216 
SCENES IN THE PACIFIC 
watering places, with a rancheria at each. The Bilander 
continuing her survey, at length casts anchor in a large bay; 
but finding the current so strong as to prevent her riding head 
to the wind, Padre Ugarte sends the pinnace down the coast 
in search of a better harbor, while the pilot goes ashore in 
the boat seeking an anchorage farther up the bay, returns 
next day with the boat in so shattered a condition, that it 
is with difficulty the people are taken on board before she 
parts asunder. The pilot reports that he left her on the sand 
and went a short distance to a rancheria; that while there 
exchanging friendly intercourse with the Indians, the tide 
came in with tremendous force, and threw the boat so vio¬ 
lently upon the rocks, that she separated from stem to stern; 
that the Indians offered them timber to build another ; but as 
this was impossible, they drew the nails from the oars, fasten¬ 
ed the two parts together, and using their sounding line and 
painter for oakum, and substituting clay for pitch, caulked 
the seam. All night they were thus employed, the Indians 
kindly rendering them whatever assistance was in their power ; 
and the next day keeping near the shore with their crazy 
leaky boat, they reached the bilander as related. In a short 
time the pinnace arrives, having cruised forty leagues and 
discovered no harbor. 
The bilander now again stands northward, and in a 
few days finds herself sailing in waters whose variable hue 
indicates her approach to the outlet of some great river. 
Padre Ugarte keeps the pinnace sounding ahead, and after 
standing across, and making some northing, comes to anchor 
on the Peninsula side, near the mouth of the Colorado of the 
west. It is disgorging a great volume of angry waters, laden 
with grass, weeds, trunks of trees, burned logs, timbers 
of wigwams, &c. There has evidently been ruthless work 
inland. Terrible storms, accompanied with thunder and 
lightning, have visited the voyagers during the night, and 
spread over the country, whence the river issues. The men 
are anxious, as soon as the flood subsides, to go up and sur- 
