CALIFORNIA. 213 



stopped a short time at Yerba Buena to see Captain Hinckley and 

 Mr. Spears, who kindly furnished us with a guide to point out the 

 passages through the shoals, and the entrance to the creek that leads 

 up to the Embarcadero, the landing whence the people of the mission 

 usually ship their hides. We had a fine wind, and went briskly on 

 until we reached the upper part of the bay, where we found our guide 

 useless as a pilot. The consequence of his incapacity was, that we got 

 on shore, and were detained so long that night overtook us before we 

 entered the river Caravallio, that runs in a tortuous direction to the 

 Embarcadero. Its course more resembled the turns of a corkscrew 

 than any other thing to which I can liken it. I think we counted 

 twenty-nine bends before we reached the point at which we were to 

 disembark, which was nearly at the head of the creek. We were 

 compelled to haul the boat along by the grass and rushes on each 

 side, and it was near midnight before we achieved our object. As 

 we passed through this narrow inlet, the birds that were lodged for 

 the night, alarmed by the noise we made, flew in thousands from the 

 marshes. Their fluttering was so great as to resemble the rushing 

 of a vast wave ; for as they rose, thousands seemed to follow thousands, 

 until the sound died away in the distance, and again seemed to ap- 

 proach in an opposite direction. In the pitchy darkness, not a bird 

 was to be seen, although they must have passed only a few feet above 

 our heads. 



At the Embarcadero we found no house or accommodations of any 

 kind ; but the guide soon led us to what he termed the road, which 

 was found marked by the huge ruts made by the ox-carts. The 

 walk was of service to us, as we had become chilled with the cold and 

 damp air. 



After proceeding a mile over a level plain, we reached the estancia. 

 The first notice we had of it was a broken coural, and the ground 

 covered with vast quantities of bones, hoofs, and horns. Over these 

 we stumbled continually, until, on turning the corner of the coural, 

 we were set upon by a pack of dogs, some fifty in number, which 

 barked in every tone, from the snappish note of the pug to the sonorous 

 voice of the bull-dog. All came forward, intent upon arresting our 

 progress towards the ^arge adobe building, which was now in dim 

 outline before us. The bones served us as missiles to keep them at 

 bay, and thus to protect our approach to the premises ; and when we 

 reached the porch, we gave the discourteous curs a full discharge. 

 We knocked lustily for some time, but no answer was returned, nor 



vol. v. 54 



