by himself, or abandoning all his paraphernalia and, after a day or
two's judicious absence, rejoining his tribe in the humble capacity of a
mere runaway from the Mission.

Meanwhile he found some food--with difficulty, for the proprietors had
removed their valuables during the night and made a middling breakfast.
He had not fully determined what to do, so he stayed where he was until
his next step should become clearer. The morning passed slowly, with no
developments. He kept an eye on the crowd of watchers, and once or twice
he was puzzled to see that they pointed not only at him, but along the
trail to the south, by which he had come.

Let us now go back a few hours, and take a look at Padre Urbano. We
shall find him, not at the Mission, but only a few miles away--in fact,
at Ballena. He had started on his visitations the next day after Pio's
defalcation, and in anything but good temper. He had come, with his
little party of half a dozen Indians, by the same general route that Pio
had traveled, and had been only a few hours behind him. He did not stop
at the Cajon and Santa Mar'a villages, as he meant to attend to his
pastoral duties in those places on his return; but rumors reached him of
some apparition having been seen by the natives. He knew these
superstitious people only too well, however, and smiled at their
credulity. At Ballena he stayed for the night, and was entertained with
a more circumstantial account of a parti-colored demon who had been
chased out of the village at arrow's point: but as he had not had time
to check up the shortage in his clothes before leaving home, he did not
recognize Pio under the description. He told the Indians, on general
principles, that it was, as they supposed, a monster who had scented
their slackness in religious affairs, and who would certainly call again
if they did not amend, and next time would not be so easily put off.