The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-03-31
WH0 WOULDN'T BE A SAILOR
 WHEN SIGHTS LIKE THESE
 MAY BE SEEN? GEORGES NOTE

for while. ln back of the arena was the bulIpen, and here d bunch Of fellows were busy tormenting the bulls to make them fierce. All the small boys in the world were lined up looking thru cracks in the fence. so we lined up for look too. Out side the gates were all kinds of peanuts. oranges and suck like. SO we loaded up and went in. The price was two dollars gold GU. $. money that is as distinguished from Mex.) There are some seats four dollars gold. The difference in seats is that the sun is supposed to be ill your eyes in the two dollar ones. There was no sun this day so we slipped one over on them. One of our boys bought four dollar seat and gave the fellow five dollar bill. He re. ceived six dollars change and a ticket That's the way to get rich in Mexico.
 Well, We were away early 50 had to sit around and wait for the crowd to come. There sure was gang. All the codfsh aristocracy sat in the four simoleou seats, while the rab-
 ble sat in the two bucks per. Fin ally a band began to play and dished up some real music, but when they marched in you should have seen
 them. Ragged looking old buns. and
 their instruments looked like they had weathered seventeen revolutions and several earthQuakes-battered
 to pieces. Before the fight began there were fifty cops marched in. A little free graft so the police could see the sport. Then there came fifty soldiers. and they took the prize. The uniform of the day was anything had on overalls. They all had long had O noveIalls. They all had long squirrel rifles. German mausers, old rusty, broken bolts, rags stuffed in barrels. and each man had at least
 two belts of cartridges and several slings. some even carrying an extra load of shells. Every other man vas |. general or corporal or ad- miral, and wore a sword and several pistols and bristling moustachios. Finally after they had damned everyone in that was possible the crowd began to get restless. Every one l could see either had q pistol or a knife in his rear pocket or under his arm, and l thot a young revolution was due to be pulled on.
 but the band got on its feet and
 played a few loud brays and the show was on.
 First of all, the bull fighters came in and paraded. They were all dressed up in velvet suits, knee brooches. silk stockings, cooked hats. and had enough gold braid to satisfy even naval officer. which believe me is some gold braid. Each one wore kind ol periwig too. They certainly were a fine looking lot Spaniards, not Mexicans. They all went over to the place where the governor of Sonora province was sitting and kneeled, asking permis. sion % start the fight. He nodded. and l door at the far side of the arena opened and the bull tore in. Just ds he came thru the door man on top of the door-casing jabbed 8 dar into the bulls neck. This makes the bull wild. The arena is circular in io..l and there are lot of doors with nigh walls in front back of which the fighters can run for safety. The old bull tore around in great styl.. The matadors would run out and wave a colored cloth in his face end the bull would charge. the mata. dor slipping to one side. If the bull came too close the matador slipped pculul UuS OA Su0 uOOAS ouu Su0 OUn stood in front roaring away. After they had run the bull around for 8 while two men on horses came in. The Aorses are blindfolded. and were Ger ainly scraggly old skates, but they needed to be. The bull saw the lu.es and started for them. The horseman is armed with long spear and as the bull charged he leveled the lance and tried to hold the bull off. The spear stuck In the bulls back and the animal kept on com iug. goring the horse and killing 1t instantly, the poor beast falling with its rider underneath. Then the other matadors rushed out to attract the bull to the other side of the arena whilo the horseman was pulled from underneath his mount. The horse men wear leather armor for protec- teci lon, but they certainly have nerve One man held off three bulls ] from his horse, holding them away with his spear by main force.
 Tlc first bull killed three horses. but Wa pretty badly cut up in so dolne At last matador runs out with two long barbs in his hands,