, 1889-03-22
A TRUJILL0 BULL FIGHT.
DANGEROUS AND CRUEL SPORT
AMID WILD ENTHUSIASM.

saddlInE and Riding an Enrngcd Bun-Two
Promenades-women Become rs Excited
and Clamorous rs the Men
The national sport of these countries,
which ape the customs of their Spanish
ancestors, is the bull fight; but In the
skill shown by the professionals the exhi-
billions cannot be compared to those Of
Havana or of larger Mexican towns. Not
having any bull ring In Trujilo, the
plaza was fenced in on three sides with
heavy oak, tho fourth side of the square
being the fronts of a line of houses, whose
occupants, during the continuance of the
fight, could not leave their homes with
out stepping out of the front door into
the bull ring. No sport is SO attractive
to h Honduranian MS this, and he blocks
out his time so well that the seductive
game of poker, which he calls ''pokar,"
Is never going on when his desire Is to
DO In the plaza Thu fence was covered
with urchins from miles around, and
many foolhardy ''ladinos," or half
breeds, were daring their acquaintance
to walk arm in arm around the ring
while the enraged animal was being tor
tured by tho picadors. On two different
occasions during the hour I 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 DANGEROUS RIDE.
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 a strong saddle
Is securely buckled on with two heavy
horsehair girths. The moment this Is
done n cowboy, OF ''vaquero," jumps
into the saddle, the bull Is let loose, and
goes roaring and plunging and bucking
with rage around the ring. Tho vaquero
fortunes 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 tho 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-
lions, and then he is again dragged to tho
fence to DO unsaddled. The vaquero 1
saw was twenty-five minutes In the sad
die, and when ready to dismount fell ex-
hausted into the arms of his companions,
too weak to walk to his quarters; and 1t
was his grit and will power only that
prevented him from being thrown, gored
and stamped to death by the Infatuated
bull during the last hv minutes of the
performance.
When the bull had been enraged to the
satisfaction of oil, loud cries came from
every throat for the "matador," who
was no moro than u lark 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 in channels trousers, with a tight
fitting black velvet blouse beautifully
embroidered In gold and silver bullion,
whilo on his head was the regulation
cooked hat, with black ostrich plumes.
THE ARTISTIC slayer
For IN instant the bull glared at his
new enemy, who stood bashfully tapping
his leg with his sword as the noise ceased.
The animal seemed to appreciate why
the matador was there, and with brute
instinct rushed on him head down to raise
him on his horns. The suspense was
great as the bull drew near, but not q
muscle of the matador moved. When
the animals horns were but two feet
from the motionless man, he quietly
stepped aside and planked two spiked
rods, n with each hand, in the animals
shoulders. The bull roared with a and
plowed up the earth In his efforts to
stop in his headlong rush, and to return
again to the matador. Three times the
infurinted bull charged him, and three
times the matador carelessly planted the
two spikes, when the spectators demanded
the death of the bull. The man merely
examined the point of his sword, stepped
aside rs before, dexterously plunged his
weapon to its hilt between the shoulder
blades until it pierced tho heart, and tho
animal fell quivering in death at his feet.
The enthusiasm knew no boundsj men
throw their hats over into the ring, emp
tied their pockets of money, while the
ladies threw their fans, gloves and dainty
handkerchiefs Us q tribute to the skill of
tho matador. Tho common people made
q rush across the fence, and despite his
protestations, the hero Of the day was
soon being carried around the ring on
their shoulders amid the applause of hun
dreds of pleased natives.-Cor. New York
Times.
Paper from Wood.