Many of my friends have asked me to tell the story of my life, and I have consented to do so in the hope that it may prove interesting to them and not entirely valueless for other reasons. It deals with conditions that have passed away, but which were thrilling and important in the early history of Texas. I have lived in Texas when it was a part of Mexico, when it was an independent republic, while it was one of the Confederate States, and hope to lay my body to rest in its soil in sight of Polly's Peak when my journey is ended.