Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820Cook, Sherburne Friend
History
Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820
Cook, Sherburne Friend
California -- Discovery and exploration; California -- History -- To 1846 -- Sources; Central Valley (Calif.)
Since all the island was found to be flooded owing to the very high
water in the river, I sent the Indian sailors with an axe to cut a tree
while I and the soldiers were eating lunch. They got so far away from us
that they unexpectedly ran onto the Christian fugitives from San José
and attacked them. As soon as word of this reached me, while we were
eating, I and the five men immediately broke off our meal, but although
we pushed about a quarter of a league through the swamp, we could get no
farther forward on account of the deep water. Thereupon I ordered the
Indian who had brought the message to tell the sailors that they should
make their retreat and that we would wait for them on the spot to see if
the runaway Indians pursued them. Soon they arrived, telling the story
that they had got away and crossed a branch of the river by swimming.
Each side shot a few arrows at the other but no damage was done except
to one San José Christian, who was wounded in the leg. We embarked and
continued upstream in pursuit of the fugitive Indians. We found the
village but it was without inhabitants. Although we landed and traveled
through the thickets, which are extremely dense, it was very difficult
to catch any of them unless by surprise. So at about five o'clock we
went back on board the boat and sailed some five miles to the northwest,
where we stopped with the intention of cutting a tree. But since we
could not find one suitable for the mast of the launch, at eight o'clock
in the evening I decided to go back. Having sailed all night, at six
o'clock in the morning of the 24th, we anchored in the bay of the
Chupucanes, there to await and join the launch "Josefina" and pass
through Carquinez Strait.[39]
She arrived at six o'clock in the afternoon of this day. Here we
remained until the following day, the 25th, when Mass was celebrated
at nine o'clock in the morning. At ten-thirty o'clock we set sail and
navigated until four o'clock in the afternoon. With the aid of the high
tide we anchored off Point San Pablo. The launch "Josefina" did not
stop but kept on to the Island of Los Angeles, five miles north of the
Presidio. At eight o'clock in the evening we departed from Point San
Pablo and at ten o'clock rejoined the launch "Josefina." At twelve
o'clock the latter started to cross to the Port. I waited until one
o'clock in the morning, at which time we made the crossing to the port
and anchored without incident at two o'clock in the morning of the 26th
at the wharf. The launch "Josefina" went by another course and arrived
safely shortly after we did.
This is in substance all that I can give your Excellency as official
information. I still entertain regret that I have not been able to
secure more exact information, as I had wished, for the reasons which
I outlined at the beginning.
May God preserve many years the life of your Excellency.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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