Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1911-11-09
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CTIU the first of the Pana- H N
- man Obaldias, who
created a princely 4 I'LL
estate from a royal grant of land.
Mangote, situated about miles from
the town, is now in the hands of his
greatgrandsons, whose father was
lately president of the republic Be
fore the revolutionary days many
Chiricano landowners maintained
lordly estate in peace and prosperity.
David is an attractive place, clean
and orderly as a Dutch burg and pic MSS
turesque as Tyrolean hamlet. Along + s
the broad, drab lengths of the streets
are lined modest dwellings with
whtewashed walls, redtiled roofsr and
blue and green doors and window y
shutters The most pretentious resi- ~ -
dences more than two distorted $3.50
frame structures, with 10 rooms at
most and a patio in the rear. OF the 6
5000 inhabitants perhaps so are well -.
to do in the conventional sense of szIS syN
the phrase. The remainder are super
latively poor, measured by the stand %3%$ m
ard of dollars and cents but passing
rich In fact by reason of having
everything that they need and probably all they
desire. Everyone seems to secure an easy live
lihood. but precisely how is difficult to determine
hard worker Is not to be SEEN but neither is
beggar nor a vagrant and the municipality does
However, the matter is Invested of much of its
mystery when one considers that land as prolific
as any in the world is to be had for the taking
and mans outfit of clothing consists of three
pieces-straw hat, shirt and cotton trousers
while woman gets along very we'll with one gar
ment, and children are not encountered to that
extent.
Although the dry season well-nigh spent,
everything looked fresh and green the morning
that galloped out upon the llano on my way to
Divala. My moso, along lean fellow with a
melancholy vsage, followed at pace which he
never varied but which later experience taught
me could always be depended on to bring him
up with me at the end of a ride. Man never
possessed less appropriate name than his
Pantaleon-"panther lon"-was possibly be-
slowed upon him in spirit of irony. He was
profoundly self-possessed and had the commend
able characteristic of combining his attention to
his own business and just so much of his en-
ployer's as properly concerned him.
Before us stretched one of the llanos which
lie, like grassy islands in forest sea- at intervals
all along the Pacific slope of the Cordillera For
6 miles onward and on either side of us the
ground extended in sweep as level as a billiard
table and green. With its thick covering of
1enjebrillo, the tract looked strikingly like bit
of the bluegrass country of Kentucky Here and
there wild fig a ceibo threw its heavy-leafed
branches wide. affording grateful shelter for man
forest trees hemmed the lano in, and away be.
yond in our front rose the iabbed teeth of the
sierra, with the smoking cone of FL Volcan pro-
jecting beyond the ruck.
A well-worn crack indicates the shortest route
to the point where the road enters the forest
We keep it in sight for the sake of preserving
our bearing, otherwise one might ride unrestrain.
eddy on the darkest night over this fiat eXpanse,
-unbroken by gules and devoid of burrows. In
| crossed al a in
downpour of rain, when my horses ears were not
distinguishable and the blurred lights of David
made lurid beacon patch in the distance.
These llanos are the commons" of the people
the poor mans grazing ground We pass small
herds of from 10 to 20 head nibbling the heritage,
which is ample for sustenance but not sufficiently
rich and plentiful to condition them for market
Scattered over the range are few mares with
foals at their heels In this country they ride
and work only the male horses, leaving the fe
males constantly at grass This is obviously
bad system for it retards hereditary transmission
and results in the development of serviceable
qualities on one side only. The animals are I'M
derszed and the breed poor, the best strain being
derived from Peruvian stations Despite his I'M
promising appearance, however, the Panamanian
pony is apt to surprise you with a wonderful dis
play of stamina | have been carried fifty-odd
miles by one in twelve hours and found him fit
for good days journey the next morning They
are easygoing beasts, with single-foot gait, and
II one will be content to ride them in the manner
to which they are accustomed, quite service.
able as the average mount to be picked up in
Central or South America. 1t is distinctly advis-
able, however. to get rid of the greasy hair bride
of the country, even though no better substitute
than piece of clean rope is available. Failure
to take this precaution once cost me sore hand
Of which was not cured for weeks
Now and again a traveller joys by, with a nut.
tnatg A1-4
omitted by man. woman or child The rider
wears conical straw hat. cotton shirt flap
ping free in the wind, and pair of blue jeans.