At the door of the government house, I met the old Frenchman to whom I had given the scrap of paper on the 27th of February. He had left us in the morning, and, as I suppose, hurried in to make his report, and I presume had presented this paper to his Excellency. I demanded, with a look of contempt, if he had made his report? To which he made reply in a humble tone, and began to excuse himself; but I did not wait to hear his excuses. At the hour appointed we returned, when the governor demanded my papers. I told him that I understood my trunk had been taken possession of by his guard. He expressed surprise, immediately ordered it in, and also sent for one Solomon Colly, formerly a sergeant in our army, and one of the unfortunate company of [Captain Philip] Nolan. We were seated, when he ordered Colly to demand my name, to which I replied. He then demanded in what province I was born. I answered in English, and then addressed his Excellency in French, and told him that I did not think it necessary to enter into such a catechising; that if he would be at the pains of reading my commission from the United States, and my orders from my general, it would be all that I presumed would be necessary to convince his Excellency that I came with no hostile intentions toward the Spanish government; that, on the contrary, I had express instructions to guard against giving them offense or alarm; and that his Excellency would be convinced that myself and party were rather to be considered objects on which the so much celebrated generosity of the Spanish nation might be exercised, than proper subjects to occasion the opposite sentiments.
He then requested to see my commission and orders, which I read to him in French; on which he got up and gave me his hand, for the first time, and said he was happy to be acquainted with me as a man of honor and a gentleman; that I could retire this evening and take my trunk with me; and that on the morrow he would make further arrangements.
Mar. 4th. I was desired by the governor to bring up my trunk, in order that he might make some observations on my route, etc. When he ordered me to take my trunk over night, I had conceived that the examination of papers was over. As many of my documents were intrusted to the care of my men, and I found that the inhabitants were treating the men with liquor, I was fearful they would become intoxicated, and through inadvertency betray or discover the papers. I had therefore obtained several of them and put them in the trunk, when an officer arrived for myself and it, and I had no opportunity of taking them out again before I was taken up to the palace. I discovered instantly that I had been deceived, but it was too late to remedy the evil.
After examining the contents of my trunk, he informed me that I must, with my troops, go to Chihuahua, province of Biscay, to appear before the commandant-general. He added: "You have the key of your trunk in your own possession; the trunk will be put under charge of the officer who commands your escort." The following conversation then took place:
Pike. If we go to Chihuahua we must be considered as prisoners of war?
Governor. By no means.
Pike. You have already disarmed my men without my knowledge; are their arms to be returned or not?
Governor. They can receive them any moment.
Pike. But, sir, I cannot consent to be led three or four hundred leagues out of my route, without its being by force of arms.
Governor. I know you do not go voluntarily; but I will give you a certificate from under my hand of my having obliged you to march.