96 A GRAND BREAKING IN 



the corral, and having lassoed a young horse, pulls it 

 to the gate. The difficulty is to induce it to leave its 

 companions, and the instant he is out he invariably 

 tries to gallop away, but a timely jerk of the lasso 

 effectually prevents his doing so. The peons on foot 

 then run up and throw a lasso over his fore-legs, just 

 above the fetlock, and giving it a sharp twitch, pull 

 his legs so suddenly from under him, that at times it 

 almost appears as if they had killed him. In an instant 

 a Guacho sits on its head, cuts off the mane with his 

 knife, and another cuts its tail as short as is necessary, 

 to mark it and show that it has been mounted. A 

 strong halter, with a piece of hide for a bit, is then 

 fitted on its head, and the Gaucho who has to mount 

 it puts on a pair of long, sharp spurs, and two men 

 seize the horse by the ears while he puts on the 

 saddle, which is fastened on as tightly as possible. He 

 then catches hold of an ear and vaults into the saddle, 

 and the man who holds the halter throws him the end 

 of it. He is then left to his own resources, and no more 

 notice is taken of him, unless, perhaps, a visitor who 

 is witnessing the performance for the first time 

 happens to be present. Then commences a course 

 of ' bucking ' altogether different from anything any 

 English horse is capable of, but the Gaucho's long, 

 sharp spurs soon set the horse going, and in less than 

 an hour's time there may probably be seen a dozen 

 Gauchos each astride of a wild horse, all fighting to get 

 the better of them. It is curious to watch the different 

 behaviour of the horses when being saddled. Some 

 of them will scream with rage, some lie down and roll 

 on the ground, and others again will stand without 

 being held, with their legs planted stiffly in unnatural 



