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86 Cherish Kindly Keelings. BY MBS. VI. A. KIDDER. Cherish kindly feelings, children ; Nurse them in your heart; Don’t forget to take them with you, When from home you start; In the school-room, in the parlor, At your work or play, Kindly thoughts and kindly feelings Cherish every day. Cherish kindly feelings, children,. Toward the old and poor, For you know they’ve many blighting Hardships to endure; Try to make their burden lighter, Help them in their need, By some sweet and kindly feeling. Or some generous deed. Cherish kindly feelings, children, While on earth you stay, They will scatter light and sunshine All along your way; Make the path of duty brighter, Make your trials less, And whate’er your lot or station, Bring you happiness. m Written for Burke’s Weekly. JACK DOBELL; Or, A Boys Adventures in Texas. A STORY FOR BOYS. CHAPTER Y. SANTA ANNA CROSSES THE RIO GRANDE—THE MASSACRE OF PRISONERS AT REFUGIO—MAJ. WARD’S COMMAND CAPTURED-COUNCIL OF WAR-ATTEMPT TO LEAVE GOLIAD-ATTACK ED IN THE OPEN PRAIRIE. about the first of March, a friendly Mexican arrived at Goli ippr ad from the Rio Grande, and informed Col. Fannin that Santa Anna had crossed that river with a largo army, which was moving on in two divisions — one towards Goliad, and the other towards the city of San Antonio. A few days subsequently two or three Ameri cans came in from San Patricio, bringing the news that Captain Grant and some twenty-five or thirty men, stationed at that place, had been surprised and massa cred by the Mexicans. About the same time, a courier came up from Refugio with a request from the Irish settled at Col. Fannin would send down a detachment of men to aid them in re moving their families to a place of secu rity. In compliance with their wishes, thirty-five men, under the command of Capt. King, were ordered to Refugio, to act as an escort to such families as might wish to leave. I have always had my suspicions that a majority of the people of Refugio were better disposed to the Mexicans than to the Americans; but as I have no positive proof of the fact, I would not wish to accuse them wrongfully,, especially as some of them evinced their loyalty by BUEKE’S WEEKLY. taking up arms in behalf of the Texans. The}" were Roman Catholics, and so were the Mexicans ; and when the latter got possession of all the country west of the, Brazos, most of the inhabitants of San Patricio and Refugio remained quietly at their homes, and neither themselves nor their property were interfered with in any way. When Capt. King and his men reached Refugio, they were attacked on the out skirts of the place by 700 Mexican caval ry, and being hard pressed by them, they retreated into the old Mission, a strong stone building, at that time encompassed by walls. The Mexicans brought to bear upon it a couple of field-pieces, with which they at length breached the walls and carried the place by storm. Capt. King and some seven or eight of his men, the sole survivors of the bloody conflict, were taken prisoners, and carried out to a post-oak grove north of the town, where they were securely bound to trees and cruelly murdered by the Mexicans. Their bones were found still dangling to the trees when the American forces re occupied the place in the summer of 1836. About this time, a courier came in from the east, with dispatches from Gen. Houston to Col. Fannin, and it was re ported in camp that Gen. Houston had ordered the latter to evacuate Goliad, and to fall back without delay towards the settlements on the Colorado. But as to the truth of this report I cannot speak positively. At any rate, Col. Fannin showed no disposition to abandon the place, but, on the contrary, hearing noth ing from Capt. King, although he had sent out three sp>ies at various times to obtain information of him—all of whom were captured and killed by the Mexi cans—he dispatched Maj. Ward with the Georgia Battalion, consisting of about one hundred and fifty men, to his assist ance. They were attacked before reach ing Refugio by a large force Os Mexi cans, whom they succeeded for a time in beating off, but their ammunition fail ing them, they retreated to the timber on the San Antonio river, where tlicy were surrounded and most of them finally captured. This division of our forces, in the face of an enemy vastly, our superior in numbers, was the fatal error commit ted by Col. Fannin. Hearing nothing either from Capt. King or Maj. Ward, and satisfied from information obtained from our spies, that a large force of Mexicans were some where in the vicinity of Goliad, Col. Fannin held a council of war with his principal officers, in which it was deter- mined to abandon the place, and bill back as rapidly as possible towards Victoria on the Guadaloupe. About this time, a courier came in from San Antonio, with despatches from Col. Travis, stating that he was surrounded in the Alamo by the Mexican army, and requesting Col. Fan nin to hasten with all his forces to his relief as soon as possible. Provisions for five days, and as much ammunition as each man could conveniently carry, were immediately issued, and our whole force including an artillery company, with several pieces of field ordnance—took up the line of march for San Antonio, cross ing the river at the ford about half a mile above the tou r n. After crossing the river a halt was called, and another council of war was held, in which I sup pose it was determined to abandon the design of marching to the relief of Col. Travis ; at any rate, we were ordered to return to Goliad, which we did, re-cross ing the river at the ford below the town. The next day, preparations were mado to abandon the Fort, and to this end we spiked our heaviest pieces of artillery, and buried them in trenches we had dug for that purpose, reserving nine small pdeces and one mortar to take with us on our retreat. We also dismantled the Fort as much as possible, and destroyed all the ammunition and provisions for which we had no means of transporta tion. During the day a detachment of eighty or a hundred mounted Mexicans rode up within full view of the Fort. Capt. Horton, with about thirty mounted Texans, who had joined us a few days previously, sallied out, and after a sharp skirmish, drove the Mexicans back, and they were seen no more that day. The next morning, all things being ready for the retreat, we bid a final fare well, as we supposed, to Goliad, and took the road towards Victoria, on the Guada loupe. We had nine small pieces of ar tillery, and one mortar, all drawn by oxen. Capt. Horton, with his mounted men, led the advance to guard against surprise. We crossed the San Antonio river at the lower ford, and four miles be yond there the Manahuila creek, where we entered upon the large prairie, extending from thence to the timber on the Colette, a distance of nine or ten miles. When we had approached within two and a halt or three miles of this timber, wo were ordered to halt, and the oxen were un geared from the guns and wagons and turned out to graze. What induced Col. Fannin to order a halt at this place, I never could imagine, when by going a few miles farther we would have reached the Coletto creek, where there was an