nd carried off, doubled
up, and apparently cured forever of bull-fighting. We heard afterward
that he only had some of his ribs broken.

He was hardly out of sight when the accident was forgotten; the bull
was again assaulted, worried out, and dragged off. Others followed,
making eight in all. At twelve o'clock the church bells rang and the
fight ended, but, as we were dispersing, we were reminded that another
would begin at four o'clock in the afternoon.

At four we were again in our places. Our special reason for following
up this sport so closely was because we were advised that in the
morning common people only attended, but that in the afternoon all the
_gente decente_, or upper classes, of Merida would be present. I am
happy to say, however, that this was not true, and the only sensible
difference that we noticed was, that it was more crowded and hotter,
and that the price of admission was double.

This was the last corrida of the fiesta, and some of the best bulls had
been kept in reserve. The first that was dragged on was received with
acclamations, as having distinguished himself before during the fiesta;
but he bore an ugly mark for a favourite of the people, having been
dragged by the nose till the cartilage was completely torn out by the
rope.

The next would have been worthy of the best bull-fights of Old Spain,
when the cavalier, at the glance of his lady's eye, leaped into the
ring to play the matador with his sword. He was a large black bull,
without any particular marks of ferocity about him; but a man who sat
in our box, and for whose judgment I had conceived a great respect,
lighted a new straw cigar, and pronounced him "_muy bravo_." There was
no bellowing, blustering, or bravado about him, but he showed a
calmness and self-possession which indicated a consciousness of
strength. The picadores attacked him on horseback, and, like the Noir
Faineant, or Sluggish Knight, in the lists at Ashby, for a time he
contented himself with merely repelling the attacks of his assailants;
but suddenly, as if a little vexed, he laid his head low, looked up at
the spears pointed at his neck, and, shutting his eyes, rushed upon a
picador on one side, struck his horse in the belly with his horns,
lifted him off his feet, and brought horse and rider headlong to the
ground. The horse fell upon the rider, rolled completely over him, with
his heels in the air, and rose with one of the rider's feet entangled
in the stir