Authors: Connie Mason
The walls began to crumble as the small group watched in horrified fascination, mesmerized by the impending doom as the huge belltower atop the church began its inexorable descent downward. The hapless victims were trapped by their leaden feet as tons upon tons of adobe and brick descended upon them. Only Carl had the presence of mind to turn at the last minute and run. His quick action saved his life.
Terror-stricken, Julie watched helplessly as the walls of the mission crumbled to the ground as if they were made of sand. “Papa! Papa!” she cried out mindlessly, clutching Carlos to her breast until his startled cries brought her back to sanity.
Anxiously she watched for her father’s trim figure to appear but the longer she waited, the more evident it became that he wasn’t coming. The last tremor that destroyed the mission proved to be the final indignity in a series of shock waves, making Julie suddenly aware of the ominous silence surrounding her. Not even the sounds of small animals or birds could be heard in the gloom.
Cautiously, Julie left the relative safety of the gully her father had placed her in and gazed with shocked eyes at the changes wrought by the forces of nature. In some places wide gaps appeared as yawning gashes in the earth. The devastation to the mission itself was beyond repair for nothing remained of the sturdy adobe and brick walls.
Driven by the desire to learn her father’s fate, Julie gingerly picked her way over the rough terrain and approached the pile of rubble, her heart beating raggedly in her breast. God, don’t let anything happen
to my father, she cried in silent supplication. She needed him! Ramona needed him! The few short months with his new wife were hardly enough to make up for all his years of loneliness. It wasn’t fair!
By the time Julie reached the church her feet were cut and bleeding, somewhere she had lost the blanket her father had tenderly draped about her shoulders and she knew a moment of despair. She spied the remains of the wagon first, and then saw the dead horses still harnessed to the rig. She came upon Manuel’s inert body half-buried in the debris. She was hysterical with grief and fear. Only baby Carlos, held tightly to her breasts, prevented her from losing her tenuous hold on sanity when further investigation revealed her father’s still form lying a short distance from the mass of rubble.
Carefully placing the baby out of harm’s way, Julie began clawing at the pieces of adobe and brick in an effort to drag her father to safety. Pulling him away from the debris she knelt by his side and was relieved to see the steady rise and fall of his chest. There was a nasty gash on his head and his left arm was bent at an unnatural angle, but at least he was alive. The sound of Carl’s moaning was like music to her ears.
“Papa! Speak to me!” Julie begged. “How badly are you hurt?”
Slowly Carl opened his eyes, his right hand going to his head as he groaned, “My head, it hurts.”
“Don’t move, Papa,” Julie advised. “I think your left arm is broken. I don’t know what to do.”
“What about Manuel and the others?”
“Manuel is dead. I … I see no others.” What Julie couldn’t know was that the
padre
and an unidentified Indian woman lay beneath tons of debris.
“Leave me, Julie, go for help,” Carl gritted out from between clenched teeth. “Take the baby and go on to the next mission. “I’ll be fine until help arrives.”
“I can’t leave you, Papa,” Julie shook her head stubbornly.
“You have to, honey, think of the baby. I’m in no immediate danger.”
Though reluctant to leave him alone and unprotected, Julie saw the wisdom of her father’s words. His life depended on her. So did her child’s. Locating the blanket she had dropped earlier, she tenderly covered him, then kissed his forehead.
“I’ll be back, Papa,” she promised fervently. “I’ll bring help back.”
“Be careful, Julie,” Carl called after her. “God go with you.”
Determined to bring her son safely to his father as well as seek help for her own parent, Julie gathered up the baby and hobbled off, unconcerned about the pitiful condition of her bare feet which were bruised and bleeding from walking over the sharp rocks strewn about the ground in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Though the going was slow and painful, Julie walked steadily, unaware of the drops of blood staining the ground behind her. She stopped only long enough to nurse Carlos, thankful that her milk supply was still plentiful enough to safistfy her son’s voracious appetite. For herself, there was nothing but water taken from a muddy stream where she paused to cool and soothe her aching feet.
When night approached Julie began searching for shelter, wise enough to realize the necessity of putting herself and her child out of reach of wild animals. If her luck held, she should reach the next mission sometime tomorrow.
Just as dusk crept away on silent feet of darkness, and Julie began to despair of finding a safe haven in which to pass the night, she spied a narrow cleft between two rocks that appeared just large enough to squeeze through. Her hasty investigation proved it to be a narrow cave with no signs of its former occupants. Heaving a sigh of relief she slid easily into the crevice, thinking it would provide a measure of warmth as well
as protection from wild animals. Shifting her ill-clad body into a comfortable position in the small space, it took no time at all for Julie to realize how cold she really was as shivers shook her small form. She spared a moment thinking about the blanket she had left with her father, but knew he needed it more than she did. Sighing regretfully, she curled into a ball and prepared to feed her son who by now was wailing for his supper, his tiny face screwed up until he resembled an old, toothless man.
