room, established his position with the men.

In due course word of his plight reached Boston,
and a ship was immediately despatched, not only to
bring the castaway home, but with the fine ward-
robe necessary to a young gentleman of his station.
But the same ship brought word of his father's
death--his mother had gone long since--and as
there were brothers enamored of the business he
hated, he decided to remain in the country that had
won his heart and given him health. For some time
there was demur on the part of the authorities;
Spain welcomed no foreigners in her colonies.
But Sturgis swore a mighty oath that he would
never despatch a letter uninspected by the Com-
mandante, that he would make no excursions into
the heart of the country, that he would neither en-
gage in traffic nor interfere in politics. Then hav-
ing already won the affections of the Governor, he
was permitted to remain, even to rent an acre of
land from the Church in the sheltered Mission val-
ley, and build himself a house. Here he raised
fruit and vegetables for his own hospitable table,
chickens and game cocks. Books and other lux-
uries came by every ship from Boston; until for a
long interval ships came no more. One of these
days, when the power of the priests had abated, and
the jealousy which would keep all Californians land-
less but themselves was counterbalanced by a great
increase in population, he meant to have a ranch