THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 215 



of hide, or of whipcord, got the first chance to noose 

 the animals as they rushed out. They seldom failed 

 to throw successfully, but their slender cords broke 

 like cobwebs. One wicked urchin, indeed, more bold 

 than the rest, mounted himself on a donkey that hap- 

 pened to be on the spot ; and taking the lasso which 

 belonged to it for no description of animal that is 

 ever mounted is without this essential equipment 

 and placing himself so as not to be detected by the 

 men, he threw it gallantly over the first bullock's neck. 

 As soon as it became tight, away flew the astonished 

 donkey and his rider : the terrified boy soon tumbled 

 off; but poor Neddy was dragged along the ground, 

 till a more efficient force was made to co-operate with 

 his unavailing resistance. 



The immense abundance of horses in South- Ame- 

 rica cannot be more strongly exemplified than by the 

 following statement : 



"I have still in my possession," says" Mr. Robert- 

 son, " a contract which I made in Goya, with an 

 estanciero, for twenty thousand wild horses, to be 

 taken on his estate at the price of a medio each ; that 

 is to say threepence for each horse or mare ! The 

 slaughter of them cost threepence a-head more ; the 

 staking and cleaning of the hides, once more, three- 

 pence ; and lastly, a like sum for the carting to Goya : 



