154 BANDA ORIENTAL. [chap. viii. 



1 was told an anecdote, which I believe was true ; and it offers 

 .1 good illustration of the use of a well-broken animal. A re- 

 i*pectable man riding one day met two others, one of whom was 

 mounted on a horse, which he knew to have been stolen from 

 himself. He challenged them ; they answered him by drawing 

 their sabres and giving chace. The man, on his good and fleet 

 beast, kept just ahead : as he passed a thick bush he wheeled 

 round it, and brought up his horse to a dead check. The pur- 

 suers were oblifjed to shoot on one side and ahead. Then in- 

 stantly dashing on, right behind them, he buried his knife in the 

 back of one, wounded the other, recovered his horse from the 

 dying robber, and rode home. For these feats of horseman hip 

 t\vo things are necessary : a most severe bit, like the Mameluke, 

 the power of which, though seldom used, the horse knows full 

 well ; and large blunt spurs, that can be applied either as a mere 

 touch, or as an instrument of extreme pain. I conceive that 

 with P^nglish spurs, the slightest touch of which pricks the skin, 

 it would be impossible to break in a horse after the South Ame- 

 rican fashion. 



At an estancia near Las Yacas large numbers of mares arc 

 weekly slaughtered for the sake of their hides, although worth 

 only five paper dollars, or about half-a-crown apiece. It seems 

 at first strange that it can answer to kill mares for such a trifle; 

 but as it is thought ridiculous in this country ever to break in or 

 ride a mare, they are of no value except for breeding. The only 

 thinof for which I ever saw mares used, was to tread out wheat 

 from the ear ; for which purpose they were driven round a cir- 

 cular enclosure, where the wheat-sheaves were strewed. The 

 man employed for slaughtering the mares happened to bo cele- 

 brated for his dexterity with the lazo. Standing at the distance of 

 twelve vards from the mouth of the corral, he has laid a waijer 

 that he would catch by the legs every animal, without missing 

 one, as it rushed past him. There was another man who said he 

 would enter the corral on foot, catch a mare, fasten her front legs 

 together, drive her out, throw her down, kill, skin, and stake the 

 iiide for drying (which latter is a tedious job) ; and he engaged 

 that he would ])erform this whole operation on twenty-two ani- 

 mals in one day. Or he Avould kill and take the skin off" fifty in 

 the same time. This would hjive been a prodigious task, for it is 



