Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-08-22
CHAPTER VI.
SOME ENEMIES TO SENIOR VA
VARA

They were flynn, RUSSELL Mduue, al
1vn and a Mexican herd-boss, named
Imam Cara. They spoke in low tones
with heads close together. Maude had
hut Just joined the group and for his
benefit .he Mexican was rehearsing his
tale
"Eet wass lax dis" he said, tracing
with his finger on the floor an imagin-
arv route. "We-Antonio Villega,
Carlos MARITIME, Gregoria Garcia, Trim
idad Flores an me--we ni6 dose cows
70 TO look TO- flies in dem. So we r-ride
an r-ride close to de r-river were dose
cows wass used to be. We don fin
dose cows; we fin br-road tr-rack lid
din to de r-river. We follow dose tr-
rack to de r-river an we fin Were
dose track go into de r-river an com
ont de r-river on op'site side-lotro
lado: Isay-me--to Carlos MARITIME:
Dat dam Vavara he been here an
Carlos say ST Antonio Villega an
Gregorio Garcia an Trinidad Fores dey
all say ST Den we r-ride lax de win
70 dis Gus an | here"
Exactly" said Glynn you see,
Maude, that Vavara is at his old work.
Not content with smuggling he wishes
to be a cattle-lifter and. not content
with that, he would doubtless add a
little brigandage to his score if given
opportunity How many cows in that
bunch, Juan?'
"Mebbe fiftin'; mebbe twenty, dun
no
And when do you think they were
crossed?"
oh It's not certin; but yistiddy
sometime; yistiddy mor-rnin, yass."
Well, it's evident that they are far
away by now and looking for them in
Mexico would be equivalent to looking
for a needle in haystack, with the
difference that in this case the needle
has Winchester crabine under its right
knee and there are a good many nee
dies, Where did you say that those
cattle Crossed?"
Bout TO mile up de bank f'om de
ar-rroya"
But there is no ford near that
point"
"Yass; dey ees fod. deed not know
Get till | see de tr-racks, but dey ees
Cod. shot
"A secret ford, Ell? That explains a
good many things in the loss of cattle
that we have never been able to under
stand. That viii do. Juan. Go back
to your work and don't say anything to
the other hands. Well have to fix
things with Senior Vavara. | guess"
Glynn's indolent eyes were blazing.
He cared little about the value of the
lost cattle. though it was of consider
able amount, but for the fourth time
within year the noted Mexican snug
alor and bandit had outwitted him and
his associates and he was growing rest
i've under it. The white men held a
council of war In their talk these
facts developed:
Ramon Vayara, supposedly a former
officer Of the Mexican army. had APP
pearod upon the Rio Grande two years
before, coming from no one could say
where, further than that it was some
place in the far interior of the strange
republic, He was not more than thirty
Years old, handsome, an expert horse
man, seemingly immune to fatigue and
OF great daring and industry. He had
gathered about a band of some fifty
frontier Mexicans, men with no con-
sciences, no fear and intimately ac~
GHaluted with every road. path, hill,
prairie and cactus thicket in all that
section OF Mexico and Texas. So arm
ed he had begun his career as a SNUG
g.or laughing at the few customs Of
I"erS on either side of the Airer and,
i'll fact protected in his wrong doing
HF Americans and Mexicans alike.
They got from him cheaper goods and
salrnd thei. consciences with the
thought that they were only doing as
their hetters do In every port OF the
world, Had Vavara stuck to smuggling
h" would have met with little opposi-
ton. Ii was, however, too slow q
method OF getting rich and he began
'atlle-lltting. For hundred miles up
ana down the river he kept the rancho
men IN state OF dread He stole al
ways from the American side. instantly
'-0ssing the beeves into Mexico Once
'nere he was safe from pursuit, as
neither state rangers nor United States
regulars dared to traverse that stream
mo foreign territory for fear of inter-
"a'Iohal complications. Time and
--a'a 'Hfy had received information OF
d" intended raid and rushed to the
ehe Of operations. only TO find a
broad trail leading to the river, ending
m tAis side and beginning again on
me other. Once two rangers, made
Aless by chagrin, had followed into
"tAltaa territory They disappeared
mo the line of hills ana they did not
.'l1e back. Members OF Vavara's band
were scattered in twos and threes
..aesS me ranches on either side OF
..r no Grande, They hired them
.'-s as cowhands and il was impossi.
10 IDENTIFY them until the harm
wy tten done. He kept with him
ways however. a force Of twenty tc
.+h -g-nTe picked fighters, sufficient tc
- aHy ordinary attack by customs
Easrds or soldiers.
.A me conference on the rancho gal.
was noticeable that both Glynr
a Allyn. having vented their spIeer
= ng u vigorous oaths, waited to
wat Maude had to say. The,
although he did not know tina,
ELtt EHeS-that he WAS IN erne-f In