The caravan with which we traveled consisted of 150 mules, donkeys and horses, and 100 Mexicans and Chileans. It included the entire population of an exhausted Mexican silver mine which was now emigrating to seek new fortune in the California gold mines. The caravan was made up of majordomos , foremen of the miners, carettieri and barreteros , miners, and peons and vaqueros, tired of ranch labor who were intended for gambucinos or buscaderos to seek gold. Each was healthy and strong, every inch a Mexican. According to the custom of Mexican caravans the calvacade was separated into three divisions. The first was that of the owner and majordomos, the fellow travelers, friends and strangers; the second, the cargaderos , who looked after the goods and their assistants the lazaderos , the centaurs of the caravan; and third, the arrieros and savannaros , who took care of the cattle. The horses were all Mexican, worthy progeny of that stallion which Bishop Leon brought from Andalusia to South America after he had driven the devil out of him. Two-thirds of the animals consisted, however, of mules and burros, the native donkeys, and contrasted with the beautiful horses somewhat as did the savannaros , trailing at the end, with the cheerful majordomos. The Mexican horse, with broad forehead and chest, short neck and body, twelve to fifteen hands high, with round thin legs, just as well-shaped hoofs, and much spirit and courage below the knees, possesses all the traits that give pleasure and honor to a caballero who understands caballos as well as he does cabal. The majority of Mexican horses are either all white or all black as ravens; medium colors are not popular. The Mexican likes only bright and extreme things and shows his preference in women as well as in horses. A twelve-year old horse is considered young by the Mexican. In its eighteenth year it still serves as a lasso horse which must rear and turn in full gallop, making the popular vuelta or pirouette, to rush with full speed and strength after the prey who will be captured in the noose of the skilful rider. The mule and the donkey also have their praiseworthy traits. The camel has been called the ship of the desert, the mule is the airship of the prairie and the mountains. It is indeed a pleasure to be rocked along on one of these hybrid creatures, especially since Mr. B. in Brazil made the pretty discovery that the mule is comparable to the female mulatto. A mule can carry sixteen, a donkey eight arobas ; these animals can be fed straw and wood if the feed supply is low and they are only thirsty when water is at hand. They are rarely lazy and will travel the most dangerous mountain path just as easily and unafraid as a somnambulist; that is why they are indispensable as the members of a Mexican caravan, accustomed as they are to great hardships and long fasts.
At daybreak after they have drunk their fill the animals of the Mexican caravan are led to the camp from the pasture where they were under the care of savannaros . All have risen and the madre , usually a young boy, has filled the botas , the leather flasks, with water at the brook and brought them for breakfast. He begins to prepare breakfast after a kind assistant has stirred up the fire for him. Soon the pote filled with poritos , the tasty Mexican beans, cooked tender the evening before, crackles on the fire. This cooking pot and the sarden , the frying pan, are the only cooking utensils in the caravan kitchen and are never cleaned. The madre kneads corn dough in the patea , the broad wooden platter, from which tortillas , the main food of the whole group, are fried. He weighs off about half a pound of this dough in his hand, shapes it round and with admirable skill makes thin cakes, about the size of a dinner plate, by rapidly slapping the dough from one palm to the other and stretching it across his knees. This dough manipulation makes quite a noise, especially if several helpers have come to the aid of the madre ; it reminds one of the early threshing of our countrymen and would wake anyone from a sound sleep who has the least appetite. When each cake is sufficiently broad and thin it is placed on the kormal , a piece of sheet-iron which has been heated on the fire, and is fried in one minute. Breakfast is over as soon as the last cake is baked; frijoles and tortillas are the only food of all and everyone feels strengthened for the departure after the frugal meal, and singing cheerful songs the animals are saddled and packed.
It takes much practice to put the complete Mexican saddle and harness on the horses or to tie the voluminous burden on the mules so that they can go up hill and down dale all day without shaking it off. The animal seems to suffer neither from the burden nor from the heat of the day, if everything has been arranged with the necessary knowledge and care, and he proceeds on his way as if he were bound for a large meal.
The sudaderas , the wool sweat blankets, are first placed on the backs of the bridled riding horses, then the shoulder cushions and heavy saddle are placed on this. Over these are hung the alforcas , the saddle bags, and all is covered with the leather nochilla and strapped on with two strong bellystraps. To protect the moccasined feet of the rider tapaderas are placed on the wooden stirrups which weigh from three to five pounds, and the cola de poso hangs around the hind quarters of the horse to chase away the banchuca , a poisonous fly parasite. An aparejo , weighing twenty pounds, serves as a foundation on the pack animals on which are laid the goods packed in bales covered with hide and bound on by the stout hide thongs.
Soon after daybreak the procession moves from the camp. The leader, madrina , an old mare wearing a bell and ridden by the madre , is followed by the other animals like a mother of numerous children is followed by her flock. The pack animals, among which ride the cargaderos and lazaderos , form the first part of the calvalcade. If a pack becomes disarranged the lasso falls immediately over the animal's neck and the capa de ojo over its eyes and in a few minutes the cargadero brings it, re-packed, into the column. The middle of the procession consists of people of the first division and somewhat at a distance those of the third division, make up the end of the procession. Every one of the servants carries a bota , filled with water, a lasso, and an equally indispensable machete. In all Spanish America the machete is the universal weapon, a most dangerous and serviceable tool in the hands of the people. The father gives it to his small son for a Christmas present and it remains his companion during his whole life, wherever he is called, in joy in sorrow in peace in war, it is his iron bride from which he parts only in death. It is most dangerous in the hand of the Mexican, who swings it over his opponent at the slightest annoyance and travel holds no fear or terror for him if he has it, carefully sharpened, with his lasso by his side.
The Mexican caravan, thus arranged and prepared, proceeds towards its distant destination. Loquacity, curiosity, jolly ideas and good humor are typical of the Mexican and there is much evidence of these characteristics on such a trip where they have leisure, so that one is rarely bored in such a procession. A coleo is held at times, to which the riders challenge each other. They ride off a short distance from the caravan and the jolliest, wildest confusion reigns while each strives to grasp the tail of the other's horse to dismount him. This affords opportunity to admire the horsemanship and cunning of the Mexican and there is many a one among them who could be placed side by side with a Ducrow or Bayard. The arrieros , who know no sweeter life than that of traveling in a caravan, furnish the most entertainment. One of them, a cheerful, jolly Chilean who was probably a sereno in his youth, sings a Tonadilla , a serenes folk song which he sang often while a nightwatchman; the other, a husky barretero , who formerly in the cajons, the mine corridors, swung a hundred blows on the barrena with his heavy sixteen-pound hammer, devotes himself now at ease to the smoking of cigarillos . The sun burns hot in his face but he pushes his sombrero farther down over his fiery eyes and mockingly blows thick clouds of smoke towards the sky. Two other stragglers are engaged in a violent quarrel; the many carajos and carrambas which can be heard and the annoyance they exhibit when they throw away their half-smoked cigarillos , gives rise to the thought that they have quarreled about something of grave importance. They are only trying to decide, however, which is the most beautiful country, Mexico or California, that is: which of these two countries has more feed and water to offer the animals.
At midday when the sun seemed to try to burn up the world a slumber spirit crept into the caravan, and there was quietness and an inclination exhibited for a siesta. Frequently a member of the caravan would ride along sound asleep, while his animal, itself half-asleep, would crawl along the edge of a precipice. " Mulas! mulas! carajo! todos flajo !" the arriero's wild cry, which urges haste, completely awakens new life in the group and as soon as the noon hour has past no more yawning is evident; quickly then the time lost in drowsing is recovered.