Charreada

By Marion

Disclaimers (other than the usual I didn't create the Cartwrights, except for Annie) I do not pretend to know a lot about Mexican culture, although what I do know makes me wish I knew more. I found the information on the events for la charreada on the Internet. The food ideas came from my favorite cookbook, Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. My apologies for any glaring errors…

Annie begged and begged that I allow her to go to town with Hoss. "I know I'm restricted Uncle Ben, but I need to get the ribbons for the charreada. Hoss won't know which ones to get. I'll just get the ribbons and do nothing else." She smiled at me so sweetly that I almost laughed at her. Didn't she realize I'd been married three times and I knew exactly what she was doing? Still, I didn't have the heart to say no.

"All right, but with these conditions. You look only at the ribbons and then you wait for Hoss on the store porch. You help him load the wagon, too." I was rewarded with a kiss and a hug, ample payment for my leniency.

I expected Joseph to give me trouble about letting Annie go to town, but he didn't. I said as much to him and he shrugged. "I reckoned I was the reason she got restricted in the first place."

I shook my head. Joe had certainly taken his punishment to heart. Maybe I would see some maturity come from this incident. C'mon, Cartwright, I thought to myself, this is your third son. You think you'd know by now that you've got at least four more years of mischief from this one. You're getting old."

Joe was inside helping Hop Sing and Adam and I were working on the new bunkhouse for the hands we planned to hire next year when Annie and Hoss came riding in with Roy Coffee. My paternal instincts prickled at the sight of the sheriff. If Annie got into trouble in town, she would regret it. I was shocked to see Hoss climb off the wagon with a black eye and a ripped shirt.

"Eric, what is going on here?" I strode across the yard in time to see Hoss wince at his given name. I was surprised to hear Annie answer.

"It's my fault, Uncle Ben, not Hoss's." She stepped back as I whirled on her. "Let me explain."

"I'd like the short explanation, please." If I heard "well, it's a long story" someone was going to lose some serious hide.

She nodded. "I had picked out the ribbon and I was waiting on the porch like you told me to when I saw Senor Vasquez trying to climb the steps." Almost eighty years old, Senor Vasquez was the oldest citizen of Eagle Station and it's unusual to see him without his sons or grandsons helping him. "He was having trouble with the stairs and he was all alone, so I knew you wouldn't mind if I helped him. He leaned on my shoulder and I helped him to the bench. We were talking a few minutes in Spanish when suddenly these two men I didn't know stood in front of me. They started saying terrible things about Senor Vasquez." Knowing Annie she would not bring herself to repeat the slurs, but I could guess what they were. She looked at her feet. "I guess I lost my temper and I jumped up and told them to leave him alone. Then they told me I ought not to love greasers and if I wanted to love a real man they'd be happy to oblige. Then one of the men put his arm around me. That's when Hoss came out and the fight started." She peeked up at me to see my reaction.

Hoss interrupted. "It was the Stephens brothers, Pa. I'm all right, though.

I looked from Hoss to Annie. "The man touched you?" She nodded. I was seeing red. No one was going to touch my niece without answering to me. "ADAM?" I shouted unnecessarily for he was standing at my right hand, listening.

"Saddle up our horses. You and I are going for a ride. Annie, you and Hop Sing take care of Hoss. Joseph, you continue with your chores."

Roy stepped forward. "Now, Ben, you don't want to start anything foolish."

I held up my hand. "I won't be the one starting anything, Roy. No one is going to touch that girl without hearing from me. I'm not going to start a fight; I'm just going to let those two know that I won't tolerate their behavior. You're welcome to ride along if you want."

The trip into town was one of the fastest I remember. I think Roy was trying to ride slow in hopes of giving me time to cool off, but Adam and I soon outdistanced him. He caught up shortly before we reached Shelby's saloon. The Stephens brothers have two distinctively ugly nags and they were both tied up outside the saloon. Adam and I tied up our horses next to theirs and headed inside, Roy hot on our heels.

If the Stephens brothers have first names, I have never heard them. They were usually found together as though joined at the hip. They were no-good loafers who lived off the income that their wives earned by taking in laundry. The two were leaning against the bar when Adam and I walked into the saloon.

"Stephens?"

The two men turned as one. "Why if it ain't Ben Cartwright," one of them drawled. "How's your boy?" The other one snickered.

"Stephens, I'm here to tell you if you ever touch my niece again, it won't be my seventeen year old son you'll be dealing with, it'll be me. You keep your hands off her and you stay away from her."

