New-York tribune., 1907-07-07


derfully free hearted and handed are the people
thereabouts IN the matter Of making life easy
for the tramps who chance that way.
A PECULIAR BURDEN
recall one fellow-apparently a British by
product-Whom I overlook while riding across
the province OF santa Fe on a scorching sum-
Tner afternoon. He was fairly staggering under
the weight Of a long pole, from either end Of
which hung a hindquarter Of fat mutton WhlLe
for every inch Of the intervening twenty feet
dangled a thin strip Of meat which the sun was
rapidly reducing to "jerky" or, as they call
It there. "tasajo." He told me that he had come
upon the "estancia'' OF a countryman a few days
before. and that the latter, after putting him
up for the night, had sent him on with all he
could carry Of the meat OF q specially saugh-
tered sheep
1 remarked on the weight and awkwardness
of his burden, TO which he replied that l "orter
a seen the baly bunch" the day he started
"Got the hull bloomin' ca'cass on the pole. an
wen hi puts on the skin the blarsted pole
busted So hi chivyies up a new pole bur
chucks the skin fer fear a Dustin 1t, too
Couldn't eat the bloody Ide. anyhow, doncher
know" he added, philosophically
But the typical "atorante." a general thing,
is a light carrier The Australian tramp VIII
often shoulder "swag' containing O. light tent,
a wool and q rubber blanket and goOdly as
sortment Of cooking utensils, the whole weigh
ing seventy eighty pounds. and even our own
''bindle stiff VIII sometimes patter or down the
"atorante" seems to prefer taking things as he
finds them rather than making horse OF him
self and the only accessories one may be sure
of his always having are his "poncho' and
''facon grande."
The former is merely the usual blanket with
the head hole In the middle. worn by nearly all
of the spanish-Amer!can peoples while the lat
ter is a huge knife with blade that may be
anywhere from twelve to twenty inches in
length 1t serves as knife fork, spoon, axe,
needle and other domestic implements. and also
as a weapon Of offence and defence. The
''facon' is the original weapon Of the "gaucho."
or Pampean cowboy. and his mastery of every
detail of its usefulness in that line Is something
almost beyond belief This expertness is not
often shared by the "atorante." and incident
OF which I was q witness in the province OF
Pampa Central well illustrates the skill Of the
one and the maladroitness Of the other
l was visiting the "estancia" Of English
friend in the thrashing season. and my host
took me out one morning to verify some stories
he had been telling me in regard to the clever
ness of his native major domo in throwing the
'facon." The latter entertained us for half an
hour with variations OF the trick Of standing off
and throwing a dozen knives. after the
other so that they stuck into the sideboard of
the thrashing machine and formed the letters
OF our names, and a finale suggested that one
of us should hold up q leaf OF book while he
sent his "facon" through 1t from distance Of
twenty PAGES. I politely declined the job Of
target boy in favor Of my friend, and no sooner
had that even nerved individual put out the
square of paper than the great shining blade
went whisking through it without even tearing
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