April 16 - now commenced a regular journal. By the request of Col. Ugatuha, the commandant of Goliad, Dr. Shackelford and myself promised to go to San Antonio to take in our charge the wounded officers there. The leaving of Goliad, where we had undergone such a varity of fortune, and where everything brings up such painful remembrances, its truly reviving.      We crossed the river and rode through the day over a delightful country, covered with patches of shrubbery, now in full verdure, and while our eyes were relieved by reposing on Natures freshness, the fragrance of the numerous flowers that covered the prairies conveyed exquisite pleasure to another sense, and the balmy breeze seemed to infuse new vigor and give us the feeling of healthful and animated life. It was while riding along to-day that I became struck with the great alteration that six weeks had made in the appearance if my companion; Dr. Shackelford, then a hale, active man of forty; he now seemed at least ten years older and bending under the weight of his sorrows. I remarked the change to him, and he replied the same idea had occurred in regard to myself.      The last few weeks though short seem an age, and they have not only made us look but actually feel older.      Sunday, 17 - Rode about twenty five mile, prairie high and rolling with mesquite scattered about. We occasionally to-day got sight of the San Antonio timber that winds along like a narrow belt four or five miles to our left. At night signs of rain; fixed a tent with our saddles, and some bushes. While engaged in camping, it now being dark, a wild goose in flying over became dazzled by our fire and came fluttering down within a few feet of us. Our soldiers soon dispatched it with their swords and as we had eaten supper we dressed it for breakfast.      Monday, 18th - After discussing our goose and a cup of coffee, we again resumed our journey. About ten o'clock we came to a ranch and procured some milk, bread and cheese which are now the greatest luxuries to us; passed two or three ranches to-day, within a few miles of each we were sure to find a hundred or two head of cattle grazing. At one ranch to-day, we saw goats. Came to a ranch and stopped for the night.      These rancheros remined me strongly of the Patriarchs of old, in their possessions and simplicity of life.      It will not however do to trust people's honesty too far, on account of their simplicity, as I found to my cost. I had managed to get one change of clothing since being a prisoner, this night they stole that, and left me to travel on with all my wealth on my back.      Friday, 22 - Went on a few miles to a rancho, where we stopped and took breakfast under a large live oak, the branches of which spread out and overshadowed the yard in front of the house. Rode on and crossed the Salado, a beautiful stream of water. Our guide refused to halt here for fear of Indians. Road on a few mile further and halted to graze our horses on a post oak prairie. After making a fire and cooking, lay down under the shade of a tree; the trunk of an older lay near us on the ground, through a crevice of which we directly discovered the folds of an enormous rattlesnake. We punched him with a stick to drive him out, but his snakeship only shook his rattles and drew himself further in. We then set fire to the old trunk, and burned up this representative of man's first adversary. After the trunk was burned down, we poked open the sinders and found two large rattlesnakes, nicely broiled. The meat looked as nice and smelt as deliciously as trout, but we did not feel any inclination to taste it, notwithstanding its flavor. Rode on and soon came in sight of the lower Mission, about three miles off to our left, a stately church left tenantless and waste in the wideness.   After passing by two or three other Missions, about the same distance off, we came in sight of Bexar and arrived there a little before sunset.      We were conducted to the commandante, General Andrade, who, with several of his officers, we found sitting before one of the houses on one side of the square.      The moment we entered the town the whole population, men women and children, began to flock around us, by the time we had got where the commandante was, it appeared the whole town was about us and gazing with the greatest curiosity.      Had we been tigers or, or captive Commanches, there could not have been a greater stir. Gen. Andrade, after reading our letters, addressed us inquiring if we spoke Spanish or French. I answered him in the latter language.      He observed that Col. Ugartuha had written to him as we had come of our own accord, we were not to be considered as prisoners, but were entitled to our release and that he had promised us passports to leave as soon as the wounded could get along without our help.      The general appeared pleased at our coming, and pledged to his honor that what had been promised to us would be strictly fulfilled.      We were then conducted to our quarters. Dr. Shackelford was placed in the house of Don Roman Musquiz, and I went to Angelo Navarros.      April, 21 - Yesterday and to-day we have been around with the surgeons to the place to visit the wounded, and a pretty piece of work "Travis and his faithful few" have made of them. There are now about a hundred here of the wounded. The surgeons tell us thee were four hundred of them brought into the hospital the morning they stormed the Alamo, but I should think from appearance that there must have been more. I see many around town, who were crippled there, apparently, two or three hundred and the citizens tell me three or four hundred have died of their wounds.      We have two colonies and a major and eight captains under our charge, who were wounded in the assault. We have taken one ward of the hospital under our charge. There surgical department is shockingly conducted, not an amputation performed before we arrived, though there are several cases even now, that should have been operated upon at the first, and how many have died from the want of operation is impossible to tell, though it is fair inference that there has been has not been a few.      There has been scarcely a ball cut out as yet, almost every patient carrying lead he had received that morning.      In the course of the week after we came in town, a party of Commanches were here. They brought in hams, and things to trade to the Mexicans who made much of them and treated them with a great deal of indifference. They are large men and very muscular.      Wednesday, 27 - This evening a family of Rancheros coming into to town with a cart, were attacked two or three miles out, by Tawacana Indians, (as they say, but I strongly suspect the Commanches, who left two or three days ago) two or three men and women were killed, and one woman dangerously wounded in the stomach, one woman slightly wounded in the back and scalped and one girl severely wounded. We have taken them in our care and dressed their wounds. I am told that the Indians frequently kill people in a few miles of town.      We get on comfortably here, these people show us much respect and courtesy. We meet with much simple and unaffected kindness of heart from the citizens, particularly the females: We were also treated well by the officers. It is evident that they have a high opinion of our skill, and it the surgeons that I have seen among them are a fair sample, of their medical talent in the nation, I can safely say without the least spark of vanity, they have reason to think well of us.      The surgeon of the garrison came for me the other day to visit his wife and who was in the greatest distress and he did not know what to do for her. On going to his house I found that she had a tooth-ache.      He amputated a leg the day we arrived, and the man died the next. We have as yet amputated but one, and that patient is doing well - about a half a dozen more that should have been operated, but now they die anyhow.      To Day, I got some clothes from the tailor, the first change I have been able to get since coming here.      Thursday, 28 - One of the men killed by the Indians yesterday, brought in today, stabbed in several places and scalped. Three of four of our hospital patients died last night.      On to    May                       The text was copied verbatim including spelling and grammatical errors.