"You oughta teach that whelp to stay away from greasers, Cartwright. She'll end up whelpin' her own little greasers."

"Yeah, Cartwright, I thought you'd be happy she was gettin' attention from some white men. Less'n o' course you're keepin' her for yourself."

My resolve to only speak to the two of them vanished. I let loose with a right hook that laid one flat just as Adam punched the other one. Before I knew it, we'd started a huge brawl. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tom Johnson leap to help Adam, then I was too concerned with my own fight to see much of anything. We broke a few chairs and tables before Shelby let off with her revolver. The Stephens brothers took advantage of the pause in the action to make good their escape.

"Now, Ben," started Roy Coffee, "you told me you were just going to speak to the brothers. Miss Sterritt, do you want to press charges against Ben for starting this brawl?"

Charges? It was a long time since I'd been arrested for a bar brawl and I did not relish explaining this to my sons.

"Hell, no!" Shelby took a drag on her cigar. "I'd say it was worth the damage to see Ben fight. Dang, I wish we'd had time to place bets."

I assured her I would pay for the damages and I headed out the door, Adam right behind me. I looked him over. "Do I look as bad as you, son?" He nodded, but instantly looked as though he regretted the move. I saw Tom behind Adam. I held out my hand.

"Tom, I'd like to thank you for your help."

He just laughed. "Bet you thought you were too old for a barroom brawl, eh Ben? Not like the sailing days is it? Seriously, though, Ben, I've got womenfolk of my own. This is my home now and I want it to be safe for the women to come to town, and it won't be if we let vermin like that thrive." I thanked him again. "Ben, I been meanin' to talk to you about that big lad of yours, Hoss."

"What about Hoss?" If he had gotten into trouble…

"Well, Ben, I've got my blacksmith shop set up and I'm thinkin' this'll be a good place to do trade in the spring and summer next year with all the wagon trains headin' through. Kier and Tex are both two young to work the hammer, although after what happened a few days ago you can believe they're workin' hard. Anyway, I've got a proposition. I can't afford to pay your lad much, but I can teach him the blacksmithin' trade if he'll help me for a while. I reckon that's gotta be worth something to you if you're fixin' to have a lot of horses. Plus he'll get the use of my tools for doin' your own work."

That was a handsome proposition, if Hoss wanted to do it. Having Hoss do the blacksmithing work on the Ponderosa would be a big savings for us, and to have him trained properly would be a blessing. "I'd have to talk to Hoss, of course, and I wouldn't be able to free his time up until after the cattle drive. If Hoss wants to, I think it would be a generous offer, Tom. Thank you." I held out my hand and we shook. Then Adam and I mounted our horses and headed home.

Adam and I were about halfway home before either of us spoke. "Son, I'm sorry I dragged you into that fight. I didn't intend to fight, but I lost my temper."

Adam laughed. I'm not sure when he decided he was old enough to laugh at his father, but I think he's been doing it secretly for quite some time. "No, Pa, that's all right. I was proud to stand beside you. Family sticks together."

"You've got a sneaky way of fighting, Adam. I was surprised."

"Well, Pa, when your little brother outweighs you by 50 pounds, you learn to be sneaky."

I turned in the saddle to face him. "You mean, after all those times I punished the two of you, after all those lectures you heard, you boys still fight?" Now it was my turn to laugh. "Well, you two are better at hiding it than my brothers and I ever were. We never got into a scrape without your Grandfather Cartwright, and later, your Grandfather Stoddard, finding out."

Adam smiled, and then looked serious. "I think Mr. Johnson was right, Pa. This is our home and if we want it to be safe for women and children, if we want to have any vestige of civilization, we can't let men like the Stephens brothers get away with the things they said. I know you hate it when people take the law into their own hands, Pa, but we can't stand idly by until Annie or some other woman gets hurt."

I sighed. He was right, but I hate vigilante justice, even if, no especially if, I am the vigilante. "I'm going to talk to Roy and see what can be done."

We rode a little longer. "Adam?"

"Yes, Pa."

"Adam, Annie doesn't need to know what they said."

"She won't hear it from me, Pa." He was quiet for a minute. "Pa? Are there men like that? Men that would, well, do what he accused you of?"

Adam was so adult that sometimes I forget he hasn't seen a lot of the world. I nodded. "All too often, I'm afraid. It's a terrible sin."

We got home just before the sun set. Joe was the only one outside. "Golly, Pa, what happened to you?" He thrust his hands on his hip and shook his head. "You been fightin' in town? What have we said about that?" I gave him a playful shove and handed him the reins.

