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Show BY PATH AND TRAIL. 133 Mexican half- caste from Guadalajara, one Sicilian and one Maltese, sailors who had served in a Philippine galleon and one Jesuit priest, Father Salvatierra. In the history of early colonization, in any part of the world, there is no page recording anything like this or any enterprise composed of such seemingly hopeless ma terial. And yet under the masterful mind of the mis sionary, with faith, piety and tact these human frag ments were welded into a compact body that conquered a stubborn soil and conciliated tribal opposition. The Maltees sailor was also an ex- gunner and to him fell the honor of mounting the miserable little cannon brought from Acapulco to protect the mission if attack ed by the natives. The Mexican Indians, under the eye of Lorenzo, were to till a few acres of ground, look after the few cattle, sheep and goats brought in the ship, and in a pinch, do some fighting. After throwing up a tem porary chapel and staking off the ground, they began the building of a rough stone wall around the camp and mission to guard men and animals against the hostility or covetousness of the savages. The Indians gathered from near and far, and looked on stolidly, making no demonstrations of friendship or dislike. I already mentioned that Father Copart of Otondo's expedition had partially compiled a catechism of the Cochimis or " Digger Indian " language. Salvatierra from this unfinished abridgement gained some knowledge of the savage tongue. He began, as did the Jesuits with the Wyandottes, by appealing to their affections through their wretched and always half- starved stomachs. After filling them wth cornmeal porridge, he addressed them in Copart ' s gutterals, tried to teach them a few Spanish words, and after three months baptized his first convert |
