TEXAS PIONEER 13
Bowles has many relatives living in Uvalde County. He was killed by Indians in the Sabinal Canon about two years after his adventure, probably by the same tribe, who murdered him to avenge the slaughter of their warriors.
There is no comparison between the number of Indians that were killed by white men that I know of, and the number of white men that were killed by Indians.
Mr. John Bowles killed three Indians in Uvalde County. Xavier Wans killed one Indian and mortally wounded another in Medina County. Jack Hoffmann killed two Indians in Medina County. An Indian was killed by the first settlers at Quihi in Medina .County. Nic H'abe killed an Indian in Medina County. Ed. Tschirheart killed an Indian in San Saba County, near Fort McKavitt. Big- foot Wallace killed two Indians in Medina County. All these Indians were killed by men with whom I was well acquainted.
The following are some stories about Big-foot Wallace :
One time he brought a fifteen-year-old Indian who was probably on his first raid and got lost from his companions and had wandered towards Big-foot's ranch and came in contact with his dogs and to save himself, climbed a tree. Big-foot, hearing the bark of his dogs, went at once to see what kind of an animal they had treed, and to his surprise found a half frightened to death young warrior with his bow and arrows strapped to his back, captured him and put him on his horse in the saddle in front of him, and tied his feet under the horse's stomach and carried him that way to Castroville. Some one in the crowd said, " Say, Big-foot, give me that Indian." Whereupon he said, " No, this is my Indian ; if you want an Indian go an' get you one, there are plenty of them left."
Another story that I recollect well happened just before the war, where Big-foot was out horse-hunting and riding a mule when he came upon a fresh trail that was
14 A TEXAS PIONEER
leading in a northerly direction over a divide. He followed the trail to find out if the Indians took the same direction on the other side of the divide, in which case it was his intention to hurry on to Castroville, where he expected to get enough men to cut them off if possible, but as he reached the top of the divide and looking on down the slope he saw to his surprise about twenty-five Indians busy catching the choicest horses out of the herd for their saddle horses. Big-foot saw at once that he was out-numbered and unable to escape, as they had already seen him, whereupon he snatched off his hat and waving it back towards the rear, called at the top of his voice saying, " Come on, boys ! Come on, boys ! We have got them ! " This was too much for Mr. Indian, as they were unable to see Big-foot's imaginary brigade, so they all jumped upon their horses and took to the woods, leaving their stolen animals, which Big-foot afterwards gathered with ease and drove back into the range.
Another story relates that, on one occasion, Big-foot invited several cow-boys, who were hunting cattle, to drink coffee with him and when they accepted his invitation he offered it to them in an Indian skull.
Another anecdote of Big-foot's early days was when he and other men had followed the Indians and overtook them near Bandera, where a battle took place and several Indians were killed. When returning home they all stopped at one of the first settlers' houses and they were invited to dinner. While they were eating they all boasted about their good marksmanship and how many Indians each claimed he had killed. The lady of the house noticed that Big-foot had nothing to say, and she questioned him, saying, " Mr. Wallace, how many Indians did you kill?" And he answered, "None." She then asked, "How is that?" "Just because there were not enough Indians for all of us, and according to the stories that you have heard, there were none left for me."
CHAPTER II
MY father always showed a strong affection for me and I was warmly attached to him. I often accompanied him on his journeys away from home, and I am inclined to think that my mischief-making propensities influenced him to remove me from familiar associations when he took me with him. He made frequent trips to Port Lavaca with his ox-wagon, when his team was not needed on the farm, and he received a fair compensation for hauling freight both ways between that point and San Antonio. I was not only his traveling companion on such occasions, but I made myself useful by driving the oxen and was able to do many things that were appreciated.
My father once contracted with a party in San Antonio to haul a load of pine lumber from a mill near Bastrop, on the Colorado River, and I went with him. Bastrop was then a small village with a few scattering houses, and the night we camped in the town a public meeting was held in the open air which I attended. I have no recollection of what it was about, although it was the first political speech I had ever heard, but I do remember that the place was lit up by torches made of pineknots and that they furnished the most beautiful light I had ever seen. I was only about eight years old then, and when I learned that I could get pine-knots for the trouble of gathering them, I lost no time the next day in collecting all I wanted, although the task was not as easy as I expected. On the way home I illuminated our camp every night and had some left with which I lit up the premises to please a few of my young friends. They were delighted, because they had never seen anything so
15
16 A TEXAS PIONEER
brilliant before, but the exhibition closed when I barely missed setting fire to the corn-crib.
The light they had been accustomed to see was made by wrapping a rag around a stick and saturating it with lard ; the lower end was then stuck in a coffee-cup half full of sand, and the cup was filled with rendered lard or melted tallow. It made a very dim light, but it was the best we could do before candle molds were introduced, which were used by everybody who made tallow candles, until sperm candles of northern manufacture were placed on the market. The first I ever saw was in Castroville, in 1855, when three of them sold for twenty-five cents ; but they were too high-priced for common use and more than the poorer people of that region could afford to pay.
My father was an indulgent parent and he allowed his children many privileges, but he could be severe in his punishments when their misconduct made it necessary, and our mother was equally kind and affectionate. Under such influences the hardships that circumstances imposed upon us were not felt and we retained pleasant memories of our childhood. Our opportunities for an education were limited, and in my case frequent interruptions occurred so that my school days if added together would represent a very short period.
I remember a donkey which was identified with my school experiences that, incidentally, was the cause of many fights and any amount of trouble, but it is not worth while to discuss them. He had a disposition that was rather eccentric and he indulged his whims whenever it suited him. He was always in request on week days, and on Sundays some one of the children rode him to church. I will never forget the sensation he created one Sabbath morning when the services were being conducted. The minister was reading from the Bible and the congregation was devoutly listening to the lesson in which the word Hallelujah appears. As he raised his voice to an un-
A TEXAS PIONEER 17
usually loud pitch when repeating the word, the donkey, that was grazing near the window, thought, perhaps, that the exclamation invited a response. A moment later his head appeared in the opening and he uttered a refrain in prolonged strains such as only a donkey can express, until the solemnities were disturbed and the preacher even, although somewhat disconcerted, could not suppress a smile.
My father owned a small bunch of horses that were not easily controlled and the donkey was our stand-by until we got rid of a wild gray mare that could rarely be penned and she always led the herd. One Sunday, when my parents were at church, we managed to get her in the pen, and after roping and throwing her, with the assistance of several visiting boys, I tied a dry cow's hide securely to her tail. When I turned her loose she dashed out of the enclosure and as the rattling raw-hide drove
