190 TRAPPING WILD ‘ANIMALS 
The bets are made and deposited with the stake- 
holder. The choice of position is decided by the 
drawing of one or two blades of grass held in the 
umpire’s hand. The owner who draws the short 
blade takes the upstream position for his bull, while 
the other bull faces him from downstream. The 
setters-on then bring their respective bulls closely 
up to have a good look at each other, slowly pass 
about ten yards apart, and then bring them face 
to face. The leading ropes are suddenly cast off 
and the bulls dash at each other with fury and meet 
head on with a resounding thud. In a second 
their horns are interlocked, each trying by every 
ruse and device to drive the other back on his 
haunches or throw him over by main force. A 
moment later the horns are disengaged to find a 
new and a better purchase, and first one and then 
the other will gain a slight advantage and both bulls 
move this way and that from the center to the sides. 
The people of the East are seldom supposed to 
give way to demonstrations expressing emotion, 
but while a bull fight is on the Malays yell them- 
selves hoarse with shouts of encouragement and 
approval, while the setters-on half mad with excite- 
ment simply dance around the bulls. 
The varying tide of the battle carried the bulls 
to the center of the circle, and the novice which 
at first contented himself with simply resisting the 
attacks of his antagonist now made his great 
effort, pressing irresistibly forward, and bringing 
