1849.] 



WILD CATTLE. 



75 



him : in vain he tries to rise on his legs and run at his 

 merciless assailants, till the cutlass is thrust into his neck and 

 deep down into his chest. He is hardly dead when he is 

 skinned and cut up, and the dogs and vultures rush to feast 

 upon the pool of blood and entrails which mark the spot. 

 The sight was a sickening one, and I did not care to witness 

 it more than once. 



There were few birds or insects worth catching, and it was 

 not the time of the year for the spoonbills and ibises, which 

 have a building-place near, and arrive in immense numbers in 

 the month of June. 



After spending about a week at Jungcal we embarked to 

 return to Para. A cattle-canoe was to accompany us, and we 

 were to take some of the animals on board our schooner. We 

 started early in the morning, and in about an hour arrived at a 

 corral on the river-side, where the cattle were. The boat was 

 anchored about twenty yards from the shore, and a block and 

 fall rigged to haul them up on deck. In the corral were 

 twenty or thirty wild cattle, which had been kicking and plunging 

 about till they had filled the place with mud knee-deep. 

 Several men with lassos were trying to secure them, by 

 throwing the loops over their horns. The cattle used all their 

 endeavours to avoid being caught, by shaking their heads and 

 throwing the cords off before they could be pulled tight. Each 

 man kept his attention directed to one animal, following it 

 about to every part of the corral. After a few attempts he 

 generally succeeded in getting the loop fixed over the horns, 

 and then half a dozen came to his assistance, to get the ox out 

 of the corral into the water. This was done by some pulling 

 at the lassos, while others poked and beat the animal with long 

 poles, which would so irritate it that it would roll itself 

 on the ground and rush at the men with all its force. At this 

 they did not seem to be much alarmed, but jumped on one 

 side or sprang on to the rails of the corral, and then imme- 

 diately returned to the attack. At length the creature would 

 be either pulled or driven into the water, and the end of the 

 rope being quickly thrown on board the canoe, the ox was 

 towed up to the vessel's side. A strong rope was then noosed 

 over its horns, by which it was lifted into the air, struggling as 

 helplessly as a kitten held by the skin of its neck ; it was then 

 lowered intp the bold, where, after a little disturbance, it soon 



