Page Preface IX Chapter I El Camino Real 1 II Some Early History 4 III Dachicoin—A Noble Indian—Los Adais, 1723 33 IV St. Denis and the Spanish 42 V Doctors and Early Medicine—1722 to 1744 45 VI Romance at Los Adais 51 VII Incidents of the Years, 1735-1742 60 VIII The Three Cabins 63 IX After St. Denis 74 X After the Louisiana Purchase 80 XI The Devil’s Play Ground 83 XII Satan’s Agent—John A. Murrell 89 XIII The Break-up of the Neutral Strip 92 XIV The Filibuster of 1812-1821 95 XV Fort Jesup 103 XVI Texas and Independence, 1831-1836 116 Addenda Land Grants 129 St. Denis’ Family Tree 137 Baptismal Records of Natchitoches, 1734-1740 138 Soldiers in Natchitoches—1742 141 Merchants, Farmers, Traders in Natchitoches, 1742 142 Reference Bibliography 145 Personalities 149 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS