BULL-FIGHTING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1901, 8 November 1913, Page 8

BULL-FIGHTING.

THE SCIENCE OP THE RING, BY AN ANATOMIST. Mudi, misconception exists iii .tHiff. mind of; th 6 average Englishipatt concerning biill-fighting, ; especially in. regard to tie maimer in wlaick the bull is killed. Tho .objefit q£ this article, taken, from an : Eiiglisii jiapor, is neither to defend bull-lighting nor to give an, account, of its .quaint* and interesting . fornjalities, but •tp describe, f rotti an. .• ai;atomir;il standpoint,- tie task essayhy, the (matador) in killing the bull ''scientifically,'' an act dorttaiiding _ coolness, courage-,' dexterity, a straight eye, and a strong wrist. The critical stroke .is. difficult to .make sue-' eessi'ully, and. its. proper ' accomplish- . meat nfeeds tie preliminary cooperation: of reliable assistants. An id© prevails that tho matador piths the bull. This is ' erroneous; tho fatal stroke carries the sword into bull's heart, or tho big vessels at the base of the heart, lit order to kill the bull ;according to the best traditions of the ring, ana to tho • satisfaction of; tho. eriticftl spectators, tiio sword should travcr&o the narrow space between the neck of the first rib and .the'transverse process of tho Vertebra . with which thoheAd- of the rib articulates. This interspaco varies'in .size in different .bulls; it 1 way be an oblong a chink, or oval; or - neatly circular, with an average measurement of •loin. In order to reach this 'area of fate tile sword passes' over the bull's horn, and the animal's head roust bo low. to permit the stroke. In order tha€ the interspace'may be'as wide as possible, the. matador plays with' Ims victim, aided, by the red flag, fio as to get the two forefeet ' elosft together. The flag-play-which precedes the fatal stroke .is n&t a performance .to irritate ; the bull, .but a necessary prooeedine to indiico liim to stand' in the position

which is required for_ the satisfactory ' reception, of . the "scientific. stroke. When the hull is in tho proper wsition the guide-"to the critical spot is the anterior border of the right blade-bone. Tlie sword. should enter a littlo to we inner side near the tipper angle of this bony landmark. The Matador. Wo may now study the planner .. in which the matadors colleagues assist him .in preparing the bull for the filial sacrifice; The first act of a • Spanish bull-light belongs to the horsemen. Thejare mounted on worn-out horses., placed iiear tlie harrier,, and tlio e.ve of tlie liorso toward tho arena is blindfolded. Each - horseman, or-picador, is .armed with a stout pike,. which litis a short, blunt-pointed, steel spike. When tho bull gores the, horse its-horn, often becomes .entangled for few : seconds, and in this brief interval -the picador thrusts tho point of the. pike, frequently and vigorously into muscles at the root of tlie bult's lieek near the withers.. Sometimes tlie bull kills., the horse at once bv driving a horn into, the chest; often tho. bull gets, the horse'fairly on. its horns, .and throws horspand horseman to the ground. It is extraordinary how, tho pieador-s. escapo injury in these encounters, and they fully desert's tho name of Miudinrubber iseh" 'imposed on them .-by Spaniards. The strength of tlio muscles in the bull's neck must ho enormous, for a horse and picador weigh twelves? thirteen hundredweight. When the hull has . badly wounded or killed two or throe horses, arid tho president considers that i th.p >. "honour, of tho horse" id satisfied, a trumpet call announces tlio end of the act.

