90 THE SERI INDIANS (eth. anx.17 



immediately burned), as well as bones and other remains of horses.' 

 On August 28 and 29 Espeuce skirted the abrupt and rocky coasts 

 of Tiburou, west and south of the northern bay, without seeing 

 trace of natives; on the 30th he reached the western bay, -where 

 he found lints and fresh ti'acks, and captured a woman disabled by 

 snake-bite. Farther down the bay he encountered a considerable 

 party, who first prepared to attack, and then, overawed by his bold 

 front, sued for peace; whereupon he accepted their submission, and 

 sent them with a letter to Colonel Andrade". This affair concluded, 

 and escaping- currents so contrary that he was nearly locoed ("por 

 las corrientes eucontradas que me volvian loco"),' he coasted south- 

 ward; and on September 1, at the southwestern point of the island, 

 be found another raucheria, and made peaceful conquest of the occu- 

 pants, whom he also sent with a letter to Andrade. Thence be coasted 

 eastward, and, on September 3, returned to his starting- point, "hav- 

 ing navigated the island in the period of nine days, having in this 

 time burned 04 huts and 97 balsas, and reduced to peace lO-l Indians 

 with their families.'' The next day he transported the captives to 

 the mainland, "their number, comprising men, women, and children, 

 reaching 384, besides about 37 remaining at large on the island."" On 

 September 5 the remaining troops were transferred to the mainland, 

 with the exception of a small detachment, which remained for an 

 unspecified, but evidently short period, in the vain hope of corraliug 

 the wari'iors, with the families to which they belonged, supjiosed 

 (on grounds not given) to remain on the island. The troops and their 

 captives immediately moved to Lagiina de los C'ercaditos (probably 

 Laguna la Cruz) to rejoin the cavalry guard ; thence, suffering much 

 from thirst, they marched toward Hermosillo, arriving- at that place 

 September 12,* where the troops and captives formed a triumphal pro- 

 cession, met on the highroad by the merc-hants and the civil and mili- 

 tary authorities, and greeted by the ringing of bells and the firing of 

 rockets, and with music and refreshments. 



1 The expressions of the journal indicate that Espeuce was not familiar with the Seri custom of 

 eviscerating and quartering stolen stock, consuming the entrails at once, and transporting the more 

 substantial pieces across the strait on their balsas. Velasco fell into still further error in assuming 

 that the exjiressious relate to tracks and other indications of the presence of living stock on the 

 island. 



^Velasco, op. cit., p. 168. 



^Ibid., p. 169. On the same page Espence classifies the captives as 6 oldsters (" viejos de sesenta 

 alios arriba"), V2 beldames ("vie.jas de cuareuta arriba'-), I blind, 1 idiotic boy, 5 cripples male, 1 

 cripple female, 180 women, 160 children, and 144 men— 510 in all. Aurirade's report enumerates the 

 captives as 120 in each of two lots, with 20 or more in a third, making 260 odd (ibid., p. 180) ; while 

 Velasco put the number at 200 and odd (" docientas y tentas persones "), men, women, and children, 

 includint: only 30 odd oldsters and warriors combined. The discrepancies are characteristic, and 

 of a piece with those prevailinff in the same latitude and longitude today : e. g., Velasco says there 

 are but four waters on the island, Espeuce says there are eight or ten, and Andrade intplies that there 

 are many; Velascosays there were 160 troops from Guayraas, while Andrade nientionsonly SO; Espence 

 says that in transporting the stock (as noted above) but one mule was drowned by the strength of the 

 current, while Andrade says that a mule and a steer were lost on account of the bad storm whicii 

 prevailed during the day ; jet there is such agreement between dates and facts in the independent 

 journals of Andrade and Espence as to establish general verity despite the provincial weakness 

 concerning details. 



■* According to Andrade (ibid., p. 182) ; Velasco says September 16 (il)id,. p. 126). 



