PAPERS OF MIRABE~\U BuoN.\PARTE L.u.CAR 35 fall in my way, and to avoid as·far as possible any surpri e which would result in the great inconvenience-as well as other grave mi . chiefs-of preventing me from prosecuting the duties of my task; and for which purpose I determined after co:vering the guard for the p1·otection of the camp & horses, to keep constantly out, several small parties or detachments to explol'e right & left, & reconnoiter the passes (of which I am not ignorant) when our enemies and In· clians might be passing in & out & unohserved ca ually or designedly encounter & attack us. Th.is disposition which I conceived well designed, I thought would in ure the greatest tranquility in camp, but it did not fill the object of my desires. In this manner I con- tinued my march to the vicinity of a place called Yegua, where I found the Indian called the Cojo(lame) Capt. of the Tancahues, and several of his tribe. After repeated inquiries about what kind of· people there were among his nation & in his country, I prevailed upon him to serve personaly as guide to a detachment, in p-prsuit of 8 Americans & 1 Chata (Indian) which he confessed had been in his villa(J'e the day previous trading fusils, powder, lead etc. for horses & mules, and had left that ame morning on their return to join 15 <:>thers which he said were camped on the Brasos. Said Cojo agreed to. accompany the detachment, as uring me that without fail he woffld c9nduct it strait to where aid 8 Americans were, I therefore immediately detached ensign D. Claudio de Luna & Domingo Ugar- 1echea with 50 'men & this Cojo as guide, with orders to spare n,J stra.tag m possible to success in the capture of said Americans. T also detached an other party rmder Comd. of Lieut. Andre Saldana in a direction which would enable him to cut off their retreat hould they escape from Suna, with express orders to reconnoiter scrupulously every point hy ,vhich they might pass. In the meantime I did not overlook the 15 which the Cojo had told me were camped c,n the Brasos, and in order the more certainly to effect their capture, while my Aid-de-Camp, ensign l\Janl. Delgado wa regulating other pa1·ties, I directed an official to Lieut. Jose Salinas who with Lieut. F rnando Rodrigues and one hundred men was con iderably in ad- vance on the road to acogdoches, ordering him to detach the latter with 30 men to ocnpy & reconnoiter the C01mtry between the River Trinity & Brazos, and by that means cut off the retreat of the Banditt camped on the latter, and which alinas with the re- mainder of his detachment, in virtue of said official should repafr to attack. The r ult of S1ma 's party was, that after running all day he came up with the 8 Amer. . pursued, jnst a:t sun et, where they were camped in the thickest part of an almost impenetrable wood, and discovering each other about the same time, they (the Americans) had barely time to snatch up 3 pieces of their arms, and flying under cover of the darkness of the night made their escape, h•aving in their camp 5 pieces of fire arms, 24 horses, 6 mules, var- ious garments of clothing & other articles suitable for the Indian t1·ade, a li t of all of which I remit you in Document o. 4. 27 The foregoing is Luna's verbal report to me, who returned to camp about 11 0 the same night. As the supposition was infallible that !_'None of the documents mentioned herein by Perez have been found.
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