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GONE TO TEXAS

LETTERS

F R O M O U R BOYS

EDI TED BY

THOMAS HUGHES

MACMI LLAN AND CO.

1884

[ Al l r i ght s r eser ved. ' ]

COPYRI GHT

BV

WI LLI AM HUGHES,

GERARD HUGHES,

HENRY HUGHES.

1884

PREFACE.

" Wel l ! Wel l ! ! Wel l ! ! ! " ( cr escendo) was t he

l ong- dr awn- out excl amat i on of a Nor t her n f r i end

of our s, when mor e t han f our year s ago a younger

br ot her of mi ne t ol d hi m t hat he was j ust al l owi ng

hi s el dest son, a boy of ei ght een, t o st ar t al one f or

Texas, t her e t o seek hi s f or t une. Our f r i end' s eyes

opened wi der and wi der , and f i l l ed wi t h pi t y not

unt ouched by scor n, as he added " and you cal l

your sel f sane f or an Engl i shman ! "

My br ot her coul d onl y r epl y by a l ook of en-

qui r y and an i nt er r ogat i ve " Wel l ? "

" G T T, " r epl i ed our f r i end, sever el y empha-

si si ng each l et t er , " st ands f or Gone t o Texas.

Page 2 of 119

When we want t o say shor t l y t hat i t ' s al l up wi t h

a f el l ow, we j ust say, ' G. T. T. , ' j ust as you' d say

gone t o t he devi l , or t he dogs, over her e. "

My br ot her coul d onl y suggest t hat our f r i end

must be t hi nki ng of t he " Lone St ar " St at e, i n t he

pal my t i mes of sl aver y and f i l i bust er i ng, bef or e

t he Mexi can war ; but hi s ki ndl y soul r ef used t o

be appeased.

" And t hen t o l et t he poor boy go i n t he st eer -

age, " he r emonst r at ed, i n a t one of r eal pi t y, some-

what modi f i ed when he was assur ed t hat t he " ' poor

VI PREFACE.

boy" had i nsi st ed on t aki ng hi s own passage and

goi ng i n t he st eer age t o save hi s money ; bei ng of

opi ni on t hat as he was del i ber at el y goi ng i n f or

a har d r ough l i f e t he sooner he began i t t he bet t er ,

and t hat as f or t he peopl e i n t he st eer age, " t hey

di dn' t bi t e. "

So my el dest nephew, Wi l l y, sai l ed f or New

Yor k i n t he st eer age of a Ci mar d packet , and on

l andi ng went t o see our f r i end Mr . A. Hewi t t , M. C.

f or t hat ci t y, as he had been t ol d t o do. That

ol d and val ued f r i end, st r uck by hi s yout hf ul ap-

pear ance, di d al l i n hi s power t o di ssuade hi m ; or

at any r at e t o keep hi m i n New Yor k t i l l t her e

had been t i me t o hear f r om hi s cousi n, who had

been dr i vi ng cat t l e i n t hose par t s f or some year s.

Mast er Wi l l y was however t oo r esol ut el y bent

on maki ng hi s pl unge t o br ook any del ay, and so

st ar t ed f or t he sout h- west wi t hi n t went y- f our hour s.

He meant t o wi n of f hi s own bat , and was i mpat i ent

t o be " f aci ng t he musi c. "

The openi ng l et t er of t hi s vol ume t akes up t he

st or y f r om t he day of hi s l andi ng i n Amer i ca. I t wi l l

however , I t hi nk, make what f ol l ows a l i t t l e cl ear er ,

as wel l as possi bl y mor e usef ul , i f I add a f ew

mor e wor ds of i nt r oduct i on.

Two year s bef or e, i n consequence of ver y ser i ous

l osses, my br ot her had br oken up hi s est abl i sh-

ment , and gone wi t h hi s t hr ee boys i nt o a smal l

f our - r oomed house i n one of t he subur bs of London,

sendi ng hi s onl y daught er ( t he wr i t er of Par t V)

PREFACE. Vl l

t o l i ve wi t h her gr andmot her . I n t hi s t i ny l odgi ng

t hey had t o do ever yt hi ng f or t hemsel ves, i n-

cl udi ng cooki ng; and t he boys, on bei ng t ol d

f r ankl y t hat t hei r pr ospect s i n l i f e wer e changed,

t ook t o t hei r new sur r oundi ngs cheer f ul l y, and

wi t h zest . Al l t hr ee wer e t hen at publ i c school s ;

t he t wo el der at Mar l bor ough and Chel t enham,

t he youngest at West mi nst er , wher e he was al l owed

t o r emai n, havi ng good hope of a schol ar shi p, whi ch

he gai ned soon af t er war ds. The t wo el der l ef t

t hei r school s at once, and, l ear ned pr of essi ons bei ng

now out of t he quest i on f or t hem, openi ngs of an-

Page 3 of 119

ot her ki nd had t o be sought . Wi l l y was t aken as

hi s j uni or cl er k by Mr . Al l ender , t he Managi ng

Di r ect or of t he Ayl esbur y Dai r y Co. , i n whi ch

post he got a t hor ough gr oundi ng and dr i l l i ng i n

of f i ce and admi ni st r at i ve wor k on a l ar ge scal e,

and a sal ar y of 50 a- year t o st ar t wi t h. I n

t hi s capaci t y he wor ked har d and wel l ; hi s sal ar y

was t wi ce r ai sed i n t he ei ght een mont hs of hi s

ser vi ce. Dur i ng t hat t i me he kept hi s own counsel ;

never spent a penny mor e t han he coul d hel p ;

and by t he end of i t had saved 130. Then,

af t er consul t i ng hi s f at her , he sent i n hi s r esi gna-

t i on, havi ng obt ai ned l eave t o car r y out t he pur -

pose he had qui et l y f or med, of goi ng out t o t he

West t o seek hi s f or t une.

I must own mysel f t o havi ng done what I coul d

t o di ssuade hi m, as I f ound t hat hi s empl oyer was

t hor oughl y sat i sf i ed wi t h, and sor r y t o l ose hi m ;

Vl l l PREFACE.

and t hat i n anot her year or so he woul d be i n

r ecei pt of a sal ar y of 250, wi t h good pr ospect s

of f ur t her pr omot i on. However I qui t e changed

my mi nd on f i ndi ng how r esol ut el y he had been

l ooki ng f or war d t o, and pr epar i ng f or , a pi oneer ' s

l i f e. He asked f or no assi st ance, i ndeed decl i ned

what I coul d of f er hi m, havi ng det er mi ned t o make

hi s own smal l savi ngs suf f i ci ent t o st ar t upon. He

had no i l l usi ons what ever about t he l i f e he had

chosen ; knew per f ect l y wel l t hat he woul d have

t o l i ve under har der condi t i ons i n many r espect s

t han a f ar m- l abour er or navvy i n Engl and ; and

t hat i t mi ght be year s bef or e t hese condi t i ons

woul d be mat er i al l y al t er ed. But hi s mi nd was

made up t hat t he game was wor t h t he candl e, t hat

he coul d t r ust hi msel f t o go t hr ough wi t h hi s ex -

per i ment and t o pl ay i t f ai r l y out i n any case. He

was conf i dent however t hat he woul d have a good

r anche of hi s own by t he t i me he was of age.

How f ar hi s sel f - conf i dence was j ust i f i ed, and hi s

ambi t i on r eal i sed, r eader s wi l l j udge f or t hem-

sel ves. Af t er t aki ng a shor t hol i day at home t o

see f r i ends and r el at i ves, he sai l ed i n Sept . 1878;

and Par t I of t hi s vol ume st ar t s wi t h hi s f i r st l et t er

t o hi s f at her , t o whom al so al l t he f ol l owi ng l et t er s

i n t hi s par t ar e addr essed. They chr oni cl e hi s

f i r st doi ngs and i mpr essi ons.

By t he end of si x mont hs he had made a t our

wi t h a sheep- man, t o whom he hi r ed hi msel f ,

acr oss t he Ri o Gr ande and i n Sout her n Texas ; had

PREFACE. I X

vi si t ed a number of r anches, and l ear nt , i n hi s own

opi ni on and wor ds, " ever yt hi ng al most pl oughi ng

and har r owi ng and al l t he r est of i t . " Par t I I t el l s

how he made hi s f i r st i nvest ment i n l and, and i m-

por t ed some Engl i sh sheep, i n t he r esol ve t o t each

t he nat i ves how t o do t hei r busi ness bet t er i n t he

f ut ur e. A l onger exper i ence, and cont act wi t h t he

Page 4 of 119

har d f act s of bush and pr ai r i e f ar mi ng, somewhat

modi f i ed t hese vi ews, and t aught hi m t hat si x mont hs'

t r ai ni ng does not t el l f or a gr eat deal i n t he t ough

wr est l e wi t h ol d mot her ear t h. However , he made

l i ght of t he f al l s she gave hi m, scar cel y i ndeed

al l owed hi s f r i ends at home t o know t hat he had

had a f al l at al l , and wi t hi n a year had got a f ar m

of hi s own, a one- r oomed shant y wi t h a l ean- t o

t o l i ve i n, and gear enough of one ki nd or anot her

t o keep hi m goi ng and gi ve hope f or t he f ut ur e.

I n 1879 hi s youngest br ot her Har r y, cal l ed f ami -

l i ar l y t he Doct or f r om hi s t ast e f or nat ur al sci ence,

j oi ned hi m, t hr owi ng up hi s West mi nst er schol ar -

shi p. Thi s sacr i f i ce i nvol ved an ent i r e change of

pl ans and pr ospect s, but i t agai n was del i ber at el y

made, and has not been r epent ed. The l ong hour s

of wor k by gasl i ght i n Dean' s Yar d had begun t o

t el l on hi s eyesi ght , so he vi si t ed Wi l l y on t he

r anche, and t her e f ound hi s eyes r api dl y i mpr ovi ng.

Thi s deci ded hi m, and he st ayed wi t h hi s br ot her .

Hi s eyes have now become qui t e st r ong, and t he

use t hei r owner i s maki ng of t hem may be gat her ed

f r om hi s l et t er s.

X PREFACE.

I t was not t i l l some t wo year s l at er t hat Ger ar d,

f ami l i ar l y known as Chi co, made up hi s mi nd t o

cast i n hi s l ot wi t h hi s el der and younger br ot her .

For some t hr ee year s he had been wor ki ng i n t he

st udi o of Mr . G. Wat t s, R. A. , an ol d f ami l y f r i end,

who wi t h r ar e ki ndness had t aken hi m as a pupi l

wi t hout f ee or pr emi um, and devot ed much t i me t o

t eachi ng hi m. I may not be an i mpar t i al j udge,

but hi s wor k l at t er l y seemed t o me t o show con-

si der abl e pr omi se, an opi ni on shar ed I bel i eve by

hi s ki nd i nst r uct or . So he t oo went of f t o Texas,

as may be r ead i n Par t VI of t hi s book, and i s now

i n par t ner shi p wi t h Wi l l y and t he Doct or , and qui t e

cont ent wi t h hi s pr ospect s.

For some year s yet t he br ot her s wi l l have " t o put

i n al l t hei r t i me " on t he r anche, at shear i ng and

her di ng, cl ear i ng and pl ant i ng ; but nei t her of t hem

has t he l east i dea of gi vi ng up hi s ol d t ast es and

pur sui t s i n t he l ong r un. They have al r eady got

t hei r books out of t he packi ng- cases, and i n odds

and ends of t i me, Wi l l y i s f ai t hf ul t o hi s f i ddl e,

Chi co t o hi s penci l , br ushes, and pal et t e, and t he

Doct or t o hi s sci ence and phot ogr aphy. They

bel i eve t hat what ever i s r eal l y essent i al t o t he l i f e

of a cul t i vat ed gent l eman may be had i n due t i me

on a Texas f ar m, and i s qui t e consi st ent wi t h har d

l abour and r ough f ar e.

I t hi nk I am bound t o add t hat nei t her of t hem

had t he l east i dea unt i l wi t hi n t he l ast f ew mont hs

t hat t hei r l et t er s home wer e ever l i kel y t o get i nt o

PREFACE. XI

pr i nt . I ndeed, when t he pr oposal was made t o

t hem, i t was not wi t hout consi der abl e r el uct ance

Page 5 of 119

on t hei r par t t hat t hei r consent was obt ai ned. I

am gl ad t hat i t has been, as I bel i eve t hat t hi s

l i t t l e book may be of gr eat use at t he pr esent t i me

t o a number of young Engl i shmen ; ver y possi bl y t o

some of t hei r own ol d school - f el l ows. For ever y

year i t becomes mor e cl ear t hat t he openi ngs i n

Engl and f or young men i n our upper and mi ddl e

cl asses ar e qui t e i nsuf f i ci ent . The l ear ned pr of es -

si ons, t he Ar my and Navy, and t he Ci vi l Ser vi ce

ar e besi eged by candi dat es, of whom t her e ar e a

dozen f or ever y vacancy. I t i s t he same wi t h ever y

br anch of t r ade and commer ce, i n whi ch mor eover

t he i nt ense compet i t i on has br ought about a con-

di t i on of t hi ngs whi ch must , I shoul d t hi nk, make

any par ent , or ot her wi se r esponsi bl e per son, pause

bef or e al l owi ng a boy t o t ake hi s chance of maki ng

an honest l i vi ng i n t hem.

The pr essur e of t hi s st at e of t hi ngs has been

dr i vi ng number s of our boys t o t he Col oni es and

Amer i ca f or some year s past , and must do so mor e

and mor e i n t hose whi ch ar e comi ng. I t woul d be

wel l I t hi nk i f t he nat i on t ook t he mat t er i n hand,

and t r eat ed col oni sat i on sci ent i f i cal l y wi t h a vi ew

t o maki ng t he most of our spl endi d mat er i al . Ther e

can be no doubt t hat , wi t h a ver y moder at e amount

of car e and f or esi ght , such an ef f or t woul d pay i t s

own way al most at once, and i t s i nf l uence on t he

f ut ur e of Engl and t he new f eel i ng of l oyal t y t o

xi i PREFACE.

t he ol d count r y whi ch woul d spr i ng up al l r ound

t he wor l d woul d be of i nest i mabl e val ue. But i n

t he pr esent st at e of par t i es and of Par l i ament i t i s

out of t he quest i on, and so l ong as t he gr eat wor k

i s l ef t t o dr i f t on, and get i t sel f done as best i t can,

t her e can be no mor e usef ul hel p t o i t t han t o

f ur ni sh t r ust wor t hy det ai l s of t he l i f e whi ch young

emi gr ant s wi l l have t o l ead i n t he f i r st year s of

t hei r exper i ment .

And not hi ng i s mor e di f f i cul t t o get t han such

t r ust wor t hy det ai l s. Ther e i s i ndeed scar cel y a

Br i t i sh col ony, or a St at e of t he Uni on, whi ch has

not an agency i n t hi s count r y, engaged i n di st r i -

but i ng t he most gl owi ng account s of t he unr i val l ed

r i ches, above gr ound and beneat h, whi ch ar e wai t i ng

t o be pi cked up i n t hei r r espect i ve t er r i t or i es. And

I am f ar f r om sayi ng t hat many of t he document s

so ci r cul at ed ar e not car ef ul l y pr epar ed and t hei r

cont ent s t o a gr eat ext ent j ust i f i ed by t he f act s.

But t hey ar e not what i s needed. Not one of t hem

t hat ever I saw t el l s a youngst er how he wi l l be

housed and f ed, what wages he may hope t o ear n,

what sor t of company he wi l l be t hr own amongst .

And t hi s i s pr eci sel y what t he boys' l et t er s wi l l

do. They may be l ef t t o t he st udy of t hei r con-

t empor ar i es at home, wi t h t hi s war ni ng however

t o young r eader s. The hopef ul and cheer y spi r i t

whi ch r uns t hr ough t hem may t o some ext ent

di ver t t he at t ent i on of such per sons f r om t he har d

f act s. These, however , ar e t her e pl ai nl y enough ;

Page 6 of 119

PREFACE. Xl l l

and f or emost amongst t hem t hi s one st ands out ,

t hat t he l i f e must be one of ver y sever e phy-

si cal l abour f or year s, ami dst sur r oundi ngs whi ch

wi l l t r y t hei r met t l e t o t he ut most . To t hose who

wi l l accept t hese sur r oundi ngs, and f ace t hem i n

t he same hopef ul and cheer y spi r i t , one may say

wi t hout f ear , Fol l ow t hei r l ead. But i f any one

has r eason t o doubt hi msel f on t hi s poi nt i f he

has year ni ngs af t er t he f l eshpot s i n t he mi dst of

whi ch he has gr own up, and i s onl y i nduced t o

l eave t hem because he sees no hope at home of

get t i ng an adequat e suppl y l et hi m by al l means

st op wher e he i s. The backwoods and pr ai r i es ar e

no pl ace f or hi m ; and he wi l l onl y br i ng di scr edi t

on hi msel f and hi s count r y by addi ng one mor e

t o t he l ong r ol l of young Engl i shmen who dr i f t

away t o t he gambl i ng and dr i nki ng sal oons, whi ch

unhappi l y ar e t o be f ound i n abundance on t he

out ski r t s of ci vi l i sat i on i n ever y new count r y under

t he sun.

T. HUGHES.

CONTENTS.

PART I .

PAGE

PROSPECTI NG I N TEXAS AND MEXI CO i

PART I I .

SETTLI NG DOWN 39

PART I I I .

STRI KI NG ROOTS 99

PART I V.

GAI NI NG GROUND 129

PART V.

MADGE' S TRI P TO THE RANCHE 159

PART VI .

WI LLY' S, THE DOCTOR' S, AND CHI CO' S LETTERS . . 171

.APPENDI X 223

BART I .

THE PI ONEER' S LETTERS.

Page 7 of 119

PROSPECTI NG I N

TEXAS AND MEXI CO.

" When al l t he wor l d i s young, l ads,

And al l t he t r ees ar e gr een,

Wi t h ever y goose a swan, l ads,

And ever y l ass a queen,

Then, Hey f or boot and hor se ! l ads,

And r ound t he wor l d away,

Young bl ood wi l l have i t s cour se, l ads,

And ever y dog hi s day. "

Chas. Ki ngshy.

THE START.

Sweeny' s Hot el , New Yor k,

Sunday, Sept . 15, 1878.

PART I . HERE I am at l ast , and have j ust been pi t chi ng Sept . 1878

' i nt o bacon and eggs, and st ewed t omat oes, and Jan. 1879.

cof f ee and i ced wat er . We had a spl endi d passage ;

t hey say i t was t he qui ckest t he " Er i n " has had.

We got i nt o dock at about 2 o' cl ock, and af t er t he

sal oon passenger s had gone of f we wer e bar ged

down t o Cast l e Gar den. What a f ar ce t he over -

haul i ng by U. S. Cust oms i s. Whet her because i t

i s Sunday or not I don' t know, but t hey j ust

opened a f ew t hi ngs, and put a ver y l ar ge si gnat ur e

on i n chal k, and hur r i ed you on. I was har dl y si ck

at al l , and enj oyed t he voyage i mmensel y, especi al l y

t he awf ul l y bar bar i c manner i n whi ch we wer e f ed!

Ver y f ew had pl at es ; t hey used t he t abl e ( or boar d

wi t h hi gh edges whi ch r ej oi ced i n t hat name) , and

as f or spoons never hear d of t hem, " Wer en' t

hands good enough ! " Hal f t he st eer age wer e

B 2

4 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . I r i sh, t he r est al l sor t s of nat i ons. Some of t he sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng, j ^ ^ ^ eat < A quar t Q f soup) a quar t anc l a Jan>

hal f of pot at oes, about 4 I bs. of meat , and a gal l on

of " pl um duf f " ( or puddi ng) was what some of

t hem seemed t o st ow. And at t ea i t was ver y

i nt er est i ng t o wat ch t hem. I made a speci al st udy

of one l ast ni ght . He was t he happy possessor of

a soup pl at e and l ar ge cup, bot h of whi ch he f i l l ed

t o over f l owi ng wi t h t ea, and t hen di vi ded hi s but t er

i nt o t wo ( t hey gi ve you about hal f - a- pound) and put

one l ot i n t he cup, t he ot her i n t he pl at e, and t hen

Page 8 of 119

di vi ded hi s br ead bet ween t hem, and mopped i t up

wi t h a spoon. What a pl ace t hi s I s ! Not hi ng but

t he j i ngl i ng of car - bel l s t o be hear d. I was ver y

much st r uck wi t h t he whi t e st eamer s on t he r i ver

wi t h t he wor ki ng cont r i vance at t op. I coul d see

t en al l at once, scuddi ng about bet ween New Yor k

and Jer sey Ci t y. They gui de awf ul l y wel l . I

cannot say what I am i nt endi ng t o do as yet . I

have r ead t hose paper s you gave me t hr ough, and

f ancy sheep- r anchi ng, whi ch t hey say i s most pr of i t -

abl e, and whi ch I know a l ot of young Engl i sh

f el l ows have gone i n f or , wi l l be what I shal l st r i ke

at . At al l event s, what ever i t i s, I know you can

t r ust me t o put my best f oot f or emost , and I wi l l

wr i t e as soon as I have anyt hi ng t o say. I met

THE START NEW YORK. 5

PART i . an ol d mount ai n f el l ow on boar d. He comes f r om Sept . 1878

r espect i ng. Ut ah, ^ ^^ j bel i eve, he gar dens f r ui t , but he was Jan. 1879.

ver y cl ose on al l subj ect s. He was ver y quai nt .

He had been vi si t i ng Engl and f or a f ew weeks,

and so, as he had not seen hi s br ot her f or t went y -

t hr ee year s, " j ust l ooked i n f or hal f - an- hour , " as he

t ol d me. He expl ai ned al l about " homest eadi ng"

and " pr eempt i ng, " &c. He became a ci t i zen of

t he U. S. , but i s an Engl i shman by bi r t h. I asked

hi m i f i t wer e pr of i t abl e t o r ecant af t er becomi ng a

ci t i zen? So he says, " Wel l , i t ' s j ust t hi s - wi se ;

when ye' ve once become a ' Mer i can ci t i zen ye' l l

never want t o go back agai n No, Si r ! " He says

Engl and i s t oo " over cr owded f or hi m, Yes, Si r ! "

He was a dumpy and br oad l i t t l e man, wi t h a sor t

of wi deawake t wi ce as br oad as hi msel f , and al ways

had hi s hands i n hi s pocket s and hi s l egs apar t .

I expect my next move wi l l be t o San Fr anci sco,

f r om whence I shal l " l ook r ound. "

Phi l adel phi a St at i on,

Thur sday, Sept . 19, 1878.

I seem t o be bl est wi t h a ver y smal l shar e of

di f f i cul t i es, and i f any bl ock does occur i t wor r i es

me t o di scuss i t wi t h any one, as i t has al ways

6 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . been an i nt ense pl easur e t o me t o do ever yt hi ng Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. f or mysel f w i t hout hel p. . . . Mr . Hewi t t was ver y j an. ' i S

ki nd. I had qui t e a f i ght t o get away, and I

expect he t hought I was t oo young t o go by

mysel f , and want ed me t o go i nt o t he count r y wi t h

hi m t i l l he coul d hear wher e Jem was, whi ch I

suppose woul d have t aken a mont h or so. My

t r ai n st ar t s i n t went y- f i ve mi nut es, so I am of f t o

get some t ea and my bag checked.

Cent r al Hot el , San Ant oni o,

Sept . 27, 1878.

Page 9 of 119

Her e I am at l ast , af t er an awf ul l y hot dust y

j our ney f r om New Yor k. I st ayed a l i t t l e t i me i n

Phi l adel phi a, and am gl ad I di d so. They ar e

bui l di ng some new publ i c bui l di ngs t her e, whi ch

ar e, I suppose, t o answer much t he same pur pose

as our Law Cour t s. They ar e ver y f i ne. I t i s a

t r emendous bl ock wi t h a huge cour t i n t he mi ddl e,

and i s bui l t of pol i shed Scot ch mar bl e ; and goi ng

i nt o t he cour t qui t e t akes away your br eat h, i t i s

so cool . The Quar ant i ne of f i cer s wer e awf ul l y

st r i ct al l t he way; each l ar ge t own sent out i t s

of f i cer t o make ever y one si gn and swear t hey had

not been i n any yel l ow f ever di st r i ct si nce Jul y sot h.

THE RUN DOWN TO TEXAS. 7

31 PART I . They t ur ned out t hr ee men at Wal l er , a smal l Sept . 1878

p t o

s " pl ace bet ween Hempst ead and Houst on. I have Jan. i 8 79 .

si nce seen t wo of t hem, and t hey say t hey l et t hem

come on af t er ai r i ng t hei r heel s on t he pl at f or m f or

t wel ve hour s. I got a heal t h cer t i f i cat e at St . Loui s

wi t hout t r oubl e, but ever y t own af t er sat i sf i ed i t s

consci ence by maki ng me si gn as wel l ; somet i mes

at ni ght , when I was i n t he mi ddl e of a wel l , as

sound a sl eep as you can get wi t h your head and

body i n a l ump and your l egs somewher e over

t he back of anot her seat . We passed some ver y

amusi ng " ci t i es, " Log Ci t y, and Lai r et t a Ci t y.

They wer e bot h i n t he mi ddl e of t he pr ai r i e, and

al l t he ci t y was a smal l pi l e of l ogs t hr own on t he

gr ound, and a si gn- boar d wi t h t he name of t he

ci t y on i t ; not a house, or an ani mal , or a human

bei ng anywher e wi t hi n t en mi l es ! I went t o

Mr . L ' s yest er day. He knows Jem i nt i mat el y,

and has gi ven me t he r un of hi s r ooms, and I have

been i nt r oduced t o a Capt . T , an Engl i shman

wi t h a l ar ge r anche, and am goi ng t o be i nt r oduced

t o anot her man t o- mor r ow. Jem i s dr i vi ng cat t l e

nor t h, and i s not expect ed back her e f or some

weeks. I t has been awf ul l y hot her e l at el y.

Yest er day i t was ni net y i n a " cool " r oom. I am i n

excel l ent heal t h and spi r i t s, and do not f eel t he

8 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . heat so much as I di d i n Spai n. The chi ef amuse- Sept . 1878

s ' ment her e seems t o be get t i ng up par t y squabbl es Jan. 1879.

of ever y and any ki nd, and t hey say i n t he paper s

" A r ar e good t i me may be expect ed, " whi ch

means t her e wi l l pr obabl y be pl ent y of r ow. They

never seem t o t hi nk of t he busi ness par t of t he

concer n. . . . One of t he t hi ngs t he Yankees do

wel l i s boot - maki ng; t hey do make comf or t abl e

boot s and wal ki ng- shoes. Mr . L - i s goi ng t o

show me a pl ace on t he r i ver wher e I may get a

swi m. He i s ver y j ol l y and amusi ng. He says he

r i l es ol d Jem by maki ng f un of t he Engl i sh and

t hei r way of speaki ng. Jem i s ver y popul ar her e,

Page 10 of 119

ever y one i n t he t own knows hi m.

A Br ushwood Pr ai r i e,

2 mi l es f r om San Ant oni o,

Oct . 4, 1878.

Her e I am, campi ng out wi t h a l ot of sheep.

The br ot her of t he l andl or d of my hot el i nt r o-

duced me t o a man named W , who has been

sheep- r ai si ng and sel l i ng f or t en year s, and has

j ust made enough t o l i ve on comf or t abl y. I t hi nk

we shal l wor k t oget her ver y wel l . Ther e ar e a

f ew men i n t he sheep busi ness who have a name^

and sel l t hei r sheep at $5 t o $15; wher eas men

THE FI RST VI EW OF SHEEP- RAI SI NG. 9

PARTI , l i ke W get onl y $1 t o $ai , and t hey say, Sept . 1878

g ' " Oh, i t ' s j ust t hi s a way y' know, t hey get a name, Jan. 1879.

and t hen t hey get bi g pr i ces, t hat ' s wher e i t i s! "

They casual l y admi t t hat t hey ( t he bi g men) had

some good r ams f r om somewher e and i mpr oved

t hei r st ock ; but t hey ut t er l y f ai l t o see t he con-

nect i on bet ween t hi s and t he " name" t hey " get . "

For next season we ar e goi ng t o have a coupl e

of r ams out f r om Engl and and j ust " f i x" t hat

mi ssi ng l i nk. Wi l l you get al l possi bl e par t i cul ar s

f or me as t o shi ppi ng t hem i n London, f r ei ght , &c. ;

and l et me know whet her t hey can be shi pped t o

Gal vest on or Cor pus Chr i st i di r ect ( I shal l pr ob-

abl y not be abl e t o get t o ei t her pl ace t o f i nd

out f or some t i me, and no one knows anyt hi ng

about anyt hi ng a yar d away f r om hi m i n t hi s

par t of t he count r y) .

We came out her e t he day bef or e yest er day.

W t ook me t o t he yar d wher e hi s " buggy " was.

I t i s t he oddest ol d r at t l et r ap I ever saw, and he

t i es a hor se and a mul e i n. They ar e not near l y

t he same si ze or col our . Al l t he har ness i s made

up of ol d bi t s of st r ap and r ope, and I don' t t hi nk

any one coul d " f i x " t he hor ses but hi msel f . He

t hr ows al l t he har ness down by t he buggy, and

i f a buckl e or anyt hi ng get s l ost i t don' t scar e

10 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . hi m ; he says, " Oh, never mi nd, guess I ' l l f i x i t Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. some j l ows> Wel l , si r , we st ar t ed of f i n t hi s t hi ng Jan. ?8 79 .

r i ght f or t hi s pl ace as t he cr ow f l i es. Thi s i s a

l ar ge pr ai r i e over gr own wi t h t al l pr i ckl y bushes,

and W , whose r anche i s 100 mi l es away Sout h,

has br ought a f ew t housand sheep her e t o sel l t o

t he peopl e of San Ant oni o. I f t hat buggy' s wheel s

wer e onl y a yar d or t wo near er i t s body i t woul d

be bet t er . As i t i s, t hey get away amongst t he

Page 11 of 119

bushes ; you suddenl y f eel a heave, and see t he

t wo on t he l ef t si de r i di ng over t he t op of a bush ;

you cl i ng on t o t he r ai l f or l i f e, down comes t hat

si de, and t he ot her ( a pl ucky pai r t hey ar e) sees

i f he can' t away hi gher t han t he f i r st . And t hen

you f i nd hal f t he har ness has unhi t ched i t sel f

f r om t he cr ooked nai l s and t hi ngs. I have now

been out her e t wo ni ght s, and l i ke i t ver y much.

We shal l st ar t f or hi s r anche as soon as al l t he

sheep ar e sol d, whi ch may be a day or a week.

I am not goi ng t o t ake any wages, but t hen he

keeps me and f eeds me and t eaches me, and I

l eave when I l i ke, and of cour se t he r ams ( whi ch

we shal l want about next Apr i l ) wi l l come out at

hi s expense. The f i r st ni ght we had a r un. The

moon went down about n o' cl ock, and at 11. 30

t he f l ock had st ar t ed of f on t he r ampage t owar ds

SHEEP- MEN. THE TWO CLASSES. 11

PART I . a Mexi can f l ock a mi l e of f , and we wer e af r ai d t hey sept . 1878

ng> woul d get mi xed, so we had a r un t o r ound t hem j a n. 8 79 .

up and get t hem back bef or e t hey r eached t he

ot her s. The next mor ni ng t he Mexi can came over

t o br eakf ast and l assoed a ki d, whi ch t hi r t y seconds

af t er war ds was ai r i ng si x component par t s on t r ees,

and a sevent h i n a st ew- pot on t he f i r e, and we set

t o. We have bl ack cof f ee, and oni ons, and br ead,

whi ch we bake our sel ves, and pot at oes and bacon.

W wor ks hi msel f , so I expect t o l ear n l ot s under

hi m. Sheep- men her e ar e, f or t he most par t , of

t wo ki nds : t he men l i ke W , who wor k, and who

never make any i mpr ovement s, and men who

sel dom see t hei r r anche and have her der s ; and

t hey coul d make i mpr ovement s i f t hey wer e onl y

t o at t end t o i t t hemsel ves. The men who make

i t pay ar e t he ones who combi ne t he t wo ki nds

so I guess we l ook l i ke cut t i ng up smar t , anyways

we' l l t r y. I t i s awf ul l y hot st i l l . I have a bat he

i n a cr eek j ust her e, and am r i gged out a l a her d-

boy. My coat and pant s, whi ch ar e br i ar and

wat er pr oof , l i ght , and cool , and l ook l i ke br own si l k,

cost $3^ t oget her ! and hat , wi t h t wo- mi l e br i m, $ i .

One ought t o come wi t h not hi ng and get r i gged

out her e : t hey know bet t er what i s needed, and

one get s j ust t he t hi ngs one want s. I am awf ul l y

13 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . wel l . I expect I shal l wor k wi t h W some- Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. wher under t wo year s . t hen I ' l l get acr oss t o Jan. 1879.

Engl and and get a f ew r ams and come back and

r un second t o none, or t ur n t oes up. Of cour se

I am r eckoni ng t hat I don' t get l eaded by any of

t hese shot whi ch ( t hey say) occasi onal l y get about

so t hi ck you can' t see t he sun. Our camp her e

consi st s of t he buggy and pai r af or esai d, W ' s

Page 12 of 119

boy, a br i ght l ad of t wel ve, t hr ee camp wat er - bar r el s,

t hr ee st ew- pans, whi ch act as ovens, &c. , &c. , a f ew

bl anket s, and a f ew odds and ends, vi z. a kni f e and

f or k or t wo, and t i n boxes of sal t and sugar .

P. S. We shal l want t he r ams about t he end of

Mar ch, and t hey wi l l have t o come t o New Yor k.

We shoul d l i ke t o know f r ei ght . I shal l wr i t e t o

Al l ender aski ng pr i ces of r ams, and t el l i ng hi m I

want hi m t o get one of hi s f ar mer f r i ends t o pi ck

us t wo next Spr i ng. And i f you can get us

f r ei ght par t i cul ar s now, I wi l l get you t o st ar t

t hem f r om London f or us when we want t hem.

Br ushwood Pr ai r i e,

Oct . 10, 1878.

I expect Engl i sh r ams wi l l cost t oo much f or

W - by t he t i me t hey get her e, so I shan' t

bot her Al l ender i n t he mat t er unt i l I want mi ne.

A STORM ON THE PRAI RI E. 13

PART i . You mi ght get t he pr i ce of a good one f or me, Sept . 1878

5 ' t hat I may t el l W . I haven' t any i dea. I Jan. 1879.

suppose t hough t hey woul d come t o 25, or mor e.

W ' s boy was t aken ver y f ever i sh a day or t wo

ago, and I have been t aki ng t he f l ock out . Ther e

ar e i 5 5 and when out f eedi ng t hey cover hal f - a-

mi l e di amet er , and t hey al ways go on wal ki ng, and

by t he t i me you get t o t he head t he t ai l wi l l have

t wi ddl ed r ound and st ar t ed. They l i cked me at

f i r st , but I can manage t hem now. We had a

st or m t he ni ght bef or e l ast . I t was l i ght ni ng hal f

way r ound t he hor i zon, and t hen bl ew up i n

a f ew mi nut es and j ust l et us have i t . I f i xed

up under t he wagon. The ani mal s st ar t ed i n

t he mi ddl e of i t , and t hen i t was a case of

macki nt osh and t op- boot s ! Some of t he ewes ar e

dr oppi ng l ambs, and i t ' s f i ne t o see t hose ki ds

t r yi ng t o get t hr ough l ong gr ass when t hey ar e

hal f - an- hour ol d. They j ump, and spi ke t hemsel ves,

and f al l on t hei r noses, and r epeat t he pr ocess unt i l

t hey ar e dog- gone t i r ed, as W woul d say. I

t hi nk hi s expr essi on i s a cor r upt i on of somet hi ng

wor se. We get up about 5 o' cl ock and have

br eakf ast , t hen t he sheep st ar t at 7 and ar e out

t i l l 12, t hen di nner ; t hen st ar t at 1. 30 and i n at

5. 30 ; t ea at 6, and " i n bed " by 7. 30, when W

14 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . and I t al k ; and he t el l s me about t he t i me t hey Sept . 1878

' wer e " f i ght i ng and hoor awi ng and f ussi ng about Jan. 1879.

her e, " meani ng t he war bet ween Nor t h and Sout h.

We ar e ver y good cooks, and our gr eat est var i at i on

i s i n our br ead, whi ch we cook i n di f f er ent ways.

Page 13 of 119

I t was awf ul l y good t hi s mor ni ng a l i qui d bat t er

of f l our and wat er and yeast and sal t , and a f ew

eggs, t hen set some oi l boi l i ng i n a ski l l et and pour

t he bat t er i n i n doses. I t makes a sor t of cr i sp

souf f l e cake. You f r y about f our at t he same t i me

i n a ski l l et ei ght i nches acr oss, f i sh t hem out i n

about t wo mi nut es and pour f our mor e i n. They

ar e l i ght and whol esome. I at e about 200 or 250

I shoul d say, t hat ' s about hal f a cwt . I am now

a mi l e away f r om camp l ooki ng af t er t hese sheep,

and onl y st ar t ed t hi s l et t er t o say t hat I want ed

you t o get me t he pr i ce of good r ams somewher e

about , as I shan' t bot her Al l ender at al l i n t he

mat t er . ^ ? -

San Ant oni o,

Oct . 24, 1878.

We have not l ef t her e yet you see, but W has

sol d hi s sheep, and we expect t o st ar t f or hi s r anche

t o- mor r ow. I t hi nk t he open ai r sui t s me t o a T.

We sl ept i n a r oom i n t own l ast ni ght , and i t

seemed st uf f y af t er sl eepi ng out on t he gr ound, so

A SQUARE MEAL. 15

PART i . we camp out agai n t o- ni ght . The ni ght I t ook Sept . 1878

' r espect i ng. yQur j ast l et t ej . t o p ost j ^^ & supper , af t er ni ne Jan. ^ 879.

days bacon and f l our and ki d, and you bet I l et

i n ! They gi ve you at al l t he " un- napki n " pl aces

her e a gr and meal f or 25 cent s, ' about si x di shes.

One never get s t hr ough t hem except under speci al

ci r cumst ances, but I got t hr ough al l mi ne t hat

ni ght , and t wo cups of cof f ee. I had a st eak and

t wo sor t s of veget abl es, and t wo poached eggs and

a di sh of st ew, and anot her of mut t on and some

st ewed pr unes, and any amount of br ead and

but t er ! I had a f or t ni ght ' s her di ng, and have

mast er ed t hat and l ear nt a good deal about sheep.

I empl oyed my spar e t i me i n t ar ant ul i zi ng t ar an-

t ul a spi der s out of t hei r hol es, and t hr owi ng st ones

at r abbi t s. I was al most goi ng wi t h t he t hr ee

f el l ows who bought t he sheep. They wer e goi ng

t o For t Wor t h, 200 mi l es, and nei t her knew how

t o dr i ve pr oper l y, so t hey want ed me t o hel p t hem;

but t hey woul dn' t gi ve me my f ee of 5 dol l ar s

per week besi des gr ub, so I r ef used. You peopl e

don' t know what cof f ee i s over t her e. We buy i t

i n t he gr een, and r oast and gr i nd i t our sel ves, and

t hen boi l t he powder , whi ch i s gr ound about t hr ee

t i mes as coar sel y as we used t o gr i nd i t , so i t al l

set t l es t o t he bot t om of t he pot and doesn' t come

l 6 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . of f when you pour out t he l i qui d, whi ch i s par t l y Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. because t he S p Out ) O r l i p r at her , i s at t he t op of t he Jan. 1879.

pot . I t hi nk I see my way t o st ar t i ng a good

t hi ng next spr i ng. I f i nd t hat t he Nor t her n sheep-

men al l come Sout h t o buy. The cent r al mar ket

i s San Ant oni o, and t he Sout her n br eeder s br i ng

Page 14 of 119

t hei r cat t l e t her e, and t he Nor t her ner s ( as t hose

t hr ee we sol d t o) come t her e t o buy. One of t he

t hr ee t ol d me t hat some of t he sheep t hey had

j ust pai d i dol l ar 25 cent s f or wer e wor t h 2 dol l ar s

50 cent s up Nor t h ; and next spr i ng I t hi nk I shal l

dr i ve Nor t h wi t h a f ew sheep, i f I f eel capabl e.

Pl ease get my cash t r ansf er r ed t o L ' s her e, as

I f eel I can t r ust mysel f wi t h some capi t al by t he

t i me t hat i s t r ansf er r ed. I am i n no hur r y t hough.

P. S. We st ar t at sunr i se t o- mor r ow, so I shan' t

see Jem t i l l we r et ur n wi t h sheep i n a f ew weeks.

Don' t t hi nk I want any mor e t han t hat money of

mi ne I coul dn' t do wi t h any mor e.

Concepci on, Texas,

Nov. 8, 1878.

I have had t r emendous f un si nce I wr ot e t o

you on 24t h Oct . W and hi s boy, and t he

Mexi can her der and mysel f , st ar t ed next mor ni ng

at sunr i se f or hi s r anch e, 120 mi l es Sout h, W

A JOURNEY I N THE BUSH.

PART I .

' r espect i ng

and I l eadi ng i n t wo- hor se wagon wi t h spar e Sept . 1878

t o

hor se t i ed behi nd, and t he ni gger and boy i n Jan. 1879.

buggy and pai r wi t h t wo hor ses t i ed behi nd. I t

was t r emendousl y hot al l t he way. We di d i t i n

t hr ee days, t he l ast day st ar t i ng at 1. 30 a. m. and

get t i ng i n at 6 p. m. The f i r st day t he wagon

near l y upset i nt o a deep gul l y as we wer e goi ng

down one of t he per pendi cul ar cr eeks, of whi ch

we cr ossed t hi r t y or so. Per haps you know t hem

dr y wat er cour ses about t went y f eet deep ; you

go st r ai ght down and t hen st r ai ght up. We r ushed

down, W put t i ng on t he br eak har d and

t hr owi ng t he r ei ns i nt o my l ap, and t he l ef t hor se

al most went down t he cr eek on t he l ef t . The

second day one of t he hor ses behi nd t he buggy

ki cked t he ot her , whi ch one bol t ed behi nd a t r ee,

and as i t was t i ed somewher e under t he buggy

i t shot t he hi nd par t up, and out went t he boy,

who was dr i vi ng, on t o t he mul e' s back ; t he r ei ns

dr opped, and t he hor se and mul e st ar t ed of f , t aki ng

t he buggy over t he l egs and chest of t he boy. ( He

wasn' t hur t . ) W and I hear d t he Mexi can

yel l i ng behi nd, about 300 yar ds of f , and we saw

Page 15 of 119

t he buggy dash up i n a cl oud of dust , and i t

di dn' t st op t i l l t he pol e had appl i ed i t sel f t o t he

hor se behi nd t he wagon and sent i t swi ngi ng t o

C

1 8 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . t he si de. No damage was done. Af t er t hi s t he Sept . 1878

S ' Mexi can f unked and t ook t o hi s hor se, and I got Jan. 1879.

i nt o t he buggy wi t h t he boy t o hel p hi m. I t i s

t he r ot t enest ol d buggy you ever saw. W

bought i t second- hand and has had i t f i ve year s,

and has done t he " r epai r i ng" hi msel f , so you

can i magi ne t he r esul t . I t i s al l mendi ngs, espe-

ci al l y as t o t he har ness ; and comi ng down we had

t o t i e t he t i r es on i n sever al pl aces wi t h st r i ps of

goat - hi de. Al l t he wheel s wer e r at t l i ng, and t he

l ef t one was wel l , " r ol l i ng" ; and, as I was j ust

besi de i t , I wat ched i t wi t h gr eat i nt er est as we

went down t he gul l i es or t hr ough r ut s a f oot deep.

How i t hel d t oget her I don' t know. The wor st

gul l y was an awf ul one, near l y per pendi cul ar .

The hor se, al t hough used t o gul l i es, f unked i t ,

and r ear ed ; so t he Mexi can went t o t he head

of t he ani mal s and pul l ed t hem. When a f ew

yar ds down i t was t oo much f or hi m, and he

spr ang asi de, and down we dashed and up t he

ot her si de saf el y. I was dr i vi ng, as t he boy, l i ke

t he hor se, had f unked, and got out at t he t op.

For mi l es and mi l es we went t hr ough bur nt and

bur ni ng gr ass. I t doesn' t f l ar e, but smoul der s;

and we passed t r ees t hat wer e st i l l f l i cker i ng i n

pl aces. One ni ght i n a f or est we coul d see i t

WAI FS I N THE BURNT PRAI RI E. 19

PART I . smoki ng out west of us, and t he wi nd was bl owi ng Sept . 1878

' our way, but i t di dn' t r each us. On t he second Jan. 1879.

day, i n t he eveni ng, we passed a wagon by t he

r oadsi de wi t h t wo smal l gi r l s i n i t , about si x

year s ol d. I t had camped t her e t he ni ght bef or e

and t he hor ses had st ampeded, and t he f at her of

t he chi l dr en had been out si nce daybr eak af t er

t hem, and had not r et ur ned. We asked t hem

i f t hey wer e f r i ght ened; " Oh, no, " t hey sai d.

