The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-19
EXTRAORDINARY LASSOING.
BRANDING CALIFORNIA CATTLE-DRIvISG HERDS
FROM THE FOOTHILLS.
From the Cincinnati Commercially

! From the Cincinnati Commercial
! Messrs Cox and Quinn own large ranges il
Southern California, and they do an extern
sive business driving cattle northward into
Placer and Nevada counties, to be sold in the
mining towns, principally Grass Valley an6
Nevada City This winter they kept an i'm
mense herd in the foothills, and few days
ago they drove them out on The plains te
select and brand them.
With the exception Of two Mexicans, all Of
the thirty or forty men assembled were Ameri.
cans. Most Of the horses were half-breeds OF
full-blooded Americans, but in Southern Cali.
fornia the mustang still prevails on the stock
ranch.
The great herd numbering about 5000 head,
is huddled in the middle of the open plain,
and the proprietors and vacqueros are riding
around them. What few footmen there are
present keep well out Of the way, for these
Spanish cattle have great curiosity to inspect
mans heels Their long, slender, shining
horns are held aloft, and with dilated nostrils
says to a vacquero: "You see that big, black
fellow, with crop and a slit in the right, and
an overslope in the left? Bring him out 4"
The vacquero rides into the herd gradually
worms the animal to the outer edge of the
band, then suddenly clapping spurs to his
horse hunts him with the greatest swiftness
out into the open; then the trained horse,
eager and delighting in the chase, follows his
every motion so closely that the animal, though
straight forward. Another owner recognizes
one of his animals, and the same process is
repeated with this one
There are few to be branded, and as there
is no corral to confine them in, they are COM
PEELED to resort to the Mexican plan. The
animal is first separated from the herd and
then a vacquero rides him down and lassoes
him by the horns. Another rides up and las
soes him by the hind legs, if he is skilful
enough, or, if not, throws one side Of the
loop on the animals back and the other on
the ground behind him, and he presently
backs into it, when it is quickly drawn tight.
Then the two horses set out in opposite d.
rections, the animals hind feet are pulled
from under him. and he comes down, one
would think, at the imminent hazard of
breaking his backbone. A man rushes up
with the branding iron and claps it on his
right hip, where it makes cruel singeing
and fixing.
1t is frequentlya good deal worse business to
get away from him than it is to catch him, es-
pecially if he ha' fight in him. and he general
ly has by this time. The brander gets out of
the way; while the two horsemen are holding
the animal tight with the lassoes around their
pommels and the horses at dead set, a third
rides up, the lassoes are slackened little, the
one around the horns is slipped of, and the
man instantly mounts his horse before the
animal can rise, and fees, while the raging
brute struggles free from the other lasso and
perhaps gives chase. Thus both lassoes are
recovered, and everybody gets off with whole
skin
One Of the most extraordinary feats perform
ed consisted in the lassoing Of sucking calf
with loop fifteen feet across. 1t requires
great skill to throw a lasso with such an enor-
nous loop, and it has to be hurled long dis
lance to narrow down sufficiently to catch so
small an animal. In Texas have seen man
asso prairie dog, but he used a small rope
and very small loop.
One OF the men executed feat which would
seem incredible to "a person who had not wit
messed it. Riding at full speed across the
plains, nearly abreast of steer, he spun the
asso ahead and took i'll both his fore feet,
bringing him down tn raking plunge on