Traverse
The traverse is a shifting of the ground circular-wise to either side, and is effected by moving either foot outward a distance of 6 in., and bringing the other opposite to it.
Under Stop-thrust.-A thrust delivered to meet an opponent's advance, the left foot being allowed to glide backward, and the whole weight falling on the right leg.
Volte. Any sudden leap to avoid a stroke.
Especially a turning of the whole body upon toe or heel.
Bibliography.-Lessons in Sabre, Singlestick, &c., J. M. Waite (Weldon), 1880; Cold Steel, Captain A. Hutton (Clowes), 1889; Broadsword as Taught by the Italian Masters, F. Massiello, translated by Vere Wright (Allen), 1889; A Bibliography of Fencing and Duelling, Carl A.
Thimm (Lane), 1896; The Swordsman, A Manual of Fence, Captain A. Hutton (H. Grevil), 1898; Secrets of the Sword, Trs. from the orig.
French of Baron de Bazancourt, by C. F. Clay (Bell), 1900; The Sword and the Centuries, Captain A. Hutton (Grant Richards), 1901; Fencing Exercises based on the Italian System, E. Alexander (G. Phillip and Son), 1905; The Fighting Man of Japan, F. J. Norman (Constable), 1905; L Art de tromper le fer après la Méthode Coureux, L. Tempié (Pau), Les Joueurs d'Epée à travers les Siècles, G. Fradin Letainturier (E. Flammarion, Paris), 1905; Trattato teorico-practico di scherma della sciabola, F. Cesarano (Panada, Padova), 1874; Trattato teorico-practico della scherma di spada e schiabola, M. Parise (Voghera Carlo, Roma), 1889; Trattato sulla scherma di spada, E. Pini (R. Giusti, Livorno), 1904; Esgrima Española, F. Moreno (Madrid), 1904.
BUFFALO, AFRICA. - Description and Habits. - The Cape Buffalo (Bos caffer) is called in the Zambesi district Nyati or Mboga, and in Bechuanaland Nari. In height it stands 4 ft. 8 in. to 4 ft. IO in.; its body is massive and covered with black hair; the skin of belly and inside of thighs a blackish red, very sparsely covered with hair. The horns of an average full-grown bull should measure 36 inches in width (outside measurement) across the widest part, 25 inches from tip to tip, and 14 to 15 inches depth of palm at base.
The African Buffalo is generally described as the most savage and vindictive of all ruminants, but it is doubtful whether he fully deserves this character. His aspect is certainly ferocious, but this is caused by the massive weight of his body, the great breadth and thickness of his heavy horns, and especially by the savage expression of his little bloodshot eye. Unless wounded or suddenly disturbed, a Buffalo will seldom charge. As a rule, whether come upon singly or in a herd, they prefer to seek safety in flight; but a cow with a calf will often charge, and keep on charging after the remainder of the herd has fled. Old bulls which have been driven out of the herd and compelled to wander about alone, or in company with two or three other unfortunates, will occasionally charge if suddenly disturbed; and many a hunter has found himself in an unpleasant position on coming suddenly and unexpectedly in front of an old bull standing dozing in high grass. The first impulse of the startled animal is to rush blindly forward, and whatever happens to be in the way has to go, as nothing weaker than a wire rope will stop him.
Except from cows when they have calves running by their sides there is no danger in approaching a large herd of buffaloes in the open; and the bigger the herd the less the likelihood of a charge.
In 1894 the writer, accompanied by two native boys, came across a herd of fully 700 buffaloes feeding on the short grass of the Manamtoi plains near Sarmento. Burchell's Zebra, Blue Wildebeeste, and Lichtenstein's Hartebeeste were feeding with the buffalo, each species keeping pretty well together.
Not being in want of meat, and having already secured several good heads, the writer walked out of the high grass which fringed the open plain on which the game was standing, and made straight for the BB 2 dense mass of animals; without any intention of firing a shot, and merely to see how near they would allow him to approach them in the open. The zebra and the wildebeeste were the first to run, the former with many a kick and prance, and the latter frequently halting in their lumbering gallop to wheel round and toss their comical heads; but after both zebra and wildebeeste had disappeared into the high grass and palm scrub, the buffalo remained standing motionless, [BUFFALO is a totally different affair. It is then that the almost supernatural cunning and devilish ferocity of the animal shows itself. A beast is hit, perhaps, only an inch or two from a vital part (or he is hit in a vital part by a bullet from that questionable implement the 303 rifle), but not dropped, and disappears in the high cover. Beware then how you follow him, for while you and your boys are slowly picking out the blood spoor with eyes fixed on the ground, watch- Faldwell 1896 CAPE BUFFALO.
Height at shoulder, 4 ft. 9 in.; av. horn meas. 36 in.; max. horn meas. 49 in. with noses pushed forward, gazing stolidly at the writer and his two boys as they walked briskly towards the herd. Not until we were within 120 yards of them did they move, and then of a sudden they wheeled round, and the forest of evil-looking heads and horns in front of us was transformed into a mass of black sterns and waving tails rapidly retreating amid a cloud of dust.
Not one of these evil-looking brutes thought of charging the three attenuated and feverstricken bipeds who walked up to them in the open.
But in the case of a wounded buffalo it ing for the red splashes on the grass, the brute will have run back 100 yards or more parallel to his forward tracks, and will be lying in wait ready to spring up and charge out on you as you come opposite him, and the odds are that he is upon you before you have time to raise your rifle. The sense of smell possessed by buffaloes is very acute, and when wounded they will hunt a man through thick cover by this means just as a spaniel will follow the track of a rabbit; but the buffalo, unwieldy looking though he be, is far quicker than the spaniel, and as long as a trace of scent remains he will BUFFALO] follow it, eager to avenge, while his strength remains, the death wound he feels he carries in him.
