28 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Assisted by the gardians and 

 amateur horsemen, the owner se- 

 lects the hulls which are to make 

 Sport for the populace. Then, 

 hedged in by the whole squadron 

 of horsemen wearing gaily colored 

 shirts, the animals go slo.wly to- 

 ward the village. Behind them 

 comes the long line of carriages 

 filled with merry hoys and girls. 



Tlllv DRIVE OF THE BUW,S 



At the outskirts of the village, 

 groups of people, sticks in hand, 

 wait, ready to spread disorder 

 among the horsemen and give the 

 frightened bulls a chance to escape. 

 Their purpose is to stage an ex- 

 citing spectacle and see the gard- 

 ians chase the disbanded animals 

 across the fields. 



But the horsemen are on their 

 guard. At a little distance from 

 the entrance to the village, the 

 white horses get closer to the bulls 

 and all break into a gallop. Then, 

 in a whirlwind of dust, amid cheers 

 and vociferations, blows, shouts to 

 the leader-bull, the thunderous 

 orders of the manadier, and the 

 whistling and applause of the 

 crowd, a mad charge is made 

 through the village street which 

 leads to the toril, or stable, where 

 the animals are to be confined. 



Side by side ride the horsemen, 

 hard pressed on both flanks, with 

 stirrups interlocked. The horses, 

 covered with sweat, resist with all 

 their might the pressure of the 

 mad bulls (see page 7). 



In this charge, so full of rude 

 sport, accidents often happen. 

 Sometimes a half-wild horse takes 

 fright at the shouting crowd and 

 spreads disorder among his fel- 

 lows. Another, though his hoofs 

 are unshod, slips on the stones and 

 takes his rider with him, or crushes 

 a horseman against a wall. 



It is an exciting game, full of 

 unexpected incidents. Nothing 

 stops the horsemen and horse- 

 women, who are always present in 

 these wild rides through the gant- 

 let of shouting people on foot. 



