Middletown transcript., 1898-12-31

i Exhibits His skill In ROping Catt1es
The Call to Dinner-He1p Yourself
From Roasted Quarters of beef.
Dancing In the Evening.
Roughly lettered posters of wrapping
| paper for weeks had announced that
/ cowboy tournament and fiesta Mejieana
would be held on New Years day at
7 Aqua Caliente.
Two races, each of four heats, have
been run. in the morning, when the
faint popping of six shooter, supple
mented by distant roar of "Grubl Oh,
grubl" announces the hour for dinner.
Spectators and racers rush back to the
plaza.
Back Of one Of the principal saloons,
between it and the base of the meun-
tain, long trench has been dug and
filled with mesquite wood, burned to
clear, red GOALS. Over these Goals, rest.
ing on we'll soaked green poles, quarters
Of beef have been roasting for the last
10 hours These quarters are hung in
the different verandas, and from them
each man cuts such portion as seems
good to him and retires to eat it, TO-
gether with whatever provisions he may
have brought with him, while in the
burning sun of the plaza the Indians
and dogs dispute for and gorge them
selves on the refuse.
Soon there is general movement to-
ward corral at the foot of the plaza,
where the principal business of the day,
from sporting standpoint, is to begin.
For a week the founders of the feast
have been collecting cattle suitable to
their purpose, and the cottonwood pole
corral is as full of them as it will hold.
Twenty feet in front of the corrals
q long line has been drawn in the sand,
then an interval of 40 yards and anoth-
er. A little to one side the timekeeper,
watch in hand, sits on his horse. The
first contestant, In this case a hand
some young Mexican, places himself
with his back to the corral, and the
fore hoofs Of his pony just toeing the
| first line.
The bars are lowered and a long
legged red cow is allowed to escape. |
Across the space she runs like grey
hound. The instant she crosses the Sec
ond line the vaquero plunges in his big |
spurs and starts in pursuit, his RATA |
whistling around his head. The cow |
points straight for growth of scrub, |
as though she knew that no lariat could |
be thrown in such place. The little |
horse gains on her rapidly. Before she |
has made more than third of the dis
tance to her goal he is at her flying |
heels. Then the rope flies out SO quick
ly that the eye can hardly follow it,
but the cow makes quick turn and |
gallops on, still free.
The Mexican makes no second at
tempt. The loss of time caused by his
first failure would prevent his winning
the coveted prize. So be sulkily with
draws, and his place is taken by anoth- |
er, who sits with straining eagerness
as a gray bull is sent careering across
the dead line.
"Of fore foot, +" he cries as his pony
springs forward. Then follows quick
cast, a couple Of turns around the sad
dlehorn, and the horse braces back,
tueking his head we'll down to keep it
ont Of the way-while the bull, his
flight suddenly arrested, turns a half
somersault and lands on his back,
caught by the leg his captor has named.
Securing the line, the man dimounts
and runs toward his prey as fast as his
high heels will allow. 1t struggles
fiercely, but the pony is far too well
trained to let the bull rise, and, with q
tightening of the lariat, neatly foils
every attempt. The captured fore leg is
quickly made fast to hind 1eg-"hog
tied and then the cowboy holds up
his hand to show that it is completed.
The judges having pronounced that
the animal is properly secured, the time
taken to accomplish the feat is entered
and another man tries his skill.
The twilight comes at last. Dusk is
soon followed by darkness in these lati-
tudes, and hardly has it fallen when the
strains of rude music announce the
opening of the great social feature Of
the day, the ball. The ballroom is the
whole upper floor of the hotel. The
walls are of rough adobe, the floor of
unplaned planks. From the rafters of
the fiat roof hang all the lanterns that
can be borrowed in the neighborhood-
that is, within a radius of ten miles
-and candles burn -on bits of board
stuck in the interstices of the sun baked
brick of the walls. Benches of planks
laid across boxes line three. sides Of the
room. At one end of the hall, on a
rough stage erected there, sit the mu-
sicans. There are three of them, all
Mexicans, one playing a squeaky fiddle,
the other two guitars All Of them
wear their hats and smoke crooked oiga-
rettes OF brown paper as they play.
There are about 30 girls, many Of
them pretty and all of them dressed
with neatness and taste quite remark
able when one considers their limited
resources. About the same number Of
older women complete the feminine con-
tingent, and all are in demand, for the
men number hundred or more.
The men are all dressed for the occa-
sion, each in the manner that happens l.
to suit his fancy. Many retain their
spurs, in which they are popularity sup
posed to sleep. One young fellow is es-
pecially swell, wearing white shirt
and red necktie under a long black
cutaway coat, and clad as to his neither
man in the leather chaps of the cow
boy, with the jingling "petmakers''
still fast to his high heeled boots.
Dance follows dance In rapid success
sion. The measured pounding of the feet
as they noisily caper over the resound-
ing boards almost browns the music. It
is thoroughly enjoyed until nearly day
break, when the company disperses.
Horses are saddled, blankets unroaed,
and soon, save for the snarling of the
coyotes as they quarrel over the remains
of the supper, the little village is silent.
Press.
"What." inquired the psychological
'thdent, .'do you regard as the chief
md Of man?''