Macatine Harbor, 



333 



feet, all rocks, barren, bare rocks, wild as the wildest 

 Apennines. The moss was only a few inches deep, and 

 the soil beneath it so moist, that whenever the declivities 

 were much inclined, the whole slipped from under us like 

 an avalanche, and down we would slide for feet, and 

 sometimes yards. The labor of climbing was excessive, 

 and at the bottom of each ravine the scrub bushes inter- 

 cepted us for twenty or thirty paces, and we scrambled 

 over them with great effort and fatigue. On our return 

 we made one slide of forty or fifty feet, and brought up 

 in a little valley or pit filled with moss and mire. 



^^ yuly 15. We rose and breakfasted at three o'clock, 

 every one being eager to go ashore and explore this wild 

 country. But the wind was east, and the prospects of 

 fine weather not good. But two boats' crews of young 

 men rowed off in different directions, while I renewed my 

 drawing. By ten the rain poured, and the boats returned. 



^^ July 16. Another day of dirty weather, and obliged 

 to remain on board nearly all the day. Thermometer 

 52°, mosquitoes plent}\ This evening the fog is so thick, 

 that we cannot see the summit of the rocks around us. 



" July 17. Mosquitoes so annoyed me last night that 

 I did not close my eyes. I tried the deck of the vessel, 

 and although the fog was as thick as fine rain, the air was 

 filled with tliese insects, and I went below and fought 

 them until daylight, when I had a roaring fire made and 

 got rid of them. I have been drawing part of the day, 

 and besides several birds, I have outlined one of the 

 mountainous hills near our vessel, as a back-ground to my 

 willow grouse. 



" July 18. After breakfast, all hands except the cook- 

 left the Ripley, in three boats, to visit the main shore, 

 about five miles off. The fog was thick, but the wind 

 promised fair weather, and soon fulfilled its promise. 

 Directly after landing our party found a large extent of 



