SPORT IN SPAIN

Marlborough Express, Volume LX, Issue 231, 30 September 1926, Page 6

SPORT IN SPAIN

" A REAL BULL-FIGHT " NEW ZEALANDER'S DESCRIPTION. HOLIDAY1NG IN SOUTH FRANCE A graphic description oi" a "real Spanisih bull-fight," delivered from the viewpoint of a sport-loving New Zealander who conld not Jielp feeling strong revulsion at certain pliases oi ithe national sport of the don, is contained in lan inte>rosting letter wi'itten to Mr A. E. Hobbs. of the Farmers' Go-operative staff, bv Jiis brother, Mr F. H. Hobbs during a holiday in the South of Franoe. Mr Harry Hobb-s, the writer of the letter, was born and edueatad in Christchurch, and, being the possessor of a firte voice, took up the profession of the istage. He wa s in Now Zealand about five years ago with Messrs Williamsons, and is now •engaged in prod ueing in Bngland. 'I he holiday , Avith Mrs Hobbs, was spent at a seaside town known as Hendaye Plage, in the lower Pyrenees district, soutliern France and practically 011 the Spanish f rontier . Only a river, which formed an estuarv behind their liotel, remarked the writer, jprevented them walking from one country to- the other. As a ma.tter of fac't, "Spain could be visited l»y taking a five minutes' walk and a quarter of a mile row — and, there you are, with a Spanish soklier usking for passports. But it was a rather longer journey that was entailed in the trip to the bull-fight, which was witnessed in | Pampahma — the verv name suggests • clicking oastanets and strumming j guitars- — situated 75 miles south ot the border and requiring >an almost all-day journey to ieach, including > the crossing of the Pyrenees. This i was acooniiplished, the writer explained, bv travelling through a pass J which Wellington used in the Pen- ; insular Wars, and it struck him how

different was the method of travelling in these days of motor-ears and exeellent roads. On the northern side of tlie mountains, the road . climbed through beech forests, but the other side was brightly-colored, sun-baked oountrv of entirely contrasting aspecti. Pampalunia is a q'uaint and attractive old town set in the midst of a stretch of this type of country. The episode of the bull' figh.t is best toki in Mr Hobb's own words, for he sets out with the ex|>iTessed intention of reveading the worst side of the sport, ais well as the nest. A SENSATIONAL, EXPERIENCE. "Quite the most sensational thing that has happened this holiday was seemg a real Spanish bull-fight," he wrote. "It was very exciting and parts of it are so disgusting as tio be absolutely revolting. Bull-fighting is held in a large arena especially built for the purpose, ancl is tlie most popular amusement in Spain. The arena is a circular building orpen to tlie skv, with seats graduated up ifrom the ground level to two circles of boxes at the tqp, which is the only part roofed over, It is difficult co judge the size of a round building, especially when full of |oeoplfe, but I should say that in dianijeter it was about tlie size of a Rijgbv football ground. The place ■was crowded with a very excited a.udience when the procession of toreadors, matadors and piccadors, folloWed by teams of horses, paraded the arena. " All were dressed in very biight colors and it reallv was' a very attractive spectacle. Then all withdrew except about four mounted piccadors and about six or eight bull-fighters. The bull coines rusning in, stands a moment dazed, then dashes straight at one of the men who is atitracting it by waving -a very brighfc cloak. . Just as the bull almost reaches the man, he steps neatly aside covering the bull's head with his cloak as it dashes past. This 'is repeated ,a number of tirnes, as the bull daslies at oue man aftef another, all taking a turn to attract its attention. The b'ull seems to become dazed, as it never succeeds in tossing anyone. "Then com.es the part of the performance which is revolting. One of the horses is ridden out in front of tlie bull, the eye nearest the bull being blind folded. The bull immjediately vents his rage on the poor, defenceless horse by attempting to toss it. iSometimes it only succeecls in knocking it down, sometimes it lifts it lialt over its own back, and once or twice nearly lifted it over the five-foot. barrier round tlie arena. The man on the horse has a long jxile with a- sp iked end with which he prods the bnll tlie more to- infnria te it. Of course, he is thrown with the horse, but manages to fall in such a way that the horse is between liim and the bull. This man (piecardor) wears armored clothing the bull's horns cannot pieree, and immediately he is in any real danger the others rtlh up and take the buH's attention with their cloaks. Not so the poor liorse. He is there only to be sa.crifi.ced for the* bull's satisifaotion. In nearly everv case his stobaach is pieroed ,by tlie bull's horns. Wben that is done and the horse is able to move he is trotted out of the arena. What happens to him then. I don't know. In most cases when the bull had finished with the horse lie was in such a- condition he was immediately killed by a man svvlio has that job. Sometimes as may as three horses were killed, or nearly, by one\ bull. The liorses whicn are, of course, awful old "screws," are to tlie bull-fight what tlie clown is to the circus. Tliey

