The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1911-11-04

iIC the nFst Oh lue II II " r.
Obaldias. who II
created princely 4 H.
estate from royal grant Of land. |
Mangote. situated about miles from \
the town, is now In the hands OF his
great grandsons whose father was
! ! ! !. !
lately president of the republic. Be &8Qy
fore the revolutionary days many tN-5A$zN
Chiricano landowners maintained l@EE&%Z
lordy estate in peace and prosperity. lxI@ESS
David Is attractive place. clean 49,
and orderly Dutch burg and pic SsaSSsMM%Tss2
turesqLs Tyrolean hamlet Along ( 'gRsNz5x5s
the broad drab lengths of the streets 49,
lined modest dwellings with
hitewashed walls red-tiled roofs. and
! !. !:
blue and green doors and window
shutters The pretentious resi- >10n8
dences than twostoried
frame structures, with 10 ENsf#}lXZR
most and patio in the or the f13X4ki (k
5000 inhabitants perhaps so we'll x;fvNyn :. =,
to do" in the conventional sense Of --1sesssss ~
the phrase. The remainder super
latively poor. measured by the stand e
ard OF dollars and cents. but passing
rich in fact by of having
everything that they need and probably all they
desire. Everyone seems TO secure easy live
lihood but precisely how is difficult to determine.
A hard worker is not to be seen, but neither Is
a beEgar vagrant and the municipality does
not boast any such institution almshouse.
However. the matter is divested 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 gets along very well with gar
ment and children encountered that
Although the dry season weIl-ngh spent.
everything looked fresh and green the morning
that galloped out upon the lano my way to
Divala My moso. long. lean fellow with
melancholy visage, followed at pace which he
never varied. but which later experience taught
could always be depended to bring him
up with me at the end of a ride. Man never
possessed less appropriate name than his
Pantaleon-"panther lion'-was possibly be-
slowed upon him in a spirit of irony. He
profoundly sefpossessed and had the commend
able characteristic of combining his attention to
his business and just much of his
ployers properly concerned him.
Before stretched of the llanos which
lie like grassy islands in forest intervals
all along the Pacific slope of the Cordillera. For
miles onward and either side OF us the
ground extended in a sweep as level as billiard
table and green. With its thick covering OF
1eniebrillo. the tract looked strkingly like biz
of the blue grass country Of Kentucky Here and
there wild fig or cebo threw its heavy-eafed
branches wide arording grateful shelter for man
and beast. On every side the close ranks OF the
forest trees hemmed the llano in. and away be
yond in front the jabbed teeth OF the
sierra with the smoking OF FL Volcan pro-
1ecting beyond the ruck
A well-worn crack indicates the shortest route
the point where the road enters the forest
We keep it in sight for the sake Of preserving
bearing. otherwise one might ride unrestrain-
ediy on the darkest night this fat expanse,
unbroken by gues and devoid of burrows, In
fact | have crossed 1t at a hand gallop in
downpour of rain. when my horses ears were not
dstinguishable and the blurred lights of David
made lurid beacon patch In the distance.
These ilanos are the commons of the people
the poor mans grazing ground We pass small
herds of from 10 to 20 head nbbling the herbage,
which is ample for sustenance but not sufficiently
rich and plentiful to condition them for market
the few with
foas at their heels In this country they ride
and work only the male horses, leaving the fe
males constantly at grass This is obviously a
bad system for II retards hereditary transmission
and results in the development Of servceable
qualities on side only The animals are un-
dersized and the breed poor. the best strain being
derived from Peruvian stations Despite his
promising appearance. however the Panamanan
pony is apt to surprise you with a wonderful dis
play of stamina, have been carried ffty-odd
miles by one in twelve hours and found him fit
for a good days journey the next morning They
are easy-going beasts, with a snglefoot gait and
II O. e will be content to ride them in the manner
to which they accustomed, quite as 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 Air bride
Of the country even though no better substitute
than a 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 traveller jogs by. with NUT
tered "Buenos dias"-a salutation that Is never
omitted BY man. woman or child The rider
wears conical straw hat, a cotton shirt hap
ping free in the wind. and a pair OF blue Jeans