The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-07-06
nurn AND BEAR FIGHT 40.


Y loudest, but soon as it paused the
J shouting and stamping was renew
ed. At length, all grew suddenly
silent. An attendant stood at the
door of the pen of Hercules" An
r other instant, and the furious ami
, NAL, being loosed, bounded into the
, arena. With lowered head, his tail
madly lashing his great sides, his
eyes burning with wrath, he glanced
/ angrily at the crowd, then beloved
Q and paved the earth rs if to declare
, his utter defiance of the forthcom-
ing foe. AT this juncture the mount
ed Mexicans, lassoes in hand, made
their appearance before him. In
simultaneously he rushed toward one
of them, when the other, with sur
J prising quickness, threw the lasso
over his horns. This was no soon
er done than the rider first attacked
found an opportunity to hurl his
| lasso also. 1t, too, fastened itself
, round the bulls horns, and he was
thus made stationary midway be-
tween the nimble picadors. A third
man now hastened in, and, grasp
ing the imprisoned beast by the
tail, twisted it until he was brought
to the ground. While so PROSTATE,
4 second assistant lost no time in
securing his right hind leg with a
long chain. This done, the other
end of the chain, by a process of
equal dexterity, was bound with
thongs to the left fore leg of the
bear, the leg having been first art
fully drawn from beneath the par
tally lifted trap of the cage, which
was close. at hand. The trap was
now drawn completelp up, when
Trojan" an enormous grizzly,
weighing some 400 pounds, slid
carelesslY out into the open space.
He had dispatched three foes of the
family Of the one before him, and
only a sullen growl, rather of indif-
ference than Of rage, indicated that
he was aware of an approaching
encounter. The bull, on the con-
trary, Immediately manifested his
eagerness for the afiray. Moving
backward the length of the chain,
he soon gave the bear jerk of
warning and rushed upon him.
Now We gods Of the ancient glad
iatorsl" !"
Blair had not time to finish his
invocation before the bull struck the |
bear like thunderbolt and rolled |
him headlong in the dust.
Glorious p cried James, excited |
out of his wits. "Gloriousw
keep your seat-sir down. re-
sponded Blair, seizing his comrade
BY the extremity Of his rather short
coat. "You are worse than a wo-
man."
Look at him, lool, at the bull
getting ready again' continued
James. mechanically resuming his
place. He isnthnr At him again,
old fellow !"
And the horned beast did :at him
with redoubled fury. This time,
however, bruin was ready to give
him a more suitable reception. As
he dashed against him, he clapped
his arms around theneek of Taurus,
and hugged him like a huge vise
The bull, choking, struggled desper-
ately to free himself Finding this
impossible, he sought to drive his
sharp horns into the ribs of his an
tagonist. This he succeeded in do
ing, goring a horrible cash. But
bruin was now ready to return the
injury with a yet more terrible retail !
liation. A moment these mighty
foes writhed in close struggle; when !
the bear seizing in his mighty jaw,
one entire side of the bulls face,
crushed it as if it had been made
of paper. The crackingofthe bones, ]
as bruin ground them between his
great teeth, brought the first grand
demonstration from the audience
Now rose cheers from hundreds Of
throats, and resounded the deafen- ,,
ing clapping Of hands. The dreamy
eyed daughters of Spain were not
less enthusiastic than the male i!
members of the assembly. They.
too, cried, ''bravo," and with their
own peculiar grace, waved their
handkerchiefs in expression of I'M
mistakable delight. As for james
Swilling, he was beside himself with !
the general excitement, but particu- !
larly because Of his intense sympa-
thy for the worsted combatant.
"Thundcration to Jupiteri'' he +,
shouted ''let 90 Of that"
Il don't believe the bear hears yc,"
answered a clownish boy from the
next tier of seats below.
James certainly did not hear the |
observation of the boy, for with
clinched hands and firmly closed |
teeth hecontinued TO rivet gaze upon
the exhausted, bleeding brutes in
the arena. These had now, from :
sheer inability TO longer grapple, !
arrived at suspension of HOSTILE
ties. They drew themselves apart {
the length of the chain, and stood !.
peacefully cycling one another rs If
to say, I'VE are very equally match /.
ed let US call it a draw game, and
attend to our wounds" /" !.
This would seem very com
mendable course under the circum-
stances but it was altogether too :
dull for the audience. The man.
ayers had promised a fight TO be ter
minated only by death; according J
ly they leaped into the enclosure
and .goaded the bleeding brutes with
spears until, remal ldened with pain,
they again rushed upon each other.
1t was q brief close, for the bull, !
summoning all his strength, struck
the bear on the lower jaw and shiv :
cred it.
There, there, you've got it old {
fellow!" cried James, the boy who
turned pale at the sight of blood !
in the Eldorado. The hard side of
him was, at present, uppermost in {
deed, he was wholly changed-so
much SO that he would not have
known himself had he stopped to
consider his feeling and conduct.
s.Rrayoi bravo ~ shouted the