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Our Cat/t.olic Heritage in Texas
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way to Boca de Nadadores, where he arrived on February 22, in the afternoon, after traveling ten leagues. The following day he went to Santa Rosa de Nadadores. Here Father Fray Martin Silva, the missionary of the pueblo, informed him that there was little water and grass in the vicinity of Coahuila (Monclova). Berroteran decided to halt at this place and rest the men and horses before proceeding to Coahuila. On February 24, leaving the main body of the expedition in camp, he set out with twenty soldiers for the Presidio of Coahuila (Monclova), which was six leagues from the camp at Santa Rosa. Here he was met by Don Manuel de Sandoval, Governor of Coahuila, to whom he gave the orders he had received from the viceroy with regard to the contingent which this officer was to give him for the expedition. The governor declared he was ready to comply, but asked for time to get the men together and equip them with arms and supplies. Berroteran returned, therefore, to his camp at Santa Rosa de Nadadores. On February 27, he requested the governor to give him four good Indian scouts, which he did promptly. Berroteran gave them provisions for six days and sent them, with two others from Santa Rosa, to find out where the Indian tracks in the neighborhood of Cuatro Cienegas led to. They returned on March 6 and reported that the hostile Indians had gone towards Tenaute, which was more than forty leagues from Santa Rosa. Berroteran gave up all idea of following them in view of the distance. On March 7, the expedition moved from Santa Rosa to within one league of Coahuila (Monclova) and camped at the Hacienda del Cura. The next day the commander was assured by the governor that the men from the Presidio of Coahuila would be ready shortly and would follow Berroteran as soon as they could. He, therefore, started for San Juan Bautista and traveled seven leagues on March 8, to Las Adjuntas. The following day the expedition covered ten leagues and halted at Alamo Seco. Here they stayed a day to take care of a servant who had suffered severe injuries as a result of a fall from his horse. Continuing by moderate stages, he arrived at San Juan Bautista on the Rio Grande on March 15, after traveling thirty-four leagues from Alamo Seco. Captain Berroteran stayed at San Juan Bautista for several days, waiting for the detachments that were to join him and for the necessary supplies before he started on his mission of expl~ring the unknown regions of the Rio Grande from this presidio to the Junta de los Rios. On March 20 , Alferez Diego Jimenez, from the Presidio of Coahuila, brought
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