That's interesting, but then one might also speculate that it was all early French Jesuit action, coming from north of the Caballos, not the south. We know the French Mallet brothers scouted via the Platte River to beyond the headwaters region of the Arkansas River in 1739. This region in southern CO has a long French presence, as indicated by place names. The CO Treasure Mountain legend has French miners from New Orleans discovering and caching an enormous amount of gold somewhere in the eastern San Juan Mountains region. If one is blue-sky speculating, I guess you could interpret the tale as having the French moving the gold south out of the San Juans, following the Rio Grande all the way from the San Luis Valley to the Caballos, where the loot may have been staged, awaiting a later transfer down river to the Gulf. This would be a relatively easy downstream raft trip all the way through NM and TX. Of course, there is the sticky problem of avoiding the Franciscans and Spanish all the way through NM and beyond.
The Spanish Fight
by Captain Jonathan Carver
(30) "The time I tarried here [Doty Island], I employed in making the beſt obſervations poſſible on the country, and in colleƈting the moſt certain intelligence I could of the origin, language, and cuſtoms of this people. From theſe enquiries I have reaſon to conclude, that the Winnebagoes originally reſided in ſome of the provinces belonging to New Mexico; and being driven from their native country, either by inteſtine diviſions, or by the extenſion of the Spaniſh conqueſts, they took refuge in theſe more northern parts about a century ago.
(31) My reaſons for adopting this ſuppoſition are ... thirdly from their inveterate hatred to the Spaniards. Some of them informed me that they had made many excurſions to the ſouth-weſt, which took up ſeveral moons. An elderly chief more particularly acquainted me, that about forty-ſix winters ago [1720], he marched, at the head of fifty warriors, towards the ſouth-weſt, for three moons. That during this expedition, whilſt they were croſſing a plain, (32) they diſcovered a body of men on horſeback, who belonged to
the Black People; for ſo they call the Spaniards. As ſoon as they perceived them, they proceeded with caution, and concealed themſelves till night came on; when they drew ſo near as to be able to diſcern the number and ſituation of their enemies. Finding they were not able to cope with ſo great a ſuperiority by daylight they waited till they had retired to reſt; when they ruſhed upon them, and after having killed the greateſt part of the men, took eighty horſes loaded with what they termed
white ſtone. This I ſuppoſe to have been ſilver, as he told me the horſes were ſhod with it, and that their bridles were ornamented with the ſame. When they had ſatiated their revenge, they carried off their ſpoil, and being got ſo far as to be out of the reach of the Spaniards that had eſcaped their fury, they left the uſeleſs and ponderous burthen, with which the horſes were loaded, in the woods, and mounting themſelves, in this manner returned to their friends. The party they had thus defeated, I conclude to be the caravan that annually conveys to Mexico, the ſilver which the Spaniards find in great quantities (33) on the mountains lying near the heads of the Coloredo River: and the plains where the attack was made, probably, ſome they were obliged to paſs over in their way to the heads of the
River St. Fee, or
Rio del Nord, which falls into the gulph of Mexico to the weſt of the Miſſiſſippi."[SUP]
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[/SUP]Mdog here, black people could be Jesuits in black robes. Seems I've heard a legend that a militant organization from within the Catholic church wore black armor or black clothing, don't know.
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