The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-11-26
A Mexican Bull-Flght.

A Mexican Bull-Flght.
We drove into Maravatio at high
noon of a festa-the circumcision of our
Lord-a day which might have been
made on purpose for holiday, if all
DAYS of this season in Mexico were not
nerfect. It was warmer, more South
ern-lookino town than Toluca, on the
hioh tablet lands, with more tropical
frnits in its markets and less clothing
ON its dark children. The roncher0S
and country people, in their best
sardpes and rebozos, had come IN town
to attend the bull-6ght, and were sit
ting about on the stone benches Of the
sunny little plaza, in motionless con-
tent. A continuous procession of SAN
dal-shod feet shuffied along the side.
walk, under the arches of the portGlesj
gayly dressed horsemen, in. braided
feather Jackets and tight .trowser-legs
blazing with buttons, paced their bare.
footed ponies through the streets, often
with a friend accommodated behind.
We sat in the deep stone window-seat
of the hotel, looking out on the bright
yet strangely listless throng, and par.
took of ices handed in at the window
by street vender, who, having served
us, passed on down the street, trailing
behind him the diminuendo repetitions
of his long, musical cry "Ns-e-oet
The returning stage from Morelia
had not arrived; there were bad, very
bad roads ahead, and no further effort
was made to proceed that day. III
not to-day, tomorrow" is Mexican
proverb. Possibly the driver did not
care to turn his back on bull-figntS
A procession of tOrer0S, in their brilliant
costumes, uplifting huge garland OF
banderilIaS and accompanied BY band.
paraded the streets. We could not see
the figures distinctly; but we heard the
.music-the thrilling dance pusie of the
country. AS an invitation TO the toros,
nothing could have been better. 1t did
not perceptibly stir the loungers on the
stone benches; they were already con-
yinced; but l, who abhored the thing,
and would not go in the capital, fell
suddenly under the spell OF the sense.
less, intoxicating music, and begged
A to take me to the bull fight with
the rest of the town! 1t seemed all the
town did not 90, for we were obliged
in reaching the entrance to press
through a crowd Chat ''smelled to
heaven of humble Maravatians, who
remained outside because of their ex-
treme poverty, not from any lack of
taste for the popular amusement. We
mounted perilous wooden ladder to
the scaffolding surrounding the arena
The entire structure had been reared
without aid of nails or saw; the timbers
showed the shaping blows of the ak,
and were lashed together with ropes of
maguey. 1t may not have been partic-
ularly safe, but. was quite in keeping
with the performance we had come to
see, which resembled the scenes in a
Roman arena as this rude amphitheater
did the Colosseum. The city authori-
ties sat in the place of the Caesars; from
the stall below, the band played the
National airs, to accompany a dance OF
clowns which was interrupted by cries
of "Ioro, toro!'' from the spectators.
In the great blue arc of sky above the
densely packed seats, the buzzards,
mounted, wheeled and sank. One
mountain peak looked down at us dis
passionately from a long way off. 1t
was very vulgar horror. OF all the
figures in the arena the bull seemed by
far the noblest. In the pauses of his
charges, he faced his throng Of perse-
cutors with a large eyed bewilderment,
paving the dust and taking quick
breaths of excitement. The space was
too small for anything but butchery;
there was little skill shown in defense
by the men-not even very fine horse
manship. The spiritless, blindfolded
horses were wantonly sacrificed -abso-.
lutely thrust upon the bull horns. In
less than ten minutes one was wounded
to death. A. put his hand before my
eyes; and, indeed, i could not have
looked, for l was seized with an uncon-
trollable fit of nervous crying. No
nerves. not trained to it for generations,
could have stood 1.-THE cries, the mu-
sic, the perii-for, wretched burlesque
as it was, the simple fact of death was
before our eyes. We went out igno-
miniously, with all the dark eyed wom-
en- around looking at us with fixed Suri-
osity.-lMrs. Mary HaIlock Foote, IA the
Century Magazine. '.e
rft. =