RANCH LIFE. 233 



was "adobe," a stiff, brown clay, hard to start the plow in, and 

 when entered difficult to keep there from the roots of a weed 

 called the soap plant. The ranch was quite hilly and incon- 

 venient to work, except where the hills arose like hemispheres, 

 when w^e began at the bottom and plowed round and round. 

 We worked the horses three abreast but, except in mellow soil, 

 made poor headway. As the horses were mainly unbroken 

 we were in continual turmoil by their kicking, refusing to 

 pull and getting tangled in the harness. The " Patron," or 

 Boss, was constantly on hand, swearing, beating the horses, 

 bearing his heavy weight, for he was six feet high and broad 

 of build, on the plow beam and screaming, " Mucho terrano ! 

 Mucho terrano/" which meant more ground, in order to make 

 us take a broader furrow and a deeper. At times the team 

 would be completely exhausted, or may be inextricably tangled 

 up, and then the old gentleman would stand angry and over- 

 flowing with fearful and unintelligible oaths, gesticulating 

 wildly and with stout staff pounding the poor "caballos." He 

 swore Spanish, Italian and broken English. At such times 

 we cut a comical figure : the struggling horse, the irate master 

 and awe-stricken hired-man. After the teams were reduced to 

 one, a teamless teamster was kept riding the plow-beam, so that 

 the last trio was used up. The whole cavalcade, except Tom 

 and a riding horse, was now turned out to graze and recruit, 

 and our master turned his attention to oxen as plow pro- 

 pellers. First he bought a medium-sized pair of cattle, but 

 under the original dispensation they soon went the way of 

 their equine brethren. Then a new pair were bought, and a 

 fine, big yoke they were. And now, with two span of oxen to 

 a wheel-plow, we might be seen gaily cruising over the prairie. 

 We were all in raptures, particularly the horses, who eyed us 

 from afar on their pasturage, and while we were not interfered 

 with we got along finely. But soon the Patron's evil genius 

 set him to interfering, and the greedy man again screamed 



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