.

"Who is that old woman?" asked one, of a brakeman who stood by his
window.

"Oh," laughed the man, "that is old Jane. She is here nearly every day,
when the train comes in."

"What is the matter with her? Is she crazy?" asked the traveler.

"Yes," answered the brakeman.

There was no time for more. The conductor called "all aboard," and the
train moved slowly away, leaving the old woman still intoning her chant.

The year 1824 opened with a feeling of distrust and uneasiness affecting
all the missions of Nueva California, from San Juan Capistrano northward
to Monterey. The fathers had held communication with each other many
times regarding the Indians in their charge, and it was confessed by all
that trouble from them was to be feared. At the same time nothing of
any tangible import had occurred to lead the mission fathers to this
conclusion. A few insubordinate individuals among the neophytes had been
a little more insubordinate than usual; several had run away from Santa
Inez and Purezima to their old haunts and companions in the mountains;
some indications of a revival of the superstitious religious customs
of the Indians had been discovered; once, at San Luis Obispo, among the
neophytes living at some distance from the mission, a dozen men had been
found, one night, by a Mexican servant of the fathers, preparing some
poison with which to tip the points of their arrows. This last was
ominous, and carried more weight than all the other signs of trouble
brewing, and roused the fathers to some activity; for the neophytes,
at that late day, in mission history, were not allowed to envenom their
arrows without the express sanction of the fathers. But nothing could
be learned from the disobedient Indians when they were questioned. They
maintained that they were preparing for the hunting and killing of some
large and fierce bears which had been seen in the neighborhood, and
which had destroyed some of their cattle. They were permitted to keep
the arrows, with a reprimand, and a strict watch on their movements was
held for many days. Nothing definite could be discovered, however, and
the fathers were forced to wait, with anxiety and added watchfulness,
for whatever was to come.

There had been many false alarms, ever since the first settlement of
the country, and many slight uprisings of the Indians, who saw, with
disfavor, their land taken from them, and themselves obliged to serve
almost as slaves, at the mission