Page:All the Year Round - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/609

 at the feet of Mrs. Hel; but, me hobjecting, Tom explained that it was honly another form o' compliment.

Rayther to my surprise, Tom did not wish Mrs. Hel to accompany us, stating that, owing to the huneven temper of bulls, and to hosses gittin' in the way, haccidents of a serious natur' were not unusual. My missis, however, p'inted out that she had not come all that way to be left alone; also that her nerves was good, and that, by taking with her some salts and sticking-plaster, she might be wery useful in case of need. So Tom called a coach, and hoff we went.

The streets leading to the show was one tremenjious jam. Such a lot of carriage company I never see! Such a floating o' weils and fluttering o' fans! Such a capering of hosses and whiffing of paper cigars! Such gineral hexcitement as must have been wery gratifying to the feelins of the stock we was coming to examine, if they could honly have know'd it in time!

At last we entered the building, and was placed in what Tom said were hexlent seats, reserved for us by Ramirez Vermijo. But wheer was the pens? There wasn't a livin' creature wisible, honly about ten thousand people, hoccupying seats or walking about in a sanded harea below. Tom, however, explained that the beasts was hexhibited one at a time; and, on my remarking that, unless I was allowed to feel and closely hinspect the warious animals, I couldn't hoffer an opinion as was worth anything. Tom merely rejined, that both he and Ramirez Vermijo would take it as a favour that I should do so, as hoften as I saw fit.

Hall on a sudden, a gate was flung open below. The people as was walking about himmediately got over the double rails that went round the place, and took their seats. Then a percession hentered the harea. Fust came tour trumpeters, in beautiful hold-fashioned dresses, with flags 'anging to their hinstruments; then a gent in a wery tight rich dress, blue and gold, 'aving a sword in his right hand, and hover his left arm a large red silk 'ankerchief. ("The mattydoor," said Tom, in my ear. "Ho," says I, winking.) Hafter the mattydoor (which was applauded, and bowed back) come six men on horseback—if 'osses they might be called—for I wouldn't have given ten pound for the lot. The men was all padded down their right sides, as if they'd broke their right ribs, including the thigh and leg, and was in splints, according, and carried pikes hornamented with ribbins. ("Pickadoors," whispered Tom. "O, doos they," says I.) Next their come eight or ten men in smart jackets, sashes, and knee-breeches, with little spikes in their hands, likewise with ribbins; and, lastly, a string o' ten mules, 'arnessed, but not droring anything, and a'most covered with silver and ribbins. It was altogether a wery pretty sight, and Mrs. Hel applauded 'eartily.

When they had marched all round the circle, a gent in a bright uniform, wery well mounted, pranced into the ring, stopped in front of the largest box, made a speech in Spanish, and 'eld out his hat, into which a gentleman, which, Tom said, was the governor, threw a big key, hornamented with the heverlasting ribbins. This the mounted gent 'anded to an attendant on foot, who went and hopened another door, and popped be'ind it, while everybody else got out of the way as quickly as they could.

Pwish!—Wot a bound!—There was a cloud of sand and dust, which dispersed, and showed a bull—hash-grey in color, with short but sharp horns, p'inting well forrard, on each side of a head that seemed good half a yard across, and covered with short thick curling 'air. His eyes glowed like danger-signals on a railway-line—he lashed hisself with his tail, and tore deep trenches in the silo, as if he was diggin' a grave for the fust as should cross his way!

Mrs. Hel and me was still admiring that finely-deweloped beast, when two of the men in splints, mounted on the waluable hosses, rode right into the ring, hopposite the bull, and stood stock still, with their pikes pinting towards him. At fust, he didn't notice them, being hiuterested in the ladies' fans, which fluttered like a thousand pigeons. I had just time to whisper, "Bless my soul, Tom, do they want to haggravate him?" and Tom to answer, coolly, "Shouldn't vonder," when—broosh!—the bull was upon the nearest! The man caught him in the shoulder with his pike, but the horse, seemingly groggy, reeled so that I thought both was over. There was a bust of applause, in the midst of which my wife huttered a little shriek—and turned pale.

"The blood! The blood! The poor dumb creeter! why does they provoke him then?"

"Hush, hush, my dear cousin !" said Tom, 'astily. "It don't go in fur. See how the hother ladies enjyes it?"

And, be ashamed to them, so they did!

By this time the bull had wriggled hisself off the pike, and, mad with pain and hanger, made a furious dash at the second horseman, which received him in the same way.

"Tom, Tom, do you call this a cattle show?" said my wife, faintly. "I call it a cruel, wicked, wanton"

"Well, it brings put their best qualities, you see," says Tom, lighting a cigarette; "we judges o' the soundness o' the stock by the way they bears theirselves under trying circumstances—Ha!—Bravo, Toro!" "Bravo, Toro!" shouted thousands o' voices.

The bull, shaking hisself clear, had charged like lightning on the man's undefended side. There lay on the ground a shapeless heap, composed of man and horse, a mass of blood, and, more shocking still, the entrails of the fallen quadruped, smoking on the sand.

"Take me out, Hel," gasped my wife, "or I shall die!"

Tom and I removed her quickly into the air, and, the faintness passing, put her into a carriage. I was stepping in, too, but the good soul whispered me that it would 'ardly be the right thing to leave Tom alone. So, hafter