The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-04

suddenly stuck into him. He is gallop-
 ing here and galloping there. and bound
 ing here and bounding there-roaring with
 rage. But always he is ouwitted. AL
 ways he has to fight flashes of light
 No, not always. For now he has got
 man. He was just the shade of a second too quick for this human flash of light. And the bull fighter is up in the
 air. And if you are a spectator and
 you have the sporting instinct, you feel
 pleased. I felt very pleased when I saw it. My sympathies were with the bull. The bull fighter is lying prone where
 the black bull pitched him. And the
 surrounding thousands of spectators a. |
 shouting.. Something that is living is be ( ing done to death. The primal desire to
 see killing is awakened and faring. The bull is bounding towards the prone figure. Death is near to the bull fighter.
 But the cunning of man Is too much for the bull. He is misled and deluded. A
 red cloth flashes across his face. -~IIes
 follows it. and now comes cloak. HeF
 follows that. And here is man whon4 he follows. New rages come upon hp.a
 He has forgotten the enemy he tossed
 a moment ago-the enemy he was going
 to kill-the enemy that has since been
 carried out of the arena. They are es-
 anywhere. They hover around him. He feels again the stab or a barb in his
 neck. And he wheels round so suddenly
 and unexpectedly that he is on one of them and all but pins him to the ground.
 The fight is beginning 10 clear the brain of the bull. He has suddenly become cunning. Were he to fight again in this
 arena he would know better what to do.
 But he is never to fight again. He is doomed. it matters not how bravely or valiantly he fights.
 The bull fighters now approach him
 more warily. They are not so ready to take chances as they were at first. This
 bull has become intelligent. Horses are brought in, and there is q scene not to be described, It is as bad
 as the scene that occurs when a fox is given to the hounds. or when a rabbit is torn living to death by dogs. A shame ful. odious scene thar has not in it an l ounce of the element of sport. When
 men are hurt or killed in the bull ring
 one feels that is according to the stern logic of the game. They come to hurt
 and kill and if they are hurt or killed they must abide by it.
 The brave, black bull is now becoming l exhausted. He has not the power he had
 when he first entered the arena. He has
 been made in a sense to defeat himself. There are times when he stands and
 waits
 And bull fighter approaches him with
 a sword. The bull lodAs at him but does
 not move. And the man stands directly in front of him. He is off but four or
 five paces. And he waves red cloth. The bull charges at the cloth, and as he charges he steps quickly aside. The
 bull has followed the waving red cloth and missed him. This man is the matador. He is hore to give the bull the thrust that will kil1
 him. and a dead silence comes over the thousands of spectators. The climax Of
 the fight has come.
 The matador is man of middlo size.
 His figure is alert and powerful. and his
 face is hard. He is gaily and fancifully
 dressed. but his dress but heightens the look of deadliness he gives out. He stands. his sword flashing sharply in the light. His part of the fight is the
 most dangerous of all. for he must kill the bull as the bull charges upon him. He must stand absolutely in front of the bull, and kill him with thrust as he comes laundering upon him. And the thrust must be to the shade of an inch. l If it is above or below or to the side of the exact spot. it will be futile. And the | spectators will shout out against the Uatador.
 l Asain he waves the red cloth. But the
 bull does not charge. He waits. 1 And suddenly he charges as the cloth stops waving. But the matador was on
 the watch. He steps in to meet tho bull
 and the blade of the sword flashes. l The blade is home. Only the hilt of 1 it is to be seen on the neck of tho bull.
 The thing has happened so quickly that the eye does not follow it. The charge of the bull and the thrust and the step ping aside of the matador are as one | movement.
 l For an instant the bull stands rigid. ! And then it sinks down to the sand.
 And the air is rent with the sbe4tinGs
 of thousands.