Show va rank H S E R V I 1 C E CHAPTER VIC VI continued the estrada rancho a royal grant embraced a tract eleven leagues by eleven leagues the two story ranch house crowded the brow of a gentle rise in the fertile santa clara valley and looked toward the distant heights of santa hasbel to the arch of the ranch house a group of buildings sheltered the indian servants and the vaqueros ros don francisco did not escape a wetting it was raining hard when ho he rode with his three tex ans up to the ranch house and first of all despite the downpour looked up quarters for his guests Par daloe and simmie he lodged with the vaqueros ros bowie he took with him to his own room in the ranch house you must have dry col thing he insisted despite the texans protests you are my guest I 1 am now what you call the boss you must let me be your servant my clothes are not big enough but my uncle he is a big one like you wait an indian boy was dispatched with a message to don ramon he was soon back bringing a boat coat two shirts trousers stockings ana and boots for bowie in vain the texan protested don francisco had a persuasive way he laughed away one objection after another with so much goodnature good nature that bowie found himself clad in californian ac counter ments of the head of the house walking into the big living room where he met the estradas don francisco introduced his new acquaintance to his uncle unc leand and to his aunt dona maria I 1 but the uncle don ramon and I 1 the dona his wife called for particular I 1 attention at the hands of their guest except for the youthful nep nephew liew doti don ramon estrada was the first real spanish gentleman that the texan had met while there was nothing of haughtiness in don ramon there was something that called dorcon for consideration and respect his mere presence made itself felt presenting as it did a certain graciousness of manner tempered by dignity and reserve that put his guest at ease with a mute assurance of welcome when bowie had met his host and hostess he felt already at ease so exquisite was the kindly welcome expressed in the their ir manner but not until he was present presented edby by don francisco with due formality to a young lady who now entered the room was the gaunt texan conscious of a feeling of his own awkwardness and ill fitting apparel she was senorita carmen of the rancho cousin to don francisco the young spaniard did the interpreting and much of the talking host and hostess extended repeated spanish greetings to bowie which don francisco translated the fie young lady was wholly silent save that when spoken to by her cousin she responded clearly and composedly dinner was announced dona maria was seated at her husbands right hand and bowie was given the place of honor on his left next to him sat don francisco senorita carmen As she sat opposite the texan she made good use of her eyes yet so skillfully skill lully that chat he was never aware of her inspection don ramon as the beef mutton and fowl in bewildering abundance were served in formal turn asked many questions of his stranger guest questions about texas about the differences of the americans with the mexican government then as to what brought abrought bowie to california this drew oni only y vague generalizations from the texan the doti don switched next to what lay immediately ahead what bowie had in mind to do As to that senor responded bowie frankly 1 I hardly have any plans I 1 find myself here on the coast with my scout companions soon we are going up the river to butlers Sut lers fort our principal occupation in the interval must be to find something to eat don ramon laughed truly important so we are heading upcountry after game to sell in monterey there is a good demand I 1 am told from the ships for venison and elk but with the thousands of head of cattle everywhere available to furnish a beef supply objected the don bowie smiled as this was translated that beef of the range cattle is no competition for the meat of the deer and the elk certainly not with the officers nor even with the hungry sailors and what is your equipment f for or the undertaking our rilles senor the amiable don was astonished nothing seems to appal lyou your undertaking would of a certainty give me pause and you need nothing bowie smiled one thing w we do need do don n ramon lifted his eyebrows as if pleased at last he had found a weak spot pot in the texans armor what is is it he exclaimed salt returned bowie simply then allow me to be your abc tor Y you ou shall leave here with salt for yourselves and for your game but self reliant as you are senor I 1 can lighten your labors a good bit if you will allow me a further pleasure you are most kind don ramon I 1 realize that we are arc strangers and your advice might save us much the don shook his head not advice I 1 doubt if you need it but what I 1 know you do need is plenty of horseflesh it will save you much time and some hardship if you will accept a caponera can onera from us and leave here in the saddle with your salt he added smiling significantly in your mochilas bowie sat perplexed caponera he looked inquiringly at don francisco horses explained francisco my uncle means twenty horses or twenty five bowie despite his poise regarded don ramon incredulously much talk and much translating followed but it was for bowie at last to say as he was best able that he and his scouts were grateful but could not think of so great a draft on this magnificent hospitality in the living room while the rain rain poured furiously outside don ramon smoked tranquilly and listened to bowie and his nephew the ladies talked about the wedding in monterey in the morning it was still raining hard the rancho seemed afloat the texan had no choice but to accept don ramons hospitality and the day went in stories told before the big log fire stories of texans and the country of the staked plain the story of santa ana and the alamo which was told without any effort to water down the cruel butchery by the mexicans and interspersed were stories of this new california to which the plainsman listen listened edwith with hungry interest don