" Have you any wat er ?" ( t hey wer e f our mi l es

f r om any. ) " No. " " Then what wi l l you do f or

i t ?" " St ar ve, I guess, " sai d t he el dest ; as much

as t o say, You ought t o know t hat . Thei r f at her

now came up af t er a f r ui t l ess sear ch al l day. Hi s

boot s had been bur nt up by t he sun, and t he sol es

wer e t i ed on wi t h st r i ng. We l ef t t hem wat er ,

and pr omi sed t o send t he hor ses back i f we f ound

t hem ; but we di dn' t see t hem. W ' s house

i s a l og hut , wi t h bedr oom, and ki t chen, and out -

houses ; one f or chi l dr en, of whi ch t her e ar e ni ne,

and ot her s f or cor n, &c. The f i r st ni ght i t r ai ned

Page 16 of 119

har d, and I sl ept i n hi s r oom, he and hi s wi f e

i n one bed, and I i n t he ot her . I want ed t o sl eep

on t he f l oor , but , as he r emar ked, " t he f l oor get s

cover ed wi t h wat er somet i mes. " The f l oor , I may

ment i on, i s t he ear t h, and, i nst ead of bei ng r ai sed,

C 2,

20 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . i s r at her l ower t han out si de, f r om bei ng t r odden Sept . 1878

&> on. We wer e at hi s r anche f or t hr ee days, and Jan. 1879.

t hen he and I went on i n t he wagon t o a f r i end' s

r anche, t o sl eep t her e. The r anche used t o bel ong

t o t wo young Amer i cans, who wer e mur der ed by

t hei r " past or es" f or pl under . Next day t he r est

of t he sheep- buyi ng par t y came up ( we ar e down

Sout h, buyi ng sheep t o dr i ve t o San Ant oni o) i n

an ambul ance bel ongi ng t o Mr . X , one of t he

par t y. We consi st of Mr . X , who was edu-

cat ed at Yal e, i s st out and mer r y ; Judge Y ,

who si ngs comi c songs or t el l s comi c st or i es al l

day, and pr ef er s dabbl i ng i n sheep t o l awyer i ng ;

Z , a young Nor t her ner , who i s i n Texas f or

pl easur e, i s pr et t y r i ch, I f ancy, and has come

out wi t h t hem f or a l ar k; and W , mysel f ,

and t he Mexi can. We st ar t ed at once f or X ' s

r anche, t he l uggage and f our of us i n t he am-

bul ance, and t wo on hor seback ; st ayed t her e f or

a day or t wo, and t hen st ar t ed on down her e.

They ar e ver y gr eat on car d- pl ayi ng and whi skey-

dr i nki ng, and pl ay poker at ever y st oppage, and

at ni ght , by t he l i ght of t he moon, t i l l n o' cl ock

or so. They don' t gambl e, but bet i magi nar y

sums, and owe each ot her t housands of dol l ar s.

We wer e t wo and a hal f days comi ng down her e,

A BUSI NESS ( AND PLEASURE) TRI P I N MEXI CO. 21

PART I .

: t i ng.

and st opped at a smal l t own named Col l i ns f or Sept . 1878

st or es, and l ai d i n l amp- oi l , f l our and pot at oes, Jan. 1879.

bacon, whi skey, &c. Comi ng al ong t he oi l got

i nt o t he f l our and pot at oes, and t he whi skey got

i nt o " t he cr owd. " I t i s not l awf ul t o sel l whi skey

down her e, but i t i s bot t l ed under t he name of

" St omach bi t t er s, " and sol d i n a squar e gl ass bot t l e

wi t h di r ect i ons, about " t wo t abl e spoonf ul s, &c. "

Af t er ever y dr i nk t hey get ver y t al kat i ve, and,

as each i s a per f ect char act er wi t hout i t , i t i s i n-

Page 17 of 119

t ensel y i nt er est i ng t o l i st en t o t hem. The ni gger

pr et ends not t o l i ke i t , but says a l i t t l e makes

hi m " mucho br avo " ; so i t i s as wel l t hat he t akes

some, as i t i s a pr et t y r ough count r y down her e,

and we al l car r y ar ms ( about t wel ve i n number )

l oaded, and by our si des at ni ght . We ar e now

campi ng j ust out si de Concept i on, a smal l Mexi can

t own. W and t he ni gger ar e out af t er some

goat s whi ch t he f or mer l ent a man on shar es t hr ee

year s ago, and has not t aken t he t r oubl e t o l ook

af t er ( no wonder he doesn' t get r i ch ! ) ; and t he

ot her t hr ee buyi ng sheep i n t he wagon ; and I am

l ooki ng af t er camp, wi t h t he t hi ngs scat t er ed r ound

and my coat hangi ng besi de me wi t h a l oaded

r evol ver st i cki ng out of t he pocket one f eel s saf er

wi t h one, t hough i t i s ver y sel dom r equi r ed and

22 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . f or hal f - an- hour bef or e I began wr i t i ng I had been Sept . 1878

t o

" ' pr epar i ng a l ar ded ki dney f or my di nner , and i t Jan. 1879.

i s now r oast i ng over some wood coal s and t i ed

up i n gr ass and l ooks awf ul l y good. Just af t er

passi ng Col l i ns, Z , who was r i di ng ( and had

had some whi skey) , l et hi s si x- shoot er of f by

mi st ake, and i t ki cked i nt o hi s f ace and cut hi m.

He comes i n f or t he war s whet her t i ght or sober .

Comi ng f r om San Ant oni o i n t he ambul ance, wi t h

X and t he j udge, t hey st uck i n a bog ( W

and I near l y st uck i n t he same pl ace when we

came down) , and Z bei ng, wel l , t he sober est

of t he par t y, had t o get out , and, up t o hi s wai st

i n mud, unhi t ch t he hor ses and hi t ch t hem t o t he

back of t he wagon, and so pul l i t out agai n.

9t h Nov. Just of f i n ambul ance f or a dr i ve over

count r y af t er sheep.

Concept i on,

Nov. 19, 1878.

Si nce I wr ot e t o you we have been a week' s

t r i p af t er sheep. We camped sevent een mi l es f r om

her e or mor e, near a ver y l ar ge wat er hol e ( t hey ar e

ver y scar ce her e) , and we wer e a mi l e or t wo f r om

any r anche. That was our camp, and f r om t her e

we scout ed f or sheep. We had l ot s of shoot i ng at

ant el ope and deer , and wi l d t ur keys, geese, cr anes,

Page 18 of 119

SPORT BY THE WAY. 33

PART i . ducks, par t r i dges, &c. We have not bagged any sept . 1878

? ' veni son yet . Though I have onl y had f i ve shot s, Jan. 1879.

t he f i r st I got a bi r d, and t he second and t hi r d

r abbi t s ; so I t hought I was i nf al l i bl e I suppose, as

I shot t he l ast t wo car el essl y and mi ssed. They

wer e bot h at a l ot of cur l ews si t t i ng by a pond.

Fr om our camp by t he wat er hol e, we al l , except

t he Mexi can, whom we l ef t i n camp, went af t er

sheep, t wo of us r i di ng and t he ot her t hr ee i n t he

ambul ance. We di dn' t t ake any f ood, or cooki ng

t r i cks as t hey cal l t hem, as one expect s t o be f ed

gr at i s at t he f ew r anches one gr aces wi t h one' s

pr esence, even t hough t her e ar e f i ve mout hs t o

f eed. The f i r st of t he t wo days we had di nner at

a ver y cl ean l i t t l e r anche of f caf e au l ai t and bat t er

cakes. That ni ght we got t o a weal t hy st ock -

owner , whose " hal l of r ecept i on " was a r ound

space cut out of a t hi cket . We di dn' t do any

busi ness wi t h hi m, but never t hel ess, as usual , at e

about a whol e goat of hi s, and made f r ee wi t h hi s

cor n- meal . Next mor ni ng we had a l i ght br eak-

f ast of cof f ee and cor n- br ead, and st ar t ed f or camp,

get t i ng a l i t t l e cor n- br ead and cof f ee i n t he mi ddl e

of t he day at a r anche ( t he r anches ar e somet i mes

f i ve or si x mi l es apar t or mor e) , and when we got

back t hat eveni ng we wer e r avenous, and had a

24 GONE TO TEXAS.

TART i . l ar ge supper of f goat and br ead and mol asses and Sept . 1878

s ' bacon and cof f ee t hi s i s our l ar der i n f ul l ; and Jan. 1879.

t hen we st ar t ed back her e next day, st oppi ng t hat

ni ght at a l ar ge hor se r anche, wher e we i nvaded

t he house, and sl ept i n one of t he r ooms, and

monopol i sed a det ached ki t chen. We saw Mexi -

cans br eaki ng i n hor ses, and al so cut t i ng of f t he

manes and t ai l s of some wi l d ones. They dr i ve

t hem i nt o a cor r al , and t hen l asso t hem, and t i e

t hei r l egs t oget her af t er t r i ppi ng t hem. The ol d

st ud hor se gave t hem some t r oubl e, but t hey at

l ast l assoed hi s f r ont l egs as he was gal l opi ng

r ound, whi ch sent hi m on t o hi s nose, and t hen of

cour se t hey wer e on t o hi m wi t h r opes. When he

got up he j ust was mad t o f i nd he was cr opped.

We ar e now on our ol d camp gr ound her e, and

haven' t got any sheep yet . I t i s spl endi d weat her ,

and as I wr i t e ( on t he - i nsi de of t he back of t he

ambul ance) t her e i s not a cl oud t o be seen, and

i t i s as hot as a hot summer day over t her e ; and i t

i s cool er now t han i t was when we l ef t , as t her e

have been t wo ni ght s of r ai n whi ch has f i l l ed t he

cr eeks whi ch wer e dr y bef or e. I f ancy t hese

f el l ows don' t mean much busi ness, but I am l ear n-

i ng a l ot about st ock and t he count r y, and am

havi ng a ver y j ol l y t i me. I have no wor k t o do

THE BOY AS BAKER. 25

PART i . except what al l t he ot her s do, as t he Mexi can Sept . i 8 7 s

g ' at t ends t o t he hor ses, &c. , and t he gr ub i s ver y Jan. 1879.

Page 19 of 119

good f or camp, and t her e' s l ot s of i t . Oh, yes ! by

t he bye, my speci al wor k i s baker ' s. I can bake

bet t er t han any of t he ot her s, and make bet t er

br ead. You bet we have good f l our br ead l i t t l e

r ol l s about as bi g as a hen' s egg, and we have

t hem hot f or br eakf ast and col d t he r est of t he

day. I have j ust hi t t he dodge f or maki ng t hem

au f ai ^ or what ever i t i s. The man who keeps

t he st or e her e had conf i dence enough t o sel l t hem

a bot t l e of gi n t hi s mor ni ng, and a quar t er of an

hour af t er i t appear ed i n camp t hose f our and t he

Mexi can had empt i ed t he bot t l e. At t hi s moment

t he onl y one who i s over come i s t he Judge, and

he i s asl eep by t he wagon ; t he ot her t hr ee ar e

pl ayi ng poker as usual . I am pi cki ng up Mexi can

f ast ; ever y one as f ar sout h as t hi s speaks i t , and

t her e ar e ver y f ew Amer i cans her e ; I don' t t hi nk

we have come acr oss one si nce we l ef t W J s

r anche, and onl y t wo Mexi cans who have been

abl e t o t al k Engl i sh ; but t he t hr ee bosses of our

par t y al l speak Mexi can.

I t i s ext r aor di nar y t he di f f er ence bet ween Eng-

l i sh and t he peopl e down her e i n smal l expenses.

Our Mexi can ser vant i nvi t es any of hi s f r i ends t o

26 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . eat wi t h hi m at hi s mast er ' s expense, and no one Sept . 1878

s ' says anyt hi ng, and when we wer e campi ng near t he Jan. 1879.

wat er hol e, t wo Mexi can her der s came t wi ce ever y

day near l y f or f ood, and j ust t ook what t hey

want ed wi t hout bei ng i nvi t ed. But i t i s t he r egul ar

t hi ng out her e t o eat at any one el se' s expense, and

consi der i t a pi ece of condescensi on.

I have gai ned about 20 I bs. i n wei ght , I bel i eve,

si nce I l ef t Engl and, and am i n excel l ent heal t h.

The r anches, or f ar ms, down her e ar e sever al

mi l es apar t , some of t he owner s owni ng as much

as 180, 000 acr es; t hi s i s t he case wi t h one or t wo,

t he r est a pal t r y 500 or upwar ds ! Some r anches

own, besi des ot her st ock; 2000 or mor e hor ses, whi ch

r oam about t he count r y i n her ds.

The peopl e about her e l i ve ver y si mpl y; t he

r i chest have onl y wooden houses, and eat goat or

mut t on ( ver y sel dom beef ) , and al t hough pl ent y of

game can be had f or t he shoot i ng, t hey ver y

sel dom t ake t he t r oubl e t o ki l l i t . Ther e ar e

quant i t i es of wi l d t ur key i n t he woods ; t hey r un

about i n f l ocks, and ar e so common t hat i f a man

shoot s one he gener al l y cooks t he br east and

t hr ows away t he r est .

ACROSS THE RI O GRANDE. 27

Lar edo, Ri o Gr ande,

Dec. 2, 1878.

PART I . The day af t er I l ast wr ot e we bought 600 sheep, Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. t o

Page 20 of 119

dr i vi ng t hem i nt o a l ar ge pen, and t hen cat chi ng Jan. i 8 79 .

each one and l ooki ng at hi s t eet h, and br andi ng

hi m wi t h a squar e t ar mar k, and choppi ng hi s

t ai l of f , and put t i ng hi m t hr ough t he gap. I

was cat chi ng and br i ngi ng t o t he gap near l y al l

t he t i me, and i t i s t r emendous exer ci se, as some

of t he sheep ar e pr et t y st r ong. Next day we met

a buyer , who want ed sheep i n a hur r y, and so t ook

our s and pai d us what we gave ( or r at her what

X , W , and Y gave) , and $100

besi des, whi ch was a ver y good day' s wor k. We

ar e now on t he Amer i can si de of Lar edo, whi ch

i s on bot h si des of t he r i ver , and ar e goi ng t o

st ar t i nt o Mexi co t o- day or t o- mor r ow, as sheep

ar e ver y much cheaper t her e ; and not onl y t hat ,

Mexi can money i s at a di scount of 15%, so t hat

a Mexi can dol l ar , whi ch i s at par i n Mexi co, can

be bought i n Amer i ca f or 85 cent s. We br ought

a box f ul l ( t wo or t hr ee t housand I expect ) of

Mexi can dol l ar s wi t h us saf el y. We passed some

spl endi d scener y occasi onal l y. Most of t he way

i s qui t e f l at , but t wo days we came upon hi l l s

28 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . cover ed wi t h al l sor t s of t hor ny bushes, cact i , et c. Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. ^. r - . , - . . . t o

The scener y f or t he l ast f i ve or si x mi l es or mor e Jan. 1879.

was l ovel y. A ver y har d nor t h wi nd was bl owi ng,

and as we passed t he mout hs of Canyons we near l y

got bl own over , and had t o put up t he ambul ance

cover . Thi s i s a ver y pr et t y l i t t l e t own ; i t has

spr ung up wi t hi n t he l ast t hi r t y year s or so ; t her e

ar e t he i nevi t abl e Mexi can pl azas, and a ver y wel l

bui l t chur ch, and t he houses ar e wel l bui l t and pai nt -

ed i n al l sor t s of br i l l i ant desi gns out si de l am

speaki ng of t hi s si de of t he r i ver , as I haven' t

been acr oss yet ; t he ot her si de seems t o be as

l ar ge. The r i ver her e i s as br oad as t he Thames

at London Br i dge, but shal l ow ; no navi gat i on

comes up as f ar as t hi s, and t he t own i s bui l t

on a sandy ki nd of soi l and about 20 f eet hi gher

t han t he r i ver , whi ch i s gr adual l y wor ki ng t he

sand away. We ar e havi ng beaut i f ul weat her ,

ver y war m ; I don' t t hi nk t her e i s a cl oud

on t he sky at t hi s moment . Yest er day we

washed i n t he Ri o i n t he mor ni ng, and i n t he

af t er noon I went f or a st r ol l al ong t he shor e and

saw eveni ng par ade at t he bar r acks ; and when

r et ur ni ng saw a bl aze i n t own. I t was a l ar ge

st or e on f i r e, and when I got t her e t he chur ch

bel l s wer e bei ng hammer ed, and Mexi cans wer e

A FI RE I N A MEXI CAN TOWN. 29

PART i . r ushi ng al ong t he bal cony of t he f i r st f l oor get t i ng Sept . 1878

s ' t he f ur ni t ur e out . Ther e i s no f i r e- engi ne i n t he Jan. 1879.

pl ace, and we pul l ed bucket s of wat er up by

r opes on t o t he bal cony at t he back, and handed

Page 21 of 119

t hem up t hr ough a t r ap- door on t o t he r oof , and

got t he f i r e out i n about an hour af t er i t began.

The onl y ser i ous damage done t o t he t hi ngs was

f r om t he wat er , and cr azy Mexi cans who pul l ed

down any woodwor k t hey coul d ; and af t er t he f i r e

was out t her e was st i l l one cr azy l oon t r yi ng

vai nl y t o hack t he wooden t i l es of f t he r oof

wi t h an axe. We have been l i vi ng l i ke f i ght i ng-

cocks, on beef and oni ons, and pi ckl es, and or anges,

besi des t he usual bacon and mol asses, &c. , and

have hi r ed a t wo- r oom house wi t h a yar d t o

i t . We i nhabi t t he f or mer , and t he f i ve hor ses

t he l at t er . The at mospher e i s so cl ear her e i n

t he count r y t hat , when si x mi l es f r om Concepci on,

we coul d hear t he dr um beat i ng bet ween t he gust s

of wi nd ( whi ch was bl owi ng t owar ds t he t own) .

Of cour se l et t er s ar e not bei ng f or war ded t o me

f r om San Ant oni a, so do not expect t o get answer s

t o any t hat may be t her e, t i l l I st r i ke i t agai n.

30 GONE TO TEXAS.

Lar edo, Texas,

Dec. 15, 1878.

PART i . Si nce I wr ot e l ast we have been ni net y mi l es Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. . nt o Mexi cQ and back> We had a good deal o f Ja

t r oubl e get t i ng a st ar t , as none of t he of f i ci al s on

t he Mexi can si de seem t o have any def i ni t e i deas

wi t h r egar d t o t he l aws, and each one f i nger s

ar ound f or a br i be i nst ead of sl appi ng out t he l aw.

We got acr oss t he r i ver , wagon and hor ses, &c. , on

a bar ge, and, af t er maki ng sat i sf act or y ar r ange-

ment s wi t h t he of f i ci al s i n t own, st ar t ed ; on t he

out si de we wer e pul l ed up by anot her cust om- house

and t aken back ; " sat i sf act or y ar r angement s " had

t o be gone t hr ough agai n, and a pass gi ven us.

We t hen r ol l ed out , and on t he t hi r d day r eached

Lampazos, whi ch i s a smal l t own amongst moun-

t ai ns ; t he l at t er wer e pl ai nl y vi si bl e f r om t he Ri o

Gr ande. Goi ng down we passed onl y about t hr ee

r anches, and cr ossed a ver y pr et t y r i ver ( t he

Sal ado) . Al l t he Mexi cans wer e ver y pl easant

and hospi t abl e. Goi ng down we sl ept near a r anch

each ni ght . When we got i nt o Lampazos we

wai t ed i n t he mai n pl aza whi l e t he boss l ooked

out f or a house. The annual exami nat i on was j ust

t aki ng pl ace; a seedy band was pl ayi ng out si de

t he school r oom door , and some 150 or 200

A MEXI CAN TOWN. 31

PART I . gi r l s mar ched i n, i n whi t e dr esses and r ed sashes, Sept . 1878

ng * and t hen a f ew anxi ous par ent s mar ched i n, as i f Jan. 1879.

t hey wer e t aki ng each ot her down t o di nner , and

al l dr essed up t o t he ni nes. We got a ver y j ol l y

house, or st one- r oom, f or st or i ng wool or f odder ;

i t was empt y t hough, and out si de was a yar d wi t h

Page 22 of 119

a smal l st r eam r unni ng t hr ough i t : t he r i ver i s

t apped, and r uns t hr ough near l y ever y yar d i n t own.

That ni ght I had a bat he i n i t , whi l e t he ot her s

went wi t h a par t y of cat t l e- men t o see a per -

f or mance by a st r ol l i ng company of act or s. We

st opped i n Lampazos about a week, and I t hi nk

t he ot her f our cat t l e- men and our sel ves wer e t he

onl y whi t es i n t own. One of t he ot her s was an

exact speci men of a Mar k Twai n her o ; he had

mi ned of cour se, and was a l ump of wi t and good

humour . Some one asked hi m how much he had

pai d t o go i nt o t he t heat r e. " Pay! " sai d he,

" pai d not hi ng. Our pi st ol s wer e l ocked up, but

I got hol d of one and st r apped i t over my behi nd,

and me and Johnson j ust wal ked t hr ough. " The

Mexi cans ar e ver y f unky of Amer i cans i f t hey

have a pi st ol wi t h t hem, and i t ' s ver y sel dom t hey

haven' t , and i t was a ver y smal l pi ece of Fr ench

l eave. The ot her f our had been out af t er cat t l e

( hal f t he t i me or mor e on t he spr ee) f or si x mont hs,

32 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i . and t hey wer e get t i ng i r r egul ar about t hei r meal s, Sept . 1878

g ' got anyt hi ng t o eat anywher e, and t hey used t o Jan. 1879.

t ake us by st or m and eat l i ke gi ant s. I t i s par t

of t he f un t o go and eat at anot her r anche' s ex -

pense, and ask why t he t her e i sn' t a bet t er

l ay out i n such a bul l y- l ooki ng cr owd ?

I had a t r emendous wal k one day. Lampazos

i s bet ween t wo mount ai ns. The one on t he r i ght

l ooks as i f i t i s about t hr ee mi l es, or not so much,

away; t he ot her one i s near er ; so I t hought I ' d

wal k t o t he f ur t hest one. I st ar t ed at 9 o' cl ock

a. m. t o wal k, and wal ked acr oss t he pr ai r i e, and now

and t hen t he f oot of t he mount ai n woul d seem a

mi l e of f ; but when I got t her e I f ound mysel f on

t he t op of a smal l hi l l , wi t h anot her mi l e of pr ai r i e,

and so on ; but I di dn' t st op, as I was goi ng

t hr ough cact i of al l ki nds, and var i ous pl ant s I had

never seen bef or e. At l ast , about 3 o' cl ock i n t he

af t er noon, I r eached t he f oot of t he mount ai n and

went hal f - way up. I had a spl endi d vi ew of an

endl ess st r et ch of pr ai r i e, and away i n t he hor i zon

one coul d see a st r et ch of about t en mi l es of pr ai r i e

f i r e, whi ch smoul der s and f l ar es al ong ( t hi s one

bur ned f or days) ; but t he sun was r api dl y goi ng

down, and I t hought t he sooner I got back t he

bet t er , especi al l y as I had t o cr oss a r i ver a mi l e

A WALK I N MEXI CO. 33

PART L or t wo f r om t own. So I st ar t ed back as qui ckl y Sept . 1878

' r espect i ng. ^ o T ^^ j ^ TV, ^ l oo* kol f v>; i - r oo c/ ^ f Vi VV- wi t h Jan. 1879.

cact us I coul d har dl y get al ong, and when I was

at l ast st ar t ed pr et t y wel l t he sun was di sappear i ng.

Lucki l y i t was a f ul l moon t hat ni ght , or I shoul d

have had t o bunk down and wai t t i l l sunr i se ; as i t

Page 23 of 119

was I had no end of a bot her and f un. I st r uck

t he r i ver about a mi l e hi gher t han wher e I had

cr ossed i t , and got mi xed up i n a j ungl e ki nd of

a pl ace, and coul d har dl y get t hr ough ; at l ast I

got a pl ace i n t he r i ver , wher e I f or ded i t ; i t was

onl y about a f oot deep t her e, and got i nt o some

cor n- f i el ds. At l ast I st r uck t he r oad, and got

back at 8 P. M. , af t er el even hour s' wal ki ng. I

wasn' t t i r ed, and onl y a l i t t l e st i f f next day.

When I asked af t er war ds how f ar i t was t o t he

pl ace, I was t ol d f i f t een mi l es ! I t i s t r emendousl y

decei vi ng, as t he at mospher e i s so cl ear you coul d

al most see a f l ea cr awl over t her e. I t near l y cr azed

t wo Mexi cans when I t ol d t hem I had been t her e,

as t hey never wal k mor e t han hal f - a- mi l e at a

st r et ch, and sel dom t hat .

We f ound out t hat some l ar ge men had been

ar ound get t i ng sheep t o st ock a r anche, and t he

pr i ce had gone up t o as much as i n Texas ; and so

we coul dn' t buy, as t her e woul d be t wo dut i es t o

D

34 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . pay, one out of t he count r y, and anot her acr oss t he Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. R . o Gr ande __ so we r et ur ned. We di dn' t st r i ke j an. 1 ^ .

r anches ei t her of t he ni ght s comi ng back, and so

camped mi l es away f r om any one. Goi ng down we

had camped near a r anche each ni ght f or saf et y' s

sake. We ar e now back i n Lar edo, and, I t hi nk,

ar e goi ng down t he bank of t he Ri o Gr ande, or

somewher e. I am qui ckl y pi cki ng up Mexi can.

I go i nt o st or es and spout out f or somet hi ng, or

j abber t o an ol d woman who l i ves i n a house

l ooki ng on t o t he same yar d t hat our hor ses ar e i n.

Yest er day i t was col d, but t o- day i t i s hot agai n,

and har dl y a cl oud anywher e. I am awf ul l y wel l ,

but get t i ng f at I ' m af r ai d, i n spi t e of r i di ng ei ght

hour s a day. I f ancy I shal l get on swi mmi ngl y

among st ock, as I am l ear ni ng about al l t he di f -

f er ent ki nds.

I shal l know pr et t y wel l about al l sout h- west er n

Texas by t he t i me we f i ni sh t hi s t r i p. Al l t he

cat t l e- men one comes acr oss ar e t he ver y essence

of good- humour and open- handedness ; t he gr eat

f ai l i ng wi t h t hem i s t hat t hey can' t keep out of

t he bar - r ooms, and t hi s i s t he r eason why one

hear s such an account of t he danger s about her e.

I f t hey went about t hei r busi ness i n a sober

way, and di dn' t get i nt o r ows i n gambl i ng- hel l s

MEXI CAN EARTHENWARE. 35

PART i . and bar - r ooms, t hey woul dn' t be al ways get t i ng Sept . 1878

spect i ng. . t o

Ki l l ed. Jan. 1879.

The Mexi cans have a ver y good ki nd of ear t hen-

war e i n whi ch t hey cook al most ent i r el y. I t i s r ed

Page 24 of 119

and t hi n but t ough, and wi l l st and any heat ; but

t he handl e, al t hough t he pot i s on t he f i r e, r emai ns

col d. They ar e used f or cof f ee and f r ej ol es ( t he

beans t hey eat so much of ) , and a pot t o hol d t hr ee

pi nt s cost s i i \ cent s. They ar e t he best t hi ngs

f or cooki ng i n I ever saw, and ar e made i n al l

shapes and si zes.

i 6t h. Just of f t o Ri o Gr ande Ci t y.

Gui nagat o Ranche,

20 mi l es f r om anywher e, Texas,

Jan. 2, 1879.

A happy New Year t o you al l .

Si nce I wr ot e, we have been r ol l i ng about t he

count r y bet ween Lar edo and Ri o Gr ande Ci t y,

and no post - of f i ce wi t hi n 20 mi l es, t he near est

bei ng at Roma ( t hi s si de of Ri o Gr ande) . We

wer e a f ew days at Car r i zo, and ar e now bet ween

t her e and Roma, and 15 mi l es i nl and f r om t he

r i ver ( Gr ande) . We have got t hr ee l ot s of sheep,

about 1000, and want 2000 or so mor e, whi ch

I expect we shal l soon get . When at Car r i zo,

D 2

36 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . W , and t he Judge, and I cr ossed t he r i ver Sept . 18781

Pr ospect i ng. aga j n an( j went down t o Guer r er o, whi ch i s a Jan.

pi ct ur esque l i t t l e t own on a ver y beaut i f ul r i ver ,

t he Sal ado. The onl y ot her Amer i can i n t own

was t he Amer i can Consul , and so we wer e obj ect s

of gr eat i nt er est and cur i osi t y. We put up at

a smal l caf e, and t he f i r st ni ght when we ent er ed

t he smal l r oom ( whi ch opens on t o t he pl aza)

we f ound t he bench opposi t e t he t abl e f ul l of

expect ant Mexi cans, si t t i ng l i ke dol l s, evi dent l y

speci al l y i nvi t ed by our host t o see t he " cur i osi -

t i es. ' " ' When we l ef t Lar edo t hey had smal l - pox

i n t own, and wer e " packi ng ar ound dead Mexi -

cans consi der abl e, " as a cat t l e- dr i ver i nf or med

me ; but t hat i s t he onl y unheal t hy pl ace we

have passed. We have been some days now at

t hi s r anche, whi ch i s l i ke al l t he ot her s, a l ot of

smal l l og houses sur r ounded by a f ence, and about

f i ve or si x l ar ge f ami l i es, al l r el at ed i n some way,

t he men of whi ch saunt er about doi ng not hi ng

mor e t han shoot i ng a deer occasi onal l y. Thi s

i s al most t he onl y meat t hey eat , as t hey sel dom

ki l l a sheep, at l east on t hi s r anche. They have

no capi t al except a l ot of l and and some cat t l e

whi ch t hey occasi onal l y sel l . They sel dom buy

anyt hi ng but cof f ee and t obacco, and t hei r cash

CHRI STMAS DAY ON THE RI O GRANDE. 37

PART i . f or t hi s i s what t hey r ecei ve f r om passer s - by f or Sept . 1878

s ' cor n and f or l eave t o wat er at t hei r wel l . The Jan. 1879.

Page 25 of 119

onl y wor k I have seen done si nce we have been

her e was by a par t y of si x, one of whom was

chi sel l i ng on a wooden pl ough and t he ot her f i ve

wer e l ooki ng on ! We shan' t st r i ke a post - of f i ce

f or some days, so t o- mor r ow I i nt end r i di ng t o

Roma t o post t hi s, i n case you shoul d be get t i ng

at al l anxi ous f r om my not wr i t i ng. By t he by,

I hope you had a mer r i er Chr i st mas t han we

had. I t was most amusi ng. We had an awf ul

day, and wer e out of pr ovi si ons, and cor n, and

ever yt hi ng, and near l y got f r ozen. I wi l l gi ve

you a l i st of t hat day' s pr oceedi ngs : 5 a. m. ,

got up f r om under wagon and f ound i ci cl es al l

about . I t was r ai ni ng, ever yt hi ng was wet , sheep

had st ampeded and wer e at l ast f ound i n t hr ee

di f f er ent pl aces some mi l es of f , and br ought back

by t hr ee of t he ot her s near l y at ni ght . X

and I st ar t ed i n t he mi ddl e of t he day on hor se-

back f or t he near est r anche t o get cor n f or t he

hor ses. I t was awf ul col d and r ai ni ng, and we

t hought we had l ost our way, but at l ast we

hear d t he r oost er s cr owi ng and got t o t he r anche,

wher e we t hawed and had cof f ee and " muscal , "

or br andy made f r om cact us. Then we st ar t ed

38 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I . back and dr i ed t he bl anket s and t hi ngs as wel l Sept . 1878

Pr ospect i ng. , r r t o

as possi bl e i n a r am, bef or e a f i r e enough t o r oast Jan. 1879,

an ox. We had ki l l ed a wi l d pi g, and had i n-

t ended t o have boar ' s head f or Chr i st mas di nner

( onl y, as some one woul d r emar k, i t was a sow) ,

but unf or t unat el y a dog r an of f wi t h t he head.

That day was t he wor st we have had, and no

one i s a bi t t he wor se f or i t . I t i s now war m

agai n, t hough i t r ai ns pr et t y of t en ; but we got

some mor e sheet i ng and have a t ent f i xed f r om

t he wagon, and so keep ever yt hi ng dr y.

Jan. 3, 1879.

P. S. I hope my Chr i st mas Day descr i pt i on

don' t f r i ght en you ; i t exagger at es i t sel f on paper ,

and t aki ng al l i n al l , we ar e havi ng bul l y weat her ,

and ar e as heal t hy and j ol l y as pot - boys. I can' t

r i de t o Roma t o- day, af t er al l , so t hi s must wai t

a day or t wo, much as I wi sh t o get i t of f .

PART I I .

WI LLY' S AND COUSI N TI M' S

LETTERS.

SETTLI NG DOWN.

Page 26 of 119

I NTRODUCTORY.

PART I I . WHEN we r ecei ved Wi l l y' s l et t er s f r om San Ant oni o we Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng, j ^ man y consul t at i ons, and made many enqui r i es, whi ch May^i Sj

r esul t ed i n our agr eei ng t o send hi m out t wo Oxf or dshi r e

Down r ams and f our ewes. These wer e r eady t o be

shi pped by December , and by t hat t i me a Cousi n, a year

ol der t han Wi l l y, and a chum of hi s, who had been t hr ee

year s i n a ci t y of f i ce, had det er mi ned t o go t o Texas t oo,

and vol unt eer ed t o t ake car e of t hem as f ar as San Ant oni o.

As wi l l be seen, he got t hem t her e j ust i n t i me t o meet

Wi l l y ( whose l et t er s f r om home had al l been accumul at i ng

at Mr . L ' s of f i ce) on hi s r et ur n t o San Ant oni o f r om hi s

t r i p i nt o Mexi co. W. H.

FROM COUSI N TI M.

Smi t h and M c Nei l l ' s Hot el ,

Washi ngt on St . , N. Y. ,

Thur sday af t er noon, Jan. 16, 1879.

I ' m af r ai d you' l l t hi nk I ' ve been a l ong t i me

bef or e wr i t i ng ; but I have been wai t i ng t i l l I

coul d r epor t on t he sheep. The " Engl and " onl y

42 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I T. ar r i ved yest er day, owi ng t o heavy weat her , and t he Jan. 1879

smashi ng of t he st eer i ng appar at us. I went down May, 1879.

t o t he dock wher e she' s l yi ng t hi s mor ni ng, and

saw t he sheep : t hey ar e r eal beaut i es, and ar e i n

spl endi d heal t h ; i ndeed t hey ought t o be, f or t hey

f i ni shed t he l ast mor sel of t hei r gr ub t hi s mor ni ng.

Mr . P - has had t hem t aken t o some st abl es

wher e t hey wi l l be wel l l ooked af t er , and wi l l have

t hem put on boar d my st eamer ( t he " Ri o Gr ande" )

by hi s own car man on Sat ur day. I f i nd t he r un

t o Gal vest on t akes about t en days, so I wi l l pr ovi de

about as much f or age as t hey had bef or e ( I have

got Mr . Howar d' s l et t er gi vi ng t he quant i t i es) . I

had a gl or i ous r un i n t he " Ci t y of Br ussel s, " el even

days f r om Queenst own, t er r i bl y r ough weat her

par t of t he t i me, but once I got over t he f i r st f eel -

i ngs of qual mi shness I enj oyed mysel f t hor oughl y,

and my appet i t e was pr over bi al . Ther e was a ver y

r um l ot on boar d, nat i ves of al l count r i es, but a

gr eat many ver y decent f el l ows. We di vi ded i nt o

messes af t er we had been on boar d a bi t ; our s was

t he most sel ect of t he l ot . I t was composed of a

' Fr i sco ar t i st , t wo di gger s, and a Yankee bo' sun

( Jack Sl ack by name) , and a wi ddy, one of t he

st eer age bel l es, and your humbl e ser vant . Some-

t i mes af t er a successf ul day' s f or agi ng i n t he cook' s

A VOYAGE I N THE STEERAGE. 43

PART i i . gal l ey, we' d i nvi t e out si der s t o supper as a gr eat Jan. 1879

honor , but we wer e most par t i cul ar as t o t hei r ant e- May, i 8 79 .

cedent s.

For agi ng was one of t he chi ef busi nesses of

Page 27 of 119

t he day : af t er ever y cabi n meal you' d be sur e t o

see a dozen or so l oaf er s hangi ng r ound t he cook' s

gal l ey of f er i ng t o do any smal l j ob, such as peel i ng

pot at oes, or washi ng di shes anyt hi ng i n f act t hat

came f i r st ; and i f i t wasn' t over done, t wo squar e

meal s a day mi ght easi l y be r ai sed. Ther e was

one woman who exci t ed al l our i ndi gnat i on by t he

bar ef aced way she was al ways beat i ng up our

pr eser ves. Her pl an was t o pr et end she was al -

ways si ck, and coul d onl y eat a l i t t l e of somet hi ng-

del i cat e. One mor ni ng she was seen t o eat t wo

r ol l s, a basi n of por r i dge, and a l ot of ham and

eggs f or br eakf ast , and at di nner t i me I hear d her

t el l t he chi ef st ewar d she' d har dl y t ast ed a mor sel

f or days, and di d he t hi nk he coul d get her some-

t hi ng ext r a ? I coul d st and i t no l onger ; up I

j umped, and sai d, " Wel l , ma' am, i f you cal l what

you had f or br eakf ast f ast i ng f or days, how much

do you get t hr ough when you do have a r eal squar e

meal ? " She hat ed me ever af t er , and t ook ever y

oppor t uni t y of al l udi ng t o her wel l - behaved chi l dr en

bef or e me ; but I was ampl y r evenged, f or al l eyes

44 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . wer e on her at meal s, and i f an unusual l y l ar ge Jan. 1879

l oaf came on t he t abl e, i t was al ways passed down May, 1879.

t o t he " del i cat e Lady. " We had pl ent y of exer -

ci se, f or t he second of f i cer used t o come t o t he

st eer age ever y day and ask f or vol unt eer s t o haul

on r opes, or hol yst one t he decks, or somet hi ng of

t he sor t ; i f i t had been t o be keel - haul ed I t hi nk

we' d have gone, we wer e so gl ad of somet hi ng t o

do. For f i ve days we shi pped so many bi g seas,

t hat i t wasn' t saf e t o go on deck. One of t hem

swept me under a smal l si gnal gun, and bar ked my

shi ns awf ul l y. We had t o have our soup and

ever yt hi ng out of mess, she r ol l ed about so. I was

r at her uncomf or t abl e at f i r st , because I had no bed,

but I soon got accust omed t o t he boar ds, and sl ept

as wel l , i n f act bet t er , t han most of t he ot her s.

Some of t hem wer e awf ul r est l ess beggar s, and

woul d get up at t wo i n t he mor ni ng and r oam

about al l ni ght , t al ki ng or pl ayi ng seven up ; t he

way t hey wer e cussed was hi ghl y gr at i f yi ng t o t he

di st ur bed ones. The st ewar ds wer e t he decent est

f el l ows I ever met ; t hey wer e so popul ar on boar d,

t hat we gave t hem t hr ee cheer s when we l ef t . I

shoul d never t hi nk of goi ng cabi n t hough ; st eer age

i s f ar t oo comf or t abl e and j ol l y, and we had a deal

mor e f un t han t he cabi n passenger s ever had af t .

STEERAGE AMUSEMENTS. 45

PART i i . They used t o come and l ook on when we wer e Jan. 1879

danci ng, near l y ever y eveni ng. Our onl y musi cal May, 1879.

i nst r ument was a f i ddl e, whi ch was pl ayed by t he

bar - keeper spl endi dl y. Some of t he f el l ows dr essed

as l adi es, and woul d wal k about ar m i n ar m, on

deck, ami dst r oar s of l aught er . Ther e was one

ver y amusi ng man on boar d, named Andr ew S ;

he was j ust t he shape of a bar r el , poi nt ed at each

Page 28 of 119

end ; he was al ways goi ng f or somet hi ng f or hi s

wi f e, about whose exi st ence we wer e sl i ght l y scep-

t i cal ; i f t her e was such a per son, her capaci t y f or

beer was somet hi ng enor mous. I t ' s ver y col d her e,

and t her e' s a f oot of snow on t he gr ound ; t r af f i c' s

al most ent i r el y st opped, except wi t h sl ei ghs, of

whi ch t her e ar e any quant i t y. I l i ke New Yor k

i t sel f ver y much, and cer t ai nl y t hi nk i n t i me i t wi l l

l i ck London al l t o not hi ng. I suppose you have

seen t hei r el evat ed r ai l r oads? They ar e f ar ni cer

t han t he Met r opol i t an Rai l way, and t he car r i ages

ar e bet t er f ur ni shed, besi des bei ng abl e t o go any -

wher e i n t he Ci t y f or 5 cent s. I wi l l wr i t e agai n

f r om Key West , whi ch i s t he onl y por t we t ouch

at . Ther e' s such a queer cr owd her e, Texan

dr over s, and al l sor t s of men. The f ar e t o San

Ant oni o by r ai l i s $75, so i t ' s an i mmense savi ng

goi ng by sea.

46 GONE TO TEXAS.

R. M. S. " Ri o Gr ande, "

Of f t he coast of Fl or i da,

Jan. 24, 1879.

PART I I . I am j ust wr i t i ng a f ew l i nes t o r epor t on t he j an . 1879

mg * sheep as I pr omi sed ; but whet her t hey' l l ever May, 1879.

r each you or not I ' m ver y uncer t ai n, as I am

goi ng t o ent r ust t hem t o an ol d boy on boar d

who l eaves us at Key West . The sheep ar e al l

r i ght so f ar , and seem t o me t o be i n ver y f ai r

condi t i on. They di d not t ake ver y ki ndl y t o t he

f or age pr ovi ded f or t hem i n New Yor k, as t he

Amer i can hay i s so much coar ser t han t he Engl i sh,

and t hey sent no t ur ni ps as I t ol d t hem t o do.

However , t hey ar e get t i ng used t o i t now, and eat

i t pr et t y wel l . The weat her her e i s awf ul l y hot

and sul t r y, ver y di f f er ent t o New Yor k ; but t he

shi p i s ver y wel l vent i l at ed, so I don' t f eel i t much.

The sheep have been not i ced a gr eat deal by

ever ybody on boar d, and sever al of t he cabi n

passenger s have asked f or Mr . Howar d' s addr ess,

as t hey want ed t o get some l i ke t hem. The

sai l or s ar e ver y f ond of t hem, but seem t o have

st r ange i deas what ' s good f or t hem i n t he way

of f ood. I caught one of t hem t he ot her day

f eedi ng t hem wi t h a copy of t he " Tr i bune, " whi ch

VOYAGE TO GALVESTON WI TH SHEEP. 47

PART i i . he sai d was t he best t hi ng possi bl e f or t hem. Jan. 1879

The car pent er spends hal f hi s t i me pl ayi ng wi t h May, 1879.

t hem; but he' s under t he i mpr essi on t hat t hey

bi t e, so he' s ver y car ef ul not t o put hi s hands

t oo near . I am wr i t i ng t hi s i n my shi r t sl eeves,

and suppose i n Engl and you ar e al l shi ver i ng i n

t he wet . A l i t t l e boat came of f f r om a l i ght house

t hi s mor ni ng f or paper s and veget abl es ; t her e was

onl y one man i n i t , and he ver y near l y upset hi msel f

st andi ng up t o t ake of f hi s hat t o t he l adi es. The

ski pper ' s been f i shi ng f or bar r acout as al l day, but

Page 29 of 119

I ' ve not seen hi m cat ch any yet . We ar e much

bet t er f ed her e t han on t he " Ci t y of Br ussel s"

beef st eaks, pot at oes, r ol l s and cof f ee ever y mor n-

i ng f or br eakf ast , and a ver y good di nner and t ea.

We get i nt o Key West t o- ni ght about 8 o' cl ock, .

and l eave agai n at 10. I bel i eve t her e' s not hi ng

t o be seen but ci gar s, t ur t l es, and sponges.

Gal vest on,

Monday eveni ng, Jan. 27, 1879.

P. S. Sheep l anded t o- day, al l i n good con-

di t i on ; ar e goi ng on by f r ei ght - t r ai n t o- ni ght .

I accompany t hem i n same van. Thi s i s an awf ul

r um pl ace.

48 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY.

Mr . L ' s Of f i ce, San Ant oni o, Texas,

Jan. 30, 1879.

PART i i . Just back f r om our t r i p. Two of t he bosses Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng> and sel f l ef t W and t he Mexi can 160 or so May! i 8 79 .

mi l es of f , t o f ol l ow wi t h t he 1 700 odd sheep, and

we r ol l ed up i n t he wagon. I am awf ul f at and

j ol l y. We got i n her e about 6. 30 t o- ni ght , and

af t er get t i ng a r oom and some gr ub, I came r ound

t o t he above' s of f i ce, j ust i n t i me t o cat ch hi m

bef or e he went t o t he t heat r e, so I have got al l

my l et t er s and hi s of f i ce t o mysel f . I have j ust

got t hr ough my l et t er s and wi l l post t hi s t o- ni ght ,

as owi ng t o our not havi ng st r uck a post - of f i ce

f or some weeks, I ' m af r ai d you must have t hought

" a Gr easer 1 had l eaded me, " as I see t he doct or

says i n one of hi s l et t er s ; t el l hi m t hough, i t ' s

not mor e t han a 5- cent . busi ness i n some cases.

Thanks f or al l you' ve done about t he sheep. I t

al l comes i n bul l y i f t hey ar e al l r i ght . I wi l l be

af t er t hem and Ted ear l y t o- mor r ow, and wi l l

pr obabl y wr i t e you t hen or next day. We

had a bul l y t i me up f r om Mexi co, and l at t er l y

awf ul l y hot . We r ode i n t he wagon wi t hout

1 " Gr easer , " t he West er n equi val ent f or " a Mexi can. "

ARRI VAL OF ENGLI SH SHEEP. 49

PART i i . coat s, and wi t h sl eeves t ucked up. But mor e of Jan. 1879

t hi s i n t he next as i t i s now consi der abl y af t er May, 1879.

