Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-07-04
THE ARIZONA SHEPHERD.
4 LIFE WHICH PRESENTS BUT FEW
ATTRACTIVE FEATURES
No Great Manual Labor and sem Losa
Mental Exertion-Camp and CooklnS
Utensils-Prepsring the Modest Even-
ing Meal-A Nights Lodging.

Mental E1srtion-CsmP and Ceekini
Utensils-Prepsring the Modest Even
ing Meal-A Nights Lodging.
II the ancients deemed this LIE one Of tn
happiest that man could engage In merely
because 1t involves no great manual Labor
and still less mental, 1 most heartily agret
with them, for 1 can imagine no lie, unlesl
1t be that of the professional idler, that 70
quires less Of these ingredients than that Of
the sheep-herder There may b ono or two
months in the year when he Is compelled r.
make a pretenso Of ekerting himself, but
during the remaining ten months his life
work is to wander lazily up and down
through the woods, kicking small stones Out
Of his pathway and whistling till the very
trees around him groan. His only care Is Il
see that the flock does not wander too TAI
from the camp and that no hayward sheep
strays from the main band Il gives him
no particular trouble to keep them at q
reasonable distance from the place OF rem
devious, and should any black sheep become
SO pcrverse as to attempt to sever all con
nections with his fellows and to wander Out
into the wicked world all by himself, a mere
'shoo, there, and stone we'll aimed quickly
strikes terror into his rebellious heart and
causes him to seek once more the society
from which no sought to separate himsolf
This, then, constitutes for the greater part
of the year what tho sheep harder Is pleased
to call his daily labor. But his labors dc
not cease with the day, for when darkness
approaches be returns, not to the Hbosom Of
his family" but to his lonely and uninvit-
ing camp, wnere he prepares his frugal
meals, and INDUCES in the "balmy," to use q
favorite expression Of the poetic Mr..
Swiveller.
The camp usually consists Of small tent
in which are stored the scanty provisions
and the necessary cooking utensils Before
the tent a few sapling pine trees, II they can
lie readily obtained, are arranged in such a
manner as to form q small Enclosure, AMI
within this Enclosure a blazing fire Of pine
logs, which answers the triple purpose Of
heating stove, cooking stove, and lamp, il
kept burning during tho lonely hours of the
long winter evenings, and its lambert flames
light up the forest far and wide with q sort
Of spectral glow.
A MEAL AND NIGHTS LODGING.
Upon reaching camp the herder's first
care is to prepare his modest evening meal
With this and in view he melts q quantity
Gent water with which to make bread and
coffee The bread is baked in Q sort Of iron
oven, having a closely fitting iron cover.
This oven, in which the dough Is placed, d
covered with glowing Goals, and in a very
attempting loaf, is turned out The bread
and coffee being in readiness, the would be
cook applies himself to tho cooking Of meat,
wi fcb 10 fat
The meat is cut into large pieces and placed
In a frying pan over the Goals, where 1t Is
allowed to remain until the external portions
at least have become Drowned i matters
very little whether the interior b cooked OF
not
To such a repast, with the possible addi.
ton Of a few potatoes, onions, or beans, the
sheep herder diligently applies himself each
morning anil evening Of the greater part Of
the year. His table is the bare ground, his
table-cloth-such an article II utterly un-
known He usually eats from tho dishes in
which the food has been cooked, and, though
knives and forks may always be found In
the camp, he prefers his fingers, acting ON
the principle that fingers were made
before forks" After this barbarous rite i
concluded, he Is at liberty to indulge In his
favorite pastime Of whistling, q, II b b .
Mexican, in brushing his teeth with an in
strumsnt which he calls sharp" but which
in musical circles Is generally dssignated Is
the villainous mouth organ, until he feels
disposed to retire This Il . very simple
operation, and docs not require much prspa-
ration. Two or three sheep skins that serve
as mattress are placed on the ground, and q
few blankets are placed over these, which
with a coat for a pillow, mako up tho royal
couch. Divesting himself Of no other articles
Of apparel except his coat and boots, the
herder wraps himself In his blankets, and Il
all prepared to receive the god OF sleep
whenever his majesty may Be pleased to ap-
pear. He sleeps in blissful unconsciousneA
of all around until the new born light tells
him that another day has begun. Then,
casting his blankets aside and drawing on
his boots and coat, he Immediately proceeds
to prepare breakfast, which 10 essentially
the same as the meal Of the previous even
ing. This being finished, he drives his
bleating flocks to their pasture, and per-
forms the same round of duties - on the
preceding day.-M J. Riordan in Chicago
Times