The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-16

have been doped and fed up for the kill | ing. The mules are driven out, and the | troupe arrange themselves about the | arena. The music of the band ceases and a | hush comes over the six thousand peo- pie who have gathered to see the sport The referee mods to hls bugler. Before the blast has died away the low gates opposite the band stand fly open and the bull enters the arena from the dark pen where he has been confined for three days. Just as he passes under the railing dart, to which are attached
 the colors of hls breeder, Is thrust into
 his shoulder and the pain maddens
 him. He comes believing to the center of the arena, and the bright sunshine
 blinds him for an instant. He stops and stares at the bowling mob above
 and around him and wonders what it
 all means. The capedors quickly run
 up and Haunt their buckskin-lned
 capes at him, and he charges them, but
 they step deftly aside and the bull slips
 and falls to his knees. In an instant he
 leaps to his feet and the contest is re-
 newed. When hot pressed the capeador
 leaps over the fence. Sometimes the bull follows after him, and sometimes
 he kills the capeador
 After the capeadors have taunted the
 bull they retire and the picadors ad- vance on horseback. The horses, with
 the right eye blindfolded, go forward to
 almost certain death The picador
 swings long lance in his right hand
 and grasps the reins in his left. The point of the lance is sharp enough to in
 ritate the bull but not sharp enough to
 inflict injury. The time to injure the
 bull has not arrived. The picador ad-
 vances to the center of the arena and
 awaits the charge. As the believing
 black mass rushes forward with head
 lowered the picador tries to repulse him
 by pressing the lance against his neck
 and head. Three times the picador
 must repulse the bull if he follows the
 rules. But the advantage of strength,
 momentum and weight is with the bull,
 and often at the first charge he knocks
 down the horse and throws the rider to
 the ground Instantly the capedors l surround the bull and attract his atten-
 tion while the picador extricates him.
 self from under the fallen horse. The
 blindfolded horse is whipped to his feet
 and staggers about the arena, some
 times desperately wounded. Perhaps
 the bull will charge him again and lit
 erally gore him to shreds. If the wound
 is not too severe the horse is hurried
 out of the inclosure, thrown on its back
 and the wound sewn up. Then the ani-
 nal Is doped and ready to re-enter the
 arena when the next bull is let in.
 Sometimes the sharp horns of the mad | l Ir1 v,;o n c
 heart and end its sufferings at once.
 When the horse Is gored and stumbling
 about the arena the bleachers are on
 their feet and yelling at the top of their
 voices. They love to see blood run.
 The horses are now removed from the
 arena, the bugle sounds again, and the
 banderilleros are introduced There are
 three of them and each carries two ban
 derillas, a stout stick the size of a
 broom handle and trifle less than
 three feet long. There is a barb In one
 end as sharp as a trout hook, and the
 sticks are wound with bright-colored
 tissue paper. The banderillero takes
 his place In the center of the ring and } assumes @ defiant attitude He does !. not retain 1t long. The bull charges
 him with lowered head. The banderil- lero does not move, and you fancy, for an instant, that he will be gored to
 death. As the horns almost touch him, he drives the banderillas into the bulP s
 shoulders; then, with wonderful dexter : ity, steps aside and out of danger. It is done so deftly that you are puzzled. The bull bellows with pain and tears
 about in a frantic effort to remove the l barbs Blood trickles down his sides , Two other banderilleros repeat the } trick, and with six barbs hanging from
 his shoulders the bull is frenzied with rage If a banderillero fails to plant a l barb in the bulls shoulders he Is hissed } and if he misses both thrusts he is fined. A certain number of misses in } succession, and the little knot of hail 5 l he wears on the back of his head will - be cut off by order of the referee and he will be compelled to desert the arena - disgraced. You admire the dexterity ot 3 the banderlllero, but your sympathies 3 are with the bull. It is a feat that re- l quires great nerve. A misstep means l death.
 The bull Is now wild with rage anG pain, and the most exciting act is yet tc ! come. The bugle blows again, and the ! matador, king of the bull fighters, en. ters the arena and bows to the multi :. tude, who rise to do him honor. He ad l vances to the center of the arena ant t faces his foe. He carries a red cape Il over his sword, a Damascus blade three feet long. The blood-red cape at {, tracts the bulls attention at once, ant he charges the matadoT, who mus
 dodge three rushes before he has per | mission to kill. As the bull wheels fo the fourth charge the matador poise I his blade in the air and calmly await u the rush. The bull bends his head U shuts his eyes and comes within thre ), feet of the matador. The sword fashe in the sunlight and is buried between ,. the bulls shoulders, piercing the heart stream of blood spurts over the ami q malls back. His rush is checked and h. = comes to sudden stop. The multitud ,,- cheer frantically and scores of hats l, canes and adobe dollars are showeret U into the arena by the excited admirer = of the matador. He bows his thanks
 The bull totters, falls to his knees ant
 buries his nose in the sand. An attend
 ant runs up and buries the point of
 dagger deep in the bulls brain. As tn