582 THE ARAB HOBSE. 



The lasso is, however, generally employed for this purpose, and as it can be thrown with 

 precision to a distance of thirty feet, is a terrible weapon in practised hands. This formidable 

 instrument is very simple in construction, being a carefully plaited rope of green hide, one end 

 being furnished with an iron ring, and the other extremity fastened to the saddle. When not 

 in use, it is hung in coils upon a projection of the saddle, but when the hunter lias his game 

 in view, he throws the coils over his left arm, makes a slip-noose by means of the iron ring, 

 and then grasping the ring and cord firmly in his left hand, so as to prevent the noose from 

 slipping, he grasps the centre of the noose and the main cord in his right hand, and is then 

 ready for action. Swinging the large noose, four or five feet in diameter, around his head, 

 the weight of the iron ring giving a powerful impetus, the hunter is able to hurl the leathern 

 cord to its full length, and with deadly aim. As the noose flies circling through the air it 

 gradually contracts in diameter, so that the hunter is forced to accommodate the size of the 

 loop to the distance of the object aimed at. 



When fully caught, the Mustang is savage and furious at his discomfiture, and would 

 speedily escape f rom his bondage but for the clever and simple method of subjection which is 

 employed. The lasso being flung round its neck, the Horse nearly strangles itself by its 

 plungings and struggles, and is soon reduced to stand still and gasp for breath. The hunter 

 now dismounts from his Horse, and keeping his hands on the lasso, advances cautiously 

 towards the captured animal, hauling the rope tight whenever it tries to escape. In a short 

 time he works his way towards the creature' s head, and seizing its muzzle in his hand, blows 

 strongly into its nostrils. Overcome by some strange influence, the Horse immediately 

 becomes quiet, and in a few hours can scarcely be distinguished from a regularly trained 

 animal. 



This mode of reducing the Horse to subjection is employed by the Comanche and neigh- 

 boring Indians, but the Gauchos, or inhabitants of the Pampas, manage in a different and far 

 more cruel manner, the idea of humanity never entering the head of either Indian or white 

 man. As soon as a Wild Horse is captured, its legs are suddenly pulled aside, and the poor 

 animal falls prostrate on the ground. A Gaucho then seats himself on his head, while others 

 gird a saddle tightly on his back, and force a bit into his mouth. The rider next stands astride 

 the prostrate quadruped, which is then released from the weight upon its head. Up leaps the 

 Horse, striving in vain to escape, for the Gaucho seats himself in the saddle as the animal rises, 

 and is never to be shaken off as long as the Horse disobeys his will. However restive the poor 

 creature may be, it soon exhausts itself by unavailing efforts, and becomes passively sub- 

 missive. Sometimes a stubborn and determined animal refuses to move, and stands rooted to 

 the spot on which it had fallen. The cruel spurs of the Gaucho, however, soon set it going, 

 and in a very short time it is thoroughly subdued. 



The elegant, swift, and withal powerful Horses of which England is so proud, from which 

 our own best breeds are descended, and which are employed in the chase or the course, owe 

 their best qualities to the judicious admixture of the Arabian blood. The Arab Horse has 

 long been celebrated for its swift limbs, exquisite form, and affectionate disposition ; the latter 

 quality resulting, however, chiefly from the manner in which it is tamed. 



There are several breeds of Arab Horses, only one of which is of very great value. This 

 variety, termed the Kochlani, is so highly prized, that a mare of the pure breed can hardly be 

 procured at any cost, and even the male animal is not easy of attainment. The pedigree of 

 these Horses is carefully preserved, and written in most florid terms upon parchment. In 

 some cases, the genealogy is said to extend for nearly two thousand years. The body of the 

 Arab Horse is very light, its neck long and arched, its eye full and soft, and its limbs delicate 

 and slender. The temper of the animal is remarkably sweet, for as it has been bom and bred 

 among the family of its owner, it avoids injuring even the little children that roll about 

 among its legs, as carefully as if they'were its own offspring. So attached to its owner is this 

 beautiful Horse, that if he should be thrown from its back, the animal will stand quietly by 

 its prostrate master, and wait until 1h j gains strength to remount. 



The training of the Kochlani is not so severe as is generally imagined, for the presence of 



