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106 Written for Burke’s Weekly. The Snow Drop. It is to rue the flower of flowers! The favorite of my earliest hours, Long ere I knew a sigh or tear, I gaily twined it in my hair. Its tiny bells as pure and bright As my own visions of delight 1 And when the shadow of the tomb Shrouded my youthful heart in gloom, And grief had taught that heart to know All was not happiness below— These flowers to me a cherished friend “Tokens of sympathy ” did 6end! Tho’ dearly loved in childhood’s hours, Far dearer, now, were these fair flowers; For on each snowy leaf I read, Mem’ries of joys, forever fled! •* * * :S * * * I took the little plants she gave, And decked with them—a brother’s grave! Wacahoota, Fla. F. C. Written for Burke’s Weekly. JACK DOBELL; Or, A Boy’s Adventures in Texas. A STORY FOR BOYS. CHAPTER YII. PRISONERS IN THE “OLD MISSION’’-SUFFER INGS-TIIE INQUISITIVE OFFICER-AN IN DIGNANT PRISONER-THE PRISONERS MARCH ED OUT-THE MASSACRE-MY ESCAPE. FTER our surrender, we were marched back to Goliad, escorted by a large detachment of cav- K airy, and placed within walls of the “Old Mission,” around which a strong guard was posted night and day. Among the e 7 Mexican officers there was a Lieu tenant, named Martinez, who had been educated at a college in Kentucky, where he had been for a longtime a room mate of a member of my company, named B . Every day he used to call to see B , and condole with him upon his un fortunate condition; but he never gave him the least intimation of the treacher ous designs of the Mexicans towards .us, and on the morning of the massacre I was told he was in command of a portion of the guard that, was detailed to execute the bloody work upon tho division in which his college friend B was inclu ded ! A day or two after our return as pris oners to Goliad, Major Ward and those of his battalion that survived the enmme- O O ment they had with the Mexicans, near Refugio, (as mentioned in Chapter Y.,) were brought in and confined along with us within the walls of the “Old Mission •” as also a company of 80 or 100 men, un der tho command of Captain Miller, who were surprised and captured at Copano, just after they had landed from their ves sel. These men were also placed within the walls of the “ Old Mission,” but were BURKE’S WEEKLY. kept separate from the rest of us, and to distinguish them, each one had a white cloth tied around one of his arms. At the time I had no idea why this was dono, but subsequently I understood the reason. On and after the sixth day after our return to Goliad —whether the Mexicans had become suspicious of an intention on our part to rise upon the guards, or whe ther they merely wished to render our situation as uncomfortable as possible, I know not, but from that time we were forced to take up our quarters in the “ old church,” where we were so crowded that we had scarcely room to lie down at night. Our rations, too, were reduced to about five ounces of beef a day, which wo had to cook in the best way we could, and eat without bread or salt. One day an officer who was passing, attracted, I suppose, by my youthful ap pearance, spoke to me, and finding that I understood Spanish, (which I had learn ed at college,) he took a seat near me and entered into conversation. He asked me a great many questions about the United States, the size of our standing army, our form of government, what State I was from, and what induced me to come to Texas, etc., etc.; to all of which I frankly answered. He expressed much astonish ment at tho correctness of my pronuncia tion, and inquired if I had ever been to Old Spain, saying he was confident I had not learned the language among the Mex icans. I told him I had never been far ther from home than Texas, but that I had studied the Spanish under an able professor, at a Catholic institution, lie then asked me if I was a Catholic, and when I told him I was not, he seemed much disappointed, and tried in various ways to get some sort of admission from me that I had more faith in the Roman Catholic religion than any other. This conversation made but little im pression upon me at the time, but I have since thought this officer, on account of my youth, or because he had otherwise conceived an interest for me, was desirous of some excuse or pretext to save me from the fate ho knew was in store for us. In fact, several of our men were saved from the massacre, for no reason that I am aware of, except that they were members of tho Roman Catholic church. Although closely confined, and watched, and half starved, no personal indignity was ever offered us by the Mexicans, to my knowledge, except upon two occa sions. Once a Mexican soldier pricked one of our men with his bayonet, because he did not go quite fast enough to suit him, whereupon tho American turned and knocked tho Mexican down with his fist We fully expected that our comrade would have been roughly handled for this “overt act,” but the officer in command of the guard complimented him upon his courage, and told him he had treated tho soldier as ho deserved. At another time, one of our men was complaining to the officer of the guard of the scantiness of his rations ; he ordered a soldier to collect a quantity of old bones and offal that were lying around, and casting them on tho ground before the man, ho told him to eat —that such food was good enough for a “ heretic.” On the morning of the 27th of March, a Mexican officer came into our quarters and ordered us to get our knapsacks and blankets and prepare for a march. He told us we were to be liberated upon pa role, and that arrangements had been made to send us back to the United States on board of some American vessels lately arrived at Copano. This you may be sure w T as joyful new T s to us, and we lost no time in making preparations to leave our uncomfortable quarters. When all were ready, wo were told off into three divisions and marched out under a strong guard. As avc passed by some Mexican women, who were standing near the main entrance to the Fort, I heard several of them exclaim “ Pobrecitos !” (poor fel lows!) but at the time it made but little impression upon my mind. One of tho three divisions was taken down the road towards the lower ford, one upon the road leading to San Patricio, and the division to which my company was attached along the road leading to San Antonio, with a guard in double file on both sides of us. It occurred to mo that this was a strange sort of manoeuvre, but still I had no suspicion of the foul play intended us. When we had gone about half a mile from the Fort, a halt was called, and the guard on the side nearest the river filed around to tho op posite side. Yv r e were also in double file. Hardly had this manoeuvre been execu ted when I heard a heavy firing of mus ketry in the directions the other divisions had taken. The next moment someone near me exclaimed, “ Boys, they are go ing to shoot us,” and at the same instant I hoard the clicking of gun locks along the Mexican line. As I turned to look, the Mexicans fired, killing at least one hundred out of the hundred and fifty men that composed one division. The man standing before me was shot dead, and in falling bore me to the ground, deluging me at tho same time with his blood, which flowed profusely from his wounds. When I rose, tho Mexicans, as