The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 8, July 1904 - April, 1905 Page: 209

                                
De Le6n's Expedition of 1689.

209

that day eight long leagues, to the east, as has already been said. 8.
9. Holy Saturday, the 9th, we set out to the north, but on ac-
count of some thickets that were in the way, it was necessary to
make some turns, sometimes north-by-east, sometimes north-north-
east (4ta al Leste.)1    We traveled that day five leagues.     The
land was very good. We crossed a dry creek that day, but a
league farther on we found one with good water, with abundant
pasturage and many oak-trees near by. We named this creek
Arroyo del Vino,2 because we opened a cask that day and divided
its contents among the men. Under the trees we found well-
grown nuts, as large as those of Spain, but very hard to open.
We saw many wild grape-vines, whose fruit, as we were told by
the Indians we had brought with us, is in its season very pleas-
antly flavored.   Our horses stampeded at this camp about nine
o'clock at night, and they could not be stopped, though fifteen
soldiers were on guard. According to the count made the follow-
ing day, one hundred and two. got away.                         5.
10. Easter Sunday, the 10th, soldiers set out in different direc-
tions to look for the horses, which they found at various points.
This search detained them till evening prayer, therefore the camp
was not moved that day. We made a reckoning of our latitude,
which we found to be 27 55'.3
11. Monday after Easter, the 11th, we set out to the east. We
crossed two creeks of good water, and immediately after came to
a great wood of pecan and oak-trees, more than five leagues in
extent, all fertile and pleasant land. After having to travel twelve
leagues to get water, we came that day upon a river, which was
very large, though it had not much water [at the time], and which
had a good ford. We named it the Rio de Medina. The descent
to it is about fifty or sixty feet (Tiene la bajada de nueve a dies
estados). All the rest of the way there were oaks and pecans.
The course that day was east half the way, and northeast half the
way.                                                           12.
'The usual expression' would be nordnordeste; here, however, the ex-
plorer seems to be reckoning from the north toward the east, and a quarter
to the east, therefore, would mean north-northeast.
'Possibly this was Atascosa Creek.
'Here, too, there seems to be a mistake of one or two degrees.