After nursing Carlos, Julie carefully examined her feet. With a twinge she realized she would not be able to walk on them for several days, perhaps never if they became infected. But for the sake of her father and son she would crawl on hands and knees for help, Julie vowed, tears of frustration and pain marking grooves down her grimy cheeks. Cold, exhausted, so hungry her stomach rebelled violently, Julie fell into a fitful sleep. Her dreams were terrifying. In them Rod’s stern visage appeared before her, angry, accusing, unforgiving. Sometime during the long night her sleep became deeper, her weakness and exhaustion taking her beyond the bounds of sleep, past reality where pain did not exist. Julie slipped easily into unconsciousness.
Dusk had just given way to darkness when Rod, Brett and Polly reached Carmel where they were greeted effusively by
Padre
Enrico who immediately launched into a long dissertation depicting Julie’s mysterious arrival and the subsequent birth of her son.
Rod’s expressive face broke out into a grin as he listened to
Padre
Enrico’s words. He had found Julie and she was safe! He rejoiced at the welcome news that Julie had borne a healthy son and both survived the ordeal. “Where is she,
Padre
?” he asked anxiously when his eyes failed to find his wife’s diminutive form. “I can’t wait to see her. There is much I need to explain to her.”
Padre
Enrico looked stricken and Rod’s mind reeled, his heart thumping dangerously against his ribcage. Had something happened to Julie and the baby? “
Por Dios, Padre
! What is it? You told me yourself my wife and son are well.”
“Easy,
amigo,
” cautioned Brett, sensing his friend’s distress. If the truth be known, his own distress was nearly as great.
“I … I wished only to do the right thing, Don Rodrigo,”
Padre
Enrico explained guardedly. “The moment your wife appeared at the mission gate unconscious and about to give birth, I sent a messenger immediately to your
hacienda.
Several days later Don Carlos and a
vaquero
named Manuel came for the
señora
.”
“Julie’s father!” Rod’s relief was instantaneous as great gulps of air eased his lungs. “Julie went with Carlos and Manuel? Are you certain,
Padre
?”
“
Si,
Don Rodrigo. Dona Julie seemed anxious to return home and they left only this morning. You missed them by hours.”
“Did you hear that Brett, Polly?” exalted Rod. Suddenly he became serious as he asked, “
Padre,
was my wife well enough to ride so soon after childbirth? Will the trip harm her?”
“Don Carlos came well prepared,”
Padre
Enrico was quick to assure Rod. “He brought a wagon so that your wife and son might ride in comfort. The trip will be taken in easy stages with their first stop at La Soledad where they will pass the night.”
Rod was visibly relieved and ready to start out immediately for La Soledad but Polly suggested they all have a meal and spend the night. Julie was safe with her father, she counseled, and no doubt in need of a good night’s rest after her first day’s journey.
“We could easily catch up with them tomorrow,” Brett agreed in an effort to convince a reluctant Rod. Against his will, Rod allowed himself to be persuaded to pass the night at Carmel after extracting
Padre
Enrico’s promise to awaken them at first light. Little did Rod know that he would be up long before dawn.
The first inkling of trouble intruded into Rod’s subconscious when the floor beneath him began to shift and he awoke abruptly to ominous sounds like thunder. Instantly Rod recognized the beginnings of an earthquake and grabbing up his clothes and boots, raced to warn his traveling companions. He found Brett already leading a half-dressed Polly from her room. They were soon joined by
Padre
Enrico and they all managed to reach safety just as the tremendous shock that reduced La Soledad, situated further south, to rubble shook the more solid San Carlos Borremeo de Carmelo to its very foundations.
Larger and much sturdier structurally than La Soledad, Carmel survived the earthquake nearly intact, except for several large cracks in the adobe foundation and some minor damage to the chapel walls which could easily be repaired. After helping
Padre
Enrico inspect for structural damage and see to the safety of his flock, Rod, Brett and Polly left for La Soledad much later than anticipated. Rod was greatly heartened by the splendid way in which Carmel withstood the earthquake, and though his grave concern over the safety of Julie and his son sleeping within the walls of La Soledad lurked at the back of his mind, he had every confidence in Carl’s ability to look after his loved ones.
