_Seville ----_
An unexpected event has, since my last, thrown the inhabitants of
this town into raptures of joy. The bull-fights which, by a royal
order, had been discontinued for several years, were lately granted
to the wishes of the people. The news of the most decisive victory
could not have more elated the spirits of the Andalusians, or roused
them into greater activity. No time was lost in making the necessary
preparations. In the course of a few weeks all was ready for the
exhibition, while every heart beat high with joyful expectation of
the appointed day which was to usher in the favourite amusement.
You should be told, however, that Seville is acknowledged, on all
hands, to have carried these fights to perfection. To her school of
_bullmanship_, that art owes all its refinements. Bull-fighting is
considered by many of our young men of fashion a high and becoming
accomplishment; and mimicking the scenes of the amphitheatre forms
the chief amusement among boys of all ranks in Andalusia. The
boy who personates the most important character in the drama--the
bull--is furnished with a large piece of board, armed in front, with
the natural weapons of the animal, and having handles fastened to the
lower surface. By the last the boy keeps the machine steady on the
top of the head, and with the former he unmercifully pushes such of
his antagonists as are not dexterous enough to evade, or sufficiently
swift to escape him. The fighters have small darts, pointed with
pins, which they endeavour to fix on a piece of cork stuck flat on
the horned board, till at length the bull falls, according to rule,
at the touch of a wooden sword.
Our young country-gentlemen have a substitute for the regular
bull-fights, much more approaching to reality. About the beginning
of summer, the great breeders of black cattle--generally men of rank
and fortune--send an invitation to their neighbours to be present at
the trial of the yearlings, in order to select those that are to be
reserved for the amphitheatre. The greatest festivity prevails at
these meetings. A temporary scaffolding is raised round the walls
of a very large court, for the accommodation of the ladies. The
gentlemen attend on horseback, dressed in short loose jackets of
silk, chintz, or dimity, the sleeves of which are not sewed to the
body, but laced with broad ribbons of a suitable colour, swelling
not ungracefully round the top of the shoulders. A profusion of
hanging buttons, either silver or gold, mostly silver gilt, twinkle
in numerous rows round the wrists of both sexes. The saddles,
called _Albardones_, to distinguish them from the peak-saddle,
which is seldom used in Andalusia, rise about a foot before and
behind in a triangular shape. The stirrups are iron boxes, open on
both sides, and affording a complete rest the whole length of the
foot. Both country-people and gentlemen riding in these saddles,
use the stirrups so short, that, in defiance of all the rules of
_manège_, the knees and toes project from the side of the horse,
and, when galloping, the rider appears to kneel on its back. A white
beaver-hat, of rather more than two feet diameter, fastened under the
chin by a ribbon, was till lately worn at these sports, and is still
used by the horsemen at the public exhibitions; but the _Montera_
is now prevalent. I find it difficult to describe this part of the
national dress without the aid of a drawing. Imagine, however, a
bishop’s mitre inverted, and closed on the side intended to receive
the head. Conceive the two points of the mitre so shortened that,
placed downwards on the skull, they scarcely cover the ears. Such is
our national cap. Like Don Quixote’s head-piece, the frame is made of
pasteboard. Externally it is black velvet, ornamented with silk frogs
and tassels of the same colour.
Each of the cavaliers holds a lance, twelve feet in length, headed
with a three-edged steel point. The weapon is called _Garrocha_,
and it is used by horsemen whenever they have to contend with
the bulls, either in the fields or the amphitheatre. The steel,
however, is sheathed by two strong leather rings, which are taken
off in proportion to the strength of the bull, and the sort of wound
which is intended. On the present occasion no more than half an
inch of steel is uncovered. Double that length is allowed in the
amphitheatre; though the spear is not intended to kill or disable
the animal, but to keep him off by the painful pressure of the steel
on a superficial wound. Such however, is the violence of the bulls
when attacking the horses, that I once saw the blunt spear I have
described, run along the neck into the body of the beast and kill
him on the spot. But this is a rare occurrence, and foul play was
suspected on the part of the man, who seems to have used more steel
than the lance is allowed to be armed with.
The company being assembled in and round the rural arena, the
one-year-old bulls are singly let in by the herdsmen. It might be
supposed, that animals so young would be frightened at the approach
of the horseman couching his spear before their eyes; but our
Andalusian breeders expect better things from their favourites. A
young bull must attack the horseman twice, bearing the point of the
spear on his neck, before he is set apart for the bloody honours of
the amphitheatre. Such as flinch from the trial are instantly thrown
down by the herdsmen, and prepared for the yoke on the spot.
