ODDS AND ENDS
Scent and Instinct--Mules--Roping Contests--Antelopes--The
Skunk--Garnets--Leave Arizona.
This shall be a sketchy chapter of odds and ends, but more or less
interesting according to the individual reader.
The horse's intelligence is nothing compared to that of the mule, and as
riding animal in rough country a mule should always be used. In Mexico,
Central American States and the Andes mules are alone used; and what
splendid, even handsome, reliable creatures they are on roads, or rather
trails, such as it would be hazardous to take horses over. I once saw
the unusual sight of two big strong mules (our ammunition pack animals)
roll together down a very steep hillside. Happily neither mules nor
loads were at all damaged, but it was a steepish hill, as on our
returning and trying to climb it we had to dismount and hang on to the
horses' tails. Another good point about mules is that they will not
founder themselves. Put an open sack of grain before a hungry mule and
he will eat what he wants, but never in excess, whereas a horse would
gorge and founder himself at once.
As said before, the homing instinct of horses and cattle is very
remarkable. I have known horses "shipped" by a railway train in closed
cars to a distance of over 400 miles, some of which on being turned
loose found their way back to their old range. Cattle, too, may be
driven a hundred or two hundred miles through the roughest country,
without roads or trails of any kind, and even after being held there for
several weeks will at once start home and take exactly the same route as
that they were driven over, even though there be no "sign" of any kind
to guide them and certainly no scent.
On my shooting and fishing trips I rode one horse and packed another.
The packed horse, on going out, had to be led, of course, unless indeed
he was my saddle-horse's chum. But on going home, after even a couple of
weeks' absence, I simply turned the pack-horse loose, hit him a lick
with the rope, and off he would go with the utmost confidence as to the
route, and follow the trail we had come out on, each time a different
trail be it remembered, with ridiculous exactitude; yet there was no
visible track or sign of any kind. Indeed, I would often find myself
puzzled as to our whereabouts and feel quite confident we were at fault,
when suddenly some familiar tree or landmark, noticed on going out,
would be recognized.
Parts of our Arizona range were covered with great beds of broken
malpais rock, really black lava, hard as iron, with edges sharp and
jagged. Over such ground we would gallop at full speed and with little
hesitation, trusting absolutely to our locally-bred ponies to see us
through. English horses could never have done it, and probably no
old-country horseman would have taken the chances. We got bad falls now
and then, but very seldom indeed considering conditions.
The bits used then were murderous contrivances, being of the kind called
spade or ring bits. By means of them a horse could be thrown on his
haunches with slight effort, even his jaw may be broken. Luckily the bit
is little used by the cowboy. His horse knows its painful character, and
so obeys the slightest raising of the rider's hand. It should also be
remarked that the cow-pony is guided, not by pulling either the right or
left rein, but by the rider carrying his bridle hand over to the _left_
if he wants to go to the left, and vice versa. There is no pulling on
the mouth. The pony does not understand that; it is the slight pressure
of the right rein on the _right_ side of the neck that turns him to the
_left_.
The reata in those days was nearly always made of plaited raw hide, and
often made by the boys themselves, though a good reata required a long
time to complete and peculiar skill in the making of it. Quirts
(quadras) and horse hobbles were also made of raw hide.
As everyone knows, the horn of the saddle is used in America to hold
roped cattle with. In South America a ring fixed to the surcingle is
used; while in Guatemala and Costa Rica the reata is tied to the end of
the horse's tail!
It is a very pretty sight to see a skilled roper (the best are often
Mexicans) at work in a corral or in a herd; or better still, when after
a wild steer on the prairie. But roping is hardly ever used nowadays,
one reason of the "passing" of the old-time cowboy. We used to have
great annual roping competitions in New Mexico and Texas, when handsome
prizes were given to the men who would rope and tie down a big steer in
quickest time. I once or twice went in myself to these competitions and
was lucky enough to do fairly well, being mounted on a thoroughly
trained roping horse; but it is a chancy affair, as often the best man
may unluckily get a lazy sort of steer to operate on, and it is much
more difficult to throw down such an animal than a wild, active,
fast-galloping one; for this reason, that on getting the rope over his
horns you must roll him over, or rather _flop_ him over, on to his
back by a sudden and skilful action of your horse on the rope. If
properly thrown, or flopped hard enough, the steer will lie dazed or
stunned for about half a minute. During that short period, and only
during that short period, you must slip off your horse, run up to the
steer and quickly tie his front and hind feet together, so tightly and
in such a way that he cannot get up. Then you throw up your hands or
your hat, and your time is taken. While you are out of your saddle your
horse will, if well trained, himself hold the steer down by carefully
adjusting the strain on the rope which still connects the animal's horns
with the horn on the saddle.
[Illustration: WOUND UP. (Horse tangled in rope.) (By C. M. Russell.)]