"Take care of the horses, Joe. I want to see how Hoss is doing."

"Annie's treatin' him like he's a knight in shining armor. She's already made him his favorite cookies and she talked Hop Sing into making his favorite supper."

Adam and I caused quite a stir when we entered the house. Hoss looked as though he couldn't believe we'd been fighting. Hop Sing just shook his head and fetched clean towels and a fresh basin of water. Annie came running over.

"Uncle Ben, what happened?" I assured her it was nothing, but she just looked at me. I could see she was trying not to cry.

"Annie, what's wrong?"

"This is all my fault. I'm the reason you and Hoss and Adam got into fights today."

"Annie, did you do anything wrong today?" She looked at me, surprised.

"No, sir."

"Then this isn't your fault. It's the fault of a couple of no-account men. I do not want to hear that it's your fault again, do you understand?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir." She took the basin and towel from Hop Sing. "Now hold still, Uncle Ben. We've got to clean you up. Hop Sing, do you have any more of that stuff Uncle Ben puts on our cuts and bruises? I think he's going to need a lot of it." I heard Hoss snicker and even Adam was smirking. When had I lost control over these children of mine?

I asked Hoss to join me on the porch after supper. He looked worried; he either had a guilty conscience about something or he thought I was going to light into him about fighting. Given the state in which I had come home, I was in no position to lecture him! Instead I told him about Mr. Johnson's offer. Hoss warmed to the idea right away, but I thought he would. Hoss was never one for book learning, school had always been a chore for him, but he reveled in learning to do things with his hands. I told him he could go to the Johnson's tomorrow to talk over the details. He was surprised that I didn't want to go, too, but then he puffed with pride when I told him I knew he could handle this on his own. Looking at his expression made me think back to the times when I was a young man and my father or Captain Stoddard had given me a task and how good it felt to know they could trust me to do the right thing. I had been dealing with Adam like that for several years, but I had been slower to treat Hoss that way. I resolved to give him more responsibility so he too would know how much I trust him.

When we went back into the house, Annie was sitting at the table rolling balls of dough between her hands. When she was done with the ball, it resembled a large, flat pancake. Hoss instantly gravitated to the food. "Hey, Annie, what's that?"

"I'm making tortillas for the charreada. The dough is made of masa. Tomas brought the masa to me today because I promised his sister Catalina that I would help with the food for the charreada. It's the day after tomorrow and there's a lot of work to be done."

That reminded me of a conversation that I had had with Tomas earlier in the day. "Annie, you know you have extra chores to do."

"I've been doing them, Uncle Ben." It didn't take much to rile her sense of righteousness.

"Yes, yes, I know. Tomorrow you will be doing your extra chores with Catalina. Tomas says she and Mercedes need help." The look on her face told me the extra chores weren't going to be much of a punishment. Adam just rolled his eyes at me. I get no respect from these children of mine.

"Hey, Annie." Hoss was watching her closely. "You do that real good. How do you know how to do it?"

"Concetta taught me when I was little. Angelina and I would be in charge of making the tortillas and believe me, we ate a lot of tortillas. Concetta told us how her mother taught her to make tortillas when she was a young girl. I think it's the first thing Mexican girls learn to make. Here, let me show you how to do it."

Before I knew it, Hoss and Joe were helping Annie. They weren't as good as Annie, but they were having a good time doing it. When they were done, Annie wrapped the finished tortillas in a few damp towels and then took out some vegetables she had roasting in the fireplace.

"What're they?"

"Chiles from the garden. No, Joe, don't touch them. They're hot."

"I know, I'm not stupid. You just took them from the fire."

"Not that kind of hot. They're spicy hot and if you get the juice on your hand, it'll sting. Then if you touch your eyes, your eye'll burn for a long time." Annie proceeded to use a sharp knife and fork to peel the peppers and remove the seeds.

"What are you going to use them for?"

"Probably salsa, that's a sauce, and for enchiladas and for whatever else Catalina and Mercedes decide to cook." She scraped the peppers into a bowl and covered the bowl with a damp towel. "Uncle Ben, I just need to put these in the ice house, all right?"

She came in a little while later and told Adam to try on her father's charreada suit. "I want to make sure I got the alterations right." Annie had turned into the boss lady of the house with this charreada. We were learning a lot more about Mexican culture than we had ever learned in all our years in Eagle Station. Adam dutifully put on the costume and Annie studied him until she decided he looked fine. "Make sure you polish your boots. Oh, and Tomas had a hat for you to wear. Hang on." Annie ran into her room and returned with the biggest hat any of us had ever seen. Adam took one look at it and backed away.