These scenes are often concluded with a more cruel sport, named
_Derribar_. A strong bull is driven from the herd into the open
field, where he is pursued at full gallop by the whole band of
horsemen. The Spanish bull is a fleet animal, and the horses find it
difficult to keep up with him at the first onset. When he begins,
however, to slack in his course, the foremost spearsman, couching his
lance, and aiming obliquely at the lower part of the spine, above the
haunches, spurs his horse to his utmost speed, and, passing the bull,
inflicts a wound, which, being exceedingly painful, makes him wince,
lose his balance, and come down with a tremendous fall. The shock
is so violent that the bull seems unable to rise for some time. It
is hardly necessary to observe, that such feats require an uncommon
degree of horsemanship, and the most complete presence of mind.
Our town itself abounds in amusements of this kind, where the
professional bull-fighters learn their art, and the amateurs feast
their eyes, occasionally joining in the sport with the very lowest
of the people. You must know, by the way, that our town corporation
enjoys the privilege of being our sole and exclusive butchers. They
alone have a right to kill and sell meat; which, coming through
their _noble_ hands, (for this municipal government is entailed on
the first Andalusian families) is the worst and dearest in the whole
kingdom. Two droves of lean cattle are brought every week to a large
slaughter-house (_el matadero_) which stands between one of the city
gates and the suburb of San Bernardo. To walk in that neighbourhood
when the cattle approach is dangerous; for, notwithstanding the
emaciated condition of the animals, and though many are oxen and
cows, a crowd is sure to collect on the plain, and by the waving of
their cloaks, and a sharp whistling which they make through their
fingers, they generally succeed in dispersing the drove, in order
to single out the fiercest for their amusement. Nothing but the
Spanish cloak is used on these occasions. Holding it gracefully at
arm’s length before the body, so as to conceal the person from the
breast to the feet, they wave it in the eyes of the animal, shaking
their heads with an air of defiance, and generally calling out _Ha!
Toro, Toro!_ The bull pauses a moment before he rushes upon the
nearest object. It is said that he shuts his eyes at the instant
of pushing with his horns. The man keeping his cloak in the first
direction, flings it over the head of the animal, while he glances
his body to the left, just when the bull, led forward by the original
impulse, must run on a few yards without being able to turn upon his
adversary, whom, upon wheeling round, he finds prepared to delude him
as before. This sport is exceedingly lively; and when practised by
proficients, seldom attended with danger. It is called _Capéo_. The
whole population of San Bernardo, men, women and children, are adepts
in this art. Within the walls of the slaughter-house, however,
is the place where the bull-fighters by profession are allowed to
improve themselves. A member of the town corporation presides,
and admits, gratis, his friends; among whom, notwithstanding the
filth natural to such places, ladies do not disdain to appear. The
_Matadero_ is so well known as a school for bull-fighting, that
it bears the cant appellation of the _College_. Many of our first
noblesse have frequented no other school. Fortunately, this fashion
is wearing away. Yet we have often seen Viscount Miranda, the head
of one of the proudest families of the proud city of Cordova, step
into the public amphitheatre, and kill a bull with his own hand.
This gentleman had reared up one of his favourite animals, and
accustomed him to walk into his parlour, to the great consternation
of the company. The bull, however, once, in a surly mood, forgot
his acquired tameness, and gored one of the servants to death; in
consequence of which his master was compelled to kill him.
That Spanish gentlemen fight in public with bulls, I suppose you have
heard or read. But this does not regularly take place, except at the
coronation of our kings, and in their presence. Such noblemen as
are able to engage in the perilous sport, volunteer their services
for the sake of the reward, which is some valuable place under
government, if they prefer it to an order of Knighthood. They appear
on horseback, attended by the first professional fighters, on foot,
and use short spears with a broad blade, called _Rejones_.
A _Bull-day_, (Dia de Toros), as it is emphatically called at
Seville, stops all public and private business. On the preceding
afternoon, the amphitheatre is thrown open to all sorts of people
indiscriminately. Bands of military music enliven the bustling scene.
The seats are occupied by such as wish to see the promenade on the
arena, round which the ladies parade in their carriages, while every
man seems to take pleasure in moving on the same spot where the
fierce combat is to take place within a few hours. The spirits of the
company are, in fact, pitched up by anticipation to the gay, noisy,
and bold temper of the future sport.
