318 PLIK and PLOK. 



paratory to rushing upon his new adversary : hence the black cavalier had 

 time to put his steed through some showy movements, and to post himself 

 beneath the box of the monsa (a nun,) and there he fixed his eyes upon the 

 betrothed of the Lord. The countenance of the damsel became purple, and 

 she hid her head in the bosom of the abbess, indignant at the temerity of the 

 stranger. ' Holy Virgin, what audacity !' cried the female portion of the 

 spectators. 'What devil's whelp is this?' said the men, equally surprised at 

 such coolness. On a sudden a general cry burst from the "auditory, for the 

 bull started forth to rush upon the cavalier of the white plume, who turned 

 about, saluted the monsa, and said : ' For you, senora, and in honour of your 

 bright eyes, beautiful as the azure of the skies/ He had scarcely uttered the 

 words when the bull came headlong upon him. With singular address, 

 aided by the wonderful agility of his horse, he eluded his pursuer, and dis- 

 tanced him so far as to have time again to halt before the monsa, and say to 

 her, 'Once more for you, senora; but this time it is for the sake of that 

 vermillion mouth, rich as the coral of Peru.' The bull came on furiously. 

 The cavalier of the white plume awaited his approach with cool deliberation, 

 drew a pistol from his holster, levelled it, and hit his mark with such ex- 

 quisite precision, that the animal rolled at his horse's feet. On observing the 

 imminent peril to which this singular being was exposed, the monsa uttered 

 a piercing shriek, and threw herself forward on the balustrade of her box. 

 He seized her hand, carried it to his lips, and then continued to gaze at her 

 fixedly. 



" There was so much to astonish the Spaniards in this strange scene that 

 they remained petrified. The fantastic costume, the bull killed by a pistol- 

 shot contrary to all received customs, the fact of kissing the hand of a be- 

 trothed of the Lord, all this was in such open violation of the established 

 practices, that the alcalde and the governor remained lost in astonishment, 

 while the author of all this mischief still kept his eyes fixed upon the monsa, 

 exclaiming, ' How very beautiful she is !' At length the yelping accents of 

 the alcalde were heard the nun quitted the box, and two Serjeants sprang 

 forward and seized the bridle of the cavalier, who offered no resistance. 

 ' Who are you ?' inquired the alcalde. ' By what right have you killed a 

 bull destined for the amusement of the public ? How dare you address a 

 young damsel, who to-morrow is to pronounce the holy and irrevocable 

 vows ?" 



' Who am I ?' said the strange cavalier, haughtily raising his head, and 

 discovering features of faultless symmetry. His eyes were quick and piercing ; 

 black mustachio shaded his vermillion lips, and his thick whiskers termi- 

 nated at a finely moulded chin. ' Who am I !' repeated he with a full and 

 sonorous voice ' you shall know presently, worthy alcalde/ He grasped 

 his bridle, and spurred his horse, which gave such a prodigious bound, that 

 the two serjeants rolled in the circus. 



" Who am I ? I am the Gitano, the accursed if you like it better, the 

 damned Gitano, worthy alcalde ;' and he wheeled about, flew through the 

 gate, gained the beach, and dashed into the sea." 



This feat of stemming the tide on horsback is, we are quite sure, 

 quite new to our readers. Sailors may laugh at the idea of a horse 

 marine, but if they consult M. Luc's pages on the subject, they will 

 find that it is no laughing matter, and that such a being is not quite 

 so imaginary as a mermaid. The Gitano is seldom introduced with- 

 out his black steed, which must certainly be of the breed of those 

 that drew Neptune's car ; for since Homer's time we have never seen 

 anything more sublimely imagined in the horse-marine way than 

 M. Luc's exquisite picture. Just observe the alertness with which 



