Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-07-21

plains, in order to have their little ones
formally baptized. In like manner they
will carry their dead strapped across a
horse for burial in consecrated ground
Sir Francis Head, famous traveller
! who spent great deal of time among
them, pays tribute to their genuine hos
| pitality. In the summer time, when
their huts are infested with f1eas and
binchuchas, or bugs as big as black
beetles, the entire ia mily sleep on the
| grass in front of their hut.
When a traveller arrives at a gaucho
habitation after bedtime the custom is
for him to throw his saddle, or recado,
! next to one of the sleepers. All that he
can see is lot of bare feet and ankles
| The guests supper is cooked on a big
| iron spit. and he is cordially invited to
! seat himself on the skeleton of horses
| head to enjoy it. The members of the
| family sit around on similar stools and,
with long knives. cut large mouthfuls
! from the roasted haunch.
| The hut is lighted by a lamp made OF
| bullock's tallow, and the visitor can
see his brides, spurs, and lassos hung
from pegs of bone on the walls. The
| free and easy life seems to agree with
the children, who are plump. good-na.
| tured. and black eyed.
They do not bother their heads much
about clothing, and playfully fight
while they eat. Meanwhile, the fowl
perched in a corner, looks down upon
| the diners. The ganchO never turns a
wayfarer from his humble hut, and is
| openhanded in his hospitality. His
endurance is wonderful. He will ride
thirty leagues a day without showing
| fatigue, and will brand cattle from sun
| rise to sunset without eating a mouth
| full of food.
Occasionally after nightfan he will
ride to some lonely pulperia, or drink
! ing shop. to pass away a few
hours with boon companions. Music
and dancing are always furnished
by the proprietor. 1t is at these fam
dangocS that hot word or jealous
look will bring two gauchos face to
face with the ever-ready knife drawn.
When these dances are most unre-
strained it Is not unusal for two
swarthy rivals to sing verses about
each other to the accompaniment of a
guitar, while crowd of their compan-
ions form a circle around the wall of
| the drinking place.
The spectators vigorously applaud
each hit made by the contestants as
verse follows verse. The singers drink
cana, native wine, until it affects one
of them SO much that he resorts to bit
ter taunts, which are replied to in the
same spirit. The inevitable row fol-
lows. Each rival draws his knife. 1t
is then war to the death. And some
friend of the one who is killed carries
the dead man, strapped to his horses
back, across the pampas to his late home.
The gancho dearly loves his horse.
When he wants to mount he places one
end of his lance on the ground beside
the animal, catches the weapon with
one hand at point above his head, and
with a dexterous spring seats himself
securely on his horses back He will
clutch the main of galloping steed
and land on his back with the ease of
an acrobat.
Every once in awhile the pampas
Indians swoOp down on the gaucho
huts in the absence of their owners, set
fire to the stOckades, and massacre the
women and children. When the
gauchos return they organize a hunt
for vengeance, and in turn spare not
the Indian women or children.
The country over which the gaucho
holds sway ris made up of groves of
palms of countless species. miles of
clover and cacti, towering thistles and
flowers of great beauty and infinite va
riety. Above is soft sky, and the at
mosphere is 80 pure that malaria is I'M
know.-Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.