MANNER OF LARIATING. . 125 
into camp, unlariat a horse, and springing upon his back start 
off at full speed, thus making a stampede among the others, 
which is generally successful. 
The government tried the experiment—some years since — 
of hobbling the dragoon horses—when on the plains—with 
iron hobbles, but had to abandon it, as the Indians invariably 
killed the horse when they could not get him off, 
Our horses during the trip were all secured by rope lariats 
thirty feet long, fastened round their necks with an iron picket 
pin, about eighteen inches long, at one end, to be driven into 
the ground. 7 
The Delawares secured their horses by fastening a short 
loop of raw hide around both fore legs, below the knees, so that 
the horse could only move slowly and by a succession of jumps, 
something like a kangaroo. Another plan is to fasten the 
long lariat around the fetlock, but the greatest precaution 
fails to secure stock inevitably from the wily savage, as 
sometimes a party will dress in skins, having bundles of deer’s 
hoofs attached, and carrying rattles made of the hoofs in 
- their hands, then near morning when all is quiet they sweep 
through camp with loud yells and rattling of the hoops, and 
creating a panic amongst the animals are generally success- 
ful to some extent; often, however, sweeping off the whole 
herd, . 
July 19th.—Moving to-day in a north-west course, we had 
“a fine view of the valley of the Witchita, 
Towering in the background were the long battlemented 
