32 STATES OF THE RIVER PLATE. 



handkerchiefs tied tight round the head, many and bright 

 coloured shirts, ' chiripaes,' of all colours, scarlet, drab and 

 scarlet, blue, green, and white, mayordomos and capatazes 

 overlooking, and distinguished by their gay horse trap- 

 pings and their huge silver spurs. 



The work commenced, the animals are drawn out of 

 the corral as required, lassoes cast over the horns and 

 round the hind legs, the young bull thrown to the ground 

 and kept stretched, so as to be unable to rise. One of the 

 brandsmen darts from the fires, steadies himself by placing 

 one foot on the prostrate animal, and plants the brand. 

 The castrators perform their operation. The lassoes are 

 slackened and cast off, the animal rises ; some trot quietly 

 off, downcast and surly ; others glare around and charge 

 the nearest men, horses, or group, furiously. Away 

 gallop the horsemen, with loud wild shouts and laughter, 

 the pursued to escape, others to draw off the maddened 

 animal from those that are hard pressed, edging him away 

 further into the open, where he is left. The day winds 

 up with the ' asado ' (roast) in the usual way, and the men 

 ' yarn ' over the feats of the day, as hunting men are 

 wont to do, of the ' run ' and its incidents. The guitar 

 and the ditty are, as usual, in requisition, and the younger 

 men frolic and spar with their knives. 



The parting out of cattle sold for the ' saladeros ' is 

 another busy time, A certain number, hundreds or 

 thousands, are sold of a specified age and condition. The 

 purchaser picks from the herds such as correspond with 

 the definition in the contract ; these are parted out from 

 the herd, and for this purpose there are trained oxen 

 termed ' senaleros' or decoys, which are placed at a certain 

 distance. The selected animals are parted out and chased 

 by the peones until they join the group of ' senaleros ;' 

 when the number is complete they are driven off for their 



