The Exploring Party Returned In
The Night Of November 3d, Discharging Their Fire-Arms As They
Approached.
They reported that they found themselves obstructed by
immense estuaries which ran extraordinarily far back into the land[31]
,
But what caused their rejoicing was that they understood from the signs
of the Indians that at two days journey from where they were there was a
port in which a ship was anchored. On this announcement, some thought
that they were at the port of Monterey, and that the supply ship San
Jose or the San Carlos was waiting for them. Crespi says that if they
were not in Monterey, they were certainly in San Francisco.
On Saturday, November 4th, being the day of San Carlos Borromeo, in
whose honor they had come to establish a royal presidio and mission in
the Port of Monterey, and also the day of the king, Don Carlos III (que
Dios guarde), the holy sacrifice of the mass was celebrated "in this
little valley, beach of the Port (without the least doubt) of my father
San Francisco." The men feasted liberally on the mussels which abounded
on the nearby rocks, and which were pronounced large and good, and, in
better spirits than they had been for some time, they took up their
march at one o'clock in the afternoon. Proceeding a short distance up
the beach, they turned into the mountains on their right, and from the
summit beheld the immense estero o brazo del mar. Then descending into
the Canada de San Andres, they turned to the south and southeast, and
traveling two leagues camped in the canada at the foot of a hill, very
green with low brush, and having a cluster of oaks at its base. The next
two days they traveled down the canada, coasting the estero, which they
could not see for the low hills (lomeria) on their left, noting the
pleasant land with its groves of oak, redwood (palo colorado), and
madrono. They saw the tracks of many deer and also of bears. The Indians
met them with friendly offers of black tamales and atole, which were
gladly received by the half-starved Spaniards. They begged the strangers
to go to their rancherias, but the governor excused himself, saying that
he must go forward, and dismissed them with presents of beads and
trinkets. On the 6th, they reached the end of the canada, which suddenly
turned to the east, and saw that the estero[32] was finished in a
spacious valley. To the canada they gave the name of San Francisco[33].
Traveling a short distance towards the east, they camped on a deep
arroyo, whose waters came down from the sierra and flowed precipitately
into the estero. They were on the San Francisquito creek, near the site
of Stanford University[34].
Having failed to get through to Point Reyes by the ocean beach route,
Portola now sent Ortega around by the contra costa giving him four days
in which to explore the country and find the port containing the
supply-ship.
Ortega with his exploradores, guided by some friendly Indians from the
neighboring rancherias, set out after noon on November 7th and returned
in the night of the 10th. He reported that he had seen no sign of port
or ship, and was convinced he had not understood the information the
Indians had tried to convey to him, and that the port of Monterey could
not be in advance. They also reported that the country they had seen
towards the north and northeast was impassable for the expedition, for
the reason that the Indians had burned the grass and, in addition, were
hostile and would dispute the passage. They said that they had
encountered another immense estero on the northeast (Carquinez Strait),
which also ran far inland and connected with the one on the southeast,
and that to double it would take many leagues of travel[35].
During the absence of the explorers, the people of the expedition were
compelled for want of meat to eat oak acorns, which caused them much
suffering from indigestion and fever.
Portola called a council of officers, on November 11th, to determine the
best course to pursue. The decision was unanimous to return to the Point
of Pines and renew the search for the elusive Puerto de Monterey, which
they believed they had left behind. This was at once acted upon, and the
command took up the march in the afternoon of that day, returning by the
route of its coming, and on the 27th camped in sight of the Point of
Pines at a little lake of muddy water. They had partly subsisted on wild
geese which they shot, and on mussels gathered from the rocks of the
coast. The following day, November 28th, they moved across the Point of
Pines and camped in the canada of the Carmelo, where was plenty of wood
and good water from the river. After giving his men a rest, the governor
sent ten soldiers, under command of Rivera, with six of the Indian
pioneers, who undertook to guide them by the coast trails, with
instructions to thoroughly explore the coast to the south and see if the
Port of Monterey was concealed in some "rincon" of the Sierra de Santa
Lucia.
The exploring party returned on Monday, December 4th, at night. They
were tired out with their travels over the rough mountain trails, and
they reported that no port of Monterey existed south of their camp; that
the mountains belonged to the Sierra de Santa Lucia, and that there was
no passage along the shore.
Vizcaino had said that Monterey was just north of the Sierra de Santa
Lucia. "It is all that can be desired for commodiousness and as a
station for ships making the voyage to the Philippines, sailing whence
they make a landfall on this coast. This port is sheltered from all
winds * * * and is thickly settled with people, whom I found to be of
gentle disposition, peaceable, and docile; * * * they have flax like
that of Castile, and hemp, and cotton,"[36] etc.
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