This does not show the ruin of the time frame of this chapter
1825
– New Mexican Arrivals in Monte
Rey
“Who
were the passengers of the Morelos
that landed yesterday at Monte
Rey?”
“It
carried a very strange and somewhat daunting group,” the Alférez
responded. “One is Alférez
Estrada commanding a group of forty infantry from a battalion Fijo
de Hidalgo.
But, the most important is a civilian named José
Maria Herrera, who is the comisario
subaltern hacienda
appointed to administer the territorial finances. He relieved Mariano
Herrera and brought with him goods worth $22,379, and $8,220 in
silver.”
“Why
that is excellent news. Perhaps the soldiers will finally receive
their back pay.”
Felipe
shrugged. “He was asked about that and responded that he has no
instructions to do so.”
All
knew that meant he would do nothing until told otherwise.
After
a pause, Felipe continued. “The Morelos
also brought Lieutenant Miguel Gonzalez in command of a detachment of
artillerymen. He immediately became a captain and comandante
de armas
at Monte
Rey
by virtue of that rank. There were also three more Alférez';
Antonio Nieto, Rodrigo del Pliego, and José Perez del
Campo. Nieto commands a small body of infantry sent as a guard to
eighteen convicts condemned to presidio
life in California for various offenses.”
“Convicts?”
Felipe
shrugged. “How better for the Mexican government to rid itself of
undesirables? They are supposed to be put to hard labor to make vital
repairs to the presidio.”
Felipe
also added, “Don
Miguel inspected the garrison and spent most of the time complaining
about how poorly the soldiers were dressed and the condition of the
buildings.”
“And
what did he expect?” Timothy grumbled at Felipe's words. “They
have not been paid for more than three years and almost no supplies
have arrived from Mexico. The soldiers barely have time between their
military duties and trying to survive to work on the buildings. And,
with no way to pay them, the few Esselen who work there cannot be
expected to do more than they already do.”
“Captain
Salamanca
tried his best to explain the situation, but the new captain ignored
him. He grudgingly spent the night in the commandant's house inside
the presidio,
also complaining about its condition. Captain Argüello quickly moved
his things to his son's house in the pueblo
and heard none of the complaining until he returned to the
headquarters'.”
It
took eight days for Father Prefect Durán
to arrive, going directly to Misión
San Carlos
after having sent one of his escorts
to the presidio
to
announce his arrival.
“He
did not go to the presidio?”
Felipe
shook his head. “No, concuño
and the captain was most angry. He considered it a serious breach of
protocol. He even sent two of his escort to the mission to summon
Father Prefect Durán.”
“And?”
“The
Father
Prefect
sent the soldiers back with the message that he was occupied with
mission activities.”
All
stared in awe that the Father
Prefect
would flout the authority of the new Mexican officer in that manner.
“Why,
reverend father? Why would the Father
Prefect
do such a thing?”
Father
Suria shook his head. “All he said to us was that he had received
no instructions from the archbishop or guardian of the apostolic
college in regards to the new government of Mexico. As such, he said
our only allegiance is to His Holiness Pope Pius the Ninth and to Our
Lord Jesus.”
The
captain rode over the hill into the Carmel Valley at nine of the
clock the next morning. Instead of going to the mission, he rode into
the village and pulled up in the central plaza.
“Where is el
Alcalde?”
he demanded. All noticed his voice was equal to his physical mien,
not loud or as authoritative as others had been.
Doctor
Manuel
Gutiérrez de
Quijano walked up to the captain and said, “We do not have a mayor
at this time. The last completed his term and nobody has stepped
forward to seek election in his place.”
“Then
who is responsible for the administration of this village, ah...”
The
doctor quickly identified himself. “At the moment, I believe I am
as I am one of the very few here to read and write. Most of the
inhabitants are Esselen. The few literate inhabitants belong to The
Family, those who live in that big compound over there.”
“The
Englishman and his Indian brother?”
“Yes,
your honor. The one known as The Sailor and the other The Carpenter.”
The
captain was about to send a soldier to the compound when Timothy came
out.
“I
am Timothy Beadle, Señor.
This
is my son, James, and my other children and grandchildren.”
“And
your Indian brother?”
“He
is in his shop at the mission overseeing those he has taught his
skills. How may I be of assistance?”
“Where
can we talk, Englishman? I do not see a government palace.”
