Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-02-21
THE MEXICAN MUSTANG.
How 10 Buy Them, How 90 Break
Ihem. ANA hew the Girls Of Texas
Ride Them,

How 10 Buy Them. How 20 Break
Ihem, ANA hew lhe Girls of Texas
Ride Them.
Cor. St. Louis Globo-Dsmocrat.l
VICTORIA, South Texas, January
29.-About the first duty that de-
wolves upon the freshly arrived
stranger in Texas, and particularly
in South and West Texas, is the
purchase of a horse, because of the
magnificent distances over which he
may find himself compelled to
travel. The Texas correspondent
Of the Globe. Democrat was no ex-
ception, and, upon arriving in the
old Mexican town Of La Bahia, on
the river San Antonio, opposite the
American village of Goliad, he pro-
ceeded to purchase an animal and
mount himself.
Senior Lozano, a prominent and
wealthy Mexican horse and cattle
owner, a resident sometimes Of La
Bahia, sometimes Tamaulipas, Mex
leo, was therefore interviewed at
his little adobe house on the out
skirts Of the village. Senor Lozano
dispatched one Of his cowboys
booted, spurred and wearing the
broad. brimmed sombreroy-to bring
out Of his herd a horse that he rep
resented to be u splendid animal.
1t was done. At the very glance it
was seen that the horse--a beautiful
geldipg, dun, high mettled, grace
full, rolling fat and sleek-was wild,
and had probably been ridden few
times, if ever, before.
How much do you ask for that
animal?"
sixteen dollars in gold," an
swered Lozano.
GA bargain, senor."
Can you ride him?"
ooh, certainly; never fear about
that"
" Approach him, senor," said the
Mexican in his own language.
The correspondent did so, but
the mustang such he was--reared
up on his hind legs, and, with open
mouth and eyes that seemed to flash
Lightning, made one spring at his
new master. The latter lodged
and rushed back, the horse in the
meantime running to the length OF
the thirty-foot stake rope that held
him.
Finally Lozano and his young
man succeeded in saddling the mus
tang, the saddle being fastened by
two strong girthS under the loins.
The bride was one of those bits
especially adapted to wild horses.
At the same time Lozano presented
the purchaser with a pair of long
shanked Mexican spurs. They we're
put ON securely and the correspond
ent next prepared to mount. For
tunately, as matters subsequently,
proved, the scene was on the edge
of the vast plain that stretches
away from the river San Antonio to
the southward. The cowboy, or
sci caballero," as he might be
termed, held the reins aud Lozano
the left stirrup. The animal stood
perfectly still, as if paralyzed with
fear The correspondents foot
touched the stirrup; a second more
and his right leg swung over the
saddle, and he vas seated in it.
Then, ye godsl what bucking,
pitching, rearing, paving, and
kicking! The first movement of
the mustang seemed to be kind of
horizontal daRh or slide, followed
by a full stop. The third movement
was a kicking up, in which his heels
seemed at an angle of 45 degrees.
Then he reared and seemed deter
mined TO fall on his back, or rather
on the correspondent, The latter
saw his peril and hung on to the
horn Of the saddle like sailor to
the last spar in a cyclone. Then
there was a series of perpendicular
pitching" or bucking," as it is
called among Texans, in which the
seemed to jump up four
feet and come down perpendicular
ly, giving his rider a most unmerci-
lai Jolt. The bucking" contin-
red q aTSrter OF an hour when the
animsI broke into Il bad dash. His
riler did nothing but gsip his head