, 1885-03-04
MEXICO'S CAVALRY.
THEIR DINeY AccoUTERMENTs AND
RoUeH-AND-READY STEEDS.
Personal Appearances of the Men-Uniform
and Foot-oear-Food of Rider and
Horss-Thirty Cents Per
D~iem-Liberty.

lraso del Mort Cor. dlobe-Democrntl
Tho soldier holds almost as bad 4 position
In the social scale as tho actor does in China,
where his rank is lowest Of all other profess
sions-a pretty fair test Of the culture Of tho
people. The Same Is truo Of this land Of
God and Liberty from which l y write.
Some companies OF the Eleventh Mexican
cavalry Gre stationed hore, and L have an
ample opportunity Of studying the soldiers
OF the republic at will They are all chades
Of color, from almost white to a dirty
black la nearly al the Indian blood can
be distinctly traced, and In many the
type Is 70 strongly marked az TO
dwarf all others The uniform is not
handsome. 1t consists Of a kind Of heavy
blouse made Of coarse black cloth, with red
facings, and pants OF the same material, and
fatigue caps similar to our own. Tho mon
are not measured for their uniforms nor
anything else. There arc three sizes OF uni
forms, and ono Of the three must 1T II II
does not Il does not matter, as the oficers
seem utterly indifferent 10 the personal APP
pearanco OF their mon. In foot gear the
poor fellows arc worse of than in anything
else, The government serves out brogans,
but i notice many brave defenders wearing
old moccasins In a state Of dilapidation that
would excite tho contempt Of n Papago In
dian. IL is chilly just now In the mornings
NJ n OU.|I w tu4N AAAMnN " - |tAAAIA9
ave colds In their heads, which is very UNI
fortunate for them, as up to date tho ropub-
lie has omitted 10 supply them with pocket
handkerchiefg
The Mexican cavalry horse cannot by any
stretch OF fancy be called a noble stood. He
is not n Tartar Of the Ukraine breed, nor Of
any particular breed 10 speak Of. He Is
nustang-broncho at that His coat IL
rough. and judging from its appearance
would argue that the stable call Is seldom
sounded In the Eleventh cavalry. In bar
rack bis ration Of hay Is small and his al
lowanco Of corn frequently q negative
quantity, which mnthematicians demon
strate Is less than nothing. In the field he
lives of tho face Of the country, and how he
continues 10 live where an American horse
would starve Is an equine mystery. But IL
is the capacity Of both man and horse 10
live on little and bear hardship that makes
the Mexican cavalry better indian fighters
than our own. The Mexican cavalry horse
has little impediment to carry. A light hair
iariat that annot be eaten by cayotes, sup
plies the place Of our heavy picquet rope and
plin. he has Mother side lines nor hobbies, q
poncho supplies the place OF blankets, and
nearly all the weight ON the horse Is that OF
tho rider, his ammunition and his simple
field ration. As tho horse can live on any
thing that a burro can, the long wagon or
mule train Is unnecessary. No ons ave
.hoss who have seen the Mexican horse on
service can imagine the little he will live on
and the long marches ho will mako Almost
as sure footed as a mule, he win climb the
steapest mountain-side, and finds refresh
mcnt and nourishmont In the tough and
wiry gramma grass
Mexican rations are not hxed by the gov
ernmont. and being his own commissary he
has no complaints 10 lodge against the de-
partmont OF subsistence. He gets 30 cents
per diem and no finds himself Us we'll as his
slender pay will admit In tho field BIO livos
on pinola toasted corn ground TO fine -four,
corne soca Uerked meat, pinocoe "a kind of
candy made from dirty brown sugar., with,
as a luxury, q few ~tortillas thrown in by his
sweetheart or wi'e. Strange as It may
seem, there are men in tho Mexican army
who on 30 cents n day manage to support"
a wife and an odd babe or two.
The pinola is meat and drink Mixed with
water It makes a nourishing beverage, hay
ing a slight acid favor which makes IL very
agreeable In the heat Of a seml-tropIc sun.
The pinocho and t~ortillas may DO looked
upon as a rough attempt at pastry and dos
sert. In barracks this hard fare is varied
by a little chile con carne, an article which,
l zee by a recent order Of the secretary Of
war, has been. in my opinion, unwisely
omitted from the subsistence stores 81 tho
American army. On the Mexican frontier,
as in all warm climates, the stomach needs
a stimulant much bettor supplied by chile
con carne than by the cowboys cordial
with a bite" sold In and around our military
reservations.
The lot OF the Mexican soldier, like that OF
Gilbert's policeman, lis not q happy ona.n
In the vast majority Of cases no Is a crimi-
- No. - A.r~. - L.. ont fs