Читать книгу Tachyhippodamia; Or, The new secret of taming horses - J. S. Rarey - Страница 3

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In the year 1811, whilst residing in Georgia, I read an account of a man who lived more than a hundred years ago, who would take any wild horse, and shut himself up with him in a small yard or stable, and at the end of a few hours, come out with the horse perfectly gentle. Nothing was ever known about the means he employed in gentling him, for he died without ever communicating his secret to any one. I always possessed a great share of curiosity: therefore, as well to gratify it as to become useful to myself and others, I made a great many experiments upon young horses, but without success. I ran great risks in these experiments, but the danger, far from discouraging me, animated me the more to make new trials. At the end of the year 1811, I came to Louisiana, where there were many wild horses. I renewed my experiments. After having met with many difficulties, I discovered a secret in 1814, on my plantation in the Attakapas, by which I broke a horse in three hours. The horse always remained gentle. By the same method, I broke another; but two days after, I found him almost as wild as ever. This perplexed me very much—why one horse should remain gentle and the other not. I broke two more, and undertook a fifth, which I abandoned after several trials. This took place between seven and nine o’clock in the morning. I then thought the application of the secret ought to be varied. Accordingly, after having adopted and rejected a great many ways of applying it, I fell upon one which proved to be the best. At eleven o’clock, I went in again to the horse; but when he saw me, he reared and pitched and kicked in a most terrific manner. I stopped, notwithstanding, stood still a few minutes, and then began the operation, and saw, with pleasure, that at half past four he was perfectly gentle, and always remained so; for I had already discovered this last most important part of the secret—of having them always remain gentle—and I never have revealed it to any living person.

To give an idea of this mode of gentling horses, I will relate a few circumstances of the last mentioned horse. He was going on eight years old, had always run in the prairie since he had been branded, was a stud of a most fiery, ferocious disposition, and had never been roped from the time he had been branded. To get him into the yard where I gentled him, we were obliged to tie his legs and drag him in, and no one durst go into the yard where he was let loose. He ran at any one, when confined in the yard, with as much fury as a lion or tiger would have done, and he used his teeth and fore feet with as much dexterity as if he had been trained up to it from a colt. After I led him out, I let the saddle fall over his heels, girted him tight and cruppered him. Several boys got upon him, rode him about the yard, tied a dry ox-hide to his tail, and rode him out in this manner into the prairie, without his showing the least sign of fear, either at the rattling of the hide, or at any other object he met with in the prairie. The next day, they rode him to the town, in the midst of a great concourse of people; for it was a holiday. He passed among them with as little fear as if he had been raised in the town. When he came home, he followed any one without pulling him by the halter. He let any one handle his feet, and take them up with as much ease as they could those of any plough horse. I declare that, in thus gentling this animal, I made use of no intoxicating beverage, or smell, or any other means whatever, that might tend to stupify him, or diminish his natural vigor or spiritedness in the least: but, on the contrary, horses thus gentled are fit for immediate use, with all their vigor, as they do not become poor and broken down by length of time and bad usage, as it happens with spirited horses gentled in the common way, with much cost and danger. This is not the only advantage of the secret. It enables the most timid man to break a horse, without danger or fear; for it consists in gentling him completely, before you attempt to get on him.

I have broken an immense number of wild horses, in the Mexican provinces, of the most fiery and spirited dispositions; and have certificates from the President, Vice-President, and many of the most respectable citizens of that Republic, who have been eye-witnesses to this performance. In the City of Mexico, General Maison, Captain Hotchkiss and others, strangers, then in Mexico, have seen me perform.

This secret, though simple, requires a clear explanation, and how to be applied according to the three different kinds of horses: for, though a man should discover enough of the secret to break some of the common horses of this country, he still would meet with many, even here, that he could not break, and would completely fail among the high blooded Spanish studs. But, by perfectly knowing the secret, he will find them even easier to be gentled than almost any others.

There are three kinds of wild horses. The first of these appear to fear nothing, and when confined will run at a man with incredible fierceness. The second appear only to fear man. The third class appear to be afraid of every thing they meet with, when separated from the rest of the horses. Many of the Spanish horses belong to the first class, and frequently suffer themselves to be killed before they can be broken in the common way, and yet they are easily gentled by my secret. Now, it is positively necessary to vary the application of the secret according to the disposition of the horse to be gentled; all of which will be clearly and extensively explained in the publication of this work. The work will, besides, contain some few observations upon horses in general, and in what part of the Mexican provinces the best race of horses is to be found, &c., and an easy manner of fattening a horse in a short time. Likewise, the Mexican mode of preventing horses from breaking their bridles—and how to prevent a horse’s back from getting sore even on long journeys: all of which I have proved by experience. How to teach a horse, so that in a few days he will not suffer a person dressed in a certain manner to ride him or come near him. To teach one, so that in a few days he will suffer no one to ride him but his master.

At the time I discovered this secret, I was teaching, (and had been for some time,) the public school or college of Attakapas on my plantation, close to the town, and in my own buildings; for the edifice designed for that purpose had been burnt down some time before. I received, besides what each student paid me for board and tuition a compensation for the use of my buildings, as well as the annual pension from the government of the state of Louisiana; and as I taught the Latin and Greek languages, as well as the French, English and Spanish, I had a great number of students, from different parts of the state, and from other states, which rendered my business pretty lucrative. This was one reason why I did not turn my attention at that time to the gain I might expect to reap from this discovery.

