01,r Catholic iferitage in Texas
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matter would have been mentioned, but neither the Gentleman of Elvas nor Biedma record this fact. 36 If, on the contrary, the general direction of the march was westward, with a slight inclination to the south as a result of the information given the Spaniards by the Indians, they could have traveled almost one hun- dred miles without coming across any stream of running water at this time of the year, from the neighborhood of present day Sherman to the northern branch of the upper Brazos, somewhere to the southwest of Wichita Falls. This seems to be more likely the course followed, judging from the scant description of the country traversed. Having tentatively determined the location of Guasco, let us follow Moscoso and his companions in their last wanderings west of the Missis- sippi. "Arrived at a province called Guasco," the narrative continues, "they found maize, with which they loaded the horses and the Indians; thence they went to another settlement called Naquiscoca, the inhabitants of which said they had no knowledge of any other Christians." 37 The governor would not believe them, obsessed with the idea that there were Spaniards in the immediate vicinity. He resorted to the usual method of the times to obtain the desired information. After submitting several natives to torture, he was told that "farther on, in the territories of another chief called Nacacahos, the Christians had arrived and gone west whence they came." Whether the Indians made this confession to escape the pain of torture or whether it was a fact, will never be determined now. Moscoso took them at their word, however, and set out immediately, hoping to overtake his countrymen. Two days later he arrived in the province of Chief Nacacahos. The Indians fled on his approach, but he succeeded in capturing several women, one of whom said she had seen Christians before, that she had been captured by them in a country to the west, but that she had succeeded in escaping. 31 The men were too tired to continue the march. Moscoso ordered fifteen horsemen, on the best mounts now left, to go without loss of time to where it was said the Spaniards had been, to see if there were any signs of horses, or other indications of the presence of Christians. Half-heart- edly the little group departed in quest of Europeans. Repeated disappoint- ments and continued hardships had made them lose faith. After going
36 /bfrt., I, 177-180; II, 36-38. 37Gentleman of Elvas, op. cit., 177-1 78. 31 / bid. , I 7 8.
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