190 A CALIFORNIA TRAMP. 



held in the evenings and sometimes by day for a month dur- 

 ing vacations. The repetition of the geographical names, 

 with the peculiarity of the rising and falling inflections, were 

 entered into with zeal, and mucli knowledge of the earth with 

 the appendages thereof was obtained. If there was ever music 

 in " singing geography," it was wlien chanting objects with 

 Spanish names. So as I walked along I mentally sung " San 

 Bernardino Mountain," " Sierra Nevada Mountains," " Upper 

 California," "Monterey," etc., repeating each with the peculiar 

 cliange of voice which had been taught me in my school days, 

 until somctliing else drove the subject from my mind. 



The country improved as I advanced, and occasional bands 

 of cattle and horses I met showed improved pasturage. Eight 

 miles from my starting place and thirty from St. Bernardino 

 I came to another ranch — the half-way place between Los 

 Angeles and the last town. Here I got something to eat, and 

 stopped long enough to take some mental notes of the place. 

 The houses were of one story and surrounded a courtyard, 

 which was filled with a motley assemblage of people of all 

 sizes, ages and colors. These were the retainers of the pro- 

 prietor of the ranch, as the rich Dons who lived in this valley 

 had a goodly number of vassals under them. These hangers- 

 on were little better than slaves, but they led an easy life 

 and were contented. Herding cattle and cultivating a little 

 ground to raise the grain and vegetables required, was all they 

 did. The former was done on horseback and was more in the 

 nature of sport than otherwise. One side of the courtyard was 

 strewn with saddles, bridles and lassoes and the rest of the 

 articles a Mexican horseman needs. Large dogs of villainous 

 appearance stalked amid their biped comrades, and paid me 

 such attention that I was fain to leave. 



Wealthy Mexicans living on large grants deeded to them by 

 their government were then common in Southern California, 

 and they resisted the invasion of tlieir Yankee neighbors upon 



