THE WILD HORSE. 23 



admit that I was one of the laggards, although I was 

 mounted on a capital mare, with an Indian saddle 

 as comfortable and easy as an arm chair. My feet 

 were securely bound to the large Mexican stirrups, 

 so that I was quite secure from falling. 



Among the animals in the herd I had remarked a 

 magnificent stallion, as black as a raven's wing, and 

 I pursued him in company with two young Pawnees 

 who acted as attendants upon the chief of the tribe. 

 As we mounted the defile the stallion slipped and 

 fell, and, in a moment, the two Eed Skins leapt from 

 their horses and seized the creature by his mane 

 and nostrils. The stallion struggled vigorously, 

 beating the earth with his fore feet and ploughing 

 it up behind with his hoofs ; but, in spite of all his 

 efforts, my two companions succeeded in passing the 

 lasso around his neck and in fixing him by the 

 right fore foot to a leathern thong which was 

 attached to the left hind foot. 



AYliilst the other Indian himters, and the three 

 Americans pm'sued the remainder of the herd, I 

 returned to camp with the black stallion and his 

 two conquerors, who had attached a second ro^^e to 

 the lasso, and so held the brute between them at a 

 sufficient distance to prevent him from injuring 

 them by his kicking. Directly he went towards one 

 side, they tugged him towards the other, and by this 

 means, when arrived at the camp, if not vanquished, 

 he was fairly tired out. 



