Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-27

the rodeo was witnessed. Riders from the
various outfits dashed into the midst of the
drove, and. singing out such cattle as bore
their respective brands. proceeded to sep
arate them from the rain body. Such an
undertaking is by no means simple, and in
wolves the .'puncher" in many a danger.
Tor the most eminent Characteristic or Inc
Mexican bovine, after its inert stubborn
ness. is its disposition toward pugnacity.
Far from acknowledging any supremacy
in man. all Catttekind in Mexico are prone
TO regard him as their mortal enemy.
Hence the attractions offered by modern
bull fight are exceedingly tame in compari-
son to the delirium of excitement furnished
at a Mexican rpdeo- Once the Vaquero got
next to a steer, nothing short of the coun-
tercharge of Infatuated bu!l-which
character of interference, by the way.wa by
by no means infrequent-cUuld divert him
therefrom. No matter how adroitly the
steer might dodge-and they all past
experts at that sort of thng-the puncher
was always Immediately in his wake. and
not lnfrequentiy when the animal was par
tlcularly refractory the rcsourceful va
Quero would resort 10 the practice of tail
ing To do this he would force the steer
as near the edge of the herd possible.
Then Of sudden he would reach forward
and grasp the animals tail, bringing it to
his saddle. and. throwing his right leg over
II. spur his pony forward. with the result
that the steer would be jerkod heels over
head into the open space beyond. Before
the astonished animal could regain its feet
the punchers RATA would settle about its
horns, and the steer would be dragged,
bawling and resisting. to the bunch of cut
offs near by. After the separating process
had been accomplished the several droves
were moved off to Il safe distance apart,
ana while sufficient number of Vaqueros
remained on duty to ride herd" as 1t is
termed. the majority repaired to the ha-
cienda for dinner.
Dining La Mode.
1t would be difficult to imagine a sorrer
looking lot of horsemen than drew rein
within the walls of Corralitos that noon
tiGe. Most of them had wisely laid aside
their broidered sombreros and other tinery
before riding forth on the roundup that
morning, and with their dust-begrimed Wis
ages, dtsheveled hair and soed garments
they resembled nothing quite so accurately
as, II sucn a thing exists, a gang of
mounted coal stokers. No unnecessary
time was wasted in additions, however. for
the dirtiest part of the days labor, that of
branding. was yet to come.
Notwithstanding the immense volume of
work on hand, the men were allowed their
regular two hours siesta in which to digest
their dinner of baked beans, barbecued beef
and tortillas, and to roll and smoke th.ir
corn musk cigarettes. Al the expira ton of
this limit the vaqueroS proceeded, dis
mounted to the large corral set apart for
the branding. Herein We're huddiad several
thousand calves of ages varying from Il
Gay to a year old, together with their dams,
and the celebrity with which tine former
were roped, thrown and branded was mar
VeIouS The plan of the punchers was TO
form themselves into d struggling circle IN
side the inciosure. They would then start
the herd TO racing about the course thus
formed between them and the adobe walls
OF the corral, and as a calf rushed by a
rata would dart forward. catching It about
the forelegs and bringing it in a heap to
the ground. Before thu little animal could
arise the puncher would be calmly seated
upon its head awaiting the rounds of the
branding man.
Branding and Gentling.
Several of these latter func tionaries wer.
distributed about the Enclosure with port
able charcoal furnaces, in which the long
handled branding irons were heated to a
white glow, and applied to the shoulder or
flank of the luckless animals. The practice
seems cruel. but unfortunately is one that
cannot be dispensed with This pathetic
slde OF the cattle business, however, has its
reverse, when, as it frequently happens The
puHcher gets his rope tangled UP with the
feet of husky bull calf. who promptly
turns the tables by downing his captor and
putting MIN over several square yards of
corral before the latter can extricate HIM
self. Such occurrences are the occasion for
much merrimtnt on the part Of the punch
81 uiisS rnpathetic pompaneros. who do
Iheir utmost to encourage the calf by vo-
The branding completed, the next and last
heIn IN the days events was the "gentling'
OF a bunch of steers designed for work ami
mas once having witnessed the opera
ton, one would never again marvel at the
Incompatible slowness and indisposition of
lne Mexican draught OK. Indeed after all
the roping, mauling and dragging to which
Those poor steers were subjected in The
heroic process of "gentling," l wonder thzre
was enough left of them 10 bury
Dancing With the senoritss.
The final and browning feature of the
rcdeo was the grand bale given in honor
of his guests by the patron of Corralftos.
Early IN the evening the senoritas from
neighboring haciendas began to arrive.
some came ON foot, others in ponderous OK
carts, with wheels the size ana shape If
mill stones. while many a burro weathered
Don Miguers hacienda that NIGHT with his
hurricane deck crowded from fore to mfz-
zen with blushing Mexican .naidenhOod
The male contingent being already on hand
nothing devOlved upon them but the wash
ing-up process and the resuming of their
previously discarded regimeutaIs In the
absence Of larger apartment the spacious
court in the center of the hacienda build-
ings had been resolved into a ball room the
same being Illuminated by several hundred
SaudlIy colOred paper lanterns strung in
graceful festoon overhead. The character
OF the music was quite III keeping with the
surrounding. the orchestra consisting of
TWO fIddfes and a bass drum. How the
latter symbol of more exalted civiliza-
ton had found its way to that remote dis
trict is mystery, but it had survived the
transportation with all its intense volume
or tone intact. and its booming accOmpani-
ment struck a responsive chord in the
bosom of every puncher on the premises
The Mexicans are born dancers and the
way those vaqueros lavished their pent-up
enthusiasm on this long anticipated event
showed that they We're no exception to the
rule. Far into the ensuing morning the
festivities extended. Conveniently at hand
stood two immense tanks containing an
ample supply of mescal and tequila. Every
man was his own bartender, and only to
the final effects of a too copious Indulgence
in these beverages may the eventual ter
nination of the ball be ascribed
The Cow Puncher as He Ii.
Such is chapter in the life of a Mexican
Vaquero. His world, from either a social
or professional standpoint. is not large.
but what there is of it he fills to its utmost
limitations He seldom approaches nearer
to civilization than the outbuldings of his