A buffalo does not charge blindly with head down, as do the European members of the bovine family. He carries his head at an angle of only a few degrees off the horizontal, and it is only at the moment of striking that the head is lowered and the horns brought into position for a sidelong thrust-consequently a charging buffalo offers very little chance of being stopped by a bullet, even if there is time to aim; for, buffalo. So long as the slightest movement of the sides (caused by respiration) is visible, he is capable of staggering to his feet and annihilating his pursuer. The writer once had a narrow escape in this way.
Being in want of meat for the camp, he went out in the early morning to secure it, and from the top of an anthill sighted five buffaloes on a small patch of short grass slowly feeding towards some heavy thorn and palm scrub in which they probably intended to lie up during the heat of the day. It was easy to run through the long grass HERD OF BUFFALO IN DONGA SOBAK. though he may be struck on the very small mark offered by the lower part of the forehead where unprotected by the massive horns, the bullet (if of ordinary calibre) is certain to glance off owing to the angle at which the head is carried. The nose is the part to aim at; for even if the brain is not touched by this means, the bullet will penetrate the neck and chest, and so disable the animal as to stop him in his charge.
If a wounded buffalo escapes into thick bush or high grass, the wisest plan is to wait an hour before following him. He is certain to lie down before going far, and will become weak and stiff from loss of blood, and therefore less likely to make a sudden charge.
The greatest caution should be exercised when approaching an apparently dead [Photograph by Radclyffe Dugmore. up to within forty yards of them, and a bullet from the first barrel dropped a cow stone dead, while that from the second barrel appeared to have the same effect upon a scarcely full-grown bull, for both animals rolled over and lay motionless. The cow was inspected first, and proved to be dead, but on getting within twenty yards of the young bull he scrambled to his feet and charged. A hurried shot aimed at the nose hit the base of his left horn and glanced off into the air with a loud hum, doing nothing towards checking him in his charge.
The second barrel drove a bullet through his nose, chest, and intestines, smashing the heart, killing him instantly, and causing him to turn a complete somersault. His rump hit the writer a heavy blow on the face and brought him to the ground with [BUFFALO when a railway surveying party were at work in the Kilimanjaro district, no buffaloes were seen or killed by the hunters attached to the expedition, but the ground was thickly strewn with the skulls of those which had succumbed to the epidemic. It is to be hoped that the disease has not penetrated to the more northerly districts of German East Africa, and that a sufficient number may have been left there to ensure the eventual restocking of the districts which have been ravaged by it; but many a bloody nose and cut lips. The incident probably occupied no more than ten or fifteen seconds; but it seemed longer to the writer; and ever since then he has been very careful, when walking up to an apparently dead buffalo, to do so from behind the animal. In this case the first shot of all (which brought it to the ground) was found to have struck forward of the shoulder, grazing the vertebræ of the neck, and causing temporary paralysis, without otherwise injuring the beast. Lambeth Public Weapon. The rifle used in this instance years must elapse before the hunter can was a double 500 bore Express, carrying the long 570 grain soft lead solid bullet and 120 grains black powder. It is the best weapon for general purposes, but hardly heavy enough for the larger descriptions of African game. The rifle most suitable for buffalo is the 577 Express, using 6 drams of black powder and a solid 648 grain soft lead bullet. The 10-bore Paradox gun is also an effective weapon in bush country where shots of no greater distance than 70 or 80 yards are likely to be called for.
Nothing of less calibre than the 500 bore should be used on buffalo; and it is scarcely necessary to remark that the use of hollow bullets is dangerous on these heavy and thick skinned animals.
Stalking. When stalking buffalo, the hunter should always endeavour to reach a position from which he may obtain a fair broadside shot, and then put his bullet rather low down immediately behind the shoulder. This is the most effective shot, and indeed the only one almost certain to be fatal; but it frequently happens that natural obstacles, such as tree stems, grass, &c., prevent the hunter from getting a sight of anything but the head and neck. The neck shot may then be attempted, if the animal is standing broadside (or nearly so) to the hunter, but caution must be exercised in approaching it thereafter, although it may have dropped instantly to the shot, for a bullet in the neck is seldom fatal unless the vertebræ are broken.
Habitat. Until recent years buffaloes were to be met with in vast numbers all over Southern and Eastern Africa, but the advance of civilisation has caused their gradual disappearance from Cape Colony, Natal, and the greater part of the Transvaal; while in South, Central, and Eastern Africa they have been greatly reduced in number by the outbreak (in 1890) of an epidemic disease closely resembling anthrax, which rapidly decimated the vast herds which, up to that date, were to be found in those districts. Two years subsequent to the appearance of this disease (viz., 1892), again encounter vast herds of these noble black cattle similar to those which until 1890 roamed at will through the swamps and high grass of this part of Africa. A few herds are still in existence in the bush country adjoining the sea-coast near Port Elizabeth. These are protected by the Cape Government, permission to kill limited number being occasionally given, but the bush is so dense and the animals so wary that it is difficult to obtain a shot. a In the Transvaal only a few small herds are to be found along the banks of the Olifants and Limpopo Rivers, and it is probable that they will continue to exist for some years to come, as they keep to the Tse-tse fly district, and are therefore free from molestation by Boer skin-hunters, who never hunt on foot, and are of course unable to take their horses into the fly country. In North Matabeleland and Barotzeland buffaloes still exist in considerable numbers, and in fact all along the Chobé and Zambesi Rivers herds numbering up to two hundred are met with; but it is in the low, swampy country adjoining the coast line between the mouths of the Zambesi and the Limpopo that they are still to be found in herds numbering occasionally as many as one thousand animals. The district around Beira (in Portuguese territory) is without doubt the finest hunting ground in Africa for buffalo, and indeed for almost every description of African big game.
