210 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC. 
They learn from the narrative of Viscayno, who has sur¬ 
veyed the coast northward from Cape San Lucas, in the pre¬ 
ceding century, that there is a spacious bay in latitude 23° 
or 24° N.; and to this point Padre Guillen directs his steps in 
1719, accompanied by a party of soldiers, and three bodies of 
Californians, armed after the manner of the natives. They 
travel over a rough, barren, craggy country, and are obliged 
to use the greatest caution to prevent the natives from cutting 
them off. Twenty-five days they journey thus, and at last 
reach the bay of Magdalena; a beautiful sheet of water re¬ 
posing in the embrace of lofty mountains. On one arm of it 
they find a rancheria of Indians, whom they gain over by a 
few presents, and enter into friendly intercourse with them. 
From them they learn that there is but one well of fresh 
water in the vicinity; but that on a neighboring island called 
Santa Rosa, there is an abundant supply. They have no 
means, however, of crossing to it. The whole region 
proves so rough and divided, between marshes and inac¬ 
cessible piles of rock, as to be worthless. They there¬ 
fore make a circuit of four leagues from the sea to the 
rancheria San Benito de Aruy. Here they receive from the 
Indians a very discouraging account of the scarcity of water, 
on the whole coast. Notwithstanding this, the Padre is anx¬ 
ious to survey the country from north to south, and uses all 
his eloquence to induce the soldiers and Californians to under¬ 
take it. But being fatigued and disheartened, they refuse to 
proceed. The Padre yields reluctantly to the necessity of the 
case, and taking some friendly Indians of the coast with him 
as guides, commences his return to Loretto. From the supe¬ 
rior knowledge that the guides possess, they accomplish their 
backward journey in fifteen days; and once more congratu¬ 
late themselves on their arrival at the garrison. 
Their report does not much encourage the hope of Padre 
Ugarte in relation to his expedition by sea. But having made 
the best preparations in his power, he sets sail from the bay of 
Loretto on the fifteenth of May, 1721, with the “ Triumph of 
