Page:Narrative of a Voyage around the World - 1843.djvu/235

1838.] protecting the east, and another of similar size forming the line of separation. Passing into the bay we anchored in the inner or eastern harbour, and having fixed the positions, surveyed it, and completed water at a very convenient position, where we anchored in thirty-two fathoms, with a hawser fast to the shore.

We quitted for Salinas, after having satisfied ourselves that Culebra was not near us. The name of this remarkable cape, which we had mistaken for Catalina, is cape St. Helena, and the cluster of islands is termed Murciellagos, or Bat Islands.

The springs are numerous and there are tolerable rivulets; but only that which we watered at (between the centre point and the main) is safe to approach, by reason of the constant surf We found the gulf squalls, even in this sheltered position, come down the gullies with great force, and impede our work as well as endanger our boats. In forty-eight hours, however, it was finished. The geological structure of the cape and islands is a schistose serpentine, containing balls of noble serpentine.

As we could not fetch Salinas, I beat up to a position where we observed a flag displayed, rockets fired, and a number of men and women in holiday garb collected; and, it being Sunday, we anchored for the day. The surf was too heavy to attempt landing, therefore we could neither fix our position satisfactorily, nor obtain information about San Juan, although I strongly suspected this to be the spot.