The country is, for the most part, covered with dense grass from seven to ten feet high, which makes it almost impossible to see the game until close upon it; but open spaces occur every now and then on which the grass is short and sweet. It is upon these open glades that the game is to be found feeding in the early morning. As soon as the sun is up the buffaloes and antelopes retire into the shade of the high grass and palm trees, and it is then difficult to see or approach them.
Arrangement of Trip. One of the flatbottomed boats obtainable in Beira makes a fairly comfortable home. The hold is BUFFALO] divided into a forward and an after cabin, the former being used by the crew, and the latter by the members of the shooting party.
There is room to stow a large number of trophies; and the great expense entailed by the large number of carriers required for a trip by land is saved. Such a boat can be hired in Beira (inclusive of crew's wages) for £35 a month; whereas the wages and food of, say, sixty native carriers required for a purely land trip would amount to £80 a month. The Pungwé River is navigable in a flat-bottomed boat nearly as far as Sarmento, a distance of one hundred miles from Beira; but it is unnecessary to push so far up stream. At 'Mpanda (fifty miles up the stream from Beira) the river divides, the right-hand stream being named the Madinguedingue, and the left the Pungwé. These streams again unite about twenty-five miles further north, thus enclosing a large tract of flat swamp land which is full of Buffaloes and other game.
The Urema River joins the Madinguedingue ten miles above 'Mpanda, but is too shallow for navigation in a large boat. By means of canoes (which can be hired at 'Mpanda) it is possible to ascend the Urema River, and so reach Barrato's Kraal (distant about forty miles from 'Mpanda), and from there the Lake Sangue district can be hunted.
Here buffaloes (and, in the months of September, October, and November, elephants) are to be found in vast numbers. Barrato is a half-caste Portuguese, and chief of a large native tribe. He is hospitable to Englishmen, and generally willing to give them permission to shoot in what he considers his territory. He has fifty or sixty native hunters armed with good guns engaged in ivory hunting; and when staying at his kraal in 1894, the writer saw about 1,000 lb. of ivory which had been brought in by these men during the previous hunting season. Buffalo and other game numerous also along the Busi River, up which a trip could be made by boat from Beira. The country lying on each side of the Sabi River (which runs into the sea about sixty miles south of Beira) is aiso good buffalo ground. are The whole of the country above referred to-viz., that lying between the mouths of the Limpopo and the Zambesi Rivers (roughly four hundred miles of coast line) -is within the Tse-tse fly belt; so no domesticated animals can be employed, and all stores and baggage have to be carried by native bearers; while the European sportsman has to walk every inch of the way. It is also the most unhealthy and worst fever country on the East Coast.
THE TATE CENTRAL LIBRARY BRIXTON, S.W.
Sport is therefore attended with more hardships and sickness than in other parts of Africa; and it is to be hoped that by reason of the deadly climate and the difficulties of travelling through such a country, it may long remain, as it is now, the finest Big Game preserve in the world. During the rainy season no European could survive the dangers of the climate, and it is only in the months of August, September, October, and November that it is possible to travel through the country. The date of commencement and the duration of the dry season are very uncertain, but the probabilities are that at some period during the four months referred to, the grass will be dry enough to burn; and when this is possible, grand sport may be obtained. Within four or five days, after the heavy grass has been burnt off, the young green blades shoot up, and the game flocks in from all directions to feed upon it. They are then easy of approach under cover of the unburnt grass and scrub.
A. M. NAYLOR.
BUFFALO, INDIA. -The vast tracts of swampy jungle at the foot of the South Eastern Himalayas, the Delta of the Ganges, and the plains of the Central Provinces, drained by the Mahanadi and its tributaries, comprise the districts which the Indian Buffalo (Bos bubalus, vel Bubalus arni) frequents.
The wild animal differs but slightly in appearance from his tame congener. He looks plump and well cared for, instead of being lean and scraggy; and his nice brown coat and tidy white stockings, as compared with the patchy tints of so many of the domesticated kind, only mark the difference between the free man and the slave.
The usual habitat of the wild Buffalo being swampy ground covered with tall reeds, they are chiefly hunted on elephants; and the density of the cover may be imagined when (as the writer has sometimes experienced) the sportsman, standing up in his howdah, can see nothing of the elephants on either side of him, though only some fifteen yards away, the top of the reeds being higher than his head.
Buffaloes roused by a line of elephants frequently show fight, a solitary bull, or a cow with a young calf, being especially pugnacious; the bulk of the animal and the short range at which the action is fought (generally fifteen to twenty yards) render effective shooting fairly easy, particularly with staunch elephants; but large-bore rifles, taking heavy charges, should be used for these as for all other thick-skinned game.
An occasional stalk on foot may sometimes be indulged in, where broad sandy river beds divide the masses of heavy cover, as buffaloes frequently come out on to these to drink and wallow in the clear water.
As, however, a wounded beast invariably betakes itself to the thickest cover near, elephants are necessary to follow it up and bring it to bag.
