GENERAL. 31 



(pellon) from off his saddle (' recado '), shook it in front 

 of the bull, and threw it forward, and at the same instant 

 slipped from his saddle unperceived by the beast, whose 

 attention was drawn off by the rug, and away went the 

 horse, the bull charging him. The horse, having no weight 

 on his back, headed and turned with great rapidity, got a 

 strain on the lasso, and continued to ' work ' the bull until 

 he finally threw him, and then keeping the lasso ' taut/ 

 moving with every struggle of the bellowing animal, pre- 

 vented him rising, till the old man approached on foot and 

 gave him the coup de grace. 



The ' events ' in cattle estancia life are those of the 

 ' branding,' with the owner's ' mark,' the young cattle, and 

 cutting the young bulls ; also parting out cattle sold for 

 the markets or saladeros. 



The marking or branding is a great time ; the mayor- 

 domos and capatazes of the neighbouring estancias have 

 notice to attend, if they wish, so as to part out the cattle 

 of their employers' brands should any have strayed or 

 mixed. The * peones ' of the estancia are mounted on 

 their cleverest horses ; the cattle are driven into the 

 estancia corrales ; a large fire is made of cattle bones out- 

 side the corral, wherein to heat the ' brands.' Girths and 

 saddles are looked to, and rearranged, if not quite in order, 

 a matter of the greatest importance, as on the girth 

 (cincha) and recado the whole strain of the work falls. 

 Lassoes are buckled on and held in coils in the hand. 

 The group is picturesque. The cattle in the corrales, the 

 large fires outside, the dense smoke curling and rolling 

 along the plain, the groups of boys and men at the fires, 

 the ' stokers ' and the brandsmen half enveloped in the 

 smoke, and on the alert to climb the posts of the corrales 

 in case of danger ; add to that twenty-five or thirty horse- 

 men, freed from all superfluous garments, with coloured 



