When the noose has been let out to the right size the next trouble is to keep it open and to avoid entangling it in the brush or other surrounding obstructions.

You keep it open, as I said, by holding the noose from quarter to half its length from the knot, and by a peculiar twist of the wrist that is only attainable by practice.

To keep it clear of the brush is often a more difficult job, for the cowboy is not always in a clear place when he wants to throw his rope.

Then it is that his judgment comes into play and determines whether his cast is a lost one or not.

I have seen vaqueros swing a lasso swiftly almost in the midst of a thicket, and keep it clear without losing speed, and then let it drive straight as an arrow between two close trees and rope an object that could not pass where the noose had gone.