Year: 1866

From the Buenos Ayres Correspondence of the
Providence. Journal


The SdldderG is truly a feature of this
country. Let me give you picture Of the
largest in South America. 1t is that of Sir


De FOnde, across the cove or inner harbOr,
from Motevideo. The Surgeon of the U. S.
steamer Susquehannah aud your corre-
spOndent visited it one morning before


breakfast by way of getting up an appetite.


Well mounted and spurred, we started


from the Hotel Oriental at sunrise, and af-


ter pretty morning ride of five miles we
approached the establishment. The strong
OdOr from the tallow boilers and the bone


kilns, signitied our approach, while yet
almost a league away. Over the plain be-
fore us as we rounded the head of the cove,
we saw an enclosure, perhaps of thirty acres,
in which were broad, low, black looking
roofs, covering large area, in the center
of which stood tall brick chimney from
which rolled the foul black smoke of the
bone kilns. We found the cattle pen on
the side next us in our approach. The pen
is circular area of two or three acres, sur
rounded by fence about nine feet high,
very strongly built. From its ase on the
side next us, two great fences opened to


the plain, like very jaws of death as they
are, the distance between constantly widen
ing as they extend from the pen. Opposite
this gate is another, which opens Into a
lane or passage about one hundred feet long
and fifteen feet wide at the head and eight
feet at the foot. Into this the cattle are
driven in lots of 90, more or less, at once.
At the further end of this is the slaughter
house, bnilding several hundred feet in
length and about 40 feet wide sloping to-
ward either side from railway track in
the center running the entire length on
either side. On the outer border of the
slopes is deep gutter for carrying off the
blood. The 1ioor of the lane above referred
to is of plank, and the ground has sufficient
fall from the pen to the slaughter floor to
give an elevation of about two feet to this
floor at its lower end. Into this and form
ing part of it, truck fits upon which the
slaughtered OK is carried to such dresser
along the route as may have dispatched his
last. On the outside of the passage of
death, as / shall call the lane above de-
scribed, and fitting against the fence, is a
platform about five feet high and tour feet
wide, running its entire length. Upon this
stands the MatadOr with his lasso, the other
end of which runs through a pulley, aud to
it are attached two horses harnessed side by
side, each with rider, whose beat is at
right angles to the passage of death at its
lower end, and on the same side with the
PLATFORM. The MGtddOr throws the lasso,
catching by the hOrns or head. one, two, or
three animals, as the case may be. He sings
out "ESta buend !" which means sit is weli,n
or call right" and away gallop the horses,
snatching the cattle from one end of the
lane to the other and bringing them up
on the track with their heads against a
sliding bar all in jitfy. The same man
who lassoes, them, tbrusts his ugly knife
into the top of the head just back of the
horns, striking the point of junction be-
tween the spinal column and the brain,
Again he sings "Esta Buena y, the. horses
turn about, the bar slips aside, the ca I runs
away, the cattle are dumped off and it is
back again, ."while you would be saying
Jack Robinson" But meanwhile the MAJ