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Show 126 PERSONAL ADVENTURES pain we were suffering frorn the punctures we had received, endeavoured to close our eyes. But our troubles had only commenced ; for we soon discovered that the soil teemed with a numerous family of verrnin, so anxious to be on tern1s of the rnost intimate acquaintanceship with us, that rest was irnpossible. Fleas of so large a gro,vth, and of so voracious a pro .. pensity, I never again wish to see, much less to feel; whilst the ants and wood-bugs were of a development quite startling, the odour of the latter being on a corresponding scale. It was a reh.e f to h ear t l1 e wor d " march '' g1. ven. We resumed our journey with more alacrity than we had cornmenced it, and proceeded until we had accomplished about twenty-five miles, 'vhen, it being broad day, and a ranclte, or farm-house at hand, we again halted. This ranclte consisted of a small shanty, constructed partly of sticks, partly of leaves, and partly of the bamboo-cane, and looked like a mere speck, it being situated on the summit of a rugged and frowning steep of some sixty feet in height, composed of rock and IN CALIFORNIA. 127 clay. Beneath it was a Randy flat of considerable extent, which seemed, indeed, to be only an enlarged continuation of our route. On the other side of this flat lay a series of sandy hills and valleys, adorned with the most splendid and enormous cacti, so1ne of which must have exceeded thirty feet in height, growing perpendicularly on long and immensely thick stalks, the leaves-if leaves they can be called-of unwieldy bulk, but otherwise devoid of the characteristic eccentricities of this tribe of plants. In the total absence of vegetation in this part, these prickly cacti offered great relief to the eye, and harmonized well with the general character of the scenery. We halted at the base of the steep and ' ' looking up, saw some females, evidently watch- • tng our movements with some anxiety. One of our men, soon discovered the ascent and ' ' clambePing to the summit, informed the women what we wanted, at the same time giving earnest of a readiness to pay for it. Their application was successful; and, on their |