The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-05-12


before save by the infrequent rains. Huge
cats and gars have been far inland from
their accustomed haunts and have returned
slowly as the water crept back within
bounds. There will be bad fishing in the
river for some time to come, because its
tenants have been fed to repletion.
The valley of the lower Rio Grande, that
part of it which extends for hundred
miles above old Fort Brown, has been ex-
tremely populous with wild life. 1t is the
only part of the Union in which it has
been possible for man to take Win
chester, walk half-mil from his cabin at
sunrise and kill from two to five deer be-
fore breakfast. 1t has abounded in blue
quaiIs. The ordinary cotton tailed rabbit
has lived in it in hundreds of thousands.
Ut Us beAiyed that the quaAs and the ras-
bis have been practically exterminated,
because the water rose so fast that they
had no chance at all for their lives.
The quails, of course, jumped into the
trees when the water came, but when the
trees themselves went under and there
were unbroken miles Of food between them
and the foothills they had no choice save
to drown. The rabbits went to such spots
as were left uncovered, and when these
got wet the rabbits got wet, too. Men
who rowed about the valley before it be-
came lost TO view entirely tell strange tales
of the terror of the stricken beasts-a
terror of the water so fell that they turned
to their hereditary enemy, man, for com
fort and tried to crowd into the skiffs as
they passed near to them, huddled upon
some bit Of rising ground soon to be over
flowed. An excellent opportunity was at
forded to destroy predatory animals, such
as bobtailed cats and leopard cats, but no.
body took the trouble to do it, knowing
that the brutes were doomed to death any
how. Neither did any one take the trou-
bic to knock the hundreds of rattlesnakes
from the trees into which they had climbed
in the hope of escaping extinction. Or
dinarily the RATHER is not a tree-ciimber,
but in a food such as that which is passing
away all natural habits are reversed and
pretty nearly all natural laws.
Indeed, the gloom of the food, the 81
lence of it and the utter severance of the
people from the outside world have had
such effect that few men have thought of
sport at ALL They have spent the time
listening to stories brought in of the de-
struction of ranches, the loss Of stock, the
drowning of various unfortunate Mexican
families and wondering when the tremen-
dous mass of water would find its way to
the Gulf, leaving the drenched and clean
swept land once more to dry in peace.
Common floods in the Rio Grande are
rather enjoyable than otherwise. They
mean that it has rained heavily and the
country always needs rain. Such casual
ties as occur up the river do not disturb
the valley jewellers particularly, because
the Mexican is always fatalistic and he
views the death OF somebody else with
equanimity The river is just high enough
to make it picturesque and the loss of crops
is comparatively trifing. When one OF
these floods comes down in July, as often
happens, the young men Of the Hidalgo
amuse themselves by gathering on the
bank, plunging into the torrent and, after
a swim of fifty yards or SO, laying hold Of
a watermelon vine and Juggling it labor
iously to shore Always attached to the
vine are from five to fifteen huge ripe
melons. They are piled upon the bank
until they make pyramid 8 feet high and
10 feet through at the base. Then the
small Mexican children of the village
gather about and feast, 1t is some fun
swimming for watermelons, there being
enough danger in it to add spice, but at
this time there is no fun at all in watching
bodies go by or in counting the floating
cabins.
There will be considerable destitution
among the people, who are poor and i'm
provident, but it will be only temporary.
The soil of the valley is so rich and the
climate is so void of anything that might
be called winter that it is possible for an
industrious man to raise four crops in one
year from one piece of ground. 1t is true
| that the Mexican is far from industrious
and it takes a Rio Grande food to make
him work, but in month the replanted
crop will be sprouting as gayly as if moth
ing had happened and the harvesting will
be only little delayed. The Indian corn
which was swept away or drowned by the
water, was more than waist-high and roast
ing ears would have been plentiful il
another two weeks. However, the farm
ers will have roasting ears in the early par
of June as it is, and the feld-pea, which
is about the only other thing they plant
will grow all the better for the soaking tn,
soil has had 1t is the sort of grount
which when tickled with crooked sticl
laughs in harvest, and a crooked sticl
is the nearest approach to plough tina
many of the Mexican tillers know. 1t i
country of bananas, too, in plenty, va
rious forms of plantains and other natura
breadstufs. Indeed, the average inhabit
ant of the valley of the lower Rio Grand
is perfectly competent to pull through
disastrous season on pear apples alone,
put to it. Pear apples are the purplisl
oblong fruit, about the size of hen egg
which grows on the ends of the broad ell
liptical leaves Of the prickly pear 1t pro
duces chills and fever in one not used to it
but the Mexicans are all used to it and
contains great amount of nutrition.
, While the passing food was in its stag
, Of increase good many village Hampder
exposed their dauntless breasts to DANCE
, without any expectation of reward, think
| ing, indeed, little about it. There ha
, been more than one notable instance
heroism. Jose Bermaiaa, who is CON
mon vaquero, or rider of unbroken horse.
T on the ranch of Don Jose Sanchez, tie
miles above the place, swan his horse
, quarter of a mile FIVE times in bringing o,
i Mexican woman, named Candelarie GA
E cia and her four small children who wei
9 imprisoned in a jacal near the bank of ii
, river. The flood had poured around be
i L Al. - IT II 4