THE WILD HORSE. 411 



"A trampling troop: I see them come 

 In one vast squadron they advance! 

 I strove to cry — my lips were dumb. 

 The steeds rush on in plunging pride, 

 But where are they the reins who guide? 

 A thousand horse and none to ride ! 

 With flowing tail and flying mane, 

 Wide nostrils — never stretch'd by pain- 

 Mouths bloodless to the bit or rein, 

 And feet that iron never shod, 

 And flanks unscarr'd by spur or rod — 

 A thousand horse, the wild, the free, 

 Like waves th: t follow o'er the sea. . 



On came the troop 



They stop — they start — they snuff the air, 

 Gallop a moment here and there, 

 Approach, re'ire, wheel round and round, 

 Then plunging back with sudden bound , 

 They snort, they foam, neigh, swerve aside, 

 And backward to the forest fly." 



The inhabitants of the steppes dread the Tarpans, on account of the 

 injury they do to their haystacks, and because the male Tarpans run 

 away with their mares. The Cossacks are accustomed to hunt the wild 

 horses, partly to keep up their own stock, and partly for food. A species 

 of vulture is sometimes made use of in this affair. The bird pounces 

 upon the poor animal, and fastens itself on his head or neck, fluttering 

 his wings, and perplexing and half-blinding him, so that he becomes an 

 easy prey to the Tartar. The young horses are generally tamed with- 

 out much difficulty ; they are, after a little while, coupled with a tame 

 horse, and grow gentle and obedient. The wild horses thus reclaimed 

 are usually found to be stronger and more serviceable than any which 

 can be bred at home, in the Tartar villages. 



Pallas, the great Russian traveler, considers these wild horses to be 

 descended from those employed at the siege of Azof in 1657, which were 

 turned loose by the army, owing to want of forage. 



THE MUSTANG. 



The Mustang (Plate XXXI) is the wild horse of the American 

 prairies and pampas. The city of Buenos Ayres was abandoned by the 

 Spanish colonists soon after its settlement in 1535, and about half-a- 

 dozen horses were left behind. The city was again occupied in 1580, 



