Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
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Indians, dissatisfied with the meager rations, abandoned the mission. On March 18 a new thatch roof was placed on the rude structure that served as the first church, and on the following day ten Indians and four soldiers went to hunt wild cattle, because there was no meat at the mission. They returned on March 22 with nine beeves. Chief Frazada Pinta, who was to cause much worry, came on March 26 to inquire whether or not a good supply of food had been received. He had not been present at the founding, and his principal concern now was how much there was for himself and his seventy warriors to eat. They stayed for a few days and attended services on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, which came on March 28 and 29. On Saturday the garrison began cutting timber for the stockade, while most of the Indians looked on. On April 2 Father Velasco and Rodriguez attempted to explore the bay. The Indians had agreed to take them. When the two came to the canoe, a group of Karankawas sat sullenly on the shore. When asked to get in and paddle, they merely grunted. The Padre tried to set them an example and, smiling good-naturedly, stepped into the canoe, almost capsizing it. The Indians laughed but offered no help. Both Rodriguez and Velasco were unaccustomed to canoes, so they were obliged to give up the trip. The Indians insolently leered and jeered at them. Captain Cortes from La Bahia visited the mission the following day and was shocked by the lack of food. He ordered Rodriguez to cross the Guadalupe to get some beeves, even if they belonged to the herds of Mission Espiritu Santo. This order gave the soldiers and the faithful Indians a welcomed relief. A few days after Cortes' departure, the erection of the stockade was begun on April 9. It was high time. The Indians were becoming sullen and impudent. They were disgruntled because of the food shortage and the absence of presents. When urged by Father Velasco on April 28 to help the soldiers, after he had reprimanded them for killing some cattle without permission, they threatingly took up their bows and arrows and menaced the Padre. Order was restored by the timely interference of the guards, but no adequate punishment could be inflicted. On May 6 a tropical storm and severe rains destroyed the flimsy church and the wretched huts of the Indians and soldiers alike. The stockade, built at the cost of so many hardships, was partly washed away. Four days later, an insolent Indian called El Surdo (Lefty), after openly insulting Father Velasco, took the Padre's horse and brazenly
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