"Oh, no, there's no way I'm wearing that."

"Adam, you have to. You'll look silly with just your regular hat. This is the proper hat to wear." She turned her sweet look on him. "Please, for me? Papa wore one." He rolled his eyes and grabbed the hat.

"All right, but I'm not putting it on now." He turned and went back to his room.

I was up early the next morning. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual was that Joe was already awake and doing his chores. Hop Sing just shrugged when I looked at him in surprise.

"He asked me to wake him. I do not know why."

I went outside to see Joe raking out the stalls. At the rate he was going, he would have all his regular chores and his extra chores done by lunchtime. I hope he didn't think I was going to give him the afternoon off if he was done with chores. While I hated to reward his industriousness with even more chores, I would not forget that he was being punished.

"Good morning, Joseph."

"Hey, Pa, I didn't hear you come out. Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yes, son, it is. You're up early."

"Yes, sir. I wanted to get my chores done early."

I hated to do this, I really did, but I couldn't excuse him. "Joe," I said as gently as I could. But he had only stopped for a breath.

"I reckoned I could help Adam or Hoss this afternoon if I finished the extra chores early. That is, if it's all right with you, Pa."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're volunteering to do even more extra chores and you want to know if it's all right?"

Joe grinned sheepishly as he looked down and scuffed his toe in the dirt. "I really want to make it up to you, Pa. I want you to be proud of me."

I patted him on the back. "Joseph, you have borne your punishment without complaint. You have apologized for your misdeeds. Son, I am already proud of you."

He looked at me and nodded. "Thanks, Pa."

"You're welcome, Joe. Now wash up and come on in, Hop Sing has breakfast just about ready."

I entered the house to see my two oldest sons huddled around a sheet of paper. They were having an intense conversation and didn't look up when I came in.

"What are you two looking at?" They held out the paper and it was the picture of the bunkhouse that Adam had drawn, except that the bunkhouse was larger.

Adam pointed to the addition. "See, Pa, if we make the bunkhouse bigger, we can use this space for storage until we hire more hands. This way we'll be ready if we have to hire them quickly. They won't have to sleep out in the barn or in the meadow like Tomas and the others did before we built the small shed."

I studied the plan. It made a lot of sense to me; I was embarrassed that we'd had no place to house the hands before we hired them. The men didn't seem to mind, but it just didn't seem right to me. "Excellent idea, Adam."

Adam shook his head. "Not my idea, Pa. It was Hoss's."

Another surprise and it wasn't even breakfast yet! "Very good, Hoss. I'm impressed."

Hoss just looked embarrassed, which is normally how he looks when complimented. Marie tried for years to teach him to accept compliments gracefully but she was never successful. "Wasn't nothin', Pa."

"Are you contradicting me, Hoss?" His eyes went so wide I almost laughed. "I was teasing, son. I do think it was something. It shows good foresight and planning, which is important for a rancher." Hoss just looked more embarrassed, but I could see a little pride in his eye.

We all sat down to breakfast. Adam and I discussed the plans for the day. He seemed pleased at the thought of having Joe help him in the afternoon. He had to check fences and look for strays. That would be a good job for Joe, I thought. He's worked hard and it'll give him a chance to go riding for a while. I figured he would be up to riding by now. I reminded Hoss that he was to go see Tom Johnson today. I asked him if he would please take Annie to Catalina's on his way.

"I can ride on my own, Uncle Ben." Annie looked at me expectantly. I just gave her a glance to remind her of her restricted status right now. She nodded. "On second thought, I think I'd enjoy the ride with you, Hoss. Thank you for taking me." I had expected her to argue. I was thinking of asking the vaqueros to have more charreadas; apparently the fear of losing the chance to go was keeping my two youngest on the straight and narrow. I've enjoyed the last few days of peace and prompt obedience.

"You sure you don't want to come with me, Pa?" Hoss looked a little worried.

"Hoss, I have every confidence in you."

Hoss came back a few hours later. As he came into the house, he handed me a paper. "Mr. Johnson wanted you to sign this, Pa. It's a contract for my work. He thought it was a good idea, so's there'd be no confusion later on."

I thought it was a good business practice and I told Hoss so. I read it and was impressed. "The contract says you'll work 15 hours a week for Mr. Johnson, and that as long as you complete 400 hundred hours by the end of next summer, you will have the use of his equipment for the next two years. Did he suggest that?"

