Hunted by a Young Bull 201 
Spaniard and, on looking round, saw a young bull—a two-year old 
with short but sharp horns—coming straight at me. When | 
caught sight of him he was coming down the track leading to the 
ford and not ten yards from me and was closely followed by a 
mounted cattle-guard armed with the usual long lance or garrocha 
who was riding his horse out for all it was worth in his endeavour 
to turn the young bull before it reached the ford. I made one 
bound at the tree and in spite of its size managed somehow to 
get a grip about 6 ft. from the ground but could do no more, 
not even turn my head. There I clung much as a cat does 
when hunted up a big tree by a dog and incapable of further effort. 
The bull passed close below me with a rush scattering mud and 
water all around and on gaining the open ground some 30 yards 
beyond wheeled round and came to bay. As _ his  pursuer 
emerged from the scrub bordering the stream, the young savage 
made a gallant charge on him, but was turned easily by the 
sharp steel-pointed garrocha, which struck him at the correct spot 
high on the shoulder, upon which he galloped off, the horseman 
following in hot pursuit. Such scenes are of common occurrence 
in the wilder parts of Andalucia where it is the custom to keep the 
young bulls in herds until they are 3 years old. From time to time 
the owners have these herds closely inspected and subdivided for 
various purposes and on all such occasions the mounted guards 
with their long lances play an important part. During the process 
of ‘‘cutting out” some particular young bull from the midst of a 
herd it not uncommonly happens that it breaks away and_ has 
to be pursued and rounded in, and it so chanced that upon the day 
I visited the Eagle’s nest one of the rebellious ones came my way. 
At this time a famous herd of bulls, a fighting strain known as 
that of La viuda Varéla, occupied this portion of the country and 
after sundry adventures and escapes we learned to regulate our 
movements and birdsnesting forays so as not to disturb the older 
