Page:Dawn and the Dons.pdf/129

DAWN AND THE DONS 107 THE ROMANCE

These ranches were of empire extent. Their boundaries were reckoned in leagues. Land was plentiful and the population small. And these ranchers lived like feudal barons. Chapman says, “On his ranch, the owner was like a little king, with many Indian dependents.

The sole economic basis of the ranch was stock;

of agriculture there was none. . . . His home and everything in it were at the disposal of his guests. It was even the custom to leave money in the guest chamber, which

the visitor was expected to take if he needed it, thus

delicately obviating the necessity of a verbal request for help. When the guest left, he could count on receiving a horse to carry him along his way.” The magnitude of ranch operations in that day may be inferred from the fact that the average thrifty rancher kept from one thousand to two thou- «<= sand head of horses, and from ten

thousand to fifteen thousand head of fF “a _ NYny,

SWEET

EYE

AY

cattle as his productive stock, upon |: wl Agi Sa Nl y))9) yyiyp ; nee = Ke A iN ee which he would not encroach me

in an emergency. Cattle were raised exclusively for their hides and tal: low, which were sold for export and

{/pay taken by the trading vessels that came at intervals to Monterey, and |¥

OLD A) SPANISH

less often to other ports. The rest of @ (aM)* ' the carcass was discarded as of no

value.

<SADDLE with.

HOUSING.