A few days later, Fages appeared on the scene from San Diego with sixteen soldiers and two missionaries, who were destined as guard and priests for the new Mission of San Buenaventura.

But the difficulty with the Indians led Fages to postpone the founding of the new Mission.

The offending soldier was hurried off to Monterey to get him out of the way of further trouble.
The padres did their best to correct the evil impression the soldiers had created, and, strange to say, the first child brought for baptism was the son of the chief who had been killed in the dispute with the soldiers.
But the San Gabriel soldiers were not to be controlled.

They were insolent to the aged priests, who were in ill-health; they abused the Indians so far as to pursue them to their rancherias "for the fun of the thing;" and there they had additional "sport" by lassoing the women and killing such men as interfered with their lusts.

No wonder Serra's heart was heavy when he heard the news, and that he attributed the small number of baptisms--only seventy-three in two years--to the wickedness of the men who should have aided instead of hindering the work.
In his first report to Mexico, Serra tells of the Indian population around San Gabriel.