10 o' cl ock, and, owi ng t o i t s comi ng on t o dr i zzl e

at 3 o' cl ock t hi s mor ni ng, we had t o t ur n out and

get beddi ng, &c. , i nt o t he wagon, eat br eakf ast ,

and r ol l out ; especi al l y as we had a 33 mi l e dr i ve

t o make, and hor ses knocked up a bi t , or r at her

a good deal .

P. S. I ' m awf ul l y gl ad Ti m has come out . I

of t en t hought ( l at el y) of wr i t i ng t o hi m about i t ,

onl y I meant t o get a l i t t l e st r ai ght bef or e doi ng

Page 30 of 119

so, so t hat i t shoul dn' t be a case of t he bl i nd

l eadi ng t he bl i nd ; but I guess we' l l make i t

somehow.

P. S. Seen sheep, appar ent l y i n f i ne condi t i on.

Just of f af t er Ti m and Jem.

Jem' s Hut , A ' s Past ur e,

4 mi l es out of San Ant oni o,

Feb. 2, 1879.

The sheep ar e ver y much admi r ed, and ar e, appar -

ent l y, i n spl endi d condi t i on. I do not at pr esent f eel

capabl e of managi ng sheep on my own hook, and so

have, af t er a l ong t al k wi t h Jem, seen Capt . T ,

who i s an Engl i shman wi t h a r anche out her e. He

has been ver y ki nd t o me, and has pr omi sed t o t ake

car e of t hem t i l l I want t hem, whi ch wi l l not

E

50 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I I . be f or ei ght or t en mont hs I expect , t hat i s t i l l Jan. 1879

t he season comes on i n Oct ober . Capt . T- - has May, 1879. ,

been ver y f or t unat e wi t h hi s sheep t hi s wi nt er ,

not havi ng l ost one. These wi l l be saf er wi t h

hi m t han anyone el se. They wi l l be wi t h hi s

and r ecei ve t he same at t ent i on t her ef or e, and he

i s t o use t he r ams t hi s season i f he want s t o. I ,

i n t he meant i me, shal l st udy up t he busi ness on

r anches, &c. I hope, bef or e Oct ober , t o have

t aken up some l and wi t h Ti m, and t o know

what Tm up t o. Then t hese sheep, i f t hey l i ve

( and t hey wi l l have ever y chance t o) , wi l l be ac -

cl i mat i zed and wi l l gi ve us a f i ne begi nni ng. No-

t hi ng l i ke " bl owi ng " i n t hi s count r y ! They ar e

l i ke a f l ock of sheep, i f one man damns or pr ai ses

a t hi ng t he r est wi l l f ol l ow. So you wi l l see

by t he paper 1 I send you t hat I was det er mi ned

t o get peopl e r unni ng i n t he r i ght di r ect i on at

once. They wi l l now be pr ai sed hi gher by each

per son who t el l s anot her about t hem, you bet !

Ti m and I ar e l i vi ng wi t h Jem and hi s man.

I t i s qui t e a smal l hut , but ver y comf or t abl e.

We had f i ve or si x vi si t or s t o- day cat t l e- men

t hey ar e t he j oi l i est f el l ows possi bl e. We al l have

been si t t i ng i n t he hut s as i t has been r ai ni ng.

1 A San Ant oni o j our nal . See ext r act , i nf r a p. 54.

AN EMI GRANT AGENT. 5 1

PART I I . One f el l ow t r i ed t o get Jem' s man t o di ne wi t h Jan. 1879

hi m, so as t o l eave Jem t o do t he cooki ng, but May, 1879.

he coul dn' t do i t . Yest er day, Ti m got some " over -

al l s, " or coar se br own t r ouser s and coat , and he

i s now wear i ng t hem. The coat i s l i ke an Et on

j acket , so you may i magi ne what " si x f oot one "

l ooks l i ke i n i t . Our vi si t or s ar e now gone, and

Jem' s man i s gr easi ng some saddl e l eat her s, and

Page 31 of 119

Jem, who has j ust washed t he di shes, i s r eadi ng

a paper , and so i s Ti m. Jem i s l ooki ng ver y

wel l . Thi s i s a most wonder f ul cl i mat e, I t hi nk,

and seems t o agr ee wi t h ever y one. . . . That

emi gr ant agent wi l l be get t i ng i nt o pr et t y hot

wat er ver y soon, i f he hasn' t done so al r eady.

Ti m met sever al f el l ows as he came f r om New

Yor k, who wer e cur si ng hi m ; and I r ead i n a

newspaper yest er day t hat he had sol d a man

800 acr es of l and at , whi ch i s a pl ace

bet ween Gal vest on and her e, wi t h a r ai l way

r est aur ant and f our houses. He descr i bed i t as

a gr owi ng t own, wi t h f i ve hot el s and sever al

good shops, and on one si de of t he 800 acr es was

sai d t o be a st r eam, " whi ch, al t hough not qui t e

a r i ver , abounded i n sever al ki nds of f i sh. " Wel l ,

t he man ar r i ved at wi t h hi s wi f e, t o f i nd

t he t own as I descr i be ' i t , and t he st r eam a dr y

E 2

52 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . cr eek whi ch never r an i n i t s l i f e, and t he 800 Jan. 1879

m ' acr es of l and i n a hi gh st at e of cul t i vat i on t o May, 1879.

be a pi ece of t he pr ai r i e l and, whi ch i s al l r ound

t he pl ace ; so he went back t o Gal vest on t o

wai t t i l l he coul d ear n enough t o t ake hi m back

t o Engl and. Ever y one out her e gi ves " t hat

Emi gr ant man" a bad name, and i f he came out

I expect he woul d be shot . For a si ngl e man

t hi s count r y i s al l he descr i bes i t , or near l y so :

but a mar r i ed man expect i ng t o set t l e down

and make a l i vi ng at once i s badl y sol d, unl ess

he has a l ot of capi t al .

Fl i r t woul d be a gr eat pet out her e, as al l

t he dogs ar e l ar ge and ugl y, except one sor t

whi ch t he Mexi cans have. They ar e hi deousl y

ugl y, t hough smal l , and haven' t a bi t of hai r on

except a sor t of nar r ow r i dge of br i st l es al ong

t hei r backs. They l ook as i f t hey had been

shaved, but ar e r eal l y bor n so.

Cat t l e- men about her e ar e j ust as Mar k Twai n

pai nt s t hem, and keep one r oar i ng wi t h t hei r

quai nt sayi ngs. Our par t y went up t o t he r anche

of a f el l ow t hey knew as we wer e r et ur ni ng f r om

Mexi co. He suddenl y r ecogni zed t he Judge, and

r oar ed out hi s best wel come t hus " Wel l , d

TURKEYS AND TURTLE. 53

PART i i . your ol d soul , how I N THE H ar e you, any Jan. 1879

how ? " hi s whol e f ace beami ng wi t h pl easur e. May, 1879.

Thi s i s t he sor t of wel come one get s. They ar e

so gl ad t o see you t hat t hey sor t of emphasi ze

a bi t .

We camped one ni ght on t he r i ver comi ng up,

Page 32 of 119

about t wo weeks ago ; i t was awf ul hot , and we

bat hed i n one of t he pool s, f or at t hi s t i me of

year i t i s a ser i es of pool s and doesn' t r un ; and

t hen I went out t ur key- shoot i ng. I saw a f l ock

of t en or so r un behi nd a cow about f i f t een yar ds

of f ; so I st ooped down behi nd a bush t i l l t he

cow shoul d go away. The cow t hought I was

ser enadi ng her and j umped about , and t he t ur ke) ^ s

got away i n t he br ush and I coul dn' t t r ack ' em.

You bet , I f el t i ncl i ned t o pay t hat dur ned cow.

One day we caught a l and t ur t l e and baked i t ,

and at e i t and i t s el even eggs, whi ch wer e t he

same si ze as a yol k of an egg, and t ast ed j ust

l i ke one.

We have ver y st r ong nor t h wi nds her e, and

t hey have bl own Jem' s hut a f oot or t wo out

of per pendi cul ar . ( Her e f ol l ows a sket ch of t he

shant y. )

54 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . Hal f - Col umn Cl i ppi ng f r om t he " San Ant oni o Dai l y j an. 1879

" of Sunday mor ni ng, Feb. 2, 1879, encl osed May, 1879.

i n f or egoi ng l et t er .

" OXFORDSHI RE DOWNS.

" ARRI VAL OF A SUPERI OR BREED OF ENGLI SH SHEEP

A FORMI DABLE RI VAL OF THE FAMOUS HAMPSHI RES

AND SHROPSHI RES.

" Yest er day a r epor t er of t he was shown by Mr . W.

H a f l ock of sheep, consi st i ng of t wo bucks and f our

ewes, r ecent l y i mpor t ed by hi m f r om Engl and f or br eedi ng

pur poses. These ani mal s ar e, " &c. , &c. ( gi vi ng al l t hat was

cl ai med f or t he sheep by t hei r br eeder , Mr . Howar d) .

" The sheep i mpor t ed by Mr . H , and t o whi ch par -

t i cul ar r ef er ence i s now made, wer e pur chased di r ect l y f r om

Mr . Howar d, and wer e br ought out under t he i mmedi at e

super i nt endence of Mr . T. W . They ar e spl endi d

ani mal s, and t hei r magni f i cent f l eeces wi l l open t he eyes, "

&c. , &c.

FROM COUSI N TI M.

Jem' s Camp, San Ant oni o,

Monday, Feb. 3, 1879.

You wi l l have hear d f r om Wi l l y bef or e t hi s

t hat I ar r i ved wi t h t he sheep al l r i ght . They ( i . e.

t he sheep) , I am gl ad t o say, ar e i n spl endi d con-

di t i on, and coul d not have l ooked bet t er t he day

t hey wer e put on boar d i n Li ver pool . You can-

not i magi ne how t hey' ve been admi r ed ; ever y t i me

Page 33 of 119

CONVEYI NG SHEEP BY RAI L. 55

PART i i . I pass t he st abl es wher e t hey ar e l yi ng t her e i s a Jan. i 8 79

smal l cr owd l ooki ng on and aski ng quest i ons. May, 1879.

I t was j ust t he same at Gal vest on ; ever ybody

knew al l about t hem hal f - an- hour af t er t hey wer e

l anded. I assur e you i t woul d have r equi r ed a

coupl e of cl er ks and a pr i nci pal t o answer hal f t he

enqui r i es t hat wer e made of me. I got j ust mad

at l ast and l ef t . I had r at her a r ough t i me of i t

i n t he f r ei ght t r ai n ( of cour se I t r avel l ed wi t h t he

sheep) comi ng up t o San Ant oni o. The f i r st

ni ght I sl ept on t he f l oor of a cat t l e t r uck wi t h

hal f - an- i nch of wat er i n i t , and t he unf eel i ng br ut es

t ur ned me out at f our i n t he mor ni ng at a l i t t l e

out - of - t he- way pl ace cal l ed Har r i sbur g, and l ef t

me t o wander about on t he l i ne l ooki ng f or some

human habi t at i on. However , I met t he wat chman,

and he t ook me i n and gave me a chai r t o sl eep on ;

I had t o wai t t her e t i l l f i ve i n t he eveni ng, and i t

was j ust sl ow I can t el l you. That ni ght I was a

l i t t l e mor e comf or t abl e as I managed t o get a

coupl e of cushi ons, so I sl ept l i ke a t op t i l l hal f -

past f our i n t he mor ni ng, when t hey t ur ned me

out agai n ; i t was j ust maddeni ng. Af t er abusi ng

t he Company f or upwar ds of an hour , I st ar t ed i n

sear ch of wat er f or t he sheep wi t h a l ant er n and a

bucket , and af t er a l ot of gr opi ng about i n t he

56 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART n. dar k f ound a wel l , and j ust as I was get t i ng t he Jan. 1879

wat er a gr eat ugl y bl ack dog, a t r i f l e smal l er t han May, 1879.

a cow, hunt ed me of f t he pr emi ses. But I di d get

some at l ast out of a ci st er n, so I was happy.

Fr ei ght t r ai ns on t hese l i nes ar e about t he sl owest

t hi ngs i n cr eat i on. I f r equent l y used t o j ump of f

and cut cact us l eaves f or my char ges, and cat ch

her up agai n bef or e she' d gone a hundr ed yar ds.

I n f act , I was caut i oned about wal ki ng t oo f ast i n

f r ont i n case I l ost si ght of her al t oget her . At

any r at e her e I am at l ast . I am sor r y t o say I

was onl y abl e t o gi ve Wi l l y f i ve gui neas change

out of t he cheque you sent , but t her e wer e a l ot

of l i t t l e expenses t hat mount ed up consi der abl y.

Jem' s camp i s a j ol l y pl ace i f t he chi mney woul d

onl y dr aw ; as i t i s, my eyes ar e wat er i ng so t hat I

can har dl y see t o wr i t e. I got r at her f r i ght ened

about t he sheep of f Key West , whi ch i s a r egul ar

West I ndi an pl ace, popul at ed al most ent i r el y by

Cubans and ni gger s : t he st eamer ' s si de was so hot

t hat you coul d not bear your hand on i t , and t hey

wer e al l l yi ng gaspi ng f or br eat h ; however , wi t h

pl ent y of i ced wat er t hey pul l ed t hr ough. Di d I

t el l you about t he dead f i sh we passed t hr ough of f

t he coast of Fl or i da? One of t he st eer age pas -

senger s happened t o be l ooki ng over t he si de, and

A HOME FOR THE SHEEP. 57

PART i i . saw somet hi ng whi t e r i ght ahead, whi ch pr oved, Jan. 1879

when we got up t o i t , t o be an i mmense shoal of May, 1879.

dead f i sh, si xt y- f i ve mi l es l ong ; i n some pl aces i t

Page 34 of 119

was t hi cker t han ot her s, but t her e was al ways a l ar ge

quant i t y r ound us f or t hat di st ance. Somebody

sai d t hey wer e ki l l ed by an er upt i on i n t he Gul f ,

but I have not l ear nt whet her t hat was t he t r ue

r eason or not . . . .

P. S. I Ve j ust got a gor geous pai r of t op- boot s,

wi t h " Hami l t on Boot " pr i nt ed i n gol d l et t er s i n

f r ont of t hem. I expect t hey' d cr eat e a sensat i on

i n t he Row !

FROM WI LLY.

Jem' s Hut , San Ant oni o,

Feb. 10, 1879.

My mi nd i s at l ast easy wi t h r egar d t o t he

sheep. I st ar t ed wi t h t hem on Wednesday, t he

5t h, wi t h a man, and a wagon i n whi ch we had

t he ani mal s. We had a wet nor t her t hat ni ght

and next day up t o about 2 p. m. , when we r eached

Capt . T ' s r anche. He was ver y j ol l y, and

made me st ay t hat ni ght , and i n about t wo weeks

I am goi ng t o spend a week or so t her e. He has

got a l ovel y pl ace amongst hi l l s, wi t h l ot s of ever -

58 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . gr een oaks. He has about 9x6 mi l es, hal f of J an - l 8 79

whi ch i s f enced ; and hi s house i s i n t he mi ddl e May, 1879.

of t he f enced par t . I t st ands on a r i se above a

smal l st r eam, and you cannot see i t t i l l wi t hi n

a f ew hundr ed yar ds. He has sever al Engl i sh

f el l ows t her e. Ti m and I j ust of f down count r y.

B ' s Ranche, near Beevi l l e, Bee Co. ,

Feb. 22, 1879.

Thi s j ust t o say t hat I ' m wel l and f l our i shi ng.

Went wi t h Ti m t o Pl easant on, and f or a week

or so si nce t hat have been payi ng vi si t s t o sever al

r anches down her e, 100 or so mi l es f r om San

Ant oni o. I r i de about , and camp under a t r ee.

At pr esent I am st ayi ng wi t h t wo Engl i sh br ot her s

of t he name of B , ver y j ol l y f el l ows. They' ve

got over 10, 000 acr es her e of t he pr et t i est count r y

I ' ve seen. I ' m pumpi ng ever yone about sheep.

Goi ng t o st ar t f or San Ant oni o on t he 24t h, I

t hi nk ; and t hen goi ng t o vi si t Capt . T . I t ' s

awf ul hot not a dr op of r ai n f or weeks.

San Ant oni o, Texas,

Mar ch 4, 1879.

Just back f r om my r ambl es down Sout h. I

have been over l ot s of l and, and at l ot s of r anches,

and have l ear nt ever yt hi ng al most , pl oughi ng,

Page 35 of 119

QUI NI NE. 59

PART i i . and har r owi ng, and al l t he r est of i t . I got t he Jan. 1879

qui ni ne al l r i ght , t hanks : t hey use i t a gr eat deal May, 1879.

out her e. Si nce I have been her e, however , I

haven' t needed any medi ci ne, and don' t f eel l i ke

want i ng i t . Thanks f or your advi ce about sheep.

The best sheep can be bought f or $3 J now ; t hough,

af t er t he l osses i n t he wi nt er , I expect t hey' l l go

up. About hal f t he sheep di ed, I t hi nk. I am j ust

of f up t o Capt . T ' s, and wi l l wr i t e f r om t her e.

COUSI N TI M TO HI S BROTHER.

Gener al M ' s Ranche, L Spr i ngs,

Mar ch 4, 1879.

Her e I am, set t l ed at l ast ; and I ' m goi ng t o

t el l you al l about i t . When I l ef t Jem' s camp

near San Ant oni o, as I t ol d you i n my l ast , I

went st r ai ght t o Capt . T ' s, t o see i f I coul d

get on hi s r anche ; but he was al r eady over -

st ocked wi t h hands. However , he r ecommended

me t o t r y at Gener al M ' s : so next mor ni ng

I came her e, and saw t he gener al ' s son- i n- l aw,

Maj or E , and af t er a l i t t l e t al ki ng, agr eed wi t h

hi m t o come and t ake ent i r e char ge of hi s f l ock of

Angor a goat s ; f or whi ch he pays me a pound

a mont h, wi t h boar d, and a t ent t o sl eep i n. Of

60 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I I . cour se t hi s i s not much ; but i t ' s bet t er t han Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng. not hi n g t o st ar t w i t l l j f or y OU see I know not hi ng May, 1879.

what ever about t hem, and have t o have a good

deal of hel p at f i r st , and he has pr omi sed t o gi ve

me somet hi ng bet t er , i f I get on wel l , af t er a bi t .

My wor k consi st s of dr i vi ng t hem out t o past ur e

dur i ng t he day, and seei ng t o t he ki ds i n t he

eveni ng, when I get home. Hi s r anche i s about

3000 acr es, and I t ake t hem pr et t y wel l al l over

i t . Thi s woul d be pr et t y har d i f I had t o wal k, as

goat s t r avel ver y f ast ; but as I ' m al l owed t wo

hor ses i t ' s not so ver y di f f i cul t , t hough i t ' s a l i t t l e

monot onous at t i mes, as I sel dom see a soul al l

day. I hope you wi l l be abl e t o r ead t hi s ; but

i f you knew t he di f f i cul t i es I ' ve had, you' d excuse

me. Fi r st of al l I bought a bot t l e of i nk, and got

r eady t o wr i t e t o you, t hr ee days ago, and when

ever yt hi ng was r eady, I di scover ed t hat t he bot t l e

had f al l en out of my pocket . Next day I bor -

r owed a bot t l e f r om t he maj or , and pr epar ed

agai n, but whi l st I was get t i ng r eady t he cor k

sl i pped out ; so di d t he i nk ; so I was st opped f or

t hat ni ght . To- ni ght I bor r owed anot her bot t l e,

and t hen di scover ed I ' d got no pen. I was ashamed

Page 36 of 119

t o go up t o t he house t o bor r ow one, so I caught

an ol d t ur key, and pul l ed some f eat her s out of

TI M HI RED AS HERDSMAN. 6 1

PART i i . her t ai l , and t r i ed t o make a pen. Hence t he bad J an - ^ 8 79

wr i t i ng. Ther e ar e t hr ee ot her men empl oyed on Ma ^ l 8 79-

t he pl ace, al l of whom ar e Mexi cans, and t he

house- ser vant s ar e, t oo, so I hear ver y l i t t l e but

Spani sh spoken, and am pi cki ng up a l i t t l e. The

Maj or i s a r emar kabl y ni ce man, and i s ver y good

t o me. He does al l t he r eal wor ki ng of t he est at e ;

t he Gener al onl y comi ng once a f or t ni ght t o see

how t hi ngs ar e get t i ng on. My t ent , wher e I am

wr i t i ng t hi s, i s such a snug l i t t l e pl ace. I ' ve f enced

i t al l i n wi t h br ushwood t o keep t he cows out .

I ' m gl ad t o say Fve not got t o cook f or mysel f ,

but get al l my meal s up at t he house; and ver y

good ones t hey ar e, t oo, so I ' m ver y comf or t abl e.

Ther e i s a good deal of game r ound her e, most l y

deer and t ur keys. I had a capi t al r un af t er t he

l at t er some days ago, but di d not succeed i n

get t i ng one, as my coat f el l of f my saddl e j ust

when I was get t i ng near enough f or a shot , and

I had t o go back f or i t . The deer ar e gener al l y

ver y shy and har d t o get at . I got wi t hi n 70

yar ds of some yest er day, but I had no f i r e- ar ms

wi t h me. The gr eat est t r oubl e we have her e i s

t he want of wat er . Ther e i s none f i t t o dr i nk

wi t hi n t wo mi l es, and even t hen i t ' s as muddy as

pea- soup. Ther e has been no r ai n f or f our mont hs,

62 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I I . so al l t he cr eeks and wat er hol es ar e qui t e dr y. Jan. 1879

Sheep- r ai si ng appear s t o be t he most pr of i t abl e May, 1879.

busi ness i n Texas, i f t hey ar e wel l l ooked af t er .

To st ar t i n a smal l way you want a capi t al of

about 250. Wi t h t hi s, and t aki ng good car e of

hi s sheep, a man ought t o do wel l out her e ; bet t er ,

I t hi nk, t han i n cat t l e, as t he count r y i s t oo dr y f or

t hem. A number of t he sheep- r ancher s who come

out her e, af t er t hey have once got st ar t ed, l eave

t hei r f l ock ent i r el y t o t he car e of t hei r shepher ds,

and t hey t hemsel ves l oaf ar ound t own, smoki ng

and dr i nki ng, and nat ur al l y enough soon l ose al l

t hei r money. I had i nt ended t o make t hi s a l ong

l et t er , but i t ' s mi ser abl e wor k wr i t i ng wi t h t hi s

beast l y pen, so I ' l l say, Good ni ght . . . .

P. S. I ' l l buy a decent pen next week, and wr i t e

a good l et t er . Ol d Gr aphi cs woul d be most

accept abl e.

WI LLY TO MADGE.

Capt ai n T ' s,

Mar ch 7, 1879.

My sheep ar e get t i ng on ver y wel l ; t hey r un

i n t he same f i el d as some Cot swol d sheep. These

have whi t e f aces, and t he ot her s scor n t hem, as

t hey ar e ver y pr oud of t hei r bl ack f aces ; and when

Page 37 of 119

CAMPI NG ROUND. 63

PART i i . eat i ng out of a t r ough budge t he ot her s away Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng. w j t k Di sdai n, i have j ust been r i di ng al l over t he May, 1879.

count r y on hor seback, campi ng wher ever I hap-

pened t o be at sundown somet i mes under a t r ee,

somet i mes at a r anche, wher e t hey al ways wel -

come one. Once I had an awf ul l y f i ne campi ng

pl ace. I had j ust l ai d i n a nose- bag f ul l of gr ub

( as I hadn' t st r uck a st or e f or some t i me) , and

was pecki sh. I t was near l y sundown, and I r ode

out of t he vi l l age t o f i nd a good t r ee t o enj oy my

r epast under . I passed a house wher e t her e was

a wel l and a smal l encl osur e wi t h hal f a smal l

hayst ack i n i t ; and I went up t o t he house t o

ask i f I mi ght dr aw wat er . The house was bang

empt y ; evi dent l y deser t ed some t i me back ; so

I j umped f or j oy, t ur ned my hor se i nt o t he en-

cl osur e wi t h t he hay, and t ook possessi on of t he

wel l ( whi ch had ver y good wat er ) and house ; made

a good hay- bed, and announced t hat di nner was

r eady. Then I l et i nt o t i nned pi gs' f eet and br ead ;

second cour se, cheese and br ead ; deser t , dr i ed

appl es ; dr i nk, wat er ; sal t ser ved wi t h each cour se ;

and had a spl endi d sl eep af t er war ds. Taki ng

possessi on i n t hi s way woul d be r um i n Engl and,

but her e i t ' s al l r i ght ; pr obabl y t he house wi l l r ot

( t hey ar e of wood) bef or e anyone uses t he l and agai n.

64 GONE TO TEXAS.

WI LLY TO HI S FATHER.

Capt ai n T ' s,

Mar ch 7, 1879.

PART i i . I got her e t he day bef or e yest er day, and f ound J an - l 8 79

al l t he sheep i n excel l ent condi t i on, I have ver y Ma y - l 8 79-

sangui ne hopes wi t h r egar d t o t he of f spr i ng when

cr ossed wi t h some Mer i no br ed sheep, i f t hey can

onl y st and t he heat . I n a day or t wo I am goi ng

up Nor t h t o l ook at l and. I t i s heal t hi er up t her e

t han Sout h of San Ant oni o; and down i n t he

Sout h i t i s al most or qui t e i mpossi bl e t o f i nd

l and at a moder at e pr i ce wi t h good wat er on i t .

Capt . T - ' s l and i s t he best wat er ed i n t he count r y

I f ancy ; he has t hi r t een spr i ngs on hi s 6000 acr es,

and t he cr eek t hat r uns bel ow hi s house has a

r ock bed, and he i s bui l di ng a dam some way

down whi ch wi l l f i l l t he bed of t he cr eek, whi ch

i s deep and br oad, wi t h wat er : so he wi l l have

a r unni ng l ake, about 10 t o 20 yar ds br oad by

400 yar ds l ong, or mor e, i n f r ont of hi s house.

Yest er day one of hi s pupi l s and I went out hunt -

i ng up cat t l e and hor ses. I r ode one of t he best

hor ses I was ever on ; he never seemed t o get

Page 38 of 119

' bl own, and j ust enj oyed r unni ng i n as much as

I di d. He has been t r ai ned t o i t , and i s awf ul l y

PREPARATI ONS FOR SETTLI NG DOWN. 65

PART i i . qui ck. Some of t he hor ses wer e pr et t y wi l d, and Jan. 1879

woul d dar t about al l over t he pl ace ; but " Pat " ( my May, 1879.

hor se) seemed t o see whi ch way t hey wer e goi ng

t o go, and somet i mes swung r ound near l y a com-

pl et e doubl e when goi ng f ul l t i l t ; so, of cour se, i f

you don' t wat ch t he movement s of t he hor se you' r e

af t er pr et t y cl osel y, " youVe got t o swi ng of f / '

Ti m t el l s me t hat Di ck i s comi ng out ; i f he i s,

wi l l you get hi m t o br i ng me out a smal l packet

of t he f ol l owi ng seeds t ur ni p, mangol d wur zel ,

cl over , and meadow- gr ass. I want t o t r y t hem

on a smal l scal e. Al so, i f Di ck can br i ng i t ,

" Sheep : t hei r br eeds, management , and di seases, "

by Wi l l i am Youat t , publ i shed by Si mpki n, Mar -

shal l , and Co. , St at i oner s' Hal l Cour t , i f i t i s not

out of pr i nt . I t cost s 8^ . , and I pr esume t hat

t he hal f - year l y di vi dend on t he bond whi ch you

speak of wi l l cover t hi s and t he seeds. As soon

as I can f i nd a sui t abl e pi ece of l and, I shal l buy

i t , and gr ow cor n and mi l l et . Ther e i s a ver y

good sal e f or bot h. Good l and wi l l gr ow 50 t o

100 bushel s of cor n t o an acr e, whi ch cor n sel l s

at 45 ct s. t o $ i per bushel , accor di ng t o t he

mar ket . I shal l begi n wi t h onl y enough sheep

f or t hese t wo bucks, and i n a ver y f ew year s I

shal l have a ver y val uabl e f l ock al l of one ki nd,

F

66 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . whi ch i s a gr eat t hi ng. I shal l keep f owl s, Jan. 1879

pi gs, and t ur keys ; so al l t he f ood I shal l have May, 1879,

t o buy wi l l be f l our and cof f ee, sugar and sal t ,

as I shal l pr obabl y r ear a f ew goat s f or meat

pur poses. Al l of t hese can be bought ver y cheap,

and I can make mor e money t hi s way t han by

wor ki ng f or any one ; and besi des, of cour se my

st ock i ncr eases and r anche i mpr oves, and becomes

mor e val uabl e. The onl y di f f i cul t y I see i s l and.

The $ 500 I have wi l l wel l cover smal l st ock, and

hor ses, and wagon, pr ovi si ons, &c. I have been

car ef ul l y i nt o i t and know i t . Land may cost

me $250; I don' t i nt end t hat i t shal l cost me

mor e, as I can get what I want f or t hi s, so t hat

i f woul d l et me l ay out 50 or under of t he

money you ment i on i n l and, i t woul d hel p me

a good deal . I can begi n maki ng money di r ect l y

I get st ar t ed, and woul d pay t hi s back wi t h f i ve

per cent , i nt er est , as soon as possi bl e. I shoul d

l i ke t o know by r et ur n i f t her e i s r eal l y t he l east

obj ect i on t o t hi s, as, i f t her e i s, I wi l l make ar -

r angement s t o r un my sheep on a r anche and

wor k t her e ; but t hi s does not pay so wel l , as

I shoul d have t o wor k f or not hi ng, f or r unni ng

my sheep on t he r anche- owner ' s gr ound.

Page 39 of 119

WHI TE ELEPHANTS, AND BUGS. 67

WI LLY TO HI S FATHER.

San Ant oni o,

Mar ch 13, 1879.

. . . Wi t h r egar d t o t he Oxf or dshi r e Down sheep Jan. 1879

t o

bei ng a whi t e el ephant , you can' t upset us any out Ma y. 1879.

her e ; you may send a whi t e el ephant i f you l i ke,

we' l l make hi m pay, gr ow wool on hi m i f neces-

sar y ! Ti m i s wor ki ng on a f ar m and get s awf ul l y

wel l f ed. I went t o see hi m on my way back f r om

T ' s, and caught hi m up, dr i vi ng back cat t l e

f r om wat er . He sl eeps i n a t ent , wher e he has

pl ent y of company i n t he shape of wel l , not f l eas ;

t hey ar e ani mal s Townsend cal l s r ed bugs i n one of

hi s Fi el d l et t er s, i n whi ch he says he had t o get up

i n t he mi ddl e of t he ni ght and go and get a bat he

i n a st r eam, t hey wor r i ed hi m so. Ther e i s a

beet l e out her e, cal l ed t he t umbl e- bug i n pol i t e

soci et y, t hat r ol l s a bal l f i ve t i mes as bi g as i t sel f .

A gr een Engl i sh f el l ow, j ust out t he ot her day,

asked " why was t hat bal l pushi ng t hat bug

about 1 ?"

P. S. $484 r ecei ved : as soon as I can f i nd t he

l and I want , we' l l go boomi ng.

1 Tumbl e- bugs mar ch st em f or emost , pushi ng t he l umps wi t h

t hei r hi nd l egs.

F 2

68 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY TO MADGE.

San Ant oni o,

Mar ch 13, 1879.

PART I I . I ' m t r yi ng t o sel l my pony t o- day as he onl y Jan. 1879

i ng> car r i es me t hi r t y- f i ve mi l es a- day, whi ch won' t sui t May, 1879. .

your s, &c. Jem st ar t s on t he t r ai l i n a f ew days

now ; he i s awf ul l y gl ad, as he says hangi ng

ar ound put s hi m out of t emper and get s away wi t h

t he needf ul . Ti m has a ver y j ol l y pl ace and

mast er l ooki ng af t er cat t l e, hor ses, and pi gs. He

was her di ng goat s, but t hey ar e ki ddi ng now, and

so have been put under an exper i enced man. He

used t o empl oy hi s t i me i n chasi ng r abbi t s i nt o

hol l ow t r ees ( t hey don' t have hol es i n t he gr ound)

and t hen bur ni ng t hem out ; t hen he t ook t hem

home i n t he eveni ng and at e t hem. I t ' s a l ovel y

day, but not t oo hot , as t he wi nd' s bl owi ng.

Page 40 of 119

FROM WI LLY.

San Ant oni o,

Mar ch 20, 1879.

I ' m j ust wat er y hot , and I ' ve been r ushi ng about

al l day get t i ng my t eam and baggage, as I ' ve

bought 1 60 acr es near B ; i t ' s an awf ul l y hi l l y

FI RST PURCHASE OF LAND. 69

PART i i . count r y, but f i ne gr ass, and heal t hy. Ther e i s un- Jan. 1879

l ocat ed l and next door t o me, not such good l and, May, 1879.

whi ch wi l l onl y cost me under $100 per 640 acr es ( ! ) ,

and I can pr eempt ei ght y acr es mor e f or a smal l

f ee, and, i f I want t o f ence, have t he pr i vi l ege of

f enci ng i n t he 640 whi ch I l ay out f or t he St at e,

next t o my 640 acr es. Of cour se, when t he St at e

can sel l t he l and I have t o t ake my f ence of f i t s

640 acr es ( i f I do f ence i t ) , but , as al l St at e l and i s

r eser ved at $J 50* : . , i t wi l l be year s bef or e t hi s i s

bought . I am goi ng t o t r y and get some sheep

" on shar es. " i . e. I t ake car e of t hem f or t he owner ,

and we di vi de pr of i t s and i ncr ease. Jem st ar t ed

af t er cat t l e yest er day. I met hi m as I came f r om

B . A and f r i end haven' t t ur ned up yet ;

when t hey do I am goi ng t o t r y and get t hem t o

come and hel p me get shi p- shape at my pl ace, as

Ti m can' t j oi n me t i l l af t er hi s mont h i s out , whi ch

i s on t he 3i st i nst . I wi l l t el l you mor e about t he

pl ace af t er war ds, when I have t aken st ock of i t

mor e. I t r aded my pony and got a good hor se ;

cost me $40 t hough. Hi s name i s " Bi l l y, " and he

r uns i n t he wagon wi t h a mar e whose name i s

" Bet " : she cost me $25. They ar e bot h l ar ge

hor ses, and about t he same si ze, and go wel l . Bet

i s a gr ey, and Bi l l y a dun. The $500 cover ed

70 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i r . ever yt hi ng; 160 acr es, wagon, har ness, hor ses, J an - 18 79

Set t l i ng. pi ^ g^ conl j anc } ^ 03^ o f coo ki ng t hi ngs, &c. , and May, 1879.

gr ub f or a t r emendous t i me. I am of f t o col l ect

t he var i ous par cel s whi ch ar e wai t i ng f or me.

When t he $100 come, I shal l l ocat e t he 640 acr es.

The 1 60 acr es t r act has a hut on i t , and a f i el d,

and mor e l and whi ch can be pl oughed ; wher eas

t he unl ocat ed l and i s hi l l y and onl y good f or

st ock. I pai d ( or r at her shal l pay when I get t o

B ) $225 f or t he 160 acr es. I shal l be on t he

saf e si de f or pr ovi si ons f or over a year , and bef or e

t hat Ti m and I wi l l be maki ng money. The onl y

pr ovi si ons we shal l have t o buy wi l l be cof f ee,

mol asses, sugar , sal t f l our , and pepper , as we shal l

r ai se veget abl es, bacon, meat , , eggs, and honey.

Ther e ar e t wo f el l ows her e, one Engl i sh and one

Amer i can, t hat I know per sonal l y, who want t o go

Page 41 of 119

i nt o cat t l e ; so I am goi ng t o have a consul t at i on

wi t h some one about t he unl ocat ed l and, and i f

t hey t hi nk i t wi l l r ai se cat t l e wel l I shal l t r y and

get one of t hem t o go i nt o i t wi t h me, he buyi ng

and owni ng 100 cows and a bul l or t wo, and I

f i ndi ng l and, houses, wi nt er - f odder , &c. , on hal f

pr of i t s. I can f ence t he 640 acr es and pens, &c.

f or about ^ " i co, and of cour se r ai si ng cat t l e i s a

good t hi ng. Cows can be bought f or $5 or $10,

PROSPECTS ON THE RANCHE. 71

PART i i . and t hei r mal e cal ves when t wo year s ol d woul d be J an - 18 79

Set t l i ng. t o

wor t h t hat . Ma y> 1879.

My addr ess i n f ut ur e wi l l be-

Post Of f i ce, B ,

Texas.

FROM TI M.

Gener al M ' s Ranche,

Mar ch 21, 1879.

. . . Wi l l y has bought a pl ace of 160 acr es of

good l and, l yi ng about f our t een mi l es f r om her e,

and t hi r t y f r om San Ant oni o. A f ew days ago he

cal l ed her e and of f er ed me t he chance of wor ki ng

i t wi t h hi m f or hal f t he pr of i t s, deduct i ng f or what

my shar e of t he pr ovi si ons cost , he suppl yi ng

ever yt hi ng i n t he shape of hor ses, wagons, f ar m

i mpl ement s, &c. I j oi n hi m at t he end of t he

mont h, and we i nt end t o r ai se cor n, f r ui t , and

veget abl es, f or al l of whi ch t her e i s a good demand.

. . . You needn' t have been af r ai d of t r oubl i ng t he

banker s by sendi ng t oo many l et t er s t o t hei r car e.

Ther e ar e sever al hundr ed addr essed t her e ever y

day, and t he par t ner s t hemsel ves never see t hem.

They' r e put i nt o a l ar ge box wi t h pi geon- hol es

f or each l et t er i n t he al phabet , and t he owner s

72 GONE TO TEXAS.

TART I I . si mpl y wal k i n and t ake t hem out . . . . I gave up Jan. 1879

mi ndi ng t he goat s, af t er a week of i t , t o t he ol d May, 1879.

goat her d agai n, and t he Maj or made me cowboy

i nst ead. My wor k now consi st s of hunt i ng f or l ost

cat t l e, and t aki ng l ar ge her ds t o t he wat er hol es

about t wel ve mi l es f r om her e. I am wr i t i ng t hi s

l yi ng out i n t he woods, l ooki ng af t er a l ot of f i ne

bul l s, whi ch ar e t oo val uabl e t o be l ef t al one, t o

t ur n up some day or anot her , as i s done by al l our

nei ghbour s. Some of t hem si mpl y l i ve i n t he

saddl e, keepi ng t hei r cat t l e f r om goi ng t oo f ar .

I have been doi ng so f or t he l ast week, as we l ost

no end of ani mal s. One day. si xt y goat s br oke

out of t he pen, and got some mi l es f r om her e. I t

t ook me a whol e day t o f i nd t hem, and si nce t hen

I ' ve been r i di ng af t er l ost st ock near l y ever y day.

Page 42 of 119

I ' m gl ad t o say t hat I am al ways f or t unat e enough

t o f i nd t hem, but i t ' s ver y t i r i ng wor k, and knocks

up no end of hor ses. I have t o have t wo f r esh

ones ever y day, and bot h ar e dead beat at ni ght .

However , I ' ve l ear nt t o dr i ve wi l d cat t l e, whi ch i s

somet hi ng. The f i r st t i me I t r i ed I coul d do

not hi ng what ever wi t h t hem, and had t o go back

f or hel p, but now I can st eer t hem t hr ough anot her

her d wi t hout mi xi ng t hem, wi t h anyone r ound

her e. I t ' s ver y exci t i ng when you' r e dr i vi ng

DRI VI NG CATTLE. 73

PART I I . t went y or t hi r t y head of cat t l e t hr ough a l ar ge Jan. i 8 79

her d of t he scr ub br ut es, pr event i ng t hem f r om May, 1879.

get t i ng mi xed, and cut t i ng t hem out i f t hey do.

I can t el l you i t ' s consi der abl y har der t han dr i vi ng

a qui l l i n Mar k Lane, but I woul dn' t exchange

l i ves f or a good deal . Thi s r anche i s a ver y f i ne

one, t hough i t ' s onl y 3000 acr es. Most of t he

l and i s good, and t her e' s been $12000 spent , i n t he

l ast year , i n i mpr ovement s. Al l t he st ock i s wel l

br ed, f r om t he cows t o t he ver y ducks, whi ch ar e

Muscovy ; but I can' t see how t he money i s t o be

r et ur ned f or year s t o come, and i f t he st ock can' t

st and t he cl i mat e t her e wi l l be a gr eat deal l ost .

Thi s wi nt er f our hei f er s di ed, whi ch cost $375

api ece, i n I l l i noi s, i n t he aut umn. For t he Maj or ' s

sake I hope t he r est wi l l be abl e t o st and t he heat

of t he summer , but I shoul d ver y much doubt i t .

I had a nar r ow shave of bei ng st ung by a scor pi on

t he l ast t i me I was at Jem' s camp. D and I

wer e sl eepi ng t oget her i n hi s l i t t l e shant y, and had

r ol l ed up an over coat t o ser ve as a pi l l ow, and i n

t he mor ni ng when I woke t her e was one of t he

br ut es l yi ng on i t , r i ght bet ween our heads. He

had cr awl ed t her e f or war mt h, I suppose. I f ei t her

of us had t ur ned he must have been ni pped.

Ther e ar e any amount of snakes ar ound her e,

74 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . pr i nci pal l y t he gent l emen wi t h r at t l es. We ki l l ed 1^1879

Set t l i ng - one a f ew days ago si x f eet l ong. He had ni ne- May, 1879.

t een r at t l es i n hi s t ai l . I gener al l y use a l i t t l e

Scot ch t er r i er t o ki l l t hem. He j ust sei zes t hem

by t he mi ddl e of t he body and shakes t he l i f e out

of t hem, and t hen eat s ' em. He seems t o know as

wel l as possi bl e t hat , i f he' s bi t t en, i t ' s al l up wi t h

hi m, and goes hoppi ng about , keepi ng hi s l egs out

of t he way t i l l t hey' r e dead.

FROM WI LLY.

The Shant y,

Mar ch 30, 1879.

My l et t er s have been so f ul l of smal l com-

mi ssi ons, you must al most dr ead openi ng t hem ;

Page 43 of 119

but I t hi nk I am st r ai ght now. I have been wor k -

i ng l i ke a ni gger f or t he l ast seven or ei ght days.

My man and I got her e on t he 22nd, and we have

near l y cl ear ed t hr ee acr es of st ones ( some of whi ch

ar e as bi g as a man' s body) , and we ar e wel l on

wi t h t yi ng up gr ass f or t hat chi ng. I cut t he gr ass,

whi ch i s a ki nd used her e f or t hat chi ng, i n t he

cr eek, not 100 yar ds f r om t he door . We shoul d

have f i ni shed t hat chi ng pr obabl y, onl y I wast ed

t hr ee days i n goi ng t o San Ant oni o, t o see i f t hat

FI RST DAYS ON THE RANCHE. 75

PART i i . money had ar r i ved, as I am ver y anxi ous t o secur e Jan. i 8 79

mg< t he 640 acr es next me, bef or e anyone el se. How- May, i 8 79 .

ever I am dai l y expect i ng t o hear f r om L of

i t s ar r i val , and hope t he l and wi l l wai t f or me. A

l ar ge cr eek r uns by her e, about t went y yar ds i n

f r ont of t he door , but t he wat er onl y r uns hal f t he

year or so, dur i ng t he r ai ny season. I n f r ont of

t he house, t her e ar e 100 or mor e yar ds of l evel

r ock- bed, wi t h st eep si des about si x f eet hi gh, and

I am goi ng t o dam t hi s up, and i f i t hol ds wat er ,

we shal l have a l ake. I nqui si t i ve nei ghbour s came

i n at f i r st , l i ke gr andmot her s r ound a daught er ' s

f i r st - bor n, t o gi ve al l sor t s of opi ni ons and advi ce ;

but t hey have f ound out t hey' r e not want ed. Ti m

j oi ns me on Apr i l i . He and I ar e goi ng i nt o

par t ner shi p wi t h r egar d t o al l pr oduct s of t he f i el d,

cor n, &c. I f i nd l and, and t ool s, and camp neces -

sar i es, whi ch of cour se r emai n my pr oper t y, and

we each pay our shar e of t he gr ub- bi l l . We ought

t o make a good t hi ng of i t , not onl y i n cor n, and

per haps cot t on, but i n veget abl es. B i s cr am

f ul l of si ck peopl e ; t her e ar e t hr ee l ar ge hot el s,

and number s of boar di ng houses. I n shor t , i t i s

onl y a l ar ge consumpt i on hospi t al : and yet I

haven' t seen a f r esh veget abl e i n t own ! We ar e

near enough ( 5 mi l es) t o r un a van i n ever yday, i f

76 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . necessar y, and I expect we shoul d sel l al l we coul d Jan. 1879

r ai se. You ought t o see me now ; squat t ed on t he May, 1879.

f l oor , l eani ng agai nst a pl ough, bar r el s of f l our and

cor n- meal , bags of beans and r i ce, kegs of mol asses,

f r yi ng- pans, ski l l et s and cof f ee pot , spades, &c. , &c. ,

al l ar ound ; chi ckens j ust goi ng t o r oost i n t he

t r ees out si de, over t he waggon. Gr ub i s awf ul

cheap, I wi l l gi ve you a f ew i t ems of t he onl y

necessar i es. Beef 4 cent s and 5 cent s per I b. ;

bacon 8 cent s ( t hi s one can cur e onesel f ) ; f l our

$7 per bar r el , or i n smal l quant i t i es $3 per i col bs. ;

beans 35 I bs. f or $i ; sugar l ol bs. and 12 I bs. f or

$i ; Mol asses, $4 per 8 gal . keg; sal t , $2 per cvvt . ;

cof f ee, i n t he gr een bean, 6 I bs. f or $i ; r i ce, 15 I bs.

f or $i . Apr opos of cof f ee, Capt . T t el l s an

amusi ng st or y of hi msel f . When he and Mr s.

