part of the
show. The poor creatures were tremendously glad when they heard that
there was a chance of bullfighting being stopped; and they promised to
do exactly as they were told.

Of course the man who took us in there didn't understand what we were
doing. He merely thought the fat Englishman was crazy when he saw the
Doctor making signs and talking in ox tongue.

From there the Doctor went to the matadors' dressing-rooms while Bumpo
and I with Polynesia made our way into the bull-ring and took our seats
in the great open-air theatre.

It was a very gay sight. Thousands of ladies and gentlemen were there,
all dressed in their smartest clothes; and everybody seemed very happy
and cheerful.

Right at the beginning Don Enrique got up and explained to the people
that the first item on the program was to be a match between the English
Doctor and Pepito de Malaga. He told them what he had promised if the
Doctor should win. But the people did not seem to think there was much
chance of that. A roar of laughter went up at the very mention of such a
thing.

When Pepito came into the ring everybody cheered, the ladies blew kisses
and the men clapped and waved their hats.

Presently a large door on the other side of the ring was rolled back and
in galloped one of the bulls; then the door was closed again. At once
the matador became very much on the alert. He waved his red cloak and
the bull rushed at him. Pepito stepped nimbly aside and the people
cheered again.

This game was repeated several times. But I noticed that whenever Pepito
got into a tight place and seemed to be in real danger from the bull, an
assistant of his, who always hung around somewhere near, drew the bull's
attention upon himself by waving another red cloak. Then the bull would
chase the assistant and Pepito was left in safety. Most often, as soon
as he had drawn the bull off, this assistant ran for the high fence
and vaulted out of the ring to save himself. They evidently had it all
arranged, these matadors; and it didn't seem to me that they were in any
very great danger from the poor clumsy bull so long as they didn't slip
and fall.

After about ten minutes of this kind of thing the small door into the
matadors' dressing-room opened and the Doctor strolled into the ring. As
soon as his fat figure, dressed In sky-blue velvet, appeared, the crowd
rocked in their seats with laughter.

Juan Hagapoco, as they had called him, walked out into the ce