d so that only I could see him, and then it
broke upon my mind surely the game he was playing. He and I were to be
banderilleros. The big American bull was there in the box with us. We
were to stick the darts in him till he became angry, and then there
might be no marriage with Maria Valenzuela. It was a good sport. And the
spirit of bull-fighters was in our blood.

The bull was now angry and excited. The capadors had great game with
him. He was very quick, and sometimes he turned with such sharpness
that his hind legs lost their footing and he plowed the sand with his
quarter. But he charged always the flung capes and committed no harm.

"He has no chance," said John Harned. "He is fighting wind."

"He thinks the cape is his enemy," explained Maria Valenzuela. "See how
cleverly the capador deceives him."

"It is his nature to be deceived," said John Harned. "Wherefore he is
doomed to fight wind. The toreadors know it, you know it, I know it--we
all know from the first that he will fight wind. He only does not know
it. It is his stupid beast-nature. He has no chance."

"It is very simple," said Luis Cervallos. "The bull shuts his eyes when
he charges. Therefore--"

"The man steps, out of the way and the bull rushes by," Harned
interrupted.

"Yes," said Luis Cervallos; "that is it. The bull shuts his eyes, and
the man knows it."

"But cows do not shut their eyes," said John Harned. "I know a cow at
home that is a Jersey and gives milk, that would whip the whole gang of
them."

"But the toreadors do not fight cows," said I.

"They are afraid to fight cows," said John Harned.

"Yes," said Luis Cervallos, "they are afraid to fight cows. There would
be no sport in killing toreadors."

"There would be some sport," said John Harned, "if a toreador were
killed once in a while. When I become an old man, and mayhap a cripple,
and should I need to make a living and be unable to do hard work,
then would I become a bull-fighter. It is a light vocation for elderly
gentlemen and pensioners."

"But see!" said Maria Valenzuela, as the bull charged bravely and the
capador eluded it with a fling of his cape. "It requires skill so to
avoid the beast."

"True," said John Harned. "But believe me, it requires a thousand times
more skill to avoid the many and quick punches of a prize-fighter who
keeps his eyes open and strikes with intelligence. Furthermore, this
bull does not want to fight. Behold, he runs away."

It was n