THE DESERT AND THE ROSE 151 



puts money in their pockets, but the buggy outfit 

 would, in most instances, disgrace any community. 

 It is claimed that a Mexican cannot be taught to 

 care for a horse; I can disprove that assertion. 

 Mexicans whom I instructed in this line during my 

 ranching days take to this hour a proper pride in 

 their teams, and Ricardo in particular has brought 

 his horses to me that I should admire them. I 

 have had work teams in former times offered me for 

 their keep — fine animals but in wretched condition, 

 sore shouldered, ill nourished, and at the end of the 

 allotted month have returned them almost unrecog- 

 nizable by their owners — gay, sufficiently fat, living 

 refutations of the doctrine that work in itself is bad 

 for man or beast. Accused of not having worked 

 the team, I had only to point to acres of freshly 

 plowed land. The introduction several years later 

 of fine stallions into the Valley did much, but much 

 more remains to be done, even though the settle- 

 ment in the Valley of Eastern farmers has also 

 helped. 



Probably no animal rewards a little intelligent 

 care so much as the horse — not pampering, for that 

 is unintelligent. But how satisfactory to know that 

 you or your peon can lead out of the pasture, with- 

 out waste of time in chasing, the horse you stand 

 in need of. How pleasant to hear at early morn 

 the horses heralding the arrival of their caretaker 

 with joyful sounds, or if at large thundering to 

 greet him and rub their heads against his arm ; and 

 this not because they are hungry or thirsty but be- 

 cause affection prompts this haste. With what 



