THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 



205 



If any worthy alderman had supped with us that evening, 

 "carne con cuero," without doubt, would soon have been 

 celebrated in London. 



During the night it rained, and the next day (17th) was 

 very stormy, with much hail and snow. We rode across the 

 island to the neck of land which joins the Rincon del Toro 

 (the great peninsula at the S. W. extremity) to the rest of 

 the island. From the great number of cows which have 

 been killed, there is a large proportion of bulls. These wan- 

 der about single, or two and three together, and are very 

 savage. I never saw such magnificent beasts; they equalled 

 in the size of their huge heads and necks the Grecian marble 

 sculptures. Capt. Sulivan informs me that the hide of an 

 average-sized bull weighs forty-seven pounds, whereas a 

 hide of this weight, less thoroughly dried, is considered as 

 a very heavy one at Monte Video. The young bulls gener- 

 ally run away } for a short distance; but the old ones do not 

 stir a step, except to rush at man and horse; and many 

 horses have been thus killed. An old bull crossed a boggy 

 stream, and took his stand on the opposite side to us; we 

 in vain tried to drive him away, and failing, were obliged 

 to make a large circuit. The Gauchos in revenge deter- 

 mined to emasculate him and render him for the future 

 harmless. It was very interesting to see how art completely 

 mastered force. One lazo was thrown over his horns as he 

 rushed at the horse, and another round his hind legs: in a 

 minute the monster was stretched powerless on the ground. 

 After the lazo has once been drawn tightly round the horns 

 of a furious animal, it does not at first appear an easy thing 

 to disengage it again without killing the beast: nor, I ap- 

 prehend, would it be so if the man was by himself. By the 

 aid, however, of a second person throwing his lazo so as to 

 catch both hind legs, it is quickly managed : for the animal, 

 as long as its hind legs are kept outstretched, is quite help- 

 less, and the first man can with his hands loosen his lazo 

 from the horns, and then quietly mount his horse; but the 

 moment the second man, by backing ever so little, relaxes 

 the strain, the lazo slips off the legs of the struggling beast, 

 which then rises free, shakes himself, and vainly rushes at 

 his antagonist. 



