The second day after my arrival in the town of Tantoyuca, I presented
myself to the first Alcade, or chief magistrate of the town. I showed
him the documents I had brought with me from the President and other
authorities, and expressed a desire of putting in practice, in that town
the ability I possessed of taming, in a few hours, wild horses. The
Alcade seemed to be of a morose, surly temper, and answered me, saying,
he did not believe in witches, nor miracles, and though he said he
respected the President’s document, yet he believed he had been imposed
upon, &c. He appeared not even disposed to give me a trial. He had a
brother-in-law, a Spaniard, a genteel, wealthy gentleman: this man was
very much disposed to favor my undertaking. He possessed numerous herds
of wild horses. He gave me one of his houses to live in, whilst I staid
in the town, for I had my wife and family with me. About six o’clock,
(this was in February, 1826,) whilst we were all sitting at the door,
taking the air, a wild deer came bouncing by us. It had been chased out
of the woods by a leopard or a tiger. The large spotted tiger and
leopard are both natives of this country, and are often seen within half
a mile of the towns in the Guanteca. The deer ran down opposite the
Alcade’s house: there, a man threw a rope upon it, and caught it. I
immediately went to the man, bought the deer, and told him to tie it and
bring it up to my house. He accordingly did so. I untied it, and shut it
up in a room, where it remained all night. The next morning, before
sun-rise, I went to it, and began the operation of gentling; and, at
nine o’clock, I made it follow me to the Alcade’s, accompanied by his
brother-in-law. The Alcade was so delighted at seeing the deer follow me
into his house, that he gave me every facility to perform in that town,
which I did, and brought away a fine purse of doubloons, which he and
his friends gave me, as a gratification for having broken a wild horse
in their presence.
This deer having been shut up all night, as I have observed, I got up
early in the morning, and went to the room in which it was confined. As
I opened the door, it appeared almost frightened to death. I shut the
door, however, and remained perfectly still for some time. The deer had
retired to the further corner of the room, which was very small: it had
turned round, and was looking at me. I kept my position, with my left
hand stretched out, for half an hour before I began to move, as slow as
possible, towards the deer, which kept its eyes fixed steadfast upon me,
and never stirred, till I got nigh enough to touch it. I moved my hand
for some time, before I dared to let it fall upon its head: at last, I
ventured to let the end of my fingers fall, as lightly as possible, upon
its head; it trembled and flinched a little; I repeated, with the
greatest rapidity, those very light touches, and in less than five
minutes, as I suppose, (for it was impossible for me to look at my
watch without frightening the deer,) I began to rub it upon the head;
and, in less than half an hour, I took its head under my arm, and
handled it all over in two hours from the time I went in to it. I made
my servant and several others go to it, and stroke and rub it. It was a
full-grown deer, and not less than two or three years old. The mode of
taming it consisted in stroking it gently, and taking its head in my
arms, &c. I relate this circumstance more to prove the astonishing
effect the tact has upon some animals, and to point out the different
ways of applying it, than from any benefit resulting from taming this
latter kind of animals.