nd
which was to be dedicated to San Juan Capistrano. A beginning had indeed
been made there, not by Junipero in person, but by fathers delegated by
him for the purpose; but when news of the murder of Father Jayme reached
them, they had hastily buried bells, chasubles and supplies, and hurried
south. As soon as ever he felt it wise to leave San Diego Junipero
himself now repaired to the abandoned site; and there, on the 1st of
November, 1776, the bells were dug up and hung, mass said, and
the mission established. It is curious to remember that while the
padre-presidente was thus immersed in apostolic labors on the far
Pacific coast, on the other side of the North American continent events
of a very different character were shaking the whole civilized world.

Though the establishment of San Juan Capistrano is naturally mentioned
in this place, partly because of the abortive start made there a year
before, and partly because its actual foundation constituted the next
noteworthy incident in Junipero's career, this mission is, in strict
chronological order, not the sixth, but the seventh on our list. For
some three weeks before its dedication, and without the knowledge of the
president himself, though in full accordance with his designs, the cross
had been planted at a point many leagues northward beyond San Carlos,
and destined presently to be the most important on the coast. It will be
remembered that when Portola's party made their first futile search for
the harbour of Monterey, they had by accident found their way as far as
the Bay of San Francisco. The significance of their discovery was
not appreciated at the time, either by themselves or by those at
headquarters to whom it was reported; but later explorations so clearly
established the value of the spot for settlement and fortification,
that it was determined to build a presidio there. Some years previous
to this, as we have seen, a mission on the northern bay had been part
of Junipero's ambitious scheme; and though at the time he was forced by
circumstances to hold his hand, the idea was constantly uppermost in
his thoughts. At length, when, in the summer of 1776, an expedition was
despatched from Monterey for the founding of the proposed presidio, two
missionaries were included in the party--one of these being none other
than that Father Palou, whose records have been our chief guides in
the course of this story. The buildings of the presidio--store
house, commanda