The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-09-17

o ASu VI
the ring has a diameter of about sew
enty yards. This ring is surrounded
by a heavy red-painted wooden bar
rier, of a height of some five feet, over
which the minor performers vault out
OF the ring when pursued closely by
the bull. This feat is rendered even
easier than it looks by a narrow bench
which runs all around the barrier,
placed at some two feet above the
ground.
There Is accommodation, one is told,
for $4,000 spectators. Last Sunday the
house" was at least two-thirds full.
Prices of admission vary from about
two shillings for a seat on the granite
steps, which form the first thirteen
tiers of seats, beginning at the right
side, to $50 pesetas, or even more, for
a box in the upper rows. Inasmuch
as six bulls, each worth from f4O to
EGO, were killed during the afternoon,
and about eighteen horses, probably
worth, on an average, about f3 apiece,
and the various bull fighters employed
all receive for a single performance
salaries that would content our own
highly paid music hall performers for
a week, it is obvious that the expenses
OF the show must be enormous.
Consequently, as at our own Italian
opera, the better seats are offered for
subscription al the beginning OF the
season. These are taken up so large
ly in Madrid that a stranger has some
difficulty in obtaining accommodation
in the better positions. The perform
ance was to begin at 4:3O p. M, but
for fully an hour before the ring was
full Of men, chiefly of the lower classes,
who seemed to find an intense pleasure
in treading the arena of the combats.
A very Indifferent brass band played
circus music from time to time. AS
the hour Of commencement approached
the ring quickly cleared, while the cir
cular rows of seats became in parts
densely crowded. The frequenters, all
respectfully dressed in more or less
English fashion, reminded one of the
men n sees at the enclosed race
courses round London, save that there
was no betting and no rowdiness or
shouting.
There was a fair number of ladies'
present, both Of the upper and middle
classes, but l was told that the attend
ance of the gentler sex had much di-
minished of late years, and that on
the present occasion many had doubt
less abstained from coming because
of the war and the news of certain
Spanish defeats. This unpleasant sub-
Ject, however, seemed to be entirely
shelved for a time. Principally at 4:3O,
to some very mild cheering. the yari-
GUS performers, in the traditional
dresses, paraded, according to the GUS
tomary ritual. Each of the first two
bulls took a whole half-hour to kill,
nor did either fall until he had done
to death three of the sad-looking old
horses that are ridden by the picadors.
1t Is only this preliminary portion of
the combat that it is really repulsiye
to watch. You may not appreciate the
maneuvers of the espada as he stands
with his naked sword before the tired
but still Infatuated animal; at the same
time you cannot admire to some ex-
tent his %undoubted pluck and agility.
You are interested though to a less
extent In the skill and dash with which
the unarmed banderilleros circumvent
the angry beast, and successfully plant
their pairs of barbed darts into his
neck at the very moment of his charge.
the gay-clad chulos who keep the
bull moving, and skip nimbly out of
the way as he charges at their tantaliz-
ing cloak, may be watched with inter-
est, owing to the apparent danger thew
run, and the ready tricks by which thew
escape it. But the picador's business"
is truly revolving in it's cruelty. as well
as contemplate in many ways.
There are never more than two pic
adors in the ring at once. Each in
turn engages the bull, after he has
been leased a little by the chulos
Their miserable old horses are SIM
posed to be blindfolded, but this is
seldom the fact, as the picador has
a habit of uncovering at least one eve.
for fear the frightened animal should
dash him blindly against the barrier
All he has to do is to tease the bull
with his pretence lance; he could do il
no serious hurt, even if he so desired.
His sole duty seems to be the letting
OF his horse be killed by the bull. There
Is no Craftsmanship worth the watch
ing. Often enough the rider makes
little or no effort to avoid the bulls
onslaught. His W legs, thickly pad
ded, run little danger from the terrible
horns. The revolving spectacle does not
seem to strike the crowd of excited
spectators as repusive; they have seer
it too often. 1t is fair, however, to add
they resent by Kisses the tottering
beast being mounted again, but this is
generally done Notwithstanding. As
horse has been definitely condemn
to death, perhaps, after all the
quicker it dies the better. And so,
hideous sight though it be, one need
not regret its speedy return to it's exc
cutioner's horns.
The bull himself dies a far more
noble death than he would seem to
after his brutality to the I'M
offending horse. His torture is di-
Vided into three acts. the pricking by
he mounted picadors coming first.
Next. while the horse lies prone in the
arena, the bull is set upon by banderil-
os. Last of all comes the espada, to the
weird sound of a shriu umpe His