18 TAMING HOKSES. 



where there were many wild horses. I renewed 

 my experiments. After having met with many 

 difficulties, I discovered a secret in 1814, on my 

 plantation in the Attakapas, by which I broke a 

 horse in three hours. The horse always remained 

 gentle. By the same method, I broke another; 

 but two days after, I found him almost as wild as 

 ever. This perplexed me very much — why one 

 horse should remain gentle and the other not. I 

 broke two more, and undertook a fifth, which I 

 abandoned after several trials. This took place be- 

 tween seven and nine o'clock in the morning. I 

 then thought the application of the secret ought to 

 be varied. Accordingly, after having adopted and 

 rejected a great many ways of applying it, I fell upon 

 one which proved to be the best. At eleven o'clock, 

 I went in again to the horse ; but when he saw me, 

 he reared and pitched and kicked in a most terrific 

 manner. I stopped, notwithstanding, stood still a 

 few minutes, and then began the operation, and 

 saw, with pleasure, that at half past four he was 

 perfectly gentle, and always remained so; for I 

 had already discovered this last most important 

 part of the secret — of having them always remain 

 gentle — and I never have revealed it to any living 

 person. 



To give an idea of this mode of gentling horses, 

 I will relate a few circumstances of the last men- 



