Permanent Occupation of Texas, IJI5-IJI6
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San Rafael, present day Plum Creek, across which they noticed two springs to which Ramon gave the names of San Isidro and San Pedro del Nogal. 30 On May 23, the party came upon the Colorado River, a short distance below the present city of Austin, 31 and found this stream was greatly swollen. Unable to find a suitable crossing after exploring its course for four leagues, they camped on its bank. The river subsided about four spans during the night, in spite of a severe thunderstorm, and preparations were immediately made to pass over it without delay. Seven Masses were said, one by each missionary to his own patron saint, invoking divine assistance, while everything was made ready to transfer the bag- gage and supplies. Before night, the greater part of the expedition found itself safely on the opposite bank. One of the missionaries, Father Manuel Castellanos, almost drowned, however, when his horse was swept off the passageway by the strong current; and one of the soldiers experienced con- siderable difficulty in getting his horse out of a mudhole where he was held fast. The following day all the goats and sheep were taken across without mishap and the expedition was ·ready once more to proceed on its march to the Tejas. But it was decided to spend another day here while scouts were sent ahead to reconnoiter the road, which was not well known from this point on. For this purpose A lfere& Diego Ramon and two soldiers were sent out. 32 With the information obtained the party now went on and killed on that day, May 27, their first buffalo, and found the meat very much to their liking. The next day they camped on a stream which they named Las Animas, present day Brushy Creek." Again new explorations were undertaken to determine the best route, and while engaged in this work, the tracks of five Indians were discovered. A party was immediately sent after them and two braves were brought before Ramon, one Yerbipiame and one Mescal. 34 They told the leader of the expedition that their lOThese springs have been identified with present day Lytton Springs, Ibid., 37-38. llHackett, o-j. cit., 488. lZFather Espinosa had made the trip this far in 1709 and it seems Ramon fol- lowed the original route closely to this point. Speaking of the number of soldiers sent, Father Espinosa says there were three. Tous, "Ramon Expedition: Espinosa's Diary of 1716." Texas CatlroUc Historical Society Preliminary Studies, I, No. 4, p. 13. l 3 Buckley, o-j. cit., 38. 34 The Yerbipiame, or Ervipiame, belonged originally to the Tonkawa group that occupied the territory between the Colorado and the Trinity Rivers, chiefly above the Camino Ri,al leading from San Antonio to Los Adaes. They were a highly
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