24S 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
the thirteenth of April, 1735, and the Provincial of New 
Spain immediately delivers them to the Viceroy. But though 
he urges attention to them in two memorials, praying him to 
consider the immediate danger of the Padres, the man of au¬ 
thority refuses to do anything in the premises. The Provin¬ 
cial has recourse to his Majesty. A ship being then ready to 
sail for Madrid, he forwards to Padre Gaspar Rodero, agent 
general at court of the Society of Jesus for the Indian Pro¬ 
vinces, who lays it before his Majesty, and prays his earliest 
action upon it. But long before the Royal pleasure can be 
known in the New T World, help has come to the little band 
at Loretto from the seed their own hands have sown. 
It appears that as soon as it became known to the more 
reflecting of the converts, that the Padres had gathered up 
the consecrated utensils of the churches, and departed to Lo¬ 
retto, a sense of shame at their ingratitude, and a conception 
of the value of the Padres’ services, forced themselves upon 
their stupid minds, and made them repent their want of fideli¬ 
ty. Accordingly they now begin to act. Reciprocal mes¬ 
sages are sent through the country inviting each other to ren¬ 
dezvous and follow the Padres to Loretto. They come in 
bands from each mission, and form themselves into a long 
procession, the head men of San Ignacio bearing on their 
shoulders the crucifixes of their mission, those of Nuestra 
Senora de Gaudalupe, the crucifixes of their mission, and those 
of Santa Rosalia, the crucifixes of their mission; and in silent 
sadness move on to Loretto, enter the fort and stand weeping 
before the Padres’ dwelling ! They say, “ You have baptized us; 
you have taught us the name and worship of the true God; you 
have gathered us from the dry mountains to the watered vales ; 
you have made us believe that good acts alone bring happi¬ 
ness ; you have made us your children ; will you now forsake 
us ? We cannot live as we did before we saw you ; we do 
not want to die in the crimes of our dark days!” Thus they 
reason with the Padres. “ It is not just,” they say, “that a 
whole nation should suffer for the sins of a few; especially 
