Ottr Catholic Heritage in Te.i:as
in chastising the enemies of the king. But the soldiers too should share in some measure. A more difficult question was the disposition of captives. It was a relatively general practice to sell the Indian prisoners, whether adults or children, into slavery. There was no justification for either selling or giving them away as slaves. 55 It was La Fora in his diary that recorded the harshest indictment against the frontier commanders. The exaggerated ideas that prevailed in Mexico among officials concerning the fierceness of the Indians along the frontier were attributable chiefly to the commanders of the presidios to whose ignorance, inexperience, and laziness were due the repeated depredations, thefts, and outrages commit- ted with impunity. All along the frontier the ill-advised policy of sitting quietly in the presidios had been adopted by the commanders. Not until the distressed victims of the Indians' raids came to complain, did they bestir themselves to action. Usually a day or two were lost, six or eight hours being the least time consumed in bringing the horses from the pastures, before the pursuit was undertaken. Under such circumstances there was positively no possibility of overtaking the enemy. Better mounted, with a good start on their pursuers, and with limitless remounts from the stolen horses themselves, the Indians were never overtaken. Foolishly the Spaniards would attempt the recapture and set off with much show and noise, only to return in a day or two empty-handed and with their horses half dead. When the Indian waited for them, the result was as bad, because the soldiers lacked discipline and training. In action they showed less cooperation than the natives, who, knowing the country better, chose the site, and excelled the troops in their use of the arms. \Vhile La Fora is inclined to exaggerate the prowess of the natives, there is, nevertheless, considerable truth in his charge against the compe- tence of frontier commanders. 56 :Vew line of presidios. Rubi proposed the reduction of the frontier Slrortcomi11gs of commanders. outposts to fifteen, along a line drawn from the coast of the Gulf of California to the mouth of the Guadalupe River in Texas, following the thirtieth parallel. The anchor on the west was to be the Presidio del Altar, which was to be moved closer to the coast and placed approximately at thirty degrees north latitude. From here the direct distance to the SSRubi, Digttamen, April 10, 1768. A. G. I. Atlfiiencia de Guadalajara, (Dunn Tr., 1768-177:z) pp. 56-61. S6La Fora, Relacion del Viaje, ff. 97-98.
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