Michener, James A. (19 page)

'The dancing . . .' Damian fumbled.

'What about it?'

'The captain has ordered it stopped.'

'He has no authority . . .'

'He has.'

'The captain is an ass.'

'That we know,' Damian conceded. 'We've known it for better than a year. But he has the civil authority to preserve the peace.'

'Our hearts beat faster . . . with delight. I'll not stop it.'

'You shall. It's my order, too.' And Damian spoke with such

unprecedented force that Domingo gasped, and the dancing was halted.

The three soldiers watched very carefully, on orders from the captain, and sometimes the new friar himself stopped by to check on the observance of the edict, and all had to agree that Fray Damian had restored order to the mission.

But one day some weeks later, when gaiety had been stilled in| Mision Santa Teresa, the captain and a retinue of soldiers werei inspecting the lands west of Bexar to see for themselves how muchi of the range the mission had expropriated for its cattle, and as theyi approached the four shacks where the Indian herdsmen lived, they heard much revelry. When they followed the noise they saw that in one of the iacales six Indian adults, three children and a Franciscan friar in a long, dusty habit were dancing in a circle, clapping hands and singing at the top of their voices.

'Look!' shouted a child, and the dancers halted, one by one, and looked toward the outraged captain and his men.

The legal papers were filed next day, a formal complaint signed by the captain of the presidio charging Fray Domingo Pacheco with insubordination, misuse of royal lands, venery and conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy. All the animosity of the presidio versus the mission exploded in this diatribe, and it was! expressed so forcefully and in such proper terminology that Mexico i City had to respond.

Since ancient Spanish legal tradition provided that members of the clergy could be tried only in courts staffed by fellow clerics, a, solemn priest, born in Spain, was dispatched to Bexar, and hej started his investigation not by examining the accused friar at Santa Teresa but by moving through the little community andi listening to whatever gossip the soldiers and the friars from the 1 other missions wished to reveal. When he was finished he had accumulated enough petty accusations against both friars to charge them with almost anything, and grimly he announced: 'Tomorrow I shall examine the culprits.'

When the two friars stood before him they made a poor impression, for they were not the neat, well-shaved clerics he was accustomed to on the streets of Zacatecas; Damian appeared in a faded, dusty blue habit, and Domingo's unkempt beard wandered over his chubby face. Ill-matched—Damian tall, thin and fiery-eyed; Domingo short, fat and marked by a silly grin—they should have stood in silence as he abused them, but to his astonishment, they showed every-inclination to defend their actions.

Fray Damian was particularly vigorous in his self-defense: 'I

have labored day and night to build this mission ... to make it self-sufficient, to bring Indians into our fold. Some men might have accomplished more, but none could have worked more diligently in the service of our Lord and our king.'

'But you did allow the dancing?' the judge asked.

'I did. I worked my Indians from dawn to dusk, and I thank God that Brother Domingo taught them to sing, for it made them better workers in God's cause.'

'Were you not ordered by the civil authority to stop the dancing?'

'I was. And I did.'

'But was there not continued dancing at the mission's ranch?'

'I'm told there was.'

'And did not your Fray Domingo join in the dancing?'

Tm told that he did.'

'Are you not responsible for what your friars do?'

Fray Damian considered this probing question for some moments, standing erect, his eyes staring straight ahead, his hands clasped at his chest. It would be both easy and correct for him to claim that what happened at the distant ranch was beyond his control, but to deny his long-time companion would be worse than craven, it would be against the rule of the Franciscans.

'I'm responsible.'

if I were a vengeful man,' the priest said, 'I would add you to this indictment. You have failed miserably in your duty.'

i demand that you include me,' Damian said, and he took a step forward.

'Stand where you are!' the inquisitor ordered, his face reddening. But Damian kept moving forward until he reached the desk behind which his judge sat. Once there, he reached for a quill and would have inscribed his name on the indictment had not the priest knocked the quill away and bellowed: 'Soldiers, arrest this man!'

So what had been intended as an orderly hearing ended in a general debacle, for as soon as Fray Domingo saw his protector dragged toward the exit door, he leaped at the guards and began pummeling them. A general melee ensued, in the midst of which the enraged priest shouted: 'Chain them both!'

