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BULL-FIGHTS IN SPAIN.

A Horrible Spectacle. Tijk following account of the national pastimp of Spain is taken by the Mew York Homo Journal from private letters: —A bullfight is always a horrible thing; but to-day it was made worse by a serious, perhaps fatal accident. The picador, Rafael Alonzo, surnamed El Chato, is now lying between life and death at the infirmary with a wound three centimetres deep in his right side. I thought this morning that the wounds of the horses would uffect me more than any hurt a man might receive ; for it is easy to Pto that the men go into the fight knowing the risk, and ore therefore less to be pitied than the animals. I saw to-day four bulls tortured to death and five horses butchered, only ono of which was killed straight off. But all that has passed from my mind, and the only thing I can see now is that awful, whito, upturned face, convulsed with pain, and the stiff, lifeless figure being carried out, When the poor Chato was gored there was not a sign of sympathy. The fourth bull, a dun bull, the others having been black, was evidently from the first a very tough customer. Ho came out of the toril like a shell from a gun, and made straight for one of the chuloß at the other end, who, after literally running for his life, just got over the barrier in time. The bull did not run at his cloak, but went straight at the man, anJ it was a mercy he escaped. Poor Rafael did not have the Baroe luck. I do not very well remember bow it began, but my impression is that the bull charged him. This would be very unusual, as all bulla fear the spear—l believe it is used by the vaqueros in driving them— but all the spectators agreed that this was an unusually bold and ferocious bull. It is only on the idea of the bull attacking him that I can conceive the picador netting into such an awkward place. The bull had jammed liini against the barrier. He rushed at the horre and gored it threo times in rapid succession, the poor brute fallirg dead without a struggle. The picador rose in the stirrups; bu f . the great he ivy wooden s irrui b hampered him, and then the bull attacked him. Once the horn was turned aside by the leather and iron defence he wore; the second time it was driven into his (tide. It was a horrible sight. The chnln* rushed at the bull with that splendid courage which atones for a great deal of the horrors of the light, ami the 1/iill's attention was drawn away. No sound of complaint escaped the picador. Slowly and laboriously he got one leg over the barrier. There wsre plenty of attendants to help hitn, and he was pulled over. For one moment he straightened himself in the arms of the men, and it was then I sawturned to me the colourless face, with its horrible look of agony. Then I think he fainted, and was carried out quite stiff and rigid in the arms of his bearers. " 111 est more, ce picador," said the old gentleman next ine, quite calmly. I should have liked to have thrown him down into the ring. Do you suppose the people cared ? Not they! "Los muertos no tienen ainigos " is one of their proverbs. Another picador mounted hastily to take the vacaut place. As a further instance of the feeling of the people, I may add what happened with another bull. No sooner was it perceived that he killed his third horse than the enthusiasts on the lower seats near the ring rose cn masse and cheered the bull to the echo, waving their hats, and handkerchiefs. and shouting— 1 ' Bravo toro, bravo ! Viva toro !" A minute afterwards the bull was bellowing pitifully with pain and bewilderment, two skilfully planted banderillos having gone deep into him, and the spectators jeered and mocked at his paiu as fiercely as they had applauded before. My neighbour was very enthusiastic. "Un carnicero,'' he remarked, exultingly, "a real butchcr," as the third horse fell ; and even tried to express himself in English, holding out three fingers, saying, " Three, threo horse."

The death scene when the bull iskilVd is very horrible. The only redeeming point is the magnificent coolness of the matado*. It ia beneath his dignity to jump out the way as the chulos do. A mere turn of the foot gets liini as much out of the way as he deigns to go. And when he is meditating his stroke he is grand, standing straight in front of the bull, not two yards off, calmly poising his sword and selecting the right placa to strike the infuriated wild beast, who has all the will to kill him, and really the power, but who is helpless as a little puppy dog before the terrible skill nf el diestro, "the cunning man," as the historians of the ring (Jelight to call him. The matador has a scarlet flag, which irritates the bull much more than the crimson cloak of the chulos. They all have little tricks of bravado. Car a Ancha would wrap his sword in the flag and hold it out to the bull to show that he could not use it to defend himself. Gallito, instead of drawing the flag away when the bull made his rush, would cilmlydraw it over his back. This he did five times without moving from his place, turning round each time as the bull, recovering himself after the first rush, turned and dashed at him again. That time I myself applauded ; it was really a very grand sight. But the killing was horrible. On two occasions (l-.e bull was killed with one blow, the nearest thing to the " foudroyant " deathstroke of which Ford speaks, that I saw. Hut then there was very little applause. It was too merciful a death. The third and fourth bulls were killed in a way which was a disgraco to humanity.

It niny seem a strange thing to say, but the most horrible sight of all tome is the extinction of the bull's intelligence before his death. A time comes when he gets quite stupid. Me stares vacantly at the red flags, which no longer excite him ; he evidently cau 110 longer understand what is going on, and sometimes at this point he gives a perfectly heartrending bellow, which seems a last despairing appeal to be allowed at least to die iH peace. This fierce dun bull which had gored the picador, and 'which had quite worn himself out with his wild rushes at the beginning, remained a long time in this state. Though he had gored the poor picador, I must say I felt'' a great disposition to cry when the poor gallant wild beast died. To hear the bulls' cries for mercy in their poor inarticulate language that no one but God understands, and to hear it met with brutal, pitiless jeers, is very d eadful. Thank Heaven, ihe horses didn't ciy. I don't think I could have stood that. In any case, it is a horrible and degrading sport, which ought to be put down by force. It is said the Duke of Aosta paid £4000 for permission to marry his niece, the Princess Bonaparte. Trinity College, Cambridge, England, rec-ntly bought an autograph letter of Sir Isaac Newton for £63. Emperor Franis Joseph of Austria earnestly desires peace, but wants his army placed on a stronger basis. It has recently besn decided by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania th it Sunday inifriages are null and void. If writing is indicnive of character, sime people's characters must be mighty hard to make out.—Journal of Education. Cut of 900 boiler explosions in the New England States, all but thirteen were traced directly back to the engineer'* carelessness.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT18880818.2.51.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2513, 18 August 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,331

BULL-FIGHTS IN SPAIN. Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2513, 18 August 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

BULL-FIGHTS IN SPAIN. Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2513, 18 August 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

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