USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > Texas and the Gulf of Mexico ; or, Yachting in the New World, volume 2 > Part 5
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men, an occupation for which they are ad- mirably fitted, and which they are said to fulfil with fidelity. Whilst we were in Texas, the price of an ox, or of a cow and calf, was five dollars, about a pound ster- ling, the dollar being valued at from forty- eight to fifty-two pence. Horses and mules could be bought at from thirty to fifty dol- lars; and whilst we were at Houston, a hundred pigs were sold at a halfpenny per pound weight. The mildness of the cli- mate, and the fact of its not being subject to the extremes of heat and cold, is very favourable to the increase of stock, poultry, &c. One of the most experienced and sa- gacious men in the country was of opinion, that no speculation would answer so well in Texas as the breeding of sheep; not only on account of the increasing demand for wool in the United States, but also to sup-
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ply the wants of the settlers. And now having detailed many of the temptations offered to European emigrants, I feel bound to mention what seems to me the disadvan- tages attending the settling in Texas. The first and most apparent of them, is the diffi-
culty of purchasing land with a good title. It was the opinion of some of the cleverest lawyers in Texas, that the titles to three- fourths of the " located" lands in Texas were of a doubtful character; not perhaps absolutely invalid, but admitting of a law- suit. I dare say the attorneys themselves are generally too glad to undertake any case, for the chance of a share in the spoil, which here, as in more civilized countries, is by no means inconsiderable. Wood, in many parts of the country, is very abundant ; but I suspect that, as population increases, there will be found very frequently a want VOL. II. G
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of this essential. Supposing the settler to have acquired his land in a healthy and de- sirable position, and to have made all his arrangements necessary for farming, &c., he will constantly be required, in his inter- course with his neighbours, (if, as is most probable, they happen to be Yankees,) to practice a degree of ingenuity and cunning in trading transactions, of which, I believe, few of our countrymen can boast. I heard, that owing to this deficiency in the art of " shaving," nine times out of ten, when an English settler had done business with a Yankee, the substance of the confiding John Bull had gradually diminished, until at length, his whole means had found their way into the possession of his more expe- rienced, but less scrupulous, neighbour. Many, tempted by the extremely low price of land, have been induced to choose "lo-
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cations" far removed from the protection of civilized beings; and not a few, in all pro- bability, have built their houses as near the river as possible. Here, after a time, if the settler escapes the fever and ague, he most likely finds himself unable to endure the utter loneliness and solitude of his position, together with the hardships and depriva- tions necessarily attendant upon such a re- sidence in the wilderness. His house is abandoned, and either falls into decay, or is destroyed by the bands of roving In- dians, who are not very scrupulous in re- gard to any flocks or herds they may chance to find unprotected. But it may be asked, how are these evils to be provided against ? I should say, easily enough. In the first place, settlers should be grega- rious ; companionship lightens toil, and pro- motes a spirit of emulation : and it is the
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more necessary for our countrymen in par- ticular, that they should settle in herds, be- cause they generally have a defect in their character, which stands in the way of their success as settlers. This defect is pe- culiar to our middle and lower classes, and is not found among the Americans. The fault of which I speak, is the difficulty they find in adapting themselves to occupations to which they have been unaccustomed. The ploughman is a ploughman only ; he cannot use the axe, make a fence, or per- form the commonest carpenter's work. The carpenter, on the other hand, would be sadly puzzled to use the plough or spade ; and so, in like manner, with all. The American settler can generally turn his hand to anything, and no kind of work comes amiss to him. After finding fault with the Yankee as a neighbour, I believe
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this may also be said of him, that although he is always on the look-out for a good thing, and would do his utmost to over- reach his neighbour, in what he considers fair trade, yet he will generally be found kind-hearted, good-natured, and willing both to assist and lend, if required. This I fancy is generally the case among early set- tlers, in a young country like this. I could find many more arguments to prove that English emigrants should only go to Texas in bodies, and then not without some one capable of directing them ; but that I think the fact must be self-evident.
CHAPTER VII.
PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE INDISPENSABLE TO A SETTLER IN A NEW COUNTRY. STORY OF A YOUNG EMIGRANT'S SUFFERINGS.
Her's was the brow, in trials unperplex'd, That cheer'd the sad, and tranquillised the vex'd.
