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Establisl1ment and Early Progress of San Xavier 1J1issions
go in search of the Cocos, who had fled to their ranclzerias between the Colorado and the Brazos along the coast. These Indians had run away, impelled by the continuous irritation of the soldiers at San Xavier. Braving the dangers of the long trip alone, because neither the soldiers nor the neophytes had been willing to accompany him, all warning him against the wrath of the Cocos, Fray Benito reached their ranclzerias after untold hardships to find that the tribe was suffering from an epidemic of measles and smallpox. He succeeded in taking back with him eighty-two who were not ill 61 and the rest promised to follow as soon as possible. This must have been before July, 1749, and after March 10, since the governor declared there were Indians living at Candelaria Mission in July. But the date can be approximated even closer. By April 14, it seems Fray Benito had returned to San Xavier with the Cocos. On that date, Fray Mariano reported from San Antonio to Fray Ganzabal that he had heard that the third mission was being founded with Cocos, Tops, and others. 62 Abandonment of San Ildefonso, October, z749. The flight of the Cocos in the spring was followed by the more serious abandonment of San lldefonso by all the Indians congregated there. One can judge of the circumstances that led to the flight from a report made by Fray Aciclos Valverde, one of the missionaries at San Francisco. On October 8, he wrote to Fray Mariano declaring, "with the deepest sorrow in my heart, permit me to unbosom the misery that afflicts me by relating to Your Reverence what is happening here." After explaining that it is a well known fact that the Indians need restraint, he declares they have known none since the beginning of the new missions, because the soldiers refused to help the Padres. The result was that the neophytes had lost all respect for the missionaries and paid no attention to them. Far from cooperating to induce the Indians to abandon their heathenism, the soldiers joined them every night in their wild dances, singing with them and teaching them how to gamble. Every night, the good friar says, the Indians steal away from their mission quarters with their diabolical musical instruments, their skins and pelts, and their witchcraft para- phernalia and gather behind the presidio where the soldiers join them 61 Informe of Fray Benito Fernandez de Santa Anna, November (?), 1 749 . Sar, Francisco el Grande Arc/iivi,, Vol. 4, pp. 207-210; see also Castaneda, 1,/orft's History of Texas, pt. 2, pp. 306-307; Bolton, Texas, pp. 199-201. UBolton, op. cit., 200.
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