By the end of 1839, Maverick had purchased 41 lots. He assumed that there would be an influx of settlers eager to buy the land, but emigration slowed after 1838. Maverick received his Texas law license in November 1838 and began arguing cases in district court. In January 1839 he was elected the mayor of San Antonio. During his one-year term, he also acted as city treasurer and served as a precinct justice of the peace. For the next several years, Maverick spent a great deal of time away from home, either surveying frontier lands or traveling to New Orleans on business. He narrowly escaped death while on a surveying trip in late 1839. Because he had promised his wife that he would be home on a specific day, Maverick left the surveying camp early. Later that day, Comanches raided the camp and killed all but one person, who was scalped.