francisco had already taken a fancy to bowie that evening he questioned the texan with a purpose bowie quite alert to all that went on noticed the glances that francisco cast at times toward carmen who was in animated talk with dona maria even the texans attention wandered at the two women as they chatted both were beautiful of a type the roughhewn texan had never yet seen they were beautiful in artless animation the bronzed son of the desert was almost stunned by the atmosphere of charm the dona at forty had lost none of her youth the years had tempered without engrossing the portrait of her maidenhood the vivacity of youth was still hers ners enriched now by the dignity of matronly charm yet bowies eyes were drawn to her daughter carmen just old enough to realize the presence of a stranger and protecting her attractiveness by the slight repression of girlhood bowie listened indeed to the words of don ramon but he heard the cadences of another voice a voice of sweet throated music strange to the ear but bewildering in utterance for the first time in his life the texan realizing it began colove to love tbt strange tongue in which californians forn ians spoke and to listen for every syllable that might fall from the lips of the young soan ish eirl airl the clinging black of her gown did not hide the tender 0 dap ap f 1 hr br b r shoulders it contrasted with the ivory of her slender arl hap this from a perfectly poised head fell soft masses of brown hair they framed the features of one just at the thres i hold of full bloomed adolescence lips filling with promise of a richer maiden maidenhood hoo d eyes that retired under long dark lashes and opened with a searching light you want to start tomorrow don francisco was asking bowie nodded but I 1 have an idea suggested francisco my uncle is having matanza this week he is slaughtering surplus cattle for the tallow captain davis with whom my uncle trades is in port at monterey from china he will want much tallow for south america and boston it will be a big matanza you should see one much attention much excitement much work stay over a day or two the streams will then be fordable and you and your scouts in th the meantime will be well entertained plenty of bearil bears echoed bowie francisco nodded dozens they come down from the mountains at night after matanza offal plenty of chance for a bear fight if you like one the texan showed interest asked more questions and said he would talk to his scouts the next morning bowie and his host rode out to where the matanza was in progress par daloe dafoe and simmie aimmie were already on the scene watching every move of the vaqueros ros as one rode quietly into the corral lassoed a steer by the horns and brought him outside when the rider had the beast where he was wanted a second vaquero roped the steers hind legs threw him and with two ropes taut tied his feet in a bunch and with a knife gave him the golpe de gracia what interested the texan seasoned as to cattle and horses was the skill and speed with which the th vaqueros ros worked and the almost human intelligence of their horses the perfection of the their r response to every hint of their rider in snaring and handling a steer it was particularly this skill of the horses that made the work proceed rapidly without mishap or hitch for two days the work went forward speedily the matanza ground was a scene of the greatest activity to the texan the spectacle of such abundance such profusion of waste and such indifference to everything ery thing but the work in hand was a source of amazement A hearty lunch served to the family at noon was followed by a heartier dinner for the evening with the difference that native wine accompanied compa nied the dinner this was the family gathering of the day at which the hostess and her daughter were formally dressed after the family had settled about the fire in the living room and the conversation had shown signs of lagging don ramon made a request of carmen carmen took her place at the family harp ran her fingers over the strings and sang a spanish song the conversation and the words of the song were lost on bowie but not the clear true notes of the girls voice don francisco explained that tha the song was the appeal of a lover to the stars to bear witness of i his devotion to his mistress carmen sang again a I 1 rench chan aon on it was very slight but it echoed in bowies ears most of the night it bothered bowie bobic that in these household meetings he could never manage to catch the eye of carmen armen he was vas discreet enough not to attempt to coax her glance liis its way and old enough to be ashamed of himself for his curiosity but curiosity persisted toward the end of his stay a natural resentment at the aloofness cofone of one who had for a week enlisted his lively interest impelled him to practice such retaliatory measure as he could the least satisfactory feature of his attempt to ignore her was that this made no apparent difference whatever to carmen it she were aware there was no evidence of it for her he seemed not to exist don francisco on the other hand grew increasingly attached to bowie everything about the texan interested the youth especially ally was he fascinated by the plains mans novel revolver indeed the whole male population of rancho guadalupe in 1 a pistol that would shoot shoo t six bullets without re charging the I 1 e matanza always brought rou down an army of bears from the hills and don francisco seeking excuse to prolong the stay odthe of the bear fights as they had ch for black bears cinnamon bears and occasionally the famed monarch arc h of the sierras the grizzly the highly respected oso pardo as don francisco called him this prospect of adventure interested the two scouts they added their appeal to that of don francisco and bowie not loath to linger near the flame of the distant candle he had lighted for himself consented conti continued aued next week A 22 foot four section tractor harrow now on the market is so built that it will go through a farm gate 11 feet wide the two outside sections are merely folded in on top of the two center sections |