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a low  island,  and  after  there  waiting  the  subsi- dence of the  wind  for  over  six  hours  was  obliged  to steam  up  again  as  the  vessel  dragged  her  anchor badly.

And as  the  day  wearily  wasted  itself  and  another night came  on  with  some  abatement  of  the  storm, the lowering  sky  still  rested  on  the  unquiet  ocean. Once more  nothing  can  be  seen ;  you  hear  the  rioting winds, the  din  and  roar  of  raging  waters;  you  feel the darkness  and  the  trembling^  of  the  frig-htened ship as  lashed  by  breakers  and  struck  by  solid  surges it rises  and  falls  to  the  rolling  of  the  waves ;  and every sinking  is  as  the  sinking  into  the  grave,  every booming wave  that  strikes  upon  the  deck  is  like  fall- ing clods upon  the  coffin.

Next morning  our  Pacific  was  all  over  her  passion, though her  bosom  yet  hea'v^ed  somewhat,  and  the  sun came out  and  smiled  upon  the  sea  and  changed  the black hills  off  our  larboard  bow  into  hazy  purple. From the  ocean  the  Coast  Range  looks  like  a  com- pact rugged barren  seawall,  forest -tufted  at  the  top and seamed  and  furrowed  with  innumerable  ravines. Yet though  seemingly  so  near,  between  these  moun- tains and the  sea  is  a  belt  of  fertile  land,  from  one  to twenty  miles  in  width,  which  is  the  garden  spot,  the Italy, it  is  sometimes  called,  of  California. It was along this  enchanting  shore,  between  the  bays  of  San Diego and  San  Francisco,  that  the  Franciscan  fathers planted their  line  of  missions,  which  achievement  and their subsequent  doings,  may  be  classed  among  the wonders of  the  world. At this  time  were  seen  herds of cattle  and  horses  running  over  hills  brown  and  dry in summer  but  now  enrobed  in  emerald,  and  here  and there the  bell-towers  of  a  mission  church  appeared rising from  the  shelf  of  a  ravine.

With Santa  Barbara  islands  and  Point  Concepcion behind us,  at  half-past  five  in  the  afternoon  of  the 30th we  met  the  steamer  Ohio  bound  down. Ag-ain we are  obliged  to  seek  fuel,  this  time  at  Monterey,