On the plains of the Central Provinces the grass during the hot weather is less dense; and as a great deal of it is regularly a [BUFFALO the action. The chief reason for this mode of procedure is that few Europeans have the keen senses of sight and hearing that jungle-bred natives possess; their movements are also attended with a certain amount of noise, and their presence tends to distract the trackers, who have not the smallest intention of blundering into close quarters with a dangerous animal, and to whom every sign and sound are of the gravest importance. Naturally this only refers to tracking an unwounded animal, Jaldwell INDIAN BUFFALO.
Height at shoulder, 5 ft. Av. horn meas. 55 in.; max. horn meas. 77½ in. set on fire by the villagers every year to produce better grazing, buffaloes may be regularly hunted on foot without the aid of elephants. Water at that time is scarce, being only found in pools along the river beds, and the game is consequently confined to its vicinity. Good trackers are indispensable for this sport, and, given these, the best thing that the sportsman can do is to interfere with them as little as possible; they should be allowed to go ahead and carry on the trail, the sportsman remaining fifty or a hundred yards behind them till the game is sighted, when they should be placed in safety, and the hunter undertake as, after a beast has been fired at, the trackers must be accompanied by and protected by the sportsman. Buffaloes thus tracked, and stalked in the early mornings while they are feeding, seldom give much trouble; they are fairly easy to approach. Usually a deliberate shot may be obtained at about fifty yards' range, and a heavy bullet, well placed, knocks the fight out of them at once.
A single bull is always easier to tackle on foot than a herd, as the smell of blood from their stricken comrade may, and very likely will, make them charge en masse if they happen to detect the firer. Forsyth in his BULL-FIGHTING] delightful book, The Highlands of Central India, gives a vivid account of how he and his gun-carrier had to effect a retreat on account of the threatening demeanour of a herd whose leader he had shot. "A semicircle of pawing hoofs and snorting nostrils, surmounted by forty pairs of monstrous horns," was certainly formidable odds against two men in grass three feet high.
When, however, he opened fire again from a more secure position, the buffaloes seem to have made no attempt to attack, but took to flight after a few shots had been fired at them. Williamson, in his Oriental Field Sports, written at the commencement of the century, narrates many quaint adventures with buffalo, which he held in great respect; but it must be remembered that there is a considerable difference in power between the ball guns of those times and the heavy rifles of the present day. He gives a capital account of hunting buffalo from boats, during the inundations of the Ganges. He describes the hunters as a motley gang of villagers, armed with matchlocks, swords, and spears, mobbing in the water the various animals that had taken refuge on the islands which were gradually being submerged. The buffaloes, from his account, appear to have been almost harmless, as long as they could be enticed into water deep enough to hinder them from lowering their heads to use their horns.
This sport in a higher form has on several occasions been enjoyed in the Sunderbunds, or Delta of the Ganges, during the rainy season. The sportsmen usually engage a large boat to live in, with small boats attached, in which they are able to follow the smaller watercourses, and so penetrate a considerable distance among the swamps and islands that buffaloes frequent.
The sport is described as magnificent, wounded buffaloes often charging up to the boats, and requiring heavy metal and straight shooting to stop them.
But the writer has never heard a single instance of one of these parties having escaped malarial fever, and usually the expedition has been forced to return after a brief sojourn in that deadly district, paradise of sport though it be. The absence of wholesome drinking water is the chief cause of jungle fever, and though the Europeans may escape fever by taking extraordinary precautions, their native servants are almost sure to be attacked by it.
R. HEBER PERCY.
BULLS AND BULL.-FIGHTING. -Although Bull-Fighting is not a sport in which Englishmen commonly engage, it may fairly, as the national pastime of more than one European country, claim a place in an Encyclopædia of Sport. From the time when the young bull is tended on Andalusian plains to the closing moments of his life in the National Corrida, a vocabulary of special words, a separate form of expression, illustrates the science of all pertaining to Tauromachia. In Spain these terms form part of current expression, as the bull-fight forms part of current existence, even without penetrating to the inner life of "the fancy" where a language half gipsy, half slang-rich and racy as you please-is the medium of the Matador and his entourage. For the hybrid lingo of this set no equivalent could be found, but for some technical terms of the art it is necessary to give a fairly accurate rendering. This, when possible, will be attempted.
The river Guadalquivir after passing Seville forms between its different channels the islands known as Isla Mayor and Isla Menor, and these islands are in their turn subdivided into the far-stretching plains of Las Cabezas and Lebrija. It is from the fine herds of fighting cattle specially bred on these plains that the bull-rings all over Spain are principally supplied. On the adjacent vegas of Utrera are the herds of Muruve and Miura, this last of singular ferocity and sinister reputation. Three times in recent years have Toros de Miura overmatched their foes. Thrice has the life-blood of Matadors mingled with this sangre fiera in open fight. The classic arena of Madrid bore witness to their deathdealing horns, when the Cordoba man José Rodriquez (Pepete) fell, to be followed later by Mariano Canete. The shock which galvanised the public there on the 27th of May, 1894, when poor Espartero died, seemed for long to thrill all Spain, for he was a universal favourite. Besides the Seville owners there are breeders in various parts of the country. The bulls are kept separate from the cows in enclosed pastures, each calf (male or female) being given a name at birth and entered in the herdregister. When the calves are a year old, the branding process takes place. This forms almost as important an epoch as the trials for courage which take place later on. It is a rural festival, and a kind of open house is kept at the ranch during the two days it lasts. A year passes, or even two, before any further steps are taken with the young stock. In some herds they are tested at two, in others at three years of age. The separation has then to be made between the good and the bad, or in other words "the cowardly and the courageous"; those which the overseer passes as good return to their pastures, while those found wanting are condemned to the slaughterhouse or the plough-share. This tentadero is again a fête, crowds appear, the amateurs are now expected to take an active part, and he who would pose as a sportsman must be more than a fair rider and bestride a speedy nag well broken to the work. With the assistance of a number of trained oxen (each carrying a large bell), the youngsters are herded up on the plain, which extends as far as the eye can reach, and offers no impediment to a race between mounted men and themselves. Half the "decoy " cattle are then removed from the mass and rounded up at some few hundred yards' distance. The owner, overseer, and his friends, each wielding a heavy wooden lance, called a garrocha, some twelve feet long, with short blunted metal point, similar to that used in the bull-ring, rein up their horses for a start, with them being also a professional spearman (picador). On a given signal, the herdsmen who are surrounding the beasts to be tried, allow one of the animals to escape, whereupon he or she, for the two sexes are tried indiscriminately, makes headlong for the distant group of tame kine. Immediately two spearmen urge their horses in pursuit, one lying on either side, and each riding hard to get in first lance; he on the right endeavours to place his spear, if one may call it such, on the bull's right flank, and he on the left vice versa. If successful, the bull is thrown to the ground; he rises, again to start, and once more to be overthrown; then, infuriated, he turns to face his pursuers. [BULL-FIGHTING shape of a cape, so that when not in use they may be worn by the expert. When the bull lowers his horns in the charge, the texture is cast on one side or the other, the bull follows it, and the man is safe. A bull will be brought to the charge several times before he tires of the intangible result.
