177
Exploration of t!te Big Bend and Pecos Country
they found and a lagoon they had to skirt. There is a small lake about eight miles south of the point where Salt Creek joins the Pecos. On the following day, still traveling along salty marshes, they went six leagues and camped at a place on the river where the mosquitoes were again bothersome. "In all this trip," declares the narrator, "we did not find any cattle, nothing but many tracks. So we came to a stop, greatly troubled owing to lack of food." 42 Twelve leagues farther down they came to an inlet of fresh water with many walnut trees and rested there for a day. On July 29, thc:y found t1mas, six leagues below the place where the fresh inlet ran into the river. The last day of the month they traveled two more leagues and came to a "large stream which empties into it [the Pecos], con- taining many walnut trees. We named this place El Dudoso," says Luxan, "because we noticed the sierras of the Patarabucyes and we were uncertain whether it was the stream which the native Patarabueyes had told us emptied into this Rio de las Bacas. Although this land is full of dung and bones, God willed that we should not see any cattle.' ' Next day the little party traveled five leagues and again halted on the Pecos at a place they called Las Vueltas because of a big bend formed by the river. On August 3, they went three more leagues and camped at a point where one of the banks of the river was so steep that the horses slipped and fell in the river when they tried to drink and they had to swim across to the opposite side. Here they stayed until August 6. Resuming the march that day they traveled tweh·e leagues during the following day, still along the Pecos where they halted. Here "we met three Jumano Indians who were hunting," says the narrator, "and we were able to understand them through Pedro, a Patarabuey Indian belonging to Perez Diego de Luxan. They said that the Rio de las Bacas came out very far down from the Conchos River; that they would take us by good roads to the junction of the Rio del Norte and Conchos rivers, which is among the Patarabueyes. This brought us no little joy as men who had eaten nothing but pinole. This day we halted for the night at a large cienegll where there were many water holes, some of brackish water and others not. On account of this we named it La Cienega Salada." 43 From this point on the Pecos, which appears to have been somewhere near present day Horsehead Crossing, Espejo and his men decided to follow
42 / bid., I 22. 43/bid., 123-124.
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