Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-09-10
ON A TROPICAL PLATEAU.
WHAT MAY BE SEEN OF AN AT
TERNOON IN MEXICO.


teen Feet High-Market Women
"A Ranchero and His Dress.
Thomas Wallace writes from Zacate-
cas-. Mexico. to the Detroit Free Press as
follows: The air is clear and cool. and
the sky is set with few bright, fleecy,
floating clouds, such as the artist is won't
10 paint in his pictures. The cloud
shadows are passing over the canyon,
along the valley and up the mour tain
side. He they present that bright
contrast and many beautiful cembina-
tions which nature forms by means of
sunshine and shadow. The mountain
slopes far and near are covered with the
thorny CHI parral, the century plant, the
many wild towers of the tropics, and
the wild tuna (prickly pearl which is
now laden with the most delicious and
wholesome fruit which we have YET
found in the tropics.
Here, too, we see flock of goats quietly
grazing under the care of patriarchal-
looking shepherd, who is seated on an
anclenJ boulder beside his dog and crook.
Another flock, preparatory to early milk
ing time, is vending its way down the
mountain to the goat corral. On the
summit we see a number of lame and
! CALLED back burros, which, because of
| their age and infirmties, have been
turned adrift to die in the mounta u.s.
! In the distance we see long freight
train moving across the plateau. 1t is
composed of cumbersome carts, each
drawn by six mules.
These carts are sometimes ten feet
wide, with three shafts made of hewn
timber about six in hes square. The
wheels are about as high as those of the
o!d-time log cart, and are often run
without tires, but in this case each felloe
is from six to ten inches square, SO tires
are not needed. On, form of wagon bed
is unknown here, but in pa OF it they
build single room house on balm e
over the axle, using the relr half of the
shafts for stills. 1t is built of square tim
Der or round p lies, with floors and walls
made of green COW skin. They are some
times fifteen feet high, and are usually
covered with kind of coarse bagging
! There is no door to the structure, hence
everything must be loaded in over the
top, at the gable ends. When long
caravan composed of these carts is seen
moving slowly over the plain, each
| loaded with almost eve Y class and kind
of products known to the tropics, one
can then form better idea of the re-
sources of this country, but when we
look at the tackle of the mules and thu
odd and ancient garb of the drivers and
the ranchero, we can form still better
idea of the harness fashions of an
tiquity. Well, l hardly know how to de-
scribe this procession, but, in the Ian
guage of the Arkansaw Traoeler, every
thing appears wonderfully out of
kilter."
In the distance beyond we see great
cloud of dust rising in the plain. This
is the signal that the evening stage will
soon be here, and also that it is lightly
| loaded, and that the mules are coming
Gin full tilt"
1t is the evening hour, and the market
women are passing out of the city. One is
riding spry little donkry that seems
anxious to get home. She is closely
wrapped in shawl and carries a baby
in her lap, while her husband follows on
behind, driving the donkey. The Whole
is fine repres eatation, recalling pi lures
of the flight into Egypt.
A peon on board his burro is passing
out to the distant hacienda. Now he
dismounts to take his drink at the way
side pulquera; but there is no hitching
post. What shall he do? All! he is
equal to the emergency, for he has
hitched his donkey to it's own hind foot.
Over the way there il humble jacal. 1t
has but one room, with dirt floor and
decayed canvas roof The chickens are
picking each other for their respective
positions on the Ioost in one end, while
the family and pet goat are taking their
trance will be closed by means of sus-
pended gunny bags, after which the
happy family will bid adieu to all things
external until day.
Now the ranchero of the caravan is
passing. He is mounted on fine horse,
which is prancing under a silver mounted
saddle. This is made so strong and
fastened so tight that we often see pair
of horses draw heavy load when
hitched by the saddle horns. The fend-
ers and panels are very large and richly
embroide ed with colored thread and
silver tinsel. In place of saddlebags
there is a pair of baguegillos. These are
long, black, hairy appendages fastened
to the rear of the saddle, and hang half
way to the ground on either side. They
have long pockets on the inside, and the
whole in the distance resembles half
side of undressed bear skin. The rider
is dressed in the popular garb of the
country, and carries a belt of cartridges
around his waist and large revolver, a
lasso and breech-loading rife on one
side and long sheathed sword on the
other. In his appearance and mode of
life among his peon subje, IS he might
be thought fine representation of a
feudal lord of the middle ages. To look
at, he appears formidable object, yet
he is not at all dangerous, neither in
peace nor war. His sons, following in
his footsteps, are the would be Mexican
knights of modern times, but their race
is nearly run, and until this much tendcd
but sickly flower of ancient ancestry can
find more congenial cline in which to
bud and bloom, it must soon fade and
die from the sheer negle t and cruel
treatment it continues to receive from
the foreign tribes of the north
Federal Losses at Gettysburg.
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