WILD CATTLE HUNTING. 67 



sandy shores between them narrower, they 

 jostled each other so violently that their pro- 

 gress was much retarded, and one or two of 

 us had already loosed our lassos from the 

 saddle, when the left bank suddenly declining 

 almost to the water's edge, in the whole herd 

 went again to the forest. However, the 

 wood was not more than half a mile broad at 

 that spot, and we pressed them so hard that 

 they soon emerged from it into a large sa- 

 vannah, but so studded with thorn trees that 

 it was impossible to use the lasso. How- 

 ever, there was good smooth land to gallop 

 over, and consequently the pace w^as much 

 better, and when the cattle reached the 

 opposite wood they were almost in lassoing 

 distance. In they crashed, and in ten 

 minutes broke out again into a fine large 

 savannah, of more than a mile across, with 

 only one fine tree in the centre of it ; the 

 cattle were evidently tired, and the few that 

 were close up rode into them to separate 

 them. I had stuck close to an old dun bull, 

 who seemed the chief of his clan, and was 

 assisted by an Indian, whom I had engaged, 

 and who remained with me till I left the 

 country ; but before we could well get out 

 of the " ruck" (as the racing men call it), a 



