THE LASSO. 63 



purpose, but never dreamt it could be meant 

 thus to cheek a strong bull in his wild career ! 

 On inquiring what happened when the bull 

 gets the best of it, the answer was cool 

 enough : " He goes away, lasso, tail, and 

 all." 



" Live and learn," thought I, examining 

 the way the lasso was secured to the tail ; 

 but, without making any observation, waited 

 quietly for an opportunity of witnessing the 

 trial of horse versus bull. The hair of the 

 horse's long tail is doubled up and packed 

 all round carefully with long coarse grass 

 {sacate) ; the end of the lasso is then wound 

 round both grass and tail for about six round 

 turns, and then secured, leaving the lasso to 

 act from the end of the bunch, very much 

 in the same way that a fish-hook is tied. 

 However, I had the pleasure, before I left 

 that part of the country, to see many of the 

 herdsmen adopt my method, and as I sup- 

 plied them with iron rings, they soon made 

 their overall girths out of strong bull hide, 

 and, I have no doubt, saved many a horse's 

 tail. 



After waiting an hour or two to receive 

 reports from two or three scouts who had 

 been from daylight seeking trails, an old 



