Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 9, Number 3, September 1999 Page: 138
[68] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal
the whole Mexican army encamped at Texana,
about two miles off. But they did not discover
us, and we succeeded in reaching the timber on
the Navidad, which was in front of us. In the
evening, before starting again, we walked out to
a slight eminence which overlooked the prairie,
to reconnoitre. While gazing across the prairie I
could see (though the others could not) three men
on horseback, but so indistinct were they that I
could not at first tell whether they were Ameri-
cans or Mexicans. As they approached we hid
in the under growth, and as they passed we saw
that they were Mexican couriers returning to the
command. At eight we again started forth, and
coming out on the edge of the prairie, we dis-
covered a road which we concluded had been
made by the refugees in their retreat from the
enemy.
During all this time we had had nothing
to eat but leaves and herbs, and the two ears of
corn that we got at the house on the Lavaca
river. On the 12th day we reached the Colorado
at Mercer's crossing. The river was very high,
being full from bank to bank. As we were very
tired, we sat down on the bank to rest a little
before attempting to swim over. While sitting
there a dog on the opposite side of the river be-
gan to bark. When we heard that well known
sound, our very souls thrilled with the joy, and
that was the first time since the awful day of the
massacre that a smile had ever illuminated our
faces. We looked at each other, and then burst
into A Great Big Laugh! We were all excellent
swimmers, but I sometimes took the cramp while
swimming, so we concluded to cross on a log.
We procured a dead mulberry pole, and hanging
on to it one on each end, and one in the middle,
we crossed over. We went up to Mercer's sugar
house, which was not far off, where we found a
number of hogsheads of sugar and molasses. As
soon as we discovered the sugar, we commenced
eating it, but in a minute or two we were taken
very sick, and threw it up. We tried it again, with
like success; so we concluded that sugar wasnot the thing for starving men, and started for
the house, which was about a mile distant. Not a
soul was to be seen about the place. We entered
the house and saw everything just as the inhab-
itants had left-the furniture in its place, and the
table neatly set for two persons. To our great
surprise, there was a fire burning in the fire place,
and as we approached, we saw an oven and
skillet sitting on the hearth. I lifted the lid off the
oven, and saw there three loaves of bread. I
looked into the skillet, and beheld a chicken nicely
prepared and still warm. It looked like the magic
of some fairy tale. We did not stop to ask ques-
tions, but proceeded to help ourselves. But nei-
ther the chicken or the bread agreed with us any
better than the sugar, though we only eat a very
small portion of them. I then boiled some eggs
about half done, and as we only eat a half a one
apiece, we succeeded in retaining it. While we
were eating our eggs we saw approaching us a
man and woman on horseback, and as they drew
near, we perceived them to be a mulatto man
and one of the most beautiful white women I
ever saw. He informed me that they had been
there and prepared the meal of which we had
partaken, and had rode off to look for his wagon,
which had been lost in the river. The woman had
nothing to say, but looked very much cowed. The
negro watched her very closely when in our pres-
ence. But at length he had to go and attend to his
horses, so that she was left alone with us. We
expected then that she would speak, and per-
haps appeal to us for protection, and we had
agreed that if she did, we would afford it; but
she said nothing to us, and we did not like to
question her. That night before we retired to rest,
we agreed that one of us should stay awake and
watch while the others slept. We had not slept
long when the watcher woke us, saying the negro
had left the house. We immediately arose, and
following him, demanded of him the cause of his
leaving. He said he had forgotten to water the
horses, and had started out for that purpose; but
we knew he had watered them, and therefore138
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Nesbitt Memorial Library. Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 9, Number 3, September 1999, periodical, September 1999; Columbus, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151407/m1/10/?q=nesbitt%20memorial%20library%20journal: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nesbitt Memorial Library.