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The Golden Grain. The grain ! the grain ! the beautiful grain! llow it laughs to the breeze with a glad refrain, Blessing the famishing earth in her pain. The grain ! the grain ! the beautiful sheaves! A song of joy their rustling weaves, For the gracious gift that the earth receives. From every hill side, every plain, Comes the farmer’s song as he reaps the grain, And the summer breeze wafts on the strain. And so for the grain 1 the beautiful grain! The golden, the laughing, with glad refrain, Blessing the famishing earth in her pain. Written for Burke’s Weekly. JACK DOBELL; * Or, A Boy’s Adventures in Texas. A STORY FOR BOYS. CHAPTER X. SUFFERINGS FROM HUNGER AND THIRST — WILD ANIMALS —MEXICANS AND INDIANS —TURK’S HEADS —WATER AT LAST THE COW AND CALF A SUPPER OF PIG’S MEAT —SWIMMING THE GUADALUPE NARROW ESCAPE FROM DROWNING. f»'ECROSSIXG the Mana huila creek, and night coming on shortly after, we encamped by the side of a pool of water, in an “ island ”of thick timber. By this time we were suffering terribly with hunger, nevertheless we man u aged to sleep through the greater portion of the night* In the morning we again struck out across the prairies, but owing to the rank grass with which they were covered, and our increasing weakness, our progress was slow and painful. To-day II found about a dozen wild onions, which he divided with B and myself, but the quantity was so small that it appeared only to aggravate the pangs of hunger. We also saw several parties of marauding Mexicans or Indians, but as they were on horseback, and we were on foot, we always discovered them before they came near enough to observe us, and eluded them by secreting ourselves in the high grass until they had passed. At night we again encamped in a thick piece of woods, bordering a small creek, but we slept but little on account of our sufferings from hunger, which had now become excruciating. The next morning B was so weak he could scarcely walk three hundred yards without rest ing, nevertheless, we pushed on as fast as be could travel. A portion of the way was over high rolling prairie, on which there was no water to be found, and the pangs of thirst were added to those of hunger, until alleviated by the juice of a half dozen “Turks’ heads,” which we BTTKKE’S WEEKLY. fortunately found growing upon the top of a barren, pebbly knoll. These “Turks heads,” as they are termed by the people of the country, are, I believe, a species of the cactus, about the size of a turnip, growing upon the top of the ground, and protected upon the outside by a number of tough, horny prickles. The inside is filled with a spongy substance, which, when taken out and squeezed, affords a quantity of a sort of tasteless juice that answers as a tolerable substitute for water. Towards evening we discovered a long line of timber ahead of us, and in an hour or so we came to a considerable stream of water, which from my knowledge of the geography of the country, I was satisfied could be no other than the Guadalupe river. At the point where we struck it, the prairie extended up to the banks, which were high and very steep. A few hundred yards above us, we saw a cow with a young calf grazing very near the bank, and, approaching them cautiously, we attempted to drive them over the bluff, hoping that one or both of them would be killed or disabled by the fall; but after several ineffectual attempts to force them over, they finally broke by us and made their escape. Completely exhausted by our exertions, and suffering terribly from hunger, we looked around for a suitable place to en camp at, as it was now near night, and coming to a deep pit or sink, which afford ed a good shelter from the chilling wind that was blowing at the time, we built up a small fire at the bottom, laid down upon the leaves to rest our wearied limbs, and in a little while we all fell asleep. llow long I had slept I know not, but I was at length aroused from my slum bers by a rattling among the dry sticks and leaves, and looking up I discovered a wild sow, with seven or eight young pigs, coming down towards the bottom ot the sink where we were lying. I cautiously seized a piece of wood that fortunately lay within my reach, and silently await ed their approach. On they came, total ly unsuspicious of our proximity, (for by this time our fire had pretty well burnt down,) until they were nearly upon us, when I sprang up suddenly, stick in hand, and commenced a furious assault upon the pigs. The noise aroused B and H— from their slumbers, and, comprehending at a glance the condition of affairs, they hurried to my assistance, and before the pigs could make good their retreat up the steep sides of the sink, we had killed five of them. We then assaulted the old sow, but, weakened as we were by starvation, she resisted successfully our combined at tacks, and eventually got off with the re mainder of her pigs. Xo doubt it was well for us she did so, for had we killed her too, unable as we would have been to I est 1 am our voracious appetites, it is more than probable that we would have injured ourselves seriously by indulging them to excess. However, we had five of her pigs, which,—without other preparation than a slight roasting on the coals, suffi cient to singe off most of the hair,—were most expeditiously disposed of. I have been partial to pig meat ever since. Great ly refreshed by the food we had taken, we laid down again upon the leaves at the bottom of our “pit” and slept soundly until morning. In the morning we made a reconnois ance of the river, preparatory to crossing it, and discovered we had a difficult under taking before us. Though not very wide, it was greatly swollen by the rains that had fallen, and its turbid waters were rushing at an exceedingly rapid rate. II and myself were both good swim mers, and I felt sure we could make the opposite bank, but I had my doubts about B . He was an indifferent swimmer, and very timid in water. However, there was no alternative but to make the at tempt, so we stripped off our clothes, tied them in bundles upon our heads, to keep them as dry as possible, and boldly plung ed in. II and myself soon reached the opposite bank in safety, but hardly had we done so, when we heard a cry of distress from B , and, looking back, discovered that he was still some distance from the shore, and evidently just on the eve of sinking. At the very point where I landed, there happened to be a slab of dry timber lying on the edge of the wa ter, which I instantly seized, and swim ming with it towards the place where B had sunk, he fortunately got hold of it as he rose to the surface for the third time. He held on with the usual tenacity of a drowning man, and by swimming and pushing behind, I at last got him to shore, and with the assistance of II , dragged him out of the water. In a little while, he recovered from the effects of his duck ing, and we proceeded on our way. All’s Well. The day is ended. Ere I sink to sleep, My weary spirit seeks repose in Thine; Father! forgive my trespasses, and keep This little life of mine. With loving kindness curtain Thou my bed: And cool in rest my burning pilgrim feet; Thy pardon be the pillow for my head, So shall my sleep be sweet. Wicked men ply their prayers as the sailors their pump, —only in a tem pest, and for fear of sinking. 135