OUR LIFE AT RIO DE JANEIRO. 197 



No. 6 was a delusion. He would not do anything, and 

 retired in disgrace. 



No. 7 and last was very much the same as No. 6. So 

 the tame bullocks led him away very soon, and thus ended 

 the sanguinary contest with the " large and savage bulls." 

 It was a regular fiasco, and though I laughed occasionally, 

 it was not worth five shillings, except as an experience ; 

 therefore, I shall be in no hurry to witness this spectacle 

 again. I cannot see wherein the amusement consists, and 

 was surprised to observe many well-dressed ladies among 

 the company there assembled. According to the notices 

 in the papers of the different bull-fights, it appears that the 

 one I witnessed was an exceptionally good one ; so what 

 must be the usual performance ? 



I would far rather be one of these bulls, who do not 

 suffer much pain and generally one could see no blood 

 coming from the dart-pricks than a bullock in an ox-cart, 

 working hard all day, a mass of sores from the brutal 

 conduct of the drivers ; a heart-rending sight which I saw 

 every day up country, when I was near a main road. 



June 29. This being S. Peter's Day is a great festival, 

 and the principal amusement on these festas appears to be 

 fireworks. It is quite obnoxious to walk or drive on these 

 occasions, on account of the countless crackers and explosive 

 little bombs which are thrown about ; I am surprised that 

 the horses are not frightened, but they do not appear to 

 be so. The air above is full of hissing rockets and fire- 

 balloons, and one walks along expecting every moment 

 to have a rocket- stick penetrate one's skull. 



After church to-day, I ascended the Morro do Castello, 

 about a quarter of an hour's walk. The view from the 

 summit (275 feet above the sea) is enchanting, looking 

 over the Ilha das Cobras (Isle of Snakes) to the Organ 



