The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-27
Frederic Haslxin's Letteyl
,hepherds Of the De(ert.

reasons he would rather A. -.
the herd in a blizzard thar ~
home without 1t. Thus lovalss ,.
the sheep has become aisss y
race trait with the Mexiesnss
one of inestimable value Z ~
gringo capitalists who ovr
sheep and take down thu n,.s.s
The sheep herder gets lin hs
and beans and perhaps forty ~
lars . month.
The Organization.
The organization Of = she., :.
at is rs exact as that Of An -
The owner Of all the oheee I
known to his employees a n
tron (the boss). The sheep q, !;
vided into small herds. Al :
charge Of each three herds /,
sort of superior officer or oyer.;.s
who proudly bears the titis !:
cap0ral. In immediate char. -
each herd is a chief herder knoss
somewhat grandly as the Nm
domo. and he has an assistss.
herder known as the Ayudante ~
a cook and packer called Cameo.
Each Of these officers treata n.
immediate superior with a Germ,
Difference, and is proud Of bis o.
authority. The Caporal IL direcsl,
responsible to the Patron for n.
sheep in his charge, and he IN I'm
holds the May0domos directly -
sponsible. He accepts excuses n
more than did Napoleon.
When everything goes well III
life OF the sheep herder on ~
range. especially in the summer IA
not a hard one; but all sorts a
dangers menace these troops n
bleating foolish creatures, who ara
worth SO much money and perrin
so easily. Drought wipes them ost
storms overwhelm them, coyote
wolf and mountain lion hang on
the tanks Of the herd and .t,he
regular toll.
A Race With a Storm.
Weather is their worst enemy
and nowhere is the weather mora
incaiculable than in New Mexico
Throughout most of the state, for
example, it is safe to leave the
herds in the rich mountain ranse
until October; snow seldom falls
before November. But few Year,
ago, winter came a month ahead
of time, and a deep wet snow fell
like the hand OF death on hundred,
Of herds that were among Ii.
mountain tops, separated from TIE
lowlands by deep canons where tn
drifts piled up higher than q map's
head. Most Of these herds hat
were more than a days drive frpn
safety persisted to the last sheep
But there was one young Caporal
who had his herds several days
drive into the mountains, but VIII
saw the storm clouds coming. an
started just before the storm brot'
with all three Of his herds and q
six of his men, in a desperate driy
for safety. Soon the storm over
took them, and they moved in
phantom world of sheep and whit
wind driven snow. Five days IN
five nights the young CapOral ken
his men and his sheep on the NOV
The men wanted to quit and Ii
sheep wanted to lie down. but b
gave in to neither. Half Of th
sheep fell dead from exhaustici
making a trail Of their bodies !
1.-THE way from timber-line to desef
and the other half arrived at u
,lowlands with every bit OF wo'
nibbled off their backs by the
!; starving fellows. The men wei
} ! staggering and half blind from 4
!, tigue and loss OF sleep. But u
Caporal had saved half of his herr
. where others had been wholly lot
} and he had lived up to the one biz
, principle of his life-to stay wi
: the herd.
}, Many other such feats might
, recorded, less dramatic, perhap
: but no less heroic. =
Many of these Mexican herde
are as picturesque as you cou
; wish. Often you see one clad
. a long ragged cloak and carryli
a long crook Of his own manula
ture who looks like a figure out
. the bible. Some of them even ca
| nv sling-shots. like that with VIM
David slew Goliath.