Page 44 of 119

T came out , about a year ago, t hey went

shoppi ng ; and amongst ot her t hi ngs, he asked t o

be shewn some cof f ee. The man of cour se br ought

t he gr een beans i t i s sel dom sol d anyhow el se

her e " That ' s not cof f ee" says Capt . T ,

" cof f ee' s br own st uf f , l i ke snuf f , you can' t f ool

me ! " I t has been a st andi ng j oke agai nst hi m

ever si nce, i n San Ant oni o.

To- day has been al most suf f ocat i ngl y hot , and

ver y l i t t l e br eeze f or a wonder . I had a bat he,

A STRAY SCOTCHMAN. 77

PART i i . an d coul dn' t l ean agai nst t he r ock, i t was so hot . Jan. 1879

I hadn' t much of a bat he t hough, onl y a spl ash : May, 1879.

comi ng back f r om t own, I came acr oss a spl endi d

hol e and st r i pped, and was j ust goi ng i n, when I

saw a snake swi mmi ng about wi t h hi s head out of

wat er . Thi s was enough, I spl ashed i n t he shal l ow

wat er near t he hol e. I don' t mi nd bat hi ng wher e

t her e may be snakes, as t hey sel dom i f ever t ouch

one, but af t er seei ng one one doesn' t exact l y l i ke

t o t ake a bat h wi t h i t . I have got a Scot chman

wor ki ng wi t h me. He came t o me wi t h t ear s i n

hi s eyes, j ust bef or e I l ef t San Ant oni o, and asked

i f I knew wher e he coul d get a j ob, as he hadn' t

a cent , and had sl ept and eat en j ust wher e he

coul d f or some days ; so I have t aken hi m on f or

a shor t t i me, t i l l he get s st r onger . I l ef t hi m i n

char ge her e whi l e I r et ur ned t o San Ant oni o, and

on my r et ur n, f ound hi s wor k wel l got f or war d.

He never di d manual wor k bef or e, havi ng t r i ed t o

get a school , as he i s wel l educat ed. He i s about

t went y- si x or t went y- seven I shoul d say, and came

out f i ve year s ago, as hi s f at her , who i s a Scot ch

cl er gyman, wasn' t wel l of f , and had a l ar ge f ami l y,

of whi ch he i s t he el dest . He had saved up money

i n New Yor k, f or a vi si t home l ast year , but was

t aken i l l , and i t went t o t he doct or . He i s t o be

78 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . pi t i ed, but t her e ar e many mor e l i ke hi m out her e. Jan. 1879

He i s get t i ng st r onger , and I expect wi l l dr op t he May, 1879.

i dea of a school , and wor k out of door s, whi ch wi l l

be much bet t er f or hi m. I wi sh you coul d see t hi s

pl ace. You ought t o come and l i ve her e! I t i s

i n a t r emendousl y l ong val l ey, and t he heal t hi est

l ocal i t y i n Texas. I must cook our supper now,

so goodbye.

FROM COUSI N TI M.

\ Yi l l ys Shant y,

Sunday, Apr i l 6, 1879.

Her e I am at l ast , per manent l y set t l ed, I hope,

f or some t i me t o come. I got her e l ast Tuesday

Page 45 of 119

mor ni ng, havi ng come st r ai ght f r om t he Gener al ' s

t he day my mont h was up, and f ound Wi l l y

har d at wor k t hat chi ng t he r oof , af t er a f ashi on

he l ear ned i n Mexi co. I t t akes a l ong whi l e t o

do, but makes a capi t al r oof when you do get

i t up : we have been har d at wor k at i t ever

si nce, and i t ' s not f i ni shed yet . . . . We ar e al l

i n gr eat conf usi on, and shal l be t i l l we get t he

r oof on and make a t abl e. At pr esent we eat

al l our meal s si t t i ng on t he f l oor . I t r i ed my

hand at maki ng br ead a f ew days ago, f or t he

f i r st t i me, and succeeded t o per f ect i on. I t j ust

SNAKES. 79

PART I I . r ose beaut i f ul l y, and si nce t hen I ' ve al ways done Jan. i 8 79

i t , and never had a f ai l ur e. I t ' s al most exact l y May, 1879.

si mi l ar t o t hat used i n t he I r i sh cabi ns, except

wher e we use I ndi an meal , whi ch i s a l i t t l e cheaper

but not so ni ce. Our hour s at pr esent ar e f r om

5 a. m. t o 7 p. m. , but I expect t hey wi l l be ear l i er

af t er a bi t . Thi s i s a gl or i ousl y heal t hy pl ace,

and much cool er t han f ar t her Sout h. The t own

near us i s a gr eat r esor t f or i nval i ds i n summer :

peopl e ar e or der ed t her e much t he same as t hey

ar e t o t he hi l l s i n I ndi a. . . . Our st ock consi st s

of t hr ee hor ses, si x sheep, t wel ve hens, and a f ew

t ame t ur keys whi ch I bought f r om our near est

nei ghbour , a Cumber l and man. . . . I ' m af r ai d

you' d har dl y own us i f you saw us now : we l ook

so di sr eput abl e i n our ol d canvas t r ouser s and

f l annel shi r t s, and such seedy hat s. But nobody

her e dr esses r espect abl y except t he st or e- keeper s.

I meet no end of snakes whi l st I ' m at wor k ;

pr i nci pal l y har ml ess ones. I ki l l ed f our i n l ess

t han an hour a f ew days ago. I j ust sl i ce of f

t hei r heads and br i ng t hem home f or t he chi ckens,

who ar e ver y f ond of t hem. One of t he vi ci ous

ones gave me a gr eat st ar t . I was si t t i ng i n

t he gr ass, under a bush, and f el t somet hi ng t i ckl i ng

t he back of my neck : at f i r st I t ook no not i ce,

8o GONE TO TEXAS.

i i . t hi nki ng i t was a st r aw, but af t er a bi t I put J an - 18 79

up my hand t o pul l i t away, and j ust as I t ouched Ma y - 18 79-

i t a l i vel y snake about t hr ee f eet l ong gl i ded over

my shoul der on t o my knees. I can t el l you I

j ust j umped and cl ear ed out ! Young A ,

wi t h t hr ee mor e young Engl i shmen, ar r i ved i n

San Ant oni o about a week ago. We have asked

t hem t o come up her e f or a bi t t o hel p wi t h

t he cl ear i ng and f enci ng, but we have not had

an answer yet . Pr obabl y some of t hem wi l l t ur n

up i n a day or t wo. I f t hey do, we shal l get

on l i ke wi l d- f i r e ; but i t wi l l be an awf ul squash,

as our house i s onl y 12 f eet by 9, and at pr esent

i t ' s f i l l ed wi t h pl oughs, boxes, &c. The next

t hi ng we ar e goi ng t o do i s t o bui l d a st or e-

r oom f or t hem. . . . I t hi nk we shal l have l ot s

of f r ui t t hi s summer , pr i nci pal l y wi l d gr apes,

whi ch gr ow i n huge quant i t i es her e and ar e ver y

Page 46 of 119

good eat i ng, and make ver y f ai r wi ne, f or whi ch

you get 6s. a gal l on i n San Ant oni o.

FROM WI LLY TO HI S BROTHERS.

Apr i l 8, 1879.

I have at l ast had t he sur veyor out , and l ocat ed

my 640 acr es of l and ; so I have now 800 acr es

of my own, and on one si de of me t her e ar e

THE CREEK. 8 1

PART i i . 640 acr es of school l and, and on t he ot her 640 Jan. 1879

acr es of St at e l and ; so we shal l have pl ent y of May, 1879.

br eat hi ng r oom. Ther e i s over a mi l e of cr eek

on my l and, whi ch i s r unni ng now, al t hough

t hi s i s an unusual l y dr y season. I t does not r un

i n al l par t s of t he cr eek, but ever y hundr ed

yar ds or so t her e i s a l ong hol e of r unni ng

wat er ; i t t hen si nks under t i l l i t comes t o t he

next hol e. . . . We ar e awf ul l y hi l l y her e, but

i t i s a good gr ass count r y. . . . The l ast t i me I

came f r om San Ant oni o I st ar t ed at 2 p. m. ,

st opped at Capt . T ' s an hour , and over hal f

an hour i n B , seei ng t he sur veyor , and got

home at 9 p. m. Goi ng r ound by T ' s made

t he di st ance 37 mi l es. Thi s was on Bet , t he

mar e, who i s a ver y good r i di ng nag. We br oke

Ti m' s hor se i nt o t he wagon wi t h Bi l l y yest er day.

He bucked at f i r st , but went ver y wel l af t er war ds,

and di dn' t smash anyt hi ng. I must go t o bed

now, I ' m so t i r ed, and i t ' s near l y ei ght . I f you

f el l ows get t i r ed of Engl and, come on out , and

br i ng Gr anny wi t h you. I t ' s an awf ul l y unwor r y -

i ng l i f e, and no weekl y bi l l s!

82 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY TO THE DOCTOR.

My hut , near B ,

Apr i l 9, 1879.

PART i i . You bet ! We don' t get t oo much l i t er at ur e Jan. 1879

Set t l i n ( r ^

out her e t o t hi nk l et t er s ar e" boshy" ; so scr awl May, 1879.

away al l you know, and br i ng your sel f out i f you

l i ke. Thi s i s j ust t he pl ace f or you i f you get

seedy, as i t i s awf ul l y heal t hy. I am j ust goi ng

i nt o t own f or our weekl y beef , f i ve pounds of whi ch

wi l l cost me t went y- f i ve cent s. We ar e near l y

eat en up wi t h t i cks ; i t ' s j ust awf ul ; I l ook as i f

I had t he measl es bad, but t he hens ar e get t i ng

away wi t h a good many I t hi nk. They ar e l i t t l e

f l at r ed ani mal s, about t he si ze of a l adybi r d, and

l i ve i n t he t r ees ; but i f t hey can get f r esh meat

Page 47 of 119

t hey pr ef er i t .

FROM WI LLY TO MADGE.

Apr i l 15, 1879.

. . . I expect my poul t r y yar d wi l l i ncr ease r api dl y,

as I i nt end t o make al l t he hens t hat want t o si t

br i ng out young ones, as t hey ar e not l i kel y t o

f i nd my 800 acr es t oo smal l f or t hem f or some

t i me t o come. I have a hal f - t ai l ed r oost er ; t he

hens pecked t he ot her hal f of f t he f i r st day I

THE POULTRY. 83

PART i i . br ought hi m her e. He was a ver y i nf er i or cock Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng. t o

wher e he came f r om, but si nce he has been her e May, 1879.

he has been swagger i ng ar ound, and si t t i ng on

t he f ence, and cr owi ng wi t h al l hi s mi ght . He

was t he f i r st cock I bought , and has bul l i ed t he

second cock out of t he yar d ; and t he l at t er and

hi s hens go i nt o t he f i el d behi nd al l day, and onl y

come up at ni ght t o r oost i n t he t r ees. Ther e ar e

deer and wi l d t ur keys about , but we haven' t seen

any yet , as we have har dl y l ef t t he r anche.

But t her e ar e r abbi t s ar ound. Ti m saw f our

t o- ni ght , and I shot one t he ot her ni ght wi t h

my pi st ol . I saw hi m by t he cr eek, so I wat ched

hi m, and yel l ed t o Ti m f or t he pi st ol . I hel d

out my hands behi nd my back and Ti m shoved

t he pi st ol i nt o t hem, sayi ng, " Look out , i t ' s

cocked ! " So I upped t he pi st ol at t hat r abbi t

and shot hi m t hr ough t he head, and i n f i ve mi nut es

he and hi s ski n had par t y company, t he l at t er

bur i ed i n t he gar den, and he hangi ng up out si de

t he door ; and we st ewed hi m f or br eakf ast , and

wasn' t he good, oh my ! . . . I am gener al l y cook,

and t ur n out some f i ne concoct i ons ; but G

and Ti m ar e r api dl y l ear ni ng.

Page 48 of 119

G 2

84 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY TO HI S FATHER.

Apr i l 15, 1879.

PART i i . We ar e get t i ng al ong gr andl y. We have a f ence Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng. t o

about 40 yar ds by 20 r ound t he hut , and a gat e- May, 1879.

way opposi t e t he hut t hat we put bar s acr oss

at ni ght t o keep cows, &c. , out ; and we have

f enced i n a gar den next us about t he same si ze

as t he yar d, and have got l et t uces, t omat oes,

oni ons, car r ot s, r adi shes, pot at oes, and st andar d

and cl i mbi ng beans i n, and I shal l put some mel ons

i n shor t l y. . . . We have pl ent y of l i ve st ock ar ound

us of our own, not t o speak of ever y one el se' s

ani mal s, whi ch seem t o pr ef er us t o t hei r owner s.

The Ger man' s cows and pi gs pay us vi si t s, al so

one of S ' s dogs, and hi s geese come and st ay

al l day somet i mes, and one of hi s gobbl er s has

appar ent l y t aken up hi s abode her e per manent l y.

Our gr eat est wor r y i s our Ger man nei ghbour .

He i s a r ummy l i t t l e ol d man, who seems t o do

not hi ng al l day but hunt f or hi s f our oxen whi ch

he t ur ns out ever y ni ght . He comes by, and asks

i f we have seen t hem, and t al ks f or some t i me,

and t hen goes af t er t hem ; t hen, i n an hour or

so he comes back and t al ks agai n, af t er sayi ng

t hat he saw hi s boy had f ound t he oxen, and was

A GERMAN NEI GHBOUR. 85

PART I I . dr i vi ng t hem home. Hi s boy i s t he onl y one Jan. 1879

who ever f i nds t hem, t hough C - al ways hunt s May, 1879.

t oo ; and how t he boy f i nds t hem among t hese

hi l l s I don' t know, unl ess i t i s by i nst i nct , as he

has done not hi ng but hunt t hose oxen al l hi s l i f e,

I expect . We had a t hunder st or m t hi s mor ni ng

f or about an hour , and i t pour ed l i ke anyt hi ng,

and par t of t he t i me huge hai l st ones, some near l y

as bi g as hens eggs, came down. I t moi st ened

t he gr ound a bi t , and I t hi nk I shal l st ar t some

pl oughi ng t o- mor r ow, af t er I have been t o B

f or mai l mat t er , whi ch I f et ch ever y Sunday and

Page 49 of 119

Wednesday mor ni ng.

FROM COUSI N TI M.

The Log Hut ,

Apr i l 20, 1879.

. . . I ' m wor ki ng out si de al l day, cut t i ng down

t r ees and cl ear i ng out r oot s, or pl oughi ng; and

i n t he eveni ng t her e' s j ust t i me f or supper , mend-

i ng my cl ot hes, or cooki ng, and t hen t ur n i nt o

bed, f or whi ch I ' m al ways r eady. We al l sl eep

on t he f l oor , one r ug over , and one under us. I ' ve

got so accust omed t o t he har d f l oor t hat i t seems

as comf or t abl e as ever a sof t mat t r ess di d. The

onl y one I ' ve sl ept on si nce I ' ve been out was

86 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . at Capt . T ' s. . . . I t ' s get t i ng t o be ver y hot Jan. i 8 79

" i ng ' now. When we' r e wor ki ng wi t h i r on t ool s we May, 1879.

have t o put t hem i n t he shade, or t hey bl i st er

our hands.

The Shant y,

Apr i l 27, 1879.

. . . Thank heaven t he r ai n' s come at l ast ;

as Wi l l y says, " oodl es of i t ! " You can

al most hear t he gr ass gr owi ng ; and t he cr eek' s

r unni ng agai n f or t he f i r st t i me si nce l ast Jul y.

Wi l l y' s gone i nt o San Ant oni o t o buy some

mor e gr ub, and a wagon and hor se f or haul i ng

cedar - post s and l umber f or t he new f ence. I ' ve

been l ef t i n char ge wi t h a man t o hel p me, and

have been t r yi ng t o pl ough t hi s mor ni ng, but t he

r ai n pr event ed me f r om doi ng much, I ' m sor r y t o

say, t hough I ' ve managed t o get wet t o t he ski n

t wi ce t hi s mor ni ng al r eady, and am now st eami ng

away bef or e a bi g l og f i r e. Thi s hut j ust l et s t he

wat er i n ever ywher e. I t ' s wor se t han my t ent was

at t he Maj or ' s, and t her e i t was posi t i vel y dan-

ger ous t o go t o sl eep wi t hout a l i f e- buoy, on a

r ai ny ni ght ! Al l t he f owl s keep comi ng i n ; i t ' s

i mpossi bl e t o keep t hem out . I f Wi l l y doesn' t

make a door soon, t hey' l l r ui n our Br ussel s car pet !

The beast s have al r eady eat en al l my bacon ; so

SLEEPI NG ARRANGEMENTS. 87

PART i i . I ' ve got not hi ng t o eat t i l l Wi l l y comes back Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng'

i n t hr ee days' t i me, but cor n br ead and beans. May, 1879.

I t hi nk I ' l l sl ay t he r i ng- l eader of t he bacon- eat er s.

I t ' s ver y amusi ng her e at ni ght somet i mes. The

par t of t he f l oor wher e we sl eep sl opes i n t he

mi ddl e. Wi l l y and I sl eep on ei t her si de, and

G - i n t he cent r e. He keeps cont i nual l y r ol l i ng

down on t o one of us, and whoever he comes down

Page 50 of 119

on dr i ves hi m back t o t he ot her si de. I wedged

hi m up one ni ght wi t h l ar ge st ones on each si de,

but he sai d t hey wer en' t exact l y comf or t abl e ! The

Mat er t ol d me i n her l ast t hat you wer e comi ng

t o t he St at es t hi s summer , and goi ng t o br i ng

Chi co and t he Doct or wi t h you. You may guess

I was del i ght ed t o hear i t ; but don' t l eave t hose

youngst er s i n New Yor k; br i ng ' em on her e.

Ther e' s a sul phur spr i ng wi t hi n hal f - a- mi l e, and

t he Doct or can poi son hi msel f as much as he

pl eases !

FROM WI LLY.

Apr i l 30, 1879.

. . . My f i nger does not pai n me now, but put s

a st op t o my wor k. I t began wi t h i nf l ammat i on,

and I t hi nk I made i t wor se by t r yi ng t o go on

wi t h t he pl oughi ng, and i t t ur ned i nt o an abscess.

88 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I I . We have a har d- wor ki ng young f el l ow wor ki ng f or Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng. . t o

us, and have got an acr e of cor n i n, and ar e May, 1879.

pr epar i ng ( cl ear i ng bushes, r oot s, &c. ) f or mor e.

G - t ur ned l azy, so he had t o go, but I pr o-

mi sed t o l et hi m wor k f or hi s boar d i f he hadn' t

f ound anyt hi ng el se i n San Ant oni o when I

went i n t o haul pr ovi si ons. He di dn' t t ur n up, so

I suppose he has got a cl er kshi p, or somet hi ng.

Ther e ar e some r um speci mens of Br i t i sh subj ect s

out her e. One of t hem, i n San Ant oni o, bel ongs

t o a t i t l ed f ami l y, and I t hi nk hi s name i s i n t he

bl ue- book. He hasn' t a cent , and won' t wor k,

but j ust get s what he can out of ever yone. I

ment i oned hi s name t o a f el l ow t he ot her day, and

he sai d, " Oh, you know hi m, do you?" " Yes, "

I sai d, " I met hi m t o- day. " " Di d you? How

much di d he get out of you?" He has a most

gent l emanl y f ace, but hi s l i ght London sui t i s

begi nni ng t o l ook shabby, and mat ches t he di r t y

whi t e shi r t wi t h no t i e or col l ar , ver y wel l . He

got i nt o a scr ape i n Engl and, I suppose, and got

ki cked out . The t i cks st i l l r age f ur i ousl y. ( Aunt

M sent Ti m a packet of i nsect powder , t el l i ng

hi m t o put i t on t he bed and sheet s ! ) Ti m used

t o f i l l pi ns wi t h t hem ; but as we hadn' t any

st at i st i cs of t he number of pi ns i n t he U. S. , we

STRI KI NG OLD ACQUAI NTANCE. 89

PART i i . gave t hat up ; and now we cr ack t hem wi t h our Jan. 1879

: l mg< f r ont t eet h. They ar e har der t han f l eas, and won' t May, 1879.

be squashed bet ween t wo nai l s. Our Ger man

nei ghbour came r ound r agi ng t he ot her day t o

wher e we wer e bur ni ng some bushes, and t r i ed t o

pr event us, sayi ng we woul d " set hi s l ant on f i r e ! "

So we t ol d hi m t o go t o t he devi l . Then t her e was

Page 51 of 119

a scene of a Ger man i n al l hi s maj est i c f ur y. He

swor e, and st amped, and shout ed ar ound ; but we

di dn' t t ake any not i ce of hi m. He has now

cool ed down, and was r ound her e yest er day as

af f abl e as usual . Ti m br ought a l et t er f or me

t o- day, f r om Momo or t he Doct or , I t hi nk, and i t

bl ew i n t he f i r e bef or e I opened i t . I was j ust

goi ng t o enj oy i t and my di nner t oget her , so i t was

ver y r i l i ng. I hope t her e wasn' t anyt hi ng of ver y

gr eat i mpor t ance i n i t . . . . I met ol d W - i n

San Ant oni o t he ot her day. He was i n buyi ng

a pony, as he was st i l l hol di ng sheep out si de t own,

and had l et someone get away wi t h hi s t wo hor ses

and al l hi s cl ot hes. Si nce I l ast saw t hem, X

has become bankr upt , and t he gr eat Z got on

a r oyal ol d dr unk one ni ght , whi ch cost hi m $250.

I had a l ong r i de t o San Ant oni o t he l ast t i me.

My hor ses wer e har d at wor k i n t he f i el d, so I

r ode Ti m' s pony, and he j ust knew I coul dn' t use

90 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . my r i ght hand t o l i ck hi m, and wal ked near l y al l Jan. 1879

t he way. I f I dr opped t he br i dl e and t ook up t he May, 1879.

r ope wi t h my l ef t hand t o whack hi m, he' d go of f

at r i ght angl es t o t he l ef t l i ke l i ght ni ng, so I had

t o cat ch up t he br i dl e agai n, and pul l hi m st r ai ght .

I saw a ver y good sur geon about my f i nger i n

San Ant oni o ; he i s a Scot chman, j ust l i ke t he

London t ype of doct or , and not l i ke t he man i n

B , whom I shoul d pr obabl y have addr essed

wi t h " I s your mast er i n ?" i f someone hadn' t pr e-

vi ousl y t ol d me t hat " That i s Dr . Bl ank, si r ,

st andi ng i n hi s door way. "

WI LLY TO THE DOCTOR.

May 5, 1879.

. . . Ti m shot a r ed bi r d t he ot her day. The

br east i s br i l l i ant scar l et , and I was goi ng t o send

i t you f or f i sh f l i es, onl y i t got wor my bef or e I had

t i me t o ski n i t . We wi l l shoot anot her soon,

pr obabl y, and I ' l l ski n hi m sooner . Some wi l d

t ur keys come on t o t he f i el d t o get t he cor n, but

we haven' t shot any yet . The pi gs f r om t he

nei ghbour i ng r anches al so come and r oot i t up,

and Ti m says he shal l sl eep i n t he f i el d t o- ni ght

and shoot t hem, but I expect he' l l weaken on

sl eepi ng out when i t comes t o t he poi nt .

THE STUD. 91

FROM WI LLY.

May 20, 1879.

PART i i . . . . Ti m i s now out , t r yi ng t o make a cont r act Jan. 1879

mg * f or cedar post s f or f enci ng our t hi r t y acr es or so May, 1879.

Page 52 of 119

of past ur e. He st ar t ed yest er day mor ni ng, and

was t o br i ng back a cow and cal f i f possi bl e, so I

expect t he cow has been amusi ng her sel f at hi s

expense. I have been i nt o San Ant oni o t wo or

t hr ee t i mes l at el y, af t er shi ngl es f or r oof i ng. The

t i me bef or e l ast I bought a hor se f or $13, sai d t o

have wor ked i n a wagon, t hough f r om t he way

he " wor ked " I shoul d say he never had. I dr ove

hi m and Ted' s hor se ( whi ch we' ve onl y had once

or t wi ce i n a wagon) , and I had j ust a bot her wi t h

t hem. Af t er I got out of Town I got t hem i nt o

goi ng or der , and t hey go spl endi dl y now, especi al l y

my $13 ani mal " Tr acy" ; but I had t o l ead t hem

al l t hr ough Town, and whenever I st opped f or

anyt hi ng t her e was a ci r cus t o make t hem st ar t

agai n. I had t o get a man ever y t i me t o saw

Tr acy' s f r ont l egs wi t h a r ope, and t hi s t ook some

mi nut es, by whi ch t i me a smal l cr owd woul d

assembl e t o see t he f un. Ti m was haul i ng wat er

i n t he wagon t he ot her day and t he axl e br oke,

t hr ough a f l aw ( whi ch of cour se I had mended f or

92 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i i . not hi ng) , and t he f or t y- ei ght gal l ons of wat er , or Jan. 1879

par t of i t , gave hi m a shower - bat h. We have had May, 1879.

no r ai n f or some t i me, and ever y day i s al most

cl oudl ess and ver y hot , but t her e i s al ways a cool

gul f br eeze bl owi ng. Ti m f ound a wi l d t ur key' s

nest wi t h el even eggs, and I have been vai nl y

t r yi ng t o get t wo hens t o si t on t hem. I ' l l have

t o gl ue t hem t o ' em I guess. Why don' t you

peopl e pack up and come out her e r i ght away?

I am goi ng t o get a por t abl e t wo- r oomed hut , as

our hut i s so f ul l of t ool s, har ness, and gr ub, t hat

t her e woul d not be r oom i f D came out .

Then, i f hi s f ami l y comes, he can have t he por t abl e

and bui l d a ki t chen of f i t , and Ti m and I can r i g

up a box. A nei ghbour of our s has a r ai sed t wo-

r oomed house, wi t h f r ont ver andah and l ar ge st one

chi mney, whi ch cost hi m $230, haul i ng, and bui l d-

i ng, and mat er i al s and al l . . . . Peopl e out her e ar e

mi ght y cal m about t hei r l and. I went t o a l awyer

i n San Ant oni o, about a pi ece I want ed i n B ,

whi ch bel onged t o hi m. He sai d he' d never seen

i t , and di dn' t know when he shoul d be abl e t o,

t hough he bel i eved i t di d bel ong t o hi m. . . . I

don' t t hi nk t hat I shal l ever smoke, as I know i t

hur t s one' s abi l i t y t o t hi nk t o a cer t ai n ext ent ,

and i s al so a beast l y wast e of t i me. . . . Rasp-

I NDOORS AND OUT. 93

PART I I . ber r i es, cur r ant s, gooseber r i es, and st r awber r i es ar e Jan. 1879

al most unhear d of her e. Thi nk what a sensat i on May, 1879.

we shal l make when we r ai se t hem ! I suppose,

even i f D hasn' t st ar t ed yet , i t woul d be i m-

possi bl e t o send a pl ant or t wo of each at t hi s

t i me of year f or cut t i ngs ? . . . Yes, I t hi nk Texas

hor ses and poni es ar e st r onger t han Engl i sh ones.

Page 53 of 119

They gener al l y r un wi l d t i l l f our or f i ve year s ol d,

so get pl ent y of exer ci se. I expect Ti m ever y

mi nut e wi t h a cow. I hope she gi ves f our quar t s.

Thi s i s about t he maxi mum at a mi l ki ng her e.

Some onl y gi ve one quar t . I have no pi gs yet ,

as t hey gr ub up so. Our nei ghbour s' pi gs ar e qui t e

nui sance enough.

FROM COUSI N TI M.

Sat ur day, some t i me i n May, 1879.

I made a gr eat ef f or t t o wr i t e l ast Sunday, but

i t was so i nt ensel y hot i ndoor s t hat my i deas

seemed t o mel t away. I t ' s a cur i ous t hi ng, t hat as

l ong as I am out of door s I can do any sor t of

wor k, and don' t mi nd t he heat a bi t , but t he

i nst ant I get i nsi de I ' m f i t f or not hi ng. Wi l l y,

I ' m sor r y t o say, has had a ver y bad abscess on

hi s l i t t l e f i nger f or t he l ast t hr ee weeks, and has

94 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I I . been abl e t o do no wor k except cooki ng, so I ' ve Jan. 1879

been pr et t y busy. We have now got a ni ce l ong May, 1879.

st r ai ght f i el d of about f our acr es cl ear ed and

pl oughed. Par t of i t was al so pl ant ed wi t h cor n

and mel ons, but t he wi l d t ur keys at e t hem al l up.

I dust ed one gobbl er ' s j acket wi t h a coupl e of

char ges of buck shot , but t hey' ve been comi ng t o

i t al l t he same near l y ever y day si nce. We ar e

not goi ng t o pl ant i t agai n wi t h cor n. I wi sh we

had some cabbages r eady now, t hey ar e wor t h i s.

each at San Ant oni o, and mor e st i l l at B .

I expect I shal l commence cut t i ng cedar post s

next week, f or t he f ence. The cedar br ake i s

about f i f t een mi l es f r om her e, so I t hi nk 1 shal l

have t o camp t her e f or one ni ght each l oad. We

shal l , by cut t i ng and haul i ng our sel ves, save t hr ee

and a- hal f cent s a post , whi ch wi l l make a gr eat

di f f er ence i n a t wo- mi l e f ence. I i nt end some

t i me t hi s year t o t ake a f ew wagon l oads t o San

Ant oni o. You can al ways get f i o a hundr ed f or

t hem t her e, and somet i mes $12, and as i t onl y

cost s $ i f or t he pr i vi l ege of cut t i ng t hem, i t ' s

pr et t y good pay f or your t hr ee days' wor k. I

dar e say you wi l l have wonder ed what t he en-

cl osur e was. I t ' s a r at t l esnake' s r at t l e, t hat I shot

a f ew days ago. He was maki ng such a r ow t hat

CHI CKEN SNAKES. 95

PART i i . I hear d hi m a l ong way of f , and came up and Jan. 1879

Set t l i ng.

ki l l ed hi m. He was onl y about f our f eet l ong, but Ma y. I 8 79-

was as t hi ck as your ar m. The chi cken snakes

ar e t he gr eat est nui sance of al l . They don' t l eave

us a si ngl e egg. One of t hem at e sevent een out

Page 54 of 119

of a nest one day, and t he same br ut e at e t en

t ur key' s eggs t hat t he ol d hen was si t t i ng on. I

wi l l poi son an egg or t wo f or t hem. I f I don' t we

shal l never see t he ghost of a chi cken.

FROM WI LLY.

May 26, 1879.

. . . I t hi nk Chi co and t he Dr . had bet t er come

st r ai ght her e, as we have l ot s f or t hem t o hel p us

i n. The wat er i n t he cr eek r uns t hr ough and over

r ock and gr avel , and i s spl endi d. I t i s t he wat er

down Sout h, bel ow San Ant oni o, t hat i s so bad.

I don' t t hi nk I t ast ed any r eal l y good wat er al l

t hat t r i p. I went t o see Capt . T yest er day,

and whi l e I was t her e one of t he ewes dr opped a

l amb. Thi s i s t he f i r st . The Capt ai n si ngs out ,

" Hul l oa, Wi l l y! t her e' s anot her hundr ed dol -

l ar s. " I have made some pr et t y good st ock pur -

chases l at el y. I r i de about and hear wher e t her e

ar e ani mal s I want , f or sal e cheap. Yest er day I

96 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I L bought t hr ee mi l ch cows ( one wi t h a t hr ee week Jan. 1879

Set t l i n "

ol d cal f ) f or $30. Thi s i s t he st ock t hat pays her e, May, 1879.

and smal l set t l er s won' t sel l a cow except at a

hi gh f i gur e, unt i l t hey ar e har d up, whi ch occur s

pr et t y of t en, t hen t hey come down t o a r easonabl e

f i gur e. . . . The ot her day we had such a hunt af t er

t hose cussed hor ses. We wer e t hr ee days af t er

t hem about t he count r y, as t hey had a wi l d f i t ,

t hat i s, Bi l l y and Tr acy had. At l ast Ti m got

t hem i nt o a hi gh pen t he ot her si de of B , but

Bi l l y cl ear ed t he gat e and Tr acy t r i ed t o f ol l ow,

onl y Ti m had hol d of hi s r ope. At l ast we got

t hem her e, and now t hey go about cr est f al l en, wi t h

hobbl es r ound t hei r f or el egs, t he beggar s !

WI LLY TO THE DOCTOR.

May 26, 1879.

. . . Hor se- doct or i ng i sn' t of much use her e.

They never seem t o be i l l . The onl y ai l i ng out

of t he t housands I have seen was a swol l en nose,

whi ch was cur ed by l anci ng. I f a hor se does get

i l l , i t ' s t en t o one i t ' s a $15 one, and t he owner

woul dn' t pay 50 ct s. t o cur e i t . Now sheep doct or -

i ng woul d be usef ul . They ver y of t en di e f or

want of pr oper car e and knowl edge, and r ai ser s

Page 55 of 119

ADVI CE FOR THE WAY OUT. 97

PART I I . ar e not near l y car ef ul enough wi t h t hem. . . . Br i ng Jan. 1879

a f ew shi r t s and socks, and as l i t t l e el se as possi bl e. May. 1879.

Bewar e of shar per s on t r ai ns and at st at i ons. Go

t o t he Cent r al Hot el i n San Ant oni o. Let me

know when you expect t o ar r i ve i n San Ant oni o,

and I wi l l meet you wi t h wagon ; or wi r e f r om

t hence t o B ( cost 25 c. ) We' ve pl ent y of

hor ses f or you. Fi nger st i l l bad. Dr . i n B

sai d I shoul d l ose i t i f I wasn' t car ef ul .

FROM WI LLY.

May 30, 1879.

. . . Just of f wi t h wagon and t wo yoke of st eer s

t o f et ch t he f our ewes. The l amb was pr emat ur e

r at her , and di ed. I had si x or seven at t empt s t o

get our f i r st $11 cow and cal f her e, and at l ast

had t o haul her i n t he wagon. Wi l l I t ake a

pupi l ? why, yes : and t he f ee, $ 300 per ann. , i f

he' s a hanger on. I f he' l l wor k, and t ake an i n-

t er est i n what he does, he may st op as l ong as he

l i kes f or not hi ng ! Wi l l you get t he f ol l owi ng book

f or me" The Book of t he Far m ; det ai l i ng t he

l abour s, &c. By H. F. St ephens, F. R. S. E. W.

Bl ackwood and Sons, 1871. " I wi l l pay f or i t

when you come out . . . .

H

98 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I I . To THE DOCTOR Jan. 1879

I wi sh you woul d br i ng out my " Enqui r e wi t hi n May, 1879.

upon Ever yt hi ng " book. I t ' s i n my r oom. Al so,

i f you have t i me t o get t hem made, a one pound

and a hal f - pound but t er pr i nt , wi t h a " f l eur - de- l i s "

on t hem. Get Chi co t o dr aw i t car ef ul l y on

paper , as t he man wi l l want a good copy. Thi s i s

my br and. I ' l l pay you f or t he pr i nt s when

you come out . Br i ng comb, br ush, t oot h- br ush,

and sponge, of cour se, and l ook i n my chest of

dr awer s and br i ng al l t he l i ght eveni ng neck-

choker s, i f any. They ar e ver y usef ul i n t he sun.

I mean t hose t hi ngs you wear when on your way

t o a par t y at ni ght . You' d bet t er br i ng t he wor n-

out est ol d coat you' ve got , wi t h t he ol d t r owser s,

on boar d shi p, as sal t wat er spoi l s cl ot hes awf ul .

PART I I I .

WI LLY' S AND THE DOCTOR' S

LETTERS.

Page 56 of 119

STRI KI NG ROOTS.

112

I NTRODUCTORY.

PART I I I . EARLY i n t he spr i ng of 1879 I na cl det er mi ned t o go Dec. 1879

S r oot s ng t 0 t he Uni t ed St at es > and > bef or e set t l i ng i n busi ness i n New May^i SSo.

Yor k, vi si t Wi l l y at hi s r anche. The Doct or ' s eyes had

gi ven way f r om wor k by gas- l i ght , and he had had t o

gi ve up hi s Schol ar shi p, and was t o go t o hi s br ot her f or

a year ' s f al l ow bef or e st udyi ng medi ci ne i n New Yor k or

Phi l adel phi a. Chi co was t o go wi t h us on a t hr ee mont hs'

vi si t t o t he r anche, but as t he Doct or and mysel f coul d

not st ar t f or Amer i ca t i l l t he 4t h Jul y, and as we wer e

al l anxi ous about Wi l l y' s hand, he pr eceded us, and went

t o t he r anche by l and f r om New Yor k. We f ol l owed i n

Jul y, and wi t h us Cousi n Di ck, Ti m' s el der br ot her , and

a young f r i end, Lenni e Wi ndal e, bot h of t hem i nt endi ng

t o set t l e i n Texas. We went st eer age, vi a New Yor k t o

Gal vest on, wher e we met Ti m on hi s way back t o I r el and

t o j oi n anot her br ot her t her e, and go wi t h hi m t o New

Zeal and. He br ought a bet t er account of Wi l l y' s hand,

and t ol d us of Chi co' s ar r i val at t he r anche i n good case.

So we saw hi m of f by t he st eamer whi ch had br ought us

t o Gal vest on, and t hen went on t o San Ant oni o, wher e

we wer e met by Wi l l y, who dr ove us up t o t he r anche

i n hi s wagon. Ther e we had a " r eal good t i me, " and bor e

a hand at f ence- maki ng, wel l - di ggi ng, and what ever ot her

wor k was goi ng on. Di ck, who was a good hor seman, t ook

102 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I I I . t o br eaki ng i n poni es on t he r anche, and t owar ds t he end Dec. 1879

St r i ki ng of Oct ober , when I was r et ur ni ng t o my wor k i n New May, t 0 i 88o.

Yor k, t ook up a car - l oad of t hem t o sel l t her e, and, as

wi l l be seen, r et ur ned t o t he r anche i n t he f ol l owi ng

Febr uar y t o br eak i n and t ake up anot her car - l oad. Af t er

t hat he set t l ed i n New Yor k. Chi co r et ur ned t o hi s ar t -

wor k i n London i n November , l eavi ng Wi l l y, t he Doct or ,

and Lenni e at t he r anche. Whi l e we wer e at t he r anche,

Wi l l y bought a f l ock of 200 ewes of t he count r y, t o cr oss

wi t h t he Oxf or dshi r e Downs, t he chi ef car e of whi ch was

under t aken by t he Doct or . W. H.

FROM WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

. . . . Ranche,

Dec. 31, 1879.

. . . . I t hi nk i t wi l l be pl easant er f or you t o

have a t empor ar y wooden house on t he r anche

t i l l your ot her house i s bui l t . These wooden

houses can be made exceedi ngl y comf or t abl e.

An Engl i shman near her e has one whi ch cost

Page 57 of 119

al t oget her 60, bui l di ng and ever yt hi ng

We ar e havi ng l ovel y weat her . Last ni ght I

sl ept out on a bal cony wi t h onl y a wagon sheet

over me, and t o- ni ght I am i n my shi r t sl eeves

wi t h my shi r t open, si t t i ng by an open door

and wi ndow, wi t h a war m Sout h wi nd bl owi ng

THE DOCTOR' S START AS SHEPHERD. 103

PART i n. har d at me. I f i t wasn' t f or t he wi nd i t woul d Dec. 1* 79

r oot " . g be unpl easant l y hot . . . . We f eed our cal ves on May, 1880.

cot t on seed and somet i mes when I go t hr ough

t he past ur e I have a st r i ng of t went y or so af t er

me, expect i ng t o be f ed. We sal t our sheep

ever y ni ght , and i t i s ver y amusi ng. I have

been t hr own of f my l egs sever al t i mes by t hem,

as a hundr ed and f i f t y of t hem char ge me i f I

don' t f i l l t hei r t r oughs qui ck enough!

FROM THE DOCTOR.

. . . . Ranche,

Jan. 8, 1880.

. . . . I know a gr eat many of t he ewes by

name now, and expect I shal l have got names

f or near l y al l bef or e next Spr i ng. Ther e i s Ber -

t r am, a dar k scowl i ng sheep ( Rokeby) ; Tr addl es,

a skel et on of a sheep ( Copper f i el d) ; Joe, a f at

bar r el of one ( Pi ckwi ck) ; and Godi va i s ver y

l ong- wool l ed, Bul l dog i s under hung, Jer ky has had

a br oken l eg, &c. , &c.

I C4 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY.

. . . . Ranche,

Jan. 8, 1880.

PART i n We have j ust had a t r emendous r ai n, Dec. 1879

S r oot s! g and our 2 i acr es of oat s ar e comi ng up wel l . May, 1880.

The r oads bet ween t hi s and San Ant oni o ar e

bl ack l and f or t he most par t , and t hey got as

st i cky as " but t er - scot ch. " I passed t he st age-

coach as I went down. I t had cl ogged up wi t h

mud, and l ucki l y had onl y t hr ee passenger s, al l

men, who wer e i n t hei r shi r t sl eeves out on t he r oad

wi t h st i cks, knocki ng t he mud f r om bet ween t he

spokes, as t he coach coul dn' t move! . . . . I have

not pl ant ed out t he f r ui t t r ees, as I shal l l eave

t hem f or you t o say wher e t hey ar e t o be put .

. . . . The r ai n has put wat er i nt o t he cr eek,

and t he f r ogs make a t r emendous noi se al l ni ght ,

squeal i ng. I have a muf f of a Texan wor ki ng

f or me. He' s been hunt i ng f or my t wo wor k -

oxen f or t wo days now, and hasn' t r et ur ned.

Just f ancy havi ng t o hunt one' s cat t l e f or mi l es

Page 58 of 119

and mi l es r ound ! I t t akes mor e t i me t han any-

t hi ng el se al most . . . . We had a pl um- puddi ng

on Chr i st mas- Day. The Doct or made i t . I t was

a gr eat success, and we bought some whi skey

ROUGH PLOUGHI NG. 105

PART i n. and set t he puddi ng al i ght i n good ol d st yl e. Dec. 1879

r oot s! g We di dn' t do any decor at i ng, as we hadn' t any May, 1880.

hol l y, and mi st l et oe woul d have been out of

pl ace among such a l ot of ol d bachel or s as we

ar e.

The Ranche,

Jan. 19, 1880.

. . . We ar e awf ul l y busy now pl oughi ng up t he

f i el d. I t i s exceedi ngl y r i ch, and we t ur n f ur r ow

af t er f ur r ow wi t hout t ur ni ng up a si ngl e st one.

Ther e ar e about t en acr es whi ch we haven' t got t o

cl ear at al l , and af t er pl oughi ng I shal l begi n

f enci ng, t o begi n t o put i n cot t on i n Spr i ng. We

pl ough wi t h si x oxen. I pl ough, and anot her man

dr i ves. Somet i mes we come upon a r oot , and al l

t he chai ns cr i nk as t he oxen st r ai n on t hem, but

t hey gener al l y bur st i t . The f i el d i s a mi l e and

a- quar t er f r om her e, and i t seems a l ong wal k

comi ng back at ni ght af t er pl oughi ng al l day. . . .

I sol d near l y hal f my sheep t he ot her day. They

wer e a l ot of si xt y t hat I bought f i r st . I bought

a l ot of a hundr ed af t er war ds t hat sui t ed me bet t er

( I got 8j . per head f or t hem, and pai d JS. per head

when I bought t hem) ; so now I have onl y t he

hundr ed ewes l ef t , and t hey ar e doi ng ver y wel l . . .

We have decor at ed our hut wi t h pi ct ur es f r om

St r i ki ng

r oot s.

I 0<5 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. " The I l l ust r at ed, " &c. , and wi t h a huge map of Dec. 1879

t o

Amer i ca. I bel i eve we know ever y name on t he May, 1880.

l at t er al most , as i t ' s j ust at t he head of t he t abl e,

and we st udy i t at supper t i me. . . .

The Ranche,

Feb. 3, 1880.

. . . What a dr eadf ul acci dent t hat Tay Br i dge

seems t o have been. We have j ust had a f ew days

col d weat her , t he f i r st si nce Chr i st mas, , but I t hi nk

Page 59 of 119

i t i s bl owi ng of f agai n now. . . . We have been

f east i ng l at el y on a sor t of gour d, whi ch some of

t he f ar mer s gr ow her e. They ar e ver y good eat i ng,

ar e as l ar ge as one' s head, wi t h a t hi n neck. I

hope t o gr ow a good many t hi s year . They ar e

ver y easi l y r ai sed, and keep t hr ough t he wi nt er .

We had t o st op pl oughi ng f or a f ew days, owi ng t o

t he " Nor t her , " but we ar e goi ng at i t agai n now

f or some days. . . .

FROM THE DOCTOR.

The Ranche,

Feb. 6, 1880.

