Frencli Settlement and Spain's Renewed Interest
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their goods, which they traded for cattle, horses, and buffalo hides. Ramon (in 1716) noted that these Indians had French guns, beads, butcher and pocket knives, and pieces of red and blue cloth of good grade, and when he asked them where they had secured these articles the Indians replied that the French had given these things to them in exchange for hides and horses. 69 During this time St. Denis, it should be noted, appears to have gone back to the Natchez on the Mississippi to give an account of the success of the expedition to the governor and, perhaps, to ask for further instruc- tions as to whether he should proceed to the Rio Grande in search of Father Hidalgo, who was not found among the Tejas as expected, but of whose whereabouts he learned from the Indians, or whether he should abandon this phase of the enterprise. Encouraged by the success of the venture, the governor must have ordered St. Denis to continue on his journey, who, to replenish his depleted stock, took a fresh supply of goods before repairing to the Asinais. 70 Speaking of these Indians, St. Denis said in his declaration, "Their land was formerly settled by the missionary Padres of the College of La Santa Cruz de Queretaro, who abandoned the site twenty-six years ago [he meant 22, from 1693 to 1715]. There are eleven tribes, the chief of which is the Asinai. Their allies are the Navedachos, Nacaos, Namidis, Nacogdoches, Ainays, Nadacocos, Nacitos, and Nachoos. Among them are some who have kept our holy religion, as is the case with their gov- ernor, Bernardino, 11 whom they all obey. Their lands are all cultivated 69 Carta de Domingo Ramon to the Viceroy, July 26, 1716, in San Francisco el Grande Archive, VIII, I 93. 70 St. Denis, in his declaration, tries to leave the impression that his trip was continuous, he mentions no stops, and does not account for the long time it took him to reach the Rio Grande. The Fiscal notes this fact, points out he must have spent considerable time among the Tejas, cites Salinas Varona's letters of August 29, 171 3, and October 20, I 7 Is, to prove that part of the Frenchmen returned to Mobile with the fruits of their trade, and points to Domingo Ramon's letter of July 26, 17 I 6, as further proof of the extensive trade carried on by St. Denis and his companions among the Tejas. That he went back to the Natchez, La Harpe himself asserts. "Saint Denis, after his expedition [to the Asinais], returned to the Natchez, xx 3 leagues, to the Mississippi to give an account of his journey to M. de Lamothe. He took in this place the goods of which he had need and, not having ascended the Red River with five Frenchmen, returned to the Natchitoches, and thence to the Asinais." La Harpe, in Margry, o'}, cit., VI, I 93, 71 Whether this was "the ancient chief" as Bonilla affirms in his B,.w, Com• '}endio, meaning the chief mentioned by De Le6n and Teran is questionable. Four young kinsmen of the old chief decided to accompany De Le6n to visit the vice- roy. Two gave up before they reached Coahuila, a third was killed at Quer~taro,
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