Portugal -- Social life and customs; Spain -- Social life and customs
I have referred to a curious spectacle several times presented in
Madrid, chiefly in _fiestas_ for charitable purposes, where an elephant
was introduced into the Bull-Ring to fight, in place of the usual
_cuadrilla_ of men. This was an old elephant named Pizarro, a great
favourite of many years' standing with the Madrileños. He was an
enormous animal, but one of his tusks had been broken off about a third
from the tip, so that he had only one to use in warfare or as
protection. He was tethered in the centre of the arena, by one of his
hind legs, to a stump about twelve inches high. Then the bulls were let
out one at a time. Meanwhile, Pizarro was amusing himself by eating
oranges which were showered on him by his admirers on the benches. With
the greatest coolness he continued his repast, picking up orange after
orange with his trunk, all that he was careful to do being to keep his
face to the bull, turning slowly as his enemy galloped round the ring
trying to take him in flank. At last the bull prepared to charge;
Pizarro packed away his trunk between his tusks, and quietly waited the
onslaught. The bull rushed at him furiously; but the huge animal, quite
good-naturedly and a little with the air of pitying contempt, simply
turned aside the attack with his one complete horn, and as soon as the
bull withdrew, a little nonplussed, went on picking up and eating his
oranges as before. Bull after bull gave up the contest as impossible,
and contentedly went out between the _cabestros_ sent in to fetch
them. At last one more persistent or courageous than the others came
bounding in. Pizarro realised at once that for the moment he must pause
in eating his dessert; but he became aware at the same time that in
turning round to face the successive bulls, he had gradually wound
himself up close to the stump, and had no room to back so as to receive
the attack. The most interesting incident in the whole affray was to
watch the elephant find out, by swinging his tethered leg, first in one
direction and then in another, how to free himself. This he did, first
by swinging his leg round and round over the stump, then by walking
slowly round and round, always facing the bull, and drawing his cord
farther and farther until he was perfectly free: then he was careful
only to turn as on a pivot, keeping the rope at a stretch. Finally the
bull charged at him with great fury; stepping slightly aside, Pizarro
caught him up sideways on his tusks, and held him up in the air,
perfectly impotent and mad with rage. When he considered the puny
creature had been sufficiently shown his inferiority, he gently put him
down, and the astonished and humbled bull declined further contest. The
fighting bulls of Spain are wonderfully small in comparison with English
animals, it should be said.
[Illustration: DRAGGING OUT THE DEAD BULL]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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