THE PAMPAS. 



259 



over the neck of a young horse, and dragged him 

 to the gate. For some time he was very unwiUing 

 to leave his comrades, but the moment he was 

 forced out of the corral, his first idea was to 

 gallop away; however, the jerk of the lasso 

 checked him in a most effectual manner. The peons 

 now ran after him on foot, and threw the lasso 

 over his four legs, just above the fetlocks, and, 

 twitching it, they pulled his legs from under him so 

 suddenly, that I really thought the fall he got 

 had killed him. In an instant a Gaucho was 

 seated upon his head, and with his long knife 

 in a few seconds he cut off the whole of the horse's 

 mane, while another cut the hair from the end of 

 his tail. This, they told me, is a mark that the 

 horse has been once mounted. They then put 

 a piece of hide into his mouth, to serve as a bit, 

 and a strong hide-halter on his head. The Gaucho, 

 who was to mount, arranged his spurs, which were 

 unusually long and sharp, and while two men held 

 the animal by his ears, he put on the saddle, 

 which he girthed extremely tight ; he then caught 

 hold of the horse's ear, and, in an instant, vaulted 

 into the saddle; upon which the man, who was 

 holding the horse by the halter, threw the end of 



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