Many breeders condemn this practice, and consider that no bull should be "cheated with the rag" till necessary in the bullring. It is easy to understand that he would learn before long to leave the shadow for the substance. Instances of "educated " bulls, which have been extremely dangerous to the matador, are not wanting.
The selected bulls pass two years uneventfully, until at four or five years of age they are ready for the ring. They are now worth £40, £60, even £70 each, according to the reputation of the herd, though bulls for a novillada or second-rate bull-fight cost far less. The breeder's liability does not end until the bulls sold are safe in the ring, or in the railway station booked for a distance. In the enclosures or "surrounds," some of which are many thousand acres in extent, curious scenes are sometimes witnessed. Thus, two bulls fight, and the entire herd ring them round to look on.
The loser is pursued by the rest, is badly hustled, sometimes killed. Even if not, the beast will ever after be of evil temper; boycotted by the others, he keeps himself aloof from them. This moroseness is also noticeable in bulls which are sick, lame, or wounded. Another curious fact, in an enclosure containing eighty bulls or more, there is always one master of the restone Cæsar. This continues till the herd will stand it then six more; seven unite, and together attack the tyrant and kill him. The whole herd then surround the defunct and bellow mournfully, until the stockman removes the body. no These give way to the professional spearman, who, with couched lance, awaits the onset. The beast charges repeatedly if he be of the right sort, each time baffled and kept at spear's length, as the metal point fixes in his withers. It is at this critical moment his fate is decided. By the number of times he faces the spear, so is his merit recorded. An inferior or soft animal will refuse, or charge but once, the pluckier ones attacking repeatedly. The whole herd is tried in the same manner. The horsemen, mostly friends of the owner, take their turn in pairs to wield the lance. Bad falls are not infrequent.
The ordeal to which the young bulls are subjected is sometimes even further extended by men on foot giving them pases. To "pass" a bull is to induce him to charge by holding open before him some coloured material, which may be a rug, a cape, or something similar. As a matter of fact, the lures used in bull-fighting are made in the or The enclosure which contains the cows with the calves is very dangerous ground; should you draw their attention, the whole lot will be upon you instantly, and, unless you can put the fence between you and them, you are in a bad way. If caught in the open there is one means of escape, which is to seize a calf, and, keeping it between you and the infuriated cows, to edge back to the railings; as long as you are thus protected, you are safe. In entering an enclosure of fighting bulls always keep near the railing or the riverside, even should they be near the former or drinking in the latter-never pass behind them in such a way as to block their escape. If they should stop and look at you, as they will do after moving a few steps, continue your BULL-FIGHTING] way and do not stop; barring the sullen, solitary animals mentioned previously, there is no danger of a charge. The better bred they are the quieter they will be in the pastures. When a contractor comes to buy bulls for a corrida, or fight, he or his deputy rides through the enclosure with the overseer, and picks out what he wants; these are driven by the stockmen into a separate enclosure by means of the decoy cattle, cabrestos, which go with them. They are then driven by easy stages to the town of the fight, following the decoys without a thought of evil, and rest on some pasture in the neighbourhood. of this baiting, the animal is removed and killed outside. This early excitement puts the people in a suitable frame of mind for the anticipation of the professional contest to take place in the afternoon: as the corrida always occurs on holidays, the whole time is absorbed by its ever renewed interest.
With the first morning light the bulls and their "traitorous kin" are roused by shouts of mounted men. Soon the whole herd of bulls and decoys is rattled along the lanes and byways, at a gallop, in the direction of the bull-ring. The horsemen are assisted in this operation, called the encierro ("en- THE OPENING PARADE OF BANDERILLEROS, PICADORS, AND MATADORS. Apart from the bull-fight proper and preceding it by some eight or ten hours there takes place in the same locale a diversion called the Brandy Bull. Early in the morning an animal of inferior quality, but possessing most of the attributes of the fighting class, is loosed in the arena. The points of its horns are bound in wooden knobs to prevent loss of life. The public is admitted on payment of a sum equal to about twopence; and any one may jump into the ring and try his hand with a capa-that is, draw the attention of the bull to himself. All the rabble of the town is present, and accidents (principally from the throng of people in the ring) are frequent. The bull sometimes gets his horns free, and then many serious wounds are given. After an hour closing"), by numerous amateurs. As the ring is approached, the road is enclosed by strong post-and-rail fencing. At the end of this open the wide doors of the toril, or circular corral surrounded by high solid walls. Through the opening rush the herd, cabrestos and toros together. The wide door swings to, and all are safe. A passage leads from the corral to the bull-ring, and one by one the animals are admitted to this section. Doors swing conveniently open before each cabresto, and he walks quietly to liberty without, free to betray once more.
