250 



A PEON NEARLY LOST. 



should imagine at least five or six, besides others 

 hauled to the shore lacerated most dreadfully; 

 really it was a most distressing sight, and did 

 not end here, for a line was wanted to be led 

 across, further up the river, in order to pass over 

 more mules ; an elderly man came quite naked, 

 on a fine tall horse, and appeared to scorn mak- 

 ing the lasso fast round his body, being so well 

 mounted, so he carried it in his hand against the 

 persuasion of every body around. The horse 

 plunged nobly into the foaming torrent and 

 was almost instantaneously swept off his legs : 

 man and horse rolled for a moment over toge- 

 ther, when in an instant no less than three lassoes 

 were round the man^s neck. Incredible as it may 

 appear, being afraid to pull, the peons slacked 

 them and he canted heels up, when, with astonish- 

 ing precision two more caught him, and he was 

 dragged to the shore almost lifeless, but with a 

 terrible cut in the leg, the horse was also lassoed 

 and dragged to the shore without receiving any 

 apparent inj ury ; although the man lay on the rocks 