. . . I went down t o San Ant oni o on Gi psy l ast

week, and spent near l y a day and a- hal f t her e, but

THE DOCTOR' S EXPERI ENCES. 107

PART i n. di dn' t enj oy mysel f so much as I mi ght have done, Dec. 1879

S r oot s! S as I h a d t o see t he dent i st . He l i ves over a ci gar May, 1880.

shop, wher e t wo l awyer s had a duel t he ot her day.

They empt i ed t hei r r evol ver s at one anot her , and

bot h wer e sl i ght l y wounded; so t hey wer e f i ned

$5 a- pi ece ! We have j ust had t he l ongest spel l of

col d weat her t hat t her e has been t hi s wi nt er , and

i t has j ust been bowl i ng st ock over l i ke ni nepi ns.

However , i t i s an i l l wi nd t hat bl ows no one any

good t he buzzar ds have got so f at t hey can har dl y

f l y. . . . I t hought bef or e I came out her e, t hat

bl ack- wool l ed sheep bel onged onl y t o nur ser y

r hymes, but we have got a bl ack l amb i n t he f l ock

now, whi ch i s coal - bl ack al l over ( t ongue and al l ) ,

except t he t i p of i t ' s t ai l . We have j ust got t he

paper wi t h t he pi ct ur es of Por t i a and Shyl ock i n i t ,

and Wi l l y has past ed t hem up, one on each si de

of a young l ady, who has a cannon f i r ed of f on her

back i n a ci r cus. We have j ust got a col l i e dog

f or t he sheep, and I have got t o t r ai n i t , but I

expect I shal l have r at her a t ough j ob, as i t i s

r at her f r i ght ened of t he sheep. . . . We have got

some wi l d f l ower s out al r eady her e and t her e. . . .

St r i ki ng

r oot s.

1C8 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY.

The Ranche,

Feb. 15, i S8o.

PART i n. . . . We have been wor ki ng l i ke st eam engi nes Dec. 1879

t o

l at el y, and t hi ngs coul dn' t be goi ng bet t er t o my May, i 88c.

mi nd t han at pr esent . Our gener al mode of pr o-

Page 60 of 119

ceedi ng f or t he past mont h has been as f ol l ows :

The Doct or t akes sol e car e of t he sheep, and a

bet t er shepher d I coul dn' t have i f I went al l over

t he wor l d. The sheep l ook spl endi dl y. An Eng-

l i shman, at whose r anche, sout h of San Ant oni o,

I st ayed l ast year , vi si t ed us t hi s day week on hi s

way t o hi s r anche, af t er a vi si t t o Engl and, and

he sai d he onl y wi shed he coul d f i nd hi s sheep

l ooki ng as wel l as our s when he got t o t he r anche.

Wi ndal e i s housekeeper , and l ooks af t er t he hor ses,

and cows, and cal ves. To- day I have* t ur ned out

of t he past ur e, wi t h t hei r mot her s, t he l ast seven

or ei ght cal ves ; so now we shan' t have any mi l k

at al l . We have t wo young bul l s st i l l i n t he

past ur e, and t hese we f eed r egul ar l y, wi t h t he t wo

Engl i sh r ams. The f our Engl i sh ewes r un out -

si de t he past ur e, and al l ar e doi ng f i r st - r at e. I

have been wor ki ng on t he bi g f i el d. For t he l ast

f ew days we have been seven st r ong. I pl ough, and

RANCHE RECREATI ONS. 109

PART i n. anot her man dr i ves t he st eer s, t wo men gr ubbi ng Dec. 1879

S r oot s! g out t f 16 bushes t hat ar e i n t he way, anot her man May, 1880.

get t i ng up st ones f or t he r ock f ence, and t wo mor e

cut t i ng wood on cont r act . The l and i s i n pl aces

ver y heavi l y t i mber ed wi t h l i ve oak. I pay a man

4s. per cor d f or cut t i ng up t he wood, and I am

goi ng t o car t i t i nt o B , wher e I can get 9^.

f or i t . The wood does not hur t f or keepi ng, so

I am havi ng i t st acked up i n cor ds t o keep, as,

i f t hi s year t ur ns out wel l , wood wi l l pr obabl y be

agai n wor t h l os. and us. per cor d; but I am

havi ng i t cut now, as l abour i s cheap. Of cour se,

i f t he wood becomes wor t h l os. agai n, cut t i ng i t

wi l l , wi t h ever yt hi ng el se, " go up, " and pr obabl y

cost 6s. or Js. We have been campi ng on t he

f i el d. At t he begi nni ng of t he week we put t wo

yoke of st eer s t o t he wagon cont ai ni ng pr ovi si ons,

t ool s, &c. , and one yoke t o t he wat er - car t ( whi ch

hol ds 96 gal l ons) , and mar ch up t o t he f i el d ; t hen

on Sat ur day ni ght we come down agai n. Some-

t i mes some of t he " boys" f r om nei ghbour i ng

r anches come up t o t he camp at ni ght , and

have games and wr est l i ng, and pl ay j okes on

one anot her .

On Fr i day ni ght t hey t ook a gr een hand

out " quai l hunt i ng. " They al l went i nt o t he

110 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. br ush, about hal f - a- mi l e f r om camp, down t he Dec. 1879

S r oot s ng cr eek, and set hi m at t he end of a t r ai l or cat t l e- May, i 88o.

pat h, wi t h an empt y sack, whi ch he had t o keep

open i n f r ont of hi m, t o cat ch t he quai l whi ch

t hey wer e goi ng t o dr i ve up t he t r ai l i nt o i t .

Af t er sundr y quest i ons f r om hi m, as t o whet her

t hey woul d bi t e, what si ze and col or t hey wer e,

&c. , t hey came back al ong t he t r ai l t o " dr i ve

t he quai l " ; whi ch consi st s of goi ng back t o t he

camp f i r e and wai t i ng t i l l t he f el l ow wi t h t he

Page 61 of 119

sack has had enough of wai t i ng. I n hal f - an-

hour or so t he sackman was hear d on t he t op of

a nei ghbour i ng hi l l , about a mi l e f r om camp.

Fr om t her e he saw t he camp f i r e, and st r uck

out f or i t .

Anot her game i s " donkey- r i di ng. " Two f el l ows

ar e t i ed back t o back, and a saddl e i s put on t hem

and gi r t hed, and t hen anot her f el l ow get s on t he

saddl e, and t hey pi t ch and pi t ch unt i l t hey pi t ch

hi m of f .

Then t her e i s " l eg- wr est l i ng. " Two f el l ows l i e

on t hei r backs next each ot her , but t he f eet of

one at t he head of t he ot her ; and each cl ut ches

t he ot her one' s shoul der wi t h hi s i nsi de hand;

t hen each l i f t s up hi s i nsi de l eg t hr ee t i mes whi l e

t hey count , and t he t hi r d t i me t hey l ock t hei r

LEG WRESTLI NG. I l l

PART i n. l egs, and one of t hem t ur ns a sudden somer saul t Dec. 1879

S r oot s! g backwar ds, and he i s conquer ed 1 . I t i s gener al l y a May, 1880.

ver y shor t combat unl ess t hey ar e evenl y mat ched ;

but one or t he ot her , anyhow, ends i n goi ng heel s

over head backwar ds.

I have opened t he seeds, whi ch ar e beaut i f ul l y

packed. Many t hanks f or t hem. The gr ass seeds

I shal l put i n a spot i n t he past ur e, but I har dl y

l i ke t o vent ur e wi t h t he gar den seeds, as my cot t on

f i el d wi l l t ake up al l my t i me. Wi ndal e has t he

comf r eys i n hand, and i s pr epar i ng beds f or t hem.

Wi t h r egar d t o si l kwor ms ; t her e ar e quant i t i es of

wi l d mul ber r i es her e, but i t wi l l be a l ong t i me

bef or e I can do anyt hi ng i n t hat l i ne, I t hi nk, as

t her e ar e such number l ess payi ng t hi ngs mor e

i mmedi at el y connect ed wi t h t he gener al r anche

busi ness. . . . We have ever y pr ospect of unusual l y

good pr i ces f or our wool t hi s year .

FROM THE DOCTOR.

The Ranche,

Feb. 25, 1880.

. . . Di ck ar r i ved t o- day, havi ng l ost hi s t r aps,

wat ch, and ul st er by t he way ; but he l ooks ver y

1 I am bound t o say, t hough used t o such mat t er s f r om my yout h

up, t hat ' l eg wr est l i ng ' puzzl es me. ED.

112 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. wel l , and hopes t hat he wi l l get t he f or mer back. Dec. 1879

r oot s! 8 I am as wel l as I can be, f or her di ng agr ees wi t h May, 1880.

me, and exer ci ses me pr et t y r egul ar l y, t oo, i f a

pai r of sol es a mont h may be t aken as evi dence.

. . . The sheep ar e r api dl y r ecover i ng f r om t he

Page 62 of 119

ef f ect s of t he wi nt er , and ar e begi nni ng t o l ook

qui t e f at . Ther e ar e t wo ewe l ambs and a buck

al r eady, t wo of t hem Cot swol ds, and one ( I bel i eve)

an Oxf or d Down. Ther e i s pl ent y of wat er al l

down t he cr eek, so I haven' t t o t r avel t he sheep

at al l f or i t . One pool i s so bi g t hat you can, i f

you t r y, swi m si x yar ds wi t hout t ouchi ng bot t om.

. . . Your wel l 1 hasn' t haul ed dr y si nce t he r ai n;

but i t was al l but gi vi ng out l ast aut umn f or want

of cl eani ng.

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Mar ch i , 1880.

The 29t h has passed, and I haven' t been pr o-

posed t o, so I f eel my vani t y ver y much i nj ur ed.

. . . Di ck ar r i ved l ast Wednesday. He and Wi l l y

have done no end of gar deni ng t o- day, put t i ng i n

pot at oes, seeds, &c. . . . I am keepi ng a sor t of

di ar y now, but I am af r ai d i t woul dn' t i nt er est

1 My br ot her dug a wel l on hi s vi si t t o t he r anche. ED.

THE DOCTOR' S DOI NGS. 113

PART i n. you much, as i t i s al most ent i r el y t aken up wi t h Dec. 1879

r oot s! 5 not es on st ock, such as, " Her ded on r i ght - hand May, 1880.

hi l l s f ound Smi ke' s l amb saw a br own hei f er ,

br and CHK Poke br ought bul l over , " &c. , &c. . . .

FROM THE DOCTOR.

Mar ch 18, 1880.

. . . Ther e ar e t hi r t y l ambs now ; and t hey gi ve

me a ni ce j ob hunt i ng t hem up ever y day ; f or

t hey l i e down al l day under t he bushes, and when-

ever t he f l ock moves away, I have t o go r ound

al l t he bushes and r out t hem out . I am qui t e

a dab now at j udgi ng t he t i me of day wi t hout t he

sun, f or somet i mes I don' t see hi s f ace f r om t he t i me

I l eave t he pen t i l l when I come back ; but I am

sel dom a quar t er - of - an- hour wr ong. I suppose i t

i s f r om pr act i ce, f or I never used t o know t he t i me

i n Engl and. Di ck has near l y got a car l oad of

hor ses, al most al l of whi ch ar e " br oken, " and

r unni ng i n Capt . T ' s past ur e ; but a f ew ar e

onl y " badl y cr acked, " and ar e up at t he r anche

st i l l . The r ock f ence r ound t he new l and i s bei ng

f ast bui l t , as t her e ar e over si x men at wor k on

i t , I bel i eve, quar r yi ng, haul i ng, and bui l di ng. . . .

114 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY TO HI S FATHER.

The Ranche,

Page 63 of 119

Mar ch 21, 1880.

PART i n. Di ck wi l l , as you pr opose, st ar t f or New Yor k Dec. 1879

r oot s! 8 about t he 22nd pr oxi mo. We' ve got al l t he hor ses May, 1880.

now, i ncl udi ng one r acer , a mar e, f r om D ' s. . . .

To come t o an i mpor t ant quest i on st r ai ght . I

asked t he Doct or t he ot her day how he l i ked t hi s

l i f e, and whet her he woul d l i ke t o st op, and go

hal ves i n t he whol e concer n, and he evi dent l y

t hi nks i t woul d be j ust t he t hi ng he woul d l i ke.

He sai d, " Wel l , up t o t he pr esent t hi s l i f e has been

exceedi ngl y f asci nat i ng, but of cour se I must ask

f at her bef or e gi vi ng any answer ; and I t hi nk I

woul d r at her wai t t i l l I see hi m, i f you don' t mi nd,

i nst ead of wr i t i ng about i t . " I f ancy f r om t he

i nt er est he t akes i n ever yt hi ng, t hat i t woul d sui t

hi m i nt er nal l y and ex- di t t o bet t er t han sweat i ng

i n a ci t y; and as t o hi s heal t h, i t coul dn' t be

bet t er . I can' t pal aver l i ke K - and Co. , but

t hose ar e t he mai n f act s, and we can st udy t he

quest i on f ur t her when you ar e down her e. On t he

29t h i nst . I shal l have been her e a year , and I

f ancy a smal l change may be not i ced, i f one l ooks

cl osel y enough. By t he way, Di ck says t hat

A YOUNG HORSE BREAKER. H5

PART i n. M C N - used t o can t omat oes i n Vi r gi ni a ver y Dec. i 8 79

r oot s! 2 si mpl y, but used t o keep i t dar k, and make good May, i 88o.

cash at i t . I f you know anyone i n a canni ng

busi ness, coul d you get t he mai n poi nt s, as t o t he

l engt h of t i me boi l i ng, whet her put i nt o cans hot

or col d, and whet her t hey get al l ai r - t i ght bef or e

sol der i ng t he l ast hol e, &c. I hope Di ck makes

a good t hi ng of t he hor se busi ness t hi s t i me ; i f so,

I ' m goi ng t o i nvest i n a f ew pr omi si ng young

hor ses, t o hol d t i l l t hey mat ur e. . . .

The Ranche,

Mar ch 28, 1880.

. . . Al l t he hor ses ar e doi ng wel l ; Di ck says

t hey ar e a much bet t er l ot t han l ast . Wi ndal e

i s becomi ng a ver y good r i der ; he has pl ent y of

pl uck. On t he 22nd i nst . we began t o br eak a bi g

f our - year - ol d hor se. He br oke easi l y, and Wi ndal e

r ode i nt o B f or mai l on hi m on t he 26t h.

Comi ng out , hi s l ove of news got t he bet t er of hi s

di scr et i on, so, dr oppi ng t he r ei ns on t he neck of

t he must ang of f i ve days' r i di ng, he t ook out t he

I l l ust r at ed, and began r eadi ng ; and so of f went t he

hor se pi t chi ng d l a mode wi t h head down, and over

hi s head went Mast er Wi ndal e. He f ol l owed hi m

f or a mi l e or so, and caught hi m, but l ed hi m

I 2

I l 6 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. back! He " went f or " t hat hor se, t hough, on r e- Dec. 1879

Page 64 of 119

r oot s! 8 t ur ni ng. He put a " bucki ng st i ck " on t he saddl e, May, 1880.

and got on and r aced r ound t he f i el d, and t he hor se

coul dn' t get hi m of f agai n. The bucki ag st i ck i s

about t wo f eet l ong, and t i ed acr oss t he hor n of

t he saddl e, j ust above your l egs, and i t ' s next t o

i mpossi bl e f or a hor se t o buck you out . . . .

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Mar ch 31, 1880.

. . . . I had a r egul ar spr ee on my bi r t hday;

f or Wi l l y t ook t he sheep f or a day and a hal f

on pur pose t hat I shoul d. Di ck and I st ar t ed

f or t he Guadal oupe at 3 p. m. on Sat ur day on

hor seback, and we j ust r eached i t by sun- down,

and camped out : al l Sunday we wer e f i shi ng,

and camped out agai n, and st ar t ed at about i a. m.

on Monday, and r eached home bef or e sun- up.

Si nce t hen we have had t wo ver y moi st days,

whi ch have done t he gr ass a heap of good, but

whi ch I can' t say I appr eci at e as I ought , f or

t hey don' t make me gr ow however wet I get .

I never cat ch col d t hough, so I don' t mi nd t hem

much. . . . We have got si xt y l ambs i n t he f l ock

now, and shal l pr obabl y have near l y ei ght y, whi ch

THE DOCTOR' S RECREATI ONS. 117

' ART i n. i s a ver y good per cent age. When Di ck and I wer e Dec. 1879

r oot s! g f i shi ng we caught some cat - f i sh, per ch, and some- May, 1880.

t hi ng el se, and we had onl y one r od and r eel

bet ween us. . . . Bi r ds haven' t begun t o bui l d

yet , but I expect t hey wi l l as soon as t he f ol i age

get s a bi t t hi cker . I am soon goi ng t o pr eempt

ei ght y acr es. . . .

FROM THE DOCTOR TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

Apr i l 14, 1880.

. . . . I have begun l eavi ng t he f l ock, and

dur i ng t he day am engaged di ggi ng r ock f or

a st one pen, but at pr esent I have t o go up once

a day t o see t hat t he sheep ar e al l r i ght , and

i t spl i t s my wor k up ver y much. By t he way,

I r ecei ved qui t e an i nsul t f r om a man yest er day.

He t ol d me he " di dn' t do much her di ng he

was al ways at wor k ! " Happi l y f or hi m he i s

onl y hal f - wi t t ed, or I mi ght have sl aught er ed

hi m ! . . . I t hought I had f ound a ni ce scor pi on

t o send home, but i t was unf or t unat el y al i ve, so

I squashed i t . Di ck has commenced shear i ng,

but t he shear s gave out af t er t he f i r st ewe, so

we ar e goi ng t o get a new pai r t o- mor r ow.

I l 8 GONE TO TEXAS.

. Apr i l 23, 1880.

PART i n. The sheep her d t hemsel ves now, and when I Dec. 1879

t o

Page 65 of 119

r oot ' s" ' 5 go af t er t hem I near l y al ways f i nd t hem i n a May, 1880. ,

bunch f aci ng homewar ds ; so I hope t hat soon

i t wi l l not be necessar y t o br i ng t hem home at

al l . . . , I have f or got t en some of my sheep si nce

t hey have been shor n, but I r emember most of

t hem i n spi t e of t hei r scar e- cr owi sh appear ance.

. . . Wool has r i sen i mmensel y t hi s year ( over

10 cent s a pound) , and t he sheep wi l l pr obabl y

shear z\ I bs. al l r ound at l east . Ther e ar e over

sevent y l ambs now, but I have l ost count , and

can' t pi ck i t up agai n, f or you mi ght as wel l

t r y t o count a f l i ght of bi r ds as a bunch of

l ambs. . . .

FROM WI LLY.

The Ranche,

Apr i l 25, 1880.

. . . Di ck l ef t f or New Yor k a week ago wi t h

t he hor ses. Ther e wer e t went y- one spl endi d l i t t l e

ani mal s. Most of t hem he t amed her e hi msel f .

We have been shear i ng at odd i nt er val s l at el y,

and have onl y about t hi r t y mor e t o shear . The

mai n wor k has been on t he cot t on- f i el d. We

ar e now pr epar i ng f or pl ant i ng. . . . Two of t he

Engl i sh ewes have l ambed t wi ns, a t hi r d has

BEES AND HUMMI NG BI RDS. 119

PART i n. l ambed one, and a f our t h wi l l l amb shor t l y, I Dec - 18 79

S r oo k t sl g t hi nk. . . . To- day, as we wer e pl oughi ng, a M ^ . l 880 -

swar m of bees f l ew acr oss t he f i el d and came

al l r ound t he Doct or and mysel f . I t hought

t hey wer e goi ng t o set t l e on us, but t hey buzzed

ar ound and t hen went of f . I f ol l owed t hem, but

coul dn' t keep up wi t h t hem Thi s spr i ng

seems ent i r el y di f f er ent f r om t he l ast one, whi ch

was so unusual l y dr y. Now ever yt hi ng l ooks

gr een and ni ce. A l ot of hummi ng bi r ds ar e

up i n t he val l ey behi nd t he f i el d, but I have

never seen t hei r nest s. They f eed on t he honey -

suckl e. I never saw any l i ve ones bef or e t hi s

spr i ng.

To THE EDI TOR.

The Ranche,

May i , 1880.

Dear Uncl e,

As t her e i s such a t hi ng as scab

amongst sheep her e, and i t i s pr et t y common, I

di dn' t l i ke t o whi st l e t i l l I was out of t he wood,

and so di dn' t wr i t e about t he f avor abl e condi t i on

of t he f l ock bef or e. I ' m now gl ad t o be abl e t o

t el l you t hat our sheep ar e per f ect l y heal t hy, and

doi ng wel l . We ar e near l y t hr ough wi t h shear i ng,

and i n a f ew days I hope t o t ake t he wool down t o

San Ant oni o. Our l ambs, whi ch ar e f r om t he

Page 66 of 119

120 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. Engl i sh r ams, ar e unusual l y f i ne, and as t he cl i mat e Dec. 1879

seems t o sui t t he t hor oughbr eds admi r abl y, and as May, 1880,

St r i ki ng

r oot s.

t hey gr ow much heavi er f l eeces, and t he wool i s as

val uabl e as t hat whi ch i s at pr esent gr own i n t he

count r y, I have deci ded t o go on wi t h t he br eed,

and hope t o make a bi g t hi ng of i t . I have had

sever al appl i cat i ons f or hal f - br ed r ams, and I hope

t o be abl e t o sel l a f ew next t uppi ng season. . . .

I st ar t ed wi t hout exper i ence, and wi t hout anyone

t o gi ve me any ver y r el i abl e advi ce. As i t was, of

cour se I made a f ew mi st akes at st ar t i ng ; t hough

now I f eel as i f I ' d been i n t he busi ness al l my l i f e.

. . . I am goi ng t o di vi de my busi ness her e i nt o

di f f er ent depar t ment s. The Doct or i s, and has been,

boss of sheep depar t ment . Wi ndal e i s st ar t i ng a

mar ket - gar den, i n whi ch he i s t o have shar es. I

am goi ng t o t ake t he f ar mi ng depar t ment on t he

Schul t z l and, whi ch i s t he best and pr et t i est pi ece

of l and r ound her e. Thi s, wi t h super i nt endi ng t he

ot her depar t ment s, wi l l t ake up al l my t i me. I am,

pr o t er n, ( and i t may l ead t o be per manent ) , i n t he

hor se busi ness wi t h Di ck, who has j ust gone up t o

New Yor k wi t h a car l oad of hor ses, whi ch he has

been br eaki ng at t he r anche, si nce he r et ur ned f r om

t aki ng up t he l ast car l oad. . . . I t i s a pr of i t abl e

busi ness i f car ef ul l y at t ended t o.

LOOKI NG AT CATTLE RAI SI NG. 121

PART i n. Do you know of one or t wo f el l ows wi t h Dec. 1879

r oot s! 8 2 5 or so bet ween t hem, who woul d l i ke t o May, 1880,

go i nt o t he st ock busi ness her e, i n a smal l way?

As I sai d, I want t o t ake up f ar mi ng pr oper l y;

and, i f I coul d get some f el l ows t o r un cat t l e

her e, woul d gi ve up t hi s r anche and r ange, and

put up anot her shant y f or t he Doct or , Wi n-

dal e, and mysel f , on t he Schul t z f i el d. Ther e i s

a good shant y her e, i ncl udi ng bed- r oom, ki t chen,

and st or e- r oom, wi t h l ar ge bi ns, &c. , a f i f t y- acr e

past ur e, and a f i el d i n whi ch t o r ai se hor se f eed,

veget abl es f or own consumpt i on, &c. , and a good

wel l . I have i nvest ed about $1100 i n t he whol e

pl ace, i ncl udi ng r ange of 1440 acr es ; and I want

some one t o put about t he same amount i nt o st ock

( about 100 odd head) , of cows wi t h cal ves, and

hei f er s, I t aki ng a quar t er of t he i ncr ease, and he

doi ng t he mai n wor k of at t endi ng t o t he st ock.

Year l i ng hei f er s, whi ch as a r ul e begi n cal vi ng at

t hr ee year s ol d, cost $5 ; t wo- year - ol ds $ 7 50 cent s;

t hr ee- year - ol ds ( wi t hout cal ves) $9 ; and young

cows ( wi t h cal ves) $12 t o $14. Ther e i s al ways a

Page 67 of 119

r eady sal e f or year l i ng oxen at $5 50 cent s ( t hi s year

as hi gh as $6 has been pai d) , and when a cow get s

ol d, she i s al l owed t o f at t en, and f et ches $ 10 t o $ 12 ;

and as we ar e near a t own, t her e i s al ways a mar ket

122 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. f or such. I t i s a ver y good openi ng f or a coupl e of Dec. 1879

r oot s! 2 f el l ows who mean busi ness. I sai d 250 or so, as May, 1880.

t hi s woul d be t he smal l est i t woul d be wor t h any

one' s whi l e t o i nvest wi t h any expect at i on of good

r et ur ns ; but t her e i s pl ent y of r oom her e f or st ock,

i f t he amount i nvest ed wer e t wi ce t he si ze, or even

l ar ger ; as, besi des my own r ange, t her e ar e over

6400 acr es hel d by t he St at e at hal f - a- dol l ar per

acr e, f or t he School f unds, and t hi s l and wi l l not be

sol d f or many year s t o come.

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

May 2, 1880.

. . . We have been pl ant i ng cot t on, and I have

been hel pi ng pl ough t he f ur r ows f or pl ant i ng i n.

But I was hunt i ng sheep al l Tuesday, as t hey got

away on Monday ni ght , and yest er day and t o- day

I have been shear i ng. I got t hr ough si x t o- day,

but i t was qui t e as much as I coul d do, as I was

shear i ng har d f or about si x hour s wi t hout a br eak,

except t o cat ch t he sheep and f ol d t he f l eeces.

The cot t on i s al l pl ant ed at l ast , and t he r ock

f ence near l y compl et ed. . . . I t r i ed t o hunt Gi psy

up t he ot her day on my new mar e, but she and t he

pony she i s r unni ng wi t h wer e t oo wi l d, and I had

THE DOCTOR' S MARE. 123

PART i n. t o gi ve i n. I l i ke my new mar e bet t er ever y day, Dec. 1879

S r oot s! g as s he ' 1S so g en t l e and wi l l i ng, and st ops r ound so May, 1880.

wel l . Al l I have t o do when I want her , i s t o go

out of t he house and l i st en f or her bel l ; t hen go up

and hook my bel t i nt o her bel l - st r ap, cl i mb up, and

r i de home. Wi t h ot her hor ses, you have f i r st t o

sear ch a l ong whi l e, and t hen put a r ope r ound

t hei r necks, and l ead t hem or dr i ve t hem. . . .

Ther e ar e j ust cr owds of wi l d f l ower s out al l over

t he hi l l s, whi ch l ook bet t er t han many cul t i vat ed

ones i n a gar den ; especi al l y some whi t e ones wi t h

f i ve pet al s, whi ch gr ow qui t e t hi ck. I want t o get

some cl ot hes mended t o- ni ght , as we ar e goi ng

sur veyi ng t o- mor r ow.

FROM THE DOCTOR.

May 15, 1880.

. . . I can do a good l ot of wor k dur i ng t he day

now, as I have 8| hour s t o l eave t he sheep i n.

I have j ust f i ni shed shear i ng t he f our Oxf or d

Down ewes, and t hey ar e so st r ong t hat when

t hey ki ck i t t akes t wo of us t o hol d t hem. The

s' heep ar e al most ent i r el y i n my hands now, so

Page 68 of 119

I begi n t o f eel mysel f gr owi ng heavi er , t hough

whet her i t i s f r om r esponsi bi l i t y or ext r a f l esh

I can' t say. Wi l l y i s br eaki ng up some mor e

124 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. l and, t o pl ant sugar - cane i n, so t hat we may gr ow Dec. 1879

S r oot s! g our own mol asses t hi s year . I bel i eve t he r eal May, 1880.

r eason we appr eci at e " t r eacl e" so much mor e her e

t han i n Engl and i s, t hat her e we have no but t er

or j am, and ver y l i t t l e sugar , and i t act s f or al l

t hr ee. . . . I t i s ext r aor di nar y how much t i me some

peopl e f i nd on t hei r hands out her e, f or I cannot

r emember a day ( except Sundays) f or ever so l ong,

t hat t her e was not somet hi ng t o be done, whi ch

had been kept wai t i ng t oo l ong al r eady. At

pr esent , I have got f ul l y t wo mont hs' wor k cut

out f or me; f or t her e ar e st i l l si xt een sheep t o

shear , t he pen t o quar r y and bui l d, t he pi t f or t he

di ppi ng vat t o di g, t he mar e t o hunt up, &c. , &c. ;

but t he mor e t he bet t er , as I never do mor e t han

enough i n a day, and don' t have t o wor r y my head

t o keep my hands empl oyed. The f i ve t hor ough-

br ed Oxf or d Down l ambs ar e goi ng on wel l , and

gr owi ng f ast , and t he bl ack l amb i s so bi g t hat I

put t he bel l on hi m t hi s eveni ng.

FROM WI LLY.

Same dat e.

I woul d r at her not have any books out yet , as

t hey woul d get so di r t y i n our hut . As soon as

I can af f or d t o put up a smal l house I shoul d ver y

THE RANCHE MAN' S LI KENESS. 125

PART i n. much l i ke t o have t he books out ; but I don' t want Dec. 1879

st r i ki ng t o get t hem spoi l t bef or e t hat . Ma * ' l 88 -

FROM WI LLY TO MADGE.

San Ant oni o,

Col . L , hi s of f i ce,

May 25, 1880.

Col . L want s t o know i f you don' t t hi nk t he

encl osed l i s a good l i keness of me ! You want a

phot o of me, so I l et hi m send i t , especi al l y as he

says he' l l pay t he post age, and so make me one

l et t er ahead. Col . L says he want s you t o

l et hi m know i f i t i s l i ke me as I was when I l ef t

Engl and. I t hi nk you wi l l agr ee wi t h me t hat

i t exact l y r esembl es t he phot o I had t aken j ust

bef or e I l ef t !

FROM WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

Page 69 of 119

The Ranche,

May 27, 1880.

I am so gl ad t o see by t he headi ng of your

l et t er t hat you ar e away f r om smoky London f or

a bi t , and t o hear t hat you ar e goi ng down t o

L t hi s summer . . . . Many t hanks f or your

1 A car i cat ur e of Col . L ' s, showi ng t he change ef f ect ed i n

per sonal appear ance by t went y mont hs of r anche l i f e.

126 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i n. good wi shes, apr opos of my comi ng of age. Fat her Dec. 1879

w 011 ' 11 be h r e on t l l e 2 9 t n > k* s Di r t hday, as t he May, 1880.

hor ses ar e not al l sol d ; but I expect hi m and

Di ck ear l y i n June. Ever yt hi ng her e i s f l our i sh-

i ng. I have j ust r et ur ned f r om San Ant oni o,

wher e I have been wi t h my wool . I have st or ed

i t t her e, t o sel l i n a week or t wo, when I expect

pr i ces wi l l be hi gher . Al l t he cr ops ar e comi ng on

spl endi dl y, and ever yt hi ng pr omi ses t o be exact l y

t he r ever se of l ast year . . . . Our bees ar e wor ki ng

l i ke anyt hi ng. My best hi ve i s a box about t went y -

ei ght i nches hi gh by f our t een i nches squar e, and t he

upper si x i nches i nsi de has a f l oor wi t h t wo hol es

i n i t , and above each hol e i s a super . The t wo

exact l y f i l l t he t op of t he hi ve above t he f l oor , and

have gl ass wi ndows, as al so has t he l ower par t of

t he hi ve, so one can see t he bees wor ki ng. Bot h

super s ar e f i l l ed wi t h comb al r eady, and ar e bei ng

f i l l ed wi t h honey ver y f ast . Bees ar e ver y pl ent i -

f ul out her e, i n hol l ow t r ees and hol es i n bl uf f s ;

and t he f ar mer s' sons ar e ver y f ond of cut t i ng

t hem out and hi vi ng t hem, when t hey f i nd t hem.

Thi s year t hey wi l l do spl endi dl y, but l ast year

t he ext r aor di nar y dr ought ki l l ed near l y al l t he

hi ved bees. One nei ghbour of our s had t hi r t y- si x

hi ves, and al l wer e ki l l ed but f our ! . . You can' t

A TEXAN SHOWER. 127

PART i n. concei ve t he quant i t y of wool t her e i s now i n San Dec. 1879

t o

r oot s! 8 Ant oni o. Al l t he st or ehouses ar e al most cr am May, 1880.

f ul l , and t he mar ket pl aces ar e dai l y f ul l of wagon

l oads j ust ar r i ved ; and t he r oads i nt o t own ar e l i ned

wi t h wagons- f ul l . My l ove t o Madge, and ask

her i f she got t hat phot o, whi ch Col . L - ( Jem' s

f r i end) of San Ant oni o gave me. He i s al ways

f ond of hi s " l i t t l e j oke, " and i s a ver y j ol l y f el l ow.

I hope Chi co managed t o get a f ew days at L

wi t h you.

P. S. Many t hanks f or " Good Wor ds, " whi ch

come r egul ar l y, and ar e ver y wel come.

Page 70 of 119

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

. . . . Ranche,

May 28, 1880.

. . . Yest er day was ver y hot , and ever yt hi ng was

qui t e dr y ; but l ast ni ght we had a " l i t t l e shower , "

whi ch had a r at her cur i ous ef f ect ; f or at 8 a. m. t hi s

mor ni ng t he pump by t he cr eek was di sconnect ed

f r om bot h banks, a bar r el and t ub wer e hal f - way

t o B , and t he wat er - wagon was car eer i ng

gai l y down t he st r eam, whi l e a ni ce l i t t l e r i vul et

t r i ckl ed out at our f r ont door . Thi s i s t he

heavi est f al l of r ai n t her e has been si nce Wi l l y

came out .

128 GONE TO TEXAS.

May 30, 1880.

PART i n. We had anot her good shower l ast ni ght , and t he Dec. 1879

" r oot " ! 5 cr eek i s st i l l r unni ng har d, t hough t he wat er i s May, 1880.

ver y shal l ow i n most pl aces. I bat hed i n t he

deep pool t o- day, and had a spl endi d di ve and

swi m, as t he wat er i n one pl ace i s hal f - way up my

chest , and al l t he weeds t hat used t o gr ow on t he

bot t om have been t or n away. Our t ub was hear d

of t o- day, about si x mi l es down t he cr eek, but we

don' t know wher e t he bar r el i s yet . I saw Gypsy

t he ot her day, r unni ng wi t h a bunch of mar es.

She has got her wi nt er coat of f , and l ooks i n ver y

good condi t i on ; so as soon as possi bl e I wi l l get

her up and gi ve my sor r el mar e ( Pol l y) a r est , of

whi ch she st ands r at her i n need. Our best cow,

Gr ubl e, has cal ved agai n, so we have pl ent y of mi l k

f or cof f ee, &c. , t hough of cour se none t o ski m.

PART I V.

WI LLY' S AND THE DOCTOR' S

LETTERS.

GAI NI NG GROUND.

K

I NTRODUCTORY.

PART I V. I WAS unabl e t o l eave my New Yor k busi ness f or t he Feb. t o

Gai ni ng pr oposed t r i p wi t h Di ck t o t he r anche, and he f ound Dec> l 88l <

gr ound.

Page 71 of 119

wor k i n New Yor k, whi ch he pr ef er r ed t o br eaki ng and

" shi ppi ng" must angs. I n August , 1880, i mpor t ant busi -

ness t ook me t o Tennessee, and det ai ned me t her e most

of t he t i me f or mor e t han a year . I n June i t had been

set t l ed by cor r espondence t hat t he Dr . shoul d st i ck t o t he

r anche, i nst ead of comi ng up t o New Yor k t o st udy medi -

ci ne. I n December , 1880, Wi l l y came at my desi r e t o

pr ospect i n Tennessee, but f ound t hat par t of i t whi ch

he saw unsui t ed f or sheep- r ai si ng, whi ch br anch of hi s

busi ness had gr adual l y become by f ar t he most i mpor t ant .

He had gi ven up t he pl an of st ar t i ng a st or e f or t he sal e

of veget abl es i n B , and had f ound some ot her pl ans,

r ef er r ed t o i n hi s ear l y l et t er s, al so i mpr act i cabl e. Her e

I ought t o ment i on t hat t he l et t er s do not show t he mai n

t r oubl es and di sappoi nt ment s met wi t h, such as t he f ai l ur e

of t he cot t on cr op, deat h of t hor oughbr ed l ambs, &c. , al l

of whi ch wer e kept t o t hemsel ves by t he boys, l est t hey

( t he l et t er s) shoul d gi ve a gl oomi er i mpr essi on of l i f e and

pr ospect s i n t hat par t of Texas t han woul d be j ust i f i ed

by f act s. The l et t er s wer e al l wr i t t en t o near r el at i ves

of t he boys, who wer e of cour se anxi ous about t hem, and

K 2

132 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART I V. i t was nat ur al t her ef or e t hat t hey shoul d make l i ght of Feb. t o

Gai ni ng what ever mi ght f r om t i me t o t i me be t r oubl i ng t hem. I n ec ' x J *

gr ound.

maki ng t he ext r act s I have pur posel y omi t t ed anyt hi ng

. r ef er r i ng t o t he " pr of i t and l oss account , " my obj ect bei ng

t o r et ai n onl y such par t s as show what ever yday l i f e i s

l i ke on a r anche i n Texas, such as t hei r s ; but i t wi l l

be suf f i ci ent l y appar ent t hat t hey have i n t he mai n

" got on. " W. H.

THE DOCTOR TO HI S FATHER I N TENNESSEE.

The Ranche,

Feb. 18, 1881.

. . . I don' t know whet her Wi l l y i s l i kel y t o go

up agai n t o Tennessee t o pr ospect , even i f we do

sel l t he r anche, as he seems t o t hi nk he has seen

al l t he di f f er ent ki nds of l and. . . . We have had

ver y l i t t l e bad weat her f or a l ong t i me now, and

have not l ost any of t he new f l ock yet , but i t has

been t ouch- and- go wi t h a coupl e of t hem. One

got upsi de down f or t went y- f our hour s, but i s r e-

cover i ng, t hough she i s as weak as wat er . Anot her

got a sever e at t ack of const i pat i on, and I was

hunt i ng her t i l l 10. 30 p. m. l ast Wednesday, i n t he

r ai n, but coul dn' t f i nd her , as she was t wo mi l es

f r om t he pen, and i t was i mpossi bl e t o see mor e

t han f i f t y yar ds ; but we got her home yest er day,

Page 72 of 119

THE SHEPHERD' S JOTTI NGS BY THE WAY. 133

PART i v. and I t hi nk she wi l l r ecover , as she managed t o Feb. t o

Gai ni ng . . . r , . , . . , 17 . n , Dec ' l 88l >

gr ound, eat some sol i d f ood t hi s mor ni ng. Wi l l y has

bought a l ot of hay i n case we shoul d have any

sever e nor t her s ; f or " exper i ent i a docet , " we l ost

hal f a- dozen l ambs at l east l ast year , t hr ough

havi ng t o t ur n out t he f l ock i n a sever e nor t her .

The buck l amb, bor n bef or e Chr i st mas, has al r eady

gr own hor ns an i nch and a- hal f i n l engt h! Don' t

you pi t y hi s mot her ? We had one ewe whi ch

al l owed anot her l amb besi des her own t o suck her ,

and, i n consequence, her own l amb near l y di ed of

st ar vat i on bef or e we f ound out what was t he

mat t er ; but t he l i t t l e beggar has pi cked up si nce,

and has a bel l y l i ke a bal l oon. That dar ki e Jef f

i s st i l l her di ng, as our Mexi can i sn' t back yet , and

he ( Jef f ) l ost hi msel f i n t he hi l l s yest er day, and

di dn' t get back t i l l an hour af t er sun- down, and I

had t o count t he sheep by t he l i ght of a l amp, as

i t was pi t ch dar k. We f ound a dead deer t he

ot her day, i n t he bi g hol e by t he Schul t z f i el d.

I t had di ed of st ar vat i on, as i t was i mpossi bl e f or

anyt hi ng t o cl i mb out , i f i t once has t he mi s -

f or t une t o get i n. I near l y sl i pped i nt o t he hol e

once, whi l e t r yi ng t o get an ol d t oad out on t he

end of a st i ck.

134 GONE TO TEXAS.

Feb. 23, 1881.

PART i v. . . . You must keep t hat newspaper i n swi ng, as Feb. t o

gr ound 8 ! I ' ve got a bet on t he June number , whi ch Wi l l y

says wi l l never appear . Such i s my f ai t h i n your

r esour ces t hat I have bet my col t agai nst Fox, t hat

t he paper wi l l cont i nue t o f l our i sh f or f our mor e

mont hs ! ! ! Now you can' t say t her e' s no vener at i on

i n your f ami l y ! How ar e you get t i ng al ong t hough

r eal l y? Shal l you be abl e t o gi ve us a si ght of

your bl essed ol d f ace t hi s Spr i ng, or i s . . . ? The

l ambs wi l l be dr oppi ng next week, so t hi s i s

pr obabl y my l ast l et t er f or a good l ong whi l e.

One of our ewes has a bag as bi g as a cow' s ( no

humbug) , and I expect we shal l be abl e t o r ear

t wo or t hr ee l ambs on her i f necessar y, as she i s

ver y gent l e. I have had r at her a l ong r i de t o- day,

and have al r eady wr i t t en one l ong l et t er , so ex -

cuse t hi s hal f sheet .

WI LLY TO HI S FATHER I N TENNESSEE.

The Ranche,

Feb. 23, 1881.

Dear ol d Gov.

We ar e havi ng t he most gl or i ous

Page 73 of 119

weat her i magi nabl e, i n our shi r t - sl eeves f r om

A PROMI SI NG SPRI NG. 135

PART i v. bef or e sunr i se t o when we go t o bed ; but dur i ng Feb. t o

Gai ni ng 1 . . . Dec. 1881.

gr ound, t he day a del i ci ous sout h wi nd. The new gr ass

has st ar t ed up t hr ee i nches, and Spr i ng has evi -

dent l y set i n f or good, bar occasi onal f r ost

pr obabl y. Our oat s ar e doi ng wel l , and we set

out sever al f r ui t - t r ees t he ot her day, and al l our

ear l y veget abl e seeds ar e i n. The comf r eys ar e

doi ng spl endi dl y, and we ar e goi ng t o pl ant out

a pr et t y bi g pat ch. Sheep ar e al l doi ng f i r st -

r at e and get t i ng awf ul l y heavy. We have occa-

si onal bat hes i n t he cr eek, whi ch r uns as har d as

ever . I am gl ad you ar e t hi nki ng of gi vi ng us

a l ook up. . . .

WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER I N ENGLAND.

The Ranche,

Mar ch 7, 1881.

. . . The f i r st Spr i ng I was her e was t he dr ought ,

when nobody r ai sed anyt hi ng, whi ch was di s-

cour agi ng. Last year we di d f ai r l y f or our f i r st

year of f ar mi ng and sheep ; but t hi s year f i nds

us wel l ahead of our busi ness. Our sheep coul dn' t

be doi ng bet t er ; l ast year ' s exper i ence i n t he

l ambi ng season t aught us what i t was necessar y

t o have f or t he pr oper management of t he l ambs.

136 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. These ar e dr oppi ng l i ke hai l now ( ei ght t o- day ! ) , Feb. t o

gr ound 2 and t ne 7 ar e at once dr af t ed of Y i nt o t he past ur e,

wher e t hey r emai n f or a f ew days t i l l t he ewes

" t ake" pr oper l y t o t hem. Each l amb i s mar ked

wi t h a r ed spot or l i ne on a par t of i t s body, and

t he ewe mar ked i n t he same way, so t hat we

know exact l y whi ch l amb bel ongs t o whi ch ewe ;

and a r ecor d i s kept of t he dat e t he l amb i s bor n,

and of i t s mar k, so as t o know when i t can wi t h

saf et y be al l owed t o r un wi t h t he f l ock. When

a f ew days ol d, and t he ewe has t aken pr oper l y

t o t he l amb, t hey ar e t ur ned i nt o t he f i el d, wher e

t he oat s ar e comi ng up spl endi dl y ; t hi s br i ngs

a f l ush of mi l k on t he ewe, and gi ves t he l amb

a good st ar t . The l ast l amb bor n t o- day made

our f i f t i et h. . . . We have about f our acr es of oat s

as I t ol d you, gr owi ng wel l ; and t wo days ago

I put i n about an acr e of cor n, and t o- day I

haul ed up t he " camp t r i cks" t o t he t ent at t he

Schul t z f i el d, as I am goi ng t o camp up t her e

and pl ough up f or cor n. Our spr i ng oni ons ar e

comi ng up spl endi dl y ; and t hi s mor ni ng I put

i n our seed sweet pot at oes, f r om whi ch gr ow t he

vi nes whi ch ar e pl ant ed out l at er on t he vi nes

Page 74 of 119

" pr oduce" t he pot at oes, so t o speak. I have

a seed- bed wi t h beet s, cabbages, l et t uces, squashes,

A PROMI SI NG SPRI NG. 337

PART i v. and caul i f l ower s i n i t , and some of t hem ar e begi n- Feb. t o

Dec 1 88 1

n * n & t o come U P > an< 3 I have a bed of ver y ear l y cor n

i n, and I expect we shal l be t he f i r st r ound her e

t o have r oast i ng ear s ; and my gr ound f or beans,

mel ons, t omat oes, &c. , i s al l pl oughed, and r eady

t o be pl ant ed, as soon as Spr i ng has r egul ar l y set

i n, at l east as soon as al l chance of col d i s gone,

f or Spr i ng has set i n some t i me ; t he gr ass i s

gr owi ng up gr een, and t he wi l d f l ower s and bushes

ar e al l openi ng, and t he ni ght s ar e get t i ng qui t e

war m. We pl ant ed out si xt een f r ui t - t r ees, appl es

and peaches, and t hey ar e al l doi ng wel l ; and

t he comf r eys have been gr een f or weeks, and we

ar e pl ant i ng out a l ar ge pat ch of t hem t hi s Spr i ng.

