of self-sacrificing missionaries to America, which far surpassed the
courage of the buccaneer. Many exploring expeditions to this western
land received the blessing of the Church, and were conducted, not
alone for obtaining territory and gold, but for the conversion of
the inhabitants. In Mexico and Peru the priests had followed, rather
than led the way; but in California, under the lead of Father
Junipero, they took the initiative, and the salvation of souls was
one of the principal purposes of the invaders. This did not, however,
prevent the Franciscans, who took possession of the land, from
selecting with great wisdom its very best locations; but, having done
so, they soon brought tens of thousands of Indians under spiritual
and temporal control. These natives were, for the most part, as
gentle and teachable as the Fathers were patient and wise; and, in
1834, a line of Missions stretched from San Diego to Monterey, and
the converted Indians numbered about twenty thousand, many of whom
had been trained to be carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, saddlers,
tailors, millers, and farmers. Three-quarters of a million cattle
grazed upon the Mission pastures, as well as sixty thousand horses;
fruits, grain, and flowers grew in their well-cultivated valleys
until the country blossomed like the Garden of the Lord; and in the
midst of all this industry and agricultural prosperity the native
converts obeyed their Christian masters peacefully and happily, and
came as near to a state of civilization as Indians have ever come.

[Illustration: RAMONA'S HOME.]

[Illustration: THE CHAPEL, RAMONA'S HOME.]

[Illustration: PALMS NEAR SAN FERNANDO MISSION.]