The miles between Carmel and La Soledad sped by much swifter on horseback than by the slower conveyence Julie rode in the previous day. Rod knew a moment of panic when he turned into the narrow road leading to the mission and viewed the destruction of landscape, immediately sensing that La Soledad did not survive the earthquake as well as Carmel. All around him were signs of the devastation. Great rents torn in the earth made travel difficult and Rod experienced fear greater than he had ever known before when they suddenly came upon the rubble that was once La Soledad Mission.
“My God!” cried Brett irreverently as he peered around him, his eyes wide in awe and shock. Never had he viewed such devastation!
“
Madre de Dios, Madre de Dios
!” repeated Rod in a litany of despair.
Polly was the first to discover Carl’s blanket-shrouded body lying on the ground. Though unconscious he was still alive, and a sip of water from Rod’s canteen revived him sufficiently to speak.
“Carl, what happened to Julie and the baby?” Rod asked anxiously. “Did she get out safely?”
“She’s … fine, Rod,” Carl assured him, attempting a weak smile. “She went for help.” Then coherent
speech seemed beyond him as he lapsed again into unconsciousness.
“How is he?” asked Brett. “Is he injured seriously?”
“He has a nasty head wound,” Rod said after a swift appraisal. Then he lifted the blanket to begin a more thorough examination. When he touched Carl’s left arm, an involuntary moan slipped through his lips. “Looks like his arm is broken, too. There might also be some internal injuries. I don’t think it wise to move him until we find another wagon. He’ll never be able to sit on a horse in his condition.”
“I’ll stay with him,” Brett volunteered. “You go after Julie and your son. She might even have reached safety by now.”
“I’ll help bury Manuel and then I’ll leave,” Rod said as he bent to make certain Manuel was dead. “If there are others beneath that pile of rubble, they’ll have to wait until help arrives.”
“Wouldn’t it make better sense to leave in the morning?” Polly suggested practically. “If Julie is on the trail somewhere, you might miss her in the darkness.”
Grudgingly, Rod consented to wait until dawn to leave and they curled up in their saddle blankets to snatch a few hours respite. Engrossed as he was in his thoughts of Julie, Rod failed to notice that Brett and Polly moved some distance away before settling down in each other’s arms.
Polly decided to accompany Rod and they set out at first light without breakfast, traveling slowly in order to fan out on both sides of the trail so as not to miss a single clue that might lead them to Julie. Periodically they came upon traces of blood which Rod knew were no more than twenty-four hours old. Whether or not they were human was difficult to tell.
As the day waned, so did Rod’s spirts. If Julie was out there somewhere they should have encountered her
by now. How far could one woman, weak and burdened by an infant, travel on foot, he agonized? Soon they came upon the small stream where Julie had paused the day before to rest and soothe her tortured feet. They pushed on, hoping to find Julie at the Mission San Antonio de Padua at Jolan. It was just possible some kindly soul had come upon her and offered to take her to that place of sanctuary.
At mid-morning the searchers rested and ate some of the dried meat and handtack they had stashed in their saddlebags in San Francisco against just such an emergency. They were about to remount when abruptly Polly froze, her ears trained toward the hills. “Wait! I hear something!”
From that day until his death, Rod blessed Polly’s sharp ears, for it was several minutes before he heard the same soft mewling sounds that came to them on the wings of the soft breezes. At first Rod assumed they came from an animal, but Polly’s persistence won out and he listened more carefully.
“It’s a baby! Oh, Rod, I’m sure that’s a baby I hear crying!” cried Polly, shaking from excitement.
Moving with alacrity they followed the thin wailing sounds to a nearby hillside where two large rocks came together to form a shallow cave. Instantly Rod dropped to his knees and peered inside, his mouth suddenly gone dry at the thought of what he might find.
“What do you see, Rod?” Polly asked tremulously, unable to disguise her anxiety.
Reaching inside, Rod grasped a tiny blanketed form and pulled it gently through the narrow opening. “Is he all right?” Polly asked when she saw the bundle in Rod’s arms. “Is … is Julie inside?”
“The baby looks fine,” Rod answered shakily after he had given his son a cursory inspection. “But Julie appears to be unconscious. I hope I can get her out of there without hurting her.” His voice trembled with
emotion as he tenderly cradled his tiny son in his muscular arms.
“I’m small enough to squeeze through,” Polly said, shoving Rod rudely aside. “Let me help you.”
While Rod cuddled his son, Polly slipped into the narrow cave and lifted Julie’s shoulders. Rod then grasped her legs and together they eased her through the small aperture. Passing the baby to Polly, Rod examined Julie for injuries and uttered a loud curse when he saw the pitiful condition of her feet which were bloodied and covered with abrasions.
