the far west,
are descended from the noble Spanish steeds that were brought over by
the wealthy cavaliers who accompanied Fernando Cortez, the conqueror of
Mexico, in his expedition to the new world in 1518. These bold, and, we
may add, lawless cavaliers, were mounted on the finest horses that could
be procured from Barbary and the deserts of the Old World. The poor
Indians of the New World were struck with amazement and terror at these
awful beings, for, never having seen horses before, they believed that
horse and rider were one animal. During the wars that followed many of
the Spaniards were killed and their steeds bounded into the wilds of the
new country to enjoy a life of unrestrained freedom. These were the
forefathers of the present race of magnificent creatures which are found
in immense droves all over the western wilderness, from the Gulf of
Mexico to the confines of the snowy regions of the far north.

At first the Indians beheld these horses with awe and terror, but
gradually they became accustomed to them, and finally succeeded in
capturing great numbers and reducing them to a state of servitude. Not,
however, to the service of the cultivated field, but to the service of
the chase and war. The savages soon acquired the method of capturing
wild horses by means of the lasso--as the noose at that end of a long
line of raw hide is termed--which they adroitly threw over the heads of
the animals and secured them, having previously run them down. At the
present day many of the savage tribes of the west almost live upon
horseback, and without these useful creatures they could scarcely
subsist, as they are almost indispensable in the chase of the buffalo.

Mustangs are regularly taken by the Indians to the settlements of the
white men for trade, but very poor specimens are these of the breed of
wild horses. This arises from two causes. First, the Indian cannot
overtake the finest of a drove of wild mustangs, because his own steed
is inferior to the best among the wild ones, besides being weighted with
a rider, so that only the weak and inferior animals are captured. And,
secondly, when the Indian does succeed in lassoing a first-rate horse he
keeps it for his own use. Thus, those who have not visited the far-off
prairies and seen the mustang in all the glory of untrammelled freedom,
can form no adequate idea of its beauty, fleetness, and strength.

The horse, however, was not the only creature imported