Plans for tlee Reorganization of tlee Frontier
2r9
had been general, and upon his arrival at La Bahia, located about twelve leagues from the mouth of the San Antonio, Parrilla found it impossible to reach the coast to continue his exploration of the adjacent islands as far as the Orcoquisac mission. But at La. Bahia he observed several soldiers from Orcoquisac. This enabled him to secure the desired information from those who had had the longest experience in this·area. Among those questioned by Parrilla was Francisco Xavier Ramos. soldier of Presidio de San Agustin. who had just arrived in La Bahia to secure·,supplies. He declared that in September the presidio had been visited by a severe storm and that continued heavy rains had swollen the rivers and lakes along the coast, making the lower road impassable. The flood caused by the storm had forced the soldiers to remove the Presidio of San Agustin to higher ground. In his opinion, it would be useless to attempt to explore the coast at this time. Asked if he knew of any islands in the vicinity of San Agustin de los Orcoquisac, he replied that he had lived there for several years but knew of no islands along the coast opposite the mouth of the Trinity. His statements were corroborated by Diego Martinez. another soldier from the same presidio, who made a deposition on October 7, r767, 3 Z Conditions at Orcoquisac, 11ear tl1e mo1ttle of the Trinity. Description of tl1e coast from San Antonio Bay to Corpus Christi. The next to testify in the investigation of Juan Gregorio de Alvarado, soldier of the Presidio of Nuestra Senora de Loreto and mission guard in Nuestra Senora del Rosario. He had returned a few days before from the coast to the southwest of the presidio, where he had gone with Toribio and two mission Indians to bring back some runaway neophytes. On September 6 or 7, while on the coast in the Bay of Santo Domingo, located between Espiritu Santo Bay (San Antonio) and the mouth of the Nueces. a violent storm had overtaken them which lasted for four days. For one entire week he was marooned by the flood waters from the streams and lakes along the shore. He had succeeded in bringing back twenty-five mission Indians, found similarly marooned on a sand dune along the shore. where they had been for five days without food. He explained that the Bay of Santo Domingo was some five or six leagues (about fifteen miles) from Corpus Christi. On the way to this bay in search of the runaways, he had spent two days. but on the return
32 Dec!arations of Francisco Xavier Ramos and Diego Martinez, in Teslimonio di las Diligencias praclicadas . . . (Dunn Transcripts, 1767) pp. 20-:u.
Powered by FlippingBook