84 CGM-KIBl^fO^S! fO W^EStll^N BOTANY NO. li 



convenfent to split the peinsuTa in two and make one capitol at Ensenada, 



and the ot&er at La Paz. There being some iW miles between. Here we 

 stayed all the rest of the day, loading oyster shells and dates, many 

 tons of them. The dates were pressed into a solid ma>s in coarse gunny 

 sacks, whose ends were securely sewed together, the vhole wighing over 

 100 ipounds. It should be noted that thi.s is (fie pearl oyster region, ft 

 was interesting to see how they launched these crude dugouts. The boats 

 were 20 to 30 feet long and 3 to 4 feet wide and high, and usually 



manned by four men with paddles. When 

 would 



Then thev would 



pole through some rope loops across the boat and put the pel 



;ir shoulders and straighten up and so lift the boat off the ground, then 



rm down tht beach and into the water, pull the poles out and shov." 



on between the breakers. If it was done just right, no water was shipped, 

 If not they got a ducking. The men wore overalls and went barefoot, but 

 had on sombreros, otherwise naked. When a boat landed there were 

 enough men ready to shove each boat far up on the sand as the breaker 

 bore It m. But the man in the stem usuallv got a wettinir, but that wa5 

 only a part of the game. They would fwn dr>- off. The Sierra Giganta 

 nses high back a few miles from the plain on which Loreto stands, and 

 doubtless furnishes the water to support the town. 



By night we had loaded all the stuff and were off again over a 

 smooth sea crossing the great fish-hook bay that extends from Loreto to 



t J* ""!; f T""} '^^^ ""'^ P*^^^ ^^^ great island Espiritu Santo on our 

 Tl *"J; ""tiJ^*^ the headland that runs out many miles from La Paz to 

 we east. Why we did not go straight to La Paz instead of a long' detour 

 to tlie east Soon became evident as we hugged the easteni shore, which 

 wa* the only place where enough water existed to float a shin 



*^>r? !Iftl,^?i! li?'^^ fL^^^ S'^** ^^°^^^^ ^'^^ flats an ^1 "^t^d dunes cov- 

 ^irA^V ^''^l' (Rbizophorus Mangle), a tangled shrub as high as 



Tr,yfnZ ''? ^""^-^^ ^^' ^"^^^^^ ^'^""^^^^ ^^ich root at the ends. 

 l^L.Tr ^y^T'^ impenetrable barrier. Ihis would make ideal hiding 

 places for alligators and snakes if these were anv on the -oeninsula. but 



are 



ipen 



cW tl^nrTZV' ^'^ f'"''^'''^ °^ ^"°y^^ "^^r^i^g the narrow channel 

 tT waf ^nL 7' ^" ^' '^'^^'' '^^^^^ ^^ *^ ^^tward to get to La 

 After Tfew S "'' ''°'*^ '^% *^^"°^» ^'^ ^°t '^^w on the surface, 

 fnd dJonW^iir-'^.^^f. lighthouse on a point which we rounded 

 rhisi^TAi?^tZl\^T^^' ^*y ^^^ ^^ °^ some salt freight, 

 s^li' %^^'Jr±''li "i'L^i *« -ly safe anchorage in northwest 



P^ Ae wif **•! T? ^^' '"^ *^^ "^^^ a^d passed 



laJri^s IZ 1 °^ ''KJ:T' California, whic* is locate, 

 lat nses abruptly some SO feet «■.* ^t *u t^.. > 



out of the sea. There is an anchor 



Damer of the La Paz harbor. Thpi^ u ^ ^^« r« v™ i..,. ♦>,-. 



boat anchors out 



modem 



soliciting m«;s/^naPTr 'r\ I '^ ^^^ surrounded by dugouts, al. 



:I so I c/ . d my baggage in a 



