302 VOYAGE OF CABEILLO. 



ceedecl with fair winds, and they found themselves to windward of the Point of Mai 

 Abrigo 6 leagues; and so they held on until the following Saturday, the 19th of the 

 said month, when they cast anchor off a small island which is half a league from the 

 mainland. It may be 10 leagues from the Point of Mai Abrigo ; it is in 30^- degrees ; 

 it has good anchorage and good shelter; they called it San Bernardo [Geronimo 

 Island] • it extends one league north and south [actually one mile]. The coast of the 

 mainland runs north-northwest and south-southeast, and is a clean coast. The land 

 within is of very good appearance and level, and there are good valleys and some 

 trees, and the rest is bare. They did not find these days a sign of Indians. 



Sunday, the 20th of said month of August, they departed from the island of San 

 Bernardo, and approached Punta del Engauo (Point Deception), which is seven leagues 

 from this island, which point is in 31 degrees. [Thisjaoint noted, hut no name on-present 

 Coast Survey charts.] 



The coast of the point toward the island rims north-northwest, south-southeast. 

 On Punta del Engauo the land is not high, and appears in itself a good and level laud. 

 The ridges are bare. We saw no sign of Indians; and so they continued sailing until 

 the next Monday, following the coast to the north and the northeast; and about 10 

 leagues from Punta del Engano they discovered a good port, in which they anchored, 

 and took in water and wood. It is in 31J degrees. It is a port suitable for making 

 some repairs for the ships, placing them under the mountain. 



The following Tuesday the captain, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, went on shore and 

 took possession of it in the name of His Majesty and of the most illustrious Seuor D. 

 Antonio de Mendoza, and gave it the name of Puerto de la Posesion [Port St. Quen- 



tin]. He found a lake which has three large* ; and they found some Indian 



fishermen, who immediately fled. They took one of them, and, giving him certain 

 presents, they released him, and he went off. The land in the interior is high and 

 rugged and has good valleys, and appears to be a good country, although it is bare. 

 They were on shore here until Sunday, the 27th of said month, repairing the sails and 

 obtaining a supply of water; and Thursday they saw certain smokes and went there 

 with the boat and found about thirty Indian fishermen, who were peaceable, and they 

 brought to the ship a boy and two Indian women, to whom they gave clothing and 

 presents and let them go; from whom they could understand nothing by signs. 



The following Friday, going to take in water, they found at the watering-place 

 certain Indians, who were peaceable, and these showed them a pond of water and a 

 salt pit which contained much, and they said by signs that they had not their habita- 

 tion there, but in the interior, and that there were many people. This same day, in 

 the evening, five Indians came to the shore, whom they brought to the ships, and 

 they appeared intelligent Indians; and entering in the ship they took note of the 

 Spaniards who were there and counted them, and made signs that they had seen other 

 men like them, who had beards, and who brought dogs and cross-bows and swords.t 



* An equal blank in the original. Reference probably made to "three large" villages. 



t See also many other similar references beyond. As there -was no expedition in the interior con- 

 temporaneous with Cabrillo's it, is evident that the Spaniards were misled as to the date of presence 

 of these "bearded" white men, of which they here for the first time received notice, as they doubt- 

 less were, too, in their evident belief that the Indians were eye-witnesses of what they narrated, the 

 sign-language here, as elsewhere, leading to error. Ulloa's and Alarcon's explorations in the Gulf of 



