[10]At this point one must understand the claims of the United States concerning the Louisiana Purchase. The United States claimed the Rio Grande as the boundary of the land previously owned by France because of La Salle’s settlement at Fort Louis on Matagordo Bay in 1685. The Spanish claimed the land as far as the west bank of the Red River, basing their claim on the Domingo Teran del Rios’ expedition of 1690. Both the Spanish and the United States’ officers involved in the meeting in the Adais area were aware of the claims of their respective countries. [11]John Quincy Adams remarked of the Filibusterers: “The main actors cross and double-cross one another so frequently that suspicion and doubt hang over their hands like a black cloud over their actions.” [12]Red River at this time was blocked by log jams as far as Fort Towsin in Arkansas. Bayou Pierre was the water route as far as the vicinity of Shreveport. [13]If the address of Natchitoches, Louisiana, appearing as the address of Fort Jesup seems strange, it must be remembered that at that time Natchitoches was the nearest Post-office. [14]Pierre Subastion Prudhomme. [15]Note: the above is that of the Justine DeLuche Family. The Child P. DeLuche being named Pierre after Pierre Fausse who was the Godfather and perhaps also the Grandfather. Transcriber’s Notes —Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication. —Corrected obvious typos; retained inconsistent spellings (especially names) that may represent different documentary sources. —In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of No Man's Land, by Louis Raphael Nardini