Our amphitheatre is one of the largest and handsomest in Spain. A
great part is built of stone; but, from want of money, the rest is
wood. From ten to twelve thousand spectators may be accommodated
with seats. These rise, uncovered, from an elevation of about eight
feet above the arena, and are finally crowned by a gallery, from
whence the wealthy behold the fights, free from the inconveniences
of the weather. The lowest tier, however, is preferred by the young
gentlemen, as affording a clear view of the wounds inflicted on the
bull. This tier is protected by a parapet. Another strong fence,
six feet high, is erected round the arena, leaving a space of about
twenty, between its area and the lower seats. Openings, admitting
a man sideways, are made in this fence, to allow the men on foot
an escape when closely pursued by the bull. They, however, most
generally leap over it, with uncommon agility. But bulls of a certain
breed, will not be left behind, and literally clear the fence.
Falling into the vacant space before the seats, the animal runs about
till one of the gates is opened, through which he is easily drawn
back to the arena.
Few among the lower classes retire to their beds on the eve of a
_Bull-day_. From midnight they pour down the streets leading to
the amphitheatre, in the most riotous and offensive manner, to be
present at the Encierro--_shutting-in_ of the bulls--which being
performed at the break of day, is allowed to be seen without paying
for seats. The devoted animals are conducted from their native
fields to a large plain in the neighbourhood of Seville, from whence
eighteen, the number exhibited daily during the feasts, are led to
the amphitheatre, on the appointed day, that long confinement may not
break down their fierceness. This operation has something extremely
wild in its character. All the amateurs of the town are seen on
horseback with their lances hastening towards Tablada, the spot
where the bulls are kept at large. The herdsmen, on foot, collect
the victims of the day into a drove; this they do by means of tame
oxen, called _Cabestros_, taught to be led by a haulter, carrying,
tied round their neck, a large deep-sounding bell, with a wooden
clapper. What the habit of following the bells of the leaders fails
to do, the cracking of the herdsmen’s slings is sure to perform, when
the animals are not driven to madness. The horsemen, also, stand on
all sides of the drove till they get into a round trot. Thus they
proceed to within half a mile of the amphitheatre. At that distance a
path is closed up on both sides, with stout poles, tied horizontally
across upright stakes--a feeble rampart, indeed, against the fury of
a herd of wild bulls. Yet the Sevillian mob, though fully aware of
the danger, are mad enough to take pleasure in exposing themselves.
The intolerable noise in my street, and the invitation of a Member of
the _Maestranza_--a corporate association of noblemen, whose object
is the breeding and breaking of horses, and who in this town enjoy
the exclusive privilege of giving bull-feasts to the public--induced
me, during the last season, to get up one morning with the dawn, and
take my stand at the amphitheatre, where, from their private gallery,
I commanded a view of the plain lying between the river Guadalquivir
and that building.
At the distant sound of the oxen’s bells, shoals of people were seen
driving wildly over the plain, like clouds before a strong gale.
One could read in their motions, a struggle between fear on one
side, and vanity and habit on the other. Now they approached the
palisade, now they ran to a more distant spot. Many climbed up the
trees, while the more daring or fool-hardy, kept their station on
what they esteemed a post of honour. As our view was terminated by
a narrow pass between the river and the ancient tower called _del
Oro_, or Golden, the cavalcade broke upon us with great effect. It
approached at full gallop. The leading horsemen, now confined within
the palisades, and having the whole herd at their heels, were obliged
to run for their lives. Few, however, ventured on this desperate
service, and their greatest force was in the rear. The herdsmen
clinging to the necks of the oxen, in order to keep pace with the
horses, appeared, to an unpractised eye, doomed to inevitable
destruction. The cries of the multitude, the sound of numberless
horns, made of the hollow stem of a large species of thistle, the
shrill and penetrating whistling, which seems most to harass and
enrage the bulls, together with the confused and rapid motion of the
scene, could hardly be endured without a degree of dizziness. It
often happens, that the boldest of the mob succeed in decoying a bull
from the drove; but I was, this time, fortunate enough to see them
safely lodged in the _Toril_--a small court divided into a series of
compartments with drop-gates, in the form of sluices, into which they
are successively goaded from a surrounding gallery, and lodged singly
till the time of letting them loose upon the arena.