You have no i dea how usef ul t hey ar e i n case of

a si ck ewe. I f or get whet her I t ol d you t hat

t he gr ass seeds di d not come t o anyt hi ng, but

t hat t he cl over i s al l comi ng up, and l ooki ng

wel l ; I t hi nk i t i s goi ng t o pr ove a ver y val u-

abl e addi t i on t o t he her bage her e. We pl ant ed

i t on about hal f - an- acr e i n t he past ur e, and

have f enced of f a l i t t l e pat ch t o keep of f t he

sheep and cal ves, and l et i t r un t o seed. We

ar e st i l l get t i ng pl ent y of mi l k f r om ol d Gent l e,

and wi t hi n a f ew weeks we shal l have mor e

mi l k t han we shal l know what t o do wi t h, unl ess

138 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. we get a pi g, as we have sever al good cows goi ng Feb. t o

t o cal ve.

The Engl i sh ewes begi n t o l amb t he day af t er

t o- mor r ow, and Fl or a, t he col l i e t hat Mr . Hewi t t

sent me, pups t o- mor ow, and we have t wo hens

har d at wor k set t i ng, and t he whol e boi l i ng of

t hem ar e cackl i ng and l ayi ng, so we ar e i ncr easi ng

t o a gr eat ext ent . And l ast l y, I f or got ol d Mol l y,

t he mar e, she has gone of f t o her ol d r ange per -

par at or y t o f oal i ng; and anot her mar e of our s,

who r uns bet ween her e and B , i s al so goi ng t o

have a f oal . Oh ! and t hen t he cat ; she' s goi ng

t o have ki t t ens. I t hi nk I ' ve t ol d you about

ever yt hi ng now.

We have al l had a f i t of l et t er - wr i t i ng t o- ni ght :

at t hi s t i me of year I ' m af r ai d we negl ect i t a good

deal . Fr om dayl i ght t o l at e at ni ght we ar e kept

" a- goi ng, " I assur e you : f i r st i t ' s cooki ng br eak -

f ast and mi l ki ng, and separ at i ng newl y- bor n l ambs

and t hei r ewes f r om t he f l ock, t hen t ur ni ng out

t he f l ock and dr af t i ng t he ol der l ambs wi t h t hei r

ewes i nt o t he f i el d, and hol di ng r ef r act or y ewes

f or t he l ambs t o suck ; t hen t her e' s pl oughi ng

Page 75 of 119

or pl ant i ng al l day ; t hen t he f l ock comes i n, and

mor e new l ambs t o " f i x, " and mor e suckl i ng and

f eedi ng ; t hen supper t o cook and washi ng- up t o

THEI R SI STER COMI NG. 139

PART i v. do, and by t he t i me one has f i ni shed supper , one Feb. t o

f e el s as t hough one coul d f al l t o sl eep at t he

t abl e. I t ' s gl or i ous f un t hough ; and we enj oy

t he l i f e i mmensel y. I have t o shave now! I t i s

my Sunday mor ni ng' s j ob gener al l y. The Doct or

i s j ust of f ( n p. m. ) t o hi s t ent by t he sheep- pen,

wher e he has hi s cot , and sl eeps ever y ni ght now.

You' ve no i dea how wel l he i s l ooki ng ; you woul d

har dl y know hi m.

The Ranche,

Mar ch 17, 1881.

. . . The col l i e has pupped ; she onl y had t wo

puppi es, but t hey ar e doi ng wel l . Al l t he count r y

i s gr een now, and t he gr ass i s ever ywher e spl endi d,

and t he cr eeks her e and at t he Schul t z f i el d r un-

ni ng har d.

WI LLY TO MADGE I N TENNESSEE.

The Ranche,

May 23, 1881.

I suppose you wi l l get t o Tennessee bef or e t hi s

l et t er . I hope you and Gr anny wi l l have had

a j ol l y j our ney. Thanks f or your l ong l et t er

f r om O . I t hi nk t hat as you say you shal l

come down her e i f Doct or and I don' t go up

140 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. t her e t o see you, we shal l j ust si t st i l l and l et Feb. t o

gr ound! you come ; l ess t r oubl e, you know.

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE I N TENNESSEE.

The Ranche,

Sunday, June 5, 1881.

I suppose t hat you have by t hi s t i me got set t l ed

down a bi t i n your new house. I hope you ap-

pr eci at e t he wood f i r es, and wooden f ences and

houses, whi ch ar e f ar bet t er t han coal s and br i cks.

. . . The f l ock i s i n t he Schul t z f i el d t o- day, and

I am down at t he house baki ng, as we f i nd t hat

we can bake bet t er br ead i n a st ove t han i n a

ski l l et . I pr esume you have ever yt hi ng hand-

Page 76 of 119

some i n t he " st ove and cooki ng t r i cks " l i ne,

and have not had t o bake i n a ski l l et , nor f r y

your bacon on a t oast i ng- f or k, nor even been

r educed t o boi l i ng your eggs i n t he cof f ee ? . . .

Al l our cows have cal ved now, i ncl udi ng Gent l e

( t he cow we wer e mi l ki ng t i l l Mar ch) . Our cat s

ar e not so f at as t hey used t o be, so we ar e

obl i ged t o f eed t hem t wo or t hr ee t i mes a week.

You shoul d j ust see t hem af t er bei ng f ed on

beef ! The f l ock i s begi nni ng t o l ook f at agai n,

and t he l ambs ar e so bi g t hat I have t o count

Dec. 1881.

THE DOCTOR PHOTOGRAPHI NG. 141

PART i v. t hem al l t oget her now, or I shoul d make mi s - Feb - t o

Gai ni n Dec> l 88l <

gr ound t akes. My r ed mar e wi l l be j ust t he ani mal f or

you t o r i de when you come down t o vi si t us, as

she i s " gent l e as a dawg, " and bot h f ast and

sur e- f oot ed. I r ode ei ght y mi l es on her i n t wo

days l ast week, but she pl ayed out af t er sevent y

mi l es of i t ; and i t must have been n p. m. bef or e

I r eached camp. Next day I kept l osi ng t he

sheep al l t he mor ni ng by dr oppi ng of f t o sl eep

unawar es. . . .

The Ranche,

June 30, 1881.

. . . Ar e you goi ng t o set up by your sel f when

you have bought your pi ece of l and, or ar e you

onl y goi ng t o buy i t as a specul at i on? I have

t he r i ght t o pr eempt 80 acr es of St at e l and f or

not hi ng ; but I have not done so yet , as I cannot

do i t t wi ce, and I may f i nd a pi ece some day

whi ch cannot be got i n any ot her way, except

by buyi ng i t at a dol l ar an acr e. I t ook a phot o

of t he r anche l ast Sunday, and I am goi ng t o

met t l e up and get some paper s pr epar ed f or t aki ng

posi t i ves next Sunday. I f I succeed I ' l l send you

one. Al l t he st ock ar e doi ng wel l , and so ar e

your af f ect i onat e br ot her s ; but we ar e dr eadf ul l y

142 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. i n want of r ai n. A wat er y new moon has j ust Feb. t o

Dec. 1881.

gr ound g come, so I expect t her e wi l l be a bi g st or m i n

a day or t wo, and I keep one eye on t he sky,

and t he ot her on my maci nt osh t o be r eady

f or i t . . . .

NOTE. About t hi s t i me Wi l l y sol d hi s or i gi nal r anche,

and he and t he Doct or went i nt o camp wi t hi n t he r ock -

f enced 6o- acr e past ur e, " t he Schul t z f i el d" ( whi ch had been

Page 77 of 119

pl ant ed i n par t wi t h cot t on i n 1880) , i n t he cent r e of t hei r

new pur chase. Her e t hey pi t ched t hei r t wo t ent s, and put

up sheds, &c. f or t he sheep. Lenny Wi ndal e had l ef t t hem,

and hi s pl ace had been t aken by C , a young Pennsyl -

vani an, who went t o t hem t o l ear n t he sheep busi ness.

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE I N TENNESSEE.

Cent r al Hot el , San Ant oni o,

Jul y 12, 1 88 1.

. . . So I must wai t t i l l 8. 30 a. m. t o- mor r ow.

I r ode down on Bi l l y, and when I r eached t own

I l ed hi m under t he shed, and, f or get t i ng how

t al l he was, I t r i ed t o l ead hi m out t he ot her

si de, whi ch i s r at her l ow ; t he hor n of t he saddl e

caught i n t he beam suppor t i ng t he r af t er s, ol d

Bi l l y got scar ed, and put hi s wei ght i nt o i t , and

sent t he beam f l yi ng out agai nst my f or ehead.

I t was a 4 i n. by 2 i n. and 14 f eet l ong, so t he

wonder i s i t di dn' t hur t me. As i t was, i t j ust

THE DOCTOR DI SPORTI NG HI MSELF. 143

PART i v. br oke t he ski n f or about hal f an i nch ; but i t Feb. t o

gr ouncL scar ed a l ot of " col or ed l adi es" at t he ot her end

of t he yar d, and t hey came r unni ng down wi t h

a bucket and r ags, and i nsi st ed on moppi ng up

my f ace. The r oof suppor t s i t sel f now, as I have

br oken away t he onl y beam t hat hel d i t up, and

can' t put i t up agai n wi t hout hel p. I have pur -

chased a l ot mor e paper f or posi t i ves, and a f ew

r equi si t e bot t l es, and shal l go t o wor k wi t h r e-

newed vi gor next Sunday. Ever yt hi ng on t he

r anche i s doi ng wel l , and I am her e mor e f or

pl easur e t han busi ness, t hough of cour se I shal l

get a l ot of t hi ngs now I am her e. I f t her e i s

any par t i cul ar t hi ng ( bar l i ve st ock) t hat you

woul d l i ke a pi ct ur e of , wr i t e t o me, and I ' l l see

i f I can t ake i t . .

FROM WI LLY TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Jul y 14, 1881.

. . . Have you got your donkey or mul e

yet ? Thunder ! I t woul d be as good as a ci r cus

t o see you pr anci ng about on a spr i ght l y pi e-

bal l ed mul e ; t ai l cut shor t , l i kewi se mane ; none

of your l anky good- f or - not hi ng mul es, but a f at ,

144 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. chi r py chap, r eady at a moment ' s not i ce t o sei ze Feb. t o

Dec. 1881.

Page 78 of 119

t he bi t i n hi s t eet h, and " gi t f r om one end of

t he avenue t o t he ot her bef or e t he unsuspect i ng

r i der knew he had st ar t ed ; one t hat woul d t ake

of f ence at a nei ghbour i ng f ence, and ki ck t he l ast

pal i ng of i t i nt o sawdust ; t hen t hr ow hi s ear s back

somewher e i n t he nei ghbour hood of t he t i p of hi s

t ai l , and chaw down t he near est pi ne- t r ee. Ad-

mi ssi on f r ee ; chi l dr en i n ar ms hal f - pr i ce ! The

Gov. says t hat you say t her e ar e sever al t hi ngs

t he Doct or asked about , packed away i n t he

var i ous packages, ot her wi se I woul d not summon

up cour age t o ask i f t hat smal l scr ap- book of mi ne

( bl ue, I bel i eve) i s st i l l i n t he l and of t he l i vi ng. . . .

THE DOCTOR TO HI S FATHER I N TENNESSEE.

The Ranche,

Sept . 4, 1881.

. . . I am shear i ng some of t he l ambs j ust

t o see how t hey get on ; f or i t i s a ver y gener al

t heor y t hat shear i ng t wi ce a year i s bet t er f or

sheep. I suppose t hey never t ake a " f ul l cl i p"

so f ar nor t h as Tennessee, as t he wi nt er must set

i n bef or e t hey coul d gr ow enough wool ? . . . We

shal l have t o wor k l i ke bl azes f or t he next week

EXPERI MENTS I N SHEARI NG. 145

PART i v. or t wo, as we have t o f i ni sh t he f ence down t he Feb. t o

gr ound! mi ddl e of t he past ur e, and sever al ot her j obs,

bef or e t he mi ddl e of t hi s mont h, and t he one who

happens t o be her di ng cannot do much wi t h hi s

spar e t i me, as he has t o keep i n si ght t he f l ock

even whi l e t hey ar e l yi ng down. I t ake out a

pi ece of canvas wi t h me, and shear a l amb or t wo

whi l e t hey l i e down, but t hat i s al l . A l amb l ooks

awf ul l y queer and angul ar af t er shear i ng, but he

f eel s bet t er . .

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Sept . 9, 1 88 1.

. . . So I hope t hat by t he t i me t hi s l et t er r eaches

you, you wi l l be abl e t o r ead t o your sel f . . . . Whi l e

I was her di ng t o- day, a bi g shower came down,

and I t ook shel t er i n a hol l ow t r ee ; but unf or t u-

nat el y f or me, i t had a smal l openi ng on t he r ai ny

si de, and a smal l l ake began t o cr eep gr adual l y

i n al ong t he f l oor of my house. For about t en

mi nut es I kept i t out by maki ng a dam of t he

l oose ear t h t hat l ay i nsi de t he t r ee, but at l ast my

mat er i al s gave out , and t he dam br oke, so I had

t o st and i n t wo i nches of wat er t i l l t he r ai n st opped.

L

Page 79 of 119

146 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. . . . Our di vi si on f ence i s st r et chi ng gr adual l y down Feb. t o

gr ouncL ^ e past ur e, but as yet we have not put any boar ds

on. Wi l l y and I made t he wat er - gat e t wo days

ago, and as t her e was a t r ee on onl y one si de of

t he cr eek, I had t o cut a f or ked post f or t he ot her .

The t r ee I cut down t o make t he post of was

unf or t unat el y so bound up wi t h anot her one, t hat ,

al t hough I cut i t cl ear t hr ough, i t r ef used t o f al l ,

and I had t o cut down t he ot her as wel l ; and as

t he ot her was a dead pecan, ver y t hi ck and as har d

as r ocks, I had a ver y t ough j ob. When I got my

post cut l oose, we f ound i t t oo heavy t o haul , so

I caught my mar e, put t he r ope r ound t he hor n

of t he saddl e, and made her pul l i t f or me, whi l e

I kept t he r ope f r om cut t i ng her back. . . . When

you come down her e you wi l l have t o t ake up t he

phot ogr aphy busi ness, as I r eal l y bel i eve I never

shal l have t i me t o go i n f or i t much. You can

have " t he whol e bag of t r i cks, " i f you f i nd you

can manage t o wor k t hem, t hough I am af r ai d I

shal l be a ver y poor mast er .

The Ranche,

Sept . 22, 1881.

. . . Our f ence i s mor e t han hal f done now,

al t hough t her e ar e no boar ds up, f or t he post -

set t i ng i s f ar t he wor st j ob. On Tuesday we went

ROUGH SURVEYI NG. 147

PART i v. out sur veyi ng our new l and, and had a good l ot Feb. t o

Gai ni ng . . Dec. 1881.

gr ound, of wal ki ng t o do, and not a l i t t l e of i t was pr et t y

t ough, as one has t o go st r ai ght t hr ough ever y -

t hi ng t hat comes i n one' s way. Once we came t o

a bl uf f and had t o go r ound, and j ust guess at t he

di st ance, f or , as we wer e onl y sur veyi ng an ol d t r act ,

i t di dn' t mat t er i f we wer e 30 or 40 f eet out , so

l ong as we f ound t he cor ner s and went st r ai ght . We

had an awf ul l ot of t r oubl e f i ndi ng t he cor ner s, as

many of t hem wer e i n t he br ush, and sever al of

t hem had been dest r oyed ; however , we f ound t he

, t r ees ( t hey al ways " bl aze" t he near est t r ee t o

a cor ner ) , so we made new ones. Fat her has

wr i t t en t o say t hat he st i l l i nt ends t o come down

" some t i me" t hi s Fal l . I don' t bel i eve he wi l l

come at al l i f he doesn' t make up hi s mi nd t o

come soon, f or wi nt er i s not f ar of f now

We ar e l abel l i ng some of our ewes now, and

t hey ( t he l abel s) l ook qui t e neat , and don' t appear

t o r ust at al l . Our shor n l ambs ar e gr owi ng

wool ver y f ast , and eat so much, t hat t hey ar e

br oader t han t hey ar e deep; i n f act I am af r ai d

l est some member of t he " Ber gh" soci et y wi l l

have us up f or " over l oadi ng" t hem! . . . .

Page 80 of 119

L2

148 GONE TO TEXAS.

WI LLY TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Sept . 22, 1881.

PART i v I have j ust been, f or some days past , Feb. t o

Gai ni ng , . . Dec. 1881.

gr ound, bl i st er i ng up my hands l i ke anyt hi ng, di ggi ng post

hol es f or our new f ence ; but we have near l y

f i ni shed i t now. I hope t he Gover nor wi l l br i ng

you down her e t hi s Fal l , as he says he may be

abl e t o, and t hat you wi l l be st r ong enough t o

get l ot s of r i di ng her e.

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Oct . 2, 1881.

. . . . We ar e maki ng pr epar at i ons f or wi nt er

by buyi ng f eed now, and I bel i eve we shal l

soon er ect a sheep- shed. We have al r eady got

al l t he f odder and hay we shal l need, but have

not got any cot t on- seed yet . . . . The acor ns

ar e f al l i ng t hi ck and f ast now, and t he sheep

ar e ver y t r oubl esome when t hey get among t hem,

as t hey ar e so eager about pi cki ng t hem up t hat

t hey don' t l ook wher e t hey ar e goi ng, and get

scat t er ed. I opened an acor n t o- day whi ch had

PREPARI NG FOR WI NTER. 149

PART i v. ei ght separ at e ker nel s ! I never f ound one wi t h Feb. t o

Gai ni ng Dec - l 88l <

gr ound, mor e t han t hr ee bef or e, so I expect i t i s not

common, and I al most wi sh I hadn' t pi t ched i t

away.

WI LLY TO MADGE.

San Ant oni o,

Oct . i i , 1 88 1.

. . . . I hope you have qui t e r ecover ed now,

and ar e get t i ng l ot s of r i di ng and ot her exer ci se.

. . . I am now down i n San Ant oni o, buyi ng

such l i t t l e wi nt er cl ot hi ng and sheep- shed mat er i al

as we shal l need f or wi nt er , as we may get some

col d weat her t hi s mont h, al t hough i t doesn' t

gener al l y come t i l l November .

Page 81 of 119

THE DOCTOR TO HI S FATHER I N TENNESSEE.

The Ranche,

Oct . 14, 1881.

. . . . I am gl ad t o hear t hat Madge i s get t i ng

so st r ong and heavy, t hough 93 I bs. seems awf ul l y

l i ght . I am begi nni ng t o put on my wi nt er coat

of f l esh, t hough I haven' t wei ghed mysel f l at el y.

I measur ed mysel f t he ot her day and f ound t hat

I was 5 f t . 9 i ns. , whi ch i s about what I expect ed.

We ar e al l t hr i vi ng, and so ar e t he st ock. Rai n

150 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. has been so pl ent i f ul t hat t he scr ew- wor ms have Feb. t o

und g g ot i nt o one or t wo h eac * of st oc k, but not hi ng

gr ound

much, and t hey ar e soon goi ng t o di sappear f or

t he wi nt er . . . . C - seems t o l i ke t he count r y

pr et t y wel l now, but he f r eel y conf esses t hat i f

we had been st ovel ess and bi g- t ent l ess ( as we wer e

not l ong bef or e he came) , he mi ght have gone

back t o Pennsyl vani a wi t hout gi vi ng t he pl ace

a f ai r t r i al . . . . We have had t o make a new

sheep- pen on t he si de of t he hi l l si nce t he r ai n

commenced, as t he ol d one was t oo sl oshy, and

mi ght have gi ven t hem f oot r ot . The new one

must be near l y hal f an acr e, and hol ds t hem ver y

ni cel y, gi vi ng t hem pl ent y of r oom t o scat t er .

At a pi nch i t woul d accommodat e over 2000,

but we don' t l i ke t o cr owd t hem. . . . We ar e

goi ng t o make a house soon, I bel i eve, but as

f or 0z/ / - houses, such an i dea has never ent er ed

our heads! I t t akes one of us al l day t o her d,

anot her t o cook and do odd j obs, and Wi l l y

i s al ways busy up t o hi s eyes, wi t hout any ext r a

wor k of t hat ki nd. Even t he di vi si on f ence ( whi ch

we f ound we coul d do wi t hout f or t he pr esent )

r emai ns hal f f i ni shed, and we near l y r un out of

f i r e- wood occasi onal l y. Why don' t some of you

come down and hel p us do wor k t hat pays ?

SAN ANTONI O FAI R. 151

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Oct . 26, 1881.

PART i v Wi l l y has bought our wi nt er cl ot hi ng, Feb. t o

gr ound an d I am suppl i ed wi t h a huge over coat wi t h a

cape, whi ch compl et el y swal l ows me up, and t he

col l ar of whi ch t ouches t he r i m of my hat when

I put i t up. I t wi l l be A i f or her di ng i n, dur i ng

a Nor t her . Wi l l y has one t oo, but i t doesn' t

Page 82 of 119

possess a cape. We have had one or t wo t ouches

of nor t h wi nd l at el y, but no Nor t her s^ so I hope

we shal l not have a ver y sever e wi nt er , as some

of t he pr ophet s say. I f we do t hough, you had

bet t er al l of you come down her e, f or i t wi l l be

f ar wor se i n Tennessee ! . . .

The Ranche,

Nov. 6, 1881.

As one of t he " event s " of our not - t oo- over -

exci t i ng l i f e has j ust occur r ed, I t hi nk you woul d

l i ke t o hear al l about i t . I r ef er t o t he San

Ant oni o f ai r . I wi l l begi n at t he begi nni ng by

sayi ng t hat on Monday l ast Wi l l y went down

wi t h a buck and ewe of t he Oxf or d Downs, and

f i ve hal f - br eed year l i ngs. On Wednesday mor ni ng

I saddl ed t he mar e and r ode down mysel f . I got

152 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. down by 2* 30 p. m. , and f ound Wi l l y and t he Feb. t o

P, . . Dec. 1881,

gr ound 2 ^^ P al l r i ght . Ther e wer e ver y f ew sheep on

vi ew except our own, but t hey wer e beaut i es.

Al l of t hem bel onged t o one man, one pen of

Mer i no bucks, and one of ewes. They wer e al l

wool , f r om t hei r noses t o t hei r hoof s. Al as ! one

cannot say " t o t he t i ps of t hei r t ai l s. " Ther e

wer e onl y f i ve or si x goat s, but t hey wer e l i ke-

wi se beaut i es. The show of pi gs was even wor se

onl y f our ! I can' t say whet her t hey wer e good

or bad, as I don' t know anyt hi ng about pi gs.

Chi ckens wer e mor e numer ous, but I am no j udge

of t hem ei t her . Ther e wer e ver y f ew bul l s, but

a quant i t y of cows f r om t he San Ant oni o dai r i es

I bel i eve, so t hey l ooked r at her poor . The best

show was of hor ses, but t her e agai n I am no j udge.

. . . Ther e wer e a gr eat many wagons, f ar m i m-

pl ement s, and pr oduce, on vi ew, but t hey di dn' t

i nt er est me much. Next day I came back, so

t hat i s al l t he advent ur e.

Nov. 10, 1881.

Havi ng put t hi s away and f or got t en t o post

i t , I wi l l j ust add t hat Wi l l y and t he sheep

have ar r i ved saf e, and ever yt hi ng i s goi ng on as

usual . Our next j ob wi l l be t he er ect i on of a

LODGI NG FOR LADI ES. 153

PART i v. ki t chen t o put t he st ove i n, as i t has occasi onal l y Feb. t o

gr oui d g been i mpossi bl e t o l i ght f i r es out of door s at al l .

Wi l l y and C ar e at pr esent empl oyed

maki ng a cot t on qui l t . I expect t he col d won' t

have a chance agai nst us t hi s Fal l , as we have

been buyi ng al l sor t s of over coat s, under cl ot hes,

and bedcl ot hes, and cut t i ng up a l ot of wood.

Page 83 of 119

I n any case, I hope t o sur vi ve t i l l you come ! . . .

FROM THE DOCTOR TO HI S FATHER.

The Ranche,

Nov. 10, 1881.

. . . . Wi l l y seems t o t hi nk t hat Madge had

bet t er l odge at t he S ' s, and I am not sur e t hat

( supposi ng i t can be ar r anged) he i sn' t r i ght . I n

t he f i r st pl ace, even i f we coul d put her up i n

a r oom near t he t ent s, i t woul d be pr et t y di f f i cul t t o

make t hi ngs as comf or t abl e f or her as t hey ought

t o be ; and af t er al l i t woul d be easy enough f or her

t o come up ever y day on hor se- back, or f or us t o

go down i n t he eveni ngs ; and i f , when you come

down, you shoul d wi sh t o ar r ange i t di f f er ent l y,

I r eckon Madge coul d monopol i se t he ki t chen

t i l l we got a new r oom added on. We ar e soon

goi ng t o bui l d a ki t chen, and t ur n t he bi g t ent

154 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. r ound so t hat t hey wi l l j oi n. . . . I do hope you Feb. t o

gr ound 5 wi l l r eal l y be abl e t o come down t hi s t i me, as

i t i s over t wo year s si nce you l ef t , and i t i s hi gh

t i me t hat we had a spi ce of ci vi l i zat i on i n t hi s camp.

Just t hi nk of " bachi ng" f or t wo year s wi t hout

i nt er mi ssi on ! The wonder i s t hat we haven' t

mar r i ed ! ! ! . . . When you come down, you shoul d

br i ng al l t he t oo- awf ul l y di sr eput abl e cl ot hi ng you

can r ai se, and l eave t hem f or t he use of t he camp ;

but I suppose t hat you your sel f go i n r at her st r ong

f or t hat ki nd of t hi ng, now t hat you l i ve i n t he

" backwoods" ?.

WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER I N TENNESSEE.

The Ranche,

Nov. 12, 1 88 1.

. . . We ar e havi ng gl or i ous weat her , and have

not had a f r ost yet , so t he gr ass and f ol i age ar e

st i l l gr een, and st ock and sheep get l ot s t o eat ;

i n f act , t he gr ass i s r unni ng t o seed i n many pl aces

t hr ough not bei ng eat en down enough. We have

had good r ai ns l at el y, and I t hi nk t her e i s ever y

pr omi se of l ot s of gr azi ng dur i ng wi nt er . Ver y

f ew sheepmen f eed an ounce t o t hei r sheep dur i ng

wi nt er , but as we onl y have a f ew ( compar at i vel y)

PRI ZE TAKI NG FOR DOWN SHEEP. 155

PART i v. we ar e abl e t o f eed t hem a l i t t l e. I gave t hem Feb. t o

gr ound? some cot t on- seed t hi s mor ni ng, f or t he f i r st t i me

t hi s wi nt er , and I expect t o f eed t hem some about

Page 84 of 119

ever y t hr ee days ; t hi s wi l l keep t hem f at . Ther e

was a f ai r i n San Ant oni o al l l ast week, and I was

down t her e al l t he week. Ther e wer e cl asses f or

Down buck, Down ewe, and pen of f i ve young

ewes, r esul t s of cr oss bet ween l ong and f i ne wool s,

al l of whi ch cl asses I ent er ed f or , and t ook down

seven sheep i n t he wagon accor di ngl y. Ther e

was no compet i t i on i n ei t her of t he cl asses, so of

cour se I t ook al l t hr ee pr emi ums. Ther e wer e

some ver y f i ne Mer i no sheep on exhi bi t i on, and

al so some ver y f ai r cat t l e and hor ses. . . . We have

j ust been manuf act ur i ng a qui l t , and i t i s t he most

gor geous t hi ng you ever saw. We have t wo mor e

t o make, and t hen we shal l each have one, and

can def y any col d we may have t hi s wi nt er . I

bought , f or t he one made, f our t een yar ds of a

ver y pr et t y dar k- col our ed cot t on pr i nt , and sewed

t hr ee wi dt hs t oget her f or each si de. I t ' s seven

f eet l ong and si x wi de. We made a f r ame, and

st r et ched one si de t o i t ; t hen l ai d on seven pounds

of cot t on, and t hen put t he l i d, or what ever you

cal l i t , on, and t hen sewed t hr ough a pi ece of

kni t t i ng cot t on al l over i t , ever y f our i nches, each

Dec. 1881.

156 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. way, and t hen hemmed t he edges ; and i t l ooks ^ Feb. t o

gr ound! j ust as i f i t had come out of a shop i n Bond St r eet ,

onl y r at her bet t er i f anyt hi ng ! We have begun t o

f eed our t wo mi l ch cows. We f eed t hem each

hal f a bucket - f ul l of cot t on- seed, ni ght and mor n-

i ng, so we have enough mi l k t o suppl y a r egi ment ,

or shoul d have i f we t ook al l t he mi l k ; but as we

don' t need i t , we l et t he cal ves have most of i t .

Our cows t hat have hei f er cal ves we l et r un out ,

so t hat t he cal ves have al l t he mi l k ; we somet i mes

don' t see t hem f or a week or t en days, as t hey go

some di st ance of f t hi s t i me of year , and onl y come

up occasi onal l y f or sal t . . . .

WI LLY TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Dec. 8, 1881.

I suppose you have got your chi cken- house,

&c. , pr et t y wel l f i ni shed now. Chi ckens i n t hi s

par t of t he wor l d ar e not so l uxur i ous as up t her e,

but t hen we don' t get such col d weat her her e, nor

i s i t cont i nuous. To- day i t was 80 i n t he shade.

Fi ne Chr i st mas weat her i sn' t i t ? The sheep ar e

j ust doi ng spl endi dl y. They ar e her ded al l day,

and br ought wi t hi n si ght of t he pen about sundown,

A BRAVE GI RL. 157

PART i v. and t hen l ef t , and t hey gr adual l y gr aze t owar ds Feb -

l ~) pf * i

Page 85 of 119

gr ound! t ne P en > an< ^ g m by t hemsel ves when i t i s dar k.

We have been so busy l at el y t hat we have onl y

j ust begun our sheep- shed ; but I hope we shal l

have i t up i n l ot s of t i me bef or e l ambi ng i n

Febr uar y. By t he way, mi nd you don' t l et t he

Guvnor l et t hat t r i p busi ness f al l t hr ough. I want

you t o see al l our st ock, &c. , and have l ot s of

r i di ng down her e ; so br i ng your r i di ng dr ess, or , i f

you haven' t got one, I ' l l get you one down her e

when you come, as I expect l ot s of r i di ng wi l l do

you good. We' ve got si x hor ses, so we' l l be abl e

t o make a bi g t ur n- out al l t oget her . I t hi nk i t

wi l l be bet t er f or you t o sl eep up at t he S ' s,

i f we can ar r ange i t so, as when we do get a f ew

days col d weat her our camp ar r angement s ar e

dr aught y, and not al t oget her t he pl ace I shoul d

l i ke you t o be i n. The S ' s ar e wi t hi n a mi l e

of her e, and one of us can come over ever y mor n-

i ng and br i ng you down her e. You' r e a br ave

l i t t l e gi r l t o want t o come and r ough i t wi t h us,

but you don' t know your br ot her s i f you t hi nk

t hey' r e goi ng t o l et you. Tr y and get t he Guvnor

t o come down as ear l y i n Januar y as possi bl e, as

we shal l have l ot s of t i me t o gi ve up t o r ecr eat i on

( compar at i vel y) i n Januar y ; but about t he l ot h

158 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART i v. of Febr uar y we begi n l ambi ng, and f r om t he i ^ t h Feb. t o

gr ound! on we sha11 be at i t : i n ear nest , and shal l be kept

busy. We have bachel or f east s ar ound her e now

and t hen. Somet i mes t he chap t hat bought my

ot her r anche gi ves t hem, and somet i mes we gi ve

t hem. The l ast was gi ven by hi m, when we had a

wi l d t ur key t hat he had shot . He i s a ver y good

cook, and he cooked and st uf f ed t hat t ur key i n a

way t hat woul d shame a Soyer . He shot anot her

l ast ni ght , and so t o- mor r ow ni ght we go over

t her e agai n, and i f you want t o see a t ur key " f l y, "

you' d bet t er be t her e. I hope you wi l l have a

j ol l y Chr i st mas up t her e. I suppose peopl e ar e

begi nni ng t o t hi nk about pr epar at i ons now. Our

next bachel or l ay- out ( af t er t o- mor r ow) i s goi ng t o

be spr ead by t hi s r anche, on Chr i st mas day

pl um puddi ngs, &c. . . .

PART V.

MADGE' S TRI P TO THE RANCHE,

I NTRODUCTORY.

PARFV. I N May, 1881, as may have been gat her ed f r om some

of t he pr ecedi ng l et t er s, my mot her came t o t he Uni t ed

St at es, br i ngi ng Madge wi t h her , and set t l ed i n East Ten-

nessee. Chi co r emai ned at hi s ar t wor k i n London. I n

Januar y, 1882, busi ness cal l ed me t o t he Sout h, and I t ook

Page 86 of 119

Madge wi t h me, l eavi ng her wi t h her br ot her s whi l e I

went t o New Or l eans and ot her pl aces. By t hi s' t i me

Lenny Wi ndal e had l ef t t he r andhe f or anot her par t of

t he count r y, and Wi l l y and t he Dr . had C , a young

Pennsyl vani an, wi t h t hem, l ear ni ng t he sheep busi ness.

The boys had engaged l odgi ngs f or Madge at a nei gh-

bour i ng f ar m- house ; but she i nsi st ed on r oughi ng i t wi t h

t hem at t hei r camp. W. H.

MY VI SI T TO " THE BOYS" I N TEXAS.

East Tennessee,

Mar ch, 1882.

We wer e r eal l y st ar t i ng at l ast , t o pay t hat l ong-

pr omi sed vi si t t o t he boys; and ver y gl ad I was

at t he pr ospect of seei ng my t wo br ot her s agai n.

Wi l l y I had not seen f or over t hr ee year s, and

t he Doct or f or t wo year s and a- hal f . I came out

M

162 GONE TO TEXAS.

PARTY, wi t h my gr andmot her l ast year t o l i ve i n Ten-

nessee, and as soon as I had r ecover ed my st r engt h,

af t er a ser i ous i l l ness, whi ch I had soon af t er our

ar r i val , my f at her and I had set t l ed when we shoul d

t ake our j our ney t o see " our boys. " We st ar t ed

on t he 5t h of Januar y l ast , and, af t er st ayi ng a

f ew days at di f f er ent pl aces on t he r out e, we ar -

r i ved at San Ant oni o at 8 p. m. on t he nt h. On

t he i 3t h we t ook pl aces i n a l umber i ng ol d coach,

wi t h r oom f or si x passenger s, whi ch was t o t ake

us t o B , t he l i t t l e t own t hr ee and a hal f mi l es

f r om my br ot her ' s r anche. The di st ance was t hi r t y

mi l es, and we t ook seven hour s and a- hal f t o do

i t , f or t her e had been a good deal of r ai n, whi ch

had made t he r oads ver y heavy. The next day

Wi l l y ( my el dest br ot her ) came over t o t own i n

hi s wagon t o t ake us and our l uggage t o t he

r anche. I t was dr i zzl i ng near l y al l t he way, and

we wer e r at her damp when we al i ght ed j ust out -

si de a r ock f ence wi t h a smal l gat e i n i t , and

f ound our sel ves at t he l ong- wi shed- f or goal . The

" house " consi st ed of a good- si zed t ent , and a l i t t l e

boar d ki t chen, whi ch was t o be my bedr oom

dur i ng my st ay. Thi s ki t chen was j ust l ar ge

enough t o hol d a smal l cot bedst ead, t he st ove, a

chai r , some shel ves, and t wo r ough boar ds t hat

MADGE' S EXPERI ENCES. 163

PART v. answer ed as a ki t chen t abl e, and al so as dr essi ng

t abl e f or me. I t was ver y r oughl y bui l t of boar ds,

whi ch had shr unk f r om exposur e t o t he weat her ,

l eavi ng about hal f an i nch of space bet ween each

boar d. The r oof was by no means weat her - t i ght ,

of whi ch I was uncomf or t abl y r emi nded somet i mes,

Page 87 of 119

by waki ng up t o f i nd a st eady col d dr i p comi ng

i nt o my ear or down my neck. Dur i ng t he day

t he cot had t o be f ol ded up and car r i ed i nt o t he

t ent , t o make r oom f or t he cooki ng ar r angement s.

My war dr obe was a smal l r ough wooden box wi t h-

out a l i d, and, as i t st ood j ust under neat h t he

ki t chen " t abl e, " i t used of t en t o be t he r ecept acl e

of t he gr easy dr ops whi ch f ound t hei r way, f r om

t i me t o t i me, bet ween t he t wo boar ds whi ch com-

posed t hat ar t i cl e of f ur ni t ur e. The " f ami l y"

consi st ed of f i ve member s ; my f at her , my t wo

br ot her s, and mysel f , and Mr . C , a young man

who had been st ayi ng t her e about si x mont hs,

wor ki ng f or hi s boar d. The f i r st sound I hear d

ever y mor ni ng was a shout f r om t he t ent of " Oh

Madge 1 " whi ch, i f I di d not i mmedi at el y answer ,

was r epeat ed unt i l I was wi de awake enough t o

r epl y. I t hen l i t a l amp ( f or i t was gener al l y

bef or e sunr i se, or " sun- up" as i t i s cal l ed t her e) ,

and hust l ed on my cl ot hes, and cal l ed out t hat I

M 2

164 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART v. was r eady. Then t he busi ness of t he day woul d

begi n. The cot was st owed away i n t he t ent , and

t he f i r e l i t , and t hen br eakf ast had t o be got

r eady. On my f i r st mor ni ng Wi l l y i ni t i at ed me

i nt o t he myst er i es of maki ng " sl apj acks. " These

f l abby, i ndi gest i bl e t hi ngs ar e made of f l our and

wat er made i nt o a bat t er , and f r i ed on ski l l et s i n

bacon gr ease. They ar e pr et t y good when hot ,

but af t er t hey get col d i t r equi r es a good deal of

cour age t o bur y one' s t eet h i n t hem. We had our

meal s on a smal l t abl e i n t he t ent , and as t her e

was no t abl e- cl ot h, we used t o br i ng t he pot s and

pans st r ai ght f r om t he f i r e, and st and t hem on t he

t abl e wher ever a cor ner coul d be f ound. I f or got

t o say t hat t her e was no f l oor t o ei t her ki t chen or

t ent , but onl y t he bar e gr ound, and one mor ni ng,

af t er a par t i cul ar l y heavy r ai n, I st epped i nt o hal f -

an- i nch of mud on get t i ng out of bed. Di r ect l y

af t er br eakf ast , my younger br ot her , t he Doct or ,

or Mr . C , whosever t ur n i t was, st ar t ed of f

wi t h t he sheep, and was not seen agai n t i l l t ea-

t i me, at sundown. They never t ook any di nner

wi t h t hem, as t hey sai d i t was mor e t r oubl e t o

car r y i t t han i t was wor t h, as t hey have t o wal k

al l day dur i ng t he wi nt er . I n summer t he sheep

l i e down dur i ng t he heat of t he day, and t he

A NORTHER. 165

PART v. shepher d has t i me t o go home and get hi s di nner .

The count r y i n t hat par t of Texas i s hi l l y,

and t he gr ass i s gr een al l wi nt er . The pr i nci pal

t r ees bei ng l i ve oaks, whi ch ar e ever gr een, t akes

away t he desol at e l ook i n wi nt er , and makes i t

al most appear l i ke summer . Thr ee days af t er our

ar r i val at t he r anche, we had our f i r st exper i ence

Page 88 of 119

of a Texas " Nor t her . " I t had been comf or t abl y

war m al l day, but l ooked t hr eat eni ng. We wer e

har d at wor k maki ng a qui l t , of whi ch t her e wer e

al r eady t hr ee, when suddenl y Wi l l y appear ed

at t he door , and excl ai mi ng " Her e i t comes ! "

sl ammed t he door t o af t er hi m. The next mi nut e

a gal e of wi nd began, whi ch seemed t o shr i vel us up,

and make us t uck our f eet under us, as we hur r i ed

on wi t h t he qui l t . I t r ai ned at t he same t i me, and

dur i ng t he ni ght t he r ai n f r oze as i t f el l on t he

t ent , and made i t as har d as a boar d bef or e mor n-

i ng. We went t o bed ear l y, af t er t r yi ng i n vai n

t o get war m over t he t i ny cooki ng- st ove, and af t er

pi nchi ng my f eet f or some mi nut es, and put t i ng

ever y avai l abl e ar t i cl e of cl ot hi ng on my bed, I

f el l asl eep. Ther e wer e onl y t hr ee cot s i n t he

t ent , and, as t her e wer e f our peopl e t o sl eep i n

t hem, my t wo br ot her s sl ept t oget her i n one, and

I t hi nk t hey had t he best of i t t hat ni ght . The

l 66 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART v. next mor ni ng t her e was not much washi ng done, I

am af r ai d, f or t he wi nd and r ai n st i l l cont i nued,

and al l we coul d do was t o t r y t o keep war m.

The poor shepher d had t o t r udge out as usual ,

af t er bei ng l aden wi t h al l t he gr eat coat s he coul d

car r y.

I used somet i mes t o r i de wi t h one or ot her of

my br ot her s when t hey went t o hunt up t he

hor ses or cat t l e on t he hi l l s. The day af t er we

ar r i ved Wi l l y and I r ode out on t wo of t he

wor k hor ses, t o see i f we coul d f i nd a l i t t l e sor r el

mar e bel ongi ng t o t he Doct or , who wi t h her col t

had been r unni ng out on t he hi l l s f or some mont hs.

We soon f ound her , and I di smount ed whi l st

Wi l l y t ook of f my saddl e and put i t on Pol l y,

t he mar e. I t hen mount ed agai n, and we con-

t i nued our r i de, t he col t f ol l owi ng. As soon as

I want ed t o go a l i t t l e f ast er t han a wal k, Pol l y

set of f at a t ear i ng gal l op and kept on j ust as

l ong as she chose, f or I had not t he sl i ght est

cont r ol over her . Wi l l y enj oyed t he way we

wer e r aci ng acr oss count r y, and shout ed ever y

now and t hen at Pol l y t o make her go f ast er .

I was not much of a r i der , havi ng had ver y l i t t l e

pr act i ce, but by a mi r acl e I kept on, t hough I

had sever al nar r ow escapes as Pol l y swer ved r ound

A NEW FLOCK. 167

PARTY, cor ner s at a gal l op. When I next r ode her , I

made Wi l l y put on a st r ong cur b, and wi t h

t hat I coul d j ust manage t o st op her when I

wi shed.

Towar ds t he end of our st ay at t he r anche,

Wi l l y went away f or a f ew days t o buy some

mor e sheep, and came back wi t h a ni ce f l ock of

207 ver y % f i ne Mer i no ewes and bucks whi ch he

had bought about 30 mi l es of f . The next day

he, and f at her , and I , wer e har d at wor k cat a-

l ogui ng, ear - l abel l i ng, and br andi ng t hem. The

Page 89 of 119

ear - l abel s ar e smal l sl i ps of met al , one of whi ch

i s sl i pped t hr ough a hol e made i n t he ear of

each sheep, and t hen t he ends pi nched t oget her

t o pr event t hem comi ng out . Each l abel had

my br ot her ' s name and a number on i t ; and as

he l abel l ed each sheep, I wr ot e down on a pi ece

of paper t he number , age, and qual i t y of wool

of t he sheep, and any ot her par t i cul ar char act er i st i c,

as he t ol d me t hem. As each sheep was bei ng

l abel l ed my f at her br anded t hem wi t h an i r on

made on pur pose, and di pped i n t ar . Bef or e be-

gi nni ng t o l abel t he sheep, we had dr i ven t hem

i nt o a good- si zed pen, and spr i nkl ed sul phur on

t hem ; and t hen we dr ove t hem i nt o a ver y smal l

pen, wher e t her e was j ust r oom f or t hem t o st and,

168 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART v. so t hat t hey coul d be easi l y t aken hol d of . We

f i ni shed t hem at about 3 p. m. , af t er wor ki ng si nce

br eakf ast ; and t hen t he Doct or came home wi t h

t he ot her sheep and had hi s di nner , as he was

t o t ake t he new sheep out i n t he af t er noon.

When Wi l l y and f at her and I went i n t o our

di nner , we f ound t hat al l t he f ood i n t he house

consi st ed of a scr ap of bacon, a smal l pi ece of

br ead, and some col d sl apj acks and por r i dge.

Ther e was no f i r e, so we at e what t her e was,

and washed i t down wi t h col d cof f ee ; and I don' t

t hi nk I ever enj oyed a meal mor e. We never

al l owed our sel ves mor e t han one pl at e each at

a meal , t o save washi ng up, so I al ways con-

si der ed car ef ul l y, bef or e begi nni ng t o eat , whi ch

t hi ng t o eat f i r st , so as not t o spoi l t he t ast e of

t hose whi ch came af t er . My br ot her s had been

so l ong used t o t hi s sor t of t hi ng, t hat t hey

gener al l y put ever yt hi ng i n t oget her , and made

what I consi der ed t he most di sgust i ng mi xt ur es,

such as por r i dge, mi l k, sl apj acks, mol asses, and

bacon, al l at once.