“She must have been in terrible pain,” Polly winced, quickly ripping up her petticoat to use as bandages. “No wonder she passed out. I’m amazed she got this far in the condition she is in. Do you have any water in your canteen, Rod?”
“Julie has more courage than any woman I know,” Rod acknowledged lovingly, handing Polly his canteen.
Polly used the water to bathe Julie’s face and moisten her lips and within a few minutes she appeared to be emerging from her swoon. The moment she stirred, Rod dropped to his knees and gently cradled her in his arms so his would be the first face she saw upon awakening.
“Carlos,” were Julie’s first words. Rod was quick to assure her their son was well.
“You are safe now,
mi amor,
” he crooned softly, “I am here to care for you.”
“Rod?” Julie croaked, finally aware of whose arms she rested in. “My father, you must help him.”
“We found him,
querida,
” Rod said. “Brett is with him. When we reach the next mission, we will send a wagon back for him.”
“Brett came with you?”
“
Si
, Polly, too.”
Polly stepped forward and smiled at Julie. “Brett and I were worried about you, Julie. We insisted on accompanying Rod.”
“I’m sorry, so sorry to cause you all so much trouble,” Julie said contritely.
“Don’t think about it now, Julie,” Rod admonished gently. “We’ll have all the time in the world to talk when we get home. Do you think you can ride if I take you on my horse?”
Julie nodded. With Rod beside her, holding her, she would be capable of anything. Tenderly, Rod lifted Julie, placing her before him on his horse, then thoughtfully placed his blanket around her bare shoulders. Polly took charge of the baby. They were about to proceed when the child’s furious cries alerted Julie to the fact that her son hadn’t eaten in hours and was probably starved.
“He’s hungry, Rod,” she smiled apologetically at her worried husband. “I should feed him.”
Immediately, Rod’s brow cleared and he took Carlos from Polly’s arms and gave him to Julie. “You can feed him while we travel,” he told her, his voice tender. “It will give me great pleasure to watch. I’m only sorry I wasn’t there to offer comfort when he was born.”
When Julie put the baby to her breast she could feel Rod’s eyes burning into her bare flesh, and she flushed becomingly. Rod thoroughly enjoyed the sight of his son feasting eagerly at Julie’s engorged nipple while the tiny hands clenched and unclenched on the white flesh that previously had been his alone to savor. How he longed to caress and explore that tender flesh, but he knew it would be weeks before Julie was fit for his lovemaking. Would she still want him, he wondered? Or had Elena finally succeeded in altering Julie’s feelings for him?
They reached San Antonio de Padua at dusk and Julie was put to bed immediately after she was cleaned up, fed, and a healing salve applied to her feet by the concerned
padre
who clacked his tongue at their deplorable condition. A wagon was dispatched
forthwith to fetch Carl and Julie was finally able to relax knowing her father would soon arrive and be treated for his injuries.
Rod was careful not to disturb Julie when he quietly entered the small room assigned to them. So thankful was he for her safe return that he could not tear his eyes from her sleeping form, staring at her for several long minutes, marveling at her still vibrant beauty after all she had endured. What other woman could display such bravery and fortitude in the face of adversity as had this sensuous woman he had the rare good fortune to marry, he asked himself? The soft curve of her cheek, so youthful, so innocent, caused his heart to contract with love and longing. It seemed like a miracle to have her back again safe and sound and he vowed never to allow her out of his sight.
Reluctantly abandoning Julie to her well-deserved slumber, Rod moved cautiously to the small cradle produced by the
padre.
Pride and love welled up in him as he feasted his eyes upon the smooth, downy cheeks, crisp black head, and tiny bow lips of this small bundle of humanity that had sprung from his loins. Upon reflection he decided that he was happier than he had any right to be. The miracle of his son’s birth and survival against overwhelming odds would change his life irrevocably.
The weary travelers spent two days resting and recuperating before continuing on to
Rancho
Delgado. Carl’s arm had been set by the
padre
and his head wound treated. Though still tender, Julie’s feet had begun to heal and the baby thrived despite all he had been through since his birth. Polly and Brett were persuaded to continue on to the
rancho
for a visit and they all began the journey in great spirits. The day they left Julie was adequately, albeit unfashionably dressed in a peasant outfit and sandals thoughtfully provided by the
padre.
Rod thought she looked
adorable and told her so, enjoying the bright flush to her pale cheeks that his flattery had wrought.