BULL VERSUS BEAR.
Two days after this, a great festival came off, and almost all the
people of the Queer Fish were on shore to see the fun.
Mexican holy days are a singular institution, if the one about to be
cited may be considered a fair sample of them all.
Church-going forms a small portion of the ceremonies. It is true, the
priests went through the town in the morning, jingling their little
bells, and asking for alms, while the people of the place almost
prostrated themselves before them, and the miserable old bell in the
belfry of the adobe cathedral kept up a dismal clang all the time, as if
tolling the burial service of all mankind. But then, a few hours later,
and the population were amusing themselves with firing off cannon at
imaginary demons in the air--the priests directing the guns to the
proper spots. I could not believe this at first, and it was only upon
diligent inquiry that I found it to be true. But I never before heard of
this duty being numbered among the sacerdotal functions of any
country--even those of Catholic persuasion.
Horse-racing was the next celebration in order, and we experienced
considerable pleasure in seeing the Californians compete with each other
on their swift steeds.
After the horse-racing came the bull and bear fight, in which old
Bluefish and myself evinced an especial interest.
A broad tract of sward was inclosed in palings and ropes, just outside
the town, on the ocean-shore. Long before the animals appeared, the
merry people of Santa Barbara crowded round this inclosure, smoking
their cigarettoes and having a good time generally, while the
distinguished visitors from the Queer Fish were allotted a good place of
observation underneath a little pavilion, which was reared at the
command, and for the benefit, of the commandant and his family.
We waited a good while, but it was almost sunset, and the heat was not
oppressive. At last, amid the cheers of the populace, the cart appeared
bearing the grizzly. He was driven, still bound, within the inclosure,
and there dumped unceremoniously upon the ground. Then the bull, a very
fine and ferocious one, was driven into the inclosure. While he was
prancing and bellowing about, taking his "bearings," the strong gates of
the palisades were closed, and one of the Californians, who officiated,
proceeded to cut the thongs which fettered the bear, by means of a knife
made fast to the end of a long pole, thus enabling him to perform the
operation and stand outside the stockade at the same time.
Released from his long confinement, Bruin staggered to his feet and
stretched himself. He was pretty soon himself again, and now began to
eye the bull with suspicious glances, keeping on the opposite side of
the ring, and not seeming especially anxious for a nearer acquaintance.
The bull appeared somewhat more belligerent, but likewise averse to
commence the fight. He would advance this way and that, pawing the
ground and lashing his flanks with his angry tail, while the great
bear--which probably outweighed his antagonist by several hundred
pounds, although he was not quite so bulky--shifted as the bull did,
keeping his nose close to the ground, but apparently ready for any
emergency.
The ceremony of making each other's acquaintance becoming rather tedious
to the impatient spectators, the latter began to yell and shriek in a
hideous manner, in the apparent hope of inducing a commencement of the
scrimmage. But both bull and bear still being wary and cautious, the man
who had cut the thongs of the former commenced to goad, now the bull and
then the bear with his pole-knife.
This had the desired effect, for presently the bull lowered his horns,
and rushed upon the bear with a fierce bellow. Bruin took it coolly,
stood on his hind legs, avoided the coming horns, and fetched his
antagonist such a wipe with one of his terrible forepaws that the bull
staggered back to his side of the arena, with one side of his neck raw
and bloody.
But Bruin, elated with his success, no doubt, forgot his caution, and
followed up his antagonist, fetching him another wipe between the hips,
but receiving, in his turn, one of the formidable horns under his left
shoulder, which seemed to paralyze one of his paws. He then retreated in
his turn, walking on three feet, and watching the bull with a
distrustful wariness.
The spectators were very much excited at this exhibition, and began to
make wagers as to the result of the combat. But I took notice that
almost all of them preferred to bet on the bull.
At length the bull lowered his head again and made another rush, but
only to be repulsed a second time by his powerful antagonist. But this
time the "round" was much more protracted than before, and both of the
beasts were much injured.
The bear moved about with evident pain, but his injuries were more of
the character of bruises than otherwise, while those of the bull
occasioned much loss of blood, the effects of which were already
beginning to tell painfully upon him. His courage was sublime. He did
all the attacking, charging repeatedly, in spite of the terrible
slashing he received from the forepaw of the grizzly, until at last both
of his sides were streaming with gore, and his eyes were almost blinded
with his blood.
But now the bull, evidently feeling that his strength would soon be
exhausted, gathered himself up for a prodigious effort, and sprung upon
his adversary with the momentum of a locomotive.
In vain did Bruin lash out with those long sharp talons of his; the bull
would not be denied, and goring him to the ground, fairly pinned him to
the earth. One of his horns held the bear by the neck and the other
pierced deeply into his breast. The bear bellowed with pain and fought
with all his paws, but his struggles grew gradually feebler, and the
bull held him down bravely, until at last the movements of Bruin ceased
altogether, a token that he breathed no more.
Then, and only then, did the bull extract his horns from the fallen body
and lift his bloody head. The plaudits of the spectators rung loud, but
the brave animal only staggered a few paces, when he fell in the center
of the arena and expired. His victory had cost him his life.