This  party  was  guided  by  au  Indian  convert,
brother  of  the  sachem  of  Asacan,  as  a  particular
portion  of  Virginia  was  called,  whence  he  bad
been  takeu  some  years  before  to  Mexico.  The
expedition  was unsuccessfnl, butMenendezurgcd
his  project,  and  in  1570,  the  Indian  convert,  be-
ing in  Spain,  was  sent,  nnder  the  direction  of
the  general  of  the  order  of  Jesuits,  with  a  priest
and  two  religieux,  to  plant  a  mission  station
near  the  Cliesapeake.  At  Port  Royal  they  were
joined  by  the  head  of  the  Jesnit  mission  in  Flor-
ida, anotber  priest,  and  fonr  Indian  boys,  nov-
ices from  the  mission-school  in  Havana.  This
party  landed  on  the  shores  of  the  Potomac  in
September,  1570,  and  were  left  there  in  the  wil-
derness with  a  few  stores.  They  travelled  across
the  country  to  the  Rappahannock,  and  near  its
banks  they  constructed  a  log-cabin  as  a  shelter
and  chapel,  which  they  called  the  "  Chapel  of
the  Mother  of  God  at  Axacan."  There  they  suf-
fered in  the  ensuing  winter,  and  were  chiefly
dependent  upon  the  converted  Indian  for  a  time.
He  soon  forgot  that  he  was  a  Christian,  and  be-
came the  most  dangerous  enemy  of  the  mission-
aries. .  The  expostulations  and  the  threats  of
the  Jesnit  priest  sent  to  him  were  of  no  avail.
The  priest,  and  two  Indian  boys  who  went  with
L— 27


him,  were  killed.  Their  companions  left  behind
waited  anxiously  in  the  chapel  for  their  retnm.