The custom of this town requires that a bull be given to the
populace immediately after the _shutting-in_. The irregular fight
that ensues is perfectly disgusting and shocking. The only time I
have witnessed it, the area of the amphitheatre was actually crowded
with people, both on horse and foot. Fortunately their numbers
distracted the animal: on whatever side he charged, large masses
ran before him, on which he would have made a dreadful havock, but
for the multitude which drew his attention to another spot. Yet one
of the crowd, evidently in a state of intoxication, who stood still
before the bull, was tossed up to a great height, and fell apparently
dead. He would have been gored to pieces before our eyes, had not
the herdsmen and some other good fighters, drawn away the beast with
their cloaks.
Such horrors are frequent at these irregular fights; yet neither
the cruelty of the sport, nor the unnecessary danger to which even
the most expert bull-fighters expose their lives, nor the debauch
and profligacy attendant on such exhibitions, are sufficient to
rouse the zeal of our fanatics against them. Our popular preachers
have succeeded twice, within my recollection, in shutting up the
theatre. I have myself seen a friar with a crucifix in his hand,
stop at its door, at the head of an evening procession; and, during
a considerable part of the performance, conjure the people, as
they valued their souls, not to venture into that abode of sin;
but I never heard from these holy guardians of morals the least
observation against bull-fighting: and even our _high-flyers_ in
devotion--the _Philippians_,[23] whom we might call our Methodists,
allow all, except clergymen, to attend these bloody scenes, while
they deny absolution to any who do not renounce the play.
[23] See Letter III. p. 77.
Before quitting the amphitheatre I was taken by my friend to the
gallery from which the bulls were goaded into their separate
stalls. As it stands only two or three feet above their heads, I
could not but feel a degree of terror at such a close view of these
fiery savage eyes, those desperate efforts to reach the beholders,
accompanied by repeated and ferocious bellowings. There is an
intelligence and nobleness in the lion that makes him look much less
terrific in his den. I saw the _Divisa_, a bunch of ribbons tied to
a barbed steel point, stuck into the bulls’ necks. It is intended
to distinguish the breeds by different combinations of colours,
which are stated in handbills, sold about the streets like your
court-calendars before the assizes.
Ten is the appointed hour to begin the morning exhibition; and such
days are fixed upon as will not, by a long church-service, prevent
the attendance of the canons and prebendaries, who choose to be
present; for the chapter, in a body, receive a regular invitation
from the _Maestranza_. Such, therefore, as have secured seats,
may stay at home till the tolling of the great bell announces
the elevation of the host--a ceremony which takes place near the
conclusion of the daily morning service.
The view of the Seville amphitheatre, when full, is very striking.
Most people attend in the Andalusian dress, part of which I have
already described. The colour of the men’s cloaks, which are of silk,
in the fine season, varies from purple to scarlet. The short loose
jackets of the men display the most lively hues, and the white veils
which the females generally wear at these meetings, tell beautifully
with the rest of their gay attire.
The clearing of the arena, on which a multitude lounges till the last
moment, is part of the show, and has the appropriate appellation of
_Despejo_. This is performed by a battalion of infantry. The soldiers
entering at one of the gates in a column, display their ranks, at
the sound of martial music, and sweep the people before them as
they march across the ground. This done, the gates are closed, the
soldiers perform some evolutions, in which the commanding officer
is expected to shew his ingenuity, till, having placed his men in a
convenient position, they disband in a moment, and hide themselves
behind the fence.
The band of _Toreros_ (bull-fighters), one half in blue, the other
in scarlet cloaks, now advance in two lines across the arena, to
make obeisance to the president. Their number is generally twelve
or fourteen, including the two _Matadores_, each attended by an
assistant called _Mediaespada_ (demi-sword). Close in their rear
follow the _Picadores_ (pikemen) on horseback, wearing scarlet
jackets trimmed with silver lace. The shape of the horsemen’s jackets
resembles those in use among the English postboys. As a protection to
the legs and thighs, they have strong leather overalls, stuffed to
an enormous size with soft brown paper--a substance which is said to
offer great resistance to the bull’s horns. After making their bow to
the president, the horsemen take their post in a line to the left of
the gate which is to let in the bulls, standing in the direction of
the barrier at the distance of thirty or forty paces from each other.
