A Peccary Hunt on the Nueces. 353 



before, which had blackened the budding mesquite trees, 

 and their twigs still showed no signs of sprouting. Occa- 

 sionally we came across open spaces where there was 

 nothing but short brown grass. In most places, however ,. 

 the leafless, sprawling mesquites were scattered rather 

 thinly over the ground, cutting off an extensive view and 

 merely adding to the melancholy barrenness of the land- 

 scape. The road was nothing but a couple of dusty 

 wheel-tracks ; the ground was parched, and the grass 

 cropped close by the gaunt, starved cattle. As we drove 

 along buzzards and great hawks occasionally soared over- 

 head. Now and then we passed lines of wild-looking, 

 long-horned steers, and once we came on the grazing 

 horses of a cow-outfit, just preparing to start northward 

 over the trail to the fattening pastures. Occasionally we 

 encountered one or two cowpunchers : either Texans, 

 habited exactly like their brethren in the North, with 

 broad-brimmed gray hats, blue shirts, silk neckerchiefs, 

 and leather leggings ; or else Mexicans, more gaudily 

 dressed, and wearing peculiarly stiff, very broad-brimmed 

 hats, with conical tops. 



Toward the end of our ride we got where the ground 

 was more fertile, and there had recently been a sprinkling 

 of rain. Here we came across wonderful flower prairies. 

 In one spot I kept catching glimpses through the mesquite 

 trees of lilac stretches which I had first thought must be 

 ponds of water. On coming nearer they proved to be 

 acres on acres thickly covered with beautiful lilac-colored 

 flowers. Farther on we came to where broad bands of 

 red flowers covered the ground for many furlongs ; then 



