The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-12-22

Inez bay, and for guide, or, rather,
companion, had an Indian from San
Borja, with whom I have travelled in
many parts of the peninsula.
Approaching Loreto the hills run
rather abruptly towards the shore,
forming palisade crowned with giant
| cacti. A vast expanse of water was
spread before our eyes, blue and silent.
Toward Carmen island we could see
the white spray of water beating
against the rocky shore, and phan-
tom cirole of the moaning sea. Be-
hind US, rocks upon rocks, Hills upon
hills lowered above each other.
1 saw something in the distance
which 1 thought would be splendid
landmark fer a marine surveyor. A
white ledge, apparently of sedimentary
| origin, showed plainly among dark
masses of igneous rocks, and email
knoll in which cavity was formed.
could see some white substance of
snowy color lying in small heaps.
Pointing to the knoll and to the
white substance I asked casually of
my guide:
"Que cosa esq"
"Cal y forno," answered the Indian.
Had the mighty palisade of rocks
toward the east suddenly collapsed be-
fore my eyes l would not have been
more astonished than when heard
these simple words OF the guide. 1
knew at once that I had the true mean
ing of the origin of the name "Oali-
fornia."
In few seconds I was near the knoll
and saw what afterwards 1 often en-
countered-a natural cavity which the
natives, with the help of a few stones,
had transformed in some former time
into an oven, lime kiln, lime being
the white substance. "Cal" means in
Spanish lime, and "forno" an oven or
kiln.
1t must be noticed here that the In
dams of Lower California use a gre At
many old Spanish expressions, for ia
stance "ferno," which was in use two
centuries ago, is today called by the
Spaniards "horno," yet the Indians
preserve the old way Of pronounclng.
Thus California would mean the land
of the lime kilns. Let us 60 a step
| further and see if this theory is correct.
1t is probably not generally known
that the Indians OF Lower California
| formerly dwelt in communicate pueb-
| los, of which we have even now a rem
nant. A little village, Comondu, stu
ated among the Sierra of Southern
Lower California, almost equal dis
lance between the gulf and the ocean,
is today such pueblo. Indian tradi-
lions say that those pueblos were
painted white, the inhabitants know
! ing the use of lime which they burned
in these "fornos." The fornos are
abundant in Southern Lower Califor-
MIA. Some of them are very old and
undoubtedly existed at the time of
! CorteZ.
We know that at the time the Span
iards landed in La Paz, the book Of
Montalvo, in which occurs the name of
California, was widely read; we know
also that the sailors of Cortez remained
nearly year on shore in the locality
where the fornos are to be found in
plenty. 1t is, therefore, certain that
they saw them aud knew their use.
As stated before, Cortez III 1889 sent
Ulloa to explore the waters of the Ver-
million sea. That explorer had I'M
doubleday with him some of these
sailors, who remained so long on shore
and who therefore knew something of
the coast and perhaps few words of
Indian language. 1t is very natural to
think that Ullos was attracted by the