The fighters on foot, without any weapon or means of defence, except
their cloaks, wait, not far from the horses, ready to give assistance
to the pikemen. Every thing being thus in readiness, a constable, in
the ancient Spanish costume, rides up to the front of the principal
gallery, and receives into his hat the key of the _Toril_ or bull’s
den, which the president flings from the balcony. Scarcely has the
constable delivered the key under the steward’s gallery, when, at the
waving of the president’s handkerchief, the bugles sound amid a storm
of applause, the gates are flung open, and the first bull rushes
into the amphitheatre. I shall describe what, on the day I allude
to, our connoisseurs deemed an interesting fight, and if you imagine
it repeated, with more or less danger and carnage, eight times in
the morning and ten in the evening, you will have a pretty accurate
notion of the whole performance.
The bull paused a moment and looked wildly upon the scene; then,
taking notice of the first horseman, made a desperate charge against
him. The ferocious animal was received at the point of the pike,
which, according to the laws of the game, was aimed at the fleshy
part of the neck. A dextrous motion of the bridle-hand and right leg
made the horse evade the bull’s horn, by turning to the left. Made
fiercer by the wound, he instantly attacked the next pikeman, whose
horse, less obedient to the rider, was so deeply gored in the chest
that he fell dead on the spot. The impulse of the bull’s thrust threw
the rider on the other side of the horse. An awful silence ensued.
The spectators, rising from their seats, beheld in fearful suspense
the wild bull goring the fallen horse, while the man, whose only
chance of safety depended on lying motionless, seemed dead to all
appearance. This painful scene lasted but a few seconds; for the men
on foot, by running towards the bull, in various directions, waving
their cloaks and uttering loud cries, soon made him quit the horse to
pursue them. When the danger of the pikeman was passed, and he rose
on his legs to vault upon another horse, the burst of applause might
be heard at the farthest extremity of the town. Dauntless, and urged
by revenge, he now galloped forth to meet the bull. But, without
detailing the shocking sights that followed, I shall only mention
that the ferocious animal attacked the horsemen ten successive times,
wounded four horses and killed two. One of these noble creatures,
though wounded in two places, continued to face the bull without
shrinking, till growing too weak, he fell down with the rider. Yet
these horses are never trained for the fights; but are bought for the
amount of thirty or forty shillings, when, worn out with labour, or
broken by disease, they are unfit for any other service.
A flourish of the bugles discharged the horsemen till the beginning
of the next combat, and the amusement of the people devolved on the
_Banderilleros_--the same whom we have hitherto seen attentive to the
safety of the horsemen. The _Banderilla_, literally, little flag,
from which they take their name, is a shaft of two feet in length,
pointed with a barbed steel, and gaily ornamented with many sheets of
painted paper, cut into reticulated coverings. Without a cloak, and
holding one of these darts in each hand, the fighter runs up to the
bull, and stopping short when he sees himself attacked, fixes the two
shafts, without flinging them, behind the horns of the beast at the
very moment when it stoops to toss him. The painful sensation makes
the bull throw up his head without inflicting the intended blow,
and while he rages in impotent endeavours to shake off the hanging
darts that gall him, the man has full leisure to escape. It is on
these occasions, when the _Banderilleros_ fail to fix the darts, that
they require their surprising swiftness of foot. Being without the
protection of a cloak, they are obliged to take instantly to flight.
The bull follows them at full gallop; and I have seen the man leap
the barrier, so closely pursued by the enraged brute, that it seemed
as if he had sprung up by placing the feet on its head. Townsend
thought it was literally so. Some of the darts are set with squibs
and crackers. The match, a piece of tinder, made of a dried fungus,
is so fitted to the barbed point, that, rising by the pressure which
makes it penetrate the skin, it touches the train of the fireworks.
The only object of this refinement of cruelty is, to confuse the
bull’s instinctive powers, and, by making him completely frantic, to
diminish the danger of the _Matador_, who is never so exposed as when
the beast is collected enough to meditate the attack.
At the waving of the president’s handkerchief, the bugles sounded the
death-signal, and the _Matador_ came forward. _Pepe Illo_, the pride
of this town, and certainly one of the most graceful and dextrous
fighters that Spain has ever produced, having flung off his cloak,
approached the bull with a quick, light, and fearless step. In his
left hand he held a square piece of red cloth, spread upon a staff
about two feet in length, and in his right, a broad sword not much
longer. His attendants followed him at a distance. Facing the bull,
within six or eight yards, he presented the red flag, keeping his
body partially concealed behind it, and the sword entirely out of
view. The bull rushed against the red cloth, and our hero slipped by
his side by a slight circular motion, while the beast passed under
the lure which the _Matador_ held in the first direction, till he
had evaded the horns. Enraged by this deception, and unchecked by
any painful sensation, the bull collected all his strength for a
desperate charge. Pepe Illo now levelled his sword, at the left side
of the bull’s neck, and, turning upon his right foot as the animal
approached him, ran the weapon nearly up to the hilt into its body.
