A Spanish Bull-Fight.

Manawatu Herald, 16 March 1899, Page 2

A Spanish Bull-Fight.

■■ '♦ In a letter received from Spain, from Mr Board, of Christchurch, son of Mr F. J. Board, an interesting description is given of a bull-fight. " Sarttander," writes Mr Board, is a fairly large place, and its buildings are the, prettiest that I have seen in my travels. The only thing I doa't like about the Spaniards is that they are a very cruel people. They use bullocks and mules instead of horses, and they treat them in a manner something awful. On«. Sunday I went to a large building with a bull ring in it, and will give you a description of what I saw. First of all , the men who are to fight the bull, get into the ring with three or four horses, and blindfold them, and then the bull is let in among them. As soon as he 1 ' sees the men and horses decorated^ with red cloth, he lets out a bellow, and with tail in the air he charges. As he nears them they jump out of thei way and throw big red cloths over his eyes, and begin to prick him with their swords and make him mad with rage. He then charges the horses, and as the poor animals cannot see him coming, they are completely at his mercy* In this instance it was only about two; seconds before one poor horse was a complete wreck, with the bull standing over him goring him madly with his horns. It was a near shave with the rider of the horse. The bull was then , chased from the mangled horse and his attention drawn to the men, and in this fight two men and ope horse i were killed, and as the dead bodies, of the men were carried from the ring the people shouted their approval of the sport by crying out, " Bravo." The performance turned me sick, and my matehad to take me out and give me a glass of wine, which set me to rights again. My opinion is that bull. fighting is scandalous." ,