The White Chief: A Romance of Northern Mexico

This issue of Popular Edition of Captain Mayne Reid's Works features "The White Chief: A Romance of Northern Mexico" by Captain Mayne Reid, author of The Headless Horseman and The Scalp Hunters.

The narrative opens at San Juan festival in the town of San Ildefonso, where Mexican aristocracy gathers for sporting competitions. A wealthy miner's daughter, Catalina de Cruces, attracts particular attention. The centerpiece is the coleo de toros—a competitive sport where mounted riders attempt to grab and throw bulls by their tails. Twelve competitors fail successively until "Carlos the cibolero," a fair-haired American mounted on a black mustang, effortlessly succeeds where others cannot. Carlos attracts further notice when a maddened bull charges toward spectators; he lassoes it to a tree, preventing disaster. The Comandante then offers wagers on picking up a Spanish dollar from the ground while riding. Despite attempts by others, including Sergeant Gomez, only Carlos accomplishes the feat, securing the coin at full gallop. His exceptional horsemanship and foreign appearance provoke mixed reactions from the crowd, though he draws admiration from the Mexican women present.