The Travelling ThirdsAtherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
General
The Travelling Thirds
Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
Americans -- Spain -- Fiction; Voyages and travels -- Fiction
The president, who received them standing, bowed with much ceremony and
then cast a key into the arena. It unlocked one of the dark cells, or
toriles, adjoining the arena, where the first of the angry bulls was
bellowing for light and space and dinner.
The picadores, with one exception, retired, this hero of the first
engagement taking his stand by the door whence all had emerged. The
espadas, banderilleros, and others of lower estate, scattered at safe
distances from the door of the toril, near which stood a chulo to direct
the attention of the bull to the picador, lest he fly first at the
unmounted men and disappoint the spectators of their whet of blood.
But the bull might have been rehearsed for his part. As the door of his
toril was cautiously opened he flew straight at the blindfolded horse
without a side glance or a roar; and not waiting for the teasing prod of
the picador’s pike, he bored his horns into the luckless animal’s side
and dragged out his entrails.
Catalina closed her eyes and turned her back—she felt horribly
faint—then looked at Mr. Moulton. He also had turned his back, and his
profile was green. Nevertheless, he had the presence of mind to observe
a small boy of seven or eight years, whom he had singled out for
psychological investigation. The boy looked bored.
“The worst is past for the moment,” said Over to Catalina, and under
cover of her mantilla he took her hand. “They will take the poor brute
out, and the rest is pure sport.” And Catalina, in a tensity of emotion,
held fast to his hand during the rest of the performance, quite
unconscious of the act.
The bull, meanwhile, had dashed for the glittering figures in the middle
of the arena, his red horns looking as if they would rip the earth did
they encounter nothing more inviting. Then came the graceful, agile
antics of the banderilleros. After the chulos, with their flirting
capes, had tormented and bewildered the bull for a few moments, first
one banderillero and then another received him in full charge, leaping
aside as he lowered his horns to gore, and thrust the barbed darts,
flaunting with colored ribbons, into the back of his neck. One man
leaped clear over the bull, planting his darts in his flight. The next
went over the wall of the arena into the narrow passage below the front
row of seats, the bull in full tilt after him, but diverted by a chulo
before he reached the wall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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