The national forum., 1910-07-30

hearts of the natives, who deemed
horse and man some fearful compo-
site animal. The most skilful artist
in the world with the lasso is that
compound--who shall say what is the
exact mixture of the ingredients?-
of Spaniard and Indian that is known
as Mexican, especially the Mexican of
the Southwestern States of the Union;
but we read of various tribes of the
Red Indians, probably quite free
from any infusion of European blood,
to whom the lasso had become so fa-
miliar weapon, so trusted in cases
of emergency, that they not only
used it on the galloping bison and
overthrow him on the prairie, but ac-
tually lassoed the tunnels Of the
steam engines when the trains began
to invade their land. 1t is possible
that the result may have been to give
a little shake to their confidence, but
their skill in the use of the moose
has abundant witness.
The Mexican's dexterity has to be
seen to be believed. At full gallop
he will send the loop to encircle at his
will the neck, the horn, the leg of the
steer laundering along beside him.
His little horse knows the game as
perfectly as he does, throwing himself
back on his launches into the best
possible position to stand the shock
and the strain which he knows will
arrive when the rope is drawn tight,
of which one end is about the steer
and the other is fastened to the horn
of the big Spanish saddle. The horse
stands firm and the steer tumbles.
Sometimes the Mexicans will ride
down and lasso the coyote or the wild
turkey, for the turkey likes his legs
better than his wings as means OF
locomotion, and will seldom fly again
after he has once been flushed and
marked down. The actual evolution
of the lasso may be imagined easily
at first big loop of rope thrown
about the head of an animal beside
which the rider galloped, then the
free-running moose at the end OF a
single rope. But the accuracy of
aim with the loop is the wonder.
After all, it cannot be nearly 80 sub
tie an affair as the boomerang throw,
for though perhaps the Mexican ex-
cells, the white cowboy is nearly, ii
not quite, his match. But the things
do with n nv
bit of rawhide are marvellous. He
will fit a fresh rawhide "riata"
around the nut of screw that has
stuck, and unscrew it, when the hide
has hardened, though the white me-
chanic, with his specially-made
wrench, has failed. You may be told
that tale-and it is credible one
by many who have worked on the
railways in the Mexican Republic.
The best moose story is a British
one. Like many of the best stories,
it is a 'bus-driver's story, and, like
all the best stories, it is an old story.
Bus A and bus B were together in a
block. The driver of bus A. had the
end of his whip hitched up into
little moose and kept playing with it,
putting his finger through it and
dragging it tight, then loosening it
again. He also kept saying moth
ing" and looking nowhere in partic-
ular; nevertheless, the driver of bus
b began glaring at him, and his face
grew more and more crimson, until
finally the winged fords broke forth
Numerically, and he cursed the player
with the moose as only one 'bus-driver
can curse another. Still the driver
of bus A kept saying nothing, and as
innocently as ever kept playing with
his moose. Then the fare" who sat
beside the driver of bus A leaned
forward and asked him, whats the
matter with that MANI" indicating
the driver of bus B; whats he so
angry with you about? You're not
doing him any harm?"
Matter with 'im?" said the moose
player scornfully. why e amt got
no sense o. humor; that's what's the
matter with i'm. Is father was
Jung. g."-Westminster Gazette,