TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIAS. 
203 
Gulf coasts of the peninsula. His means are so small, how¬ 
ever, in every respect, that his brethren do not perceive how 
he will do it. He wants provisions, men and a ship. And 
such is the condition of public feeling in Mexico, and such the 
difficulty of journeying there, that he cannot hope for aid from 
his friends in that quarter. But who knows the wealth of 
exhaustless energy ! Padre Ugarte will build a ship in Cali¬ 
fornia !! He has, however, neither plank, timber, sails, nor 
rigging, tar, nor any other necessary materials for such a 
work; nor has he either a builder or shipwright, sawyer, or other 
naval artificers; and if he had, there is no food for their sup¬ 
port ; and worse than all, he has no money wherewith to sup¬ 
ply any of these deficiencies. But the Padre says the King’s 
orders must be obeyed; that this cannot be done without the 
ship; and therefore the ship must be built irrespective of 
means. The sufferings of his fellow beings also demand it. 
The people of the garrison and some of the Padres smile at 
Padre Ugarte’s resolution against what seems to them an im¬ 
possibility. But they do not estimate the creative powers of 
a mind bent on the accomplishment of its desires. He obtains 
a builder from Senora, and makes preparations for bringing 
timber from the opposite coast, as he has done for the erection 
of his churches. But hearing of a grove of large trees two 
hundred miles north of Loretto, he changes his determination, 
and in September, 1719, goes with his builders, two soldiers and 
some Indians to Mulege. Here he remains a day with Padre 
Sistiaga, and then strikes out for that line of mountains which 
overhangs the mission of Gaudalupe. They climb the heights 
and scour the barren plains ; endure inexpressible difficulties 
and toils; and at last discover a considerable number of Gua- 
rivos trees of suitable size ; standing, however, in such bottoms 
and sloughs, that the builder declares it impossible to get them 
to the sea. The Padre, disregarding this suggestion, goes to 
Loretto; makes preparations for a vigorous effort to build a 
ship of Californian timber; returns to the north; levels rocks, 
cuts away brush ; and making a road ninety miles in length 
30 