The bull staggered, tottered, and dropped gently upon his bent legs;
but had yet too much life in him for any man to venture near with
safety.--The unfortunate _Illo_ has since perished from a wound
inflicted by a bull in a similar state. The _Matador_ observed, for
one or two minutes, the signs of approaching death in the fierce
animal now crouching before him, and at his bidding, an attendant
crept behind the bull and struck him dead, by driving a small poniard
at the jointure of the spine and the head. This operation is never
performed, except when the prostrate bull lingers. I once saw _Illo_,
at the desire of the spectators, inflict this merciful blow in a
manner which nothing but ocular demonstration would have made me
believe. Taking the poniard, called _Puntilla_, by the blade, he
poised it for a few moments, and jerked it with such unerring aim
on the bull’s neck, as he lay on his bent legs, that he killed the
animal with the quickness of lightning.
Four mules, ornamented with large morrice-bells and ribbons,
harnessed a-breast, and drawing a beam furnished with an iron hook in
the middle, galloped to the place where the bull lay. This machine
being fastened to a rope previously thrown round the dead animal’s
horns, he was swiftly dragged out of the amphitheatre.
I have now given you a more minute, and, I trust, more correct
description of every thing connected with the bull-fights than has
ever been drawn by any traveller. Townsend’s is the best account
of these sports I ever met with; yet it is not free from mistakes.
So difficult is it to see distinctly, scenes with which we are not
familiarly acquainted.
The risk of the fighters is great, and their dexterity alone
prevents its being imminent. The lives most exposed are those of
the _Matadores_; and few of them have retired in time to avoid a
tragical end. Bull fighters rise from the dregs of the people. Like
most of their equals, they unite superstition and profligacy in
their character. None of them will venture upon the arena without a
_scapulary_, two small square pieces of cloth suspended by ribbons,
on the breast and back, between the shirt and the waistcoat.
In the front square there is a print, on linen, of the Virgin
Mary--generally, the _Carmel_ Mary, who is the patron goddess of all
the rogues and vagabonds in Spain. These scapularies are blessed,
and sold by the Carmelite Friars. Our great _Matador_, Pepe Illo,
besides the usual amulet, trusted for safety to the patronage of St.
Joseph, whose chapel adjoins the Seville amphitheatre. The doors of
this chapel were, during Illo’s life, thrown open as long as the
fight continued, the image of the Saint being all that time encircled
by a great number of lighted wax-candles, which the devout gladiator
provided at his own expense. The Saint, however, unmindful of this
homage, allowed his client often to be wounded, and finally left him
to his fate at Madrid.
To enjoy the spectacle I have described, the feelings must be greatly
perverted; yet that degree of perversion is very easily accomplished.
The display of courage and address which is made at these
exhibitions, and the contagious nature of all emotions in numerous
assemblies, are more than sufficient to blunt, in a short time, the
natural disgust arising from the first view of blood and slaughter.
If we consider that even the Vestals at Rome were passionately fond
of gladiatorial shows, we shall not be surprised at the Spanish taste
for sports which, with infinite less waste of human life, can give
rise to the strongest emotions.
The following instance, with which I shall conclude, will shew you
to what degree the passion for bull-fights can grow. A gentleman of
my acquaintance had some years ago the misfortune to lose his sight.
It might be supposed, that a blind man would avoid the scene of his
former enjoyment--a scene where every thing is addressed to the eye.
This gentleman, however, is a constant attendant at the amphitheatre.
Morning and evening he takes his place with the _Maestranza_,
of which he is a member, having his guide by his side. Upon the
appearance of every bull, he greedily listens to the description of
the animal, and of all that takes place in the fight. His mental
conception of the exhibition, aided by the well known cries of the
multitude, is so vivid, that when a burst of applause allows his
attendant just to hint at the event that drew it from the spectators,
the unfortunate man’s face gleams with pleasure, and he echoes the
last clappings of the circus.