364 LEAVES FROM A LOG. 



selves insulted if they are denominated Spaniards. I was one day 

 conversing with a very interesting South American young lady of 

 unmixed European race. She was standing on a stool for the pur- 

 pose of giving her attendant (an Indian girl) an opportunity to comb 

 her long dark tresses. In the course of conversation, I jocularly 

 asked her if she could teach me Spanish. " No, Senor," she replied, 

 " I detest everything Spanish ; but if you please, I will teach you 

 the Creole language." (Lingua Criollo.) On another occasion, while 

 visiting a well-educated family in Angostura, in the course of conver- 

 sation, I happened to say that I regretted I could not enjoy, as well 

 as they could, the productions of Cervantes, Lopez de Vega, or Cal- 

 deron ; in consequence of having but an imperfect knowledge of the 

 Spanish language. On hearing this, the coterie looked grave ; and 

 one of them replied, " To read the works of those great men, it is not 

 necessary that you should study the Spanish ; stay with us until you 

 are well conversant in the Creole language." It should be added 

 that the parties, with the exception of some few trifling provincialisms, 

 spoke pure Castilian. Such is national vanity. I have heard similar 

 anecdotes of our brother Jonathan, touching the appropriation of our 

 own language. 



But to describe the Llanero. He was a well-formed man of the 

 middle size, though rather stout; his countenance though dark, was 

 not unpleasant ; his hair was as black as that of our Indians ; but, 

 unlike the Indians, it was curled, and so thick that it completely 

 shaded a somewhat low, but wide forehead. He wore a slouched 

 straw hat, or sombrero, on his head ; a blanket, with a hole in the 

 middle to admit his head, formed a convenient and comfortable 

 capote ; these, with cotton trousers, were his only habiliments. Though 

 unshod, he had on his heels a pair of massive silver spurs armed with 

 large rowels, the workmanship of which was by no means commen- 

 surate with the metal. He rode a noble horse of the savannah breed, 

 whose fiery eye and active limbs showed him but lately reclaimed 

 from his native plains. He could scarcely brook the tyranny of 

 control ; but it was useless for him to rebel against such a rider as 

 the Llanero, whose strong arm and powerful bit effectually subjected 

 him. The sides of the bridle and bit were ornamented with ill- 

 fashioned knobs of silver ; the horse, rider, dress, and ornaments, 

 formed a singular, though not unpicturesque appearance. 



The bravery of the Llanero is well known to those who are con- 

 versant with the history of the liberation of Columbia ; and recent 

 travellers have so well described the use which those people make of 

 the lasso, that the English reader must be pretty well acquainted with 

 it. The following method of their encountering the wild bull of the 

 plains, on foot, is not so well known. It seems a variation of the old 

 Spanish bull fight. 



When the Llanero perceives a bull making towards him, he 

 displays a red cloth, or shirt, provided for that purpose, which so 

 infuriates the animal, that he rushes on, foaming and frantic. The 

 courageous plainsman keeps his ground until the brute nears him, 

 when he flings the cloth over his horns so as to blind him ; then 

 turning quicker than the bull, the Llanaro grasps firmly by his tail, 

 and commences twisting it. The animal feeling this, turns to free 



