20 SPOET m NORTH AMERICA. 



them. He was determined to cany out that grand 

 manoeuvre which is known in the United States and 

 among the emigrants of the Far West as the " Wild 

 Horses' Ring." This style of sporting requires a 

 large number of able horsemen, who, spreading 

 themselves about, formed a circle of about a mile 

 and a half in circumference. 



Absolute silence is necessary-, for wild horses are 

 easily frightened, and their instinct is so acute that 

 the slightest breeze will carry to their nostrils the 

 scent of their enemies, the Red Skins of the desert. 

 As soon as the circle was formed, four hunters, 

 mounted on splendid horses, started in the direction 

 of the herd. Immediately, every animal started off 

 in the opposite direction ; but, as soon as they 

 attempted to pass over the boundaries of the circle, 



brutes thrive remarkably well under this treatment. It is thought to 

 be harmful to feed them during the day ; and when they cross a river, 

 care is taken to keep their heads up, so as to prevent them fi-om 

 drinking. 



The mode of driving horses in America enables them to perform a 

 long journey without feeling fatigued. The American regards it as 

 beueficial to make a horse trot. The pace is a kind of amble, and 

 consists in lifting the feet only so high that the hinder hoofs just graze 

 the earth, and the animal cannot be injured by the pressure of the 

 saddle. The couriers of the embassy perform every month the journey 

 from Mexico to Vera Cruz, going and coming in twenty-four hours. The 

 distance is sixty-three geographical miles. 



The manner in which the gauchos ride the wild horse, in order to 

 pass rivers, is very curious. When they perceive that the animal has 

 lost his footing, they slip off and hold on by the tail. The brute 

 wishes to regain the shore, but the gaucho throws water in his eyes. 

 The horse then turns about, and swims to the opposite bank. 



