OUR LIFE AT RIO DE JANEIRO. 195 



ador took a bandeira (barbed with a small and imper- 

 ceptible dart) in each hand, and, holding his arms extended, 

 brandished the sticks with their streaming ribbons before 

 the bull, trying to induce him to advance. The orthodox 

 plan is for the bull to make for the man, and when he 

 lowers his head, the torreador should stick the two ban- 

 deiras into his hump and then turn nimbly aside to avoid 

 being tossed. This dodge was more or less successful with 

 bull No. I — generally less. The bull knew the trick of 

 old, and, though he was somewhat " game," he was also 

 wily, and would not always come up to the scratch. He 

 did not, however, mind half a dozen barbs in his back, while 

 some of the other bulls danced about, trying to throw off 

 the darts. 



Next came a little " cloak work " — waving the purple 

 cloak in front of the bull, waiting his charge, and then, 

 stepping on one side, letting the bull run against the cloak. 

 Then the eight torreadors advanced, and one of them, 

 rushing at the bull, jumped between his horns. The bull 

 tossed his head up and down, but the man, being firmly 

 wedged between the horns, could not be thrown off. The 

 other seven men surrounded the animal, held his head 

 down, twisted his tail round like the handle of a barrel- 

 organ, and finally took the man off. The door then 

 opened, two tame bullocks, with bells round their necks, 

 came in, and bull No. i gracefully retired with his brethren. 



Bull No. 2, a frisky white one, next entered. The dart 

 dodge and cloak game went on for a spell ; then the two 

 tame " critturs " again appeared, and No. 2 made his exit 

 as No. I had done. 



Bull No. 3 followed. The same tricks were played on 

 him as with the two former animals, with the addition that 

 some of the bandeiras had crackers attached. The first 



