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TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1860-1916
state paper in regard to these & other operations show the re- lation in which the several partys stand to each other and the condition in some measure of both the Mexicans & indians. In the meantime they were well informed as to the pro- cedings & disposition of the people of Western Texas and that demands had been made by Gov Pease for the extradition of certain indians, at which both pgrtys had been troubled & much alarmed. The indians had therefore broken up their great en- campments and divided into several camps, some of them migra- tory & others designed to be stationary for the season-distant from 10 to 100 miles from each other ; The Mexicans favored this movement, because it was a practical begining, voluntarily made by the indians, of the policy the Mexicans propose in regard to these people ; and be- cause it relieved them of the presence & embarassments of so great a body of consumers at one locality; The indians adopted this policy of dividing up their camp -partily from necessity and convenience but for the most part as a purely strategetic movement, so that, in the case of a sud- den irruption of Texans into Mexico, which the Mexicans had them to believe was likely to take place, they would avoid being gobbled up-3nd if the Mexican authorities should declare its willingness to apply the extradition treaty to them-the partys among them who might be identified withe criminals could never be found. But for another and most important purpose to them was this c'!-tqY!ge of camps made; The Gov had given warning for the local officers to keep an eye upon their movements-but from each of these isolated camps squads could go out unknown to the Mexicans and rendevous at the raiders camp the locality of which is unknown- and there arrange their plans and pass to the Texas frontier from a distance; This shows you the state of things as I found them, and the impossibility of the prompt execution of the mission under- taken by me. I was told that there had been several Americans among them with various propositions and making many enquiries; great distrust and suspicions had been created among them. I learned that some sort of understanding or quasi treaty existed between several tribes and different local Mexican au- thorites-which was permitted or recognised by the state au-
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