An equally convenient door opens before each bull, but not to liberty. Snorting and panic-stricken, impatient of control, he follows the opening way. Onward through secret panels till he can go no further-a bolt is drawn, a wall falls behind, and he is caught. Between his cell and the arena there is but a board.
The arena, or redondel, may be seventy yards across or less. A barrier of wood about six feet high encircles it; then comes a corridor of seven feet, round which the first circle of seats are ranged. These are the places sought by the foremost patrons of the sport. The space between the two circles is called entre barreras ("between barriers"), and here in this corridor the bull-fighters not actually engaged in the fray stand at rest; it is here also that the police and the military have their representatives.
So, when a bull jumps the barrier, as frequently happens, an amusing sauve qui peut occurs. Then the track is closed by throwing a section of the inner barrier to the outer circle, forming a stop. The bull is thus compelled to return to the arena. Some rings are provided with upright screens of wood called burladeros, placed at intervals close to and flush with the barrier-a refuge for the experts when hard pressed. From the first row of seats, or tendidos, the lines rise in widening circles back to the enclosing walls of the plaza or bull-ring. All is open to the sky except on the shady side of the amphitheatre, where a roofing covers the privileged seats at the top, the boxes and presidential balconies; as the spectacle usually takes place in the afternoon, no inconvenience in this quarter is caused by the sun's rays. The composure of the élite in the boxes, where the bride-like costumes of the ladies give a strange refinement to the scene, indeed the coolness of all in the shady side or Sombra, is strongly contrasted by the close packing of the roaring "people in the Sol. On that side the glare and heat are combated by myriads of fans of all colours. These, mixed with bright mantillas and flower-decked heads, make a blaze of tints, the blue sky over all, not easily equalled. The Sol has the life and glow of popularity, the Sombra the stamp of fashion, both combining the enthusiasm of the Spanish race. وو The equipment for an ordinary corrida or bull-fight is six bulls. Two espadas or matadors are engaged to kill alternately, the elder commencing with No. I. Each "master" has his own band of assistants called a cuadrilla; this troupe consists of four men on foot, known as banderilleros or chulos, and two horsemen called picadores. The sacrifice of horses varies; sometimes only ten suffice; at others twenty or more are required. The cost of an average corrida would be approximately one thousand pounds. Each matador is re- [BULL-FIGHTING sponsible for the performance of his party.
The senior takes the management of the ring-details. The word of the chief is law to his followers, who usually have great respect and affection for him. In some cases there are three espadas engaged; then two bulls fall to the lot of each.
The total number of spectators varies according to the size of the ring, a fair average being 8,000 seats (that of Madrid contains 12,500).
The assemblage is presided over by persons in authority-in provincial capitals by the civil governor, in smaller towns by the alcalde or mayor.
The changes in the spectacle are directed from the presidential chair. When nothing goes wrong, the waving of a white handkerchief suffices for the purpose. A red one is the sign of disapproval.
The fight is divided into three stages: first, the suerte or hazard play of the picadores or horsemen; secondly, that of the banderilleros (men on foot); and lastly, the crowning and principal scene, the suerte of the swordsman (matador or espada).
The spectacle commences with a procession of the entire "cast," issuing from the gate opposite to the president's balcony. The matadors lead the show, walking in line abreast some three yards apart, behind them in Indian file follow the cuadrillas. The picadores ride in couples behind. The espada of highest fame leads the left wing, and the rear is brought up by two teams each of three mules harnessed abreast in gaudy trappings, accompanied by grooms and attendants. The espadas wear their gala capes in stately fashion. These garments are soon to be exchanged for less expensive ones for use in the conflict.
Preceding this imposing parade two aguacils, or warders, in sixteenth-century costume ride across the ring and go through the form of asking the president for the key of the bulls. This is thrown from above. The retirement of the aguacil with the key is the prelude to the fight. The vast arena is now clear save for the picadores, who are ranged some twelve yards apart on the left of the door from which the bull will emerge. Their horses are so placed that, if charged by the bull in his first rush, the impetus will be received on the right side. Each man grasps tight his garrocha or lance. There is a lull in the roar of thousands. The fatal handkerchief is waved, a herald trumpets the command to unswing the double doors, and the noble beast bounds to his fate. Encompassed on all sides by glaring moving colour, maddened by all he sees and hears, the call on BULL-FIGHTING] his ferocity is not made in vain, and fain would be wreak his vengeance on all at once.
His eye takes in several victims; hardly can he decide which he will first attack. He swerves in his career from one to another, then darts at one and charges home. The efforts of the picador with his lance seldom serve for aught at this first charge; the guard is broken through, and horse and man are hurled to the ground. Frequently the picador is jammed between the saddle and the barrier. Then the toreadors come to the rescue by trailing capes before the bull, and his attention is taken from the fallen man, who may be within a few inches of As two of rival rank are usually performing at the same fight, they are the centre of all eyes, and not infrequently daring competitive efforts are made to draw applause. Thus the picador is of secondary interest. The object of the Suerte de Varas (lance play) is to tire the bull sufficiently (not too much) to render him a more facile plaything in the use of the banderilla and the sword (second and third acts).
