230 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
vances from the Christians. And when at length three of 
its people are baptized, they are obliged to take refuge in 
the house of the Padre, from the fury of their disaffected rela¬ 
tives. 
To all these outrages, the Padre makes no resistance, and 
for the evil, returns love, patience, and uniform kindness. In¬ 
deed, w T ere he disposed to chastise them, he has not the power. 
His feeble force would be useless against an active, vigilant 
and fearless band of savages. He therefore betrays no dispo¬ 
sition to punish these wrongs. He has not yet learned from 
experience, that undue forbearance is neither wisdom nor vir¬ 
tue. Some of the wild unconverted Indians, therefore, re¬ 
strained by no fear of chastisement, falling upon a Christian 
rancheria, murder two men and a little girl. The remainder 
succeed in escaping to the mission. The Padre’s people wish 
to avenge this outrage, but he restrains them, in the hope that 
forbearance may yet be effectual with these bad men. In this 
he is mistaken. The savages concluding, from the quiet man¬ 
ner in which he submits to their treatment, and also from 
some kind messages and presents which the Padre has sent 
them, that he is helpless and fearful, are emboldened to at¬ 
tack other rancherias, and plunder the Christians wherever 
they meet them. These last outrages awaken in the Pa¬ 
dre a determination to prevent their recurrence. He as¬ 
sembles his converts and with them retires to Guadalupe for 
safety. Effective measures are now taken. Three hundred and 
fifty converted Indians are armed; and having, by the Padre’s 
permission, elected their own leader, they march against their 
foes with great spirit and determination. They find them en¬ 
camped near a watering place at the base of a mountain. 
During the night they succeed in surrounding them, and at day¬ 
break, raising the war shouts, advance on all sides upon the 
sleeping enemy. Finding themselves thus completely hem¬ 
med in by a force greatly superior to their own, they lay 
down their arms. Only two escape. The others, thirty-four 
in number, are taken to the mission as prisoners. 
