To complete
their offensive weapons, they have the lasso, a leather rope fifty feet
long, and as thick as a woman's little finger, hanging from the pommel
of their saddles; this is a terrible arm, against which there is but
little possibility of contending, even if the adversary possess a rifle,
for the casting of the lasso is done with the rapidity of thought, and
an attempt to turn round and fire would indubitably seal his fate: the
only means to escape the fatal noose is to raise the reins of your horse
to the top of your head, and hold any thing diagonally from your body,
such as the lance, the carbine, or anything except the knife, which you
must hold in your right hand, ready for use.
The chances then are: if the lasso falls above your head, it must slip,
and then it is a lost throw, but if you are quick enough to pass your
knife through the noose, and cut it as it is dragged back, then the
advantage becomes yours, or, at least is equally divided, for then you
may turn upon your enemy, whose bow, lance, and rifle, for the better
management of his lasso, have been left behind, or too firmly tied about
him to be disengaged and used in so short a time. He can only oppose you
with the knife and tomahawk, and if you choose, you may employ your own
lasso; in that case the position is reversed; still the conquest belongs
to the most active of the two.
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