Note 66 — Chapter III · {XI}[48] Red River—Exploring Expedition of 1806—Return to the Arkansa—Earthquakes

The spot where Sparks's party was stopped must have been near Little River (of the North); the account is too indefinite to permit an exact statement. In this same year, Pike and his companions were arrested on the upper Rio Grande and taken to Santa Fé. Several recent events had aroused the apprehension of the Spanish authorities; in 1801 one Nolan had led a filibustering expedition into Texas, and Burr's conspiracy aimed, probably, at the Spanish dominions, had not yet been forgotten. Information of the proposed expeditions under Pike and Sparks had reached the Spanish officials before the Americans had completed their preparations, and Pike found upon reaching the Pawnee village on Republican River that a large body of Spanish cavalry had preceded him in visiting the tribes of the Great Plains. During his detention by the Spanish, he learned that this party had been sent out primarily to intercept and turn back both American explorers. They themselves, however, were not only to make explorations within the bounds of the United States, but to renew their former friendship with the Indians in our territories.—Ed.