The condition'of-the hull at th-iS 1 stage Is" worth'iiotie'e.'"' He h-ai' been'rusting about -the ring at great speed, chasing ba.nderilleros, who' have','been flaunting him with red eloalss, goring, atid Qvertui'ning- horses, and. receiving iepcated .prods at.tho reot of the nec.k from tho melal-armcd pikes *>f the picadors;' Tlie powerful muscles belonging to tho ootnpfeus and splenitis group, which enable" the hull'to, raise liis head, sre:attached to tho tail spines of the anterior set of dorsal vertebrae. When the picador forcibly prods the bull With his pike those muscles are badly damaged, and this _ assault on tlie poor brute's withers gives him something more than a stiff neck. The object of the "horsetragedy'' in a Spanish bull-fight serves the purposo of tiring and weakening the powerful muscles which elevate the head. This, as will- he shown subsequently, is a very important matter, for the .final act- of a hull-fight. It has been necessary to discuss the -horse performance at some length because the part it plays is rarely 'understood in"-countries outside Spain. For instance, in such ail admirable hook as the 'Century Diction,ary a pacador is described as ''one of the horsemen,, armed.; with a hin-ee, who commences. the r combat in the arena 'bv •pricking' the biill.. to madness with th(>ir weapons, biit purposely avoid disabling him." The second act.belongs to the bandertlleros, some of- whom worry the hull by" foliating red cloaks. Another .approaches the bull, and as. .the' animal charges'ho endeavours to plant a' pair of banderilleras ) into the hull's sbwddors, one on each' side iioaf ' tte withers. . A banderillera 'is a sort of javelin or' barbed ilart, with vanes of coloured paper. ' When r banderiliefo snccretls i-n. implanting n pair of baiiderilleras dexterously and neatlr. the agile performer wins great and deserved applause. When the second act has been carried out- to the. president's satisfaction, a trumpet call • announces tho final episode, the killing of the hull. From tho very beginning of the fmlit tho matador dias been keenly studying the hull, noting the animal's character I and- peculiarities. Ho also Watches' the efforts of the pioadors, a matter ' of great importance to him. The condition of the hull when tlie matador takes him in ha-iid varies _ "considerably, Sometimes tlie bull is tired ou.t- { usually weakened, and occasionally taiiiedj hut often he is vigorous,' active, and ' extremely dangerous. . The matador fespasla'). armed with a sword possessing a flat heavy blade, and the lmileta, a small red flag mount- : ed on a short staff, now encasres tho hull. By passes with Ins red flag he plays .the. t>ull until tlie anima! assumes ! the requisite position, standing with his forefeet together and tho head droop- J iiig. Qcoasionallv a' banderillera sticks ' in the way; this he knocks out.vn'tli the ; sword. _ As soon as the. hull stands in a, position favourable for the stTOlco, the espada administers it by holding , the sword, horizontally, and 'glancing along it steps quickly forward and thrusts-it into the bull's chest, and as he makes the strike, his arms passes over the bvtE's horn. If'the stroke has been correctly made the hull may sink on the saiid at once add die ift a few seconds.

The s-troke 1 is often mode, correctly, butthe bull survives many seconds, but bo tone as the. sword is driven into ( the toll's chest at tlio correct snots it- is no 1 discredit to'the c*psda whether ho dies in thirty ae«o*nds or in ten. Final Measures. j

As the matador thrusts the' swoicl into the btiil ho tonloses the handle, and, if the stroke is'correctly made, the sword blade is seen deeply aiwl firmly .implanted in the bull's chest, _ Tlie condition.of the bull is sufficient indication of the accuracy or otherwise of .the stroke, for if,the sword enters the bull's flesh and does not penetrate tlio thorax .at tlio correct spot ho will attack the matador, aiad occasionally succeeds in goring him. sometimes fatally. The must skilful espada often fails to kill the. bull at tb> lirst stroke, and sometimes half a doaOn.strokes' ;ue niado'be- • fore the correct stroke comes off. Not infrequently, with inexpert matadors, thfi killing becomes a dreadful bungle,' and the bull* blaoding from repeated gfrord tkrastsi sink; oxhauated usdsr,

the barrier, and is pithed by the p.untillero, with his short dagger. When a matador bungles tho killing ho is hissed by tbo spectators, for every Spaniard is' an expert ill tho roles of the I3ull-Bin^: but when he kills a very bravo bull with a brilliant stroke, ho is acclairacd with enthusiasm, wiiich may be described as hysterical,, .whilst, a,, triple team of mules 'gaily caparisoned drags the.carcass of tlio bull from the arena. _ Tlio feature of a bull-fight Which disgusts Englishmen is tho liorsetraedy; tTiey think it unnecessary and cruel, apparently regarding it as a torment without design ; but ii study of the principles underlying tho science of bullfighting makes it clear that unless the neck muscles <\f the bull aro exhausted, to .tise 'a physiological terin, hy tho exertion' of gpriiig' and overthrowing horses, and damaged, by tho pikes of the picadors, tho correct nnd often masterly stroke of - tlio espado in a combat with the hravest bull would he impossible of execution, . A , 1 .'.