o glide, will reflect the flags
of all nations; and a happy, prosperous people receiving with
thankfulness what prodigal Nature bestows for their use, will disperse
her treasures over every part of the world.

A fresh and favourable wind brought us, without much delay from the
opposing ebb-tide, to the northern shore. We left the common embouchure
of its two principal rivers, distinguished by the steepness of their
banks to the right, and rowing up the narrow channel which has formed
itself through the marsh land, reached our landing-place just as the
sun's disk touched the blue summits of the mountains in the west.

We were still distant a good nautical mile from the mission of St.
Gabriel, which peeped from amongst the foliage of its ancient oaks. Many
horses belonging to the mission were grazing on a beautiful meadow by
the water-side, in perfect harmony with a herd of small deer, which are
very numerous in this country. Our dragoons, who had no inclination for
a long walk, took their _lassos_ in hand, and soon caught us as many
horses as we wanted. We had brought our saddles with us, and a
delightful gallop across the plain carried us to St. Gabriel, where we
were received in a very hospitable manner by the only monk in residence.

The locality of this mission, founded in 1816, is still better chosen
than that of the celebrated Santa Clara. A mountain shelters it from the
injurious north-wind; but the same mountain serves also as a
hiding-place and bulwark for the _Indianos bravos_, who have already
once succeeded in burning the buildings of the mission, and still keep
the monks continually on the watch against similar depredations. In
fact, St. Gabriel has quite the appearance of an outpost for the defence
of the other missions.

The garrison, _six men_ strong, is always ready for service on the
slightest alarm. Having been driven from my bed at night by the vermin,
I saw two sentinels, fully armed, keeping guard towards the mountain,
each of them beside a large fire; every two minutes they rang a bell
which was hung between two pillars, and were regularly answered by the
howling of the little wolf I have before spoken of, as often lurking in
the vicinity of the missions. That there is not much to fear from other
enemies, is sufficiently proved by the small number of soldiers kept,
and the total neglect of all regular means of defence. The courage of
these _bravos_ seems indeed principally to consist in unwillin