Young, innocent, on whose sweet forehead mild The parted ringlet shone in simplest guise. *
He was her only child.
CAMPBELL.
No settler in a new country should enter upon his vocation without having on hand an immense stock of perseverance. Pa- tience, under sickness and distress, is also another invaluable quality, the exercise of which will be often called for in the life of an emigrant. Let no one expect that his
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bed in the wilderness will be one of roses ; the charms of this wild life will, on the contrary, often be varied by contretemps, and hardships of every description.
I was much interested by an account I heard of a young emigrant, who, in the outset of his career, afforded a proof of the truth of my remarks.
This settler was a young Scotchman, who having saved a few hundred pounds, and seeing no " opening" in his own coun- try, decided upon trying his fortune in the plains and prairies of Texas. His knowledge consisted of some practical in- formation on agricultural subjects, and on the price of stock, in England, and, in short, of farming details which apply ex- clusively to practice in the " Old Country."
M'Leod, for so I will call him, had mar- ried a pretty Irish girl, of tolerable con-
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nections and good education. She pos- sessed, withal, a light heart and a happy temper - no trifling recommendations for domestic life in the wilderness. Land, as I have elsewhere observed, is temptingly cheap far up the country ; so the Scotch- man easily made a purchase of a conside- rable tract ; and he, and his young wife, with a little helpless child, travelled by slow degress, but cheerfully and full of hope, towards the rolling country above Wash- ington. They had not been long in their new abode, when they discovered that the location was ill chosen. They had built their log house in a hollow, instead of on rising ground, which is everywhere at some- thing less than a mile distant from the river, it was therefore damp and unwholesome. In short, the M'Leods, like many other settlers, had rashly followed their own ideas, and
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neglected to ask the advice of experienced dwellers in the country. The consequences of this imprudence soon made themselves apparent ; and in a short time, M'Leod was stretched upon his bed in a low and lingering fever. Nora's helpfulness was now of essential service. Strong in body, with hardy peasant nerves, and a genuine Irish spirit of good humour and trusting- ness, she nursed her sick husband, milked the cows, minded the house, and took care of the baby.
Fortunately, in this rich soil and land of prolific produce, the means of existence were easily procured, at least for a season. Nora's stock of poultry was not easily ex- hausted, for the domestic fowls breed and rear their young much more frequently than in most other countries. Of the pigs, and other animals, the same may be safely
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averred ; and thus Nora and her little fa- mily continued to live on. But M'Leod's was not a temporary malady; week after week sped by, and he lay there still, a use- less, powerless man. The nature of his complaint affected his spirits, and he seemed fast sinking into a state of helpless des- pondency. In vain did Nora, with her bright face, and cheerful voice, slightly in- dicative of her Hibernian origin, endeavour to console him. When the sick man in- dulged in sad prophecies of the poverty which he insisted would ere long come upon them, Nora would gaily repeat to him the Irish proverb, "Cheer up, my darling, there's a silver lining to every cloud." But they could not live upon smiles, and cheering words ; and proverbs, however true, are as unprofitable as they are stale. By degrees, their live stock dimi
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nished; some strayed, others were shot by some wandering riflemen, a few fell sick, and a tribe of Indians, who were encamped near, did not scruple to lay their hands upon such as came within their reach. Happily for Nora, these Indians belonged to a friendly tribe, otherwise her fear of them would have been still greater than it was. She could not accustom herself to their wild and savage appearance ; and the dread seemed mutual, for the Indians sel- dom approached the abode of the white man. M'Leod had sunk a considerable por- tion of his little fortune in the purchase of land, stock, &c., trusting to his own indus- try and exertions for the future support of his family. After a time, then, the destitu- tion which the sick imagination of the poor Scotchman had so long anticipated, stared them in the face. The wife, notwithstand-
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ing her hopeful spirit, began to despond ; and her husband's health grew daily worse. The feeling of sadness and gloom was a new and unaccustomed one to Nora ; so new, that at first the unwelcome tenant could find no abiding place in her heart. She was determined, however, to hope, though she saw her husband's face grow paler and thinner, day by day; and she would obsti- nately look forward to better times, though their supply even of daily food was fast dwindling away, and though she saw no present means of relief from their distresses. Nora ceased not to exert herself for the support of those she loved. Night and day she toiled ; the garden was dug, and, in an- ticipation of future wants, was sown and planted by her hand. Neighbours she had none ; she was alone in her troubles - not a friend to assist, or to advise. Notwith-
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standing all this, Nora still talked hope- fully, still boasted of the "silver lining" which was to shine out of the dark cloud that hovered over their destinies ; but her heart was heavy within her, and her bright eyes were often dimmed with tears.