They had t o f et ch al l t hei r wat er , except r ai n-

wat er , f r om a cr eek some di st ance of f ; and t hey

gener al l y t ook a l ar ge bar r el i n t he wagon, and

f i l l ed i t at t he st r eam, and t hen br ought i t t o t he

DOMESTI C ECONOMY. 169

PART v. camp and set i t on a st and, and we dr ew out t he

wat er as i t was want ed. The bar r el - f ul l l ast ed

us about a week ; and once, when we wer e al l

ver y busy, t he wat er gave out , and we had t o

use not hi ng but r ai n- wat er f or ever yt hi ng, cooki ng

i ncl uded, f or sever al days.

Whenever t he weat her was war m enough, my

br ot her s bat hed i n one of t he st r eams ; i n summer

t hey wash t hei r cl ot hes at t he same t i me ; t hey

have not hi ng but shi r t s and socks t o wash, as

sheet s, pi l l ow- cases, t abl e- cl ot hs, and such- l i ke

l uxur i es, t hey do not i ndul ge i n. Thei r beds

consi st of sheep- ski ns, bl anket s, and home- made

qui l t s. They had made me a mat t r ess, and st uf f ed

i t wi t h hay f r om t he st ack i n t he yar d, and t hey

Page 90 of 119

had al so made me a pi l l ow f i l l ed wi t h wool ; and

Wi l l y had pur chased a cur t ai n, pi ece of car pet ,

and t wo cane chai r s, besi des t he necessar y bed-

cl ot hes. Ther e wer e no chai r s bef or e we came,

and t he boys sat on boxes set up on end, whi ch

wer e al ways t i ppi ng over wi t h t hem, or comi ng

t o pi eces. Wi l l y had i nt ended t o bui l d me a

smal l r oom bef or e our ar r i val , as I had i nsi st ed

on l i vi ng i n camp, but , t he r oads bei ng so bad,

he coul d not get anyone t o haul t he l umber f r om

San Ant oni o. I t di d ar r i ve, however , about t wo

170 GONE TO TEXAS.

PARTY, days bef or e we l ef t . Wi l l y had begun t he r oom

wi t h a f ew boar ds whi ch wer e al r eady t her e, and

had f i ni shed one end of i t , and put a wi ndow i n

i t bef or e we l ef t , but unf or t unat el y he had no

t i me f or mor e.

The r oom was f i ni shed af t er we had l ef t , and

i s now known as " Madge' s r oom. " Our whol e

vi si t onl y l ast ed about f i ve weeks, but i t showed

me what " r oughi ng i t " means; and I was ver y

sor r y i ndeed t o have t o l eave t he r anche.

MADGE.

PART VI .

WI LLY' S, THE DOCTOR' S, AND

CHI CO' S LETTERS.

I NTRODUCTORY.

PART VI . A FEW days af t er Madge and I had r et ur ned t o Ten- Apr i l , 1882,

nessee f r om t he Sout h, and bef or e I l ef t f or New Yor k, j ui y^ sSs.

Chi co t ur ned up at my mot her ' s house, havi ng come

st r ai ght t hr ough f r om London. Whi l e he was out i n 1879

he had made up hi s mi nd t hat r anche wor k wi t h Wi l l y

woul d sui t hi m bet t er t han ar t wor k i n London, but had

r et ur ned t o t he l at t er , t o gi ve i t a f ai r t r i al . When, how-

ever , he had f ound, i n June, 1880, t hat t he Doct or had

deci ded on st i cki ng t o t he r anche, hi s wi sh t o be t her e

al so was st r engt hened, and conf i r med by hi s exper i ence

i n London l odgi ngs, af t er hi s gr andmot her and Madge l ef t

f or Amer i ca, i n May, 1881. He decl i ned t her ef or e t o gi ve

ar t a t r i al i n New Yor k, st ayed a week or so wi t h us i n

Tennessee, and t hen went on t o t he r anche. He went

vi d Memphi s. The Mi ssi ssi ppi was i n f ul l f l ood at t he

t i me, and, i n goi ng down i t and up t he St . Fr anci s t o a

poi nt at whi ch t o st r i ke t he r ai l way, he was out of si ght

of l and f or t hr ee days ! On hi s ar r i val , i t was agr eed t hat

he shoul d gi ve t he r anche, and t he r anche shoul d gi ve

hi m, a year ' s t r i al , bef or e he shoul d concl ude t o gi ve up

ar t as hi s pr of essi on. At t he end of hi s year he had no

wi sh t o r et ur n t o ar t , and, t he Doct or havi ng come of age

i n Mar ch 1883, t hey wer e bot h t aken i nt o par t ner shi p by

Wi l l y. W. H.

Page 91 of 119

174 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM CHI CO TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Apr i l , 1882.

PART vi . . . . We began shear i ng t he begi nni ng of l ast Apr i l , 1882,

week, and i t l ast ed t hr ee and a hal f days. Ther e Jul y, 1883.

wer e seven men at i t . I was cooki ng f or t he

cr owd, whi ch pr oved r at her war m wor k, especi al l y

as we r an out of wat er t he second day, and I

had t o haul i t up f r om t he cr eek i n bucket s.

We ki l l ed a sheep and f ed on t he f at of t he l and.

I f ound i t r at her di f f i cul t t o keep t en men i n br ead,

and was baki ng al l one day f r om sunr i se t i l l a quar t er

past t wel ve at ni ght . We wer e gener al l y up t i l l

about hal f past el even, so you see we had a cheer -

f ul t i me. We began t he day by dr i vi ng up a l ot

of sheep f r om t he past ur e, wher e t he whol e f l ock

was, and penni ng t hem under t he shed, i n f r ont

of whi ch was t he shear i ng t abl e, about t wo f eet

hi gh, f or t he shear er s t o r est t he sheep on. By

t he t i me t hi s was done I had br eakf ast r eady, af t er

whi ch t he shear i ng began. Wi l l y t i ed up t he

f l eeces as t hey wer e cut , and Doct or st amped t hem

i nt o t he sacks, whi ch wer e hung up t o t he r af t er s

of t he shed. Each man was gi ven a car d- boar d

check af t er he had f i ni shed a sheep, and t hese

TEXAS SHEARERS. 175

PART vi . wer e count ed at t he end of t he day, as t he men Apr i l , 1882,

t o

ar e pai d by t he number of sheep t hey shear , and J ul y. l 88 3-

not by t he day. About mi d- day we had di nner ,

af t er whi ch Wi l l y, t he Doct or , and I , had anot her

r ound up i n t he past ur e, whi l e t he men r est ed a

bi t , and t hen shear i ng agai n t i l l dusk. Then supper

was r eady, and af t er t hat we sat and conf abbed

a bi t , and at about hal f past ni ne or so we t ook

t he t abl es out of " your r oom, " f or t he men t o

t ur n i n on t he f l oor . The r oom i s f i ni shed al l

but t he end next t he ki t chen, whi ch i s not boar ded

up yet . We had meal s i n i t , and t he men sl ept

i n i t , whi ch was a pr et t y t i ght f i t I can t el l you.

Seven r at her l ar ge men, one of t hem pr et t y f at ,

had t o l i e i n a r ow on t he f l oor . The end man

over hung t he edge of t he f l oor i ng, and r ocked

hi msel f t o sl eep ! However , t he r oom was qui t e

l ar ge enough f or f eedi ng pur poses, wi t h t he t wo

t abl es. One of t he shear er s was ver y t al kat i ve,

and r at her monopol i sed t he conver sat i on. He

t al ked and smoked al l day whi l e he was shear -

i ng, and al l t he meal - t i mes, and as I hear d some

one per pet ual l y t al ki ng, and gr oani ng, and snor t i ng

i n hi s sl eep, I put t hat down t o hi m t oo. Al l

t he men l ef t bef or e di nner l ast Thur sday, and

pr obabl y went st r ai ght of f t o anot her r anche

176 GONE TO TEXAS.

Page 92 of 119

PART vi . wher e shear i ng was goi ng t o begi n. . . . The Apr i l , 1882,

f l eas ar e an awf ul pl ague her e ; at l east t hey Jul y, 1883.

devour me, t hough t hey har dl y t ouch t he ot her

t wo. They r un up f r om t he f l oor up my l egs

by scor es, whenever I ' m i n t he t ent . I r emember

one ni ght t hey woul dn' t l et me go t o bed. I

had t aken of f al l my cl ot hes and was goi ng t o

t he head of my bed t o get my ni ght shi r t , when

I f el t t wo of t hem boundi ng up my l egs ; so I

had t o go back t o t he l amp on t he t abl e t o cr ack

t hem : t hen went f or t he ni ght - shi r t agai n wi t h

t he same r esul t . Thi s j oke was r epeat ed f i ve

t i mes t hat ni ght , but I oddsed i t at l ast by cl i mb-

i ng up on t o t he t abl e t o ki l l t he f l eas, and t hen

get t i ng t o bed over t he chai r s and bar r el s wi t hout

t ouchi ng t he f l oor . I don' t t hi nk t hey ar e qui t e

so pl ent i f ul , now t hat we' ve t i ed Di p up i n t he

cor ner of t he sheep- shed. . . . The ki t t en i s much

t amer t han he used t o be, and wi l l t ake f ood out

of your hand. I t ' s wonder f ul what a l ot of bul l y -

i ng t hat cat wi l l t ake f r om Di p. She coul d

easi l y keep out of hi s way i f she l i ked, now Di p

i s t i ed up ; but she comes up smi l i ng, t o be haul ed

about by t he scr uf f of t he neck. I don' t suppose

i t hur t s t hough. . . . Ther e wi l l onl y be one or

t wo mor e l ambs t hi s year , I f ancy. Some of t hose

LAMBS' GOI NGS ON. 177

PART VI . whi ch wer e bor n f i r st ar e so bi g now, t hat t hey Apr i l , 1882,

t o

l ook near l y as bi g as t hei r mot her s, si nce shear i ng. Jul y, 1883.

You ought t o see t hem i n t he eveni ng, when i t ' s

begi nni ng t o get cool . They get f r i sky, and go

t ear i ng about i n bunches of about f i f t y, down t he

r oad as har d as t hey can pel t , ever y now and t hen

gi vi ng t r emendous si del ong j umps, sendi ng t hei r

hi nd l egs i nt o t he ai r . Somet i mes t wo l ot s wi l l

char ge i nt o each ot her at f ul l speed, and pi l e up

on t o one anot her i n t he mi ddl e, qui t e l i ke a

f oot - bal l scr i mmage. I t ' s a wonder t hey don' t

br eak any bones. Why, t he ot her day, Doct or

f ound a l amb down t hat bi g hol e among t he

bushes i n f r ont of t he t ent , whi ch I suppose you

have seen. I t must be 18 f t . deep i n t he shal -

l owest pl ace. Yet t hi s l amb had j umped down,

and hadn' t hur t hi msel f a bi t . A new- bor n l amb

i s a most cl umsy ani mal , ver y near l y al l l eg,

and t he essence of st upi di t y. I t was onl y yes -

t er day I saw one t r yi ng t o suck a wheel - bar r ow ;

and t hey wi l l occasi onal l y f ol l ow a hen about

i n pr ef er ence t o t hei r mot her . . . .

N

178 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Page 93 of 119

Apr i l 28, 1882.

PART vi , . . . The ot her ni ght , we had an exceedi ngl y f i ne Apr i l , i 88a :

Aur or a bor eal i s, whi ch at f i r st l ooked l i ke t he Jul y, 1883.

r ef l ect i on of a gi gant i c pr ai r i e f i r e, but soon shot

out i n l ong br i ght r ays, whi ch st r et ched near l y hal f

acr oss t he sky. . . . The wool i s by t hi s t i me saf e i n

San Ant oni o. . . . By t he way, woul dn' t a l et t er

l ook odd i f one put headi ngs t o each par agr aph,

l i ke a newspaper , such as,

News of t he Nei ghbour hood :

Tea- t abl e t opi cs :

Wor k of t he week :

Per i l s of past or al l i f e :

Post - pr andi al per i pat et i cs :

Recent r anche r ecor ds :

Cr ude camp cal endar :

and Egot i st i cal exper i ences.

FROM WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

The Ranche,

May 21, 1882.

. . . We shear ed a l i t t l e over 3, i ool bs. of wool ,

and i t sol d f or i 6\ cent s per I b. i n San Ant oni o.

MAY FRUI TS. 179

ART vi . . . . I sn' t t her e a sayi ng, t hat one " i s never so Apr i l , 1882,

t o

happy as when wor ki ng har d " ? I t ' s a ver y t r ue Jul y, 1883.

one I t hi nk, f or we enj oy our sel ves i mmensel y,

al t hough we put i n j ust about as much wor k

bet ween dayl i ght and dar k, as we can wel l squeeze

i n, and by t he t i me we' ve eat en supper , we f eel

t hat we' ve j ust done as much as i t ' s possi bl e t o do.

I ' m af r ai d t hat suggest i on of your s about some one

t o cook f or us, woul dn' t wor k. We ar e mor e i n-

dependent you see, as we ar e, and one of us can

al ways be spar ed t o do t he cooki ng, whi ch i s not

a ver y sci ent i f i c af f ai r , i n a sheep camp. Br ead

i s t he har dest j ob ; but Chi co has hi t t hat of f

spl endi dl y, and t ur ns out " a f i r st cl ass ar t i cl e! "

Dewber r i es ar e about over ; but San Ant oni o i s

f ul l of t he l ower count r y wi l d pl ums, a most del i -

ci ous l i t t l e f r ui t , and ver y soon our hi l l pl ums wi l l

be r i pe, as al so t he gr apes. The cher r y cr op wi l l

be shor t t hi s year I t hi nk, but I expect we shal l

get l ot s of f r ui t wi t hout t hem. . . . I gave Di p away

as he was such a nui sance t o have t o l ook af t er , and

was t oo f ond of maki ng pl ayt hi ngs of l ambs' ear s.

N 2

Page 94 of 119

l 8o GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY.

B ,

June 8, 1882.

PART vi . . . . We have not r eached our new ( r ent ed) r ange Apr i l , 1882

t o

yet . The Doct or and young H - ar e wi t h t he Jul y, 1883^

sheep, about seven mi l es of f , and I have j ust r un

back t o t he r anche t o see t hat t he cal ves &c. ar e

al l r i ght . We ar e havi ng some downr i ght campi ng

out , goi ng up ; a wagon and an 8 f eet by 8 f eet

t ent , ar e our houses, and we do not pen t he sheep

at ni ght , but l et t hem l i e down about 100 yar ds

f r om t he wagon. Somet i mes t hey st ar t of f i n t he

ni ght , and t hen we have t o go out and r ound t hem

back. They bl eat when t hey st ar t of f , whi ch wakes

us up. . . .

The Ranche,

Jul y 18, 1882.

The Doct or and I ar e j ust back f r om our 1 Gua-

dal oupe exi l e, and ver y gl ad t o get back. The

sheep ar e l ooki ng f i r st - r at e, t he change havi ng

done t hem a gr eat deal of good ; and our own

r ange i s l ooki ng spl endi d. We have now l ot s of

r ange, and so can make al l our ar r angement s com-

pl et e, f or t aki ng ever y car e of a l ar ge f l ock. . . .

We had a bi g r ai n- st or m t he l ast ni ght t hat we

1 The hi r ed r anche was on t he Guadal oupe.

A COW EPI CURE. l 8l

PART VI . had t o camp out . We got a t hor ough soaki ng al l Apr i l , 1882,

ni ght , but ar e none t he wor se f or i t . I t began t o J u] y. 1883.

r ai n har d j ust as we wer e t ur ni ng i n, and i t pour ed

t hr ough our bl anket s, and a st r eam r an under neat h

us. Next mor ni ng, t he f i r ewood was so wet i t

was no use wai t i ng f or a f i r e, so we had br ead and

wat er i n a hur r y, as t he r est l ess sheep woul dn' t st ay.

. . . We have one cow, wi t h her f i r st cal f , t hat i s

ver y f ond of chewi ng up bl anket s and t hi ngs. She

came i nt o t he pen t o- day, and chawed up an ol d

shi r t t hat was on t he f ence. She evi dent l y enj oyed

i t , as she st ayed ar ound out si de al l t he af t er noon,

af t er bei ng dr i ven away, t r yi ng t o get i n t o devour

mor e shi r t s I suppose !

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Aug. 5, 1882.

. . . What put i t i nt o your head t hat we l i ve on

bacon and sl apj acks al l t he year r ound ? Sl apj acks

and mol asses ar e al l ver y wel l i n wi nt er , but we

Page 95 of 119

never t ouch t hem i n summer . Our menu consi st s

chi ef l y of beans, por r i dge, meat , br ead and but t er ,

eggs, bacon, t omat oes, and mi l k. We have l at el y

var i ed i t wi t h f i sh, as Sam, t he dar ki e her der , has

di scover ed some smal l per ch and cat - f i sh i n our

1 82 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . bi ggest wat er - hol e. . . . We have become possessor s Apr i l , i 88a

of f our of t he f i nest bucks wi t hi n f i f t y mi l es. They Jul y, 1883,

ar e r eal beaut i es, as you may i magi ne, and i f one

t ouches t hei r ski n, one' s f i nger di sappear s up t o t he

second j oi nt .

FROM WI LLY.

The Ranche,

Aug. 20, 1882.

. . . We can now sympat hi se wi t h you on t he

goat quest i on. We have f i ve of t hem, r egul ar

br ut es. They ar e al ways up on t he r ock f ence,

knocki ng i t down. We bought t hem t o eat out

t he under bush i n t he past ur e. To- day I caught

and " si de- l i ned" t hem, i . e. t i ed t he t wo si de l egs

of each one t oget her ; and I t hi nk t hi s wi l l keep

t hem f r om bei ng abl e t o j ump t he f ence and get

out , as t hey have been doi ng. We st i l l have t o

keep t en or f i f t een head of cat t l e i n t he past ur e,

t o keep t he gr ass f r om get t i ng t oo r ank f or t he

sheep. We have a t r emendous amount of wor k

t o get t hr ough bet ween now and November , but

one f eel s abl e t o do l ot s of wor k when t hi ngs go

on pr osper ousl y.

WI LLY' S UPSET. 183

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Aug. 27, 1882.

PART vi . . . . We have got a l ar ge oat - bi n under t he shed Apr i l , 1882,

t o

next t he r ock f ence, and have 130 bushel s or so Jul y, 1883.

i n i t , besi des a hut f ul l of oat s i n st r aw ; and we

shal l pr obabl y put up a gr eat deal of cot t on- seed

as soon as t he f r esh cr op comes i n, so t her e wi l l

be no l ack of f eed t hi s wi nt er , and I expect we

shal l not have a past ur e f ul l of scar ecr ows, l i ke

t hose you saw when you wer e down her e l ast

Spr i ng. . . . We have got t wo pat ches of Ber muda

gr ass st ar t ed, and one of t hem i s about t he si ze

of a t abl e al r eady.

FROM CHI CO TO MADGE.

Sept . 10, 1882.

. . . A l oad of l umber ar r i ved her e t hi s mor ni ng,

and we shal l be movi ng over t he f r ame house

f r om t he l at el y- bought l and i n a f ew days ; so

Page 96 of 119

you can come and see us as soon as you l i ke.

We have made a new pen, t oo, f or t he hay- r i cks,

and t he pl ace i s get t i ng qui t e a f ar my l ook about

i t . I suppose you have hear d of Wi l l y' s upset

i n B t he ot her ni ght . He dr ove over a cow

184 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . i n t he dar k, and i t got up wi t h t he buck - Apr i l , 1882,

t o

boar d on i t s back, and t i l t ed i t r i ght over . The Jul y, 1883.

buckboar d i s as l i ght as a f eat her , and i s ver y

usef ul t o get about i n. I t j ust hol ds t wo peopl e

comf or t abl y, and has pl ent y of spr i ng i n i t , as

t he f or e and hi nd wheel s ar e onl y connect ed by

t he f l oor i ng of boar ds, wi t hout any i r on bar t o

st op t he spr i ngi ness.

FROM THE DOCTOR.

Sept . 13, 1882.

. . . The Jones' house i s u bei n t or e downd, " and

a l ar ge por t i on of t he mor e f r agi l e par t s have

al r eady ar r i ved. The new cow- pen i s f i ni shed,

al l but one st r i ng, and we shal l have r ai l s enough

cut f or i t bef or e l ong. I t r anges f r om 5 f t . 4 i n.

t o 6 f t . hi gh al l r ound ; and we shal l be abl e t o

r ope wi l d st ock i n i t , and br and. I f one begi ns

t o r ope i n t he pr esent cow- pen, t hey br eak out .

FROM WI LLY.

Sept . 23, 1882.

. . . The house we' ve j ust moved f r om t he new

r ange i s goi ng up r api dl y, and we hope t o get

" SHANTI ES" AND " HOUSES. " 185

PART vi . i t f i ni shed bef or e t he i st of Oct ober ; and t hen Apr i l , 1882,

we shal l be abl e t o get our cl ot hes i nt o a decent Jul y, 1883.

pl ace bef or e wi nt er . Up t i l l now ever yt hi ng has

ki cked about on t he gr ound i n t he t ent ; and i t

wi l l be a t r emendous r el i ef t o get i nt o a decent

habi t at i on. Mi ss pl ays t he pi ano, and si ngs.

She has j ust got a new i nst r ument , and pl ays

my accompani ment s ver y wel l , so I have a l i t t l e

musi c agai n occasi onal l y.

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Sept . 30, 1882.

. . . I don' t know how you got i nt o t he habi t

of i t , but you cal l ever yt hi ng a " shant y" now.

A t ent i s a t ent , and a shant y i s a shant y ; but

an ' ouse i s an ' ouse, and shoul d be cal l ed so.

Page 97 of 119

You have i nf l i ct ed a deep and r agged wound i n

our pr i de by aski ng whet her we l i ve i n t he new

shant y yet . . . .

FROM CHI CO TO MADGE.

Oct . i , i 88a.

. . . The Doct or and I have j ust come up f r om

our Sunday bat he. We can' t get much of a swi m

1 86 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . wi t hout bar ki ng our knees, but t he wat er f l ows Apr i l , 1882,

qui ckl y, and i t ' s ver y pl easant t o l i e and bask Jul y, 1883.

i n t he shal l ow wat er ; onl y t ake car e t he sun

doesn' t ski n you al i ve! The chi ef dr awback i s

t he mi nnows, whi ch come swar mi ng r ound one,

and ni bbl i ng wher ever t hey can f i nd a sor e,

whi ch i s excessi vel y i l l - nat ur ed of t hem t o my mi nd.

Then t her e ar e some l eeches, whi ch st i ck on t o

one i n t he most t enaci ous way; t hey wi l l pul l

out t o about a yar d i n l engt h, and st i ck on at

bot h ends. I n f act , al l t he i nhabi t ant s of t he

wat er ( cr ay- f i sh i ncl uded) seem det er mi ned one

shan' t bat he i n peace ; so we l i e on t he r ock

bed, wher e t he wat er f l ows qui ckest , and f l ummux

t hem t hat way.

I ' ve been goi ng about bar ef oot f or t he l ast

t hr ee weeks or so, and I ' ve ser i ous t hought s of

gi vi ng up boot s al t oget her as r emnant s of bar -

bar i sm. You' ve no not i on how comf or t abl e i t i s,

when t her e ar e no t hor ns about ; but my f eet

ar e get t i ng so har d now t hat even t hey don' t

hur t much. . . .

We had Di ck down her e, f or one ni ght onl y.

He had come f r om New Yor k f or a car - l oad

of poni es, whi ch he bought i n San Ant oni o, I

t hi nk, and t hen pai d us a f l yi ng vi si t bef or e goi ng

A TROUBLED COOK. 187

PART vi . back. He bought a wonder f ul chai r i n San An- Apr i l , 1882,

t o

t oni o ; i t i s made ent i r el y of cows' hor ns, except - Jul y, 1883.

i ng t he seat I hope. They ar e ver y cl ever l y

f i t t ed t oget her , and seem t o sel l her e as f ast

as t hey can be made. You' d scar cel y t hi nk

t hey woul d be comf or t abl e, but I bel i eve t hey

ar e. . . .

We have had a wonder f ul l ot of peopl e her e

l at el y. I shoul dn' t not i ce i t so much i f I wasn' t

cook; one seems t o be i n a per pet ual st at e of

ki l l i ng t he f at t ed cal f . Ther e have been t he

t wo car pent er s and t he her der of cour se, r egu-

l ar l y, and al so t he men who haul ed t he house

over ; and t wo or t hr ee ext r a ar e sur e t o t ur n up

when you' r e pr et t y near l y f ul l al r eady. However

i t ' s r at her pl easant t o have a cr owd now and

Page 98 of 119

t hen. I spend al l my spar e t i me now l ooki ng

out of t he wi ndows i n t he new house. I t gi ves

t he count r y qui t e a new aspect somehow, l ooki ng

at i t t hr ough a wi ndow ; and makes one f eel r e-

spect abl e, not t o say gr and. I must r eal l y i nvest

i n a t op hat now, t o be i n keepi ng wi t h t he

r anch e. .

1 88 GONE TO TEXAS.

FROM WI LLY.

The Ranche

Oct . 8, 1882.

PART vi . . We got our cot s i nt o our new r oom l ast Apr i l , 1882,

t o

ni ght f or t he f i r st t i me ; and i t seemed qui t e Jul y, 1883.

st r ange, af t er havi ng sl ept i n a t ent wi t h no f l oor

f or so l ong. The house di dn' t seem t o suf f er at

al l f r om bei ng moved, ver y l i t t l e of t he wood

havi ng t o be r epl aced by new st uf f . Ther e was

a ki t chen behi nd t he house wher e i t st ood bef or e,

a sor t of smal l det ached r oom : t hi s we ar e goi ng

t o move down t o t he cr eek about hal f - a- mi l e f r om

her e, t o ser ve as a shepher d' s hut and r oom t o

put cot t on- seed i n f or t he sheep.

FROM WI LLY TO MADGE.

. . . I am sor r y you have been havi ng bad l uck

wi t h your chi ckens t hi s summer . I wi sh you wer e

al l down her e, so t hat you coul d r un our chi cken

r anche. Our s ar e al l doi ng spl endi dl y. I t ' s no

good per pet ual l y sel l i ng of f and buyi ng mor e,

wi t h a vi ew t o get t i ng st r ong heal t hy st ock. The

way t o have i t i s t hi s : make up your mi nd as t o

what br eed you i nt end t o have ; t hen buy r oost er s

CHI CKEN FI XI NGS. 189

PART vi . of t hat br eed, and ki l l or sel l al l your pr esent ones. Apr i l , 1882,

t o

Then, when your young chi ckens gr ow up and Jul y, 1883.

ar e ol d enough t o l ay, ki l l or sel l your r oost er s

and buy ot her s of t he same br eed, but i f possi bl e,

Page 99 of 119

f r om a di f f er ent poul t r y- yar d t han t hat f r om whi ch

t he l ast came, and cont i nue t hi s r oost er r enewi ng

par t of t he busi ness ever y t i me t he chi ckens ar e

ol d enough t o l ay, whi ch of cour se won' t neces -

si t at e a sel l i ng of f of t he r oost er s mor e t han once

a year . You ought t o have a f ew packages of

" Condi t i on powder s " f or st ock and chi ckens ( cost

25 cent s each down her e) , and, once a week r egu-

l ar l y, mi x a t ea- spoonf ul of t he powder t o a pi nt

of cor n- meal f or ever y t en chi ckens , and t hen put

i n wat er enough t o make i t as t hi ck as pr et t y

t hi ck por r i dge, and f eed t o t he chi ckens. Fol l ow

al l t he above i nst r uct i ons, whi ch ar e not di f f i cul t ,

and you may bl ame me i f you don' t have f i ne

heal t hy chi ckens al l t he t i me. Of cour se, J pr e-

sume you f eed your chi ckens r egul ar l y ever y

day. . . .

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Oct . 15, 1882.

. . . . We have f i ni shed changi ng our l i t t l e

house f r om t he ol d pl ace t o t he cr eek. I t used

190 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . t o be t he ki t chen, but now cont ai ns a t on and Apr i l , 1882,

t o

a hal f of cot t on- seed. The sheep ar e camped Jul y, 1883.

t her e t o- ni ght , and I am goi ng down t her e

pr esent l y, t o sl eep on t he cot t on- seed.

FROM WI LLY.

The Ranche,

Nov. 6, 1882.

. . . We ar e l ooki ng f or war d t o t he Guvnor ' s

vi si t , whi ch we hope wi l l occur i n t he or der of

t hi ngs, al t hough we don' t " bank " ver y much

on i t . " Ther e' s al ways a cont i ngency, " as our

f r i end H sai d t o hi s son t he ot her day, when

. t he l at t er was aver r i ng t hat a cer t ai n st eer must

be dead because t hey' d f ound i t s bones ! . . . I had

a most char mi ng par t i ng pr esent f r om i n t he

shape of a cor n shuck hat . They ar e t he pr et t i est

hat s t hat ar e made, t o my not i on. Shucks ar e

t or n up and pl ai t ed, and t hen sewn up i nt o br oad-

br i mmed hat s. I bel i eve t hey ar e ver y easi l y made,

and ar e ver y becomi ng, especi al l y on a l ady, when

pl ai nl y and pr et t i l y t r i mmed.

Nov. 20, 1882.

. . . The t wo H gi r l s and one of t he boys

came down t o supper t wo eveni ngs ago. I t was a

Page 100 of 119

BLI ND MAN' S BU FF. 191

PART vi . r egul ar bachel or s' spr ead, no t abl e- cl ot h but pl ent y Apr i l , 1882,

of sausages and soup, and cof f ee and br ead ; and j ui y! i 88 3 .

af t er war ds we had some ki nd of r ompi ng game, and

t hen bl i nd man' s buf f , i n whi ch we pr et t y near l y

shook t he pl ace down, but di dn' t br eak anyt hi ng.

Ther e was not hi ng t o br eak f or t hat mat t er , except

t he t hi ngs on t he t abl e, whi ch wer e st owed away i n

one cor ner , t he " bl i nd- man " bei ng war ned of hi s

pr oxi mi t y t o i t by a chor us of " War e, soup ! " So

you see we' ve not gr own so ever l ast i ngl y ol d yet .

FROM THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Dec. 6, 1882.

Mi ss H has mi xed a pl um puddi ng f or us,

and t o- ni ght we al l hel ped st i r i t , and put i t on t he

f i r e, and I ' ve got t o keep i t boi l i ng t i l l 2 a. m. t o-

mor r ow. I had a r eal genui ne f our penny bi t , whi ch

we have mi xed i n wi t h t he puddi ng, but not one of

us coul d r ai se a weddi ng- r i ng, so we had t o l eave

t hat par t of t he cer emony out . I have begun her d-

i ng agai n, and f i nd I am r at her out of pr act i ce, but

I shal l soon get i nt o swi ng agai n. Chi co and I

each her d f our days a week, whi ch sounds i m-

possi bl e; but on Wednesday he her ds bucks j ust

t o gi ve t hem a change of gr ass, and onl y her ds t he

193 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . f l ock t hr ee days. Wi l l y has gone t o bed i n t he Apr i l , 1882,

t o

cot t on- seed house, and Chi co has gone t o see Mi ss Jul y, 1883.

H home, so I am qui t e al one wi t h t he puddi ng,

whi ch woul d be a f r i ght f ul t empt at i on i f i t was onl y

cooked : but I don' t t hi nk i t woul d be wor t h open-

i ng i n i t s pr esent st at e. . . .

NOTE. I had t o go Sout h ear l y i n December , 1882, and

went f or a t en days' vi si t t o t he r anche, ar r i vi ng t her e about

t he 8t h. I was dul y i mpr essed by t he Chr i st mas puddi ng,

r ef er r ed t o i n t he l ast l et t er , whi ch I f ound hangi ng up i n i t s

bag i n " Madge' s r oom. " Whi l e I was t her e I began di ggi ng

a wel l cl ose t o t he house, Momo assi st i ng, whi ch has si nce

been f i ni shed, and has pr oved a gr eat comf or t , maki ng i t no

l onger necessar y f or t he boys t o haul wat er f r om t he cr eek f or

t he use of t he house. I was much st r uck by t he i mpr oved

appear ance of t he f l ock, owi ng t o t he i nt r oduct i on of new

t hor oughbr ed Mer i no bl ood, and t he cont i nual cul l i ng out of

any of t he ewes whi ch had not been consi der ed up t o t he

mar k. W. H.

FROM WI LLY TO MADGE.

Page 101 of 119

Dec. 20, 1882.

A mer r y Chr i st mas and al l t he r est of i t . Thanks

f or t he socks. They t ur ned up l oose at San An-

t oni o, t he par cel havi ng bust ed somehow. They

wi l l be ver y wel come and usef ul I expect bef or e

wi nt er i s over , as, when we do have bad weat her , of

cour se we have t o be out i n i t , and we haven' t come

AN I NVASI ON OF WOMANKI ND. 193

PART vi . t o t he ext r avagance of i nvest i ng i n anyt hi ng but Apr i l , 1882,

cot t on socks as yet . The Pl ymout h Rocks ar e doi ng Jui y , t 0 i 88 3 .

f i nel y, t he l ayi ng hen havi ng begun t o si t af t er l ay -

i ng about t wo dozen eggs.

The Ranche,

Jan. i , 1883.

Dear Madge,

I hope you had a j ol l y Chr i st mas up t her e. We

cel ebr at ed t he day by put t i ng a bl ast i n t he wel l ,

whi ch r esul t ed i n bl owi ng out what I hope wi l l

pr ove t o be t he l ast of t he r ock f or some t i me. We

ar e now on har d cl ay, whi ch i s a t r emendous r el i ef

af t er t he r ock, al t hough t he l at t er was f or onl y t hr ee

f eet or so. On Chr i st mas af t er noon, or r at her at

di nner - t i me, I went down t o K ' s and had a

ver y j ol l y Chr i st mas di nner wi t h t hem and t he

W ' s, who wer e st ayi ng t her e, pr epar at or y t o

goi ng away i n t he af t er noon. I n spi t e of my r e-

monst r ances, t he gi r l s made me go out r i di ng wi t h

t hem, and not onl y t hat , but i nsi st ed on comi ng up

her e t o " spy out t he l and" or somet hi ng, and

" went t hr ough " camp as t hough t hey wer e bossi ng

t he l ay- out . You shoul d have hear d t he bur st of

appl ause when t hey l ooked i nt o t he t ent and saw

Chi co wi t h sl eeves t ucked up, washi ng up some

pl at es, &c. One excl ai med " Oh how cut e! "

O

194 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . Whet her she r ef er r ed t o t he di shes, or Chi co, Apr i l , 1882

or t he mess t he t ent was i n, I don t know. We Jul y, 1883.

ar e now enj oyi ng a bi t of a f r eeze by way of

r el i evi ng t he monot ony, f or t hi s i s t he f i r st r eal l y

col d weat her we' ve had. But i t i sn' t di sagr eeabl e

as i t keeps dr y. Any way, i t makes one f ul l y

appr eci at e your socks and mi t t ens. By t he way,

many t hanks f or t he l at t er : I f or got about t hem

t i l l I t ur ned out t he Guv. ' s val i se, si nce I l ast

wr ot e. Chr i st mas ni ght we had a supper , and t he

pl um puddi ng, whi ch t ur ned out t o be a deci ded

success. The t wo H - gi r l s and t hei r br ot her

came down, and we had supper f i r st , and t hen we

Page 102 of 119

f i l l ed i n t he cr acks wi t h socks no, songs! My

hand i s col d, so my pen has t he bul ge on i t r at her .

I st ar t ed i n wi t h t he i nt ent i on of wr i t i ng about hal f

a page, so you can cr edi t my cor r espondence wi t h

t he bal ance.

CHI CO TO MADGE.

Sunday, Jan. 14, 1883.

My dear Madge,

I f i t ' s not t oo l at e t o t hank you f or t he

socks and t he cuf f s, and t o wi sh you a mer r y

Chr i st mas and al so a happy New Year , and many

happy r et ur ns of your bi r t hday, al l ow me t o do

HERDI NG I N FROST.

195

> PART vi . so now. Of cour se I ought t o have done so be- Apr i l , 1882,

f or e, and woul d be ver y much ashamed of mysel f Jul y, 1883

f or not doi ng so, wer e I not such a har dened

si nner .

I al ways f eel pr et t y chi r py now on Sunday, as

i t ' s my f i r st day of f her di ng. Doct or her ds f r om

Sunday t i l l Wednesday, and I f r om Thur sday

t i l l Sat ur day ; but I get f our days a week al t o-

get her , as I her d t he bucks ( about f or t y) ever y

Wednesday. I t ' s pr et t y har d wor k her di ng i n

such weat her as we' ve had t hi s l ast week. Last

Sunday, Monday, and I t hi nk, Tuesday, i t f r oze

har d, and has been t hawi ng and dr i zzl i ng ever

si nce ; but t o- day i t ' s beaut i f ul out of door s. The

sheep wi l l t r avel and scat t er so i n t he bad weat her ,

t hat one has t o be poundi ng about al l day wi t hout

a moment ' s r est . I r emember l ast Monday ni ght ,

I had an over coat whi ch had been damp, spr ead

over my bed, and i n t he ni ght i t f el l of f ; but i t

was f r ozen so har d t hat i t st ood up on i t s si de

agai nst t he bed.

I suppose f at her has t ol d you we' r e di ggi ng

a wel l now. WeVe onl y gone down t wo or

t hr ee f eet si nce he went , but weVe got t hr ough

t he l ayer of r ock, whi ch was about t hr ee

f eet t hi ck. Ol d S i s comi ng agai n as soon

O 3

196 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . as he has got hi s cr ops i n, some t hi s week I Apr i l , 1882

t hi nk. Ther e i s st i l l a good deal of r ock - pi cki ng Jul y, i 883J

f or hi m t o do, as t he wel l t aper s of f t owar ds t he

bot t om r at her , and he' l l have t o enl ar ge i t . The

wel l i s ni ne f eet deep at pr esent , and i t ' s near l y as

Page 103 of 119

much as one can do now t o pi t ch t he ear t h out

wi t h a spade ; we shal l have t o f i x a wi ndl ass. I t

i sn' t pl easant t o pi t ch up a spade f ul l , and have i t

come down on you, and get i nsi de your shi r t :

however , on most days, when t her e' s no nor t her

bl owi ng, i t ' s so war m t hat I wor k down t he wel l

wi t h not hi ng but a pai r of br eeches on so i t

can' t . The l ast t i me I was wor ki ng i n t he wel l ,

I near l y shut mysel f i n. I had shoved t he l adder

up t o t he t op, and t hen pi cked down about a f oot ,

and coul dn' t r each t he l adder af t er war ds, and

nobody was wi t hi n cal l ; but I managed t o get i t

down at l ast by j umpi ng as hi gh as I coul d, and

hooki ng i t wi t h t he spade. . . .

The H ' s wer e down her e on t he eveni ng

of Chr i st mas, and af t er supper we had si ngi ng.

I t humped t he wal l by way of accompani ment ,

and we had enough noi se t o f i l l t he Al ber t

Hal l . The wal l of a wooden house, whi ch i s

doubl e, and has a space bet ween, makes a f i r st -

r at e dr um. Our f or mer musi ci an, t he ni gger - boy

THAT WELL! 197

PART vi . Jef f , i s gone. Hi s musi c used t o be r at her Apr i l . 1882,

t o

t r yi ng t o t he ner ves. Hi s i nst r ument was what J ul y I 88 3-

he cal l ed a mout h or gan. You bl ow i nt o hol es

i n t he t op, and i t makes a noi se somet hi ng l i ke

a br oken- wi nded concer t i na. . . . We have st i l l

got our pi ece of mi st l et oe hangi ng t o t he beams,

but i t ' s begi nni ng t o l ook bi l i ous. I expect i t ' s

r at her i ndi gnant at t he ver y smal l amount of

sl obber i ng t hat was gone t hr ough under i t . . . .

Has Gr anny pai nt ed her house yet ? We' ve been

t al ki ng of pai nt i ng t hi s one, but i t has never been

qui t e f i ni shed yet , as t he car pent er has been si ck.

. . . We shal l be get t i ng l ambs now i n a shor t

t i me, as I hope we' r e not goi ng t o have much

mor e bad weat her . I ' m af r ai d we shal l t hough,

as we' ve had no wi nt er t o speak of yet , and i t was

pr ophesi ed we wer e t o have a ver y har d one, I

bel i eve.

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Jan. 19, 1883.

. . . The wel l i s get t i ng deep, but not damp,

and we ar e i n r ock agai n, about f i f t een or mor e

f eet deep. Ol d S i s r educed t o bl ast i ng agai n,

and t o- day he put i n a bl ast whi ch went of f ap-

198 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART VI . par ent l y wi t hout t he l east ef f ect , and, al t hough Apr i l , i 88a

Page 104 of 119

t o

t he wel l was f i l l ed wi t h smoke, he coul d not di s - Jul y, 1883.

cover wher e i t came f r om, t i l l at l ast he f ound i t

oozi ng out of a cr ack i n t he si de of t he wel l ,

near l y a t hi r d of t he way r ound. . . . I am t o have

my f i r st day on t he r oads t o- mor r ow, f or I have

never been cal l ed out bef or e, so I hope t he weat her

wi l l cont i nue f i ne.

WI LLY TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

Feb. 28, 1883.

The Doct or got al l t he phot os, and we al l t hi nk

t hey ar e gr eat successes, except t hat of your sel f .

You l ook as t hough you' d j ust been t ol d t hat a

r i val phot ogr apher had set up i n R , and wer e

i n doubt whet her t o bel i eve i t or not . . . We don' t

wi nd up l ambi ng t i l l t he begi nni ng of Apr i l , but

we' r e pr et t y f ar advanced I t hi nk. Ther e ar e about

ei ght y l ambs or so. Spr i ng has set i n I t hi nk,

t hough we need a f ew mor e hot days, and t hen

some r ai n, bef or e t he gr ass wi l l get as good as I

want i t . A f ew 7 wi l d f l ower s ar e openi ng, and t he

t wi gs ar e t hr eat eni ng t o. I ' m dr oppi ng of f t o

sl eep, so good ni ght .

WI NTER CASUALTI ES. 199

WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

The Ranche,

Apr i l 4, 1883.

PART vi . . . . We ar e wel l i nt o spr i ng now, and ever y - Apr i l , 1882.

t o

t hi ng i s br i ght eni ng up agai n. We have come Jul y, 1883.

t hr ough a pr et t y har d wi nt er , whi ch has bur st up

a good many sheepmen ; but we came t hr ough

about as wel l as t he best , as we had a good shed

and pl ent y of hay. An Engl i shman bel ow us bought

900 head l ast f al l ; 700 di ed dur i ng t he wi nt er ,

and he sol d t he r est f or 85 ct s. per head ( havi ng

gi ven $2 50 ct s. f or t hem) . He came of f bet t er

t han some f el l ows t hough. One man went i nt o

wi nt er wi t h 1800 head, and expect ed about 1000

l ambs t hi s spr i ng. He onl y has 595 gr own sheep,

and si x l ambs now, and i s about t hr ough wi t h

l ambi ng. He had consi der abl y over st ocked hi s

r ange. One of our nei ghbour s l ost over 300 gr own

sheep, and onl y saved about si xt y l ambs : he ex -

pect ed t o r ai se about 350. The l osses i n cat t l e

al so wer e heavy. I don' t bel i eve we l ost mor e t han

one or t wo head ; but our st ock wer e r ai sed on t hi s

r ange. . . . We shear on i 6t h i nst . I don' t expect

Page 105 of 119

you' l l hear much f r om t he boys t i l l t hen.

300 GONE TO TEXAS.

CHI CO TO HI S FATHER I N NEW YORK.

East er Sunday ( I bel i eve) , 1883.

Dear f at her ,

PART VI . Thi s bei ng my f i r st l oose Sunday t hi s year , Apr i l , 1882,

t o

I ' ve t aken i t i nt o my head t o be a good boy f or Jul y, 1883.

once i n a way, and act ual l y wr i t e a l et t er . . . .

Thank goodness we' r e about t hr ough t he wi nt er at

l ast . We haven' t had a nor t her now f or some days,

but , my gr aci ous, we di d have one or t wo st i nger s !

Food f r oze al most bef or e we coul d get i t down.

Thi s wi nt er I exper i enced, f or t he f i r st t i me, t he

unut t er abl e bl i ss of get t i ng i nt o a f r ozen boot i n

t he mor ni ngs. I t ' s scr umpt i ous. One can l augh

at t he wi nt er now i t s back' s t ur ned : next year I

hope we' l l f l ummux i t wi t h a f i r epl ace.

We' ve had some pr et t y good r ai ns l at el y, and

t he wel l must have sever al f eet , t hough we haven' t

measur ed i t l at el y. The ni ght bef or e l ast t her e

was a t hunder st or m, wi t h r ai n i n del uges, and t he

wi nd r ocked t he house about , so t hat I l ay awake

and consi der ed whi ch wi ndow I shoul d make f or

i f i t t i pped over . However , she' s st andi ng st i l l .

Ther e ar e t wo of us wi t h t he f l ock al l t he t i me

now. I have been her di ng f or t he l ast f ew weeks

wi t h young dar ki e Jef f , and Dr . i s her di ng now

wi t h Jef f ' s br ot her . At pr esent I ' m t r yi ng t o

GETTI NG STRAI GHT. 2OI

PART vi . get t hi ngs a bi t st r ai ght about camp. The pl ace Apr i l , 1882,

get s conf oundedl y messed- up dur i ng t he wi nt er . Jul y, 1883.

