, and says they
were men capable of enduring much fatigue, obedient, resolute, and
active; "and it is not too much to say that they are the best horsemen
in the world, and among the best soldiers who gain their bread in the
service of the king."[17]

It must be understood that the marches of these troops with such a train
through an unknown country and by unused paths, could not be long ones.
It was necessary to explore the land one day for the march of the next,
and the camp for the day was sometimes regulated by the distance to be
traveled to the next place where water, fuel, and pastures could be
had. The distance made was from two to four leagues[18], and the command
rested every four days, more or less, according to the fatigue caused by
the roughness of the road, the toil of the pioneers, the wandering off
of the beasts, or the necessities of the sick. Costanso says that one
of their greatest difficulties was in the control of their caballada
(horse-herd), without which the journey could not be made. In a country
they do not know, horses frighten themselves by night in the most
incredible manner. To stampede them, it is enough for them to discover
a coyote or fox. The flight of a bird, the dust flung by the wind-any
of these are capable of terrifying them and causing them to run many
leagues, precipitating themselves over barrancas and precipices, without
any human effort availing to restrain them. Afterwards it costs immense
toil to gather them again, and those that are not killed or crippled,
remain of no service for some time. In the form and manner stated, the
Spaniards made their marches, traversing immense lands, which grew more
fertile and pleasing as they progressed northward.

The expedition followed practically the route which afterwards became
the Camino Real. Its fourth jornada (day's journey) brought it to the
pretty valley where later was established the mission of San Luis
Rey. They called it San Juan Capistrano, but that name was afterwards
transferred to a mission forty miles north of this place. The command
rested here, July 19th. Resuming the march on the 20th, the sierra (San
Onofre), whose base they were skirting, drew so near the sea that it
seemed to threaten their advance, but by keeping close to the shore,
they held their way, and on the 24th they encamped on a fine stream of
water running through a mesa at the foot of a sierra, whence looking
across the sea, they could descry Santa Catal