Ottr Catholic Heritage in Texas
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November 10. The Indians welcomed him with much joy and the mis- sionaries again sang the Te Demn. The pueblo was now named San Miguel de Cuellar and, upon examining the records, it was found that seventeen baptisms had been performed in this the farthest east of all the missions. Being so near to Natchitoches--only seven or eight leagues- the governor sent a sergeant and a soldier on November I I to visit the French post and report on the condition of the fort. While the two men went on this mission to the Red River, Alarcon explored a large lake (Spanish Lake) which was about two leagues above Natchitoches and found it was navigable, that it was surrounded by rich and fertile lands, and that it was about fifty leagues in circumference. On the shores of this lake lived the Cadodachos. 56 The soldiers sent to Natchitoches returned November 12, and reported that the French had a well built stockade and houses made out of timber, roofed with the bark of trees. The garrison consisted of twenty men, most of them young boys. The Spaniards learned that there were two Frenchmen in the country of the Cadodachos. Governor Alarcon · con- ceived the idea of driving the French out of Natchitoches, thinking his force sufficient to accomplish his purpose, but the missionaries warned him that such an act might endanger the peace between the crowns. Alarcon learned that the French were in the habit of buying young Indian boys and girls to serve as slaves, from the Cadodachos, giving them in exchange guns, powder, and ammunition, which they prized highly. As a result of this infamous trade, declared Alarcon, these Indians were constantly at war with their neighbors in order to capture prisoners to sell into slavery. It was also learned from the Indians that the French had a mine about two hundred leagues to the north, near the point where the Missouri River entered the Mississippi. They offered to take him there if he wanted to visit it. 55 5'This was one of the chief tribes of the Caddo group, which was a division of the great Caddoan linguistic stock. They lived on both sides of the Red River above Natchitoches, and were similar in culture to the Hasinai, their languages being much alike. Bolton, op. cit., I, 21-22. ss1n connection with this visit it may be noted that Ramon had visited Natchi- toches early in 1718. On February 28, he reported to the viceroy that he had gone to Natchitoches to observe personally conditions there. He found the gar- rison consisted of twenty-five men; that a guard was kept night and day; that they had a good stockade and plenty of powder and balls. About thirty persons were living at this place, and the commander informed him he was expecting fifty men who were on the way with the inspector of frontier posts, twenty-five of these for Natchitoches and twenty-five for the new post to be established among the
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