As the president (assisted by an expert) gives more or less time to this part of the performance (the picadores punishing more severely a strong bull than a weaker one) - wounded horses, terribly wounded horses, BANDERILLEROS AT WORK. his horns. The coloured capa takes his eye, he turns to catch it on his horns, then sees another horse and man, and on these vents his fury, usually with the same result as before. The object of the picador should be to turn the charge of the bull by firmly placing the point of his lance between the shoulder-blades as he wheels his horse to the left in safety.
Whatever may be said in answer to those who claim for the second and third sections greater proficiency and skill, the first part (that of the picadores) is but a prostitution of the original finished display of horsemanship. It must be borne in mind that the first espada, the matador, has completely absorbed the interest of the public. He has become the monopolist of plaza favour. 1 As their importance has increased, so has their emolument. A hundred years ago each bull was paid for at the rate of about a sovereignare brought up again and again to receive the bull's charge. Only animals unable to bear a man are mercifully brained by the grooms of the ring. After each charge the bull is less inclined to continue the work; then the horses are spurred to where he may be standing, and he is urged to charge again by a movement of the bridle or by shaking the lance. This is called citing the bull. It is notorious that the picadores do not try to save their horses-poor refuse and cast-offs as they are. The men have direct interest in riding a number to death.
The public no longer require them to save the horse; rather are they applauded for taking the risk of the falls, and these are considerable. The fame of the breeder is augmented by many slain, while the espada fifty years ago (in the time of the great Cuchares) at £10. To-day Guerrita or Mazzantini will look askance at anything less than £50 to kill a bull. scores by achieving the death of a bull which has killed many horses. Should the bull be of soft description and refuse to charge a third time (which seldom happens), the red handkerchief is waved. Banderillas de Fuego (darts with fireworks attached) are then implanted in the bull's withers. This is a terrible disgrace to the herd from which he comes. The picadores are fined if they place the lance in any but the proper spot or injure the bull in an unorthodox way.
All through the corrida the cape or capôte is ever cheating the bull-the never-failing lure-flaunted, and trailed, fascinating, and [BULL-FIGHTING a sway of the body, the folds of the cape are thrown open on the right, the bull bends his head and follows the trail of colour.
He stops his charge and turns to seek the phantom anew. Again the cape is stretched -another rush-again the bull is baulked as the slippery silk goes slithering across his horns. This coup is called La Veronica.
The movement called Navarra is of similar risk.
Another trick called de Tijerilla is of still greater danger. In this exhibition the matador has the cape crossed over his breast and held beneath the arms. He has to BULL PREPARING TO CHARGE MATADOR. fixing his attention. By it the expert stops or directs his charge. Of the two things, the man or the cape, the bull will almost invariably go for the cape. This gives many opportunities for the bull fighter to show off. In it is involved the first principle of bullfighting. By the capôte or long cape the bull is tired and beguiled during the first two episodes. It is by the small red cloak, or muleta, that the matador, unaided, encompasses his death in the last act. Not infrequently at the sortie of the bull, before he has even charged the first horse, a matador will face him in the centre of the ring with extended capôte. Between outstretched hands he holds the lure well up; when the bull with furious rush appears almost to have caught him, he swings his arms to one side; with unmoved feet and await the charge and yet free himself and divert the bull's attack. The leap of the lance (Salto de la Garrocha) is performed by the expert awaiting the bull in mid-ring with one of the lances used by the picadores -as the bull lowers his head in the charge he leaps over him. Another risky performance, seldom seen, is to place the foot between the horns and spring over the bull as he charges (Salto del testus). In order that the horses may not shrink from the onslaught, their right eyes are invariably blindfolded. When the president considers the bull has been sufficiently "brought down," the bray of the trumpet heralds the next act, the horsemen retire from the ring, and for a few seconds the bull and the slain are in procession. The banderilleros, each with a pair of darts, now advance. The BULL-FIGHTING] banderilla consists of a wooden shaft an inch in diameter and 27/4 feet (or less) in length, covered with bright paper frilling, having at the end a short sharp iron barb.
By waving these at arm's length aloft, the banderillero cites the bull to charge. As the bull lowers his head to gore his tormentor, the darts (one from each hand) are deftly implanted between the shoulderblades, as nearly touching one another as possible, the man reaching over the horns in the act. At the same moment, by a graceful movement of the body, he avoids the beast's thrust. This is doing the "turn" well, and by the barb, which only pierces skin deep.
While in this state he presents a more favourable mark for the second banderillero, who fixes with greater ease a second pair; this is called putting in a pair al relance (on the rebound). The darts are usually fixed by the chulos, but on some occasions the public demand that the matadors themselves should do this. By an almost universal custom, the matadors affix the darts in the fifth bull. This is always the pick of the six, and hence comes the Spanish proverb "No hay quinto malo," the fifth is ever good. Should only one dart remain MATADOR PREPARING TO GIVE THE "COUP-DE-GRACE." indeed a quick and careful calculation of distance is necessary; so much so, that a start with the wrong foot might easily be fatal. The different modes of "putting in the darts" may be divided into two forms: first, awaiting the bull face to face; and second, coming up from behind, when the bull receives them in the act of turning to charge, and before he actually has time to do so. Each form embraces a variety of coups, though, it is needless to say, the best is the face-to-face system. To go into these and other details would require a volume.
