One Sunday afternoon, seeking for amusement, I walked into Sonora; and,
following a crowd, I reached the "Plaza de Toros."
The proprietor of this place had gone to a great expense, to get up a
grand entertainment for that day.
A large grizzly bear had been caught alive in the mountains--about
twenty miles from the town--and, at great trouble and expense, had been
transported in a strong cage to Sonora--to afford amusement to the
citizens of that lively little city.
To bring the bear from his native wilds, had required the labour of a
large party of men; and several days had been spent in the transport. A
road had to be made most part the way--of sufficient width to permit the
passage of the waggon that carried the cage. Bridges had also to be
thrown over streams and deep ravines; and the bear was not securely
landed in Sonora, until after he had cost the proprietor of the
Bull-ring about eleven hundred dollars.
Several savage bulls had also been provided for the day's sport; and the
inhabitants of the town, and its vicinity, were promised one of the most
splendid, as well as exciting, entertainments ever got up in California.
I had before that time witnessed two or three Spanish bull fights; and
had formed a resolution never to see another. But the temptation in
this case--being a bull and bear fight--was too strong to be resisted:
and I paid two dollars--like many others as foolish as myself--for a
ticket; and, armed with this, entered the amphitheatre.
The _Plaza de Toros_ was a circular enclosure with benches--on which
about two thousand people could be comfortably seated; but, before the
performance had commenced, the place contained three thousand or more.
The first performance was an ordinary Spanish bull fight; and excited
but little interest. The bull was soon killed, and dragged out of the
arena.
After a short interval, a second bull made his bow to the spectators.
The instant this one showed himself, everybody predicted an exciting
scene: for the animal leaped into the arena, with a wild bellowing, and
an expression of rage, that portended a very different spectacle, from
that exhibited by his predecessor.
The _toreros_ appeared surprised--some of them even confounded--by the
fierce, sudden and energetic spring with which the bull charged into
their midst.
A matador standing alone, in the arena, is in but little danger--even
when pursued by the fiercest bull. It is when three or four of the
toreros are in the ring together--getting in one another's way while
turning to avoid his horns--that the bull has the advantage over his
adversaries. At such times, the bull-fighter runs a great risk of
getting badly gored, or even killed outright.
The latter misfortune happened to one of the men, on the occasion in
question. The second bull that had promised such a savage exhibition of
his fierce strength, did not disappoint the spectators. In the third or
fourth charge which he made among the matadors, he succeeded in impaling
one of their number upon his horns. The body of the unfortunate man was
lifted clear up from the ground, and carried twice round the ring--
before the bull thus bearing him could be despatched!
Of course, the man was dead; and had been so, long before being taken
off the animal's horns. His heart's blood could be seen running in a
thick stream down the shaggy forehead of the bull, and dripping from his
nose, as he carried the inanimate form around the arena!
The dead bodies of both man and animal were taken out of the place
together, and on the same cart, the only interval allowed to elapse
between the sports, was the short half hour necessary to making
preparation for the grand spectacle of the day--the fight between the
bear and a bull!
The cage containing the grizzly was drawn into the ring by a span of
horses--which were at once taken away; and then a small, and not a very
formidable "toro," was led into the arena by several men, who guided him
with their long lazos.
The appearance of this bull was disappointing to the spectators, who
fancied that a much larger animal should have been chosen to encounter
the savage monster of the mountains. The explanation was conjectured by
all. The bear was worth over one thousand dollars, while the bull cost
only twenty-five; and from this disparity in price, it was evident that
the owner of both wished to give grizzly the advantage in the fight.
This was made certain, by the proprietor himself coming forward with the
unexpected proposal: that before commencing the fight, the bull should
have the tips shaved off from his horns! "This," he said, "would hinder
the bear from receiving any serious injury; and it could be exhibited in
a fight on some other Sunday!"
