Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-25

safely guessed 20 De somewhere Mandy
about his person. The sparsely settled
character of the country renders precau-
tons CT this kind quite essential to safety.
Even the lowlieSt herder carries with him
a short, heavy sword. known as maehette,
which, though ostensibly .tool'' kept for
the purpose of cutting up the thick grow
ing cactus, IS nevertheless q formidable
weapon, and TO the unaccustomed observer
has a most murderous appearance.
l have seen q herder leading flock of
sheep about among the thickeJS near Patio
Blanco who would have formed an ideal
figure for the stage, Tall and well built,
the faded blanket on his shoulders was
draped in graceful folds: the high-peaked,
broad brimmed hat on his head and the
long boots into which his dingy white pants
were thrust had an imposing appearance;
his attitude was erect, his features almost
classic in their cut, and the bold expression
upon his face, together with tbs long, cruel
looking 'machette'' held in his hand, all
combined 10 make him worth more than q
passing glance. He was a sheep herder,
but / confess he was not typical of his
kind. As rule the lower classes of this
country ara not imposing in their appear
ance, though to me they were always strik-
ing. often picturesque.
The costumes OF the men vary with their
circumstances. Their main pride is their
big hats, and have seen a magnificent SOM
brero keeping company with q tattered
shirt, disreputable remnant of pautaloonS
and pair of sandals. fastened TO the own
er's rusty feet with leathern thongs. The
women are decidedly decollette in their
toilettes. Two garments are all they need.
A cheInise, originally white, leaving the
arms, neck and bosom bare, and a bright
colored petticoat fastened looselyabout the
waist Head and feet are bare, except on
unusual occasions. If any head-coyering is
used, it is always q shawl, thrown on Hike q
h cd, forming frame for the face. which
is more often than not possessed of regu-
larity of features, which bright black eyes
and cleaning white teeth light up into q
piuuant expression, such as the artists are
so fond of putting into their pictures. Ba-
bies and small children wear one garment,
or If they find that too cumbersome they
kick out OF it and frolic about in q blissful
state of nature.
l have no doubt they could, on occasions,
get themselves up in costumes fanciful and
even elaborate, but they had no intimation
of my visit, and I found them just as they
live and breathe and -have their being in
everyday life. II was hard for me to be-
lieve l was in America when looked about
upon these strange people, to whom my
English, usually so comprehensive and
persuasive, was utterly unintelligible, who
answered every query with shake of the
lead and the words, mo intende, y which l
subsequently, learned means Il don't I'M
derstand" 1 looked around on the houses
they lived in, saw their manner of life and
marveled more and more.
THEIR HOUSES.
They are not hard to build. They are
either little houses with no chimneyS or
they are little houses with big chimneys,
which dwarf the houses that hide behind
them If YOU would build q house and
nd Of a6pha tho Trallc n1.a saoc
lily made by setting pickets in the ground,
sometimes daubed with mud, more often
interviewer with branches from the neigh
boring chapparal bushes. The roof is
matched. Sheaves of long grass, rushes
or even corn stalks, held in place by weights
of wood or stone serve to keep the sun out
l don't know about the rain, but L am in
clined to believe that when it rains such
roofs are liable to leak, more or less. If
the house has no chimney the IRE is made
on the ground either outside or inside as
the inclinations of the lady of the house
may dictate II the fire is made inside
there are plenty of places for the smoke to
escape and no one objects to it if it doesn't.
have seen one of these houses with the
smoke pouring from all sides and even
finding its way up through the roof when
culinary operations were in active progress
within.
Generally the man whose family lives in
such house as this is a herder and his
wages will rarely exceed s. or 81 and 4
bushel or so of corn q month. Armed with
his short sword, and packinga small bundle
of corn he will often be out with q flock of
sheep for weeks at time. His pasture is
little world in itself-a desert world, for
the rarest event which breaks the monotony
of his existence is a meeting with human
being. y more lonely, solitary life could
hardly be conceived. Cutting his way
through the priclSly pear he leads his flock
about, and each day that dawns has its
counterpart in the day that has just gone,
as it will have also in the day which he
looks for tomorrow Sometimes he kills a
goat, eats what he needs, dries the balance
and carries it with him, but for the most
part his diet is of corn, and so he lievS, ex-
isting. he knows not why. Indifferent, APP
parently of the present, apathetic as to the
future. A mournful object to contemplate. I
Woe begone and weather beaten, he wan-i
ders in the blazing sun by day, and by night
he lays himself down like a. wolf in hol-
low to sleep.
The lives of these people are strange in
deed. Where they are situated so they
can, they participate in every fandango
which is put on foot, and in perfect time to
the sweet music all Spaniards SO easily
bring from any stringed instrument, men
and women, untiring and graceful, mingle
dening east warns them a new day is near
at hand. Very infrequently rude travelling
shows pass through the more thicl1ly set
tied sections. They seldom or never pene-
trate the country where most of my observ-
ations were made, but they are patronized
with all the hberality of an improvident
people where they do go.
The people of whom 1 have been telling
are the humblest class. They are not
ranchmen, are seldom land owners and
them enjoy greater advantages, are en-
lightened and advanced, and the Americans
have of course carried with them all their
are SO predominant and their peculiarities
are so pronounced, they have possessed an
unusual degree of interest for me, as ] am
sure they will also for the readers of The
GAZETTE. From one to two hundred miles
back, within the border of Texas the same
characteristics prevail, and l doubt if the
people realize they are citizens of Texas.
The country itself hardly seems like
part of America. 1t is thickly overgrown
with chapparel, which in places is ALSO
lutely impenetrable, and the thorny cactus
abounds, but other gro~ths are scarce.
Abundant vegetation fiourisheS when the
seasons are favorable, but at the time of
my trip the parched earth did not bear
blade of grass, and the cattle, gaunt and
hollow, wandered weakly about, staring
blankly at the bare white earth, dying by
hundreds, their carcasses lying along every
roadway, Toasted on by buzzards and
coyotes.
The universal mode of travel is the sad