Massea showed them as well as he could. The white men made the Indians understand that they were going round the bay, and that there were more white men camped on a creek a few miles back.
After they had gone on, a great many of the Indians went up to the camp to see the white men. They took them some acorn meal to eat.
At the camp they found the white chief, Governor Portola. The white men had more of the strange animals at the camp. They let Docas and his little brother Heema look at them as long as they liked. Heema said to Docas, “Oh, Docas, do you think they would let me ride one of the queer animals a little way?”
Docas said, “I don’t know, but I will ask and find out.”
The white men smiled and nodded when they understood what Docas wanted. Docas went to Heema and said, “They do not care.”
In a moment Heema was seated on the mule’s back. As the mule began to walk, Heema held very tightly to the saddle.
“Riding a mule is easy,” said Heema.
“Let me try,” said Docas.
Docas led the mule to a rock, and Heema jumped down. Docas rode around until Massea said, “It is time to go home.”
After a day or two, the men who had gone south around the bay came back, then the whole party went away over the mountains to the ocean again. That was the last that Docas saw of the white men for eight years.