PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 49 



named Rio de los Paxaros, from the number of wild 

 ducks which occasionally resort thither. The hanks 

 of this river are thickly lined with wood, and being 

 very steep in many places, the party wound, with 

 some difficulty, round the trunks of the trees and over 

 the inequalities of the ground ; but their Californian 

 steeds, untrammelled with shoes, and accustomed to 

 all kinds of ground, never once stumbled. They 

 rode for some time along the banks of this river, 

 which, though so much broken, were very agreeable, 

 and crossing the stream a few miles lower down, they 

 left it to make its way towards the sea in a south-west 

 direction, and themselves entered upon the Llano de 

 San Juan, an extensive plain surrounded by mountains. 

 It should have been told, before the party reached 

 thus far, that as they w^ere riding peaceably over the 

 Llano de las Animas, the clanking of their guide's 

 huge broadsword, which had been substituted for the 

 long musket of the soldier from the presidio, drew the 

 attention of the party to his pursuit of a wild moun- 

 tain-cat, which he endeavoured to ensnare with his 

 lasso for the sake of its skin, which is said to be 

 valuable. Two of these cats, which in species ap- 

 proach the ocelot, were shot by our sportsmen at San 

 Francisco. Their skins were preserved to be brought 

 to this country, but on opening the collection they 

 were not found, and we have reason to suspect that 

 a man who assisted the naturalist disposed of these, as 

 well as many other specimens, to his own advantage. 



Twilight approached as the party drew near to the 

 mission of San Juan, where they alighted, after a ride 

 of fifty-four miles, just as the bell tolled for vespers, 

 andj stiff and tired, gladly availed themselves of the 

 accommodation afforded by padre Arroyo, who in 



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