Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-23
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

ing man." said Alfred J. Smith of Nogales,
Arizona. at the Raleigh, but there are
two things which you don't have here
which play important part in the every
day life of portion of the inhabitants, and
for the sake Of a brief description l will
designate them buzZards and tomales-
THE Mex.cans are inordinately fond OF
red peppers They grow to enormous size.
compared with those you see here, and in
the houses and 20 the caves of the porches
of every Mexican ha bitation, be it ever so
humble. in Mexico, Arizona and California
one will observe strings of this brilliant
red condment hanging with the ends of
the stalk twisted into braids.
In San Francisco one may find res
taurant or two where Mexican cooking Is
served exclusively 1 know of no similar
places in any of the large cities which /
have visited Americans do not appreciate
Mexican cooking, that Is, the very few
who have enjoyed repasts prepared a Ia
MCXiCanu. The tomato is the nearest ap-
preach to it. and when you get through
with the tomato. if you eat it all. you make
a requisition on the hydrant and your
pocket handkerchief, to cool your burning
throat and wipe the tears from your eyes
Yet American-made tOmaies are mild COM
pared with the real Mexican cornmeal,
Chicken supposed and red peppers,
wrapped in corn husk, served hot.
The Mexican mikes the red peppers with
his food with lavishness indicating his
extreme fOndneSS Tor It's not, burning Hd-
vor. and in a manner that is unacceptable
10 the American palate. 1t enters into the
composition of all his dishes.
Now for the buzzards- These justly
named scavengers of the air are very NUM-
circus in the section | have named They
are the personitication of grace on the wing
and the embodiment of awkwardness en- the
ground When they alght. after describ-
ing gradually diminishing circles. they Of
ten fall over and always land with an aWk-
wardness and clumsy hopping and tumbling
Itch iS ry1EG am
are a repulsive looking bird. in the air they
sail for miles. as far as the eye can follow.
without the movement OF a wing beyond
tleVatiEg or depressing at the proper an
gle their p!nonS as they describe the great
circles in which they always fly. l have
known the horizon to be perfectly clear Of
bUzzards and within short while after
the carcass of a sheep had been left by
the roadside they have appeared first as
mere specks IN the sky, then increasing in
size they approached their food with
that marvellous swiftness for which birds
of prey are famous. though buzZards feed
exclusively upon carr!on, and are improp-
eTly classed otherwise.
The association between MeXicanS and
buzzards lies in this: The formers flesh is
saturated with red peppers that when
he IS Overtaken by death on the plains or
desert, buZzardS viii not eat the body. AT
least. this is the common understanding in
the section / hail from. l have never in
terviewed a buzzard TO ascertain his taste
as regards his alleged lack of appreciation
of Mexicano a la m0rte, and since l have
never partaken of the dish myself, can
not personally verify the story. but l can
see good grounds for basis Of truth, ard
believe II to be accurate"
THE fishing season having opened" said
W. S. Johnson of San Diego. Cal, sit will
be IN order for the joke writer and the
comic illustrator to refurbish the good old
standby about the amateur fisherman, the
small boy with the pin hook, the camera,
and the cOnfiding wife. Men will lie about
the size CT the fish they catch. or say they
caught, so l will lie a wee bit about the
fish Of the Pacific. as all Californians are
accounted good liars about their state and
the big things grown therein.
When a Washingtonian goes up the Po-
tonac and afterwards tells about that big
black bass weighing 612 pounds 1 caught
above Great Falls. his friends smile pleas
antly at his weakness, and say, on. you':e
a fisherman. which is polite way of say
ing he is d prevaricator by force of habit
But with a rod and reel, and line but
llttIr heavier than the Potomac angler
uses. fishermen catch off San Diego black
SEA bass weighing 2in pounds. and over.
sea bass Of this weight is as long as a man
of average height Is tall, and is a veritab.e
monster 10 take by hook and line. The
worlds record for rod and reel fishing Is
held 10y 7. S Manning of Sierra Madra,
Ca, who landed at Santa Catalina Island,
off the California coast sea bass weighing
3;2p pounds. a fish called the Ieaping
tuna, which resembles in appearance some
what the little mackerel of eastern waters
and is considered she most active of the
game fish, and which reaches gigantic size,
IS also caught by rod and reel, Colonel c.
P. Mlrehouse OF Pasadena holding the
worlds record. having landed a monster
weighing 251 pounds. l have known OF
three men 10 catch 40 pounds of black
sea bass and yelowtail with hook and line
in one day. The yellowtail IS gamy fish
weighing from 10 to SO pounds These fish
in the Pacific are caught with u thread
line. which. as all fishermen know. is COM
parativeiy small
The fishing is done from a rowboat or
small yacht usually. 1t takes the angler
from half to three hours to reel up his
prey 10 the boats side, where it may be
hooked by the gaf and brought in the
boat The fisherman is often completely ex-
hausted by huge bass or tuna, so ter
T1fcally do they fight for liberty, and II re-
Quires the greatest skill and patience on
the part of his captor TO land him with his
slender rod. With quick turns, downward
PUSHES and mighty runs, the fish struggles
for freedom Sometimes the line breaks and
he secures II.
THE leaping tunas are said to be equal
to two OF three tarpOn in point of strength.
have known of small boats being lowed
as far as twenty miles and upward OF six
hours spent In exhausting the tuna so that
he could be gated. From 800 to 60 feet of
line will be reeled off IN a single rush of
these fierce fighters. The boat will tear
through the water like an eisht-oared shell
The fish. in making a sudden turn will
twist it around on pivot. The surface
of the water during the fishing season is
usually calm. the Pacific is true to Its
name in summer
How these gamy fighters of the sea OF
such enormous size may be caught with a
thTcad-hke line and a slender rod, at the
tip no larger than very small slate pencil,
Is Il mystery to the uninitiateGl, but 1t is
done and proves the skill OF the angler.
! have seen man with an s-ounce rod and
y thread line bring TO the boats side a sea
bass weighing over 9sI pounds, and the
catches l have cited. which are authentic
even though told by a Californian of the
land Of the big trees, Were probably made
with rods but little, II any. heavier