Chap. II. OF DKAUGHT CATTLE. 219 
teamster almost equals that of his beasts. The worst 
instances of such cruelty I imagined I had witnessed in 
Nicaragua with the ox-carts ; but what I saw in this town 
far exceeded the goading practised with lances by the Nica- 
raguan carreteros, although the animals are often covered 
with blood. In front of a house in which I was staying, an 
ox, one of a team of eight pairs, fell down from exhaustion, 
after toiling up the four miles of bad road from the Mis- 
souri, and, in spite of beating, kicking, and other drivers' 
resources, the poor creature was quite unable to recover its 
legs, strangled as it was by the yoke. The men twisted its 
tail and pulled it until it almost gave way. Yain ingenuity ! 
Then, in order to rouse him, they trod on the nostrils of 
the half-strangled beast, which was lying with its muzzle 
on the ground, panting heavily, and alternately snorting 
and inhaling the dust. All was in vain, and severer means 
were now resorted to : a small quantity of gunpowder was 
placed under the animal's nostrils and fired. The effect 
was magical ; but it showed itself in the other beast 
under the same yoke, which made the most extraordinary 
bounds, stamped with its fore-legs on the body of its fellow- 
ox, twisting the head of the latter with the yoke, and 
threatening to break its neck. Not until after exhausting 
all these efforts and torments was the poor creature re- 
leased from the yoke, and a pailful of cold water poured 
over it. The animal with difficulty now raised itself on 
its tottering legs, and as soon as it succeeded it made a 
fierce rush on the nearest of its tormentors, who, I am 
sorry to say, escaped. The ox was now removed, and 
died the next day. 
Independence, with its environs, then contained four 
thousand inhabitants and seven churches. There were 
