XIII, 417. Comanchen: Nachriclden von Barllelt, Pope, Parker. 369 



be appallitig, if summed up" '; f. die Anm. 385 -6: eine Berechnung des in 4 Jahren, 1S46-50, in 

 Neu -Mexico von ihnen geraubten Viehes. Bartlett fchätzt die Zahl der Comanchen unter 12,000 

 (386). „Ihr Bereich geht von den genannten mex. Staaten bis zur Büffel- Gegend, nördlich und ofüicli 

 von Santa Fe. Im Herbft und Winter ift ihre Heimatli nahe dem rio Grande , im bolson de Ma~ 

 pimi , einem in W von hohen Gebirgen eingefchloffenen Becken. Hier geniefsen lie den ununterbro- 

 chenen Befitz einer weiten Landftrecke, von wo aus lie ihre Einfalle in das Herz von Mexico machen.'' 

 Im weiteren Verlauf des Bandes erwähnt der Verf. öfter der felbft erlebten oder kurz zuvor an den 

 von ihm berührten Punkten gefchehenen Angriffe der Comanchen. 



John Pope giebt in der Befchreibung feines Zuges um den 32ten Parallelkreis zum 

 Zwecke der grofsen Eifenbahn zum lullen Meere (executive documenls nf Ihe house of repres., 

 \" session of ihe 3S d congrcss Vol. 18. part 2 p. 21-23) einen fehr neuen Bericht (1,854) von 

 den „Camanches". Er nennt lie (20) „die Araber der Wüften Nordamerika^"; „in Verbindung mit 

 den Sioux oder Dacotahs des Nordens", fagt er, „haben fie viele Jahre lang eine beinahe unbeftrittene 

 Herrfchaft über die ungeheuren Landftrecken zwifchen dem Felfengebirge und den Grunzen der weft- 

 lichen Staaten behauptet. . . Many small Iribes wider (21) different rtames , but speaking the 

 same language , and fragmenls of bands whose power and inßuence have long since passed 

 away , live aniong theni in friendly or dependent relalions. In iheir hanling expedilions 

 among the buffalo , they roam as far to ihe north as the 3S"< parallel of lalitude ; and, 

 passing the Rio Grande 500 miles from iheir homes , they invade the dominions of Mexico 

 to wilhin 250 miles of her capital. In small parties , and unsupporled, they penelrale into 

 the densest Settlements of the norlhern States of Mexico; and in broad day-liglit , and 

 nearly unopposed, they carry off into cuptivity hundreds of human beings , and thousands 

 of horses and mules, and lay uiu/er contribution popoulous Iowas, and even large eitles .... 

 The women who are thus carried off from their homes, become the wives or servants of 

 their captors; and the men , after a probation more or less lengthy , are adopted into the 



tribe , most generally in a dependent condition The Camanches (22) are small of sta- 



ture ; quick and sprightly in appearance and action . . . they wear mpuslaches and heads of 

 long hair instead of sharing to the scalp-lock , as is the custom wilh the more norlhern 

 races . . . During the summer montlis nearly the whole tribe migrales to the north, to hunt 

 buffalo and wild horses on the plains of the upper Arkansas, but return in the autumn wilh 

 the proeeeds of their hunling expedilions to pass the winter in the timbered country along 

 the Valleys of the upper Colorado, Brazos , and Red rivers. Since the establishment of mi- 

 litary posts on the fronliers of Texas, and ihe consequent advance of Settlements into their 

 country, the Camanches . . . have begun to conlract that passion for ardent spirils wliich 

 has proved so fatal to their race.... Up to the period of the oecupation of the country by 

 the troops of the general government , the Camanches were aecustomed to equip large expe- 

 dilions, which, traversing the State of Texas by various roules, and passing the Rio Grande 

 at numerous points in ils course, even as low down as Matamoras , laid wasle the norlhern 

 States of Mexico. The establishment of a chain of military posts enclosing ihe extreme Set- 

 tlements has seriously inlerrupted their hitherto unmolesled progress to the Rio Grande, and 

 they have been compelled to conduet their marauding parties to the fronliers of Mexico by 

 roules mach farlher to the west. Er giebt p 23 a ihre jetzige Strafse an. Die Poftenkette müfste 

 noch weiter geführt werden. 



Parker (in Schoolcr. V, 1S55) fagt, dafs die Comanches annehmen (suppose), ihre Vorfahren 

 feien von Sonnenuntergang hergekommen; fie hielten fich für das gröfste Volk. S. über Weiberkauf 

 und mehreres andere (Kriegszüge, Religion) p. 683" -5 af . Nach der Zählung von 1854 waren (702") 

 der Com. 10,000 Seeleu. 



Philos. - histor. Kl 1 854 . Su PP i. -Bd. A a a 



