The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912 Page: 51
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The Aguayo Expedition
many streams. The most important of these were the modern Palo
Guacho,1 the Patroon2 and the Sabine.
On the 29th he reached the site of the mission, and camped
half a league beyond it. No Indians were found at los Adaes
and parties were sent out to hunt for them. On September 1, the
cazique of the Adaes nation with many of his following visited
the Spanish camp. All expressed themselves as joyful at the re-
turn of the Spaniards, and explained that at the time of the
French invasion they had been driven out of their land because
they had shown regret at the Spanish departure. The French
had, moreover, they said, taken some of the Adaes women and chil-
dren as slaves, and had shown such hostility that the Indians were
compelled to leave that locality and retire to a less fertile one
higher up, hence their absence when the Spanish arrived. Learn-
ing now of Aguayo's intention to erect a presidio and a mission,
they decided to return to their old home.8
The same day, September 1, Aguayo received a letter from
Rerenor, the French commandant at Natchitoches. After the
usual courtesies, it stated that St. Denis on his return from Texas
in August, had immediately proceeded to Mobile, to inform the
governor of the coming of the Spaniards. Therefore, Rerenor, not
having orders to let the Spanish settle, asked the commander to
abstain from definite action till St. Denis could return. In an-
swer Aguayo wrote that, as "the matters of war could not be well
settled by pen," he was sending his lieutenant Almazan and Cap-
tain Gabriel Costales to have a personal conference with the com-
mandant at Natchitoches. The former were instructed to observe
the situation and condition of the French post. Almazan ex-
plained to Rerenor that the Spaniards had come determined to
occupy los Adaes, as they had already done at los Texas, to re-
build the mission of San Miguel, and to erect a presidio on that
frontier where might seem most fit. Rerenor replied that he had
no definite orders either to agree to or to prohibit such an act, and
that he would therefore be content with a mutual observation of
1The Palo Guacho is first called by that name in 1767 by La Fora
(Diario, entry for September 8).
2The Patroon was mentioned by that name in 1727 by Rivera (Diario,
entry of September 11), and in 1767 by La Fora (Diario, entry for Sep-
tember 9).
8Pefia, Derrotero, 20.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912, periodical, 1912; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101056/m1/56/?rotate=270: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.