Information respecting Botanical Travellers, 199 



moment, when the well-trained horse, although in full speed, stops 

 still, and turning round, uses all its power to pull against the en- 

 raged animal. We have supposed that the animal was secured while 

 trying to escape by flight, but sometimes the cattle stand and furi- 

 ously attack the horsemen, and then great coolness and address are 

 necessary, to avoid their ferocious efforts to gore the horse and its 

 rider. If the horses be lively and well -trained, a great deal of the 

 danger is avoided, as the wary steed watches the motions of the 

 animal, and dexterously avoids its attack, when it suddenly darts upon 

 it. The herd meanwhile pursue their flight, leaving the bulls to guard 

 their retreat, and as it is not usual that they wheel to repeat 

 their attack, if they have once missed their aim, the danger is much 

 lessened, and the horsemen soon succeed in riding off one of the 

 bulls from the rest. of the herd and pursue until he stands at bay. 

 The horsemen now keep going round and round the animal, the one 

 endeavouring to engage his attention by making nearer approaches, 

 while the other draws sufficiently near from the opposite side to war- 

 rant success, if he should throw his lasso. If the bull make a dart 

 uj:>on either of them, they turn sharp off to the right or left, and the 

 animal passes on straight forward, and makes soon after another 

 stand, until one or the other of the horsemen succeeds in entangling 

 him with the running noose. The ensnared animal makes ferocious 

 efforts to gore the horse, but the latter, aware of the danger by which 

 it is threatened, keeps the rope always on a stretch. If the captured 

 animal pursues too swiftly or makes an unexpected attack, the horse- 

 man turns suddenly, stretching by this manoeuvre the line at full 

 speed, and counteracting forcibly the animal's advance forwards ; it 

 seldom fails of throwing it down, and sometimes with such force as 

 to break its neck or limbs. Convinced at last, that its efforts to gore 

 its capturer are fruitless, it becomes sullen, and allows itself to be 

 dragged forward to the temporary pen which has been erected at the 

 camp. Here they are kept without food or water for three days ; they 

 are then turned out, and allowed to graze and drink water, flanked 

 on all sides by horsemen with lances, who manoeuvre round the herd 

 to drive back any which might venture to escape ; and in the even- 

 ing they are driven back to the pen. If any should succeed in 

 making their escape the horsemen are ready to pursue them, and to 

 bring back the fugitives in a similar manner as related ; but it hap- 

 pens frequently that they become so stubborn as to defy every at- 

 tempt to induce them to move forward, and such as are so refrac- 

 tory are therefore butchered with the knife. 



[To be continued.] 



