AT A BULL FIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1920, Page 3

AT A BULL FIGHT

BARCELONA. Three hulls received the coup-de-grace, tlie last one clean, hilt-deep stroke of tlie long sword just at the right point of the spine. Eighteen thousand spectators in the huge amphitheatre yelled themselves hoarse. Caps were thrown into tlie ring, and thousands of handkerchiefs signalled to the President that lie should grant tlie matador tlie “bull’s ear,” an unusual mark of' public approval.

Bowing to the wildly cheering crowds tlie hero (for tlie moment) made his circuit of the arena. Then the trumpets blew again, and a black bull with ugly horns, long and turned upwards nearly straight from the curve, trotted into the arena. The cloak-men caught by the enthusiasm, performed prodigies of gymnastics, the bull “followed up” charge after charge, caught a violet cloak and tore it to shreds, then with a sharp swerve got his head under one of his tormentors and tossed him spinning. . . He fell unliiirfr, and the crowd shrieked its delight. “Well done, f i|oro.”

Suddenly, as I watched this first bullfight of the spring season, a lad of eighteen to twenty leaped the palisade Into the ring, toro off his black holiday coat and, waving it in one hand while he brandished a walkstick in the o ( the_r, made a feint at tlie angry bull.

Then the seventeen thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine remaining tspectators cat-call greeted tlie would-be amateur. All the cioakmen, two or throe picadors (horse-men), surrounded the hull while a master of ceremonies chased the amateur bull-fighter aboutthe arena.

The amateur put up a good show, ran and dodged like a fast three-quarter, and only surrendered when-the M.C. suddenly put his hand to the hilt of a knife. Then they bundled him over, the palisade like a sack and a posse of. police marched him off to prison. i * * * * * * * Popularity is iu the ring, unless the ' matador he one of the two champions ] of Spain (just now one is hurt and .the other is touring the bull-rings of Span, ish America), is short-lived. A few minutes ago this young matador had the whole place one yell of applause. Now, head down and vermillion cloak n-trail behind him he is leaving the ring after killing his fifth bull at perhaps the seventh attempt. Hisses and cat-calls followed his failures and once they bombarded him with the little cushions that are hired to soften the asperities of the cement seats. And at last all the people stood and screamed to the Presi- •

dent. The hero of a few minutes before got his first “warning.” (Three “warnings” send the matador to prison as a failure, while another kills hiis bull.) I Three matadors, one a most painful fumblor, shared the six bulls. Each of the matadors may have received somo £750 or so for his performance, but he has to find his own cloak-men, and so on. The great national heroes of Seville and Madrid, whose mere names

on the programme could twice fill the largest amphitheatre, may touch in net profit a clear thousand or more for each show.