THE BULL FIGHT. [From Alexandre Dumas' account of the Spanish Marriages.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 310, 19 July 1848, Page 4

THE BULL FIGHT. [From Alexandre Dumas' account of the Spanish Marriages.]

The Boy "opened the door of the torrill, and placed himself behind the gate. The bull came forth, advanced ten paces, and stopped short, dazzled by the light, and stupified by the noise. The bulk selected for these combats are generally selected from the most solitary pasturages, and are conveyed over night to Madrid. They are not allowed any food in their prison, and at the moment of issuing forth, a sharp bit of iron, with a hook at the point, is inserted into the shoulder. This hook bears a tuft of ribbons, which it is the ambition of picadors and chulo* to possess themselves of. .Upon this occation the bull was a black one, and it bore the colours of the house of Ossuna and Veragna. Its mouth was covered with foam, its eyes -sparkled like two rays of fire. " Look, look !" said Rocca de Togores, one of the first poets, and most witty man in Spain " the hull is a good one." Scarcely were the words uttered than the bujl precipitated itself upon the nearest picador* It was in vain that the latter tried to stop it with his lance, the bull rushed upon the iron, and taking the horse at the breast,

thrust one of its horns into his heart. The horse was raised from the ground by the impetus, and beat the air with its fore feet. The picador saw that it was all over with his horse, he seized upon the top of the barrier, withdrawing himself at the same time from his stirrups, and as the horse fell over on one side he held fast on the other. The horse endeavoured to raise itself, the blood flowed from its breast in two separate spouts. It reeled for a moment, then fell again. The bull fell furiously upon it, and in a second inflicted ten other wounds. " Good," said Rocca, " it is an admirable bull ; the fight will be a spirited one." I turned, says M. Dumas, towards my companions. Boulanger bad endured the spectacle pretty well, but Alexander was very pale, and Maquet was wiping his forehead bathed in perspiration. The second picador, seeing the bull obstinate in destroying the horses, quitted the barrier and advanced towards it. Although his horse had its eyes bandaged, it reared up ; it felt instinctively that its master was leading it on to death. The bull, seeing another antagonist, rushed forward to meet him. What took place was as rapid as thought : in a second the horse was thrown backwards, and fell w ith all its weight upon the breast of the rider. We heard, so to say, the shriek of his bones. Then there arose a universal hurrah ; twenty thousand voices cried out together, bravo toro ! bravo toro ! Rocco cried out like the rest, and I found myself also exclaiming, bravo toro ! And truly the animal wa3 a superb one. Its body was as black as jet, and the blood of its two adversaries covered its head and shoulders like a scarlet hood. At this moment Cuchares, the tororo — the king of the arena — made a signal, and the whole troop of chulos and of banderilleros surrounded the bull. In the middle of this group, and directing its movements, was Lucas Blanco, another tororo, a handsome young man of twenty-four or twenty-five years of age, who had only been initiated in the use of the sword, and allowed to kill, for two years past. He was not called upon to act with the chulos, but the enthusiasm of the combat carried him away. The bull raised its head, looked for a moment at the crowd of enemies waving their many-coloured capes and banners, and rushed upon Lucas Blanco, who was nearest to him. Lucas contented himself with turning upon his heel, which he did with infinite grace and self-possession, and the bull passed by. The chulos pursued by it ran to the barrier. The last must have felt the breath of the animal burning his shoulders. Arrived at the barrier, they flew over it. Flew is the word, for with blue, scarlet, and green capes, they seemed like a flock of birds with their wings expanded. The horns of the bull pierced the barrier, and transfixed the cape of the last chulo, as it fell back upon its head. The animal remained for a short lime covered with the cape, as if with a hood, and it was soon stained with large patches of gore. For a moment the bull turned upon itself as if it was going mad, and then the cape went into pieces, with the exception of a shred that remained like a streamer attached to its right- horn. Now that it could see, the bull turned round and embraced the whole arena with a rapid and gloomy glance, Lucas Blanco and Cuchares stood at equal distances, both calm, both attentive. Three men were drawing the picador from beneath his horse, and endeavouring to raise him on his feet. The picador reeled. He was pale as death, and a bloody froth stained his lips. Of the two horses, one was dead ; the other still kicke i, as if struggling for life. The third picador, the only one that still sat upon his horse, remaiued motionless as a statue of bronze. After a moment's investigation, the bull's eye rested upon the group that was busy conveying away the wounded picador. It tore the sand with its fore feet, lowered its nose to a level with the furrow it ' had just traced, bellowed loudly, and rushed towards the group. The three men who were carrying the picador, abandoned him and ran to the barrier. The wounded man beat the air for a moment with his hands, and then fell faint. But the last picador had gallopped up, and taking a station between the bull and its victim, the animal made his lance bend like a reed, and touched his horse with its hern as it rushed by. The horse, severely wounded, rose upon its hind legs, and carried his master away to the extremity of the arena. This obstacle overcome, the bull rushed upon Lucas | Blanco, who had got to the assistance of the i picador, and had raised him upon one knee. Lucas made a step on one side, and spread his mantle between himself and the wounded man ; the bull deceived, threw itself upon the cloak. I turned to look at my companions ; Boulanger was pale ; Alexander was green ; Maquet, like the nymph Byblis, was actually melting into water.