“Excuse
me, but I am no longer an Englishman. I gave up my allegiance to that
country many years ago when Reverend Father Serra baptized me. I now
consider myself a Californian like all these around you.”
Timothy
invited the officer to the compound where the ladies provide hot tea
and some sweets. The children showed the escort where to take the
horses for some hay and water.
“You
have a most substantial home here, Mister Beadle.”
“Thank
you. Please call me Timothy, I do not like titles.”
“Then
you may call me Don
Miguel.”
Timothy
did not fail to heed the stress on this honorific.
The
officer
thanked the ladies for the refreshments and asked pointed questions,
listening intently as Timothy indicated
the various features of the valley. “The fishing fleet is still
out. They should return within the hour. I believe one of the boats
is unloading its catch for the garrisons at this moment.”
“You
have quite an enterprise here, Don
Timoteo.
You must have a great deal of wealth.”
“I
am afraid not. I have been granted permission to use land to raise
some crops and livestock, but this compound is all we claim.
The fishing boats belong to the family, but we accept no payment –
or credit – for the fish we bring in. We consider it to be our role
in making this and other places livable.”
“And
your brother?”
“Jaime
is like the rest of us. His
skills as an artisan have
been used for the mission and its disciples. We are here because of
Reverend Father Serra and do our best to follow his principles.”
They
talked for an hour and Timothy noted the officer had a sharp mind for
details of the construction of the homes and other buildings of the
village. He was most interested when the fishing fleet arrived,
walking down to the pier with Timothy. He watched as the boats were
unloaded and the fish sorted. Padre
Suria arrived with two disciples for the two barrels of fish allotted
to the mission.
Gonzalez
crossed himself when the friar blessed him. “Reverend Father,
is the Father
Prefect
at the mission?” Hearing a positive, he said, “When you return,
please advise him we will attend noon prayers. After that, I wish to
have a meeting with him.”
Padre
Suria assured he would do as asked and smiled at Timothy before
departing.
James
was introduced to the officer and both noticed how Don
Miguel showed no interest in acknowledging the Indian members of the
crews. And, when invited to share the noon meal with The Family, none
were surprised when he excused himself. “I will sup with my escort.
It ensures their loyalty to me.”
“He
is very aloof about los
Indios y Mestizos,
Jaime noted.
“Everything
about him says pure Spanish blood making him a Criollo.
Even then, it makes no sense that he does not acknowledge those who
shed their blood to create an independent Mexico.”
“It
will be most interesting to see his interaction with Father Prefect
Durán
who is a Peninsulare”
Timothy said. “I have heard stories how the congress is considering
a law to expel all those born in Spain from Mexico.”
“I
wonder what Father Prefect Sarria thinks of all this.”
Nobody
answered.
The
captain's escort stood along the back wall while he sat in the front
pew on the side of the chapel closest to the statue of The Virgin of
Guadalupe. As there were no Criollos
in the pueblo,
the leading Mestizos
sat in their customary places. Timothy, Jaime, and James, along with
their wives, sat in the front row on the other side of the aisle.
As
it was not a Mass, there would be no homily and Father Prefect Durán
did not participate, kneeling in the alcove dedicated to San
José,
baring his back and whipping himself for the sins he believed he had
committed. Father Prefect Sarria also did not take part, kneeling in
the opposite alcove, punishing himself as always.
With
the holy rite concluded, everyone departed the chapel – except for
the captain. His escort found a shady tree and waited outside.
The
captain and the fathers prefect spent the entire afternoon in
discussion with no one else present.
*****
“The
governor will not be coming here to Monte
Rey.”
All
stopped rocking and turned to Felipe.
“Captain
Gonzalez returned from the meeting with the Fathers
Prefect
as angry as I have ever seen any human being. He stormed into his
office, his secretary right behind him. He wrote a number of
documents and had them sealed. They will be sent off by courier first
thing in the morning. He also called together the officers and told
us that he has a missive from the governor directing the Father
Prefect
to travel south at the earliest possible moment to meet with him.”
“The
Father
Prefect
was as calm as I have seen. He conducted the evening prayers as if
nothing unusual had occurred. He joined the disciples for the evening
meal and even enjoyed the evening music.”
James
nodded. He and Teresa Marta had gone with a number of their children
and grandchildren. “I even heard him humming some of the tunes.”
Padre
Suria arrived, apologizing for not being there sooner. “The Father
Prefect called us and the escolta
to the garden and told us that, when asked, he refrained from
pledging his allegiance to the new United Mexican States.”
