Exploration of tlee Big Bend and Pecos Country
191
expedition continued on its way, crossing and recrossing the Canadian River and following a general eastern direction, "always close to the river ... sometimes crossing . . . at very good fords. Each day the land through which we were traveling became better." On August 2, 1601, they reached a place which "from time past had been called Rio de San Francisco," where "the greater part of the army confessed and received communion." It is significant that this place was recognized, showing that it had been visited before. Taking into account the distance traveled and the excellent map drawn by Martinez, there is little doubt that the river called San Francisco was no other than Ute Creek, visited by Zaldivar three years before while hunting buffalo. 67 In the vicinity of San Francisco River (Ute Creek) the expedition killed its first buffalo. "On the following day," says the narrator, "continuing our journey, we now saw great droves of bulls and cows, and from there on the multitude which we saw was so great that it might be considered a falsehood by one who had not seen them, for ... nearly every day and wherever we went, as many cattle came out as are to be found in the largest ranches of New Spain." 68 Having traveled one hundred and eleven leagues, following the general course of the Canadian River, they came upon some sand dunes. They had gone almost three hundred miles from San Gabriel and the sand dunes are mentioned in the diary at this point for the first time. Although there are sand dunes at various places along the Canadian, the first to be encountered in the general direction in which Onate and his men were traveling are found in present Hutchinson County, Texas, on its eastern extremity. It is safe to conclude, therefore, particularly since the actual distance coincides with remarkable accuracy, that the expedi- tion was at this time in this locality. On account of the sand dunes ahead, the course was altered by turning to the north at this point, up a small stream, still in the great plains of Texas. "Although we encountered some large ravines and broken hills, nowhere were there any over which the carts had to pass, as the land was, in general, level and very easy to traverse," says the narrative. They continued for several days in a northeastern direction, as plainly shown by the map of the expedition, along two small streams which flowed ' 7 See page I 88. Donoghue, in his recent study in Mid-America, has come to the same conclusion. See Martinez map, Bolton, n-p. cit. 68 Bolton, Sf>anisl, Exf>loration, 254.
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