"No sir, that was my doin'. That way he knows he can count on me and I know can count on usin' the equipment. We both agreed on what's fair. I reckoned that was the point of the paper, right?"

"Exactly, Hoss." I went to my room and got my pen from the desk. "Hoss, I want you to sign this contract first."

"But, Pa, I'm not of age."

"But it's your contract and you have the right to sign. I'll sign it under you, but only because the law says I have to. As far as I'm concerned, if you are old enough to negotiate your own contracts, you're old enough to sign them. You did very well, son."

So he signed, and I signed under his name. He and I ate lunch alone and I spent the whole time listening to him discuss the blacksmith shop and the work he would be learning to do. Then he rode off to join his brothers and I have to admit, I sat on the porch for a while, feeling a little old. Wasn't it just yesterday that Hoss was tagging after Adam in New Orleans? Now I have two grown sons, another almost grown – well, half grown anyway, and a niece who was turning into a lady before my eyes. I shook myself from my lethargy and went to work. I may have grown children, but I'm not so old that I can't put in a day's work.

The morning of the charreada finally came. Annie and Joe spent hours brushing the horses, braiding their manes and adding ribbons. I was surprised to see Joe ago along with this; I would have thought it was too girlish for him. They wisely stayed away from Jove (for which I was glad – I would hate to have to forbid them to attend the charreada) Annie gave Adam strict instructions on how to prepare the horse.

After lunch we started to get ready. Adam and Annie went to change and Hoss and Hop Sing loaded the wagon with the food Annie had been making. I was surprised Annie trusted Hoss to not eat the food. Even Hop sing had to admit that it smelled wonderful. I just came from my room when I heard the bunkroom door open.

My oldest son stepped out, looking a little self-conscious in his new clothes. His trousers were tightly fitted over his boots. Annie had told us that normally a charro, which I think is another word for vaquero, but I'm not sure, would wear pointy leather shoes but that her father refused to wear them. Adam had looked relieved at that. The trousers themselves were decorated with two rows of silver buttons on the outside seam. Annie told us the long sleeve shirt that Adam was wearing was called a guayaberas and he wore a short jacket that matched the trousers. Adam also had on a wide leather belt that had places for his pistol and cartridges. Adam wouldn't wear the brightly colored sarape that Annie begged him to wear; finally she relented and told him it would be all right if he strapped it to Jove's saddle.

He held the wide-brimmed hat that Tomas had lent him and he looked resplendent in Ed's clothes. Annie had altered them a little so they fit him perfectly. I must admit to a lump in my throat. When had my little boy grown into such a handsome man? A pity there were so few senoritas his age to see him today. Adam blushed a little under my scrutiny. He pretended to pick at lint on his shoulder but then he whistled softly. I turned and was stunned.

Annie had borrowed a costume from Catalina. The dress itself was white with elaborate embroidery across the top. The top was closed with a drawstring that I prayed would stay tied. A bright ribbon sash hung around her waist and the ruffled skirt brushed her shoe tops. She had braided red and green ribbons into her hair and had tied the braids with bows. She was beautiful and I instantly resolved to keep a close watch on her all day. The dress showed the beginnings of what I was afraid to see – a womanly shape that would some day turn men's heads. Please, God, I prayed. Let today not be that day! I was not ready for the young woman who stepped from Annie's bedroom.

"How do I look, Uncle Ben?" Annie held out the skirt and twirled towards the table.

"You will be the most beautiful senorita there!" She blushed as I handed her shawl, no wait, she told me what it was called, her rebozo to her and we headed outside. Joe and Hoss had all the horses ready to go. Annie had borrowed a side-saddle from Margaret and needed help mounting.

"Are you sure you can ride like that?"

Annie smiled. "I've been practicing. I wouldn't want to ride like this all the time, but I couldn't wear this dress and sit astride now, could I?" No, she certainly could not!

And so the Cartwrights headed to the charreada. Adam and Hoss were in the lead, Joe right behind them and I rode next to Annie in case she needed help. Hop Sing followed in the wagon. I had to admit my children were a handsome group.

We reached the meadow where the charreada would take place and found it crowded with people, mostly Mexicans, but many whites who were curious about the event. We had just dismounted when Tex and Kier came running up to see Joseph.

"Hey, Joe, we weren't sure your Pa'd let you come." Tex frowned at his brother Kier and nudged him sharply. "Uh, hello, Mr. Cartwright."

I tried not to smile. "Boys."

"Pa?"

"Go ahead Joseph, try to stay out of mischief."