However , wi t h t he hel p of a spade and br oom,

I ' ve cl ear ed out t he t ent , and ki t chen, and di ni ng-

r oom, and am now on t he pen. We' ve got a l ot

of excel l ent muck, whi ch woul d del i ght your hear t .

I ' m maki ng a bi g pi l e of i t , and we shal l spr ead i t

on t he past ur e some t i me. We put down some of

t he pen- cl ear i ngs on a pat ch of gr ound, whi ch we

mar ked out ( shor t l y bef or e you came) t o t r y t he

ef f ect , and now t her e i s t wi ce as much gr ass t her e

as t her e i s r ound about . You can see t he squar e

pat ch of gr een qui t e pl ai nl y mar ked out . I j ust

put enough st uf f down t o hi de t he gr ound. . .

We haven' t put up our books yet , as t he car pent er

hasn' t come out t o f i x t he shel ves; but we shal l

soon be pr et t y st r ai ght . Wi l l y has or der ed t wo

mor e war dr obes l i ke t he l ast , so when you next

come down, by Jove you' l l have t o come i n a

t opper and whi t e weski t . The ol d t ent pr et t y wel l

came t o gr i ef t hi s wi nt er . I t al l wor e away at t he

t op, and we had t o t i e i t up wi t h r ope, but t he

f l y- sheet kept t he r ai n out pr et t y wel l . We had

i t f ul l of sheep most of t he t i me, when i t was col d.

Page 106 of 119

One ni ght we had some up i n t he house, whi ch

made a pl easant concer t . The l ambs ar e much

202 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . t amer t hi s year t han t hey wer e l ast , as we have Apr i l , 1882,

had t o f eed most of t hem f r om t he bot t l e. They' r e Jul y, 1883.

begi nni ng t o l ook f at now, and began t o dance a

week ago ; but bef or e t hat t hey di dn' t seem t o be

enj oyi ng l i f e much. One has t o go t hr ough a

wi nt er l i ke t he l ast , t o be abl e t o enj oy t he spr i ng

pr oper l y. The gr een i s comi ng on f i nel y now, and

t he f l ower s ar e begi nni ng t o show up t oo ; but i t

st r i kes me ever yt hi ng i s much l at er t han i t was

l ast year . Thi ngs wer e l ooki ng a good deal gr eener

when I ar r i ved her e, whi ch must have been al most

t he begi nni ng of Mar ch. Devi l i sh l i t t l e news t o

chr oni cl e at pr esent , as I ' ve been doi ng not hi ng

but r un af t er sheep and howl , f or t he deuce of a

whi l e. I mi ght t el l you what I sai d t o t he sheep,

but i t was not as a r ul e par l i ament ar y. I t el l you,

i t j ust knocks t he st uf f i ng out of you, her di ng i n

wi nt er , as t he sheep don' t get much t o eat , and, i n

consequence, r un l i ke t he deuce ; whi ch woul dn' t

mat t er i f t hey al l r an t he same way but t hey

don' t . However , t hey' r e bet t er now, and begi n t o

l i e down f or a bi t i n t he mi ddl e of t he day. I

begi n t o f eel f ai nt . I must dr i nk a gl ass of wat er .

I ' ve been wr i t i ng t oo many l et t er s l at el y, I f ear ,

and i t ' s t el l i ng on my const i t ut i on ; can' t wr i t e any

mor e, or I shal l col l apse.

THE SPRI NG SHEARI NG. 203

THE DOCTOR TO HI S FATHER I N NEW YORK.

Sunday, Apr i l 29, 1883.

PART vi . I t i s wi t h a del i ght f ul sense of r est t hat I si t Apr i l , - 1882,

down t o wr i t e t o you t o- day. I t i s, I bel i eve, t he j ui

f i r st r eal day of r est I have had si nce t he begi n-

ni ng of Januar y, and f eel s, i n consequence, mor e

t han usual l y pl easant . I t i s a l ovel y day, wi t h

j ust suf f i ci ent cl oud t o make i t cool . . . . I st ar t ed a

l et t er t o you and al so one t o Gr anny, out her di ng,

but bei ng i n penci l t hey bot h came t o unt i mel y

ends, t hr ough get t i ng chaf ed i nt o i l l egi bi l i t y.

Wi l l y and Chi co have gone down t o San An-

t oni o wi t h a second l oad of wool , so I am qui t e

al one. The cl i p t hi s year i s pr obabl y l i ght er t han

l ast , owi ng par t l y t o a l at e spr i ng, and consequent

l ack of gr ease ; but t he wool i s i n gr eat er quant i t y,

as we have f i l l ed t hi r t een sacks, and have over hal f -

a- sack of t ags besi des. Thi s i s mor e t han we had

l ast year , al t hough t he number of sheep shor n i s

smal l er . . .

The f r ui t - sal t ar r i ved al l r i ght , and was a ver y

seasonabl e gi f t , as Chi co was begi nni ng t o be

mor e t han usual l y i r r i t at ed by t i ck and f l ea

bi t es, but he i s al l r i ght now, and one bot t l e has

near l y di sappear ed under our f r equent at t acks.

Page 107 of 119

204 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . I don' t t hi nk t hat Texas has been vi si t ed by such Apr i l , 1882,

t o

sever e nor t her s f or many year s as t hose we had Jul y, 1883.

l ast Januar y and Febr uar y. Ol d H ( t he Ger -

man) says he can r emember a f ar wor se wi nt er

" bef or e t he war " ! ! and Bi l l y A , who was

r ai sed her e, cannot r emember one at al l . St ock

of al l ki nds suf f er ed f ear f ul l y, t hough not so much

dur i ng, as af t er , t he nor t her . We our sel ves came

of f r emar kabl y wel l ; whi ch was mai nl y owi ng t o

Wi l l y' s f or esi ght i n weani ng t he cal ves ( an un-

hear d- of t hi ng her e) , and pr ovi di ng unl i mi t ed f eed

f or t he sheep. I don' t bel i eve we l ost a si ngl e

cow, and ver y f ew sheep ; but some poor f el l ows,

who had scabby sheep, and not suf f i ci ent shel t er

or f eed, l ost al l t he way f r om t hi r t y t o sevent y - f i ve

per cent , of t hei r sheep ; and Capt . and

ot her s, who st ar t ed i nt o wi nt er wi t h poor cat t l e,

l ost t r emendous quant i t i es of t hem. Ever yt hi ng

t hat i sn' t dead al r eady i s now on t he f ai r way t o

r ecover y, as t he gr ass i s spl endi d ; and i f t he

wi nt er has done not hi ng el se, i t has gi ven t he ol d-

met hod st ock- r ai ser s a l esson t hat wi l l pr obabl y

l ast a consi der abl e t i me. . . .

Some one' s t heor y concer ni ng Texas nor t her s i s,

t hat t hey occur on t he same day, or ver y near l y

so, ever y year ; and as I have on var i ous occasi ons

SPECULATI ONS ON NORTHERS. 205

PART vi . not i ced t hi s t o be t he case, I shoul d l i ke ver y Apr i l , 1882,

much t o have addi t i onal pr oof , whi ch I bel i eve Jul y, 1883.

t hat Madge can suppl y, as i t woul d be ver y use-

f ul t o us i f we coul d put any f ai t h i n t he i dea. I

wi sh you woul d ask her t o l ook i nt o her di ar i es

and ol d l et t er s, and t el l me t he dat es of

i . The i ce- nor t her whi ch occur r ed dur i ng your

st ay her e, i n Januar y, Febr uar y, 1883.

i i . The Mar ch nor t her , 1882, i n whi ch Wi l l y

and I wer e r educed t o sar di nes.

i i i . The November ( ?) 1880 nor t her , when t he

i ci cl es hung f r om t he sheep' s ear s, and we had a

Mexi can her der .

i v. The nor t her whi ch occur r ed dur i ng Wi l l y' s

st ay i n Tennessee, Januar y 7, 1881.

v. The one whi ch occur r ed dur i ng Di ck' s st ay

wi t h us, i n Mar ch, 1880, about t he mi ddl e of t he

mont h, I f ancy. Dave was al so at t he r anche,

br eaki ng hor ses.

I f Madge coul d gi ve me t he dat es of t he above-

Page 108 of 119

ment i oned nor t her s, i t woul d, wi t h t hose I al r eady

know, sat i sf y me t hat t he t heor y i s or i s not t o be

r el i ed on. . . .

206 GONE TO TEXAS.

WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

The Ranche,

May i , 1883.

PART vi . I bel i eve t he l ast t i me I wr ot e was bef or e shear - Apr i l , 1882,

t o

i ng. We have now f i ni shed t hat busi ness, and t he Jul y, 1883.

wool i s al l i n San Ant oni o, except f our bags, whi ch

I expect t o t ake down i n a f ew days. We had

ver y f i ne weat her dur i ng shear i ng, onl y a l i t t l e

wi ndy. We began wi t h t wo hands, t hen a t hi r d

came, so, as t hi s was sl ow goi ng, I sent t o

B and got f our mor e ( Mexi cans) out . That

made seven shear er s, so wi t h our sel ves and a

her der we wer e a bi g cr owd her e f or a f ew days.

Our Pl ymout h Rock hen i s r ai si ng her second l ot

of chi ckens ; she has ni ne, and t hey ar e doi ng wel l .

We had a l at e f r ost , whi ch ki l l ed near l y al l t he

pl ums on our onl y l ar ge pl um- t r ee ; but t her e wi l l

be a t r emendous cr op of f r ui t t hi s year , I expect .

The mul ber r i es and dewber r i es ar e near l y r i pe, and

t her e wi l l , I t hi nk, be l ot s of wi l d cher r i es, and I

bel i eve t he peach- cr op i s al l r i ght . We have got

sever al young cal ves, but I r eal l y don' t know how

many, as Tve been so busy wi t h ot her t hi ngs t hat

I have " l ost t he r un " of t hem.

The peopl e i n B - have j ust begun some i m-

POLO I N TEXAS. 207

PART vi . pr ovement s t her e, by mendi ng t he r oad, whi ch Apr i l , 1882,

hi t her t o i n r ai ny weat her has been a sor t of Jul y, 1883.

mud pond. The ci t i zens subscr i bed $500 or

$600 I bel i eve, and t he l ast t i me I was i n t her e,

t hey wer e pl oughi ng t he si des of t he st r eet s f r om

end t o end, pr epar at or y t o di t chi ng, I suppose.

Our nei ghbour S and hi s f ami l y have moved

down t o hi s f at her ' s, on t he ot her si de of B ,

so t he ol d pl ace I f i r st set t l ed on i s now

unoccupi ed, and agai n f or sal e. I br ought up

some Ber muda gr ass f r om San Ant oni o yest er day,

and pl ant ed i t af t er a ver y heavy shower , whi ch

came j ust af t er I got back, so I hope t he gr ass wi l l

gr ow. The wel l st i l l cont i nues t o be as f ul l as

ever , so t he wat er - quest i on does not t r oubl e us as

i t used t o, and t he wat er i n t he wel l i s ver y good.

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Page 109 of 119

Sunday, May 27, 1883.

. . . Chi co and I went t o see t he pol o- pl ayi ng

on t he i 3t h. I t was r at her pr et t y, t hough I shoul d

t hi nk t hey have a gr eat deal of r oom f or i mpr ove-

ment , as t her e i s har dl y one of t hem who can

car r y t he bal l wi t h hi m f or mor e t han t wo st r okes

wi t hout mi ssi ng i t , even when t her e i s no one el se

208 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . i n t he way. We have been havi ng r at her a dr ought Apr i l , 1882,

t o

l at el y, but a t i mel y t hunder st or m on Fr i day made Jul y, 1883.

ever yt hi ng f r esh agai n.

I t hi nk I have al r eady t ol d you t hat I camp

wi t h t he her der , on t he ot her si de of t he cr eek,

dur i ng t he gr eat er par t of t he t i me. As we

have no st ove, we cook al l our f ood on t he

gr ound. I soon f ound out t hat i t di d not pay

t o l eave t hi ngs on t he f i r e al l ni ght , as some-

t hi ng used t o come and eat t hem ; but i t was onl y

a f ew days ago t hat I di scover ed t he t hi ef . I t

was a ' possum, and at l ast got so bol d t hat i t used

t o come out of t he br ush, and st and on t he ot her

si de of t he f i r e whi l e we wer e havi ng supper . So

I t r i ed t o poi son i t by l eavi ng l i t t l e bi t s of

poi soned br ead and bacon f or i t , next t he f i r e ;

but , t hough t he st uf f had al ways di sappear ed by

mor ni ng, he was al ways ar ound i n t he eveni ng as

wel l as ever , and I had t o change my pl ans and l i e

i n wai t f or hi m wi t h t he axe, and j ump up and hi t

at hi m when he came cl ose enough. But he was

t oo qui ck f or me, so, as a l ast r esour ce, I went f or

t he shot - gun, whi ch I di d' nt much l i ke usi ng, as i t

was sur e t o f r i ght en t he sheep. But even t hen I

mi ssed hi m, as i t was t oo dar k t o ai m pr oper l y,

and I had t o f i r e a bi t of paper on t he si ght t he

ROAD- MAKI NG. 209

PART vi . next t i me, bef or e f i r i ng. He i s dead now, f or I Apr i l , 1882,

t o

near l y smashed hi s head t o pi eces wi t h t he second Jul y, 1883.

car t r i dge, and we shal l be abl e t o cook our beans

at ni ght wi t hout any f ear of havi ng t he l i d pul l ed

of f and hal f of t hem st ol en.

The sheep ar e doi ng excel l ent l y, and so ar e

t he cat t l e, and sever al of t he nanni e- goat s ar e

goi ng t o have ki ds ver y soon. Ther e ar e onl y

t wo of t he l ast bat ch of ki ds l ef t now, as we

ki l l ed al l t he mal es t o eat . . . . I have been en-

gaged l at el y i n maki ng a r oad bet ween t he

mi ner al spr i ng and t he cr eek, so as t o connect t he

t wo camps, as i t i s awkwar d havi ng t o go r i ght

r ound by K ' s ; but t he ear t h was so dr y, and

Page 110 of 119

t he r ai n so sudden and har d, t hat a gr eat deal of i t

was washed away bef or e i t had t i me t o get sodden.

The way i t i s made i s, t o cut away par t of t he

bank, and bui l d a l i t t l e r ock wal l up on t he l ower

si de of t he r oad, and f i l l up t he gap wi t h t he l oose

ear t h and r ocks, t aken out f r om t he upper par t of

t he bank. Of cour se i t i s onl y a smal l por t i on of

t he r oad t hat needs maki ng i n t hat way, or t he j ob

woul d har dl y be wor t h doi ng. . , .

2 10 GONE TO TEXAS.

WI LLY TO MADGE.

The Ranche,

June 3, 1883.

PART VI . Many t hanks f or your l et t er . Of cour se I get A P r i l - 1882 >

al l t he news f r om your l et t er s t o t he Dr . ; so J ul y l 88 3-

i t ' s j ust as wel l t o wr i t e t o hi m, as I know you f eel

l i ke unbur t heni ng phot ogr aphi c l or e when you

wr i t e, and I ' m not suf f i ci ent l y i ni t i at ed i n t he busi -

ness t o under st and anyt hi ng about i t . I hope t he

phot ogr aphy pr ogr esses f avor abl y. The next t i me

you ar e her e you must br i ng t he machi ne down,

and " t ake of f " t he r anche. . . . I had a l et t er f r om

C - t he ot her day. They had a pr et t y t ough

t i me of i t t hr ough wi nt er , l ost 600 head f r om

deat h and st r ayi ng of f , and l ost a good deal of wool

f r om t he scab, whi ch was pr et t y bad i n t hei r f l ock,

and had t o pay $150 damages f or l et t i ng some

scabby sheep get on a man' s cl ean r ange, &c.

C- - says he expect s t o buy a r anche t hat

he knows of , and t hi nks hi s br ot her i s goi ng t o

j oi n hi m. I hope he wi l l have bet t er l uck i n

f ut ur e. .

HERDI NG I N DROUGHT. 211

THE DOCTOR TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

The Ranche,

June 17, 1883.

PART VI . We ar e havi ng ver y hot weat her now, and Apr i l , 1882,

r at her a dr ought , but not enough t o hur t t he Jul y, 1883.

st ock, al t hough peopl e say t her e wi l l be ver y l i t t l e

cor n r ai sed i n t hi s par t of t he count r y. Al l t he

l i t t l e spr i ngs and cr eeks ar e dr y, and we have t o

wat er t he sheep at t he cot t on- seed house, al t hough

t hey ar e at pr esent penned at " t he chi mney"

( wher e our house used t o be bef or e we moved i t ) ,

and, as we do not l i ke t o t ake t hem over t he same

gr ass mor e t han we can hel p, we onl y wat er t hem

ever y t wo days, but t hey ar e doi ng ver y wel l al l

t he same. They l i e down a ver y l ong t i me dur i ng

t he day now, and have t o be t ur ned out ver y ear l y

and kept out ver y l at e, i n or der t o get suf f i ci ent

t i me t o f eed i n ; so I go out at sundown and t ake

Page 111 of 119

t he f l ock f r om t he her der , and keep t hem out f or a

coupl e of hour s or so, whi l e t he her der has supper

( I t ake mi ne bef or ehand) , and t ake a nap dur i ng

t he day, t o make up f or i t . . . . Wi l l y has j ust

r et ur ned f r om San Ant oni o wi t h t he book - case,

whi ch l ooks l ar ge enough t o hol d al l our books,

and has a l ar ge cupboar d under neat h as wel l , f or

P 2

212 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . newspaper s, and so on. Now at l ast we shal l be Apr i l , 1882,

abl e t o unpack our books and put t hem wher e t hey Jul y, 1883.

can be got at . Wi l l y has t r aded some mut t ons

f or an ol d wagon, whi ch i s t o be made i nt o a

per manent sheep- camp, t hat i s t o say, i t wi l l be

f i t t ed up i nst ead of a t ent , and have al l t he bed-

cl ot hes, sal t , &c. , i n i t , and wi l l be moved when-

ever t he f l ock i s. Thi s wi l l be ver y handy, as i t i s

not al ways conveni ent t o use our ot her wagon,

and i t t akes a l ot of t i me and t r oubl e t o move t he

t hi ngs on a hor se. I am af r ai d you wi l l f i nd t hi s

l et t er ver y f ul l of sheep, but I am wi t h t hem

near l y al l t he t i me, and so i t comes mor e nat ur al

t o wr i t e about t hem t han anyt hi ng el se. . . . I am

wr i t i ng f ear f ul l y badl y t o- day, and, i f i t i sn' t t he

heat , i t must be t he want of pr act i ce, whi ch i s a

j udgment on me f or not wr i t i ng of t ener . . . .

FROM WI LLY TO HI S FATHER.

The Ranche,

June 20, 1883.

. . . St ock of al l ki nds doi ng f i nel y. So much

bi z. on hand t o t hi nk about , t hat I shan' t gi ve you

any news now ; i n f act , I don' t t hi nk t her e i s any.

Shal l be gl ad t o see Di ck. He wi l l make hi msel f

PROLI FI C GOATS. 213

PART vi . at home her e, and ver y l i kel y see C , who Apr i l , 1882,

expect s t o go t hr ough, en r out e f or San Ant oni o, Jul y, 1883.

about i st pr oxi mo. He had heavy l osses l ast

wi nt er , but says he i s " r i ch i n exper i ence, " and

means t o st i ck t o i t . . . . Those f i ve goat s ar e ki d-

di ng agai n. Four of t hem had si x ki ds bet ween

t hem l ast week. . . .

THE DOCTOR TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

Jul y 15, 1883.

. . . Di ck has been st ayi ng wi t h us l at el y, and

has i mpr oved a good deal ; he was badl y i n need

of r est when he ar r i ved. C - t ur ned up al most

t he same day, and st ayed wi t h us some t i me al so,

bef or e goi ng on t o San Ant oni o. He passed her e

agai n on hi s way up count r y, wi t h hi s younger

br ot her , but I di d not see hi m, as I was out al l

day. Di ck and C - went on a f i shi ng excur si on

whi l e t hey wer e her e, and, as t hey wer e f i shi ng

Page 112 of 119

wi t h a net , t hey had t o l eave t hei r cl ot hes on t he

bank ; and t he cat t l e came up and chewed t hem,

and one of t he cows al most dest r oyed C ' s

wat ch, by chewi ng at i t t i l l t he cover s wer e f l at

and t he gl ass br oken. However , I bel i eve t he

wor ks r emai ned uni nj ur ed. Di ck has ar r anged a

214 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . par t ner shi p wi t h G , and wi l l soon st ar t on a Apr i l , 1882,

t o

pr ospect i ng t our t hr ough New Mexi co, wher e he Jul y, 1883.

expect s t o buy l and and r ai se cat t l e.

Our cot t on- seed house was get t i ng al most un-

i nhabi t abl e, f r om t he quant i t y of hor net s whi ch

i nf est ed i t , and bui l t t hei r nest s on t he r oof . They

used t o dr op on t he bl anket s i n a semi - t or pi d

st at e, and st i ng as soon as t hey wer e t ouched,

so I cl eaned al l t he nest s of f wi t h t he cr ook t he

ot her day, and t hen f l ed t i l l t he exci t ement was

over , and now I bel i eve t hey have deser t ed t he

pl ace.

The f l ock i s l ooki ng ext r emel y wel l , and wi l l

not f eed much af t er sun- down, al t hough t he moon

i s hal f f ul l , so i t shows t hey get pl ent y t o eat .

I went t o get up Mol l y t he ot her day ( t he bay

mar e t hat was her e when we f i r st came out ) ,

and had no end of a r un bef or e I coul d cat ch

her . She i s a ver y cl ever ani mal , and t r i ed har d

t o t hr ow me of f her t r ai l by dodgi ng r ound

t he cl umps of br ush ; but I managed some-

how or ot her t o come r ound one si de j ust as she

was di sappear i ng r ound anot her , and never l ost

si ght of her t i l l she gave i n, and al l owed her sel f

t o be caught . She has got a bl ack mul e col t t hi s

year , whi ch i s a ver y absur d- l ooki ng cr eat ur e, wi t h

THE SECOND GENERATI ON TEXAS. 315

PART vi . ear s l i ke a t hor oughbr ed j ackass, and t r emendous Apr i l , 1882,

j oi nt s Jul y. %3.

WI LLY TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

The Ranche,

Jul y 1 6, 1883.

. . . We onl y set t l ed i n her e j ust i n t i me t o secur e

a decent r anche. Now, buyi ng l and i s a f ar di f -

f er ent t hi ng r ound her e t o what i t was t hr ee year s

ago, and r espect abl e l ocat i ons don' t go beggi ng

l ong f or a sol i d busi ness- meani ng t enant and

pur chaser . Up t o qui t e r ecent l y t he owner s and

pur chaser s of r eal est at e r ound her e consi st ed of

t he ol d or i gi nal set t l er s ( most l y Ger mans) , and

i ncomi ng i mmi gr ant s and t hei r f ami l i es. Now,

t he gener at i on t hat was bor n r ound her e, of t he

f i r st set t l er s, i s gr owi ng up, and mar r yi ng and

set t l i ng down ; and a ver y i ndust r i ous and pr os -

per ous gener at i on i t i s t oo. Havi ng been br ought

Page 113 of 119

up somet i mes wi t hi n a f ew mi l es of wher e t hey

have now set t l ed down, t he young f ar mer s go t o

wor k i n t he way whi ch t hey have l ear nt i s t he

most pr act i cal and best , r i ght f r om t he st ar t ;

t he r esul t of whi ch wi l l be t hat t he annual ad-

vancement and pr osper i t y i n t hese par t s wi l l be,

dur i ng t he next t en year s, t hr ee t i mes as gr eat

GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . as i t has been dur i ng t he l ast t en. I am mor al i si ng Apr i l , 1882,

t o an ext ent t hat I don' t of t en gi ve way t o, but i t Jul y, 1883.

wi l l shew you t hat we have a cont ent ed and hopef ul

vi ew of t he f ut ur e.

About Ber muda gr ass : t he f i r st r oot gener al l y

mat s bef or e sendi ng out shoot s t o any ext ent , and

t hen, af t er a good r ai n, when t he mat t ed st ar t i ng-

pl ace i s wel l r oot ed, i t wi l l send out shoot s f r om

t hr ee or f our si des ; t he j oi nt s when mat ur ed r oot -

i ng i n t hei r t ur n, down i nt o t he gr ound. Per haps

t hi s wi l l be suf f i ci ent f or you t o be abl e t o sat i sf y

your sel f as t o whet her your Ber muda has st ar t ed

or not . Cer t ai nl y t he r oot s I sent wer e Ber muda ;

but i f t hey di d not st ar t , I wi l l send some mor e

CHI CO TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

Sunday, Jul y 22, 1883.

. . . We' ve been qui t e l i vel y her e l at el y wi t h

vi si t or s. Di ck has been st ayi ng at t he r anche

si nce he came f r om New Yor k, except when he

has been i n San Ant oni o; and C - was her e

t oo about a week. He came down f r om hi s

r anche, whi ch i s about 125 mi l es of f , pr i nci pal l y,

I f ancy, t o go t o t he B bal l on t he 4t h of

DI CK PROSPECTI NG. 317

PART vi J U 1 7} a nd was ver y near l y pr event ed f r om goi ng Apr i l , 1882,

by t he r ai n. However , he r ode i n envel oped i n Jui y, ^ .

a maci nt osh of Di ck' s, and got t her e at l ast , af t er

havi ng been br ought back t o camp once by t he

hor se j ust as he t hought he was at hi s dest i nat i on ;

i t was so dar k he coul dn' t see hi s hor se' s head,

and t he hor se di dn' t see t he f or ce of a t hr ee- mi l e

r i de i n a del uge. The 4t h and 5t h wer e bot h

mi ser abl e days i n t hi s count r y. We had had a

dr ought f or some t i me pr evi ousl y, and when t he

r ai n di d come i t came i n bucket s. I t di sappoi nt ed

a l ot of pl easur e- seeker s, no doubt , but i t di d a

wonder f ul l ot of good t o t he count r y. Our wel l

was j ust r unni ng dr y, we got a quar t of gr avel

up wi t h each bucket ; but now we have about

t hr ee f eet of wat er . . . .

Di ck st ar t ed of f t wo or t hr ee days ago f or New

Mexi co wi t h t he t wo G ' s, l ooki ng f or a good

pl ace t o r un cat t l e. They wer e goi ng al l t he way

Page 114 of 119

i n an ambul ance, and wi l l have a ver y j ol l y t r i p i f

t hey have f i ne weat her . Di ck br ought t hr ee dogs

down f r om New Yor k wi t h hi m, a Scot ch deer -

hound and a coupl e of f ox- t er r i er s, one of whi ch

went mad and r an of f as he was wal ki ng down f r om

San Ant oni o her e, when he f i r st ar r i ved t he sun

was t oo much f or i t , I suppose. The hound he has

2l 8 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . t aken wi t h hi m on t he t r i p, and t he l i t t l e f ox - Apr i l , 1882,

t o

t er r i er bi t ch he has l ef t her e t i l l he comes back. Jul y, 1883.

I t ' s r at her st upi d at pr esent , i t wi l l si t and l ook

at r abbi t s ; however , i t ' s young, and wi l l know

bet t er i n t i me. Di ck has gr own awf ul l y " hi gh-

t oned" " si nce he' s been i n New Yor k ; shaves ever y

week, and so on! He st ar t ed on t he t r i p f ul l y

equi pped. I hope t he G ' s di dn' t each t ake

as much, or I pi t y t he hor ses. He had a coupl e

of r i f l es ( one of whi ch f i r ed expl osi ve bul l et s) , a

f ul l - si zed shot gun, a gi gant i c si x - shoot er , about

a mi l l i on r ounds of ammuni t i on, a handker chi ef ,

and a pai r of socks.

The B pol o cl ub r et ur ned l ast week f r om

t hei r t r i p t o Aust i n and San Ant oni o, l ucki l y

onl y a dol l ar or t wo out of pocket ; t hey had

t er r i bl y bad l uck. They wer e t o pl ay t wo or

t hr ee days i n Aust i n, and expended hundr eds

of dol l ar s i n get t i ng t he gr ound ( whi ch was f ul l

of weeds) i nt o or der , and t hen i t r ai ned i nces -

sant l y, so t hat I bel i eve t hey onl y had one

day' s pl ay t her e ; and at San Ant oni o t hey had

t he same ki nd of l uck. The 4t h and 5t h, as

I ment i oned bef or e, wer e f l ooded, and of cour se

t hey woul d have been t hei r best days had t hey

been f i ne, as ever ybody woul d have been out

THE POLO CLUB. 219

PART vi . si ght - seei ng. They ar e maki ng ar r angement s t o Apr i l , 1882,

pl ay at t he St at e f ai r s of Omaha, and some ot her j ui y/

capi t al s up Nor t h, i n Sept ember and Oct ober ,

out of whi ch t hey' l l pr obabl y make a good

t hi ng. We' ve been havi ng such hot weat her l at el y

t hat we al ways sl eep on t he gal l er y. Last ni ght

i t was f ul l moon, and I r ead i n bed f or some

t i me by moonl i ght , i t was so br i ght . . . . I ' m so

gl ad t o hear your 4t h Jul y cel ebr at i on was a

success. Madge says you r ode t he mar e up t own :

we shal l hear of your br eaki ng i n t he col t next .

What swel l s you must be now t he f l oor ' s var -

ni shed ; I hope you' ve put an adequat e shoe- scr aper

out si de. We haven' t st ai ned our f l oor al l over

yet ; but t her e ar e some good- si zed bl ot ches. . . .

We have an Engl i shman her di ng f or us now, so

we get pl ent y of t i me f or j obs about camp. I

have been pai nt i ng al l t he wagon wheel s l at el y,

Page 115 of 119

and t he buckboar d I pai nt ed al l over , as t he sun

pl ays t he di ckens wi t h t hem as soon as t he pai nt

wear s of f . I began wr i t i ng j ust now si t t i ng i n

a chai r l i ke a Chr i st i an, but I ' ve gr adual l y sub-

si ded on t o t he f l oor such i s t he heat . . . .

320 GONE TO TEXAS.

THE DOCTOR TO HI S GRANDMOTHER.

Jul y 22, 1883.

PART vi . . . . Whenever I sl eep on t he gr ound now I use Apr i l , 1882

t o

Chi co' s Spani sh r ug i nst ead of a bl anket . , as i t Jul y, 1883;

doesn' t pi ck up any di r t ; but , as i t i s st r i ped wi t h

al l col our s of t he r ai nbow, i t makes me l ook l i ke

a Mexi can. I bel i eve we shal l have anot her cal f

bef or e l ong, f r om one of our best mi l ch- cows.

We have had mor e cal ves t hi s year t han ever

bef or e, and mor e t han hal f of t hem ar e hei f er s,

whi ch of cour se ar e mor e val uabl e t han bul l s.

Sever al of t he cal ves, whose mot her s do not r un

near her e, ar e not yet mar ked, and I am goi ng

t o get t hem up as soon as possi bl e, and mar k

t hem, as i t i s not saf e t o r un st ock out her e wi t h

nei t her mar k nor br and. I suppose t hat bot h

t hose bar bar ous cust oms ar e pr et t y near l y ob-

sol et e i n Tennessee, wher e t her e ar e f ew cat t l e.

The onl y ani mal s her e t hat ar e l ef t unmar ked ar e

hor ses, as i t di sf i gur es t hem so ; but sever al peopl e

mar k t hei r mar es ( my mar e i s mar ked) i n t he l ess

set t l ed count i es. .

ENLARGED VI EWS AND PENS. 221

THE DOCTOR TO MADGE.

Jul y 29, 1883.

PART vi . . . . Ever yt hi ng i s doi ng wel l her e, and t he cr ops Apr i l , 1882,

ar e goi ng t o t ur n out pr et t y f ai r l y af t er al l ; but Jul y. 1883.

we ar e needi ng some mor e r ai n, as we have had

none si nce t he 4t h of t he mont h. Pol l y cr acked

a pi ece out of her hoof t he ot her day, so we

t ur ned her out of t he past ur e t o gi ve her a r est ;

but she has been so l ong i nsi de t he f ence now,

t hat she woul dn' t go away, and j ust hung r ound

t he gat e t i l l we l et her i n agai n. I r i de t he col t

now whenever I need a hor se, but he i s not f ast

enough, nor st r ong enough yet , t o hunt cat t l e

wi t h. I have j ust begun t o quar r y r ocks f or t he

back of t he new shed. We i nt end t o bui l d a

l ar ge sheep- shed down on t he cr eek, wher e t he

pr esent sheep camp i s, and shal l make t he back

out of r ocks ; but I am not qui t e sur e yet what

ki nd of r oof i t i s t o have. I t wi l l be a gr eat deal

handi er t o have a shed down t her e i n wi nt er ,

because l ast wi nt er , whenever t her e came a bi g

nor t her , we had t o t ake t he sheep up t o t he

house; and t hat i nt er f er ed wi t h t he cat t l e and

bucks and ever yt hi ng el se. I t i s odd t hat I shoul d

be wr i t i ng about wi nt er wi t h t he t her momet er at

Page 116 of 119

222 GONE TO TEXAS.

PART vi . heaven- knows- wher e i n t he shade ; but we al ways Apr i l , 1882,

t o

begi n pr epar i ng f or wi nt er now, so as not t o be J ul y. * 88

cr owded at t he l ast moment . Wi l l y has t ol d

me t hat I shal l pr obabl y be abl e t o go up t o

you f or a shor t whi l e i n Sept ember , but of cour se

not hi ng can be cer t ai n as yet . He and I had

a day' s br andi ng l ast week, near B . Ther e

ar e si x head of cat t l e out t her e of our s, t hat do

not come up t o our pen ; so we t ook t he r ope

and i r on down t o a pen near B , and br anded

t hem t her e. One of t hem was a l ar ge t wo- year -

ol d hei f er t hat was ver y wi l d, and made our

hands sor e by r ushi ng r ound t he pen af t er she

was r oped, and event ual l y j umped over t he si de;

but we got t he br and on at l ast i n spi t e of

t hat . .

APPENDI X.

WHEN t he Dr . was st ayi ng i n Tennessee l ast mont h, wi t h

hi s gr andmot her and Madge, I suggest ed t hat he shoul d

wr i t e me a l et t er summi ng up t he pr os and cons of r anche

l i f e i n Texas f or Engl i sh publ i c- school men ; and at t he

same t i me I wr ot e t o Wi l l y at t he r anche, aski ng hi m

i f he had anyt hi ng t o add t o t he sel ect i ons f r om hi s l et t er s,

whi ch I had by hi s l eave made. The f ol l owi ng wer e t he

r epl i es. W. H.

New Yor k, Nov. i , 1883.

FROM THE DOCTOR.

. . . . Tennessee,

Oct . 20, 1883.

Dear Fat her ,

Thanks f or your l et t er of t he 1 7t h ; but why can' t

you l et me al one on G. T. T. busi ness ? I am per f ect l y

wi l l i ng t o have al l such ext r act s as you t hi nk f i t t aken

f r om my l et t er s, but I don' t want t o st op i mmi gr at i on t o

Kendal l Count y, Texas, by st at i ng what I bel i eve t o be

t he chances of a young f el l ow ( wi t hout any capi t al ) who

set t l es t her e. You see, unski l l ed l abour i s ver y cheap;

and I know ver y l i t t l e about t he pr of i t s of t eami ng ( whi ch

r equi r es onl y a smal l capi t al ) , by whi ch most of t he young

men seem t o make a st ar t i n l i f e; and owi ng t o my

Page 117 of 119

224 GONE TO TEXAS.

ent i r e i gnor ance of al l money mat t er s connect ed wi t h our

own busi ness ( except pr i ce of sheep, wool , her di ng, &c. ) ,

I shoul d be a ver y bad aut hor i t y even on t he ver y subj ect

whi ch I ought t o know best . I am not qui t e cl ear as t o

whet her your quest i on r ef er s t o money - maki ng at al l ;

but i f not , what woul d you wi sh me t o wr i t e about cl i mat e,

soci et y, or what ? I don' t want t o be di sobl i gi ng, but I don' t

want t o wr i t e about t hat of whi ch I know but l i t t l e, or t o

send you a l et t er whi ch woul d be of no use. And I t hi nk

a f el l ow woul d have t o be ver y st eady and economi cal t o

save $100 a year out of hi s wages as her der or f ar m hand;

whi ch i s scar cel y an encour agi ng pr ospect . K , who

has wor ked pr et t y st eadi l y wi t h us f or si x mont hs at $15

a mont h and hi s gr ub, and been economi cal , had saved

about $35 when I l ef t . I f you want a cl i mat i c, &c. , l et t er ,

pl ease say so, and I shal l be onl y t oo happy t o wr i t e one.

You know, your quest i on was a l i t t l e i ndef i ni t e, " What

can you say about your par t of Texas as a count r y f or an

Engl i sh publ i c- school boy t o set t l e i n, assumi ng, &c. ?"

Ever your af f ect i onat e but puzzl ed son.

NOTE. I t seemed t o me t hat t hi s l et t er woul d answer my pur pose,

so I di d not t r oubl e my " puzzl ed son" f or anot her , especi al l y as he

was get t i ng onl y a mont h' s hol i day af t er f our year s' al most cont i nuous

wor k. Her e I may ment i on t hat many of t he l et t er s wer e i l l ust r at ed

by t hei r wr i t er s, and t hus made mor e i nt er est i ng and i nt el l i gi bl e t o

t hose t o whom t hey wer e addr essed : shoul d t hey f i nd a publ i sher ,

and a second and i l l ust r at ed edi t i on be cal l ed f or , I make no doubt

t hat Chi co woul d be abl e t o spar e t i me f r om hi s sheep t o wor k t he

or i gi nal sket ches, whet her hi s own or t hose of Wi l l y and t he Dr . ,

i nt o pr oper shape. W. H.

APPENDI X.

FROM WI LLY.

225

Boer ne. Kendal l Co. , Texas,

Nov. 1 2, 1883.

Dear Gov. ,

I have j ust r et ur ned f r om a t r i p t o Kendal i a wi t h

Mr . Vogel , who, as you know, i s t he f ounder of t he new

t own by t hat name whi ch i s gr owi ng up i n t he east er n

par t of t hi s count y; and as you ar e al ways i nt er est ed i n

mat t er s apper t ai ni ng t o Texas i n gener al , and t hi s count y

i n par t i cul ar , I wi l l gi ve you an account of what was t o

me an exceedi ngl y i nt er est i ng t r i p.

Kendal i a i s about 23 mi l es N. E. of Boer ne, on t he r oad

t o Aust i n. We cr ossed t he Guadal oupe about 15 mi l es

f r om her e, and t hen, af t er l eavi ng t he cedar br ake, had a

ver y pl easant dr i ve of some mi l es t hr ough a ver y pr et t y

pi ece of count r y, passi ng sever al f ar ms, and t hr ough as

Page 118 of 119

good a st ock r ange as can be f ound anywher e. One of

our most successf ul sheepmen has hi s r anche a f ew mi l es

east of Kendal i a; and hor ses, cat t l e, and goat s ar e al l

r ai sed i n t he nei ghbour hood.

We r eached Kendal i a about sundown, and so hadn' t

any t i me t hat eveni ng t o see much, as of cour se t he

hor ses had t o be at t ended t o, and we had t o l ook af t er

get t i ng supper i n Mr . Vogel ' s house, whi ch st ands a shor t

di st ance f r om t he r oad on a sl i ght el evat i on above t he

cot t on gi n and mi l l , and al most wi t hi n a st one' s t hr ow of

t he st or e and post - of f i ce.

I t speaks a gr eat deal f or t he i nt el l ect ual at t ai nment s

Q

226 GONE TO TEXAS.

of t he f ol ks i n t he nei ghbour hood t hat t hey have a de-

bat i ng soci et y i n f ul l bl ast , wi t h weekl y meet i ngs at t he

school house : t hey hel d a meet i ng t he ni ght we got t her e ;

t he subj ect , so we wer e t ol d, bei ng " The r el at i ve pr of i t s

on sheep and cat t l e r ai si ng ; " but my t hi r st f or t he f r ay

was so f ar quenched by t he dr i ve we had had, and t he

. pr ospect i ve wal ks and r et ur n dr i ve next day, t hat , act i ng

upon t he pr ecept t hat di scr et i on i s t he bet t er par t of

val our , I ver y i gnomi ni ousl y " t ur ned i n " t o bed. Next

day we hear d t hat t he cat t l e st umper s had r out ed us poor

sheepmen bag and baggage. Gr eat Scot t ! wher e wer e

t he sheepboys ?

Next mor ni ng, af t er a good ni ght ' s r est and a hear t y

br eakf ast , we sal l i ed f or t h t o " t ake i n " t he pl ace and

sur r oundi ngs, and, r unni ng t he gaunt l et of a host of

Kendal i ans and ot her s, we went down t o t he l ake, whi ch

i s a ver y beaut i f ul pi ece of wat er not f ar f r om t he t own.

Mr . Vogel has st ocked i t wi t h Ger man car p, and has

or der ed t wo r owi ng- boat s, whi ch he i nt ends t o pl ace at

t he di sposal of pl easur e- seeker s. The wat er i s i n many

pl aces over 14 f eet deep and beaut i f ul l y cl ear , and I had

t he f i r st good pl unge t hat I have had f or some year s ; as

her e i n Texas, wat er t hat i s deep enough t o pl unge i nt o,

except so f ar f r om t he edge as t o r ender i t i mpossi bl e

t o t ake a header of f t he bank, i s a scar ci t y.

Af t er r et ur ni ng t o t he t own, I amused mysel f exami ni ng

t he machi ner y i n t he mi l l ( whi ch consi st s of a ver y f i ne

engi ne, t he power of whi ch i s ut i l i sed i n r unni ng a cot t on

gi n and pr ess, gr i st mi l l and f l our i ng mi l l ) , and st r ol l i ng

APPENDI X. 227

out amongst t he t i mber , whi ch i s exceedi ngl y f i ne l i ve

oak, and post oak, and al l t he ot her smal l er var i et i es of

t r ees and shr ubs t hat gr ow i n t hese par t s, i ncl udi ng abund-

ance of wi l d gr ape- vi nes, wi l d cher r i es, and pl ums, &c. ;

and admi r i ng t he vi ew of t he di st ant mount ai ns, whi ch ar e

ver y f i ne, whi l st Mr . Vogel was bei ng besi eged by hi s mi l l er

and f ence- bui l der s and ot her men who had busi ness wi t h

hi m, and a cr owd of ot her s t he chi ef i nt ent of most of

whom seemed t o be t o become t he possessor s of t own

l ot s. These, he t el l s me, he i s at pr esent sel l i ng at f r om

$10 t o $20 accor di ng t o l ocat i on, i t bei ng a si gni f i cant

f act t hat most of t hose t ackl i ng hi m f or t own l ot s wer e ol d

Page 119 of 119

set t l er s i n t he nei ghbour hood, whi ch shews t hat t hose

who have t he best f aci l i t i es f or j udgi ng, have per f ect con-

f i dence i n t he f ut ur e success of t he t own.

Mr . Vogel wat ches t he gr owt h of t he t own wi t h an

i nt er est al most aki n t o ent husi asm, and not ( as do so

many of t he i naugur at or s of si mi l ar pr oj ect s) as a specu-

l at i ve vent ur e ; and he i s t her ef or e of cour se al ways r eady

t o assi st any i ndi vi dual ent er pr i se on t he par t of t he

set t l er s whi ch may t end t owar ds t he gener al advancement

and pr osper i t y of t he t own and communi t y. By t he way,

Mr . Vogel has so many det ai l s t o at t end t o i n connect i on

wi t h Kendal i a, and al so t he " Uni on Land Regi st er , " of

whi ch, I bel i eve you know, he i s edi t or , t hat he i nt ends t o

sel l t he cot t on gi n and mi l l whi ch he bui l t and has been

r unni ng hi msel f . So i f you know of any one comi ng t o

t hese par t s wi t h some capi t al , whom such an i nvest ment

woul d sui t , send hi m al ong t o Mr . Vogel at Boer ne.

GONE TO TEXAS.

I t hi nk i t a f i r st - r at e openi ng f or an ener get i c go- ahead

man, st andi ng as i t does i n t he cent r e of a ver y good

f ar mi ng di st r i ct , t he acr eage of whi ch i s bei ng annual l y

i ncr eased, and i n a young t own sur r ounded by a f i ne

st ock- r ai si ng count r y, whi ch, coupl ed wi t h t he f ar mi ng

i nt er est s, ensur es f or i t a st eady gr owt h and f ut ur e suc -

cess. Added t o t hi s I t hi nk i t has a gr eat f ut ur e as a

heal t h r esor t , l yi ng as i t does at an al t i t ude of 1400 f eet

above t he sea- l evel , and havi ng so many var i ed nat ur al

at t r act i ons. Mr . Vogel i nt ends as soon as pr act i cabl e t o

bui l d an hot el t her e f or pl easur e and heal t h seeker s.

Dur i ng my t r i p t o and f r om Kendal i a I came acr oss some

ver y f i ne speci mens of mesqui t e gr ass, one of whi ch

I had not not i ced bef or e, and whi ch I as usual t ook speci -

mens of , and have been busy pl ant i ng out i n t he past ur e

t o- day.

Al l t he st ock i s doi ng wel l , and a good r ai n l ast ni ght

pr omi ses t o hel p t he r ange i mmensel y.

1. . .

UNI VERSI TY OF TORONTO

LI BRARY