In a tiny cell behind the presidio, no beds, no water, food only once a day, the two friars remained in manacles for three days, and when released, they had to promise both the priest and the captain that they would henceforth permit no Indian dancing.

They had resumed their now somber duties when a convoy

arrived from Saltillo with an unexpected member, a young officer bringing a commission that installed him as the new commander of the Presidio de Bexar and retired the former incumbent.

As Damian came from the mission to greet the officer he saw from a distance that the new man was Alvaro, and ran forward to embrace him: 'Dearest brother! You are needed here.' But before Alvaro could respond, Damian asked: 'How is Benita?' 'Fine. If permission is given, she could be coming here.' Fired by this hope, and supported by an understanding commander, Fray Damian launched what could be called the golden years of Santa Teresa, for with assistance from the soldiers, the walls of the mission were completed, its canal and, most important, its adobe church; and at the ranch Fray Domingo increased his herds until they taxed the ability of his Indians to control them; and the dancing resumed.

If Fray Domingo had been required to pacify only the relatively amenable Indians at the ranch near Bexar, he would have succeeded, but the Franciscans had had the bad luck to place their missions on land which was more or less claimed by Indians of a much different type.

The Apacheria was not a specific land area, nor was it a highly organized brotherhood of tribes. The word represented a mystical concept, the region and union of the Apache. The imprecision was twofold: the specific territory was never defined and membership was so elastic that any Apache tribe could be included or excluded, as it preferred. One thing was certain: in recent decades the Apache had come to consider the lands around Bexar as part of their Apacheria, and evicting the white intruders became an obligation.

Even so, a kind of truce might have been negotiable—Spaniards to the east, Apache to the west—had not another warrior tribe of Indians invaded the western plains at about this time. The newcomers were the dreaded Comanche, horse Indians from the Rocky Mountain areas, who considered all other humans their enemies. Apache and Comanche, what a sadly mismatched pair: the former somewhat sedentary, the latter constantly roving, the former without many horses, the latter the finest horsemen of the plains; the former a loose confederation of many differing tribes, the latter fearfully concentrated; and both wanting to occupy the same lands.

No Comanche had yet been seen at Bexar; they would not appear in force for nearly fifty years, but their unrelenting pressure

on the western reaches of the Apacheria meant that the Apache were forced to move eastward, and this brought them into conflict with the Spanish at Bexar. But for the time being, a kind of rude accommodation did exist, as proved by an enthusiastic report on conditions at the mission submitted at this time.

In 1729 an investigative priest from Zacatecas, whose name Espejo fortuitously meant glass or, as some said, spyglass, visited all parts of Tejas on an inspection tour. After dismal experiences in Nacogdoches and the coastal areas, he reached Bexar in an uncompromising mood, but here he saw how ably the Saldana brothers cooperated in governing the place:

At the end of September 1729, I came at last to Mision Santa Teresa de Casafuerte del Colegio de Propaganda Fide de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Zacatecas, and all the unpleasantness of preceding days vanished as if God had set down in the wilderness a great shining lantern.

The mission was guarded by two exemplary friars, Damian de Saldana of good family and superior orders who manages all, and Domingo Pacheco, a mestizo of lower orders who performs wonders with his Indians, of whom 234 Pampopa, Postito and Tacame reside in the mission About three Indians per year have been formally converted, the rest behaving as Christians but not belonging to the church.

The order of the day reflects the piety of Fray Damian. Church bell at sunrise, when all attend Mass. Copious breakfast for forty-five minutes, then everyone to work on the building projects supervised by Fray Damian, who is an outstanding builder

Lunch at noon, again well provided, and siesta for all. At two in the afternoon return to work, and at five the church bell again, whereupon the entire population reports to the church to recite the Doctrina Cristiana, which includes: Way of the Cross, Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, Apostle's Creed, Confiteor, Precepts of the Church, Seven Sacraments, seasonal points of faith, and concluding with the Four Last Things. It is heartening to hear these Indians who only a few years ago followed pagan beliefs about rocks and rivers recite in unison the holy words that mean they are now approaching salvation.

