The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1858-11-13
miscellaneous.
A Volunteer Hull Fight.

| So oes"Se" wv Uuils. Al
though | could not have been more than
eight years Of age, shall never forget
the spectacle. 1t happened in this wise.
Close by the school house--a very un-
pretend ny edifce it was-ran deep,
rapid river. Across it had bern thrown
high wooden bridge, the hand railing
OF which timc and the winds and the
weather had entirely destroyed. The
land on the opposite sides of the stream
was owned BY different persons, and
farmed BY them respectively. One bright
summer day remember it as if it were
but yesterday-the hour Of noon had ar
rived, and frolicsome, fun.seeking school
boys were let loose for an hours recrea-
ton.
AL! at once the believing a, d roaring
of two bulls that had broken out of their
enclosures on each side of the river at
tracted our attention. The animals were
not yet in sight of each other, but were
approaching along the highway at a rate
of speed which would cause them to meet
near the centre of the high bridge which
have described, and beneath which, at
some thirty feet, ran the river, between
the steep banks, The more daring Of US
gathered near the bridge, lining it, to see
the fight We were not disappointed. --
Nearer and nearer approached the proud,
paving combatants. Bashan never pro-
duced two brutcs of fercer aspect. They
tsshcd their sides with THAR tails, they
tore the ground with their feet. Oeca.
sionally they kneeled down, trying to
gore the ground with their horns And
as yet they were concealed, each from the
other, by the ascent to the bridge at ei.
thsr end. Presently as they simutane,
ously ascended the respective abutments,
they came full in sight of each other
The roar was mutual and actually tremen
dous. Every urchin of US sprang into
the fields and ran. Finding, however
! that we were not pursued, We hastily re
traced our steps. There they were a,
y sensibly employed as some of their hu
man imitators. Front to front their horn.
locked, every muscle strained, they wer,
fighting as old bulls can fight 1t seemed
, an even match Now Que would pres
back his opponent few PAGES, and pres
: emily you would hear quick, sharp, shor
steps, and the adversary would press bacl
In return.
II Hitherto they had been pushing eacI
i other lengthwisc Of the brid re, sudlenl
they began to wheel, aud were facin;
each other crosswise. They we're at righ
! angles with the length Of the bridge
; which shook and cracked aud rockct
again with their trampling and their ter
:. rible strife 1t was the work of sin
y gle moment, one of the beasts--l coult
not tell which--one of them, however
as if conscious of his superior POSITION
; made violent, a desperate plunge fol
ward aud pressed his antagonist back
back, back, till there was but ano,he
step Of the plank behind him, betweeI
him and nothing The moment was on
of intense interest to US juvenile spect;
:, tors. Never was the amphitheater c
: Rene the scene Of a more exciting con
!, bat Another step backwards, yes, tn
II unfortunate bull was forced to take it
r Back he is pressed, and over he goes.
r. Such sight never saw, and prob'
y bly, shall never see again. Imagine bu
in pitched backward over a bridge and fal
ing at least thirty feet and over! II
= turned once or twice, probably; Though
he turned fifty times, there seemed sue
q confusion Of horns aud feet rcvolvin!
flying through the air. But down /
went; the water was deep, and he disa
= peared, leaving q whirlpool of foam b
hind him, and making the river undula
; far and wide with the concussion of b
ponderous bulk.
The other bull did not laugh, mere
because bulls, as | suppose, could D
- but We laughed and shouted our applaus
There stood the victor, looking direct
down to the abyss below, into which
had hurried his unlucky foe. He stoo
On however, but a moment, and then, as
!. frightened at the prospect, he began
snort and step backward. Back, ba
!, he retreated, with his head in the sal
" puynacious attitude as when in combat
--back-still another step back-a
: over be wen. on the opposite side OF
bridge, performing just as many and
E, ludicrous summerscts as his adversary h
ss 80 done minute before. 1t was scene
!. remember; and the applause called for
immense applause from the group of
yenile amtaeurs who witnessed it.
- In about five minutes both bulls mle
I be seen, we'll sobered by the ducki'
- dripping wet, scratching up the ste
81, crayelly banks, each on his own side
the river. "Those bulls will never fis
8 any more," said boy behind me
prediction turned out correct; Tor I
n i. more more peaceably disposed bulls Il
ect- thew were ever afterwards could not