Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-15
A TRUJILLO BULL FIGHT.
DANGEROUS AND CRUEL SPORT AMID WILD ENTHUSIASM.
saddlinG and Riding an Enraged Bull--Two Fools Who Will Take No More Daring Promenades-women Become as Excited and Clamorous as the Men,

Fools Who Will Take No More Daring
 and Clamorous as the Men.
 The national sport of these countries, which ape tho customs of their Spanish ancestors, is the bull fight; but i'll the skill shown by the professionals the exhi- bitions cannot be compared to those of Havana or of larger Mexican towns. Not having any bull ring in Truiillo, the plaza was fenced in on three sides with heavy oak, the fourth side of the square being the fronts of a line of houses, whose occupants, during the continuance of the light, could not leave their homes with out stepping out of the front door into the bull ring. No sport is so attractive to the Honduranian as this, and he blocks out his time so we'll that the seductive game of poker, which he calls "pokar," is never going on when his desire is to he in the plaza. The fence was covered with urchins from miles around, and many foolhardy "ladinos," or half breeds, were daring their acquaintances to walk arm in arm around the ring while the enraged animal was being tor tured by the picadors. On two different occasions during the hour was watching the bull twice left his tormentors and butted through those taking their daring promenade, and with such success that two fools were killed before the trained bull fighters could control the bull.
 A DANGERoUssRIDE.
 Of six bulls but one was deemed worthy of being killed; but in obedience to the yells and demands of the specta- tors, the ceremony of saddling and rid ing the brute had to be done before the death, which requires what seems at first the most reckless disregard of dan- ger. A rope is thrown over the bulls horns, with which he is dragged to the fence, his head held close to the ground, roaring with rage, while strong saddle is securely buckled on with two heavy horsehair girths. Tho moment this is done q cowboy, or "vaquero." jumps into the saddle, the bull is let loose, and goes roaring and plunging and bucking with rage around the ring. The vaquero tortures the brute with spiked spurs, and after each contortion or unsuccessful at tempt to unseat his rider, comes the spontaneous and deafening applause from the spectators. which increases the animals rage.
 Great agility and strength is necessary, and the rider fairly takes his life into his own hands when he springs on the beast He is unable to dismount until the bull is tired out with his tremendous exer- tions, and then he is again dragged to the fence to be unsaddled The vauuero I saw was twenty-five minutes in the sad dle, and when ready to dismount fell ex- hausted into the arms of his companions too weak to walk to his quarters; and it was his grit and will power only that prevented him from being thrown, gored and stamped to death by the infuriated bull during the last five minutes of the performance.
 When the bull had been cnraged to the satisfaction of all, loud cries came from every throat for the "matador," who was no more than a dark skinned mix ture of negro and Carib, and a day laborer in Trujillo. The cries had hardly died away, when the slight. symmetrical figure of the matador appeared. facing the bull on the other side of the ring as the exhausted picadors retired He was dressed ill chamois trousers, with tight fitting black velvet blouse beautifully embroidered in gold and silver bullion, while on his head was the regulation cooked hat, with black ostrich plumes.
 THE ARTISTIC SLAYER