ABULLFIGHT. 61 
and all attacks were at once abandoned. He had fought so bravely that 
picadors, matadors, coleadors, and all the troop of the arena drew round 
him in a circle, as if to look on the death-struggle of a heio. All seemed 
struck with admiration ! the leperos in the galleries, even, were hushed to 
profound silence. 
The bull stood a moment as if uncertain what to do. I confess that the 
poor wretch seemed to me to possess intellect — an intellect, stung by the 
reproach of strength foiled by an inferior and despised foe. 
He felt his limbs grow feebler. He attempted to run, but his legs re- 
fused to move. He lifted his feet convulsivly — waved his tail — opened his 
eyes as if alarmed by a sudden nervous fear, and fixed them with a fierce 
stare on the blood which was pouring in a stream before him. He tried 
to run ; reeled twice, but recovered his balance. A matador then came 
again before him with his cloak and a short dagger, to put an end to the 
painful scene ; but as he approached, the beast swayed himself forward 
with his lips drawn Tip, and the foam covering his teeth — drew himself up 
still and stiff as a statue, for a dying effort of power — then suddenly 
bending his head to the earth, sprang at the matador and fell dead — 
" Foiled, breathless, bleeding, furious — to the last !" 
* ** * * * * * 
This was the best fight of the evening. Five more bulls were brought 
out, but nearly all proved craven. None, however, were killed by the 
matador at the first blow, which rather lowered the mob's opinion of 
his skill. Some of the animals were caught by the tail, which, twisted 
around the high pommel of the saddles of the coleadors, while their 
horses were brought to a sudden halt, threw the bulls on their sides. 
These, however, were the utter cowards. Others were caught with the 
lasso around the horns or heels, and I »had thus the first opportunity of 
seeing the perfection obtained by most Mexican horsemen in the use of 
this useful instrument. One of the bulls bounded over the palisade, 
among the spectators, within a few feet of me ; but he was so contemptible 
a beast, that he seemed more pleased to get rid of the crowd than the 
crowd was to get rid of him. He was of course sacrificed in some very 
ignoble manner. 
As the evening sports ended, and even before sunset, the moon rose 
in her calm majesty, casting her mild light on the multitude in that bloody 
circus. The towers and dome of a church overlook the walls of the arena 
on the east, and the bells called the crowd from that scene of carnage on 
the Sabbath evening, to the adjacent retreat of peacefulness and religion ! 
As I went home, I could not help asking myself, if I had spent those hours 
profitably ? It is true that there are " sermons in stones, and good in 
everj'-thing ;" and the contrast of life and death — the passage of a crea- 
ture from robust and active health, and the full enjoyment of every phys- 
. ical power, to death and utter oblivion — was, it is equally true, a sermon 
and a lesson. But to how many ? Was there a lepero there, who went 
away taught, thoughtful or moralizing ? 
