_7th day and 27 [September]._ In the morning we crossed the river and, taking a northerly direction, we pushed through about a league of very high, thick tules, in the midst of which could be seen a few clearings well covered with grass. After traveling about three leagues, more or less, we stopped at a stream which runs from east to west.[18] It has no running water, only a few pools, where we were forced to pitch camp. From the point where we left the tule swamps to this place the land is really miserable. Salt flats and alkali patches, with innumerable ground-squirrel burrows are all that one can see. There are at this spot about sixty oak trees and a few willows in the bed of the stream. The forage was extremely scanty, and that the country appeared to have been burned over by the Indians did not conceal the fact that the land is very poor. Consequently there is little pasturage. This place is called the Mariposas ["the butterflies"] because of their great number, especially at night. In the morning they become extremely troublesome, for their aggressiveness reaches the point where they obscure the light of the sun. They came at us so hard that one of them flew into the ear of a corporal of the expedition. It caused him much discomfort and no little effort to get it out. _8th day and 28 [September]._ This day, in spite of its being Sunday, the party was divided into three groups on account of the necessity of shifting camp. This in turn was due to the lack of water and grass. One group remained to guard the camp. Another turned north and the other east-northeast. Both these groups ran onto a fine river on the banks of which were many Indians. All these, however, began to run away as soon as they spied us. The Lieutenant was able to collect twelve by assuring them of our good will. The Sergeant, and I with him, going to the east-northeast, collected up to eighteen, but no matter how much he explained his good intentions, he could attract no one else. They were rendered deaf by their fear. Lieutenant Don Gabriel received word of five other villages situated on the river at some distance from this one. In the latter were 250 souls, according to the information of the Indians. After having found some good spots for the horses and for a camp, they returned to the place on the Mariposa where they waited for the rest of the troops.