It was winter, and heavy rains had de- luged the country. The log house of the M'Leods was surrounded by mud and wet grass ; and when, one cold bleak morning, Nora opened her door, and gazed for a mo- ment abroad, the gloomy prospect struck a chill into her heart. A keen northerly wind was blowing fierce and strong; it came howling through the trees, and scat- tering the fallen leaves into her face. Nora had not been in bed during the previous night; alarm for her husband, and the care which his illness momentarily required, had afforded ample employment both for mind
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and body. On a sudden she heard his voice calling her name. It appeared to her that he spoke in a stronger tone, and she hastened to his bed-side full of hope. Alas ! for her. She saw his eye lighted up by de- lirious fever, and to her terror, perceived that reason had deserted its throne !
With the strength lent by the fierce fever that raged within his veins, he raised himself from his bed, and was with diffi- culty restrained from rushing towards the door. His actions were violent, and he heaped bitter imprecations upon her, and upon his child.
At this moment a sound full of horror struck upon the mother's ear. There was a sudden shriek, and then the fearful shouts of fifty savage voices burst loudly, and sud- denly forth, startling the echoes for miles around. And well did Nora recognize the
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feeble cry she heard. It was the voice of her little Jamie who had been playing in the garden, in unconscious glee. Quicker than thought, she sprang to the door, and gazed distractedly on the scene before her. Her darling was in the hands of the Indians, of Indians, too, whose aspect was totally un- known to her. In a moment she guessed the truth, and that the dreaded Comanchees were upon them ! In vain she struggled to free him ; in vain did the child hold up his little hands, and implore help from her, who never yet had been deaf to his prayers. Amidst the stunning sounds of the terrible war-whoop, the petted child was held up be- fore his mother's eyes, and while she was forcibly held back, the scalping knife did its revolting office! The bright sunny curls were hung at the belt of the savage warrior who performed the deed, while the boy was
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flung palpitating, and barely possessed of life at the feet of his parent.
It was now Nora's turn to suffer, and another of these relentless savages, speedily seized hold of his now unresisting victim. Another moment would have decided her fate, when the arm of her enemy was ar- rested by the appearance of a new actor on the scene ; a gaunt form, who (without any previous warning) approached the group, and attracted the attention of all.
It was M'Leod, whose wild ravings could not be restrained, and who with deli- rious unconsciousness of his danger, stalked in amongst them. His wild actions, and strange gestures sufficiently attested the wandering of his mind, and the Indians stood appalled. Tall warriors in their fierce war paint bent their heads reverently before him ; and impressed with the notion of his
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being inspired, and acting under the espe- cial protection of the Great Spirit, these untamed and revengeful children of the forest shrank awe-struck from his presence.
Slowly and in silence they retreated, and ere another minute had elapsed, Nora was left alone with the husband who had so un- consciously saved her.
On the ground, on the very spot, where he had so lately played in childish glee, lay the bleeding body of the dying child. Who can describe the feelings of the mother, as lifting him in her arms, she tried to hope that the outrage he had undergone would not prove a mortal injury .* Gently and tenderly she laid him on his little bed, and
* I fear such instances of savage atrocity were not rare among the earlier settlers; on the Mexican frontier especially, and on the Northern settlements, where the cruel tribe of the Comanchees have so much power, such horrid events are matter of history. Cases have
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then, and not till then did she return to her painful task of soothing and quieting the in- valid. With gentle words she persuaded him to return to his bed, but even then she could not leave him for a moment.
At intervals she heard the faint and feeble moan of her suffering child, but though the mother's heart was torn within her, she could not desert her post. Towards the evening the sick man became more com- posed, his ravings suddenly ceased, his eyes closed, and a deathlike calm spread over his features. Nora listened, but in vain for his breathing, she felt that he was dead, and that she was alone ; she did not weep how- ever, but sat in a state of stupid insensibility. She was roused from this trance of despair, by a sound, small and low ; but one which been known of recovery after scalping, I myself saw a young man at Galveston, who did not appear at all the worse for the operation.
