Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-07-27

M TGS' beast against too
s careless approach.
Inside the corral half dozen adobes,
low, long, brown, like the earth from
which they were made, grouped about
bare plaza that lay naked to the sun.
Beyond these an ola podrida cf half
broken mustangs, of sleepy burros, OF
swarthy vaqueros in fantastic dress,
and OF idle, ragged, careless depen-
dentes, such as swarm about every
Mexican establishment. Over all, an
air in which was strange comming-
ling of vigilant activity and of that
needless insouciance that makes Mexico
and Mexicans the land and the people
of tomorrow.
The sun WAS but half hour high.
Hardly had the brilliant tints of dawn
left the sky, yet an awful burning heat
glared from it. The men in the en-
closure who were not busy saddling
horses or packing the hampers that
almost hid the little burros from sight,
sought the cool shade in the angles OF
the adobes.
In the centre of the plaza stood
single figure. Six feet tall. heavy of
bone. somewhat spare in flesh, tanned
to dark lumber by fifty years I'M
ceasing exposure to Mexican suns,
dressed in buckskins and loose jacket
that had seen much service, wide
brimmed Panama for head covering,
and a broad belt with two great pis-
tolls showing from it, Bennito Torrez
looked q man born to command. And,
indeed, it was said throughout all the
Manadillo that none other in Sonora
received so implicit obedience from
those who served him.
Now was time to test this thing.
For weeks the sky had been as brass.
The plain, always dry, had become
parched. The grass had grown less
and less, leaving tho land more and
more brown. The "bull holes" those
curious provisions which nature makes
for holding wells OF water in an arid
land, had gone dry. The one stream,
at best but thread wandering through
the vast sandy expanse, had grown
narrower and more and more shallow,
until it had been almost wholly lost.
And now, because there was neither
grass nor water sufficient for their
needs. the plain was being strewn daily
by the carcasses of the beasts that
| perished for want of them.
In such strait your ordinary Mex
lean ranchero would have drawn his
serape about him and squatted in the
angle OF the adobe and waited Some
time the rains would come. If the
cattle were not all dead by that
good. But if they well-man
could not order the seasons.
But Torrez had waited long enough.
He had sent his men out to learn, and
they hed come back and told him how
wide the region Of the drouth was.
Something more than hundred miles
to the west they had found valley
! where the rains had come. II was
fairly watered and the grass was green.
1t was not of such extent that it could
feed all the cattle for long time, for
there were many thousands in his
herds. But that did not matter for
not half would live to reach that land
of promise.
This was the morning upon which
they were to start. The scattered
herds had been gathered from far and
near; and now, at some distance out
upon the plain, you could see a turbu-
lent mass OF moving creatures, kept
we'll together, forging slowly ahead,
and held to their course by a dozen
noisy, vagabordish riders, who raced
and circled and doubled, who called
and whooped and swore, and wasted
mnch energy that might we'll have
been saved for the serious work
ahead.
Torrez was giving his last orders to
those who were to remain.
"You will be on your guard" he
said to old Domingo, the major domo
who had been in his service score of
years. "lhe Yaquis are about, and
SO nearly starved they may happen to
have some courage. Keep strong
watch at night" Then he went toward
group that stood in the doorway OF
the most pretentious of the adobes.
In their midst was his daughter, Ysa-
Dol, and about her the women of the
household.
Torrez put his arm about the girl
"I shall come back as soon as 1 have
seen them safely there" he said
''There will not be any danger. Do
mingo will look after you well" !" Then
he kissed her and turned away, and
the gate OF the stockade opened and