San Antonio de Valero and JJ1issionary Activity, r7r6-r7r9 97
themselves had fared no better. Father Hidalgo, who had so enthusias- tically taken up his work at San Francisco de los Tejas, fell ill in July, 1716. He was hardly out of bed when his companion, Father Castellanos, fell a victim to the same malady. They both had severe chills and fever. More distressing to these men than their physical ailments was the fact that the Neche, Nacachau, and Nacono nations for which the mission had been refounded had not been congregated, and Father Hidalgo sadly admits that "it will be difficult" to do so. The members of these tribes had been found to be idolatrous and nothing could be done to force them to abandon their evil practices with the reduced number of soldiers now under the command of Captain Ramon. By the fall of 1716, three months after their arrival, the missionaries had not started the formal teaching or doctrina to the natives, because of the long distances that separated the various rancleos. It was necessary, furthermore, to destroy the temples of their idols, a thing the Padres did not dare to undertake without a more competent garrison to protect them. A year after their arrival, in the fall of 1717, they were in actual need of clothing and food. "To the lack of clothes and food," declares Father Espinosa, "has now come the lack of the very essentials for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Although we are, thanks to God, happy to suffer all privations, this last must of necessity reach the ear of Your Excellency." A serious epidemic broke out during the winter of 1717 and the spring of 1718, and the labors of the missionaries were redoubled. They had to travel long distances over icy and muddy roads and cross the swollen streams to take the last Sacraments to the hundreds of scattered Indians, all because it had not been possible to induce them to come and live in the missions. More than a hundred Indians had been thus baptized and saved from eternal loss of their souls, affirms one of the Padres in triumph. A few natives were living in the missions, but the majority, and there were thousands of them, had not formed pueblos as had been expected. 41 The spirit of the missionaries in the midst of adverse conditions and growing difficulties was really heroic. Almost with the same breath they described their misfortunes, they gave expression to their imperishable faith. "We are all in good health and very happy, glory be to God, working in His vineyard, which although [it is] so culti\•ated, has ·"Hidalgo to Fr. Pedro de l\'!esquia, October 6, 1716; Espinosa to the Viceroy, February 28, 1718, Espinosa to Fr. Diez, February 28, 171 8, Hidalgo to the Viceroy, April 8, 1718, Provincias lnternas, Vol. 181, pp. 215-218, 225, 228- 230, 231-232.
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