tities of this material were cut by
the native help and stored against its need. The grass sometimes grew
two feet in height, and at cutting was wrapped tightly and tied in
"hands" about two inches in diameter. For fastening to the roofing lath,
green blades of the Spanish dagger were used, which, after being roasted
over a fire to toughen the fibre, were split into thongs and bound the
hands securely in a solid mass, layer upon layer like shingles. Crude as
it may appear, this was a most serviceable roof, being both rain proof
and impervious to heat, while, owing to its compactness, a live coal of
fire laid upon it would smoulder but not ignite.

No sooner had the masons finished the plastering of the inner walls and
cementing the floor, than they began on a two-roomed cottage. As its
white walls arose conjecture was rife as to who was to occupy it. I made
no bones of the fact that I expected to occupy a _jacal_ in the near
future, but denied that this was to be mine, as I had been promised
one with three rooms. Out of hearing of our employer, John Cotton also
religiously denied that the tiny house was for his use. Fidel, however,
took the chaffing without a denial, the padre and Uncle Lance being his
two worst tormentors.

During the previous visit of the padre, when the chapel was decided on,
the order for the finishing material for the building had been placed
with the merchant at Shepherd's, and was brought up from Corpus Christi
through his freighters. We now had notice from the merchant that his
teamsters had returned, and two four-mule teams went down to the
ferry for the lumber, glassware, sash and doors. Miss Jean had been
importuning the padre daily to know when the dedication would take
place, as she was planning to invite the countryside.

"Ah, my daughter," replied the priest, "we must learn to cultivate
patience. All things that abide are of slow but steady growth, and my
work is for eternity. Therefore I must be an earnest servant, so that
when my life's duty ends, it can be said in truth, 'Well done, thou good
and faithful servant.' But I am as anxious to consecrate this building
to the Master's service as any one. My good woman, if I only had a few
parishioners like you, we would work wonders among these natives."

On the return of the mule teams, the completion of the building could be
determined, and the padre announced the twenty-first of February as the
date of dedication. On reaching this decis