“Why
in the name of The Lord did he do that?” Timothy asked, shocked.
“He
wrote a letter to the governor, the guardian of the apostolic
college, and the archbishop defending
his action. He explained to us that the
obligation to the king of Spain was the ground on which he based his
refusal, with special reference to the fact that the new constitution
required him to take up arms and resist invasion by a foreign power,
including Spain. Thus, he might have to resist the king himself at
the head of his army, in a province which was justly a part of his
dominion, which would be to disobey the divine law and teachings of
the saints. He foresaw the objection that his previous oath to
independence under Iturbide had required the same opposition to
Spain; but he answered it by claiming that before, Spain was not
under her primitive government, the king was deprived of liberty, and
religion was threatened; that under the plan of Iguala, Fernando the
Seventh was to be called to the throne, with some chance of Spanish
approval; and moreover, that the previous oath had not only been
ordered by his diocesan, but had been formally decided on by a
majority of the friars, including the prefect.”
After
a pause, Padre
Suria
continued. “He made it very clear that taking the oath of
allegiance was a matter for each of us.”
“And
you, reverend father?” James asked.
Padre
Suria
smiled. “I and all the others here and at the presidio
chapel swore the oath of allegiance when ex-Governor Argüello asked
us to.”
“What
will Father Prefect Sarria's action bring about?”
Padre
Suria shrugged. “I do not know. There is nothing in the old
reglamentos
and we have yet to receive anything to replace them from Mexico.
Perhaps the new governor will seek to have the Father Prefect
expelled from California – and Mexico.”
“Well,
that is not all, my children. The Father Prefect has indicated he
plans to move his headquarters from Misión
San José
to Misión
Santa
Bárbara.”
That
certainly shocked everyone and, as hard as he tried, Padre
Suria could not explain what was behind Father Prefect Durán's
decision.
“It
appears the time is approaching that we need to consider ways to
retain what we have amassed,” Timothy
mused.
*****
Jaime
nodded, as did Butterfly, Apolonia, James, and Teresa Marta. Timothy
had gathered the core of The Family to hold the delicate discussion.
“Comisario
Herrera has said nothing directly, but I saw in his eyes his search
for way to bring revenues to his coffers. He is going to start taxing
anyone he feels able to pay. I sense that one of his aides will be
the one to levy and collect.”
“Yes,
the one with shifty eyes. I believe his name is Ramon de
Vilar.”
“Most
certainly,” Butterfly softly said. “He and his wife are both
Criollos
and I could see the looks they gave to us Mestizos
y los Indios.”
“I
thought the entire purpose of the rebellion was to erase the
differences among us. To give all equal rights.”
“Yes,
equal rights to all who felt snubbed by los
Peninsulares.
The rest of us,” Jaime sneered, “are but to be their servants.”
“So,
father and uncle, what do we do?”
“Sea
Lion Cove can take a dozen head of cattle, an equal number of horse,
for or five mules and some donkeys. The swine there are already
multiplying as are the chickens and geese. George says two more
families can live there.”
“Who
do we decide to send?”
“Well,
young James, I think we owe it to Mateo to send one of his sons with
his family. We will leave it up to him to decide which.”
All
agreed with Jaime.
“I
would like to see us offer the chance to Timoteo Tomas as we can send
them in a boat he and Pablo can maintain and use for fishing.”
All
smiled at Butterfly's idea. It made sense for them to support
themselves.
“George
and Pablo have been exploring and say there are two other hidden
inlets where more livestock can safely graze.”
They
had no doubt that the governor would attempt to seize either the
Santana
or the Queen, claiming it needful for California. Knowing there was
no safe place to moor the Santana
south of Carmel, they decided to send the Queen to Sea Lion Cove
where it could be hauled ashore and covered with a tarpaulin and
kelp.
“And
our other valuables?”
All
knew what Apolonia referred to. The gold, silver, and gems they had
found at various places during their travels. In addition, there were
a number of valuable items from various traders over the years.
“I
have fashioned a strong wooden chest with locks to contain the items.
We can send that to Sea Lion Cove and bury it somewhere that only we
will know.”
All
understood that hiding it in such a manner was not a criticism of
the others,
but a safety for those living in the cove. Just in case a member of
the new government happened upon it.
The
proposition was put to Mateo and his son, Ramon, eagerly accepted.
The same held for Pablo and his family. Fortunately, both men were
more than familiar with the Queen, so no other crew was needed to
sail her.
