nce over the Santa Clara valley and the "immense arm"
of San Francisco Bay. By this time the rainy season had set in, and
convinced as they now were that they must, through some oversight or
ill-chance, have missed the object of their quest, they determined to
retrace their steps, and institute another and more thorough search.
On again reaching the neighborhood of Monterey, they spent a whole
fortnight in systematic exploration, but still, strangely enough,
without discovering "any indication or landmark" of the harbour.
Baffled and disheartened, therefore, the leaders resolved to abandon the
enterprise. They then erected two large wooden crosses as memorials of
their visit, and cutting on one of these the words--"Dig at the foot
of this and you will find a writing"--buried there a brief narrative of
their experiences. This is reproduced in the diary of Father Crespe
[3]; and its closing words have a touch of simple pathos: "At last,
undeceived, and despairing of finding it [the harbour] after so many
efforts, sufferings and labours, and having left of all our provisions
but fourteen small sacks of flour, our expedition leaves this place
to-day for San Diego; I beg of Almighty God to guide it, and for thee,
voyager, that His divine providence may lead thee to the harbour of
salvation. Done in this Bay of Pinos, the 9th of December, 1769." On
the cross on the other side of Point Pinos was cut with a razor
this legend:--"The land expedition returned to San Diego for want of
provisions, this 9th day of December, 1769."

The little party--or more correctly speaking--what was left of it, did
not reach San Diego till the 25th of the following month, having in
their march down suffered terribly from hunger, exposure, wet, fatigue
and sickness. Depressed themselves, they found nothing to encourage them
in the mission and camp, where death had played havoc among those they
had left behind them six months before, and where the provisions were so
fast running low that only the timely reappearance of the San Antonio,
long overdue, would save the survivors from actual starvation. Perhaps
it is hardly surprising that, under these circumstances, Portola's
courage should have failed him, and that he should have decided upon a
return to Mexico. He caused an inventory of all available provisions to
be taken, and calculating that, with strict economy, and setting aside
what would be required for the journey back to San Fernando, they migh