358 OUR HUMBLE HELPERS 



"The domestication of the horse goes back to the 

 first communities of the East. After the herd they 

 must soon have had, first, the ass to carry the bag- 

 gage of the nomadic tribe, then the horse, man's val- 

 iant comrade in the chase and in war. What is still 

 to be observed to-day shows us how easily this val- 

 uable animal submitted to man's domination. The 

 grassy plains of Tartary abound in wild horses, and 

 probably the species originated in these Asiatic re- 

 gions. The pampas of South America feed innum- 

 erable herds of them, mingled with the wild cattle 

 that I have told you about. Both descend from do- 

 mestic animals brought to the New World by Euro- 

 peans. Each herd follows a leader of tried strength 

 and courage. If danger arises, if there is menace 

 from some ferocious wild beast, such as a wolf, pan- 

 ther, or jaguar, the horses crowd together and press 

 against one another for their common defense. 

 Their haughty look and their kicking are generally 

 sufficient to put the aggressor to flight. But if the 

 enemy charges them, counting on an easy prey, the 

 leader of the herd rears and falls on the beast with 

 all its weight, crushing the assailant with its fore 

 hoofs; then with its powerful jaws seizes the shat- 

 tered body and throws it to the colts, which finish 

 it and caracole on its body." 



"An animal that defends itself like that," re- 

 marked Jules, "must be rather hard to tame into a 

 docile servant." 



"No, the difficulty is not, after all, very great. 

 What happens to-day on the pampas when it is de- 



