The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-29
THE COW.FIGHT AT NIMES.
An Extraordinary French Diversion

An EXTRAORDINARY Ffoncn DlVeFsion'
8 Two of the gates of the old city still
exist at Mines, offering some fine mar
BILE sculptures; but when one has beer
here and there about the old city, and
seen all it's antiquities, he returns again
and again with growing interest to 6
contemplation of it's magnificent amphi'
theater. It is slightly elliptical in form,
and smaller than the amphitheater oi
Aries, and perhaps inferior to that in
purity of style, but its situation makes
it, on the whole, more attractive and
cheerful, and it could once seat 25,
900 spectators, which is quite an army.
Each division Of seats-one for the
patricians, another for the e9uitari, OF
knights, and two upper tiers for the
plebeians- it's own 7omitorium, or
exit, with distinct corridors, and these
are all yet in good preservation. So
enormous is the strength and 80 massive
is the construction of this edifice that
when Charles Martel expelled the Sara
Gems from it and filled the corridors
with wood, and tried to burn it down,
he was unable to make any perceptible
impression. The arena is still used for
bull-hghts on tete days. I witnessed a
spectacle of this sort in that place, which
in remote way served to give me an
idea of the grandeur of gladiatorial
day, or a fight with wild beasts, in those
gone.by times, when those vast tiers of
marble were thronged with myriads
robed in purple and gold. There were
about six thousand present on this occa.
sion. More, probably, would have at
tended if it had been regular bull-fght
instead OF q cow.fght which was offered
on the bills. But, il less exciting, there
was nearly as much fun in the spectacle
I saw there. It was advertised as q
"course li6re," which meant that all
who chose could enter the arena and
join in the sport. The COWS. if not as
dangerous as bulls, were of Spanish
breed, and by no means to be despised; !;
if their horns had not been bound in
felt, more than one champion would
have lost his life in the arena that after.
noon. Between the horns rosette was
firmly bound, and the lucky fellow who
could tear it off won gold piece and
lots of applause. Many daring youth
licked the dust that day. Several had
their shirts torn off, and received very
severe blows in the back, which doubt
less earned for them plenty of cheap
and wholesome advice when they got
home. One was pinned against the wall
between the cows horns and had very
narrow escape. Sometimes there were
nearly one hundred men in the arena at
once, and this was one reason why none
were killed outright, for as soon as ono
sportsman was knocked over all the
others rushed in and diverted the atten.
tion of the poor infuriated brute, which
would finally get completely worried
out and baf1ed from the constant rush of
one and another. Thus the largest num-
Der of men in the arena served as pro-
lection rather than m increase of dan
ger. The prize was won three times in
succession by one man-youpg, 1.-the,
handsome, and apparently made of steel
and India rubber. He had genius for
that sort of thing evidently; but I could
not help thinking how like that was to
the game of life-how many try, how
few win
The view Of the galleries was scarcely
less animated. On the shady side of
the arena the throng was gathered from
every class, from the English nobleman
to the lowest canaille who could muster
few sous to pay for back seat. Bril-
liant costumes and elegant toilets were
not wanting to remind one of the scar
let togas and magnificent women of
oldeL times. The voluptuous and al
most imperial beauty Of some of the
fair danes of Mines collected there in
that hour was never surpassed in the
brightest days of ancient Rome; and in
deed it was Roman blood that gave to
them fiery and almost fierce splendor,
such as may be rivaled but cannot be
transcribed out of the south of France.
There were also present some fine speci-
mems of masculine beauty. The people
OF Languedoc and Provence, if less in
ellectual.looking than those Of other
parts of France, certainly present one of
the noblest types of physical beauty
the world has seen. Throughout this
multitude the most vivid interest in the
game became more and more EVIDENT
stimulated somewhat, perhaps, by the
absinthe, eau-de.vie and coffee which
were industriously circulated by little,
bare-headed Ganymedes, who attracted
my attention by the way in which,
waiter and glasses in hand, they walked
and balanced themselves on the beveled
edge of the wall in front of the lower
tier.
But the interest and excitement cul-
minated during the recess between the
acts, if one may 80 expressit. The gate
was unbarred, and mob Of boys and
youths rushed in to participate in a
scene which was evidently customary
part of tho programme. For few
minutes they scattered about tho arena
in search of coins which might have
been missed by those to whom they had
been thrown. Suddenly one of the
spectators hurled circular cake into
the air, and it fell spinning into the
arena. This was the signal for one of
the most extraordinary repetitions of
the Kilkenny cats fight that ever was
seen. Men and boys rushed together
in perfect bedlam Of confusion, each
trying to seize the cake. It was torn
| tnCO uuuuIcu !IaSuouGo III u uomo ~ ;
and now there rained hailstorm of COP
per and silver coins, bonbons, cakes,
loaves of bread and fruit, thrown by the
spectators, who were aroused to the last
pitch of excitement aud mirth, as the
multitude OF men and boys scrambled
together in an inextricably tangled mass
of electrified humanity, every atom yel-
ling, bowling, struggling, pulling, tear
ing, kicking, leaping, pounding and
lurching with the energy Of fighting
demons, faces flushed, noses scratched
and bloody, hair pulled and clothes
torn, and yet throughit all entire good
humor. Never in the toughest football
match that I have witnessed did I see
anything to approach the raciness and
roughness of this remarkable and blood
stirring spectacle in the arena of Mines.
-Harper's Monthly.
They Knew Of Iron.
The latest discovery by DR.. Schlie-
mann, at Troy, include one of some
moment to the iron interest, as we'll as
tn scientific theory. The theory has