Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-01-20

like but very much thicker and broad.
er than the common flag which grows
in our Missouri yards. At the river
this plant grows four feet high but by
the time you get as far south as Mon
terey it has reached height
of twenty feet and is ten inches IN
diameter. The body is full of pith
which is SAID to make a splendid
article Of paper and the leaves are ex-
tensively used by the natives to COW
er their huts. These things standing
up solitary and separately as they do
wonderful grave yard sort of look and
you get melancholy in spite of your
selt.
No habitation or sign of life is seen
in the first 100 miles from the river
save few Mexican huts, built fmud
or canvas, iu which the hands en-
ployed by the railroad ompany live
or which are occupied by the misera-
BILE greasers who are engaged in cut
ting the Mes quite trees tor wood for
the railroad. How these fellows.
dressed in cotton clothes, with sole
cut out of a raw hide for shoe can
make their way through this bound
less sea Of cactus, in places as high as
your head, cut out these little trees,
load the wood on their twJ.wheeled
carts and get QUITO the railroad with
it, Is a marvel which only Mexican
can solve. ,-,,,.........
At the end Of the first ono hundred
miles we have reached a few isolated
huts, with now aud then little mud
village, the abodes of squallor, mise.
ry aud filth. Now anu then q little
stream is crossed where few acres OF
corn and beans are cultivated and in
the distance little clumps of fruit
trees mark the whereabouts of a
hacienda or farm house. These
things can only be seen where little
water can be had to moisten the
thirsty earth. Looking from the car
window we now see at . distance of
ten or twelve miles the mountains
rising on each side of us. Droves OF
horses can be seen scamperlng of
through the thorny vegetation as the
train rushes past; then Mexican
boy waves his hat by the side of the
track, while hundred yards away are
more goats or sheep than ever our
eyes beheld before iu q single drove.
|
with big horns aud small carcasses
are seen. They are very thin in flesh
fact which arises from the barren
ground Oh which they can scarce find
sufticiency OF food to live. The
sheep. horses and goats do better on
thorns than cattle.
The train halts for dinner at q sta.
ton where there IS a Mexican village
hid among the fruit trees several hun.
dred yards away. At the station 4
solitary room built of undresseC
boards set on end is the eatlug house
4 crowd stands on the PLATFORM; no
u white face ls to be seen. VENDING
our way among them a sprightly
looking young Mexican addresses vi
in pretty fair English "Good morning
SIR" Iu a conversation with him W,
learned that he had been year a
school in Alabama aud had wol
the prize in Mobile at the pub!i
school. He said his father lived il
the country. and was the owner o
$1,000 sheep aud 10000 goats. Tha
he (the young many was ve.y auxiou
to learn English, and was now seek
, ing employment from the railroa'
company; that he loved American
dearly, and would leave his owl
country unless it awoke IRON il
''death Sleep" as he called it. IL
gave me description Of the celebrs
ted Milms ranch, which was abou
as follows: "You see," said he, "tha
: fiat topped mountain yonder. 1t
{ twelve miles from here to the bas,
, You see there looks to be a cliff Z
, rock extending entirely around i
that Is correct. The mountain is SO
" feet nigh with perpendicular wal
of stone around it varying in heigl
from 800 to 800 ieet. The top of tn
mountain is perfectly level and cover
ed with fine grass, some timber All
fine running water. Up 10 within
few years back no human fout ha
ever stood upon 1t, but at that tim
some one discovered zig Gag way u
] q steep gorge by Which the Top coul
be reached. With considerable labc
4 this way was 80 improved that pac
8 mule could, with difficulty reach th
= summit. There lived iu Monterey q
8 lrishman named Mtlms, who came I
Mexico many years before q pennies
' boy but had gro wn rich as a merchan
} Hearing that the summit OF this moui
I tain had been reached and that it W.
I. twenty-five miles across it in all
e direction, that there was but one wa
: by which it could be reached All
: that as a ranch for breeding stock
b had no equal in the world, he procu
y ed grant to it from the governmer
o and now 1t swarms with cattle al
u horses. He has built hin palace o
the summit where he retires, when
g revolution breaks out. with his Walt
ables. He has a number or peop
: employed to look alter his vast herd
g that is to gather them up when sole
q for as escape is impossible and stca
e all they have to do. A doZun lne
+ bead can sweep the gorge for qua
ter Of mile aud sweep the path u
clear Of every living thing. Oily u
e army provided with balloons ca
8 reach him or his cattle. The ownt
u now has large bank in Montere
a stores in all the principal cities OF III
Q part of Mexico aud counts his none
b by milllous."
. The railroad dinner was re
Mexican one. Brown earthen bow
were placed on boards in the midd
of the room. AT this table bencht
. were drawn up. The first dish CO,
). . sisted of stewed goat, red pepper All
= garlic. Then came stewed goat ali
fried goat, beans, red pepper. cofft
J. aud goat milk. The waiter served OF
. the dinner from the pans and pots
- which it was cooked, being herself
: Seniora ofexceediugIy bad feature
. with a complexion like we'll worl
fair leather saddle, and coal bIac
e unkept hair which hung down to h,
: apron strings.
r There are fifteen or eighteen passel
) gers on the train, half q dozen
r whom are ladies', few of whom ha
the slightest idea of the land to whic
they were coming, aud this Dime
v has given them Ii" bright hopes f.
= the future.
The distance from the Rio Grand
to Monterey is 16S miles aud " We 2,
9 nearer and nearer the city, the vale
e III which 1t Is situated grows narrow
l. er and narrower until the mountain
i appear only a few miles distant. Th
, valley OIL either side OF the raj
e road is now all in cultivation, with
II half mile of the track There
= water here. The corn is cut in som
: fields and the shocks are large an
> fine, while the tall sugar cane is onl
= about halt cut down. The tree
|