The bull fight not dangerous! I can imagine the indignation of the devotees of the sport at such a suggestion. Personally, I am not in a position to affirm how great or how small is the peril to the man who finds himself alone in a ring, face to face with a savage Andalusian bull. I have, however, been told by a Spaniard, living in Madrid, that the fluttering of the red cloth certainly distracts the bull's attention from its combatant, and that the animal invariably closes its eyes when the _muleta_ is whisked in its face. This 'fact,' given on the authority of my Spanish friend, may throw a side-light on the art of the _matador_. But I am certainly not prepared to say that bull-fighting is without danger to the human performers in the tournament. Many lives have been lost in the arena, and injuries are of comparatively common occurrence. On October 7, 1900, Dominguin was killed at Barcelona; two novices were wounded at Carabanchel; Parrao was injured at Granada, Telilas had his collar-bone broken at Madrid, and Bombita was wounded at the same place. Such was one day's list of mishaps in the amphitheatres of Spain. Until infuriated by the lances and darts, many of the bulls are far from savage. There is the story of a bull in the arena, that recognised the voice of a lad, who had tended it on the plains, and came towards its friend with apparent pleasure at the re-meeting. On the other hand, there is the account of the bull of Muruve, who fought at Seville, in 1898, and carried a horse and a _picador_ upon its horns from the barrier to the centre of the ring. A strong bull will sometimes toss a _picador's_ saddle high in the air; yet Mr. Williams tells us that two men are required to carry the saddle. Bulls frequently leap the _barrera_ of the arena, although the height is over five feet. 'At Málaga, some six years ago, a bull leaped over the barrier at precisely the same spot _fourteen_ times in swift succession. At Madrid, in 1898, another cleared _both_ barriers,' writes Mr. Williams, 'landing with his head among the spectators, but falling back into the _callejón_. On April 30, 1896, at Madrid, Ermitaño, the second bull of the _corrida_, cleared the barrier four times, jamming a carpenter between a pair of doors and severely injuring him. All the above I have myself witnessed; but other feats, perfectly authenticated, are even more remarkable.' The Plaza de Toros at Seville is a handsome building. It was constructed to seat fourteen thousand spectators. The chief fights take place on Domingo de Resurrección, and during the week of the _feria_, in April. The seats are arranged in boxes (_palcos_), the _asientos de barrera_ (barrier seats) and the _asientos de grada_. A higher price is charged for seats in the _sombra_, or shade; while the cheaper positions, occupied by the poorer classes, are in the _sol_, or sunshine.