Begin at his forehead, just above the nose, and handle it in the same
manner as you would do with a wild horse, according to the rules laid
down in that part of the secret. Gentleness, Patience, Perseverance,
Faith; all these are necessary, in order to succeed with some horses. It
has taken me from five to six hours, to be able to handle the ears of
some horses; but, at the end of that time, they let me handle them with
as much ease as I could those of a house-dog. They will always let you
handle them afterwards.
Shortly after my arrival in Mexico, a gentleman who had read an article
which the President had caused to be published in the government paper,
concerning what I had done with a wild horse that
[Illustration: THE HORSE BOUNDING ON HIS HIND LEGS.]
I had gentled in his presence, a few days before, sent for me, telling
me he had a horse of great value, that he had given only five hundred
dollars for, on account of a defect, or vice, that the horse had
contracted two years before, and which had augmented to such a degree,
that he would have killed any one that would have attempted to put a
bridle on him, or touch him about the ears. He asked me if I thought I
could cure him of this evil habit. I told him I would try; and,
accordingly, I sent every person away, and went in to the horse. I had
taken the precaution of having a halter (jaguima) put upon him
before-hand, and a long rope, dragging upon the ground, tied to it. In
order to put this halter upon him, they had to throw a rope upon his
legs, and tie them, and another around his nose; and this was a ceremony
they had to perform every time they put the bridle on him. When I had
got in where the horse was, I took up the rope and advanced, holding out
my left hand, as when I break a wild horse, and came up to him. I used a
great deal of precaution, when I touched him in the forehead for the
first time, as I do with a horse belonging to the first class, that is,
those that seem to fear nothing; and, continuing on in this manner,
gradually ascending, making my fingers play upon his forehead with great
rapidity--gaining ground so slow, that I remained two hours before I
came to the roots of his ears, which I began to touch very lightly at
the end of another half hour; and, by continuing the operation an hour
longer, I was able to handle them with ease and safety. A few minutes
after, I bridled him, led him about, and made him follow me, without
pulling him by the bridle. I took it off, and put it on again. I
repeated this exercise several times. Then I called in my servant, and
made him bridle and unbridle him. Then sent him to tell the owner of the
horse to come and see him.
Give me leave here to observe, that when I performed upon a horse, I
never let any one be present, (for fear they might discover the real
secret,) except such a gentleman as I knew would give me a handsome
gratification: for a man is always more or less willing to pay to
satisfy his curiosity as well as his interest.
The owner of the horse came in where he was standing without rope or
bridle. I called a little Indian boy, who had never bridled a horse in
his life, and gave him the bridle; and, as the horse’s head was too high
for him to reach up to it, I told him to get into a chair, and put the
bridle on. His master cried out, “For God’s sake, don’t let him go nigh
him! I cannot yet have confidence enough in that animal, to let the
little boy go nigh him: I know he would kill him, though Beelzebub
himself had been to work at him since the time you first went into the
stable!” I then went and put on the bridle myself, and took it off; then
he agreed to let the little Indian do the same, which he did, as may be
supposed, in a very awkward, fumbling manner, standing all the while in
a chair, to the great surprise of his master, who then came in and
bridled him himself, and made me a present of eight doubloons, (a
hundred and twenty-four dollars.)