I may here tell a wonderful story of a "buck" nigger who sometimes
attended these gatherings. He was himself a cowboy, and indeed worked in
my neighbourhood and so I knew him well. He was a big, strong, husky
negro, with a neck and shoulders like a bull's. You cannot hurt a nigger
any way. Well, this man's unique performance was to ride after a steer,
the bigger and wilder the better, and on getting up to him to jump off
his horse, seize the steer by a horn and the muzzle, then stoop down and
grip the animal's upper lip with his teeth, turn his hands loose, and so
by means of his powerful jaws and neck alone throw down and topple the
steer over. The negro took many chances, and often the huge steer would
fall on him in such a way as would have broken the neck or ribs of any
ordinary white man. In this case also the steer must be an active one
and going at a good pace, otherwise he could not be thrown properly.
Stock-whips were never allowed. Useful as they may be at times, still
the men are liable to ill-treat the cattle, and we got on quite well
without them. Dogs, too, of course, were never used and never allowed on
the range. They so nearly resemble the wolf that their presence always
disturbs the cattle.
This deprivation of canine society, as it may be imagined, was keenly
felt by us all, perhaps more especially by myself. Had I only then had
the companionship of certain former doggy friends life would have been
much better worth living. As a protection at night too, when out on long
journeys across the country, during the hunting and fishing trips, or
even at the permanent camps, the presence of a faithful watch-dog would
probably have saved me from many a restless night.
The Navajo Indian's method of hunting antelope was to strew cedar
branches or other brush in the form of a very long wing to a corral,
lying loose and flat on the ground. The antelope on being driven against
it will never cross an obstruction of such a nature, though it only be
a foot high, but will continue to run along it and so be finally driven
into the corral.
And antelope are such inquisitive animals! On the Staked Plains of New
Mexico the Mexicans approach them by dressing themselves up in any
ridiculous sort of fashion, so as least to resemble a human being. In
this way they would not approach the antelope, but the antelope would
approach them, curious to find out the nature of such an unusual
monstrosity. Antelope, there, were still very plentiful, and even in my
own little pasture there was a band of some 300 head. Only at certain
times of the year did they bunch up together; at other times they,
though still present, were hardly noticeable.
I would like to make note of the curious misnaming of wild animals in
North America. Thus, the antelope or pronghorn is not a true antelope,
the buffalo is not a buffalo, the Rocky Mountain goat is not a goat, and
the elk is not an elk. By the same token the well-known "American aloe,"
or century plant, is not an aloe, but an agave.
While in Arizona I used to carry in a saddle pocket a small sketch-book
and pencil, and on finding one of the beautiful wild flowers the Rocky
Mountains are so famous for, that is, a new kind, I would at once get
down and take a sketch of it, with notes as to colour, etc. The boys
were at first a bit surprised, and no doubt wondered how easily an
apparent idiot could amuse himself. I was considerably surprised myself
once when busy sketching on the banks of a brawling stream in the
mountains. A sudden grunt as of a bear at my elbow nearly scared me into
the river. On turning round, there was an armed Apache brave standing
close behind me; but he was only one of a hunting party. What sentiment
that grunt expressed I never learnt.
It is remarkable how a range or tract of country that has been
overstocked or over-grazed will rapidly produce an entirely new flora,
of a class repugnant to the palate of cattle and horses. In this way our
mountain range in particular, when in course of a very few years it
became eaten out, quickly decked itself in a gorgeous robe of brilliant
blossoms; weeds we called them, and weeds no doubt they were, as our
cattle refused to touch them. Certain nutritious plants, natives of the
soil, such as the mescal, quite common when we first entered the
country, were so completely killed out by the cattle that later not a
single plant of the kind could be found.
Amongst the fauna of Arizona was, of course, the ubiquitous prairie dog;
and as a corollary, so to speak, the little prairie owl (_Athene
cunicularis_), which inhabits deserted dog burrows and is the same bird
as occupies the Biscacha burrows in Argentina. Rattlesnakes, so common
around dog-towns, enter the burrows to secure the young marmots. Another
animal frequently seen was the chaparral-cock or road-runner, really the
earth cuckoo (_Geococcyx Mexicanus_), called paisano or pheasant, or
Correcamino, by the Mexicans. It is a curious creature, with a very long
tail, and runs at a tremendous rate, seldom taking to flight. Report
says that it will build round a sleeping rattlesnake an impervious ring
of cactus spines. Its feathers are greatly valued by Indians as being
"good medicine," and being as efficacious as the horseshoe is with us.
A still more curious animal, not often seen, was the well-named Gila
monster or Escorpion (_Heloderma suspectum_), the only existing animal
that fills the description of the Basilisk or Cockatrice of mediæval
times; not the _Basilicus Americanus_, which is an innocent herbivorous
lizard. This Gila monster is a comparatively small, but very hideous
creature, in appearance like a lizard, very sluggish in its movements,
and rightly owning the worst of reputations. Horned toads, also hideous
in appearance, and tarantulas (_Mygales_), very large centipedes and
scorpions, were common, and lived on, or rather were killed because of
their reputation, but they seldom did anyone harm.
