The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-04-22

~ 49,
had first sat on a horse when four years
old, and for years had scarcely been
i out of the saddle. except to sleep
not always for that. Talk about rid
ing horseback, boys-why. Pablo lived
on horseback.
Now, You can guess that beside such
a fellow wasn't of mucha% account. COM
ing from a New England town. where
if we take a ride now and then on some
old carriage horse. its as much as we
dc. OF curse, / began riding as soon
as | got to Los HueblOs. because il !
didn't there was little else to do; but
| could no more sit in a saddle all day
ros than | could fly. Besides. | was a
sight to laugh IA even when | was do
ing my best-bounCing up and down
like q churn-handic, swaying from one
/ d to the other. and quite often 60
ing head-first over my horses ears to
the ground. The vaqucros used to laugh
at and make fun OF me behind my
back. from morning till night. and.
although Pablo'S ideas of a Spanish
| CCntlcman'S conduct made him act as
ii he never noticed my awkward
ness, vet | could see that ne deSpiscd
m. for not being able 10 do what every
child ought, as he looked at il. All
this used to grind me terribly. boys,
| can tell You.
"On my side, | didn't think well of
Pablo. ] was greatly surprised when
| found thar he could scarcely read
a word of his own lan"Gagr-not so
much as | could after having studied
Spanish 4 single mouth-and that he
actually didn't know The meaning of
thc L.Htin prayerSh he repeated every day:
and. what was worst. didn't care to.
He was more ignorant OF arithmetic
than the youngest boy in the grammar
school. and couldn't add up four or
five numbers without using counters,
to save his life. But what took me
aback most was that he didn't seem
to know that he knew nothing. or to
want 10 be anything different from
what he was thcn-had no ambition,
in short.
Here we boys are. each with his
plans for the ~future-Fred wants to be
a lawyer, Charley a business man. and
| an engineer: but such ideas never
entered Pablo's head. i don't believe
he ever once thought even whether he
would continue hcrding cattle all his
life, but Just wcn on doing it without
thinking anythin" at all.
80. YOU see. Pablo ard | had Il con-
tempt for each other. and after awhile
We kept apart as entirely as we could.
lie WAS very kind and hospitablc,
though. and always took car that |
got the best of everything. and didn't
run into danger. which | was Very like
X to do hccauSc of by habit of taking
long walks about the country alone.
This was another thing Pablo
couldn't UNDERSTANDABLE any sensible
person should ever walk a step when
he could lust - well ride. and especial
II why he should enjoy doing it. | be
l:cyc he used 10 think me Il little ont
uf mind when he saw me starting out
for q tea or tiftccn-milr tramp; and.
ltlfittfl, II WISH ! tNtNllN 81 NlS1 INNS
on my part. for | ran more or less risk
every tim" / went. On acc0unt of the
cattle. and particularly II old bull.
called FL SacuGidor' (thc 'thrower' or
'toSScrD.
This bull had killed several horses,
and severely injured two or three
~vaGu"ros: but Don Moreno wouldn't
hear Of his being killed and even re-
fused to let them SAW of his horns.
This was because the bull WAS pure
Spanish, like the don. who seemed to
think that miserable, haif-breed Next
cans ought to feel highly honored if
n real old Spanish bull found any pleas
IRE in "orinG them.
The animal generally pasturcd in a
certain place at some d~iStfnc" from the
house: vet o never could tell when
he might take Il fancy to go charging
all over the ranch. a~ttackin" everything
that came in his way: for. though bulls
are MOI always savage. they have crazy
spells. during which they seem 10 en-
Joy doing mischief. and would rather
kill 4 man than not.
"One morning | was going through
a long. deep ravine-a favorite walk OF
! minc-whpn | heard a SOFT of pulling
noise. and a great rattling of gravel.
Looking up. what should see but FL
Sacudidor coming around a bend about
80 wards in front of me. head down,
tail up. and evidently just as full OF
| urliness as he could hold. Good %ra-
cinus. what Il savage brute he looked.
Ard whata place that was to meet him
in. The walls of the ravine went up
almost nerpendicularly. and. being of
cou@Iomerate-earth and gravel mixed
together-a monkey couldpt have
climbed them. while the path wasn't
more than six feet wide. if as much.
and right in the middle of it the bull
was coming down upon me at a quick
trot.
Boys. to say that | was frightened
is nothing. If aGybody's hair ever
actually stands on end. mine did then:
and every drop Of blood in me seemed
turned into pins and needles. was so
terrified. ] hadn't a weapon of any
| sort. not even a knife-thOugh that
| didn't matter. for nothing short of a
heavy rifle would have saved me, and
p.rbnp S that yynnl1n'T