66 FREDERICKSBURG 
At sunset Mr. Thurber and his party rejoined us. 
He reported that he had visited the German settlements 
as instructed. The first one presented ascene of deso- 
lation seldom witnessed, owing to the predatory incur- 
sions of the Comanches, and was on the point of being. 
abandoned. The other, called Zastel, contained twenty- 
six houses; though but nine families remained, and 
the wives and children of most of these had been sent 
away to New Braunfels and other places. These peo- 
ple, living as they do upon the very outposts, are 80 
completely at the mercy of the Indians, that it is doubt- 
ful if they succeed in braving it out. Their houses are 
very small, built of squared logs,and furnished with loop- 
holes for rifles. The land is poor; and there seemed 
no attraction about the place, except the beautiful 
Llano, which is a most picturesque stream, now rushing 
in rapids over a rocky bed, and now spreading into 
broad and quiet lakes. 
On their way back the party met a band of Caddo 
Indians, a small but mischievous tribe, returning from 
a horse-stealing expedition. They spoke some English, 
and had a number of fine animals with them, which they 
said they had taken by way of reprisal from their ene 
mies the Wacoes. - But the knowing look which one of 
them put on when Mr. Thurber expressed a doubt of 
the story, and the fine condition of their horses showed 
pretty plainly that they had been among the settle- 
ments. 
About midnight a party of Germans reached camp 
with about twenty bushels of corn, which proved a 
valuable accession to our stock, and made up what we 
had been feeding out. 
