THE PAMPAS. 



with great difficulty that they can be bridled and 

 saddled : however, they are not vicious, and when 

 properly broken in, will allow the children to mount 

 by climbing up their tails. In mounting, it is ne- 

 cessary to be very quick, and previous to dismount- 

 ing, it is proper to throw the bridle over one side of 

 the head, as the horses almost always run back- 

 wards if one attempts to hold them by the bridle 

 when it is over the head, as in England. 



Although I rode many thousand miles in South 

 America, I was quite unable to learn how to select 

 either a good horse or an easy-going one, for by 

 their appearance I found it impossible to form a 

 judgment ; indeed, I generally selected for myself 

 the worst-looking horses, as I sometimes fancied 

 that they went the best. 



When first mounted, they often begin to kick 

 and plunge, but by giving them a loose rein, and 

 by spurring them, they will generally start, and 

 when once at their pace, they go quiet. However, 

 the kicking at starting is a most painful operation 

 to undergo, for from hard riding the back and 

 shoulders get so dreadfully stiff, that such sudden 

 and violent motion seems to dislocate the limbs. 



The evening closed, but the carriages did not ap- 