But the spectators wished to see a good fight on this Sunday, and a fair
fight as well. They did not wish to see the poor bull deprived of his
natural means of protecting himself; and then torn to pieces by the
claws of the favoured bear.
The master of the amphitheatre was about to carry out his economic
project--when a scene ensued that beggars all description. It ended in
the bull being allowed to retain the tips of his horns.
The action now commenced. The hind leg of the bear was pulled out of
the cage door--which was partially opened for the purpose. The leg was
made fast, by a strong log chain, to a stake that had been driven deep
into the ground near the centre of the arena. The door was then thrown
wide open; but, notwithstanding this apparent chance of recovering his
liberty, the bear refused to take advantage of it.
A rope was then made fast to the back of the cage, and attached to a
horse standing outside the enclosure. By this means, the cage was
dragged away from the bear, instead of the bear being abstracted from
the cage--leaving the animal uncovered in the centre of the arena. The
lazos were next loosed off from the horns of the bull; and the two
combatants were left in possession of the ground--at liberty to exercise
their savage prowess upon each other.
The bull on regaining his feet, rolled its eyes about, in search of
something on which he might take revenge, for the unseemly way in which
he had just been treated. The only thing he could conveniently
encounter was the bear; and, lowering his muzzle to the ground, he
charged straight towards the latter.
Bruin met the attack by clewing himself into a round ball. In this
peculiar shape he was tossed about by the bull, without sustaining any
great injury. After he had been rolled over two or three times, he
suddenly unclewed himself; and, springing upward, seized the bull's head
between his fore paws.
So firm was his grip, that the poor bull could neither advance nor
retreat--nor even make movement in any direction. It appeared as if it
could only stand still, and bellow.
To make the grizzly let go his hold--in order that the fight might
proceed with more spirit--a man, in the employ of the proprietor,
entered the arena with a bucket of water--which he threw over the bear.
The latter instantly relinquished his hold of the bull; and, rapidly
extending one of his huge paws, seized hold of the servant who had
douched him; and, with a jerk, drew the man under his body.
Having accomplished this feat, he was proceeding to tear the unfortunate
man to pieces; and had squatted over him with this intention, when a
perfect volley of revolvers--in all about two hundred shots--were fired
at his body. The bear was killed instantly, though strange to say, his
death was caused by a single bullet, out of all the shots that had hit
him; and there were more than a hundred that had been truly aimed! The
only wound, that could have proved fatal to such a monster, was a shot
that had entered one of his ears, and penetrated to the brain. Many
balls were afterwards found flattened against the animal's skull, and
his skin was literally peppered; but, though the man, at the time the
shots were fired, was clutching the bear's throat with both hands, he
was not touched by a single bullet!
There were two circumstances connected with this affair, that, happening
in any other land but California, would have been very extraordinary.
One was, the simultaneous discharge of so many shots, at the moment when
the bear was seen to have the man in his power. It might have been
supposed, that the spectators had been anticipating such an event, and
were ready with their revolvers: for the bear's seizing the man, seemed
a preconcerted signal for them to fire.
Another remarkable circumstance was, that, although the discharge of so
many pistols was sudden and unexpected, and proceeded from every point
round the circle of the amphitheatre--where thousands of people were
crowded together--no one but the bear was injured by the shots!
It was a striking illustration of some peculiarities in the character of
the energetic self-relying men of the world, that then peopled
California.
In the "Plaza de Toros"--witnesses of the scenes I have attempted to
describe--were many young girls belonging to the place, as well as
others, from Mexico, Chili, and Peru. During the continuance of that
series of exciting scenes--which included the killing of one person by
empalement upon a bull, the mutilation of another by the claws of a
grizzly bear, and the destruction of the bear itself, by a volley of
revolvers--these interesting damsels never allowed the lights of their
cigarritos to become extinguished; but calmly smoked on, as tranquil and
unconcerned, as if they had been simply assisting at the ceremony of a
"fandango!"
Volume One, Chapter XXVI.