In 1815, I met with a man by the name of Thomas Drinnen, who appeared to me rather eccentric in some respects, but an active, intelligent man, and very fond of horses. I told him I had discovered a secret to break them in a few hours. He wanted me to reveal it to him. I told him I would let him know enough of it to astonish the public, if he would go to Attakapas with me; for it was in the time of vacation, and I was on the Mississippi, on my way home. He said he could not, but would come there some time afterwards, if I would give him some of the ingredients to make trials with where he was then going. I accordingly supplied him with certain materials, (the better to disguise the real secret,) one of which was that callous substance growing upon a horse’s fore legs, called the spur; likewise, the sweat taken from under a man’s arm was to be used; the sweat of a horse, mare’s milk, &c. Said Drinnen really believed that these materials were efficacious in gentling a horse. I now declare to the world, that I had heard of some of them, and made use of the others in my experiments, but found them without the least effect.

In 1819, Drinnen came to Attakapas. I never had mentioned to any one that I knew such a secret. On the contrary, I came into Mr. Grigg’s inn, then and still existing at St. Martinsville, distant from my (then) plantation a half a mile, pretending to be astonished at what Drinnen was relating concerning horses, and at the same time incredulous, offering him a gratification of one hundred dollars, to see him break one of the wild horses of this country in so short a time. Mr. Gabriel Fuselier told him that he would do the same, if he should succeed in his essay upon any one of the wild horses upon his plantation, which was about two miles from the town. He accepted the offer, and the following day was decided upon for the trial; at which time he performed, and to the satisfaction of every one. But I had given him no further insight into the secret than this first part of it, more to see what impression it would have upon the public, than for any thing else, as my employment and standing in society were such that I did not like to appear before such a multitude of my acquaintances as a horse-breaker. This was, however, a foolish prejudice; for Fulton by the discovery of the means of making a boat advance with more velocity by the application of steam power, was not, on that account, looked upon as a common boatman.

After these experiments of Drinnen, to whom I had communicated so small a part of the secret, I was fully convinced that a large fortune might be made in almost any country with the secret, such as I knew it; and, as I understood the Spanish language, I agreed with Drinnen to go first to Havana and then to New Spain, and take him with me. Accordingly, I sent him to New Orleans, to fit out a small schooner we had bought in Newtown. But he took the fever and died, and I continued my occupations with success for several years, till I had accumulated a handsome property. Shortly after, I became security for several persons, three of whom left me to pay for them: at the same time, I had been robbed of six thousand three hundred dollars in the city of New Orleans, and had lost one thousand nine hundred dollars upon the steam-boat Teche. As property had fallen to almost nothing, I sacrificed every thing, to pay other people’s debts, and in 1824 went by land through Texas to Tamaulipas, where I received a splendid gratification from the governor of the state, Don Bernardo, Gutierrez de Lara, Don Felipe de la Garza, general of division, and from several other gentlemen who were present at a performance which took place in the town and sea-port of Soto la Marina. From thence I went to Mexico with my family, where I performed before the President, Vice President, the Marquis of Vivanco, Count de Regla Y Jala, General Guerrero, and several of the first characters of Mexico, in 1825, in the month of July. Our Envoy, Mr. Joel R. Poinsett, whom I had the honor of knowing personally at that time, can bear witness of the veracity of the signatures of the above-named gentlemen, as well as of their standing, all of whom gave me certificates which I have now in my possession, and some of which I shall publish in this work.

Here must be inserted the following extracts, the originals of which I have in my possession: as a confirmation of which I will first put down Mr. Poinsett’s:

Legation of the United States of America, }

Mexico, November 15th, 1835. }

The undersigned, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America in Mexico, hereby certifies: that every faith and credit are to be placed in the documents and certificates which have been given in this country to Willis J. Powell, while a resident in these countries. They are signed by gentlemen of the highest respectability; and there is no reason to doubt that he possesses, in an uncommon degree, the art of taming, in an incredible short time, the wildest and most unruly horses.

J. R. Poinsett.

[A true Copy.]

[TRANSLATION.]

Captain General’s Office of the South, } Mexico, July 27th, 1825. }

Don Vincente Guerrero to all Gentlemen Governors, Military Commanders, Civil Authorities, and Inhabitants in general of the United Mexican States—Greeting:

Gentlemen: The astonishing faculty of Willis J. Powell, in taming wild horses in a few hours, was recommended to me by persons of the highest respectability, and in whom I place entire confidence. They have written to me in his favor, that I might facilitate him to perform in this city. He has verified the same to the entire satisfaction of all the beholders; and having resolved to continue his operations in other parts of the Federation, where he is now about to go, I recommend him, gentlemen, to your favor and protection, not doubting in the least but that you will be highly gratified with the acquaintance of a gentleman who has made a discovery of so much utility, and which, gentlemen, you will know how to appreciate, as persons who desire to encourage all useful improvements, or any thing that may tend to enlighten your fellow citizens: assuring you that I shall be very thankful for whatever kindness or favor you shall have dispensed to this citizen. It is what I expect from your natural goodness. God preserve your lives many years, &c., &c.

Vincente Guerrero.