File:Commerce of the prairies - or, The journal of a Santa Fé trader, during eight expeditions across the great western prairies, and a residence of nearly nine years in northern Mexico (1849) (14785439473).jpg

Identifier: commerceofpra01greg (find matches)
Title: Commerce of the prairies : or, The journal of a Santa Fé trader, during eight expeditions across the great western prairies, and a residence of nearly nine years in northern Mexico
Year: 1849 (1840s)
Authors: Gregg, Josiah, 1806-1850
Subjects: Indians of North America -- West (U.S.) Southwest, New New Mexico Mexico -- Description and travel Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Moore
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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a package, which, on a dead hft, he couldhardly have raised from the ground, and mak-ing a fulcrum of his knees and a lever of hisarms and body, throw it upon the mulesback with as much apparent ease as if theeffort cost him but httle exertion. At stop-ping-places the task of unpacking is exe-cuted with still greater expedition. The pack-ages are piled in a row upon the ground, andin case of rain the aparejos are laid upon them,over which is stretched a covering of mantasde guangoche (sheets of sea-grass texture),which protects the goods against the severeststorms; a ditch also being cut around the pile,to prevent the water from running under-neath. In this way freights are carried frompoint to point, and over the most rugged moun-tain passes at a much cheaper rate than for-eigners can transport their merchandise inwagons, even through a level country. Thecheapness of this mode of transportationarises from the very low wages paid to thearrieros, and the little expense incurred to feed
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THEIR SYSTEM. 183 both them and the mules. The salary of themuleteer ranges from two to five dollars permonth; and as their food seldom consists ofanything else except corn and frijoles, it canbe procured at very httle cost. When the arri-eros get any meat at all, it is generally at theirown expense. An atajo is conducted in a very systematicmanner, each arriero having his appropriatesphere of action allotted to him. They havealso their regulations and technicahties, Avhich,if not as numerous, are about as unintelligi-ble to the uninitiated as sailors terms. Oneperson, called the savanero, has the charge ofthe mules at night, which are all turned loosewithout tether or hopple, with the onulera orbell-mare, to prevent them from strayingabroad. Although the attachment of themules to the inidera appears very great, itseems to be about as much for the bell as forthe animal. What the queen-bee is to ahive, so is the mulera to an atajo. No matterwhat may be the temper of a mule, it canseldo

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