Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-10-04
The GauchOs at Paris,

A very interesting feature in the Paris
Jardin d d'Acclimatization is the appear
ance, two or three times day, of several
Gauchos. These men, who are of Span
ish descent, are disseminated among the
pampas of Buenos Ayres, South Amer
lea, and pass nearly the whole of their
life upon horseback. Their perform
ances in the saddle are very remarka-
BILE; and the feats of horsemanship
which they accomplish in the Jardin
d'Acclimatization have made them very
popular with the Partisan sightseers.
Born in hut and noted for his tenn
perate habits, the Gaucho, mounted
upon his prairie mustang, scours the
pampas in quest of wild horses, buffaloes
and ostriches, which he contrives to cap
ture with his lasso. He is in the habit
of spending the night rolled up in q
piece of cloth, and thinks no hardship
too great when engaged in his favorite
pursuit. He is very averse, however, to
manual labor and though he lives under
bright sky and upon very fertile land,
| he scarcely knows the taste of fruit,
vegetables, or even bread. His only
trade consists in selling to his neighbors
the horses and wild cattle which he has
captured upon the pampas.
The mode of capture is very pictur-
esque. The Gaucho, setting his horse
at full gallop, whirls the lasso round his
head at tremendous pace, and throws
it so as to twist it round the legs of the
animal he is pursuing. He will not
miss his aim once in twenty times, and
the lasso is so securely fastened to the
pommel of his own saddle that he and
his horse, accustomed to the shock pro-
duced by the Struggles of the animal
lassoed, are not upset. When he has
captured one of these wild horses, with
q view to selling him, he girths him up
tight, and springs into the saddle, from
which no horse ever born can dislodge
him. He then sends the horse off at q
gallop, and makes him describe an i'm.
mense circle of fifteen or twenty miles
by the time he has done this distance
upon him, the horse is fairly broken
in.
The equipment OF the Gaucho and his
steed is worth description. The bride
and reins are of green leather, twisted,
with rings of leather at short intervals
all along the reins. The horse wears @
sort of collar as an ornament, and around
his neck is rolled lounging rein, some
forty feet long, which is used for picket
ing him of night the saddle is placed
upon woolen rug; and the heavy stir.
rups into which the Gaucho just inserts
his toes are surcharged with ornamental
work. The riders dress consists ol
boots made of untanned horse skin, cot
ton inexpressibles embroidered about
the lower extremities, the chiripa, worn
round the waist, the tirador, or pouch
made of ornamental leather and covered
with silver buttons, woolen or cotton
shirt, and the poncho or mantle, which
is about six feet long with slit in the
middle for the head to pass through
The Gaucho wears either handkerchief
or light straw hat as head covering
and, in addition to these articles of at
tire, the Gaucho always carries pair o.
heavy spurs, big knife, and the lssso
which is made of leather, and measures
nearly seventy feet in length. He also
carries with him at all times the thong
and lashUf his whip, which are made O.
strong leather.