367
Establiskment of }Jtfissio11s i11 East Texas, 1689-1693
The march was, therefore, resumed, but with such ill will and at such a slow rate of travel, that the Padres became impatient. When the Trinity was reached, they could restrain themselves no longer. Without bothering to inform Teran of their plans, they hurried on in advance of the main body of the expedition and were s~on after greeted by the grateful Fathers Bordoy and Jesus Maria, with tears of joy. Teran still hesitated what to do under the circumstances. Finally he decided to follow. On August 4, the missionaries, learning that he was approaching, sent a message to inform him of their safe arrival and to warn him to camp half a league away from the Indian pueblo. That same afternoon, the main body of the expedition pitched camp a short distance from San Francisco de los Tejas, where the governor of the Indians and many of his people came to welcome him. Two days later, he made his formal entry into the rancherta where he officially reinvested the Indian chief as governor and distributed many presents to him and his people. The soldiers held a parade that morning, and with bugles blowing and drums beating, they marched to the church of the Mission of San Francisco de los Tejas, where, preceded by the missionaries, they fired six volleys before entering to hear High Mass. After the ceremonies, Teran, who could not bear to leave things unchanged, officially renamed the country Nuevo Reyno de la Montana de Santander y Santillana, but fortunately for Texas, its original designation had become too firmly established to he given up. 43 In the fall of 1691, after the departure of Governor Alonso de Leon, the tireless Father Fray Jesus Maria had founded a new mission on the banks of the Neches River, about five miles to the east of San Francisco de los Tejas. Here the enthusiastic missionary had taken his abode and min- istered tenderly to the Indians during the epidemic. But the natives d id not seem to be responding to the efforts of the saintly Padres, who in vain tried to set an example to their stolid wards, who were growing sulkier every day. They were indifferent about attending the services of the church and were beginning to show their true nature, growing in their impudence and lack of respect every day. Establiskment of 1J1ission Santisimo Nombre de Jlfaria. 43 1n support for this action, Teran argued that the real name of the Indians was not Techas or Tejas but Asinai, and consequently there was no reason to maintain a name that had no foundation in fact . "Itinerary and Daily Account," Texas Catholic Historical Society, Preliminary Studies, Vol. 2, No. I, pp. 18- 20.
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