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heard can never be forgotten, - the last sound of parting breath ! It was small, and low, for it was the breath of a little child ; - the signal that its pure and innocent spirit was about to meet its God ! In a moment Nora was by its side, on her knees, implor- ing with wild eagerness for its young life, and covering its little hands, and face with kisses. The struggle was brief, and when the mother saw that it was dead she fell senseless. She recovered, she knew not how, and it seemed as though a fearful dream had passed over her. Oh that sad and ter- rible awaking after affliction ! The doubt - the fear of the reality - and then the gra- dual, and overwhelming belief in the worst ! Poor Nora felt all this, as gradually she roused herself into sense and life. It was all true - her child, her first, her only one was taken from her. She could not weep,
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hers was a hard tearless grief. On a sud- den, however, the thought of her husband crossed her mind, and a dim recollection of his last sad moments caused her to shudder as though body and soul were parting asun- der. Mechanically she rose, and approach- ing his bed, leant over what she imagined the senseless clay of him she loved. Her head rested on his breast, when she thought - could it be fancy ? that it throbbed slight- ly and feebly. Breathlessly she listened. It was no delusion - he was alive ! Death had not claimed his prey, and he might yet recover. Poor Nora! The eyes which were dry when heavy affliction struck her, over- flowed in salutary drops under the sudden influence of joy. Her first impulse was one of deep and overpowering gratitude ; but her thankfulness was, like her grief, silent, and subdued. She sat down beside
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the bed, and patiently awaited till he should awake. For several hours did she watch, by her husband's side, and morning was again stealing over the sky when he awoke, and in feeble accents whispered her name ; his reason was restored, and Nora felt that all present danger was over. Hours sped by - hours spent by the grateful wife in minister- ing to his recovery. He was weak as an infant, and she dared not tell him of their loss, and that their child lay near them, a lifeless corpse.
The next day, after Nora had as usual been addressing words of encouragement to her patient, and carefully concealing from him her own deep distresses, she was startled by hearing horses' footsteps approaching their abode. In a few minutes a man on horseback stopped at the door, and without ceremony entered the house. Nora did not
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rise, for the hand of her sleeping husband was clasped in hers, while silent tears chased each other down her pale cheeks. Her baby lay unburied near, and for her feeble husband, where was she to find the means of recruiting his exhausted strength ? She had had but little food for many days, and how could she seek for more ?
She hardly raised her head when the stranger entered, so absorbed was she with these melancholy reflections. The traveller, unconscious of her sorrows, addressed her with a cheerful, hearty voice, " good morn- ing marm - how's your man ? Ill I do'nt doubt - These here diggins arnt wholesome any how-I reckon." Saying this, the stranger who was a portly man, of respect- able appearance, seated himself without ceremony in the chimney corner. Shelter is never refused in the Prairie, and to that
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he was welcome ; gladly also would Nora have set food in plenty before her guest. She gave him, however, of that which she had, and the stranger soon learnt the almost destitute condition of his young hostess.
The traveller possessed a kind, and friendly heart, and a well filled purse withal. Liking the appearance of the young settlers, and admiring the order and cleanliness of their cottage, he pitied their misfortunes, and hastened to procure necessaries and comforts for the desolate inhabitants of the watery Prairie. Having then cheered the sufferers with words of hope, and seen the remains of the dead infant decently interred, he left them promising to return. Two more weeks sped by - M'Leod had left his bed, and sat weak and trembling by the fire, while Nora, though her thoughts often wandered to the grave of her child, looked
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at him with eyes full of gratitude and happi- ness. Their talk was of the kind stranger, and of their hopes that he would soon re- turn. And when, soon after this, they again saw his benevolent countenance, and heard his loud hearty greeting, what joy was theirs. The stranger was a rich landholder and cotton grower, and being in want of an overseer on whom he could depend, he fixed upon M'Leod to fill the office. He gave his protégés a pretty house, located in a healthy clearing, not many miles distant from their own property. M'Leod was to be a man having authority, and they had wherewithal to live in comfort and content. When Nora entered her new habitation, leaning on her husband's arm, she looked up in his face, " ah now Jamie," she said, " and did'nt I tell you there was a silver lining to every cloud."
