DAWN AND THE DONS 104
from other lands, while the horseman was the medium for the dissemination of local news and gossip. And yet these far away people were not lonesome. Socially in-
clined, fond of music and dancing, keenly enjoying outdoor sports, caring little for wealth and less for time,
they gave themselves over in goodly measure to the pleasurable things of life. Nor was all their time devoted to play. The daylight hours, save for the noon-time siesta, were actively and energetically employed. They knew not idleness. They worked and played with equal and unflagging energy. And from the viewpoint of history, they did a great and important work. They conquered a vast empire, and held it against the covetous longings of powerful nations. They preserved law and order throughout their vast domain, within whose boundaries
theft was rare,
and murder almost not at all. They were essentially an honest and peace loving people, with a hospitality that knew no bounds. Though manufacturing and banking were unknown, and agriculture received scant attention,
stock raising, the principal industry of the day, grew to remarkable proportions. Cattle, horses and sheep, in limited numbers, had been driven from Mexico over the Anza trail during the few years that perilous and hazardous trail remained open. These, especially the cattle, had multiplied with astonishing rapidity. The horses were of Andalusian strain, and in their new environment, developed unusual speed and endurance. The sheep were of less importance,
