Indians, did not contain expressions for even the simplest words of
scripture or of the liturgy of the Church. And can we wonder at this?
But what were the astonishing results of the good priests' labors? They
were truly God-wonders! Daily were recorded numerous conversions, and at
the close of six years many Indian congregations of those regions could
be heard singing the ancient Latin hymns of the Church, and in poor but
intelligible Spanish supplying in their prayers and conversations what
was wanting in their dialects. It was while at Sierra Gorda that
Junipero Serra became afflicted with a painful sore which broke out on
his right leg and which never healed in all his eventful and laborious
career. Many historians allude to this sore as a "wound," but no record
is extant to indicate it as such, the most authentic conclusions being
that this sore was due to natural causes greatly augmented and brought
on by the hardships and climatic conditions he encountered in this
missionary field.

The average person would think Junipero Serra and his companions had
surely satiated their thirst for missionary labors during the nine long
toilsome years they spent in Mexico, far, far away from loving home,
affectionate kindred and the Old World culture to which they bade
farewell when the last glistening silhouette of the Spanish Coast
vanished from their view in 1759, but not so! Their pilgrimage was but
begun! The pilgrimage which was to blossom heavenly and earthly
blessings as beautiful and countless as the flowers which jeweled the
slopes and valleys they traversed. The monstrous undertaking begun so
gloriously, blessed with the benison of prayers, sacrifices, tears;
blessed later with superhuman success and crowned with an immortal halo
for endless days!

Here we will make a slight digression for the sake of our story. In