The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-26

Tor the yankee or the English sailors gold.
1here was no bargaining as to price. Life
! was too short for that, and the brusdue
commercial manner of the buyer was dis
tasteful to the Spanish seller. Besides, the
cattlemen knew that he had a vast num-
Der more of steers back in the country.
Inc one great, all-important season in
the year to which every one connected
I with the ranches of the Spanish cattle
kings in those days was invited was the
! rodeo, or, as the Americans knew it better.
the roundup Every male person VINO
straddle horse reckcned weeks ahead up
on the rodeo season.
For two weeks, or even seven or eight
weeks, there was rounding up of the
cattle from among the valleys, CANYONS
Ioolnllls and mountain sides followed by
| the branding of thousands of cattle, until
the air was heavily laden with musical,
put powerful, Spanish oaths and the smell
| or burned hair. After the roundup a few
| rusty Vanqucros were either detailed to
drive thousand or so young bulls 10 Sac
ramehto of the pueblo of Los Angeles, or
the bullS We're slaughtered on the estate
AT a general slaughtering the scene must
| nave been a picturesque one. First came
the miqueadores on horseback, armed with
| heavy, sharp knives, with which, by sew
eflhg the spinal cords just back of the
horns, they could kill an almost incredible
number OF animals in very short time
1hefe was or course much rivalry among
them for the slaughter championship.
Then came the peladores, who were skill
ed SINNERS and could yank off a hide in
ABOUT the time an ordinary man consumes
IN removing his glove; after these came
the tasayeras who cut up the meat, and
the women gathering the tallow, which
latter, after being tried out was put into
skins holding about 500 pounds Then,
When all the work was done, there was
the usual round of pleasure lasting sew
eral days, followed by weeks and months
of sestas and easy life.
The rodeos were so arranged that all the
Spanish families could join in the general
hesta. Some of them have been known to
continue for three or four weeks at a time
In the afternoons there were horse races.
chicken fights and all manner Of tricks
ana teatS of Craftsmanship, throwing the
iarlat from every conceivable bodily posi-
ton and shooting coins at long range. The
mornings were spent in lovemaking by
the young men and women, while the cid
er and married people lolled in hammocks
beneath the orange and olive trees and
smoked cigarettes.
NOW the days of big herds of cattle I'M
DER the American regime are fast passing
away The agricuTturist has demonstra-
ted the marvellous capabilities of the soil
or California and has taken many thou
SAND acres formerly used for cattle pur-
poses. The railroads have cut through
the immense valleys where king steer
roamed at will twenty years ago, and
cities and towns have sprung up in the
very heart of the best grazing lands in
the state. With the influx of settlers and
the consequent decrease of grazing facili-
ties, the big herds began to partake of
the nature of white elephants. 1t was
impossible to keep them near home. and
the conditions beginning to obtain were
SUCH that they could not be permitted to
roam at will so many owners were Obliged
to subdivide their herds and sell the sur
pius, retaining only such portion as could
be maintained on the home rancho.