With the smart of the first pair of banderillas the bull roars with fury, and bounds hither and thither, frantically trying to rid himself of the unwonted encumbrances, the shafts of the banderillas falling and rattling on his horns to and fro, but firmly attached sticking, or the pair be badly placed, the public express their disapproval by loud whistling (as in all cases of bungling or cowardice). Four pairs of banderillas sometimes decorate a bull before the séance changes. Should the beast advance at a trot, he affords no chance, and the banderillero must escape to the barrier and wait a better opportunity. Herein lies a fruitful cause of accidents, as he has then no capôte for defence, and must trust to speed or his comrades' capas to draw off the bull.
A feat introduced by El Gordito, and since emulated by a few others is the "hazard of the chair" (Suerte de la Silla). The banderillero takes a cane-bottomed chair to the centre of the ring, and, seating himself, awaits the charge. On this taking place he swiftly "plants" the darts and glides to one side, the bull meanwhile tossing the chair on high; this looks very effective. But to resume; the trumpets sound once more for the third and great scene, and an expectant hush falls on the vast gathering as the matador steps alone into the arena, and approaching with stately stride beneath the presidential stand, makes an impromptu speech, of which the following may be quoted as an example :- Your Grace, to you, this bull I pledge To slay, and stake my life, Whereof in token, here's my badge Ere ent'ring on the strife.
Then, turning sharply on his heel, he casts his montera or betasselled cap behind him defiantly, sworn to do or die. Slowly he advances to the bull, grasping in his left hand the muleta or small red cloak, a hole in the centre of which admits one end of a short stick for the better extension of the cloth; and in his right the long, rapier-like sword. As he steps out, his wiry and athletic form is well shown up by the bright silken attire of faultless fit, gleaming with gold or silver embroidery and precious stones. At a distance stand his satellites, their capôtes ready in case of need. By the muleta the bull is induced, with his eye constant to the lure, to charge again and again, the matador "passing" him now on one side, now on the other, till the panting animal stops in wonder. Raising and de- THE MATADOR LEAVING THE RING AFTER DESPATCHING A BULL. pressing the muleta, the man observes whether the beast is still obedient to its influence. All this time he has been studying the bull's peculiarities, for on this much of his success depends. When the bull assumes a suitable angle and position, the matador raises his sword shoulder high, takes a steady aim, and makes his running [BULL-FIGHTING lunge (that is, in the case of the Volapiésee later). If successful and rightly placed, the bull falls dead, the sword left in to the hilt. The spot aimed at (just in front of the withers) is only a few inches in size.
A small deviation is sufficient for failure, and the bull may require several thrusts; to kill the beast with one counts the highest BULL-FIGHTING WEAPONS.
Sword.
Banderillas.
PM Point of a lance.
Wand of a muleta.
Braining dagger. merit, that is, if properly administered, though thrusts are reckoned good, even if the bull is not killed, provided they are well placed, as the bone often obstructs the sword. The following are the lunges or thrusts of the matador :- GOOD.
Recibiendo or Aguantando. Receiving the bull's charge, matador motionless, only swaying body to avoid horns.
A un tiempo.-Both bull and matador meet midway.
Volapié or Vuelapies. The usual method -the bull steady, matador kills with running thrust. INFERIOR.
A paso de banderillas, Al revuelo de un capôte, Al relance, A la media vuelta.-- When the bull is taken in motion on half turn (four variations).
BAD.
Mete y Saca or Metisaca. A defective stroke used only with cowardly bulls as a last resource-to kill without regard to rules, care being taken to remove the sword to avoid bad impression.
The matadors are recruited from the banderilleros, but the picadors always remain BURREL] picadors. An interesting ceremony is sometimes to be witnessed in a large ring, when a first-class matador elevates a junior colleague to the highest grade. To do this, instead of killing the first bull, his by right of seniority, he formally hands muleta and sword to the aspirant, who, having achieved the feat, is ever afterwards of premier rank. This is called "taking the alternative."
The prominent matadors of recent years are the following: Bocanegra, El Gordito, Chicorro, Lagartijo, Frascuelo, Angel Pastor, Mazzantini, Espartero, Guerrita, Reverté, Bombita, Lesaca, El Algabeño.
Each of these was or is the exponent of a particular school. (In Wild Spain, by Abel Chapman and myself, readers will find some account of the Bull Fight as it was in the old days and of the earliest professionals in the art.) In Portugal a popular spectacle prevails -a so-called Bull Fight, which, however, partakes more of the nature of a circus entertainment, and is consequently held by Spaniards in very low esteem. In these shows a variety of feats are gone through; the banderillas are "put in" as in Spain, but some of the other tricks are of the clown order; one skilful performance deserves praise-a humane adoption of the Spanish picador's rôle accomplished by skilful riders mounted on well-trained horses, which, indeed, is well worth seeing. Finally, when the bull has given sufficient amusement the cabrestos are driven in and the beast makes its exit with them. The Portuguese Bull Fight, though presented in a Spanish setting, differs almost entirely in its execution, as the risk to man or beast is small, owing to the round wooden knob which covers the point of either horn.
WALTER J. Buck.
VOCABULARY OF WORDS REFERRING TO BULL FIGHTING.
Aficionado. An enthusiast, a devotee.
Aguacil. A mounted official, a messenger.
Anillo (or Redondel). The arena.
Arrastre. Dragging by mules the slain animals from the arena.
Banderillero.-Expert who places darts or banderillas in the bull. Barrera. Wooden partition encircling arena.
Becerro. A bull calf.
Burladero. Screen for safety or refuge in arena.
Cabrestos (or Cabestros). - Tame cattle used in removing bulls.
Capa (or Capôte). - Cloak, cape, mantle.