Page:The Writings of Prosper Merimee-Volume 3.djvu/302

276 the whole fight. The President, of course, replies in the affirmative, with a nod. Then the matador shouts a viva, pirouettes about, throws his hat on the ground, and goes to meet the bull.

In these fights there are rules to be observed, as well as in duels; to break them would be as infamous as to kill an adversary by treachery. For instance, a matador may only strike a bull at the point where its neck joins its back, what the Spaniards call the cross. The blow must be struck from above, en seconde so to speak; never from below. It were a thousand times better to lose one's life than to strike a bull from below, on the side, or from behind. The sword which the matador uses is long, strong, and two-edged; the handle is very strong and ends in a ball which is held against the palm of the hand. It takes long practice and a particular skill to be able to use this weapon.

In order to successfully kill a bull one must thoroughly understand its nature. Upon this knowledge depends not only the glory but also the life of the matador. As can be easily imagined, bulls differ as greatly in character as do men; however, they can be divided into two distinct classes: the clear and the obscure. I am using here the language of the ring. The clear attack openly; the obscure on the contrary