118 WHAT MR. DARWIN SAW. 



CHILE AND PERU. 



twenty times, and that nineteen times he would not fall him- 

 self. I recollect seeing a Gaucho riding a very stubborn 

 horse, which three times in succession reared so high as to 

 fall backward with great violence. The man judged with 

 uncommon coolness the proper moment for slipping off not 

 an instant before or after the right time and as soon as the 

 horse got up the man jumped on his back, and at last they 

 started at a gallop. The Gaucho never appears to exert any 

 muscular force. I was one day watching a good rider, as we 

 were galloping along at a rapid pace, and thought to myself, 

 " Surely, if the horse starts, you appear so careless on your 

 seat, you must fall." At this moment a male ostrich sprung 

 from its nest right beneath the horse's nose. The young 

 colt bounded on one side like a stag; but as for the man, 

 all that could be said was that he started and took fright 

 with his horse. I was surprised to hear the Gauchos, who 

 have from infancy almost lived on horseback, say that they 

 always suffered from stiffness when, not having ridden for 

 some time, they first began again. One of them told me that, 

 having been confined for three months by illness, he went 

 out hunting wild cattle, and, in consequence, for the next 

 ten days his thighs were so stiff that he was obliged to lie 

 in bed. This shows that the Gauchos must really exert 

 much muscular effort in riding. 



In Chile and Peru more pains are taken with the mouth 

 of the horse than in La Plata, evidently because of the more 

 intricate nature of the country. In Chile a horse is not con- 

 sidered perfectly broken till he can be brought up standing, 

 in the midst of his full speed, on any particular spot for 