The bull, not understanding the frailty of ; the opposition that it had met with, st6pped short, turned round, and again rushed upon Lucas, who had only his blue cape as a Weapon of offence or defence. Lucas again stepped on one side, leaving his dape to be run at, and the bull was in » mdmerit tea paces beyond him. During this interval, the chulos and banderilloes had reascended into the arena, and the servants of the circus had again run to the assistance of the picador, and were bearing him towards the barrier. The whole quadrille surrounded the bull, waving their capes ; but the bull had no eye save for Lucas Blanco. It was a struggle between the animal and that man, from which nothing could distract the former. " Back, Lucas ! back !" exclaimed at the same time all the chulos and the banderilloes. " Back, Lucas !" shouted out Cuchares. Lucas only looked the more contemptuously at the bull. The animal was coming right at him, with its head lowered. Lucas placed the point of his foot between the two horns, and jumped over its head. " Bravo, Lucas !" shouted twenty thousand voices, " Viva Lucas ! Viva, viva 1" The men threw their hats into the arena, the women threw their fans and their bouquets. Lucas saluted the multitude with a smile, as if he had been playing with a goat. My companions, pale and green, and moist as they were, applauded and shouted with the test. But neither the cries nor the shouts of applause could turn the bull from its revenge. Its eyes followed Lucas only, and again the animal moved towards the blue cape, but this time measuring its distance so that it should not go beyond it. Lucas avoided the bull by a skilful vault aside. But the animal was only four paces beyond him. It returned to the charge without giving him time to recover himself. Lucas threw his cape upon its head, and retreated backwards towards the barrier. Veiled for a -moment, the bull allowed his adversary to gain about a dozen paces in advance, but the cape was soon torn to shreds, and again the bull rushed upon his tormentor. It was a question of agility. Would Lucas arrive at the barrier before the bull, or would the bull catch Lucas before he had gained the barrier <? Lucas stepped upon a bouquet; his foot slipped upon the moist flowers, and he fell. A great shriek arose from twenty thousand voices, and was succeeded by a profound silence. Something like a cloud passed before my eyes ; in the midst of that cloud I saw a man fifteen feet up in the air. And strange to say, in the midst of this perplexed and dazzling vision, I saw all the details of poor Lucas's dress. His little blue vest, trimmed with silver, his rose coloured waistcoat with steel buttons, his white trousers braided along the seam, were all distinctly visible. He fell. The bull was waiting for him ; but another adversary was also waiting for the bull. This was the first picador, who mounted upon a iresh horse rushed upon the animal at the moment when it was lowering its horns upon Lucas. The bull feeling itself wounded, raised its head, and, as if it was certain of finding Lucas where it left him, rushed upon the picador. The bull had scarcely left Lucas than the latter rose up, an 1 saluted the multitude with a smile. By a miracle the horns had passed on both sides of his body ; it was the forehead of the bull alone that had thrown him into the air. By another miracle he had fallen without injuring himself. A loud muimur of sympathy and joy ran round the circus : twenty thousand persons could once more breath j freely. Maquet had nearly fainted away ; Alexander was little better, and was asking for a glass of water. At this moment a loud noise was heard, and the trumpets sounded a flourish.