CATCHING AND BREAKING IN OF HORSES IN THE TEXAS. 47 
the unfortunate animal are covered with a bandage ; a tremendous 
bit, a pound or more in weight, is put into his mouth. The horse- 
breaker then puts on a pair of spurs six inches long, and with 
rowels like penknives, and taking off the winkers, and jumping 
on his back, urges him to his very utmost speed. If the horse 
tries to rear, or turns restive, one pull, and not a very hard one 
either, at the instrument of torture they call a bit, is sufficient to 
tear his mouth to shreds, and cause the blood to flow in streams. 
I have seen the horses’ teeth broken by means of these barbarous 
bits. The poor beast whinnies and groans with pain and terror : 
but there is no help for him, — the spurs are at his flanks, and 
on he goes full gallop, until he is ready to sink from exhaustion 
and fatigue. He then has a quarter of an hour’s rest allowed 
him ; but scarcely does he begin to recover breath, which has been 
ridden and spurred out of his body, when he is again mounted, 
and has to go through the same violent process as before. If he 
breaks down during this rude trial, he is either knocked on the 
head or driven away as useless ; but if he holds out, he is marked 
with a hot iron, and left to graze on the prairie. Henceforward 
there is no particular difficulty in catching him when wanted ; 
the wildness of the horse is completely punished out of him, but 
for it is substituted the most confirmed vice and malice that it is 
possible to conceive. These mustangs are unquestionably the 
most deceitful and spiteful of all the equine race. They seem to 
be perpetually looking out for an opportunity of playing their 
master a trick ; and very soon after I got possession of mine, I 
was nearly paying for him in a way that 1 had certainly not 
calculated upon. 
We were going to Bolivar, and had to cross the river Brazos : 
I was the last but one to get into the boat, and was leading my 
horse carelessly by the bridle. Just as I was about to step in, a 
sudden jerk, and a cry of “ mind your beast,” made me jump on 
one side ; and lucky it was that T did so. My mustang had sud- 
denly sprung back, reared up, and then thrown himself forward 
upon me with such force and fury, that, as I' got out of his way, 
his fore feet went completely through the bottom of the boat. I 
never in my life saw an animal in such a paroxysm of rage. He 
curled his lips until his whole range of teeth was visible — his 
eyes literally shot fire ; while the foam flew from his mouth, and 
he gave a wild screaming neigh that had something quite diabo- 
lical in its sound. 
I was standing perfectly thunderstruck at this scene, when one 
of the party took a lasso, and very quietly laid it over the animal’s 
neck. The effect was really magical. With closed mouth, droop- 
ing ears, head low, there stood the mustang, as meek and docile as 
