•WILD nORSE.] 



IMODEEN VETEIIIXA"RT PEACTTCR 



[wild TionsE. 



Travellers give some amusing Accounts of 

 the manner in which all thia is efl'ected. Miers 

 thus descrihes the lasso, simple in its con- 

 struction, but all-powerful in the hands of the 

 Gaucho. 



"The lasso is a missile weapon used by 

 every native of the United Provinces and 

 Ciiili. It is a very strong plaited thong of 

 equal thickness, half an inch in diameter, and 

 forty feet long, made of many strips of green 

 hide, plaited like a whipthong, and rendered 

 supple by grease. It has, at one end, an iron 

 ring above an inch and a-half in diameter, 

 through which the thong is passed, and this 

 forms a ruiniing noose. The Gaucho, or 

 native Peon, is generally mounted on horse- 

 back when he uses the lasso. One end of 

 the thong is afBxed to his saddle girth : the 

 remainder he coils carefully in iiis left iiand, 

 leaving about twelve feet belonging to the 

 noose-end, in a coil, and a half of which he 

 holds in his right hand. He then swings 

 this long noose horizontally round his head, 

 the weight of the iron ring, at the end of 

 the noose, assisting in giving to it, by a con- 

 tinued circular motion, a sufficient force to 

 project it the whole length of the line." 



AViieu tiie Gauchos wish to have a grand 

 breaking-in, they drive a whole herd of wild 

 horses into the corral. "The corral was quite 

 full of horses, most of which were young ones 

 about two or three years old. The capitar 

 (chief Gaucho), mounted on a strong steady 

 horse, rode into the corral, and tiirew his lasso 

 over the neck of a young horse, and dragged 

 him to the gate.". For some time the cole was 

 very unwilling to leave his comrades; but tlie 

 moment he was forced out of the corral, his first 

 idea was to gallop away : however, a timely 

 jerk of the lasso checked him in the most 

 efiectual way. The peons now ran after him 

 on foot, and threw a lasso over his fore-legs, 

 just above the fetlock; and twitciiing it, they 

 pulled his legs from under him so suddenly, 

 that I really thought the fall he got had killed 

 him. In an instant a Gaucho was seated on 

 his head, and, with his long knife, and in a few 

 seconds, cut oft' the whole of the horse's mane, 

 while another cut the hair from tlie end of his 

 ta;l. This, they told me, was a mark that the 

 horse had been once mounted. They then put 

 fc piece of hide iuto his mouth, to serve for a 



bit, and a strong hide halter on hia head. The 

 Gaucho who was to mount, arranged hia spurs, 

 which were unusually long and sharp; and, 

 while two men held the horse by his ears, he 

 put on the saddle, which he girthed extremely 

 tight, lie then caught hold of the horse's 

 ear, and, in an instant, vaulted into the saddle; 

 upon which the man who held the animal bv 

 the halter, threw the end to the rider, and, 

 from that moment, no one seemed to take any 

 further notice of him. 



"The horse, instantly, began to jump in a 

 manner which made it very difficult for the 

 rider to keep his seat, and quite different from 

 the kick or plunge of an English horse: how- 

 ever, the Gaucho's spurs soon set him going, 

 and off he galloped, doing ever}tliing in his 

 power to throw his rider. 



"Another horse was immediately brought 

 from the corral ; and so quick was the opera- 

 tion, that twelve Gauchos were mounted in a 

 space which, I think, hardly exceeded an hour. 

 It was wonderful to see the difl'erent manner 

 in which difterent horses behaved. Some would 

 actually scream while the Gauchos were girding 

 the saddle upon their backs; some would in- 

 stantly lie down and roll upon it; while some 

 would stand witiiout being held — their legs 

 stiff', and in unnatural positions; their necks 

 halt bent towards their tails, and looking vicious 

 and obstinate; and I could not help thinking 

 that I would not have mounted one of those 

 for any reward that could be offered me, for they 

 were invariably the most difficult to subdue. 



"It was now curious to look around and see 

 the Gauchos on the horizon, in different direc- 

 tions, trving to bring their horses back to the 

 corral, which is the most difficult part of 

 their work ; for the poor creatures had been 

 so scared there, that they were unwilling to 

 return to the place. It was amusing to see 

 the antics of the horses — they were jumping 

 and dancing in different ways, while the right; 

 arm of the Gauchos was seen flogging them. 

 At last they brought the horses back, appa- 

 rently subdued, and broken in. The sa<l(lles 

 and bridles were taken off, and the young 

 horses trotted off towards the corral, neighing 

 to one another." 



The manufacture of the Gaucho's b >ot.-i is 

 somewhat singular. " Tliey are formrd of the 

 ham and part of the leg-skiu ofaco.'t takeu 



45 