say he is sacrifieed Kto tiro, the bull but if you could hear the yells of delight from the multitude as the horse is mangled by tlie bull, you wowld, I think, draw a different conclusion. Tlie worse he is mangled tlie greater the outbursts of delight. We knew befoi'e h,and that tlie liorses had a bad timo in a bull-fight, but we did not expect ,sueh a brutal exhibition. After seeing the first liorse our first instinot was to get out, but that would have been very difficult as we were seated in a closely-pack-ed crowd, so we decided to trv to stick it, but that seemed impossible without being physically sick. However, each time a horse was going to be attacked we looked away and found it bearable that way. BEST BULh-FICi HTER S IN SPAIN. "After the horses are done with, it is a case of man against beast, and that certainlv was fascinating. We

were rortunate m seemg tne very best bull-fighters in Spain. Thev Were, so wonderfully iskilled that what they did in playing the bull seemed almost easy — until one imagined onesell in the same position. The next stago was to infuriate the bull still more. This was done by ipiercing it on fop of tlie shoulders with banderilloes. These appear to be 'sticks about 3 feet long decorated ivith colored fri'lls and with a flexible spike in one end. A man stands facing the bull until it cliarges him ; then, when it is almost on him he steps aside and throws two of these things into the liighest point of the bull's shoulders als he passes. It is very evident that these are very painful. About six of these are put into the bull, and then the toreador does tlie 'star' turn. He faces the bull with a long sword-lik© weapon which he first covers with a red eloth which he uses as the cloaks were used earlier. This goes on for soroetime, until the bull appears to be dazed and tired. Then the toreador po-ints the naked weapon and, facing ihe bull, runs at him and plungos it in a vital spot high up between the shoulders. r!'ho bull does not ?olla]ise immediately, as one would axpeet, so the man wlio has pierced lim continues to play him until his itrqngth fails and he goes down on his knees. Then his life is im-

mediately euded by the same man who finishes the horses, who- creeps up behind the bull and pi erees him behind the liorns with a short knife. A team of horses' then eome in, drags the carcase round the arena and out of sight. "The applause of the crowd is deafening after the toreador lias killed liis bull. H© parades a.round the arena and the crowd are f'rantic with excitement and admiration. They throw purses and any thing else they have, to him — bats, sticks, anyffching. 'These famous full-fighters ' draw enormous fees, and are gods to the populace, as were the gjadiators in the Rornan arehas. "Lt takes about 15 to 20 minutes to ki 11 each bull, from the time it oomes into the arena. We saw six bulls killed— the whole programme. There were, almost as many women as men in tlie vast audienee, and above us in the boxes, were some of the elite of Spain — Spanish ladies, young and old. Some looked very

picturesipie in their mantillas, and wrore huge tortoise-shell combs at the back of their lieads. A striking effect is produeed when they throw their heautiful Spanish cloaks over the front of the boxes. "1 lcave you to form your own conclusions about a nation which aelores bull-fighting in all its de~ tails," the writer added. "I oannot imagin© any Englishman wanting to see one a seoond time. The

treatment ot the iioi'ses is revolting and seetns to me absolutely unneeessary. I read in to-day's Paris Daily Mail that a crowd of English who were at ,a .bull-fight at Sun Sabastian several days ago, got up and left the arena as a protest, and wery much hurt the feelings of the tore.aelors — and the public, 1 expect — by doing so. It required some courage to leave like that and coukl only have been done in safety by a number. There is something very barbaric ahont the Spaniard."

OTHER TOWNS OF INTEREST. During the holiday, Mr Hobbs visited sei^eral Continental towns /and cities lvithin reach of his headquarters of the time. being. The jplaeo of greatest interest near at haiid was Biarritz, a sea-side city of fashionable liotek and sliops, many of which are branehes of famous Paris houses: Biarritz has a spiendid sea-front with a very rocky point with numerous little bays, and large lisland-like rocks which have bleen coi'inected with the mainland with bridges, • and Jaid out in beautiful gardens. The trees were neaiiy all tama! isk.s, with hydrange&s growing beneath them. Another attractive town visited was Bayonne. Situated on a broad rivier, it is bea.utifully Jaid out and has a fine olcl cathedral. The word "bayonet" was ooined at Bayonne, where the British troops fighting under Wellington tied long knives to their muskets. St. Jean de Luz is another popular sea-side resort, and natives for miles .around are Basques — a race quite apart from either French of Spaniards. They have their own laws, customs and architectures, the Jatter being much copied in modern villas. The outstanding peculiarity of the architecture is the uneven roof -gable, wliicli is longer on one side tirau the other. Lourdes, the miracle city, to which cripples go from all over the world, impressed the visitors. Above the famous Sjpring, where a divine visiori was said to liave appeared, there are three beautiful churches, one on the lower -slope of a hill and the other two immediately above the spring,

built, as it were, in two storeys, but each is a distinct ehurcli. Evidence of the cures cffected by faitli was provided by tlie collections of crutches, and the many tablets in tlie churches. Lourdes was very quiet at time of the visit, so that the writer did not witness the liarrowing spectacle of iiundreds who liad made the pilgrimage to the sacred shrine in the liope of being cured.