The Red Track: A Story of Social Life in Mexico

I had still an experiment to make with Negro – could he swim?

During the course of my travels, I have seen excellent horses, which could not swim at all; they lay down on their side as if to float with the current, so that their rider was obliged to swim himself and take them to bank, unless he preferred to leave them to their fate, which is a very serious difficulty when travelling. As a rather wide and very rapid stream ran not far from us, I rode my horse right into it; he at once took the current obliquely, with head well raised above the surface, and dilated nostrils, though without making that painful snort peculiar to horses under such circumstances; for, on the contrary, he breathed regularly and without fatigue. He went up and down the stream, and when I at last guided him to land, he stopped of his own accord and shook the water off.

Convinced, after all these experiments, that I could without risk undertake the campaign with such a steed, I started back for Guaymas at a gallop. On the road I brought down a duck, which Negro went up to as if trained for shooting, and which I picked up without dismounting.

I immediately gave the two ounces to the Hiaquis, and leaving my friends to continue their jokes about my acquisition, I rubbed Negro down with the greatest care.

On the same day the expedition left Guaymas for Hermosillo, and in spite of his savage ways and rather seedy appearance, the qualities of my mustang were soon appreciated, as they deserved to be, by my companions, whose domestic horses were far from coming up to him.

I went through the whole campaign mounted on Negro, allowing him no other food beyond the prairie grass, green alfalfa, and climbing peas, or a few hen's eggs, when I could procure them, or a gourd; still, every morning, two hours before mounting, I was careful to rub him down and press his back with my hand, to assure myself that he was not grazed by the saddle, after which I threw over him a zarapé folded double. At night, before going to sleep, I washed him, threw a bucket of cold water over his back, looked at his feet and cleaned them out with the utmost caution.

At the end of the first week, Negro had grown so attached to me that he recognized my voice and obeyed me with extreme docility; to make him gallop I only required to bend slightly forward.

When the campaign was ended, instead of embarking at Guaymas for California, after the fashion of my comrades, I started for Apacheria, where I spent several months. After that I proceeded to Veracruz, crossing Mexico in its widest part. I thus rode my horse, without allowing him a single day's rest, about nine hundred and fifty leagues calculated at nearly forty-five miles a day, and my mustang was as fresh and healthy on his arrival as when he started.

No European horse would be capable of accomplishing such a feat, which I assert, without fear of contradiction, is only child's play for a mustang of the prairies. Negro is in no way put forward here as a type of his breed, and had no striking quality to recommend him; he was certainly a good horse, but all his companions in the prairies resemble him, and are quite as good as he.

At my last halt, before reaching Veracruz, where I intended to embark for France, I found a Mexican officer, either colonel or general, I forget which, but his name was Don Pedro Aguirre, stopping at the same mesón, and we left it together in the morning en route for Veracruz.

Señor Don Pedro Aguirre was mounted on a magnificent steed, which, he told me, and it was very probable, had cost him four hundred piastres – according to the Mexican fashion his asistente led a second horse by the bridle.

I complimented the colonel on his splendid horse, to which compliment he replied, rather cavalierly, while taking a contemptuous glance at Negro, that he wished I had a similar one, so that he might have enjoyed my society during the ride to Veracruz.

I made no retort, although somewhat vexed at this answer, and confined myself to asking him at what hour he expected to reach the port?

"Sufficiently long before you, señor," he said with a smile, "to have leisure to order supper at the hotel, on condition that you will consent to join me at it."

I bowed my thanks, while laughing in my sleeve at the bombastic confidence of the Mexican officer, and the trick I was going to play him. After a parting bow, Don Pedro made his horse curvet, dug in his spurs, and started. But, alas! it was lost trouble; I arrived five quarters of an hour before him at Veracruz; I ordered dinner; I put my steed in the corral, and stationed myself in the doorway of the hotel, where, when the colonel arrived, quite downcast by his defeat, I told him, with a cunning look, that I was only waiting for him to dine.

Still, I am bound to say, in praise of the colonel, that he took the joke very kindly, and when his first impulse of ill-humour had passed off, frankly complimented me on the excellence of my horse.

A few days later, overcome by the entreaties of Don Pedro, I consented, not without regret, to part with poor Negro, and let the colonel have him, for the comparatively enormous sum of seven hundred and fifty piastres; but, alas! I was going to embark for France the next week, and my horse had become useless for me.

I am convinced that the introduction of this breed of the Western Prairies into our stud stables would serve greatly to improve our horses, and that the majority of them would become first-rate racers.

1

In order to protect themselves from the misfortunes which had before crushed them, the Mexicans placed themselves under the safeguard of the King of Azcapotzalco, on whose lands they had established themselves. This prince gave them two of his sons as governors, of whom the first was Acamapuhtli, chief of the Tenochcas. On their arrival in Ahanuec, these Indians had found on the summit of a rock a nopal, in which was an eagle devouring a serpent, and they took their name from it. Acamapuhtli selected this emblem as the totem of the race he was called upon to govern. During the War of Independence, the insurgents adopted this hieroglyphic as the arms of the Mexican Republic, in memory of the ancient and glorious origin of which it reminded them.

2

See the "Indian Chief." Same publishers.

3

This second volcano, whose name indicates "The Smoking Mountain," is near the former.

4

See "Tiger Slayer." Same publishers.

5

See "Goldseekers." Same publishers.

6

Although this animal is really the bison, it is so commonly called buffalo that I have adhered to that term.