534 CORPUS CHRISTI 
Joseph’s Island. This island is less than two miles 
wide, and about twenty-five in length. South-west of 
this, between Aransas Pass and Corpus Christi Inlet, 
is Mustang Island, already spoken of. 
Aransas Bay extends about twenty-five miles from 
north-east to south-west, and is about twelve miles 
wide. It has a general depth of from eight to twelve 
feet, but is obstructed by a shoal and range of islands 
extending across it, over which there is less than 
three feet of water. Connected with Aransas is Co- 
pano Bay, twenty miles in length by three in width. 
The shores of these bays are extremely low and flat. 
We made but little progress to-day, the wind hay- 
ing died away ; and finding ourselves fast on a bar, 
there was no occasion to anchor. So we again turned 
in, and lay by till morning. 
January 6th. One of the sailors carried me on 
shore on his back, that I might have a shot or two at 
the shoals of ducks near by; but as there was no shel- 
ter behind which they could be approached, the few 
that I shot hardly repaid the trouble. We lay here 
several hours, when at length a light breeze sprung 
up from the west which wafted us onward, and across 
Kspiritu Santo Bay, about twenty miles in length and 
ten in width. Atits head, it receives the waters of 
two considerable rivers, the San Antonio and Guada- 
lupe. It is separated from the Gulf by Matagorda 
Island, about thirty miles in length. 
An amusing incident occurred when we were about 
midway across the bay. We had left Corpus Christi 
with but a single keg of water, expecting to make our 
voyage in twenty-four hours. But we had now been 
