Orer Catlzolic He,-itage in Texas
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unknown area, due north and east from present Menard, going at first almost due north and crossing the Concho River in the vicinity of present Paint Rock. Continuing in the same general direction he must have crossed the Colorado slightly below present Ballinger. From here he seems to have inclined more to the east. Although the expedition advanced cautiously to surprise the enemy it could find no signs of Indian life. Repeatedly they came upon tracks of fleeing natives and they passed several villages which had been recently abandoned. Aware of the projected expedition, it seemed as if the Indians had fled northward for safety. The men began to grow weary and to grumble that there was little use of going farther. The enemy had run away and would take good care not to show its face. With pardonable pride Parrilla exclaims: "Anyone less experienced than myself would have given up the chase, but I persevered, disregarding the opinion of the other officers, who, like those whose heart is not in their business, were easily dis- couraged.' ' 30 The expedition kept doggedly on, inspired by the determination of the commander. It must have crossed the clear fork of the Brazos near present Fort Griffin. Either beyond this point, or just after the expedition crossed the main stream of the Brazos, in the vicinity of Ebert or New Castle, on October 2, the Spaniards came upon a Tonkawa village where a large number of Indians had congregated while fleeing. The natives seemed to have been unaware of the approach of the expedition. Taken by surprise, they attempted resistance for an hour to allow their women and children to escape. When the Spaniards attacked them in full force they broke and fled. In the encounter fifty-five enemy Indians were killed and one hundred ancl forty-nine men, women, and children were captured, besides a great many horses and mules. Imagine the surprise of Parrilla when, as he says. he found that "some of the animals recovered had my own brand and had but recently been stolen from San Saba." The Spaniards suffered no loss in the successful engagement. The prisoners taken, upon being examined, confessed that they had taken part in the destruction of Mission San Saba the previous year. Their declarations were fully confirmed when one of the Indians captured showed them a piece of the habit of one of the martyred missionaries, which he carried as a trophy. At the time of the surprise of the Tonkawa village, the expedition had gone approximately one hundred fifty leagues from Presidio San •°Consulta de! Coronel Ortiz Parrilla, November 18, 1759. A. G. /., A 11diencia de Mexico, 92-6-22 (Dunn Transcripts, 1759-1761), pp. 228-240.
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