Slowly and steadily it went, getting redder and redder as it went down, then it just touched the distant water and the waves dashed over more and more of its face till all was covered.
Were it not for the strong, bright rays that still shot up across the sky one might think it was drowned forever, but in the morning it came up over the mountain top, having apparently made half the circuit of the globe.
Soon after this the road left the shore and turned into the mountains.
Another Mission was on this road, Santa Ynez, situated in a beautiful place but apparently in decay, for the men had gone to the mines, leaving the Indians, women, and dogs as in other places.

San Luis Obispo was another Mission similarly inhabited, but the surroundings did not seem so pleasant as those we had seen before, although it bore signs that considerable had been done.

From here our road bore still more north and we had a long mountain to work over, very rocky, and in some places barren.
San Miguel was a Mission situated on the bank of a dry stream that evidently had seen plenty of water earlier in the season.

The surrounding country was covered with scattering timber.

Soledad was another place where there were some improvements, located on a small river, but nearly deserted like the other places.