Tomas came up to us next. "Hoss, Adam, you will want to join the parade, si?" We had been well versed about the parade by Annie, so Hoss and Adam both nodded. He took off his hat and bowed to Annie. "Senorita Annie, you look lovely today." Annie just blushed, and I wondered if that was going to happen all day. "Annie, if you and Senor Hop Sing would like to bring the food over, I think Mercedes is waiting for you." He gestured towards the tables and then he led Hoss and Adam away.

I was alone, but I didn't stay that way for long. Senor Vasquez and his oldest grandson soon joined me.

"Buenos dias, Senor Vasquez." That was about the limit of my Spanish. A good thing the grandson was here, I thought, for the old man does not speak much English.

"Buenos dais, Senor Cartwright." He started speaking rapidly in Spanish and looked to his grandson. The young man bowed slightly.

"Senor Cartwright, my grandfather would like to express his apologies for the incident in town with Annie."

Ben shook his head. "Your grandfather has nothing to apologize for. I am sorry that he was subjected to such abuse." The young man translated and the old man shrugged.

"My grandfather says he is used to such words. He is only sorry that Annie heard them. He is very fond of her. Now if you will excuse us, Senor Cartwright, my grandfather must sit down. Enjoy the day, Senor."

I had almost made my way over to the tables of food when Tom Johnson stopped me. "Ben, I was surprised when your boy came over by himself yesterday, but he's a smart lad. He told you our arrangement?"

"He did, Tom, and I told him he did a good job. I don't think you'll be disappointed."

"No, I don't think I will be. I reckoned if you trusted him to deal with me on his own that he must be a dependable lad. Not many fathers would let their sons do that." He scanned the crowd. "Speaking of sons, I see our youngest are together again. Not afraid of mischief are you?"

I laughed. "I think Joe is still smarting from the last mischief. It ought to insure better behavior for a while. I'm glad to see you let your boys come today."

"Well, they had to ride on the back of a wagon, didn't much care for the saddle yet, but I reckoned they learned a lesson. I'm keepin' 'em pretty busy at home, I didn't think it'd hurt to give them a little fun. Mind, it was a good incentive during the week. Anytime they slowed down a bit, I mentioned the charreada and what a shame it would be if they didn't get to come."

"Yes, well I think Joe was so concerned about missing the event that he never once slowed down on his chores, and even did extra, extra chores. Who's that young lady with your wife?"

"That's my oldest, my daughter Aphrodite." How appropriate, I thought. She certainly was an attractive young lady. "She's real anxious to meet your son, Adam."

"I think we can arrange that."

Tom laughed. "Listen to us, a couple o' old ladies playin' matchmaker."

Annie joined me for the parade. I have never seen its like in all my travels. The men who were going to participate in the charreada rode their horses into the lienzo, which is the arena. Many of the horses kept time with the music provided by the musicians and many of the riders carried flags. I was proud to see Adam carrying the United States flag. One Mexican carried the Mexican flag while another carried a flag with a woman's picture. (Annie tells me the woman is the Virgin of Guadalupe. The Catholic Mexicans apparently believe that Mary made an appearance in Mexico shortly after the Spanish conquest.)

The next several events were for the vaqueros only. Tomas, who stood by me the whole time, explained most of the events. They were quite odd to my eyes, and definitely thing I would not want to try and some things I had best never catch my youngest son trying. My oldest sons have, I hope, more sense than that. The first event was called la cala de caballo, which Tomas told me means test of the horse. Each rider entered the ring with his horse running at a full gallop for a long distance. The horse was then brought to a complete stop, leaving a mark in the sand from his two back legs. The rider turned his horse both directions to show the judges how well his horse can back up. Tomas said the rider should be able to back his horse out of the ring in a straight line. Impressive! There are times enough when I have trouble getting my horse to walk forward in a straight line!

Manganas a pie was a rope event in which a charro stood in the middle of the ring performing his rope tricks while a wild mare ran around the ring. This time the rider attempted to snag the animal by his front. The skill of these men was overwhelming.

I could see Adam and Hoss eyeing each other during la terna, which means the trial. In la terna three charros worked as a team to snare a bull by its neck and hind legs and tie the legs. Each team was given 10 minutes to accomplish this task. If they think they could talk me into being their third next year, they are sadly mistaken.

Next came the coleadero. Each rider rode alongside the bull and saluted the judges as he passed. Then slapping the steer, he slid his hand along the animal's back until he got hold of the tail. Once he had hold of the tail, he wrapped it around his boot and then sped up his horse to a faster pace than that of the steer or bull so he could run the bull off balance.

