54 EAMBLES AETEE SPORT. 



knife^ was allowed to escape. Bruin was now in a highly 

 inflammable state, and on the introduction of a second 

 bull made slap at him without any more ado ; the bull 

 did not decline the contest, but, lowering his head, 

 received the charge on his horns. The bear, however, 

 though severely gored, craned himself over the bulFs 

 head, and with one terrific blow of its paw behind the 

 ear tore the flesh completely away from the whole side 

 of the head, laying the animal on the ground in an 

 instant. At this the shouts were redoubled, and " Brave 

 bear !" " Good bear V resounded from all sides. 



After this they dragged out a very small, thin, wicked 

 bull, with horns as sharp as needles, and he turned the 

 tables on the bear in a most unexpected manner. 

 Directly he was inside, he caught sight of the bear on the 

 opposite side, and without the least hesitation rushed 

 straight for him, pinning him completely to the side of 

 the corral. He withdrew his horns, and galloped round the 

 inclosure, shaking his head and tail like a maniac, amid 

 a perfect pandemonium of " Bravo, Toro ! ^^ " Toro, 

 Toro V and again rushed to the attack, pinning the bear 

 again, never giving him the slightest chance. By this 

 second attack the bear evidently was seriously hurt, as 

 he lay down, bleeding profusely from the shoulder, and 

 as the object was not to kill him, but to keep him for 

 another fiesta the bull was lassoed and dragged out. 

 A quantity of water was thrown over the bear, but after 

 lingering three or four days he died ; the bulFs horns 

 had gone clean through his lungs. 



In these contests the bear nearly always gets the best 

 of it, unless he meets a determined young active bull like 

 the last one. A bear is a very difl&cult animal to kill ; even 

 a rifle ball through the heart fails sometimes to kill him 



