Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-08-18
4 SOUTH AMERICAN SCENE
A VISIT TO AN ESTANCIA IN THE
CATTLE COUNTRY.
Immense Estates Whose Owners
Possess Great Herds of Cattle
Siau.htering the Animals.

- IA
Strengthening the Animals.
4 Eetroit Free Press contributor de-
scribes a visit to a large South American
estanc!a, or cattle ranch. lie says:
The name stancia is given to those
enmense estates, some Of viii h sulpass
IN extent the departments in France.
and whose owners are e"xciuSl ely occu-
pied in raising horses and cattle. These
cattle are counted by thoueands-their
sheep by hundreds of THOUSAND Is. These
immense herds lie IN the open air and
Craze in the fields which surround the
main build ngs: these are usual b1,lt
On the most elevated spot IN the estaucia.
Horses. oxen and sheep are watched and
cared for by herd5men living and sleep
ing continually III the open ar. Zach
herdsmen i, expected to guard from
5000 to 5000 head of cattle. As to the
main buildings, or e~stancia proper, they
are bniIt in the form Of a
square or rectangle with terraces.
with no outer en- trance except a large
gate as thick and strong as that of
a State prison. 0his is the residence of
the master, the ma jor-domo and the
household servants. All the apartments
open on walks bordering the court. in
the center of which i, a we'll of fresh wa
ter. These walks, shelteredb by verandas,
are made Of bricks. Then there Is a
chapel whore a priest comes every SIX
months to o-hciate. and a high tower
from which, as We haze seen, poems
watched day and night over the pampas.
Adjoining the e~stancia are vegetable and
pleasure gardens, the ranches IN which
reside the poems, the %corrals, Enclosures
formed Of wooden palisades, in which
are kept the horses in habitual use, the.
mich cows and poultry. The forge, the,
wheelwr;ght shops, the vehicles used in
the transportation Of produce, the ware
houses with wal s pierced With a huna
bred holes, in which are fieeces and hides
to tie sent to Patagonia, Buenos Ayres or
Rosario; and finally the ~corlals. where
the different animals arc slaughtered. \
wal. -four feet high. surrounds all these
buildings and dependencies; this wall is
protected by a large ditch. on whose
outer edge is an impenetrable hedge of
aloes, with leaves as long. sharp, and
strong as iron spears. This triple rampant
forms the Enclosure Of every estancla IN
South America. As 0 as the black
flag is run Up, all the herdsmen, and
other servants who may be outside,
hasten to regain the protection of the
estancia.
We had arrived at Las Jarillas Just in
time to witness the slaughter Of the ami
mails. This is called 9 matadero. 1t. is
an ignoble spectacle, but then travellers
must have the courage to wltress every
thing. Every morning at daybrcah dur
ing the whole time that the matadero
lasts, the poems drive geo or 500 head Of
cattle to the entrance Of the corrals.
These animals, who smell the bloc shed
the previous evening, generally refuse to
enter. Then men on horseback throw
lassoes over their horns, While other
horsemen spur their horses right on them,
and the shock throws each refractory
animal to>the ground. Scarcely has it
fallen when those who have lassoed it
drag it inside, where one man throws his
lasso over one hind foot while a second
cuts the. leaders of the other. The poor
beast falls forward on his knees, as if to
implore mercy from the executioncrs
but its suiIerings are almo t over Armed
with a very long. sharp knife the mata-
dor advances-he raises his arm-a fash
a CLEAN and all is over. The ami
NAL falls as if struck Ey a ,hunderbolt.
The blade. buried deep Just below the
left shoulder, has touched the heart,
The matador withdraws his blade, The
blood gushes from the wound, and mof-
ing slowly on account of
the enormous boots which ase
his lees the matador approaches another
victim. The animals are immediatcly
skinned aud cut up. The meat and hides
are salted and dressed. The former is
sent to Brazil and the latter to Europe,
where they are tanned and serve to
fashion the dainty boots and slippers OF
our elegaltcs. One must have witnessed
a matadtro to form an idea of what it's.
The swArthy poems, naked to the waist,
with their wild, fierce face, and ASKING
black EYES and bare and blood stained
arms are fearful to behold. Without
pity they slav. and strike again and
again. The slaughtered animals are
heaped upon one another. but what mat
tels t. The SUI IS sinking lower and
lower, and they must finish before night
fall. Horny, pepa. faster, Jose, w
must make haste. CaIamba." And again
the shinin. blades are buried IL the bod
les OF the poor animals whose plaintivt
bleatings and lowings almost break yonl
heart. The sun has Just disappeared be
low the horizon. Soon flock of OWL,
ravens, condors and cultures collect t
feast on the remains and otfal. Whien
but for these birds Of prey. woIid pST1r
the ar. With the last day Of the we
the matader0 comes To an end.