At about ten o’clock on the morning of the 30th I set forth through a very long canyon, and during the day and the following night I arrived within a league of the village. This was at about twelve o’clock midnight. At dawn of the 31st I started out and at daybreak I approached the village with ten men, having left two with the horses near by. Having got near the village I called to the chieftains and asked them for the Christians. They told me there was no more than one. The others, according to what they said, were ten in number, five men and five women, and were with Quipagui. Still others were at a village which they called Muscupian and one called Mavialla, both far to the east.[3]
Thus, finding myself in this place without having accomplished anything, I was told by a heathen Indian who knew the village of Quipagui that five heathen were there whom I was seeking. On the way there I encountered an Indian, named Macal, who was among those who had killed the soldiers,[4] and whom it had not been possible to catch. I captured him, and with him the rest of the wild Indians. Thereafter I took him with me and retired from the village about two leagues where I remained until two o’clock in the afternoon. Then I set out, taking the valley of San Gabriel in a northerly direction.[5] I crossed this valley and crossed the mountains and at about three o’clock in the morning I came to the Tulare Valley. Going along the slope of the mountains, I traveled as far as a protected spot, which was called by the expedition San José, arriving there at dawn. At about three o’clock in the afternoon I started out again, going along the edge of the mountains, and at about twelve o’clock midnight I reached a distance of two leagues from the village mentioned above. At about three o’clock the next morning, the 2nd of November, I set forth with my whole party, and, careful to reach the village just as day was breaking, I found it solitary. From dawn to eleven o’clock in the morning we were rained on hard. Leaving all the rest of my party together, I went off with three soldiers from this region, which was rather rocky, scouting for the Indians, who had concealed all their tracks. I saw an Indian—Christian or heathen—and noting this I retreated to within three hundred paces of the rest of the troops. Inasmuch as the heathen, who were near by on a hill, could have seen no more than four men they would have thought we were no greater than this in number. So the afore-mentioned Quipagui with six warriors allowed himself to approach. As soon as we saw them, I called out in a loud voice and the other six men joined us. We went out to encounter them [the Indians] on a small hill. Seeing us and those who were guarding the prisoners, the chief cried out to the other Indians and they all simultaneously discharged their arrows and rushed to where the soldiers held the prisoners.[6] We went and joined the latter, and after everyone had arrived I accused him[7] of concealing Christians. To this he replied that on the previous day when the news arrived [of our coming] he was not at the village but was hunting deer. In the afternoon when he returned he found only one Indian. The latter exclaimed that they should leave because the soldiers were coming against him. According to what the native Indians told him, the Christians had fled, some to the eastern mountains, others, with the one who had brought the news, down to the tule swamps. I pressed him to go with me to search for them but he replied that under the circumstances he could not because it was raining. If he could wait till it stopped raining, he would go to search. I could not remain, first, because I did not have provisions, and second, because there was no water for the horses. [I told him that] if he would gather them [the Christians] and take them to the Mission of San Fernando, the Reverend Fathers would pay him. I left him a rope with which to tie them up. This he promised to do at the end of the moon just past. All this he did not perform.
This Indian should be removed from that place with all his village for many reasons. The first is because he has killed many unconverted Indians and is still killing them. He is the most feared Indian in that entire country. The other reason is that he gives refuge to Christian fugitives, and they know that neither Christian nor heathen will go to look for them there on account of the terror which he inspires. I would have brought him back with his people but the weather did not permit me to do so without running the risk of injury in capturing and securing them.
The same day at two o’clock I started to retire, and left the Tulare Valley by a road never before discovered by an expedition. It is the best way to get out of the valley, with good land, water, and pasturage.[8] We stopped at two o’clock in the morning of the 3rd in the midst of this country and camped for the rest of the night. On the 3rd we set out and arrived at the mouth of the canyon at sunset. There was some water, left by the rain of the preceding night. The soldier Miguel Lugo, second in command, allowed the heathen prisoner, called Macal, whom he had with him, to escape. I think that if the Christian who was with him, had not cried out, the sentinel would not have known when he left. At the outcry he [the sentinel] chased him but could not catch him. We all went out through the brush surrounding this place but not having found him, we kept on retreating during the 4th and arrived at San Fernando in the evening.[9]
V. EXPLORATION OF THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA, 1810-1813
These four years are notable primarily for the exploration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta, which previously had undergone no very intensive examination. We have accounts of the two trips by Father Fray José Viader in 1810 and that by Father Fray Ramón Abella in 1811. To these may be added the account of the rather disastrous punitive expedition by Sergeant Francisco Soto in 1813.
FATHER VIADER’S FIRST TRIP
Viva Jesus.
Report or account of the trip which has just been made by order of the Governor and Father President with the purpose of searching for places or sites where missions might be established, from 15 to 28 August, 1810.
15 August 1810. At five-thirty o’clock in the afternoon of this day I departed from Mission San José with Second Lieutenant Gabriel Moraga, Cadet Raymundo Estrada, one corporal, three soldiers, and four neophytes of Mission Santa Clara. Having traveled about six leagues to the north we stopped alongside a pool of good water located in the western portion of the valley called San José. We did not stop to explore the place because it is so near and so well known to everyone. With no other special incident the next day dawned.