The great weight of the wet hides, which we were obliged to roll about in wheelbarrows; the continual stooping upon those which were pegged out to be cleaned; and the smell of the nasty vats, into which we were often obliged to wade, knee-deep, to press down the hides,—­ all made the work disagreeable and fatiguing; but we soon became hardened to it, and the comparative independence of our life reconciled us to it, for there was nobody to haze us and find fault; and when we were through for the day, we had only to wash and change our clothes, and our time was our own.  There was, however, one exception to the time’s being our own, which was, that on two afternoons of every week we were obliged to go off for wood for the cook to use in the galley.  Wood is very scarce in the vicinity of San Diego, there being no trees of any size for miles.  In the town, the inhabitants burn the small wood which grows in thickets, and for which they send out Indians, in large numbers, every few days.  Fortunately, the climate is so fine that they have no need of a fire in their houses, and only use it for cooking.  With us, the getting of wood was a great trouble; for all that in the vicinity of the houses had been cut down, and we were obliged to go off a mile or two, and to carry it some distance on our backs, as we could not get the hand-cart up the hills and over the uneven places.  Two afternoons in the week, generally Monday and Thursday, as soon as we were through dinner, we started off for the bush, each of us furnished with a hatchet and a long piece of rope, and dragging the hand-cart behind us, and followed by the whole colony of dogs, who were always ready for the bush, and were half mad whenever they saw our preparations.  We went with the hand-cart as far as we could conveniently drag it, and, leaving it in an open, conspicuous place, separated ourselves, each taking his own course, and looking about for some good place to begin upon.  Frequently, we had to go nearly a mile from the hand-cart before we could find any fit place.  Having lighted upon a good thicket, the next thing was to clear away the underbrush, and have fair play at the trees.  These trees are seldom more than five or six feet high, and the highest that I ever saw in these expeditions could not have been more than twelve, so that, with lopping off the branches and clearing away the underwood, we had a good deal of cutting to do for a very little wood.  Having cut enough for a ``back-load,’’ the next thing was to make it well fast with the rope, and heaving the bundle upon our backs, and taking the hatchet in hand, to walk off, up hill and down dale, to the hand-cart.  Two good back-loads apiece filled the hand-cart, and that was each one’s proportion.  When each had brought down his second load, we filled the hand-cart, and took our way again slowly back to the beach.  It was generally sundown when we got back; and unloading, covering the hides for the night, and, getting our supper, finished the day’s work.