Cattle were often seen, and sometimes horses, but people were very scarce.

In time we went down a long, steep hill, then across a wide valley that supported a rank growth of vegetation, and came to a Mission called San Buena Ventura (good luck.) Here the men seemed scarce, but Indians and dogs plenty.

The houses were of the same sort as at Los Angeles, except the church, all made of dried mud, and never more than one story high.
As we journeyed along we came to the sea shore, the grandest sight in the world to me, for I had never before seen the ocean.

What a wide piece of water it was! Far out I could see small waves coming toward the shore, and the nearer they came the faster they seemed to rush and at last turned into great rollers and breakers which dashed upon the rocks or washed far up the sandy shore with a force that made the ground tremble.

There was no wind and I could not see what it could be that so strangely agitated the water.