TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1825-1843
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in. I was not previously aware of the necessity of having coun- sels with these tribes, supposing all matters concerning them had been settled and arranged at the council on Tehuacana Creek where they were said to be represented by A-cab-quash. This I found was not the case. All these small tribes are friendly with each other, intermarry, join each others war and hunting parties and act generaily in concert. Thus it was that A-cah-quash 1·ep1·esented these tribes, he had no authority as far as I could learn even to bind his own tribe to a treaty. His office appears merely to have been a kind of agent to attend a council, see what inducements were held out to make peace and whether it would be safe for the head chiefs themselves to come in. I therefore found myself obliged to avoid giving offence, to delay and have talks with them when they wished, repeat all the propositions we had to make for peace and apprise them of the meeting of the council as I found they were ignorant of or had forgotten it. I was particular in explaining to them the precise day the council would be held as I was fearful I might not return with the Comanche chiefs in time and I was deter- mined to see them if I remained out six months in search of them, knowing that I would have accomplished but little if I re- turned without meeting them. I therefore urged upon the chiefs of these tribes to be punctual and the statement made to the Commissioners at the Council "that I told them to wait until my return" is utterly false. Towards evening our party broke up when we had quite a scene with the Waco girls. Nah- ish-to-wah wished them to go with them but they positively refused and cried bitterly. The chief then desired me to tell them they must go, which I did using every argument to induce them, but in vain, their lamentation and outcries were piteous in the extreme. At length the patience of the chief seemed ex- hausted and he told me if the chief Houston had only sent. the girls for him to look at and they were to remain with us, he was glad to see them and thanked him, but if they were to be given up to him, the amount of it was he wanted them. I told him the girls were his and he could do as he pleased with them. They were then told that he would wait a little longer until they got their things ready, and if they did not then go willingly his young men should tie them on their horses and take them by force. This seemed to restore them again to their senses, reluctantly they mounted and left us shrieking distressingly.
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