112 LASSOOING WILD ANIMALS. 



astonished as our Gaucho guide desired us to be. Joaquin 

 easily detected those which belonged to particular Gauchos 

 by the marks upon them ; and these we took care to avoid. 

 But enough remained to furnish abundant exercise for 

 the lasso. The skill displayed by Joaquin in throwing 

 the lasso astonished me, and yet I considered myself an 

 adept in using it. Our lassos were made of strong platted 

 thongs of green hide, about forty feet in length, with an 

 iron ring at one end, forming a running noose, the other 

 end being fixed to the saddle-girth. When Joaquin was 

 about to seize an animal, he whirled the noose with a por- 

 tion of the thong horizontally around his head, holding 

 the rest of the lasso coiled up in his left hand ; and when 

 near enough to the object, and the precise point of its 

 rotation, flung off the noose, which never failed to secure 

 the animal. If a horse it invariably fell over the neck ; 

 and if an ox, over the horns. As soon as the Gaucho 

 succeeded in his aim, he suddenly turned his horse, which 

 movement set his legs in a position to resist successfully 

 the pull of the entrapped animal. I imitated Joaquin 

 rather clumsily, but made few failures, and met with no 

 accident. Mr. Barrill was not so successful. On one 

 occasion, he threw the lasso over the horns of a large ox ; 

 but neglecting to turn his horse quickly into the proper 

 position, he was pulled to the ground, and severely bruised. 

 Joaquin, however, secured the animal by a skilful throw, 