It
was impossible to hide the absence of the queen of the fishing fleet,
but nobody in Carmel questioned it. Only Padre
Suria made a comment and appeared to accept the not too reasonable
explanation for her disappearance.
Felipe,
however, told them that her absence had been noted at the presidio.
“As none of the crew are missing, they believe she was lost upon
the rocks somewhere.”
“Has
anyone questioned the crew?”
Felipe
chuckled. “Yes, and the crew gave a heroic tale of escaping doom
and swimming to safety. I could see how proud of themselves they
were.”
The
crew missed going to sea to fish, but found themselves tilling their
own plots of land, working with their children they had not been able
to spend much time with before.
*****
“Señor,
I must seek passage from you to Monte
Rey.”
The
request surprised James. Never before had a soldier requested passage
on his or the other fishing boats. “Of course, Corporal Valdez. I
am gladly at your service. We will depart as soon as we have finished
unloading the mission's portion of our catch.”
The
corporal boarded the Santana
and found a place to stand aft behind the helm, all the while moving
nervously from foot to foot.
He
fears sailing?
James wondered.
Once
they had lifted anchor and set sail from Misión
Santa Cruz,
it was clear the soldier thought little of being on the ocean's
bosom. He held a scroll and kept smacking it into the palm of his
hand.
“Bad
news, corporal?”
Valdez
nodded. Si,
Señor.
There has been an uprising of the Indians at Misión
San Francisco Solano.
They threatened el
Padre
and then set fire to the chapel, burning all the religious
artifacts.”
“Padre
Altimira? Was he harmed?”
The
corporal shrugged. “I do not know, Señor.
The couriers just told me the seriousness of the news and how it was
urgent to take it south.”
They
barely tied up to the pier at Monte
Rey
when the corporal leaped ashore and ran off into the presidio.
Within
a few minutes, an Alférez
and two soldiers rushed to the pier and leapt into a rowboat, pulling
heartily to the San
Carlos
lying at anchor. James grimaced and shook his head when an officer in
naval uniform came on deck and passed
orders to the crew. The new commandant had removed Captain Pedro and
replaced him with the ensign who served at el
Castillo
and had never served as a ship's officer. Surprisingly, either less
biased against los
Indios
or realizing his shortcomings, Alférez
Sanchez let Pedro run the ship as soon as the
captain
departed.
As
they pulled away from the pier, the San
Carlos
hailed them and James had the boat nestle against the side of the
schooner.
“I
must sail south, Señor
Beadle. I do not know to read the charts and, as you know, Pedro does
not read at all. What can you tell me?”
“Trust
Pedro, ensign. He may not read, but he has become an expert sailor
and will take you safely to your destination.”
Standing
behind the ensign, Pedro broke into a huge grin at the praise.
The
Santana
had already passed the Point of Pines before the San
Carlos got
underway and had almost completed unloading when she passed, sailing
south.
Felipe
gave them the news that evening during dinner.
“The
neophytes at Misión
San Francisco Solano
finally could no longer accept Padre
Altimira's treatment of them. The interior Miwok have never come to
the friars as peacefully as those at Dolores
y San Rafael
and their Yokut cousins even less so. The constant floggings and
imprisonment became too much. That and his continual
harassment of their customs. A large group of them attacked the
mission. After looting and burning the buildings, they drug Padre
Altimira from the chapel and then threw him to the ground.”
“What
about the escolta?”
Timothy asked.
“They
stood by their residences to protect their families and the Indians
left them alone as the soldiers did not raise their weapons against
them.”
“And
what of Padre
Altimira? Was he harmed?”
“Only
his ego,” Felipe replied. “Realizing he could no longer stay
there, he gathered his small bundle and departed afoot. His assistant
would not go with him. And the soldiers refused to accompany him,
claiming it was their duty to protect the chapel that was left
unharmed.”
Silence
ensued as all wondered what would happen to the Indians.
“There
is more,” Felipe said. “The padre
reached
Misión
San Rafael
and learned he was most unwelcome there. He crossed to the presidio
and was referred to the mission, where it was made clear that he was
not welcome there either.” Felipe took a sip from his tankard of
Sumac tea and continued. “A British trader was moored at the
mission and Padre
Altimira begged passage. It was granted and nobody knows where he
went.”
“It
appears that his departure is most welcome.”
All
agreed and turned to finishing their evening meal.
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