84 THE WILD HORSE, OR MUSTANG. 



consists of twenty-five, and the breeder selects that 

 number of black, white, grey, or bay mares, to put to a 

 stallion of the proper colour for each manada. The 

 stallion of each bunch, after being herded and penned 

 with his mares for a day or two, gets used to them, and 

 will allow no other horse to interfere with his harem. 

 These little herds of horse and mares dot the vast 

 prairies in all directions. 



In the spring of the year, when the foals are dropped, 

 those foals in each manada who differ in colour are 

 marked in the herd-book, and when old enough to be 

 weaned, are drafted into herds of young animals of 

 their own colours, and finally are put into manadas, 

 where all are alike. 



It used to be an everyday practice for horse and 

 mule-traders to bring in to Texas large herds of horses 

 and mules to sell to the planters of that State ; and I 

 have often been present when the lasso was used in 

 great perfection by the trader and his assistants. From 

 one of these herds I have seen a planter select a dozen 

 of these animals, and, one by one, they would be picked 

 out and lassoed by the herdsman. This was the modus 

 operandi: The planter would say, * I'll take that grey 

 mule.' The trader would point out the mule, and the 

 herd would be put in motion till the mule ran between 

 two men with lassoes. At a signal — a simple motion — 

 both ropes would be whirled and thrown, one encircling 

 the neck, the other the fore-legs. Down would fall the 



