Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-27
Plenty of Fun and Hard Work for the
Mexican Cowboys.
HOSPITALITY ON 4 LARGE SCALE
Separating the Cattle Belonging to
Various Owners.
THEN COMES THE DANCE

Prom the st Louis Globe Democrat
II was sixty leagues, Mexican. from the
Sierra Blanca Rancho. in western Texas,
10 the Hacienda del COrralitos. in Chihua-
hua And sixty more desolate wearisome,
Sweltering leagues were never conceived
by the elastic judgment OF a Mexican civil
engineer over vast stretches of scorching,
treeIess plain they ran, varied at frequent
intervals by sudden pluugcs into the sitting
depths of intervening barrancas and long,
arduous climbs, to the rocky submits OF
numerous mountain ridges. But Don
Miguel. the patron of Corralitos, was Civ
ing the roundup this year, and had dis
patched one of his vaquer)s, or punch
ers.'' all that long, tedious distance with
formal invitation to the Big B. outfit to
attend. Now. Don Miguel was II" small
factor in the COW business Whereabouts,
and however few strays might hope to
recover by crossing that clustering, sand
blown gulf to his range, were. never
theIess. bound by the unwrftten laws of
border etiquette to do SO. As to the trip
itself, that should be dealt with under a
separate title--A Week Though Purgatory
A-Horsenack'' would not be inappropriate.
The more So from the fact that when, at
the expiration of that probationary pill
gTimage, we viewed from the crest of a
high hill the broad fertile mesas and rich
valleys Of Corraiitos, a veritable stock
mans paradise seemed spread before us.
Just below US, in the midst of verdant
plain. lay Don Miguel's hacienda, which,
with its lOw-lying buildings, with their
thick buttressed walls, resembled some
strongly fortified military post. AS our
jaded party slowly descended the hill slope
ii became evident that our host was cog
infant of our approach. for suddenly
through arched gateway in the wall
which surrounded his establishment DASH
ed a cavalcaGe of Mexican vaqueros, head
ing straight for us. As they drew nearer
We were able to distinguish in their leader
no less dignifed parsonage than Don
Miguel himself. and. following the custom
observed in rural Mexico we put spurs to
our horses and dashed forward to exchange
courtesies with our friends
Looked Like a Collision.
To an uninitiated observer the scene would
have suggested nothing less vivid than the
charging of two cavalry troops for not I'M
iii We were close enough to reach out and
exchange the conventional Mexican EN-
brace did either party check their speed
This latter formality was under such cir
CUmstances, a rather difficult feat for the
excitement rendered our half broken mus
args all but unmanageable. The rearing
and plungins of the ponies. however. added
not a little to the picturesqueness of the
scene
1t would be difficult indeed to conceive Of
anything quite so wild as this delegation
OF desert rangers Their CART consisted Of
short roundabout of terra GOTTA buck
skin, deliberately embelished in white leath-
er trimmings. wide laced pantaloons of the
same material and broad-brimmed high
crowned sombreros. gorgeousiy enbroider-
Ell In silver bullion AS they gracefully
DOTTED the latter in response to our Spanish
saiutations, their long. Unkempt hair was
blown about their bronze faces in much the
same manner the flowing names Of their
wild. prancing ponies In addition TO the
costume already described. each vaquero
was armed with brace of l.ght-Caliber
hashy-looking revolvers. and was equipped
with pair of spurs with huge steel rOweis
a hair RATA and gay serape tied behind
his saddle. which latter was conspicuous
by its broad eXpanse Of leather and horn
the size Of dinner plate. All these trap
pings Were strangely in contrast to our own
big SLOUGH hats and fringed leather chapar-
ras, Supplemented by rawhide riatas, Is
Colts and round-riggtd double-cinched
Texas saddles. The difference in costumes
was. however. entirely lost upon each party
as In company We slowly made our way
toward the hacienda. We, on the one hand.
We're tired and hungry. while our friends
were eager in their inquiries after divers
relatives and compatriots beyond the Rio
Grande.
More Guests Arrive.
Scarcely had We arrived at the casa de
campo when Gathering Of unshod hoofs
hard by attracted our attention. and a mo-
ment later another outfit TO the number of
score of native VaqueTos from one Of the
neighboring haciendas was seen bearing
down upon Corralitos. on they came at a
mad scamper, never drawing rein until but
a Scaut yard interviewed between them and
the adope walls, whereupOn they drew their
horses back upon their launches with
suddenness and deXterity that was marvel
Gus 10 behold. During the afternoon more
parties arrived, and by nightfau Don Mi
gu-fs border guests numbered something
more than 2UO.
In - &c =
who gives the roundup to provide the WIS.,
ling horsemen with fresh beef. Therefore
toward evening brace of VaQueros be-
longing 20 the rancho mounted their ponies
and rode OF to the hills. Scarcely half an
hour elapsed when their return was herald
Ell BY a series of elongated war whoops,
and presently enveloped in a whirlwind of
duNi, d bunch of steers was seen charging
down upon the corrals, while close behind
them rode tie vaqueros waving their Sc
rapes and urging them on at the top of their
speed In a triCe half dozen more punch
ers had vauited into their saddles and
spurred their ponies forward-there was
a sharp swish" as the hair riatas cleft the
air. and AN instant later, when The dust
lifted in place of the bewildertug turmoil
OF a moment ago, unique study in still
life was revealed to us There. on the
plain, tied hoOf and horn, lay the four
steers. while cirCled bout them like so
many statues, were the riders their ponies
braced rtgidly back against the riatas
stretching like bowstrings from their sad
die horns. The Strengthening and dressing
of the beeves quickly followed after when
the meat was cut up and divided among
the various outfits the members of which
immediately betOok themselves 10 the build
tng Of fires and the preparation of their
evening repast
Rounding Up the Herd
Long before sunrise on the following
morning all the vaQueros had left the ha-
cienda. riding off in small squads in as
many different directions there are frac-
Il fnfa h.. -.
men and bosses remaining behind.
For months prior TO this the preIiminar-
les Of the final grand rOdero roundup
had been in progress, the range riders for
leagues around gradually working the cat
tie over hill and plain converging by de-
grecs upon COrralitos, the common goal
Hence. with all that army of punchers the
fnai work Of concentration was only the
matter OF a few hours, and toward noon
great clouds of dust on the surrounding
horizon signaled the approach OF the vast
herd. Nearer and nearer. like the smoke of
b mighty prairie fire. drew the great dust
wreath. until at length euyelnuaJ he ba