CHAPTER IX 

 To Santa Rosia and Santa Maria 



Monday, May 18th. At seven we were on our 

 way with Santa Maria or the Estero de los Cama- 

 rones as the objective point, for there fresh water 

 of fair quality is obtainable from a river. Reck- 

 less extravagance had depleted our supply more 

 quickly than expected, and the necessity for re- 

 plenishing our casks was brought home to anyone 

 daring to ask the cook — the guardian of the tanks 

 — for a basin of water. 



Little wind permitted but slow progress, so a 

 dredging party took to the launch for a series of 

 hauls near the reef in four to five fathoms, on 

 soft weedy bottom. In somewhat shoaler water, 

 another line of dredgings on harder sandy bottom 

 of sponge and broken shell yielded the best returns 

 so far with the dredge. Many Pecten were secured 

 which flitted about in a tub of sea water on deck, 

 by spasmodic opening and shutting of their shells. 



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