AMERICAN HOBSE.] 



THE HOESE, AND 



[AMERICAN HORSE. 



America. Tlie geographical range of tlie genus 

 equus was, tlieretbre, more extensive at tlie 

 Pliocine period, than that of the rhinoceros, of 

 which both the fossil and the existing species 

 are confined to the Old World of the geogra- 

 phers. Tlie horse, in its ancient distribution 

 over both hemispheres of the globe, resembles 

 the mastadon, and appears to have become 

 extinct in North America at the same time 

 with the mastadon gigunteus, and iu South 

 America, with the mastadon of the Andes, 

 and the megatherium. Well may ]\Jr. Darwin 

 say — 'It is a marvellous event in the hi.story 

 of animals, that a native kind should have dis- 

 appeared, to be succeeded, in after ages, by the 

 countless herds iutroduced with the Spanish 

 conquerors.' " 



THE NORTH AMERICAN HORSE. 



Traversing the isthmus of Darien, and enter- 

 ing North America, we find herds of wild 

 horses, the offspring of those which formerly 

 escaped from the Spanish possessions in 

 Mexico — even abounding on the extensive 

 prairies that lie to the west of the Mississi|)pi. 

 They were once numerous on the Kootannie 

 Lands, near the northern sources of the 

 Columbia. The young stallions live iu sepa- 

 rate herds, being driven away by the old ones, 

 and are easily ensnared by using domestic 

 mares as a decoy. The natives are acquainted 

 with the Spanish-American method of taking 

 them with the lasso. Major Long mentions 

 that " horses are an object of a particular 

 hunt to the Osages. For the purpose of obtain- 

 ing these animals — which, in their wild state, 

 preserve ail their fleetness — they go in a large 

 party to the country of the Eed Canadian 

 river, where they are to be found in consider- 

 able numbers. Wlien they discover a troop, 

 they distribute themselves into three parties, 

 two of which take their stations at different 

 and proper distances on the route, which, by 

 previous experience, they know the horses 

 will most probably take when endeavouring to 

 escape. This arrangement being completed, 

 the first party commences the pursuit in the 

 direction of their colleagues, at whose position 

 they at length arrive. The second party then 

 continues the chase with fresh horses, and 

 pursues the fugitives to the third party, which 

 generally succeeds in so far running them 

 48 



down, as to noose and capture a considerable 

 number of them." 



The domestic horse is an object of great 

 value to the nomadic tribes of Indians that 

 frequent the extensive plains of the Missouri, 

 &c. ; for they are not only useful in transport- 

 ing their tents and families from place to place, 

 but one of the highest objects of the ambition 

 of a young Indian, is to possess a good horse 

 for the chase of the butlalo — au exercise of 

 which he is passionately fond. To steal the 

 horse of an adverse tribe is considered to be 

 nearly as heroic an exploit as killing an enemy 

 on the field of battle ; and the distance to 

 which they occasionally travel, and the priva- 

 tions they undergo in their horse-marauding 

 excursions, are almost incredible. An Indian 

 who owns a horse, scarcely ever ventures to 

 sleep after night-fall ; but sits at the door of 

 his tent, with the halter iu one hand, and his 

 gun in the other ; the animal's fore-legs being, 

 at the same time, tied together witli thongs 

 of leather. Notwithstanding all this care, 

 however, it happens vei-y often that the hunter, 

 siiffering himself to be overpowered by sleep 

 for a few moments, awakes from the noise 

 made by the thief galloping off with his animal. 



In Great Britain, opportunities by which 

 the svvinnning powers of the horse might be 

 tested, rarely occur. Mr. Darwin says, that 

 wheu he was in South America, "I crossed 

 the Lucia near its mouth, and was surprised 

 to observe how easily our horses, although not 

 used to swim, passed over a width of, at least, 

 six hundred yards. On mentioning this at 

 Monte Video, I was told that a vessel contain- 

 ing some mountebanks and their horses, being 

 wrecked in the Plata, one horse swam seven 

 miles to the shore. In the course of the day, 

 I was amused by the dexterity with which 

 a Gaucho forced native horses to swim a river, 

 lie stripped off his clothes, and jumping on 

 the back of the animal, rode into the water till 

 it was out of its depth ; then slipping off over 

 the crupper, he caught hold of the tail ; and as 

 often as the horse turned, the man frightened it 

 back by splashing water in its face. As soon 

 as the horse touched the bottom on the other 

 side, the man pulled himself on, and was firmly- 

 seated, bridle iu baud, before the horse gained 

 the bank. A naked man on a naked horse ia 

 a fine spectacle. I had uo idea how well the 



