Our Catl,olic Hn·itngc in Tt·:xas
ga"e the alarm by firing a shot. The women, who had gone to the river, rushed back to the mission and the men took their posts along the fence. The small detachment had been further reduced in size by having sent a detail of men to bring horses. If the Indians discovered the weakened condition of the little garrison, the mission was doomed. The commander ordered the women to put on the soldiers' overcoats and hats, to take guns and stand along the fence. This ruse produced the desired effect. The Comanches advanced and were surprised to find such a large number of soldiers stationed all along the four walls of the mission enclosure. They fired one solid vo11ey and with a loud war whoop they wheeled their horses, dashing away to an oak grove a short distance from the mission. From this place of refuge and the banks of the river they kept up an ineffectual fire a11 day, and were answered-as ineffectively by the few real soldiers beyond the fence. The battle lasted from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon. The enemy withdrew quietly with the coming of night. The only notable feat of the day was the bold display of courage of a Comanche chief, who shortly after the first attack, mounted his horse and galloped alone to within pistol shot of the mission enclosure, circling it three times. Although hundreds of shots were fired at him, not one took effect and he returned leisurely to his companions." All during the winter of 1766 and the spring of 1767 the Comanche hordes and their allies continued to harass both the missions at El Canon and the garrison at San Saba, as if bent on their complete destruction. From February to the end of April, 1767, they inflicted severe losses on the presidio. First, they surprised a group of twenty-three soldiers a short distance from San Saba, attempted to cut off their retreat, suc- ceeded in killing Jose Jimenez Sanchez and Juan N undo, and almost destroyed the entire band. The engagement took place in sight of the presidio, but Rabago did not dare attempt a rescue for fear of jeopardizing the safety of the women and children. Making a dastardly display of their accustomed barbarity, the Comanches severed the head of Jimenez in fu]I view of the garrison, and removed every particle of flesh from his bones. They treated the corpse of Nuncio more kindly, and were satisfied with his scalp. Two days before Easter Sunday, Rabago received information that a convoy of fifty men, who were bringing a much needed train of supplies and a large drove of sheep, were only a short distance away. For almost two months San Saba had endured what was tantamount to a state of "Ibid., 92.
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