Tenderly and reverently they cared for him. At his request they bore him
into the cave where he would be safe from the sight of any chance party
from the presidio hunting for him, and here they nursed him back to life
and strength. It was many days before he recovered from the effects of
the great loss of blood he had suffered; many more before the wounds in
his feet healed. From the ill-usage to which he had subjected them,
inflammation set in, and at one time great fear was felt that he could
not survive; but his strong constitution prevailed. Yet after all he
would have died gladly, for he was a helpless cripple from that day,
hobbling around only with the aid of rude crutches.
His comrades vied with each other in their attentions to the sick
leader, and after he had recovered from the fever and weakness, they
furnished him with all the necessaries of life which he was unable to
obtain by his own efforts. After a few months in the cave, Pomponio left
it to be with the Indians in the forest near the mission; but he was
careful to keep away from the neighborhood of the scene of his capture,
judging rightly that that place would be under surveillance at any time
of uneasiness.
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