FEATS OF HORSEMANSHIP 215 



Turning from civilised Europe to the semi- 

 barbarous people of the world we find that : 



' The Mexicans and South Americans are all 

 good riders, and they constantly perform feats of 

 horsemanship which would do credit to the Bedouins 

 themselves. It is a common amusement for them to 

 turn a horse at full speed upon a point designated 

 by a blanket ; they will charge a solid rampart with 

 the rapidity of lightning, and stop so suddenly that 

 the feet of the horse will exactly touch the wall. 

 For a small wager some have been known to rush at 

 a cliff, rear their horse's fore-legs in the air, so that 

 they would for a moment tremble over the dread 

 precipice, and then whirl round into safety. The 

 Arabs, to show Layard (the explorer of Mneveh) 

 their great estimation of his person, on one occa- 

 sion amused themselves by similar equestrian feats. 

 They would gallop off to a distance, put their lances 

 at rest, and then make deliberately for his head. 

 The compliment consisted in stopping the charger 

 suddenly short so that the spear-point would iiist 

 touch his face. He naively adds that his life would 

 have been sacrificed if the well-trained steeds had 

 made the slightest false step, or by any inequality 

 in the ground disappointed the expectations of their 

 masters. But the feat which shows most completely 

 the high training of the horse is that which Darwin 

 saw performed in Chili many years ago. The rider 

 held the reins loosely in his left hand and dashed at 



