More Tales of the Big Bend by Elton Miles. The Big Bend has always attracted an unusual sort of settler, and the settlers have spawned an unusual wealth of lore. Their tales live in the oral tradition of the place, adding to its color, mystery, and appeal. There is horse trader Zack Miller, who has to unload two thousand horses bought from the Mexican army of Victoriano Huerta. There is generous Maggie Smith, who trades in candelilla wax (obtained legally or otherwise), raises "stray" children who need a home, and cares for every honest passerby. Evan Means appears, weathering the border troubles the Mexican Revolution spawned by putting "a smile on his face, a pistol on his hip, two languages on his tongue, and [drinking] coffee with anybody on the border."
For more than thirty years Elton Miles collected the lively stories and legends that spring from the unique Big Bend lifestyle. A companion to his successful Tales of the Big Bend, this collection will fascinate visitors to the region and make a lasting contribution to the annals of Texas folklore. Texas A&M University Press. 6" x 9" softcover. 288 pages, 16 black and white photographs. First Edition, 1988.
"Miles... is a diligent collector and an accomplished arranger of this material... His chapter on four Mexican American corridos found in the Big Bend is a model of folksong collecting and explaining." --Southwestern Historical Quarterly
