DAWN AND THE DONS 39
was a manual of navigation by Cabrero Bueno, a celebrated galleon pilot. But Portola was making his approach by land, and not by sea, and the only information these books contained that was of much value to the land party was the supposed latitude of the harbor, and Vizcaino’s description of it as filtered through Venegas and Torquemada.
Portola’s party got away from San Diego on July 14, 1769, and Constanso, who kept a diary, gives us the order of march, and the daily routine. “At the head of the party went Portola with most of the officers, the eight men of the Catalonian volunteers, and some friendly In-
dians with spades, mattocks, crowbars, axes and other
pioneering implements, to chop open a passage whenever necessary. Then came the pack-train in four divisions, each with muleteers and escort of soldiers. Therear