The final and most dangerous exhibition event was the paso de la muerte, otherwise known as the pass of death. In the pass of the dead three riders drove a wild mare, having nothing to hold on to but the horse's mane.

Joe was mesmerized by the events. I could also tell by his look of concentration that he was trying to figure out how to do them. I decided a little parental dissuasion was in order. I leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"Pretty impressive, eh Little Joe?" He nodded vigorously, never once moving his eyes from the riders.

"Those men have practiced for years. I'm sure they were hurt many times before they got the tricks right." He nodded and I was pretty sure he was missing the point. Time to be more direct.

"Joseph, if I ever catch you doing any of those tricks, you will not be interested in sitting on a horse, or even a chair, for a very, very long time. Have I made myself clear?" He looked up at me and I could see his disappointment.

"Yes, sir, I understand." He sighed deeply.

Next came the events open to any man who wished to enter. Bronc riding was first and I was nervous for the whole event. Both Adam and Hoss had entered this event and while I know they are both good riders, I was worried about them getting hurt. It's a father's prerogative to worry. The boys usually worked each horse for a while before riding it for the first time. These horses were raw mounts, feeling a rider's weight for the first time.

Hoss was the first rider to go and he lasted for almost 30 agonizing seconds before being thrown. I had to will myself to stay where I was while Hoss lay sprawled for what seemed like hours. I could think of nothing more embarrassing for a seventeen-year-old boy than to have his father rushing to his side. Hoss got up quickly and he gave me a slight wave so I would know he was all right, then he limped out of the ring. Adam was second to last and stayed on for an interminable 50 seconds before being thrown. He, too, jumped up and waved slightly. I was proud of both my sons even though they placed second and fifth. After all, as I explained to them, they were among the youngest contests and they were competing against men with years of experience.

The next contest was the boys' fancy roping. I was surprised when Joe joined the group of boys under 17. I was even more surprised to see how good he was. He had to rope a calf while his back to it, and he did it faster than any other boy. After a few more tricks, he was pronounced the winner. I think I may have embarrassed the poor boy with the volume of his cheering, but his brothers were equally loud. Tomas whispered to me that he had been teaching Joseph in secret, in order that he might surprise me.

The Cartwright name was announced twice more during the competition. Hoss won the adult fancy roping contest. Adam to my great surprise won los piales, or casting of lasso, in which the rider had to lasso a horse without looking at it. The horse was herded from behind. The rider, on horseback, had three chances to lasso the hind legs of the rapidly moving horse. Tomas admitted that he had been working with Hoss and Adam both. After all, he said, it was for the honor of his patron's family. I laughed at the idea of being a patron. If I were a patron, I must be the poorest one in the entire world! And yet, I was rich in the ways that truly mattered.

Annie left my side as soon as the competitions were over. The feasting would soon start and she was helping the Mexican women. There are only seven or eight Mexican women in the area, all married with children. They have adopted Annie as one of them and she in turn has reveled in their friendship. I have been happy that she spends time with them, for I think they provide a connection to her past, as well as providing a strong female influence that she does not get at the Ponderosa. Margaret had surprised me a few weeks ago. She asked if I was not concerned about Annie spending too much time with the women. After all, they were Mexican. She seemed a little out of sorts when I asked her why the Mexicans were good enough to do her work but not good enough to socialize with. In fact, I noticed she was not here today and most of the men are her vaqueros.

I have never seen such a feast. It was a god thing that Annie was there to explain the food because we had never seen the like of it before. Hop Sing had tried to join the women, but they only giggled and forced him to eat with the men. I was glad to see that the Mexicans accepted Hop Sing as readily as they accepted the rest of my family.

Annie followed us down the line, explaining each food as we were served. First came tostadas y tostaditas, which were simply those tortillas deep-fried. She insisted we take some of the salsa to eat with those. Next came enchiladas, which she shyly told us were her creation. I took an extra serving. Then she gave us frijoles refritos, or refried beans, some kind of salad made from cactus, chiles anchos rellenos (stuffed chile peppers), something called a taco, some tamales, camote adobado, which she told me was sweet peppers, and more food than I could possibly list. At the end of the serving line, Tomas was carving the roasted pigs. I could not believe the amount of food. Obviously these women had been cooking for days! I realized as I was eating that while the charreada events were the men's turn to show off, the feast was the women's turn.

The feasting took a couple of leisurely hours. Hoss went through the line at least three times, although I suspect he went through a fourth time when I wasn't paying attention. Hop Sing muttered that if Annie could cook like this, he might as well go back to China. I assured him that Annie only helped prepare the feast, she did not cook it alone, and that we would be lost without him.

