, and in other ways improves the facilities for training 
those active and intelligent children of the desert to the habits 
of a better life. 
On the sixth of November, 1706, Padre Piccolo, three sol¬ 
diers, and some Mulege Indians, with two asses bearing their 
provisions, journey westward towards the country of the North 
Cochimes, which is called Cada Kaaman, or Sedge Brook. 
It lies on the skirts of the mountains, thirty-five leagues, by 
the vales, from Santa Rosalia. On the third day he is met 
by a whole settlement of Indians, in a valley which, on a 
former visit, he has named Santa Aguida. These poor peo¬ 
ple express great joy at seeing the Padre again, and follow 
him to the neighboring rancherias, called Santa Lucia and 
Santa Nympha. In these places also he is greeted most 
kindly, and desired to remain. On the nineteenth of Novem¬ 
ber he arrives at the head springs of the brook which waters 
the vale. Here he finds three considerable neighborhoods of 
savages, who welcome his coming with feastings, dances, and 
songs, in which those from Santa Lucia and Santa Nympha 
join with exceeding delight. He remains at this place until 
December, comforting and teaching them. A large arbor is 
built by the willing Indians, in which mass is celebrated. The 
neighboring villagers forsake their homes to attend upon the 
Padre’s instructions. Fifty mothers eagerly offer their child¬ 
ren in baptism. And now he departs, followed by a large 
crowd of people, who mourn that he leaves them; and pre~ 
28 