CHAPTER VIII.
ABUNDANCE OF GAME. SEVERE NORTHERS PECULIAR TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. GRADUAL ENCROACHMENT OF LAND UPON THE SEA. HEAVY SWELL ON THE BAR. DIFFERENT CLASSES OF TITLES TO LAND. TEXAS PECULIARLY ADAPTED FOR BREEDING STOCK.
Has heaven reserv'd, in pity to the poor, No pathless waste, or undiscover'd shore ? No secret island in the boundless main ? No peaceful desert yet unclaim'd by Spain ? JOHNSON.
A few weeks had made a considerable dif- ference in the aspect of the country. The Prairie was already beginning to put on its summer mantle of flowers, and immense flocks of migratory birds were darkening the air : wild fowl also, and all kinds of game, were in much greater abundance than when VOL II. H
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we were here last. Mr. Houstoun was de- lighted with the snipe shooting, and he was tolerably successful, frequently killing ten couple in an hour. He was also fortunate enough to kill a very rare bird in the coun- try, called by the inhabitants the Sand Hill crane, which resembles the bustard very much, both in appearance and in flavour, but is considerably larger. The Sand Hill cranes are very difficult to approach, and only appear after two or three days of severe northers.
These northers being peculiar to the Gulf of Mexico, I must endeavour to de- scribe them. They most frequently occur after a few days of damp dull weather, and generally about once a fortnight. Their approach is known by a dark bank rising on the horizon, and gradually over- spreading the heavens. The storm bursts
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forth with wonderful suddenness and tre- mendous violence and generally lasts forty- eight hours; the wind after that period veers round to the east and southward, and the storm gradually abates. During the continuance of a norther, the cold is intense, and the wind so penetrating, it is almost impossible to keep oneself warm. The weather is generally clear, and frequently the northers are almost unaccompanied by rain. The tremendous hurricane that oc- curred last September, as it was described to us, is calculated to give one the im- pression that on some future day the flou- rishing city of Galveston may be swept away by the overwhelming incursions of the sea. On the occasion I have alluded to, such was the force of the winds and waves, that many houses were turned topsy turvy, and some were floated many hundred
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yards from their original position. The greater part of the island was also under water for many days, and boats were in re- quest to go from one house to another. Such a storm as this, however, had never occurred before in the memory of the oldest inhabitant, and some fishermen who had been resident there more than twenty years, asserted that their previous experience pre- sented no parallel for such a destructive hurricane. A stronger argument in favour of the city never being entirely submerged, is the fact that the accumulation of sand, which forms the island, continues increas- ing, while it is proved beyond a doubt that the land is everywhere encroaching on the Gulf of Mexico. We saw an excellent old Spanish chart of the coast, which was made sixty or seventy years ago, and on comparing it with our own we found it on all
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important points remarkably accurate. The island of Galveston, however, is there repre- sented as much smaller than it is at present, and Pelican island (a large sand bank in the middle of the bay) is entirely omitted.
There can be little doubt, from the omis- sion of Pelican Island in the chart I have re- ferred to, and also from the manner in which it is known to increase in size, that half a century ago it was not in existence. This would lead to the supposition that the har- bour is gradually filling up, but it is conjec- tured by many that as its limits decrease, the channel, probably formed by the Trinity river, will become deeper. The bar at its entrance is said to remain exactly the same, though the depth of water on it varies con- siderably according to the wind : after se- veral days of very strong southerly winds, there is frequently as much as fifteen feet of
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water, and the depth, throughout the bay, and even up the river, is increased several feet. Vessels, however, cannot take advan- tage of this circumstance during the conti- nuance of the southerly winds, owing to the extremely heavy swell on the bar, which, notwithstanding the greater depth of water, materially increases the chance of a vessel's " bumping;" a term the Americans use for touching on the sand banks, and they seem to think nothing of it. It is no un- common practise to make the crew and passengers keep constantly moving in line, from one side of the deck to the other, when there is not sufficient water to pass a bar without " rolling over " as this proceeding is called. We ourselves on one occasion assisted at a ceremony of this kind in a steamer.
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