Adam spent the feast quite pleasantly talking with Aphrodite, or Ro as she preferred to be called. (What possessed that man to give his children Greek names was beyond me!) The Johnsons' joined us at our table, as they didn't know many people and Tom and I spent the evening swapping sailing stories and making sure our sons didn't misbehave. His wife was a lovely woman and invited us over to supper some evening – after, she said, we all recovered from the feast.

After everyone had eaten and rested a while, the music began and I received yet another surprise. I was looking away when the musicians struck up a lively tune and a girl started to sing. I saw Hoss look at the stage wide-eyed and when I turned, I saw that it was Annie singing! I could not believe my eyes. I thought she was quite good and so did the rest of the audience, judging by the hollers of encouragement when she was done. Tom told me the song was about a troublesome bull. The matador calls to his lady to throw her shawl so he may fight the bull with it. Then, when I thought I could not be surprised more, Adam walked out guitar in hand and the two of them sang a couple of duets. Tom, who apparently knows Spanish as well as Annie, told me the first song was about a little white dove with black eyes. It's a love song, he said. I resolved to learn Spanish.

I was so surprised to see Adam playing and singing. He would never play in front of anyone not in the family (and sometimes getting him to play in front of the family was hard) and here he was playing and singing in Spanish. I just stared at the two of them. They finished their songs to wild applause and then rejoined us at our table.

Annie looked at me, concerned. "You aren't angry with me, are you, Uncle Ben? I know I should have asked permission but I wanted it to be a surprise. I talked to Adam and he didn't think you'd mind. I told him what the songs meant and he thought it would be all right. Tomas wouldn't let me sing a couple of the songs because he did not think the words were right for a girl my age." She stopped to take a breath and I seized my chance.

"Annie, I'm not upset. You sang beautifully. I expect you to sing more at home now, though." She smiled and looked down at her feet while I congratulated Adam for his part.

It was getting quite dark and soon an area was cleared for dancing. I had the first dance with Annie, but as she was the only single girl over the age of eight who could speak Spanish, she was quite popular with the young single vaqueros. For some reason, none of the young Mexican men would approach Ro or the other non-Mexican girls. I tried to keep my eye on Annie, but it proved to be difficult. Finally I saw her with a group of young men clustered about her. She seemed to be having a good time, but if my eyes were not deceiving me, she was flirting with them and enjoying their attention. I could feel my hair turning gray.

"Relax, Senor Ben, my sister will keep her eye on Annie." Tomas spoke to me quietly in answer to my unvoiced thoughts. Sure enough I saw Catalina standing near Annie and I relaxed until I noticed that the tie to Annie's blouse must have loosened, whether by chance or by effort, I do not know. The sleeves had slipped and her shoulders were bare. I decided this was more than a poor uncle should have to tolerate in one evening.

I made my way over to Annie and standing behind her, I placed my hands on her shoulders, surreptitiously raising the sleeves to cover her shoulders while bending down to kiss her on the cheek. As I kissed her, I whispered, "I think it looks better like this."

She sighed. "Si, Tio Ben." Then she was back to flirting with the young men. I let her have her fun. She knew the limits of propriety and I had reminded the young men that I was watching, so I knew nothing improper would happen.

We enjoyed a night of dancing and music the likes I have not seen since we left New Orleans. How Marie would have enjoyed this party! I danced with several of the vaqueros' wives after getting their husbands' permission, of course. Finally the fiesta ended and I rounded up my family. Hop Sing and Annie loaded our dishes onto the wagon while I found Joe (he was under a table with Kier and Tex. I didn't know what they were up to but I figured if it was anything bad, I would have heard.) Joe and I went looking for Hoss; he was listening to Tom's stories about sailing with a wide-eyed enthusiasm. A part of me wanted to tell my son that Tom was making a lot of those stories up, but then I would have to admit to making up a few of my own. Hoss, Joe and I went looking for Adam. It took a while to find him; I finally spied him near the corral with Ro. They looked far too comfortable for my liking, and Adam looked a little flustered when I shouted to him. I figured tomorrow was soon enough to remind my eldest son how big Ro's father was.

Annie and Joe decided to ride in the wagon. I was glad of that, for I was afraid they would fall off their horses, they looked so tired. I looked at all my children, amazed again at how they've grown. I was glad for today's fun. Tomorrow was church, and then Monday would bring the beginning of the long preparations for winter.