Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1896-09-19
A JUDGMENT OF THE PLAINS.

An endless brown level, boundless
except for the rim of steely blue sky
that came down and touched it in
the far distance. In the centre of
the plain a corral, with a stockade of
dusky euphorbia about it, the thorny
spines Of the cactus warning man
and beast against too careless APP
proach.
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 of half broken mustangs,
of sleepy burros, of swarthy van
queros in fantastic dress, and ofidle,
ragged, careless dependents, such as
swarm about every Mexican estab-
lishment. Over all, an air in which
was strange comming}ing of vigi-
liant activity and of that needless in
souciance 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 enclosure 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 q
single figure. Six feet tall, heavy of
bone, somewhat spare in flesh, tan.
ned to dark lumber by fifty years
unceasing exposure to Mexican suns,
dressed in buckskins and a loose
jacket that had seen much service, q
wide brimmed Panama for head COW
ering, and a broad belt with two
great pistols showing from 1t, Ben
nito Torrez looked a man born to
command. And, indeed it was said
throughout all the Manadillo that
none other 10 Sonora received so i'm
plicit obedience from those who serv-
ed him.
Now was time to test this thing.
For weeks the sky had been as brass.
The plain, always dry, had become
narched. The grass had grown less
and less, leaving the 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 wander
ing over tbeva 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 spffi-
cient for their needs, the plain was
being strewn daily by the carcasses
of the beasts that persisted for want
of them.
In such strait your ordinary
Mexican ranehero would have drawn
his serape about him and squattedin
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 werewolf
man could not order the seasons.
ButTorrez had waited long enough.
He had sent his men out to learn,
and they had come back and told
him how wide the region of the
drouth was. Something more than
a hundred miles to the west they
had found a valley where the rains
had come. 1t 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 dis
lance out upon the plain, you could
see turbulent mass of moving
creatures, kept well together, forg-
ing slowly ahead, and held to their
course BY a dozen noisy, ysgabond
ish riders, who raced and circled
and doubled, who called and whoop-
ed and swore, and wasted much en-
ergy that might well have been saw
ed for the serious work ahead.
Torrez was giving his last orders
TO those who were to remain.