But the most highly appreciated, that is the most feared and detested,
of wild creatures was the common skunk, found everywhere, mostly a night
wanderer and a hibernator. He is a most fearless animal, having such
abundant and well-reasoned confidence in his mounted battery, charged
with such noxious gases as might well receive the attention of our
projectile experts. The first time I ever saw one he came into my
mountain hut. Knowing only that he was "varmint" I endeavoured to kill
him quickly with a spade. Alas! the spade fell just a moment too late
and henceforth that hut was uninhabitable for a month. The only way to
get one out of the house is to pour buckets of cold water on it. That
keeps the tail down (unlike a horse, which cannot kick when his tail is
up); but when his tail goes up, then look out! The skunk is also more
dreaded by the cowboy and the frontiers-man than the rattlesnake. It is
their belief that a bite from this creature will always convey
hydrophobia. Being a night prowler it frequents cow camps, and often
crawls over the beds spread on the ground, and it certainly has a habit
of biting any exposed part of the human body. When it does so, the
bitten man at once starts off to Texas, where at certain places one can
hire the use of a madstone. The madstone is popularly supposed to be an
accretion found somewhere in the system of a white stag. It is of a
porous nature, and if applied to a fresh wound will extract and absorb
the poison serum. Texans swear that it "sticks" only if there be poison
present--does not stick otherwise. A fanciful suggestion! And yet, no
doubt, the skunk does sometimes convey hydrophobia through its bite. I
have myself often had the pleasant experience of feeling and knowing
that a skunk was crawling over my carefully-covered-up body. But enough
of this very objectionable creature.
In Texas some of the boys used to carry in their pockets a piece of
"rattlesnake root," which when scraped and swallowed after a bite was
held to be an antidote, though otherwise a virulent poison.
In this placid land of ours, so free of pests, mosquitoes, fleas and
leeches, we are also free of the true skunk; but we do have, as perhaps
you are aware, a small creature armed and protected in much the same
way. This is the bombardier-beetle, common in certain other countries,
but also found in England, which if chased will discharge from its stern
a puff of bluish-white smoke, accompanied by a slight detonation. It can
fire many shots from its stern chasers. It is said that a highly
volatile liquid is secreted by glands, which when it meets the air
passes into vapour so suddenly as to produce the explosion.
The Mexicans of the United States deserve more than a passing notice.
Many of them have Indian blood and are called Greasers, but the majority
are of fairly pure Spanish descent. Contact with the Americans has made
them vicious and treacherous. They have been robbed of their lands,
their cattle and their horses, bullied and ill-treated in every possible
way. But even now many of them retain their character, almost universal
amongst their compatriots in Old Mexico, for hospitality, unaffected
kindness, good breeding and politeness. A Mexican village in autumn is
picturesque with crimson "rastras" of Chile pepper hung on the walls of
the adobe houses. To the Mexicans we owe, or rather through them to the
Aztecs, the delightfully tasty and delicious enchiladas and tamales.
Among native animals should not be forgotten the common jacket-rabbit
(hare). She affords capital coursing, and someone has said runs faster
than an ice boat, or a note maturing at a bank, so she must indeed be
speedy. It is interesting to recall that puss in Shakespeare's time was
_he_ and not _she_. Among our feathered friends the humming-bird was not
uncommon. These lovely but so tiny little morsels are migrants. Indeed
one of the family, and one of the tiniest and most beautiful, is known
to summer in Alaska and winter in Central America; thus accomplishing a
flight twice a year of over two thousand miles.
An interesting little note too may be made of the fact that the garnets
of Arizona are principally found on ant-heaps, being brought to the
surface by the ants and thrown aside as obstructions only fit for the
waste-basket. But they are very beautiful gems and are regularly
collected by the Indians.
There was little or no gold mining in our part of the territory; but
there were current many tales of fabulously rich lost Claims, lost
because of the miners having been massacred by the Indians or other
causes. In likely places I have myself used the pan with the usual
enthusiasm, but luckily never with much success.
The practice of that very curious custom, the "couvade," seems to be
still in force among some of the Arizona Indian tribes, among whom so
many other mysterious rites and customs prevail.
The loco-weed (yerba-loco) was common in our country and ruined many of
our horses, but more about it hereafter.
After ten years, a long period of this life in Arizona, an offer came to
me which, my partners consenting, was gladly accepted, viz., to take
charge of and operate certain cattle-ranches in New Mexico in the
interests of a Scottish Land and Mortgage Company. Things had not been
going well with us and the future held out no prospects of improvement.
Also I had been loyal to my agreement not to take or seek any share in
the management of affairs, and the natural desire came to me to assume
the responsibility and position of a boss. But dear me! had I foreseen
the nature of the work before me, and the troubles in store, my
enthusiasm would not have been quite so great.
[Illustration: WATERING A HERD.]