It was about sixteen miles from Fort Lowell.
So all the camp paraphernalia was gotten ready and several of the officers joined the party, and we all went over to San Xavier and camped for a few days under the shadow of those beautiful old walls.

This Mission is almost unknown to the American traveler.
Exquisite in color, form and architecture, it stands there a silent reminder of the Past.
The curious carvings and paintings inside the church, and the precious old vestments which were shown us by an ancient custodian, filled my mind with wonder.

The building is partly in ruins, and the little squirrels were running about the galleries, but the great dome is intact, and many of the wonderful figures which ornament it.

Of course we know the Spanish built it about the middle or last of the sixteenth century, and that they tried to christianize the tribes of Indians who lived around in the vicinity.

But there is no sign of priest or communicant now, nothing but a desolate plain around it for miles.