except for Father Gaspara's words, there
would not have been a white man left alive in Pala. My father had sent
all his people away before that fight began. He knew it was coming, but
he would have nothing to do with it. He said the Indians were all crazy.
It was no use. They would only be killed themselves. That is the worst
thing, my Majella. The stupid Indians fight and kill, and then what can
we do? The white men think we are all the same. Father Gaspara has never
been to Pala, I heard, since that time. There goes there now the
San Juan Capistrano priest. He is a bad man. He takes money from the
starving poor."

"A priest!" ejaculated Ramona, horror-stricken.

"Ay! a priest!" replied Alessandro. "They are not all good,--not like
Father Salvierderra."

"Oh, if we could but have gone to Father Salvierderra!" exclaimed
Ramona, involuntarily.

Alessandro looked distressed. "It would have been much more danger,
Majella," he said, "and I had no knowledge of work I could do there."

His look made Ramona remorseful at once. How cruel to lay one
feather-weight of additional burden on this loving man. "Oh, this is
much better, really," she said. "I did not mean what I said. It is only
because I have always loved Father Salvierderra so. And the Senora will
tell him what is not true. Could we not send him a letter, Alessandro?"

"There is a Santa Inez Indian I know," replied Alessandro, "who comes
down with nets to sell, sometimes, to Temecula. I know not if he goes
to San Diego. If I could get speech with him, he would go up from Santa
Inez to Santa Barbara for me, I am sure; for once he lay in my father's
house, sick for many weeks, and I nursed him, and since then he is
always begging me to take a net from him, whenever he comes. It is not
two days from Santa Inez to Santa Barbara."

"I wish it were the olden time now, Alessandro," sighed Ramona, "when
the men like Father Salvierderra had all the country. Then there would
be work for all, at the Missions. The Senora says the Missions were like
palaces, and that there were thousands of Indians in every one of them;
thousands and thousands, all working so happy and peaceful."

"The Senora does not know all that happened at the Missions," replied
Alessandro. "My father says that at some of them were dreadful things,
when bad men had power. Never any such things at San Luis Rey. Father
Peyri was like a father to all his Indians. My father says that they
would all of th