Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-06-13
vAceUERos AND coWeoYs.
TWO Glasses or Picturesque westerneu
that Are Sometimes Confounded.

a great many people even In the
West confound vacqueros with cow
boys, some even supposing that the only
difference between the men known by
these names is that of locality of the
country in which they work; in other
words, that man working with range.
cattle is cowboy in the North and q
vacquero in the South. Such a mis-
take, however is only made by people
unacquainted with range work, because
as "A matter of fact there is II vast differ
ence between the occupations in which
these men are engaged. 1t is true
every vacquero may become a cowboy;
but every cowboy can not possibly be-
come a vacquero.
The name and the occupation it de-
notes are both of Spanish origin. 1t is
a matter of history that the first horses
brought to America were from Spain.
and the cow-ponies used in Texas and
Old and New Mexico are to-day mon
grel descendants from the pure-bred
barbs landed on the shores of the Gulf
of Mexico over a century since. The
same is true of the vacquero, for he is
invariably Mexican, sometimes the
descendant from pure Castilian fami-
breed, having the blood of the Castilian
and Indian mixed in his veins. His
occupation is handling and breaking
wild horses, and while he inherits the
hot-temperd impetuous disposition of
his Spanish ancestry, he has also coupled
with it the cunning and treachery of
his Indian forefathers, in as noted a
degree as the wild descendants of those
pure-bred Spanish palfreys have in
herited their high spirits, speed and
endurance.
In his dress the vacquero gives the
strongest outward evidence of his an
cestry and occupation. The heavy
broad-brimmed sombrero, ornamented
with gold or silver braid and cord; the
fancifully decorated and embroidered
velveteen jacket and trousers, with
buckskin shirt and gally-colored sash,
long-legged boots and big spurs, form
invariably the dress adopted by him, no
matter how poor he may be or how old
and worn his garments.
In choosing his outfit, his saddle and
bride, he is more careful than the
ordinary cowboy,and gives less thought
to the expense; especially so is this the
case with regard to the trappings of his
saddle, which are often fastened in
place with silver-headed rivets, the
heads being frequently as large as q
crown-piece. and engraved with mono.
grams, or brands, or any other device
which may catch his fancy. His bride
is usually of his own manufacture OF
plated horse-hair of different colors
so combined as to give evidence of his
natural artistic taste 1t differs from
the ordinary bride in being so con.
structed as TO be adapted for use with
or without bits, and when used in the
latter shape is called a "hackamoor.
1t is in this shape the vacquero invari.
ably uses it the first time he saddles
and mounts wild horse, because then
the bits are useless, and only irritate
the animal the first lesson the vacquerc
desires to teach it being to go ahead
without any regard TO direction, the
hair-cord which passed around the nose
and jaws being sufficiently strong &c
stop its wild race, if such a course is
necessary. The lasso or lariat used
by the vacquero is, like the cowboys,
made from plated raw hide or horse.
hair, about thirty feet in length, and sc
wind Is able TO alter the course of the
poose when thrown at n fleeing animal.
This outfit entire is often worth hun.
dreds of dollars, and represents the
vacquero's stock in trade, being as in.
dispensable as lawyers or physicians
library. We have often seen such az
outfit girthed, or ''sinched" rs they say,
on horse not worth many more cents
than the outfit was dollars. The
vacquero takes more pride in the com
pleteGess and quality of his outfit thar
the ordinary cowboy.
Rarely do you ever see the vacquerc
change his occupations; he is apparent.
~ born in the saddle, reared in the sad.
Every shot, every arrow, and every
lance was directed at the pole, and
bark and chips were flying from its
sides like shavings from the rotary bit
of a planer. When every bullet had
been discharged, and every arrow and
lance had been hurled, the riders
crowded around the pole and shouted
as only excited savages can shout.
Had it fallen in this onslaught an-
other pole would at once have been
chosen and another morning devoted
to the performance. Though this sell
dom happens, it was thought that the
numerous assailants of this pole might
bring it to the ground. They did not
however, although it looked like
ragged scarecrow, with chips and bark
hanging from its mutilated sides.
That such vast, tumultuous throng
could escape accident in all that wild
charging. firing of shots, hurting of
lances and arrows, and great excite
ment would be bordering on miracle,
and no miracle happened. One of the
great warriors was trampled upon in
the charge and died late that evening,
another Indian was shot. The bruises,
sprains, and cuts that might have been
spoken of in lesser affairs were here
unnoticed, and nothing was heard OF
than