Wild Horses 
Having got within range, the Indian shot the 
horse in the neck, aiming at a spot about three 
inches below the crest. If the shot was successful 
the beast dropped as though stone dead. The 
_ man then hurried up, hobbled the legs, and put 
the running noose of a lariat round its neck. In 
a few minutes the animal, which had but been 
stunned or paralysed by the blow and was not 
seriously injured, recovered. Of course, if the 
spine was hit, death was instantaneous, but I 
believe many horses were captured in this way. 
The method was termed “ creasing.”” If, on 
the other hand, a few horses had been corralled 
into a strongly made yard built of stout timber, 
the captor proceeded to lasso one with his rope. 
The noose flew over the horse’s head on to its 
neck, and a quick turn of the rope round a post 
was taken by the man with the end he had in 
his hand. The horse, struggling furiously, tight- 
ened up the noose until he nearly strangled 
himself, and in a few moments fell to the ground. 
The rope was then at once slackened, both at 
the post and at the noose, hobbles were put on, 
and the animal allowed to regain its breath. 
It is marvellous what an effect this “ choking- 
down ”’ process, as it is termed, had upon the 
beast. For one or two sharp lessons of the sort 
were as much as the average one could stand, 
until at last the end of a rope thrown across a 
partly broken beast’s withers made it shake like 
Ig! 
