become contemptible; or shall we distribute power, to pacify a contemptible faction, and thereby exalt it to an unnatural degree of strength and importance?

A STRAY YANKEE IN TEXAS.

An advance chapter from a graphic and humorous work soon to be issued from the press of J. S. Redfield, New York.

My first experience of the country, as you say, Mr. Roberts, was of the rudest. I came here to survey and locate lands -some of the very ones, by the way, in which you became afterwards jointly interested, and which are now giving us so much trouble. I brought a surveying party with me, and a nice time we had of it. We chartered a small schooner, and set sail to find Galveston Bay, if possible. No easy job, for then the city had not been invented, and the flat island of sand that lies across the mouth of the Bay, with here and there a stunted tree, presented no very serviceable landmark to the mariner.

We boxed about for a week or ten days, and then in a fog ran plump into the mouth of the Brazos. It was a mere matter of luck and chance that we did not go to the dogs. The fog happening to lift for a moment, we saw where we were, but how we got there, or how we were to get away, not one of us could tell. I said we saw where we were, but do not mean that we recognized the spot by any means. We only knew that we had run up the mouth of a river without knocking our bottom out, but what river was the question. The captain being a true republican, and having moreover entirely lost his latitude, called a meeting, inducted himself in the chair, and put our position to vote. He was of the opinion that it was the Sabine: I rather favored the idea that we had made the Brazos. As neither of us had any notion of the appearance of either river, our opinions were certainly unprejudiced. The mass, or more properly, mast meeting-for the chairman supported himself against one of those important sticks of timber,were somewhat divided in opinion, especially as we had only obtained a single glimpse of one shore, and then dropped anchor immediately, for fear that we might soon get an altogether too well-grounded idea of our whereabouts. One, sug

gested that we were probably somewhere; another, that he rather thought we were no where at all; but at last the captain having the firm support of two sailors, the cook and the cabin boy, and moreover the idea that being a seaman, he ought to know, although he owned that he did not; carried the day.

Having christened the stream the Sabine, our next step was to get away from it as soon as possible, and accordingly the first moment the fog permitted us to see ten yards ahead, we up anchor and clawed out as gingerly as possible. Getting in was a feat to be remembered, but getting out without being set upon shore or run on a bar by the current, was but little short of a miracle.

About every third vessel that attempted the entrance, even under the most favorable auspices, was lost; for without a sign of a bay, or anything of a mouth to speak of, the Brazos runs plump into the Gulf, over a very ugly bar, and between the worst kind of breakers. As soon as we were fairly clear, the captain "about ship," and shaped a southerly course, probably in the direction of Vera Cruz.

Away we went, feeling our way, and trying to find a hole. somewhere in the coast, until bread and water ran short-I say the bread and water run, for the bread was quite capable of going alone. Then we called another meeting, and this time I was declared, nem. con., to have been in the right. Our private stores, laid up for the surveying expedition, were walked into, and bacon and brandy suffered some. It was now about ship again, and after near a week we hailed a craft that informed us we were right off Ship Island shoals, about halfway between Galveston Island and the Balize. My temper rather gave out. I called the captain a Judy, and talked of deposing him. He accused me of being a Jonah, and threw out some idea of throwing me overboard. Now, as acting the part of Jonah in full, and without any cutting, implies something to be done in whaling, I turned to and gave him a good one; my men and the crew joining in the amusement. It did a great deal of good, so much so, that the very next night he not only found Galveston Island, but nearly ran over it. The wind being light, and off shore, we were fortunate enough to save ourselves and our bacon together, with most of our provisions and instruments. The vessel was past praying for, and as she was certain to go to the dogs, the captain proposed to go with me to the Indians. I have no idea of giving you my whole Texan history in detail, but will only say of the surveying

that it was rather difficult, as usually neither corner nor anything like a boundary-line could be found. The Mexican mode of measuring land was, perhaps, original and very ingenious, but far from satisfactory to the man who wanted to ascertain the extent of his possessions.

An Indian was usually placed upon a horse, and furnished -the Indian, and not the horse-with three cigars. He set off upon a gallop, and as much land as he could ride around while his cigars were being smoked up was called a league. I suppose they gave them a certain length of "old soldier" to define the exact quantity of a "labore," (eighty acres.)

You will perceive that the size of the league depended entirely upon the horse's legs and the length of the cigars. I can assure you that it was a nice piece of work to smoke out these boundaries.

