Ottr Catleolic H eritagc in Texas
110
and the old caciqr,e, who, he declared, had stolen his gold bracelets. Whether he lied to the last or not, he paid with his life for his deceptions on the river that marked the edge of Quivira. 69 Coronado retums to Tiguex. The return march was started immedi- ately afterward. It was now almost the end of August. In one of the pueblos of Quivira a large wooden cross was raised, on the foot of which an inscription was carved with a chisel, which read: "Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, general of the army, reached this place." Ysopete, the· devoted Teyas Indian, was set free at the place where the cross was erected and six or seven new guides were secured, who led the little band along the same route as far as the place where they had crossed the first large river, the Canadian, on June 29, 1541, which they called San Pedro y San Pablo. It is to be remembered that from the ravines of Palo Duro Canyon to this spot, Coronado had followed a course due north, but now instead of going due south on the way back, the guides took him along a more westerly route, which made him follow the northern edge of the great plains back to Cicuye and hence to Tiguex, where he arrived some thirty or forty days later in October. Winter dragged on. Before it was over, the brilliant commander, while riding in a festival, suffered a fall from his horse, receiving a severe injury that brought him almost to his death. An old prophecy that he would be lord and all powerful in a foreign land, but would have a fall which would cause his death now preyed on his mind. The memory of his beautiful wife appears to have made him homesick, and in his weakened condition he longed to return to his family and friends. The plans to visit Quivira again in the spring were abandoned, and in spite of opposition from several of his officers, he issued orders for the departure for Mexico. All Indian slaves were liberated and the date for the exit was set for April. 70 Tlie Franciscan missionaries chose to stay in tlee ,pueblos. Coronado and his men were disappointed, worn out, and ready to leave for New Spain; not so the undaunted sons of St. Francis to whom toils, privations, and hardships were nothing, where the salvation of souls was concerned. The courageous and determined Fray Juan de Padilla, together with ·Brothers Luis de Escalona and Juan de la Cruz, told the commander
69 /bid., XIV, 314; Castaneda, "Narrative," in Ibid., 444. 70Castaiieda, "Narrative," 458-459.
Powered by FlippingBook