the laws, and became devoted admirers
of the indefatigable Alcalde.

About this time a more serious event occurred. Two Indians were charged
with the murder of a foreigner; a woman, who was their accomplice,
betrayed them; they were tried by jury, selected equally from natives
and strangers; the crime was clearly and indubitably proved--the
offenders were condemned to be hung. The punishment was unknown in
California, and a large concourse of persons assembled around the
gallows, which was erected within sight of the town. Attended by two
priests, the criminals, who seemed perfectly indifferent to their
fate--in fact many thought rather pleased at being the observed of all
observers--were placed beneath the beam, and the cords finally adjusted
by the pious fathers. At the signal, down came the platform, and with it
the murderers; but, by some unaccountable fatality, both knots slipped,
and with the exception of being a little "choky" in the face, they
sustained no injury. In a moment one of the priests mounted a horse, and
galloped to the Governor's, urging a reprieve on the plea of a special
dispensation of Providence--that the criminals had been hung once, and
were consequently entitled to pardon. The philanthropic padre might
better have saved his ride and breath, for Colonel Mason informed him,
that in case these villains were not executed, Providence might
interfere with the ropes for ever after, and moreover the sentence was
to hang them until dead. Meanwhile the sheriff on the ground had
replaced the halters with unslippable hitches, as he observed that they
would receive "particular fits;" and soon after they were properly
worked off, and swung, dangling, lifeless figures, within their timber
frame. This event generated a feeling of bitter hostility on the part of
the Catholic clergy towards the local government, although generally
conceded by the Catholics themselves to be entirely uncalled for and
unreasonable.

On Saturday evenings, crowds of these degraded Indians, of both sexes,
after laboring during the week, and feeding on locusts or grasshoppers,
were accustomed to congregate on the outskirts of the town, where, with
gaming and arguadiente, they were enabled to remain torpid all the
following day. Their favorite amusement was a game called
_escondido_--hide and seek--played with little sticks; and their skill
was exerted by trying to discover in whose hands they were: seating
themselves on the ground,