At meals Fray Domingo served us with beef, mutton, cabrito and chickens. He also provided squash, potatoes, watermelons and lentils From the carefully tended orchard he had all the fruits of the season, including peaches, pears and plums, with dried cherries In obedience to the strict prohibition issued by our King in order to protect the industries of Spain, the mission grows no grapes or olives, although I believe each would prosper here were they allowed.

Then Father Espejo listed in detail some sixty valuable items owned by the mission, divided into five categories, and samples from each will indicate the material progress Fray Damian had made:

FOR THE WOMEN

1 loom

3 spinning wheels

4 scissors

17 needles

> pistols

20 bullet molds

5 plowshares 7 hoes

5 scythes 1 pair tongs

2 planes

2 iron wedges

6~ iron nails

FOR GOD

2 incense burners

3 small bells

The report ended with two footnotes, the first displaying pride, the second confusion:

This mission owns several treasures, a statue of San Antonio de Padua, carved in Zacatecas, and a set of fourteen Stations of the Cross, painted on canvas in Spain. It also has two fine blue habits of linen-and-wool, plus three iron shovels, gifts from His Majesty the King.

As to the charge so often voiced that 'the only Indians who ever convert are old people about to die,' I confess that this is justified. Young braves refuse to give up their dancing and other favored abominations, but older warriors as they approach death listen attentively to Fray Damian's preaching. Soldiers at the presidio sneer: 'The friars catch only falling leaves.' but I told them: 'Three souls saved, even in extremis, are still three brands saved from the burning, and you should rejoice in their salvation,' but the soldiers laughed, as young men will.

In his summary' paragraphs he delivered his judgment as to this mission, saying in part:

Santa Teresa de Casafuerte, in its exemplary conduct and its fruitful relationship with its presidio, justifies in unmatched perfection the accepted Spanish theory of governing new provinces: to Christianize, to civilize, to utilize. 1 can foresee only continued blessings for Bexar, and as soon as 1 return to Zacatecas, I shall recommend to the Council

of the Indies that civilian settlers from Spain be brought here to establish the city which shall complement this fine venture

In a separate memorandum, which he discussed with neither of the Saldanas, Espejo proposed an idea that would bring great happiness to each of the brothers:

Bexar is now so firmly established, even though its population is minimal, that the time has come when more wives ought to be encouraged to |oin their husbands at the presidio. This will give the Indians and mestizos a taste of true Spanish civilization, which can only edify them. I therefore propose that Benita Lirian de Saldana be allowed and encouraged to move with her three sons to Bexar immediately. I know this lady She is a splendid example of Spanish womanhood at its best and will add honor to the presidio.

The proposal was quickly adopted by the military in Zacatecas, and one morning in December 1729 a soldier posting in from the Rio Grande shouted at the gates of the presidio: 'We come bringing great treasure!' and he caused so much excitement that Fray Damian was summoned from his mission labors and was present when a mule train came up to the presidio bearing Benita. When she stepped down, dust-covered, Damian gasped, for at twenty-five and the mother of three rambunctious sons, she was far more beautiful than before. Throwing her arms wide, as if to embrace the entire wilderness, she cried: T am so glad to be here!'

Brushing aside the soldiers who tried to help with her children, she ran first to her husband, kissing him ardently and displaying their sons. Then she turned, saw Damian waiting beside the wall, and ran to him, throwing her arms about him and kissing him on the cheek: 'Brother Damian, 1 am honored of God to be allowed to share in your work. These are your nephews.'

The next year was a period of some confusion for Fray Damian: he dined frequently at the presidio, once such an alien and unfriendly place, and there he saw how well Benita had raised her sons; he found many other excuses for visiting, and was invariably heartened by her continued liveliness, though he would never admit even to himself why he kept going there. In his quiet, austere way he was in love, and sometimes when he labored on some new mission structure he felt a deep hunger to see her again, to satisfy Himself that she was there, and to appreciate the fact that she was a woman, totally different from himself and wonderful in her unique way. Seeing her, listening to her charming manner with her sons was enough, he thought, and in a subtle act of self-