Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-08-22

LOTS, out l am COlQ r
they do attend on foot, and as there Is no cover
of any description. the unlocked must at times
have amusement quite as exciting as those TAX.
ing part in the trials.
The method of procedure at the tentadero is
somewhat as follows: The herd is rounded up"
on the plain and the cowboys (ganaderosl then
divide 1t, cutting out a large number of decoy
cattle. which they drive some few hundred yards
away. When the two herds are safely rounded
up, each under the charge Of silent. watchful
horsemen, the sport is ready to begin. The farm
is en- fete (open house, in fact), and lots Of
friends of the owner turn up, well mounted for
the occasion (though, personally, l am not an
admirer Of the Andalusian 'oss). The owner and
his sporting friends now appear on the scene,
mounted and armed with the garrocha Cance),
which is twelve feet long and has a small, blunt
point about a couple of inches or less in length.
When the owner gives his signal, the CANA
deros let a bull escape. OF 1t runs to it's friends
in the distance, and after it gallop three horse
men-two in close pursuit and one following
more leisurely. The latter is a picador, or pro-
fessional spearman. The two horsemen gallop
on either side Of the bull, but I could not make
out whether the rider on the left spears to the
right and vice versa, or whether the spearing is
done from one side only, and the other horseman
merely rides to keep the bull going straight. 1t
seemed to ne the horsemen usually tried to spear
high up and behind the flank, and from the off
side of the bull, /. e., left-handed. When sue
cessful, they turned the bull over in a cloun Of
dust, like a shot rabbit. Not infrequently the
Dul JlIkeQ, SO tHaL IL was nOL always tDo DTSS
man alongside who got first spear" The bulls,
being young and active, gave good little gallops,
and were as quick as cats very different from
their later appearance in the ringo. l saw one
horseman bowled over, but could not see how 1t
happened, as he was between me and the bull.
Generally speaking, after the bull had been
'grassed' twice he turned nasty and would gal
lp no more, but got up, breathing heavily. and
faced his pursuers. At this point up comes the
picador (called ell tentador, correctly speaking.
. With lance in rest he awaits. the charge, which
usually comes promptly enough, to be received
on the point Of the garrocha and warded of. n
the bull charges twice, he Is considered good
enough for the ring, but should he fall to charge
and show a not unnatural desire to escape, after
coming off second best, his fate is beef or agri-
cultural work in plow or cart as q draft OK. So
the sport goes on until all the animals COT both
sexes) have been tried. The ladies apparently
go through the trials to see If they will make fit
and courageous enough mothers for future scions
of the illustrious race.
For several years more the bulls Craze at their
ease on the plains, guarded and guided by the
ever-watchful ganaderos, for they are animals of
considerable value by this time, with prices rang
ing from forty pounds to seventy pounds apiece.
The occupation of the g%anadero, however, seems
likely to decrease, If not vanish. Barb wire is
changing the face of the earth in most places.
and in Spain it Is bringing about the passing OF
the cowbo Strange that Spain, the originator
of the cowboy, should practically see the last of
him!
have often been asked if the bulls do not
fight among themselves. They do occasionally,
and l had a passing glimpse. from the train, of a
CORY battle, which was fought in clouds of dust
beside an almost dried-up pool There is, l am
told. always a master bull among the herd, who
tyrannizes over the rest: and in the "Encyclo
pedia of Sport" there is an account of how the
herd, unable at last to stand his tyranny any
longer, unite to slay him, and having slain him,
curious to relate. stand and below mournfully