Mochales made a short unintelligible remark in Spanish. He twisted a
cigarette with lightning-like rapidity and only one hand. Together
they looked at Orsi's broad ungainly back, and the bull-fighter's lips
tightened, exposing a glimmer of his immaculate teeth. They passed a
neat whitewashed cottage, where an old couple stood bowing abjectly, and
came on a series of long pale-brown buildings and walls.
“The stables and barn,” Lavinia explained.
Anna Mantegazza turned. “You may see something of interest here,” she
called to Mochales.
A series of steps, made by projecting stones, rose to the top of an
eight-foot wall, up which Anna unexpectedly led the way. The wall was
broad, afforded a comfortable footing, and enclosed a straw-littered
yard. A number of doors led into a barn, and into one some men were
urging refractory cattle. In a corner a small compact bull, with the
rapierlike horns of the mountain breeds, was secured by a nose ring and
a short chain; and to the latter the men turned when the other animals
had been confined. Two threatened the animal with long poles, while a
third unfastened the chain from the wall; and then all endeavored to
drive him within. Abrego y Mochales stood easily above, watching these
clumsy efforts.
Suddenly the bull stopped, plunged his front hoofs into the soft mold
of the stable yard and swept his head from side to side with a broken
hoarse bellow. The men prodded him with urgent cries; but the bull
suddenly whirled, snapping the poles, and there was an immediate
scattering.
The sight of the retreating forms apparently enraged the animal, for he
charged with astonishing speed and barely missed horning the last man
to fall over the barricade of a half door. Mochales smiled; he called
familiarly to the bull. Then he stooped and vaulted lightly down into
the yard. Lavinia gave a short exclamation; she was cold with fear. Orsi
looked on without any emotion visible on his heavy face. Anna Mantegazza
leaned forward, tense with interest. “_Bravo!_” she called.
Gheta Sanviano smiled.
The bull did not see Mochales at first, then the man cried tauntingly.
The bull turned and stood with a lowered slowly-moving head, an uneasy
tail. The Spaniard found a small milking stool and, carrying it to the
middle of the yard, sat and comfortably rolled another cigarette. He was
searching for a match when the bull moved forward a pace; he had found
and was striking it when the bull increased his pace; he was guarding
the flame about the cigarette's end when the animal broke into a
charging run.
The Flower of Spain inhaled a deep breath of smoke, which he expelled in
deliberate globes.
“Oh, don't! Oh----” Lavinia exclaimed, an arm before her eyes.
Mochales shifted easily from his seat and apparently in the same instant
the bull crushed the stool to splinters.
“_Bravo! Bravo!_” Anna Mantegazza called again, and the man bowed until
his extended hat rested on the ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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