ing throughout that district, gained the
good-will of all those villages and marvelously influenced them to
receive our holy faith. They went forth from his hands such model
Christians that those who before baptism were fierce, rude, and
intractable, you would see today, after baptism, tractable, gentle,
pliant, and loving; they are now wholly freed from error, and feel a
horror of their idols and former vices, and extreme love and affection
for Jesus Christ our Lord, and for His mysteries. Children so small
that they could hardly yet speak, gave such a good account of the
Christian doctrine that they seemed to have been born instructed. Those
who two days before had not known or heard of Him now repeated with
pleasure and gentleness, "May Jesus Christ be praised;" and, indeed,
it all seemed to be His work, and wrought through His instrumentality.

What took place in Carigara in those early days. Chapter XXVI.

As we have already said, the post at Carigara was the first where
the Society began the mission villages of this province; and it was
there that we said the first mass, and celebrated the first feast
with great solemnity in honor of the holy cross. There, too, occurred
the first baptism, when with my own hands (although unworthy); as
a beginning to this new Christian community, I baptized a goodly
number of children already capable of reason. At all the services
of this feast there was a great concourse from the whole district
who solemnized it, beginning the night before, with mirth, rejoicing,
and games. Afterward, Father Juan del Campo and Father Cosme de Flores
began to instruct some of the older persons in the Christian faith. At
that time, and through that exercise, those two fathers learned the
language of the natives in a very short time--especially Father Cosme,
who spoke it with masterly skill. Father Juan del Campo departed from
Dulac, and leaving in his stead, Father Mateo, both pursued their task
of winning souls for Jesus Christ, His Divine Majesty so attracting
the people that soon in Carigara a very flourishing Christian church
began to appear. Although there are many notable things which might
be related about it, I shall refer only to two baptisms which seemed,
to us who were there, worthy of consideration.

The first was that of a child of five years, who filled with the
fervor of heaven came to us from his village for the sole purpose of
asking baptism. His infidel mother and stepfather,