335
Eady Exploration of Big Bend Country, I683-z73I
noise of men crossing the river was reported. Captain Villasur sent word to the soldiers who were guarding the horses to redouble their watch- fulness, and he dispatched some friendly Indians to scout the river. The natives returned after a while and said they had neither seen nor heard anything unusual. Early next morning, at dawn, Captain Villasur ordered horses brought in and the guard was told to change mounts. Contrary to the gen:::ral instructions which provided that all the soldiers should never change mounts at one time, they unsaddled and were about to prepare fresh mounts when, with a loud yell, about five hundred Indians swept down upon the little band, firing both arrows and muskets. Taken unawares the Spaniards tried to rally three times, after which, those who had not been killed, fled. A few of the soldiers had saddled their horses and these tried to charge the enemy, but being so greatly outnumbered, they had to flee reluctantly. One of the witnesses declared he had receiYed nine wounds and had been rescued by one of the mounted soldiers. The bclians had already begun to scalp him, but succeeded in taking ofi o:1iy h:i.if of his scalp. He said "1ma trenza," one braid of hair, but evide:1tly he meant half of the scalp as the soldiers sometime wore their hair braided in two short braids, one on each side of the heacl. 36 Of the fifty men that set out with Captain Villasur, only twelve escaped. This was one of the worst defeats ever suffered by a Spanish cxp:!dition in this region. All their baggage and supplies were left in possession of the enemy, and most of the horses and mules stayed behind also. The Indian allies remained true and put up a brave fight, which permitted the Spaniards who survived the first of the three onslaughts to escape. Ex- Governor Valverde was exonerated of any blame in the disaster, how- ever, since this engagement had been under the command of Viliasur. Exploration of the Big Bend C01mtrj1. Upon the recommendation of Rivera, after his return to Mexico, Viceroy Casafuerte decided to order an expedition to explore the region of the Rio Grande between the Presidio of San Juan Bautista and the Junta de los Rios. From El Paso clel Norte to the Junta, the area had been well explored by the Mendoza expedition, which had been followed by the establishment of a group of missions at La Junta and to the north, along the western bank of the Rio Grande, but the territory to the south, which is what is known today as the Big Bend Country, still remained um:ettlcd. On October 29, 17.28, the viceroy ordered GoYernor Ignacio Francisco clc lh:-rutia, of the Province
36 Declaraciones de testigos. A. G. N., Provi11ci,is /11/ernas, Vol 37, Pt. 2.
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