Om· Catlzolic Heritage in Texas
some seventy Indians of both sexes and all ages. These were being cared for by Fray Jose Lopez. They were chiefly Mayeyes and Yerbipiames. At Mission Candelaria, Fray Francisco Aparicio was trying to induce the Indians to congregate again. With much coaxing, he had succeeded in bringing back one hundred and twenty Bidais and Orcoquisacs, but they had remained in the mission only twelve days before the urge to return to their wild life became too strong. In July, Fray Mariano had brought one hundred and twenty Cocos, who before the end of the month, left again, firing upon the soldiers and wounding some of them, when they attempted to stop them. On August 14, these Indians returned but immediately had a misunderstanding, attacked the soldiers, and attempted to drive off the horses. Twenty-five men were sent in pursuit and the horses were recovered. Don Pedro Rabago recommends removal to San Antonio and San Saba. Under the present conditions neither the missions nor the presidio on the San Xavier River were accomplishing the purpose for which they were founded, declared Don Pedro. The soldiers could not withstand the pestilence prevalent at this place and all the Indians would soon leave the missions. The inability to raise the necessary food was the fundamental reason for the failure of the missions. This fact made it necessary to bring all supplies from San Antonio, both for the garrison and the Indians. The San Antonio missions could no longer meet the demand. Therefore the presidio and missions at San Xavier were useless under the present conditions. He suggested a solution, however, to save what remained. The neophytes in the two missions at San Xavier, who had remained faithful, could be transferred to San Antonio and placed either in the missions already established, or in one or two new ones. This would require no additional missionaries. A guard of three soldiers for each new mission in San Antonio would be sufficient for their protection. He declared that San Antonio could support a population of three thousand. Since the removal of the Indians to San Antonio would obviate the necessity of maintaining a garrison at San Xavier, the fifty men as- signed to it could then be used to protect new missions for the Apaches in their country. He then recounted his acquaintance with these Indians and his visit to the San Saba and the Florido (present Concho) in 1748, claiming to have discovered the latter, although it was first visited by Mendoza in x684. On either one of these two streams missions for the
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