274 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



Tugged range of mountains, which encompass it 

 on all sides ; it is a wretched-looking place, and 

 has been likened to a churchyard turned upside 

 down. The harbour is spacious, but shallow, 

 and only fit for small ships ; it is studded all 

 over with islands, two guarding the entrance, 

 and is so well protected by nature that in the 

 hands of any other nation it would be made 

 impregnable. It is a curious fact that all the 

 drinking water at and about Guaymas is quite 

 brackish, and, to our taste, was most un- 

 palatable ; our friends on shore declared that it 

 was particularly wholesome, but I noticed that 

 the old hands invariably qualified it with a 

 suspicion of the barley bree. 



There is excellent shooting in the neighbour- 

 hood ; deer, hares, and duck ; it is as well to be 

 cautious whilst shooting, on account of the 

 rattlesnakes, which infest not only the main- 

 land, but all the islands in the gulf. These 

 reptiles come out of their holes about early 

 dawn, and again at sundown ; they are fond of 

 lying about the paths, and are, therefore, most 



