The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-06

forms an incentive to others to follow IN
their footsteps as far as may be consid-
er1ng inconVenient present day obstacles.
The cattle driven across the line with
out going through the preliminary cere-
mony of paying toll to our Government
are usually animals which have cost their
herders only the trouble of rounding them
up and turning their faces in the desired
direction. Cattle smugglers are usually
cattle thieves also and the profits of this
business, if properly managed, are so large
as to, in the estimation of the men en-
gagged therein. compensate for almost
any damages that may be incurred.
Becoming little tired of the monotony
of capturing or putting to flight petty
mescal traders, Inspector Garfield deter
mined to see what he could do in the cat
tie line.
Two weeks spent over the border hang
ing around Mexican saloons in the guise
of ragged and dirty young vagabond
with no particular interest in the world
besides mescal and fiirtatious native girls
put him in possession of some very inter
esting information, which he managed to
have secretly conveyed to his brother in
spectors across the line.
At the end of three weeks he was on
friendly terms with two of the cowboys
who had helped Colorado Joe-the cham
pion "rustler" of that region-on several
started out Customs Inspector Frank T.
Garfield was hired to go along with the
outfit in a sort of general utility role
Smuggling cattle is not a picnic by any
means for there is the danger of pursuit
from irate cattle owners at the back and
the danger of governmental interference
at the front of the whole surgtng, painting,
plunging bovine crowd. the edge of which
is fringe of "strayers" that are con-
stantly to be headed off and sent career
ing back into the concrete mass of the
drove.
The hours of work are almost continu-
Gus, the food is poor and hastily eaten,
but Inspector Canfield-known to his new
companions only as THE Kid"-seemed
to care nothing for any of these things.
He even helped break down the barbed-
wire fences which interfered with the ex-
petitions necessary progress cross
lots" and did so without swearing any
more earnestly and profusely than his
comrades. It was "a lark for him, he
declared, and his elders approved Of him
and declared admiringly that he had
grit" and nerve" and would get onto
himself after a while and amount to
something"
They didn't think so highly Of him when
after getting over into Arizona and well
on their way to their stronghold they ran
straight into the arms of a dozen deter
mined men, who seemed almost to spring
out of the ground, silently and unex-
pectedly did they appear, and who made
them prisoners and confscated their out
fits and stock before any of them could
have said Jack Robinson" even had he
wanted to.
The high officials of the customs service
look upon Frank Garfield with approving
eyes, but there are those who know the
country and the people well who say that
he has taken his life in his hands by
means of this, his latest and most brill
liant performance.
1t is said that a certain little Mexican
girl who is particularly fond of Colorado
Joe thinks, with regret, that it might have
been some careless word of hers, spoken
while the disguised officer-then the hand
some, dirty, ragged, young ne'er-do-well
was loafing about her fathers drinking
place, that put him on the track of her
lovers plans. and she has sworn revenge:
Mexicans revenge, as has been said,
is generally swift and sure. 1t is gen.
orally even swifter and more sure when
the Mexican interested is a woman.
But Frank Garfield is young and brave
and a bit foolhardy also, perhaps-and
he says that he is not afraid