As we were upon the buffalo ground, we had no want of either fun or fresh meat. We had purchased good horses, and hired two good guides-old hunters, that knew exactly what they were about. As our buffalo hunting was only for a supply of meat, and not for an indiscriminate slaughter of the animals for the sake of their skins, we seldom failed in obtaining what we sought for, and this was our mode of proceeding. Buffaloes have a regular drinking-place, and visit it regularly at a certain hour. Now our hunters soon found out those places that were in our neighborhood, and watched the drove when they came down. As soon as the huge brutes had filled their skins nigh to bursting, off they went in a clumsy gallop. Then the men dashed out from their hiding-place, and rushed their horses at the end of the drove. Selecting a young and fat cow, that might be walloping along on the outside and among the last, the hunter would run his trained horse right. alongside, and clapping a holster pistol to the shaggy brute's ear, pop a bullet in her brain. Nothing could be more simple, more easy, or more safe, provided the man was up to the business and the horse well trained. So well did this kind of life agree with me, that had it not been for a wife and children in old Alabama, and certain qualms at night-fall about the uncertainty of finding my hair in its usual place in the morning, I do not know but that I might have gone on, Robinson Crusoeing it yet.

At last, however, our work was completed, and all my party, with the exception of two, had left for the States, going by the upper route and Traumel's Trace, and we, the remainder, went off west, to San Antone.

The troubles had already commenced, and the Mexican garrisons had been expelled from Nacogdoches and Annahuac. We were packing our portmanteaus to start upon our homeward route, when news was brought that the Mexicans were advancing upon Gonzales; and anxious to have a chance at them, we left for the scene of the anticipated scrimmage immediately.

When we arrived the village was in a precious state of confusion, its dozen men and boys running about frightened to death, and doing nothing, and the women tearing their hair and what little linen they possessed. The Mexicans were said to be on the other side of the river, a few miles below.

We immediately collected every sheet, counterpane, and tablecloth that the village could boast of, and setting men and boys to work at cutting and carrying poles, soon erected at the back of the village what appeared to be tents enough for a respectable encampment.

Two crotches with a pole across them, and a couple of sheets thrown over it, with their ends carried out and fastened to the ground, makes quite a personable tent-when viewed at a distance-I can assure you.

Having everything properly prepared in the tent line, it was only necessary to mount a sufficient number of sentinels, and for this duty we detailed a number of the women, who for that purpose were inducted into the breeches, let us hope for the first time. Five or six marching along very stifly and formally indeed in front of the mock encampment, gave it quite a grand appearance; and upon the river's bank some of the men were stationed, while the rest were preparing and repairing arms, saddles and bridles, for the coming fight. We had not been there an hour before my great surveying tent arrived.

When we left San Antone in such haste, I engaged a friendly Mexican to bring it along as soon as he could, upon pack mules. The tent was a huge one, and divided into two parts, so as to make it the more readily portable. This we pitched in a conspicuous spot, and having hoisted a small flag above, it answered remarkably well for an officers' marquee.

Now all this humbug had but one object--to keep the enemy at a respectful distance until we were ready for him.

We had not long to wait. Even as we were putting the finishing touches upon our marquee, a troop of cavalry came dashing up at a hard gallop to the opposite shore of the river. They intended to have surprised the town; but instead of taking the ford when they had reached it, came to a sud

den halt, and then made a very decisive movement to the rear. They retreated behind the skirt of timber, and did not make any further demonstration, although every little while some officer would ride up to the bank, and after looking very wisely and curiously upon our arrangements, trot off again, probably shaking his head, and without doubt pouring forth a perfect flood of " caraccos " and "carambos."

In this position stood affairs at sundown, except that our force was continually upon the increase, and by that time we numbered sixty effective, hardy men, and had also two small pieces of artillery, of which the veteran Col. Neil took command. We were now quite ready for a fight if we could only get one, for your Mexican has never a stomach for anything of the kind unless he happen to catch you unawares and unprepared.

Selecting the best rifle in the corps, I walked down to the spot opposite which the Mexicans repeated, from time to time, their reconnoitre. I did not think the rifle had force enough to carry a ball across the stream with sufficient strength to do any good after it got there, but still, determined to give the next "caballero" a right good scare, for they believe that the power of our shooting irons, and our skill in wielding them, are both supernatural and diabolical.

I did not have to wait long. Two gaudily-dressed officers rode up to the bank, and shading their eyes with their hands, prepared to take a long and careful squint at us.

Shading myself behind a bush, I prepared to take a long and careful squint at them, in the hope of making them see sights, as that was evidently their desire, but the only sights that I cared for were those of my rifle. I took the shot, and they took the "shute." I can't for the life of me tell which went off first, they or the gun. The blaze had barely poked its nose from the muzzle, when in went the spurs, and off went the warrior, not waiting for report or bullet-in. As I heard their spurs and sabres jingling, and watched their nodding plumes, I consoled myself with the idea that I had made the feathers fly, even if I had not brought down my birds.

As soon as it was fairly dark, we marched down stream about half a mile, to a bend where we had a flat concealed. We had with us fifty men, and our two small cannon. The horses swam alongside the flat, and in three trips we were all safely over. At our camp the remainder of our forces were parading back and forth in true military style, and the large camp-fires that illuminated the village gave quite an im