TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1844-1845
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Chief "Red Bear never owned lands, to run lines with the white people, the lands belong to the Comanche. Red Bear lives high up and if he ever had lands he may have sold them." Houston ''The white people have 60 councellors to make laws. I am their chief and must listen to my councellors, my people have settled up to the Lower Cross Timbers and the settlements will drive the buffalo up, for that reason I want the line to run between the Cross Timbers to the Comanche Peak, thence through the prairie, over the. Colorado, and above the St Mark [San Marcos] and above San Antonio and to the Rio Grande. I and my councellors heard this was your wish and we believed it." Chief "The Comanche never understood it so, when the buf- falo come below there is nothing for us to eat above." Houston "If the buffalo would not come down should you then want the country?" Chief "The buffalo do come down and it is them I want." Houston "We have met here to make peace and be friends and the put our names to this paper (the Treaty) as friends. be- fore we part we will sign this paper and we want it to be right. You are pleased with the Treaty and call it all good but that part about the line; we will sign all but that part, which we will rub out and go on as before. If we send people among you we will give them a paper that will have a big seal, so that you may know them as good men. If any white man goes among your people and steals horses or mules and you catch him, do not harm him but bring him in and we will hang him for it and if any bad Indians should steal horses from my people and run away with them, bring them in to the Trading House and whip the men. I want the Comanche Chiefs to know that here are some poor men who depend upon their horses to make corn for their wives and children: the Waco have stolen their horses and I want to know if they are to get them back? Col. Williams will go up and bring them down if they are to be given up; and I want to know if these men are to behave themselves?" Narhashtowey "It may be that some of the horses are dead. All that are living shall be sent in by Col Williams." Houston "For every horse that's dead or missing a Waco shall be hung. I would say to my Comanche brethren that at the place where the ships come in there has been much sickness, for which reason a ship that has many things for them has not
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